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Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

The Denver Nuggets are among the top teams in the West. Their success starts in the locker-room, where everyone gets along and chemistry is good. In this video, after the jump, the team's players share with us some of the nicknames they've given each other, including 730, Quack, Suite 200 and more.

Renaldo Balkman, who is known as "Kool," even shows us his one-of-a-kind tattoo.

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star reports that there is no deal yet.

The long-awaited trade of Jamaal Tinsley has finally happened, according to the New York Post's Peter Vescey (via Indy Cornrows). Vescey reports Denver has acquired Tinsley in exchange for incumbent back-up point guard Chucky Atkins and limited big man Steven Hunter. The deal is roughly cap neutral for the next two years (Indiana can save some 2009-10 money by cutting Atkins early), but Denver's on the hook for an extra $7 million in 2010-11. That doesn't quite reverse the mood from the Marcus Camby liquidation, but it does quiet the idea the Nuggets are ready to blow everything up.

The interesting thing about the move from Indiana to Denver for Tinsley is that both teams featured a high-octane offense last season. How did Jamaal do? He racked up plenty of assists ... but shot at a simply awful clip and piled up buckets of turnovers. He was certainly a nominee for the All Bad Starter Team. Denver really needs someone to a) bring the ball up with wasting time or losing it, b) get the ball to Carmelo Anthony or Allen Iverson, and c) deliver some easy buckets (hopefully by way of dunk) to Nene and Kenyon Martin. Atkins was more of a shooter than a playmaker; Tinsley needs to never shoot ever for this to work out. (Seriously, Tinsley is one of the worst shooters of the last decade who has had a steady job.) Anthony Carter started for Denver much of last season, but I imagine Tinsley will have the gig on reputation alone.

Atkins almost certainly doesn't figure into Indiana's plans, and Hunter should be used like a relief pitcher, in there to block shots only when necessary. The real prize is losing Tinsley, who reportedly had a falling out with coach Jim O'Brien last season and never did enough on the court or in the locker room to make up for it. Indiana didn't need to get an asset back -- saving a year of salary is worth the split.

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video, Nuggets All Star Allen Iverson has some tips for reporters. Around 1:22 into the video Lakers Center Pau Gasol tells us what makes him happy.


AOL Video link. Youtube link.

The Los Angeles Clippers are not the Dallas Mavericks. While this may not be great news for their fans, it is great news for bloggers. Unlike a certain owner of a team in Dallas, the Clippers welcome my kind, and thanks to them I'm here courtside to report on tonight's game. I'll be bringing you updates at halftime and after the game, so stay tuned for all the action.

Pre-game: This is an important game for Denver, because as of right now they find themselves tied with the Warriors for the eighth and final playoff spot. After two unexpected losses, the team really can't afford to lose to a Clippers team that isn't playing at full strength. Especially with a monumental game against the Warriors looming on Thursday.

George Karl seemed as exasperated as any fan of the Nuggets during his pre-game comments. He put a positive spin on the pressure his team's facing by saying that "pressure is a privilege," and that a lot of teams would welcome the chance to be in their position. He also felt that his team didn't play all that badly, especially against Seattle where he mentioned that "they beat us with a couple of lucky shots."

On the Nuggets chalkboard, defense was what was being stressed, for obvious reasons. The goal Karl set for his team was to hold the opposition to 20-point quarters, and to be active and aggressive for 48 minutes.

Chucky Atkins, when asked why he wasn't getting in some shooting before the game, said that there was no need because "his [stuff] was hot" tonight. We'll see if he starts out that way. On the Clippers' side, Quinton Ross seemed a bit tired in the locker room, which might be bad news since he's likely to be matched up against Allen Iverson.

B-Ball, B-Fast runs weekdaily and covers last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
And by "high" I mean vertically towards the rim, of course. And when you can jump like Thaddeus Young and you start to get some playing time, there is certainly no reason to be sad. Young scored in double figures for the third time in four games last night, scoring 16 on seven of 11 shooting with four boards, two steals and a block against the Raptors in 28 minutes. He's got sick hops and gobs of potential for fantasy purposes, especially in the defensive categories. Deeper leagues should be pouncing and even 12 teamers want to offer some consideration.

Hot Cakes
Jason Williams did not start for the Heat, but he played 37 minutes. Chris Quinn saw only eight and J-Dub blew up (a relevant phrase for the Miami Heat this year) for 23 points. Again, he's playing for a contract, the Heat do not have many options (relevance again) in terms of offense so he's going to get shots -- if you need threes and dimes he is a very solid buy low coming off of injury.

Two quick Western Conference point guard injury updates for you this last weekend without real NBA ball. Mike Bibby's bum thumb M. Watson notified you of? Mike had surgery this morning, and that will reportedly keep him out at least 10 weeks (roughly 32 games) says The Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick. (Earlier estimates had the absence closer to six weeks.)

And Friday I alerted you to Denver point guard Chucky Atkins' unfortunate groin. Well, it's severely strained and will keep Chuck out of action for 6-8 weeks. Chucky's pain is Mike Wilks' gain, though -- the journeyman guard got cut a few days ago, but Denver re-signed him Saturday to help fill the void in Atkins' absence. (Wilks was also thought to be a Kings target; he auditioned for the team in July.)

Bibby's injury might only matter to Quincy Douby and fantasy owners (though this maladjusted scamp seems to get perverted pleasure out of it all for no apparent reason). Atkins' injury, though, could very well help shape the bottom half of the Western playoff picture. No one can say Denver is better off without him, even if he was fool's gold (as ESPN Insider's John Hollinger believes). The depth at guard is spooky in its shallowness. Even with Allen Iverson at point and some combination of Bobby Jones and J.R. Smith running the two-guard, you're left with almost nothing in reserve. Sacramento's PG depth is likewise spooky, except -- as Watson has noted -- few expected anything from the Kings anyway.

The hardest part about tracking preseason is judging the severity and impact of myriad injuries. DNPs mean jack, so you have to scour for details on Kevin Durant's ankle and Kobe Bryant's wrist. But sometimes, reading the game recap and focusing on the afflicted player's quote -- those times, you can tell when it's bad. Such a case is Denver point guard Chucky Atkins.

"It's real, real sore and in pain right now," Atkins said after the game. "I felt my groin pop."

My condolences, Chuck. Actually, reserve your prayers for Denver. If Atkins isn't playing, Allen Iverson has to move over to point guard. (The only others 1s on the roster: 32-year-old Anthony Carter, who got into two games for Denver last season, and Von Wafer, who has been cut from both L.A. teams in the past two years.) Iverson has obviously played plenty of point guard in the past. 82games.com says he picked up 18% of all Denver's PG minutes last year. His numbers at two-guard were much better (everything but foul-drawing really), which nods to the distributing power of Steve Blake. Denver's offense was 2.4 points per 100 possessions better with Blake and Iverson on the floor versus with Iverson at the point. A.I. can play point guard for stretches for this team, but the Nuggets seems clearly better off with Iverson shifted to the two-guard. And we all want Denver to be in the best position possible to break our necks all season.

This also seems like a good place to mention Chucky Atkins turned 33 this summer and has a recent history of groin problems.

After reading Brian Berger's Sports Business Radio Blog yesterday, I became a little bit upset. In the post Mr. Berger criticized current Memphis Grizzlies GM Jerry West for these comments following the draft lottery:

"It's like pitching pennies. It's grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.

"There have been a lot of picks in the lottery that have [failed]. There are two in the lottery this year that are not going to fail. There are two superstars in the draft. I think for the teams fortunate enough to get them, the fortunes of their franchises have changed forever."

Berger categorized the comments as "sour grapes", stating that Mr. West only made the comments because his team lost the lottery. However, being the media watch dog that I am, I know that Jerry West had been urging the league to change its current lottery system long before Tuesday's draft lottery. In fact, in a podcast with Chad Ford back in early April, Mr. West spent half of the interview talking about how terrible he thought the system was.