FanHouse Memphis Grizzlies

Our own Michael David Smith already dismissed Mike Freeman's "Florida as NBA team" piece, as well he should have. But I'm still hung up on one of Freeman's key points: it's not that Florida's three lottery-bound studs make it NBA-level, but that NBA-level is overrated:

Go ahead and tell me about the gap in ability and athleticism between the NBA and college. Spout the tripe and nonsense about how great the NBA is. The league is not great; it's top heavy. It is the Mavericks, Detroit, Phoenix and San Antonio. Maybe Cleveland because they have LeBron James. Just about the rest of the league these days is middling, average ball at best.

Freeman has Mark Cuban chime in as the voice of reason (!!!), and what Cubes says is probably true. Plus, given the tremendous rate at which NCAA heroes fail in the Association, it's just near-impossible to assume much about college players in the NBA setting.

But if there's anything to be said for Freeman's argument, it has to do with Greg Oden, not Florida. As the age limit rages on, we'll see more and more NBA-ready talent forced to hang out in college. And when Oden plays like he's already starting in the NBA, it's hard not to think that the line between the two levels might gety blurry in the coming years.

Anyone familiar with the NBA knows of the term "sick." Here is the oft-maligned Stephon Marbury giving a visual demonstration of the concept. It's kind of like filthy, but even nastier, to the point where the dirt, sweat and funk on a play make you queasy.

I don't think, though, that's it's supposed to be taken literally. Unfortunately, no one told the Memphis Grizzlies that. The team has incorporated the possibility of throwing up into their campaign for Rudy Gay, Rookie of the Year. From the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The campaign features a brochure in the form of an airline ticket. The in-flight services say there will be highlight reel dunks, blocks and game-winning shots featured every flight...

Attached to the air sickness bag is a pair of pilots' wings, which reads, 'Rudy Air. Taking flight, every night.' Also included is a luggage tag with Rudy Gay for Rookie of the Year.

Okay, I guess that would make me want to heave a vote his way. Since, you know, nothing makes me like a player like being reminded of puking on airplanes.

If you're a die-hard NBA fan, the NCAA's can be a little trying. Not that there's anything wrong with swinging both ways. But when Kobe is out there making history and a lot of the world can't be bothered, something's not right.

Apparently, I'm not the only person who feels this way. The one, the only Phil Jackson thinks fans should have at least a little bit of respect for the Association in the month of March. The Los Angeles Times reports that during last night's Grizz/Lakers game, the hometown fans were more interested in watching Memphis/A&M than the action right in front of them:

As the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies played Thursday night at FedExForum, fans erupted in cheers at inopportune times that had nothing to do with the antics of the Grizzlies' mascot.

Fans were simply watching the Tigers play Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, a game shown on the scoreboard at FedExForum for the final minutes of the Tigers' 65-64 victory over the Aggies.

Jackson got peeved, seemingly out of principle, and demanded the game be taken down:

"I went to the scorer's table and said, 'That's not right,'" Jackson said later. "This is the game that's being played here. Delaney did the right thing."

Lamar Odom, who missed two free throws when surprise cheering broke out, had no problem with it. I can see both sides of it. It's like, if you you're that invested in the Tigers, don't attend another sporting event. But if Kobe's slicing up your squad, you probably need something to believe in.

Correction, sort of: They were showing the game, not just the score.

In case it hadn't been made clear by their current four-game killing spree, the Boston Celtics have no intention of tanking--that is, losing intentionally for the purposes of getting a better draft pick. Doc Rivers won't hear it, but he is diplomatic about those who would rather he did:

"There's nothing you can do about the talk," he says. "You can't quiet people. You can't even go into the discussion. I look at it several ways. People on that side or the other side are Celtic fans. Both sides want the Celtics to do well."

Which side are you on, Celtics fans? Grizz fans? Can you root for your team to lose?

I've been in the situation as a fan. And it was for football, not basketball, where the pick would have been guaranteed with one Week 17 loss, instead of just getting me more ping-pong balls. I started watching the game with the idea that I'd secretly be pulling for the Chargers to lose, but when the game started, I couldn't do it.

I have a tendency to develop an attachment to individual players, as opposed to the team as a whole. It was that loyalty that prevented me from rooting for the tankjob. The running back wanted to win, the linebacker wanted to win, the safety wanted to win ... and if they were going to go out there and bust their heineys for a win, I didn't have it in me to root against them. Maybe that makes me a sap. I can live with being a sap.

It's not that I don't get the other side of it. It makes sense to want your team to lose in that situation. You sacrifice a few ultimately meaningless games right now for years of potential prosperity in the future. It's perfectly rational, especially when the prize could be Kevin Durant or Greg Oden. I just tend to lose sight of it when the game starts, when winning becomes the only thing that matters.

With the NBA trade deadline looming, the FanHouse looks at potential trades out there that would make the NBA a better, brighter, place.

Yes, this Gasol-to-Chicago rumor's been on the table so long it might as well be bottled, placed next to the salt and pepper and sprinkled liberally on chicken. But at the end of the day -- er, make that Thursday at 2:59 pm -- I believe it's a move the Bulls organization has to make. Two major reasons why:

1. Interior scoring. As in, the Bulls have absolutely none of it. But hey, don't ask me; check what Ben Gordon had to say when questioned about his team's "lack" of inside presence:

"Just the way this team is set up, the load is on the guards," Gordon said. "We rely so much on our draw-and-kick game. It's tough sometimes when we can't go down [to the post] consistently. We have guys who can score, who can pick-and-pop. But we don't have anybody who can go down there five, six times in a row and get something."

Well said, Benjamin. (Can I call you Benjamin?) Adding Gasol, who is easily one of the best back to the basket scoring big men in the world, would finally allow the Bulls to stop living and dying on the jump shot. Their inside-outside game would be deadly.

2. The Big Ben/championship "now" factor. When general manager John Paxson signed 31-year-old Ben Wallace to a four-year, $60 million deal this past summer, the message he sent to Bulls' fans was loud and clear: We're serious about taking the next step. Well, the thing is, I'm pretty sure Pax hadn't intended "the next step" to mean "marginal regular season improvement." Bearing in mind Big Ben doesn't have many more championship runs left in the ol' tank, Pax really ought to keep rolling the dice on his act now plans.

Luol Deng, Thabo Sefolosha, PJ Brown's expiring contract and a future first round pick for Gasol and one of the Grizzlies fatter contracts -- Damon Stoudamire, Stromile Swift or Brian Cardinal's -- might just be enough to strike a deal for both sides.