The NBA has been in full-on arms race mode this summer, starting when Shaq packed his bags for "The Rock N' Roll Capital of the World." And it hasn't just been high-profile starters being snatched off the market by contenders. Teams are also focusing on depth as a way to gain an advantage. The Dallas Mavericks have been particularly active, re-signing Jason Kidd, acquiring Shawn Marion, and making a failed bid for Marcin Gortat. After the Magic surprisingly matched their offer for Gortat, it appeared the Mavericks had accepted fate and were content to head into the season as is.
Well, not so much. Saturday night Marc Stein (you may have heard his name once or twice) confirmed details of a one-year deal struck between the Mavericks and free agent forward Drew Gooden, which Gooden also confirmed via Twitter (it's so hot right now).
So what exactly does Gooden provide the Mavericks?
The Nuggets led the Mavericks by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter, but midway through the fourth the Mavs started to make a run, cutting the deficit all the way down to six. A would-be blowout was suddenly a two-possession game; was this where the Nuggets would fall apart?
Not quite. With the ball in his hands and just two seconds left on the shot clock, Carmelo Anthony nailed a 25-footer that left the Mavericks so disgusted that Antoine Wright drew a tech foul, putting Chauncey Billups on the free throw line to push Denver's lead safely back to double-digits once and for all. From there, Denver cruised to a 124-110 series-clinching victory.
"Yeah, that was a spark," Anthony said after the game. "If I told you I knew it was going in, I'd be lying to you. That was a lucky shot. It went in. I think that shot right there sparked the momentum for us."
If the NBA could establish clarity on what is and isn't a flagrant foul, maybe Dallas' Antoine Wright would have bear-hugged Carmelo Anthony instead of bumping him like they were dancing to Lady GaGa in a club. Maybe an intentional foul would have been called, rather than a non-call that led to Anthony's game-winning three-pointer. Maybe the Mavericks would have stolen Game 3 of their series with Denver, leaving them even with the Nuggets today and not down 3-1.
DALLAS -- He sat in the Nuggets locker room with ice on his knees and right elbow smiling.
He also looked tired.
But Carmelo Anthony had a reason to be. He made the biggest shot of his NBA career, a 3-pointer with one second to play, to give the Nuggets a dramatic victory over the Mavericks on Saturday.
The victory has pushed the Nuggets to a 3-0 lead in this Western Conference series. And Game 3 was ugly. The three days off between Games 2 and 3 might have something to do with it. The 61 fouls called also bothered the flow of the game.
But when it was time for something special to happen, Anthony made it so.
Take a look at that picture. What do you see? I mean, aside from Doc Rivers' look of abject terror while being subjected to the Derrick Rose Experience. See that thing on his lapel? If you look closely (don't squint, there's a bigger picture after the jump), you'll see it's a pin with the initials "C.D."
The National Basketball Coaches' Association announced last week that they were dedicating the 2009 playoffs to Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer last month, and they're honoring him by wearing a lapel pin featuring his initials. For a coach known for his sartorial elegance (his players nicknamed him "Daddy Rich" for his fine suits), it's only fitting that he's being honored with a fashion accessory.
Isiah Thomas once cornered me in a hallway and issued a warning, mob-boss-like. "If you squeeze me again, you'll be sorry," he said. I'm not certain what warranted the threat -- and it's nice to know I haven't awakened to a horse's head in my bed -- but it was a classic snapshot of what King Isiah was like when he ruled the world, when he was a two-time NBA champion, when he was the best little man who ever played the game.
Now, years later, he is humbled, deleting the mountains of scandalous cache in his personal hard drive and rebooting himself amid the smallest of templates. He is escaping New York, where his dreadful tenure as boss and coach of the Knicks was exacerbated by a sexual-harassment case against him, and attempting to salvage his career and life at Florida International University, where a basketball team that hasn't had a winning season in 10 years played to average crowds of 693 fans last season.
Larry Bird has been frank with his concern about the Pacers' image problem, telling the Indy Star last month, "All the off-the-court problems have been a disaster for us. ... It's something we said we were going to clean up and we're doing that."
Jones is about as professional as they come and would be a great influence on Indy's roster, but HoopsHype cites a source claiming Jones will be waived immediately, which would explain why cash was included. Williams will be reunited in Dallas with Rick Carlisle, who coached Williams his rookie year. I'm not entirely sure how he fits in with the Mavs or whether his prospects for playing time will be increased, but a fresh start will probably do him as much good as it will the Pacers.
In February, Devean George blocked the Mavericks' first attempt to save themselves from acquire Jason Kidd. He knew the decision would be unpopular -- fans in Dallas booed him during his first appearance after the trade fell through -- but he was content "being the bad guy" while exercising his contractual rights as a soon-to-be restricted free agent who'd be losing his Bird rights.
Considering the whole debacle (and that the re-worked trade for Kidd not involving George cost Mark Cuban an extra $11 million), it seemed a foregone conclusion that George would be given the boot this summer. Instead, it's the exact opposite. From Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News:
George and the Mavericks reached an agreement Wednesday on a new, two-year contract worth about $4 million, according to George's agent, Mark Bartelstein. Bartelstein said the deal includes an option for George to return to free agency after next season.
"He's excited about returning to the Mavericks," Bartelstein said. "He's excited about playing for [new coach] Rick Carlisle. Rick made a great impression on him and came to visit him a couple of times."
I admit, I'm more than a little surprised that the Mavs wanted George back, and not only because of any lingering feelings of resentment about the botched trade. The fact is, George is woefully unproductive. He averaged just 3.7 points and 2.6 boards in 15.5 minutes per game. Looking at his stats independent of playing time, he posted a paltry 7.06 PER, far below the league average PER of 15.0 and ranking 312th in the entire league. And yet, for some reason, the Mavs not only kept him but also gave him the option to decide how long he wants to stay. Brilliant.
Crystal Ballin'takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.
The Mavericks were caught trying to keep up with the Suns' and Lakers' roster changes in the West, but their trade for Jason Kidd seemed to be a step in the wrong direction. Thanks to that trade, the Mavs don't have a first round pick this year, so any help will have to come via some more trades (gulp.)
Picks: #51.
Needs: Size and athleticism, at either the center or the power forward spot. Quickness to spell Jason Kidd at the point.
Best case scenario: Rick Carlisle installs a new offense that will take advantage of Kidd's play-making skills, and the talents of Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard are showcased as well.
Southwest Kia has a very nice interview with Josh Howard, who made some late season noise when ESPN decided that his marijuana smoking admission was "news". But hey, when you wield the biggest media sword, that's your prerogative. So you had to see this interview, in which Howard sits down in a friendly venue and speaks at length about his offseason and the lessons he learned, kind of coming. Still, good stuff.
Highlights include: Howard admitting he learned "not to be brutally honest" (3:10), how to deal with the negativity (4:25), David Stern accepting his apology for the marijuana comments (6:11), how Rick Carlisle brings a "new energy" to the Mavericks (7:26) and the fact that he's a big fan of The Wire (8:50).
Most of the talk about the marijuana issue kicks in about 5:30 through the interview.
The NBA has been in full-on arms race mode this summer, starting when Shaq packed his bags for "The Rock N' Roll Capital of the World." And it hasn't just been high-profile starters being snatched off the market by contenders. Teams are also focusing on depth as a way to gain an advantage. The Dallas Mavericks have been particularly active, re-signing Jason Kidd, acquiring Shawn Marion, and making a failed bid for Marcin Gortat. After the Magic surprisingly matched their offer for Gortat, it appeared the Mavericks had accepted fate and were content to head into the season as is.
If the NBA could establish clarity on what is and isn't a flagrant foul, maybe Dallas' 
DALLAS -- He sat in the Nuggets locker room with ice on his knees and right elbow smiling.
Take a look at that picture. What do you see? I mean, aside from 
Isiah Thomas
In February, 
