SEATTLE -- Jamal Crawford may be the league's most talented player yet to play in an All-Star Game or even a playoff game. Once a skinny, inexperienced but immensely talented 20-year-old tabbed part of the Bulls' post-Jordan resurrection, Crawford is now 29, just completed his ninth year in the NBA and at a crossroads.
He has a monumental decision on his hands in the next five weeks: Opt out of the final two years of his contract and become a free agent or return to an uncertain situation in Golden State, a team rich with talent but lacking direction after the firing of GM Chris Mullin who lost a power struggle with upper management.
Stephen Jackson is shutting it down because of a nagging toe injury. If there's one guy you can't fault for calling it a season, it's Jackson. He's battled through injuries, through an embarrassing season, through the complete lack of a plan formulated by the franchise heads. And with the playoffs long ago a dream, there's just not much point in pushing what is probably a pretty painful injury any further.
But what are the long term goals of this club anyway? And how does this affect Jackson's future?
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.
Stuff definitely went wrong for the Golden State Warriors this year. The only real question is whether the trouble started when Baron Davis left or immediately afterward.
There will be an eternal debate in the Bay Area about whether or not the Warriors should have kept Davis, or at least made a better effort to keep him. Instead, Davis signed with the L.A. Clippers in July, and the Warriors' 2008-09 was irreparably altered.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.
-- "In an event that took place Saturday night, a Bar Mitzvah that featured T.I. as a performer and Dwayne Wade as a guest, it's being reported that fisticuffs broke out. Not between the Hip-Hop artist or his crew, or Dwayne Wade and his associates, but between Cleveland Cavalier's owner Dan Gilbert and former Rock Financial honcho David Hall." -- MLive.com -- "(Sacramento) is the worst team and being here you find out why... There are many young guys that want to find their niche, but they are so far away... There's no chemistry or teamwork. I can't see how this team could be competitive in the near future in the West... The draft is going to save no one." -- Andres Nocioni in Olé, as translated by HoopsHype
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Go ahead, keep offering up your qualifier-laden assertions that Kobe is the greatest. The most current line: "Kobe is the best closer." Yet anyone who watched LeBron James single-handedly beat the Blazers late Thursday would disagree.
Travis Outlaw had an extremely hot fourth quarter -- 5-of-5 FGs, 11 points -- until LeBron switched onto him late. From there, Outlaw missed four straight shots, including a three that LeBron blocked after making up roughly 15 feet during the wind-up.
I have a hunch that baseball writers care more about steroids and PEDs than baseball fans. For one, any opportunity to moralize is an instant cure for writer's block. But more importantly, harping on offenders now makes writers who should have asked better questions several years ago feel like they're making up for lost time.
Will basketball writers someday be moved by feelings of guilt? Earlier this month, Tom Ziller made a compelling argument why NBA fans shouldn't worry about a steroid problem until there's actual proof such a problem exists. But how are fans supposed to see proof if those with access don't pursue it?
Stephen Jackson picked up two technical fouls during Sunday night's humiliating 154-130 loss to the Phoenix Suns, which gave him a league-leading 17 on the season. The league announced that Jackson has been suspended for one game without pay, because once a player reaches 16, the suspension is automatic.
My question for Stephen Jackson is this: Why bother?
Jamal Crawford will be a spectator tonight, watching from the bench as the Warriors host the Bobcats. Is he injured? Not at all. Suspended? Hardly. Instead, he's the victim one of Don Nelson's whims.
Despite the fact that Golden State's backcourt is already short-handed -- Monta Ellis (ankle) has already missed one game and will likely miss several more -- Nelson decided that tonight is a good time to begin randomly benching veterans in order to give younger players more playing time. C.J. Watson is expected to start, and Anthony Morrow and Marco Bellinelli should see a few more minutes, as well.
"No, I don't want out," he told The Times on Monday at practice. "I don't know what Stephen Jackson got from my conversation. That never came out of my mouth.
"I'm here. I'm here doing the same thing I did at Golden State. The first year I got to Golden State it was rough. It was a tough season. We were figuring each other out, figuring out the system. That transition year is always a tough year."
For what it's worth, Davis did admit to reminiscing with Jackson, but denied actually regretting his decision.
"We talked about how I miss playing with him. When you see people, you miss what you had," Davis said. "Obviously, in no way shape or form am I ready to jump ship.
So there you go, crisis averted. Davis is happy with his decision, and the 10-23 Warriors and 8-21 Clippers can resume their successful seasons without any fear of distraction.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Millions of Americans were very excited about the victory of President-elect Barack Obama, and that included many of the NBA's players. In this video we hear from the players about what the victory means to them. Al Thornton tells us the results brought him to tears, while Stephen Jackson says he is excited, but regrets his great-grandparents aren't alive to see this day. We also hear from Tim Thomas, James Singleton and more, while another player says he is now interested in visiting the "Black House".
SEATTLE -- Jamal Crawford may be the league's most talented player yet to play in an All-Star Game or even a playoff game. Once a skinny, inexperienced but immensely talented 20-year-old tabbed part of the Bulls' post-Jordan resurrection, Crawford is now 29, just completed his ninth year in the NBA and at a crossroads.
Ah, it's that magical time of the season. 
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
I have a hunch that baseball writers care more about steroids and PEDs than baseball fans. For one, any opportunity to moralize is an instant cure for writer's block. But more importantly, harping on offenders now makes writers who should have asked better questions several years ago feel like they're making up for lost time.
Millions of Americans were very excited about the victory of President-elect Barack Obama, and that included many of the NBA's players. In this video we hear from the players about what the victory means to them. 
