You're going to have to forgive us here in the early season for a bit. If we don't report on trends that are developing, we're ignoring what we're seeing. If we do tell you what we see, we're over-emphasizing games that are so young in this season that they can't even legally get into a screening of New Moon.
Basically, that's my way of imploring you to remember that we do take these things with a gigantic mountain of salt, but here's what happened. And trust me, the Spurs are going to want to brush this one off.
The 2008 Bulls, hopefully, won't be remembered for defining mediocrity at 41-41. Instead, they'll likely be remembered for a thrilling first round series against the Boston Celtics in which were able to only do so much (it's italicized because it's a shoddy theme, y'all!) before heading home for the offseason.
And that offseason saw them very quickly lose -- even if it was expected -- their top scorer from last year. Ben Gordon's explosive, albeit one-dimensional, game will be missed a team that was already middle of the pack in terms of offensive efficiency last year. And John Salmons, a trade-deadline addition along with Brad Miller, will help counter Gordon's loss, but, guess what? He can only do so much.
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
ESPN's got the scoop on a rumored deal that either makes a ton of sense or none at all, depending on your point of view. Long story short?
Carlos Boozer to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich to Portland, and Tyrus Thomas to Utah. Ta-da! So how real is this thing? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.
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.
Andrew Bynum earns obvious headlines in coming back from a bad knee injury suffered in January. Bynum looked decent on Thursday, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 21 minutes of work against the Nuggets. He wasn't the main factor in L.A. knocking off its closest challenger, though.
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.
The magnetic pull between the rim and Carmelo Anthony's fingertips could not be stronger. A night after wallopping Dallas for 43 points, 'Melo poured in 31 points against Golden State. OK, 31 points, no big deal, right? Well, those came in 30 minutes on 21 FGAs. Quick work, man. Anthony also had six rebounds and five assists, and the Nuggets lead by 30 after three quarters.
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.
Vinny Del Negro needs to stop watching X-Files before games. How little does the Notorious V.D.N. trust his bench? He basically played a six-man rotation Tuesday against the Pistons, with seventh man Lindsey Hunter and burning man Tim Thomas each getting four minutes off the bench beyond Brad Miller's 23.
Derrick Rose missed his first game of the season with a bruised wrist. Kirk Hinrich filled in well, scoring 24 points (on 23 FGAs) and totaling eight assists. Tyrus Thomas was a beast for Chicago, with 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, a block and a steal.
It appears All-Star Weekend will come and go without an official Amar'e Stoudemire trade. That's probably for the best; it'd just be weird to see an All-Star starter playing for the wrong conference in his own town.
But the apparent stay on Stoudemire's Phoenix career for a few more days hasn't limited the rumors. The big, flashing arrow this weekend points toward Chicago, with four independent reports mentioning the basic parts and another quoting a Chicago reporter as telling Amar'e he's heading to the Windy City.
NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.
1. Blog-a-Bull. Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas are not making the most of their opportunities. 2. Ball Don't Lie. Video of the next president's election day pick-up game. 3. Sports Illustrated. Steve Nash is upset the Suns don't run when Shaquille O'Neal is on the bench. 4. Washington Times, via BallHype. More JaVale "Epic Vale" McGee: "A strip on the size-18 Nikes of Washington Wizards rookie JaVale McGee bears a peculiar phrase, written neatly in black Sharpie. 'Kill + Mode = Cheese.'" 5. Boston Globe, via TrueHoop. Carmelo Anthony might lose his personal chef ... to the White House. 6. Los Angeles Daily News. Why doesn't Chris Kaman surf the internet? "I'm into other stuff, shooting my bow and arrow around in my backyard, flying helicopters around. I just do stupid stuff you wouldn't think I'd be doing, but I'm the one doing it."
Trainer (and ESPN.com analyst) David Thorpe watched Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng (among others) at his facility in Florida, and passed on some rave reviews to Blog-a-Bull, as well as a prediction of how the Tyrus-V.D.N. dynamic might work.
[Tyrus] is deeply sorry for the missed practice, but there were serious circumstances involved. It was a far more complicated issue than what was known publicly. As Luol told me, TT had never even been late to a practice or meeting one single time prior to that day. [...]
TT also shot very well, had his moves and fakes looking like a pro, and had such a positive disposition that afternoon. I told Kevin [Martin of the Kings] that TT is that way every day, as long as he is surrounded by like-minded guys. I believe Vinny will be great for TT, and I told that to Kevin, who responded with "then the Bulls are going to be really good again."
The practice Thorpe refers to came in March. The cause is still a mystery, though the punishment is not: it cost Tyrus two games when his playing time was already in a drought. (For the record, Bulls fans: Martin's the hardest working King of the last 10, 15 years. If he says Tyrus is working hard, then Tyrus is working really flippin' hard.)
According to a report by KTAR in Phoenix, the Suns have granted head coach Mike D'Antoni permission to speak to other teams about their vacant head coaching positions, including the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.
And so the drama begins anew.
ESPN reported on Friday that Chicago was the most likely destination for D'Antoni if the lunch planned for that day between owner Robert Sarver, General Manager Kerr and D'Antoni did not yield an acceptable resolution. It would appear that it did not.
What this means for former MVP Steve Nash, former MVP Shaquille O'Neal, and MVP hopeful Amare Stoudemire will of course be of heavy debate this summer, particularly considering the offensive fireworks D'Antoni's system provided Nash and Stoudemire. Avery Johnson is allegedly a leading candidate for the Suns' gig if D'Antoni does move on.
Chicago is a tremendous choice for D'Antoni if he takes it, who can implement his run and gun style into a team of young, athletic players who already have solid defensive instincts in place. With Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, and Andres Nocioni, he has a bevy of interior players that can get up and down the court, a serviceable point guard in Kirk Hinrich, scorers in Larry Hughes (well, kind of) and Ben Gordon (just go with me here), as well as a high draft pick, D'Antoni has the elements to build a winner from the wreckage.
The end of one era and the beginning of a new one in both Phoenix and ... somewhere else, yet to be decided.
I guess the phrase is ... "Don't let the depressingly unrealized potential hit you on the way out."
You're going to have to forgive us here in the early season for a bit. If we don't report on trends that are developing, we're ignoring what we're seeing. If we do tell you what we see, we're over-emphasizing games that are so young in this season that they can't even legally get into a screening of New Moon. 
FanHouse 
You're not really tired of all the offseason rumors, near-deals, unnamed sources, and "whispers." (Who whispers in these conversations, anyway? Couldn't you just make the call on your way home in the car? Does anyone think Pritchard has his employees' cars bugged?) You're loving all of these deals that don't happen, the signings that never arrive, and all the inside information. And it's a good thing, too. Because there's more. Lots more. Like this!
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
It appears All-Star Weekend will come and go without an official 
First he was 
