D-Wade Is One Step Closer To Coming To Chicago Because...

Michael Beasley's tweet's of doom and recent trip to rehab make Derrick Rose's summer look like a walk in the park.

Michael Beasley ... welcome to rehab:

Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley checked into an unidentified Houston rehabilitation hospital over the weekend, multiple sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Sources said the Heat encouraged Beasley to check into the facility to address possible substance and psychological issues. He is expected to spend time with former NBA player and coach John Lucas, who is renown for his success in working with troubled players.

Bulls fans, you can also thank a Twitter account (that is now closed) for bringing Beasley's life struggles, well, to life.  As the Yahoo! report indicates.  SuperCoolBeas and his recent troubles make Derrick Rose's summer look like the greatest summer evar ever!

All signs are pointing North for Chicago native Dwyane Wade to come home to play in The House That Jordan Built, Reinsdorf Paid For & Rose Currently Resides.


Heat's Beasley Admitted Into Rehab Center [Yahoo! Sports]

Allen Iverson To The Bulls?

Is Allen Iverson the superstar the Bulls have been searching for since MJ's second retirement?

Since 1998, the Chicago Bulls have looked near and far for a superstar, a legit superstar, to step into the limelight.

The Bulls have had a revolving door of max-contract players that have failed to step into the slot Michael Jordan vacated after the Bulls' 1998 championship. Let's take a moment to revisit the failed careers Ron Mercer, Brent Barry and Eddie Robinson had in Chicago.

(Moment of silence)

Thank you.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the Bulls lost the closest thing to a go-to-guy as Ben Gordon verbally agreed to a 5-year, $55 million deal with division rival Detroit Pistons. So, Allen Iverson would be fit for a sign-and-trade to Chicago, right?

Well, not really.

Iverson will be 34 next season and is coming off career lows in scoring (17.5 ppg) and steals (1.5 spg) in a tumultuous season that started with high expectations in the Mile High City and ended in bitter disappointment in Motown.

On the other hand, how good could a motivated Iverson be for Chicago?

The 6-foot guard has a lot to prove this upcoming season. Prior to his stint in Detroit, Iverson had a pretty good reputation as a league star with a no-quit, never-ending motor. Yet, it seemed as if his motor died when he got to The D, which happens to be a common occurrence in that city. (See General Motors, Ford & Chrysler.) Iverson's star, and reputation, could ascend again alongside Derrick Rose and a resurgent Bulls franchise.

And while A.I.'s glory years of scoring 30 points per game are behind him, he could fit a need for the Bulls if the price is right.

Gordon Revisited: Sign And Trade For Iverson [CBS Sportsline]

Milwaukee Not Alone As NBA Punchlines

The Big Lead, one of the premier sports blogs and partial inspiration for this Web log, pointed out the hot mess that is the Milwaukee Bucks. They lost their best player, Charlie V, for nothing and traded its second best player and got less than that in return.

However, the Bucks aren't alone in their ineptitude, and they could be a sleeper squad for the eight spot in the East if Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut stay healthy and Brandon Jennings excels at the point.

Here are five teams that are worse off than Milwaukee.

1. Memphis Grizzlies. Last season, the Grizzlies were out performed by their collegiate roommates, who won 33 games last season. The Grizz won only 24, despite having Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo mostly because they employed guys named Darko and Marko in addition to a guy who played his college ball at Colgate.

Now, the team that cried poor and traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a steaming pile of crap, just inherited one of the NBA's worst contracts in Zach Randolph.

You don't need to be smart enough to take Derrick Rose's SAT to realize how much trouble this franchise is in. Well, at least there's the BBQ and Beale Street.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves. Al Jefferson should be showered with gifts fit for a king, if not for averaging 22 points and 11 boards since finding Minnesota, then definitely for dealing with a franchise so inept, the Washington Nationals think it's funny.

Throughout the Mocking of the NBA Draft segment, I noted the Timberpups hadn't had a good PG since Starbury skipped town. Someone apparently read that and took it to heart as the T-Wolves drafted three point guards in the first round, and another in the second. Even though one of them wants no part of the Twin Cities, one of the other three two other guys has got to be good, right?

3. Indiana Pacers. I cannot believe that this team won 36 games last season. I guess that is a testament of how much of a badass Danny Granger is because no point guard, no post presence and the Association's worst head coach means a win total in the teens in any other situation.

Once upon a time, the Pacers were one of the Eastern Conference's powerhouses, now their only claim to fame is having the best arena in basketball.

4. Sacramento Kings. It wasn't too long ago that this franchise was a Predrag Stojakovic three-ball from knocking off Kobe, Shaq & the rest of the Lakers. Since then, this franchise has fallen on hard times, so much so, the city's best basketball player is its mayor.

Kevin Martin is nice and Tyreke Evans will be a welcome addition. But how likely is the front line of Spencer Hawes/Jason Thompson to succeed? Probably as likely as Stojakovich is to make an open three in a Game 7 of a Western Conference Finals game.

5. Toronto Raptors. Quick, name a player on the Raptors other than Chris Bosh. I'll give you hint: it isn't Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter. If you said Jose Calderon, then you would be correct. But would you even know about him had there not been a glaring need for a point guard on your fantasy hoops squad?

Toronto will lose Bosh in the summer of 2010 and the only players with any name recognition would be Calderon and DeMar DeRozan, who just won't be able to handle life without Song Girls or Lil' Romeo.

Is It Too Late To Return The NBA To NBC?

I've been underwhelmed with ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals. I'm still bothered by the fac that Jeff Van Gundy is doing games despite admitting publicly he would be cheering for his brother. Not to be outdone, one of ESPN's basketball experts happens to be Lakers part owner Magic Johnson.

Remember when the NBA on NBC was the premier sports program out there? I do. And I want it to be like that again.

The reasons are simple:

1. The broadcast team was better: Marv Albert, Matt Goukas, Bill Walton, Bob Costas, Doug Collins, Mike Fratello, Amhad Rashad, Jim Gray, Peter Vescey. Those guys are basketball broadcasting royalty in my eyes. Hell, even Isiah Thomas didn't suck as an analyst.
   
2. The pre-game show was better: Hannah Storm hosting the pre-game show "NBA Showtime." The World Wide Leader got a steal with her doing SportsCenter Live in the morning. The only way ESPN does better is if Erin Andrews does it. But kudos to Michael Wilbon for being full of insight and analysis.
   
3. The theme music is the best of all time: It's like the Monday Night Football Theme, would you dare take it away?
4. The court layout: No big NBA Trophy sticker in the middle. Keep the court looking clean, that thing is an eye sore.
5. Random thought: Better PA Announcers. Ray Clay smokes everyone out of the building, even that guy in Deeeeeetroit, Miiiiiiiiiiichigan. Too bad Clay is relegated to UIC men's basketball.
6. Fact of life: Michael Jordan on his deathbed is better than Kobe. /ducks
7. Hype factory: When MJ hits a game winning shot, it means championship. When LeBron does it, it means going to Orlando tied at one-game apiece. /ducks again.
8. The insanity: Dennis Rodman's crazy habits are much more entertaining than Lamar Odom's sweet tooth habit.
9. Actual white guys: Back then, it was cool to be an American-born white guy. Hornacek, Stockton > Hedo & Pau.

NBC, it's time to pony up and bring the NBA back to its rightful home.

The Next Jordan Or The Euro Jordans: Your NBA Finals Preview

Finally, the rematch everyone was looking forward to seeing is only hours from tip-off.

Wait, what do you mean no one is looking forward to seeing Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard lock horns as they did in the Summer Olympics? Or J.J. Redick go up against Adam Morrison?

OK, so it's not the series Nike had hoped for, but the NBA Finals should be an interesting series of who can take advantage of their mismatches down the stretch.

Los Angeles will try to avoid last year's fate as it will attempt to ride the world's best player and the league's best coach in an attempt to land its 15th NBA title.

In Orlando, the Magic will ride a team that is reminiscent of the kind of team you would find in NBA Jam. Yeah, don't you remember that old school video game where each team had one low-post player responsible for grabbing every rebound teamed with 3-point snipers that never missed? That is exactly who the Magic remind me of.

In fact, their 1995 title team was one of my favorite NBA Jam teams as I used a combination of Horace Grant, Nick Anderson and Penny Hardaway to slam dunks and rain threes all over my opponents.

I digress.

Unfortunately, I cannot play this series out on my Super Nintendo set because the Lakers are led by Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler and Vlade Divac. Excuse me while I yack.

OK, I'm good. Here are the match-ups I'm looking forward to.

1. The Next Jordan vs. The Euro Jordans

Last year, I asked whether three was greater than one when I previewed the Kobe v. Big 3 match-up. This year I ask whether or not The Next Jordan will be able to beat The Euro Jordans.

Kobe's got that nasty game face on as if he does not want to lose and will not allow his teammates to fail. He knows it is his time to cement his legacy in the Post-Shaq Laker Era.

On the other hand, The Euro Jordans (Pietrus and Hedo) have no pressure on them because being the French Jordan or the Turkish Jordan is the equivalent to being the smartest kid in class when you're the only kid in class.

2. Pau vs. D-Ho

Dwight Howard is a scary dude right now. He's a double-double ready to happen at any moment. And not one of those weak-sauce 15-10 games, I'm thinking that at the drop of a hat that Howard can pour in 40 and grab 20 boards without blinking twice.

On the other hand, Pau Gasol is just plain scary. He is arguably the ugliest man in the NBA and without a doubt the ugliest individual in this NBA Finals. I would have more faith in Stan Van Gundy's ho-runnin' abilities than Gasol's. Luckily for Pau, none of that matters. He, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum are in charge of checking the big man down low.

3. J.J. Redick vs. Adam Morrison

They were college basketball's best hoopers. They owned the game's sweetest shots and were beloved by fans across the country.

Then fans realized that J.J. shanks during crunch time, or whenever angry athletic black men guarded him vigorously. And that Morrison shed waterfall-like tears when his team fell behind whenever Gus Johnson yelled loudly.

A pair of lottery picks will go against each other if, and only if, everyone else in front of them fouls out.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

I Wonder If Nike Has Any Dwight Howard Puppets Hanging Around?

Somewhere, David Stern is using ratings sheets to dry his tears. So are the network execs at ABC.

Kobe Bryant held up his end of the bargain. And to an extent, so did LeBron James.

But averaging 38.5 points, 8 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game just was not enough to carry Sideshow Bob, The 7-foot, 3-point Sniper and "Where Did You Go?" Mo Williams to an appearance in the NBA Finals.

Part of the reason Kobe is gunning for his fourth title, and first since disposing of Shaquille O'Neal, is the talent around him. Pau Gasol, despite being (arguably) the NBA's ugliest player, is a true low-post scoring stud. Lamar Odom, who sometimes looks apathetic out on the court, is still 6-foot-11 with the ball handling skills of a 6-footer. Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar and Derrick Fisher are all usable parts on a championship team.

Delonte West can be that kind of player, and so can the aformentioned Williams. But Anderson Verajao, Daniel Gibson, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic are laughable at best.

But the biggest difference in the teams might be at the head coaching position.

Sure, Mike Brown was named the NBA's Coach of the Year this season for being at the helm of a team that won 66 games this season. But check out the list of recent winners.

Byron Scott, Sam Mitchell, Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni, Hubie Brown, Greg Popovich, Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown and Doc Rivers.

Of these last eight winners, only Popovich and Scott still coach the team they won the award with. Johnson and Hubie Brown rep the ESPN family of networks. Rivers, Carlisle, D'Antoni and Larry Brown are coaching elsewhere.

Anyone seen Sam Mitchell, lately?

Phil Jackson is a master motivator and one hell of a coach. He is what Dusty Baker was to the Giants with Barry Bonds and what he should have been to the Cubs with Sammy Sosa. Jackson manages ballplayers and egos more effectively than anyone this generation has seen.

Meanwhile, Mike Brown was simply outcoached by Stan Van Gundy and outclassed by SVG's super 'stache.

Now, with its NBA season over and its stars gone fishin' with Kenny, Chuck and EJ, Cleveland can return to its worrisome roots as it preoccupies itself with trying to invent ways to keep its Favorite Son from abandoning home for greener pastures.

Or they can watch Mark DeRosa's average plummet and Kerry Wood's earned run average soar through the roof.

The choice is theirs to make.

LeBron's First "Like Mike" Moment

Ghosts of Craig Ehlo had seemingly made their way from what used to be Gund Arena as the Orlando Magic seemed poised to take a 2-0 lead out of Cleveland and back to Orlando.

Needless to say, LeBron James exercised those demons.



With his game-winning from-way-downtown-bang! 3-pointer, James turned the table on Cleveland hoops history. And for Hedo Turkoglu, who is known as "The Turkish Jordan," he might now be known as "The Turkish Ehlo."

And for good measure...

Mocking The NBA Draft, Vol. 1

A long time ago, in a blogosphere far, far away, a young, up-and-coming sports blogger provided his thoughts on the upcoming NBA Draft. That post of insight and comedic relief helped springboard The Big Dead Sidebar, so I figure I'd bring back one of my favorite segments.

Void if without sarcasm.

1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin, Oklahoma. It's all over but the crying. The consensus No. 1 pick will go from potential star to probable bust once he puts on a Clippers jersey. The good news, kid: You're going to L.A. The bad news: You're not playing with Kobe. Enjoy playing in front of Penny Marshall and 1,700 of her closest friends.

2. Memphis Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet, UConn. The people in Memphis are convinced Mike Conley Jr. is the point guard of the future. I'm convinced their spending more time on Beale Street than paying attention to their basketball team. At least Thabeet will provide a defensive presence to a team that last year couldn't grab a rebound if it was served to them on a platter.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - Ricky Rubio, Spain. Think Rubio is regretting declaring for the NBA Draft? It will be a tough transition to go from a cultural gold mine like Spain to ... well ... Oklahoma. Ouch!

4. Sacramento Kings - James Harden, Arizona State. Poor Sacramento, they went from being on the verge of drafting Blake Griffin to draft lottery afterthought in a matter of moments. It's hard to write up something about a team that hasn't been relevant since Vlade Divac skipped town.

5. Washington Wizards - Jordan Hill, Arizona. The Wiz could have done a Bulls-like leap up the Eastern Conference standings had they landed the No. 1 pick and Blake Griffin. Instead, they will have to settle for the 6-foot-9-inch frontcourt thunder. How long before Hill and Agent Zero are exchanging love stories about Lute Olson?

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Tyreke Evans, Memphis. Evans is versatile enough to fill one of the T-Wolves' two biggest holes, whether it be at point guard or at small forward. Too bad this pick will end up being traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Brian Scalabrene.

7. Golden State Warriors - Brandon Jennings, Greece. The Warriors have about $20 million locked up in their backcourt. Unfortunately, about $9 million will go to the albatross that is Jamal Crawford. Eh, screw it. It's time to bring back NellieBall by running four guard offenses on the road to respectability.

8. New York Knicks - Stephen Curry, Davidson. Step one in conning LeBron James into signing with the Knicks is by drafting his sharp-shooting, media darling of a pal. Besides, this move has been speculated before, so, it makes too much sense. And since it makes sense in the first place, expect the Knicks to go completely off the board with this one, probably drafting some Eurotrash.

9. Toronto Raptors - DeMar DeRozan, Southern California. The Raptors haven't had a legit shooting guard since Tracy McGrady wasn't a brittle boy and Vinsanity didn't play himself out of Canada. So it's time to draft DeRozan, who will say good bye to Song Girls and hello to Canadian League Football!

10. Milwaukee Bucks - Jonny Flynn, Syracuse. If I was TBDS NBA scribe Jeff, who would I want? A point guard that can distribute and play defense, and as I look down the Bucks roster, that guy does not exisist. Welcome to Milwaukee, Mr. Flynn, enjoy beer, brats and beerbrats.

11. New Jersey Nets - Earl Clark, Louisville. The Other Lopez Twin needs a frontcourt friend, preferably one that speaks English and isn't bad at basketball. Clark fits the bill here as a runner-jumper athletic specimen that Devin Harris can throw some alley-oops to.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - Wayne Ellington, North Carolina. You know what the Bobcats really need? A shooting guard. ... And another Tar Heel product. Ellington will save a buck or two in moving expenses thanks to fellow UNCers Larry Brown and Michael Jordan.

13. Indiana Pacers - Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth. He slayed the Dukies and he came close to doing the same to UCLA. Maynor single-handedly put VCU on the map and helped parlay that success into Anthony Grant's first big job. He will fit in well with the Pacers, who haven't had a real point guard since the Mark Jackson Era.

14. Phoenix Suns - Ty Lawson, North Carolina. Sad, but true: Steve Nash isn't going to play forever. And the Suns really do need an heir apparent at the point, and unless the Suns have chryogenically frozen a Steve Nash clone, the choice here is the former Baby Blue Blur.

Stay tuned to The Big Dead Sidebar for more insight and draft projections as we get closer to that time. Besides, we're still in the first round of the NBA Playoffs right? That means there is plenty of time for the draft board to shuffle.

Bulldozed

The Chicago Bulls public relations staff got what it wanted on Thursday night. I'm seeing red.

The real Bulls (or the Bulls I've come to know and dislike on a nightly basis) showed up on Thursday. Ben Gordon's woeful offensive performance fueled the flames of those who can't wait to push out the team's leading scorer. Derrick Rose showed he was still a rookie and Vinny Del Negro proved why he was a rookie head coach.

And yet, the Boston Celtics only lead the best-of-seven series 2 games to 1.

Celtics 107 Bulls 86

Rose-Beasley Debate Silenced By Debut

The Chicago Bulls lucked into the No. 1 overall pick and one of the greatest debates in Chicago sports history.

The great debate pitted Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley against each other. Both players brought something special to the table, but the Bulls could only choose one.

And no matter what Beasley does in his playoff debut later today, there will be a segment of fans that believe the Bulls made the right choice with Rose.

I am a part of that group.

Rose has transcended the look of this team. And while Rose joined an already overcrowded backcourt, he proved to be the best of the group of guards that entered the season in Bulls uniforms. With the way he has taken over the point guard position, Rose has basically used his pimp hand to put everyone in their respective roles.

Kirk Hinrich was once pegged to be the next Steve Nash before an injury-riddled 2007-08 season sent him to an afterthought. However, Hinrich found his nitch as a back-up combo guard with ball-handling skills and the ability to make open jump shots.

Ben Gordon solidified his role as a mini Vinny "The Microwave" Johnson. BG7 lit up defenses as he benefitted from having a point guard that can set him up off the bounce or off a screen.

Did you see what Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas were able to do when Rose was feeding them they alley while they threw down the oops? Noah and Thomas should be playing high-pace, high-energy basketball. And that's the kind of match-up problem some teams, no matter how talented, have trouble defending.

So thank Vinny Del Negro for bringing the Phoenix Suns-lite offense into Chicago. (Thought I'd never say that). And thank the Bulls for selecting Rose over Beasley.

Anything Is Possible, But Not Everything Is Probable: Your Bulls-Celtics Preview

Break out the black shoes and the nostalgia of six championships in the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls are back in the NBA Playoffs.

Chicago enters the playoffs led by star point guard Derrick Rose, a revamped nucleus and the hope it might be able to steal a series instead of just a game from the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

The Beantown Ballers enter the series without the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and even though they were 16-7 without Kevin Garnett, there is no doubt his interior defense and his ability to finish around the basket will be missed.

And make no mistake about it: the reason we are talking about the Chicago Bulls being in the playoffs is because of John Paxson's midseason movement via the trade channels. The Bulls were meddling in that area where they were not terrible, but not also not good. Chicago seemed destined to be that team that barely makes the playoffs only to get crushed by 20 points per game in a four game sweep, or barely miss the playoffs while landing poor draft position.

But by adding John Salmons and Brad Miller while subtracting Thabo Sefalosha and Larry Hughes had turned the Bulls into the team fans had expected to see from day one. Arguably, the biggest thing to happen with the Bulls has been the "injury" to Luol Deng.

However, let's make this one thing clear: There are no short cuts to the NBA Finals. There are no short cuts to a championship. All we (as Bulls fans) remember of the Jordan Era were the championships, but it was easy to forget the path to those titles.

Now, the Bulls have to overcome Jesus Shuttlesworth, The Truth and the aura of the New Garden, not to mention the defending champs.

If Chicago can steal a game at the Garden, they might have a shot to sneak out a series win only to get pummelled by Orlando in the second round. If not, I think the Bulls can be competitive ... but that can only take you so far.

Prediction: Celtics in six.

Kanye West: NBA Playoffs Are Amazing

Chicago rapper Kanye West penned an amazing (no pun intended) track for his No. 1 selling album 808s and Heartbreaks ... and now it will be featured in the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

If you want the entire track, well, I'll be nice. Here's one of my favorite tracks from the album that helped me get through an awfully cold winter.

Do you think Adam Morrison will be crying Kobe a river?

Michael Jordan's first mistake as Charlotte Bobcats managing partner is no longer part of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Adam Morrison, who was drafted before Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vladamir Radmanavic. That is what economists would call "buying high and selling low."

Can you believe he was once compared to Larry Bird coming out of college? I guess being white with a goofy haircut, wearing knee-high socks and starring at a mid-major by knocking down the trey ball like it was nobody's business won't take you as far as it used to.

Maybe Mike should stick to doing Hanes commercials and signing his good name to expensive basketball shoes, because this whole front office thing isn't working out for the Greatest of All Time.

Ask Kwame Brown.

I'm sure the Washington Wizards would have rather had Tyson Chandler (but only if Chris Paul came with), Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier or Joe Johnson.

But MJ shouldn't feel too bad about that 2001 draft. Steven Hunter went 15th overall to Orlando.

Why SIU shouldn't feel bad

Plenty of talk today about whether or not SIU should have fouled prior to Cavel Witter's attempted 3-pointer in last night's game against Creighton.

It's basketball strategy that, like every train of thought in sports, has its pros and cons.

But if Saluki players or fans are upset or even disappointed in the way it went down, just take a look at what happened in the NBA last night in a triple overtime game between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.

Up two with time running down and a foul to give, the Warriors decide not to grab Kings star Kevin Martin before he drove down the lane and slammed home the game tying points against one of the Association's worst defenses.

OVERTIME!

Then in the first overtime, the Kings were up by three points and in the same exact situation. And did they make the proper adjustment to win the game?

If by proper adjustment you mean not fouling a man with the ball in the paint and allowing Kelenna Azubuike to nail an open 3-pointer to tie the game, then yes!

DOUBLE OVERTIME!!

Up by three with time again running out for SacTown, the Golden Staters would certainly foul Martin before he could attempt what would have been a game-tying three. The same Martin who hit a game tying dunk at the end of regulation. They fouled him, right?

Wrong.

TRIPLE OVERTIME!!!

The combination of John Salmons jumper and Azubuike's missed three ended the madness, thus proving that even professionals that get paid millions get the little things wrong sometimes.

Heckle Chris Paul at your own risk

Photo Credit: Getty Images

New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul is one of those rare NBA talents that can take the game into his own hands at any time in the game. And apparently, heckling isn't going to help stop him. Paul was heckled by a few fans at Conseco Fieldhouse in a recent game against the Indiana Pacers.

After the heckling Paul proceeded to score 11 of his 19 points in the game's final three-and-a-half minutes as the Hornets pulled out the victory. The events as described in Pacers beat writer Mike Wells' blog (see, he believes in blogging!):

"The fans started heckling Paul as he waited at the table. The guys didn't say anything vulgar, but Paul leaned against the table shaking his head as he listened to every word. Paul scored 11 of his 19 points in the final 3:36 of the game. Afterwards, he ran by the scorer's table, looked up in the stands on told the guys, "That was all your fault." Great job, go ahead and get one of the league's best players worked up. The things they said weren't even funny."

Well played, gentlemen. Not!

Go out and learn the art of heckling. Before I put my homer-tastic qualities aside, I was known as one of the best hecklers as I learned from the Harvard and Yale of heckling schools ... Wrigley Field and the SIU Arena, respectively.

Never anything personal. Never anything crass. Think witty and think cleverly. Besides, half of these athletes don't have a brain and the other half (I'm looking at you Raul Mondesi) don't speak proper English, therefore, their responses would make no sense to you even if they tried.

And the most important key to heckling: Do your research. Hit up Google and your opposition's online media guide and you'll find dirt in a snowstorm.

B-Diddy to G-State again?: Former teammate Steven Jackson thinks a Baron Davis reunion tour could happen. "That's all we talked about," Jackson said. "I went to his house, spent some time with his mom and his grandmother. He wants to come back. And if he wants to come back, I want him back. ... I think that would be great for us," Jackson said. "Coach (Don Nelson) loves him. Him and (guard) Monta (Ellis) have good chemistry. If they could work that out, that would be great for the organization."

This seems to go against what like The Baron told us 11 days ago after the Clippers beat the Pacers in double overtime on Dec. 19.

By the way, just my opinion: Baron, Camby, Randolph, Gordon > S-Jax, Uh-Oh Maggette-Oh and injured Monta Ellis even though the records would indicate otherwise.

Daily Dosage: Saturday Special

It's not often I do a Saturday edition of the Daily Dosage, but today it was necessary.

I'm spending the weekend in Indianapolis with my primary responsibility being to cover the SIU men's basketball team take on Saint Mary's College in the night cap of the Wooden Classic. And while covering Stephen Curry and Davidson go up against Purdue should be the highlight of the show, last night took the cake, no matter what happens today.

We were blessed with the opportunity to cover an NBA game Friday night as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Indiana Pacers 119-107 in double-overtime.

So why Christina Applegate as today's Daily Dosage choice? Edyta, one of the wonderful photographers of the DE staff, approves.

The NBA punchline takes 2 OTs to defeat the shorthanded, Reggie Miller-less home team. [Daily Egyptian, Luis C. Medina]

Big guys played big as Zach Randolph and Roy Hibbert stole the show in Indy. [Daily Egyptian, Jeff Engelhardt]

Alabama defensive lineman learns why it's a bad idea to leave your Facebook open. [SportsByBrooks]

Turning Wrigley in to an ice rink. [Mouthpiece Sports]

Matt Vasgersian and the city of St. Louis. [Awful Announcing]

Skip Bayless has some QB crushes. [Deadspin]

Sports blogger of the Year and we're not in the running. What gives? [Busted Coverage]

Gordon torches Indy late (insert punchline here)

Photo Credit: Edyta Blaszczyk

In his first NBA game back in his home state, Eric Gordon was steady, if not unspectacular.

The rookie, who is only months removed from his one and only season at Indiana University. scored 15 points on only 5-for-13 shooting from the field in the Los Angeles Clippers' 117-109 double-overtime win against the Indiana Pacers. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only one of his six attempts. However, that bucket was the dagger that ended the Pacers' comeback hopes.

The clock ticked just under 2:00 to go in the second overtime period and the Clippers held on to a 111-107 lead as the Pacers were looking for a defensive stop to jump-start its offense, which struggled to score in the period. That's when Baron Davis drove down the lane and as Gordon's defender peeled off the young sharpshooter in a trap attempt, Davis found his backcourt mate open in the corner.

And Gordon delivered a sight that hoops fans in the Hoosier state know very well as he buried the 3-point jumper ... a dagger into the hearts of those who saw Reggie Miller do a similar act many times in a Pacer uniform.

Gordon, and the shot, came with mixed emotions. His family and friends were there, in fact, myself and TBDS NBA expert Jeff shared an elevator ride with the Gordon family earlier in the evening. They seemed excited to see their baby boy come home. I'm sure they cheered the big bucket. However, there was a subset of fans that were unhappy, not just because the home team came up short.

Behind us in the nortwest corner of press row, one fan constantly yelled "snitch" every time Gordon touched the ball. An obvious reference to Gordon's recent comments about how drug use effected the Hoosiers last season.

The former fabulous freshman, who will be reunited with former coach Kelvin Sampson in Milwaukee on Saturday night, said he and the former head of the Hoosiers still chat and he still has fond memories of his time at Indiana.

When asked about the comments he made about the alleged drug use, Gordon said he had no comment other than he regretted saying them in the first place.

Despite the recent comments, it sounds as if Gordon has grown up a little as he has traveled west to his new home in La-La Land. He talked about how "once you go to L.A., you become more attractive" and that he now has "plenty of friends" now that he's bringing in an NBA paycheck.

And what do his teammates have to say about him?

Zach Randolph had plenty of kind words to say about the former Mr. Basketball of Indiana.

"The young guy is tough. He came in here and made big shots. He's going to be great because he works hard."

If Gordon is going to be great, he will have The Baron to thank for part of it. Davis said he has embraced his role as Gordon's mentor.

"I'm just trying to give him as much leadership as possible when he's on the floor. He's a good kid and he works hard. That's what I see from a point guard's perspective. Slowly but surely, nothing he can't figure out on his own, but he's learning along the way."

Well, goodnight from Indianapolis. More to come eventually.

Daily Dosage: An early Christmas present

Being on vacation should allow me to do more blogging, but sleeping in 'til 10 a.m. isn't going to help. So today you get a special edition of Daily Dosage. You can commence the cheering.

Hilary Duff is all grown up now ... and that's why she's today's eye candy. It's OK guys, she is of age ... which might deter some of you. Not me, I like not going to jail.

Just saying.

It's been a while, but it's like riding a bike. On with today's Dosage!

Rose wilts in Charlotte. Because all of headlines involving Derrick Rose can't be about how good he is, right? Rose is having a spectacular rookie campaign (17.7 points 6.3 assists) but struggled Tuesday night in the Bulls' 110-101 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. He scored six points and dished seven assists, but five of his shots were blocked including his final attempt in regulation.

Had he passed it to an open Drew Gooden, Chicagowould have had an open dunk and maybe a victory.

The Bulls return to the United Center tonight (weather permitting) to host Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and the L.A. Clippers.

Hawks hang a loss on Edmonton. Look, I don't know much about hockey, but I do know you're doing something right when you score 9(!) goals in a game. Only one player (Troy Brouwer) scored two goals in the 9-2 rout of the Oilers. The balanced effort has helped Chicago earn a 6-0-1 record in its last seven games (including a five game winning streak) and is streaking as it heads into the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day.

Quality Linkage:

• Spencer of MTV's "The Hills" shows what he has learned from the Nick Swisher Pick Up Artist Academy. [LA Times]
• News like this makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong in the dating world. Headline: Drew Peterson engaged to 23-year-old. Yes, that Drew Peterson who is 54 years old. I guess it's back to the drawing board for yours truly. [Chicago Breaking News]
• Thanks to the Blago scandal, don't write that eulogy for Chicago journalism just yet. [New York Times]
• Pro Bowl Snubs. [The Fabulous Forum]
• Guy buys brand new Red Sox cap, robs bank. [Red Sox Monster]
  

Grading the Generals: Ranking NBA coaches (vol. 2)

I am pretty terrible at this blogging thing. I promise you all part 2 to a series the next day and it takes me a week. My sincerest apologies to all of you, but I will no longer have philosophy papers to worry about so I can get back to informing the masses about the NBA. 

But back to the business at hand. We last left off our countdown of the NBA's top coaches at No. 15 Michael Curry. Curry has shown he can guide a talented Detroit team to the top end of the Eastern Conference, but now we get into the really talented coaches.

14. Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers)

When you have LeBron James on your roster there is not a whole lot of coaching that has to be done. I will give Brown plenty of credit for being able to get the 11 guys not named LeBron to sacrifice their NBA careers and be willing to sacrifice their stats for the W's.

13. Scott Skiles (Milwaukee Bucks)

Call it bias but I think he is a great coach. He took the worst defensive team last year and has them in the top-10 in the league. He took a slightly better than average Chicago Bulls team and led them to 48 wins. I would like to see him put more faith in younger players, but he is solid.

12. Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics)

This may seem a little low for a coach who just won a ring, but Rivers never had much success until he had three superstars on his team. He is great at managing minutes between his starters and bench, which keeps his teams rested and ready for playoffs. His game coaching is minimal.

11. Larry Brown (Charlotte Bobcats)

Larry Brown is like your hot high school teacher. He is good at teaching and coaching and fun to be around, but then relationships get weird. Either Brown or one of his players cross some line and then everything just turns into one big, strange situation. 

10. Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets)

Scott built a powerful team in New Jersey with the three-man wrecking crew strategy. He landed Chris Paul in New Orleans and is closer to getting another three-man crew in place with David West and Rasaul Butler. He has a vision and he carries it out. 

9. Mike Woodson (Atlanta Hawks)

If you like your basketball fast, exciting, emotional and tenacious then watch the Hawks. Woodson took a group of talented athletes and made them one of the most feared and prepared teams in the league. The Hawks are everything basketball should be, even when they lose.

8. George Karl (Denver Nuggets)

How could he not be top-10? He took my Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference Championship. But Karl is also one of the best in-game strategists. He is able to make changes on the fly which keeps his teams in games until the very end.

7. Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)

Don "Who needs defense when you can score 130 points a game" Nelson loves to watch his team put the ball in the hoop and then act surprised when they don't play defense. It's always fun to watch Nelson act crazy after a defensive mishap. Still, 1,285 wins is impressive.

6. Rick Adelman (Houston Rockets)

Two words and a number sum him up. Sacramento Kings 2002. That was one of the most fun teams to watch play in NBA history. I have never seen such unselfish offense and such a flashy way of doing it. For that team, I will always be grateful to Mr. Adelman. 

5. Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic)

He looks like Ron Jeremy, which is hilarious, he wins 61 percent of his games, which is awesome. And he built an NBA Championship team and all in just 5 years. A second championship may be right around the corner with the Magic. The man can coach, period. 

4. Mike D' Antoni

So remember Don Nelson and how he can get teams score? Well take that same offensive power and add solid defense and you get the Italian Stallion Mike D' Antoni. He has the Knicks at 10-12. The Knicks! His greatness can no longer be questioned.

3. Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)

Phil "Goldfinger" Jackson is the best coach ever at managing superstar egos. His contribution to basketball will always be the Triangle Offense, but his ability to put superstars under some sort of trance is what got him 1,237 championships. He tamed MJ, Pippen, Kobe and Shaq. 

2. Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)

So he never beat Jackson when it mattered, but he built his teams. He has had talented rosters in the past, but nothing to the extent of Jackson. He knows how to take his philosophy, which is play awesome basketball or leave, and gets it to work no matter what roster he has.

1. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

One decade...four championships...all with the same team. He is the best coach in the league because when he has George Hill on the court he still wins. When he has three superstars on the court he still wins. He also developed Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili into stars. Greatest.

Well I hope you enjoyed my extended two-part series. The list is completely factual and undisputable, so if anyone asks you who is the 12th best coach in the league you now know.