Could Delonte Heat Up Potential LA vs. Miami Rivalry?

Rumor has it that the Lakers are close to acquiring Delonte West. Apparently LA had been trying to trade Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic and a draft pick for West to rid themselves of Vujacic's salary. West was traded to Minnesota on Tuesday and is expected to have his contract bought out by the Timberwolves, making him a free agent. If the Lakers can move Vujacic, sources say the Lakers will sign him.

This acquisition would be interesting for several reasons. First off, if the rumors about Delonte's affair with LeBron's mother Gloria James are indeed true, it will add a new layer to the potential rivalry between the Heat and the Lakers. Gloria James might be torn between who to support if the two teams end up meeting come next June.

Another reason this would be interesting is that the Lakers would have arguably the two most insane players in the NBA on one roster in Ron Artest and Delonte. West just recently pleaded guilty to traffic and weapons charges after having been pulled over on a three-wheeled motorcycle and found with a 9mm Beretta pistol, .357 Magnum and a Remington 870 in a guitar case back in September. He was sentenced to electronic monitoring, unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling. At this point, you might even say West is crazier then Artest.

Lastly, this acquisition would be interesting because it sets up a potential reality show for West if he winds up in Hollywood. Maybe it couldn't get off the ground until he's off probation, but the opportunity is there now that he's out of boring old Cleveland. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch Delonte rap in fast food drive-thrus on television. And if we're really lucky, maybe Artest and West could join forces to make a reality show of the NBA's craziest players. In fact, "Artest and West" would be a pretty good name for the show, although I do really like Artest's forthcoming reality show's name: "They Call Me Crazy."

Haslem Sacrifices a Buttload of Money to Return to Miami

The Miami Heat's blue collar power forward Udonis Haslem has decided to return to his hometown team despite receiving offers from Dallas and Denver that could have been up to $35 million over five seasons. Haslem instead signed a five-year deal with the Heat for around $20 million. In regards to leaving such a large sum of money on the table, Haslem said, "I would be changing my DNA if I was leaving just for money."

Pat Riley has made no secret that he has a big boner for Haslem's gritty, selfless playing style, as he has stated time and again that retaining Haslem during the offseason was one of his biggest priorities. Former #2 draft pick Michael Beasley was spared in order to keep Haslem in Miami, with Beasley being traded to Minnesota for two second round picks. While Beasley has the potential to be a more productive player than Haslem, the Heat are clearly in win-now mode and Haslem is better suited for this, especially because of his defense.

I must say that Haslem's return makes me feel much better about carrying on as a Heat fan in the wake of the arrival of the big three. I think Haslem's willingness to return for much less money says something for the Miami Heat as an organization.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Kobe Schools KG

That's right Dank Game, the NBA Finals begin tonight! Because I've decided to back the Lakers, this week's Throwback Posterization is Kobe Bryant serving it up on KG and Rasho Nesterovic in the first round of the 2003 Playoffs. The fifth seeded Lakers would go on to beat Kevin Garnett and the 4th seeded Timberwolves in six games, but the Lakers would then lose to the number one seeded Spurs in six games in the second round. This put an end to their hopes of winning their fourth straight championship.

Garnett tries to close out on Kobe on the perimeter, which Kobe takes advantage of and blows passed him. Garnett attempts to keep up with him as he takes it to the rim, but Kobe goes up so quickly and strong with the reverse jam that KG doesn't stand a chance. Rasho Nesterovic tries to provide some help defense, but it seems as if he didn't expect Kobe to go for the reverse dunk.

Tony Allen throws it down on Corey Brewer

It wasn't but a week and a half ago when Corey Brewer threw it down hard on Derek Fisher, but this time around it was Brewer on the receiving end. Although I can't stand him, Eddie House makes a great steal and then saves the ball from going out of bounds with a beautiful behind the back pass. Tony Allen catches the pass and throws it down hard on Brewer.

T-Wolves spoil Deron Williams' big night

After big wins last week against the Spurs, Lakers, and Magic, the Jazz fell to the Timberwolves for the second time this season. Despite the loss, Deron Williams posted a career high in points with 38 and he also dropped 13 dimes with only 1 turnover. He just couldn't manage to knock down the potential game winner.

I mainly wanted to do this post because of the slick move Deron pulls at the 0:16 mark on the above video. On a 2-on-2 fast break, Williams does a behind-the-back pass fake that Corey Brewer bites on just enough to give Williams room for a beautiful finger roll finish. Williams really doesn't get enough credit outside of true hoop fans. He's yet to make an All Star team, which is downright shameful. If he were in the East, I'm sure he'd have made multiple All Star teams by now. Unfortunately, the presence of point guards in the West like Chris Paul and Steve Nash could likely keep him from making it yet again this year.

Williams is also one of the best players in the league at the crossover. His lateral quickness is off the charts. Check these two videos from a recent game against the Lakers. You can find tons of more videos on youtube of Deron breaking ankles. I love them green throwback unis, by the way.

Corey Brewer destroys Derek Fisher

Of course the Lakers would go on to win this one, but I'm sure Derek Fisher is still feeling salty after that dunk.