Things I Learned Watching Basketball on Sunday

The Superman "feud" is stupid, but the match-up is great

I'm totally sick of the talk about whether Shaq or Dwight Howard is the real Superman, but I have to admit that it makes the match-up between the two that much more entertaining on the court. It's such a fun battle to watch: a declining legendary big man against a young monster who's just beginning to realize his potential. They both looked like they had something to prove, so I've got to give some credit to Shaq's jackassery for thickening the plot. Dwight ultimately won the battle showing great confidence in the post, but Shaq kept it interesting by going 9-10 for 20 points despite foul trouble.

Orlando is deep

It's taken them a while to put it together, but the Magic seem to be figuring things out at the right time of the season. Orlando just has so many weapons on offense. After relying on Dwight in the post in the first half, the Magic were able to hold the Cavs off in the end thanks to Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter's offense. Mickael Pietrus AKA Air France also stepped up with his play on both sides of the court. I've enjoyed watching him since his days in Golden State. He's a talented athlete, with three-point range, and great perimeter D.

LeBron James can shoot the Cavs out of games

LeBron can make his presence known on the court unlike anyone else, but he has a tendency to take bad shots that hurt Cleveland. Take away his five missed three-pointers, and he would have been shooting well above 50%. The Cavs might have won the game, too. With that said, I've seen plenty of games where LeBron will sink a few threes in a row that initially seemed like bad shots.

I really, really love me some two-handed blocks

The Nuggets are for real

Denver made it to the Western Conference Finals last season pushing the Lakers to six games, and they're capable of making even more noise this year. The Nuggs have been impressive throughout most of this season, even when Melo's been out. Billups' emergence as a true leader has instilled a culture of winning that just wasn't there during the Allen Iverson years. In addition to this, Melo has expanded his game and stepped up his his once suspect defense. Denver's frontline is still one of my favorites in the NBA, with Birdman's energy and K-Mart and Nene's consistency. When J.R. Smith gets his head in the game, which he did in the 4th quarter against the Celtics on Sunday, the Nuggets are a very scary team. Rookie Ty Lawson also gives them an added dimension in the backcourt that they lacked last season when the aging Anthony Carter was the primary back-up at point guard.

Stephen Curry is really good

Not but a week ago, I was arguing with one of my friends that there was no chance that Stephen Curry could win the Rookie of the Year award over Sacramento's Tyreke Evans. While I still think Evans will win it, Curry's performance against the Hawks on Sunday has shaken my confidence a bit. After the Hawks had been leading by 18 in the 3rd quarter, Curry got Golden State back in it and took the game over. Although he had 4 assists to 5 turnovers against Atlanta, Curry has shown an ability to run the point as of late. His assists included a couple of perfectly placed cross-court passes that got the Oracle Arena crowd into it and really changed the game. I just love to watch Golden State pull off upset wins.

Changing of the Guards

The 2009 NBA Draft class has been largely dominated by guards, many of which are point guards or combo guards. With several of the league's elite point guards on the backside of their careers (Steve Nash, Chauncy Billups, Jason Kidd) there seems to be plenty of rookies poised to battle with the young elite, such as Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, and Derrick Rose.

Clearly ahead of the pack is the Sacramento Kings' Tyreke Evans. If Evans continues to play at the rate he has this season, he's a virtual lock for Rookie of the Year. With his size and strength, he's able to slash to the basket with ease. He also has tremendous speed, lateral movement, and the ability to find the open lane, which makes him that much more deadly. Many questioned his ability to run the point but he seems to be doing a decent job, averaging just over 5 assists. Most importantly, Evans has the look of a true leader. Last night Evans led the Kings to an overtime win against the Knicks after having trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter. He scored 12 points in the quarter, and forced overtime by drawing a double team and finding Jason Thompson for a dunk. This isn't the first time he's led the Kings back from a big deficit for a win, as they beat the Bulls earlier this season after trailing by 35.

Here's an example of how Evans can terrorize defenses, this time against Kobe and the Lakers:

Brandon Jennings is another young point guard who has turned heads throughout the league, not only due to his play but also his sweet hairdos, like this House Party-esque flattop. Nicolas Perkins has had a thing or two to say about Jennings, and with good reason. He's capable of going off at any moment, as evidenced by his 55-point explosion earlier this year. In addition to this, he's averaging 6.3 assists to 2.5 turnovers, good for 11th in the league in assists and 20th in assist to turnover ratio, which leads all rookies. Though his scoring has dropped off a bit, he's still averaging just over 17 points a game, which is very good for a rookie. Like Evans, Jennings also recently had a big game against New York (whom he had hoped would draft him) scoring 22 points and dropping 8 dimes in a win. I bet the Knicks wished they had made Jennings dream of playing in New York come true, as Jordan Hill (who was drafted before Jennings) seems to be nothing more than a project at this point.

Son of former NBA sharpshooter Del Curry, Stephen Curry is another rookie guard who has been impressive. Although he does play some at the point, Curry is the definition of a pure shooter. He leads all rookies in three-point percentage at 42.3 percent, good for 11th overall in the NBA. Curry seems to be a player with great character, which is too bad that he's mired in the mess that is the 2009-10 Golden State Warriors. Apparently when he found out he would be participating in the Three-Point Contest this coming weekend, he talked to the league about his teammate and fellow sharpshooter Anthony Morrow taking his place in the contest. Curry's main weakness is that he looks about 8-years old.

The Hornets happened to round up two promising rookie guards in Darren Collison and second-rounder Marcus Thornton. Having to fill in for the injured Chris Paul, Collison has performed beyond expectations. Despite losing 4 of 6 games since he has started, Collison has averaged 18.3 points and 9.6 assists. Unfortunately, he's also averaging 4.0 turnovers. Thornton has also shined in CP3's absence, averaging 18.7 points and shooting 43.2 percent from three in his last seven games. Collison's only problem is that he is destined to be a back-up behind Chris Paul for years to come, despite being a capable starting point guard. There's a good chance that he'll eventually wind up elsewhere. At least he has the best in the league showing him the ropes.

Denver's Ty Lawson finds himself in a different position than Collison, as he's being groomed to eventually take over the point once Chauncey Billups starts to decline. Lawson's ridiculous speed makes him capable of singlehandedly creating fast breaks off of inbound passes. Although his speed is his greatest asset, he's also a good three-point shooter.

Although I haven't watched him much, Minnesota's Jonny Flynn has also been an excellent rookie point guard. Who knows what will happen with Flynn if Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio actually comes to the NBA and plays for the Timberwolves, who he apparently doesn't want to play for.

Honorable Mentions: Terrence Williams seems to be a promising player, but he's rotting away with the New Jersey Nets. The Hawks' Jeff Teague also has potential, but hardly gets into the rotation playing for a contender. The Sixers Jrue Holiday could develop into a good point guard, but he's stuck behind Allen Iverson and he's apparently pretty raw. Eric Maynor, who was drafted by the Jazz but traded to the Thunder for salary cap relief, seems to be a solid point guard.

Turn the Heat around

Get the title? It's a play on that Gloria Estefan song, "Turn the Beat Around." I know, it's terrible. But that's mostly what we do here at Dank Game: make terrible titles for posts that are marginally less terrible. If I got that song stuck in your head, my bad.

Now, onto the Heat, turning it around.

The Heat had lost five straight coming into last night's game against the injury ridden Rockets (Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry both out), and they came out and took care of business at home by embarrassing Houston 99-66. The Heat played some of their best team basketball of the season, with six players in double figures and 27 assists on 41 field goals. Wade only posted 17 points and the Heat still won by 33. Usually this season Wade has to be nearing 30 for the Heat to even be close to getting a win. Even Daequan Cook got involved, scoring 10 points. Maybe Erik Spoelstra just wanted to remind everyone that he's still in the league before he defends his Three-Point Shooting crown during All-Star Weekend.

The first half was all Miami, with the Heat up 56 to 31. With Quentin Richardson picking up two quick fouls trying to guard the bulkier Carl Landry in the post, Dorell Wright came into the game and helped sparked the Heat to its big lead. Wright was aggressive in driving to the hoop and finding the open man. He closed the half with seven assists, but didn't get anymore in the second half. Udonis Haslem was also a big part of the Heat pulling away early, as he drilled 18-foot jump shots over and over again. He was 7 of 8 from the field to start the game.

The Rockets came out in the second half hitting multiple three-pointers which got the lead down into the teens, but the Heat pushed it back into the twenties by the end of the third quarter. From there on out, the Rockets seemed to accept the loss as they just went through the motions.

Typically, the Heat have trouble matching up with other team's height, but with the Rockets missing Yao Ming for the season, they're one of few teams Miami actually has a height advantage against. The Heat used this advantage, as Joel Anthony blocked 5 shots and JO blocked 2. I think this weakness will keep Houston out of the playoffs, as they have 6'9" Luis Scola and the big bodied 6'6" Chuck Hayes taking turns at center. 6-footer Aaron Brooks, who's a high volume scorer, couldn't seem to get to the hoop all night without meeting one of Miami's big men. He struggled to get anything going, finishing the game with only one assist and 3-16 shooting for 10 points. This attempted fast-break more or less summed up the game for Brooks:

I love me some two-handed blocks.

Another thing worth noting is that the Heat had plenty of fast break points against Houston. According to TeamRankings.com, the Heat rank second to last in the league in fast break points, averaging only 9.6 a game. I wish the Heat would get out and run more off of turnovers and defensive stops, as it makes for more exciting basketball as well as easier buckets, like this one from last night:



It was a great rebound game for the Heat, yet it can't be overstated. With the way things have gone this season, I expect them to get blown out or lose at the last second tonight in Atlanta. A win against the Hawks tonight would be huge, as the Heat would go into the All-Star break just a game below .500. Plus, if Chicago loses to Orlando and Charlotte loses to Minnesota, the Heat could find themselves with the sixth seed in the East. Although Chicago losing to Orlando is highly probable, I wouldn't put money on the latter.

Dank Game Showdown Tonight! Heat vs. Cavs on TNT

That's right Dank Gamers, my Heat and Perkins' Cavs square off tonight at the county seat of Cuyahoga County. The Heat are coming off a tough loss to the Celtics for the second game of a back to back, while the well-rested Cavs currently hold the best record in the league as well as the longest winning streak at nine games. Will the Heat bring the energy after last night's taxing game to push their record back to .500? Or will Cleveland continue their dominance to elevate their winning streak into double digits and sweep the season series against Miami?

Only one way to find out. Tune into tonight at 8:00 on TNT.

Don't worry, it will be a lot less homoerotic than the picture suggests. Then again, Wade and 'Bron are kinda butt buddies.

Icy Heat: Can Miami heat up on the road?

The pattern for the Miami Heat this season has been something like this: blow out the shitty teams, get blown out by the mediocre teams, and either squeeze out wins or come heartbreakingly close against the elite teams. And where does this find the Heat as we near the All-Star break? Playing .500 ball, tied with the Bulls for the 7th seed in the East, with the Bucks just two and a half games behind.

Ok, so I could be in a worse position. I could be a Wizards fan who bought into their preseason championship hype, and then watched them disappoint even prior to the whole guns-in-the-locker-room thing. Or I could be a Pistons fan who stood by as Joe Dumars transformed the team from a perennial playoff threat to a disjointed bottom feeder. And I could be a Nets fan, just hoping that my team doesn't post the worst record of all time.

It could be worse, I know. But it isn't good. And more often than not, it isn't pretty to watch. Of course, Dwyane Wade will provide at least a couple highlight reel plays every game, but is that really worth watching the excruciatingly painful lack of ball movement that has come to be expected this season? Further, is it worth watching Dwyane's awful T-Mobile ads with Charles Barkley every fucking commercial break?

It's even become difficult to appreciate the games that they blow their opponents out because it's often flat out boring and I can already sense that they'll be blown out in their following game. A little consistency would be nice as their next 8 of 9 games will be on the road. The first two are back to back in Boston and Cleveland, with both nationally televised on ESPN and TNT, respectively. They've played these two teams well throughout the season, but have come up short twice against both teams.

Here's to hoping the Heat can start playing some inspired basketball and give the free agent class of 2010 a reason to consider South Florida. Chris Bosh, I'm looking at you.

Chris Paul sidelined 6-8 weeks for knee surgery

It's been a disappointing couple of seasons for the New Orleans Hornets after they had seemingly turned a corner in the 2008 playoffs. Unfortunately, things are probably about to get even more disappointing. The only consistent force on the team, Chris Paul, is likely to be out 6-8 weeks to undergo knee surgery (welcome to the Western Conference All-Stars, Chauncey Billups). Paul had twisted his left knee in a game against the Warriors and then reaggravated it after having to save an awful inbounds pass by David West in the waning moments of regulation in the Bulls game Friday night. Paul collided with a camera man after saving the ball, which led to a basket by the Bulls to tie the game and send it to OT. A hobbled CP3 attempted to play in OT before eventually sitting, and the Hornets would go on to lose the game, literally adding insult to injury. Paul was visually frustrated with his team's uneven play.

This injury has folks on the internet imploring that the NBA finally move cameramen back to create some more space behind the basket. This has always been a contentious debate, and maybe an injury to a true elite player will finally give them a reason to create more room to play the game. Fast breaks would be more exciting as players would be inclined to run the court with reckless abandon and there would be a lot more entertaining dives for loose balls headed out of bounds on the baseline.

I know Dennis Rodman would have appreciated it:

Durant gets the block wearing one shoe

The second best play involving a lost shoe this season. Ron Artest still holds that #1 spot.

Hedo's awkward post-game interview

"Ball. I've got nothing else to say."

It's too bad his "Points By Quarter" stats block his face. I'm dying to see his expression.

via The Basketball Jones

Looks like 'Stache made it out to the Thunder game

What a fan. Came all the way out to OKC to watch the Thunder take on the Bulls last night.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Shaq mashes on the Admiral

Because the All-Star Game is rapidly approaching, I decided to honor a legend who's All-Star days are behind him with this week's Thursday Throwback Posterization. This dunk by Shaq over David Robinson is from the 1996 All-Star Game in San Antonio, which makes it that much more embarrassing for the Admiral. This was in the midst of Shaq's final season with Orlando, which would culminate in a sweep to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. That ensuing summer, Shaq would leave Orlando as a free agent to sign with the Lakers.

Now, back to that dunk. Everyone knows that Shaq has always had a lot of pride in being one of the best big men of all time. I'm sure he was looking to prove something with this dunk, as he destroyed one of the best centers ever in front of his home crowd. You gotta give some props to Robinson for even attempting to block Shaq, especially in a game as meaningless as the All-Star Game.



Sorry David Robinson, but if I'm gonna show Shaq dunking on you once, I might as well show another while I'm at it. This is Shaq in his prime. His strength was like nothing the NBA had ever seen at this point, and he used it in ways no one had before. David Robinson was a big, muscular dude, but the combination of Shaq's quick footwork and pure brute strength was just too much for him to handle. Shaq was so massive and at this point in his career, most of that mass was still muscle.

Big Baby doesn't want to be called Big Baby anymore

Celtics coach Doc Rivers has said that Glen 'Big Baby' Davis needs to grow up after he was fined for telling a Pistons fan to "suck [his] dick" who had been heckling him, by calling him "fat boy" and "chubs." So how does he respond to Doc Rivers plea for growth? He wants to lose his life-long nickname, Big Baby. Yeah, you heard me, Big Baby doesn't want to be called Big Baby anymore.

"I've been called 'Big Baby' all through my life," said Big Baby before Monday's game against the Clippers. "But I'm going through changes. I'm in a cocoon and I'm coming out a different player, a different person. Basically, the new person is growth. I'm shedding that 'Big Baby' and you can see something else, not the past."

That's some heavy stuff, Big Baby.

Big Baby has requested that fans come up with a new nickname via his Twitter page (@GlenDavisNBA) to help him finally break out of his cocoon, a new man. I was thinking something along the lines of "The All Grown-up Big Boy" or Glen "100% Man" Davis.

Turns out his fans' suggestions were all for naught, as The Boston Metro's Jeff Howe suggested that Big Baby go with the nickname "Uno Uno," to reference his #11 jersey and pay homage to (read: blatantly rip-off) Dank Game hero, Chad Ochocinco.

"I like that," said Big Baby. "I'll be 'Uno Uno.' That's my new name. Don't Call me 'Big Baby' any more. 'Uno Uno.' I'm serious. If somebody calls me ('Big Baby'), I'll be really mad."

So, Uno Uno it is. What an original nickname. Rolls off the tongue perfectly, too. Uno Uno. Yeah, I like that. It's definitely gonna catch on, Big Baby... errr, I mean Uno Uno.

Shoot, I hope he doesn't get steamin' mad that I accidentally called him Big Baby. I wouldn't want Big Baby to have to unleash one of his notorious temper tantrums on me.

via Ball Don't Lie

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Tom Chambers over Mark Jackson

There's really not a lot I can say about this dunk. It pretty much speaks for itself. If there is anything to be said about it, Mitch Richmond sums it up well enough. There just isn't a lot that I can add to the conversations except, isn't that sick! Hey wait, it says that at the end of the video. Ok, I guess this video pretty much has all the bases covered. Oops, I just used an expression that references baseball.

In all seriousness, there is a few things I'd like to point out. Watch the slow motion clip at the end and take a moment to appreciate how furiously Chambers throws it down. Right after he barrels through Mark Jackson, he throws it down so hard that it looks like his arms are being fast-forwarded while everything else floats along in slow-mo. It's truly mesmerizing to me. And I don't go around calling any old thing mesmerizing.

The last thing I'd like to point out is the look of excitement in Mitch Richmond's eyes right after he says, "when Chambers went over Mark Jackson." You can tell that he's envisioning it in his mind as he speaks and it brings a smile to his face. It's things like this that make me love basketball. You can just tell that he truly appreciates that moment as much as me or the next hoop junkie.

One last thing. I love those retro Suns jerseys with the Old West typeface. If I could get a purple Kevin Johnson one, I could die a happy man.

Shannon Brown dunks on his own teammate, also some news on the Slam Dunk Contest

After a Kobe Bryant miss, Shannon Brown takes off to ridiculous heights with a put-back dunk. Brown's unsuspecting teammate Josh Powell goes up for the rebound and receives an unlikely posterization by his own teammate. Shannon Brown's ups are absolutely ridiculous. I said before the season that he ought to be in the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest after seeing this dunk from the preseason, and it seems that my wish just might come true. Apparently Nike may have mistakenly revealed Brown as a contestant on it's Basketball Blog, as they have begun promoting a Shannon Brown Nike iD Slam Dunk Design Contest. Ooops. Contestants will design their own colorway of the new Kobe V for Shannon to sport in the contest.

In other Slam Dunk Contest news, LeBron is still being noncommittal on whether he will participate after proclaiming he would during last year's contest. LeBron's being pretty lame about this. I wonder if he'd walk off the court to the locker room without shaking the winner's hand if he lost.

As for the other participants in the contest, the Raptors' DeMar DeRozan and the Clippers' Eric Gordon will face off in the first ever NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In during halftime of the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam (I think that's the Rookie vs. Sophomore game, but maybe it's something else). They will each get two minutes to throw down two dunks and the winner will be determined by fans texting. The winner will get to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Props to J.E. Skeets of Ball Don't Lie

SUNDIATA GAINES!!!!

Sorry Cavs fans, but I can't help myself from taking tremendous pleasure in seeing a player called up from the D-League's Idaho Stampede (yes, there's actually a sports team called the Idaho Stampede) hit a game winning shot to beat Cleveland. What a great story amidst a season that has been overshadowed by some idiot who brought guns into the locker room.

To give you some background, watch this video:



Now, back to last night's game. Deron Williams left the game in the 4th quarter after re-injuring his wrist, which set up an opportunity for the Jazz's D-League call-up Sundiata Gains, or Yatta, as his new teammates call him. The Jazz and Cavs would exchange runs in an absolutely insane 4th quarter. The highlights are worth watching, by the way. With the Jazz up thirteen with under five minutes to play, LeBron started to catch fire as he launched three-pointers that seemed like awful shots but somehow the ball found the basket time and time again. It appeared the Cavs were going to run away with it, but missed free throws down the stretch kept the Jazz's hopes alive. With seven seconds left, Utah's Kyle Korver hit a crazy Larry Bird-esque behind-the-basket shot to bring the Jazz within one. The Jazz would immediately foul Big Z, who hit one of two free throws. And then this happened:



This is some real hoop dreams come true type shit, and it just makes me feel so good inside. In the words of the great Charles Barkley, "That was awesome."

Thursday Throwback Posterization: 'Nique on Bird

Although I missed Dominique Wilkin's 50th birthday by two days with this post, I couldn't let that stop me from sharing this one. One of the best to ever throw it down in the NBA, if not the best, Wilkins absolutely destroys Larry Bird here. Larry Legend would've been best off just getting the fuck outta the way on this one. Although this is a sick dunk, I actually wanted to use Wilkins' throw down on Robert Parish instead, but I couldn't find a video on youtube with just that dunk on it's own. So do yourself a big favor and take a couple minutes to watch 'Nique's top 10 dunks. I promise you won't be disappointed. The aforementioned dunk on Robert Parish is number 3 on the list. If you ask me, it's the epitome of a posterization, especially considering it was over one of the most daunting defenders of all time. He throws it down so hard.

Another one bites the dust

Looks like Blake Griffin is going to have to get used to wearing a suit. Yet another #1 draft pick oozing with potential will have to watch from the sidelines, as it was reported yesterday that the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin will have season ending surgery on his broken left knee cap. Griffin had been progressing enough with his recovery that he had begun running on treadmills, but after he felt pain in his knee while jumping in a swimming pool, it was determined that surgery would be necessary.

God damn. Who in the NBA is next? Greg Oden is out for the year, as well as almost half of the rest of the Portland Trailblazers. And now it's being reported that Brandon Roy is having pain in his hamstring, which means he might miss some time. But that's the Blazers, so I won't get into that.

So where do the Clippers go from here now that they can't assess how the rest of the roster will play alongside Griffin? What the Clippers decide to do with Marcus Camby and his $9,150,000 expiring contract seems to be the biggest issue at hand. Because their playoff hopes are more than likely nonexistent in the competitive Western Conference, the Clippers might be able to acquire some younger talent for Camby, who's skill set and expiring contract has long been coveted by many teams throughout the league. However, there is also speculation that they will hold on to Camby to fill Griffin's void in the front court. I say if Camby can get them a swingman who is a proven veteran or promising young prospect, they might as well do it. Camby is 35 years old, so it's not like he will be a big part of their future.

Man, this sure sucks. As if two winning seasons in the past 30 years wasn't enough to feel bad about for Billy Crystal and the rest of the Clips' fan base. At least they have something to look forward to next year, although I'm sure they're sick of that sentiment by now.

Ginobili is so sick

Just sayin...

Heartbreak Heat

This season's Miami Heat team has been a huge flirt. They start the season out strong at 6-1, and before you know it they fall back into a middling team struggling to remain above .500. Then they have those games when they look poised to turn a corner, only to be put in their place by a buzzer beating freak shot by the best finisher in the game. Then they come out and get embarrassed by the Grizzlies on their home court. Less than a week after that, they blow out Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at home.

And then there's games like last night, when they trade runs with the KG-less Celtics and let a sizable lead in the 4th quarter disappear, putting the game up for grabs in the waning moments. And then, when Wade seemingly has the game sealed after a an improbable steal and dunk putting them up by 2 with .6 seconds remaining, Paul Pierce executes a perfect mid-court inbounds alley oop to Rajon Rondo for a tip-in that would tie the game and send it to overtime. And of course, the Heat collapse in overtime. What makes this even more heartbreaking is that the game should have ended after Wade's dunk. The time keepers mistakenly stopped and restarted the clock after a Celtics turnover with about 8 seconds left, as they anticipated the Heat to call timeout. I don't know how much more of this I can take, and when you factor in the Bengals' gut wrenching season, I'll probably be going grey by the time the NBA Playoffs roll around... but I digress.

Dwyane Wade seemed livid after this loss, and you can't blame him. Dude posted a season high 44 points and basically had the game won only to see it go to waste because Mario Chalmers couldn't keep up with Rajon Rondo on that final play in regulation. In a season that's been all about assessing the Heat's youth, you have to wonder if this single play has made Chalmers' future with the Heat all the more questionable. While Chalmers did have a few big plays (mostly steals), he shot poorly from the field and crumbled on defense when it mattered most. Is this really the type of running mate Wade is hoping to spend the rest of his career with? Can Chalmers really contribute to a championship team? The answer to those questions is seeming more and more like a resounding "no."

As for the rest of the Heat's youth movement, Dayton's Daequan Cook has basically been banished from the rotation as he still struggles to find his shooting stroke, which he lost all the way back at last year's All Star break. Dorell Wright has been pretty solid this year, but it's doubtful Heat management will resign him unless he's willing to settle for a meager contract. Michael Beasley still looks to be an All Star in the making, but you have to wonder if he can maintain consistency in the playoffs if the Heat do retain Wade and become contenders with a big free agent signing this summer. I even have my doubts that Beasley has what it takes to contribute throughout a single playoff series, although I'd like to think otherwise. If only coach Spoelstra would give Beasley minutes when the games matter most so we could have a better idea. Lord knows his offense could've been used last night in overtime. With that said, you can't blame Spo for sticking with Haslem last night as Udonis had the hot hand in the second half, nailing baseline jumper after baseline jumper to finish with 19 points.

And so Dank Gamers, I'll end this long overdue Miami Heat rant with more or less no conclusion, because it's hard to make any sense of this team thus far. Maybe the inevitable return of Rafer Alston (who's contract was bought out by the lowly Nets) to South Beach can bring some perspective to this motley cast of characters, or maybe he'll make the roster all the more confounding. I just hope Pat Riley has a better idea of where this team is headed than the rest of us Heat fans.

Really, Gil? (UPDATE)

For those who haven't heard, Gilbert Arenas is under investigation by federal authorities for having guns in his locker, which he claims to have brought to the arena to keep away from his children. Apparently he set the unloaded guns next to Javaris Crittenton's locker as a joke (which is actually believable considering it's Gilbert Arenas) after Crittenton had said he would shoot Arenas' oft-injured knee following a gambling dispute. The whole thing sounds like a joke that was taken way too far. From what I've read, it seems that Crittenton may have actually been upset over the money Arenas supposedly owed him. Arenas claims the two are still friends, though.

Arenas has taken the whole thing as a joke, and judging by this photo from last night's game against the 76ers in Philadelphia, he's still not taking it very seriously. Arenas claims that he was asked to do this pre-game dance, and that it was a play off of a touchdown celebration from "Any Given Sunday." I have a feeling things are going to get a lot less funny for Gil real soon.

Despite the ongoing distraction for the Wizards, Arenas scored 19 points and dished a season high 14 assists to rally from an 18 point deficit. Guard Nick Young scored 21 points to help fuel the comeback. Legal troubles notwithstanding, the 76ers are at an even lower low than the Wizards after this loss. And to think, I predicted these two teams would make the playoffs. At least I had them as the 7th and 8th seeds.

UPDATE: It has been reported that Gilbert Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Although Stern originally planned to wait out the federal investigation before assessing his punishment for Arenas, Gilbert's "ongoing conduct has led [Stern] to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game." For more on this, check out J.E. Skeets' post on Ball Don't Lie. On the very same blog, NBA sportswriter/blogger Kelly Dwyer has written an interesting post criticizing Gilbert's behavior throughout this whole mess.

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.