As the Celtics continue on through the regular season grind, they're getting more and more comfortable with the idea that their young point guard does more than merely fill a role.

With Toronto on tap Sunday afternoon before the schedule evens out a bit for the Celtics, third-year point man Rajon Rondo has overcome a couple of early bumps in the road and is now delivering key efforts. He led the Celtics in scoring in their win over the Pistons, winning the matchup with Allen Iverson. Rondo had 18 points (all in three quarters) and eight assists while Iverson had 16 points. That meant it was more than all right for Paul Pierce to have a quiet nine-point night.

"We think Rondo matches up with Iverson quickness for quickness," said Pierce.

Kevin Garnett has moved on. The championship trophy he earned with Boston last season made it all too easy to put 12 years of mostly mediocre basketball in Minnesota behind him. The Timberwolves are trying to move on as well without the only star the franchise has ever had. They have jettisoned all but four of his former teammates in the last 16 months, changed the look of their home court and...

The Allen Iverson trade looked good for the Pistons when they handed the Lakers their first loss of the season and snapped Cleveland's eight-game winning streak. It hasn't helped them against the team they need to beat most. Rajon Rondo had 18 points and eight assists, outplaying the recent Pistons acquisition and leading the Boston Celtics to a 98-80 victory over Detroit on Thursday night in a...

It was quiet -- too quiet -- in the Boston locker room before the game. On the floor, the Celtics managed to replace Kevin Garnett's intensity just fine. "Not having a great player out there, you definitely miss him," point guard Rajon Rondo said after Boston beat the New York Knicks 110-101 on Tuesday night while Garnett served a one-game suspension.

Boston 98, Detroit 80

I suppose it isn't fair to ask the Detroit Pistons to play the defending champs twice in 11 days, a scant few weeks after trading the team's most celebrated player and identity-shaper for the whirlwind and identity-shifter that is Allen Iverson. But we shouldn't completely dismiss these two big losses. There's a kernel of truth in there, somewhere.

We should partially dismiss them, though. Really, how much are the Pistons going to figure out in eight games (4-4) with this guy? This isn't like getting used to having to shade for Jim Abbott defensively once in five games or even switching out your all-around dynamic QB for a trad pocket passer in his mid-30s. Basketball is far, far more complicated. Ask the Nuggets, who traded for Iverson in December of 2006 and still never seemed to get how to use the guard in a way that put the team over the top.

Coaching matters. Stern decisions have to be made, and a lot of that "buck stops here" nonsense actually helps. It helps drive away excuses, and it helps to make you cringe should you have to spit out "we'll get ‘em next time" after the game. If it hurts to say that, you're on the right track. If you're shrugging your shoulders, then something is missing. And I don't care that the season is 82 games.

So when you see the Piston reserves acting like pampered former All-Stars, or Detroit failing to close out on shooters, or stepping into open lanes in order to make sure that the open lanes cease to be open lanes, you have to wonder when the buck is ever going to be able to stop.

This isn't to say that Detroit played the same poor way the entire night, far from it. They just did it long enough to lose handily again. That's the difference between a pretty good team that occasionally plays great and ... the Celtics. The Celtics are just about always there.

The Pistons have never always been there, save for the second round of the playoffs. That's it. Up and down but ultimately rewarding regular season, iffy first round, second round dominance, before falling apart in a third round that they should have won every year. Every damn year. Should have won it, and didn't, for three years running.

You probably saw the game. The Celtics stars were good, and the Celtic bench played great. None of Doc Rivers players saw more than 27 minutes of action, they held a rebounding edge, kept the turnovers down (finally, just 12), and all of Rajon Rondo's decisions seemed to be the right move. 18 points, eight assists, three steals and just two turnovers in only 26 minutes for Rondo.

I'm not saying the Pistons don't care. They do. They're just like most teams in that they don't care enough. And caring enough is a tough, tough thing. It takes a ton of patience.

It's just that, while we should cut them some slack because of the Iverson deal and allow Detroit some time, there are still things to be critical about that don't have a thing to do with Allen Iverson.

Or maybe they do. Either way, we still have to observe a bit more. The season goes on for 82 games, after all.

Los Angeles Lakers 105, Phoenix 92

For most of the month, while the focus has rightfully been on Los Angeles' dominant defense, I've been watching Lamar Odom quietly (and inefficiently, because the shots aren't falling in great numbers) make Tex Winter a happy, happy man.

Winter is the architect of the Lakers' offense, and likely the strongest principle of his famed Triangle offense is the way players are supposed to penetrate the defense. With a pass (preferably, because that means there is an open player somewhere in the teeth of that defense), a drive, a shot, or a rebound.

The last two may not seem like the best moves overall, because shots over the top of the D and ugly offensive rebounds don't seem to go hand-in-hand with the spacious and aesthetically-pleasing Triangle offense.

But these things are important, especially when the player creating the penetration is among those (like, say, the Laker youngsters that come off the bench) who might not be the most structurally-sound Triangle denizens. There's a reason Derek Fisher starts, you know.

So there LO is, shooting the ball, or getting into the lane for a lefty runner or hook that might not fall. Not only is his per-game numbers way down from last year, but his per-minute numbers have taken a dive as well. Even with all those chances to pad his stats among the bench corps. And yet, he's helping. So, so much. Don't let them convince you that he isn't.

Los Angeles held the Suns to about 99 points per 100 possessions, which is right around what the Charlotte Bobcats average, while putting up a number of its own (113 per 100) that would lead the league by a wide margin if averaged out for the year. And that was in Phoenix. And Kobe missed 15 shots, while Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol combined for 14 points. This team is all that and a bag of crisps.

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your Teddy Grahams.

Peter Vescey, New York Post: "Donnie Walsh is set to pull the trigger on his first substantive move as KnicksNew York Knicks president, The New York Post has learned. Knicks sources said a deal for Al Harrington was to go through late yesterday, but was delayed until today. A league conference call is scheduled for this morning that would bring the disgruntled Warriors forward to the Knicks, presumably for Malik Rose. [...] The move will reunite Walsh with Harrington, whom the Pacers president drafted out of high school (No. 25) in 1998."

UPDATE: Alan Hahn is reporting that it is in fact Jamal Crawford heading to Golden State in exchange for Harrington.

Ivan Carter, Washington Post: "Gilbert Arenas continues to rehabilitate his surgically repaired left knee but remains limited to non-contact basketball activities, and neither the team nor the three-time all-star has established a firm timetable for a possible return to game action. Arenas has watched the Wizards stumble to a 1-8 start from the bench and said the team's progress or lack thereof could impact his plans. Yesterday after a practice at Verizon Center, Arenas said he and center Brendan Haywood, who is expected to miss four to six months following wrist surgery, are hoping the team can rebound from the poor start and remain in playoff contention. 'Me and Brendan, we talk about it,' Arenas said. 'If I come back in January — that's about 20, 25 games we counted — when do we say it's okay? If we're 15 games out, how hard is it to come back from that? It might depend on who is in the eighth spot at the time and what our record is.'"

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Star: "He's 7-foot, 255 pounds and plays center. Just don't expect him to play like one. Rasho Nesterovic doesn't have a strong inside game. He isn't an intimidating shot blocker. He isn't overly athletic and doesn't fly above the rim for alley-oop dunks. Ask his Indiana Pacers teammates, though, and they'll say Nesterovic is one of the keys to their offense. He's an exceptional passer. He consistently makes the midrange jump shot. He has a high basketball IQ. Most important, he wins. He has never been the focal point, but he made the playoffs each of his 10 seasons."

Rick Bonnell, Charlotte Observer: "Bobcats coach Larry Brown can live with a lack of experience. Lack of effort, he'll not tolerate. So he might start rookies D.J. Augustin and Alexis Ajinca in Atlanta tonight against the Hawks, in part to send a message to the veterans. 'He gives effort every play and that's what we're not getting,' Brown said of Augustin, who would start at guard alongside Ray Felton. 'It's been obvious we've been lacking pizzazz and enthusiasm and effort (among the starters). The second group, I don't think that's the case at all. They might be inexperienced, but they're trying hard.' [...] Ajinca and Augustin would replace Sean May and Matt Carroll as starters. And, based on repetitions in practice Thursday, Brown is strongly considering this lineup. Brown gave the players off Wednesday, then conducted one of the most physically-taxing practices of the young season."

Chris McCosky, Detroit News: "Right now, the Celtics are too fluid, too cohesive and too efficient at everything. They move the ball around so crisply on offense, they make the Pistons look two steps slower. If they weren't getting straight-line layups Thursday (13 in the first three quarters), they were draining uncontested 3-pointers (6-for-10 through three quarters). Defensively, the Celtics are so tightly wound and aggressive, the Pistons barely completed initial passes of an offensive set, let alone swing the ball. Uncontested shots were few and far between."

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "See that up there? That's where the Los Angeles Lakers put the bar. Suns coach Terry Porter said Thursday night's game with the Western Conference favorite would be a good measuring stick for his team, and it's clear that the Suns are far away. [...] Suns substitutions strayed from the norm Thursday. Terry Porter went to Sean Singletary as the primary backup point guard instead of Goran Dragic. It initially backfired when Singletary missed two shots and he committed his first NBA turnover during a 14-0 Lakers run following starter Steve Nash's exit. The other new move came late in that run. After Lakers center Andrew Bynum posted up Amaré Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal got off the bench, walked by Porter and said, "I'm going in." Three minutes later, the Suns led again."

Sarah Rothschild, Miami Herald: "Heat rookie forward Michael Beasley has been reduced to a spectator in the fourth quarter of recent games. He has started in the 12 games and is averaging 30.2 minutes, but he sat for much of the fourth quarter in four of the past five games. As the Heat mounted a 17-point, second-half comeback during a 101-95 loss to the Raptors on Wednesday, Beasley watched. ''If I was the coach, I would have stayed with that lineup, too,' Beasley said. Beasley played a career-low 12 minutes against Toronto."

Kate Fagan, Philadelphia Inquirer: "Elton Brand's words, spoken as he sat on a stool within the cozy confines of the Target Center's visitor's locker room, were as bruising and straightforward as his low-post game. No, he wasn't looking forward to seeing his former teammates, the Los Angeles Clippers, whom the 76ers play at 7 o'clock tonight at the Wachovia Center. What he wanted was a victory. 'I don't care to see them,' Brand said. Brand's words were not meant to slam his former pals — he said he had texted two of them, Chris Kaman and Cuttino Mobley, leading up to the game — but rather as an indication of how focused he was on leveling the Sixers' record, which at 5-6 is a disappointment. 'I can't worry about individual stuff,' Brand said. 'It's just a competition. It's just a game we need to win.'"

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald: "It will be Kevin Garnett’s second visit to his old arena with the Celts, but he didn’t play last February because of the abdominal strain that cost him nine games. 'You don’t know until you get there,' said coach Doc Rivers of Garnett’s hyper forecast before the Celtics’ 98-80 win over the Pistons last night. 'With Kevin, he walks that line every night. Usually it’s a gut feel. Sometimes I’ve been wrong. I’ve called him in the office and he’s completely calm even though he looks ... well, calm in Kevin’s world. But then there’s times that he needs to be talked down some. You just don’t know until you get there and read it. I think it’s nice that he’s been there once. He didn’t play, but he’s been there.' The coach will be on guard because of how intense Garnett was last year. It wasn’t until he actually walked out onto the floor for a pregame moment to acknowledge the crowd that anyone knew he’d leave the dressing room."

Janny Hu, San Francisco Chronicle: "Injured guard Monta Ellis had the screws in his surgically-repaired left ankle removed Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to rejoin the Warriors after next week's East Coast swing. Team officials did not set a date for a return to basketball-related activity, though Ellis' agent, Jeff Fried, has said he anticipated a Thanksgiving week start."

Israel Guitierrez, Miami Herald: "For most, being left open on an NBA floor is the result of an offensive play properly run. Udonis Haslem sees it a bit differently. To him, being left unaccounted for is dismissive. He used to consider that so insulting that he once berated Don Nelson and the Warriors' bench for ignoring him time and again — even though Haslem was benefiting from it with a huge game. 'It gets old after a while,' Haslem said. 'Basketball is supposed to be 5-on-5. People mix all those junk defenses. To me, I feel like that's kind of cowardly. Just play ball.' He will take the wide-open shot. But that doesn't mean he has to like it."

Slip on your sweats, call in some thin-crust pizza, and switch the channel to TNT, (American) basketball brethren: Detroit at Boston — a repeat of last year's Eastern Conference Championship Series — tips off at 8 p.m. EST. "It's early, but it's exciting," Iverson says. I couldn't agree more. So ready your comments and questions, stretch, and hit the jump for some live-bloggin' entertainment. See you in there.

Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix

I know we, as basketball junkies, should be looking forward to the Celtics/Pistons game.

Good defense in that one. Slow-down, playoff basketball from two teams who fought for the Eastern Conference crown last year and still might be the favorites to take to the Eastern Conference finals this year. Provided, of course, that Mo Williams learns how to play defense.

But let's not try to fool ourselves. We want to see the Suns play the Lakers. We like watching the Suns play anyone, even if they have slowed a bit. We enjoy the Lakers getting a good challenge. This may not be a matchup of the best two teams in the West, and it may not even be a close game. But that's the one to watch. You know it.

Don't eat your vegetables, and move right on to the confection of your choice. Play with your toys, even when you're working. Shaq and A.C. Green (both former Suns and Lakers, pictured above) would.

It didn't take long for Steve Nash to pull the passive/aggressive, "I don't think we should run away from our running game"-bit. He's already been talking about it in halftime interviews and to the press postgame. He knows that the running game still might be his team's best chance at doing anything this spring. Meanwhile, the Lakers want nothing to do with spring. They're all about the summer. And I'm all about this game.

Celtics/Pistons? We appreciate you. We respect you. And if we had to choose, we're watching the second game.

(Join Skeets and co. for a live blog tonight, starting around 8 p.m. Eastern.)

Los Angeles Lakers: 8-1, 96.4 possessions per game (3rd-most in the NBA), 108.8 points scored per 100 possessions (5th-most in the NBA), 94.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st in the NBA). David Watts.

Phoenix Suns: 8-4, 91.7 possessions per game (14th), 108.7 points scored 100 possessions (8th), 105.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (16th). David Watts.

Toronto 101, Miami 95

I truly do apologize for making this so simple, but the difference between a Raptor loss to the Magic and a win over the Heat comes down to Jose Calderon's presence. Orlando's a better team than the Heat, there's no doubting that, and the rebounding issues remain, but Calderon just makes things happen for this team.

He moves everyone down a spot, too. Just eight points and seven assists (to one turnover) for Jose in the win, but his presence allows Will Solomon (five assists, two turnovers) to play fewer minutes and against lesser talent, while Roko Ukic doesn't play at all. Also, Andrea Bargnani (25 points at starting small forward, and he missed some bunnies) was mighty fine.

PG-rated words don't do Dwyane Wade's night (40 points, 11 assists, three turnovers, five blocks) justice. Honestly, the three turns might be the most impressive number of all. To have a hand in that much action, take as many risks with the ball as he has to, play nearly 43 minutes, and come out with just three turnovers? The man is back, people. 

Atlanta 91, Washington 87

The Wizards looked, and really they can't but help but have looked, rightfully despondent during this loss.

Another fine game (18 points and 11 rebounds) for Antawn Jamison, a fantastic contribution from Caron Butler (32 points, seven boards, four assists, three steals, just one turnover), and they still can't pull the win. Atlanta plays without Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Washington can't win. Atlanta's best player (TV's Joe Johnson) makes less than a third of his shots, and the Wizards are 1-8. No fun.

This isn't to say that Washington had no chance in this. They could have pulled the win off with better shot selection and a more focused effort on the boards from both interior and wing-types.

Heaps of bad shots, then the Hawks out-rebounded this lot by a 58-40 margin, and Mike Bibby seemed to have a little extra push in his 30-year old calves. Bibby was nailing shots from all over, even a few Tim Hardaway-esque turnaround jumpers, and Marvin Williams' late-game three-pointer (a bad shot, really) sealed it for the Hawks.

Portland 116, Chicago 74

Sorry for taking away from Portland's fabulous night, but have you seen any team (outside of the SuperSonics/Thunder) play as poorly as Chicago did on Wednesday night over the last year or three?

That was a miserable effort, with miserable planning, miserable movement, shot selection, attitude, and coaching, and executing. And inspiration. And as Goathair noted, "Aaron Gray is starting."

On the sunny side, how giddy is everyone about Greg Oden (11 and 10 with three blocks in 17 minutes) right now?

Minnesota 102, Philadelphia 96

Here's a bit of a shocker. The Minnesota Timberwolves were averaging about 26 points per quarter over the first three quarters of this game, and in the fourth quarter Randy Wittman's team came through with ... 26 points!

You can't blame me for waiting for the bottom to fall out from Minnesota's fourth quarter offense, as it has all season. Al Jefferson just had it going, though. The team got to the line, handled Philadelphia's 31 points (with several tough makes from Andre Miller and Elton Brand going in) just fine, and pulled out an admirable win.

Also, it is as if Mike Miller has become the fourth option on a 60-win team, and he's just doing it all. Sadly, for a team that will be lucky to win half that, BUT THIS IS NOT THE POINT. 10 points, 10 boards, six assists, a couple of steals for Miller; who didn't see the ball much but still nailed a game-clinching three-pointer toward the end. Craig Smith and his knee brace also contributed 21 points.

Utah 105, Milwaukee 94

You just want to strangle the Jazz sometimes, though not in the way Harry Anslinger intended.

You see Andrew Bogut barely able to get up and down the court, he's so winded, and yet he gets the ball in the post against Carlos Boozer. Two dribbles and a move into the paint for the jump hook, one that's obviously going to fall about 14 inches short, and Boozer ... pushes him. Just gives up on the play, shoves two arms into him, and Bogut gets to go to the line. Gah.

Luckily Boozer and C.J. Miles came alive in the second half, keeping the Bucks at bay while helping to overcome more than a few other defensive brain freezes. Boozer had 20 and 11 in 34 minutes, none of his shots were blocked (so there), and Miles' smooth touch (love how his shots sometimes bounce softly around the rim) came through with 25 points in 29 minutes.

On top of that, Andrei Kirilenko (16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two turnovers, five steals and four blocks in 29 minutes) partied like it was 2004, and that's always fun.

Detroit 96, Cleveland 89

Sorry for denigrating a great win, but a lot of you saw it ... the Pistons took bad shots. And they went in! Went in = win!

Rasheed Wallace (21 points on 12 shots, 15 rebounds) was obviously hot early on and kept it up, Allen Iverson could have probably scored 40 against Cleveland's miserable backcourt defenders, and the Pistons refused to give up after an iffy start.

I just don't feel as if this win was anything to build on. It does lead you to believe that, with Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson working the perimeter, the Pistons should be a pretty solid favorite against the Cavaliers should they meet in the playoffs.

Of course, this depends on the Pistons giving up again, defensively, as they often do in the postseason. Nothing of the sort happened tonight, LeBron James had an impossible time trying to turn that corner, and though he still managed 25 points on 21 shots (Williams had 25 as well), Detroit was in charge.

A great game, and I made fans of neither team happy with that recap. So it goes.

Dallas 96, Houston 86

I didn't see a lot of this, Jeff Van Gundy left to his own devices can be a very frustrating thing, so I'll have to let Matt Moore have the opening salvo:

"It's not that the Mavs aren't good. It's that they're not lethal in any respect. They're painfully above average. Meanwhile, I don't know how many more of these ‘This Rockets team is the one!' letdowns I can take."

One must add that everyone should be enjoying Jason Terry's little renaissance. 31 points tonight, he's nearly two points above his scoring average from last season, and he's been killing it for the last two weeks. Still can't guard anyone, but for someone who thinks that Terry's 2004-05 turn was about as unappreciated as turns go (with this one acting as the most appreciated), this has been fun to watch.

Los Angeles Clippers 108, Oklahoma City 88

I'm not sure I've ever seen a 20-point winner play this poorly, but that's the fun of watching the Clippers.

First off, Cuttino Mobley (23 points) was great, especially finishing around the rim. Chris Kaman was active and interested and saw the floor well on both ends (25 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, one turnover, four blocks ... maybe a career night?), and Al Thornton (20 points on 14 shots) was terrific.

But Baron Davis is still wearing cement shoes to go with the concrete that's all around, and in his head. 5-15 shooting, he can barely get off the ground, and this somehow doesn't seem to stop him from chucking. Ricky Davis missed all five of his shots off the bench, and Tim Thomas missed six of seven attempts. The Clippers shot just 13 free throws all night, and it isn't hard to see why. The guys who are supposed to put the other team in the penalty can't seem to step inside 20 feet.

Good thing the Thunder are/could be historically bad.  

Sacramento 105, New Orleans 96

Here's the tradeoff that Hornet GM Jeff Bower seemed to sign off on:

He'd willingly ignore New Orleans' startling lack of depth at positions like center and point guard, look past the team's offensive shortcomings, because the addition of someone like James Posey means that the defense (5th in the NBA last year) would be that much better. Even though Posey's a bench guy on this team, and he has issues guarding shooting guards at this point in his impressive career.

And while I don't agree with the move -- Posey's great and the Celtics are going to miss him but the Hornets DON'T NEED HIM -- it can't possibly be a swing and a miss. Not with what sound defensive talent the Hornets already have.

And then the team gives up 123 points per 100 possessions to the Sacramento Kings, playing without Kevin Martin. At home.

The Hornets couldn't defend the paint, they weren't talking in transition, they were susceptible on the perimeter, they allowed easy penetration, and it was just a bum night from every imaginable angle. I can understand falling short because the team's scoring ability falls off the table like a Bruce Sutter toss after the top three, but getting yanked around defensively like this? Unacceptable. To the players, coaching staff, everyone.

Great game from the Kings, I don't mean to focus too much on the Hornets, but that's the way things go. Donte Greene (15 points on nine shots) was solid as a starter, John Salmons (29 points, six assists, and one turnover) was potent from all over, Bobby Jackson kept the effort flowing from off the bench, and the Kings registered 24 assists on 41 field goals. 

Denver 91, San Antonio 81

It does make sense. The Spurs have an incredibly-tough time creating shots, and the shots they do create are low, low percentage looks. Some of them are illegal, too, because it looks as if Michael Finley has to push off any time he wants to be allowed to shoot a basketball after dribbling it.

Denver didn't play a very good game, either. They scored about 101 points per 100 possessions, which is pretty lousy, and turned it over on 22 percent of the team's possessions. But they did play the Spurs, in Denver, in November, and the Spurs didn't have Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

San Antonio rookie George Hill had another nice one with 20 points on 11 shots, and Tim Duncan (who contributed 13 points) had six assists, but San Antonio has 11th men shooting 6th man levels of shots from the floor, and that's just not going to work.

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your Nintendo Cereal System from Ralston-Purina. At least for now. We'll see how long this lasts.

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune: "Larry Hughes started for the injured Luol Deng Wednesday, but Deng's sore left hamstring can't make the Bulls' glut of guards disappear. That's why the disenchantment Hughes expressed late Tuesday in Los Angeles, after averaging 18 minutes this season, could resurface. 'I don't want to play like this,' Hughes said. 'I'm not comfortable with 15-20 minutes. Something has to change.' It did, albeit temporarily. But Derrick Rose is the No. 1 overall pick, Ben Gordon is the team's leading scorer and Kirk Hinrich, currently injured, is the best perimeter defender. 'You have to understand that situation and I do,' Hughes said. 'We have a lot of guys at one position. Somebody has to come off the bench and you accept that role. But I'm not expecting 15-20 minutes, and I don't want to deal with that.'"

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Star: "Trying to defend stars such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant affected Granger's offense. Or vice versa. Sometimes he struggled defensively if he focused too much on offense. That hasn't been a concern this season. Marquis Daniels is guarding the opponent's best perimeter player at the start of each game, which means Granger doesn't have to exert as much energy on both ends of the court. 'It definitely helps a lot,' Granger said. 'I don't get tired as much as I used to. It's a hard job chasing those guys around. I still end up defending them at some point in the game.'"

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "In a convoluted storyline layered with meanings lost in translation, Suns center Shaquille O'Neal is denying an interview that he probably didn't need to deny. From a transcript run Friday on a Sacramento Bee blog, O'Neal's comments were pulled and translated in Los Angeles and then nationally on an ESPN crawl. The "news" was that O'Neal had not ruled out a return to the Lakers when he is a free agent in 2010 and that Lakers coach Phil Jackson orchestrated O'Neal's tension with Kobe Bryant. Part of the problem was that O'Neal said Wednesday that he did not talk to anyone in Sacramento, where the Suns played last Friday — but the interview was done in the preseason in Phoenix by the Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper, a former Los Angeles Times writer whom O'Neal knows."

Chris McCosky, Detroit News: "Ben Wallace, who is playing a somewhat diminished role for the Cavaliers these days, barely recognizes his former Pistons team. 'It's strange coming in here now and this guy's not here any more, and that guy's not here and then a couple more guys are gone,' he said. 'The numbers keep getting smaller (of guys he played with here) and that is a little strange.' Wallace said, like everybody else, he was shocked when he heard the Pistons had traded Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess for Allen Iverson. He joked that all that was left was, 'the Big Three,' Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. 'Their style of play has definitely changed,' Wallace said. 'They are forced to play a different style of basketball now. You get used to playing one way, then you've got to change the way you play toward the end of your career, I mean, I am sure it's been a little tough on them.'"

Michael Lee, Washington Post: "For a fleeting moment, it seemed that cocky swagger that has come to define the Washington Wizards in their annual journey through adversity had returned. A desperate, hard-luck team appeared set to pull out a gutsy road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night when DeShawn Stevenson dribbled toward the right baseline, gave Maurice Evans a slight nudge for separation, then drilled a jumper over him to give the Wizards a four-point lead with just more than a minute remaining. Stevenson waved his hand over his face, rookie JaVale McGee patted him on his backside and Stevenson then jumped into Caron Butler as a stunned Philips Arena crowd looked on. It was a premature celebration, because the Wizards don't have the Eastern Conference's worst record by mistake. They've earned it in a season that has been marked by fourth-quarter mishaps and an inability to close. And one minute proved to be too long for the Wizards to hang on, as Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams nailed back-to-back three-pointers to hand them a 91-87 defeat."

Charles F. Gardner, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Hey, the Milwaukee Bucks still haven't won in Utah since the 2001-'02 season. But the Bucks did have a decent chance Wednesday night, holding a 10-point, third-quarter lead before faltering in a 105-94 loss to the Jazz. 'Compared to the Denver game, it was a step up,' said Bucks center Andrew Bogut, who finished with 16 points and a season-high 20 rebounds. 'We came with intensity and played hard. But we still were making simple mistakes. We were so close, yet so far. Mental lapses for 4 or 5 minutes at a time absolutely cost us ball games.'"

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald: "The Celtics coach, asked yesterday about Knicks forward Quinton Richardson’s postgame complaints about the C’s perceived compunction for boastful talk, wrote part of the issue off to rivalry and the other to the source. 'This thing with the Knicks has been going on for a while now,' Rivers said. 'And Q has been in the middle of it. But a lot of teams talk to us, man. What I tell our guys is, 'You’ve proven what you can do, so just go out and do it.''"

John Denton, Florida Today: "What then will happen to Redick? Pietrus is the unquestioned starter when healthy and Keith Bogans has been Orlando’s best reserve. According to head coach Stan Van Gundy, rookie Courtney Lee is the Magic’s best on-ball defender on the perimeter. Then, there’s Redick, who is eager to learn his fate as it applies to the future. 'This was an opportunity presented because MP (Pietrus) was injured and whenever chances like this come I have to go out and earn my minutes,' Redick said. 'I hope I’ll get more chances like this.' Those chances were few and far between after Redick was pulled from Van Gundy’s rotation following a dreadful three-game start to the season."

Brian Lewis, New York Post: "As if their listless loss to LeBron James & Co. wasn't bad enough, Yi Jianlian strained his neck yesterday in practice. With every power forward on the roster banged up, the New Jersey Nets could start a pair of rookies tomorrow in Toronto. [...] 'Yi hurt himself in practice, strained neck. We'll know more [today],' said coach Lawrence Frank. 'He kind of jolted back. It must've been some sort of hit, and his head [went back]. It wasn't anything glaring.'"

SI.com: "Anthony Morrow can still walk without incident from his downtown hotel to the BART trains that sometimes take him to the Golden State Warriors' arena. Most of Oakland's famously enthusiastic hoops fans haven't yet put a face to the name that hit their favorite team's starting lineup like a thunderbolt last weekend. [...] Just a few weeks after Morrow was wondering whether he'd have to play in Ukraine this winter, he is Golden State's starting shooting guard. Corey Maggette and captain Stephen Jackson already see him as an equal, and coach Don Nelson is talking about building parts of his famed offense around Morrow. 'He's the real deal, and we haven't even learned how to play with him yet,' Nelson said. 'I told the team that we'd better know where this guy is at all times. We'd better get him open, because he looks like the real deal.'"

Yesterday, Google announced that Life Magazine's photo archive would be available to the Internet masses. The collection, estimated to consist of more than 10 million photos, many of which were never published in the magazine, are now viewable through Google's Image Search feature. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of NBA pics out there, but I did stumble across this beauty:

Other pictures of note include Wilt Chamberlain playing volleyball, Jordan's '98 TIME cover, Dean Cain in an ankle brace and Shaquille O'Neal posing with Donald Trump, Paula Abdul and Arnold.

Thanks to the Boston Celtics Examiner for the heads up.

I didn't think it was possible, but New York Knicks guard Quentin Richardson appears to hate the Boston Celtics more than I hate interpretive dance. And I really hate interpretive dance.

Last year, Q-Rich inexplicably started talking trash about how the Celtics didn't scare him and that their thin bench left a lot to be desired. Of course, the C's caught wind of his words, laughed, and then crushed the Knicks by 45 points on national television. Woops!

But hey, lesson learned, right? No more incendiary comments towar— dammit, Q!

"I think a few of those guys know they can't just say anything to us," said Richardson. "I'm just real curious to see what those guys will be saying if we weren't in a basketball league, and didn't have referees. I mean it wouldn’t be the same story. I mean they are the world champions and rah-rah-rah, but the tough part I don't factor."

"I come from a neighborhood where you can say what you want to say, but 'til you do something, it don't mean nothing. Some of those guys are happy to get a ring, but you ain't been in the league long enough to talk to people like that. I don't have a lot of respect for that. Like I said, I'd be curious to hear what they have to say in a different setting, I'd be very curious to see that."

The Knicks next play the Celtics December 21st in Boston.

According to The Boston Herald, Kevin Garnett has been suspended one game without pay by the league for his role in Saturday night's "slap scuffle" in Milwaukee. With four minutes remaining in the fourth, Bucks center Andrew Bogut inadvertently caught KG in the face while fighting for a rebound, so Garnett retaliated with a quick open-handed smack to Bogut's Aussie grill. Both guys were hit with a technical foul. Here's the video:

This was an easy call by Stu Jackson and his swarm of suits. KG may have avoided being T'd up for taunting Jose Calderon last week, but when a player slaps another player in the face, that's a suspension. It's that simple. One game seems about right.

Garnett will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Celtics host the New York Knicks.

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Sacramento Bee. Maloof Productions is partnering with reality icon Mark Burnett for a behind-the-scenes series called "Rebuilding the Kingdom" on all things Kings.
PF: FoodCourtLunch.com. Stephon Marbury says he'd like to join the Spurs. Well, wouldn't that be fun?
SF: The Blowtorch. Is Anthony Morrow a real person? Goatman investigates.
SG: ClipperBlog.com. Weren't the Clippers supposed to improve once the starters got back healthy?
PG: Basketbawful. Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is ... "a chaotic, abler humdrum."
6th: The Sporting Blog. Video of Sheed teaching Kwame and Walter how not to suck.
7th: Empty The Bench. Nothing catches the eye of Jordan more than sexy, well-shampooed hair.
8th: CelticsBlog. Kelly "The Cobra" Dwyer joins Celtics Stuff Live to talk a little basketball.
9th: dustinOcanalin. UNDRCRWN presents another world famous caricature tee. So nice.
10th: Cleveland Plain Dealer, via FH. LeBron James to fans: Stop whining about free Chalupas.

The BDL NBA Power Rankings combine two parts Chivas Regal with one part flippant observation to create the most unbalanced ranking possible, and to offer the least accurate look at the state of the NBA on a weekly basis. If you disagree with your team's spot, feel free to go crazy in the comments or spit venom via email.

1. Los Angeles Lakers — One always had the hint that Arron Afflalo was Los Angeles' kryptonite. The Lakers are now on pace to only win 72 games. The dream is over, people. What can I say? [KD]

2. Boston Celtics — Kevin Garnett: "You can look at our record, but we still have a long way to go." Um, not true, Kevin. Saturday's OT battle in Milwaukee was the Celtics' 68th game in the last 12 days. They're almost done. [JE]

3. Phoenix Suns — Things are too good. Something's going to happen. Steve Nash is going to rob something, or someone. Grant Hill is going to default on a loan. Shaq's going to turn out to be a bloody Bolshevik. They're going to break our hearts. You know it. I like their defense (14th), though. [KD]

4. Cleveland Cavaliers — "LeBron James scored 38 points, leading a second-half rally that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers their seventh straight victory ..." That has to be the Associated Press's go-to line. I bet they use it to pick up chicks at the bar. Also, "LeBronco James":

5. Detroit Pistons — It is a repudiation of all that is sane and civil that Kwame Brown is starting over Amir Johnson. At least Amir's per-minute stats are better. We'll always have the per-minute stats, Amir. Always. [KD]

6. New Orleans Hornets —I've watched the Bees play three or four times this season, and I still have no idea what to make of them. I am flummoxed. One quarter they're dominant, the next quarter they get pushed around a little bit and start playing the refs. Ranking them sixth seems too high and low at the same time. [JE]

7. Atlanta Hawks — Hey, remember when the Hawks were on pace to win 82 games? Man, those were the days. Back when shows had great theme songs and my dad had a neckbeard. [JE]

8. Houston Rockets — When I wrote "rusty bunch of geezers," I meant "tempestuous batch of all-world talents and Aston-driving basketball mercenaries, several of which boast a Victor Mature-like sense of cool and whimsy, even at their most droll." Obviously, both Noel Coward and Carl Landry are standing directly in back of me. [KD]

9. Portland Trail Blazers — The worst defensive team (29th) that nobody knows about ... wait, I'm sorry, did someone order a 7-footer with skills? [KD]

10. Orlando Magic — The Magic Men were the only squad in the league last season with a better record on the road (27-14) than at home (25-16), and we could be looking at a repeat performance. Their moms must suck at cooking. Sloppy Joes and crap like that. [JE]

11. Utah Jazz — One of these days, mister, they're gunna get the whole gang back together and, you wait. Yeah, you wait. Also, minus the Afghan Whigs t-shirt, Kosta Koufos looks like me from October 1994-November 1994. Then I got the haircut right. The skin took a while. [KD]

12. Philadelphia 76ers — It is beyond comprehension. You even take pictures of your hotshot free agent pickups in the uniform. Just go back to the old unis, already. Stop making this harder than it has to be. What would Steve Mix say? [KD]

13. Toronto Raptors — Calderon's out, and you know Darrick Martin is circling the parking lot, like a vulture, trying to guess which car is Will Solomon's.

(Everybody knows Will Solomon can't afford a car!) [KD]

14. Denver Nuggets — 25th in offense, 6th in defense. Yes, I'm back on that thing again. [KD]

15. New York Knicks — Actual "MSG Mic Check" with Coach D'Antoni Sunday night: "C'mon defense, let's go. Let's go guys! Go! Here we go, here we go, guys. Here we go! Here we go, here we go. Way to go, Zach! Here we go white, here we go white. Here we go white." Awesome. [JE]

16. Chicago Bulls — My girlfriend had to tell me to shave the thin little mustache, and she told me she knew exactly why I was growing it. [KD]

17. Miami Heat — Win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, coach was in CHiPs.

18. Milwaukee Bucks — "While the Bucks' 5-6 record isn't going to turn many heads in L.A. or New York, it's tough to complain given what they're up against: an obscene eight back-to-backs in the first month, 12 of the first 19 on the road, and seven games and counting without Michael Redd." Frank Madden. Boom! [JE]

19. New Jersey Nets — A young man blocks out harmful memories of weak ankles and significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life and win two games over the Hawks. "The Harris Effect," starring Devin Harris. [JE]

20. Indiana Pacers — The Pacers are actually outscoring their opponents by two a game, which puts them at 13th in the NBA, which means they're better than their record. And yet, six years after it hit the internet, nothing's better than this record. [KD]

21. San Antonio Spurs — Monty Williams has been annoying his family for weeks, stepping outside of restaurants to check his voicemail, and driving circuitous routes in order to stay in cell phone range. He thinks the call is coming. He thinks Pop is going to need him. He's really not as deluded as you think. [KD]

22. Golden State Warriors — If you have five dollars and undrafted free agent Anthony Morrow has five dollars, undrafted free agent Anthony Morrow has more money than you. [JE]

23. Sacramento Kings — The Kings are horrible. The team is a mismatched batch of parts that shouldn't fit, couldn't fit, and (eventually) won't fit. The team competed like mad all last season. The squad's offense, while iffy, is at least innovative and trying new things. The team is fun to watch. The team entertains the fans. The team works hard. The team is injured. The team has no singular focus off the court. The team has a singular focus on the court. The team should be worse than it is. And you want to fire the coach of this team? [KD]

24. Dallas Mavericks — Sigh. [JE]

25. Charlotte Bobcats — At least three times this season, 68-year-old coach Larry Brown has told his team to stop playing like Laverne and Shirley. Funny line, except "Laverne and Shirley" was a situation comedy that ABC cancelled in 1983. Nine of Brown's players weren't born yet. [JE]

26. Memphis Grizzlies — Once again, it's time for Matt Moore's Griz Semi-Chub. Take it away, good sir ... "The best part about following the Grizzlies is that no matter the score, the fourth quarter will be exciting. They always seem to close the gap. The worst part about following the Grizzlies is that no matter the score, they're probably going to lose, often in profoundly frustrating ways." [JE]

27. Washington Wizards — You just get the feeling that if Chris Whitney were around, none of this crap would be going down. [KD]

28. Minnesota Timberwolves — See: Grizzlies, Memphis.

29. Los Angeles Clippers — This team doesn’t play to expectations, however small. This team cannot rebound, in spite of two guys who had double-figure boards last year. This team is full of mercurial, flighty guys who need coddling (players that were acquired with both coach and front office knowing that they were mercurial, flighty guys who need coddling), who instead receive stern lectures in the press as a result. This team has played at home, a lot. This team loses, a lot. And this team wants to keep its coach? [KD]

30. Oklahoma City Thunder — "PJ Carlesimo is definitely a great hire if you're looking for someone to lose games, alienate fans and insult your city. If not, though, you might want to go with a guy who players respect." Sound advice. Embrace the comments, people. [JE]