In 1997, a talented golden retriever named Buddy won the hearts and minds of America when he led a middle school basketball team in Washington to a championship (and shamed his abusive alcoholic clown owner in the process). Nicknamed "Air Bud," this powerful pooch went on to excel in sports, including football (where he became a "golden receiver" in a delicious pun), soccer (where he became "world pup" in an edible pun) and baseball (where he performed the "seventh inning fetch" in a pun that would not be accepted by orphans in Victorian London). Few athletes have accomplished so much, and even fewer still have remained so adorable while doing so.

But where did Buddy come from, and how did he become so adept with a ball despite not having prehensile digits? The answer comes in this exclusive training video obtained by BDL. This home video displays Buddy's training regimen at just 13 weeks old. It consists primarily of the dog rolling a basketball with his paws, trying to eat the ball, and finally falling on the ground from exhaustion. Even Michael Jordan never trained this intensely.

Clearly, Buddy's abusive alcoholic clown owner wanted him to become the very best from the moment he came out of the womb, even going so far as to separate him from the rest of the litter. Let this clip serve as a reminder that even the harshest upbringings can produce something beautiful.

It's a battle between two players sort of named after former NBA guards. Isaiah Thomas is of no relation to Isiah Thomas, and while Wesley Matthews is the son of former Laker Wes Matthews, he prefers that you call him "Wesley" so as to make the distinction.

Speaking of which:

When you're blocking the shot with your elbow, and you're about six inches shorter? You've won that particular round.

Jerks tend to transcend. It's the jerkiest thing about jerks, is that they can raise the ire of any man or woman, no matter how big or small, and whatever the relative fame and/or fortune of the person the jerk is trying to get at. Like, for instance, the jerks that clearly got to the wife of Los Angeles Clippers forward Ryan Gomes on Thursday.

Gomes, admittedly, has been struggling of late. Take away the time he scored 11 points in a Jan. 20 loss to the Timberwolves (missing two-thirds of his shots in the process), he's managed just six points in his last 100 minutes of action spread out over seven games. That's incredible, and just as unfortunate, and some jerkball Clipper fans (who probably couldn't pick Loy Vaught out of a lineup) decided to go after the guy's wife on Twitter.

She responded, as you'll see after the jump, with some NSFW retorts on her Twitter account:

Danielle Gomes @Evilla83 @kidclipper There's a reason why my husband is on an NBA team. He can say whatever he wants. He doesn't make or break my man. 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes Get your ass off your couch and stop watching BITCH! RT @kidclipper: GET GOMES OFF THE COURT 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes @PeteyCribb @kidclipper he'd trade places with RYAN GOMES in a heart beat if he could. And honestly... His opinion DOESN'T matter! 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes Thats not support! RT @kidclipper: Butler being out tonight means clippers r gonna have to play Gomes, ughhh 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes [Expletive] YOU! RT @kidclipper: Gomes is useless 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes BECAUSE he gets paid millions [expletive]! RT @kidclipper: Why is Gomes still in the game 11 hours ago

Danielle Gomes @Evilla83 @kidclipper shut up, you started it. I wouldn't have seen it. It's one thing to have an opinion it's another to put a player down. 10 hours ago

Ryan Gomes, to his everlasting credit, was more than tactful in his response:

All in all, another lovely exchange just because someone needlessly gave into trolling.

Here's my issue. While there shouldn't be any relative "knock it off, jerk" procedures based on how famous or how many followers someone has on Twitter, it isn't as if this is LeBron James, or Shaquille O'Neal's ex-wife, or some ESPN anchor you're railing against. This is the wife of a middling forward on the Clippers, recently thrust into a role in a rotation and struggling. Gomes has just a few more thousand followers on me, playing on a team in Los Angeles, and I'm some girl-named chump in Indiana. It's not as if he's a star that wouldn't possibly see your tweets to him amongst his haze of hundreds of thousands of followers.

And then you go after his wife?

It's possible that the wife of someone semi-famous might just have a Twitter account to do what most of you do from day to day. That is, to keep up with friends, follow accounts that entertain and/or inform them, or pay attention to breaking events. It's also possible that, like a lot of us, she prefers Twitter to Facebook.

It's not like you're really taking it to whatever bot handles Gisele Bundchen's account when you tear at Tom Brady during the big game on Sunday. This is Ryan Gomes' wife. You're dealing with a woman who loves and is proud of her husband, someone apparently online to check her horoscope (OK, you can go off on that), and doesn't need her "@" replies filled up with jerkspeak.

Not that anyone, starting with @Shaq on down, does.

Danielle Gomes? Stop responding to trolls. Trolls? Stop being jerks. Those Clipper trolls? Shouldn't you be (trolling hard, now) Laker fans instead?

(HT: ClutchFans.net)

Former Lakers legend and champion NBA general manager Jerry West did not mention disgruntled Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard by name in his radio interview when he chided teams for not calling a player's bluff on trade demands, but it's pretty clear who he's talking about. With Carmelo Anthony in New York and Chris Paul in Los Angeles, Dwight's just about the only one left actively seeking a new home via trade.

Unless you count Chris Kaman. And nobody should.

Here's the quote, via ESPN Los Angeles:

"I honestly think I'd call their bluff," West said in an interview on 710 ESPN's Mason and Ireland show Thursday, not mentioning Howard specifically. "I really would, because I don't think any agent or player is going to leave $30 million on the table.

"I just don't believe that's going to happen."

On paper, especially with the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement aiding more than ever in making it tough for teams to want to leave their current homes once free agency hits, West's saber-rattling on behalf of GMs rings true. Let Howard try to find his way with a terrible New Jersey Nets team (that would be gutted even more, should they attempt to clear space to sign Dwight) next year, or some other group with cap space. Let him leave sunny Florida and the lack of income tax for less money elsewhere.

Way less, actually. And for a shorter amount of time.

The problem this time around is that it almost looks as if West is picking and choosing his spots. And he's in a good place to do so. Yes, the Magic have been run terribly of late, but the sheer lack of assets available in a trade for Howard (with a team like the Nets, or the Golden State Warriors) also make it easier for even a terrible GM (and Orlando's Otis Smith is a bad GM) to decline a deal. On top of that, the penalties for leaving are even greater this time around, and no team on Howard's wish list (save for the woeful Nets) will have the space to sign Howard to even the limited (in comparison to what he'd receive from the Magic) contract next summer.

On top of that, the Magic (with an engaged Howard) could actually do some damage in the playoffs despite its recent swoon, and it's not as if Smith is going to make a New Jersey Net the starting center in this month's All-Star game when it's held in Orlando.

Howard is still gone, we're pretty sure, come July. But this is an easy call for Smith and West. Assuming the Lakers don't re-enter the mix with Howard's All-Star counterpart in Andrew Bynum on the ready.

This other radio interview that West put together? This is tricky:

"If I were an executive on a team where a player says he's going to leave, let him leave," West said on 710 ESPN's Max and Marcellus show earlier Thursday. "It would be better than saddling yourself with a bunch of players that are not going to fit in to what you're trying to do -- high-salaried players, in many cases overpaid players by today's standards, that would burden you going forward.

"I'd almost rather start over again myself. You're not going to replace that player, but there's an enormous penalty there and it looks like to me like the inmates are running the asylum if you let that happen."

If you'll recall, the Warriors were rumored to be putting a package together for Howard that would fit expiring parts and a few salvageable players for Howard. And, though he isn't the face of the franchise, West still works for the Warriors as a consultant. Essentially, West is warning the Magic (OK, OK: "an executive on a team where a player says he's going to leave") not to take exactly the sort of package Golden State would be offering. And what New Orleans, with the disgruntled Kaman and Eric Gordon, got back for Chris Paul.

That's a refreshing bit of honesty. Especially with a little while to go before the trade deadline and a pell-mell type like Otis Smith potentially on the other end of the phone in a few weeks, desperate to get something for Howard.

We were in favor of Smith trying to get something, anything, for Howard last fall. But after needlessly re-signing Jason Richardson and Glen Davis to two too-big deals, the Magic have to drag Howard along as long as they can and either hope for that slim chance that he'll return, or take whatever cap freedom they'll get with a clean break. This team could get a "clean break" by offering Howard up later this month for all expiring deals, but why waste the income and run of a potential play into May just for what you're about to get for Howard anyway plus some potential draft picks in the low first round?

In all, a fascinating pair of interviews with West. He could be upset and wanting to undermine his new bosses in Golden State, terrifically candid, or pulling the bluff to overcome Howard's bluff. Either way, more please.

There's quite a bit to Gordon Monson's column revisiting of the end of the Jerry Sloan era in Utah, none more surprising than the claim from Jazz legend Karl Malone that Malone had to pay for a ticket from a scalper to watch the Jazz on Feb. 11 of last year (a day after Sloan retired) after the team told him they were out of ducats.

It's been almost a year to the day that Jerry Sloan abruptly retired from the Utah Jazz in a move that absolutely nobody saw coming. Following an in-game and then postgame tiff with then-star guard Deron Williams, Sloan apparently felt unsupported by management, and quit despite the organization's attempts to win him back. Just as abruptly, Malone flew to Utah to speak his piece with the media before the following game against the Suns, whereupon he was told that the game was sold out. Whereupon I tell the Jazz that I've seen countless local "celebrities" sneak onto or given good seats on press row, and then tell the Jazz to find Malone's 6-9 frame a folding chair or two.

Monson, in a brief aside toward the beginning of a must-read piece, had this to say:

What happened to Sloan had festered inside Malone for long enough. In the immediate aftermath, he came to Utah to express concern, buying his own ticket to the next game at EnergySolutions Arena via a scalper because the Jazz had told him there were no tickets available for him, and spoke to reporters.

The turn in front of the reporters spoke to Malone's distaste with how GM Kevin O'Connor handled Sloan's frustrations following his back-and-forth with Williams and Sloan's exit, as he told the media he would give the Jazz "a D or F, and I would lean more toward an F."

He's right and wrong. We'll get to that aspect in a second.

First, the part where the Jazz are completely wrong? I don't care how late Malone flies in. I don't care if he's there to stir things up that you want nothing to do with as you deal with the craziest three-day-span (Finals included) in team history, or if he finished his career with the Los Angeles Lakers some seven years earlier.

You find a guy a seat. You stick him near the bench. You offer a team investor the story of a lifetime in an otherwise miserable game and setting against the Phoenix Suns (the Jazz lost that night, badly), and wonder if he'll move to the hallways where the GMs hang out. You find a luxury box, and bring him some tasty Mexi-spring rolls. Or, you do as dozens of teams have done for years, and work over press row a little bit, move things around, and find a seat for the anti-dignitary (of sorts) courtside.

[Also: Kenyon Martin agrees to sign with Clippers]

He'll get free box scores, an Internet connection, pretzels and pop. All the perks. Parking, too.

You figure something out, and quick, that doesn't have Malone (assuming he's telling the truth) relaying these embarrassing things a year later. Now, it's more than feasible that the Jazz were able to scare up a ticket or two, that the seats weren't to Malone's liking, and that Karl decided to pay a stiffer fee to sit in a seat that wouldn't stiffen his back. Through all of his strength on and off the court, Malone has always enjoyed playing the martyr to the press, and this could be another example of such.

It doesn't mean that the Jazz couldn't have avoided it, though. Assuming Malone's story is spot on.

O'Connor, a year later, doesn't like people like yours truly, Gordon Monson, or Karl Malone pretending as if they were in the meeting between Sloan and the Jazz GM following his fight with Deron Williams. But you don't have to be in the meeting when you have second-tier unnamed sources describing exactly what you would think someone like Sloan would do in a situation that felt to him the absolute apex of his team undermining his ability to lead as he saw fit. Everyone can roll back on their ideals in a time of great storm and stress, as Sloan may have done, but it just isn't Jerry Sloan's style to take himself and his longtime lead assistant (Phil Johnson) away from his Jazz late at night following a game, with over two months left in a season.

And if we're completely wrong in this, well, Sloan has earned that benefit of the doubt. Sloan and Johnson aren't talking about it, either way. That's where Karl is right or wrong. Sloan and his longtime aide-de-camp have made as much clear with their silence. They want nothing to do with talking about specific details behind an unfortunate divorce. I'm sure there are times where Sloan loves it when Karl stirs things up a bit, but I'm sure there are just as many times where he doesn't want to be reminded of the whole affair.

As for the scalped ticket? Utah's Energy Solutions Arena holds 19,911 people, and every seat was sold that night. Doesn't matter. They could have found another, no matter how critical they knew Karl was going to be about Sloan and Utah's separation.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network: • Judging the NBA All-Star starters: West - East • Blake Griffin doesn't plan to defend his dunk title at All-Star weekend • OMG: Athletes and celebrities come out in droves for Playboy party

On Thursday the NBA announced the starters that will take the floor at the outset of the 2012 All-Star game, and while we had a few minor quibbles here and there with the fans vote, more or less the starting fives are on point.

And, in the spirit of slow-mo video and lots of cool dunks, let's take a look at video breakdowns as furnished by the NBA, for each of the announced starters.

Dig:

Eastern Conference

Guard, Derrick Rose:

Guard, Dwyane Wade:

Forward, LeBron James:

Forward, Carmelo Anthony:

Center, Dwight Howard:

Western Conference

Guard, Chris Paul:

Guard, Kobe Bryant:

Forward, Kevin Durant:

Forward, Blake Griffin:

Center, Andrew Bynum:

The starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced Thursday night (West here, East here), with the usual group of superstars and even more super superstars. Now, we must decide the reserves for both the East and West squads. While most discussions of reserves concern merit based on season-to-date performance, that approach neglects that the All-Star game is an exhibition intended to be a fun advertisement for the NBA as a whole. The goal shouldn't be just to pick deserving players, but to make the game an entertaining look at what's most worth watching in professional basketball. With that in mind, I chose the seven reserves for each team that will make for the most exciting game. Not everything makes sense based on the stats and standings, but that's not the point. Below, find the West selections. For the East, go here.

PG Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: A no-brainer pick, Westbrook excels statistically, plays an exhibition-friendly style, and is the second-best player on a Thunder team likely to make a lot of noise in the postseason. There is no compelling reason to leave him off the team, whether for the sake of entertainment value or merit. Anyone who doesn't include him -- like Shaquille O'Neal, who chose Mo Williams instead on "Inside the NBA" on Thursday -- is thinking about the NBA way too little or far too much.

PG Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets: A deep roster and high altitude for home games has made the Nuggets a great fit for the compressed season. Yet their 15-7 record hasn't just been a function of having more able bodies than the opposition; they also have a rough hierarchy led by Lawson and forward Danilo Gallinari. For the purposes of the All-Star game, though, Lawson is the much better choice, blessed with a great sense of how to run a team and plenty of speed and quickness to start fast breaks. The Nuggets deserve representation in this game, and there's no better way to do it than with one of the league's best young guards.

SF Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies haven't built on last spring's playoff run quite as everyone had hoped they would, but they're in the mix again this season and figure to stay in the national picture for some time. Gay, who missed the team's surge last year, has been the biggest single reason for their ability to stay afloat this season despite a serious knee injury to power forward Zach Randolph. He also has such a smooth offensive game that he's liable to remain watchable in the All-Star game even when energy levels get low. He might be a better fit for the game's considerable downbeat moments than anyone else on the roster.

PF Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: Quite frankly, the strength, shooting and rebounding that make Love one of the most productive players in the NBA don't translate particularly well to the All-Star game's loose format. Sometimes, though, watchability has to give way to the practicality of responsible marketing. Love is going to average 20 and 10 for a long time and should become a fixture on the year-end All-NBA teams. If he's not in the All-Star game, the league will look neglectful of one of their best players. Everyone wanted Tim Duncan involved in these games at his peak, no matter what they valued on the basketball court, and Love deserves inclusion for the same reasons.

PF LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers: There are few better stories in the league than that of Aldridge, who came into the league with questions about his toughness, looked like the weakest part of the presumed Blazers' star trio of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, and put the team on his back when those two failed to recover from multiple injuries. He's not the most exciting player in the league on a play-to-play basis, but he's a necessary component of any game that purports to represent the best the NBA has to offer.

PF Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: Surprisingly, Dirk has not earned an All-Star spot with his performance this season: He's averaging only 16.2 ppg on 43 percent shooting and seems to be struggling significantly with a more physically demanding schedule. Still, he's Dirk Nowitzki, reigning Finals MVP and the best foreign player of all time. Playing an All-Star game without his involvement makes the NBA look smaller than it really is. Fans want to see him and players want to wear the same uniform as him. He's perhaps the best argument for overlooking season stats when deciding who belongs on this team.

C DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers: If the ASG is meant to consist of highlights, then Jordan is perhaps the player best-suited to provide them. A preposterously high percentage of his points come on dunks, and his league-leading number of blocks suggests he's capable of making the game more of a defensive affair than it might otherwise be. Jordan doesn't necessarily deserve inclusion just on the merits -- he's productive but very limited -- and yet he stands for everything that makes the idea of the game so exciting. Who doesn't want to see as many dunks and blocks as possible?

Toughest snubs: At some point in his career, Ricky Rubio will be the perfect All-Star game player, a point guard who creates many highlights for other players but doesn't need his own shots to stay involved. Steve Nash, of course, has already been close to that player. Unfortunately, I left both off this list not because they wouldn't be great to have around, but because others are simply better. Rubio, for instance, will do plenty to get people talking during All-Star weekend when he plays in the Rookie Challenge on Friday. Nash, while still terrific, has suffered from languishing in Phoenix and can offer less to a growing league than a young player on a good team like Lawson.

The starters for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced Thursday night (West here, East here), with the usual group of superstars and even more super superstars. Now, we must decide the reserves for both the East and West squads. While most discussions of reserves concern merit based on season-to-date performance, that approach neglects that the All-Star game is an exhibition intended to be a fun advertisement for the NBA as a whole. The goal shouldn't be just to pick deserving players, but to make the game an entertaining look at what's most worth watching in the NBA. With that in mind, I chose the seven reserves for each team that will make for the most exciting game. Not everything makes sense based on the stats and standings, but that's not the point. Below, find the East selections. For the West, go here.

PG Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets: The Nets are a horrible team, and Williams' stats have suffered this year as he finds himself surrounded with (maybe) one starter-level NBA player. Nevertheless, the quality of an All-Star game is often defined by the degree to which point guards get the other players involved, and Williams is one of the best floor generals in the league. On top of that, he's likely to be a player of major importance this summer as he decides between accompanying the Nets on their move to Brooklyn (with Dwight Howard, maybe) or joining an established contender like his hometown Mavericks in free agency. Williams matters to the long-term health of the league, and an All-Star game without him would represent a serious case of myopia.

PG Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers: New players are exciting, whether for one team or the league as a whole, and it's in the NBA's best interest to promote those guys whenever possible. Irving deserves to get in on the merits, too, with 18.1 ppg and 4.9 apg in only 28.8 minutes as the Cavs battle for a playoff spot. He's only going to get better and play more, and the league should take advantage of his budding stardom as soon as possible. Hype only seems stupid when a player's success peters out -- Irving's not going to get to that point for some time.

PG Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers are one of the league's surprise teams, currently holding a 16-6 record that has them tied with Miami for the second-best record in the conference. They're going to be a notable story in the playoffs, even if they're only the victims of a first-round upset, and fans need to get acquainted with their players. Holiday has been one of the major factors in their success, improving every game as a floor leader and, for the sake of aesthetics, versatile enough to play alongside one of the East's other talented point guards during the ASG itself. His stellar defense won't come across in an exhibition context, but he's athletic enough to do a few things that everyone will remember.

SG/SF Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers: Holiday is Philly's up-and-comer, but Iguodala is the best representative of what they do well: He's capable of playing multiple positions and contributes in every aspect of the game. Plus, for the sake of watchability, he's the sort of leaper that could catch and finish any number of alley-oops from the East's many quality point guards. Oh, and who doesn't like a story about a veteran finally finding himself after many years of sitting on the cusp of stardom?

PF Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks: Smith has never made an All-Star team, although he was the most egregious snub two years ago in Dallas. There are few players as exciting in the league (at least when he chooses not to shoot jumpers), so it stands to reason he'd produce at least one obscene dunk and an out-of-nowhere dunk that ramps up the defensive pressure on both sides for at least a few minutes. And while the Hawks have settled into a weird middle ground in which they're a playoff mainstay with no chance of making a legitimate run, they're relevant enough that an ASG without any of their players would seem like a poor overview of the NBA landscape.

PF Chris Bosh, Miami: Yes, Bosh is easy to mock and looks like some kind of human-dinosaur hybrid from an underground remake of "The Flintstones." He's also really good, a consistent producer, and potentially the difference between the Heat falling short once again and finishing as champions in June. Bosh matters to the league, even if commentators try to marginalize him at every opportunity, and an East squad with three members of the NBA's most talked about team would reflect just show large a shadow they cast over the rest of the league. And don't you want to see him awkwardly react to everything that happens during Saturday's festivities?

PF Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks: Stoudemire in no way deserves to make this team based on his production this year; the Knicks are a massive disappointment in part because he hasn't figured out how to coexist with Carmelo Anthony, a player he desperately wanted in blue and orange. Yet, by all other metrics, Amar'e is a star, the sort of player who defines discussion about the Eastern Conference more than most of the players who came before him on this list. He also needs a kick in the butt right now, or at least a reminder that we expect much more from him. Consider this selection a display of good faith, a sign that we still believe he's the star he's supposed to be. It can also serve as a warning that a failure to live up to this billing will leave him off next year's team. If Amar'e fears one thing, it's not being taken seriously anymore.

Toughest snub: The Indiana Pacers, like the Sixers, figure to play a major part in this spring's playoffs. So why are they not included on this list? The easy answer is that they have no clear choice, at least by entertainment value: Danny Granger hasn't had a particularly great year, and Roy Hibbert fits the bill as a much-needed big man but plays with a style that can charitably be described as deliberate. So, unfortunately, we must leave them unrepresented. That's not all bad, though, because the franchise's reputation as a deep, hardworking squad plays into the idea that they don't have one true star. In the end, this might not be the worst outcome.

The video of the meeting between famed competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is as funny as you think it will be, with a stern looking Kobayashi posing for pictures with a closed fist as if he was promoting a heavyweight bout as Noah hung loose, and with Bull Brian Scalabrine acting all "Brian Scalabrine" in the background. Take a look:

It's this column on Kobi, which admittedly has nothing to do with the NBA outside of the fact that he met up with several Bulls following their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, that is the real hoot. The quotes, from Philly.com's Pattison Ave.'s Ryan Petzar, are golden, not unlike the fried chicken wings Kobi will be attempting to down by the hundreds in Friday's Wing Bowl XX. I'm so sorry for that last line. I haven't had my 300 wings for breakfast, as Kobi enjoyed the other day, yet.

There's this warning, from five-time Wing Bowl champion Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, a name that couldn't be funnier even if it was the other Bill Simmons competing in a Mexican wrestling max in his spare time:

"This is a bone-in contest. I think he'll have problems with the bones. And jaw strength has been a factor for him in the past," El Wingador told me in a separate interview. Wingador's personal goal? To eclipse the 300-wing mark for the first time and set a new Wing Bowl record.

When prompted for a response, Kobayashi gave a very diplomatic answer. "I understand that [Wingador] has more experience in this contest. I'm sure his technique and his jaw strength is much better than mine. I know that," he admitted. So, if Wingador has the technique and the strength, how exactly does Kobayashi plan to win?

"I'm very good at swallowing food whole, so I'm going to use the technique I'm good at. I'm very good at saving the energy in my jaw. I envision myself winning by swallowing," he said.

Good thing, to try to shoot for the win in a competitive eating contest by swallowing. Better than petering out at 20 wings after a few minutes and then starting to chuck the leftovers at your competitors, which is what I'd do. And we'd like to thank "El Wingador" for bringing up the idea that "jaw strength has been a factor for [Kobayashi] in the past." Move over Rob Gronkowski, tell Luol Deng the news.

This will be Kobi's first Wing Bowl as a participant. He did show up to last year's spectacle to down a Philly Cheesesteak in a world record 24 seconds. Again, I'd take a different approach and eat the hoagie pretty slowly. Mainly because, well, have you ever had one of those things? They're delicious! I decided that life was fair and that I wanted to propose to my wife after eating one.

We won't enjoy Friday's Wing Bowl XX as much as we enjoyed Super Bowl XX, which saw the Chicago Bears down the New England Patriots by a 46-10 score. But we can suggest that Wing Bowl XX will be much, much more competitive.

(HT: Don Povia at the HHR Media Group.)

On Thursday night, we relayed the idea that Blake Griffin could have a disappointing All-Star weekend later this month, merely by just playing sound All-Star level basketball in the game but by failing to come through with the sort of never-seen-before dunks we're accustomed to seeing from the Clippers' big forward. Mix those unfair expectations and perhaps a second or third-place finish while defending his Slam Dunk title, and you've got a recipe for sad Blake.

Griffin, smartly, has responded by passing the torch and deciding to retire his Slam Dunk Contest run after one championship season. Telling Arash Markazi at ESPN Los Angeles this on Thursday:

"As of right now I don't plan on being in it," Griffin said Thursday night. "Those dunk contests aren't my thing, I said that last year. There's a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff."

Indeed. And as we brought up in Thursday's post about LeBron James' possible inclusion in the contest, there just aren't a whole lot of things to do with a ball (or two, if you're Larry Nance) and a 10-foot (or higher, if you're Dwight Howard) rim. Or two rims, if you're Javale McGee.

Adding a bunch of unknowns to the mix has been tried before, but the NBA has also dropped the ball on a few of those unknowns over the last half-decade or so. Still, the league has to try to rebuild the contest in an organic way, and not like, say, Lorne Michaels hiring 47 semi-stars (some aged 47) for "Saturday Night Live" in 1994. Going with unknowns may not please Tony Kornheiser on some random Thursday in late February, but it might be best for the health of the contest.

And, for someone expected to lead his team deep into the playoffs, the health of Blake Griffin. Because, remember -- there's always DeAndre Jordan.

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network: • Evaluating the NBA All-Star starters: West - East • Prep Rally video: Arkansas standout shatters backboard • Dan Wetzel: Peyton Manning's days in Indy appear numbered • OMG: Gallery: Most memorable Super Bowl halftime shows

On Thursday night, the NBA announced the All-Star starters, culled from fan votes spread out over a season that has only been playing live basketball for 39 days. Yikes.

So you know there are bound to be some misses, as the fans take to the ballot both online and off. Did the fans make the right call as to who they're sending to the scorer's to start the game on Feb. 26? Or is it time to hand the vote to Larry Brown and a whole bunch of other basketballniks who know who Cliff Hagan is?

Let's find out, after the jump. And the Eastern takes can be found here.

Center

Fans pick: Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum. Nailed it? Nailed it.

Because he's been healthy, and because of a 6.5 minutes per game uptick, All-Star fans are finding out what per-minute obsessives have known for years: Bynum is an All-Star when you give him a good run. Bynum's points per minute are actually down slightly from what he came through with in 2009 and '10, but his overall production has stayed pretty much the same since 2007 or so. Good to see that he's healthy enough to take advantage of those skills.

The West has enjoyed some solid production out of its pivotmen this year, as Memphis' Marc Gasol has played well, Houston's Samuel Dalembert has come on as of late, and Al Jefferson (forced into being center-ish by his forward-heavy Jazz squad) has matched Bynum offensively. But this is the right pick.

[Related: Judging the fan vote for starters on the Eastern All-Star squad]

Forwards

Fans pick: Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin. Nailed it? Nearly.

Durant is the right pick here. His scoring is down a bit in his fifth (!) season, but he remains as potent as ever (shooting above 50 percent) for a Thunder team with the best record in basketball. As was the case with Glen Rice in 1997, Durant is a few flicks of the wrist away from getting hot and shooting his way toward the MVP. And, yes, there is a hot hand for the All-Star game, basketball intelligentsia. Let me at least have that one.

Griffin is a worthy All-Star in terms of his production, and he'll clearly be looked upon to provide highlight after highlight while slapping the top of the backboard each time. Has he played the best basketball of any big forward in the West this year, or at least any Western forward short of Durant? That hasn't been the case -- Minnesota's Kevin Love would have been the better pick, as would Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge or even Utah's Paul Millsap, if you can overlook the fact that he plays just 31.7 minutes per game.

With that in place, this is for the fans, and Griffin has had a great season. Hard to go wrong at this loaded position.

Guards

Fans pick: Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul. Nailed it? Nailed it.

Bryant, despite confounding at times with his decision-making late in games, is having a brilliant season. We still have quibbles about Kobe taking nearly as many shots as Bynum and Pau Gasol combined, but the man is leading the NBA in scoring while overcoming what should be a debilitating wrist injury. A no-brainer pick, and another chance to fete this marvel of a competitor.

Paul's selection is a little tougher on one brand of paper, mainly because he's played in just 14 games thus far, missing six for a Clippers team with the West's second-best record. Doesn't matter. This guy's efficiency is off the charts, again. He's averaging 19 points on 52 percent shooting with nine assists, and he's turned it over 29 times so far. All season, 29 times.

And if those lobs, as noted in the East's section, connect? He could hoist the game's MVP award.

Three things of note …

1. The Lakers and Clippers kind of hate each other, and there are a lot of Lakers and Clippers.

Four players from one city amongst the All-Star starters is impressive enough, but in the wake of a series cross-arena matches between the Clippers and Lakers (including what was a spirited batch of preseason games as well), this could be an interesting buildup. Making things potentially nastier is the fact that in Bryant and Paul, you have the NBA's two predominant ball dominators -- ones that were nearly teammates before the NBA put the kibosh on a proposed Laker deal for Paul.

This could get even nastier if Pau Gasol, who sparred briefly (NBA-style) with Paul last week, is selected by the coaches as an All-Star reserve.

2. Blake Griffin, and the weight of expectation.

The swift realization that -- shock, horror -- Blake Griffin might have some holes in his game has been a little startling this season. Usually because the things that Griffin does not excel at (defensive rotations, leaving the refs alone, moving without the ball in the half court) fair-weather fans (especially those up at midnight, Eastern) don't tend to notice this quickly. What with their lives and all.

Worse, every time Griffin's on TV, he's being willed by a local or national audience to do something they've never seen before. So if the lobs aren't perfect, and especially if Griffin fails to defend his dunk contest title the night before the game, this could be a frustrating weekend for the youngster.

We think he'll be just fine.

3. Kobe and Bynum, popping and locking.

Bynum's career-long rash of injuries have come about because the Lakers big man has had some terrible luck when it comes to people (teammates, even) falling into his knees. Of course, because of all those injuries, he technically now is "injury prone" and the wear and tear of all the surgeries is bound to stack up.

Bryant is playing with one good arm and he has to have his fluids drained more times than a Formula 1 racing car. They both -- in a 66-game season playing on a top-heavy Lakers team, where they more or less represent "the top" -- could use some time off.

So, pencil them in for 40 minutes apiece. Can't wait.

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At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.

Nate Robinson: Lol RT @caliFAWNia: You gotta risk it to get the biscuit.-@nate_robinson

Kenneth Faried: One of my female followers swag has gain an interest to me.. I think I should hit dat follow button hmmm

John Amaechi: Also, and not to boast about my weight loss (much) - but I dunked on someone last night for the first time in 4 years! #comeback?NO!

Nolan Smith: I gotta half eaten turkey sandwich if you want it! RT @aldridge_12: I'm hungry and roomservice is closed. smh

Julian Wright: So.. Lebron's "Decision" is bad but HS fb players been makin their "decisions" for years (w/ props!), & they be changing they minds too!

You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.

On Thursday night, the NBA announced the All-Star starters, culled from fan votes spread out over a season that has only been playing live basketball for 39 days. Yikes.

So you know there are bound to be some misses, as the fans take to the ballot both online and off. Did the fans make the right call as to who they're sending to the scorer's to start the game on Feb. 26? Or is it time to hand the vote to Larry Brown and a whole bunch of other basketballniks who know who Cliff Hagan is?

Let's find out, after the jump. And the Western takes can be found here.

Center

Fans pick: Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard. Nailed it? Nailed it.

Howard started slow and his production has dipped slightly as his Orlando Magic have fallen off the face of the earth over the last week and a half. But even while taking off some plays, he remains dominant overall defensively  -- that's how great Howard was when he was engaged; this is his version of mailing it in and he's still causing havoc -- and his 20-point, 15-rebound averages are more than deserving of an All-Star nod.

Competitors Joakim Noah started even slower than Howard while Brook Lopez, Andrew Bogut and Al Horford have been out due to injury. Tyson Chandler has enjoyed a fine season, but he just isn't in Howard's company.

[Related: Judging the fan vote for starters on the Western All-Star squad ]

Forwards

Fans pick: Miami Heat's LeBron James, New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony. Nailed it? Halfway.

James, without question, has been far and away the best player in basketball this season. Not amongst a group of three or four greats, mind you, but the best in the NBA by a wide margin. He's having a career year, which is saying something both because of his staggering regular-season accomplishments in years prior, but also because of the draining nature of this truncated season.

Anthony is not having his best season -- far from it -- and the lure of a big-name scorer with New York recognition was too much for the fans to pass on. Miami's Chris Bosh, averaging 20 points (on a much better shooting percentage) and eight rebounds, would have been the better choice here. And we're saying that without attempting to make a distinction between the two forward slots.

Guards

Fans pick: Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade. Nailed it? Nailed it.

Wade has played only 13 games this season while dealing with his usual brand of lower extremity maladies, but he's so much better than the rest of the shooting guards in the East -- what happened to this position out East? -- that you have to give him the nod here in spite of missing nine of his team's 22 games. Or instead of picking another point guard like New Jersey's Deron Williams or Boston's Rajon Rondo.

Even as his toe pains him with every step, much less each stop on a dime and bound to the rim through a series of defenders, Derrick Rose has gotten even better in his fourth NBA season. The Bulls guard is averaging 23 points and 7.7 assists for the East's best team.

Three things of note …

1. Dwight Howard, jumping center, in Orlando.

By all accounts, he'll still be with the Magic by the time the All-Star game tips off on Feb. 26. And Magic fans, mindful of the nationally televised audience and their own team's dodgy future, will no doubt give Howard the biggest standing ovation he's ever heard as he's introduced. That's how fans work. They'll save the boos and hisses for when Howard eventually leaves the team this summer.

And he will leave this team. Which will make the ovation -- as a recruiting tool -- a needless exercise. Sad.

2. Miami, getting reps.

It's hard to believe that after 104 regular-season games spread out over two seasons and a trip to the sixth game of the Finals last year that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James still have work to do in order to develop a chemistry worth their collective talent, but every minute of practice counts with these three. If the East isn't coached by Erik Spoelstra this year, the coach would be wise to sub in Bosh while taking James and Wade out.

You don't want The Big Click to happen under your watch, coach.

3. No Lob City.

Derrick Rose isn't a selfish player, but he's not a natural playmaker and passer in the mold of a Chris Paul or Steve Nash. What he can do is score, score, score, not unlike all the other players in this starting five.

The West? They'll be easier on the eyes, attempting alley-oops left and right and trying to entertain. This is what we tune in for, sure, but any watch of the most recent All-Star games reminds you that this is no recipe for success. While the West is throwing half-courters for attempted dunks gone wrong, the East's perimeter-oriented core of Rose, James, Wade and Anthony will be grabbing long rebounds and going coast-to-coast for scores.

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At this point in his life, it's no big deal to say that Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace is a weird guy. All we can do when discussing him is point out new incidents that add to his reputation, or try to figure out if what he's talking about even happened or if he's just playing to the cameras.

So, without further commentary, we present this video from Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angeles Times interviewing MWP. Rohlin asks how World Peace feels about road trips, which he hears as "roaches." Then things get weird from there, with everyone's favorite insane person talking at length about how he used to be friends with roaches while growing up in poverty in Queens. Somewhere, deep inside, there's a serious story here.

(via EOB)

As second banana for the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol has alternately been praised and criticized for his performance, with little room for any middle ground. When the Lakers win, it's usually because Gasol helped dominate the paint, whether by scoring or protecting the rim. When they lose, it's commonly believed that he shied away from those responsibilities. That's earned him a reputation as sometimes playing soft, which in turn has made many wonder if Gasol can still be a part of a contending Lakers team.

At the same time, Gasol is as talented as all but a few big men in the league, to the point where a lot of the criticism goes overboard. So why are people so harsh on the Spaniard? Well, if you ask Pau himself, it's because they're jealous. From an interview with 790 The Ticket in Miami (via Sports Radio Interviews and PBT):

Why do you think Kendrick Perkins and Amare Stoudemire call you a soft player?

"Sometimes I believe it is guys just talking for the heck of talking. They got nothing better to say and other times I believe there is a little bit of jealousy at times, but I can't really control what other people say. I can control what I do and what I have been doing throughout my career, which has been very successful and help my team beat better teams. That is as much as I can control and that's what I focus 100% on, so the rest of the stuff is a couple of guys talking here or there. It does not affect me or interfere with my life."

So it doesn't bother you?

"Like I said I am a competitive guy. I always try to give my best effort. Some nights it works better than others, but again it is something that it is brought up after three consecutive finals and two championships. Those thoughts kind of went away with the two championships, but again I play. I play as hard as I can and I do a pretty good job for the most part and I can live with that."

It's good that Pau feels comfortable with himself; he truly has accomplished a lot in this league and deserves credit for it. It's weird that his two championships haven't shielded him from prolonged criticism, because a ring typically validates a player in a way no one can criticize.

So, yes, maybe jealousy is it play. On the other hand, that sort of reasoning gives so little credit to the other party that it comes off as its own sort of irrational attack. Jealously can definitely infect people who haven't accomplished what others have, but there are plenty of other logical reasons at play. For instance, maybe guys like Perkins and Stoudemire simply feel like they need to earn any possible advantage against Gasol and resorted to these tactics to gain it. Mind games rarely connect to established events — they're mostly about creating a different reality where psychology can get the better of a man.

The point being that it's not worth debating whether which group is right here. When other players talk smack about Gasol's toughness and he responds, the back-and-forth is about more than observed data.

With LeBron James running the show, Miami ran the Sixers out of their building. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Needing a jumpstart in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky Sixers.

Andrew Bynum scored 22 points, Kobe Bryant added 20 and the Los Angeles Lakers opened a season-high six-game trip with a 93-89 victory over the weary Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Al Harrington missed a 3-point attempt with 2 seconds left that would have put Denver ahead. Pau Gasol added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers, who won for the third time in 10 road games this season and...

The Memphis Grizzlies know the team they are chasing to reach the top of the Western Conference. Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder keep finding ways to stay one step ahead. Durant scored 36 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer in the final minute to lift the Thunder to a 101-94 victory against Memphis on Friday night in a rematch of their epic Western Conference semifinals series.

Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are getting more and more confident. They should be with the way they're playing -- especially on the road. George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points as the Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years, beating the defending NBA champions 98-87 Friday night.

Boston stayed close enough until the New York Knicks failed again. This time, it was because of the Celtics' defense. Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ray Allen had nine of his 14 in the final quarter to lift the Celtics to a 91-89 win over the struggling Knicks on Friday night. Hanging close until they finally caught New York midway into the final quarter, Celtics coach Doc Rivers kept telling...

The Minnesota Timberwolves almost never won away from home last season. Now, they don't seem eager to go back there. Luke Ridnour made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:23 left, Nikola Pekovic scored a career-high 27 points, and the Timberwolves beat the New Jersey Nets 108-105 on Friday night to surpass last season's road victory total.

Brandon Knight learned a harsh lesson earlier in the week when he was shut out in a game at Milwaukee. "I just remember not coming with a lot of energy, not lifting my teammates up," Knight said. "Me, as a rookie, that's something I've got to be able to do each and every game, no matter who we're playing against." In a rematch with the Bucks on Friday night, Knight...

The Trail Blazers say center Greg Oden underwent an arthroscopic procedure Friday to "remove debris" from his right knee, his fourth surgery since Portland selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft. The often-injured 7-footer had microfracture surgery on the same knee before the start of his rookie season, forcing him to postpone his NBA debut for a year.

A Rookie Brandon Knight scored a season-high 26 points, holding his own against Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and helping the Detroit Pistons snap a seven-game losing streak with an 88-80 victory over the Bucks on Friday night.

Kevin Martin scored 16 points, Kyle Lowry had eight rebounds and nine assists and the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 99-81 on Friday night.

Paul George hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 30 points, and the Indiana Pacers won in Dallas for the first time in eight years, beating the Mavericks 98-87 Friday night.

Dwight Howard scored 19 points, had 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots as the Orlando Magic outlasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-94 on Friday night.

Dwyane Wade poured in 26 to lead Miami to the win in Philly Friday night. Wade and LeBron James were just voted 2012 All-Stars. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and LeBron James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

Luke Ridnour made the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:23 left, Nikola Pekovic scored a career-high 27 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New Jersey Nets 108-105 on Friday night.

Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo watches his team face the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland on Tuesday, Jan.

The Portland Trail Blazers say former No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden will undergo a procedure to "remove debris" from his right knee.

Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points, including all five of his 3-pointers, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Clippers 112-91 Thursday night, ending Los Angeles' season-high four-game winning streak that included a victory over the Nuggets last weekend.

FEBRUARY 2: David Lee #10 of the Golden State Warriors puts up a shot over Paul Millsap #24 of the... 02/04 LAL 9:00pm 02/06 @NY 7:30pm 02/07 @IND 7:00pm 02/10 OKC 10:30pm 02/12 @MEM 9:30pm 02/04 @SAC 10:00pm 02/07 OKC 10:30pm 02/09 @DEN 9:00pm 02/12 HOU 9:00pm 02/13 PHX 10:30pm It was the Warriors defense which had Ellis grinning in the locker ... (more)

New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu dribbles past San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio on Thursday, Feb.

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls shoots against Tony Battie of the Philadelphia 76ers on February 1, 2012 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Grizzlies took care of that skid in a big way. Rudy Gay scored 21 points, four other teammates were in double figures and Memphis blew out the listless Hawks 96-77 Thursday night.

Dallas Mavericks outspoken owner Mark Cuban was not pleased with the officiating during Wednesday's 95-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, shown going up for a dunk during the first half against Dallas on Wednesday, has been named a starter in this year's NBA All-Star game.