2014-15 NBA Season Opening Night Game Schedule

The 2014-15 NBA season officially tips off on Tuesday, October 26th and there’s three marquee matchups on the slate. The NBA schedule will begin at 8 p.m. EST with TNT providing a doubleheader for fans to enjoy. That will feature the reigning NBA champion Spurs as they get their championship rings and then take on the Mavs. Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers will bring showtime to the nightcap game as they host Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets.

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One other game is not being televised nationally and that features Anthony Davis’ Pelicans as they host the Orlando Magic. Tip off for the game is just after 8 p.m. EST. As of this report, the Spurs are 7 1/2 point favorites to beat the Mavs, the Pelicans are nearly 10-point favorites to defeat the Magic, and the Rockets are 6-point favorites over the Lakers.

2014-15 NBA Opening Night Schedule:

Dallas vs. San Antonio 8:00 p.m. EST (TNT)

Orlando vs. New Orleans 8:00 p.m. EST (FS-Florida)

Houston vs. LA Lakers 10:30 p.m. EST (TNT)

By the way, both opening night TNT games will also be available live online through the TNT Overtime website. This site provides a unique live look at the game with multiple camera feeds. There’s also a player cam which keeps track of one player from each team as voted on by the fans ahead of the game. Dirk Nowitzki leads the way for the Mavs at 38% of the vote while Kawhi Leonard leads the way for the Spurs with 35% of the votes. Tony Parker has 22% of votes for San Antonio as of this post.

Are you ready for NBA basketball to get going? We sure are! Let us know any of your season predictions below!

Wizards Mavs 7-player trade swaps Howard & Butler

The city of Dallas is looking ahead to the 2010 All-Star game to be played Sunday, but meanwhile the Mavericks swung a trade Saturday while not many were looking. It was speculated that Caron Butler would be dealt from the Wizards and he was on Saturday. Dallas traded away Dwight Gooden and Josh Howard as well as two other players in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and cash. The Mavs are looking to build up momentum for their 2010 playoff run by bringing in Butler, who president of operations Donnie Nelson calls a good fit for their team. He also admitted it was a tough decision to give up Howard, but said you've got to "give quality to get quality".

The Wizards meanwhile are hurting with a record of 17-33 and low expectations since losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the season following their gun incident in the locker room. The team president expressed their needs in the current season:

"We're all disappointed in how our season has gone. We need some freshness and we're getting proven players who will help us, and it gives us some flexibility down the road," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "We want to remain competitive and maybe this group can provide a spark. The group had gotten stale, and we needed a change." (NBA.com)

Also involved in the deal were James Singleton and Quinton Ross who the Wizards acquired. This marks the 8th new team for Drew Gooden who is becoming a journeyman of sorts, while Howard has spent all his career since 2003 in Dallas. The Mavs will now acquire the additional skills of Butler who is averaging about 17 points and 7 rebounds per game, while Haywood was averaging around 10 rebounds a game.

There may be more moves in the days ahead, as the NBA Trade deadline officially hits on February 18, 2010.

Read more about today's trade at NBA.com

NJ Nets start 0-18, Can they buy a win?

Devin Harris must have been jumping for joy when he learned he was heading to the New Jersey Nets. Not only was he being traded for one of the all-time greatest point guards in the game, Jason Kidd, but he was at least going to have an alley-oop wingman in Vince Carter. Harris who's been known to score in bunches probably felt like he could at least garner some attention for future free agency. However, he soon inherited a team minus Vince Carter, full of newbies and guys who skipped the D-League. And now, Devin Harris and the Nets have officially sank to a new low, as the team has began the 2009-10 campaign at 0-18. The loss is a new record for worst start to an NBA season, with 23 games the longest losing streak in NBA history during a season. Ironically that 18th loss came to Harris' former team, the Dallas Mavs.

It's a dismal record and beats out previous awful starts by the LA Clippers and expansion Miami Heat. New Jersey is playing like an expansion team right now, with no real identity, young players, a new coach - GM Kiki Vandeweghe (Lawrence Frank was fired last week), and lack of offense or defense. The interesting stat to see would be how many games part owner Jay-Z has sat courtside for this season. It's likely Jigga man preferred slapping hands with VC, Kidd and Richard Jefferson, but isn't exactly in a rush to give a fist bump to Yi or Josh Boone after a score. For several years now, the talk of Jay-Z and Nets officials has been discussion of moving this team to Brooklyn, but would the city really want this team?

Perhaps the answer is for Jay-Z to do something about this. The mogul could arrange a who's who of rap artists for a "Rappers Unite for New Jersey" campaign. Then the Nets could buy a win, or some players to help stop the bleeding. New Jersey's upcoming games against the Charlotte Bobcats, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, andIndiana Pacers offer the team a glimmer of holiday hope for that first W. Right now, they're in contention for next year's #1 draft pick, but surviving the 82 game season will be quite a ride for Nets fans, players and personnel.

Read more about the NJ Nets at NY Daily News

Antoine Walker Arrested in Vegas

As Kenny Rogers famously sang, you've got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em...Former NBA star Antoine Walker didn't heed that advice and was arrested in Nevada this past Thursday. The arrest came inside Harrah's casino at Stateline, Nevada. The charges? Walker had attempted to use fake checks and obtain credit he didn't have to the tune of $800,000 from three different Vegas casinos. A deputy on foot patrol was alerted by a Harrah's employee who had seen a TV report about Walker. Walker was arrested at one of the casino bars shortly thereafter.

Originally the former Celtics, Heat and Mavs star was issued a bail of $905,050, later reduced to just over $100,000. Walker is now free on bail but is scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas court on Monday. He had made the trip to Vegas for the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at South Lake Tahoe.

Apparently, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley aren't the only former all-stars who like to gamble. The difference is neither has trouble getting the funds. Then again maybe this will serve as a wake up call and early lesson for any other NBA ballers who want to get into the gambling scene. Keep your money under the mattress, at least until the stock market rebounds.

Mark Cuban wins Court Battle, Rd. 1

Months ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban avoided a loss of $750,000 from stocks, but selling about 600,000 shares, or a 6.3% stake in the company. The Securities and Exchange Commission brought charges against Cuban for insider trading. Today, Cuban is free of the litigation, for now.

On Friday, a federal judge granted a dismissal of the civil lawsuit against Cuban for insider trading in SEC v. Cuban, 08-cv-2050, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas). The company involved was an Internet search engine company known as "Mamma.com, Inc.". Cuban's lawyers argued on his behalf that Cuban wasn't legally an "insider" of the company.

It's still possible the SEC could refile this case, so stay tuned for more madness from the Blogger Maverick, Cuban...

Read more about Cuban's victory in court here at Bloomberg.com.

Mark Cuban's Blog Apology to K-Mart

During Game 3 Saturday between the Mavericks and Nuggets, always feisty and loud-mouthed GM/fan Mark Cuban took his ranting to a whole nother level. A questionable call occurred towards the end of the contest in which Cuban went off on the officials, a camerman, and of course the opposite team. On his way out, Mark Cuban also said something to Denver Nugget Kenyon Martin's mother Lydia Moore who was seated up in the stands. According to the guys on TNT, Cuban basically told K-Mart's mom that her son was a "punk & a thug". Mama K-Mart smiled at him as she was still beaming from the Nuggets' victory, but Kenyon Martin was obviously unhappy with the comments directed towards his mother. TNT analyst Charles Barkley noted that Cuban was wrong in what he said because you just don't direct comments at player's family members.

During Game 4, the Mavs pulled off a two point win, but Kenyon Martin decided to yell a few comments of his own at Mark Cuban which include some choice expletives. It was also reported that during the game, Carmelo Anthony's girlfriend was harassed by fans to the point she had to leave her seat.

A day later since the Cuban-Moore incident has continuously been televised and debated, Mark Cuban has issued a public apology on his blog. Cuban says:

So at this point I would like to apologize to you and your mom KMart for my comment. I should have not said anything and I was wrong. Hopefully you will accept the apology and we can move on.

When the series comes back to Dallas, your family, and the family of other Nuggets players are welcome to stay in my suite, with my family. Its amazing how tempers mellow when real people talk to each other and realize that its still just a game.

If that isn’t acceptable, I’m happy to provide a suite, free of charge to them as well and place whatever security is needed to make them feel comfortable.

Cuban goes on to discuss alternate arrangements, security details and more of the heartfelt apology here. The Mavs managed to stay alive in the series with their Game 4 win in Dallas, but following the game Kenyon Martin decided to prove to Cuban and everyone else he's not a punk or thug. There was reportedly amicable discussion between Martin's family members and a senior executive from the Mavs after the game. In case you're waiting for Round 3 of Cuban vs. K-Mart, Cuban wisely has an excuse to not be present at Game 5 as he'll be receiving a prestigious digital media award.

More about this story at NBAFanhouse.com

Jason Kidd & Hope Dworaczyk Playboy model girlfriend

Since his divorce with Joumana, things aren't going so bad for Jason Kidd in 2008-2009. In the tradition of Beyonce's "Upgrade" song, Kidd seems to have found himself a nice new girlfriend. According to news reports and Wikipedia, Jason Kidd and Hope Dworaczyk are now a couple who stand tall together. Dworaczyk is a Playboy model who's nearly as tall as Kidd, as she stands 5'10. She's stated before that she doesn't get approached much, but that could be due to the fact that 1) she's a gorgeous model and 2) she's really tall.



Dworaczyk appeared as the April 2009 Playmate on the Playboy magazine cover in April of 2009, with actor comedian Seth Rogen. Originally born in Texas, Hope's 25 years old, with measurements listed at 34C-23-35 and a weight of 125 lbs. In the above photos you not only see her towering size and assets, but also her painted on Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd jersey. Not too bad!

According to Hope's Wikipedia entry, she got advice from her grandmother about whether or not to pose nude for Playboy magazine. Hope's grandma told her that if she were her age, she'd pose for Playboy if she had the opportunity. That was all the advice Hope needed and in April 2009 she posed naked for the men's magazine.

Apparently, Jason Kidd & Hope Dworaczyk had dated before. News broke in early 2008 that Hope was expecting a child with Jason Kidd. Hope claimed that these were merely tabloid trash rumors, because they never had a child together. The couple currently shares a penthouse apartment in the Dallas area, after relocating from New York-New Jersey, however Hope does runway modeling gigs all around the world. Kidd travels a lot too, to other cities, and occasionally on the court.

Jason Kidd passes Magic for Assists

On Sunday, Dallas Maverick point guard, Jason Kidd, moved past Earvin Magic Johnson for the third spot in terms of All-time assists for the NBA. A pass from Kidd to Josh Howard for a jump shot was the milestone during a Mavs game against the Phoenix Suns.

Jason Kidd now has a career total of 10,142 assists, playing for three teams during his career thus far (Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey). In Dallas for his early career, Kidd spent time alongside Jimmy Jackson and Jamal Mashburn, racking up assists. Once he was sent to New Jersey, he had even more teammates to dish to, including Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin and eventually high-flyer, Vince Carter. Last season, a trade saw Jason Kidd sent to the Mavs for multiple players including Devin Harris. Now in Dallas, Kidd has enjoyed having guys like Jason Terry, Josh Howard and former league MVP, Dirk Nowitski to pass for layups and jumpshots.

When Kidd's latest accomplishment was announced in Dallas, Mark Jackson was one of the spectators on his feet who at the time was serving as one of the commentators for the game. Kidd now takes third place behind Mark Jackson (10,334) and Utah Jazz great John Stockton (15,806) for overall assists.

NBA's 2008 Christmas Presence

NBA fans will be given several Christmas day presents in the form of two exciting doubleheaders and some fun in Orlando. TNT, ABC & ESPN will play Santa as they bring superstars such as Lebron James, KG, Kobe Bryant and Greg Oden to all NBA faithful. Game one of the ABC set will start at 2:30PM EST & features a rematch of Western foes, the Spurs and the Suns, with Shaq, Amare & Nash facing Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. Game 2 will be a riveting rematch of last year's NBA Finals as the red hot Boston Celtics travel into Los Angeles to battle the Lakers.

Currently the Suns and Spurs are runner-ups in their respective divisions. San Antonio continues to try to overcome guard injury problems and sits in 3rd place in the Southwest at 17-10. Meanwhile the Suns are second place to Kobe's Lakers at 16-11. These two teams have battled it out in recent years' playoffs, usually with San Antonio coming out on top. The Suns continue to revamp parts of their lineup as they just recently unloaded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, bringing superstar Jason Richardson into the mix. San Antonio seems to be the aging battle-tested team that keeps on going with what it has. While they're not dismal, they aren't the powerhouse they were in the years they were part of the "dynasty" talks.

The second game at 5PM features the Celtics dressed in Green hoping to play Grinches to Kobe's LA Santa Claus. Kobe will have his helpers including Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Bynum was not part of last year's Finals so this will give everyone a good look at how the emerging Center performs against the Champs. Bryant's also currently in third place in the NBA scoring race, a tight race at that. Kobe's averaging 26.2 and trails his Team USA pals, Lebron James & Dwyane Wade. Wade recently outdid Kobe in a battle in Miami between their two teams. While D-Wade may be headed towards scoring champ and MVP, Kobe may be headed back to the Finals for his 4th ring. His Christmas day matchup with the Celts may help Phil Jackson dismantle the champs for their Finals rematch.

But wait, there's more.... Chris Paul and the Hornets will play Dwight Howard's Magic at 12 Noon in Orlando (ESPN). TNT will also feature a doubleheader of its own starting at 8PM when the Wizards face Lebron & the Cavs. At 10:30 PM, it'll be the young Portland Trailblazers with their young center, Greg Oden, facing Dirk & the Dallas Mavs. For an NBA fan that's 5 games to enjoy along with all your Christmas gifts and cookies...enjoy!

Happy holidays to all this 2008 Holiday Season!

Mark Cuban Insider Trading Charges Filed

In breaking news Monday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been charged by the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission) with Insider Trading. According to the charges, the internet entrepreneur was privy to knowledge that a private offering of a search engine company, Mamma.com (now Copernic), was going to decrease the value of his 600,000 shares. Cuban then sold off his stake in the company, saving the Maverick owner $750,000.

From SEC's Official Press Release:

The complaint alleges that Cuban violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The Commission's complaint seeks to permanently enjoin Cuban from future violations of the federal securities laws, disgorgement (with prejudgment interest), and a financial penalty.

From Wired.com:

"As we allege in the complaint, Mamma.com entrusted Mr. Cuban with nonpublic information after he promised to keep the information confidential. Less than four hours later, Mr. Cuban betrayed that trust by placing an order to sell all of his shares," said Scott W. Friestad, deputy director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement."It is fundamentally unfair for someone to use access to nonpublic information to improperly gain an edge on the market."

Cuban, who is involved in a number of ventures and is currently trying to buy the Chicago Cubs baseball team, is also the majority partner of sharesleuth.com, an independent web-based reporting site aimed at exposing securities fraud and corporate chicanery.

Cuban gave the following very brief statement in his blog entry called "The SEC" over at Blogmaverick.com:

I wish I could say more, but I will have to leave it to this, and let the judicial process do its job.

See SEC official press release here.

Howard Apologizes, Will America Forgive?

There's been some offseason controversy surrounding Dallas Mavericks All-Star forward Josh Howard. Howard recently apologized for a July rant he made regarding the Star-Spangled Banner at a charity event. Howard was caught on video saying he doesn't celebrate the song "because he's black". A 4 minute video of Howard's remarks/incident is available at YouTube. Now in the aftermath, Howard made the right move and issued a public apology on Monday for his remarks and behavior over the past 5 months.

From DallasNews.com:

"I know that's not me," he said. "I love this country. If it wasn't for this country, I wouldn't be out here playing basketball. For me to have that opportunity is the greatest.

"That's not me. That's not Josh Howard. That was an idiot."

The apology is considered heartfelt by most in the media, but maybe not so much by the American people. CNN Headline News ran a viewer poll with 69% saying they didn't believe Howard's apology was sincere, while only 31% said they felt it was. It could be a sign of the times, or the general bias against the NBA and athletes. NBA players have always been viewed in a poor light, as if they are all thugs or hooligans. Recent policy changes supposedly highlighted this by forcing players to dress up for games, rather than arriving in any outfit, such as doo rags, throwbacks, etc. Regardless, this is an isolated incident from just one player, who's allowed forgiveness. Let's move on and get to the regular season.

Full DallasNews.com story on Josh Howard's Apology

Goodbye Suns & Mavs!

Two teams that had been considered amongst the Western Conference elite were dismissed from the NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. Dallas was booted from the postseason in the 1st round for the second consecutive time. Phoenix who drew the unfortunate task of facing the world champion Spurs in round 1 was also put out of their misery in a 92-87 loss.

The Dallas Mavericks lost in the first round last year in what was a definite shocker. The Golden State Warriors played spoilers as they upset the #1 seed, a team many had penciled in as NBA champs. Now this year, the Mavs had traded to acquire Jason Kidd as their point guard, but were facing a younger point guard in Chris Paul, who may be this year's Most Valuable Player. Dallas managed to pull off 1 win, but New Orleans closed it out for the 4-1 series win Tuesday night. Paul was impressive in his playoff debut, putting up a stat line superior to several other legendary guards, including Magic Johnson. In Game 5, he achieved a triple double with 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, propelling his team to a win. Dirk had 22 points and 13 boards in the losing effort, and Jerry Stackhouse was ejected in the 4th.

Paul's triple-double helps Hornets oust Mavs with 99-94 win

In the other playoff ousting, it was the Spurs putting an end to Phoenix' hopes for a comeback. Despite gaining 1 victory (a rout of 105-86 on Sunday), the Suns faced the impossible 3-1 deficit against a superior ball club. In Game 5, the Spurs shot 20-37 for free throws, and had 7 turnovers in the 4th quarter. One of the biggest came on a bad pass by Steve Nash which went out of bounds. The Suns were only down 2 points with about 30 seconds left and the turnover cost them the chance to tie or win the game. The Spurs now move on to face the aforementioned New Orleans Hornets in what could be a great matchup between quick point guards, as well as the veteran PF Duncan facing the younger frontcourt of Chandler and West.

Kenny Smith of TNT made the interesting point that both the Suns and Mavs made key trades during the season to acquire top stars (Jason Kidd and Shaquille O'Neal), but lost to teams that had stayed in tact and had experience. For the Suns, they brought in a behemoth yet slowed down Shaq, when they had a specific style of play, Run N Gun, which Shaq doesn't fit into. The Mavs didn't really lose much at all and gained Jason Kidd, so they may be the bigger mystery.

See NBA.com for more on Tuesday night's action!

3 Teams & 2 West Playoff Spots

As of Tuesday night there are 3 Western Conference teams vying for the final 2 playoff spots. Dallas, Denver and Golden State are in the thick of the playoff hunt, and all 3 make for dangerous first-round playoff opponents. The records and standings are stacked up as follows:

7) Mavericks 49-29

8) Nuggets 47-31

8) Warriors 47-31

The Mavs currently have the 2 game lead on Denver or Golden State. All 3 teams were in action and picked up wins Tuesday to keep the playoff race competitive.

The Dallas Mavs defeated the Seattle Sonics 99-83 thanks to Jason Terry's 22 and Josh Howard's 17. Lead scorer for the Sonics was Earl Watson with 22. Durant had an impressive jam down the lane and also tossed a great ally-oop to his fellow rookie Jeff Green. Dirk Nowitzki was back from his home country of Germany to participate in the game, helping his team to the win. This marked Dallas' 13th straight victory over Seattle, and also marked Seatlle's 60th loss this season, a franchise record for them.

The Nuggets took out the Clippers to avoid their 3rd straight loss. Carmelo Anthony finished with 36 points and Allen Iverson had 21 to help the Nuggets win over the Clips 117-99.

Golden State was also able to keep pace by handling the Sacramento Kings 140-132. Then again most teams have this season. There was a sick behind the back no-look pass from Monte Ellis to Baron Davis amongst the top highlights in this one. In the Warriors' victory, scored 33 points to lead the way and Stephen Jackson chipped in 20. Andris Biedrins pulled down an impressive 17 rebounds.

All 3 teams have tasted the playoffs as of last season, with the Warriors playing spoiler as they took out the Mavs, shocking the NBA world. The Nuggets seem to have the better chance at landing a playoff spot based on their tie-breaker advantage. Denver heads into enemy territory in Oakland on Thursday which should decide the final playoff spot.

Be Cool Kobe!

Wednesday night saw Kobe Bryant ejected from a crucial game, against the Charlotte Bobcats. It's crucial because in the West a loss puts a team like the Lakers from first down to a 3 way tie for second. LA now trails New Orleans by 1 game for first. Another loss or two could send the Lakers to the middle of the pack, about fourth or even worse. That's how tough the West has become this season.

According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, Kobe earned his two techs within just 29 seconds. The T's came due to Kobe not liking a foul call and jawing with the officials. Sometimes star players aren't afforded too much talking time.

More about Lakers v. Bobcats here

You can now see how simple events could really hurt some West Coast teams. Dirk's recent injury is far from simple and it's unfortunate, but that injury according to Sportscenter could see Dallas not a part of the playoffs. Kobe is in dangerous territory because he's close to the max number for techs, before he starts having to sit out games. So Kobe basically needs to keep his emotions in check, and the rest will follow. If he doesn't, the Lakers could lose homecourt advantage in the playoffs, or even their playoff spot. I expect the Lakers will be in the playoffs, but again the slightest player lost from the roster, or a loss of Kobe could hurt them.

I still give Kobe props because his sick move against the Warriors several nights ago was one of the best I've seen in terms of 2007-08 NBA season highlights. Spinning through traffic and floating towards the basket only to give a no look wrap-around, backwards style pass to teammate Ronnie Turiaf for the basket? That's definitely where Amazing happened.

Dirk Nowitzki Out for 2 Weeks

An unfortunate injury came to Dirk Nowitzki in Sunday's Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs game. The 7 footer went down awkwardly on his left leg with just 3:18 remaining in the 3rd quarter. According to Mark Cuban the forward/center will be out of action for 2 weeks time.

From Sporting News:

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has confirmed that superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki will be out about two weeks after suffering a lower leg injury Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Morning News reports.

The Mavericks lost the game to the Spurs, 88-81. Nowitzki was injured with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter when he came down awkwardly after blocking a shot by Ime Udoka.

"I fell awkwardly, and my left leg got caught underneath me," Nowitzki said in a news release.

Sources close to Nowitzki indicated Sunday night that a post-game MRI exam, like earlier X-rays, turned up no immediate issues with the knee, ESPN.com reported.

The Mavs will need to rely on a "step-up" in play from Josh Howard and Jason Kidd now as they'll be facing some tough upcoming games. According to ESPN Sportscenter, they may get some relief from 2 games against the LA Clippers though..

Changing of the NBA Guards

We now have a shift of guards going on in the NBA from East to West, West to East. Just as All-Star weekend descended upon us, we saw Mike Bibby sent over to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal. This gives the Hawks a better floor general and greater chance at a playoff spot. While Bibby is a great player, he won't put the Hawks into the Finals this season. He makes for an extra scorer and passes well, but it's hard to see him leading them to the promised land. Playoffs? Yes. out of round 1? Probably not.

The other move is Jason Kidd is finally headed back to Dallas. The funniest part of this trade was that Keith Van Horn, a retired NBA player, had to make the decision to finalize the trade. How often is that seen in the NBA? Van Horn's contract amount allowed the trade to happen, so Van Horn returns to his original team, the Nets. It remains to be seen if he will play. Kidd arrives into Dallas to help Dirk and Josh Howard try to get back into the Finals and win it. Everyone knows Kidd immediately improves any squad he's on. The Nets have just shown us this season an example of lackluster play by the rest of the team despite Kidd's continued all-around floor leadership.

Both moves improve these teams easily. Kidd will definitely have the bigger impact of these two trades, which is a no brainer. The Nets will probably start to play more like the Heat, and the Hawks just may take the Nets' playoff spot away. The Mavericks are still considered amongst 3 or 4 West coast teams with a legitimate chance to make the NBA Finals and win it all.

Kidd Trade on Hold

Thanks to the contract of Dallas Mavs' player Devean George, the Jason Kidd trade has been put on hold. George blocked the trade by saying he did not want to give up his "early Bird rights", which is a provision he earned by being in his second year and on a second contract with the Mavs.

According to the Associated Press:

Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, a player who has "early Bird rights" at the end of a contract - like George has this year - has veto power over a trade because he'd lose those rights if dealt. By keeping them, Dallas could exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.

"We're not trying to hold things up or be difficult, but just like teams make tough decisions all the time - about cutting players or making trades - they do what's best for their team, and it's my obligation to do what's best for Devean," his agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Wednesday night.

"You don't want to stop teams from doing their business, but we don't feel like it makes sense at this time. He's starting right now and things are going pretty good."

It was not immediately clear whether this was just a snag or a deal-breaker. (SOURCE: AP)

Have no fear Mavs fans... J-Kidd can still move from NJ to Dallas within the next week, prior to the February 21st trade deadline.

Lakers & Pistons Win on Superbowl Sunday

On a day of one of the biggest upsets in sports, the underdog New York Giants took out the undefeated New England Patriots. ending talks of the perfect season. Two NBA games took place were definitely in the shadows of the biggest game of NFL's season.

In one contest, the Lakers took out the Washington Wizards 103-91. Cron Butler returned from injury hiatus, but scored just 15 points for his team. Kobe notched 25 in the first half and 30 points for the game to help his team win. The Lakers lead the game through the entire contest in DC.

The other game of Sunday's 2 game schedule saw the Mavericks get crushed by the Detroit Pistons, 90-67 Rasheed scored 21 points along with 9 rebounds. This was the Pistons' 5th straight win. THere as no clear reason for the Mav's letdown in this one, comparing turnovers and points in the paint, things looked even, but the Pistons managed to completely dominate, leading by as much as 26 in the game.

It still looks wide open for who will be the NBA champs this year. The Pistons are definitely sending a message in the East, but you can't count out teams like Boston, Orlando and maybe even Cleveland. As for the West that Conference is very wide open, with many analysts saying until the Spurs are beaten in a series, they are the team to beat.

Cuban Calls 2007-08 Best Season

Maverick owner and blogger extraordinaire, Mark Cuban, has pronounced the 2007-08 NBA season as the best NBA season ever. Cuban cites the following:

This season, at least in the Western Conference, no one is going to ask the question of whether the regular season is important. For the remainder of this season, EVERY game is important. Every team will have their up and down streaks simply because its going to be hard to play playoff quality basketball for 40 games. Back to back games in the West are going to be brutal.

Cuban also mentions that in the West there are 10 teams just 7 games apart in terms of rankings. A 5 or 6 game losing streak could possibly send a Western team out of playoff contention. So he just might have a good point there, although Cuban loves to hype the league and his team.

On another note, the Celtics continue to stay perfect against West teams by beating Cuban's very own Dallas Mavs. The game came down to the final minute in Boston, with Rajon Rondo hitting a huge scoop shot, and Jason Terry being unable to hit a shot on the other end. Celts win 96-90 and show that they can compete with the West. And KG wasn't even in the lineup. Imagine that.

IGN's 2007 NBA Player of the Year

IGN.com, a popular video game resource site, has chosen Dirk Nowitski for its 2007 NBA Player of the Year award. According to the site:

"Although the Spurs were the consummate team and came together in the playoffs, no one stood out more in 2007 than Dirk Nowitzki, who took huge steps forward as a defender and as a teammate, scoring more efficiently while setting a career-high in assists. Shooting 50% from the field as a jump shooter is absurd, and while the Mavericks were shocked in the playoffs by the Warriors, if we had to win one game tomorrow, there's no player we'd rather start our team with than the German star." (Source: IGN.com)

Runners-up for the award were the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and the Cleveland Cavs' Lebron James. Both these players enjoyed a trip to the NBA finals, with Duncan's team recapturing the title and perhaps etching its name amongst the NBA's great dynasties. Lebron James continues to improve, and there's no doubt that this still young phenom is going to win at least a few awards before his career is over.

For it's 2007 Team of the Year, IGN chose the NBA champion Spurs over all other major sports teams. IGN states the Spurs team and organization is one that any pro team would love to embody. Read more here