Rasheed Wallace to Celtics, Ron Artest to Lakers

The last two NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics each added a key veteran superstar to their lineups within the past week or so. Just last week, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Ron Artest, a nemesis of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Clips have been shown repeatedly of their fierce battle during the playoffs, including Artest's antics while jawing with Kobe. Kobe's Lakers got the last laugh with the series win and eventual championship, and then quickly gobbled up the defensive stalwart Artest in a move to help solidify their chances of a repeat. Add Artest in with Gasol, Bynum and Odom, and you've got some nice frontcourt depth going.

Meanwhile, a team that definitely was disappointed this postseason was the Boston Celtics. They were hurt most by Kevin Garnett's injury which caused his playoff absence. Although they outlasted the Bulls in 7 games, they just didn't have the frontcourt presence to compete with Orlando, who eventually went on to the NBA Finals. Smartly, the Celtics just recently signed Rasheed Wallace from the Detroit Pistons. The move comes right after Detroit landed free agents Ben Gordon from the Bulls and Charlie Villanueva from the Bucks. Cleveland also added Shaquille O'Neal in the past few weeks, Vince Carter went to the Magic during the NBA draft, and Pistons guard Allen Iverson has been hunting for a new team.

It's ironic that the Celtics and Lakers signed two of the more controversial players in the NBA, but also two extremely talented stars. These teams most likely will embrace these two hotheaded stars who tend to rack up the technical fouls, and they have the coaches and other players capable of keeping them in a less volatile state. At Boston you've got KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, three amigos and class act workmen on the court, who Rasheed should fit in nicely with. Artest will be aligned with Kobe which can't be a bad thing either, and Phil Jackson is no stranger to coaching bizarre, hard to handle talent, such as Dennis Rodman.

It's hard to speculate which team has made the best moves this postseason but it seems several of the top dogs are looking to once again fight for the top position and records en route to an NBA title.

Pistons & Celtics Battle!

In the past there were many infamous battles between the Celtics and Pistons, playoff and regular season. Laimbeer taking on Bird, knocking McHale and other Celtics to the hardwood. Isiah getting into the Chief, Robert Parish' face. The famous Bird steal and pass to Dennis Johnson as he drove for the layup to win the game. You've heard the play by play call, many times.

Wednesday night featured the 2007 version of this battle, and an early season test for both clubs. It featured a battle of UCONN stars in Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen on opposing teams. Also featured were two big men in KV and Rasheed. Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups also starred in the 2k version. This would also provide an early test for the Celtics as they battled one of the true NBA contenders in the Pistons.

Both teams came out hot in the first quarter matching baskets. Rajon Rondo was an early surprise star as Hubie Brown noted that he was shocking the Pistons at how easy he could get into the paint and score. Definitely surprising, as the Pistons have been noted as one of the top defensive squads for several years now.

The Pistons and Celtics played at a generally even pace, with no huge leads or runs. The Pistons finally started to climb ahead in the fourth and found themselves up 6 with under 2 minutes left. But after an Eddie House 3, superstar Ray Allen nailed a tying 3 point shot. With the game tied, KG came up with the ball with 5 seconds left, after stripping it from Chauncey Billups' hands on a layup. Paul Pierce missed a quick turn around jumper. Then with just about 2 seconds to go, Billups came up big. The guard gave a great fake to Tony Allen, drawing a 2 shot foul. Billups of course hit both big free throws and the Pistons handed the Celtics their first home loss of the season.

The Celtics still look good, but the Pistons proved why they are a top contender. Solid shooting, a team that's been together for several years now and a great defense. As the Celtics move forward they will continue to gel and acquire that defensive presence. And this was just round 1. The Pistons and Celts will meet twice more prior to any playoff matchups.

Ruthless & Toothless

According to The Herald Sun in Australia, the land down under may be home to the next "Shaq" super-sized superstar. Nathan Jawai is the young man's name, and he measures 208cm in height and weighs in at 128kg. He is described as "nimble and quick" in the post position, and also powerful. He recently scored 24 points and pulled down 24 rebounds in the NBL All-Star game, and should be a first round pick in the future. Some say he may grow to be bigger than Luc Longley, Chris Anstey and Andrew Bogut (previous and current Australian players in the NBA). Read more about Nathan Jawai.

Good news in the TJ Ford injury is that he will only miss one week. Al Horford the Hawks player who was involved in Ford hitting the deck, also payed a visit to the hospital to check on the guard. Ford was in attendance for last night's Raptors vs Mavs game in Toronto.

Last night saw some interesting antics prior to and during the Pistons vs. Rockets game in Detroit, and the Jazz vs. Suns game in Phoenix. ESPN featured a rapping Rasheed Wallace as one of its top 10 plays on the Sportscenter countdown. Sheed was entering the arena wearing his headset and decide to start flowing. Rip Hamilton provided the role of backup dancer. Definitely a slow night for sports.

Then there was Steve Nash. The Suns point guard was clocked in the face by Carlos Boozer during the Jazz vs. Suns game, and chipped a tooth. Nash handed the part of his tooth to the team trainer, then gave a silly interviewto ESPN reporter Michelle Tafoya before he hit the locker room.

The Priciest NBA Cribs

One thing about NBA Stars is they know how to live in lavish homes. MTV Cribs ran a marathon of its show this Saturday called "Priciest Pads Countdown". The show, hosted by Kimora Lee Simmons, featured more than a few NBA stars ranked on the top 25 list.

#22 was the Houston Rocket, Steve Francis' home, featuring a downstairs barbershop as well as outdoor poll and b-ball court.

At #20 was Detroit Piston,Rasheed Wallace, with a home worth an estimated $9 million. His home had the standard movie theater complete with popcorn machine, candy, and life-size predator statue (value of $8000).

#17 was NBA star Penny Hardaway's 12 million dollar Phoenix Arizona crib. The home featured an outdoor pool, bball/tennis court and putting green as well as an indoor bowling alley. It also included a picture of the home where Penny grew up in Memphis, which featured just 4 rooms.

#13 was the legendary Shaquille O'Neal's 64,000 square foot home in Orlando Florida (pictured above). Shaq's huge kitchen had a fridge stocked with popsicles, french fries and ice cream. He also has a movie theater complete with the "S" symbol on the carpeted floor and a bed that measures at 15x30 and prices at $32,000. It is the largest bed in MTV Cribs history.

The #1 priciest Crib as shown on MTV Cribs belongs to billionaire entrepreneur, Richard Branson who owns Virgin Records. The home is on its own island in the British Virgin Islands and is worth an estimated $150 million dollars.

Amazingly, no NBA stars ranked in the top top 10, but expect Lebron James to change that if his soon to be completed mansion in Ohio gets showcased on an upcoming MTV Cribs.