NBA News and Ramblings - In with the old?

The NBA has been stark full of big news this past week. From LeBron politely declining a contract extension from the Cavs, to Rashard Lewis’s unusual level of testosterone, there’s been plenty to chew on. But here’s some more for those of you who, like me, can’t get enough of the NBA!

Detroit Re-Signs Ben Wallace

If you ever thought that Ben Wallace would re-sign with the Pistons, then I would’ve called you an idiot. But here we are, with the “rebuilding” Pistons throwing $1.3 million at a guy who jilted them in 2004 to join the Chicago Bulls. Sure, this is a league where almost anything can happen. But did you ever really think that you’d see Ben Wallace re-sign with the Pistons…to back-up Kwame Brown? I mean, seriously?

Allen Iverson Still News Worthy

One of the NBA’s most electric scorers is still a relevant discussion topic. He almost joined the L.A. Clippers, but I guess Mike Dunleavy decided he already had enough trouble overloading his plate. There’s still talk of Iverson sinking up with Dwyane Wade in Miami, despite the emergence of Mario Chalmers last season.

Does anyone else find it amusing how the Miami Heat try to entice free-agents? “We have D-WADE! Come to South Beach!” After all the now-embarrassing parading Wade had to do to try and lure Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to Miami, can you imagine if he comes out this summer with no additions except for a 34-year-old Allen Iverson with a bad back?

Please just sign in Charlotte already, Iverson. Please. That team already sucks, you don’t have to do any damage because it’s hard to crash a car that won’t even start.

Blazers Throw Their Wallet at Brandon Roy

Well, forget all that talk about “Greg Oden better get his act together or the Blazers will lose Brandon Roy!” Let’s not remember that the Northwest has lost two teams in the span of a decade (Vancouver and Seattle), that Portland drafted the “Sam Bowie” of the new millennium, that they were tricked in to thinking that any free-agent would sign with them (Hedo, you sneaky turk!), and that they “won” the Andre Miller sweepstakes. Just forget all that. They’ve signed Brandon Roy to an $80 million contract for five years.

Somewhere in Indiana, Larry Bird is having a conniption at the exact same time Danny Granger and his agent are high-fiving each other. Thanks for setting the bar for “stars”, Portland. Every GM in the known NBA universe now hates Kevin Pritchard.

Carlos Delfino to Sign in Real Madrid

If you name five guys in the league that you would roll in to a real fight with – you know, like the ones that you engage in during the NBA playoffs – I guarantee the last five guys you would pick are Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozen, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Yet those are the starting five for the Raptors. Apparently they’ve been going after their former shooting-guard for quite some time, but Delfino is likely going to stay in Spain where he prefers to live.

You know that look your dog gets when it sees another dog across the street and starts barking? Your trying to reel your dog in even though the dog is unreasonably transfixed on whatever’s across the street. Is that how Colangelo is when he stands on the pier in Toronto staring eastward towards Europe? “C’mon Bryan! Come back inside! We have plenty of good basketball players in North America…c’mon, boy!”