Hotsie Babba!

And now it's time for the news.

To the shock of nobody, Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies have parted ways. They've had a conversation and have agreed to terminate Iverson's contract. Buh-bye, Mr. Nobody Asked Anyway. Your memory is missed. Your presence will not be.

Stephen Jackson, Captain Jax, whose major claim to fame is being there when the Mavericks crash-landed in '07, has been traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. Pity. I think Don Nelson as he is today -- making bad tactical decisions, unwilling to part from any organization on good terms (see Milwaukee and Dallas), alienating his players and his front office -- and Stephen Jackson -- a ball-hogging attention whore who's due $35 million in salary to be paid over the next four years (his agent must be able to sell black sausage to vegans) -- richly deserve one another.

It'd be even better if the angle Ball Don't Lie's guys have is true; that Charlotte is a way station for Jackson to beef up his stats and his ultimate destination by the deadline is Cleveland. I mean, Lebron, Shaq, and Capt. Jax on the same team? Aren't there laws? Conventions?

If there's a fanbase I do not envy in this NBA, it's the New Orleans Hornets folk. Their franchise went from the Dawn Of The New NBA to a team that might or might not even make the postseason, period. Their erstwhile Coach Of The Year's been pinked, with the GM taking over in the interum. There's a communication breakdown between Chris Paul -- you know, the poster child for tomorrow's NBA, possibly the finest point guard walking the Earth, the prime cause number one people come to see the Hornets play -- and Hornets management; the coaching change apparently came as a real blow to the boy. I'm not too fond of Paul because I think he's coming to a crisis of ego and I'd hoped he'd be a good enough man to avoid that, but he deserves a front office that appreciates what they have in him.

Now that Paul's out for at least a few weeks with a sprained ankle, the Hornets organization might learn. Then again, they probably won't.

In happier news, Dirk's got the Western Conference Player of the Week. The Eastern Conference Player of the Week is a young fella name of Brandon Jennings. Who, by the way, dropped 55 points in a game against the Warriors last week. And, by another way, plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. And guess who the Mavs are playing tonight.
-BJ