2007 Movie Ranks

Alright, so it's 2 months into 2008 and I still haven't finished my synopsis' for all the 2007 movies, but hey, it's been a crazy couple of months. That said, I have ranked them and rated them and I present the movies of 2007 (that I saw) for your approval.

Note: My rating system is based on a 50 point scale spread over these five categories: Acting, Story, Entertainment, Continuity/Plot/Flow, and "X" Factor. The "X" Factor covers a variety of things such as direction, soundtrack, and cinematography or even a particular scene that jumped out. For most of these movies, I made an attempt to reason out the "X" Factor rating.

THE TOP 10
No Country For Old Men (10, 10, 7, 9, 10 = 46) Direction, Soundtrack, Cine.
I Am Legend (9, 9, 8, 10, 7 = 43) Direction
Juno (10, 8, 8, 7, 9 = 42) Direction, Soundtrack
Dan In Real Life (10, 7, 7, 8, 9 = 41) Authenticity
American Gangster (10, 8, 8, 8, 6 = 40) Direction
Charlie Wilson’s War (9, 8, 7, 8, 8 = 40)
Zodiac (9, 8, 5, 8, 7 = 38) Direction
Harry Potter 5 (7, 8, 10, 6, 7 = 38) Direction, Special Effects
Bourne Ultimatum (7, 7, 10, 7, 7 = 38) Direction, Intensity
300 (6, 6, 10, 7, 8 = 37) Style

THE GREAT
The Kingdom (9, 6, 7, 8, 7 = 37) Direction
Mr. Brooks (9, 7, 8, 7, 6 = 37) Camp
Ocean’s 13 (8, 6, 9, 7, 7 = 37) Cine
Live Free or Die Hard (6, 6, 10, 8, 6 = 36) Coolness
Disturbia (6, 7, 8, 8, 7 = 36) Suspense
Superbad (8, 6, 8, 7, 5 = 36) Authenticity
Knocked Up (7, 7, 8, 7, 7 = 35) Realism
Gone Baby Gone (9, 7, 5, 7, 7 = 35)
The Lookout (8, 8, 6, 7, 5 = 34) Darkness
Evan Almighty (6, 5, 7, 6, 10 = 34) Message/Morals
Catch and Release (8, 6, 7, 6, 7 = 34) Authenticity
Once (5, 6, 7, 5, 10 = 33) Soundtrack
3:10 to Yuma (8, 6, 7, 3, 9 = 33)
Ratatouille (8, 8, 5, 6, 5 = 32)
Hot Fuzz (7, 6, 8, 5, 6 = 32) Spoof-turned-real
The Simpsons (6, 5, 8, 6, 8 = 31) Wit

THE GOOD, NOT GREAT
Transformers (3, 6, 8, 4, 10 = 31) Special Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (6, 6, 8, 5, 6 = 31)
The Hunting Party (6, 7, 7, 7, 4 = 31) Over preachy
In the Valley of Elah (7, 6, 4, 6, 7 = 30) Direction
Amazing Grace (4, 7, 5, 5, 8 = 29) Message/Morals
Talk to Me (8, 6, 5, 4, 5 = 28) Direction
Fracture (6, 5, 7, 6, 4 = 28)
Shooter (5, 4, 8, 5, 5 = 27) Action packed

THE ENTERTAINING BUT POSSIBLY NOT GOOD
Eastern Promises (9, 4, 4, 7, 3 = 27) Direction
You Kill Me (6, 5, 6, 6, 4 = 27)
Breach (8, 7, 3, 5, 3 = 26) Direction
National Treasure 2 (3, 5, 8, 5, 4 = 25)
Music and Lyrics (4, 5, 6, 4, 6 = 25)
The Invisible (5, 4, 6, 5, 5 = 25)

THE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER
Reign Over Me (9, 9, 2, 2, 1 = 23) Direction
Shrek 3 (4, 4, 6, 5, 4 = 23)
We Own the Night (7, 6, 4, 4, 2 = 23) Direction
Rescue Dawn (6, 7, 3, 2, 4 = 22)
The Number 23 (4, 7, 6, 3, 1 = 21) Direction
License to Wed (5, 6, 4, 3, 2 = 20)
1408 (6, 5, 4, 3, 2 = 20) Cheesy

THE MILDLY FUNNY/ENTERTAINING BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH SO
The Heartbreak Kid (4, 3, 5, 3, 4 = 19)
Blades of Glory (3, 4, 5, 4, 3 = 19)
Hot Rod (3, 3, 6, 2, 4 = 18)
Ghost Rider (2, 5, 6, 2, 2 = 17)
Chuck and Larry (3, 2, 6, 3, 2 = 16)
Good Luck Chuck (3, 4, 5, 2, 1 = 15) Unnecessarily Raunchy
Meet the Robinsons (4, 2, 4, 3, 2 = 15) Lazy
Seraphim Falls (5, 2, 2, 3, 3 = 15)

THE BAD
Stardust (4, 4, 3, 1, 2 = 14)
Rush Hour 3 (2, 2, 4, 3, 2 = 13) Direction
The Last Mimzy (4, 3, 2, 2, 1 = 12) Creepy
The Brothers Solomon (1, 2, 4, 2, 2 = 11)
Reno 911: Miami (2, 1, 4, 1, 2 = 10)

THE EPICALLY BAD
Spider Man 3 (1, 5, 2, 1, 1 = 10) Direction
Alpha Dog (3, 3, 2, 1, 1 = 10)
Balls of Fury (1, 2, 3, 2, 1 = 9)
Epic Movie (1, 1, 3, 2, 1 = 8)
Fantastic 4: 2 (1, 4, 1, 1, 1 = 8)
The Last Legion (1, 3, 1, 1, 1 = 7)
Journey to the End of the Night (1, 1, 1, 1, 1 = 5)

Three Great and Underrated Movies

Yesterday I stumbled into a Game Stop to talk with an old high school buddy of mine who manages the shop. I’m not much of a gamer so Game Stop isn’t one of my normal haunts. My buddy mentioned that the entire company is getting out of the used DVD business and so they have their DVDs on sale, buy two, get two free. How could I pass this up? I searched through the racks for four movies that a.) are worth owning and b.) I don’t already own. In the search I came across 3 films that I would consider “great” in comparison to just about everything else from the last decade, yet are either vastly underrated or have been forgotten. I bought all three (four movies for 17 bucks is a steal) and thought I’d briefly review the greatness of these movies.

“Layer Cake”
This is a low budget British movie, just one step above an independent film. The cast is made up of well respected but ultimately lesser known British actors, with the exception of a pre-Bond Daniel Craig. Craig plays the main character, a drug importer (not to be confused with a drug dealer) on the verge of retirement. Inevitably he is sucked into one last job that turns out to be the worst of his life, causing him to violate several of his own rules that have kept him out of jail for so long while at the same time providing enough money to support him for the rest of his life. Craig is, as always, fantastic and the rest of the cast chimes in perfectly. “Layer Cake” also provides a unique look into the drug industry. Most intriguing, however, is the fact that Craig’s character is never named, a fact that the viewer may only become aware of in the final, shocking scene. This is an absolutely fantastic movie.

“The Usual Suspects”
I’ll admit, the first time I saw this movie I was less than impressed. In fact, I was pretty well pissed off. However, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t paying enough attention to pick up on the complex plots GENIUS twists and turns. After watching “Suspects” again, I felt like a fool for ever doubting it, especially considering what an affinity I have for con movies. The film has a great cast, including Kevin Pollack, Benicio Del Toro, the always overlooked Gabriel Bryne, and Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint, one of the great roles of the 90’s that virtually put Spacey on the map. The plot is far too complex to try to cover in a short paragraph but when the twist that you KNOW is coming finally comes, you’re still left speechless. The end of this movie has a way of both ticking the viewer off while at the same time bringing a smile to his/her face, making you realize how brilliant the movie really was.

“L.A. Confidential”
By far the most heralded of these movies, “Confidential” has none the less been all but forgotten despite its Oscar pedigree. It was nominated for 9 Oscars in 1998 but has since been relegated to late night TNT fodder. Nevertheless, this is one of the best crime films of the last 20 years. As with “The Usual Suspects,” it would be difficult to truly do the plotline justice by summarizing it here. The movie is slightly and purposefully campy, shot as one would read a 1950’s tabloid. The story twists and turns without ever getting too complex or too ridiculous and delivers an action packed ending. The cast is fantastic and just as “Suspects” essentially launched the career of Kevin Spacey a couple of years before, “Confidential” gave Russell Crowe the boost that would ultimately result in his becoming one of the more sought after actors in Hollywood. I have watched this film several dozen times over the years and never gotten tired of it.

So the next time you drive by your local Game Stop or other used DVD store, take a moment to fight through the racks of crap that will inevitably be displayed, and perhaps you too will be rewarded with a couple of “diamonds in the rough,” so to speak.

New Trade

Dangit, I cannot keep up fast enough. I love this time of year because the GM aspects of sports, especially the NBA, is incredibly interesting to me.

As I was writing my last post, the Spurs pulled off a move that, in my opinion, hurts them in two ways. They sent Francisco Elson and Brent Barry, along with a future first round pick, to Seattle for Kurt Thomas. This made them less scary in terms of how the Spurs relate to the Mavs. First off, earlier today the team was rumored to be sending the exact same package to Sacramento for Ron Artest. That put some fear into me as a Mavs fan, as Artest would have fit in with that team extremely well. Second, Elson was a guy who guarded Dirk extremely well. He made him work hard and brought some athleticism and mobility along with physical strength that frustrated Dirk. Kurt Thomas has done nothing but get his butt TORCHED by Dirk. He does not match up well at all. Frankly, I think the Spurs are less of a threat now than they were before this move.

On a side note, whoever is running the Sonics is a genius. This off season he traded a second round pick to Phoenix for Kurt Thomas and 2 first round picks. (If you think that sounds RIDICULOUS, you're right, and it is just another example of poor ownership from the Suns.) Now he's moved Thomas for expiring contracts and ANOTHER first round pick. Kurt Thomas is a journeyman backup who suddenly has brought the Sonics 3 first round picks over the next 3 seasons. An absolute steal for a team that will be a force by the time it moves to Oklahoma City.

Trade Options

The NBA trading deadline is approximately 21 hours away. The Mavs trade for Jason Kidd was a fantastic move but there are other moves the Mavs could make to either fill holes on the roster or upgrade the roster entirely. Here are 5 trades that could potentially be pulled off that would offer the Mavs some help, in order from the least significant to the most.

5. Devean George and J.J. Barea to Chicago for Chris Duhon
Duhon is a legitimate backup point guard. He is still young but also an experienced, smart player (4 years including 2 Final Fours at Duke plus 4 years in the NBA). Not a particularly good shooter but he's capable of knocking down the occasional shot. More to the point, he is an excellent defender, a great passer (4+ assists in 24 minutes per game), and a very good athlete for the position. He is a free agent at the end of the season and will look to move out of Chicago. As a bonus, the Mavs get to rid themselves of George, who has to be about the most hated man in any Dallas locker room these days. JJ is a nice story but he's never going to be more than a 3rd stringer while Duhon is a real number 2.

4. Jerry Stackhouse and a possible future pick to Sacramento for Ron Artest
I'll go on the record as saying I despise Artest. He's a goon whose talents have been VASTLY overrated. Where many people see defensive prowess and a low post presence, I see a bully who just overpowers weaker opponents. He is also a nut case that you cannot depend on. In fact I think the case could be made that Ron Ron is legally retarded. That said, he's a physical, tough minded player that can guard multiple positions and does operate a lot in the low post. Because the Mavs do not have a low post presence at the 5, adding a small forward who posts up would be a welcome addition. I'm not sure how well Artest can run with Kidd so I'd be more willing to bring in a slashing, athletic swing man but this could be a decent option. Trade rumors have the Kings getting players like Linas Kleiza and salary cap relief so the low price of Jerry Stackhouse could possibly get it done.

3. Jerry Stackhouse to Memphis for Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick, and Brian Cardinal
I love the idea of this trade for two reasons: a.) It would address two holes on the roster and b.) if it were to go through, it would be a shining example of how great an owner Mark Cuban is and how terrible some of the other owners in the league are. Lowry and Warrick are two very young, unproven players that are currently caught in numbers crunch, particularly Lowry. Lowry was a late 1st round pick last season and is now the 4th young point guard on the roster behind Mike Conley, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Javaris Crittenden. Warrick isn't playing and part of that might be because he hasn't lived up to his potential. Lowry would be a solid backup to Kidd who could, potentially, be the guy when Kidd moves on. Warrick is a little small for a backup post player, but he's extremely athletic and mobile and would give the Mavs not only a quicker option on defense but a guy who would run with Kidd. The key to this is Cardinal. His contract is an embarrassment for the Memphis franchise. He's essentially not played for 2 years and still has 3 years left on his contract for around 20 million dollars. Memphis is looking for one thing and one thing only: salary cap space. The Memphis owner is attempting to cut payroll in order to make the team more viable for selling. This was evident in the Pau Gasol trade in which the Lakers picked up one of the better young big men in the league for 3 draft picks and expiring contracts. Have a look at the numbers:

Jerry Stackhouse is owed approximately 16 million dollars over the next 3 seasons. At the minimum, the triad of Lowry, Cardinal, and Warrick are owed 24.8 million dollars over the same period, and up to 32.7 million if all of the options are picked up on Lowry and Warrick. At the least, the Grizzlies would save themselves almost 9 million dollars. Add to it the fact that the Grizz would probably buy Stackhouse out for between 10 and 12 million dollars, which Stack would certainly agree to (and would probably come right back to Dallas with a big “screw you” to the NBA), Memphis could save themselves between 13 and 22 million dollars.

2. Jason Terry and Devean George to Charlotte for Jason Richardson and Jeff McInnis
I am a HUGE fan of Jason Richardson. He is a physical freak, a 6-7 shooting guard who is as strong and built as most NBA power forwards yet still with the speed of a much smaller player. He can shoot from the outside (41% shooter from beyond the arc this year) who also spends a lot of time in the paint dunking in your face. He can be a lock down defender when properly motivated and he is the definition of a hard nosed, tough player. He doesn’t get into fights or cause problems like Artest but he has just enough attitude and toughness to convey the message. Jason Terry has a bad contract so I think it would be a hard sell to get Charlotte to take him on. However, it’s not nearly as big as Richardson’s. JRich will make 11.1 million dollars this year, 12.2 mil next year, 13.3 the year after that, and 14.4 in the final year of his contract. Charlotte’s owner is notoriously cheap and that team has failed to realize the potential it has. Terry would work well off of a legit low post player like Emeka Okafor in Charlotte than he does here. McInnis and George are only involved in this to make the trade work under the cap, though McInnis is a decent backup at the point, something the Mavs need regardless of whether or not Terry stays in Dallas.

If Charlotte is unwilling to take on Terry’s contract, the Mavs could also push this trade through by including either Cleveland or Orlando, two teams that would have an interest in Terry’s scoring ability, who would send expiring contracts (and perhaps a draft pick) to Charlotte.

1. Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse to Philadelphia for Andre Igoudala and Samuel Dalembert
This is a tough one (from both sides) but follow me for a minute here. Personally, I think Josh Howard has significantly regressed this season. Perhaps with Jason Kidd running the show instead of Devin Harris, he will come out of his funk. But Howard made his name here by playing defense and slashing to the basket. He’s done neither of those consistently since he got his big contract. He is essentially a streaky jump shooter now and shows no signs of turning back from that path. On another team that might not be so bad but when the other two big scorers on the team are jumpshooters as well (like Dirk and Terry are), he looks bad.

Andre Igoudala is just the opposite of Howard. He is a slasher with an inconsistent jump shot, though he can knock a shot down when he needs to. He has had far too much pressure put on him in Philly after the trades of Allen Iverson and Chris Webber. He is not a franchise player which the Sixers badly want him to be. On a good team, however, he could focus more on defense (where he could be an all league player), and dunking in your eye with both power and finesse. In addition, he would be a fantastic running mate for Jason Kidd.

Dalembert has a terrible contract that rivals Erick Dampier’s. He’ll be paid between 10 and 12 million dollars per season for the next four years. Philly DESPARATELY wants to clear his contract off the books. Dalembert would give the Mavs a great 1-2 punch at the center position, with Dampier being the stronger, physical defender against guys like Shaq and Dalembert being called upon to guard quicker, more mobile players like Amare Stoudemire (not to mention Dalembert is a much better offensive player than Damp). Together, Dalembert would fill the hole left by Diop and Igoudala would compliment Kidd (and Dirk) much better than Howard.

From the Mavs perspective, I can’t see this going through. Howard has been propped up as a legitimate option and borderline All Star that the Mavs both like and depend on. The Mavs have invested in him and feel he is a major part of their success. In truth, on another team, he probably could be a borderline All Star, but here his game doesn’t work as well. At the same time, I’m not sure how Sixer management would sell this move to their fans. However, I still feel this is an option when you consider the salary cap.

As I said before, Philly wants to get rid of Dalembert’s contract. In addition, consider the fact that Igoudala is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. That means he can sign with any team he wants which will force the Sixers to either match the offer or let him walk away without any return. The problem is, Igoudala isn’t worth the contract he is sure to get, which will end up being somewhere between 9 and 12 million dollars per year. Philly obviously doesn’t think Andre is worth this amount or they would have signed him to an extension this off season. At the same time, the Sixers can’t let him walk away for nothing. It is possible that, in an effort to avoid a potential “Catch 22” situation, Sixers management would be willing to trade Igoudala. (By the way, it should be noted that over paying Igoudala isn’t as much of a concern for the Mavs because they’re already both in contention and over the salary cap. Philly is in a bad spot because they stink and need cap space to get better but also need to keep Igoudala on the roster.) With the added incentive of a team taking on Dalembert’s deal, Philly could be willing to take on an All Star, Howard, with an already defined contract, and the cap relief they would receive. As it stands, this deal would add approximately 7 million dollars to the Sixers salary cap over the next 4 years. However, this is before the team guys out Stackhouse (saving between 4 and 6 million dollars), and they hand out what will certainly be an excessive extension to Igoudala, which would probably cost them at least 20 to 40 million dollars over that time period.

This would be a bold move for both teams and would likely draw a great deal of criticism from the fan bases of both franchises. In the long run, though, this would give the Mavs both a slasher and legitimate center, both of which are badly needed, and allow the Sixers to be a player in the free agent market next summer.

Of all of these moves, I think numbers 5 and 3 are the most likely to go through. While some of the other moves would make a much more significant adjustment to the roster, any of them would add something and make the Mavs stronger as they push themselves towards the big goal of a title.

Mavs Thoughts 2/19

Today was one of the best days in recent Mavericks history in the opinion of this writer. By adding Hall of Fame point guard (one of the top 5 of all time) Jason Kidd to the roster, the Mavs gave themselves the boost that could FINALLY put the team over the top and help them win a title (or two). I gave my reasoning for why this deal is AWESOME a couple of days ago, but on the day the trade finally freaking became official, a few more Mavs thoughts/stories came to light.



1. There is a ridiculous argument being made by those who oppose this trade that Jason Kidd's numbers are down this year. Seriously? The man is almost averaging a triple double! In the history of this league, only one player (The Big O, Oscar Robertson) has averaged a triple double over the course of a season. As far as I know, no other player has come even close to this feat in the 45 years since Oscar did it. How can ANYONE, especially supposed basketball experts who make their living off the sport, say his numbers have gone down? If this was baseball we'd be asking Kidd to piss in a cup right now. No player has his stats go up like that in his mid 30's. Sure, his field goal percentage is down and his turnovers are slightly up. But Kidd has never been a shooter and will not asked to be one here. And as far as turnovers go, take a look a the NBA's turnover leader board here: Turnover Leader Board Almost all of the players high on that list are either point guards or else their team's main distributor. Point guards turn the ball over more because they have it in their hands more. His TO/gm average is slightly higher than his career average while his assists are up. The real thing to look at here is his assist to turnover ratio which is still one of the best in the NBA.

2. Marc Stein wrote a column today proclaiming his exubberance for the Kidd trade and why he felt the Mavs did themselves a major favor. Here's the link:
Daily Dime
For those of you unfamiliar with Stein, he used to be the Mavs beat writer for the Dallas Morning News before ESPN snatched him away. He is, without question, the best NBA writer that the so called "leader in sports" has up in Bristol. Even more so is his knowledge of the Mavs because he still lives here part time and follows the team much more than the average national guy. When some of the knuckleheads at ESPN like John Hollinger say this deal is a bad one for the Mavs, bear in mind that they don't watch every Mavs game and probably only catch the occasional nationally televised game. They see a roster made up of guys that won 67 games last year, not the team that has looked terrible for the majority of the season.

3. Speaking of idiot so called experts who don't know a BLEEPING thing, Peter Vescey reported today in the New York Post that Avery Johnson pressued the Mavs management to trade Dirk Nowitzki this off season. There are so very many things I could say about this story but most of them involve words that wouldn't make it on network TV or radio so I'll be brief. There are only two things that anyone really needs to know about this story and they are a.) Peter Vescey and b.) New York Post. The Post is BARELY one step above Star Magazine and the other tabloid crap you'll find in the grocery store. And Peter Vescey is the poster boy for the Post. He is a PROVEN plagerer and liar. Put aside the fact that he hates Cuban because Cuban publicly and embarrassingly called him out for a bald faced lie he wrote in a story a few years back. That's beside the point.

Vescey, who has pretty much been kicked out of every media group he used to be a part of, is the type of guy who rolls out of bed after drinking too many appletinis, realizes he hasn't written a column for the next day, thinks to himself through a drunken haze "wouldn't it be a great story if..." and then proceeds to write a factual column based soley on his internal hypothetical and site "anonymous sources." He's a sham, a fake, a phoney, a dirty, lying son of a gun with absolutely no ethics or morals. How this guy still has anything to do with the NBA is beyond me. Pay no attention to the idiot behind the curtain.

4. Finally, I want to piggy back a point concerning the Kidd trade that I heard earlier today that I hadn't thought of. While I raved about the mental toughness and smarts he brings to the team, I neglected to mention one thing that might be almost as important: He wasn't around for the two biggest chokes in NBA history and that's an intangible that cannot be over looked. When the Mavs roll into Oakland to play the Warriors in a couple of weeks, whether they want to be or not, a lot of the guys on this team will be intimidated or at least under a great deal of pressure to put up a big game. Kidd won't. Kidd will look across the floor at the Warriors and see them for what they are, a decent team that, should the playoffs start today would be on the outside looking in, who the Mavs are better than. And that's it, and that's important. To have a real leader who hasn't endured the mental beatings the Mavs have taken in the last couple of years, is huge.

All Star Weekend 2008

Just finished watching the NBA All Star game, the culminating event of All Star Weekend. Definitely one of the better All Star Weekends inrecent memory. The game was competitive, coming down to the last minute. The word came down just before the game that Jason Kidd had pretty much officially been traded to the Mavs. And best of all, the Slam Dunk contest was incredible.

A quick history: tall players never win the Slam Dunk contest. The last guy over about 6-8 that won the event was Larry Nance in 1984, which was actually the first NBA dunk contest. It just doesn't look as cool when a big guy dunks as it does when a guard dunks. For my money, that makes what Dwight Howard did Saturday night even more impressive.

Howard stands 7 feet tall and in truth, the tall thing worked against him last year when he didn't get close to the recognition he deserved for his dunks. Obviously he's been working on this year's dunks all season. He combined finesse with power perfectly and came up with some incredibly creative moves.

In the history of the Dunk Contest, two names stand out as to the combined awesomeness of all their dunks: Vince Carter in 2000 and Jason Richardson in 2003. Nothing was even close to these player's total package, though I still think Jordan jumping from the free throw line in 88 was the best dunk ever. What Howard did Saturday, in my mind, blew Jason Richardson out of the water and put him solidly in second place all time and might just rival Vince for the best ever. He took past dunks, added new elements to them, and did them in ways that defied the laws of gravity and nature itself. Absolutely amazing. After Josh Smith and Gerald Green breathed new life into this contest in the last couple of years (let's forget all about Nate Robinson somehow pulling out a victory despite missing his dunk 16 freaking times), Dwight Howard brought it squarly back to where it once was with four mind blowing throw downs.

Jason Kidd Traded to Dallas...And Then Not Traded

I had a huge post ready to go today concerning a 5 step process for saving the Mavs. Before I could finish it up, however, news came down that the Mavs and Nets were in heated discussions to bring Jason Kidd back to Dallas. As the day progressed the trade expanded then shrunk, new players were added, players were taken away, etc. until a deal was reached...and then the deal was rejected because Devean George excercised a very rare no trade clause to block the deal. In the end it looks like the deal will eventually get pushed through in some form or another with the principles being:
Dallas trades - Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Gana Diop, Maurice Ager, 3 million dollars, 2 first round draft picks, a second round draft pick, and either Devean George or something equivalent.
New Jersey trades - Jason Kidd, Malik Allen, and Antoine Wright.
New Jersey would also buyout Jerry Stackhouse, allowing him to resign with the Mavs after a 30 day waiting period, which he could use to heal up anyway.
I've written a lot on this throughout the day but I think the following sums up most of my thoughts on this move.

On What the Mavs Are Giving Up:
First off, I don't care about depth. We've had great depth on some of our past teams and every year it's been the same thing: in the playoffs your rotation drops to 8 or 9 no matter how deep you are. Dirk, Kidd, Howard, Terry, Damp, Bass, Stack (we assume), Jones, and either Barea or a big man to be named later. It would be great to have lots of depth but it might be the most overrated, over talked about "x factor" in all of sports. It doens't matter in the playoffs.

Second, I hate losing Harris. I really, really wish the Mavs could have gotten a deal done with Terry instead. Harris and Kidd together sounded great. But, you have to give to get. My arguments with Harris are the same as they've always been:

1.) Avery cannot or will not use him correctly. He doesn't trust him, he's not his type of player, and unless Avery suddenly took the shackles off, Harris would never reach his full potential here.

2.) Harris is never going to be a Hall of Fame player. Ever. He's a very good guy who might scratch the All Star game once or twice, maybe more now that he's in the East where there are far less talented young points. But we've all pretty much agreed that best case scenario for Harris is a poor man's Kevin Johnson. I loved KJ but he wasn't even close to Kidd, even in his prime.

3.) The injury bug seems to afflict Harris pretty regularly. He's skinny as a rail, he takes a lot of hits, and with the exception of Allen Iverson, most players who play that way end up with major injuries that hamper their effectiveness. Harris playing the way he does, which I love by the way, probably means he'll peak out at 28 or 29 and begin an early decline. Slahers like Harris who do not have reliable jumpers often fall VERY fast. Kidd has never had a jumper but that's never held him back and he's already adjusted his game to both his inability to shoot AND a microfracture knee surgery. We have no idea how Harris will adjust to the major injury that, let's face it, is in the cards before too long. Eventually he's gonna get hurt and hurt seriously and you have to wonder how he'll get over it.

Third, Stack coming back is helpful. I was under the impression that if a player wasn't under contract by March 1 he couldn't play in the playoffs but perhaps that changed along with the 30 day rule. Giving Stack 30 days off to rest up could actually make him halfway useful for the stretch.

Fourth, I absolutely hate losing Diop. I like Diop a lot. I think he is very underrated in terms of what he does without complaining for the money he is paid. It's tough to find those guys. Perhaps NJ cuts him as well? I don't know. Losing him is the most significant part of this deal. I have to imagine the Mavs have a plan to get a replacement though.

Fifth, why would any fan care about the rest of the pieces involved in this? Maurice Ager might be the worst player in the NBA if it weren't for the fact that the Mavs also drafted Nick Fasuckus. George can be helpful when he plays his role but we got a nice dose of George's inconsistency on Sunday when he threw up 12 shots, including 4 threes. He's redundant to Hassell who is a better player anyway. Someone on one of the radio stations (I think Nate Newton, who knows nothing about basketball anyway) was throwing an absolute fit about the draft picks. Again I say, WHO CARES?! The Mavs have proven a complete inability to do ANYTHING useful with their draft picks anyway so why does it matter? Do we really need 2 more Agers in the next 3 years?

10 Reasons Why I Like This Trade:
1.) Jason Kidd makes everyone around him not just better but significantly better. If you're willing to work to get open, there is not a better player in the league except for maybe Nash at finding you. The guy is averaging 10+ assists per game on a TERRIBLE team. I think he gives Damp a better opportunity to score some low post points. I think he makes Eddie Jones and Jet (or whoever they get for Jet in another trade, please GOD!) a better outside shooter. I think he gives Stack a better opportunity to actually provide something of value. Most importantly, I think he takes defense away from Dirk and gets him the ball, something this team hasn't done for 2 years in spite of his MVP trophy, and I think (or at least hope) that he turns Josh back into a slashing type of player. Josh has regressed significantly this year and I've been on him for that but when you add a guy who is so incredibly gifted at finding players who go to the rim, it gives you motivation to do just that. I think Howard and Dirk get immediately better because of Kidd's presence.

Harris was an excellent player but he was not a particularly gifted passer/distributor. Getting better? Yes, but Harris doesn't have the court vision you need to become a great passer. This team needs easy baskets like no team in the league and while you'd like to get easy baskets by adding a monster in the paint, who was out there, who was available? No one. J O'neal and his gimpy knee and that's it. Kidd gets us easy baskets and while we're still a jumpshooting team, like I said, I think the knowledge that if you go to the rim this dude is going to find you gets into your head and you start passing on jumpers to move the ball and get it back later for a dunk. Consider this telling stat, something I consider pretty significant: this season, Jason Kidd has 33 games of double digit assists. The Mavs as a TEAM have 2 double digit assist performances all year. That makes a BIG difference.

2.) Kidd isn't a bad defender. He's not as good as Harris is simply because he's not as quick. But people are making Kidd out to be Steve Nash defensively. Kidd has been one of the better defensive point guards for the last decade and while he may be a step slower now, he's still a pretty salty defender. Consider also that Kidd doesn't pick half the fouls Harris does as well. Harris is one of the worst players in the league at picking up cheap, ticky tack fouls that send him to the bench, resulting in prolonged periods of Jason Terry's matador defense. Kidd has the respect of the refs that no one on this team has and it allows him to play more physically on defense, something Avery will love and something we should all be appreciative of.

3.) Kidd adds the two things this team has been lacking the most: mental toughness and leadership. I think Dirk has gone above and beyond in his efforts to be the leader, it's just not his personality. He's not a vocal leader. Kidd is. Kidd will rip your heart out if he thinks you aren't playing as hard as you should. And then he goes out, shows you how to do it, and throws you an alley oop to let you know he still loves you. That's BIG. And even more importantly, in my opinion, is the mental side of this. This team's basketball IQ is possibly the lowest I've seen in a true contender, ever. Stupid play after stupid play. That cost them in 05, it cost them in 06, it cost them in 07, and it's still rearing it's ugly head this season. Kidd is one of the smartest players in the league and he's tough as nails. No one is going to intimidate JKidd the way the Mavs were intimidated by the Warriors. There won't be nearly as many complete mental breakdowns like the Mavs have had repeatedly in the last 3 years, Kidd won't let it happen.

4.) I don't think you can underestimate the effect of rejuvination. Kidd is putting up near triple double numbers while playing for a crappy team knowing full well he's not going anywhere. Now add him to a team that has a great chance of winning a title playing with a guy he has had an outspoken great admiration for in Dirk. That's another thing that's important: Kidd hasn't been real shy about the fact that he doesn't care for Carter's way of playing the game but Kidd is a fan of Dirk. I think we can expect Kidd to pick up his game even more and like I said, he's already putting up a 3D.

5.) Some of the pundits, particularly Hollinger, have stated that Kidd doesn't fit the Mavs offense. I think that's true in a way but it doesn't take into consideration the idea that the Mavs could and should (and better) change their game planning some to fit Kidd's strengths. We won't be running as much as a Nellie team but even stubborn Avery can recognize Kidd's greatness and loosen up the reigns a little. In addition, even if Avery doesn't do that, Kidd isn't going to be like Harris, turning to the bench every possession to see what the coach wants him to do. He's gonna grab the ball and run and eventually, even if Avery is over on the bench screaming for it to stop, the rest of the team will start running, too.

6.) I think Antoine Wright has something. He's extremely inconsistent but I thought his addition to the trade helps out a little. He certainly is a better player than Ager so it works out. I think he could be a nice addition at a cheap price.

7.) Don't be surprised if another move is on the way. I've heard several sources, from Stein to Norm quoting a Mavs source, that have said Dallas isn't done trading. Obviously the team is now in need of a big man but they could use a little help at the point/swing spot. I got the impression that something else is in the works.

8.) The fact that Jerry Stackhouse, who has kind of become the team's spokesman in the last couple of years, is SO EXTREMELY EXCITED about this speaks volumes to me. This dude is getting traded away in this thing and yet he sounds like a fat kid in a candy store. That tells you how much other players respect Kidd and how excited this team is to be playing with that guy. That's huge in my opinion.

9.) If nothing else, I like that the Mavs recognized that a.) the team needed a shakeup and b.) the window of opportunity is closing. Portland, LA, New Orleans, Utah, etc. are only getting better. I don't think you can bank on this team contending with those teams in the next 3, 4, 5 years whether they have Harris or not. I like that the MBT, after completely failing us in the last 2 years, stepped up a made a big move, for better or for worse, that they truly believe will bring them a title. After sitting through this season and it's numerous frustrations and having seen the complete and utter chokes the last two years, I don't know how we can sit here and say this is a bad move and that the Dirk-Harris-Howard "building blocks of the future" thing was going to win a title. Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't, but personally I like our chances better now than before.

10.) Last, I don't care about the future. I'm dead serious. If we win a title in the next year or two, we can go back to winning 11 or 13 games again. I don't want to hear anything about the future unless it's in conjuction with help now as in "he will help us win now AND will be a building block for the future." The question you have to ask yourself is would you rather be the Mavs as they've been recently, always contending, always with a chance to win it but ultimately never quite getting it done, or the Heat and win a title and then slip into complete insignificance within a year or two. I'll take the ring every single time. And JKidd gives us a better shot at that ring than Harris did, IMO. Plus, a lot of fans are pissed about this right now but in a couple weeks when the Mavs are winning again and JKidd is pushing our offense back to the top, the fans (including those on this board, haha) will forget all about Devin Harris.

On Devean George's selfishness:
First off, this deal will get done. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Devean George can't stay on this team now after what he's done, for one thing, but for another, it's really very difficult to keep a lot of guys now that you've told them you traded them. One guy, like the Spurs with Brent Barry a couple years ago, you can handle. But you can't tell 5 guys "we traded you" then say "nevermind" and expect everything to be fine. More importantly, George's contract is easy enough to substitute. Option 1 is most likely, IMO, George will talk to the agent, figure out that he can't stay here now and that he'll get as good an opportunity as he can to earn himself a new paycheck. Option 2 is the Mavs find another team that George will agree to that has an expiring contract close to what George's is. Send him there, send the expiring contract to NJ. Option 3 is to pull Diop out of the deal and sign KVH to whatever the difference is, equivalent to the contracts of George and Diop, then tell George your services are no longer needed, go home. In that scenario we keep Diop, which is a plus. I know Cubes said he doesn't want to use KVH but there's a difference between a 16 mil contract and one that equals to George and Diop, which is what, 4 or 5 mil? That's doable. Actually, according to ESPN.com, it would only cost the Mavs 2 million dollars more to take out George and Diop and add KVH.

But I wanna say what a jerk George is. First off, the reason you're getting traded is because you don't play your role. Freaking 0-11 tonight, idiot. If you were playing the way you did last year you'd probably have a bigger role. Second, you asked for a trade numbnuts. You want more PT. Well guess what, chief, the way a fringe player like you gets more minutes is by going to a crap team. Does he really think he's going to get 25+ minutes with a contender? Idiot. And third, don't agree to the freaking trade and then back out after the news has already come out. Freaking moron. If you wanna talk to your agent first, tell them that, don't say yes and then back out.

Quick Hits 2/12

1. Duke Basketball
I've been a Blue Devil for as long as I can remember. My first real experience with basketball came with the 1991 Duke team that eventually won the NCAA title. Since then, I have bled blue and black and rout harder for Duke than I do for any other team, save perhaps the Mavs. The last few years have been somewhat disappointing, which in truth shows how spoiled I am. Since their last title in 2001, the Devils have advanced past the Sweet 16 only once (Final Four in 2004) and last season they did something they had not done since 1996 by losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In each of the last 9 years the team has been ranked number 1 for at least one week yet they have ultimately failed to win a title. Again, I recognize that a lot of fans would give their left arm to have their team reach the level of success Duke has had in the last 7 years but the standards of a Duke fan, much like that of a Yankee fan, are much higher than this.

After struggling through last season in which, for the first time in a long time, Duke had trouble scoring the ball and closing games out in the clutch, this season has been a tremendous treat to watch. This team is something special. I don't know if they're going to win the title this season. To be honest, they are probably built more for next year than this. And yet I find myself getting pretty excited about what this group can do come tournament time. They have a team that is loaded with ball handlers and shooters, from point guard Greg Paulus to center Kyle Singler. Add to that two extremely talented and athletic wings in Gerald Henderson and Demarcus Nelson (the only senior on the roster) and you have a very strong, very deep team that is only a true post presence away from being the best team in the country. They move the ball extremely well, they get after every lose ball, and maybe most importantly, they ABSOLUTELY DOG you on defense. From the top player to the last guy off the bench, everyone can get after it defensively. They defeated what might be a superior North Carolina team (albeit sans Ty Lawson) last week by extending the defense to half court and making UNC work for every single basket. Nothing comes easy.

That's something that has been a constant in the Coach K era but that has been lacking in recent years. The teams led by J.J. Redick and Josh McRoberts didn't play the same brand of defense that a Duke team usually does; they lacked the intensity. This group of guys, while no less talented, is unquestionably more dedicated to doing anything and everything necessary to win. There's no star treatment here. Put bluntly, this is a REAL Duke team.

I can't say how far this team will go. They are seriously lacking in the height department, as starting center Kyle Singler is only 6'8. So teams that have a legit center, such as UNC, UCLA, Kansas, Georgetown, etc., should create a mismatch. But I will say this: Singler outplayed the much more heralded Tyler Hansborough last week. Sure, Hansborough got his stats (28 points, 18 boards) but Singler got all of his points and rebounds when the mattered and kept Hansborough on his toes all night. They have a chance this season and regardless, it has been a joy to this fan to see Duke rise back to the level I expect.

2. Roy Scheider Dies
I don't make much space for celebrity news but this is a special case. Roy Scheider did some pretty great (and some pretty awful) work during his time in Hollywood. Most notably to me was his portrayal of Chief Brody in "Jaws." "Jaws" is one of those movies that sticks with you, that you vividly remember whether you were around to see it in theaters or you caught it on TV later on. The special effects in the film were stunning (for its time) and the story terrifying. But perhaps the best moment came when Scheider's Brody catches his first real glimpse of the giant shark and utters the classic, "We're gonna need a bigger boat" line. That is one of the most memorable lines in modern movie history and the deliver was dead on, with shock, awe, and terror all mixed together pefectly. Scheider made an impression on at least one aspiring film guru and his presence in the industry will be missed.

3. Sports Karma
I could probably write an entire column on this topic but I want to speak briefly for the time being. I'm not a real believer in the philosophy of Karma, per se, though I think there's something to the idea of reaping what you sow. Nevertheless, it is a fun idea to throw around, especially pertaining to the world of sports. Sports Karma is the idea that a player, team, organization, fan, or city should never do or say anything that will ultimately anger the sports gods, resulting in your team's loss. This includes things such as making guarantees, providing "locker room bulletin board" material, or declaring a win or title before the game or season is over. For example, say, a particular city mayor (Laura Miller) allowing the city (Dallas) to plan a freaking parade route for a given team (Mavericks) a week before the team could even wrap up the title under event he best of circumstances. In this example, said team went on to blow a 2-0 series lead and (with the all important help from the referees) proceeded to lose the championship series 4-2. Ya, the Mavs had a commanding lead in the series but you NEVER want to piss off the sports gods! Here's the rub: it's one thing to discuss among city planning authorities a proposed parade route. It's an entirely different thing to ANNOUNCE THESE PLANS to anyone who will listen! Never in the history of sports had a city/team/fan taunted the sports gods, an activity that was bound to bring on a Sports Karma moment.

Sports Karma reared it's ugly head again a few days ago, however, when the Giants pulled off perhaps the greatest upset in American sports history by beating the previously unbeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. Come to find out, a book titled "19-0!" describing the "perfect" season the Pats had rolled out was made available on amazon.com days before the final game which would have made them 19-0 took place. You could preorder the book and had the Pats won, it would have actually shipped out around halftime of the game! Talk about taunting the sports gods and just asking for the team to experience the wrath of Sports Karma. I half expect angry Pats finds to tar and feather the writer of this now defunct book in an effort to appease the sports gods. But before this happens, let me just tell you it won't work. The Mavs are still trying to make ammends for the mayor's great offense and at this point it looks like it will never happen.

4. TERRIBLE Injury
I've seen a LOT of seriously awful and often stomach turning sports injuries in my day. Joe Theisman's broken leg is the first example that comes to mind for most fans. The gymnast slamming his sternum into the vault is another. Shaun Livingston's leg break is less known but no less disturbing. But until this week I can't think of a single injury as bad as the one Richard Zednik suffered.

In the third period of the Panthers - Sabers hockey game Sunday, Zednik was struck in the neck by teammate Olli Jokinen's skate as Jokinen was upended. Zednik immediately grabbed his neck and skated to the bench where a team trainer and a teammate met him and carried him off the ice. While it wasn't immediately clear what happened, the severity of the situation dawned on the players and the crowd when they noticed the trail of pooling blood stretching from the far end of the ice to the bench. As it turned out, Zednik's corrotid artery had been severed and all told the man lost a gallon and half of blood.

It is truly amazing that Zednik lived through this ordeal. Consider the events: instead of falling to the ice, Zednik raced to the bench. Falling down likely would have cost him a good 30 seconds while the trainer scrambled out onto the ice. The trainer was able to immediately put enough pressure on the wound as to stop the majority of the bleeding. In attendance at the game was a noted vascular surgeon who left his seat and was able to ride in the ambulance with Zednik. If any one of these events had not taken place, Zednik very likely would have died. As it is, he was removed from the ICU today and doctors believe he will make a full recovery. Still, it's almost surreal (not to mention disturbing) to think we could have actually witnessed a man die during a nationally televised sporting event. And at the same time, I have to think we're fortunate that things like this don't happen more often. Hockey players are basically wearing swords on their feet and it's amazing that this type of thing isn't more prevalent.

Oh, as a side note, the last time a player was seriously cut by a skate was 20 years ago when Buffalo goalie Clint Malarchuk had a collision in front of the net that resulted in the severing of his jugular vein. The video is not for the weak of heart.

5. No more strike!
And lastly, I just want to say how stinking happy I am the the Writer's Guild of America strike is finally over. I cannot express how happy I am that movies can now begin production again and the best TV shows the networks have to offer, such as "24" and "Lost," will be able to begin shooting again. Since I can't adequately express my joy, let me just show you a brief list of the reality TV crap that has taken the place of the real shows:
"Baby Borrowers" - teens take care of babies to see what it's like to be adults.

"Amnesia" - a host asks people questions to basically show how stupid people are.

"My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad" - I am not making this up.

"Here Come the Newlyweds" - Use your imagination.

"Do You Trust Me?" - Two complete strangers...blah blah blah...1 million dollars.

That's just a sampling and I didn't even check Fox's lineup which I'm sure is filled with "soon to be cancelled" fodder that usually makes up that network's lineup. So everyone say a quick prayer of thanksgiving that the most underrated and under appreciated people in Hollywood are back at work and hopefully getting their just rewards!

Quick Hits

1. Super Bowl Shock
Let me just say first off: I’ve gotten to the point where I’m very rarely surprised by happenings in the world of sports. The number of upsets, chokes, and completely impossible feats that have taken place over the last few years have truly led me to believe that absolutely ANYTHING can and will happen when two teams take the court/field. The last college football season taught me that much, at least.

That said, when Plaxico Burress caught that touchdown with 35 seconds left to put the Giants on top for good, I was speechless. I literally could not think of a word to say for a good thirty seconds. I don’t think anyone REALLY thought the Giants would or could win. Even hardcore Giants fans had to know the chances of this happening were as good as hitting a royal flush…in a five million dollar tournament…playing against Doyle Brunson. Even with New York at the 14 yard line and a first down, needing a touchdown, I didn’t believe it would happen. The Patriots have been a “bend, don’t break” team all year, surely in this, the biggest of all games, they would step up one last time. Instead the Pats had a serious of miscues, from failing to sack Eli Manning when he was literally in the arms of about 4 different defenders, to dropping two interceptions on the final drive, to straight up getting TORCHED on the goal line.

It was really a very good game, though I’m a fan of a high scoring affair over a defensive battle. And really, after quite a few crappy Super Bowls in the last decade or so, all you can ask for is a good game. I’m still shocked and I’m a little disappointed about no longer being able to make fun of Eli Manning for his severe case of “dumbface” and ineptitude. But a good game nonetheless and the Giants certainly deserve the Ring.

One parting question: Is this a great upset or an historic choke? There is a huge difference and I think it’s a serious argument, one of which I’m not entirely decided on as to which side I fall on.

2. Bob Knight Retires
Maybe as unexpected as the Giants win in the Super Bowl, legendary coach Bob Knight retired/resigned as men’s basketball coach at Texas Tech Monday, leaving his son Pat Knight in charge of the program. Coach Knight and I have a love-hate relationship. On the one hand, I think he is very often a jackass of the highest order. He demands respect from everyone else around him yet opts not to return the favor. His outbursts of anger have ranged from ridiculous to shameful. But on the other hand, his results speak for themselves. Knight won three NCAA championships. His “coaching tree” includes several impressive names, including perhaps the greatest coach in the NCAA (and certainly my favorite), Mike Krzyzewski. He graduates his players at an amazing rate. And almost every one of his players will defend him to the death.

Coach Knight is a walking contradiction. A screaming, angry old man who also happens to work brilliantly with small kids. A man who once threw a chair across a basketball floor who also donates huge chunks of change to build libraries.

In the end, I’ve come to overlook his deficiencies and appreciate Coach Knight for his contributions to the world of basketball. In an age of premadonas who never hear the word no from anyone including their coaches, Knight holds his players to a different standard. His discipline may come off as extreme at times but make no mistake, Coach Knight makes men out of boys and has often changed the lives of his players for the better.

Would I send my kids to play for Coach Knight? Probably not. But there are a lot of kids who need the discipline he has always insisted on without regard to skill. College basketball is not the same without The General patrolling the sideline and his brand of coaching, while controversial, has left a lasting, positive impact that will be sorely missed.

3. Shaq Traded
The Phoenix Suns acquired the great Shaquille O’neal on Thursday, giving up longtime Sun Shawn Marion and little used guard Marcus Banks. I was both surprised by the speed with which this deal was pulled off (no rumors surfaced beforehand) and what Phoenix gave up for The Big Aphrodite.

I’m not a fan of Shawn Marion in any way. I think he might be the most overrated player in the league. He had a perfect setup in Phoenix, getting paid like the number one guy but playing the role of the third option. His stats were exaggerated by the Suns style, though he was a major part of their defensive scheme. Marion has been crying about his role on the team for years, often publicly questioning the team and why he wasn’t getting the ball (apparently unaware that he was on the same team with MVP Steve Nash and wunderkind Amare Stoudemire). Marion was a locker room cancer who hopefully will soon become a free agent and sign with a terrible team that will struggle to win 20 games while allowing him to be the number one option he so badly wants to be. It is exactly what he deserves.

At the same time, however, I cannot see how Shaq fits in with the Suns run and gun system. Shaq is deteriorating quickly. With certain teams (such as the Mavs), he would fit perfectly: he could be a third or fourth option on a team that plays a great deal of half court offense. But the Suns’ strategy is to shoot within the first eight seconds of the shot clock. Shaq may not be able to make it across half court in eight seconds. And while I can’t stand Marion, he was the Suns best (only) defender who was often matched up against the opponent’s point guard in order to disguise Steve Nash’s inability to guard a three legged dog. On the first night without Marion, opposing point guard Chris Paul ripped off 42 points against the Suns. In addition, Marion was Nash’s best running mate. The alley oop from Nash to Marion was a major part of the offense and the Suns now seem much older and less athletic without Marion on the floor.

On the flip side, I applaud the Suns for recognizing that their window of opportunity is closing. Nash turned 34 this week. Point guards do not hold up well in this league, similar to the way running backs seem to crash rapidly after hitting the 30 year old mark. There are exceptions to the rule (Jason Kidd, John Stockton), but I doubt Nash will fall into that category. He’s already shown a propensity for fading as the playoffs progress, often coming up empty in the final stretches of the season. Grant Hill has been a major asset for the Suns this year, but he also is getting old fast and truthfully, he’s so injury prone you almost have to hope you can get one good season out of him. Amare Stoudemire is proving his to be either overrated or unwilling to work up to his potential and eventually he’ll end up being traded. The Suns are basically headed for the lottery within the next two years with or without Shaq. Trading for O’neal may give the Suns their best opportunity to win right now before Nash crashes and burns. They’ve acknowledged that the core of Nash-Marion-Stoudemire cannot get the job done and taken a gamble on Shaq becoming motivated to get one last ring.

Two more quick points about this trade from the Suns perspective: On the positive side, while Shaq is a shell of his former self, he’s still pretty un-guardable in the post. Phoenix has had a MAJOR issue scoring the ball without Nash in the game, leading to Stevie being overplayed. With Shaq, the Suns should be able to score a few buckets while Nash rests just by dumping it into the Big Fella. On the negative side, I think this move hurts Amare Stoudemire’s development tremendously. Amare is one of the best physical talents in the NBA. It’s sickening how athletic the guy is. Yet he is often unmotivated to work inside where he is most effective. A physical defender can easily force Amare into shooting 18 footers all night. Adding Shaq and his amazing size to the middle of the paint will almost certainly force Amare to the outside, resulting in more and more outside jumpers. It’s quite possible that Amare will never go back to the paint the way he should.

I’m unconvinced that this move will put the Suns over the top, mostly because the clash in style seems like it would be insurmountable. But I respect the team’s acknowledgement of their window closing and hope it will inspire the Mavs to do the same!

Dirk Gets the Triple Double

DIIIIIRRRRRRRKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!

For the last two years, I've been actively watching and hoping for the night Dirk Nowitzki would finally break all the way through and record a triple double. On many occasions, including the last three times I've seen the Mavs in person, Dirk has come within two or three assists of completing the feat, only to be let down by his teammates and their terrible shooting performances. Tonight, however, everything came together. With about four minutes left in the game, Dirk pulled down a rebound that gave him his first career triple double. More importantly, Dirk also hit two straight jumpers and made a great defensive play within 20 seconds to seal the team's victory. But there could be no denying the excitement that the team, the fans, and Dirk himself felt over the triple double. Dirk came back to the bench during a timeout trying desperately but ineffectively to hide a grin and Avery even pulled him off the floor with 16 seconds left to allow the fans to show their appreciation. It was a special night and overshadows the fact that the Mavs let a very bad Bucks team playing only 8 players on the second night of a back to back to stick around until the very end.

I'm extremely happy for Dirk. It is truly remarkable how far he has come during his 10 years in the NBA. We take it for granted but what Dirk does not only night to night but year to year is incredible. He came into this league as a wide eyed, 18 year old kid who looked like he would be nothing more than a shooter and has developed into the league's MVP. Even more impressive, though, is the additions and improvements he's made to his game every year. He started as a shooter who became a scorer, he added the rebounding, he learned to play in the post, he became a much improved defender, and now he has developed his passing skill into a real asset. Dirk doesn't get credit for either his defense or his passing but the latter often goes completely unnoticed. Dirk has gotten smashed for being too unselfish but in truth he's been making great decisions with the ball for the last two seasons, his teammates just haven't been doing their part(s). But Dirk has persisted in passing the ball in the right situations rather than forcing a shot like most superstars and tonight we saw the fruits of that labor. It was one of the more poignant moments in Mavs history to see a guy who has long been one of the toughest matchups in the league finally get a little credit for his skill as a passer. The triple double is the ultimate in personal achievement when it comes to the impact and value to the team and if I were a betting man, I'd say that tonight meant more to Dirk than winning the MVP trophy did last year.

Dirk's final box score of the night: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 block. Way to go Dirk! Now lead us to the Ring.

Most Anticipated Movies of 2008

Okay, so I'm a little behind the curve these days. My Complete Movie List of 2007 is still incomplete (expect it soon) and I am only now, some 36 days into 2008, publishing my "Most Anticipated Movies" list for the year. But hey, almost all of the really exciting upcoming releases won't come out until the summer and after so what's the harm?

Side note: "Cloverfield" was on this list but I've already seen it (review to come) so I can't really anticipate it anymore.

10. "Star Trek XI" (Christmas) - I've always liked the Star Trek movies but I've never been in love with them. The idea of a prequel displaying Captain Kirk, Spock, etc. just as they graduate from the Academy seemed all too Saturday Morning Cartoonish for me. Then I saw "Cloverfield" and the trailer for "Star Trek" and I was reminded that J.J. Abrams is a freaking genius and until he takes a swing and misses, I should both trust his judgment and look forward to anything that has his name attached to it.

9. "Burn After Reading" (September 26) - There doesn't seem to be a lot of information about this film as of yet but here's what I do know: The Cohen brothers are directing and George Clooney and Brad Pitt are starring. Two of the best actors in the business working with brilliant directors coming off one of the greatest movies I have ever seen in "No Country For Old Men." I'm not even sure if this will be similar to the dark tone of "Country" or more in keeping with the Cohen's usual M.O., that being the dark comedy. But there's potential for greatness here either way.

8. "WALL E" (June 27) - Really all you need to know is that in the last 13 years, Pixar has produced between 8 and 10 films and every one of them has been fantastic. Even film critics who generally despise anything that isn't dark and depressing seem to agree that Pixar does just about everything right. It is quite ambitious to go ahead with a film that essentially doesn't have dialogue (the title character is a robot who pretty much sounds like a cross between R2-D2 and a Jawa) but I have every faith in the ability of this studio to turn anything short of a bar of soap into an interesting and entertaining film. Plus, the sound effects are killer.

7. "Iron Man" (May 2) - Iron Man is a comic that I know little about to be honest. What I do know is I am a nerd so I get excited about just about every comic book-based movie. Now, sometimes I am disappointed ("Daredevil" and the "Fantastic Four" series are just awful) but when done correctly, comic book movies are about as entertaining as any movie genre out there. I've always been a huge fan of Robert Downey, Jr. and director Jon Favreau is an intriguing figure as well. Plus, the J.J. Abrams rule applies to this film as well since he is producing. The trailers have shown some amazing special effects so let's hope the story keeps up.

6. "Hancock" (July 2) - I've always been a HUGE fan of Will Smith but he reached all new heights in my book with "I Am Legend." He now falls squarely in the category of actors/actresses whose name alone will get my butt in a theater seat. If the film was about a mime who drinks Cream Soda all day and starred Will Smith, I'd be there (and I hate mimes). Instead, "Hancock" revolves around a reluctant superhero who finds superhero work to be more tiring than it is worth. The great Jason Bateman tags along as a P.R. guy trying to fix his reputation. Looks like it could be a lot of fun.

5. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" (May 16) - One of the greatest series of books in history was finally brought to the big screen a couple of years ago and it did not disappoint. Excellent direction by Andrew Adamson kept the film at its peak and allowed the series to make a strong entrance. "Caspian" is my favorite book from the series and is perhaps the most action packed. It will be interesting to see how Adamson balances the need for realistic, thrilling battle scenes with the desire to make it a bloodless, PG affair. He did a wonderful job with the first film so I am expecting nothing less this time around.

4. "Bond 22: Quantum of Solace" (November 7) - I'm not sure there has ever been a film that so firmly and unquestionably resurrected a franchise as 2006's "Casino Royale" did for the Bond series. After four decent but ultimately unremarkable Pierce Brosnan films that seemed to suck the life and danger out of one of the most iconic figures in film history, Daniel Craig and Martin Campbell brought a fresh approach to the series that rejuvenated it. By eliminating some of the glamour and adding a darker story line and a much grittier leading man, Bond became a hot title once again. I'm going to be completely honest: I know next to nothing about this film and I like it that way. It is the first true sequel of the Bond series and beyond that, I know that Daniel Craig is still starring and that "Casino Royale" was good enough to earn my money for "Solace" sight unseen.

3. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (May 22) - Really, what can I say? The Indiana Jones trilogy is one of the five greatest franchises in movie history and as long as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford are all in, so am I. Ford needs a big movie to propel him as he enters the twilight of his career and Spielberg has had a string of very good if ultimately less successful films since 2002's "Catch Me If You Can." I watched the Indy trilogy recently and 20 years later, these films still hold up against just about any action movie to hit the screens since. It's a safe bet that "Crystal Skull" will be exciting, funny, ridiculous, and action packed while giving movie goers the perfect push into the summer movie season.

2. "Dark Knight" (July 18) - Much like "Casino Royale," 2006's "Batman Begins" breathed new life into a great series that had become a laughing stock in the previous decade. 1989's "Batman" was a fantastic movie that gave the general (non-comic reading) public it's first look at the darker, edgier Batman that had been left behind with the campy TV series. "Batman Returns" was decent enough if unspectacular. "Batman Forever" was a poor effort that could have been overlooked it not for..."Batman and Robin." This was truly one of the worst movies ever, unless you really really enjoy unintentional comedy. In fact, it was so bad the franchise had to take 9 years off to recuperate and revamp. In the end, Warner Brothers decided it was best to pretend the previous series had never happened (wise decision) and start all over. As a longtime Batman fan, I found "Batman Begins" to be an absolute brilliant beginning to what will hopefully be an even more brilliant series. Christopher Nolan brought back the darkness from "Batman" but added a dangerous factor as well. The title character was brought to life perfectly by Christian Bale who might be the best Batman ever. "Dark Knight" looks to be more of the same with an element of fright brought by the late Heath Ledger who plays an immensely creepy Joker. If this film can both hold to and further develop the story and depth that "Begins" brought forth, it could be one of the best movies of the year without even trying.

1. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" (November 21) - I wrestled over which movie, "Dark Knight" or "HP 6" I was more excited about. In the end, I settled on "Harry" because I'm an uber-nerd who is uber-excited about seeing this book brought to life. "The Half Blood Prince" might be the best book of the series, in my opinion and should make a fantastic film. David Yates, who did a magnificent job directing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," is back on board and should keep this film moving while still staying true to the original story. I absolutely love the way these movies have developed and grown in depth and complexity along with their audience and I am very interested to see how this film will handle perhaps the series' most difficult subject matter.

A few more that pique my interest:

"Jumper" - sci-fi flick that could be great if done right but will likely be terrible.

"Vantage Point" - an action movie concerning the assassination of the President and the differing views of those who witness it.

"Semi Pro" - Will Ferrell. That's all I really need to know.

"Drillbit Taylor" - Owen Wilson plays a bum who is hired by some nerdy high school freshmen to be their body guard.

"Pride and Glory" - Edward Norton is perhaps the second most underrated actor of his generation behind only John Cusack. He is at his best in gritty dramas like this one.

"The Hulk" - Ed Norton again, this time in an action movie that hopefully will remove Ang Lee's "Hulk" from everyone's memory. Everyone except Ang Lee; he should have to sit and think about that debacle of a film for all of eternity.

"Get Smart" - I loved the show as a kid, Steve Carrell is absolutely brilliant, and Anne Hathaway is one of the best looking actresses Hollywood has to offer. Still, there's something about this that gives me the feeling that it will not be done correctly.

Terms for "White"

This is a favorite game of the radio station I listen to but I thought I would bring it to the Blog. The idea of the game is to identify euphamism's for "white" athletes.

Here's the thing: we all know that in both basketball and football, white players are drastically outnumbered, especially at the skill positions. If you're a white football player, chances are you're either a quarterback or a lineman. If you're a white basketball player, you're probably a very tall, very untalented center. Because of this, announcers and reporters seem to take a special interest in that rarest of all species, the white football or basketball player. However, it's not exactly PC to come out and say "That guy is white" anymore than it is to say "That guy is black." So we've developed terms that everyone in the world of sports understands to be code for white without actually calling a player white. These terms were once again thrown in my face on Super Bowl Sunday because the Patriots leading receiver is Texas Tech's own Wes Welker, one of about 5 white receivers in the NFL. These are some of my favorite terms:

Scrappy - White guys are always referred to as scrappy players. "Wes Welker is just scrappy, he never seems to back down even when he is badly outmanned."

Heart - White guys are always characterized as playing with a lot of heart. "He's got a ton of heart, Dave." Or my favorite "You just can't underestimate his heart."

Blue collared - white players are always identified as blue collar players, meaning they have to work for everything they've gotten. "Jordy Nelson is just a blue collar type of guy."

Lunch pail - this goes hand in hand with blue collared, usually in the same sentence. Apparently carrying a lunch pail illustrates the fact that white players are going to dig in and stay on the worksite until the job is done. "That guy just brings his lunchpail to work every single day."

Lacking in athleticism - White players are constantly accused of being lesser athletes, which is true to a degree but really, anybody who's playing a skill position in the NFL or NBA is an athletic freak, period. Still, Wes Welker is probably less athletic than Randy Moss. "He doesn't have very much athleticism but he just makes up for it."

God given ability - this goes hand in hand with athleticism. White players apparently are not blessed with the same talent as black players so they must use every ounce of it they are given. "Jim, he doesn't have a whole lot of God given talent but he just gets the most out of every bit of it."

A football/basketball player - this one isn't used much in basketball. In football this term lets the viewer now that the person in question, while not the most talented, is driven and hard working enough to make it in football no matter what. It also further insinuates the white player's lack of athleticism. "The coaches say he's just a true football player: if they had put him at linebacker, he'd play linebacker and be good at it, if they put him at running back, it would be the same thing."

So all together now: "Wes Welker may not have been blessed with a lot of talent but he has such a strong work ethic that he just would not be denied. He's just a football player, Bob. In high school he ran, threw, caught, kicked, and played defense. He's a scrappy, blue collar kind of guy who brings his lunch pail to work every day. He just has so much heart, you can't ever underestimate him." All that could be summed up in .2 seconds by saying, "Wes Welker is a white reciever." So the next time you hear terms like "scrappy" and "blue collered," just remember the code.