Rudy on if he thinks they can win it all this season: “I think so, why not?”

Topics: Missing 3 dunks last night | We still got the win last night | Hope he’s not getting old | Western Conference | Why can’t they win a title? | They are winning games that they’re not making a lot of shots in | Working on his game last off-season | This season he wanted to be more of a play maker | Maturing | Call of Duty camper | Don’t camp as much | Still playing a lot of video games |

Carmelo Anthony is getting a lot of MVP run right now and deservedly so, but don’t sleep on Kevin Durant. Everyone knows he has the 3 scoring titles, a boatload of moves and the silkiest J in the game. But the rap on K.D. has been that he should just be called K because there is no D. Not anymore.

Check his act last night against the Hawks. You may not see a more amazing sequence all season. Durant blocks Josh Smith not once, but twice and nearly three times. Then he runs the floor and finishes it with a sledgehammer at the other end. Rejection…rejection…ignition. And a monster moment from Durantula. You block two shots on one possession, you’re Dikembe Mutombo. But I don’t remember deek sprinting out after the swat and finishing the fast break. Durant was finishing his jam around the time Mutumbo would have been starting his wag. That was all part of a 41 and 13 night for Durant. Everyone knew he was an unstoppable scorer but his boards are up, his dimes are up, his steals are up, his blocks are up, and the holes in his game are gone.

Again, Melo’s having a great year but if the MVP were handed out today, it would go to Durant. Hands down.

NBA MVP Candidates

Once again, Kobe Bryant is catching heat for jacking it up too much. An anonymous asst. coach…because what’s more credible than that…told ESPN.com Bryant’s shooting too much and it’s hurting the Lakers. And sure, the numbers do seem to support it: they’re 4-11 when he takes 20 or more shots. And 8-3 when he doesn’t. But in this case, the numbers lie.

Fact is, he’s shooting less now than he did in their last two title runs. And he has the highest shooting percentage of his entire career. And he’s dropping more dimes than he usually does. Bryant is not the problem. The fact that they’re banged up, aren’t that talented, don’t play any defense and have no bench is. He’s not doing anything he hasn’t done his entire career. Until someone around him gives him a reason to trust them more than he trusts himself, he’ll just keep jacking. The Lakers have plenty of problems. But Bryant’s not one of them.

Ask anyone who has done it: passing a kidney stone is hell on earth. You can either go into the fetal position and pray for death. Or try to pass the time and fight it. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban passed his 140 characters at a time. Ever the innovator, Cubes live-tweeted his suffering. Welcome to social media in 2012: when a billionaire breaks down his agony for 1.4 million followers one tweet at a time.

And I’ll be real: it’s pretty compelling. Here are the highlights: “if this one pops out in one piece I’m either going to get it bronzed or sell it on eBay. #pukinglikeaftermyfirst beer…what should I name this little bleeper #namecubanskidneystone…I’ll gladly trade this stone for an alien probe…tell e’m I’m doing this stone grandpa style…the kidney stone is dead! It’s finally over it was 5mm and it was special.” So are you Cubes. You have to have a set of stones to tweet about your kidney stone. Stay strong, and know your seat is still warm on our Showtime show. Get you next season.

Dallas Mavericks Owner

Los Angeles Lakers Guard

New York Knicks Forward

Caller Reaction To The Show Announcement | Jim Boeheim (College Basketball) Interview | Jerry Dipoto (MLB) Interview | Jets QB Issues

Kirk Cousins And The Redskins QB Situation | Venezuelan Beauty Pageant Contestant | Rudy Gay (NBA) Interview | Huge Text Of The Day

Callers Weigh In On Newtown Tragedy | More Response To Winthrop Head Coach | Leggings For Men Are Being Sold | Caller Knows Family Of Newtown Victim

Survey Wednesday | Callers Taking The Survey | Huge Email Of The Day | Huge Call Of The Day

Info & Stats: CEO Of The San Francisco 49ers

Ken Berger (NBA) Interview | Josh Hamilton Gives Relative Pennies To Charity | Athletes And Their Donations | NHL Compared To The BP Oil Spill

Duane Brown (NFL) Interview | Season Altering Decisions By Harbaugh Brothers | Huge Email Of The Day | The Positives In Sports

Charles joins Grant Napear.

Topics: His relationship with Miami | LeBron’s comments to him about what he said about Dwyane Wade | Los Angeles Lakers | The Lakers don’t have a shot at winning the championship | Mike D’Antoni is a good coach but these players don’t fit his system | Oklahoma City Thunder | Loved the James Harden trade | Kevin Martin in OKC | Miami Heat in the East | New York Knicks | Knicks shooting a lot of 3s | The Knicks need to rebound better | Derrick Rose | Mark Jackson | Andrew Bogut | When the Knicks are doing well it’s really exciting to be at Madison Square Garden | Amare Stoudemire | 14th year at TNT | Still has 4 years left on his contract | Not sure how much longer he wants to be an analyst | Does like calling games | He will never have a hidden agenda | A lot of sportscasters are scumbags | Skip Bayless is a scumbag |

Mark joins Grant Napear.

Topics: The teams ownership and management have done a great job | His first season as head coach | He’s humbled by all | Having guys with no personal agenda on this team | Steph Curry | Still having a lot of work to do | It’s great to see the fans supporting us | Carl Landry | David Lee and Curry’s leadership | The high character guys buying in | What happens when Andrew Bogut is healthy? | Bogut is his starting center without a doubt |

Jay Cutler Just Doesn’t Have It | Big Ben’s Comments On The Play Calling | Mark Jackson (NBA) Interview | Phil Simms (NFL) Interview

Charles Barkley (NBA) Interview | Cleveland Browns Fans | Stadium Security | Adrian Peterson’s MVP Chances

Mo on playing for Utah again: “It’s like I almost never left.”

Topics: Game winning 3 to beat San Antonio on Wednesday night | Last second moments | San Antonio Spurs | Confidence to play with the Spurs now | His history versus the Spurs | Playing in Utah for a second time | Starting again | Being able to be a point guard | Playing for the Clippers last year | Chris Paul is a hell of a basketball player | Always accepting a role for the betterment of the team | Playing on the road |

Mike D’Antoni returned to New York and did what he usually does in the mecca: he lost. Badly. Boat-raced 116-107. Knick Carmelo Anthony, who was probably most responsible for running D’Antoni out of New York, insists last night wasn’t personal. Right, and I’m gonna get 10 good calls on today’s show. It was personal and this dude was possessed. 3 ball to start the game. Cash. Then another. Cash. Then the heatcheck in transition. Cash. 11-2. Thanks for playing. Get off our floor.

Melo was dropping treys with the smoothest hand that town has seen since Captain Sully turned the East River into a runway. Tyson Chandler said Anthony was “exploding.” Right. And exploiting. Exploiting a defense that again offered no resistance whatsoever. Lay-ups…three balls…dunks…whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. Had the Lakers not knocked Anthony out of the game in the third quarter, he probably would have finished with 50 and the Lakers would have lost by 30. That’s four straight losses, 6 of 7 overall, and the Lakers have never looked any worse than they do right now.

And I don’t want to hear about how they “made a game of it” …either. That’s what it’s come to? Already? They Lakers are settling for moral victories now? They didn’t make a game of it. Anthony’s injury made the final score a little less humiliating but that game was over the second the ball went up for the opening tip. Kobe Bryant says he wishes they were playing the Washington Generals next. They are the Washington Generals. Sure. They’re banged up. And we do need to see how they look with Steve Nash on the floor, running Mike D’Antoni’s system. And Nash will get everyone easier shots, take care of the ball and cut down on their turnovers. But if you’re waiting on a 38 year old guard to come in and save your season, you’re begging. Too old, too banged up, too slow, not athletic enough, not talented enough, not coached up enough and essentially not who we thought they were. There’s no Hollywood ending in this one.

Info & Stats: NBA Hall of Famer

James says the problem with the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers is: “Attitude.”

Topics: Lakers allowing 41 points in the 1st quarter in New York | The defense of the Lakers | The Lakers not hitting the floor with attitude | Steve Nash | Nash won’t change the defensive aspect of the team | The Lakers need attitude | Pau Gasol | Mike D’Antoni | Giving D’Antoni some time | Carmelo Anthony | Carmelo came out and set the table last night | Kyrie Irving setting the tone against the Lakers | Having pride in what you do | Body language of the Lakers | Phil Jackson | Everyone knows Phil is the best at handling personalities | Phil has the pulse of personalities | The Lakers offense with Nash and Gasol | The fast point guards against Nash | Steve is smart enough to get everyone involved | The Lakers bench | Dwight Howard | Dwight not getting enough touches |

Utah Jazz Point Guard

NBA Hall of Famer

A Call From Isreal In L.A. | NFL Tries To Spin Away From Negative Stories | Calls And Thoughts On CT Shooting | Calls And Thougths On CT Shooting

Mo Williams (NBA) Interview | Caller From Littleton, CO Shares Perspective | Keith Brooking (NFL) Interview | Huge Email Of The Day

Info & Stats: Golden State Warriors Forward

David’s take on beating the Heat in Miami last night: “It really is a confidence booster for us.”

Topics: Beating the Heat in Miami last night | A confidence builder in beating the Heat | Draymond Green’s play last night | Having a good mix of veterans and younger guys on the team | Draymond jawing with LeBron a bit | Our goal is to out work the opponent | The teams motivation | Finding ways to get stops and big baskets this season | Being bigger this season | Team rebounding | Shaquille O’Neal WCW’s nickname for him | The White Chris Webber | FEMA | How he got the FEBA nickname | Steve Francis not passing him the ball cause he’s white was a joke | Anonymous scouts, writer and etc. | Chemistry is not overrated | Washington Wizards | There’s not a big difference between winning and losing in this league | His season | Sure hopes to be a All Star | Donating $25,000 to the City of Oakland’s Thanksgiving Dinner | Blake Griffin | Flopping not being needed in the NBA |

Laker fan, I’m not going to sit here and tell you, everything’s going to be just fine. Because it probably won’t be. In fact, considering how old and banged up this crew is, and that they’re trying to learn each other and a new system, they’re already running out of time.

And no, they’re not going to fire Mike D’Antoni and bring back Phil Jackson. Breaking D’Antoni off now would be almost as ridiculous as him sticking with a system that clearly isn’t working and doesn’t fit the personnel he inherited. You’re not coaching the 2005 Suns, Mike. It’s the 2012 Lakers; they can’t run, and they can’t adjust to you, so you need to adjust to them. Stop asking Pau Gasol to do things he can’t do, put him back on the block and take advantage of what he can do. And I have no problem with you not coaching a lick of defense. Well, at least when your teams were getting up and down and hanging 110 on the opponent every night. But since that’s not happening, maybe you get your guys to work a little harder on that end of the floor. Because from where I’m sitting it doesn’t look like they give a damn.

Things were feeling reeeaaaly retro in South Beach last night. Because if the Golden State Warriors are doing the Heat in their house, it’s gotta be 1990… and run TMC are running Rony Seikaly right off the floor, right? Wrong. That wasn’t Tim, Mitch and Chris, it was Stephen, David and Draymond stunning the King, Flash and Chris Bosh, for their fifth win in a row.

You know the Warriors have crazy mojo working when a rookie like Draymond Green gets the better of LeBron in the fourth quarter…and then grandpa’s him right after the game, quote: “he is one of the greatest players in the world, but that’s not a license for me to back down. I’m trying to make a name for myself in this league like he did one day, way, way, way back in the day, once upon a time.” What? You mean like way, way, way back last June. You make this cat sound like he’s Oscar Robertson. Kirk Cousins coming off the bench for RG 3 thinks Draymond Green beating LBJ was good for Sparty’s look. The Warriors are real and it proves once again: ain’t no party like a West Coast party.

You can’t go five seconds this week without getting a best of 2012 list shoved in your face, so I won’t hit you over the head with another one. But I will give you this: my NBA Play of the Year. Roll it!

That’s referee Courtney Kirkland getting about 3 feet off the floor and checking Kris Humphries. That’s incredible! The only thing missing was Kirkland hitting Humphries with a Mount Mutombo finger-wag. Get that weak junk out of here, Humphries! You don’t shoot your throws until I tell you to.

Look, I love that the ref sold out defensively…, I just don’t know why he did it. I know he was trying to save Humphries from shooting it but he flew at him like he was trying to save the world. He looked like he was jumping on a live grenade for his platoon... Humphries has now been abused by a point guard and rejected by a referee.

Too bad the ref wasn’t at the altar on the E Network so he could send Humphries vows into the tenth row.

Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach

Kirkland blocks Humphries shot

Golden State Warriors Forward

Mark Few (College Basketball) Interview | Ref Blocks Kris Humphries Free Throw | David Lee (NBA) Interview | A Very Short Segment

Tommy Tuberville Leaves Recruits During Dinner | The Latest 911 Call | Angels Sign Josh Hamilton | Reaction To Josh Hamilton