The Crab Dribble returns to break down Kevin Love’s hate-hate relationship with the Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors’ fast start and Rob plays general manager with smashing results. Check out the show at www.thecrabdribble.com or on iTunes and don’t forget to write reviews and leave comments for the show.

This week on The Crab Dribble, Rob and Ben get the opportunity of a lifetime, but how long will that lifetime be? Find that out, along with reactions to Mike D’Antoni’s hire, the Knicks’ fast start, and so much more.

Enjoy this week’s Crab Dribble as we discuss the Lakers (get used to it), and some other stuff. We go around the entire league in a little more than 80 seconds, and our Advanced Scout gives us the inside information TCD listeners have come to expect. It’s fair to say we had the time of our lives making this podcast, and we owe it all to you.

The Crab Dribble is back to dissect a slow start for the Lakers, James Harden’s impact on the league and comment on those players receiving contract extensions in the hours leading up to the deadline. It’s a fast, fun-filled show, so enjoy it responsibly, and leave your comments below.

For all the talk of how the 2012 version of Team USA lacked size, they sure stood tall when it counted the most.

No, Sunday’s gold medal thriller against Spain won’t go down as one of the greatest games ever. With 54 personal fouls being whistled, including four each on LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, not to mention Rudy Fernandez fouling out, the game lacked any real consistent rhythm. But as they did in 2008, Team USA picked up their play at the right time, pushing a three-point lead out to nine with just under two minutes remaining to seal their second consecutive gold medal.  Clutch plays by LeBron, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul helped offset a brilliant effort by Pau Gasol, and set off a raucous celebration following the final horn, with players dancing, hugging and even dousing Coach Mike Krzyzewski with bottles of water. For Team USA, it was the culmination of another long journey, and it’s safe to say their celebration was born not only of joy, but also of a little relief.

After all, no team entered the Olympics with more pressure. First, injuries pared down the available roster, with Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin all sidelined for the summer. Close exhibition matches against Argentina and Brazil enabled writers and pundits to sounds the alarms, fretting over the USA’s lack of size, reliance on jump shots and sometimes lackluster defensive efforts. With Argentina making one final push with their Golden Generation, and Spain seeking to avenge the 2008 gold medal game loss, Team USA had a big target on their backs. The ridiculous “2012 vs 1992″ debate also created a circus that unbelievably is still going, as though this game is going to become a reality if we discuss it enough. It all added up to a team that would have faced riots if they didn’t return home with the gold.

Yet in the face of unrealistic expectations, Team USA thrived. They set offensive records that might never be touched in routing Nigeria. They shook off a lackluster first half to blister Tunisia. They turned a close game into a laugher against Argentina with a third-quarter explosion that had to be seen to be believed. They repeated that performance against Australia, putting up points in such a flurry that the scoreboard could barely keep up. From LeBron to Durant to ‘Melo to Kobe Bryant, everyone took a turn at putting the team on their back for stretches. It was a thing of beauty to watch as the best players in the world functioned perfectly as a unit, sacrificing their individual games for the betterment of the team.

But perhaps the best aspect of this team was the class with which they played and carried themselves. This year’s games unfortunately will be remembered, at least in part, for some ugly moments. There was Nicolas Batum punching Juan Carlos Navarro in the groin, just a few days after Facundo Campazzo caught ‘Melo in the same area with a cheap shot of his own. There was the absurd display of immaturity from Pablo Prigiono after Argentina lost the bronze medal match, as he screamed at the officials, pouted around the floor and kicked a clock off the scorer’s table. There was the questionable effort given by Spain against Brazil in pool play, bringing up allegations of tanking to secure a more favorable seed. Throw in the physical – and often times dirty – tactics employed by international teams to counter Team USA’s athleticism, and it’s clear the rest of the world hasn’t caught up on sportsmanship. And this is all without mentioning the FIBA officials, who at times appeared to simply be making up the rules as they went.

But at the end of it all, it was Team USA on the medal stand, further restoring the legacy that was momentarily lost in 2002 and 2004. This team may not be the greatest Olympic team of all time, but they were the best this year, and that’s all it takes for gold. We saw a team of individual stars mesh their games and put aside their egos to become one unit, and seeing their joy as they placed their hands over their hearts for the playing of the national anthem was truly one of the sweetest scenes in London.

In a couple of months, the players will all head to their respective training camps and prepare for a season of battling each other. But for a brief time this summer, they were one team, and they played the game in a way that anyone can appreciate. So as we did in 2008, we extend a sincere thank-you to LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, James Harden and Anthony Davis.

Once again, the red, white and blue is golden.

Remember the NBA lockout? You know, that pesky, 161-day period in which NBA owners whined about their diminishing returns, based entirely on circumstances out of their control? Good. Because Landry Fields just signed a $20 million contract. Somehow, these two items may be related…

Yes, a crazy NBA season has been followed by an even crazier NBA offseason. The free-agency period has seen nearly every team wheeling and dealing to transform their roster, with some of the biggest chips yet to fall. Throw in the NBA Draft, the upcoming Olympic Games and the daily Dwight Howard trade updates, and the NBA has managed to stay in the headlines during the summer months. If you’ve missed anything, don’t worry. EOTB has you covered. Pull up a chair and let’s see what it looks like from the best seat in the house.

– At this point, we’re left to assume that after the Knicks first-round playoff loss to Miami, a team official walked into James Dolan’s office and said, “Listen James. We’re right there. This team is right on the verge – I can feel it. All we need is a 38-year old backup center, a 39-year old point guard with driving issues, and, if we can swing it, a guard who shot 40% from the field last year and turned his entire city against him. Also, I’m not going to say who we should draft, but if Kostas Papanikolaou is available, I wouldn’t hate it.” 

– EOTB is fairly sick of hearing DeMarcus Cousins’ whining over being left off Team USA. Cousins is freakishly talented, but wildly immature and plays the victim card as well as anyone in the league. He just can’t possibly fathom how people could think he has an attitude problem. Sure, he has terrible on-court body language, chirps at the refs incessantly, talks back to coaches and gets in the occasional fisticuffs with teammates…but that’s all the media’s fault, right Boogie? The coaches and players with USA Basketball have done a great job of building a culture of sacrifice, character and class in recent years, and EOTB isn’t anxious to watch Cousins throw it away.

– Speaking of Team USA…how valuable will this experience be for Anthony Davis? Is there a better education for an incoming rookie than to spend a month traveling, practicing, working out and playing with the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Davis already projected to be a star in the league, but he may get there quicker than anyone imagined.

– As EOTB is writing this, the Houston Rockets roster contains 11 players listed at 6’9″ or taller. Eleven. Who needs Dwight Howard when you’ve got Greg Smith, Furkan Aldemir, Jon Leuer and Jerome Jordan?

– However, if the Rockets are interested in acquiring a star who will sell tickets, maybe they can look into a deal for Melanie Iglesias? Put her on the roster, and EOTB would be first in line for season tickets.

– So Dallas blows up a championship roster, allowing Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, Peja Stojokovic and DeShawn Stevenson to leave, all in an attempt to clear space for Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard…and they end up with Elton Brand and Chris Kaman? Yikes.

– It will be interesting to see how Luis Scola plays for Argentina in the upcoming Olympic Games. Scola, who was cut by the Rockets and appears headed to Phoenix, is a solid NBA forward, but on the international level, he’s practically unstoppable. Whether it’s the comfort of playing with his countrymen, the FIBA rules or merely getting away from Kevin McHale, Scola is an absolute monster in tournaments like these, and he may be playing with an extra edge this summer.

– Can you believe Russell Westbrook only allowed Kevin Durant to take 11 shots in Team USA’s first scrimmage? Sure, that was more shots than anyone else on the team, but it still shows that there is no way these two can be successful together.

– Orlando GM Rob Hennigan is only 30 years old. Maybe the Dwight Howard saga is some sort of rookie hazing?

– Mark it down – Pistons fans are going to love and hate Andre Drummond, often simultaneously. The rookie center has an NBA body, elite athletic ability…and no idea how to play. Expect plenty of inconsistent performances like the ones we’ve seen in the NBA Summer League. He recently followed up a three-point, three-rebound night with 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. In fact, the only consistent aspect to his game thus far has been fouling – as he racked up 20 fouls in the first five games.

– By now, you’ve surely seen Kyrie Irving challenging Kobe Bryant to a game of one-on-0ne for $50,000. EOTB admires young players who display no fear, but there’s a difference in possessing self-confidence and being a damn fool. Kyrie will soon learn that difference.

– We won’t be seeing Blake Griffin dunking in the Olympics, but at least we got one last glimpse before he went down with an injury.

By the time you read this, Dwight Howard may be a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Or the Dallas Mavericks. Or the Los Angeles Lakers, the Atlanta Hawks or the Houston Rockets. Heck, at this rate, he may even be a member of the New York Yankees. But one thing is for sure. He’s not going to be a member of the Orlando Magic for much longer…and they should be thrilled about that.

No – Howard hasn’t embarrassed the franchise by committing an awful crime, a la Michael Vick with the Falcons. He hasn’t disrespected the game by using foreign substances to enhance his performance, as Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and hosts of other have done. He hasn’t even created disruptions on the court with inappropriate behavior, like Metta World Peace tends to do with his elbows. But what he has done is raise the bar on what it means to be a selfish, entitled athlete, dragging out a decision on his long-term future for well over a year and burning bridges in Orlando faster than you can say “and Dwight misses another free throw.”

The last two seasons have featured a number of high-profile players switching teams. We saw LeBron James bolt Cleveland for Miami, teaming up with fellow All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh by announcing his decision on a TV special that he was roundly ripped for. We then saw Carmelo Anthony waver back and forth on his long-term future in Denver, leading to an awkward All-Star game interview and eventually resulting in a trade to the Knicks. We saw Chris Paul force the Hornets’ hand by making it know he would not be re-signing, and after a trade shipping him to the Lakers was vetoed, he landed with the Clippers. We heard rumors of Deron Williams’ struggles to get along with Jerry Sloan in Utah, which ultimately ended with Williams being shipped to New Jersey and Sloan unceremoniously resigning. But none of these players, no matter how poorly they may have handled aspects of their departure, have mangled their image as badly as Howard. LeBron has been picked apart for “The Decision,” but as has been pointed out…at least he made a decision. Howard’s mood swings and cryptic, often conflicting public statements have left some wondering if he even has any clue what he wants.

Howard’s circus started when he allegedly demanded a trade before the start of the 2011-12 season. A bizarre series of comments from both Orlando and Howard’s camp followed, further muddying the waters and leaving it unclear if Howard actually wanted to be traded. Not surprisingly, the Magic played some very uneven ball over the first two months of the season as they faced a constant barrage of questions about Howard’s commitment. As the trade deadline approached, Howard again made it known that he would not be opting in for the final year of his contract and wasn’t likely to re-sign in Orlando…only to reverse course less than a day later and opt-in for another season. As the postseason neared, rumors began spreading of Howard’s wishes to have Stan Van Gundy removed as coach, leading to a cringe-worthy interview with Howard attempting to playfully embrace his coach and pretend as though all was okay. The wackiness continued when Howard sat out the final month of the season, with some feeling he had exaggerated his injuries to tank the team’s record and expedite the firing of Van Gundy. The Magic stumbled into the playoffs and were quickly eliminated. Soon after, Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith were let go.

But the story doesn’t end there. In the days surrounding the NBA Draft, Howard’s camp let it be known that he hadn’t actually wanted to opt-in for another season, but felt “blackmailed” to do so, claiming Orlando was going to trade him to an unwanted destination if he didn’t sign. And yes, less than four months after signing on for at least one more season in Orlando and proclaiming his love for the team, Howard has again requested a trade, narrowing his preferred choice to the Nets or Mavericks. For those of you scoring at home, that’s at least three public trade requests and two public “no-trade” requests since last December. Throw in a claim of being blackmailed, the firing of a coach and general manager and reports of fake injuries, and it’s possible no player has done more to kill his image – without committing an actual crime – than Dwight Howard.

But Howard’s immaturity had done more than move up the NBA’s most hated list; it’s also left the Orlando franchise in limbo. Howard is a unique talent and despite some obvious flaws in his game, the league’s best big man. While the Magic are surely tired of the mind games by now, they simply can’t allow him to walk away or push through a trade that doesn’t net them some value. Howard’s list of preferred destinations has appeared to limited the Orlando trading options, as any other teams, such as the Rockets, are unlikely to part with their top players for what would amount to a one-year rental of Howard before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2013. Further complicating matters is that the Nets, believed to be Howard’s top choice, just completed a big deal for Joe Johnson, and after shelling out top dollar for Williams, they may not have a ton of cap flexibility to go after Howard.

So what do the Magic do? Bow to Howard’s wishes and attempt to work out a deal with the Nets or the Mavs, thereby rewarding his selfish antics? Roll the dice by keeping him and risk another circus at the trade deadline? Try to find a team willing to rent him for a year, just to get him out of Orlando? There’s no easy solution, and it’s become painfully clear that no matter what, the Magic are bound to be in for a rough season.

My solution? I’m working out any deal I can for Howard, be it where he wants to go or not. I’m picking up the phone and calling Utah, Cleveland or Toronto to gauge their interest in getting the league’s premier big man, even if just for a season. I’ll place a call to Michael Jordan in Charlotte, and see if he’d like to drum up some interest in his team – even if only temporary – by picking up Howard. I’ll go to DC and convince management that John Wall would thrive with Howard. I’ll talk to Joe Dumars and convince him there’s no better role model for young bigs Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond than Howard. I may even dial up Hal Steinbrenner, just to put the offer on the table.

But one thing is for certain – I wouldn’t care one bit about Howard’s feelings toward any of these moves. His indecisiveness has torpedoed the franchise’s short-term future, and frankly, his happiness isn’t my concern. So I don’t care what uniform he wears next season, as long as it isn’t mine. Let him be somebody else’s problem. Let him issue and retract trade demands, often within the same hour, in another city. No player is worth this hassle.

Especially one who has no idea what he wants.

The Crab Dribble puts a bow on the 2011-2012 season by praising The Chosen One for finally reaching the top of the mountain. Not everyone on the podcast is pleased with the outcome, but we also dissect the lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. The season may be over, but TCD lives on.

Silence.

That’s the sound dominating the NBA landscape today, just three days after the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, took home the 2012 NBA title. No more chirping about how LeBron can’t win the big one, or how he and Dwyane Wade couldn’t work together, or how the team didn’t have the quality of depth to win a championship. No more outlandish statement, venom-filled tirades or tired jokes (I asked LeBron for change for a dollar, but he only gave me three quarters! Hardy har har!). The LeBron detractors, which have numbered many in the last two years, are busy finding a new target to relentlessly hassle (here’s guessing they land on Russell Westbrook, Alex Rodriguez. Tiger Woods or Tim Tebow – the cynical are very predictable). Finally, LeBron has his ring, and at only 27 years old, a realistic chance to take home a few more before he hangs it up.

But to simply look at this as a coronation would be underselling the postseason we just witnessed. Quite simply, LeBron James put his team on his back and carried them the way few players have ever done. This was not a foregone conclusion, not when Chris Bosh went down early in Game 1 against the Pacers, or when an aging  Celtics squad stole a game in Miami to put the Heat on the brink of elimination. Not when the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder entered the Finals on a roll, with two of the best 10 players in the league on their side. Not when a huge fourth quarter in Game 1 from Kevin Durant renewed the “Miami can’t close” stories. No, this was not simply a matter of LeBron finally getting it done, as though everyone was bowing out of his way to let him get a ring. LeBron earned this championship, playing his rear off and putting up some of the best performances we’ll see.

How about putting 30 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game, including a triple-double in Game 5? How about guarding, at various times, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka in the series? How about burying timely threes, knocking down clutch free throws and helping Miami close out three straight games that were decided by less than six points? How about coolly staring down the demons from last year’s Finals, and then publicly acknowledging that he made plenty of mistakes, from his approach in joining Miami to his play on the court? Still feeling as though this was easy or pre-destined?

Of course, there are still plenty of small-minded people who will find faults. They’ll cry about the officiating or do their best to generate conspiracy theories, claiming David Stern wanted Miami to win (I guess Stern didn’t want them to win last year however – maybe he’s a bandwagon fan?). Some are still going to clutch to the “Not 1, not 2, not 3…” comments made at the pep rally two years ago, as though LeBron was issuing a guarantee, rather than trying to ramp up the crowd (hint – it’s hard to “guarantee” 8 titles when you sign a 6-year contract – no?). Some are even perpetuating the foolish notion that this title doesn’t mean as much as it would have if he won it in Cleveland. You know, because if you win a title for a team other than the one that drafted you, it doesn’t count the same (Shaq, Garnett, Kareem, Parish, Oscar, Pau, Clyde and Moses will probably back that line of thinking up).

But no matter – LeBron understands he won’t ever please everyone. And instead of allowing that to fill him with vitriol and inspire him to play angry, as he did last year, he seemed much more at peace this season. He got back to playing with his usual passion and zest for the game, not worrying what might be written about him the next morning and knowing that someone will always be looking to pick him apart, no matter what he does. He continued to round out his game, and filled up the stat sheet like few players have ever done, doing whatever his team needed to get the victory that night. In short, he became LeBron again – the one-of-a-kind talent with a force of personality and an unmatched flair for the game.

Much will be written about LeBron over the coming weeks. Some will frame their thoughts around the same tired storylines we always see. Some will still take shots at him, grasping at any angle they can manipulate and twist into a barb that, in their minds, denigrates his accomplishment. But it appears the vast majority of people realize that, as much as they hated The Decision or were turned off by the pep rally, there’s really no reason to continue holding onto that anger. We’re watching one of the best ever come into his prime, and we’ve got a front row seat to witness what could be a historic career.

Now, the detractors would never admit it out loud, but they know, deep down, they’re also anxious to see where LeBron goes from here. They’ll claim not to care, but they’ll continue to watch him, hoping for a misstep they may be able to pounce on. Try as they might to hold onto it, the venom inside them is slowly dissipating, and they’re not happy about it. They want so badly to mock him, but they’ve run out of reasons.

Their silence speaks volumes.

The Crab Dribble is back with another Finals update, and we break down the other headlines appearing around the league. Note: The episode was recorded during Game 4, so there are no comments on Russell Westbrook’s outstanding game, or his horrific brain fart late in the game that sealed this series game for the Heat.

Check it out, then hit us back and let us know what you think.