No, no, Jeremy Lin will not be able to play in the Olympics no matter how fantastic he is playing.  However, USA Basketball is able to form a practice squad that can scrimmage the 20 man roster that will be going to the Olympics.  To me, this is a serious acknowledgement of how good Lin is.  Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that he will be selected to the Olympic team in 2016, but it does give him better odds.

So, if you ran USA Basketball, would you want a piece of Jeremy Lin?  I know I would.  It’s a very wise move for them.  They are able to cash in on the little bit of Linsanity that they can get.  That’s smart.  However, I want to ask a question.

What if having Lin on the scrimmage team creates more of a spectacle around the team than USA Basketball was anticipating?  Would that be bad?  I know it’s the Olympics and the whole world watches it, but I guess we can assume that they are used to this (maybe.)

However, in my experience, I remember these teams being a little bit more low-key because the people who take the stage every four years usually take all of the spotlight.  The USA Basketball team becomes a big deal near the end of the games when we get close to the gold medal game.

Plus, I think they’re kinda glad that they don’t have to deal with everything the whole time they are at the games.  Being able to hide, just a little bit, is probably helpful.  However, having Jeremy Lin questions to answer might not be the most fun thing in the world.

It’s just a question.  I wish Lin could play at the Olympics, but I’m not going to complain about that.  It’s just that, he is someone who raises a lot of questions every time he does something new and big.

If reports are true that Rasheed Wallace is coming out of retirement to join the Los Angeles Lakers, then the purple and gold must be more desperate than we all originally thought.

Boston Celtics Insider and NBC Sports’ A. Sherrod Blakely is reporting that Wallace is set to sign a contract with the Lakers.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, this is the same Wallace hasn’t played in an NBA game since Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals as a member of the Celtics.

Although he had two years remaining on his contract, Wallace and the Celtics came to terms on a buy-out of the remaining years believed to be worth about $1 million.

With a roster of 14 players, the Lakers can add Wallace and not have to worry about waiving a player to make room. But the real question is, why would the Lakers want to enlist the services of a 37-year-old center way beyond his prime? Furthermore, why would the Lakers need another big man when they already have two great ones in place?

One thing is for sure: Kobe Bryant is somewhere in Orlando crying himself to sleep tonight.

If the Miami Heat were Jeremy Lin’s first real test post-Linsanity, he didn’t exactly pass with flying colors. In fact, Lin, just like his fellow New York Knick teammates, had no answers for the Heat all game long.

Taking Lin out of his superstar element, the Heat suffocated the NBA’s latest breakout sensation en route to a 102-88 victory over the Knicks, giving the Heat their eighth
straight victory.

The Big Three showed up big, as Chris Bosh scored 25 points, Dwyane Wade added 22 and LeBron James finished with 20 of his own, giving Miami the NBA’s best record (27-7) going into the All-Star break.

The Heat were able to do to Lin what so many teams before them could not—make him look human. Lin’s final line: 1 for 11 from the field, eight points, three assists—numbers nowhere near the 23.9 points and 9.2 assists he had been averaging over his first 11 games in the Knicks’ rotation.

But the less-than-stellar numbers weren’t as much the result of an off night from Lin as they were the tenacious defense that the Heat applied against him. Every time Lin even thought about penetrating the lane, he was immediately swarmed by black jerseys.

“First of all, he deserves all of the credit he’s been given,” Wade said. “We knew it was going to be a tough task guarding him…He’s a good player, but we put a lot of pressure on him and it was a success.”

That pressure also led to eight turnovers, as well as career lows in field goal percentage (9.1) and assists (three).

Lin’s lack of experience may have been exposed, but Carmelo Anthony still looked rusty and Amar’e Stoudemire was practically invisible (he took only seven shots, grabbed only five rebounds and had six turnovers). In other words, the Knicks are a good story right now, and there is definitely potential, but they are nowhere close to being in the same league as the Heat.

 photo credit: JASON ANFINSEN

I may not like everything he does, but, David Stern has seen it all in nearly 30 years at the helm of the NBA.  So, when he says that Linsanity is new to him, you know it must be a true phenomenon.

“I haven’t done a computation, but it’s fair to say that no player has created the interest and the frenzy in this short period of time, in any sport, that I’m aware of like Jeremy Lin has.”

I was laughing because even Roger Federer is intrigued (partly because he’s playing an exhibition match Madison Square Garden.)

“I think this is why we all follow sports because of great stories like this, that all of a sudden someone breaks through that you didn’t know or didn’t expect and you didn’t know the result was going to happen, and that he was able to help the Knicks to come through in the way he did now is a great thing.”

Between these two, I think we can safely assume that Linsanity has reached all parts of the world.  I mean, I know pro athletes watch pro sports, but this is a pretty big thing.  Federer knows that Lin will bring in a crowd if Lin is in attendance at the exhibition match.

What I find even more fascinating is that David Stern did not want to give Jeremy Lin a special exemption to be added to the Rookie/Sophomore Game.  He had to be overruled by Kenny Smith because Smith is actually the commissioner for the game.  It’s kind of a cool way to make the game more interesting because Charles Barkley and Shaq are acting as general managers for those teams.

So, while we know that Linsanity is blowing up the airwaves, I think we can assume that everyone has taken notice by now.

Reports came out that Derrick Rose when to Bulls management and told them that they needed to make a play for Pau Gasol.  Well, he said that didn’t happen, but, it is intriguing:

“I heard about it after (Monday’s) game.  That’s something I wouldn’t say to anyone, that I need someone to come to this team or I’m trying to get rid of someone on this team. It was all false and that’s something I would never do.”

About Carlos Boozer:

“He should know, but I talked to him a little bit, but I think he already knew they were false, where it’s something I wouldn’t do to anyone, especially trade him to any team. It was all false.”

“I’m good with the teammates I have.  I’ve always been saying that. The team that I have, we’ve been winning games, and we’re not in the position to look to trade anyone right now.”

So, did Rose go to management and ask for different people?  He could have, though I doubt it.  Moreover, is that really a good trade for the Lakers?  They give up Pau and somebody else for Boozer and somebody else.  That would be like the trade they did to get Pau—lopsided.

So, let’s say that Rose is frustrated with the people around him.  Let’s say he feels like he needs more help.  I think he’s going to be working with his teammates to make them better and hinting at management that he might need more help, but, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who is going to just make demands at random.  He’s a little bit too quiet for that.

Now, if we take Rose at his word, and he’s good, then we just need to wait and see if the Bulls can be a title contender without more help.  Stranger things have happened, and Rose is the MVP, right?

Lots of rest for the hall of famers.

I thought that there was no way that the Spurs could possibly manage enough minutes to keep themselves from being an old and tired team for the rest of this season.  However, last night, they basically sat everybody in order to get rest, but, in doing so, they also ended an eleven game winning streak.  So, they must not be doing so badly, right?

Well, no, they’re doing great.  Plus, they just gave up a game to rest.  That means that they are in a good enough position to make it so that they can rest.  Imagine if they had a horrible record and they couldn’t afford to lay off a couple games?  That would be really bad.  So, I think we’re doing pretty well for a really old team that is pretty beat up.  Remember, Manu is hurt as well.

Because the Spurs have been able to set themselves up for this, they can actually take more than one game off.  This should be especially helpful for Tony Parker.  He did not start last night so that Cory Joseph could go in and play.  (Don’t worry, I don’t know who that is either.)  This actually does two things for the Spurs.  They are kind of in a situation where they are in training camp AND they are playing the season.

They can look at these young players and evaluate them honestly in real game situations where they are starting.  So…

This could be a boon for the Spurs.  They can plan for the future and make it through the season all at the same time.  Maybe, just maybe they will be able to figure out who is going to be good for them in the future so that they do not have to struggle for a couple years while they attempt to replace Duncan and Manu and Parker (whenever that happens.)

It’s brilliant.

 photo credit: RMTip21

Linsanity got the best of Deron Williams once already. He was determined not to let it happen again.

“This all started on me,” the New Jersey Nets star said.

It was a little over two weeks ago when New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin began his remarkable run against New Jersey, but Williams and the Nets were better prepared this time around. Williams scored a season-high 38 points, outplaying Lin and leading the Nets to a 100-92 victory over the Knicks in a game he where he wanted to redeem himself.

“I don’t really watch too many games, but I do see Twitter, people tweet me and every, you know, three lines it was ‘Jeremy Lin destroyed Deron Williams,’ ” Williams said. “So I definitely took offense to that in the first game and definitely, like I said, I had it circled.”

Lin finished with 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but the bigger story may have been that Williams spoiled the return of Carmelo Anthony, who shot just 4 of 11 and scored 11 points.

“My mindset was not try to come in and do too much. Try to fit in. Try to play my game within the system the way that they’ve been playing the last couple weeks,” Anthony said.

“Passing the ball, find the open man, making the right play. I felt good with that. It was just one of those games where I had to come out and get the rust off of me a little bit and get ready for Atlanta (on Wednesday).”

Although Melo clearly showed some rust, Knicks fans have to be pleased with his mindset. All of the talk leading up to the game where Anthony would make his return was shrouded in doubt that the Knicks would not be able to play team basketball and as a result, Linsanity would come to a screeching halt.

That didn’t happen last night, but it will still take a lot of work on the part of head coach Mike D’Antoni to make sure Amare Stoudemire gets his touches, J.R. Smith gets his looks, Anthony gets his points and Lin, well, retains the freedom to be Lin.

If the Kincks can do these things—i.e., play as a team—then they might be able to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

 photo credit: nikk_la

Kobe stood up and defended Pau Gasol and this Laker team by asking that management do something.  Either they trade Pau or they say they aren’t going to do it.  Well, the Lakers fired back as Mitch Kupchak released a statement that pretty much clarified his position (and my concerns about the Lakers in general.)

“As general manager of the Lakers, I have a responsibility to ownership, our fans and the players on this team to actively pursue opportunities to improve the team for this season and seasons to come.  To say publicly that we would not do this would serve no purpose and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Taking such a course of action at this time would be a disservice to ownership, the team and our many fans.”

I think that means Kobe won’t get that pony for Christmas.

I didn’t expect anybody’s mind to be changed, but I was hoping that we could at least use our feeling voices when we’re talking about this.  Instead, Mitch went with the company line (which was to be expected,) but I don’t think that that makes this issue moot.  There is some kind of strife that is rising slowly in the Lakers.  Do you see it?

I heard a commentator say just this morning that Kobe and Dr. Buss’ son, Jim Buss (who now pretty much runs the team,) don’t get along.  Well, that’s not good when your best player and the face of the franchise doesn’t get along with management.  Now, he’s spoken up in the media, and, basically been shot down.

So, where would we take this from here?  Do the Lakers have a fighting chance if they won’t make a move and try to rebuild their chemistry?  No.  Not unless they plan on trading for Deron Williams.

Good luck with that.

I think Kobe has had it with the trade rumors surrounding Pau Gasol.  But, he seems extra-irritated.  This will not turn out well, regardless of what they do.  It seem as if they’ve kind of already screwed the pooch on the whole season.  So, Kobe said:

“Basketball is such an emotional game, you got to be able to have all of yourself in the game and invested in the game. We didn’t have that.  Pau, it’s hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and all this other stuff, it’s hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he’s hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him.”

“I talked to (Gasol) a little bit about it.  It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow. I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just (expletive) do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out, he can play and he can invest all of himself into the game.”

I agree, it’s very hard to play well when you’re hearing about this all the time.  Why do we think that Lamar Odom requested a trade and it happened so quickly?  It’s this exact same reason.  You can’t wait and wait and wait.  It’d be one thing if he wanted to leave, but management started this ball rolling and they haven’t decided if they’re going to pick it up or let it roll down the hill.

A decision needs to be made long before the trade deadline, for everyone’s sake.

Apparently, Lakers management didn’t learn their lesson over the offseason with the Lamar Odom trade rumors: don’t tick off the Black Mamba.

Yes, just as Kobe Bryant was displeased with the initial rumors and subsequent trading of the former Sixth Man of the Year award winner to the Dallas Mavericks, Bryant is now a irked that Lakers brass is now flirting with the possibility of trading Pau Gasol.

These trade rumors were brought to the forefront after a frustrating 102-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday in a game.

“Basketball is such an emotional game, you got to be able to have all of yourself in the game and invested in the game. We didn’t have that,” Bryant said after Gasol had 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Suns. “Pau, it’s hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and all this other stuff, it’s hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when he’s hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him.”

We always hear talk about how athletes are professionals and how they have the ability to block out the outside distractions, but it sounds like Bryant doesn’t have much faith in Gasol. However, Bryant has made it clear that he prefers that the Lakers choose to not trade Gasol, the four-time All-Star who Bryant paired with to win consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010.

“It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow. I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they’re going to do something, I wish they would just (expletive) do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out, he can play and he can invest all of himself into the game.”

While trade rumors are a product of sports, you can’t blame Kobe for his frustrations. The Lakers (18-13) have yet to hit their stride this season and all of the perpetual trade talks—first with Odom, then Chris Paul, then Dwight Howard, then Deron Williams, now Gasol—seem to be getting to the purple and gold.

 photo credit: lo_asca