Hooped Up

There will be a new bad guy to deal with when the Mavericksopen their pursuit of re-signing Jason Kidd on Wednesday. The New York Knicks are expected to join the ranks of serious competitors for Kidd’s services for two reasons. First, it is widely known that Kidd has an affinity for New York. He still has a home there and enjoys the area. He played for New Jersey for 6 1/2 seasons before being traded to Dallas in 2008. Secondly, the Knicks are going to start stockpiling assets to help lure LeBron James next summer. Having Kidd as their point guard, even at age 37 in 2010, would be a nice selling point. Wednesday is when teams officially can begin talking to free agents, and Kidd is expected to get overtures from several teams: Cleveland, Portland, Boston, New York and perhaps the Lakers.

Dallas Morning News

Dirk Nowitzki wants custody of his unborn child like now!

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki wants sole custody of his ex-girlfriend’s unborn baby, now a Jefferson County inmate, if it’s proven he is the father, according to a petition filed last week in a Dallas County courthouse. The inmate, Crystal Taylor, was arrested May 6 at Nowitzki’s Dallas home on a warrant out of Jefferson County for on a theft of services charge. She was served at the jail Monday with a petition to adjudicate parentage. Nowitzki’s name does not appear on the court documents.

This is a good play by Nowitzki because I’ve heard that raising a child from prison with all of the shivs, toilet wine and fights in the yard around can be kinda rough.

Give Dirk his baby lady.

Via Beaumont Enterprise

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was not the first professional athlete to have a tumultuous and bizarre relationship with Cristal Taylor. Former NFL quarterback Tony Banks on Wednesday told The Dallas Morning News that Taylor is the same woman who tried to turn his life and career upside down in 1997. When their brief relationship fizzled, Banks said, Taylor began making harassing phone calls to him, his agent and even his St. Louis Rams head coach, Dick Vermeil. Alarmed that Taylor was “trying to run my name through the mud,” Banks notified team security, which learned Taylor had a criminal history and had used multiple identities.

Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has apologized to the mother of Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin.

Cuban made a crack after a Mavs loss in Dallas on Saturday in their NBA playoff series. According to Cuban, a fan called the Nuggets “thugs.” Cuban looked at Martin’s mother, Lydia Moore of Dallas, and said, “That includes your son.” Martin’s agent told the Denver Post that Cuban said to Martin’s mother that her son is a “punk.”

In a Tuesday post on Cuban’s blog titled “An Apology to Kenyan Martin’s Mom,” Cuban wrote that he shouldn’t have said anything. He added that this matter has gotten out of hand.

The Mavs trail the series 3-1 after Monday’s 119-177 Dallas win.

Press Release

Mark Cuban will ruin mothers day if he thinks it will get the Mavericks a win.

“Cuban said Sunday by e-mail that when he walked off the court, a fan was screaming about the Nuggets being “thugs,” so Cuban said to Martin’s mother: “That includes your son.”

According to Martin’s agent, Brian Dyke, Cuban spotted Moore amid numerous Nuggets fans and said, unprovoked, “Your son is a punk.” Regardless of what insult was stated, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, “The situation on the floor postgame is being reviewed.”

K-Mart already plays ball pissed off on a good day so, any Maverick players that end up in traction due to hard fouls in game 4 can thank Mark Cuban for the pain. 

Via Denver Post

I once had a crazy girlfriend that blinded me with regular mindless sex and everybody around me kept telling me that she was going down Niagara Falls in a brick padded barrel crazy. They were all so right! As it turn out, my situation wasn’t too far removed from Dirk Nowitzki’s current stalker / girlfriend / baby moms / identity situation, because the Mavs warned Nowitzki that homegirl was crazy. I wonder if Dirk’s lady friend knows my ex… Continue »

If an increase in stalkers indicate the growing popularity of the NBA and it’s players, it’s safe to say that the league has reached rock star status. Luke Walton, Derek Fisher and now Dirk Nowitzki have had stalker run ins, but the person that is stalking Nowitzki might be his girlfriend, cue the dramatic music. Continue »

Dallas forward Josh Howard was sidelined after just six scoreless minutes in Game 2 against Denver because of a sprained right ankle.

The Mavericks’ energizer went to the bench late in the first quarter after he appeared to land awkwardly on his right foot while trying to block Carmelo Anthony’s layup.

Howard has been hampered all season by a balky left ankle and sprained his right one in the first half of the opener Sunday night at Denver.

Howard missed 30 games in the regular season but his return sparked Dallas down the stretch and he played a key role in the Mavericks’ elimination of San Antonio in the first round.

Press Release

Dampier told The News after the game that he was going to put Parker “on his back” and that “my first foul has to tell him he’s in for a long night.” While that may raise red flags in the league office, it also may be an attempt to play mind games with the high-scoring Parker, who has shredded theMavericks’ defense through two games of their first-round series. Dampier insisted after the game that he would “get his money’s worth” on his first foul when Parker drove to the basket, which he has done with impunity. Without question, Dampier will be watched more closely by the game officials after his comments. If the league has any penalty to hand down before the game, it would probably be a fine, not a suspension.

Dallas Morning News

Yes I’m kinda late today, but what can I say. Being a secret agent is tough work with odd hours.

Anyway, International affairs aside. Minnesota winters are cold, but Jason Terry on this day was colder sinking this ice cold jumper with only a few ticks left to send the T-Wolves packing (har, har). While everything in the east is pretty much set to go for the 1st round, in the west it’s still a battle for the 6th, 7th and 8th spot.

Thank Jebus for the western conference helping me to get my moneys worth with my NBA League Pass!