Thursday Donuts: Mavs And More!

   Mark Cuban in a Simmons podcast. Appreciation for Antoine. The Boston Boshes? How these conference championship series might influence Jason Kidd’s future. And a bastardization of the National Anthem.

    DONUT 1: You know, maybe we should tip our cap to Antoine Wright for at least being a little bit of a stopper on the wing.

   Who does LA put on ‘Melo in the clutch? Luke Walton?!

   Who does Orlando put on LeBron in the clutch? Hedo?!

   Who does Cleveland put on Hedo in the clutch? Wally Zoolander?

   Maybe it’s harder to find that exactly right guy -- a two-way 2-guard with grit, length and athleticism -- than we think it is.

   DONUT 2: At least as interesting as Mark Cuban’s podcast visit with The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons of ESPN? The DB.com conversation about the podcast.

   DONUT 3: Chris Bosh is somewhere on the Mavs wish list. So it’s smart to stay on top of views of him. And here’s a view: Bosh will never get better than he is. And Bosh cannot be the centerpiece of a title team.

   The second supposition is ridiculous because it attempts to see the un-seeable. I’m going to start calling this The Mark Tuinei Rule. Bosh WILL be good enough to be the best player on a title team if he’s someday surrounded by Robins. (Put Bosh on last year’s Celtics in place of KG; you don’t think the Boston Boshes would’ve been legit?)

   But the first supposition is ridiculous because it’s a thesis statement that fails to understand the subject. Bosh – who has shown himself capable of being a pretty consistent 22/10 guy – might not get better than that?

   So what?  

   DONUT 4: The Jason Kidd Watch still figures to end while we watch him return to Dallas. (I think.) But my man ‘donbart’ has an astute observation on the ebbs and flows of these championship series and how they might influence Kidd’s future.

   If the Lakers win the title, they might stand pat for next year.

  If the Cavs win the title, they might stand pat for next year.

 But if those two don’t win their conferences, won’t both teams imagine for themselves an even greater need to help Kobe/LeBron by acquiring Kidd?
   DONUT 5: A great breakdown on Dwight Howard’s dangerously high total of T’s in these playoffs. But you know what? You can go call by call, whistle by whistle, and argue that this call or that call was “baffling.’’

   Still once we’re talking about getting six or seven T’s over the span of 14 or 15 games – a technical every other game?! – aren’t we talking about a lack of self-control? There’s a one-game penalty for getting a seventh. Therefore, shouldn’t you NEVER get even close to earning that seventh?

   DONUT 6: My favorite QB of all time rips the stuffing out of my least-favorite QB of all time.

   Get him, Francis Asbury Tarkenton!

   DONUT 7: You know, we tend to think of a franchise like the Lakers as being such a "have'' that they react to wins and losses in a "regal'' way ... as if "they'' are somehow different than "us.'' So this might be a good read for you, the LA Times Lakers Blog, in which the writers breathlessly discuss LA's Game 5 win by bellowing that it was "huge, massive, gigantic.''

   The Stars! They're Just Like Us!

   DONUT 8: This is territory we’ve covered before, but with each NBA Playoffs come more questions about “Who is this Jim Goldstein character?’’ Deadspin takes a turn at explaining.

     DONUT 9: There's some gossip that The Lil' Johnson is about to become involved in conversations about coaching the Philadelphia 76ers. Given Avery's recent history regarding rumors about his coaching opportunities -- he's usually the source of the rumors and the rumors generally turn out to be untrue -- I'm skeptical.

   DONUT 10: Twitter! Please follow me at twitter.com/fishsports. I will be your best friend.

   DONUT 11: They’re a little touchy in Orlando about Shaq coming to their games. …  

   DONUT 12: And they’re a little touchy in Denver about LA changing the words to the National Anthem. 'Our Lakers were still there’? Yeah, I guess that is a little more of an alteration than Dallas fans emphasizing the word “STARS’’!