Over the last couple of months, we’ve focused much of our NBA attention on the three blockbuster trades that went down within a couple weeks of each other. We spoke highly of the Lakers’ trade theft of Pau Gasol, and expressed some doubts about the moves for Jason Kidd and Shaquille O’Neal. Well, it turns out those concerns were justified. Pau’s Lakers? Moving on. J-Kidd and the Big Cactus? Gone fishin’.

Remember when there were whispers about the Mavericks breaking the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a season last year? All was well in Dallas; they had the MVP, a rising star in Josh Howard and the bitter taste of defeat from their loss in the 2006 NBA Finals. But after falling to the upstart Golden State Warriors, the Mavs’ earth has seemingly rotated off their axis.

A more experienced team like the Mavs should not have been ousted in five games by the Hornets. As good as New Orleans has been all year, you would expect Dallas to show up in the postseason because of what happened last year. Didn’t happen. And that trade for Kidd turned out to be a nightmare, as the future Hall of Famer was abused by Chris Paul in five straight games. After such a great 2006 season, the Mavs’ entire franchise now appears to be snake bitten. Where do they go from here? They have a guy in Dirk Nowitzki who still refuses to show up in big games. And now they’re without their future point guard in Devin Harris, now playing for the Nets. Mark Cuban has done some great things over the years, but he screwed the pooch this time.

The Suns knew that something had to change. They had found out that defense wins championships after getting shellacked by the Spurs in two of the last three postseasons. But even with two giants inside, the Suns had no answer for the Spurs, who still managed to fly under the radar before the series started. All of the focus was on Shaq’s Suns, but how about those Spurs? We know how good they are, we just always seem to forget it. With two aging players in Steve Nash and Shaq, the Suns’ window of opportunity appears to be closing. Hell, it already has for their head coach.

So much for that. The Mavs and Suns made these blockbuster deals looking towards glory in April, May and June. But all of that now appears to be thrown out the window. But hey, at least Pau worked out.

I don’t think this is what Mark Cuban had in mind when he resigned Devean George in the offseason. Yesterday, news of a blockbuster trade involving Jason Kidd going back to Dallas spread like wildfire. And then, in an instant, it was gone. The reason? Devean Freakin’ George, who vetoed the trade that would have sent him and a handful of Mavericks to New Jersey.

Imagine that. Here’s a guy that’s averaging just over three points a game and barely sees the court for much more than a quarter. The Mavericks, desperate to match blockbuster deals by the Lakers and Suns, thought they had another piece for a run to the NBA Championship. Instead, George nixed the deal. And to top of it off, the bastard went 0-11 last night

Perhaps George did the Mavs a favor. After all, they’d be trading four contributing players and two future draft picks to acquire the services of an old point guard for, at the most, a couple seasons. If this trade would have gone through, their frontcourt defense would begin and end with fatass Erick Dampier (I don’t consider Dirk Nowitzki a part of any discussion involving defense). That doesn’t sound like a winning formula in the playoffs against guys like Andrew Bynum, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan.

Maybe this is just a sign that George still loves the Lakers. He won three NBA Championships in Tinseltown, earning quality minutes off the bench behind manwhore Rick Fox. And now, with the Mavs desperately trying to match the Lakers in the blockbuster trade department, George managed to screw it all up. Thanks Devean!

Most trade deadline speculation turns out to be just that…speculation. With the deadline fast approaching (3 PM EST on Thursday), Pau Gasol and Jason Kidd are the two names everyone is throwing around. When and if a deal will get done is another story.

You really have to feel for Pau Gasol. He’s a national hero to people in Spain but in the United States, he’s an afterthought. The reason? He plays his basketball for the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the NBA’s worst teams at 14-41. Poor Pau has never even won a playoff game because the Grizzlies have been swept out of the first round the last three years. The team everyone seems to be throwing around with Gasol is Chicago. For the Bulls, it’s a deal they should make.

They have a nice core but there’s no real stars in that core. Ben Gordon is a great player and he’s one guy you don’t want to part with. Besides an up-and-comer like Tyrus Thomas and the big man Ben Wallace, I’d say everyone else should be expendable. The Grizzlies want Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni, and Thomas out of the deal. Thomas is the wild card here because he’s young, athletic, and perfectly suited for Memphis’ up-tempo offense. If the Bulls pull the trigger, they can win the Eastern Conference. If I’m GM John Paxson, I bust my ass to try and get Tyrus Thomas out of that deal. Throw in Luol Deng or another piece. But keep Thomas. Read the rest of this entry »

Not only does Jason Kidd have to play his home games in New Jersey, he’s also having some more marital problems. This breakup saga has gotten a bit more heated recently, with Kidd’s wife Joumana telling her side of the story. Allegations of “serial infidelity” and physical/verbal abuse makes this story one to watch.

Kidd apparently gets kicks out of a few things in life. One of them is those constant 4/15 shooting nights, which only look good because he squeaked out a bare minimum triple double of 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

He also likes beating the crap out of Joumana. There was a conflict six years ago over domestic abuse and apparently, J-Kidd has kept up the beating. He pressed his forearm against her neck as recent as December 28th, over a month after the divorce.

She said he has admitted to affairs with numerous women “including strippers in Arizona, Sacramento, Miami, Dallas and Indiana,” as well as a Nets season-ticket holder, a Nets employee, a cheerleader in New Orleans, and women named “Petra” and “Lisa,” according to her filing.

The 27-page document related a series of alleged attacks in which Jason Kidd punched, kicked or choked her, once giving her a concussion by striking her with a candlestick.

Here’s to hoping we see Joumana courtside on Sunday, letting her ex hear it from the seats. Candlesticks Jason? Wow.

Jason Kidd filed for divorce from his wife after 10 years, citing her “abusive nature” as the reasoning for their split. Kidd claimed that she used “extreme cruelty” throughout the time that they had been married.

What can you say about Jason Kidd’s marriage that hasn’t been said about a heavyweight title match. Kidd was arrested in 2001 for assaulting his wife, Joumana, and had to go to anger management classes for three months. Kidd also spent some time recovering from an alcohol abuse problem. This time, it was apparently Joumana’s turn to be the abuser. What kind of name is Joumana anyways? Was Kidd just trying to be ultra clever and dropped one too many “Jou-mama” jokes on her and she beat him? It sure is a fantastic example that they have set for their three kids, what with the booze, counseling, and now divorce.

Kidd is an outstanding basketball player still at the age of 33. Even though Kidd is the king of barely pulling off 10 point 10 assist double doubles, he is a leader for the Nets. Hopefully his pride isn’t hurt by admitting that he gets abused by his wife. At least he is willing to admit it, unlike Doug Christie, who still gets pulled around on a short leash by his wife.