So what’s the holdup? Why aren’t these guys playing together already?

Well, that was on Dwight Howard.

The 26-year-old Howard, who is averaging 20.2 points and 15.5 rebounds per game this season, has expressed countless times that he wishes to be traded from Orlando to a title contending team. Among his destinations: Lakers, Mavericks, Nets and Clippers. Those teams either have an elite point guard — sorry, Jameer — like Deron Williams and Chris Paul, or a star player that has already won a title(s) like Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. All those teams have big markets, which Howard wants.

Why is it that most players forget that Chicago is an extremely business oriented city?

For some reason or another, Howard never mentioned the thought of playing with the 22-year-old Derrick Rose in the City of Wind. And most could never understand why. Is it because of their shoe deal with Adidas and the company not wanting two of their superstars playing together in the same city? It’s a possibility, but highly doubtful. Why wouldn’t Dwight want to play in Chicago? The Bulls have the best record in the league (17-5) for the second year in a row and are easily the best defensively (94.6 points given up per game).

Other than the Denver Nuggets, there isn’t a deeper team in the league.

Orlando started the season off hot but they’re riding a 3-game losing streak and were blown out against teams like Boston, Indianapolis and New Orleans (The Hornets, really?). Dwight can’t do it all himself, but as long as he’s in Orlando, unfortunately, he’s going to have to.

After Chicago lost by four on the road to the Miami Heat without the only guy who can guard LeBron in Luol Deng and their backup PG C.J. Watson, Dwight told the Chicago Tribune that he wouldn’t pass on the opportunity to play with D. Rose:

“If I could play with Derrick right now and God wanted that to happen, it will happen,” Howard told the Chicago Tribune. “It has nothing to do with me not wanting to play with Derrick Rose. I love him. That’s my brother.”

Dwight’s right, only a fool would pass on the chance to play with arguably the best point guard in the league. Oh, and about that Adidas thing, yeah, Howard squashed those rumors, too:

“It has nothing to do with adidas,” Howard said, according to the Tribune. “In fact, adidas would love that because me and Derrick have the same guy.”

Obviously, if Chicago were to go ahead and make a deal with the Magic to acquire the best big man in the league, they’re going to have to give up the fan favorite in Joakim Noah and possibly Taj Gibson from their bench. Losing Noah’s hustle and defensive energy will hurt but Dwight will make fans forget all about that after his first game in uniform. The best defensive player in the league teaming up with the best defensive team is a true blessing.

If Howard only listens to himself, hopefully he makes the right choice by choosing Chicago.

Hochman reports that Gallinari has signed a four-year, $42 million extension before the Wednesday deadline and will now be locked up with the Nuggets until 2016. Gallo, who was apart of the Carmelo Anthony trade, is basically their new ‘Melo so-to-speak. He’s easily their best scorer and has the ability to heat up at anytime. In 17 games this season he’s averaging 17.4 points while shooting 46.2% from the floor (a career-high), but has a career-low of 31.1% from 3s. Luckily, for Denver, he’s getting to the free-throw line an average of six times a night and hitting 89.2% from the stripe.

Although Denver might have struggled with this extension, they did the right thing by not letting Galinari go. He’s only 24 years old and is improving every year. He can be a 20+ scorer in this league but with so many options on Denver, he doesn’t have to be. You just can’t let that kind of talent walk away to another championship contending team. His main focus now need to be on becoming Denver’s “clutch time” player because he’s the only one on the team with that ability (maybe Al Harrington with the way he’s been playing).

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith loves his New York Knicks and I usually believe his words over Chris Broussard’s, but I’m not so sure on this one. During Stephen A’s radio show that took place this past Sunday, at approximately the 1:50 mark, Smith provided the world with some information about Dwight Howard possibly becoming a New Yorker before the March 12 deadline comes to a close:

“As I told you a little bit earlier in the hour, I have some news to report about your New York Knicks.  The Orlando Magic, I will preface my statement by telling you that they have categorically denied this, but my sources tell me that they have inquired about Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire going to Orlando for Dwight Howard.  Let me confess to you that I’m torn.  From a basketball standpoint, it would seem you do that trade in a heartbeat.  You don’t teach seven-feet and you don’t teach the dominate and the skills that Dwight Howard has.  But I like Tyson Chandler.  I like the fact that he rebounds and defends.”

This trade rumor is, well, almost laughable to me. There’s no question that something has to change in New York because they’re simply not winning basketball games. They have an offensive-minded coach in Mike D’Antoni and his best players can’t even score, that right there, is a problem within itself. But would the Knicks really trade both Tyson Chandler and their $100 million man in Amar’e Stoudemire? Probably. But does it make sense? At least right now, absolutely not.

What the Knicks need is a point guard, period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Would Dwight Howard give them a better chance at winning in the playoffs? Absolutely. ‘Specially since Carmelo and Amar’e won’t be fighting over who takes more shots on the same side of the court. The team that has to be smart here is Orlando; why trade Howard when you’re winning games and he’s having easily the best year of his career (20.2 points, 16.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks)? Orlando’s currently riding an 11-4 record and might have the best team chemistry in the Eastern Conference right now other than Chicago.

If Dwight wants to win now, his best chance is with the Magic.

If Orlando trades Howard now to the Knicks, they easily lose in this deal. Yes, Tyson’s a good defender but he’ll never be able to do the things that Dwight — who is a 3x winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award — does. As for Amar’e? He’s 29 years old with bad knees and had eye surgery. He’s really passed his prime years and won’t bring anything to Orlando except the ability to chuck up shots at any given time he has the ball in his hands.

If Orlando decides to keep Howard, then they can maintain a top spot out East, make a playoff run and quite possibly make it to the NBA Finals for the second time in four years, something that seems so long ago. If they fail at winning a championship, they can at least say they gave it one last hurrah and Otis Smith will end up doing a sign-and-trade deal with a team to acquire young talent and draft picks to rebuild for the future.

I know Jameer Nelson was hurt at the comments Howard was making about playing with PG’s like Chris Paul and Deron Williams but he has to understand that those guys are elite players. It’s not that Jameer can’t take Orlando to the Promise Land, it’s just that playing with a D-Will or Steve Nash is almost a guaranteed visit to the Promise Land.

Orlando’s spent years trying to surround Howard with 3-point shooters and rugged big men who stay out of his way but do their job, but sometimes you just come up short. And if the Knicks and Magic make this deal, both teams will ultimately come up short in the playoffs.

Last season for the Hawks, Smith put up outstanding numbers — 16.6 points (47.7% from the floor), 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks — despite playing with guys like Joe Johnson and Al Horford. He should have been an All-Star that year but unfortunately, voters felt that J-Smoove didn’t utilize his full capabilities because he got too comfortable chucking up 3s and settling for long jumpers. Although his numbers looked great on paper, it made sense as to why he didn’t go: Shot 31.1% from 10-15 feet out, 39% from 16-23 feet and 33.1% from 3s.

Not exactly draw-dropping percentages, especially from someone who has no business going that far out to the top of the key. Smith’s a banger and the paint is where he needs to stay.

Before the Hawks undersized center in Al Horford went down with a torn pectoral muscle, Smith has been asked to take on an even heavier load until playoff time, where Al has a chance to come back if his rehab goes right. In the last 7 games, Smith’s numbers look something like this: 16.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game which, thanks to him starting to heat up even before Horford’s injury, gives him an average of 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on the season. Those numbers are phenomenal, but the consistency that he’s finally doing it at is even better.

According to Hoopdata.com, Smith’s percentages have risen since last season, especially since he stopped taking 3s. He’s connecting on 71.3% of his shots at the rim (68.9% in 2010-11), 30.8% from 3-9 feet (down from 40.6), 50% from 10-15 feet (31.1% in ’10-11) and 39.0% from 16-23 feet (same as last season). He’s 21st in the league with a Defensive Rebounding Rate of 24.9, his Usage Rate is the highest it’s been since he entered the league (25.30) and his PER of 20.06 is the second highest of his career.

Are you convinced that Smith’s an All-Star yet? I have been since last year and his overall improvement this season and the way he’s manned up and took on a heavier load is plenty to hold against an argument. He’s hands-down Atlanta’s best defender and arguably the best defender in the league after Dwight Howard due to his ability to guard nearly every position.If he continues to play this way, we could be looking at a career-year for the 26-year-old.

To help his argument just a little bit more, he’s also had dominant performances against the best teams in the league: Chicago (twice): 20 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4 blocks — Miami (twice): 13 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks — Charlotte (twice): 26.5 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks — Indianapolis: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block — Portland: 17 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks and Philadelphia: 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Smith’s no slouch this year and I almost feel bad for Charlotte that he’s averaging those kind of numbers in just two games against them (I’d hate to see what he does in a playoff series). His only real downfall this year has been his free-throw shooting, which is at 50% (shot 72.5% from the previous year). Other than that, I see no reason as to why Josh wouldn’t be named an All-Star this year, especially since his All-Star center won’t be in attendance.

Anthony’s stat line against Denver: 25 points (10-for-30), 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 turnovers.

Amar’e Stoudemire’s stat line: 12 points (4-for-9), 11 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

There’s absolutely no reason that Amar’e should have only attempted 9 shots throughout the first four quarters of play, plus the two extra quarters in overtime. Before ‘Melo arrived, Stoudemire was the one who signed the $100 million deal to be the face of the franchise. Last season, when the Knicks started off blazing, Amar’e was the lead candidate for the MVP award. Crazy? No. What’s crazier is how quickly things can change for a team with just a single player.

Carmelo is now the focal-point of the offense, it runs through him. He’s basically playing their point guard throughout the course of the game except he has no idea how to run an offense (i.e. Chris Paul, Steve Nash, ect.). It’s not his fault, that’s just not how his game operates. When Melo has the ball in his hands, it’s to score, not to pass to another teammate. That’s the Knicks ultimate weak spot. They have no one capable enough at the PG position that can lead them past Miami, Chicago, Boston or hell, even Charlotte in the playoffs.

The Knicks lost once to the Bobcats already this month, and if they end up losing to them on the road this Tuesday, I don’t see D’Antoni making it to the end of the week. He’s already on the hot seat — no question — because he’s just not getting the job done. What good is it to have an offensive coach when his players can’t even score the basketball?

Offense will get you there but it’s the defense that will let you go just a little bit further.

D’Antoni knows he’s on the hot seat and so does everyone else in the basketball world, even retired coaches. And veteran NBA scribe Mark Heisler of the New York Times believes once D’Antoni’s gone, expect former Lakers coach Phil Jackson to get a call from the Knicks front office:

“With the Knicks slouching under .500 and Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense having gone missing since Carmelo Anthony arrived, Jackson’s name resounds louder and louder in New York. … The city remains so special to Jackson that his girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, the daughter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ owner, is always wondering whether he will end his career where it started in the 1960s.”

It makes perfect sense: Jackson was in uniform from 1967-1978 and won two championships there in a three-year span, and when he became head coach of the Chicago Bulls in ’89, he faced his old team plenty of times during his tenure with Michael Jordan. No coach wants to retire, sometimes they just need a year or two to catch their breath and remember what life was like outside of coaching. Look at former Florida Gator’ coach Urban Meyer; he retired once, came back, retired again, took a few months off and is now the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The same could be said for, God rest his soul, Joe Paterno. He coached Penn State until he was 85 years old, possibly longer had it not been for the Sandusky scandal.

He won’t admit his desire to coach again, at least not yet, so instead he’ll leave us with this:

“I have no desire to coach,” Jackson said, per The Times. “You never say never, right? I mean, there’s always something that might change my mind — but I just don’t see it.”

I’ll give you three reasons to change your mind: Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. That’s easily the best front-court in basketball right now. All they need is to somehow conjure up a few trade options to try to acquire either Steve Nash from Phoenix (where he’s slowly deteriorating), or Deron Williams from the Nets (reports say he will leave via free agency in the summer if Dwight Howard isn’t in uniform by March). But even without an elite PG, how could this team not be appealing to a Hall of Fame coach?

Jackson could come on in make this offense work around Carmelo because D’Antoni can’t seem to figure it out (maybe it’s because he never had to coach Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant). The thing is, though, the Knicks don’t exactly have to sign an ‘elite’ point guard, they just need someone who knows how to run an offense correctly and just let Amar’e and ‘Melo score the basketball. You don’t have to worry about Tyson Chandler, he’s there strictly for defensive purposes only.

If I’m Phil Jackson and I saw seen on ESPN that Mike D’Antoni was fired as the Knicks coach, I’d be sitting near a phone expecting a phone call from Glen Grunwald.

Carmelo’s a scorer, we all know that. He’s been that since he was just a young cat playing ball in the streets of West Baltimore. His career average of 24.9 points per game and an average shot selection of 19.4 make it impossible to argue against it. But even he, at times, knows he shoots too much. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t trust his teammates — how long did it take Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to trust theirs? — or maybe in his mind he believes every shot he takes is going to be a swish.

The Knicks are playing Wizards basketball right now. Their record of 6-9 is terrible considering how stacked they are with Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. Even Iman Shumpert is showing play that is not of a normal rookie and Landry Fields is still Landry Fields (although he’s better in the up-tempo game). With all that fire power, there should be no way New York is ranked 24th in the league in Offensive Efficiency (96.2 points per game) but despite what we see on TV, their defense is better than advertised when compared to most teams (giving up 98.7 points per game).

His 25.7 points a night are incredible numbers, but he is struggling. Mightily. He’s taking 21.3 shots a night and is shooting the lowest field-goal percentage of his career (40.4). He’s averaging 4.7 3s a game but only connecting on 32.4% of them. In the Knicks last four home losses, ‘Melo is 35-of-105 (33 percent) from the floor.

Maybe it’s the wrist injury or maybe it’s a sense of urgency to try to get the job done because he feels other teams around him are miles ahead when it comes to competing for an NBA title. After all, New York doesn’t have a point guard that can lead them past teams like Chicago or Miami out East. Hell, I don’t even see them beating the Celtics easily unless Danny Ainge breaks up the Big 3.

‘Melo isn’t sure what’s wrong himself, but he did some contemplating:

“Maybe I need to not take so many shots. I don’t know,” he said. “There’s just a bunch of stuff that goes through my mind. Just [trying to figure] out ways to make other guys better. Should I pass it more?”

In Anthony’s defense, he is averaging a career-high 4.2 assists a night but according to Hoopdata.com, his Assist-to-Turnover Ratio is at 1.29, which places him at 72nd in the league amongst players who are qualified (Kevin Durant is dead last with 0.90). So yes, maybe ‘Melo should try to pass the ball more but only in the right situations. There’s no reason for him taking 30 shots against Denver while Amar’e only took 9 ALL GAME, even in DOUBLE overtime.

That’s just ridiculous.

The shots that Carmelo’s taking are ones he’s always made, the ones he constantly works on in practice. They’re just not falling right now. I’ve watched him play since Oak Hill — been my favorite player ever since — but I know when he’s not healthy, and right now he isn’t. His first-step burst isn’t back yet, which leads me to believe his ankle isn’t fully healed. I can tell his wrist is bothering him because he’s altering the way he shoots to fight through the pain.

Maybe he needs to take one out of Kobe’s book and use a cortisone shot every night?

Melo’s never been the one to ‘sit out’ during games unless he really feels it’s necessary but the Knicks simply aren’t winning right now with him playing hurt.

“I’m kind of hard-headed sometimes [when trainers tell] me to sit out games. I don’t really know how to take that. But maybe it’s time to re-evaluate that,” he said.

Yes, Carmelo, it is time to re-evaluate that because when a guy who isn’t a superstar takes 11 fewer shots than you and leads his team to victory behind his 37 points (Danillo Gallinari), something isn’t right. Trying to squeeze 66 games in a shortened season is no easy task, but it also makes it harder to recover from injury if you keep trying to play through it, too.

When news first broke out about this, I was completely ecstatic. The Denver Nuggets — my favorite basketball team for the last 9 years — will be NBA TV’s third installment of The Association (You can view the trailer here), which takes you through one of only three NBA teams that has made the playoffs eight years in a row beginning January 25.

For those who weren’t able to watch the first two installments of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, The Association: Denver Nuggets will continue to show you a behind the scenes look at what goes on during practices, trade deadlines, contract signings and specific player profiles.

After dealing with the Carmelo Anthony trade situation just a year ago, Nuggets head coach George Karl — one of the most winning-est coaches of all-time and one of the NBA’s outspoken personalities — will take us through the situations of trying to stay focused while rumors swirl and how it presents more opportunities now that their franchise player is gone. It will also show which players benefitted the most with Carmelo’s leave and how they have the chance to make their mark on the league and earn a spot on the Nuggets roster for years to come.

NBA.com gives a heads-up on what we can expect from Episode 1 and so on:

In Episode 1, Karl and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri are seen working around the clock as they assemble a team that opened training camp with only seven players signed to the roster. As the quickly-assembled Nuggets try to come together as a team, they face back-to-back-to-back games. Viewers go behind the scenes during this early-season run and the show concludes as the Nuggets face another test — the star-studded defending Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat.

Over the course of the series, storylines will include – but are not limited to – the following:

• George Karl: A basketball lifer with more than 1,000 NBA wins to his credit, Karl continues to follow his passion and chase his elusive first NBA championship, even as he battles health issues after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010.

• Masai Ujiri: The first African-born NBA general manager, Ujiri began his tenure with the Nuggets last season. After handling the departure of Carmelo Anthony situation with patience and skill, this season he continues to put his stamp on the organization.

• Nene: The Brazilian big man was on the free agent market, but decided to stay on the only team for which he’s played. Viewers will learn why the Nuggets fought so hard to keep him and how he’s fought hard to stay on the court, including a battle with cancer earlier in his career.

• Ty Lawson: After two seasons as an apprentice, Lawson has been handed the keys to the offense. Playing for Karl, a fellow University of North Carolina Tar Heel, Lawson uses his quickness and smarts to energize his team. And after playing in Lithuania during the off-season, he has a new appreciation for life in the NBA.

• Danilo Gallinari: Just a few years ago, Gallinari was a highly-touted lottery pick of the New York Knicks. Now, he starts over in Denver and looks to prove why the Knicks should not have given up on him so soon.

Wednesday can’t come soon enough for me. The only disappointing thing about these series is that each episode airs once a month. Check out the official schedule after the jump:

Episode 1 Wednesday, January 25 6 p.m. ET
Episode 2 Wednesday, February 15 6:30 p.m. ET
Episode 3 Wednesday, March 7 6:30 p.m. ET
Episode 4 Wednesday, March 21 6:30 p.m. ET
Episode 5 Wednesday, April 11 6:30 p.m. ET
Episode 6 Wednesday, April 25 6:30 p.m. ET

Hilarious? Absolutely.

How often do you see an NBA player, or a celebrity for that matter, at the same place you’re at and an opportunity to steal (although it’s really not stealing since it was in the trash, which means he no longer needed it) something that they bought, or dropped, presents itself? Not very often.

Also in her post, Sarah went on to present that she no longer wants the cup and threw out the idea of throwing it on Ebay to see if some crazy fan is just crazy, and willing enough to buy a used coffee cup. My guess is that someone will purchase the venti (correct me if I’m wrong) sized cup. After all, a ghosts’ cane sold on Ebay for $65,000. Oh, and don’t worry about the Excedrin thing, Sarah, I pop those with Jay’s BBQ-flavored chips like nothing.

That’s our secret, though.