The New Orleans...

This is going to be very brief and mostly just a follow up to my previous post about changing NBA nicknames. But I think I've got a good one for New Orleans - the New Orleans Bon Temps. It's French for "Good Times." Intimidating? No. But it fits that city/culture like a glove. (And it's not like the Orlando "Magic" is exactly putting the fear of God into anyone by reminding other teams they share a city with Disney World.) Plus, I could really see the people of New Orleans, and casual fans in general, rallying around the phrase, "Laissez le Bon Temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!) Who wouldn't want to yell that? Or buy a shirt with that written on it? I think that's what I'm going to call them from now on. Someone pass this along to Tom Benson, please.

Shuffling NBA Nicknames

I know I'm behind the curve on this, but, courtesy of Paul Lukas's always entertaining "Uni Watch," I just read that the New Orleans Hornets new owner, Tom Benson (also the owner of the New Orleans Saints) wants to change the team's name to reflect something more New Orleans-esque. So what should it be?

Fixing the draft lottery and tanking

I'm about to propose a radical idea that would both improve the NBA's draft, discourage tanking, and be insanely fun to watch. Now, of course, this will never happen in a million years, but hey, it never hurts to throw it out there.

Assessing the Hall of Fame chances of current players

First off, I just want to get the news out that my first child, Liliana Grace Miller, is due December 13, 2012. I couldn't be more excited. The fact that I get to introduce her to a revitalized Lakers lineup this season only sweetens the deal. I was checking the schedule, and saw that the Lakers are playing the Knicks on Christmas Day this year - which is really the biggest, marquee matchup after her due date, and someone tried to tell me that game is going to feature at least seven Hall of Famers. (Bryant, Gasol, Howard, and Nash for LA, Anthony, Kidd, and Stoudemire for NY). I was a little skeptical about this claim, so I thought I'd take a look at how likely it is those guys, and the other guys who are still playing who are most likely to make it in.