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ESPN.com presents True Hoop by Henry Abbott

The Houston Chronicle is sticking it to Tracy McGrady.
TrueHoop reader Brennan makes a really interesting point, which I'll paraphrase. We have all seen this a thousand times. Two opponents are chasing a ball as it heads out of bounds. One leaps for the ball, as the other steps out of bounds. The leaper gets the ball, and throws it off the other guy, who is by this time undeniably off the active playing surface. The referee then awards the leaper's team the ball, and in general I think I understand why. But consider this: What if the leaper had thrown the ball off something else that was out of bounds? What if he had thrown it off some broadcaster, a coach, or a large bucket of sport beverage? In general, throwing the ball off something that is out of bounds means your team loses the ball. But if that out-of-bounds thing is an opposing player, your team gains the ball. A little funny, huh? UPDATE: TrueHoop reader Jason chimes in: "I was taught (from high school basketball, so take it for what it's worth) that the ruling on possession depends on where the player who is hit with the ball (let's call him Player #2, and call the thrower Player #1) is at the time of the contact. To clarify -- if Player #2 is leaping in the air at the time, but left the ground with any part in bounds, and the ball makes contact with h

Forbes ranks the value of NBA teams, and as of last year, the news was generally excellent. The average team profit last season was the highest in at least a decade. The average team is worth a whopping $379 million.

The effect of market-size is undeniable, however. Most would agree that the Knicks could hardly have been managed more poorly over the last few years, yet the New York team remains the most valuable. Meanwhile the Hornets have been a model of turnaround, at least on the court, yet rank close to the bottom, doubtless thanks to a lack of economic might in the New Orleans area.

A couple of notable exceptions to that trend: The San Antonio Spurs snuck into the top ten, while the Los Angeles Clippers managed to be near the bottom in franchise value.

There's also a great story about Portland owner Paul Allen hitting a free throw that made the Blazers players whoop and holler. Portland is the team whose value has increased the most over the last year.

I learned new things about the Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, and Sacramento Kings, however. Kurt Badenhausen, Michael K. Ozanian and Christina Settimi

First Cup: ThursdayYesterday

Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: "Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors GM, and Sam Mitchell, the deposed coach, saw almost everything differently. But perhaps the chief team-hurting contradiction of their nearly three years together in Toronto was philosophical. Colangelo is a Western-bred enthusiast of the run-and-gun game; Mitchell kneels at the altar of lockdowns and rebounds. So maybe it made sense, given the lack of unity in their union, that their team played a disconnected hybrid of both styles. The Colangelo-Mitchell Raptors, in the end, neither ran much nor played more than the occasional lick of defence. So Mitchell finally got fired yesterday, outlasting most projections of his longevity by a few years and several millions in salary. And today, with Jay Triano at the helm, the Raptors will begin again, trying their luck at the track meet."
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "After the game nearly the entire Cavs team stayed in the shower area for an hour. They were leaning against walls, sitting on counters and enjoying adult beverages all in towels. They were talking, making fun of each other, hanging out. It may seem like normal locker room behavior, but it isn't. Maybe these guys go hang out with each other in groups after the games at restaurants or their houses. But in my six years covering the C

One of Life's Little MysteriesDecember 3

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes:

The Suns pharaoh of factoids, Vince Kozar, brings us this breakdown of Suns' turnovers: They average 9.7 in first halves and 6.8 in second halves.

What in the heck is that about?

UPDATE: Kevin Arnovitz weighs in with the theory that pace slows in most games in the second half. Can anybody deliver evidence to that effect?

Another theory: Does Shaquille O'Neal play more in the first half?

Wednesday BulletsDecember 3

Andrew Bynum says that the Lakers didn't get any rebounds after Phil Jackson took him out last night, and he implies that may have led to the loss. He has a point. By my look at the play-by-play, after Bynum sat with 5:31 left in the fourth, the Pacers proceeded to grab nine of the next 11 rebounds. However, Phil Jackson might counter that Bynum came back in with 12 seconds left ... just in time for Troy Murphy to win the game by, you guessed it, getting an offensive rebound and coaxing it into the hoop.
Top ten Derrick Rose highlights.
With all the talk of Knick cap space, and superstars, it is well worth reading Kelly Dwyer's smart look at the time, a dozen years ago, when there was Knick cap space allegedly targeted for one Michael Jordan. (They ended up getting Allan Houston instead.) Also, Kelly makes the point that the league is too sophisticated to allow players to be compensated in sneaky ways, outside the salary cap, but I make no such assumptions. Remember Joe Smith. If there were many such situations, how would anyone fin