Good morning, people! As I sip my overpriced cup of Starbucks Cafe Mocha, I find myself saying, "What the....?????" in reference to some oddball occurrences in the Association today. Let's get right to headlines... "Mavericks a legit contender to land Greg Oden": From SI.com The Dallas Mavericks have bombed out in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes in the last 2 years. What to do with all the cap space and aging roster, then? Apparently, owner Mark Cuban believes that the appropriate course of action is to sign veterans and "potential-layden" players to try and win while Dirk's knees can still hold up. Enter former number 1 pick and Ohio State Buckeye Gregory Wayne Oden, who comes to us post microfracture surgery and as somewhat of a giant question mark. The potential is there- with Oden having averaged 11 points and 8 boards in his second season with the Portland Trailblazers. His career high for points is 24, but beyond the stats, the man can be a game changer, particular on the defensive/intangibles end. His long arms and quick first step (or what's left of it) can prove to be a terror to squads that are reliant on slow, lumbering Centers. If Oden can stay out of the hospital- and note the gigantic "IF" here- then we may see the Mavs showcase a poor man's Tyson Chandler as their starting Center, should Oden land in the Big D. If his health issues persist, however, then we may very well jot this signing-to-be as yet another Mark Cuban shot-in-the-dark. Dallas' history with signing bigs (Save for Tyson Chandler)- Erick Dampier, Roy Tarpley, Shawn Bradley, and Brendan Haywood, doesn't exactly scream Shaq-to-the-Lakers circa 1996, or Wilt from Philadelphia to LA. A shred of decency could be had here, though, again, if Oden can stay on the court. Rick Carlisle is a masterful mentor, and Dirk will be in the kid's ear for sure. If the Mavs can sign Oden for the vets minimum- or even slightly more than that- then this can still be tagged as a "win". *Manu Ginobili to be a Spur for 2 more years: From ESPN.COM The San Antonio Spurs, to me, are the best run organization in the NBA- having kept their core of Parker, Duncan, Manu, and Coach Gregg Popovich together for what seems like an eternity. Following a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Heat in last month's NBA Finals, the Spurs have stayed true to their winning formula- replacing their spark plugs, nuts, and bolts, and keeping the motor of their team together. Enter the re-inking of Argentinian Superstar Manu Ginobili for 2 years. Yes, San Antonio can sometimes look like the walking wounded, but really, is there any better example of the power of familiarity and coming together as a unit? As we saw in the 2013 NBA Finals, teamwork and simple basketball fundamentals can compete with otherworldly on-court talent. Ginobili's pedestrian averages of 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists over this past season do not speak of Manu's value to the Alamo. He brings grit, toughness, and unparalleled calm under pressure to a team that already has that in copious amounts through other vets like Parker and Duncan. Parker is the "accelerator", Duncan is the "balancer", and Ginobili is the "silencer". He's the guy the Spurs look to the bury the proverbial dagger into opponents. It's a tried and tested formula that's worked for over a decade. Look for this team to ride it until its natural expiration date. *Why Dwight Left LA: From CBSSports.com/nba Dwight Howard is a superhero. He's got superhero arms, a winsome superhero smile, and yes, superhero skills as a cager, particularly on defense. With all these gifts, you'd think that he would be a multiple time MVP or NBA Champion by now. That isn't the case, though. Why? Because Howard just can't keep his head on straight and lay off of the drama. Maybe the media just loves to hype up Dwight's flaws as a celebrity, or maybe it's Dwight himself that plays into the media's deathtrap. Whatever the case may be, Howard has dropped two franchises to date like hot potatoes. In his most recently foray into the soap opera world, he's clashed with Kobe Bryant, yet another product of La-La Land's claim to fame- "Hollywood". Everything tends to be magnified in big money market towns like New York, Chicago, and LA. It takes a different breed of player to maintain his focus while the klieg lights of a large market are on him. Howard hasn't fared too well in this sense. His numerical statistics are certainly laudable- 18.3 ppg, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can claim to have numbers like that. What is noteworthy about D12, though, is that it would seem like no matter how much he is mentored by the greats- Ewing, Olajuwon, and to a certain degree, Kobe, Dwight just wants to stay the way Dwight is. What Dwight is, Dwight is. He may develop a jumper on year, and a skyhook the next, but so long as Howard's head isn't in the game, look for him to seek his next big contract, his next big landing spot, after purportedly "not being fit" for a particular system, or "group of guys". In as far as being a fan of the game is concerned, I do hope we can see Howard mature at some point in time. Languishing in being fickle would invariably deprive us of seeing one of the would-be best big men of all time massively underachieve not because of a lack of skill, but rather, due to the absence of focus. Much is going on in the world of basketball these days, so make sure to stay glued to the newswires- lest you miss next big trade, free agent signing, or, gasp, Lamar Odom tirade with local papparazzi. Cheers, MC