You know what’s worse than never making the playoffs, or actually making the playoffs each year, but because of the high toxin level of mediocrity, you really aren’t contending? The thing that’s worse than that is making it all the way—to the elite contending level, but then drop off drastically the next year.

Which brings us to today’s Word.

The Re-Up. It’s never satisfactory to get to the Playoffs year after year but not making any noise beyond the 3rd quarter hot shooting giving your team a 96-81 lead IN GAME ONE. Because right afterwards, your hopes and dreams are shattered like something that would shatter easily.

But perhaps that fate is far more merciful than what the Clippers or Sonics have to endure. Tearing it up like no one’s businesses, these two clubs revamped their franchises two seasons ago by getting to new heights. What happened after that? Not a peep. The next season was their version of entropy.So it’s with a great concern that Cleveland might go this route as well because of just how lackluster they ended last June.

Just ask the Pacers. They were the best of the East just a few young seasons ago. Now? It’s the Jim O’Brien Show and we’re just watching. Things are cyclical in the world, so the inevitability of the Cavaliers’ fall is almost certain. The one thing you can’t be certain of is something that no one will ever see coming.

That’s where the Wacky Wizards come in. Their team lockerroom chemistry is as spontaneous as leader so just about anything is up for grabs. Hey, there were atop the Eastern Conference for a good two weeks last season. Never saw that coming. Hey, their Big 3 aka THE ENTIRE TEAM got injured and they flailed around into the playoffs. Never saw that coming.So what’s going to happen to them this year? I guess we just all have to watch and find out.

And that’s the word (I just realized I didn’t say much about the three other teams. With good reason: Either they’re too depressing (Portland), too WTF, they still around? (Milwaukee) or just too meh (Hornets) Sorry!

By now, the good (or bad) gospel has been out: Greg Oden isn’t going to play in the 2007-2008 NBA season because he’s getting microfacture surgery.

One look around the blogs, the word “depressing” has been used 3257 times, 3258 counting that previous one I just wrote. I’m not a monster, and of course I have feelings, so yes, I’m not disagreeing that it’s a pity for Greg to have to go through this (and fans as well). But what I intend to do here, is to try and keep an upbeat motif so as everyone won’t just cry themselves to sleep.

Here Are The Things Greg Oden Should Do On A Long Year Off:

Go to the fringe festivals and educate himself on alternative arts!

Go and a have a shave, finally

Go and be the spiritual guide to all the young Hollywood crazies out there

Go be super amazing at Halo 3, and then just kick Gilbert Arenas’ team’s e-ass

and ripping off last post: Go back to school?

But for now, as the title suggests … why doesn’t Greg just go back to Ohio State and take some courses? Yeah yeah, the semester has already started blah blah blah, HE’S GREG ODEN. It’s not like the NCAA hasn’t bent (bended?) the rules for student athletes befo’.

Think about it, while rehabbing, he can study, not be totally up in his mind… he’ll have stuff to think about other than his knee. Who’s with me?

FanHouse Exclusive: Miss Gossip Interviews Greg Oden [FanHouse]
NCAA Toons: The Oden Adventures [The Hype Guy]

But all is not lost, somehow, the lords over at NBA.com decided to bless us with live broadcast of all the Summer League games. Tonight has a couple good looking games, Seattle plays at 6pm and Portland goes up at 10pm where we can see some Durant and Oden action. So perhaps I might update here and there with some thoughts on the games as it happens (or not, I might have raspberries overdose)

So if you’re also like me, renouncing Friday nightlife, shout off in the comments here during or after the games with uh.. comments. Everyone else: have a nice weekend, try not to stab any hoboes.

Vegas Summer League Schedule [NBA.com]

(As a side note, if the goal of a franchise is to lose on purpose, and if they succeed in doing so, then they must be winners right? Or do we need to smoke up some more?)

This year, like any other year, the usual suspects fine tuned their heavy duty tank engines down the stretch. Exhibit C-9, Subsection 12: the Boston Celtics. Ziller Time noted on la Hause that the Cees were actively engaging in the Nation of Tank, praise be with upon Lottery Balls. And in case you want some more investigativism, Wages of Win via TrueHoop, used a calculator or something gave us numbers to back all that shit up. So congrats Doc Rivers, you earned this one—go and grab yourself that cherry soda you rightly deserve champ.

Sooooo, what do I really have to contribute to all this? TEE-SHIRTS! YAAAAAAY!

Check ‘em out friends, you got your Boston colorway, Knicks orange & blue, sorta Portland-y reds/black and Memphis baby blues (I pretty much gave up figuring what colors they actually wear… what the hell is that?)

They hot cuz they fly!

So go and support your local tank artists ya heard, it might appear on the Vatican-Approved BLOG SHOW and you’ll be all like, “woah, shirt, tv, me, wear, same? cool!” [Gear of Clothing]

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Housekeeping: my internet service providers are like the German National Curling Team: LOSERS! They think I’m Morpheus so they shut off my intertube access due to “spam”… haters. I’m currently stealing wi-fi from my neighbors (hi!!) but it’s slower than Antoine Walker. Hopefully I get things straightened out by the end of the week.

Heh, that’s supposed to be Nick Collison, I guess the color I used was little too dark? Let’s just say he’s uh..Rashard Lewis?

The Northwest Division wraps up with a couple subperb previews:

One from the very awesome Henry Abbott of True Hoop being VERY realistic about his Portland Trailblazers.
Then SonicsCentral feels their club is on their way back to the 04-05 shape.

And finally, I think the best/funniest preview yet: from Lowpost.net/blog’s bro (though Jason should get endless kudos for coming up with lowpost.net in the first place!) comes the Utah Jazz outlook. Go take a gander, did I mention it was funny?

More lazy Sunday vids: KG goes one on one with a whole community

and this one

should be included in those NBATV slow-motion sequences with an inspirational message from a narrator.

In more up to date news: October, or as we UnrelatednessCults like to call it: The Month That Ends With The Start of The NBA Season (I wonder why that isn’t being embedded in the mainstream yet… gotta check with my publicist) allows me to update my blogroll (and tags) now because team previews are coming out once a day over at NBA Previews; with a different featured blog(s) doing a write up of their team.

This is going to be great with new content each day as well as being able to check out new sites. Today’s first preview comes way of: CelticsBlog.com, about, you guessed it, the Boston Celtics. It’ll also be updated at the NBA Previews site, so check it out.

My contribution is to read it all, disgest the information and replicate it as my own knowledge come time when I have to talk to real life fans (read: plagarism) thus making everyone think I’m a mad genius mwhahaha (kiddin’)

It has even made it to the NBA.com Suns webpage (parce que monsieur Boris Diaw est Français), but get this: it was posted three days from now! Dun Dun Dun!

But to go back for a second about the Euro publicity thing; it’s pretty cool I find. So to retroactively support this, I give you some more European LIVE covers that I guess is pretty accurate given their “curse”. However, it’s more the fact that I like Arvydas Sabonis’ mad baller skills, even if he was past his prime when he finally joined the Blazers (still better than a lot of folks..shooting.. and oh man, his passing!)

Lithuania and Soviet Union (limited covers! they’re hot!)