All the vacancies are just about filled and the chess pieces seem in place. This is the time of year when coaches and general managers are fine-tuning plans for the season. This lockout has slowed things down to a crawl.

Never would a team go this long without filling important positions like, say, head coach or general manager. Minnesota filled its coaching vacancy with Rick Adelman last week and will introduce him at some point next week.

The last job remaining for the league's teams to fill appears to be Toronto's general manager position. All the chess pieces for the 2011-12 season seem to be falling into some sort of place. What place that is might be anybody's guess.

Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said Toronto has completed interviews with four candidates for a high-level executive job. Not quite sure what that high-level executive job might be, but ostensibly it is going to be the person taking over for Colangelo sometime in the near or far future. Toronto interviewed Philadelphia general manager Ed Stefanski, San Antonio assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey, Indiana pro personnel director Kevin Pritchard and former New Orleans general manager Jeffrey Bower for the vacant position.

Over the weeked, John Wall called out LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for being a little less than vocal during the lockout.  

“I think we’re going to have to have guys like Kobe [Bryant], LeBron, the face of the NBA, to step up and say something,” said Wall, who was in Las Vegas this week when National Basketball Players Association President Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter updated the players on the labor impasse. “Derek Fisher and those guys are doing a great job, but I just want it to be over. I can’t really say too much. I only have one year under my belt. . . . I just want to sit back, learn and listen and see what’s going on during the meetings.”

He has a bit of a point.  LeBron and Kobe have been noticeably quiet about the labor talks, but then again so have a lot of players.  But Kobe, according to Billy Hunter, is willing to let his wallet do the talking. 

“They’ve been deeply involved in the meetings we’ve had. I know Kobe is intimately involved in interfacing with colleagues and sharing in a pool of revenue to help the others get through this. Kobe has volunteered to do that in the event others need, he and others are prepared to loan money if necessary.”

Keep interfacing there, Kobe. 

This is a pretty cool move.  I assume a lot of the ridiculously rich max-contract guys are pitching in for this.  Which reminds me....

... hey there Kobe... remember me?  We played together for a little bit this past season.  Yeah, probably not.  I didn't play much but I was definitely there... so don't go checking into team rosters or anything.  That's not necessary.  Anyway, this lockout is killing me and I'm running a little short.  Any chance you can toss me a few hundred thousand?  You know, just to get me by?  

It's so nice of you to offer to help a guy you totally played with and is absolutely not trying to scam you in anway.  Thanks, brother.  Give Vanessa my best.

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter

Lakers forward Metta World Peace made his debut on ABC's Dancing With The Stars last night, stumbling out of the gates and delivering an uncomfortable-to-watch performance.

Everyone always says athletes naturally do better on DWTS, but everyone forgot to tell the former Artest.

Aside from showing up with blonde hair and goatee, the getup picked for World Peace was not exactly flattering, as he showed a bit of "lockout gut" that DWTS should help to trim down.

If that wasn't enough, he flirted with just about anything that walked, making it even more akward.

World Peace danced the Cha Cha with partner Peta Murgatroyd and while he lumbered through it, he may have gotten a new name change idea. Dance-a-tron vs. Metta World Peace could be quite the tossup.

While World Peace and partner were given 14 out of 30 points, he won't be gone any time soon, being one of the only real "stars" on the cast. I doubt many will ask "who's that" after he dances like I did after watching my first full episode of the show.

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter

It's a little odd to be typing this because, honestly, I shouldn't be.  Jerry Sloan should still be coaching.  But we all know some things went down and, well, here we are.  So I suppose it's not really much of a surprise to hear that a guy who probably never really wanted to leave probably won't be gone for very long.  At least, according to his wife.  

“I don’t think you can ever say, ‘No,’ ” he said. “But I’m not agonizing over it, that’s for sure. I think I’ll always be able to find something to do.”

Tammy Sloan isn’t so sure.

“I just don’t see him staying retired,” she said. “I just can’t see that happening.”

The game is just better with Sloan in it.  And I can see him helping a team that needs discipline and focus.  Or maybe a young-ish team on the verge of a breakthrough.  But he'll be over 70 if or when he comes back.  Is he going to want to be in that situation?  Or is he going to want to be on a ready-made winner?  

Actually, there is one team that almost fits both scenarios.  The Miami Heat. 

Miami's obviously talented enough to be right on the cusp of a title, but they're still sort of young.  Well, they're not old.  You get my point.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  If Miami ditches Spoelstra, Sloan should be the guy.  The only question is will he get along with Pat Riley.  Riley is a notorious meddler, and Sloan is not one to be meddled with.  Despite that, he'd be the right guy for that team if the other stuff surrounding it can be worked out. 

Via PBT

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter

How do I know it's the doldrums of the NBA offseason has kicked off? I'm about to show you a photo (via cbssports.com) of Thunder's Kevin Durant wearing a Chicago Bulls cap.

Now before you Bulls fans think this is a subtle sign that Durant wants to join Chicago and Derrick Rose to form a formidable duo, Durant's locked up in Oklahoma City for quite sometime.

Many NBA players sport other team gear and of course the media gets whipped up into a fury reporting this is a sign of things to come from the player. LeBron James wore a New York Yankees cap before he decided to take his talents to South Beach much to the chagrin of Knicks fans.

And for fans of players see their favorite baller wearing another team's jersey, most of the time the reaction is, "Oh that doesn't look right at all." However, is it me or does that Bulls cap actually kind of fit Durant?

So breathe easy Thunder fans. You know Durant isn't going to another team and he still has that backpack look going. A look that I never understood.

Think the offseason, a lockout and the end of the major Olympic qualifiers will damper fans hopes on seeing some of their favorite players on the hardwood? Think again.

This past weekend out in D.C., John Wall, Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, Michael Beasely and more squared off at the Clash of the Superstars charity game and if you think they played any amount of defense, think again.

From Cousins getting it done in the paint, Durant being Durant to Wall and Beasely going toe-to-toe throughout the game, it was a great game of hoops for fans needing to satisfy their fix for highlights.

Forget Jimmer-Mania, it's Bogut-Mania down under.

A lot of international NBA players are considering playing for their home country until the NBa season begins. San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker, Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol are just two in a sea of players considering such a move but is Milwaukee Bucks' Andrew Bogut next?

His fans in Australia are sure making it hard for him to say no.

Currently, a few Australian teams from the National Basketball League are courting Bogut to join their respective club and the Gold Coast Blaze fans are mounting a full on Twitter assault to sway Bogut's decision.

Blaze fans took to Twitter with the #Bouges4Blaze campaign and officials with the squad are urging fans to maintain the momentum.

Blaze chief executive Paul Pamenter has urged the club's fans to maintain Bogut-mania.

He said the support "certainly helps" the club's efforts to lure Bogut to the Coast.

Bogut's management group did thank his fans but in the end, the insurance issue still needs to be ironed out.

His agent, Bruce Kaider, said last night that until those issues were sorted out by international body FIBA and insurance companies, no NBL deal would be looked at in detail.

"We wouldn't put him at risk (if the insurance issue wasn't sorted out)," Kaider said.

Yesterday Spain defeated France at the Eurobasket 2011 tournament 98-85 to take gold and reserve their spot at the London games.

Although France was dotted with solid players, Spain's huge advantage was size. The tandem of Pau and Marc Gasol manned the paint but it was the huge defensive effort by Thunder's Serge Ibaka which sent a message to France.

And his message to France was do not even think about getting easy shots at the rim.

Check out Ibaka with an impressive five blocks in four minutes.

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter

Our series on the four jerseys fans of every NBA team continues today.  It's Southwest Division week, and today we're focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.  Remember, we're not just going to list off four popular players in team history.  We know that when you're wearing a jersey, you're going for a "look."  So every day we're going to tell you the jersey you've got to have, the jersey you can't go wrong with (in case you can't find the first one), the jersey that will make people say "Oh, that's awesome," and the joke jersey that will have everyone laughing.

For 30 seasons, The Mavericks were either "good, but not good enough" or just flat out terrible.  They had a nice run in the mid-80's to become a high-scoring playoff team.  From 1991 to 1999, the best the Mavs could do manage was a 36 win season.  After that, the Mavs had some amazing regular season runs, but those also included a first-round exit after a 67 win season.  

None of that matters now, though.  The Mavs broke through in season #31 to bring home their first championship.  With that, Mavs fans can hold their heads high as the burden of past disappointments is finally lifted.  A championship changes a lot, including the four jerseys fans gotta have.

Gotta Have:

Dirk Nowitzki -- This might have been up for a little debate before the title.  For some, Dirk was the face of yet another frustratingly close Mavs team.  But this postseason run changed all that.  Dirk put on some epic shooting performances and took over when his team needed him most.  He's the team's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and 3's made.  #41 is a Maverick for life, which we all know is rare.  And bringing a title to Dallas solidifies him as the #1 player in Mavs history.  If you don't have his jersey yet, get it now.

Can't Go Wrong With: 

Rolando Blackman -- Before Dirk came along, Blackman was the franchise's leading scorer.  Rolando was the key guy on the first wave of good Mavs teams, and he still calls Dallas Home (when he's not coaching overseas).  He's one of Dallas' first great players, which is why his #22 hangs in the rafters.  It should also hang in your closet.

"Oh, That's Cool":

Derek Harper -- I have to admit, the first thing that jumps into my head when I hear "Derek Harper" is "NBA Jam"... which makes this pick cool enough.  Harper was known more for his defensive abilities (he's the Mavs' all-time leader in steals with 1551, Dirk is second with 884) but he's also Dallas' 4th all time leading scorer.  Rocking a #12 is a cool nod to one of Dallas' greats

"Oh, That's Funny":

Shawn Bradley -- Bradley's Dallas' career leader in blocked shots, but at 7'6", I would hope that in 9 years you would be.  A more accurate sign of just how ineffective Bradley was would be the fact that in 9 years with Dallas, he couldn't grab more rebounds than Sam Perkins did in 6 years with Dallas (3340 to 3767).  Really, Shawn Bradley's lasting legacy was getting dunked on.  A lot.  So much that there's a top 10 highlights of dunks on Bradley (#1 is an assortment of Shaq posters).  And that list doesn't even include TMac catching him.  So honor the art of the posterization by pulling on a #44 and standing next to someone who's about to do something awesome.  

There you have it.  The four jerseys Mavericks fans have got to have.  Disagree with us?  Let us know who we missed in the comments.

Atlantic Division:  Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto

Central Division:  Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee

Southeast Division:  Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, Washington

Pacific Division:  Golden State, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Phoenix, Sacramento

Northwest Division:  Denver, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Portland, Utah

Tomorrow:  Houston

Jeff Garcia collaborated on this post

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter

I was hanging out at Impact Basketball early Sunday afternoon watching Philadelphia 76ers' big man Maresse Speights finish up his individual training session at the facility when Rudy Gay came rolling in wearing a Memphis Grizzlies baseball hat, so I figured I'd stay and watch his too.  I had that image of Gay with a shoulder brace on over his suit, sidelined during this past postseason in my head, and I wanted to get an idea of about how hard he could go at this point.  Below is some video I shot while I was watching:

For a little over two hours, alongside Detroit Piston Austin Daye, Rudy went way harder than I expected he could at this point.  He had surgery in late March to repair a left shoulder subluxation he injured in a February 15th game against the Philly, and he appears to be doing everything he can to be back with the Grizzlies whenever day one of the regular season eventually does find itself scheduled. 

I asked Rudy how his rehab is coming along on the way out, and this is what he told me: 

“I feel good man, real good. I’m just trying to go real hard, trying to test it [his left shoulder], and just get myself all the way back and cleared [medically] by the start of the season.  But everything’s been going real good."

It would seem things could go real good for the Grizzles too if Gay ends up back in a rotation that went to Game Seven of the Second Round last season too.  They really could be pretty nasty with Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen, OJ Mayo, and an improving Mike Conley, but we'll have to wait until after these labor negotiations get settled to find out.

If you happen to be a guy who might be interested in wagering on that sort of thing, Vegas currently has the Grizzlies as a 30 to 1 shot to win the title.  I was thinking about droping an Alexander Hamilton on that before I fly out of here on the chance it pays out three Franklin's, but I'm still waiting to see if my Crossover Chronicles raise application goes through before I commit.

Video: CrossoverChronicles

Like CC on Facebook

Follow CC on Twitter