BASKETBALL

In the NBA, we have another trade this season — a 3-team deal. The New Jersey Nets have agreed to send last year’s lottery pick Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets.  In return, the Nets will receive Sasha Vujacic from the Lakers as well as two first round draft picks.  The Lakers will get Joe Smith from the Nets.  This trade is mostly about money and clearing cap space down the road, but this is definitely a trade that benefits the Nets.  The Nets intend to move to Brooklyn as soon as possible, and now have a total of 5 first round picks over the next 2 years.  They have a very good young team and hope to improve that team in the off-season.  Look for the Nets to be a contender again very soon.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the game between the Bears and the Vikings on Sunday, unfortunately, will not be in Minnesota’s Metrodome.  It simply won’t be ready in time after deflating under the snow this past Sunday.  That means that the game will be played OUTDOORS at the University of Minnesota stadium.  Minnesota in the dead of winter is simply brutal conditions.  Unlike Green Bay, Minnesota fans aren’t used to watching the game in such temperatures.  They’re accustomed to the heated Metrodome.  And it is going to be around 8 degrees on Sunday.  Expect a low-scoring affair between the Bears and Vikes and potentially very low attendance.  It just isn’t the season Minnesota wanted.

Finally, you knew it would happen, you just didn’t know when.  That’s right, Terrell Owens finally had something to say about the Bengals losing season.  The typically vocal Owens has been mum all season with the media.  The Bengals have been on a losing tear, but we still haven’t heard any excuses from Owens.  When signing Owens, coaches and owners are always concerned he will be a locker room disruption and affect overall team chemistry.  When asked on his TV Show, the TOcho Show why the Bengals are doing so poorly, Owens came out and said, “It’s all the coaches fault”.  Now that’s just laughable — can someone scapegoat blame any more blatantly?  The full quote:  “I think there’s underachieving from the top down.  You start with the owner, you start with the coaches. And obviously we as players, we are a product of what the coaches are coaching us throughout the course of the week.  Of course, we have to go out there and play the game. But in order for us to do what we’re allowed to do at the best of our abilities, the coaches have to put the players in the best position.”  This isn’t necessarily a bad point, just a little to much of a public criticism.  Chad Ochocinco added that he was numb to losing since he’s so used to, essentially, not winning in Cincy.  Needless to say, there is a very good chance that TO will be in yet another uniform next season.