…or Roy’s gonna take some heads. Seriously though, Danny Granger of Indiana is ballin’ out of his mind right now. The fourth-year small forward is putting up 26.4 points, good for fourth in the league, and he just dropped a career-high 42 points (yeah, it was against Golden State, but it still counts). Last year was just a glimpse into Granger’s talent, and now he looks ready to muscle his way into the NBA’s elite. You never know, Indiana may actually have good NBA betting odds next year because of Granger.

It’s been a while since Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has been in the news for making his feelings known about the NBA’s officiating. Well, wait no more, because Cuban lost it during the Mavericks’ 99-97 loss in Denver. Cuban allegedly swore at an official who, he thought, made a bad call on Dallas guard Jason Terry, sending the Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups to the line to make the game-winning free throws. Watch the game highlights and you can make the call:

Cuban also confronted Denver swingman J.R. Smith at halftime for an elbow thrown at Dallas’ Antoine Wright. Smith responded by sending Cuban a pair of signed sneakers, while Denver coach George Karl made his feelings known about Cuban talking to his players. But he should know….Cuban doesn’t care one bit. This is a dude who has been fined 13 times for a total of almost $1.7 million. Look at his commitment; the Mavericks don’t even have good NBA betting odds, and he’s still gettin’ on the ref and the opposition. Nice work Mark Cuban, Roy Jordan salutes you.

Hardly a year passes by without Tracy McGrady landing on the injured list, which puts a huge dent in Houston’s NBA betting chances. T-Mac has never played a full 82-game schedule in his 12-year career, and his season high of came back in 1999-2000, his last year in Toronto. Now, a knee injury has sidelined McGrady for at least two weeks, but some wonder if his heart is still in Houston.

McGrady has admitted he hasn’t been the same player lately, even saying he was scared to jump off his injured knee. But it’s always something with T-Mac. It may not be his fault, he could have some sort of mental issues, he could be just snakebitten by injuries. But it’s not right that a player as talented as McGrady has never reached the second round of the playoffs. He seems destined to leave Houston during the offseason, as his body language has been less-than-optimistic to Rockets’ fans. All I know is, if the Rockets don’t make it to the second round, we may need to put a watch on McGrady.

I’m actually quite upset that I’m even talking about Darius Miles. His career in a nutshell: failed the SAT, drafted 3rd by the in 2000, traded to Portland three years later before needing microfracture surgery. The surgery was serious enough to classified as career-ending, meaning the Blazers could get compensation for him. But Miles came back with Boston and Memphis, and his return means that the remaining $18 million of his salary would stay on Portland’s books. So Portland has sent an email to teams around the league, basically threatening them not to sign Miles, as two more games would put his salary on the books.

First off…..why is anyone even trying to sign Darius Miles? He wasn’t even good when he was healthy, and he’s definitely not raising your team’s NBA betting chances.

Second, the Blazers are just begging for a Western Conference rival to sign Miles, as that would kill their chances in the 2010 bidding war.

Third……….IT’S DARIUS MILES, PEOPLE! COME ON!

Probably the most lop-sided cover in Sports Illustrated history.

The latest news surrounding the ongoing drama that is Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks is that the disgruntled point guard would join the defending champions from Boston, providing he gets bought out of his giant contract with the Knicks.

Remember this?

Yeah, it didn’t work out so well the first time in Minnesota. This reminds me of Randy Moss going to New England: a me-first player who was asked to put his ego aside for the team. It’s worked out well for the Patriots (except for that little game to end last season), but unless Marbury is willing to come off the bench to back up the ever-improving Rajon Rondo, this will blow up faster than, well, the Knicks. If this goes down, Boston’s NBA betting chances hinges on Marbury’s ability to integrate himself with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and not be a distraction to the rest of the team that has, you know, won a ring.

Oh, Sir Charles, the world would be a boring place without you. Aside from his brilliant analysis on TNT, his “turrible” golf swing and a Hall-of-Fame basketball career, Mr. Barkley has had some problems with the law in his lifetime. There is a well-documented gambling addiction and a 1991 spitting incident, and now he has been arrested for being suspected of a DUI in Arizona, where Barkley is well known from his years with the Phoenix Suns. There’s never a dull moment with Sir Charles, and I suggest online sportsbooks should have an annual “What will Charles Barkley do next?” bet.

Well, at least we know he won’t be on the roads for New Year’s (hopefully). Be safe, y’all, until 2009, in the meantime….try and figure out how Barkley still has a working spine after this swing:

Maybe he can take lessons from John Daly, who was just suspended for six months by the PGA for various Dalyisms, all involving alcohol. They both like the booze and the gambling, and they grew up in the South, but they might need a ride to the driving range. Any volunteers?

So….within a week or two of each other, we get reports saying that Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis both want to leave their teams, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. These two formed one of the most exciting NBA duos in recent memory, powering the Warriors through an enthralling two-round run in the 2006-07 playoffs, punctuated by:

Now, it’s not like the Warriors or Clippers had great NBA betting odds to start with. The Warriors would be a bit improved, but still not challenging in the West, while the Clippers….well, the less said about them, the better. But the tandem of B-Diddy and Captain Jack were as entertaining as anyone in the league, and sometimes, that’s all that matters.

First things first…..I’d cancel Christmas if it meant this never happened:

Now, I know Vince Carter essentially stopped playing for the Raptors, and engineered his trade to New Jersey, for which the Raptors got virtually nothing. We wondered just how “injured” he was when things as small as a sprained finger made him fall to the ground like he was shot with a potato gun. But Carter thrives on being the villian, as proven by the video above, and the fact that he’s put up 29.5 points, 9.5 boards and 5.5 assists in two trips to the Air Canada Center this season. So maybe we should try cheering on Vinsanity when he hits the ACC next season (the Nets don’t come to Toronto again this year). At least we still have better NBA betting odds than Carter’s Nets.

I know: I can’t do it either. I’ll boo Vince at his funeral. But it was worth a thought. Then again, it should be just about time for this to happen:

Four teams that met in last year’s playoffs will highlight Wednesday’s NBA betting slate, as Boston heads to Atlanta, while New Orleans hosts San Antonio in the late game.

Celtics vs Hawks odds
Providing they win Monday’s game at home against Utah, the Celtics could have a 15-game winning streak heading into this meeting with the team that took them to seven games in the first round of last season’s playoff run to the title. The Celtics needed a last-second shot from Paul Pierce to edge the Hawks 103-102 at home on November 12th. The Celtics will be NBA betting favorites for this game, and while the Hawks are decent on the road, they will be no match for Boston on their homecourt.

Spurs vs Hornets odds
The Hornets will be looking for a small measure of revenge after losing to the Spurs in seven games in the second round last year, including a heartbreaking loss on their home floor in the deciding game. This will be a matchup of two of the best point guards in the league in New Orleans’ Chris Paul and San Antonio’s Tony Parker. The Spurs have a six-game winning streak coming into this game, and should come away with the victory as an NBA betting underdog in this contest, as the Hornets play on the road the previous night, while San Antonio has the night off.

Davidson’s Stephen Curry is no longer a secret, and NBA betting players are just waiting to see if the sharp-shooting junior will be making the jump to the L. It should be a mere formality, as Curry figures to be one of the top five picks should he choose to leave. Curry has even added to his game, as he was asked to play the point when Jason Richards graduated, and he has responded by racking up 6.9 assists so far this season, up from 2.9 last year. Not only that, Curry has increased his scoring, from last year’s 25.9 to 30.8 points a night. Curry’s work ethic is what will keep him from going to the NBA graveyard for “tweener” guards.

Now see where he gets the quick release from: