Troy Hudson Releases Rap Album; World Apparently Not Ready

Minnesota point guard Troy Hudson, or T-Hud as he's known in the music community, released his debut rap album on July 17th. The album, entitled Undrafted, sold 78 copies in its first week. While sales certainly eclipsed the initial projections that indicated Hudson's immediate family as the only likely purchasers, it still sent a clear message to mediocre veteran point guards throughout the NBA that the global marketplace may not quite be ready for the kind of talent capable of both rhyming words and scoring 5.9 points a game. This does not appear to bode well for the upcoming release of Spurs point guard Beno Udrih's own debut album, Unchain My Game, Mother F*cker.

Spurs, Rockets Complete Blockbuster Deal

In a move that will certainly upset the balance of power in the West and likely have a ripple effect throughout the entire league, the San Antonio Spurs sent center Jackie Butler and forward Luis Scola to Houston in exchange for guard Vassilis Spanoulis, a future second round pick, and cash.

The agreement, completed late Thursday, should provide the Rockets with the critical missing components to complement what will be a very strong returning core led by All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. One Western Conference executive who asked to remain anonymous went so far as to suggest that had Butler and Scola been with the Rockets last season, the fate of former head coach Jeff Van Gundy may have turned out differently.

"Let's face it, the Rockets were just a tweak or two away from being a real contender in the West last season. If you asked all the GMs around the NBA what they felt the Rockets were missing last year, 90 percent would give you the same answer: a mediocre backup ccnter to stash on IR and the rights to a solid frontcourt player currently playing overseas. Had Van Gundy had access to those resources, he likely would have been able to save his job."

The Butler/Scola trade looks to be yet another blunder in a long string of hapless personnel moves by the Spurs. Clearly the Rockets have taken advantage of the somehow-reigning champions and set themselves up to be the crown jewel of the Southwest Division for years to come.

D-League's Idaho Stampede Purchased As Affiliate For Fall Intramural Team

I am proud to announce the purchase of the NBA Developmental League's Idaho Stampede to serve as the exclusive affiliate for my intramural squad, Matt's Pajamas. Following the trend started by the Los Angeles Lakers (which bought the LA D-Fenders), and right off the heels of the World Champion San Antonio Spurs' recent purchase of the Austin Toros, I felt the timing was right to jump on this opportunity before any other organizations beat me to the punch.

Now owning my own D-League affiliate will assuredly have its benefits. I mean, what other intramural team will have the good fortune of being able to allow its players to get vital in-game experience in between intramural contests. Like when Jordan Farmar became the first player to play in an NBA and D-League game in one day, I plan on having the first player to play in a D-League and intramural game in the same day. Looks like that Mondays at 10:30 pm time slot was a real blessing in disguise.

In addition to the individual benefits that come from the increased opportunites to get on the floor, owning the Stampede will be the perfect chance to put in some extra work on my offensive system. That's right, just like the Lakers have the D-Fenders run the Triangle, I am going to have the Stampede run our intramural offense, which primarily consists of isolation plays designed to complement my mastery of the Jimmy Dolan Shake 'n Bake.

The only regret that I have about this entire process is that the Austin Toros (those blood-suckers) swept newly-hired head coach Quin Snyder right out from underneath me. I had been courting him pretty exclusively ever since Missouri sentenced themselves to a future of mediocrity by letting Snyder walk a few years back. In hindsight, devoting the majority of my spare time to wooing a hypothetical head coaching candidate may not have been the best use of my time, but as you may or may not know, I require anyone on my coaching staff to have passed the bar exam, so that really kind of tied my hands on the issue. I probably should have had a some sort of backup plan, but my ownership style is all about taking big risks and getting big rewards. I wonder if Pat Summitt has a law degree...and if she's free Mondays at 10:30...