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Prior to joining the Mavericks, earning a Sixth Man Award, and winning the NBA Title, Jason Terry played 403 games for the Atlanta Hawks.  Being that all 403 of these games took place during the regular season, this doesn’t represent the most memorable span of JET’s impressive career.  I mean, seriously… when’s the last time you came across any sort of reference to his time as an Atlanta Hawk?

Personally, I can’t even answer that question.  Furthermore, I’m not sure I have one single memory of Terry playing for the Hawks.  Fortunately, somebody somewhere could recall that JET the Hawk once scored 46 against Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavs.  These very points still represent his career high, and although the Hawks lost the game (in front of about 37 fans), it probably had a lot less to do with Terry’s 15-23 shooting than it did with his supporting cast of underwhelming players I won’t bother naming.

I suppose the fact that Dirk Nowitzki poured in 40 of his own probably had a little something to do with it, too.

This game only gets more fun when you take a peek at the box score.  The assortment of names and some of the numbers that appear next to them make me really happy.  Shame on me for not knowing about this game.

It appears that it’s come time for Michael Beasley, who recently signed a three-year contract with the Suns, to move out of his Minnesota mansion.  Oddly, he won’t be packing up a U-Haul and taking his belongings to Phoenix; he’s elected to have an estate sale instead.  Apparently, he plans to stock his new residence with “all new stuff,” which is something I suppose a man can afford to do with a brand new deal worth $18 million.

And yes, the items up for grabs at Michael Beasley’s estate sale are every bit as interesting as you’d expect them to be.  Via Patch.com…

Never before have I wished I lived in Minnesota… but I can honestly say Michael Beasley’s estate sale has changed that.  For those of you lucky enough to reside within reasonable distance of this sale, I’ve got directions for you from EstateSales.net.

Address of Sale:
1250 Lyman Avenue
Orono, MN 55391

Directions to Sale:
West onto 394 which turns into hwy 12. Take 112 exit (Long Lake/Orono) and continue to Brown Rd. Left on Brown Rd to Orono Orchard Road. Turn left. You will find road closed signs on Orono orchard road. Go past these signs and you will come upon a gravel road. Continue on to Smith Avenue. Turn left on Smith to Lyman Avenue. Right on Lyman Avenue to sale. Traffic director will be present and will guide your parking on site.

The most interesting sale in the world runs until 3 PM today, but please be forewarned that no sports memorabilia is up for grabs.  Not that that’s what you want.  You want the Ingmar Bergman screenplays, the book on primitive erotic art, and a new set of rims for your truck.

Somehow, Michael Beasley is even weirder than we thought he was.  I love it.

Welcome back to NBA247365.COM’s countdown of the top 20 NBA uniforms of all-time!  Numbers 20-16 as well as 15-11 have been posted already, so read about those (if you haven’t already) before moving on to the top 10.

#10: Baltimore Bullets (c. 1970s)*

Red, white, and blue, while patriotic, has got to be the most overused color scheme in the history of professional sports.  That being said, the striped Bullets jerseys of the 1970s were exceptionally unique.  Lots of teams have incorporated pinstripes, and some have tried other types of vertical striping… but wide, horizontal bands of color?  That style is exclusive to Wes Unseld’s Baltimore Bullets, who won the title in ’78.

That’s not to mention the way the doubles Ls mimic a pair of hands reaching for a rebound, or the stars running down each side of the shorts.  Everything about this uniform was new, different, and exciting, and its classic status is cemented by the fact that it’s still a relevant style today (as you know, the Wizards’ current unis were inspired by these).

Note: please excuse the modern photograph.  I wanted to use a shot that included Jerry Stackhouse, ’cause his name was on the back of my throwback.  Somewhere, there’s a picture of a much younger me rocking his number 42 with the matching fitted at the 4th of July parade.

#9: Atlanta Hawks (1982-1992)*

Equally synonymous with Dominique Wilkins and southern hip hop videos, this classic style has made its presence felt both on and off the court.  Considering the degree of flash associated with this uniform, Hawks basketball, and the ATL in general, it’s fitting that three dunk champions earned the title sporting this look (Wilkins, Webb, and Josh Smith, who retroed it for his windmill in ’05).  As for its cultural significance, Nike pretty much released a shoe for the sole purpose of matching this Hawks jersey.  Said shoe will now run you approximately 200 bucks.

Oh, and let us not forget that one of the illest logos of all-time, the “Pac Man” Hawk, was featured on the shorts.  That did a lot for the bottom half of this uniform.

#8: New York Knicks (1968-79, 1983-now)**

With the exception of a four-year stint in the early 1980s, the Knicks have been rocking a uniform that’s remained pretty much the same since the latter part of the ’60s.  From Clyde to Pat to Houston to Spree, it’s been orange lettering, blue trim, and a touch of black.  This color combination, which no other city has ever utilized (to my knowledge), is as unique to New York as the pyramids are to Egypt.  As miserable as recent Knickerbocker history has been, their longstanding look remains one of the most recognizable in professional sports.

When Isiah Thomas can’t ruin it, you know it’s a classic.

#7: Toronto Raptors (1995-1999)**

We all remember the big, screen printed, cartoon logos of the ’90s.  Some remember them more fondly than others, but nevertheless, we all remember them.  The “Dino” Raptors uniform was, in my opinion, the defining style of this time period.  The colors were awesome, the logo was more awesome, and the pinstripes looked like barbed wire.  Although it only lasted about as long as the days of VC and T-Mac, no one’s forgotten that the Raptors used to actually have a red Raptor on their shirt.

#6: Atlanta Hawks (1970-1972)***

Somehow, the Hawks managed to provide young Pete Maravich with an outfit as unique as his game.  The league gave an assist, too, allowing Maravich to go by “Pistol” on an official, back-of-the-jersey basis.  For some reason, the blue and lime only lasted two seasons… but at least it happened.

Note: as a kid, back when wearing Mitchell & Ness practically made you god, I had this one.  I’ve yet to allow another human being within 10 feet of my laundry since my mom destroyed that jersey in the washing machine.

*Denotes a personal favorite.

**Denotes an iconic uniform.

***Denotes a “player-made” style.

Much to the delight of Thunder fans everywhere, the NBA’s leading shot blocker won’t be on the market next summer.  Oklahoma City has reportedly signed Serge Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million contract extension.  Via ESPN…

The Oklahoma City Thunder have locked up another of their core players by agreeing to a contract extension with center Serge Ibaka, according to a report.

Ibaka agreed to a four-year deal worth $48 million, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Considered an above-average defensive player, Ibaka would’ve been eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.

Ibaka would be the latest member of the Western Conference champion Thunder to reach a long-term extension, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The 6-foot-10 Ibaka, who just completed his third season, averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks this past season. He also was a member of Spain’s silver medal-winning team at the London Olympics.

I’m sure you’ve already calculated this simple bit of mathematics, but four years $48 million breaks down to an average of $12 million per season.  While we’re not yet certain as to how exactly this contract will be structured, this is about how much the Thunder will be playing Ibaka annually.

So… is it a good deal?  I think it is.  While $12 million may seem like a large sum to give a guy who is something of a specialist, consider the going rate for the services of a tall, talented player.

• Kris Humphries, 27, has a new deal worth $24 million over two years.
• Deandre Jordan, 24, is about to enter the second year of his four-year, $43 million contract.
• JaVale McGee, 24, re-upped with the Nuggets for four years $44 million.

Like Serge Ibaka, all of these players come with limitations.  Kris Humphries doesn’t defend well, DeAndre Jordan’s offensive arsenal consists of the slam dunk shot, and JaVale McGee is… well, JaVale McGee.  It can certainly be argued that Ibaka is the best of these four bigs, and he’s by far the youngest at age 22.  He’s also the only one who’s played in an NBA Finals, which indicates his value to OKC.

How, though, does his new deal effect Oklahoma City’s ability to bring back James Harden?  Harden, who remains a candidate to enter restricted free agency in the summer of 2013, is coming off an Olympic berth and a sixth man award.  If allowed to test the market Harden will likely command an even larger deal than Ibaka.  Eric Gordon, another up-and-coming scorer who happens to be the player Harden beat out for his spot on the Olympic squad, just got four years, $58 million from the Hornets.  That figure has got to frighten Thunder fans more than a little bit.

Still, the numbers can be worked out in Brick Town.  It’ll be tight, and it’ll likely require the banishment of Kendrick Perkins, but the young core can be kept intact.  The aforementioned Perkins is currently occupying about $9 million worth of cap space over the next three seasons, or $27 million in total.  OKC has not yet used its amnesty clause.  You do the math.

B-b-but, they need Perk to guard Dwight Howard!!

No… they really don’t.  There are other big lummoxes out there who are happy to lean on Howard at a much more reasonable price.  Personally, I would’ve cleansed the books of Perk this summer and pushed to extend Harden, as someone is bound to offer him a monstrous deal in free agency.

But that’s another story.  For now, the Thunder are 100% complete, and set to remain at least 75% complete into the relatively-distant future.

Always wanted to live like an NBA player?  Here’s your chance!  For just a shade under $5 million (and $46,000 in annual taxes) you can be the proud owner of Joe Johnson’s Atlanta estate (to call it a “house” is to call his Ford F650 Super Truck a “car”).  The 1.7-acre property comes complete with a variety of conveniences that range from standard to completely unnecessary, including (but certainly not limited to) wireless internet/cable TV access, a hot tub, a 4+ car garage, and a lighted tennis court.  The home itself is massive; it spans 13,822 square feet and features 7 beds, 9 baths, walk-in closets, an exercise room, a small movie theater, and a media room.

As if all that isn’t enough, I’m sure JJ would be so kind to let you keep some of the memorabilia on the walls, too.  From Estately.com…

Wait a minute, is that a… barber shop?

If I could scrape up the $900,000 needed to make the down payment I’d buy this pad and let it pay for itself.  I’d give haircuts, sell memberships to my workout facility, and screen exclusive movie showings.  I’d also start a record label, charge a cover to get into my bar, and list the aforementioned memorabilia on Ebay.

Or maybe I wouldn’t.  According to the listing, this place doesn’t get school bus service.  How the hell am I supposed to get the kids I don’t have to school without a bus?  Sorry, but this is a deal breaker.

You may not yet be familiar with Will Barton (or maybe you watch college basketball, I don’t know), the 40th overall pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, but the man has had himself a couple of moments this summer.

Back in Vegas, balling alongside SL Co-MVP Damian Lillard, Barton averaged 15 points in 5 games and 4 starts for a Blazers team that went 4-1.  He exploded for a combined 48 points in his final two showings, and he did it with a fair bit of style.

Impressive… but not quite as impressive as 72 points in a 40-minute game, running time.  Watch Barton go off (against some suspect defense, admittedly) as he leads his hometown team, Baltimore, over Team Under Armor (Brandon Jennings, DeAndre Jordan) in an exhibition game.

AND1-Mixtape D and illegal free-throw assists may not be how it works in the NBA, but that’s not the point here.  To score 72 points in 40 minutes of running time, one must be dialed in.  It appears that Will Barton was in fact dialed in… and from all distances (that one bomb really kept the odometer spinning).

Let’s say free throws occupied two minutes of game time.  Let’s also tack on another wasted minute for your usual tomfoolery that occurs during any game that features running time.  Assuming Barton played the entire contest he recorded just under one point per 30 seconds.

And we know he had at least one assist, too.  Like a seasoned veteran, Barton knew he had to find that token dime.

This is a man you should root for, folks.  Read up on his life story.

It’s not every day that you stumble upon extensive, reasonably-good-quality footage of your favorite player tearing sh!t up in high school.  Especially not when your favorite player happens to be Stromile Swift.

Although he’s been gone from professional basketball (even the Chinese kind) for multiple seasons now, I still take a moment every so often to enter “Stromile Swift” into Youtube’s search bar and sort the results by upload date.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, my searches yield nothing.  This evening, though, I conducted my search and discovered the “holy grail,” if you will: nearly NINE minutes of clips from the ’98 McDonald’s All-American game, in which the Stro Show was a headlining participant.

Unfortunately, the original commentary has been replaced by music, so it’s a little hard to tell who’s who.  Don’t worry, though; I’ve got your back!

• Stro is wearing 00 for the West (red).  This becomes quite obvious immediately after his first slam dunk.
• Number 50 for the East (white) is Dan Gadzuric, who consistently displays ridiculous athleticism/absolutely wrecks Joel Przybilla off of an offensive rebound.
• Corey Maggette is rocking his familiar number 50 for the West.  Watch out for his streetball handles.  Hot sizzle!
• Other participants who went on to have notable pro careers include Quentin Richardson (34, West), Mike Miller (13, East), Richard Jefferson (44, West), Al Harrington (42, East), Tayshaun Prince (22, West), and Rashard Lewis (43, West).

This obviously means absolutely nothing, but it’s kind of funny that the East took this game.  The West featured the majority of the players who went on to experience NBA success.

It’s also pretty funny that Ronald Curry won MVP (and beat Stromile Swift in the dunk contest).  He ended up a professional athlete, but not a basketball player.  Curry actually played wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders for a couple of years, accumulating 13 touchdowns.

How ’bout that block Stro had on Mike Miller, though?  Yeah, that was one of the better highlights of the day!

The BIGGEST of ups to Youtuber MrDeBary for making these clips available.  Check out the rest of his videos.

You were right, dad… Dwight Howard was bound to become a Laker.  Not even basketball reasons could prevent the inevitable.  Courtesy of Yahoo…

The Lakers will send All-Star center Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also will receive shooting guard Jason Richardson from the Magic. The Sixers will send guard Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets. The Magic will receive Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, rookie swingman Moe Harkless, forward Josh McRoberts, forward Christian Eyenga, a first-round pick from either the Nuggets or the New York Knicks in 2014, a protected first-round pick from the Sixers, a protected first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017, a second-round pick from the Nuggets in 2013 and a conditional second-rounder from the Lakers in 2015. In addition to Howard, the Lakers will also receive Earl Clark and Chris Duhon from the Magic.

The BIG Winners: LA

There were 12 players involved in this deal, but only one Chris Duhon Dwight Howard.  The Lakers got him, and at the mere cost of one inferior player who occupied his same position.  Often—and pretty unfairly, I might add—criticized for his inability to produce offense (like he hasn’t given his teams 20 PPG on 50+ percent from the floor), Dwight should fit in well with Kobe Bryant and the rest of LA’s offensive weapons, which now include pick-and-roll master Steve Nash as well as the versatile Antawn Jamison.  Defensively, Howard is the best player in the league, and his athleticism will compliment the length of his new postmate, Pau Gasol.  The starting three is still the Lakers’ glaring weakness, but with an improved bench and the addition of two future Hall Of Famers… as long as Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash can work together and stay healthy then this team has to be the Finals favorite out of the West.  While I think it would be ridiculous to consider health and chemistry a given, talent and size alone should take this team beyond a second-round sweep.

The Winners: Denver, Philadelphia

Let’s touch on Philly’s situation first.  In 2011/12, Andre Iguodala had his finest season to date.  He made the All-Star team and helped the Sixers advance to within 10 points of the Eastern Conference Finals.  That’s all well and good, but let’s be real here: Andre Iguodala isn’t an All-Star—he’s a good player that made an All-Star team—and the Sixers weren’t looking at another extended playoff run as they were presently constructed.  Are they looking at one now, having brought in Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson?  I wouldn’t suggest that the City of Brotherly Love hold its collective breath, but I will admit that they’re in a better position than they were prior to making this deal.  Richardson’s contract is terrible, but that’s the type of lemon a team has to swallow in order to swap a 28-year-old swingman for a 24-year-old seven footer.  Philadelphia essentially stopped treading water in order to acquire the second-best piece in this deal.  Good move.

As for Denver… as much as I’ve applauded Al Harrington for the fantastic bounce-back season he had in 2011/12 (he was a legitimate sixth-man candidate), it’s not making him any younger/less expensive.  At 32 years of age, a deal that is now something like three years, $21.5 million isn’t anything for anyone but Al Harrington to write home about.  The way he played through multiple injuries to help the Nuggets make a run last spring was very admirable, but again, he’s getting old and he’s getting paid.

Iguodala, on the other hand, has just two years left on his deal (double the annual income, but still).  He’s got four years on Harrington, and he’s a similar player to Arron Afflalo, the other highly-paid player Denver gave up.  He figures to step right into Afflalo’s defensive role and provide a more dynamic variety of offense.

I will say this: Denver will miss Harrington’s size, skill, and willingness to thrash in the paint against bigger opponents.  They’ll also miss the relative simplicity that Afflalo brought to the offense when Iguodala has one of those nights where he over-dribbles his way into five turnovers and a couple of air balls (gonna be weird watching a Sixers game without the patented Iggy air ball).

Still, I think it’s a good move for Denver.  It makes sense financially, and it’s not like Iguodala can’t be of use.

The Losers: Orlando

Upon learning that this deal had been finalized, my initial reaction was as follows: How the hell do you trade Dwight Howard and the best piece you yield is Arron Afflalo?

Notice that I said piece, not player.  I’ve worded it like this because the Magic got no draft picks to speak of, nor did they receive a massive expiring contract.  Nope… they settled for Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, four assorted forwards, and a bunch of crappy, restricted picks from playoff teams.

To trade a player of Dwight Howard’s caliber is to accept getting worse.  Sometimes you’ve got to take a step backwards in order to move forward.  That’s how the business of NBA basketball (and life in general) works.  How, though, does this trade put Orlando in position to take the step forward?  This simply makes them a bad team with little hope in anything but a swing of luck in the lottery… and the lottery isn’t a basket where you want to put every single one of your eggs (having selected Shaq and Howard, the Magic are due for a Kwame or Oden).

From a fan’s standpoint: This only makes the class of the NBA even stronger, which is pretty crazy when you already had guys like LeBron & Wade, Pierce & KG, and Durant & Westbrook paired up.  I kinda liked it when it was LeBron & Mo Williams, Dwight & Rashard, Dwyane Wade &… Dwyane Wade, but the level of competition that these so-called “super teams” have led to is undeniably interesting.

When it’s all said and done and folks are comparing LeBron James to the next big thing, it’ll be awfully tough for people to argue that this was a “weak era,” that’s for damn sure.