I had the pleasure of sitting next to ESPN, Page 2 columnist LZ Granderson during the game.  I asked Granderson if he was on assignment, and he said not really.  Apparently ESPN sends him to numerous games, but he only has to write if the spirit moves him.

When the Orlando Magic took on the Washington Wizards last Thursday, Assistant Coach and 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Patrick Ewing took some time to talk with Hoops Addict.  He discussed the current state of the Magic, the status of his son’s career, and the prospect of being a head coach.

With NBA defenders unable to stop him so far this season, the elevator at Chris Bosh’s condo decided to give it a try Friday evening. The delay resulted in Bosh being stuck on the 28th floor for nearly an hour but he still managed to flirt with a triple-double by scoring 30 points, snagging 10 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

Chris Bosh didn’t get to the arena tonight until 6:10 because he was stuck in the elevator at his condo 50 minutes. The pregame hurdle didn’t slow down Bosh as he flirted with a triple-double before finishing with 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

Dwight Howard single-handedly disrupted the Wizards tonight.  In the first quarter, JaVale McGee started on Howard, and then he picked up two quick fouls in less than three minutes.  Then Andray Blatche came in the game, and he picked two quick fouls as well.  With McGee and Blatche plagued by fouls the entire game, Coach Tapscott was forced to use Darius Songalia and Etan Thomas for longer stretches than he wanted to, which disrupted the teams continuity on offense.

Do you think there’s a way to bribe the schedule maker to give Toronto some more games against Charlotte next season? Chris Bosh once again feasted on Charlotte’s front court to the tune of 39 points on 15-20 shooting from the field and 9-10 from the charity stripe.

After the brilliant moves orchestrated by Donnie Walsh last weekend, every basketball pundit and fan around the globe is abuzz with excitement. Hoopheads everywhere can’t stop talking about the potential ramifications those maneuvers will have. While there are many messages and memorandums in the ether because of those trades, I, New York City, the basketball capital of the world, felt obligated to say something.

Thank you.

For the first time all season, Gilbert Arenas came out during shootaround.  He didn’t do anything except take jumpers, and do a few light drives to the basket, but considering he has yet to play this season, this is quite a big deal.  After he worked up a sweat for about 10 minutes, he signed a few autographs and ran back into the locker room.  I wonder if the new atmosphere around here has caused him to speed up his timetable a bit.

Just a few games into the season, we’ve already seen some major movement in HoopsAddict’s College Basketball Power Rankings. With the holiday tournament schedule upon us, we will learn a lot more about most of these teams this week.

The last time I saw Eddie Jordan was Friday evening after the Washington Wizards lost to the Houston Rockets, 103-91.  His tie was undone, his steps were slow and deliberate and about 20 members of the media, including myself, were waiting to ask him why his team lost yet another game. With poise, he told the media that they were getting closer to playing a complete game.

He stepped down from the podium, kissed his wife and daughter, and disappeared down the hall. This would be the last time I’d see him at the Verizon Center as head coach of the Washington Wizards because Monday morning he was fired.