Cleveland Can't Get Over Mike Bibby

We all thought a long look at Boobie in May and June would help Cleveland get over Mike Bibby, but the Cavaliers just can't let that flame die.

Two independent reports say Cleveland and Sacramento were close to acting on Danny Ferry's Bibby lust this week. Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon Journal says Jackie Butler was scheduled to head to Sacramento with Cleveland's Drew Gooden in a deal getting Bibby to Ohio. Damon Jones was the probable buy-in for San Antonio. But things stalled and the Spurs got antsy, instead consummating the Luis Scola deal which sent Butler to Houston.

Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee has the intriguing note that Gooden was seen hanging out with the Maloofs in Las Vegas Thursday. There has to be a third team involved, and the Butler rumors serve to show what Geoff Petrie is after: an overweight Mike Sweetney clone a young prospect. More than anything, the rumored deal shows how badly San Antonio wanted to get out of Butler's contract. (I'm not sure how constraining a 22-year-old center with two years, $4.7 million left on his deal can be...)

One other ramification from these overheated talks: Ron Artest really is going to stay in Sacramento. Let's just pray he doesn't kill Spencer Hawes before Christmas.