Adidas Knows How to Get Links

To the uninitiated, this new adidas spot for Dwight Howard is a novel spin on your traditional sneaker ad -- clever and fun and not like anything else really out there. And it is all of those things, but those familiar with the NBA blogosphere will recognize that it's also an extension of the Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac, the brilliant dead tree version of Free Darko, one of the most innovative basketball blogs on the internet.

Shoe companies have huge budgets and employ some of the most creative advertising agencies in the game -- adidas could have played it safe by coming up with something wholly original. But by working with the minds behind a site like Free Darko (full disclosure: FD was founded by Bethlehem Shoals, one of FanHouse's original NBA bloggers and someone I consider a friend), adidas is also earning instant blog cred, which is kind of like "street cred" but with more hyperlinks. For example, this post.

Savvy move, and not wholly surprising for a company that's already built campaigns around blog magnet Gilbert Arenas. And if dynamic big men like Howard don't spark your interest, there's another spot built around reigning ROY Derrick Rose. Enjoy.