Some people never learn. D.J. Mbenga may be one of them.
Now, D.J. is a good guy and he makes a decent living as the backup center for world champion Los Angeles Lakers, but there's a reason he's a backup center. Besides a talent deficiency, Mbenga is not quick and therefore slow to rotate on help defense and recover on pick-and-rolls.
This often puts him in an awkward position, that position being Mbenga on a poster on his keister.
Such was the case again Friday when Nuggets rookie Ty Lawson went medieval on Mbenga.
(The pair of pliers and the blowtorch after the jump.)
Trevor Ariza was a fan favorite during his days in Los Angeles, and an integral part of the Lakers squad that won a championship just a few months ago. So it's no surprise that when he returned on Sunday as a member of the Houston Rockets, fans greeted him with a long standing ovation, while his former teammates Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher presented him with the ring that he earned as a key member of that title-winning team.
Video of the brief but heart-felt ceremony, after the jump.
The Rockets strode into Staples Center ready for a gunfight. But emerging capo Trevor Ariza wasn't exactly ready for a game of keep-away. In this video, Ariza loses a sneaker during an early defensive possession. Sworn enemy Ron Artest notices and tosses Ariza's shoe out-of-bounds. And, of course, Artest capitalizes on his gambit the next time down. (Before you curse out Ron-Ron, know that he got his comeuppance: Rockets 101, Lakers 91.)
The Nets have had a string of injuries take away their chance to be at all relevant the first part of this season, and in fact, they were winless through nine games heading into Miami to face Dwyane Wade and the Heat on Saturday. They appeared to have a chance to get their first win of the season, though, thanks to a sluggish effort from a Miami team that was missing Jermaine O'Neal from the start, and Mario Chalmers after five minutes due to injury.
New Jersey led by three with 30 seconds remaining, before Quentin Richardson accidentally banked in a three-pointer to tie the game at 78. The Nets got the lead back, thanks to a tip-in from Brook Lopez with just under four seconds remaining.
But unfortunately for the Nets, Dwyane Wade plays for the Heat. And even though he hadn't made a shot the entire second half, he drained a three with 0.1 left on the game clock to make sure that New Jersey stayed winless.
Cleveland and Miami squared off Thursday night, and while the story leading up to the game was the unfathomably awesome possibility of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James playing on the same team, the story (at least microcosmically) coming out of the game is the following dunk that Wade threw down on Anderson "Flopsy" Varejao.
Not much except that, with the per diem paid over the table in NBA instead of under it in college, they need to get the donuts before practice, carry their teammates' bags and stay out of the way of the veterans.
Oh, about that last part? The Nets' Terrence Williams, rookie out of Louisville, may need to work on it a bit.
Great game in Chicago last night, where the Nuggets and the Bulls went down to the final ticks of the clock to decide the outcome. And if you were rooting for the home team, you likely found the ending to be more than a little bit controversial.
With the Nuggets up by one, and 0.3 seconds showing on the game clock, the Bulls inbounded to Brad Miller, who caught it, quickly turned, and appeared to beat the buzzer as the ball left his hand and went through the basket. But after going to the instant replay, the officials ruled the ball was still in his hands as time expired.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Warriors' rookie Stephen Curry is just starting in the NBA -- and at least for now, it seems like more fans know his name than his face. In this FanHouse video, we talk to Stephen about making it to the NBA, what he'd be if he weren't a professional basketball player and what's it like to have teammates who once played against his dad.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
When it come to high-profile professional athletes, Ron Artest is one of a kind. He's setting the bar in the way stars reach out to interact with their fans, and it's very refreshing.
In this FanHouse video, we were on hand as Ron-Ron was dishing out milkshakes to fans, who absolutely enjoyed every moment around the Lakers star.
Trevor Ariza was a fan favorite during his days in Los Angeles, and an integral part of the 
The Nets have had a string of injuries take away their chance to be at all relevant the first part of this season, and in fact, they were winless through nine games heading into Miami to face 
Cleveland and Miami squared off Thursday night, and while the story leading up to the game was the unfathomably awesome possibility of 
t's rare that we have back-to-back Stinkface. As a matter of fact, 
Rookies. What do they know?
Great game in Chicago last night, where the 
Stephen Curry is just starting in the NBA -- and at least for now, it seems like more fans know his name than his face. In this FanHouse video, we talk to Stephen about making it to the NBA, what he'd be if he weren't a professional basketball player and what's it like to have teammates who once played against his dad. 
When it come to high-profile professional athletes, Ron Artest is one of a kind. He's setting the bar in the way stars reach out to interact with their fans, and it's very refreshing. 
