All this talk about changing the All-Star
Game is kinda aggravating…

First things first: In the wake of a non-competitive All-Star Game, everyone needs to calm down and quit calling for immediate changes. From the TV and radio sports talk shows we saw yesterday to even some of the All-Stars we heard interviewed (most notably Chauncey Billups), it seems everyone is ready to jump the gun and make a mistake along the lines of Major League Baseball and allow an exhibition game to impact the championship series. But the reality is this: the Super Bowl isn’t an overtime thriller every year. Sometimes the NBA Finals is a sweep. Major boxing title fights sometimes end in a 2nd-round knockout. And, yes, sometimes the All-Star Game isn’t super-competitive. It doesn’t mean there has to be changes made to the whole system. We’ve had a few great All-Star Games in recent years, including the ’06 game, Michael Jordan’s last ASG, and the Steph/Iverson overtime game from a few years ago. So everyone can simmer down and leave it like it is … These things work in cycles. For a while the East was the better conference, and now it’s the West’s turn. The pendulum will turn soon enough, especially if Kevin Durant and Greg Oden end up on Eastern Conference teams. Not saying it’s a conspiracy, but that’s just how the cycle keeps going. In a few years we’ll be talking about how great the Atlantic Division is with Chris Bosh, Oden and Durant … Steve Nash practiced on Monday and said he’ll try to play today against the Clippers. Having lost three in a row, the Suns can use him ASAP. In fact, Phoenix has dropped a spot in our updated NBA Hit List. Who grabbed their former spot? Hint: It’s a team that had two All-Stars. Remember around draft time when we kept saying the Suns needed to pick a young PG, but they gave up their picks and went with high-priced Marcus Banks instead? How’s that working out? Phoenix could have Rajon Rondo, Jordan Farmar, Marcus Williams or Kyle Lowry getting minutes while Nash has been hurt (and giving Nash more rest when he’s healthy) instead of plugging Leandro Barbosa into an unnatural position because Banks has been a disappointment … Caron Butler to the Washington Post on his All=Star experience: “I was nervous. I’m not going to even lie to you. I got out there and all that tough juice stuff went out the window. The only thing I was worried about was scoring. For a while there Memo and myself were the only two guys who hadn’t scored yet, but then he scored so I was like: I got to get a rebound and a putback or something.” Caron ended up with two points on 1-for-7 shooting … The Sacramento Bee reports rumors that the Cavs are interested in getting Mike Bibby or Andre Miller before the Feb. 22 trade deadline. With all respect to Eric Snow (he of the ongoing Dime office debate of “What would be the score if intern Christian [a former college ballplayer] played Snow 1-on-1?”), getting an upgrade at the point that can shoot and pass would turn the Cavs into a more legit Eastern Conference contender. Someone like Bibby or Miller can handle the defensive pressure from teams like the Pistons, and give the Cavs more firepower to hang offensively with teams like the Wizards and Heat. Snow can play D and doesn’t turn the ball over, but on offense it’s like playing 4-on-5 because he doesn’t shoot or make free throws … In other news, the Cavs are reportedly one of the teams interested in Scottie Pippen. So if LeBron gets the real Scottie Pippen playing with him, what does that make Larry Hughes in that played-out analogy? … Other random Vegas celebrity sightings we forgot to mention in Smack over the weekend: Dennis Rodman, T.O., Champ Bailey, Suge Knight (we walked the other way), Barry Bonds (who one of our guys mistook for Magic Johnson for a sec), Katt Williams and Rudy from The Cosby Show … Vegas TV station KVBC reported that over the All-Star Weekend, some 291 people were arrested. We saw another national news report that said 362. Either way, none of the NBA ballplayers got into trouble from what we’ve heard, so that’s good … New York Post trade rumor: Rashard Lewis to the Knicks for Nate Robinson, Channing Frye and another contract. We know Rashard can opt out of his deal this year, but that’s still a bad deal for Seattle … Tony Parker to the San Antonio Express-News on throwing lobs in the ASG: The last time I threw a lob was to Boris Diaw on the (French) junior national team. We don’t throw a lot of lobs in San Antonio. It took me a while. Finally, at the end of the game, I got a good one to Stoudemire. The first one I threw to God. I got a good one to Carmelo in the first half, too, but it took me a while.” … We’re out like changing the All-Star Game …