NEW YORK — Since the NBA last played games that counted, we've had a rogue referee plead guilty, an oafish organization found guilty and the league's principal point producer/insubordinate is within a hair ball of leveraging himself off the Lakers' lot.

Good thing David Stern hired Baghdad Bob to manage the media.

All bets are off on picking a team to win the championship, Tim Donaghy and I concur, until Kobe Bryant is relocated, at which point I'm going the other way.