Thursday Breakdown

*Looks like we have a favorite to be the next Lakers coach after Action Phil Jackson's had enough. It couldn't be a better choice, either. LA Times caught up with Byron Scott and he can't help but want that job. The guy has winner written all over him. The teams he took to the Finals in New Jersey definitely over-achieved. The Hornets are up and running immediately, contending for a title. His players love him, the Princeton offense is risk-free, he focuses on defense and never gets flustered. This guy is good, and he's going to be a coach in this league for a very long time.

*Greg Oden, on his blog about playing his first full game. So far his blog is very similar to his game on the court. Not impressive, and boring. This guy is a prime prospect for "we'll be talking about upside" the rest of his career. I honestly hope that doesn't happen, since he seems like a high-character player, but it's looking that way early on.

*Donnie Walsh is not getting enough heat about this Gallinari pick. Sixth pick in the draft, and we got a guy, who New York Post reports, might be done for the season. We passed up on guys like sharp-shooter Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustine (who Michael Jordan signed to his clothing company and clearly is going to replace Felton in the starting lineup) and two, I repeat, two 7-Footers with great hands who block shots, in the Lopez brothers. Donnie, yous got some splainin to do.

*Gilbert Arenas couldn't come up with something better than this for his Obama tattoo? Weak dude. I swear, to me it looks like, "In Between We Change." No?? Even if it's the other way. Change. We believe in? Thanks Yoda.

*Some really inspirational stuff from Jamal Crawford on his blog about the tough times, and how sweet it is to have some fun, win some games. You can tell he was super excited to get back to the blog to share that with his fans. Also talks about "Coach D," and a Stephon Marbury story of old.

*Saw this on TrueHoop, comparing the Ego's of Michael Jordan and PE Obama. Sheesh; guy has some rocks.

"Obama, who is not without an ego, regarded himself as just as gifted as his top strategists in the art and practice of politics. Patrick Gaspard, the campaign's political director, said that when, in early 2007, he interviewed for a job with Obama and Plouffe, Obama said that he liked being surrounded by people who expressed strong opinions, but he also said, 'I think that I'm a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I'll tell you right now that I'm gonna think I'm a better political director than my political director.' After Obama's first debate with McCain, on September 26th, Gaspard sent him an e-mail. 'You are more clutch than Michael Jordan,' he wrote. Obama replied, 'Just give me the ball.'"

*Also from TrueHoop, the following video for my fellow Knickerbocker fans:

Charlie Rose - A Conversation with Mike D'Antoni