So with Glen Davis (or, as the kids call him, Big Baby) sidelined for a few weeks to rehab the thumb he broke by getting punchy, Davis has a lot of time on his hands. He can think about things. Maybe do some whittling. Give up on that on account of the broken thumb. Get back to thinking. Think about the future. Think about… the NFL.

(It’s not like he doesn’t have the experience.)

For some reason, Big Baby told ESPN THE MAGAZINE’s Chris Broussard that he’s considering giving up the game of basketball at his peak in order to try his hand again at football. Yes, again; he was a defensive end and halfback as a youngin’. Of course, there’s video after the break.

Read more…

Two fun facts about Sam Jones: He was almost a Laker (he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers, but completed his military service before entering the NBA); and he played on 10 championship Celtics teams. Yep. More than Larry Bird, John Havlicek, or any other Celtic, besides Bill Russell.

So why, then, is Jones never seen at a Celtics game these days? Why doesn’t the franchise embrace him like they do Bird, Russell, and the other greats? For his part, Jones seems a little miffed about it. And he said so to FANHOUSE in a recent interview. Read more…

Shira Springer of the BOSTON GLOBE has the stunning story of Antoine Walker, who has apparently already blown $110M in career earnings, owing millions in unpaid pills and casino markers while possibly facing up to a decade or more of prison time.

(Summa Cum Laude in Tyson & Barkley School of Finance)

Springer’s piece opens with Walker getting cuffed in a Las Vegas casino over $1M in unpaid markers. We then find out that, “Walker has been pursued by multiple financial institutions for unpaid debts totaling more than $4 million. Court documents filed in Illinois and Florida reveal Walker was named a defendant in three recent debt-related civil cases, in addition to the ongoing check-kiting case. His former agent is also after him, citing a heap of unpaid fees [$450,000!].” Read more…

Remember how contentious that first-round series was between Atlanta and Boston in the 2008 playoffs? Yapping, thugging, mean-mugging all over the place, and eighth-seeded Atlanta taking the eventual champs to seven games before Boston casually dispatched the underdog with a roughly 40,000-point beating in the pivotal game.

(”Where’s the damn money, Paul?! WHERE’S MY MONEY?”)

We mention this, of course, because we always like dragging up 18-month old news. No no, we kid. That’s not true. No, the real issue is that apparently, that trash talk between Al Horford and Paul Pierce at the end of Game Three might have been over a cool $10,000 - a bet that, according to Henry Abbott, is outstanding to this day.

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One of the joys of living on the Pacific: Early morning playoff baseball!

Actually he probably is up. (Freeway trash detail always starts at dawn.)

• The new Cowboys Stadium opens with a couple of embarrassing picks, courtesy of Tony Romo & Jerry Jones.

• Well, at least the fans had fun inside the new digs in Dallas - unless you had a “party pass” but weren’t allowed in.

• An angry Oregon fan wants his travel expenses back after watching the Ducks get plucked in Boise. So UO coach Chip Kelly sends him a check.

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. delivers a verbal beatdown to Max Kellerman during Floyd’s post-fight interview.

• This week’s sports Twitter craziness comes courtesy Redskins LB Robert Henson, Larry Fitzgerald’s younger brother Marcus, and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema.

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• How did Plaxico Burress’ first night behind bars go? Fine - if you discount the other inmate taunts of “A**hole!” & “The Giants suck!”

• Washington State RB James Montgomery underwent surgery on his injured knee last Sunday. And doctors soon learned that it was a good thing James didn’t delay - or he might have died.

• Could the Nets’ new owner have LeBron Russian to New Jersey?

• Perez Hilton posts his doubts about whether Lamar Odom & Khloe Kardashian will actually tie the knot.

• Evander Holyfield has the bright idea to turn his Georgia mansion into a solar power plant.

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You might not think it worth your time to read a very long blog post about meeting an NBA executive, but before you judge the story linked below, there’s a couple of things you should know. First, the executive in question is Larry Bird, President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers. Second, it’s a pretty touching account of a son’s gift to his father.

When you look up ***hole in the dictionary, many times the entry will be accompanied by the picture of a pro athlete. And the bigger they are, often the more unsavory than can become. But one man had a dream: To get his father, who is suffering from a heart ailment, a meet-n-greet with Basketball Jesus. This is the story of that unlikely quest.

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Our story so far: Pro athletes are out of control with Twitter, embarrassing themselves and their organizations at an unprecedented rate. We’re going to need a Presidential decree to stop it at this point, I fear. Mr. Obama, you need to act now. Health reform can wait. The latest to enter the SbB Social Networking Hall of Fail: Marquis Daniels of the Boston Celtics.

CELTIC HUB happened to notice on Wednesday that Daniels had tweeted a rather discomforting message to one of his readers. Unfortunately, as Twitter is available to read by everyone (you knew that, but pro athletes apparently do not), what was apparently a crude joke is now out there for everyone to enjoy. Dog lovers and Michael Vick fans may not be amused: Read more…

• Who would have though cream cheese on bagels would be the downfall of George Mason coach Jim Larranaga’s Twittering career?

(”Go away! You’ve caused me enough trouble!”)

• Broncos fans boo Jay Culter on his return to Denver. And the way Kyle Orton has been playing, expect a lot more booing from Mile High this year.

• But there’s plenty of cheering at NBC, where Sunday’s Broncos-Bears matchup netted the highest ratings for a preseason game in five years.

• Holy subterranean living! Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger is building himself a batcave down in New Mexico.

• A Louisville-area high school football coach is facing homicide charges after one of his players collapsed & died during practice.

Read more…