ESPN posted the Free Agent list for the next two years...

Quick thoughts:

Why the hell did we give Devean George a player option for next year?

The Pistons have Iverson, McDyess and 'Sheed coming off the books.

How are Calvin Booth and Kevin Ollie not only still in the league, but on the same team?

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Mavs FAs: Hollins, Kidd, Green, Bass and Singleton

The big names seem to be Shawn Marion, Boozer (if he opts out), every single player on the Knicks, Lamar Odom, Artest, Iverson/Sheed, Kidd, Andre Miller, Ben Gordon and a bunch of Hawks: Bibby, Childress and Marvin Williams.

Wally Szczczczczcerbiak might be a good option too, if he doesn't re-up with the Cavs. Everyone's favorite herpes-ridden PF is available too.

Also, why the hell did we give Devean George a player option for next year?

From a Jason Terry Q&A on the Weekend Dime:

Q: You're off to the best start of your career and I heard recently that you worked out over the summer with George Gervin. How did that come about?

A: He started training me in 2002 and then I went back to him this summer. We played golf and trained three times a day. The thing about it is, once you've been in the league for 10 years, you know how to shoot. But just being with a guy that's a Hall of Famer and him just building you up mentally, I think that does more than all the shooting.

Some interesting stuff in there... Talks about working on his mid-range pull up as opposed to 3's.

I wish Marc Stein still wrote for the DMN. His stuff beats Sefko and David Moore any day.

Hypothetical ...

Let's say Dallas closes the season on an absolute tear, lead of course by continued stellar play by Tony Romo.

With no real stand-out MVP favorites, is Romo a legit candidate for MVP even though he missed 3 games to injury? (3 games, which, if anything, kind of highlighted how valuable he really is.)

Here's the candidates I most often hear thrown out there, although I may be forgetting someone:

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Drew Brees: Completing 66% of passes for 3,870 yards; 24/14 TD/INT; 95.4 Rating

Pros: Threatening Marino's record ... absolutely crazy production.

Cons: Saints aren't going to the playoffs. Next.

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Brett Favre Completing 68.7% of passes for 2,708 yards; 20/14 TD/INT; 90.4 Rating

Pros: He's Brett Favre, the Jets are one of the best teams in the AFC, and the numbers speak for themselves. Has the Steve Nash "look how much better the team got after I joined" effect. Looks like he has a lot of fun out there.

Cons: Pretty good numbers, but not GREAT. Jets rely heavily on the run game.

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Kerry Collins Completing 58.5% of passes for 2,125 yards; 9/4 TD/INT; 81.9 Rating

Pros: Last undefeated in the league. "Manages the game well."

Cons: Completing 58.5% of passes for 2,125 yards; 9/4 TD/INT; 81.9 Rating ... (FWIW, Eli has better numbers across the board, plays for a better team, IMO, and no one is talking about him for MVP.)

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Clinton Portis 4.8 ypc for 1,228 yards (2nd in NFL); 7 TD, 1 Fumble

Pros: He's the poster boy for the Redskins success, and deservedly so.

Cons: Redskins are slipping of late and he's been hurt. Late struggles do not an MVP make.

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Kurt Warner Completing 68.4% of passes for 3,741 yards; 24/11 TD/INT; 99.4 Rating

Pros: Hey, those numbers are really good! Can make a good argument for him with all the "most valuable" criteria that are out there.

Cons: Could be hurt by playing for the Cardinals, let's be honest.

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And here's how Romo stacks up:

Completing 64% of passes for 2,559 yards; 21/8 TD/INT; 103.2 Rating

(He's third in yards per game ... I realized too late that I should've done averages.)

Pros: He's the man that makes one of the NFL's most dangerous offenses go. Playmaking ability, yada yada. You guys know the story.

Cons: Missed nearly 1/4 of the season to injury. That could be a big deal.

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The astute Cowboys fan might make the case for Ware over Romo as well ... but here I'll turn it over to the masses.

Does Romo have a shot?

Avery apparently canceled practice last night, but the players weren't having any of it.

Monday, Johnson decided to give the players a day off and meet on the plane, but they apparently figured they needed work and called a players-only practice.

You have to wonder how Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will respond to Avery not wanting to practice on the eve of an elimination game.

I've really got to disagree with Hubbard here. I don't mind one bit that Avery canceled practice.

Do you really think that Avery expected his players not to practice? Dirk's an absolute workaholic, Kidd's a future HOF that had given us nothing this series, and Josh has been playing the worst basketball of his career of late.

I really don't mind Avery putting the onus on the players. This move has a decent change of firing them up and getting them to come together as a team, something that really hasn't happened since 'The Trade.' Worst case scenario: Dallas comes out flat and gets blown out on the road. Sounds less depressing than what just happened following what could realistically be Avery's last practice as head coach —
 Dallas came out flat and got blown out at home, where we own the 3rd best record in the NBA.

Pile on Avery if you wish, but he's made some good adjustments this series — Josh Howard and the bench just haven't executed.