Do you remember just this past past offseason when there was drama at the NBA Rookie orientation camp? Well, of course you do, as we're only less than a week into the regular season.

In case you were sleeping, the big news was the discovery by NBA officials of Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur in their room with reportedly, a bunch of ladies and a bunch of weed. Needless to say, David Stern, the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies were not thrilled with this little scenario.

Jumping forward a number of weeks and both Chalmers and Arthur are doing everything in their power to make people forget that incident. They want to be remembered for playing dope, not doing it. As Chalmers said in a recent interview with InsideHoops, he has put the offseason events behind him, "It’s a new day. I’ve dealt with all those issues and I’m ready to play ball. I’ve put all of that behind me.”

Last season's National Basketball League All-Star Game was a coming out party for NBL rookie and eventual NBA draftee, Nathan Jawai. One year before that, then-rookie Brad Newley strutted his stuff en route to the MVP award in the same game. He too went on to be drafted -- by the Houston Rockets -- in the subsequent offseason.

The NBL All-Star Game may not always have the same flair and excitement of it's NBA counterpart, but it is still a highlight on the Aussie basketball calendar.

Adelaide reporter, Boti Nagy, today revealed that the game will not take place this season. One of the themes of this season in the eyes of many fans and media-types is that of a season to merely fill the gap between now and when the league blows itself up and revamps into a new format. As Nagy referred to it, a "tread water" season.

Removing the all-star fixture will only enhance this opinion. There are obvious financial shortcomings in the NBL at the moment and perhaps the decision was a no-brainer for those with the financial information behind the scenes, on a profitability basis. However, it is still a shame for us the fans.

First and foremost, welcome to the new site!!

Imagine that I am your air hostess as I read out the following safety announcement: "Please take a moment to look around you and find your nearest exit. Remember, it may be behind you. You will find forums available at your disposal, do not be afraid of them, even if they are new. Feel free to use them and take the initiative with any new threads that you think need starting. You will notice that there are a number of other fantastic blogs in the Bloguin network. Please check them out, as you will find the same resounding level of quality as there is in the design of this site. They can be located on the left hand side of the site, under Bloguin Roll. Video content is another new feature of the site. From time to time you will find newly recommended videos on the right side panel, Stern Tube. Most of all, enjoy the new site -- it's yours as much as anyone else's!"

Now, let's get into Today's Warnings:

Episode 8 of the John Rillie "OT" Podcast is available here

Gaze TV Episode 7

More after the jump...

This is Oden arriving at the game.      This is Oden leaving the game.

Image courtesy of the Oregonian.

The NBA certainly knows how to entertain. What a night of drama and excitement it has been.

Firstly, I must point out that currently being based in the United Kingdom, it is rare to get to see NBA action live. Not only did we have the honour of watching a preseason game between the Miami Heat and the New Jersey Nets a couple of weeks ago in London, but tonight I was simultaneously able to watch the Cleveland Cavs v Boston Celtics game on free-to-air television, whilst also watching the Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers on the internet. Totally legally too.

TNT has a great new invention this season called OT Extra, which broadcasts select games live on the net, including multiple camera angles. They designate a camera to follow a player from each team, as voted by us, the loyal fans. The connection was a bit flaky for me tonight, however I'm sure that this was a factor of both distance across the Atlantic and the fact that every man and his blog was trying to watch the Oden-extravaganza. More on that later.

Celtics 90-85 Cavs (boxscore)

You could tell that it was opening night for a number of reasons. Firstly, everyone was jumping out of their skins with excitement and jitters. That was both beneficial and detrimental in some instances. LeBron was doing his best impression of a super-hero as always for the Cavs and he certainly did a good job of pushing the defending champions all the way on the night of their ring ceremony. His 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists were typical King James numbers. However at the end of the night he pulled up short, missing a shot with less than a minute to go which could have brought the Cavs within one point.

The season previews, as organised by Jeff at Celtics Blog, keep on comin' at ya!

The Wollongong Hawks are performing poorly so far this season -- as individuals. As a team, they're doing just fine.

Currently the Hawks sit eighth on the NBL ladder, or third-last in some people's language. They currently sit just shy of a .500 record, at 4-5. They have the same record as seventh place Sydney Spirit, the same number of losses as the sixth place Perth Wildcats (6-5) and the same number of wins as the fifth place Townsville Crocodiles (4-3).

Putting the league's topsy-turvy schedule to one side and ignoring the fact that teams have played inordinately different numbers of games to date, the Hawks can take solace in their record in comparison to last season. In 2007-08 the Hawks finished third-last in a 13-team competition, however their record stood at a much less respectable 9-21 at season end. Based on their current pace, the Hawks look set to top that.

All this despite the fact that almost every player is playing well below their career averages and a number of shades paler than how they looked a year ago.

Star import guard Kavossy Franklin's career averages are 20.1ppg (at 45% from the field) along with 4.5apg. This season he is putting up 12.9ppg (at 39%) with 3.1apg. He has managed to light up a couple of times in recent week (for 26 and 24 point nights), however outputs of 0, 5 and 5 are not the points totals that NBL fans associate with Franklin.

Meanwhile, the weight does not fall entirely on the former Sydney Kings championship winner's shoulders. On-the-rise centre Cam Tragardh's averages of 12.4ppg and 3.3rpg are well below his inspiring 2007-08 numbers of 17.6ppg and 7.8rpg which signalled him as a future force in the league who had finally found his footing after quiet years in Townsville and Brisbane.

However, the big fella is not at all upset with the current situation. He has the bigger picture in mind when it comes to looking at his team, one that was rated as a potential wooden-spooner by some prior to the season.

Daniel Boobie Gibson has more certainty than ever in his career as a Cleveland Cavalier, and less certainty at the same time.

In July at the conclusion of the Cavs' season, Boobie signed a five year, $21m deal to tie him to the team as LeBron James' most promising sidekick. Clearly this was an investment in the young guard's future by the Cavs and an indication of their confidence in him.

Of course, the focus in Cleveland ever since King James came along has been on finding the suitable supporting cast for the star, to put the Cavs over the top, in much the same way as the Bulls did with MJ once upon a time. On that basis, the arrival of Mo Williams in Ohio later in the offseason was much welcomed by fans.

Williams is a great scoring guard, though always presents the problem of being a bit of a tweener -- a shooting guard in a point guard's body. A description that somewhat the same as Boobie.

Gibson has spent this offseason building muscle and confidence to his game. He likes the Cavs' chances along with those of his own. "We have the guards. We have the shooters. We have the defenders. We have LeBron James. We have everything we need to get to where we want to be at the end of the season," Gibson said. "It's just a matter of us getting out there and putting in the effort."

However, the signing of Williams surely brings the question as to how this will affect Boobie's playing time and share of the ball. Clearly Gibson was not ready to take over a team and run the offence and is much better as a spot-up shooter and secondary scorer. But the arrival of Williams, combined with Delonte West, Alexsander Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak in the backcourt makes for a battle for minutes. Cavs coach Mike Brown potentially has some tough decisions on his hands as the season progresses.

What do you think? Leave your comments below or discuss the article in the new A Stern Warning Forums!

How is that finger of B-Diddy's?

That is the question that the ...a stern warning fantasy hoops team is riding on this season. A little while back I made mention that we were going to get a gang of like-minded bloggers together to battle out a fiercely contested Fantasy NBA crown this season. Little did I know that the entourage of budding Kevin Pritchards we would assemble would be such a prestigous gang of bloggers with serious fantasy hoops credentials.

Rather than list all of those fine bloggers immediately, let's have a look at how the Battle of the Bloggers is shaping up and inadvertantly we'll get around to discussing the prospects of all of the teams and their managers. I should mention that already trash talking has begun in this league, with many a season of fantasy sports under the belts of this group. There is no shortage of cockiness here.

Who has given up on Free Throw Percentage already?

That would have to be Ryan McNeill of Hoops Addict, who has managed to draft Dwight Howard (.590), Tyson Chandler (.593) and Tracy McGrady (.684). Really Ryan should just go out and get himself Shaq now to top it all off. If he stays with those guys, the season is over in that category. Then again, it's not always a bad strategy to admit defeat in one category if you know you can bolster others in the process. The other area that Ryan might need to boost a little is in the three point shooting department, where he does not have one player that managed to break the 100 mark for the season during 2007/08. That could all change of course if Dwyane Wade has added an outside stroke in the off-season and if T-Mac has a healthy year. We shall see...

Injuries... it's all part of the fun!

Scott of Waiting For Next Year will be waiting for January, as that is the date set for the return of Gilbert Arenas, who may well give the WFNY squad a boost in the home stretch to the playoffs. That is not to say that Scott will struggle in the interim. He has put together one of the most well-rounded squads in my opinion, with coverage across the board of categories. One concern for the team though: there are a few players who definitely will not be able to wait for next year, as their production continues to drop. Having Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and to a lesser extent Kevin Garnett on the team may hurt from this perspective. On the other hand, he has one of my favourite fantasy (and real life) players in José Calderón, so I instantly like his squad.

The ...a stern warning squad is one that I'm already happy with, although I do have my reservations. Baron Davis is a constant injury risk and he already has a finger situation worth keeping an eye on. Jermaine O'Neal and Nene Hilario are both coming off injuries (with Nene's being particularly wince-inducing for all of the males in the room) and thus are slightly unknown quantities, however they form a large percentage of my big man ranks. There are plenty of shooters in the squad, so three pointers should not be of concern. Davis, Jason Richardson, Andre Iguodala, Michael Redd and Leandro Barbosa all hit at least 100 treys last year, so I felt comfortable in making the season's first trade in sending Jamal Crawford off in exchange for the rebounding and shot-blocking prowess of Canadian team exile Samuel Dalembert. He'll team up nicely with German defector Chris Kaman inside for my squad. Meanwhile, I'm very happy with having Caron Butler and Tayshaun Prince on the wings -- in particular I expect this to be a big season for Prince with increases in several categories, especially threes and points.

Veteran savvy

Dennis Velasco of About.com's Pro Basketball site has been playing fantasy hoops since before you were conceived in the back of your parents' car. He has all of the tricks and knowledge and I have to quietly say that this scares me a little. On that basis, I second-guessed myself four times upon making the Crawford-Dalembert swap with him. The trade certainly benefits both teams in terms of needs, however there is plenty of change at play in the respective teams that those guys play for. Crawford has just inherited a coach in Mike D'Antoni who will up the tempo and has already stated that he expects the Knicks guard to thrive in, however his recent performances have been uninspiring. Meanwhile Dalembert has one Elton Brand coming in to eat up his paint in Philadelphia. Despite this, the big man has already said that he expects Brand's arrival to merely free him up and allow him to grab even more offensive rebounds. Oh, how I hope this is true. Dennis's Bout It Bout It squad has also snared my man Brandon Roy, who will no doubt continue to rise this season; as will Kevin Durant. Rashard Lewis and Amare Stoudemire are two of the studs of FNBA and Marcus Camby, when healthy is unrivalled in the big man categories.

Meanwhile, after following Nels' Give Me The Rock site for some time, I know that this guy certainly knows his rotisserie from his VGM and his head-to-head from his keeper leagues. If you're a fantasy geek, you'll realise that those comparisons don't even make sense, but I just wanted to throw them all into one sentence anyway. In short, I know that GiveMeTheRockettes will be a competitive side this season. Turnovers may well be an issue to look out for, but having LeBron James on board instantly makes you a dangerous team. There are some unknowns here though. When will Manu Ginobili return from injury and will he be ready to contribute immediately? What will Greg Oden bring to the table? Grant Hill: is he going to decline further? Corey Maggette in Warriors colours is a great thing for any fantasy owner though, and Joe Johnson always contributes well. This team will be a contender.

Best team name award

There are two great contenders here for best team name. The first is The Ollie McClellans, owned by good friend Ethan of NESW Sports. McClellan of course, was the inspirational manager in the all-time great basketball movie Hoosiers. Ethan has put together a fearsome backcourt of Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant -- devastating either on the fantasy court or a real one. His team is stacked in the forwards department with Antawn Jamison, LaMarcus Aldridge (look out for him this season!), Pau Gasol, Rasheed Wallace and potential rookie of the year, Michael Beasley. Add Brad Miller and Ben Gordon into that mix and you have the makings of a great squad.

What are the odds of the other entrant into the best team name stakes having the name "Ollie" in it? Well, you guessed it, it does. Kev Ollie's Mustache is a fantastic name, coming at you from Zach of TalkHoops.net. The big weakness I see for this squad is in the assists department, but outside of that, a well-rounded team is taking shape. TJ Ford is the only point guard in the locker room. Perhaps Kevin Ollie himself will need to be given a call-up. There are some quality big men in Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, Andrew Bogut, Al Harrington and Andrei Kirilenko, so rebounding will not be an issue. Paul Pierce and Danny Granger will take care of many of the other categories.

Small ball?

Erik over at Points In The Paint has his hands full with a few high profile fantasy leagues, so here is hoping that this means I'll snare a free agent from his grasps whilst he's not looking! Then again, all of that practice certainly helps. He has already had one spot of bad luck, with Deron Williams going down with injury, however that should only be a short setback. Erik has gone the small ball route, which may cause him to struggle in the big man cats like rebounds and blocks. Having Kevin Martin, Shawn Marion, Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, Mehmet Okur and Mo Williams on his team will make him dangerous nonetheless. OJ Mayo is the biggest question mark on the squad.

The opposite of small ball...

Zorgon of the OKC NBA blog, known as Blue Blitz, is packing heat in the big man department. What other way do you describe a squad that contains Yao Ming, Andrew Bynum, Andris Biedrins, Dirk Nowitzki and Emeka Okafor? "Zorgon and Erik, I see your future... it involves a trade..." Zorgon also boasts Chauncey Billups and little-big-men Richard Jefferson and Hedo Turkoglu. All I can say is, wow. We are going to struggle when it comes to matching Blue Blitz in rebounds and blocks. A solid squad.

Last but definitely not least

The Suicidal Penguins represent the Utah Jazz blog and they are definitely to be feared. Pick a category, it's covered. You want assists? Chris Paul and Andre Miller have got you. Blocks? Josh Smith and Kenyon Martin. Carlos Boozer, Al Horford and Kevin Love will mop up the boards. Ray Allen will nail the treys. Ron Artest and Ronnie Brewer will steal everything in sight.

After reviewing all of these teams, I am more confused than ever as to how this season will pan out. That is what makes it so exciting. I'm quietly confident that my team will represent ...a stern warning proudly. But as any fantasy fan knows, it only takes one injury to put a season on ice. I present to you the fantasy squad that I hope will take out the prestigous first annual Battle of the Bloggers:

Baron Davis (PG)

Jason Richardson (SG, SF)

Andre Iguodala (SG, SF)

Caron Butler (SF)

Jermaine O'Neal (PF, C)

Michael Redd (SG, SF)

Chris Kaman (C)

Leandro Barbosa (PG, SG)

Samuel Dalembert (C)

Tayshaun Prince (SF)

Nene Hilario (PF, C)

Good luck to all competing. Updates will continue as the season tips off.