The Locked-Out Answer

Would you take Allen Iverson? We think most fans would speak up in favor of bringing the future Hall of Famer back into the NBA. But how many GMs would? If you go by their recent actions, not too many, and every year he’s gone from the game, the more likely it is that we’ve seen the last of him in an NBA uniform. The Answer still wants to fight his way back in, and it’s being reported that’s exactly what he’s doing in reaching out to some of the game’s best trainers and working his way back. He might make an appearance in the Impact Vegas League. We wish AI would get another shot – he did grace our first ever issue of Dime and still holds a special place for us – but the chances are about as good as us seeing basketball on opening night … The only way to accurately air dirty laundry in sports is to wait until you retire as a player, and then ultimately write some type of biography. Jerry West is putting out “West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life” and while he talks about some things we already knew – like how Kobe refused to cater to Shaq in anything – it sounds like it’ll be an awesome read. West dove head first into his feud with Phil Jackson and says the two never got along because Zen was always trying to stake out his territory, going so far as to refuse to say hello in the morning, even though their offices were nearly right next to each other. He also recounts the time Zen kicked him out of the locker room so unceremoniously that you would’ve thought The Logo was some potbellied, rich kid who’s involved in sports because it was daddy’s fun toy. Tim Kawakami breaks down the advance copy quite nicely. We can’t wait to read more stories like these, and you know the Lakers are good for at least 50 pages of drama in every book. It’s amazing what egos can do … Ron Artest‘s daughter wants to be World Peace as well. Her name is Diamond. It could soon be Diamond World Peace. See, Ron’s name was done in sheer fun and with a good heart. But Diamond World Peace is toeing the line between “good cause” and “porn star.” We’re not fans of that name for small children … Interesting scenario that was being discussed on Twitter yesterday: If (and at this point, it seems more when than if) Rick Adelman takes over coaching duties in Minnesota, how great of a chance would Michael Beasley have of being traded again? Adelman is a pro’s pro, and he’s been around for a minute. But he’s also done well with some hotheads, and has great relationships with two notorious ones in Bonzi Wells and Artest. Still, is it possible Beasley could get shipped off again? Derrick Rose is an MVP. Michael Beasley is stuck playing in-between two positions, on a team that just drafted a guy who is pretty much his on-court clone. Crazy how that 1-2 draft worked out … And if you want to see fireworks in Minnesota, we could have them. Let’s just say it’s not out of the question that Adelman and Kahn will have issues. Adelman never liked the media. Kahn himself is a former sportswriter who covered Portland, when, you guessed it, Adelman coached there … Did you ever think you’d see another video game review for Double Dribble? We have what’s considered the only review for this game to come along some 20 years too late, and we’re talking things like anti-racism pigmentation technology … Yesterday marked the 15-year anniversary of Tupac Shakur‘s death. It’s amazing that 15 years after the fact, we still talk about this stuff like it happened yesterday. It’s even crazier to think that a lot of this generation has no recollection of Tupac’s work. You could be nearly 15 years old, and can still say you weren’t ever even alive for ‘Pac. That’s wild. What’s the greatest ‘Pac song of all-time? A more appropriate question might be: which movie is more enjoyable, Juice or Above the Rim? R.I.P. ‘Pac … And it’s the second round of the Dime Ultimate Movie Baller tournament: Jesus Shuttlesworth vs. the Wolf, and Big Neon Bodeaux vs. Tom Shepherd. Who do you got? Plus, the two final spots in the Elite 8 were set. One is taken by Kyle Lee Watson, beating the No. 7 Quincy McCall. And then the final spot goes to the winner of the biggest upset we’ve seen thus far: Billy Hoyle as a No. 15 seed taking out Moses Guthrie. He must’ve hustled the pro real good … We’re out like Tupac’s appreciation day.