On July 5, 1687, Sir Issac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in which he states and describes the three laws of motion in physics.

1) A body will remain in its current state of motion unless acted upon by an outside force

2) A body that has force acted upon it will experience acceleration proportional to that force and its own mass

3) When a first body exerts force on a second body, the second body exerts force on the first that is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction

That third law is a curious thing. It has a much less technical description, that can be effectively summarized as "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". For every impact, there is equally powerful feedback. For every moment of defying the odds, there is a moment of karmically bad luck. For every good NBA team, there is an equally bad one.

Shouldn't be too hard to figure out which end of the spectrum the Timberwolves fall under.

About this time every year, NBA teams start heading in opposite directions with prejudice. Teams with playoff and championship aspirations load up their rosters as much as possible and focus in. Teams for which the playoffs are a lost cause...well...they get hyped up over guys like Darko Milicic.

Of whom there is a section dedicated to this week's NBA update. And for those who need the assurance, I keep text files of all my sources. So feel free to question the accuracy of what you read. I'm sure JA Adende will be happy to argue it out with you. Behehe

But to start, we've got a different team for which the playoffs is most definitely a lost cause...

Actually, first, let's make sure we all understand the three laws of motion:

Think I could get funding for making these update educational...? Ya...me neither. Anyway....

Josh Howard is out for the season with a torn ACL:

Not even two weeks after he was dealt to the Wizards, Howard suffered yet another injury in what is becoming a Tracy McGrady-ish career. He was injured in a collision with Bulls' guard Flip Murray.

As a side note, since we're talking about the Wizards, Wolves fans should be happy to know that we're not the only team that's been lit up by Andray Blatche since Jamison was dealt. In the sevens games he's played, starting with our contest on February 17th, Blatche has averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds on nearly 60% shooting. He showed flashes of this kind of potential early in the season, averaging 14 points as a starter in place of an injured Jamison. Likewise, human pogo stick JaVale McGee has averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in about 20mpg, as he has stepped into the starting role vacated by Brendan Haywood.

Also on the list of teams with no playoff hopes...

The Philadelphia 76ers may be considering cutting ties with Allen Iverson:

Iverson has played in only 3 games since the start of February, as he's taken time off to tend to his daughter. The team has termed the leave as indefinite, but reports say head coach Eddie Jordan addressed the team this week to let them know there's a chance Iverson won't be back at all.

Sixers sources say Iverson hasn’t been a problem since joining the team. He’s worked well with the team’s younger players, and never complained about minutes or shots. The Sixers have just struggled with his constant comings and goings, and how that’s affected chemistry.

One major issue has been the starting rotation; the Sixers prefer to start Louis Williams, but often resort to starting Jrue Holiday when Iverson is with the team to make up for height deficiencies on the defensive end (the Sixers had the same problem in 2000, preferring to start 6'2" Eric Snow but being forced to start 6'5" Aaron McKie for defensive purposes, then later because Snow was injured). The Sixers are now starting both Williams and Holiday, but that leaves them with no backup point guard.

It's another confusing chapter in the story of a guy who's accomplished some absolutely remarkable things in his career.

Sixer's President Ed Skefanski released a statement saying, "At this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Sixers, Allen and his family that he be allowed to deal with a very serious issue that is far greater than the game of basketball."

In the only media address he's made on the subject, Iverson stated:

"I have five kids. None of them have ever been this sick. It's a first-time thing for me. I like to look at myself as a strong person, especially dealing with everything in my life. But this is a totally different situation; you find out you're not as tough as you thought you were when it's one of your kids. All I do is just pray on it; everyone that cares anything about me and my family, I wish them to do the same, 'cause that's all that can be done right now, 'cause they don't know exactly what's wrong with her. I don't think they could deal with it if something happened to one of their kids."

But also to consider is that the Sixers didn't blow up the team as expected at the trade deadline. In fact, they didn't really make any big moves at all, and are thus still saddled with the contracts of Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, and Andre Iguodala with little hope of making the playoffs. This latest Iverson tilt isn't something they need.

"It’s Allen and it’s Philly, so how this plays out has got to be delicate for everyone," one league source said.

Now moving on to a couple teams who are headed for the postseason...

Paul Pierce is out indefinitely with a sprained right thumb:

It seems like a weak injury to be out for indefinitely. After all, Kobe Bryant has played the better part of the season with an outright broken index finger. Nevertheless, Pierce has missed the Celtics' last three games, and has an ambiguous timetable for return ("maybe" next week)

Much more concerning for the Celtics, however, is that although they are a playoff team by record, they aren't a playoff team on the court. The Celtics dropped 2 in a row this week, losing to Cleveland and....the New Jersey Nets???

Pierce's absence aside, the bigger problem with the Celtics, as far as I've seen, is the injuries Kevin Garnett is fighting through. I watched a couple Boston games the past two weeks, including the Celtics/Lakers game on the 18th, and seriously...if his jersey hadn't had the name Garnett on the back, I would have though it was uncle Cliff Robinson out there. Much like Al Jefferson these days, KG has no lift in his legs. His head is all there, but for what's probably the first time in his career, his body can't do what his mind is asking anymore. Several times in the past few weeks I've seen KG miss a rebound, miss a rotation, or give up a layup because he just can't get off the ground like he used to. The explosiveness is gone, and at his age with his game, I'm not sure it's coming back.

As for Pierce, the Celtics want to make sure that, when he returns, it's for good. "We want to make sure it gets right," Rivers said. "It's one of those things where, if he gets hit again, he'll go back down that road. We want to make sure when he comes back he can play, and play at that Paul level we know."

Joakim Noah is out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis:

Noah's been fighting this off and on for over a month now. With a much more probable playoff appearance looming now, the Bulls decided to shut him down and get him right.

Noah is the key to the Bulls' defense, which is the only counter they have for their lack of post offense. He averages 1.5 blocks per game...15th in the league...and 11.4 rebounds per game, which would tie him with Chris Bosh for 5th in that category if he qualified.

Also, since March 1st is....well, tomorrow, there's buyout news to be read.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been bought out by the Wizards:

There was some question in the past couple weeks as to whether this would happen, since the Wizards were much less financially strained after sending Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers.

Ilgauskas is being chased by several teams, including the Mavericks, Hawks, Nuggets, and Jazz, but will reportedly return to the Cavaliers after the mandatory 30 day waiting period.

Some of you may remember that a similar deal between the Mavericks and Nets a few years ago was nixed by the NBA after Jerry Stackhouse revealed the two teams had an agreement in place beforehand for the Nets to buy him out so he could return to Dallas. But the NBA reportedly has no problems with this one.

A return to Cleveland is the logical choice for Big Z. His family is there, and the Cavaliers are the only NBA team he's ever played for. Still, other teams are living by "never say never"....Nuggets' head coach George Karl said "I'm not giving up...I did talk to him."

Larry Hughes has been bought out by the Kings:

Much like the Wolves did with regards to Quentin Richardson, the Kings decided they were better off without a volume gunner in his contract year looking for his next deal at the expense of developing young talent.

Now the latest word is Hughes is most likely headed to Charlotte. He has a history with head coach Larry Brown, from their days together way back when in Philadelphia. And, as John Hollinger pointed out, the trade Charlotte made for Tyrus Thomas seriously depleted their guard depth.

The Bobcats will be looking for what basketball fans have come to term as "Bizarro Hughes"....that once in a blue moon game where Larry Hughes looks like the superstar player he had the potential of becoming, rather than the low percentage gunner he usually is.

And speaking of Charlotte....

Michael Jordan has reached an agreement to buy a majority stake in the Bobcats:

Jordan will now have full control over the team that plays in the state he made his collegiate name in. Jordan assembled an ownership team that will buy the team from current owner Robert Johnson, who has the distinction of being the first black principal owner of a North American major league team. The deal is now just pending league approval, which David Stern said he expects to happen "very quickly".

In terms of the Bobcats the team, not much will be different. Jordan has actually been running the basketball side of things since the team's inception in 2004. His track record as a basketball executive is up and down...for every Kevin Garnett, there's a Kwame Brown. Or for every Larry Bird, there's an Adam Morrison. Whichever you prefer. But the Bobcats are in playoff contention this season, thanks to Jordan's hiring of Larry Brown, followed by his trade for Stephen Jackson.

Where the payoff for the Bobcats is in this is the Bobcats the franchise. Jordan is marketable, and now he can be 100% marketable for the team.

And another guy leading his teams to the playoffs?

Kevin Durant goes 29 games straight scoring 25 or more points:

With a nod to casper, who's been asking for this for a couple weeks, I'm going to acknowledge Durant's scoring streak this week because he broke a meaningful record this time: his 29 game streak surpasses Allen Iverson's 28 game streak, and is second all time only to Michael Jordan (who checks in at a ridiculous 40) Durant's streak was ended against the San Antonio Spurs by Manu Ginobili....quite literally.

It was the first time since December 19th that Durant didn't score at least 25 points, which is....shocking, when you think about it. The kid's 21 years old, and he's already one of the best basketball players on the planet. A "freak", as Kahn and Rambis have put it.

Wolves fans often ask why the Thunder have so vastly outpaced us in the rebuilding game. With all due respect to Russell Westbrook, who is a remarkable talent himself (and one I admittedly doubted coming out of the draft), the reason is obvious: Kevin Durant is flat out unstoppable.

I've been a huge fan of Durant's since he played for Oak Hill Academy, the second of three high schools he played at. I always knew he'd be a great player (for what it's worth, I have the same feeling about Tyreke Evans, having followed him out ofAmerican Christian) But I never thought Durant would be this good this soon. He really is a basketball freak.

For the record, Durant also far outpaces Kobe and LeBron with his streak as well. LeBron's longest 25+ scoring streak topped out at 21....Bryant's at 19.

And speaking of those two, Dime magazine raised an interesting question on the whole subject this week...

Have LeBron, Carmelo, and Durant exceeded Kobe Bryant?

I'll let you read and debate for yourselves:

All due respect to Kobe, but you could argue that LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant have been better than any three players on the planet this year. And even after Kobe reaches NBA old-age, those three should still be in their primes and setting the standard by which most other players are judged.

Small forwards are always a diverse crew. LeBron is a powerhouse who could also play the point; ‘Melo is an effortless scorer who could play the four if he wanted; Durant is a perimeter sniper with a center’s height and two-guard range. Neither of them looks at all like the other, and yet the results are often the same: Bucket after bucket, with a healthy share of boards, assists and defense thrown in for good measure.

At the least, Durant will be joining Kobe, Melo and King James on the next Dream Team. (and no, I don't think Love or Jefferson will join him...)

He nearly made it last time for that matter....it was really just his inexperience that kept him off, as the team decided to go with the more proven Tayshaun Prince. The spot is Durant's to lose...about the only way he won't make the team is if he refuses the invitation.

And speaking of a Team USA member...

This week, Jason Kidd made possibly the savviest basketball play I've ever seen:

Seriously. Only Jason Kidd would even think to attempt that. And wouldn't you know it, without that technical free throw, the Mavs would have lost the game. Afterward, Kidd and Woodson had a little back and forth in the media.

"I went in a straight line," said Kidd. "If I can’t beat him, I’m in trouble."

"The official said I was on the floor," said Woodson. "I tried to move back and I was moving back and he reached over the line and grabbed me."

"He was talking like I tried to take him out," said Kidd. "I was saying you can’t be on the floor, you’re a coach, you’ve got no uniform on."

This sort of call has been made only a handful of times in NBA history. In 1991, Milwaukee coach Del Harris collided with Nuggets guard Michael Adams while protesting a call. Then in 2006, Rip Hamilton caught his leg on Sonics' head coach Bob Hill's foot shooting a three pointer.

By the way, Kidd finished the game with a triple double....19 points, 16 rebounds, 17 assists.

And as usual, his boss Mark Cuban had something newsworthy to say this week...

Mark Cuban sounds off on the CBA negotiations:

As I pointed out, many people mistake the NBA side of the negotiations to be David Stern and his administration, when the reality is it's really the owners, with Stern giving his input. The other side is, of course, the players. Well, we've heard from the players, we've heard from Stern....have we heard from the owners?

Team owners have been unusually silent in all of this, considering the chattering of their counterparts. But if there's one owner who's not going to be quiet about....well, anything, you can sure bet it's Mark Cuban.

On his personal blog, Blog Maverick, Cuban posted his thoughts on why salary caps kill small market teams, and what he wants to do to fix it. Now...I realize a lot of you aren't Mark Cuban fans. He's goofy, he's mouthy, he can be immature. But he's not stupid. So read what he writes:

Basically, leagues look at all the major income sources, and make a salary cap that is a percentage of that. That means, however, that if one team is doing really really well, and has a huge increase in income, while a small market team might lose a little money, then the next year's cap will be quite a bit higher, which leaves the money-losing small market team further in the lurch.

We have seen bankruptcies in the NHL. If pro sports leagues don’t do a better job of risk management, it could get worse. ... What about the players side? They have kicked ownership’s ass in every league. ...

While individual NFL players take on significant risk, the players as a whole take on ZERO risk. If their membership just shows up for games, 53 guys on each team are getting paid. They never have to give the money back or contribute capital to make up losses.

The solution? It's a system where risks and rewards are allocated properly. Owners should take on more risk than players because they have more upside from franchise appreciation. They shouldn't take on all the risk. Nor should players be excluded from sharing in the upside of equity appreciation. I'm not saying that for example players earn a share of the sale price when an NFL franchise is sold. There are a variety of ways to track or index appreciation of franchises that rewards players that can work better and more efficiently. When the index appreciates the economics available to players appreciate. When the index depreciates, the amount available to players should be reduced as well.

The bottom line of the bottom line is that its time for a new model for professional sports.

Not exactly the solution that the owners wrote up in their CBA proposal. But maybe smarter, to be honest. And before anyone assumes this makes Cuban a rogue element in the negotiation process, it should be noted he emphatically stated what the other owners and analysts have: if a lockout happens, the owners lose some of their money; the players lose everything.

And since we're talking money...

Truehoop did a rundown on teams that will be able to afford a max free agent this summer, and the Wolves made the list:

Not only that, but we got our very own category: Will need some creative accounting

Minnesota Timberwolves: $35.17 million in 2010-11 payroll
Minnesota barely squeezes onto our list and they don't land here without a bunch of disclaimers. That number above represents the eight players Minnesota has under contract for the 2010-11 season, but doesn't include their boatload of first-round picks -- and Ricky Rubio, who will go back onto the Timberwolves' cap number next season. Those draft picks, each protected at a different level, amount to more than $7 million in salary commitments. Minnesota would have to perform some serious budgetary gymnastics to be eligible to extend a max contract to a free agent. They could opt to sell or move their picks, or ship some talent to a team with a trade exception. It'll be tough. Still, with all their young assets, draft picks and cap space, the Timberwolves figure to be legitimate players in the marketplace this summer, even if they can't nab a max player.

Not that any of us expect to see LeBron or Wade or Bosh here next year, but it does highlight the fact we do have more money to spend this summer than all but a handful of teams in the league. Free agency 2010 is the last of Kahn's "five windows", so he's planning to do something with all the capital he has.

The teams ahead of us on the list?

Room for two - Miami, New York
Room for one - New Jersey, Chicago, Washington
Possibly one - Sacramento, LA Clippers

Draft Watch:

March Madness is fast approaching, and I'll do some in depth analysis of that when the brackets are finalized (summary: expect to see Kansas and Kentucky in the finals). So with that in mind, let's highlight the standout regular season of one Evan Turner.

It's been noted many times now, but Evan Turner is having one hell of a basketball season. A college player hasn't really put together this complete and successful year since Magic Johnson averaged 17-7-8 all the way back in 1978.....over 30 years ago.

Michigan's Stu Douglas, tasked with guarding Turner this past week, called defending him "ridiculous".

"Some kid in the stands yelled after he hit his first shot, he was like, 'That's not even fair,'" Douglass said, laughing. "He does that cross-over without even dribbling. How tall is he? Six-seven? I mean, it's ridiculous, if he's around the basket it doesn't matter who's guarding him, he's going to hit it."

One thing I want to add about Turner that I don't think gets mentioned much is his ability to hit shots with the defense right there. He doesn't need to run off screens, doesn't need to put any fancy moves on a defender....just pull up and hit. It's a very rare skill in today's NBA, but it does make a player all but unguardable. Carmelo Anthony. Kevin Durant. Remember Sam Cassell when he was a Wolf? It's like that.

Last week we noted that Turner has taken the lead in the projected player of the year race....as well he should. He statistically makes his competitors look silly. Ohio State doesn't have the power to make a deep tournament run like Kansas or Kentucky, but individually, Turner is the best college player on the planet right now.

Commentary on Darko:

Well, I was originally going to write up a big op-ed on Milicic, but I've realized that 90% of what I was going to say are things the rest of you have already noticed. And I'll admit, I'm very pleased Darko plays such good defense he makes it obvious how badly need that. It's something I feel a lot of Wolves fans have forgotten the importance of since Garnett left. Certainly McHale was thinking nothing but offense since then.

So what about Darko then?

Well, two things.

1) He's the rare kind of center I'd be comfortable having Kevin Love play alongside long term. Under typical circumstances (meaning pair Love with a defense-only center like Tyson Chandler), I have serious doubts about the team. Love is a smart positional defender, but his limited height and reach make it difficult for him to contest shots even if he's directly in front of his man, and he's not much for help defense. But pair him with a Tyson Chandler, and we're going to end up with some serious scoring problems.

Now the thing about Darko is that he's not only a great defensive big man with the kind of legitimate height, reach, and defensive IQ to anchor a team, but he also has a very good scoring game as well. We haven't seen it much with him as a Timberwolf, but I assure you, it's there. Skillwise, from what I've seen of him with the Magic and Grizzlies and in FIBA play, I'd say his closest comparison is probably Brook Lopez. Not overpowering like a Zach Randolph, not absurdly skilled like a Pau Gasol (although I could see him getting to that level someday)....sort of a half and half of the two.

Which brings me to my second point.

2) Don't treat him like Tyson Chandler. Darko doesn't like being called a defense only player. He practically takes offense to it. When he first announced his intent to return to Europe earlier this year, he outright said:

"I just want to enjoy the basketball. I’d like to have the ball in my hands and have an offense run through me. I’m not just a defensive player."

And he's not. As I mentioned last week, for example, Darko was second in scoring on the 2006 Serbian Nationals team at 16 ppg. And as many of you have noted, he moves the ball incredibly well....a hallmark of Euro big men. I honestly think that, were he in shape, you could post him up all game and effectively run your offense through him the way the Clippers do with Chris Kaman or the Nuggets sometimes do with Nene.

So that's my advice. Fans: don't talk just about his defense. No matter what they say, players hear what the fans are saying about them. Coaches: run some plays for the guy, and make them more frequent as he gets in better shape.

Now, a lot gets made about him going back to Europe, and I posted my thoughts on this before, but I want to reiterate: I believe that a lot, it not all, of his animosity is a misunderstanding. And to back that up, I have a quote from him from Dime Magazine back from December (I actually posted this in one of December's Prowling the NBAs, for that matter)

I’m not going to get it done in the NBA. I’m not going to get another opportunity and there’s nothing wrong with going back to Europe. I don’t want to create a bad atmosphere here, but it’s not working in the NBA."

Notice how he doesn't say "I don't like the NBA". He says "I'm not going to get another opportunity". Well....he has another opportunity now, with us. Which might actually be his first opportunity, considering the other teams he's played for. While I wouldn't and won't say count on him being back next year, I do think chances are better than people realize.

So just take it one game at a time. Don't put huge pressure on him, don't coddle him, don't make him out to be a team savior. Certainly he makes an enormous impact for us defensively, but that's as much a reflection on how epically bad we've been on defense as a team this season as it is on how good he is on defense as a player. Just treat him like a member of the team and let the rest work itself out.

You can probably say we're the equal and opposite reaction to the Thunder.

As they get better, we seemingly get worse. As S-n-P has pointed out, the bright spot in our season so far has been a trade for a draft "bust" no other team wants.

But like the Darko Dilema, the Wolves are best taken one game at a time these days. We have young talent. We have draft picks. We have money to spend, two of Kahn's windows, and a fanbase eager for any reason to cheer. My prediction? In a couple years, we'll be the Thunder, and Boston will be our equal and opposite reaction.

Until next week...