Where Amazing Happened

- LeBron James. GQ. What can't this guy do? Bron will be gracing the cover of the men's fashion mag next month and he's even got on a pretty pink dress shirt to go with his dark gray suit. I'm just happy we're not still talking about the crab dribble.

- Paul Pierce. At the ACC on Sunday, Ray Allen was the Raptor-killer with 36 points while connecting on 8-10 from beyond the arc. Last night it was Pierce who kicked the Raps while they were down, going for 39 and taking over in overtime as he willed his team to victory.

- Andrea Bargnani. I've said in the past that Andrea is the biggest tease I've ever encountered. From game to game, he's up, showing flashes of brilliance and then suddenly, without warning he's down and looking like a second round draft pick, rather than a former number one. Lately though, Bargnani has been showing and telling and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I'm going to dare to say that with that three-pointer to force overtime against Boston last night, he has turned the corner and will only continue to build from there.

- Court Surfing being linked over on Truehoop. Thanks goes out to the one and only Henry Abbott for linking up my Boston notes yesterday and driving some heavy traffic our way. That was fun.

- Mehmet Okur. Career-high 43 points as the Jazz get the victory over those pesky, scrapping Indiana Pacers.

- Rookie Brook Lopez stepping up for the Nets and dropping 31 points while grabbing 13 rebounds as superstars Vince and Devin struggled to score.

- The Darius Miles saga: After the Blazers front office sent out that silly email warning other teams about picking up Miles, the Grizzles went out and did just that, signing the vet to a 10-day contract only days after waiving him. I love this move for the Grizz in terms of needing another body and rebounder while Darko is out, but mostly, I love that a player has another shot to make his way back into this league. I hope he can physically do it and that mentally he stays strong and is prepared for the rigors of being an NBA player that is a responsible, professional veteran.

- Speaking of Mr. Miles, I have to link to this exclusive with the man himself. Art Garcia over at NBA.com spoke with Darius on the situation at hand. Check the entire article, but here is my favorite section of the article:

"This is what I've been doing since I was 18 years old professionally," Miles said. "I want to continue to do this. This isn't about a money thing. This is about me playing basketball. I want my family to see me play."

Miles doesn't wish any ill will toward the Blazers. He considers former teammates such as Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Steve Blake and Greg Oden friends. Miles said he tried to play last season to help ease the loss of Oden, who missed the season after his own microfracture surgery. Miles continues to follow the Blazers.

"I want them to make the playoffs," he said. "I want B-Roy to make the All-Star Game again. I don't want to hurt them. I wish I could continue my comeback and we wouldn't have to go through this. I don't want anything bad to happen to their organization. If they didn't have to go through this, it would be better.

The best piece I've read on this tricky situation since the guy actually gets to speak for himself. Great piece. I just hope that he can turn this thing around.

- This one is from last Friday night, but seeing Marko Jaric put away a plate of wings only 30 minutes before game time in the Grizzlies locker room was pretty crazy. How can these guys eat food like this before a game? I will never understand it. On the table in the middle of the locker room was a spread of fruit, sports drinks and all things healthy, but Jaric had his wings and then a takeout container of fries sitting beside him. He's definitely a funny guy.

And... Where It Didn't

- The news that Charles Barkley will be taking a leave of absence from TNT's Inside the NBA. Obviously I want what's best for Sir Charles, but I'll be missing his comments, his chuckle and his honesty each week. Here's to hoping he will be back before we know it.

- Eddy Curry. I really, really, really hope this mess is somehow untrue. For the sake of everyone involved (especially Curry's wife), maybe this could all be a misunderstanding? I don't know what else to say but damn, Curry. What a disaster. These damn Knicks. (NYPost, Via, Ball Don't Lie). Not to make light of a serious situation, but Shaq's twitter status regarding this story: Nypost.com about eddy curry wow, i gotta go to bed on this one, geez.

- Vince Carter's three-pointer to break a tie with nine seconds left in the Nets game against the Thunder last night. Because Coach Lawrence Frank stepped onto the court and called a timeout as Carter launched his shot, the refs waved off the basket which ended up leading to overtime. The Nets did pull it out in the extra session, but it would have been an extra painful loss to the Thunder if it came on a blunder like that.

- News that one of my favorite rookies, DJ Augustin, will miss at least 10 days with an abdominal strain. With each game this guy becomes more confident and aggressive and he's a joy to watch. Get well soon, DJ. Those Bobcats certainly will miss your presence on the floor.

- Hamed Hadaddi not being able to travel with the Grizzlies to Toronto for their game on Friday night because of Visa issues. Seriously?