Bawful After Dark: March 25, 2010

Silly Flip. You can't hang yourself like that!
As I sit in here a post-Nyets-victory malaise, I think we need something to cheer us up. And this should do it: it's time for the annual Name of the Year bracket. It's a strong field this year, with Nohjay Nimpson a solid #1 seed, and Dick Smallberries Jr. a surprisingly low #3 seed in its region, especially considering that his dad suffered through that name his whole life and yet still named his kid after him.

But all of those awesomely terrible names got me thinking -- what NBA player has the most bawful/bawesome name? Luc Mbah a Moute is an obvious choice in my opinion (it just rolls off the tongue), but hearing Zaza Pachulia's name always makes me smile. Post your thoughts in the comments.

Worst of the Night in Pictures:

Great picture to begin with, but make sure you see Jodi Meeks' "WTF?" expression

Kiki had to re-teach himself how to smile. He's still figuring it out.

The Pacers may not have many fans, but the ones they do have are, uhm, very enthusiastic

Surprise!
Nationally Televised Games:
Heat at Bulls: Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are back, but the Bulls are only 33-37. But wait! They're in the Eastern Conference! Could it be time for a playoff run?? As sad as that sounds, it's true.

Mavericks at Frail Blazers: This game could be a preview of what we'll see in the first round of the playoffs. And considering the Mavs have yet to beat the Blazers all season, but they've both been very close games. I'm not even going to make any jokes here -- this is just plain ol' good basketball.

All The Other Games:
Clippers at Rockets: Since when did the Rockets hire the Frail Blazers' training and medical crew? They had to call up two D-Leaguers to play in their last game thanks to a rash of injuries, and their five reserves combined to shoot 29% in that loss to the Thunder. 29%!! Nothing like a home game against the Clippers to wash off that stank.