One more post before we hit the couch? Sure. Sulaiman Folarin is the editor of JOCKlife.com. Today, Sly drops by BDL with some T’giving Day kicks from Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups …

Thursday night, Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups will be rocking some gold and black shoes for their home game on Thanksgiving Day in a match-up against the Hornets.

The shoes are not Nuggets colors, but rather University of Colorado inspired with "Go Buffs" emblazoned on the side. Remember Billups did play there while in college.

"Colorado has been, and always will course through my veins," Billups said. "On Thanksgiving, I give thanks to the town that instilled in me what it means to be a champion."

Billups is a champion all right. The Nuggets are 5-0 at the Pepsi Center since he returned home in the trade that sent Allen Iverson to Detroit.

The limited edition shoes — all 11 exact replicas — will be auctioned off on Friday, the next day after the game. They will be numbered and autographed by the former NBA Finals MVP himself.

If you have deeper pockets than the average fan, you might want to consider dropping the cash for these kicks. All of the proceeds will go to the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy, a local Denver non-sports institute providing disadvantaged youth opportunities to succeed.

You can be a part of the auction hosted by the NBA’s official website, right here.

Bravo, "Mr. Big Shot".

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Phoenix
at Minnesota

13 games tonight, and I don’t have to write about any of
them! You’ll have to wait another week for one of those massive, 3,000-word
BtBs from the Wednesday night games, and I think that’s what the pilgrims had
in mind. That’s what I have in mind, at least.

So, in case you’re back home and want to pass on squinting
at someone who you think you used to know or go
to school with from across a pub ("It’s
either ‘Keith’ or ‘Kevin,’ not sure."), there are a batch of solid matchups
to take in tonight, and I’m looking forward to the Suns in Minnesota the most.

The Timberwolves, even in the midst of a rebuilding year,
took two of four from the Suns in 2007-08. Al Jefferson could not be stopped in
those games, though I’m not exactly going to tell you that Amare Stoudemire
actually tried. Jefferson averaged over 30
points and 15 rebounds in the four contests.

On top of that, the Suns are coming off a one-point win over
the one-win Thunder, one that saw them down double digits in the fourth
quarter. And the Timberwolves are playing their first game since dominating the
Detroit Pistons in Detroit
on Sunday. They’ve won two out of three which, for Minnesota, is a bit of a hot streak. This
could be close, and it will be entertaining.

So enjoy Wednesday night. And, as a long-time bartender, I
know that the night before Thanksgiving is right up there with New Year’s Eve
and St. Patrick’s Day, so be careful out there. That goes for you too,
Amare. 

Phoenix Suns: 10-5, 91.3 possessions per game
(17th-most in the NBA), 108.7 points scored per 100 possessions (7^th
in the NBA), 106.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (19^th in the
NBA), Milestones.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3-9, 91 possessions per
game (20^th), 103.4 points scored per 100 possessions (23^rd),
106.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (16^th), You Is My Woman Now.

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Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune, via Detroit Bad Boys:

"Great quote from Mehmet Okur, who was asked if he celebrates Thanksgiving at the pregame shootaround. ‘No we don’t. I like turkey, though,’ he said, before adding. ‘Country first, then bird.’"

And on that note, I’m off. (To order Swiss Chalet, of course!) We’ll be back in the mix on Friday with some intermittent Ball Don’t Lie fun. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Embrace that canned cranberry sauce!

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A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Sac Bee. Who would you pick now, Spencer Hawes or Greg Oden? Bill Bradley would take Hawes.
PF: Celtics Stuff Live, NECSN. Ubuntu, Boston and the Sportsman of the Year.
SF: Yardbarker. Mike Conley thinks he is better than you at Guitar Hero. Is he?
SG: ETB. Walsh wanted to dump contracts. Makes sense. But what were the Clips and Dubs thinking?
PG: Forum Blue and Gold. Snazzy new look for the best Lakers blog on the planet.
6th: Deadspin. Silly, AJ: Ron Artest wasn’t smoking before he shot his video blog. It was just cold.
7th: NBC LA. A feel good profile of the Lakers serving up turkey and mashed potatoes for the poor.
8th: Lion In Oil. How Kyle Korver got a "sprained wrist". Ridiculously funny, ridiculously immature.
9th: 48 Minutes Of Hell. Has Robert Horry done enough to earn a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
10th: Sports Biz. Darren Rovell: "For the millionth time, LeBron James has no bonus in his current contract with Nike — still his original contract — that pays him more if he plays in New York or any other big city for that matter."

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Ben Wallace wanders the desert alone in search of garbage points and wolf bones. When he has gathered enough, he lays them out on the ground and begins to sing. As he sings, the points and bones unite, forming the skeleton of a young Damon Jones. A young Damon Jones so fierce, so transcend— OK, that’s enough. Best caption wins a walking stick. Good luck, guys.

After the jump, Chris Mihm wants you to eat your liquid veggies.

Winner, mcwelk:
Mihm: "That’s right: this is what the inside of my ankle looks like."

Co-runner-up, Scooter281:
Linh Nguyen, 6, uses her autographed photo of the Laker girls as a
distraction in an attempt to avoid being served pureed basketball by
Chris Mihm. Mihm, with the steely-eyed determination of a true professional, maintained eye contact with Nguyen and served her anyway.

Co-runner-up, Roger Mason Jr. = Hero:
The goal of feeding Thanksgiving to Jason Maxiell is 70% complete.

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