Brandan Wright has probably said and done some stupid things in his lifetime.  But Thursday night’s faux pas was one for the record books.

With the eighth selection in the NBA draft, their first of the night, the Charlotte Hornets, led by General Manager Michael Jordan, drafted Wright, a lanky forward from the University of North Carolina.  Shortly after this announcement, Wright was interviewed by Stuart Scott of ESPN who commented that Wright was the first player drafted that evening who would lose a game of 1-on-1 to his new boss.  Wright then astonishingly replied “I don’t think Mike wants none of this.”

Excuse me?

Chalk this up in the What not to say about your boss, particularly if your boss is Michael Jordan category.  Now I’ve had several bosses in my day, some likeable, some ornery and none of them named Michael Jordan.  As adults and professionals, we learn it is improper to talk inappropriately about your supervisors.  Well Brandan, my friend, you just insulted your meal ticket and inarguably the greatest basketball player of all time on national television.

Only hours later, Wright was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Jason Richardson, a player who Wright will most likely never be better than.  Had this trade been in the works before draft night or did Jordan pull the trigger once he heard his once and future employee utter those fateful words?

Perhaps Brandan “You Ain’t” Wright thought he’d be impressing Mike by showing a little gumption and confidence after being drafted so high.  Maybe he felt he could get away with such a statement since they both share the same alma mater.  Perhaps Wright intended to use the 'don't want none of this' double-negative, to mean that Michael, in fact, did want some of this.  Or maybe he just wasn’t watching basketball in the 1980s and 90s when a man named Michael Jordan absolutely dominated the league.

Either way, Wright’s ill-advised comments, marked a memorable evening and most likely, indirectly resulted in his being shipped far, far away from his North Carolina home.

In a recent radio interview with Dan Patrick, Charles Barkley announced that he loved the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl and wagered $100,000 for them to cover the seven-point spread.  Dan then asked him if he thought betting that much money was wise.  Sir Charles replied that was actually the smallest sum of money that he’d wagered recently, later admitting to having once lost $2.5 million in a six hour period. 

 Now I’m not here to judge.  What a man does with his own money is his business.  More power to Charles if he’s invested his NBA salary wisely enough to be able to drop a cool mil or two on a horse race or a poker table.

However, I do find it ironic that Charles gets a pass in public opinion about this.  It’s almost as if we expect him to act this way.  Back in the day, when the story broke that Michael Jordan’s competitive nature led him to betting $18,000 a hole on a round of golf, it became huge news.  He was nearly ostracized and was certainly judged, so much so that it was “rumored” Commissioner Stern had asked Jordan to leave the game.  Imagine if the story broke that Pete Rose had gambled that much on the Super Bowl, or Jordan, or anyone else.

Perhaps Charles is now reaping the benefits of being so open and straightforward when he originally stated that he was “not a role model.”  Now, nobody expects him to walk the straight and narrow.  His moments of throwing pestering fans through windows are celebrated.  And his commentary on TNT's "Inside the NBA" has won the broadcast an Emmy award.

America oddly enough loves Sir Charles because he speaks his mind and doesn’t really care what anyone else thinks about him, his opinions, or his behavior.  Personally, I’m among the many who applaud Charles for his honesty and for his penchant for the occasional Vegas trip.  I can relate...  just not so much on the same scale.

A perfectly appropriate line for two perfectly appropriate playoff series.  There's a point towards the end of "The Matrix" where the agent has Keanu Reeves in an inescapable, stranglehold.  With an oncoming subway train careening rapidly towards them, it looks as if Neo's goose is cooked...  until he realizes he's the chosen one, and uses his special powers to thwart his enemy, rendering him useless.

Sound familiar?

The Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, the league's last two world champions, both on the brink of elimination and facing hostile road environments, did their best Neo impressions, pulling rabbits out of their hats and forcing respective Game 7's.

Did anyone honestly expect the Cavs to come away with a series victory against the NBA's Fab Five?  Even Cavalier fans were skeptical, having been burnt by the greats before (insert Craig Ehlo reference here), wondering how their team would come to give this series away.  The closest the Cavs have been to advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals is in the computer-generated Gatorade commercial where Michael Jordan MISSES the jump shot over Ehlo.  And it now appears that the Spurs clearly have Dallas' number once again.  Jason Terry or no Jason Terry, San Antonio was not to be denied on Friday night, as Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Cuban and Avery Johnson now go back to the drawing board.

But it's too late.  The champs have that supreme, psychological advantage over their challengers going into Games Seven, not to mention home court advantage.  Once again, the sound of inevitability rings loudly in Cleveland and Dallas.

10) Marv Albert's undergarments

9) Cheryl Miller play brother, Reggie, one-on-one with neither player allowed to shoot from behind the three point line

8) The lost Tony Parker-Eva Longoria sex tapes

7) LeBron winning a title

6) Another Raja Bell clothesline on Kobe

5) Larry Brown suggesting he should take a year off from coaching

4) Charles Barkley and John Daly in a drunken, blackjack duel.... first to lose ten million dollars wins

3) Jerry Stackhouse reading the NBA rulebook

2) Michael, Magic or Larry in their prime

1) Darko!