Hello and welcome to the Bullet Passes. I'll be your drunken spirit guide for the day. Just be thankful there is an editor for all me syntax. [Editor's Note: I am leaving that one in so you all can see how hard I have to work. ; )] I hope everyone is having a great day and spreading that holiday cheer. Speaking of which, I better get to it.

It didn't take long for Mark Cuban to start rocking the boat this year. Let's be honest, he is great at it and has the money to back up his behavior. This time, he is calling out NBA sponsor Power Balance and their scam bracelets. Can't lie, Cubes has me cracking up over his displeasure.

If you haven't been following the Derrick Rose series, The Return of D Rose, then you should. Here is a little of Episode Six for your viewing pleasure.

OK OK, I know what you are saying: two videos in a row, Payton? Are you phoning it in today?

Yes, and you would too if the major news around the league was about the brilliance of Deron Williams or how much fun it is to watch the league's worst team. By the way, I sat through that Wizards-Spurs game, and I decided I would rather watch paint dry while getting acupuncture as some dude plays all Kesha's songs in my ear with a kazoo and Roseanne Barr sings the lyrics.

Just saying.

Since I'm phoning it in today, here is some Kyle Singler trick shot magic for ya.

He also did one of these at Duke that was rather impressive.

I mean, minus that awful music.

Back to the serious stuff for a second, last night was the first time the Knicks visited the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It didn't end well for the uppity Knickerbockers, who lost to the "subtle brilliance" of Deron Williams and his Brooklyn crew. Their 96-89 overtime win is part of what many hope sparks a rivalry between the two New York teams.

Some positive news for Laker fans: It appears Steve Nash is getting better. The guard was seen participating in some on court activities on Monday.

I'm sure D'Antoni is drooling, waiting for his return. Not that Darius Morris and Chris Duhon aren't getting the job done or anything ... excuse me while I snicker to myself.

And since I gave Laker fans good news, it's probably obligatory I give them bad news too, right? Fine, Pau Gasol is playing through pretty bad tendinitis in both of his knees. Might be the reason he is playing so bad. Also might be a rouse to keep from getting traded to the Hawks. Guess we will find out.

Sacramento Kings guard Aaron Brooks was fined $25,000 by the league for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands after Friday’s loss at Utah. Ahhh, the lucky fan that caught that thing.

Article of the Day comes from Jan Hubbard at Sheridan Hoops

Hubbard: A Texan’s view of the L.A. basketball world is some nice entertainment for your evening.

And that's it. I gotta go and you gotta get ready for tonight's slate, which looks to be a good one. Better than Wizards vs. Spurs, unless you are into that water torture-type of thing. Enjoy your night and until tomorrow, have a good one.

Today's Slate: Tuesday, November 27

MATCH-UP                             TIME (ET)
Dallas at Philadelphia              7 p.m.
Phoenix at Cleveland               7 p.m.
Toronto at Houston                  8 p.m.
Minnesota at Sacramento         10 p.m.
Indiana at LA Lakers               10:30 p.m.

Birthdays for November 27

Player Name (playing years)
Adams, Don 1970-1976
Dickerson, Henry 1975-1976
Garrett, Dean 1996-2001
Leaks, Emanuel 1968-1973
Price, Jim 1972-1978
Smith, Donta 2004-2005
Valentine, Ron 1980-1980
Van Exel, Nick 1993-2005

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PHOTO CREDITS: Mark Cuban: Christian Petersen - Getty Images; Derrick Rose: TheWindyApple.com

Payton Wales is our TNLP scribe in charge of links. Catch his writing at TheProBasketballTalk.com and follow him on Twitter at @PaytonWales.

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