(Dandy Don Carlos “Don’t Call Me Bebe” Buell, very psyched to have finally made it to CSTB)

While covering the potential trades of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter on the front of the Newark Star Ledger’s sports section Tuesday, Dave D’Allesandro uses his always entertaining Nets Blast mailbag to quell fears much of anything will take place in the next 48 hours.

As for words of comfort, I have none to offer. I still have major doubts they™ll make a move this week, but that™s not necessarily a good thing, unless Jefferson shows up like Don Carlos Buell at Shiloh. They almost have to go 5-1 in the next six to make it interesting, and have Toronto stagger a bit in its next five (Cleveland, Indy, at Bobs, at Spurs, at Rockets). But over the last 28, it™s more about how they get their own game together than what the opposition is doing. They™ve underachieved all year, and I™m still waiting for a sign “ any sign “ that they can get their edge back.

The New York Times’ Liz Robbins implies Bruce Ratner would like to jettison Kidd rather than suffer a P.R. hit in the wake of his point guard’s marital woes. Not that Ratner could possibly suffer bad publicity any other way.

While refuting rumors of a Rashard Lewis for Nate Robinson & Channing Frye swap, the New York Post’s Peter Vescey suggests Minnesota oughta be buyers rather than sellers at this stage.

The rapidly improving Timberwolves are a brute forward/center away from declaring their legitimacy. The barbed snag is finding a team willing to swap that special species for one of the team’s albatross contracts: Marko Jaric or Troy Hudson.

In view of Mike James being recently replaced in the starting lineup by Randy Foye, the summer free agent recruit offseason may prove to be the ticket to acquire, say, Nazr Mohammad. Three seasons ago, James was an integral defensive factor alongside Lindsay Hunter in Detroit’s title surge.

Hats off to Joey from Straight Bangin‘ for being the first to insist the Assocation misused players from their  distaff league over All-Star Weekend.

I think it’s cool that the WNBA players are a part of the Shooting Stars competition, but asking them to rebound Bow Wow’s misses and run the point with Carrot Top (who is basically famous for being hated, not funny, and oddly jacked) is a tad belittling, no? I mean, we’re supposed to take these women seriously and respect them as basketball professional, right? It’s not like we ask female lawyers from big-time law firms to compete in high-school mock trial. Just something for the League to keep in mind when it crams WNBA ads down our throats in April and May.

I guess that cameo on “Reno 911” didn’t quite turn things around for America’s most despised prop comic.