NBA

For Bulls fans, Monday night seemed like déjà vu. Watching their team play three strong quarters of basketball, then relinquish the lead with less than three minutes to play has been an all too familiar theme this season. Same [expletive deleted], different day.

For the amount of time equivalent to a Britney Spears' rehab stay, the Bulls' bandwagon was loaded and gaining momentum. That's what three big wins in a row will do for a team. But a disappointing, if not typical, loss in a hot and cold weekend has jettisoned all but the truest Bulls fans.

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Bulls are hedging their bets with their current lineup. There was, however, no shortage of trade rumors surrounding the team throughout the past few weeks. Below we break down several of the trades that almost happened.

Nineteen rebounds. Fourteen points. Seven blocks. Five assists. Two steals. Countless loose ball recoveries and big defensive plays. Ben Wallace intends to earn his keep throughout the second half of the season.

The Bulls began the second half of the 2007 season with an easy 106-81 rout over the Atlanta Hawks, leaving the media, fans and even coach Scott Skiles wondering when the team's season-ending collapse would come.

When NBA commissioner David Stern announced the 2007 NBA All-Star Game would be held in Las Vegas, players around the league let out a collective, "Hell yeah!"

Las Vegas is a bad place for Michael Jordan. His infamous gambling problems make him a sleaze-magnet every time he sets foot in the city. When he showed up to judge the NBA's Dunk Contest Saturday night wearing a black leather suit, Jordan looked like a member of the Gambino crime family. His performance confirmed he checked whatever scruples he had left at the Vegas city limit.