Two videos have just been released of the Jordan Challenge on NBA 2K11 -- and boy, it's exciting me already. We've basically got Bulls v Blazers 2.0 here... complete with Clyde the Glide, Cliff Robinson and Terry Porter. Sure, there's a lot of focus on Michael Jordan in this aspect of the game, but having close-to-authentic 1992 Blazers (and other opponents) on hand is just as good, if not better.

Check out both of the videos here:

Just quickly: the whisper on the street is that Patty Mills is in negotiations with the Portland Trail Blazers to secure another contract for the upcoming season. Obviously this would be pending some move made with respect to Rudy Fernandez, but surely something is in the works there (given the hostile situation).

The news that Patty will again be a Blazer is very good indeed.

The shoe industry in basketball has become one of the most lucrative apparel industries in all of sport. As a result, companies have been benefitting from this multi-billion dollar industry for years, with Nike and Adidas routinely at the forefront of all discussions.

These companies ability to sign the star players that come into the NBA on a yearly basis is not simply due to their reputation amongst athletes, but due to the work that they do at the grassroots level in an attempt to expose teenage basketball players to their products at a young age. The high school basketball All-Star game circuit is a dizzying mix of shoe companies vying for highly touted recruits' attention. The thought process is that if a given player commits to playing at a certain company's event, say the Jordan Classic, then they will be more likely to play for a college team that is endorsed by Nike, Jordan's parent company.

Continuing on with the success seen in previous visits to London, United Kingdom, in its NBA Live series of exhibition matches, the NBA will next year feature official regular season games in the 2012 Olympic venue.

Basketball has been a quickly growing sport in the UK in recent years, as a perfect storm of factors have colluded to ensure that the public begins to grasp onto it as a recognised sport. Of course, football will always be THE sport in the Mother Country, but sports such as basketball can attempt to get some foothold as a peripheral concern.

The presence of UK-bred NBA players such as Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, as well as the continued support and development work provided by former NBA player John Amaechi have combined with the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London to mean that basketball is growing in leaps and bounds in the Britain. The national program has made concerted efforts to improve itself by bringing in the likes of Deng and Gordon to the squad, as they strive to be a semi-competitive in a tough European region, as they prepare for the 2012 Games as a landmark goal.

The NBA has been hosted by London's O2 Arena for some years now, with various NBA teams arriving for exhibition matches, generally around October -- just before the NBA regular season start. The same will happen this year, as the champion Los Angeles Lakers and the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves will square off.

Obviously the presence of superstars in exhibition matches can sometimes be doubtful, unless heavily pushed by the NBA's PR department. This is not to say that the big guns don't turn up -- such as in 2007 when contentiously Boston's "Big Three" got together to play against Kevin Garnett's TWolves, immediately after he had been traded. However by their very nature, exhibition games often mean that players will rest up injuries and spend valuable time with family.

Not so when it comes to regular season games. That is why it is a much lauded announcement by the NBA that the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will match up for two regular season games in London on March 4 and 5, 2011. Stern has been alluding to this as a possibility for some time, as he continues to build the NBA brand in Europe and in particular in the UK. It follows the same move by the NFL to serve up a diehard base of European NFL fans with some regular season action.

The O2 Arena, the same venue that will host the finals of the 2012 Olympics basketball competition, will see the youth of the Nets taking on the heavily European-influenced Raptors lineup. This is not a matchup of heavyweights by any means, but will undoubtedly provide the London crowd with a fairly even pairing over the back-to-back games.

The beat rolls on for development of basketball in Britain.

With the use of social media devices increasing at a staggering rate amongst professional athletes, fans have become privy to a dialogue that was for years reserved for none other than those directly involved. Athletes regularly use their Twitter accounts as a way to effortlessly interact with one another, no matter where they are at the time. It not only allows them to keep in touch with teammates, friends from other teams and their inner circle of friends, but it also gives them the opportunity to build themselves as individual brands by promoting products they endorse.

However the way in which these players interact is rather interesting. If you are able to wade through the pile of abbreviations, slang terms and colloquialisms, an interesting trend emerges no matter who the players in question are. They view each other as part of the same proverbial family. Athletes, primarily a certain three basketball players who decided to team up in South Beach, have received a bad rap this summer due to their perceived selfishness and apparent disregard for the teams that left. But something that has been routinely overlooked is that these players have trained at a very high level for their entire lives to reach the point of physical perfection that they have reached. There are many players who still have the skills to play amongst the pros, but simply fall through the cracks and are unable to secure a contract. So those who are lucky enough to maintain their position in the most competitive leagues in the world feel as if they are blessed to be able to do so.

Anyone who has any type of recent historical grounding in NBA knowledge knows about Jon Koncak and his contract status. 1989 saw Koncak sign a contract which saw him earn more than the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The ultimate big white stiff's dream.

The Real Shaq Blog has come up with a way to celebrate and commemorate Koncak's impact on the NBA, by recounting the worst contracts in recent NBA history. You know -- the type of contracts that bring teams to their knees a couple of years later, as they pay a guy who may not even be on the active roster any more. Check out the Real Shaq Blog for a thorough introduction to the concept.

Today, I've chosen to highlight Raef LaFrentz's wondrous 2002 contract that saw him bring in $69m over seven years, thanks to the generosity of the Dallas Mavericks.

Ron Artest, aka Ron Ron, aka "TruWarier" might just be on his way downunder to Australia very soon. Hardwood Sports -- an Australian sportswear company -- is involved with his trip and would like your input on what he should do during his trip around the great southern land.

So, contrary to earlier fears that EA Sports' announced release of NBA Jam would only be available on the Nintendo Wii, there is hope. Now EA have come out with the (already rumoured) news that NBA Jam will also be available for those fine folk possessing Playstation 3s and XBox 360s.... but there is a catch.

When you're 7'1", 245 lbs and play basketball for the Portland Trail Blazers, you can imagine that you need certain everyday things in life customised sometimes. That is exactly the case when it comes to Joel Przybilla.

The big man needed a new bicycle. He couldn't just go down to K-Mart like you or me. Instead, the Ghostfaced Killa had to employ the services of Portland-based Signal Cycles to put together a custom-made 29-inch mountain bike.

All reports are pointing towards the likelihood that Shaquille O'Neal will become a Boston Celtic for the 2010/11 NBA season. This is the move that should have come to fruition since the very beginning. Let's count the reasons:

Now, I'm pretty pleased with the nickname I've just come up with. What do you think? If you've got something better, hit us up in the comments.