MVN: Most Valuable Network

Welcome to the 49th edition of your virtual bloggers banquet - it's the Carnival of the NBA! We're serving up tasty morsels, buffet style. I am your Maitre de for this event. Whether you're dressed in a black tie or just black underwear, all are welcome to this delectable spread. Now that you're seated, let me tell you what we have on the menu...

For starters, we have the Hoops Addict podcast station where you will find our Ballhype special with master chef Ryan McNeill serving up slices of Jason Gurney. That comes with a scoop of Ballhype promos and contests. If you ask Chef McNeill how he prepares his dishes, you may be in for a special treat. He's mastered his technique from some of the best recruiters.

We've also added a brand new Celtics station. The greens are fresh after reaping a huge harvest this offseason. Our specialty salads are what really make this station so unique. We have a team of chefs here, with Jim Dunn's Eastern Conference Relevancy providing an interesting blend of Pistons, Magic and Celtic delicacies. FLCeltsFan's commitment to excellence, especially on the defensive side of the ball, really drives quality and consistency with every dish. There's been some confusion about who is going to be the head server in the Celtics section, but it looks like the job is Rajon Rondo's to lose. His success would make the Celtics an unbeatable combination, according to Chef Steven Goldman. What this affect will have on the marketplace, analyst ManchvegasBob from MVN's Celtics 17 attempts to determine.

The addition of the Garnett spice to Celtics ingredients also means that we've had to move our Timberwolves section. Sonia Grover from IHeartKG has relocated and is open for business. She has teamed up with Anthony Hall, Derek Hanson and Dave Kelsey to form a fantastic team. All four were featured on round one of NBA.com's Battle of the Bloggers prior to merger.

For your international tastes, we have a special 2007 FIBA Americas tour station. Chef TexSun delivers her dishes with sun-dried perfection. Her Tex-Mex style really highlights the world-class talent that our chefs possess. Case in point, take the 20 second timeout and learn about the preparation techniques that master chef David Friedman employs to preventing the loss of quality production.

The techniques regarding China's practices in the marketplace have caused some chefs to place a boycott on the international market known as The Olympics. This station is slated to open next August. Steven Goldman hopes the situation improves before opening to the public.

Chef Don Landrigan is also working the NBA snack hut, a sampling of several offseason specials. I highly recommend the Reed-Weed Roll, served smokin' hot! If you have a big appetite, the Shaq Attack might be for you. I recommend our dollar drafts if you go for Ron-Ron's Nuts. Tom Ziller is also helping out at the hut with a dish of Quincy Douby. We're not sure if he can actually play the backup point guard position for the Kings, but at least Ziller gives us something to go with those Ron-Ron Nuts. You'll need those drafts to watch it down.

We've also dedicated an entire station to Doug Christie, the former Kings guard and current NBA free agent. Master Chef Doug has refined his skills and is working hard in preparation for NBA action. He received a five-star review from Taking it to the Rack's Steve Weinman, one of the leagues up-and-coming food critics. Unfortunately for Christie, Landrigan claims to have some outdated pumpernickel from him in the snack hut. Doug claims that it was from his second 10-day contract last year with the Clippers. We’re not sure if you’re buying what he’s cooking, but it smells great from the kitchen!

Unfortunately, our popular Michael Jordan - Isiah Thomas station had to be shutdown because of Isiah's work with the Knicks and Michael's trade for Jason Richardson. There were just too many question marks with those two, stemming back to when Michael was a rookie in the NBA.

If there are any stations you can think of that you'd like for us to add, we're working closely with LRMR Innovative Marketing and Branding to develop any future offerings. This may include high school sports video-on-demand. I Want to be a Sports Agent's Darren Heitner is on top of it.

You'll want to save room for my specialty - the Charles Barkley ugly roll. It starts with a round mound of chocolate ice cream, a lot of fluff, and spit on by Barkley himself. It goes great with a shot of Henessy.

We hope you enjoy your time at the bloggers banquet. Help yourself to the offerings, and feel free to fill out the comments card at the end. You can also give your feedback via e-mail to jburkett@mvn.com. Thanks and come back to Passion and Pride real soon!

**If bloggers reading want to get involved with the Carnival of the NBA, join our group on Ballhype. You can also get information on upcoming (and past) editions of the carnival at blogcarnival.com. Special thanks go out to the carnival's creator - Matt Bernhardt of Blog-a-Bull.com**