Josh Childress played with the Phoenix Suns last year after a two-year stint in Greece. (GETTY IMAGES)

Josh Childress started his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, but spent two seasons in Europe playing for Olympiacos in Greece before returning to the NBA last season with the Phoenix Suns.

It’s fair to say that Childress is an authority on the Euroleague. Europe has become a hot-button topic lately, with NBA superstars such as Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Kobe Bryant are entertaining the thought of playing overseas should the NBA lockout persists. Childress recently talked to ESPN’s First Take about his experience in Greece, and after hearing what he had to say maybe players should rethink this whole European exploration.

“My main thing is do your research and make sure that you know what you’re getting into,” the 28-year-old forward said. “It’s not bad. I really enjoyed my time in Greece and in Europe. I was with a great organization and had great ownership.

“But I just wanted to let guys know to make sure exactly the type of team and organization you’re going to.”

Childress, who helped Olympiacos reach the Euroleague final in 2010, described his overall European experience as “wonderful” and says he truly enjoyed his time in Greece. However, there are some drawbacks, mainly dealing with the tardiness of the paychecks.

He said European pro clubs oftentimes are late in paying their players, and that’s not something NBA players have ever had to deal with. “It depends on the team, but primarily you’re at the mercy of the clubs,” Childress said. “Sometimes you don’t get your payment on time and you kinda have to deal with it.”

He added, “I was lucky to be with ownership that took care of everything, but that’s not the case everywhere.”

Childress also noticed a difference during ballgames, as fans get more boisterous and sometimes become part of the action. “You’re in the gym and fans can throw things at you,” he said. “Sometimes they have a laser pointed in your face while you’re at the free throw line.

“And the referees, sometimes, are corrupt. But you learn and deal with it and try to play through it.”

Another thing Childress mentioned was the travel. He said his club team, Olympiacos, was fairly good about housing players on nice hotels, but the flights are commercial, which should be enough to scare off the majority of NBA prima donnas. Can you image Kobe and LeBron flying commercial? The horror.

His advice for those players who are thinking about Europe? “My advice, two things: Number one, make sure you are sure of yourself. [Second], make sure you have your contract done at a neutral country. I had mine in Switzerland. When we had payment problems, we’d go to court there.

“Those are the two biggest things. Make sure you are covered.”

Popularity: 1% [?]

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy tells reporters that Dwight Howard has been unfairly criticized for reacting to hard fouls. (GETTY IMAGES)

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy is always must-see TV whenever he’s given a microphone and surrounded by reporters.

After the Magic defeated the Hawks in Game 5 to close to within 3-2 in their playoff series, Van Gundy was in prime form during his postgame press conference. You could tell Van Gundy has reached his boiling when it comes to the abuse his All-Star center Dwight Howard has taken this season for leading the league in technical fouls.

It’s no huge surprise Van Gundy is on Howard’s corner. That’s a given. It was his explanation, or comparison, that sounded a bit like someone has become thin skinned whenever the issue of hard fouls and resulting technical fouls on Howard are brought up.

“The game plan is to get me frustrated, and I don’t think people understand what I go through,” Howard said on Tuesday night after being held to eight points in 29 minutes. “But I just keep it in my head that it’s bigger than whoever is checking me or just trying to foul me.”

Based on that last quote, you can tell the hard fouls are clearly affecting Howard and Van Gundy came to the aid of his center with this gem aimed at the media: “You guys in the media who want to be critical of him, go run on the treadmill for 40 minutes and every two or three minutes I’m gonna hit you as hard as I can up side the head, OK. And I what I want you to do is to keep running and don’t react at all. Don’t say anything to me, don’t look at me, don’t hit me back, don’t do anything.”

With the fear of facing a fine from the league office, Van Gundy made sure his comments were not taken as an attack on NBA referees, even though it was still a jab at the officials.

“Look, if you’re a referee they have their guidelines. They just think it’s hard fouls and that’s fine. I’m not criticizing the referees here. What I’m saying is people in the media who criticize Dwight for the few times that he retaliates, understand that that’s what you are criticizing.”

Van Gundy continued, “I want to make it clear. I’m not criticizing the officials. And I’m not. I’m criticizing you guys, OK. And I don’t think I can be fined for that because nobody likes you guys.”

Getting whacked in the head every three minutes while running on a treadmill is definitely not part of the brochure at World Gym, but Van Gundy makes a very honest but accurate assessment. Fouling a guy is one thing, but beating on his head as he goes up for a dunk is a no-no.

If you follow the letter of the NBA law, it’s a flagrant foul every time. If Howard, or any player for that matter, gets smacked on the head while going up for a shot, it should be called as a flagrant foul.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Shaquille O'Neal has yet to sign with an NBA team. (GETTY IMAGES)

August is nearly here and Shaquille O’Neal is still a free agent. Not many teams are jumping at the chance to snag The Big Diesel, who is reportedly asking for a two-year deal worth around $8 million. O’Neal will be 39 years old in March and his once imposing presence and larger-than-life reputation has become nothing but a distant memory.

If O’Neal posted his resume on Craigslist it would read something like this: Three-time NBA Finals MVP looking for work …. Funny, outgoing and likes to come up with nicknames …. Prefers to play for a winning program ….  can only work half a season, and preferably just 24 minutes a day  and no more than 150 minutes per week …. Salary: negotiable …. Medical benefits: needs full coverage because of preexisting condition …. Work experience (by city): Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland …. Unique skills: space eater, hard to move, very strong …. Hobbies: likes to rap and dance (part-time member of the hip-hop group Jabbawockeez: America’s Best Dance Crew) …. References: available upon request.

If he retires now, after 18 seasons, O’Neal will leave with four championships, three NBA Finals most valuable player trophies and 15 All-Star game appearances, and he is second all-time in field-goal percentage at .581.

All those numbers are certainly good enough to put him in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., but they all could have been better.

Shaq says he wanted to leave the game with at least five championships. He won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat, which leaves him one short of his goal. O’Neal could have won more than three with the Lakers, but he wasted a lot of “company time” arguing with Kobe Bryant. He won just one regular season MVP (2000) and never played more than 79 games in each of his eight seasons in L.A.

Although he helped lead the Heat to an NBA title in 2006, it was Dwyane Wade who was named Finals MVP. The last time O’Neal was an MVP was his first year in Miami (2005). From that point on, O’Neal’s scoring average has dropped like the stock market.

His 28,255 points puts him fifth on the all-time list for now, but he could have easily surpassed 30,000 had he not missed more than 5,000 free throws. Last year, he averaged just 12 points and six rebounds – half of what he averages for his career.

There were reports that the Hawks were interested in signing O’Neal, but their interest has diminished. The Celtics, who are in need of big men, toyed with idea of bringing in Shaq to fill the void left by Kendrick Perkins, who is expected to be out until January after knee surgery. Boston ended up signing an O’Neal, but it wasn’t Shaquille. Instead, the Celtics and Jermaine O’Neal agreed to a two-year deal and if Rasheed Wallace comes out of retirement it would be foolish for the Celtics to go after Shaq.

The Spurs were in The Diesel’s radar, but the signing of Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, the best big man in Europe last season, pretty much ended a Shaq-Duncan pairing.

So which teams can afford to fit O’Neal into their plans? Here are seven possible destinations for Shaq:

– New Orleans Hornets: Shaq played at LSU and wouldn’t mind a return to the Bayou. The Hornets have Emeka Okafor as their starting center, but he’s not immune to getting dealt. If the Hornets decide to keep Okafor, O’Neal will have to swallow his pride, take a pay cut and be Okafor’s backup. Not likely to happen, unless Chris Paul tells management that he wants to play with Shaq.

– Milwaukee Bucks: The injury to Andrew Bogut may take a while to heal, so the Bucks are looking to rent a center for a few months. Head coach Scott Skiles still holds Shaq in high regard and has maintained a solid relationship with The Big Aristotle. Shaq would fit right in Milwaukee and be the strong personality in the locker room for the young Bucks.

– Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC acquired 6-11 center Cole Aldrich in the draft, but they certainly wouldn’t mind adding more size to their already very quick and athletic roster. However, Shaq will be a huge liability on both ends of the court and GM Sam Presti may be reluctant to bring in a big personality like the self-proclaimed MDE that would stunt the growth of 21-year-old leaders Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

– Atlanta Hawks: There is still an outside chance that O’Neal signs with the Hawks to bolster their very small frontline. But O’Neal must take less money or else this could be a deal-breaker.

– Boston Celtics: Ditto. If Shaq wants to have another shot at winning a championship ring, the Celtics may be his best opportunity. But, are the Celtics still interested?

– L.A. Clippers: Shaq back in L.A.? Wouldn’t that be something. This would be a longshot given the Clippers’ history of not being big players in the offseason, but bringing in a guy like Shaq would certainly upgrade the Clippers brand off the court. On the court, O’Neal would have to play behind Chris Kaman, but that’s easier said than done. O’Neal’s massive ego may not be able to handle that demotion. But if O’Neal agrees to play second fiddle and takes less money, it would certainly would inject some HGH into the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.

– Cleveland Cavaliers: Another longshot given Shaq’s wish of playing for contender. The Cavaliers’ championship aspirations went out the door as soon as LeBron James said “Good-bye to Cleveland” and “Hello to Miami.” O’Neal played with new Cavs head coach Byron Scott with the Lakers so playing for B-Scott shouldn’t be problem.

And should all of these teams pass on The Big Free Agent, there’s always a spot open with the Jabbawockees.

Shaquille O'Neal performs with the Jabbawockeez at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Popularity: 19% [?]

When Rashard Lewis was asked where he stands in terms of scoring option on the Orlando Magic, he said he’s currently No. 4 trying to work his way up to No. 3.

Though it was a tongue-in-cheek response, Lewis was being honest when he said he was the fourth option on a Magic team loaded with capable scorers.

“We got some much talent on our team somebody has to sacrifice,” said Lewis, one of four All-Stars on Orlando’s starting lineup.

“Everybody has to play a role and you have to know your role. We have guys on the bench that can start on any team. Any given night anybody can go out there and score for us and win a game for us,” added Lewis, who scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting – including 4-for-7 from behind the arc – to lead the Magic to a 105-75 blowout victory in Game 3 in Atlanta.

Orlando is a perfect 7-0 in the 2010 playoffs and has a 29-point average margin of victory in its best-of-seven series against Atlanta.

Are the 2010 Magic better than the 2009 Magic that went to the NBA Finals?

“We’re a, most definitely, a better team than last year just because of the fact we’ve got a great bench,” Lewis said. “We have one of the best benches in the NBA. And our main goal is to win a championship, and I think we can. But it’s not gonna be easy. We gotta take it one game at a time, one round at a time, and we don’t want to jump ahead of ourselves.”

Rashard Lewis takes a backseat to Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson, but he may be the best shooter on the Orlando Magic.

Orlando fields an outstanding second unit that includes Jason Williams, J.J. Redick, Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Anderson and Marcin Gortat. Each player has played a big role in keeping leads with their 3-point shooting, ball movement and solid defense, three things Lewis says have been key in the Magic’s perfect playoff run so far.

“We pick and choose. If Jameer’s [Nelson] rolling, we’re gonna keep going to him. Obviously, Dwight Howard and Vince Carter are our 1 and 2 options and everybody else plays around that,” said Lewis, who has increased his scoring average from 14.1 in the regular season to 16.3 in the playoffs.

Since March 1, Orlando has been on an incredible roll, winning 26 of its last 29 games (including the playoffs) and is currently on a 13-game winning streak.

“We know it’s the playoffs, every possession counts, every game counts and we have to take it one game at a time,” Lewis said. “I think the coaching staff has done a pretty good job in keeping us focused.”

Lewis said coach Stan Van Gundy hasn’t allowed the Magic to let up despite the lopsided games because Van Gundy wants his team to stay sharp all the way to June.

“He wants us to win every quarter and play every possession like it’s our last,” Lewis said. “The window of opportunity to win a championship opens and closes. I feel like this is my chance and the window is open for me. Not only that, I’m making sure I’m ready to play every single night because I know my teammates are going to be ready to play and everybody knows their role and do their job. I want to make sure I’m doing my job and I don’t want to be the reason, so I gotta go out there and perform to a high level.”

One player who appears to be on a mission to help the Magic return to the NBA Finals is Nelson, who missed nearly all of last year’s playoffs because of a shoulder injury. Nelson returned to the lineup in The Finals, but was obviously not himself. Through the first seven games, Nelson is now healthy and playing with great purpose.

“With Jameer, he’s doing a really good job in running this team,” Lewis said of his point guard.

“When we focus in like that and we talk to each and don’t take it personal, we’re a better team. If somebody misses the help defense and we tell them about it then they’ll be there next time.”

Popularity: 2% [?]