Alpha Dog - Eric Mangini, specifically in the pre-Holmgren days when he wielded all the power in every aspect of the organization. Coined by Dad. (See also: Post-Alpha Dog.)

Avatar - Boston Celtics reserve wing Marquis Daniels, who Tim believes bears a striking facial resemblance to the giant blue Na’Vi aliens in James Cameron’s 2009 3D extravaganza of the same name.

Bully - Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who happens to look a lot like the title character in Rock Star Games’ “Bully.”

Butterscotch - Orlando center Dwight Howard, dubbed by Mesa commenter bjt68 for the color of his formerly atrociously maintained teeth. Doubly effective as a commentary on the fact that Howard is soft. (See also: Da-wight.)

Castor Troy - Gilbert Arenas, not just for his gun-toting antics in the Wizards locker room during the 2009-10 season, but specifically for the fact that one of the weapons was reportedly a gold-plated Desert Eagle — the same as Nic Cage’s character (Castor Troy) used in John Woo’s “Face / Off.” Origin post here.

Coldstone - Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. Dubbed by Mike for his self-proclaimed (on Mike Snider’s Cavs radio show) obsession with Coldstone Creamery ice cream.

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) - Cavaliers wing Danny Green, who seems to be the most visible accomplice to Lebron’s pre-game and in-game stepping antics.

Da-wight - Orlando center Dwight Howard, whose first name no announcer or player seems to be able to recognize is a single syllable. (See also: Butterscotch.)

Dino Velvet - power forward Troy Murphy, who bears a striking facial resemblance to frequently cast Hollywood character-actor Peter Stormare. Among other roles, Stormare played a snuff film director in Joel Schumacher’s “8MM” named Dino Velvet. The Mesa team chose this role as the nickname template simply because it was the funniest-sounding one in Stormare’s resume, not to try to cast any dispersions on Troy Murphy, who seems to be a nice enough guy from New Jersey.

Glitch - Cavaliers power forward JJ Hickson, whose otherwise promising game seems to be frequently disrupted by mental malfunctions. Origin post here.

Golden Axe - Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Named by Tim for his resemblance to a viking berserker, specifically the one in the classic Sega Genesis game of the same name. Origin post here.

Golgo 13 - Cavs GM Danny Ferry, christened after the manga / video game assassin of the same name for his secrecy and cunning when making major personnel moves. Origin post here.

Gordon Gekko - Miami Heat GM Pat Riley, whose dedication to the slickback hairstyle is eerily reminiscent of Michael Douglas in his famous role as the devious finance wiz of the same name in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. (*Note: this Riley nickname phased out in favor of “King Slickback” in spring 2010.)

Highlander - closer Francisco Rodriguez, known among the Sportscenter crowd and his agent as “K-Rod.” See this post for origin.

Hot Potato - former Cavalier reserve Wally Szczerbiak, who had a tendency to shoot so quickly after the ball touched his hands that it was like he was playing a game of Hot Potato.

Jump Man - Orlando Magic back-up C Marcin Gortat. ESPN’s Ric Bucher tweeted late in the 2008-9 season that Gortat has a large and poorly done Jordan Brand “Jump Man” logo tattooed on his lower leg. Gortat is sponsored by Reebok, and apparently Reebok reps asked him to cover up the logo because of brand conflict. Gortat flatly refused.

King Slickback - Miami Heat GM Pat Riley, whose unwavering dedication to the slickback hairstyle throughout his many years of success as a coach and executive qualifies him as the patriarch of all slickback-types.

Kokgini - hybrid nickname coined by Tim for the supercouple of (ex-)Browns GM George Kokinis and head coach Eric Mangini. This was before Kokinis was unceremoniously thrown overboard by Mangini halfway through his first season.

Kurtz - current Indians manager Manny Acta, so named by Mike for his uncanny resemblance to Marlon Brando playing the insane military rogue Col. Kurtz in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.”  Not to be confused with Rob Kurz, who the Cavs invited to training camp at the beginning of the ‘09-10 season.

Lapdog - Miami Heat PF, lifetime sidekick, and poseur extraordinaire Chris Bosh. Nickname unwittingly coined by Stan Van Gundy, who said in an interview shortly after Bosh announced his verbal commitment to Miami that he wasn’t surprised because “[Bosh]’s been following [Wade] around for two weeks like his lapdog.”

Lost in Space - notoriously clueless and aloof Browns owner Randy Lerner. Origin post here.

Post-Alpha Dog (aka PAD) - Browns head coach Eric Mangini, specifically in his days after the hiring of Mike Holmgren as Team President and thus the removal of his supreme powers over all aspects of the franchise.  (You could say he was neutered, in which case we probably should have nicknamed Holmgren “The Vet.”) Nickname created by Dad here.

Prison Break - Former Cavs’ guard/forward Sasha Pavlovic. Named for his striking resemblance to actor Wentworth Miller, best known for his role as protagonist Michael Scofield on Fox’s “Prison Break.”

Roswell - Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who Mike and Tim’s mom believes has a cranium shaped much like an extraterrestrial. (If it’s not immediately clear, Roswell is the city in New Mexico where a UFO is supposed to have crash-landed in 1947.)

Sherwin Williams - Celtics back-up big Shelden Williams, who supposedly used to demand that people call him “The Landlord” in his high school days because he “owned the paint.”  Aside from “The Landlord” being a stupid nickname in general, Tim altered it so that the “owning the paint” idea would make sense — in addition to acting as a sarcastic reminder that Shelden Williams’ presence isn’t really stopping anyone from going to the hole.

T.I.T. - any podcast between “Shawshank Redemption” historian Bill Simmons and baseless rumor-monger / enemy of logic Chad Ford.  Acronym stands for “Two Idiots Talking.”

Walrus Dog - Browns Team President Mike Holmgren. Nickname minted by Dad (here) to combine Holmgren’s walrus-like physical features with the canine-based hierarchy of Mangini’s Alpha Dog nickname.

Warrior Mentality - former Indians third baseman Casey Blake, who proclaimed before game 7 of the ALCS against Boston that in order to win the team had to have “a warrior mentality - no past, no future.”