Sometimes it's just too preposterous to say out loud, and yet someone says it anyway.
For instance, the Denver Nuggets' alleged forethought of acquiring Kobe Bryant as a free agent this coming offseason. We use "alleged" here because we don't know for sure that this is part of the Nuggets' master plan.
We do know, though, that there are few places less hospitable to Bryant than Denver, and yes, for the obvious reason that he is facing a trial for rape in Colorado this coming summer.
In other words, it makes absolutely zero sense to try to advance the notion that Bryant wants to commit the next several years of his career to playing in the state that has its sights on him playing pick-up games in an orange jumpsuit.
Why, it's the worst conceivable decision he could make ... with the possible exceptions of:
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks just traded for Rasheed Wallace, with an eye toward having his contract off the books come the offseason. On the other hand, they are the Hawks, a persistently dreadful, boring and utterly repellent team that hasn't even the gumption to replace its coach. Terry Stotts has been a coach for nearly a year now, which is plainly out of step with the new NBA trend of whacking your coach every three months, for any silly reason that comes up.
Boston Celtics
If the Ricky Davis thing doesn't work out, maybe Danny Ainge can come up with, what is it now, Plan F?
Charlotte Bobcats
Hey, if you're going to start from scratch ...
Chicago Bulls
Boy, that Michael Jordan hangover sure has lasted a long time. A long ... long ... long time. And nobody is going to follow Jordan's act for years to come, so maybe this chronic losing is actually a diabolically clever plot to stall until people start to forget Jordan. So, the Bulls only have about 15 more years to go. By then, Kobe will only be 40, and in his prime.
Golden State Warriors
Not only below the radar, but below the Etch-A-Sketch. Featureless, drab, relentlessly out of the playoff picture. Jason Richardson dunks, Clifford Robinson defies time, and the rest are either injured, trade bait or just killing time until a real job comes along.
Los Angeles Clippers
Moving from the Ritz Carlton to the Hotel Figueroa, not to mention the appealing notion of playing against your own memory in the same town. On the up side, we'll get to see just how hard Shaquille O'Neal can foul someone when he sets his mind to it.
Miami Heat
He wouldn't chafe at Stan Van Gundy's defense-first/last/always system ... nahhh, not at all. Then again, he could break in a new coach right away, this being the Eastern Conference and all.
New York Knicks
Isiah Thomas would throw him in a five-team trade two months later, which sort of sucks the fun out of the Knickerbocker Experience.
Orlando Magic
Never mind Tracy McGrady. Could Kobe fit in with Tyronn Lue again?
Phoenix Suns
Starting from scratch has a certain appeal ... though not necessarily for the new itch in town. Plus, Jerry Colangelo doesn't have a long leash when it comes to the team's image, and Arizona is not a particularly forgiving place, as Bryant has discovered.
Shanghai Sharks
Looking for a crowd magnet in the post-Yao era. On the other hand, those home-and-homes with Manchuria can be a little hard on the body.
Utah Jazz
Let's see here ... Kobe chafed under Phil Jackson, and Jerry Sloan is way more doctrinaire, and Utah is the home of the $15,000 Kobe skit that fell so flat, and owner Larry Miller tends to speak his mind, and Utah's not that far from Colorado, and ... hey, here's a fun game, take the following words and form a sentence:
Nightmare.
Utter.
An.
What.
Washington Wizards
Worse than the Michael Jordan hangover (see Chicago) is the Michael Jordan hangover without liquor. On the other hand, maybe Kobe can get the most out of Kwame Brown.
So Denver's actually no worse than 17th, when you consider all the other options, which tells you everything you need to know about today's NBA. Simply put, sensible has got nothing to do with it, because there's always something even sillier right around the corner.
Ray Ratto is a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.