Deep thoughts, cheap shots & bon mots ...

From what we know now, it looks like the Raiders have outmaneuvered the desert fox, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, said to be a cunning and ruthless man. If so, Mark Davis’ negotiating team is even sharper than his GM/coach tandem.

If the Raiders manage to arm-twist Adelson into a better (for the Raiders) deal, good for them. But if the Adelson-Raiders deal blows up, the Raiders may have created one very powerful, angry enemy in Nevada.

As the 49ers zero in on Josh McDaniels as their next head coach, I offer this warning: Beware the myth of personality transformation. In his first head coaching gig, some say McDaniels was an unpleasant guy to work with — i.e., a jerk. Chip Kelly apparently made himself more people-friendly between his Eagles and 49ers jobs, and Tom Coughlin softened some of his rougher edges through introspection. But a complete personality makeover? Not likely. I bet McDaniels can be charming in a job interview, but so was Jim Harbaugh.

Keller Chryst blows out a knee in Stanford’s bowl game, and that will ripple through college football like a tsunami. Christian McCaffrey won’t be the last college star to skip a meaningless bowl game to avoid ruining his zillion-dollar NFL future. Now that Trent Baalke is not a GM, who’s going to draft kids with shattered knees?

In a rush job, the Cubs will visit the White House before President Obama vacates it. Be interesting to see how these sports visits shake out under Donald Trump. Will Muslim athletes be required to undergo extra security screening? Will a smiling Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy lead their guys through the big iron gates?

Cal athletic director Mike Williams says the school wants “somebody committed to Cal for the long term.” So Williams can automatically disqualify any candidate who comes for an interview and says, “I’d love to coach here, so I can build up my resume and move on to a better job as quickly as possible.”

Remember how the Warriors used to say that one consequence of their championship is that they had a target on their back and that every opponent would come at them with their “A” game? A lot of teams visiting Oracle bring their “C-minus” game, resting stars and conceding to the mighty W’s.

Allen Iverson has signed on to coach a team in Ice Cube’s new 3-on-3 basketball league for ex-pros. Iverson doesn’t have players yet, but the first thing he did was cancel practice.