Jamal Crawford for New York Newsday: “First things first . . . let’s talk about the report that’s making some national headlines. The headlines read, ‘Crawford Doesn’t Want Marbury Around.’ So if you read the story that came out in Marc Berman’s blog, he goes on to say that while a writer was in front of Stephon’s locker when Steph got out the shower, that there was some sort of argument and I’m in the background telling people to watch those guys argue. Problem is the story WASN’T TRUE!!! When Steph came out of the shower I was already gone out of the locker room!”
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times: “Derek Fisher always has been a calm, steady influence for the Lakers. He has been a rock for his younger teammates, a coach on the floor and a friend for Kobe Bryant in his times of need. That hasn’t changed, but Fisher senses the gravity of what’s at stake and that is to win an NBA championship sooner rather than later and that has changed his way of dealing with his teammates.”
Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times: “If the sides do not reach agreement by the end of this month, they can’t negotiate again until Bynum becomes a restricted free agent July 1. He could then sign an offer sheet with another team, though the Lakers have the right to match that offer and retain him through the 2013-14 season. If Bynum becomes a restricted free agent, the Lakers could offer a longer contract with more money than any other team because of the so-called ‘Bird rights,’ a part of the collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to make better offers to their own free agents than competing teams. For example, the Lakers next summer could offer Bynum more years than other teams (six compared to five) and larger annual salary increases (10.5% compared to 8%).”
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com: “Amir Johnson is 21 and Rodney Stuckey 22 and they look like they could hike up Mount Everest in the morning, be back in time to play 48 minutes at The Palace that night and then go out and cavort until the wee hours the way 21- and 22-year-olds are wont to do. But Michael Curry knows well the incredible physical demands that an NBA game, never mind an NBA season, can exact on the most finely tuned human body. And he knows that no matter how polished the exterior might look, there is an arc that young players must travel before their bodies – and that means the inner workings, minds included – are ready to absorb the punishment that’s coming.”
Eric Musselman’s Basketball Notebook: Most people aren’t willing to go through the discomfort required to lead
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News: “In October, all coaches are singing the praises of the youth on their roster, and it’s easy to believe that we’ll see plenty of them on the court. By December, though, that same youth is glued to the bench and collecting DNPs, its only court time coming when they happen to catch Nancy Grace that night. There are, after all, only so many minutes in the span of a game. That’s where Kerr chuckled. ‘Yeah, I can understand the cynicism there,’ Kerr said. ‘But for us, it is a necessity, not really a choice. We’re not just trying to bring along young players here. We legitimately have to rest guys. Dragic, Barnes, Lopez, guys like that, we have to bring them along because we are going to need them this year.’ Kerr is talking sense, of course. But let’s count up the number of young players we were going to see more of at this time last October: Tyrus Thomas, Marco Belinelli, J.J. Redick, Rodney Carney, Amir Johnson, Marcus Williams • you get the idea.”
Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel: “In what might qualify as a basketball bombshell, J.J. Redick has maintained a narrow lead in his shooting-guard race against Keith Bogans on the strength of his. . . .defense. Yes, J.J., long criticized for not being able to stop or even slow opposing players, has made ‘a significant improvement,’ Coach Stan Van Gundy said.Redick and Bogans are vying to become the first SG off the bench to replace starter Mickael Pietrus. Van Gundy even went as far to say that Redick is executing ‘defensive principles’ better right now than Bogans and rookie Courtney Lee. ‘Keith is still a better individual defender,’ Van Gundy said. “J.J. makes fewer mistakes.’ Redick worked overtime all summer building muscle and trying to improve his quickness. It seems to have paid off.”
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “For a brief moment each day, he is 18 again, transported like a Kenny Chesney lyric to the best times of his youth. ‘Before I come to practice, I look at my ring, ‘02-03 champions,’ Carmelo Anthony said. ‘I look at it every day. It reminds me of what it took to get here, and where I’m at today.’ The Nuggets’ Anthony, an 18-year-old freshman, led Syracuse to the NCAA title. Now an NBA vet at 24, Anthony will return to Syracuse for a Nuggets-Suns preseason game tonight. He will also visit the work-in-progress Carmelo K. (for Kyan) Anthony Basketball Center.”
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “No matter how many years he plays with Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer will have a hard time getting used to the scene. He will head to the court for warm-ups in Chicago only to be greeted by dozens of orange No. 5 jerseys in the stands. ‘All you see is orange,’ Boozer said. ‘You don’t even see jerseys, you just see orange. It’s like, ‘Is this a Bulls game or an Illini game?’ Even the color-blind would have a hard time missing the Illinois fans who turn out every season to pay homage to Williams and the team he helped lead to the NCAA championship game in 2005, before he ever became the heir apparent to John Stockton in Utah.”
Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee: “Kings shooting guard Kevin Martin represents the dichotomy of the Artest effect. While so many in the league and the media believed Artest’s presence hurt him, Martin consistently credits his former teammate with aiding both his on-floor skills and his attitude and approach to the game. ‘He (had) his moments,’ Martin said of Artest after the Kings blew a 17-point lead in a loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night. ‘Like tonight, you don’t know what we would’ve walked into (in the locker room). But that’s not a bad thing. That’s what I loved about him. … You just never know until that moment.’ Moore, who was a confidant of sorts for Artest in their one season together, said Artest’s hatred of losing often led to his outbursts.”
The Wages of Wins Journal: “The additions of Oden and Fernandez will more than likely offset the loss of Jones and Jack. How much better? If Oden can produce immediately, this team could win between 45 and 50 games. Of course, Portland fans want more. This team wants to challenge for a title. Given the talent and age of the Lakers, I am not sure a favorite for the championship is going to exists outside of LA for awhile. But injuries and dumb trades happen, so a Laker dynasty could be derailed. If that happens, can the Blazers step up? The team has some productive players. Brandon Roy and Przybilla have both shown that they can be very productive NBA players. It’s expected that Oden and Fernandez will also be above average. If these players can surpass the 0.200 mark in WP48 [Wins Produced per 48 minutes], then Portland will have a nucleus that can contend.”
Ray Buck of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Magic Johnson believes the Dallas Mavericks could miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years. That ball is still in the air … and Josh Howard’s mug shot seems to be on it. ‘I don’t know how long [Howard] can stay in Dallas,’ Johnson said. ‘The fans aren’t going to really tolerate a guy [like that] when you’re also losing at the same time.’ Johnson, whose strong opinions and frank commentary are moving from TNT to ESPN/ABC this NBA season, emphasized he hopes Howard can overcome his latest in a series of ‘things that don’t make sense.’ But the Magic Man holds out even less hope for the Mavs. ‘To me, the biggest problem that the Dallas Mavericks have always had is that they’re not mentally tough,’ Johnson said on an ESPN teleconference earlier this week. ‘And when you’re not mentally tough, and it comes to the playoffs … you’re always going to lose.’”
Michael Grange of The Toronto Globe and Mail: “The Raptors were third in the NBA in overall bench scoring (34.5 points a game) and led the NBA in assists from the bench (8.4 a game) last season. All of that only translated into a .500 record and a single playoff win, so it’s not like trimming the roster, as Raptors president Bryan Colangelo did this summer, is outrageous. And if a starting lineup bolstered by the addition of Jermaine O’Neal is that much better, a slump in bench production is probably tolerable. At the very least, having less talent to spread across the available minutes should mean fewer noses out of joint. But if one prediction seems safe with five games gone in the preseason it’s that the Raptors won’t be a top-three team in those bench categories again this year, and T.J. Ford — the point guard most publicly unhappy with his role last season — might actually be missed.”
Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “At St. Vincent-St. Mary High, it was three state titles — and a No. 1 national USA Today prep ranking in his senior year. Two years ago, he led the Cavs to the first Eastern Conference title in franchise history. Then, the Olympic gold medal this summer. All that’s missing is an NBA title. James will be ready when it matters, but what about everyone else? Developing chemistry with new starting point guard Mo Williams has been impossible because shooting guards Sasha Pavlovic (ankle) and West (personal situation) have missed more games and practices than they’ve played. Mike Brown said veteran Wally Szczerbiak has shot the ball well, but it seems the coach prefers to bring Szczerbiak off the bench along with Daniel Gibson. So who starts next to Williams?”
Ian T. Shearn and Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: “Calling construction of a Brooklyn arena ‘unlikely at best,’ New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority chairman Carl Goldberg said Thursday he is interested in offering the Nets a chance to take a stake in Izod Center to keep the Nets there long term. Such a move would include renovations to the aging arena in the Meadowlands that has already lost the Devils to Newark.”
George M. Thomas of The Akron Beacon Journal: “The Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland took a few moments at halftime to recognize LeBron James’ achievements this past summer as part of the Redeem Team, the men’s basketball team that played in the Olympics. After a montage of photos from the games, team general manager Danny Ferry saluted No. 23. ”It was a good thing for America and a good thing for Northeast Ohio,” he said of James’ appearance. Right after, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson presented James with the key to the city, saying James accomplished something that made the entire city proud. When reminded that he now has the keys to the cities of Cleveland and Akron, a reporter asked him which city was next. He said Columbus.”
Scott Howard-Cooper of The Sacramento Bee: “Lawrence Pedowitz, the chief architect of the internal investigation by the NBA into its referee system and gambling, said he would push to ban the traditional card games on charter flights if he owned a team. Chances of it actually happening: somewhere between zero and zero. Millionaire vs. millionaire at 30,000 feet is such an ingrained part of the subculture that even Commissioner David Stern has little interest in the crackdown at the very time the league is trying to rid itself of the Tim Donaghy stench. ‘Larry Pedowitz would be a difficult owner for me because players of all sports have been playing cards in the back of buses and planes forever,’ Stern said. Pedowitz, when asked if he heard how much money is involved in these games: ‘No, I did not hear specific numbers. But I gathered these were significant amounts of money.’”
