Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus: “When Battier returns, the combination of the two at forward presents some interesting options. Already, Adelman has been reluctant to close games with starting power forward Luis Scola. Against the Blazers, Chuck Hayes played power forward down the stretch until he fouled out and was replaced by Carl Landry. Putting Artest at power forward creates a much more potent offensive unit without sacrificing much at the defensive end. With Artest at the four, the Rockets may be able to use more of Adelman’s preferred high-post offense because of Artest’s ballhandling ability, while his outside shooting becomes a strength instead of a liability. Still, the fundamental conflict remains introducing a third high-usage player into the lineup alongside McGrady and Yao. Artest’s ability to create will be very useful when and if one of Houston’s two injury-plagued stars is sidelined, but for now someone is going to be squeezed–or everyone will be, as all three players have seen their usage rate drop thus far. It is Yao who has seen the largest fall, from 27.1 percent of the team’s possessions last year to just 23.5 percent in 2008-09. That’s troubling given Yao is the most efficient scorer of the three.”
Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle: “This was about the Rockets fighting – literally – to scratch and claw out a win they needed desperately. When Matt Barnes threw that cheap shot shoulder into Rafer Alston in the third quarter, there was fire in the eyes of McGrady and every other player in a red uniform as they mixed it up in the scrum at midcourt. This was about energy and emotion and playing like they gave a damn. The Suns came into the game as the NBA’s best-shooting team and the second-highest-scoring team in the league and by the end of the game were looking as helplessly out of water as fish flopping around in the bottom of a boat. Here’s a stat to savor: the Suns did not have a single fastbreak point in the game. Zero. Nada.”
Dime: With video of last nigh’s skirmish between the Rockets and Suns
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “Amaré Stoudemire had a clear idea of what was wrong with the offense. It didn’t go through him enough, he said. Stoudemire got off to a sluggish 1-for-4 start against Luis Scola and then didn’t take a shot when he returned in the second quarter. He did not shoot a free throw until the third quarter and took seven of his 13 shots from the perimeter. ‘You got Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry,’ Stoudemire before taking a long pause. ‘Scola, it’s his second year in the league. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry, they’re OK players but I definitely need to dominate those guys early – anytime. Nothing against them, they played well tonight. But just from a fact of wanting to dominate and wanting to take over the ball game, that’s what I wanted to do. Wasn’t quite able to do it tonight.’ And O’Neal re-emphasized where his mindset is offensively as well. He had no complaints with getting 12 shots on his 18-point night that moved him into 10th place on the all-time NBA scoring list.”
Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald: “‘The last play was drawn up as get the ball to Paul Pierce and get the hell out of the way,’ a near-breathless Kevin Garnett said. ‘Superman’s in the booth. Let’s go home.’ From what the Celtics could tell, the Hawks were ready to do exactly that when Marvin Williams, off an inside-out dish from Joe Johnson, buried an open corner trey for a 102-101 Atlanta lead with 7.9 seconds left. Williams was swarmed by his teammates as Celtics coach Doc Rivers called a timeout. Kendrick Perkins [stats] said he could sense what was coming. ‘He works on those plays every day,’ Perkins said of Pierce’s 20-foot step-back jumper, which the Celtics captain created by dribbling for space after drawing Horford off a Garnett pick. ‘When Marvin Williams hit that shot in the corner, I could tell that (Pierce) was mad. I saw them dancing out there. They thought it was over. But the Big Three is never over.’”
Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The Hawks met fire with fire. (‘The NBA at its highest level,’ as Mike Woodson told reporters afterward.) They pushed a champion to its limit on the famous parquet. They lost not because they did anything wrong but because Paul Pierce did one last thing right. I’m not a believer in moral victories in professional sports, but how could this have been anything else? Three victories over Boston at Philips Arena lit the fuse for this rousing 6-0 start, and now a one-point loss on a contested shot with 0.5 seconds left has supplied the validation. Borrowing Maxwell’s admiring line, the Hawks wouldn’t go away Wednesday night, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Howard was ridiculously dominant to start the Magic’s three-game road trip. He blocked a career-high 10 shots to pad his NBA shot-block lead, besting his previous regular-season high of seven, to record his first triple-double. He finished with 30 points and 19 rebounds, and worked on his Tim Duncan-esque bank-shot. ‘My first triple-double. Man, I’m going to try to do this again,’ Howard laughed.”
Bethlehem Shoals of the Sporting Blog: AI Ain’t Breaking Down; Stop Asking and Enjoy
Canis Hoopus: “I think it is safe to say that while Witt is to be commended for pointing out the ridiculousness of McHale’s 42-40 comment (he probably knew his days were numbered when he read that in the Strib), and while he was able to keep his players trying hard during a 22-win season, he is performing so far below a reasonable level this year that a change needs to be made ASAP for the sake of the long-term benefit of this club. It’s bad. It’s really bad. He’s flailing about with rotations that make no sense, there is little evidence of player development, there doesn’t seem to be a coherent system in place, and the on-court decisions don’t seem to have any real coordination with the abilities of the personnel on the court. We’ll save the topic of who should be coaching this team for another day, but let’s acknowledge one thing here before moving on with the game’s bullet points: Witt is a career .333 coach with zero track record of player development. He is who he is and he can’t be anyone else.”
The Arsenalist of Raptors Republic: “Our wing position needs to be addressed, it needed to be addressed at the end of ‘06-’07 and at the end of ‘06-’08 but our general manager didn’t do anything about it. Jamario Moon was a nice little surprise last summer but even last season he was playing minutes that were beyond his skill and talent level. This year it’s more of the same and we don’t even have a chucker like Carlos Delfino to fall back on. I can’t see things getting much better if Parker and Moon continue to get the bulk of the minutes at their respective possessions . No, I don’t mean give them to Joey Graham, I mean Sam Mitchell needs to rethink his rotation and perhaps even consider playing Andrea Bargnani at the SF.”
Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Slow starts have been damaging, but fourth-quarter efficiency in four of five losses has been disturbing. Whether fatigue, as appeared to be the case against the Lakers, or simply getting outplayed is the cause, the Mavs have continued last season’s trend after the Jason Kidd trade of being unable to close out opponents. In fourth quarters this season, the Mavs’ shooting percentage has plummeted to 40.1 percent, while their opponents’ has risen to 45.8. The Mavs have been outscored 188-157 in the final 12 minutes of games.”
Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: “Even before Baron Davis and Marcus Camby were injured in the preseason, the Clippers looked at the seven Western Conference playoff teams they would play to open the season and saw trouble. Wednesday night’s game wasn’t one of those. With Sacramento here, on the second night of a back to back, with its star, Kevin Martin, out, the Clippers expected to win this one but they lost it, too, playing lethargically, defending infrequently and falling, 103-98. Baron Davis, who had just noted there was ‘definitely a disconnect’ between him and Coach Mike Dunleavy, also had a disconnect from Beno Udrih, the King he was supposed to be guarding, who outscored him, 30 points to 12.”
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star: “The absence of the three would have given the Pacers a ready-made excuse for failure in the past. Those days appear to be over. Just as O’Brien doesn’t worry about their problems, the Pacers didn’t let being short-handed impact their play. And now, the Pacers are on a three-game winning streak and above .500 for the first time since the end of December 2007. ‘Unquestionably in the past we would have walked out saying, ‘That’s OK, we were supposed to lose the game,’ ‘ Pacers forward Jeff Foster said. ‘But our attitude now is we’re going in to win every game regardless who is playing. It’s a great attitude to have and we’re going to roll with it.’”
Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: “Entering last night’s game, the Nets averaged 19.5 3-point attempts per game, which was 10th most in the NBA. The average number around the league is 17.25. Last year the Nets launched only 17.4 attempts from international waters, while the league average was 18.11. So while the league average is sinking, the Nets’ average is climbing. For now, anyway. ‘As long as they’re uncontested, rehearsed shots by the right guys, no problem,’ Frank said. ‘If the ball moves, if we work to get rhythm, expected shots, you’ll see it. The shots we don’t like is when we’re over-pounding the ball or we’re holding on to the ball, if we’re being a ball-stopper. That’s when we get ourselves in trouble.’”
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “Denver’s Carmelo Anthony plays small forward, so, wait, what was he doing guarding the point guard? And was he previously guarding the opposing power forward? And also taking a turn playing center? Yes, call him Chameleon Anthony. Denver’s all-star has transformed himself early this season, able to play different positions on the court and defend each. This, after a season in which his defense was probed as much as his offense was praised. No, he’s not Bruce Bowen just yet, but coach George Karl said Anthony’s defense has improved, as has his attitude. ‘I think we’re trying to move him around and get him in a place where he’s more comfortable,’ said Karl, whose Nuggets (4-3) play at Cleveland (6-2) tonight. ‘He likes to cover point guards — he likes to start the defense as much as be behind the defense or involved in screens. He seems more comfortable out there on the (perimeter), rather than playing (in) screening and post-up situations.’”
Pickaxe And Roll: Focus on the Nuggets Defense [Video & Analysis]
Casey Holdahl of Trailblazers.com: “It seems like every game, Rudy does something to drive the opposing defense nuts. Leave him alone in the corner, he’ll drain the triple. Close out to contest the three, he’ll go around you and finish with the dunk. Try to get into him, he’ll rub and cut to the hoop for the alley-oop. Try to anticipate the drive, he’ll flare screen for the fadeaway three. He’s the headiest Spaniard since Cervantes. He’s also quite modest. Try to pay him a compliment or get him to talk about his stellar play, and his responses always come back to giving credit to the team while taking none of the spoils for himself.”
Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: “Bryant and Ariza have quietly developed a very strong mentoring relationship. And for all that has been said — including within the Lakers’ organization — about how Bryant and Lamar Odom could be the next Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, it is actually Ariza who is now evoking memories of Pippen in his prime. There’s the incredible wingspan and the same 6-foot-8 height as Pippen. There is a beauty in athletic movement that Phil Jackson described after this game as ‘very graceful.’ There is inconsistent but capable 3-point shooting. There is the gentle, soft-spoken demeanor that belies furious defensive pride and energy. ‘I hate when people score on me,’ Ariza said.”
Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register: “When he forgot to trap Paul on one possession, Bynum tried so hard on the next one that he was hit with a defensive three-second violation – and then he got it just right on the possession after that. And then he had a long conversation with Farmar about it in the ensuing timeout, to boot. There’s a peer pressure at work here, too – because a tone is set by Bryant’s demanding nature. Fisher accurately said before the game that one thing Bryant has figured out is to have one set of demands for himself and another for his teammates. Even so, one is beyond the stratosphere and the other is merely sky high. These have been the Lakers most of this season, and it’s a credit to Mitch Kupchak, Ronnie Lester and Jim Buss that they’ve assembled so many competitive-minded, all-around players. It’s also a credit to a culture created by proven champions Phil Jackson and captains Bryant and Fisher, who know the pride it takes to maximize every moment.”
Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: “Hornets Coach Byron Scott was hoping his team could string together four consistent quarters, maintaining their intensity throughout, playing cleanly and forcing their up-tempo style on the Lakers. As was the case in last Friday night’s loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Hornets failed to take care of the basketball: the Lakers scored 23 points off 17 turnovers. The Bobcats scored 30 off 17 New Orleans turnovers in their 92-89 victory. The Hornets missed their first six shots, scored 30 first-half points and dug a hole from which they could not climb out. ‘I’m disappointed, period, ‘ Scott said. ‘Obviously with the start that we had, I’m very disappointed in that. But I like the way we kept fighting and coming back in the game. Every time we seemed to have a great opportunity, we either turned the ball over or we would commit a stupid foul. The effort was there. But we’ve got to play a lot smarter, and we have to understand we have to cherish that ball a lot better than we have in the last four or five games.’”
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: “He praised his current players, Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. His team lost in the Western Conference semifinals last year and is considered one of the top teams in the conference this year. ‘I love the situation I’m in now,’ Scott said. ‘I love this team . . . so I don’t see myself leaving those guys any time soon.’ Scott said if Hornets owner George Shinn wanted to move in another direction without Scott when his contract expires after the 2009-10 season, he’d have to look elsewhere. ‘But I can’t think of a more perfect job for me than this Hornet job that I have here,’ Scott said. ‘But my next choice would obviously be back home.’ Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, 63, is in the first year of a two-year, $23-million contract that he can opt out after this season. Scott signed a two-year, $10-million contract this summer.”
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “Brown has been criticized for having feeble and simplistic offensive systems. But armed with a deeper and more diverse array of offensive talent, the Cavs are starting to show signs of being more dynamic. Led by LeBron James, who has taken over the NBA scoring lead at 29.8 points a game, the Cavs have four players averaging in double figures. All that while Mo Williams, who led the NBA in 2-point shooting last season, is shooting just 41 percent and Daniel Gibson, who is mired in an 8-of-36 slump over the last five games, shooting just 36 percent. The way they have been able to do it so far is by increasing their ball movement and by deploying lineups with numerous offensive options. It has prevented teams from setting up and tilting their defense toward James and slowing the machine down.”
John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “At every NBA game, you will find several advance scouts (employed by other teams) sitting courtside, watching the coaches call plays and charting the ensuing action on the floor. That information is passed on to the scouts’ own employer. This allows defenses, upon hearing the play call, to (figuratively) cheat defensively and take away what the offense is trying to do. Sloan wants his opponent to hear his play calls. The Jazz run a lot of their offense out of a one-four set, where the point guard brings the ball up, the two bigs are at the elbows, and the two wings are in line with the bigs, near the sidelines. There are plays where the first pass goes to the wings and there are plays where the first pass goes to a big. And with each of those plays, there are a myriad of options that can be run on the fly, depending on how the defense is playing. So, if the defense hears Sloan make the call and overplays to where they think the ball is going, the Jazz will just counter it and get an open shot elsewhere.”
Jamal Crawford for New York Newsday: “We’re 5-3 right now and that’s not bad considering that we’re still adjusting and getting used to what Coach wants from us! Man, Coach D is really good. He just has this rare quality of what play to call at what time, or how to stay in touch with his players. Whether that’s physically, mentally, when to get on us and when to back off a lil bit….He’s still getting used to us, as well, but the main thing he’s doing is having us play together and compete on a nightly basis. We’re gonna have ups and downs, games we should win and don’t and games people probably think we shouldn’t win and do. It’s a process and when your changing the culture and getting everyone to gel that’s something that doesn’t happen over night! It’s almost like when you go to work, some days are better then others. Basketball is really fun right now, winning is a big part of that. It’s amazing how wins can change your mood or how you feel or even how you’re viewed. It can even change how you deal with your family and friends. Sometimes when you lose, you don’t want to talk to anyone or want to be bothered (I’ve had a lot of that in the past). But what I do know is that when you go through tough times, you appreciate the good times that much more.”
Jeff Eisenberg of The Press-Enterprise: “Walk through the doors to the visiting locker room at New Orleans Arena, and it feels like stumbling through a wormhole to the Las Vegas Strip. Massive purple ads for Harrah’s Hotel and Casino paper the walls featuring slogans like ‘Game on’ and ‘Get more playing time.’ More Harrah’s logo stickers adorn each individual locker. Even in the hallway outside the locker room, there’s another Harrah’s sign encouraging passersby to ‘Run the floor. Then run the tables.’ At a time when the NBA is cracking down on gambling in the wake of a betting scandal that tarnished the integrity of the league, Coach Phil Jackson said before Wednesday’s game that the advertising sends the wrong signals to players and coaches. ‘One side of it is saying don’t gamble and the other side is an advertisement for it,’ he said. ‘But this is a franchise that’s led by a great Christian leader (George Shinn). He has prayer before the games. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.’”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “Across the summer, Bryant’s desire to use the Games for their transformative powers wasn’t lost on his USA Basketball teammates. Most days, it was pure entertainment for them. For instance, they found it curious that he would go his own way most mornings on the pre-Olympic tour of Macau and Shanghai, even when a teammate would arrange for a team breakfast before practice. They would ask him where he had been, and he’d tell them, well, I was working out, lifting, running, whatever. And a lot of times, it was true. Once the flight touched down in Beijing, they found interesting the way that he started to throw his arms around his teammates like he was just one of the guys on the trip. And with the way that Bryant’s popularity inspired pure chaos in public appearances in Beijing, they never noted much reluctance to create those images of hysteria for the television cameras and photo lenses.”
