The Fundamentals

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:  “Something’s happened with Roy. Something’s clicked. Across the past five games, he’s gone for 34.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and five assists. There’s no stopping him now. Before everyone’s eyes, Roy is making that leap from a terrific young player into an established star. The night had started with Oden and Shaq on the marquee, but ended with the unmistakable truth that the Blazers’ franchise player is Roy. There’s something so accessible about his talent. The best players at his shooting guard position – Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade – play a game that mere mortals are unfamiliar. Yet there’s something so subtlety genius about Roy’s game. He isn’t fast. He doesn’t jump at all. He isn’t the best shooter. There are tougher defenders. All alone, his talents are fine. All together, they’re extraordinary.”

Dave McMenamin of NBA.com:  “It wasn’t just 52 points on 14-for-27 from the field, 19-for-21 from the line, five boards, six dimes and a block.It wasn’t just a win that snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Suns. It was a statement by Roy. This is his team. This is his time. ‘It was like a quiet 52 points,’ head coach Nate McMillan said. Maybe it was quiet on Roy’s part. After all, pull-up swishes and layups that use English off the glass tend to make less sound than a rim-rattling dunk. But his play sure inspired a lot of noise from the crowd: ‘MVP! MVP! MVP!’ The chant not only filled the arena, but talk of Roy’s night is sure to reverberate throughout the league. Yup, move over LeBron, Dwyane, Dwight, Kobe and Chris. Brandon Roy has crashed your party of five at Maurice Podoloff’s house.”

John Reid of The Times-Picayune:  “Since being chosen for the league’s Rookie of the Year award after the 2005-06 season, Paul has soared, unfazed by expectations or comparisons to NBA legends. Last season Paul set seven team records and became the first player in league history to average at least 21 points, 11 assists and 2.7 steals. In August, he played on the United States basketball team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Last month, Paul had at least 20 points and 10 assists in each of the first seven games of the season to surpass Oscar Robertson’s six-game NBA record set in 1968. Chris Paul’s journey toward the record book. ‘It is just amazing what he has been able to accomplish in such a short period of time, ‘ Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. ‘It also lets you know the sky is the limit if he continues to stay healthy. The biggest thing about him is that he hates losing. He just has that edge.’”

Paul Willis of the Rocky Mountain News:  “While his recent play has surged forward, Carmelo Anthony wants everyone to take a step back. The Nuggets forward believes he and Cleveland Cavaliers counterpart LeBron James merely might be scratching the surface of their abilities and still should be regarded as youngsters. ‘I think a lot of people forget that I’m only 24, LeBron’s only 23,’ Anthony said. ‘A lot of people think we’ve been in this league for 10 years now. We still have a long way to grow, a lot of things to get better at as far as learning the game.’ Cavaliers coach Mike Brown concurred, specifically concerning his own player, whom he is able to watch on a daily basis. ‘Everyone asks, can LeBron get better?’ Brown said. ‘Heck, yes. That’s not anything negative to him. His ceiling, he hasn’t even scratched the roof of his ceiling yet.’”

Michael Cunningham of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:  “The Heat is 6-3 when Wade scores at least 30 points, 6-9 when he doesn’t (1-3 this month). Bryant, the reigning league MVP, has just four 30-point-plus games on the season and yet Los Angeles is rolling. But during the 2005-06 Lakers season, Bryant averaged 35.4 points as the Lakers finished 45-37 and lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. After talking to Wade while they were teammates at the Beijing Olympics, Bryant said he senses Wade isn’t inclined to do the same. ‘D. Wade is different than I am, a different personality,’ Bryant said Thursday night during a promotional appearance at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. ‘I am more a pure scorer, so my way to help the team was to score the ball. I had to score [35] points a game just to beat below-.500 teams. ‘I think D. Wade is struggling with [rebuilding] because he wants to pass the ball, set up his teammates. He’s used to being on teams where he can do that.’”

Jeff Eisenberg of The Press-Enterprise:  “The main reason the Lakers have been less effective on defense than they were at the start of the season is because the way teams attack them has changed. Opponents have spread the floor, lured 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol to the perimeter and then taken the Lakers’ most vulnerable defender off the dribble, a strategy that has produced either open lanes to the basket or wide-open threes for shooters freed up by the need for help defense. What should become clearer after this road trip is whether the Lakers’ inability to counter the strategy is a product of spotty effort, ill-timed gambles, genuine physical limitations or a combination of all three. Sometimes the Lakers seem content to outscore their opponents or to try for steals instead of staying in front of their man, but just as often opposing guards have exploited them off the dribble or on screen and rolls even when they’re giving maximum effort.”

Sean Deveney of the Sporting News:  “Over the last six games, Randolph has averaged 27 points and has morphed into the one thing the Clippers were missing to start the year: Elton Brand, who left in July as a free agent. Last summer, Dunleavy tried to convince himself that adding point guard Baron Davis and Camby in free agency would be enough to overcome the shocking loss of Brand to the Sixers. That proved to be grossly untrue — adding Davis was not enough to boost the team’s offense. But Randolph is the same kind of inside force that Brand was. He is not as cuddly as Brand, and has been known over his NBA career for some uncomfortable run-ins with coaches, the law and breakfast buffets. But Randolph is, in some ways, a better player than Brand. He is not the ballhandler or passer that Brand is. Randolph and Brand can both shoot midrange jumpers, though Brand is slightly better. But Randolph is a far more imposing low-post threat. In some ways, he has been a better Elton Brand than Elton Brand was.”

Bucks Diary:  “This season, Michael Redd is making $15.75 million. That’s way beyond his market value, and way more than a small market team like the Bucks can carry. The 2008-09 market price NBA teams are paying per win produced equals $1.77 million (total salary amounts / available wins). Thus Redd owes the Milwaukee Bucks 8.9 wins this season. He is currently on pace to deliver less than half that amount (3.0 wins). His Marginal Win Score at the moment is just slightly above average (+0.2) and not nearly far enough above replacement level (+1.1) to justify the maximum dollars he is getting. In essence, he is delivering wins that cost the team about $3.6 million above the going price.”

Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:  “So far, however, there is scarce evidence to suggest this team is headed anywhere but the draft lottery or, at best, a third consecutive first-round exit (which would be, if you’re keeping track of this kind of trivia, Colangelo’s 12th failure to make it past the first round in 14 seasons as an NBA GM). Colangelo may or may not be a good roster manager. As a manager of expectations, he is beginning to look downright Babcockian. Although Rob Babcock, Colangelo’s predecessor, preferred to lower the public’s expectations to a point that called into question the sanity of anyone who’d buy a ticket. Either way, it’s a dangerous game to continually insult the public’s mental health. And the question Colangelo must ask himself is this: With Sam Mitchell fired and no significant injuries as alibis, how many more times can the GM say this team is an unrealized gem without tossing his hard-won credibility into the trash with his win-loss record?”

Hoops Addict: “If there’s one thing that has driven the Raptors coaching staff, players and fans crazy so far this season it’s the team’s inability to grab timely rebounds. The last time the Raptors outrebounded another team was against Miami on November 19, and for the season they have a 1,105-to-975 disadvantage. The Raptors were outrebounded 47-37 on Wednesday night against Dallas, the 20th time in 24 games so far his season that they’ve been beaten on the boards. Chris Bosh was asked what it feels like to give up so many second chance points and he was brutally honest with the media: it rips the heart out of the team. ‘It takes the breathe right out of you,’ Bosh admitted after a tough loss to New Jersey earlier this week. ‘Especially (since) most of the time they hit three’s. You’ll see them knock one down after we go 0-6 from the field and (then) we’ve gotten the initial stop and that really hurts. It’s the difference between the difference being 11 or 12 points (in our favour) and six points. It gets them going, gives them confidence and when guys are stepping right into a shot it’s a lot easier for them’”

NESW Sports:  Chris Webber Throws His Shoes at Charles Barkley [Video]

Brian Stensaas of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:  “For the team to have success, Al Jefferson needs to get the ball down low, in his offensive comfort zone. The thinking is this: Jefferson gets the ball, attracts double-team defense from opponents, which leads to good looks from the outside, especially from three-point range. Even with a coaching change, that philosophy has not changed. To the Timberwolves’ credit, the execution has been there. Jefferson is doing his job in the post by taking up space and finding teammates on the perimeter. The open shots, however, are not falling. Minnesota went 1-for-14 from three-point range in Wednesday’s loss to the Cavaliers. For the season, the Timberwolves are shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc. Only Philadelphia and Sacramento are worse this season, both at 30.4 percent.”

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee:  “Just because the jersey changed doesn’t mean Artest has. He still makes the most outlandish declarations, stubbornly sticking to the championship-or-bust mentality that so often drew hidden laughter during his time in Sacramento. But the change is in his surroundings, in the fact that Artest can talk that way now and nobody in Houston chuckles. They appreciate the approach and hope he can prove he’s right. Nearly a third of the way into the season, title talk remains relevant for a team that is 16-9 despite its usual rash of injuries. Shane Battier has missed 16 games, Tracy McGrady seven and Artest three, and still there’s a happy story to tell. Case in point: When Artest came off the bench for the first time in Tuesday’s game against Denver, the Rockets not only won but did so with Artest more than willing to play with the second unit while Battier started. ‘I’ve never come off the bench, but I’m ready (to do it again),’ said Artest, who had 20 points in 29 minutes against the Nuggets. ‘We don’t have time to worry about how comfortable I feel, what’s going to satisfy me. That’s not going to help us get through the season. Whatever coach (Rick Adelman) has planned, that’s what everybody has to adjust to.’”

Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle:  “With the Lakers on a 72-10 pace, Rockets coach Rick Adelman does a head count before practices and games. He might have Brent Barry back tonight against the Sacramento Kings at Toyota Center, but Rafer Alston is out and Ron Artest questionable. Changing the mix every other game has robbed the offense of its flow. The Rockets are 16th in scoring, 26th in field-goal percentage. None of the NBA’s top 25 scorers play for the home team. If you’re looking for a silver lining — and in these uncertain times, who isn’t? — that’s easy to find, too. Through it all, the Rockets have the Western Conference’s fourth-best record. They’re on a pace to win 52 games, and if the season ended today, they would open the playoffs with home-court advantage against San Antonio.”

Tyson Chandler for NBA.com:  “I thought getting Antonio Daniels was a good trade for us, because we needed a backup point guard. He gives us championship experience and veteran leadership, a good guy in the locker room. We always try to welcome the new guys when they come in. We want them to feel as comfortable as possible and let them know that we’re a family around here and we do things the right way. But no matter what the situation is, even a guy wanted to be traded, it’s still a little bit of a shock. You’re walking in the locker room and you don’t know the guys. You get on the bus or the plane and you don’t know where to sit. You don’t want to rub anybody the wrong way. And then playing, you’re just trying to fit in. You want to be aggressive, but you don’t want to be selfish. You can see it in the guy’s eyes.”

John Hollinger of ESPN.com:  “On one level, you could argue that Shaq’s career should be massively different. Per season, free-throw misses deducted nine points from Shaq’s regular season PER — which means his already-gilded 27.1 career PER would be a phenomenal, stomping-everyone-including-Jordan 36.1. Of course, that logic relies on a completely unrealistic assumption, because it’s presuming that he’d make all his foul shots. Instead, let’s imagine a more likely scenario. Suppose Shaq had slowly improved so that by the midpoint of his career he was a 70 percent shooter from the stripe. That’s reasonable for an NBA center, especially a big low-post center like Shaq. (By the way, if Shaq were a better shooter, it’s likely his game would be fundamentally different in a great many ways — he’d be stepping out, hitting jumpers from the high post, etc. — that might or might not be good for his overall production.)”

Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:  “Terry, who has averaged 25 points the past four games, is far and away the leading candidate for the NBA Sixth Man Award. The Mavericks’ public relations staff provided some numbers Wednesday, and here are the highlights: Terry’s average of 21.0 points per game is more than the past 18 Sixth Man Award winners have averaged. Terry has had 11 games of 20 or more points off the bench. The next closest competitor is Milwaukee’s Charlie Villanueva with five. Terry has scored 15 or more points coming off the bench in 16 consecutive games. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle found a new way to praise Terry on Wednesday. ‘He’s a franchise’s dream because he’s willing to do anything to win,’ Carlisle said, ‘and yet he’s one of the best players. He’ll come off the bench. He’ll start. He’ll do anything.’ Terry attributes much of his success to mental as well as physical preparation.”

Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News:  “Through the draft process, scouts and NBA executives saw his physical attributes and doubted his potential. Morrow isn’t a superior athlete and — at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds — doesn’t have size worth drooling over. According to pre-draft scouting reports, strength was an issue for him, especially when it comes to getting all the way to the basket and finishing at the rim. What the talent evaluators probably didn’t see was his work ethic. Morrow learned about working hard from his mother. A single parent, she always had two or three jobs to support them. She worked at DMV, ran her own cleaning service and styled hair. ‘What I went through, he went through,’ Angela Morrow said. ‘If I had to clean a building, he did, too. If I had to cut somebody’s grass to make some extra money, he did, too. I’ve always told him you could have whatever you want, just work hard. Don’t go out there steal and robbing. Just work hard. Work hard. Work hard.’ The Warriors’ staff has been floored by Morrow’s work ethic. They’ve even had to force him to rest at times.”

Marty Burns of CNNSI.com:  “NBA insiders say it will never happen for financial reasons (owners don’t want to give up any of those precious courtside seats), but supporters believe that widening the floor — even by just a foot on each side — would improve the game by allowing for better spacing. It would open passing lanes. It would give players a little added breathing room, especially with the three-point line now just a few feet from the sideline. If nothing else, it might cut down on all those whistles we’ve seen in recent years for players accidentally stepping out of bounds. ‘I think it’s an intriguing idea,’ West said. ‘There’d be some coaches, those who like to play quicker, who would relish it. But those coaches who like to play games with 85-75 [final scores], well, they sure don’t want a bigger court.’”

Howard Beck of The New York Times:  “There was one other notable change: Several thousand fans were cheering the Lakers. That would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, when Chris Webber and Vlade Divac challenged Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for Western Conference supremacy, and clanging cowbells echoed across the flood plain. But these are signs of the times in Sacramento, where droves of fans have given up their season tickets, and the cowbells have gone silent. The Kings once sold out 354 consecutive games (a streak that ended last year). They have not sold out a game this season and are averaging just 12,185 fans a game, ranking 29th in the N.B.A. They drew just 16,068 for the Lakers game, about 1,200 below capacity. ‘I’ve been doing the games 21 years, and I never thought I would see it the way it’s been this year,’ said Grant Napear, the Kings’ play-by-play announcer. Not long ago, Arco Arena was perhaps the most raucous building in the league. But on most nights this season, ‘There has been no atmosphere,’ Napear said. ‘I hate to say that, but it’s been like a library.’”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:  “What did Boozer say, you ask? That his strained left quadriceps tendon would keep him out until the All-Star break, or for the rest of the season? That Jerry Sloan was a grouchy old man? That Paul Millsap was the most overrated player in the NBA — not the most underrated, the honor CBSSports.com bestowed upon him Thursday? Nope. Nothing quite that controversial. Nothing even remotely surprising or combustible at all. Boozer simply confirmed what anyone who follows professional basketball should have known: That he intends to declined his $12.7 million player option this coming summer and seek a long-term deal. ‘I’m opting out. No matter what, I’m going to get a raise regardless,’ Boozer said. ‘I am going to opt out, I don’t see why I wouldn’t, I think it’s a very good business decision for me and my family, but I’d also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here.’ That quote rippled through the Jazz organization, all the way up to owner Larry Miller, who blistered Boozer on his weekly radio show Thursday. ’It’s one of the top 10 stupidest things I’ve heard an NBA player do in 20 years,’ Miller said.”

Roland Lazenby of HoopsHype.com:  “The thing that may seem curious to most fans is that they remember the old Steve Kerr, the son of the career diplomat, the darling of University of Arizona basketball, the fan favorite in both Chicago and San Antonio, the guy who hit that winning shot for Bulls title no. 5, the guy who made those big shots for the Spurs. What I recall most about Kerr is what a great voice of reason he was for the Bulls back in 1998 when the team was being ripped apart by a battle between Jackson and Jordan on one side and team management on the other. In those days, Kerr was the guy with the thoughtful, clear approach, the smooth communication. Why doesn’t he play that card more today and talk more to the fans in Phoenix? The answer there is pretty clear too. Kerr has never been one to engage in shouting matches or heated conflict, although he’s not afraid of taking a stand either (Jordan can attest to that). No, when it comes to difficult transitions in basketball, it’s most about biting your lip and getting ‘er done. It’s about walking the walk, not talking the talk right now.”