The Fundamentals

Michael Lee of the Washington Post:  “Jamison has played in all 38 games — and 31 losses — this unbelievably horrific season. I didn’t ask him specifically about all the adversity the team has faced since he re-signed, but he offered an overall assessment of leading an incredibly young team. ‘It’s difficult,’ said Jamison. ‘The only thing I can do is go out there is play hard and let these young guys know that no matter what the record is, you’ve got to out there and play hard and have fun doing it.’ I asked Jamison if he felt like the team daddy, constantly slapping the kids on the wrist, telling them what not to do. Jamison chuckled, then added that he has to put his teammates in line from time to time. ‘That’s what they expect from me,’ Jamison said.”

Sixers.com:  “At one point during the current win streak (the win over Houston), the Sixers ran out to a season-high 29 fast break points, which further solidified their place atop the league leaders in that category at 20.4 per game. ‘I think the major factor with that is our defense is getting better,’ DiLeo said. ‘We’re contesting more shots, we’re getting more rebounds, we’re getting more steals, so consequently we’re getting out on the break better. We’re also trying after made baskets to get the ball in play as fast we as can and get down the floor to get a good shot before the defense is able to set up.’ And so far, it is paying off in dividends. The Sixers are averaging 8.0 steals per game (up from 7.3 in the 23 games prior to his arrival) and limiting opponents to just 44.8 rebounds per game (down from 48.5 per game), both of which are allowing the team to get out and run.”

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News:  “Curry has been steadfast in his faith in the offense, but with injuries and lineup alterations, the unit has yet to establish continuity or consistency. It’s looked formidable in stretches and, like in the fourth quarter against the Bobcats on Tuesday, impotent. ‘It’s going to come with time,’ Curry said. Curry said he was pleased with the distribution of shots. He likes that his top scorers are taking between 10 and 15 shots per game. But there have been many times when nobody has taken over when the game was on the line. Case in point, the loss to the Bobcats. The Pistons were outscored, 11-2, down the stretch, misfiring on their last eight possessions. They were in the bonus with four minutes left and didn’t get to the free-throw line. But Curry remains committed to a scoring-by-committee theory.”

A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive.com:  “Early this season, the Detroit Pistons wanted to earn more points in the paint. So they traded for Allen Iverson in November, hoping he would help solve the problem. Iverson is getting into the paint often. But Detroit’s points in the paint still rank among the NBA’s worst this season. Wednesday’s 110-106 overtime loss to Indiana was another game in which the Pistons were outscored around the basket. Detroit came into the game ranked 28th out of 30 teams in points scored in the paint (33.9). On Wednesday, it had 28 compared to Indiana’s 32. Often when Iverson gets into the paint, he tries to pass to a teammate as opposed to finishing off the play by scoring.”

Ian Thomsen of CNNSI.com:  “The camaraderie seems to be infectious. ‘I’m standing in our gym right now, on an off day, and I see eight guys in here working,’ Brooks said from a phone in Oklahoma City, on the day after a rough 103-99 overtime loss at New Jersey. ‘I didn’t get to bed until four in the morning, but Durant just walked in. Jeff is shooting at basket No. 4. Russell just left, and a lot of other guys are in here. It’s a day off after an overtime heartbreaker and we traveled back, and they’re all in here today working.’ Half of the Thunder’s wins have come in the last seven games.’We all know that a brighter day is ahead of us,’ Durant said. To that end, Thunder GM Sam Presti has accrued three first-round picks in this year’s draft and two for next year, as well as cap space that could yield a maximum-level offer in each of those summers. Oklahoma City won’t be a high-priority destination for the top free agents, but the Thunder could use their picks and cap space to trade for experienced talent from teams seeking to dump salaries.”

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman:  “How do you learn to become clutch? By going through what Kevin Durant has over the past two weeks. By walking off the court as Durant has done in three of the past six games with your head hung following the hard luck and heartbreak that comes with last-second letdowns. Durant has failed to come through for the Thunder in the final seconds three out of four times already this month and is suddenly experiencing the hardships all the greats have faced before earning their closer labels. Durant showed against Denver on Jan. 2 that he’s ready to take and make the big shot. He nailed an off-balance 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2.7 seconds remaining to give the Thunder a 120-119 lead against the Nuggets. But Carmelo Anthony matched Durant’s heroics by sinking the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.1 left on the clock. That wasted magic seems a distant memory going into tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz. Durant’s big-game status has come in question because of his failed attempts to tie or win the ball game in the final seconds of each of the past three outings.”

Bill Ingram  of HOOPSWORLD:  “It’s not very often that a 23-year-old player gets handed the keys to a franchise, and it’s even rarer for that franchise to be considered a championship contender. That’s what’s happened in New Orleans, however, where Chris Paul is not only leading the team, but has them among the upper echelon of the tough Western Conference. ‘He fits it pretty good,’ says Hornets head coach Byron Scott of his young leader fitting the mold of a classic franchise player. ‘I played with some of the best in this league and Chris is definitely on his way. I wouldn’t say he’s there yet, but he’s definitely headed in the right direction. I think the leadership is there,’ continues Scott. ‘I would like him to be a little bit more vocal, especially in the locker room. I think he does it at times, but I come from an era where Magic (Johnson) was real vocal. Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) was real quiet, but Magic and Michael Cooper were the hellraisers on the team and at times you need that. Right now, with Chris being where he is as far as his career, that’s what he has to work on.’”

Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle:  “The respect Mutombo gets from his teammates is obvious. Before Saturday night’s game against the Knicks, McGrady, who wasn’t playing, stopped by his locker briefly and then walked across the room toward ‘the godfather’ with a smile. ‘We’ve got a lot of things to work out right now,’ said Battier. ‘I think we’ve stabilized things a bit, but it’s a process. I don’t think Deke’s been around long enough yet to just fix things. Remember, this is a different team from last year. Everybody doesn’t know him. That may be the answer: Deke coming in here and knocking around a few heads. If he does, I think it will be beneficial. If there’s one guy who could do it, it would be Deke.’”

Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports:  “‘It’s the least we can do to return the favor,’ he said, ‘after Fish .4-ed them.’ The Lakers have little reason to fret over the loss. If anything, it further emboldened them. They came to San Antonio 24 hours after a tough victory in Houston, missing three rotation players, and still erased an 11-point deficit against a healthy team that had enjoyed two days of rest. Lamar Odom’s bruised knee hasn’t completely healed and Fisher had to leave briefly Wednesday after tweaking his groin. Yes, the Lakers are hurting. But neither their injuries nor their loss to San Antonio blemishes their best-in-the-West status. When the Spurs visit L.A. in 10 days, the verdict could be decidedly different. As Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, ‘We won everything but the free-throw line.’ Still, Jackson and Bryant also know these games against the Spurs often come down to one free throw, one shot, one call, and that’s why San Antonio sees reason to believe. After all, isn’t Mason growing into Big Shot Jr.?”

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register:  “‘The best player on the planet,’ as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Kobe Bryant late Wednesday night, can’t wait to make the Earth move some more in 2010 and ‘12. Bryant said Wednesday night he is willing to commit to play for USA Basketball in 2010 at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, where Bryant expects to go for the gold again. ‘The chance to represent your country, that’s not even a thought-process for me,’ Bryant said Wednesday. ‘If they want me to be on it, I’m all game.’ Bryant’s words should stabilize the U.S. ship at a time when many of Bryant’s teammates from the 2008 Olympic gold-medal team are choosing to be future international men of mystery.”

Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer:  “LeBron James is staying tight-lipped about his new teaser ads running on television that depict him about to make a big announcement at a press conference. Informed sources say it is part of a new campaign for State Farm and will depict James as a wide receiver for the Browns, complete with a No. 23 jersey with ‘LeBron’ on the back. It will be a series of commercials leading to a climax, which won’t be revealed here. James, a former All-Ohio receiver in high school, filmed the spots at the University of Akron’s indoor football complex. He also plays with friends in the off-season. ‘We’ve got a flag football league we play down at St. Vincent-St. Mary,’ James said. ‘I am a football player, it just so happens I play a little basketball, too.’”

George Willis of the New York Post:  “Many of his issues are the result of his own doing, the product of a poor work ethic, and an apparent lack of passion and dedication to his job. Curry has played just 2 minutes and 38 seconds this season after reporting to training camp out of shape for the second straight season. Then after missing camp time because of illness, he injured a knee that sidelined him all of November and December. Curry saw his first playing time this season last week in Dallas, but didn’t last three minutes before his knees began to ache. He hasn’t played since and remained on the inactive list for the Knicks’ 128-122 victory over the Wizards last night at the Garden. ‘He hasn’t practiced since Dallas, and I’m not going to play him until he practices,’ coach Mike D’Antoni said last night. Asked when Curry was expected to practice, D’Antoni said: ‘I have no idea. That’s a good question.’”

Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune:  “Even more telling about his status was Monday’s game against Indiana, as he played less than nine minutes, even with the injury absences of forwards Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles increasing everybody else’s playing time. It all stems from the ankle, which has ‘hampered his play,’ according to Sloan, who’s hoping a healthy Harpring can do more in the second half of the season. ‘I have tremendous feelings for Matt. He’s helped us win a lot of games.’ At this stage, though, having appeared in about two-thirds of the team’s games for an average of barely 10 minutes, the second-oldest Jazzman (Brevin Knight is 33) is pretty much an extra in this year’s production. That’s not much fun for one of the few scorers in team history to average in double figures for five consecutive seasons, and comfortably one of the franchise’s 25 best all-time players.”

Bright Side of the Sun:  “Amare had publicly talked about wanting to be considered ‘up there’ with Kobe, Wade and LeBron and seemed to fully understand that his path to that rarefied air started on the defensive end, traveled through his rebounding and finished like a monster dunk with his efficient multi modal offensive game. Unfortunately, regular watchers of the Suns clearly have not seen the follow through. Amare has reverted back. He’s picking up silly fouls which show a lack of focus and his lack of effort on the glass and on defense has been made even more noticeable by comparison now that Lou ‘Lightning’ Amundson is backing him up. Even the most casual of fan can’t help but notice the difference in energy and effort when Lou comes in and Amare sits down and the rebounding rates reflect that as well (Amare 8.1 per 36 min vs. 9.8 for Lou).”

X’s & O’s of Basketball:  Suns Defense with Shaq as Helper Zoned Down Low

East Valley Tribune:  “Only once since the complicated formula was initiated in 1984 has the number decreased — from $42.5 million in 2001-02 to $40.271 million in 2002-03. A smaller salary cap will mean smaller contracts, from the max packages to the midlevel exceptions that also could decrease from the current $5.585 million. But even with that forced financial trimming, executives say, teams could take it a step further and not offer the entire midlevel spot as readily as before. That sets up the possibility that the stars will get their mega-deals as expected and then everyone else — the established middle class, the fringe players just trying to find a home — will find a market more unforgiving than ever.”

Harvey Araton of The New York Times:  “If Marbury, who will turn 32 next month, never suits up again, he will still outrank other New York City point guard legends whose professional careers ranged from fair (Kenny Anderson) to poor (Pearl Washington) to virtually nonexistent (Kareem Reid, Omar Cook, Erick Barkley). With Marbury’s Coney Island cousin Sebastian Telfair well on his way to career backup-hood and another behaviorally challenged Brooklynite, Jamaal Tinsley, banished from the Indiana Pacers, who could blame the rest of the country for dismissing New York’s reputation as a spawning ground of great point guards as a news media myth? Did you ever believe in God Shammgod? Out of LaSalle Academy in Manhattan, he was on the same McDonald’s all-American team as Marbury and starred at Providence College before lasting one season in the N.B.A. So it goes for the modern New York City point guard, best represented these days by Rafer Alston of the Rockets.”

Marc J. Spears of The Boston Globe:  “Yao can relate to Yi’s All-Star situation. Then-Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal was a 2002 All-NBA first-team selection. But with the arrival of Yao in 2003, the votes poured in from China and he ended up passing O’Neal for the West starting position. Chinese votes have also aided Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis, Yao’s current and former teammates. ‘It’s tough. Actually, I was nervous, very nervous to have Shaq on the bench,’ Yao said. ‘I felt like sometimes, ‘Do I belong here?’ But Yi has to understand that he’s not just playing for himself, he’s playing for those fans who voted for him. ‘I know there’s a lot of talk about who should play in the All-Star Game and who should be starting. But I think you have to treat an All-Star Game just like a party. If you’re there, have fun.’”