Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Smith is quiet, reserved and patient. Van Gundy is anything but. Their 1 1/2-year-old relationship, however, has worked beautifully, according to the results. Can there be any question now that Billy Donovan’s 11th about-face was a blessing? And do we understand a little more now why Smith wasn’t all that devastated when Billy high-tailed it back to Florida? Smith got a proven NBA coach, which was best for the Magic and, of course, best for Smith because DeVos ownership is riding high again. There always has been an unusual dynamic between coaches and management. Coaches think short-term, GMs long-term. Coaches want to win now; GMs are trying to build a solid franchise stone by stone. It’s the survival instincts required for the two jobs. And this is a classic case study with Stan and Otis. Van Gundy admits he’s a crazed loon on the sideline, a type A personality who drives players batty as well. Smith is as practical as he is patient, seemingly never in a rush while Van Gundy operates at 100 mph.”
McClatchy Newspapers: “With a veteran team, Popovich has a different approach than most NBA coaches. He does not have game-day shootarounds at home. He’d rather his players rest. This year, he introduced yoga as a weekly exercise, and the players seemed to embrace it. He demands players to play hard and be efficient, but he doesn’t worry about home-court advantage in the playoffs or what the team record is in December. And he is the first to admit that part of that luxury is courtesy of Tim Duncan. So it’s not a surprise that with the Spurs facing their most brutal stretch of the season Popovich is looking forward to it. Next week San Antonio begins a 12-game stretch with 11 of those games on the road. In early February, eight of those games are on the road because the Spurs have to vacate their arena while the rodeo is in town. It happens every year and the Spurs refer to it as ‘the rodeo trip.’ Popovich loves it.”
Hawks Hacks: “One subject in particular has come to the forefront and pretty much stayed there: THE BENCH. While this discussion will probably never end (at least as long as Woodson is head coach), perhaps we should take a closer look at some specifics. It’s easy to say that Woodson has under-utilized his bench. It is equally easy to say the exact opposite. And there are no doubt plenty of ‘facts’ that can be used, twisted, or otherwise presented to support both opinions, as is the case with most opinion-driven subjects (though curiously, no “facts” have been presented for EITHER side). Of course, we all know that not all teams are the same. So while Woodson may make use of his bench as much, more, or less than other coaches/teams do, how much relevance is there in that point? There seems to be more relevance to the fact that Woodson claims a desire to use a deeper rotation, and play certain players more, while doing the opposite, until key injuries force his hand. Some teams have winning records year after year with the use of an 8 man rotation. This Hawks team is not yet one of those teams, with only a winning half-season record to support such an idea. And so, Woodson’s utilization of the bench remains…ultimately…debatable. ”
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: “In the wake of a wretched 87-84 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, when the Raptors made every conceivable mistake at every crucial moment, Chris Bosh slammed Jamario Moon, who took a ‘What? Me?’ stance and the coach continued to question his team’s mental toughness. These are indeed trying times. ‘Our mental toughness, like we’ve talked about before, has to get better and we have to finish off possessions, quarters, halves, games and sections of the season (better) and tonight’s a perfect example,’ said coach Jay Triano. ‘We just didn’t execute down the stretch at either end of the floor for the last minute and a half and that cost us a game.’ The finish couldn’t have been any worse, and it laid bare for all to see a conflict between Bosh and Moon that may have just been a heat-of-the-moment thing or a signal that things are irreparably damaged.”
Marc J. Spears of The Boston Globe: “During the summer of 2006, then-Kentucky sophomore guard Rajon Rondo was given a phone number to a reference for the agent he eventually hired, Bill Duffy. But this wasn’t your usual reference. Rather, it was a Phoenix Suns point guard who was coming off his second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award, Steve Nash. All Rondo was expecting was some nice words about Duffy in a short conversation. But by the time the current Celtics point guard hung up the phone, Nash left the youngster with words of wisdom, too. ‘I told him to continue to work hard and have a long plan,’ Nash said before last night’s 104-87 Celtics romp over the Suns at the Garden. ‘Obviously, whether it’s his shot and game in general, players have to have a long-term approach and remember whether you have a great rookie year or not, you want to be a pro for 10-15 years. You want to be a great player two or three years, if not four or five years. I just told him with hard work anything is possible. Obviously, if I could be in the position I am now from where I came from, he could do it, too.”
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “Deron Williams wasn’t surprised to learn Monday that Jerry Sloan had agreed to a one-year extension to return for the 2009-10 season as Jazz coach. ‘I told you, I’m going to retire before he retires,’ the 24-year-old Williams said of the 66-year-old Sloan. ‘That’s probably not true,’ Sloan responded. ‘When you’ve been around as long as I have, you know you only have a short stay.’ How much longer Sloan will continue coaching is the Jazz’s biggest mystery, but the extension he agreed to this weekend paves the way for Sloan to return for a 22nd season, provided he does not reconsider during a two-week window after the season. Williams joked that Sloan had become basketball’s version of Joe Paterno, the Penn State football coach who signed a three-year extension before his 82nd birthday last month.”
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “Kevin Durant vividly remembers all 10 losses during his 35 games at Texas two years ago. He can spout details from his first collegiate loss, a two-point heartbreak at Michigan State, give play-by-play of the triple overtime classic against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Durant always will remember walking off the floor after a season-ending, 19-point loss to USC. But at this level, Durant lost track of the losses long ago. ‘It’s so many games that you’ve got to forget them,’ Durant said. So many losses that he and his teammates have no choice but to employ selective memory as a means to endure.’”
Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: “The losses aren’t any easier for Pete Carril to stomach at 78 than they were at 28. He agonizes over what’s going wrong, wonders what more he could do to help turn things around. And while the Princeton coaching legend and current Kings consultant has been back for just four games, he said the way things have gone have him wondering about his immediate future, too. He isn’t having the impact he had hoped for, nor is he traveling with the team as often as he would like. In a conversation after Monday’s practice that sparked a strange set of circumstances in which his status was no longer in question, Carril said he has his doubts whether he should be back. ‘I’ve just had mixed feelings (about his new job),’ he said. ‘And not everything can be explained. Some of your feelings can’t be explained, so we’ll see what happens.’”
Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference.com: Paul Pierce, Mr. Consistency?
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “There was a memorable statement made, however, by Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, who insisted that the NBA Rookie of the Year race should be called off right now and Derrick Rose should be named the winner. ‘There’s no question he’s rookie of the year,’ Del Negro said. Debate can rage about whether Del Negro or Joakim Noah has the worst hair in Illinois this side of Rod Blagojevich, but the Rookie of the Year argument is ‘over,’ Del Negro said. I’ve been on the Rose bandwagon from the beginning, and I didn’t exactly go out on a limb predicting that the No. 1 overall pick from Memphis would win the award. He probably will. I’m just not as convinced as Del Negro that it’s an open-and-shut case. To say that Rose’s team is having more success than O.J. Mayo’s Grizzlies isn’t saying much; only four teams are having worse seasons than Memphis. But Mayo is averaging more points, steals and rebounds than Rose, and is shooting 38 percent on 3-pointers compared to Rose’s 29 percent. Rose (6.3) is averaging more than twice as many assists as Mayo (2.9), and his floor leadership has been stellar as a starting point guard from Day 1. But you can’t dismiss Mayo, even though he plays in a city that has no business having an NBA team and probably won’t within five years.”
Mike Barrett of Blazers.com: “Oden scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked two shots, and caused many more misses because of his presence inside. Most impressive on this night? He ended the game with two fouls. That was it. It’s a key we knew we’d be focusing on this season, when talking about Oden. When he stays out of foul trouble, and is able to stay on the floor, he’ll get his numbers. It’s really that simple. He’s learning, he’s growing, and he’s going to be fine. After the game, Greg talked about changes he’s made in his approach to defense. Lately the early fouls he’s been getting have been almost silly fouls, unnecessary fouls. But, learning to discriminate, what shots to go after, what plays to let pass, and where to be on the floor, comes with experience. The best teacher the Blazers have for Oden in this department? It’s Joel Przybilla. And, Oden has been paying attention.”
Jason Quick of The Oregonian: “That principle requires a lot of work. The defender has to stay close to the key, recover to the shooter on the perimeter, then hustle back inside to rebound. ‘It’s effort. It’s a lot of effort, and an offensive minded player isn’t into doing all that (expletive). Our guys are more … we are trying to condition them to do that. To cover out, but come back in,’ McMillan said. And people, let’s be real. There are really only three or four good defensive teams in this league – Boston, San Antonio, Detroit, the Lakers aren’t bad – teams that really buy into stopping opponents for the entire game. The Blazers simply aren’t there yet. But geez, how about a little perspective? The Blazers are now playing four rookies extensive minutes. And they are still the second youngest team in the league. And they are playing without their starting point guard. Yes, their defense needs to get better. So does 25 other NBA teams. And yes, the Blazers have had trouble stopping the pick and roll. But guess what? The pick and roll is the most used play in basketball. And there’s a reason it is: It works.”
Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference.com: Boxscore Breakdown: Kobe-LeBron, Round 1
Ramona Shelburne of the Los Angeles Daily News: “There would be no baton pass on this night. Or an MVP trophy won or lost. The mantle, the mountain still belong to Bryant. The climb still James’ to make. This was not Bryant’s finest hour, or even his bravest. He’s carried his team up higher peaks, rescued them from greater depths, played through sharper pain than the dislocated ring finger on his right hand caused him Monday night. His shredded pinky finger in the second half of last season, his back spasms during the playoff series in Utah, all more painful than the ring finger he popped into a unnatural angle while trying to swipe the ball from James early in Monday night’s game. But the mere fact that we have some many fine, brave moments from Bryant’s career to hold up for comparison serves as a reminder of just how much further James must climb to stand shoulder to shoulder with the man he looked up to as a kid.”
Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: “Like a tourist in front of the Liberty Bell or something, Earl Monroe stood there and took a photo … of Kobe Bryant just standing there. Then Monroe said: ‘That is the only guy I want to take a picture of in life.’ Whoa. Bryant kept it from being too weird by throwing an arm over Monroe’s shoulders and asking that a photo to be taken of them together, adding: ‘Can you make sure I get a copy of that?’ Still, the point was made. It didn’t matter that while growing up Bryant watched highlight tapes of Monroe or that one of the favored staples of Bryant’s game, the pump fake, is something he admits he stole from Monroe. (Everyone stole the spin move from Monroe.) Everyone smart steals from who and what has come before, which is why you could say that a little slice of Tony La Russa is coaching James this season. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown once had opportunity to pick La Russa’s brain and loved the baseball manager’s concept of appointing team leaders to discipline players in certain cases.”
Frank Isola of the Daily News: “Gallinari scored nine points, including his first NBA dunk in Monday’s 102-98 win over the Chicago Bulls. After each of his four baskets, the Knicks’ long-time public address announcer Mike Walczewski, using a thick Italian accent, said ‘Daneeelo Gal-lin-ar-ay’ and then the Italian songs ‘Volare’ or ‘That’s Amore’ were played. When asked about hearing his name, Gallinari said: ‘I need to talk a little bit with them about that. Because it’s not so good, the pronunciation. I will talk about that. As for the music, no, not so good.’ Mike D’Antoni was somewhat surprised by the music selection himself and looked at the scorer’s table after Gallinari’s first basket. Apparently, Gallinari would prefer to hear a more updated, age-appropriate song. Also, the Italian journalists who attend Gallinari’s home games said the song stereotypes Italians.”
John Lombardo and Terry Lefton of the Sports Business Journal: “NBA owners have reversed a longtime ban on courtside advertising by spirits brands in an effort to drive revenue during the economic downturn. The league is also crafting policies that could allow teams to offer hard liquor advertising on team Web sites, point-of-sale retail locations or in-arena promotions. Those decisions are expected shortly. The vote to ease the restrictions was taken last week during the NBA’s sales and marketing meetings in Phoenix. It opens new revenue streams for all 30 teams, who have been prohibited from selling courtside/TV visible hard liquor signage since 1991. The decision follows Major League Baseball, the NHL and NASCAR in allowing spirits advertising within camera view. The NFL does not allow any hard liquor signage within camera view in their stadiums. ‘We are always trying to find ways to drive more revenue and this falls in line with that,’ said Chris Granger, senior vice president of team marketing and business operations for the NBA. ‘The vote was simply to rescind the prohibition of teams selling [hard liquor] courtside ads. We are working on what other opportunities will exist.’”
