Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: “We interrupt all this nail-chewing consternation about whether Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups will be invited to the NBA All-Star Game to bring you the real reason why the Nuggets are in first place with a 29-15 record. In a season full of pleasant surprises for Denver, the biggest one has been Nene. ‘I’ve been so, so, so impressed with Nene, from his skill level to his IQ for the game. He’s an all-star, man. Without a doubt. When Nene’s on a good team, he’s unstoppable,’ Billups said Sunday, when Denver trounced Utah 117-97. While Anthony is the Nuggets’ most talented player and Billups is the team’s most valuable player, Nene is the one player who will determine how far Denver goes in the playoffs.”
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle: “Tracy McGrady walked off the court at the end of the first quarter Sunday night and did something we haven’t seen in seemingly forever. Here’s to happiness for a thousand, Alex. McGrady flashed a huge smile. Not a forced smile or a fake smile, either. At least it didn’t seem that way. Maybe he was smiling for joy. Maybe he was smiling for relief. With McGrady, it’s impossible to know. His teammates and coaches don’t seem to know him, so the rest of us have no chance. Some like him. Some are ambivalent about him. None really feel close to him. That’s not important. What’s important is that if McGrady is happy and healthy, we still might all go home happy.”
Britt Robson of Secrets of the City: “I understand the push for Jefferson to be in the All Star game, especially after his monster game tonight. But there remains too much indifference in his defense. It is curious to me that Kevin Love has to pass some threshold to earn the starting lineup assignment while Jefferson–who has exhibited minimal improvement on D–needs no such threshold in that regard to become an All Star. The best argument for Jefferson to make it is the inclusion of Amare Stoudamire, who may in fact be amogn the top ten worst low post defenders in the league. Boris Diaw was one of the latest to toast Amare, getting 26 and 11 against his old team the other night. As for who should go if Jefferson doesn’t, I’d pick Tyson Chandler. I understand that 8 points and 8 rebounds a game aren’t impressive, but if you watch basketball, surely you can see what a dominant force Chandler is on the defensive end of the court. Put it this way: A straight up swap of Jefferson for Chandler would in my opinion help the Wolves and hurt the Hornets. And that’s less of a knock on Jefferson than an endorsement of Chandler.”
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “‘The guys, in general, were making easy plays, saw an open guy, just kick it to the open guy, instead of trying to force the issue,’ said Spoelstra, whose team faces the Hawks tonight at AmericanAirlines Arena in the third game of this four-game homestand. ‘I thought it was a very intelligent game by many of the guys.’ Spoelstra particularly praised guard Dwyane Wade, who played without a turnover for only the second time this season and only the eighth time in his 343 career games. That meant no charges, no attempts to force his way through the numerous double-teams Orlando offered late in the game, instead allowing Haslem, Mario Chalmers and Daequan Cook to handle the scoring in the game-closing 9-3 run. Wade ranks third in the NBA in turnovers, at 3.6 per game, with his 152 turnovers 15 more than any other player in the league entering Sunday’s play. ‘I don’t know what’s more shocking,’ Spoelstra said, ‘the fact that we had four turnovers again a great defensive team, or the fact that Dwyane had zero.’”
Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe: “Allen was good for the Celtics last year, but he’s better now. Another year removed from double ankle surgery, he’s got more explosiveness when he goes to the basket. He’s more comfortable with his teammates and the Garden.I’m going with Ray Allen. He can even help fix others’ shots. Last year, he noticed a hitch in the shot of Glen Davis – ‘it looked like Charles Barkley’s golf swing’ – and he helped Big Baby smooth things out. Allen’s routine must have something to do with his success. While you were reading the Sunday papers in bed (do people still do that?) Allen already was shooting jumpers in the empty Garden. ABC’s cameras captured him on the parquet floor at 9:45 a.m., more than three hours before tipoff. Trust me when I tell you the Garden is meat locker cold when it’s empty in January. Even the Celtic Dancers had to bundle up for yesterday’s matinee. ‘It’s always cold in here,’ Allen said, smiling. ‘Today I was thinking about wearing two sleeves.’”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Howard said he wasn’t distracted by anything more than winning. He got 11 shots and hit 9 — and made 4 of 7 free throws — for 22 points as the Heat rotated Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire and Mark Blount on him. Howard didn’t address his role in the offense, but he just shook his head about the officiating, adding he didn’t deserve to be tossed. ‘I got a little upset,’ Howard said. ‘I can’t call them myself.’ Then again, Van Gundy and point guard Anthony Johnson also were whistled for technicals. Fans are noticing Howard’s attitude with the referees. A local pastor, in an e-mail to the Sentinel, wrote, ‘This big bad center of the Magic is turning into one of the whiniest players in the league. If he is called for a foul, you would think he is ready to cry. Dwight, I love you, but please grow up.’”
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: “Pistons guard Allen Iverson was not making waves, but he just couldn’t understand it. As his teammates were mounting a comeback that ultimately ended in a 108-105 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, Iverson watched the last 11 minutes from the bench. And for a guy who has scored more than 23,000 career points and hit countless big shots, he just doesn’t get it. ‘I just feel like I can offer a little more to the team,’ said Iverson, who scored 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting. ‘I can help us do more to win basketball games. ‘When the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be right here to take on the challenge. I’m going to stay positive, stay focused, keep believing in my teammates when I’m not in the game and keep trusting them when I am in the game.’”
Bob Young of The Arizona Republic: “Shaquille O’Neal has been putting up some pretty good numbers this season and showing more nimbleness and lift around the basket. But he’s doing almost all of it against one-on-one defenses. Teams no longer fear him enough to guard him with two players, which is what breaks down an opposing defense. And he hasn’t made the single-team coverage pay often enough to force the double. Can the planet continue to revolve around him and survive?”
Marc Berman of the New York Post: “The banished Stephon Marbury acknowledged for the first time yesterday he has a verbal commitment from the Celtics – and accused the Knicks of not accepting his latest buyout offer because they don’t want him winning a championship in Boston. A frustrated Marbury said the Knicks were playing ‘kids games,’ adding ‘It’s got to be personal.’ In an hourlong interview with The Post, Marbury also said another NBA team has made an overture toward him. Miami is known to have expressed interest. ‘I know I’ll be able to sign with two teams,’ Marbury told The Post. ‘The question to be asked to the Knicks is: Are they fearful for me playing for another Eastern Conference team? My thing is, they shouldn’t be fearful. They’re trying to get under the cap for 2010. They shouldn’t be worried about me. You had guys saying I was a distraction, I’m a cancer. If I’m all those things, wouldn’t you want me to go to another team?’”
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “It was at this time a year ago when the Blazers suffered a flat tire and sputtered during the race for the postseason. They lost seven of 10 games during a pivotal stretch before the All-Star break and withered in the closing weeks as more experienced teams gained late-season steam. But a year later, with nine games remaining before All-Star weekend, the Blazers have a golden opportunity to reveal how far they’ve come. Starting tonight, when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:30 at the Staples Center, six of the Blazers’ nine games before the All-Star break are against teams with losing records, including two against the NBA’s worst, the Oklahoma City Thunder (9-35). The upcoming stretch is but a taste of a favorable second-half schedule that indicates a surge could be on the horizon for the Blazers.”
Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: “Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown doesn’t trust his bench. No, let me fine-tune that: The bench players are giving Brown little reason to trust them. Between Adam Morrison’s misses (2-of-13 shooting during the past six games), Shannon Brown’s turnovers and Sean Singletary’s general inexperience, it’s hard to trust the reserves right now. The two trades reduced options off the bench; Matt Carroll and Jared Dudley are gone, and those were the closest Brown had to reliable reserves at the start of the season. You have to lose something to get something in a trade, so I’m not suggesting the Bobcats have hurt themselves. However, there’s no doubt Brown has fewer options when the starters need a break.”
Travis Heath of HOOPSWORLD: “With Carlos Boozer already out until at least the All-Star break, it’s quite possible Utah’s injury woes could get a lot worse very shortly. Andrei Kirilenko has an injured right ankle that could require surgery if things don’t improve quickly. ‘It’s hurts in between the joint and the bone in the ankle, so every time I move it hurts,’ Kirilenko told HOOSPWORLD after Sunday’s game in Denver. ‘A month ago we did a cortisone shot and it worked good for a whole month,’ Kirilenko continued. ‘And right now I did another cortisone shot and it didn’t work. So we’ll see tomorrow after I talk to the doctor what he decides. They might re-inject. The worse case scenario would be they would have to remove it with surgery.’ After Sunday’s loss the Jazz are now 4.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division and losing Kirilenko for an extended period of time could make it very difficult for Utah to make up the ground necessary to stage a comeback.”
Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: “The amazing thing about Bynum, the chunkball who played the equivalent of one varsity season in high school, is his ability to make constructive use of criticism, no matter how pointed, be it one of Phil Jackson’s jibes, or Kobe Bryant’s famous rant. No Lakers official, not Ronnie Lester, who scouted Bynum, or Mitch Kupchak, who drafted him, ever projected him to be where he is now, if he ever got there. The Lakers never coddled Bynum. On the contrary, it was tough love when he arrived and it is, still. Yet, here he is. ‘I don’t know if there’s any job in the world, once you take that step up to the big boys, they’re still going to treat you like a little boy,’ said guard Derek Fisher. I think Andrew’s growing into what is going to turn out to be a really big boy.’”
Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports: “What makes these Lakers so dominant isn’t what Bynum or Gasol or even Bryant do individually. It’s their collective strength. Jordan Farmar missed a month with a knee injury then scored 14 points in his first game back on Sunday. Trevor Ariza added 17 more off the bench. As the Spurs learned, the Lakers come at you in waves. They aren’t as battle-tested as the three-peat Lakers of Fisher, Robert Horry and Rick Fox were, but they do have something else. ‘I don’t know if we were versatile as we are now,’ Fisher said. ‘We can play a lot of different lineups, a lot of different guys in a lot of different spots. … It makes us a difficult team to try and figure out how to slow down on a consistent basis.’ That’s why neither Fisher nor Jackson nor Bryant saw the team’s one-point loss in San Antonio 11 days earlier as much reason to worry. Then, the Lakers were missing three of their rotation players. Now? With his roster back at full strength, Jackson was asked if he had any specific concerns heading into the season’s second half. ‘I really don’t,’ he said.”
Frank Isola of the Daily News: “Larry Brown once branded Eddy Curry the cornerstone of the franchise, a center in the Patrick Ewing mold who would dominate the rest of the NBA and lead the Knicks back to prominence. Big, mobile and talented, Curry seemed to possess all the physical tools to support Brown’s bold claim. But three years after the Hall of Fame coach predicted greatness for the young center, Curry’s career is now at a crossroads, and his personal life in crisis. These days, no one is mentioning Curry in the same breath with the league’s top big men. Instead, friends, teammates and former coaches wonder if Curry – injured, out of shape and facing unimaginable personal hardship – will ever play again, much less return to being a starting center.”
