Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “The NBA All-Star Game last came to Boston in 1964, and since then the issue of whether to bring the big party back has either been entirely ignored, or – as in the case of current Celtics ownership – an intriguing but difficult issue. This week is no different. Wyc Grousbeck and his fellow managing partners are ready to submit a proposal once the league indicates it is considering new locations for the 2011 game and beyond. But next year’s game, which will be played in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium – a dome-like structure that will seat 60,000 fans – is shaping up as a litmus test for whether the All-Star Game will go the way of the Final Four, accepting bids only in mammoth arenas.”
Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald: “Beasley is scheduled to play in Friday night’s rookie challenge game against a team of second-year players. Beasley, who has struggled entering the All-Star break, could use the four-day diversion. Second-year guard Daequan Cook will participate in Saturday’s three-point contest, and guard Dwyane Wade will start for the East in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Beasley, whose team will be coached by Wade, looks forward to the event. ‘I’m not playing no defense,’ Beasley said. ‘And I better not get benched. It should be a fun day.’”
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “Spurs guard Manu Ginobili did not make the All-Star team this season. After an inconsistent start to the season while fighting back from ankle surgery, he didn’t expect to. Instead, Ginobili will spend his break getting exactly what he needed most. A break. ‘I need it,’ Ginobili said. ‘I’m going to use it wisely. Ginobili’s ankle has responded to the pounding of the past three months. His body, however, has absorbed the usual amount of bumps and bruises. With that in mind, Ginobili will forgo his annual All-Star tradition. He usually takes a trip somewhere. Last year, it was Las Vegas. This year, Ginobili is staying home.”
Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: “The little kid had big dreams when he approached the NBA star more than two decades ago. Well, maybe he didn’t dream big enough. It was the mid-1980s, and Micheal Ray Richardson estimates Chauncey Billups was 8 or 9 when he saw the youngster at the then-named Skyline Recreation Center in Denver. ‘He came up to me and told me he wanted to be an NBA player,’ Richardson recalled. Turns out, Billups has done a lot more than just show up in the NBA. On Sunday in Phoenix, the Nuggets point guard will play in his fourth NBA All-Star Game, tying Richardson’s record for a player from Denver.”
Wages of Wins: “Williams is virtually the same player in Cleveland that he was in Milwaukee. His shooting efficiency is somewhat better with the Cavs (although not much better) while his assists are down. In fact, the drop-off in assists appears to more than offset his improved shooting. Despite a small overall decline in Win Score, Mo Williams is suddenly an All-Star. And this leads one to the obvious conclusion. To be an All-Star you simply need to score for a winning team. Last year Mo Williams scored some for a loser. And no one thought he was an All-Star. This year he gets to play with LeBron James — and Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, and Anderson Varejao – and suddenly Mo Williams is one of the very best players in the game. As I have noted before, the purpose of statistics is to separate a player from his teammates. Mo Williams is essentially the same player he was in Milwaukee (and you don’t need Win Score or Wins Produced to see this). So if he wasn’t an All-Star last year, why is he going this year?”
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “O.J. Mayo will be larger than life during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. That’s the Grizzlies’ goal for the rookie as the franchise unveiled three different O.J. Mayo billboards Thursday in Phoenix as part of a Rookie of the Year campaign. The billboards feature a giant picture of Mayo and the tag line, ‘Welcome to the Show.’ The campaign is in conjunction with the launch of voteoj.com. The Mayo Web site includes interesting statistics and testimonials about the USC product from coaches, players and media members and will be updated with new features to help garner media support throughout the guard’s run towards the 2009 Rookie of the Year award. ‘The great city of Memphis is fortunate enough to see O.J. Mayo every day, and we wanted to help share his basketball brilliance with the entire NBA community,’ said Greg Campbell, Griz president of business operations.”
Mike Well of the Indianapolis Star: “The contest is two rounds. The top three after the first round advance to the final. They have 60 seconds to shoot 25 shots from five locations, with the last ball — the ‘money’ ball — at each spot worth two points. Granger wants to be the first Pacer to win. Former Pacers great Reggie Miller competed five times. He lost in the finals by a point twice — 1990 to Craig Hodges and 1995 to Glen Rice. Miller was eliminated in the first round in 1993 and 1998. Granger is second only to Lewis in 3-point attempts (337) and makes (134) in the league. He’s 47th in percentage (39.8). Granger, who could threaten Miller’s single-season record of 229 3-pointers set in 1996-97, practiced for the competition earlier this week, albeit with only one rack.”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “Yao (7-6, 310 pounds) has always been a rarity for reasons beyond his unprecedented combination of size and offensive skills. He arrived in the NBA with a sense of time running out, and often refers to the short professional time span of athletes. ‘About 2010, that’s when I am 30 years old,’ Yao said. ‘I tell you what happened when my parents are 30 years old. When my dad was 30 years old, he was already two years after he retired and I was already 1 year old. And my mom was coaching when she was 30 years old. I feel that. I obviously played longer than them, plus, well, think about it.’ With that in mind, he said the strength of the Rockets will be a key to his decision-making.”
Fred Kerber of the New York Post: “‘I really like what we have. I like the way we’re playing. Our young guys are emerging and feel more confident,’ said Vince Carter, whose name surfaces almost daily in trade rumors but as the lifeblood of the team with Devin Harris, he’ll probably stay put. ‘But we still have a long way to go.’ Tough way, too. They are 24-29 and have beaten some quality teams but they’ve also lost to some dregs. The rest of the way, the Nets’ opponents have a combined .544 winning percentage (821-688). The remaining 14 home games show teams playing at .555. The 15 road games present a .534 percentage. And 18 of the 29 opponents are in playoff position. The Nets must get healthy. Then they must continue defensive improvement. For most of the season, the Nets couldn’t guard a locked door. But for the last 10 games, they’ve yielded 92.9 points per game. That is the best mark in the league for that span.”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Orlando has eight games this month when it returns from the break. It looked as if the Magic would get a break here, but nothing is assured after Nelson’s injury. Four games come against teams below .500, but five are on the road — and the Magic no longer boast the league’s top road record. Their toughest games will come against New Orleans, Miami and Detroit. Ah, the Pistons. Remember them? For all the doomsday talk, the Pistons still have the Magic’s number, beating them without Chauncey Billups once already this season. Chilling stat: Orlando is 4-12 against Detroit in the Dwight Howard Era.”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “There is one indication that Suns trade talk involving forward Amaré Stoudemire has not advanced far: His agent has not heard from the Suns about any proposals. Former National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Charlie Grantham, Stoudemire’s new agent this season, equates this portion of trade exploration as fantasy basketball, with the majority of the teams exploring the possibilities. When it gets to reality, Grantham said, he will want Stoudemire to have a say, because he will not want to go just anywhere. Grantham reiterated that Stoudemire prefers to stay in Phoenix and sign an extension, a topic he won’t broach with Suns leaders until the off-season. ‘I feel he’s a (maximum-salary) player,’ Grantham said. Stoudemire can’t veto a trade, but he could discourage a team with a lack of desire for a long-term commitment.”
Marc Berman of the New York Post: “The Knicks have enough headaches as they enter the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak. The one they could have easily nipped in the bud – Stephon Marbury – still festers. In 11 days, Marbury and Knicks brass will legally dispute the $400,000 fine he was tagged with for allegedly ‘refusing’ to play vs. the Pistons on Thanksgiving Eve, according to a league source. The Post has learned a hearing has been arranged in New York on Feb. 24 that may require Mike D’Antoni to miss a Knicks practice to testify against Marbury, who was banned from the team after being docked $400,000 in pay. Marbury has offered to drop his appeal of the $400,000 fine if the Knicks accept his $1 million giveback. But Knicks president Donnie Walsh has not budged, perhaps wary of him joining the Celtics or Heat. Marbury has told The Post he has a verbal commitment from the Celtics.”
Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: “Joshua Finney, the boy from North Carolina diagnosed with leukemia, asks Paul about the transition from college to the NBA. ‘You may think I’m crazy when I say this, but I tell people this all the time,’ Paul said. ‘The NBA is easier to me than college was. And part of it because the three-point line is farther back and the court is so wide open. It’s easier to get in the lane.’ Then Paul stops. Jordan is out in the hall. His Air-ness makes a grand entrance, and the air is sucked out of the room. Dave Williams, the CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation, said that 27,000 children are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and that the foundation grants 13,000 wishes a year. Since first doing so in 1988, Jordan has granted a child’s wish 176 times, more than any other athlete besides NASCAR star Jeff Gordon and wrestling personalities Hulk Hogan and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.”
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: “Only the Clippers, it seems, could be involved in a fight in which a fair outcome is unattainable, and a rooting interest is impossible. It’s Elgin Baylor suing Donald Sterling, a fallen general manager charging the falling owner of being racist and cheap, allegations that apparently occurred to Baylor only after working there for more than two decades.One cannot pick sides, only emotions. Sadness comes to mind. How do you back an owner who is now fighting two lawsuits accusing him of racism? But how do you support an employee who clearly tolerated the climate in which the racism allegations occurred? It is certainly much easier to boo the loser Sterling than the legendary Baylor, but, in this case, it’s hard to cheer either one.”
