Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “‘I accept this for my team,’ Russell said. ‘And my team included our coach, Red Auerbach…’ Russell has done everything. He’s set the standard for the responsibilities, the duties of a franchise star. There was no max-out contracts for Russell, just a max-out burden. People still underestimate that when Auerbach retired, he made Russell a player-coach and Boston won another title. Just imagine that – a player-coach winning an NBA title. When Wilt Chamberlain was chasing 100 points in a night, Russell was running out of fingers for his championships rings. And he did. No one ever catches him now. No one ever wins eight in a row, and no one ever wins 11. That’s the safest record in sport. Whatever today’s players have on him – money and endorsements and global fame – no one has winning on the Celtics captain, and never will. He took a long look at that MVP trophy and marveled. ‘This is one of my proudest moments in basketball because I determined early in my career the only important statistic in basketball is the final score,’ Russell said.”
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “As he moves from event to event this weekend in Phoenix, amid All-Star obligations, Dwyane Wade is not wearing an executive-recruiter badge. But the Heat guard might as well be, because, in many ways, the open-recruiting season for 2010 free agency is at hand. With Wade, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Kobe Bryant and so many of the other potential prizes of the Class of 2010 in attendance this weekend, it is never too early to make one’s pitch, especially with the Heat now flush with 2010 salary-cap cash following its Jermaine O’Neal trade. ‘It’s a topic,’ Wade said, as he prepared for tonight’s starting assignment. ‘There’s so many of those guys around, it comes up.’”
Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: “There was a moment in the Spurs’ victory at New Jersey on Tuesday that made All-Star guard Tony Parker flash back to his rookie season. The Nets were outplaying the Spurs in the first half, and Devin Harris, now an All-Star himself, was outplaying Parker, as he sometimes did in his days with the Dallas Mavericks. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called an angry timeout, and Parker suddenly found himself nose-to-nose with his head coach — close enough to count the hairs in Popovich’s silvery beard — while getting a high-decibel reminder about his shortcomings. Parker listened intently, nodded his head, and smiled. Then he responded with the offensive aggression that has made him a Western Conference All-Star for the third time in his career. ‘I reacted just like he wanted,’ Parker said. ‘After the game, I told him, ‘After eight years, Pop, I still react to that. You should do it more often.’ Parker understands the positive role Popovich’s negative feedback has played in his development.”
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “Kevin Garnett went through the brief, to-the-point process of storing his ring, but nothing too sentimental. ‘I probably look at it in pictures more than just looking at the ring,’ said the Celtics forward. ‘I just do what I do. I’ve been able to box it and put it away.’ Out of sight, out of mind. That’s exactly how Garnett, who will play in his 12th NBA All-Star Game tonight, likes it – prioritized. Though today’s game won’t carry nearly the novelty of Garnett’s first All-Star appearance, that’s not the point. ‘I remember my first year, GP (Gary Payton) gave me a hard time in a funny way,’ Garnett said last week, breaking into an impression of Payton’s raspy voice. ‘He and Shawn Kemp made it great for me my first year. So that’s how I look on how it is for me now,’ he said. ‘When it was Kobe’s first All-Star Game in New York. I told him to relax, because that’s how it’s going to be easier for you at a time like this. So that’s what I try to do now. To help out the younger players, like guys like (Payton and Kemp) once did for me.’”
Alex Raskin of HOOPSWORLD: “Saturday at All-Star Weekend, Shaquille O’Neal maintained his perfect lifetime record in interviews. The Big Cactus/Aristotle/Daddy/Shaqtus/Agave/Baryshnikov/Galactus was asked about everything from his first car (according to O’Neal, it was a beat-up burgundy Ford Bronco II that he bought for $4,000 during his sophomore year at LSU) to his favorite All-Star game (said O’Neal, ‘I’ve been in so many so I probably have to go with the one in L.A. when I won the MVP’). O’Neal even touched on a former feud and a growing one. When asked about the opportunity to play with on-again, off-again friend Kobe Bryant, O’Neal said, ‘It’s going to bring back old memories. We’re going to have fun on the break. He’s going to look for me; I’m going to look for him.’ He was also asked about Orlando’s present-day big-man, Dwight Howard. ‘You know, it’s normal for a kid to copycat his idol, but you know he can never be this good,’ O’Neal told HOOPSWORLD.”
Scott Cacciola of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “He is an obvious asset for a struggling franchise, a multi-dimensional guard viewed in league circles as a perennial All-Star in the years to come. ‘Playing against O.J. growing up, I always said he was going to be a good player in this league,’ said Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, the former Mitchell High standout. ‘He has an NBA game. He can shoot the ball, he can put it on the floor, he can get to the rim. And he’s very physical.’ There is an element of old-school panache to Mayo’s game that many league veterans appreciate, and it goes beyond the thick tube socks he tugs to his calves and his angular beard. He often wears gray sweat pants at practice, looking more like a weekend warrior than a lottery pick making $3.9 million. The style fits the substance: Though he has deceptive quickness and athleticism, he leans more on craftiness and basketball smarts, the pick-up opponent nobody wants to face.”
Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian: “The Blazers, who last reached the playoffs in 2003, have exceeded just about everyone’s expectations to this point. But Roy knows they can’t afford to be complacent, and he’s determined not to let malaise creep into the team’s psyche. ‘I can help lead by being more vocal and pushing guys a little bit harder,’ Roy said. ‘I’m going to continue to step up as a leader.’ It also would help if he hit more game-winning shots like his 31-foot, buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Houston in overtime on Nov.6, or his finger-roll layup at the buzzer to give Portland a 109-108 victory over New York last Sunday. More telling was Roy’s – reaction after his game-winning shot against the Knicks. He didn’t jump around in celebration; just a quick chest bump with Travis Outlaw and a look of confidence. Other stars respect players who act like game-winning shots and clutch performances are routine. ‘He plays with a coolness,’ Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said of Roy. ‘He has great poise and he’s a high-IQ basketball player. He understands pace and tempo. He’s ahead of his time.’”
Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal: “‘It’s about time they’re saying nice things about you,’ Brown’s father told his son. The Cavs coach smiled but told his father he didn’t need to know what anyone was saying. Because he knows how fickle and challenging his business can be. And he knows that’s especially true in Cleveland, where the city’s most recent cham-pionship was 45 years ago. ‘We’re [24-1] at home and you should hear the chatter behind the bench that I have to coach through,’ Brown said. ‘I’m getting killed.’ It should be noted that Brown laughed as he talked, and that he laughed because he understands. He works in a town with a superstar on the team and a championship absence that leaves fans eager yet frustrated. Brown has taken his team within reaching distance of the ring, but close is not good enough for everyone.”
Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times: “This is how it happens, in case you didn’t know. This is how well-designed blueprints for rebuilding — all straight lines and right angles — end up in the waste basket. This is how a lost season turns into a lost decade until the waste basket is overflowing and wadded up blueprints litter the floor. This is why the Bulls seem stuck in the mud on the road to nowhere, gaining traction only to start spinning their wheels before sinking and backsliding again. It’s all about team building. In perhaps no other league is it more difficult than in the NBA. You would think the opposite was true. The fewer players, the fewer pieces to assemble, the easier it is. But it never seems to work that way, at least not in Chicago, at least not anymore.”
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “Officially, Tim Duncan is not a member of the Spurs front office. But you can bet his comfort-level is taken into account when it comes to personnel moves. Gregg Popovich doesn’t call his All-Star forward ‘The Franchise’ for nothing. So when Duncan weighed in Saturday on the whispers that the Spurs might be considering a four-player swap for Vince Carter, well, it carries some weight. ‘No offense to Vince, obviously he’s an excellent player,’ Duncan said told the Web site Hoops World during All-Star festivities in Phoenix. ‘We’d love to have him. But to give up most of our team to add one guy, I don’t think that’s the way you want to go.’ Duncan, like Popovich, is big on what the Spurs call call ‘institutional knowledge.’ That should tell you a bit about where this deal is headed. ‘It’s a long season and we have a lot of guys who have been here a long time and understand the way we want to play,’ Duncan said. ‘Just to insert one new piece and try to teach him in half a season the way we want to play isn’t the way that we work.’”
Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: “Iverson launched into how he does charitable acts without the media being there. ‘When I do a lot of things for my community, when I’m scheduled to do things like that, I always tell them, especially when I go to hospitals… I don¹t want the cameras around me,” Iverson said. ‘Because it makes me feel like I’m doing it for that and that¹s not why I do it… I don’t like that aspect of it having the cameras around because it truly is fake. I do things for people and for my community because it makes me feel good as a person and it helps. ‘It helps other people misfortunate people. I just look forward to doing it. I don’t need all the publicity that comes with it. I don¹t need that. When its time for me to get towards that gate, either he gonna say, ‘Come in’ or he gonna say, ‘Turn around.’ And a camera won’t decide whether I get in or not.’ Naturally, curiosity seekers wanted to know how Iverson stands now regarding the gates of heaven. ‘I’ve done a lot of good things in my life and done a lot of bad things in my life so I don¹t know,” he said. ‘I hope the good things I’ve done outweigh the bad things. I’m damn sure I don’t want to go to hell.’”
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star: “‘Clearly, Danny’s passion and faith have carried him far, and this sensitivity is also a part of his giftedness,’ said Jeremy Lampo, Granger’s Gifted English teacher. ‘Being gifted doesn’t just mean you are smart. Yes, Danny was naturally intelligent, but that was only a small part of who he was. ‘Danny’s graduating class was outstanding; his classmates are now doctors, lawyers and successful business operators. These were Danny’s friends.’ Granger was a regular on the honor roll. He graduated in the top 10 percent of his class with a 3.8 grade-point average and scored a 30 on his ACT. He was a state finalist for the 2000 Wendy’s Heisman Award, which recognizes academic and athletic accomplishments. An Ivy League education beckoned. All Senior had to do was come up with $5,000, and Yale would take care of the rest.”
Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald: “In the midst of the most productive season of his basketball career, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is coping with some of his deepest pain. At a time when he could be focusing on returning his team to championship glory — and reveling in his fifth trip to the All-Star game — Wade has been bombarded with off-the-court issues. They include a bitter, high-profile divorce, a failed restaurant chain and unsubstantiated accusations by a disgruntled business partner of recreational drug use. With his polished image now dented, the former Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year has had to leave the team on at least three occasions to attend to litigation. Basketball is his refuge as well as his profession. ‘When you were young, you dreamed of playing in the NBA,’ said Wade, 27. “You dreamed of the fame and fortune. You didn’t dream of people taking shots at you, shots at your character. That’s one thing that didn’t come with the script.’”
Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal: “Although the 24-year-old from St. Vincent-St. Mary could win the first Most Valuable Player award of his five-year career this season and goes into tonight’s NBA All-Star Game at U.S. Airways Arena leading the league in scoring, those who follow James are more impressed by his improved leadership, probably launched by his trip to Beijing. ‘It’s gotten better every year,’ Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ‘But after this run for the gold and him going through those experiences, it almost took two leaps forward. He’s a guy we all follow.’ Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Phoenix Suns, has gotten to know James intimately since he took over as managing director of USA Basketball in 2005. He has lived with James for weeks every summer, watching him at every team meeting, practice and game. ‘I’ve seen more growth in LeBron James in terms of his character, in terms of his leadership, from the time we got started three years ago than any other player,’ Colangelo said. ‘That’s how far I think he’s come in terms of maturity. He did a terrific job; he’s grown so much. I love the guy, he’s a great talent, but I love the fact that he’s growing as much as he is as a person.’”
Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: “It has been an embarrassing time for the Suns. While we’ve been focusing on our celebrity visitors, the national media has been concentrating on the mess here in Phoenix, and the deconstruction of a team that once captivated basketball fans everywhere. It could get worse. Most NBA stars seem shocked that Stoudemire is on the trading block. They see him as the casualty of frugal and misguided ownership, and his All-Star teammates are highly sympathetic to his plight. They might give him the platform to shine and set him up for dazzling dunks, as is customary for an All-Star starter playing in his hometown. You can bet that Stoudemire is relishing the chance to make a lasting statement. ‘It’s always a fine line between winning and losing,’ Spurs guard Tony Parker said. ‘I feel sorry for all the Phoenix fans. We’ve had a great rivalry over the years, and Phoenix had some great teams. Lucky for us, we came out on the winning side. And now they have some tough decisions to make.’ Once, beating the Spurs was the cause du jour in Phoenix. Now, we’re getting sympathy from the Spurs. That hurts.”
Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee: “Joe and Gavin Maloof are having a tough time financially. How tough? I haven’t seen their books, and when asked this week by the Bee’s Tony Bizjak, Joe declined to say how much the Kings have lost. But guess what? Everyone is hurting right now. Layoffs right and left, in private business and local governments. The state slashing worker salaries and money for schools. Sacramento County closing medical clinics for the poor. The city of Sacramento poised to gut services. And yet? Mayor Johnson and most everyone else in town wants to keep the Kings. That’s a commitment that is real, not rumored. There are lingering frustrations with the Maloofs over the state of the team and their role in past arena initiatives that failed but no one with any sense wants the Kings to leave. Team loyalties aside, it’s just not a good time for the city to lose a major enterprise. This isn’t Seattle, a city that gave the SuperSonics a collective middle finger before that team bolted for Oklahoma City.”
Jeff Rabjohns of the Indianapolis Star: “The Pacers’ deal with Conseco Fieldhouse pales in comparison with the deal Indianapolis gave the Colts with the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The difference between the deals in terms of who pays operating expenses of the building where each team plays is somewhere in the general neighborhood of $40 million. Yes, it’s a complex business situation. Yes, there are revenues and expenses it would take a CPA to fully explain. But the long and short of it is, Daddy just gave the younger child (the Colts moved from Baltimore in 1984) more than he’s been giving the older child (the Pacers originated in Indianapolis in 1967). Certainly, there are a myriad of factors at work. The economy is struggling, the Pacers are still coming back from several seasons of bad player behavior, the Colts were coming off a Super Bowl run and had leverage. On the other hand, the Pacers have been here longer, won more championships, generated revenue for the city for longer, play 41 regular-season home games a year compared to the NFL’s eight, etc. The situation can be viewed through many lenses.”
Bill Ingram of HOOPSWORLD: “The future of the NBA is at stake, but fans should feel confident that Stern, who has taken this game to new heights in his tenure as Commissioner, will find ways to cultivate growth in what is becoming more and more a global game. There was a contingent of media from India, and Stern admitted that India is an area where the NBA is looking to expand its influence. ‘There is an enormous growing middle class in India,’ said Stern. ‘There were 300 million Americans and probably I don’t know what our target is that, probably 120 million or 130 million, and of the billion two people in India, we think there might be a pretty similar number that are following our game a little bit. The younger they are, the more likely they are to follow it in the particular regions. We think that the American networks are rushing in for ownership of Indian networks. There is some concentration going on. We think that programming of NBA is going to increase there. We recently had Robert Parish in India involved in school programs and the like. We are working in 600 schools in India. We just see that as a natural extension of what we’re doing, the same way we are doing it in other regions of the world. But India is a very important and promising market.’”
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Stern said Saturday night he did not give teams any advice or instructions on how to run their businesses. Silver and Litvin both said ‘warning’ was too strong a word to describe Stern’s address to the GMs, and insisted that no concrete revenue projections were conveyed. ‘They know exactly what’s happening,’ Stern said. ‘They know what their finances are. They know what the issues are. We also know that the cap is going to start … the cap is coming down.’ It was the first time Stern had publicly acknowledged that the salary cap – which is set yearly based on the previous season’s revenue – could be reduced. The red-flag year is 2010-11, which will be based on revenue from 2009-10. That means player salaries will come down, which one team executive said would not necessarily be a bad thing for the sport. ‘It’s some much-needed belt-tightening that should’ve happened years ago,’ the executive said. ‘But times were good, everybody was making money, so nobody cared.’ It just so happens that 2011 is when the collective bargaining agreement expires. So it was refreshing to hear Stern and Hunter announce that they’ve already begun hammering out the framework for an extension. It won’t be easy work.”
