Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Cuban no doubt would love to have Dirk play 20 years for the Mavericks, but he obviously can’t make that commitment. He did say by e-mail, however, that his plan is to attract free agents with Dirk as the centerpiece. We think that Dirk will be a draw for stars to want to come to Dallas for years to come,’ Cuban said. ‘Players are playing at a high level for longer for a variety of reasons, so the window may not be as short as some think — particularly for a star like Dirk who takes his alley oops below the rim.’ After all the smack Dirk talked to Kidd, he’ll appreciate a little of the same from the owner. One positive for Nowitzki this season has been the coaching staff. When the Mavericks meet the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday night, it will be four days short of the one-year anniversary when former coach Avery Johnson removed Kidd from a game with the Mavericks trailing by two with 34.5 seconds left. The Mavericks lost by three and Johnson lost Nowitzki’s backing. When Rick Carlisle was hired to replace Johnson, one of the first things he did was try to bond with Nowitzki, who clearly respects the way Carlisle has handled the team.”
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: “Odom has increased his aggressiveness with drives to the basket but has also worked on his finesse game. The extra time invested in his outside shot was evident Sunday when he hit from 13 feet, 19 feet and 21 feet. He is also moving better without the ball, knowing when to cut to the basket to get the ball down low and when to curl off a screen to hit a jump shot. ‘That’s something I couldn’t do two seasons ago,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know when to cut and how to make the play without the ball. Playing with Kobe [Bryant] and then playing with Pau [Gasol], and then Andrew [Bynum] started coming along, it’s not like I’m going to be able to just take my man one on one. I’ve got to stay in the flow, and that’s usually without the ball.’ Odom has also been working with something else — his right hand.”
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “Jeff Green’s latest nickname has come from the most unlikely of sources — Thunder coach Scott Brooks. ‘Mr. Consistency,’ Brooks labeled his second-year forward. ‘He’s very efficient with his game. He’s meticulous in his work, and I love the way he approaches the game. For a young player, he has a very veteran’s approach to the game. I think that’s helped. It’s paying off.’ The results are just buried in the shadows of Kevin Durant’s recent scoring spree. But with February averages of 20.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists, Green has arrived as a quality No. 2 option, no longer carrying the dubious distinction of being the player for whom the franchise traded a likely Hall of Famer in Ray Allen.”
David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel: “When he is properly motivated, Orlando can beat anybody. Howard’s numbers were 32 points, 17 rebounds and an approving yawn from Van Gundy. ‘That’s sort of what I expect out of Dwight,’ he said. Especially now that the running hook has stolen Howard’s heart. ‘I fell in love with it,’ he said. Our story actually began years ago, when Howard started working on the move. He did it occasionally in games, but then it would disappear. Then Van Gundy saw him rolling the shot in during a warm-up in Dallas. Howard said he made about five running hooks that night. Jabbar Jr. was born. What makes it so good is Howard is a natural left-hander, so he can shoot it with either hand. His extension makes it unblockable.”
Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News: “The Pistons don’t have losing streaks like this very often. Sunday’s 99-78 loss to Cleveland was the Pistons’ sixth consecutive setback, a season-high. They’ve also lost 16 of their last 22 games, falling to .500 from 10 games over (21-11 on Jan. 4). In the midst of this losing streak, coach Michael Curry said it’s important for his team to fight. ‘I’m sure anytime you lose, it affects it (confidence),’ Curry said. ‘But what are you going to do to correct it? I’m more into that. ‘If your confidence is down, get your shot down, get more shots, work a little harder, play a little harder, get some easy ones in the game. Be there for defensive stops, help your teammate, help yourself. ‘Guys have to hold each other accountable out there.’ Curry was not satisfied with the Pistons’ effort. But he’s finding it tough to get his team to fight through this difficult time.”
Julian Garcia of the Daily News: “His tone was different but Lawrence Frank’s message Sunday was the same as it was on Friday night: He must get the Nets to play harder than they have during a five-game losing streak that has threatened to destroy their season. ‘When things are going bad it starts from the top,’ Frank said. ‘When the other guys are playing harder, I take that personally in that I didn’t get our guys to compete as hard as we need to.’ Following Friday’s humiliating home 107-96 loss to the Wizards, Frank called himself out, saying he’s doing a ‘poor job’ of preparing his team to compete. ‘Maybe he does feel that way wholeheartedly,’ said Vince Carter, ‘but I think at the same time we have a responsibility as well. It’s not like we don’t know what’s coming. We’re prepared, it’s just that we have to go out there and execute it.’ The Nets haven’t won since routing Denver by 44 points at the Meadowlands on Feb. 7. Since then, they’ve lost five times by an average of 16.8 points.”
Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “In some ways, the franchise still has not recovered from the Anthony Mason signing and the Ray Allen trade, moves that Karl had the power to force. Anyway, the timing of his arrival Sunday with the Denver Nuggets was in some ways pertinent. Not to be overly provincial about this, but the Bucks are a really good story, one of the best in the league for the way they’ve been able to maintain playoff positioning with the depth of their injuries. At the same time, it wouldn’t take much to tip this thing the other way. Karl can relate. He was here when a roster-shaking trade left him with eight players one night in Indianapolis. He was here when the Bucks took Haywoode Workman off the scrap heap, threw him out there cold as the starting point guard and won with him for a time. ‘(Scott) Skiles has been doing a very good job,’ Karl said. ‘I always thought Scotty was a good coach. With every job he gets, he gets better.’ Naturally, Karl would mention coaching first. But in this case, it’s true. In Skiles, the Bucks have their first coach since Karl able to manage the complexities of NBA games and NBA personalities. If the Bucks make the playoffs, it would not be difficult to make a case for Skiles as coach of the year.”
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “‘Personally, I like playing on the road,’ he said. ‘It builds character.’ Typically, Popovich loves the team’s rodeo trip for just that reason. It affords him a captive audience, forces focus and engenders what Popovich calls a ‘bunker mentality’ in his players. This year, however, that bunker was broken by two lengthy returns to San Antonio to break up the eight-game swing. It was an itinerary built to bank serious frequent-flier miles: back-to-back at Golden State and Denver, home for four days, Boston, New Jersey, Toronto, five days off for the All-Star break, then New York, Detroit and Washington. ‘Disjointed as hell,’ Popovich called it. So disjointed, in fact, that Popovich doesn’t believe the Spurs gleaned the same character-building benefits from this year’s rodeo trip they might have in years past.”
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “‘We’ve got some competitive people,’ Hollins said. ‘We’ve got sponges — guys who want to learn. They work hard and you can push them. They’ll do what you ask. Those are all positives. They want to learn how to win, and it’s our job to keep teaching.’ The Grizzlies are 4-8 under Hollins, including their current four-game losing streak. Their winning percentage (.333) is higher than in their first 43 games, but not without disappointment. Memphis’ latest setback, a 115-106 home loss to a short-handed Sacramento squad, is evident that the franchise will continue to endure growing pains. Under Hollins, however, the Griz have shown improvement in several areas beyond player development. The most noticeable and appreciative change has come on offense, where the Griz are playing at a faster pace and with more motion without the ball.”
Wages of Wins: “Free agent signings aren’t the only problem for this team. In the past four years the Kings have added the following in the first round: Francisco Garcia, Quincy Douby, Spencer Hawes, and Jason Thompson. These four players have combined to produce 0.2 wins this season. When we put the whole picture together, it’s easy to see that Sacramento’s problems are largely self-inflicted. The team is simply a product of its past decisions. And these decisions were less than optimal. As a result of these decisions, the Kings are not performing on the court and the team’s fans are staying away. To solve this problem, some are suggesting the Kings move to another town and another set of fans. Certainly this can lead to an increase in attendance in the short-run. But if this team keeps choosing the wrong players, eventually the Kings will wear out their welcome in a new town.”
Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald: “Riley took on the King Kong of salaries, Jermaine O’Neal’s, despite the fact that he no longer puts up beast-like numbers. It was all in the name of improvement. It’s a stand Heat fans should be thankful this organization takes. Settling doesn’t sit well. It does, apparently, in other cities. The Hawks were one game from turning the league on its head when they took the Celtics to seven games in last year’s playoffs. They’re in even better position this year, holding the fourth spot in the East, and yet there was no movement before the deadline. The Nuggets are the second seed out West but still are thought to need one more piece to compete with the Lakers. No such piece was added. The 76ers, Blazers, Mavericks — none of them went the route the Heat did looking to make significant leaps on the court even when the economic climate is discouraging aggressive play like Dwight Howard’s. It helps that the Heat has always operated under, or barely over, the luxury tax since it was instituted, which didn’t leave the team desperate to drop salary the way a handful of other teams have been attempting to do. It probably doesn’t hurt, either, that the cruise industry is staying afloat despite the economic crisis, so owner Micky Arison isn’t in a panicked position.”
Biz of Basketball: “As media consumption habits continue to evolve leagues and teams are struggling with how to take advantage. The NBA seems to be taking a unique approach by allowing teams to broadcast their games online beginning next year. This flies in the face of other leagues centralized approach of only broadcasting games on league websites and even though this approach will cannibalize a pay service on NBA.com the league is convinced it will grow the number of people watching which is good for the game. ‘Teams will be able to monetize these digital assets’ says NBA commissioner David Stern. ‘If a team can only offer television, it loses viewers.’ say Lee Burke, a sports media consultant. Other sports leagues will be watching this development with keen eyes the possibility of MLB and the NHL following suit considering that they generate so much revenue from local media deals already. The question is how NBA teams will take advantage of their new online freedom.”
Howard Beck of the New York Times: “The nation’s economy is buckling. Too many teams are losing money. League revenue is flat, and the salary cap is about to shrink for only the second time in its history. The N.B.A.’s system is broken, Falk says, and fixing it will require radical measures that almost guarantee a standoff in 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires. ‘I think it’s going to be very, very extreme,’ Falk said, ‘because I think that the times are extreme.’ How extreme? Falk said he believed Stern, the commissioner, would push for a hard salary cap, shorter contracts, a higher age limit on incoming players, elimination of the midlevel cap exception and an overall reduction in the players’ percentage of revenue. And, Falk said, Stern will probably get what he wants.”
