John Canzano of The Oregonian: “Roy will tell you that he understands what it takes to win big in the NBA. Though he’s never seen them play, we talked about Bill Russell and Bob Cousy on Wednesday. And we discussed the emotion and energy he saw in Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez during Monday’s loss. Also, we talked about what fans say when they approach Roy in public. Players typically report that fans tell them to shoot more or pass more. Center Joel Przybilla once told me that someone approached him and gave instruction on free-throw shooting. Steve Blake said strangers tell him to get Oden the ball more. Roy? ‘They tell me, ‘Thank you for being part of the turnaround,’‘ he said, ‘because they’ve been here their whole lives and rooted for this team so hard.’ Part of the turnaround? Aside from a change in philosophy, caused by fan pressure, that preceded his arrival, Roy is the biggest piece of the turnaround. He’s the young star who called out Zach Randolph in the locker room two years ago. He’s the two-time All-Star who sets a tone by playing hurt, and hard and effectively. So yeah, making the playoffs? That’s on Roy now.”
Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: “If you were to show Chris Douglas-Roberts a tape of his games from December, and then another one of his performances from last week, he would notice a distinct difference between the two — in confidence, rhythm and his ability to create enough space to knock down a jumper or finish in traffic. There’s a good reason for that, he explains. It’s not entirely his game he’s playing anymore — he’s borrowed it from a few guys whose games he admires. ‘It’s about the patience I’m having now,’ the Nets’ rookie wing said Wednesday night, an hour before tipping off against the Cavaliers. ‘At the beginning of the season I didn’t really understand the sets or the NBA game. But I’ve always said experience gains confidence. And I had a lot of time to watch — not just our guys, but some of the great players on other teams, too. And I tried to take different things from each of them.’ Watching Joe Johnson, he said, gave him an appreciation for using both hands, expanding your repertoire, deceptive quickness and getting the best shot instead of the one the defense is willing to yield. Watching Kevin Martin put him inside the head of a slasher who can turn an inch of space into a rim attack, one who can not only hit sideways jumpers but get a whistle anytime he needs one.”
Michael Lee of the Washington Post: “‘A lot of people may have criticized me and said I didn’t live up to expectations, but everybody around this organization could see how I grew as a player and how I’m going to continue to grow,’ Durant said. ‘I knew coming in that I would go through lumps. Guys don’t know how tough this game is, being guarded by the best defenders in the world every night for 82 games.’ Durant also had to deal with constant speculation about the future of the SuperSonics, who left Seattle last summer for Oklahoma City. Durant actually likes Oklahoma City, which he said reminds him of Austin and doesn’t offer many distractions other than basketball. ‘I’m not into the really big cities, even though I grew up in Washington, D.C. Once you’ve been there for a long time, you get tired of it,’ Durant said. ‘As I was growing up, I kind of liked the slower pace. This fits my personality very well. I’m laid back. I’m kind of a slow-moving cat.’ Durant lives 10 minutes away from the team’s practice facility in Edmond, and his neighbors are well aware that they live near an NBA star. He has returned home from road trips to find encouraging messages written in chalk on his driveway, and sometimes neighborhood kids stop by to play video games with him.”
Ken Hoffman of the Houston Chronicle: “As time wore on, Artest’s behavior on the court became more aggressive, with incidents leading to suspensions, and his neglect of animals at home became a bigger problem. Some animals were seized by officials. Other animals, he simply brought to the shelter or gave to friends. Then they came and took Socks. Enter PETA. Artest, wife Kimsha and their three children have no pets in the house now. He doesn’t have the time to properly care for them. Artest said that once ‘I get settled in Houston,’ he will adopt a couple of dogs. His wife has laid down the law … no cats. That ‘get settled’ line may mean he intends to stay with the Rockets after he becomes a free agent in June. ‘I would like to stay here. I love it here, and the organization is pleased with me. That’s a good sign. This is my first choice,’ he said. Another good sign is his solid, incident-free play that has the Rockets square in the playoff hunt. He’s practically been a choir boy this year. He said working with PETA and the Houston Humane Society has helped.”
Al Iannazzone of NorthJersey.com: “Lopez readily admits that Anderson has helped fill the void of being separated from his twin brother and ex-Stanford teammate Robin, who plays for the Phoenix Suns. Anderson, a power forward who started 19 games but lately has been out of the rotation, said Brook has helped his transition as well. ‘It’s made it a lot easier,’ Anderson said. ‘We’re buddies.’ Anderson is such a good friend, he often drove Lopez to and from shootarounds, practices and games after giving him a wake-up call. They live in the same Edgewater townhome development, and Lopez, who turns 21 a week from today, didn’t get his driver’s license until the mid-February All-Star break. He said he was being lazy and wanted to get it in California. ‘I would call and wake him up,’ Anderson said. ‘He would put on his clothes, then come downstairs and we go. It’s just being a friend. That’s what friends are for.’ Some Nets called Anderson, ‘Brook’s chauffeur.’ Lopez’s mother even gave Anderson gas money, which he reluctantly accepted.” (Via HP)
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Parker was brilliant Wednesday night with 42 points and 10 assists, helping the Spurs solve their recent struggles closing out games in a 102-92 victory over the Hawks. Parker’s performance was so good, it prompted Duncan to say he deserves to at least be in the top five on voters’ MVP ballots in a few weeks. ‘I think absolutely,’ said Duncan, a two-time MVP. ‘Of course I’m biased, obviously. But with the position that we’re in — second or seventh in the West, however many games it can switch — we’re right in the mix with that. The amount of injuries we’ve been dealing with all year … he’s keeping this team consistent. He’s been the consistent one all year long. Absolutely, he should be at least given an opportunity to be one of those top five.’ It was the second-highest scoring game of Parker’s career, after the 55 points against Minnesota in double overtime back in November. (For the record, he had 42 in regulation in that game.) When Parker had 55 points and 10 assists in a 129-125 victory over the Timberwolves on Nov. 5, he stopped San Antonio from suffering its first 0-4 start since 1973. I’m detecting a theme. When the Spurs are in trouble, Parker comes to the rescue.”
X’s and O’s of Basketball: Celtics Cannot Stop Magic Penetration
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “Phoenix was among the NBA’s 10 worst rebounding teams before losing Stoudemire but had not been outrebounded in any of their five consecutive wins entering Wednesday’s game. ‘We are undersized, but those guys find a way to come up with the ball,’ Gentry said. ‘I’ve been a little bit surprised we’ve been able to do as well as we have on the boards. ‘We talk about it all the time. We can’t count on Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) to get all the rebounds. We have to have other guys get rebounds, and we still have the ability in that situation to get out and run.’ The Suns have done it as a group, with Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes being strong rebounders for wing players, even with Barnes moving to power forward. Louis Amundson and Jared Dudley help as hustling reserve rebounders. Amundson ranks 29th in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes (12.2), and O’Neal is 17th (13.6).”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “There will be video sessions and meetings, easy walk-throughs and tough practices. There will be time for all the things the Rockets could not get to in the past four weeks. With Tuesday’s loss to the Utah Jazz, the Rockets’ season moved from its most grueling stretch — 15 games in 25 days — to a bit of schedule even more unusual. During a seven-day stretch, the Rockets will play just one game — Saturday’s against the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center. Finally, they can get a break — and go to work. ‘I think it’s great. I really do,’ coach Rick Adelman said. ‘We practiced (Monday). We actually went two hours. Even though it wasn’t a strenuous practice, we covered a lot of stuff. That’s what we’re planning on doing for the next week.’ His plans are more detailed than that. While the Rockets’ turnaround — the team has won 16 of its last 21 games — has put them in the forefront of the Western Conference playoff pack, it also revealed strengths and weaknesses.”
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “Cavs coach Mike Brown’s routine is to bring back an injured starter slowly, brining him off the bench first. Usually, though, players don’t lose their starting job due to injury. However, circumstances may be different this time with what is sure to be a brand new rotation with Smith in the mix. Knowing it could be a tough decision, Brown is staying non-committal on the subject but certainly leaving the door open that Varejao could remain a starter. ‘With the way the team is playing, I have to think about it,’ Brown said. ‘We don’t have to deal with it right now. It’s not anything to hide from. The team that is starting has played well, it’s something we’ll address as time goes on.’ Wallace has played well at times this season defensively and was leading the team in blocks until his injury. But the Cavs are not sure how quickly he’ll be able to regain his form coming back from the leg injury.”
Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com: “Isiah Thomas is actively seeking work again, and he spoke several weeks ago with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in a meeting arranged by current coach/general manager Mike Dunleavy, ESPN.com learned Wednesday. Several NBA sources confirmed the February meeting between the former president and general manager of the New York Knicks, adding that there were follow-up discussions between Thomas and other high-ranking club officials — but also stressing that no job has been offered. Discussions between former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas and the Los Angeles Clippers were described by one source as informal yet substantive. Sterling is said to be considering adding another executive to the Los Angeles front office to alleviate some of Dunleavy’s responsibilities in his dual role as coach and general manager. Former Lakers and Grizzlies general manager Jerry West was linked to a possible Clippers front office job before he publicly disavowed any interest. The discussions between Thomas and the Clippers were described by one source as informal yet substantive.”
The AP: “Gilbert Arenas apparently is ready to return to the court. He swears he is done, however, with his computer. Yes, one of the best-known and most-quoted examples of a star professional athlete conveying his thoughts to the world via his blog is hanging up his keyboard. The Washington Wizards point guard said so himself Wednesday when asked whether he plans to resume writing now that he’s ready to get back to balling. ‘I retired,’ Arenas said in the home locker room before Washington’s game against Charlotte. ‘No more blogging for me.’ Really? Why not? ‘It’s just like the double-[edged] sword thing: Eventually your words is going to kill you,’ Arenas said with a smile. Asked to explain his thoughts further, Arenas smiled. ‘I started looking at it as, before, it was fun, and everybody has fun reading it. And then it’s like everything I said, everybody started using it as firepower, instead of saying it’s just entertainment. You know, people started using it, trying to take bits and pieces instead of enjoying the blog,’ the three-time All-Star said. ‘So once I started seeing that, I just started visualizing, eventually, this is going to be the double-[edged] sword thing. It made me and it’s going to kill me, so I might as well stop.’”
