Points in the Paint

» March 30, 2009 5:49 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Shaquille O’Neal gives Robin Lopez some unwise advice: “Put somebody on their (expletive) back,” O’Neal said. “Don’t let nobody oopsey-doopsey layup on you, then be laughing at you. You ever see me get dunked on? No. Because I put (expletives) on their back. Period. That’s what I told him. If he’s going to be a big man, be a big man. Don’t be out there (expletive) around. Lay somebody on their (expletive) back. Wilt (Chamberlain) told me that. Bill Russell told me that. Hakeem (Olajuwon) told me that. All the great big men told me that.”

Bob Bass, the Charlotte Hornets General Manager who traded Kobe Bryant with the 13th pick of the 1996 draft before shipping him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac: “The biggest part about it when people start criticizing you . . . is what about those 12 other teams?” Bass said. “Look at who they took. They didn’t get any Vlade Divac, I tell you that. Allen Iverson went No. 1 that year (to the 76ers) and the strange thing about it was (Bryant) grew up in Philadelphia and they saw him play in high school two years and they took Iverson ahead of him.”

Last Friday, I alerted readers to Charley Rosen’s plan to scout the Lakers-Nets game live from the IZOD center. Rosen didn’t disappoint as he reported back with an inside look at LA’s gameplan versus the Nets. I wish newspapers would take a similar approach to game coverage. Traditional recaps are informative, but most lack substance.

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “In addition to the amount of the cap, which is expected to decrease regardless of the CBA talks because of declining revenue, the two sides are willing to discuss structural changes and possibly a reduction in the regular-season schedule from its current level of 82 games, Fisher said. Injuries that have left so many contenders without star players or forced them to rest key players for the playoffs are paramount among Fisher’s concerns. Knocking a few games off the schedule wouldn’t eliminate all back-to-back situations, but it certainly would minimize the four-games-in-five-nights scenario that wears on players and often results in a damaged product on the floor. Going forward, the players’ health — and the quality of play — would be in even more jeopardy if teams resorted to cutting training staffs in response to eroding revenues. ‘Each game deserves to be the maximum of what it can be,’ Fisher said. ‘If you consistently have key players missing games due to injuries and things that can be avoided and prevented with some different things addressed, I think that’s a fair point to discuss.’”

According to 82games.com, LeBron James is on pace to shoot a career-high percentage from jumpshot range. NBA.com’s Hot Spots tool paints an even clearer picture of James’ improved shooting. Hot Spots breaks the court down into 14 zones. James has improved his shooting percentage in ten of the 14 zones from last season, including seven of the 10 spots located from mid-range and beyond. The King’s improved shooting hasn’t happened by accident either. The Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko arrived at Cleveland’s arena a full three hours before Dallas’ nationally televised game versus the Cavaliers yesterday. And who did Sefko pass on his way to the media room? Why LeBron of course. Sefko reports that James was the first player on the court.