Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “His fans all across South Florida are not just Heat fans. They are people you never hear from. They are underprivileged and at-risk children and families touched by Alonzo Mourning Charities Inc. (to which the Heat donated $50,000 on Monday night). They are the folks who know him well over at the Overtown Youth Center. The families who have been fed by him at Thanksgiving. The kidney patients who have been inspired and visited by him. The beneficiaries of his annual Zoi’s Summer groove fundraisers. It is these works, off the court, that led President Barack Obama to send Mourning a hand-written note lauding his athletic skills ‘but also the way you have given back to the community all these years.’ And that led Gov. Charlie Crist to name Mourning one of the state’s ‘points of lights’ for being ‘a great man who isn’t just a basketball player.’ And that led Bill Russell to call Zo “a true American hero.’ The player Zo was stood out before the man did. From Zo you get a sense of gratefulness, first for being alive thanks to the kidney given him by a cousin, Jason Cooper. And for the opportunity his physical skills have given him. ‘I feel such gratitude, being able to have an influence on other people’s lives,’ he said. `There comes a time when you plant your feet, stand firm and make a point about who you are.’”
20 Second Timeout: “Most of the so-called ‘advanced stats’ are based on taking box score numbers–points, shooting percentages, rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots, turnovers–and assigning particular weights to each category and/or converting per game numbers into per minute numbers that are adjusted for ‘pace’ (one exception to this is plus/minus, which simply tracks the point differential when a player is on the court and compares it to the point differential when he is not on the court). It should be obvious that even if the weighting formulas are perfect–which they most certainly are not–the ‘advanced’ stats are only as reliable as the basic data that they use. Even excluding the possibility of deliberate bias and/or incompetence on the part of scorekeepers, it should be obvious that assists, steals, blocked shots, turnovers and rebounds are all somewhat subjective in nature, so no player’s box score statistics are 100% accurate. That is one reason that I criticize the way that so many ‘stat gurus’ present their player rankings without any mention of a margin for error.”
Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald: “Garnett is almost 33 and already has played 5,000 more minutes than Larry Bird did before Bird’s body gave out. And with Garnett we’re not talking about Artis Gilmore minutes, either. We’re talking about a Steve Prefontaine pace: Just go ’til you drop. Pierce, 31, and Allen, 33, aren’t much different. There never was any question about the hearts of these champions; it’s the knees and ankles and lower backs that eventually would derail them. Happens to the best. Meanwhile, the Cavs already have won 60 games and are coasting to the best record in the NBA. They are 35-1 at home. Their leader is 24 years old and about to win his first MVP. He’s tossing in underhanded, 75-foot shots for Steve Kroft on ‘60 Minutes.’ His smiling face is on all the magazines. It’s LeBron’s time now, which puts in the Celtics in an interesting position as they head into the playoffs.”
Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com: “This year, naturally, the Cavaliers have eclipsed all previous marks against the West – winning 25 of their first 29 matchups with one game remaining against a cross-country opponent – on Sunday afternoon when the Spurs come to town. (The Cavaliers completely destroyed a short-handed Spurs club in San Antonio – playing without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili – on February 27.) Cleveland’s .862 winning percentage against the West is easily the Eastern Conference’s best, leading Boston (21-9) and Orlando (21-7). In those wins, the Cavaliers are outscoring opponents, 102.1 to 92.7; shooting .470 from the floor to their foes’ .440. These numbers might not mean too much. After all, the Cavaliers have pretty much beaten up teams on both sides of the Mississippi this season. But there is an unmistakably different style of play in the Western Conference. And Cleveland has proved that they can play the Western Conference way – or force them into Eastern Conference basketball.”
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle: “Shane Battier might be the key to the Rockets winning in the playoffs, but we’ll get to that later. First, though, we take you to courtside Saturday night at Toyota Center and to a scene that was both fascinating and bizarre. It played out time and again. As Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy called out a play for his team, Battier would turn to his teammates and describe the play. Sometimes, he’d even use the same terminology. Don’t you just hate smart guys? ‘That’s a Duke thing,’ Battier said Monday. Thanks, Mr. Obvious. ‘No, really,’ Battier said. ‘Coach K taught us that. Even if you don’t know the play, call it out.’ Why? ‘It puts doubt in the other team’s mind. Maybe just a little bit. They’re like, ‘Wow, they know what we’re doing.’”
Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: “His shots from long range have fallen regularly, but he drives to the basket equally well. The 6-foot-6 swingman has a knack for knowing how to get a good look at the rim, by either pulling up, fading away or driving to the hoop. During March, since he stepped in at small forward for the injured Luol Deng, Salmons has averaged 21.3 points and shot an even 50 percent from the field. Only four NBA players have scored 20 points and shot 50 percent for the full season, and two are guards (Chris Paul and Tony Parker). The amazing thing about Salmons, though, is he never has done this before. The 29-year-old Philadelphia native averaged double figures for the first time last year, his sixth NBA season. ‘I’m a late bloomer,’ Salmons said. ‘Some guys, they get it early. Some guys don’t.’”
Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post: “Truth is, the Nuggets in Melo’s first five seasons haven’t been good enough to win in the playoffs. And for all we know, it may happen again this season. What then? ‘I haven’t been out of the first round, so I’ve got some unfinished business,’ Anthony said. ‘But regardless of what happens, it’s always going to be on me anyway. I’m built for it, though. I can take it. It’s all good.’ But it could be great. That’s the thing with Anthony. He’s playing the best all-around basketball of his career, but, until he wins in the playoffs, he won’t be mentioned in the same breath as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, the other cornerstones of the 2003 draft. ‘You can’t compare me to those guys,’ Anthony said. ‘D-Wade has already won a championship. LeBron has already gotten his team to the Finals. And me, I’m over here. It’s three totally different situations.’ Tell you what. Just because he isn’t appreciated as much as Wade and LeBron throughout the hoops world doesn’t mean Melo shouldn’t be appreciated too. He’s a great player. Not only that, he has It. He’s at his best with the game on the line.”
Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: “Bobcats coach Larry Brown made it clear Monday that Adam Morrison is no longer here because he didn’t want to be here, and couldn’t handle the pressure associated with being chosen third overall in the 2006 draft. ‘I was happy Adam got to leave because he was never comfortable here. You were hoping it would be a new lease on life for him. I still think it can be,’ said Brown of the Feb. 7 trade that dealt Morrison to the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown said the other factors — the glut at shooting guard and small forward and Morrison’s recovery from a knee injury that cost him the previous season — were secondary to how expectations rattled Morrison. ‘As the season progressed, I sensed (his frustration). You’d hear some things in the crowd and see him react. So I had some talks with him and that’s when I realized (how unhappy he was.) He said all along he’s never felt comfortable here.”
Blazer’s Edge: Playoff Seeding Explained
Jason Quick of The Oregonian: “From Day One of training camp the Blazers have been about making the playoffs, and doing it as a team. What separates them is they’re doing it without ego, attitude and entitlement. Maybe it sounds corny. But it’s real. I’ve listened to Frye vent about his nearly forgotten season. I’ve talked with Bayless as he has slipped in and out of the rotation. I’ve seen Travis Outlaw’s shoulders shrug without a care when rookie Nic Batum became the starting small forward. And I’ve watched as McMillan has twice told Joel Przybilla that although he is playing just as well as, if not better than, Greg Oden, the rookie was going to start. Never — not once — did any of the players come even close to griping or moaning. And don’t think this isn’t a big deal.”
Richard Sandomir of The New York Times: “The long delay in starting to build the Nets’ proposed arena near downtown Brooklyn is helping to cause huge financial losses. For the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31, Nets Sports and Entertainment, which owns the team and real estate in Brooklyn, had a pre-tax loss of $77.8 million. That brings the three-year total of losses to $228.2 million, according to a 10-K filing by Forest City Enterprises, the parent company of Forest City Ratner. Forest City Ratner is developing the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project, the site of the arena. Forest City Enterprises owns 23 percent of the Nets, who play in the Izod Center at the Meadowlands.”
Andrew Kamenetzky of the Los Angeles Times: “The only gossip I’ve heard about Drew’s rehab is that he’s taking it very seriously (similar to the approach during last season’s injury and the ’ship his ass out’ offseason). The back stories, in my opinion, make this an “apples and oranges” affair, and I don’t think going there, even as an inference, without citing specific ammo is necessarily fair to Bynum. Where I do think Drew screwed up, however, is by placing this Playmate on his shoulders, much less allowing a pic to be taken. In this age of cell phone cameras, thedirty.com and Youtube, it’s a given the image will become public, and Bynum simply doesn’t need that. I understand the urge to hoist Miss Narain on his shoulders- I really understand- and I’m guessing Bynum’s squat work requires him to support considerably more weight than his lil’ buddy carries. I also doubt he risked further damage to his MCL. Yes, Bynum could have slipped. Yes, he could have lost her balance and caused Drew to lose his. Yes, some drunken fool might have tried to push them. But all things being what I consider realistic, the odds of a setback were low. But Drew looks like a guy willing to risk a setback, and therein lies the problem.”
Andre’ Snellings of Rotowire.com: “According to the media, announcers, talking heads and most fans there is a lot of history playing in the NBA right now. Tim Duncan is universally announced as the best power forward ever, and Kevin Garnett is right there with him. Kobe Bryant (whether true or not) has been called “the best basketball player on the planet” for years now, and is widely accepted as the best shooting guard without the initials MJ in NBA history…and Dwyane Wade is waiting in the weeds to join the party. NBA statisticians everywhere are saying that Chris Paul is routinely turning in point guard performances whose only historical competition is Magic Johnson, and there are those that believe that Deron Williams is just as good if not better than he is. LeBron James at age 24 has already reached the level of prime Larry Bird…and there are some that believe that Kevin Durant is already being overlooked as a historic talent at the same position. And though his career is in its twighlight, Shaquille O’Neal is spoken of in the same breath with names like Kareem, Wilt, and Russell at the very top of the NBA centers pantheon…with Dwight Howard already challenging him for the Superman title. If taken as gospel, this would tell us that arguably the best NBA players of all-time at their respective positions are all playing in the league at the same time.”
