Points in the Paint

» June 4, 2009 11:13 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

John Hollinger: “Despite all this buildup heading into the postseason, I was unprepared for what happened at the end of the conference finals, and it really drove home to me the importance of the Kobe-LeBron debate in the heart of Laker Nation. To review, I had picked the Nuggets and Cavaliers to win the conference finals; obviously, things didn’t work out that way. And, as I expected, I got the usual missives in my inbox from fans of the Magic and Lakers. This is par for the course when anyone makes a prediction that doesn’t come true. There were more of the messages, perhaps, because the Lakers have more fans than any other team, but otherwise it was situation normal.Except with one twist: L.A. fans weren’t e-mailing about the Lakers-Nuggets series. They were e-mailing because Cleveland lost. Moreover, it wasn’t just that Cleveland lost, it was that LeBron lost — the messages highlighted his failure, not his team’s. Similarly, most of them didn’t even mention the word ‘Denver,’ and those who did only referenced the Nuggets tangentially.”

Elliott Teaford talks to Pau Gasol about his conditioning: “He was fatigued as the Lakers marched toward the NBA Finals. Whatever strength he had left, he used in reaching the fourth and final round of the longest playoff run of his career. So, in the offseason, he decided it was time to hit the weights from the beginning to the end of the season. He lifted in the past, but never stuck to a regime. As the seasons progressed, he would usually drop the weights and stick to the basketball. ‘I just tried to work with discipline and (do) steady work in the weight room throughout the year, so my body is ready to compete, especially at this stage,’ Gasol said. ‘I think last year I fell a little short, especially down the stretch. This year, I just tried to stay strong and tried to stay toned to be able to be physical and be able to compete.’”

The AP, via ESPN: “Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV provider, struck the deal with NBA Digital that would give NBA TV exposure to 11 million “Digital Classic” viewers compared to the 2 million it had as part of the sports tier, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details. An official announcement was expected Thursday. NBA Digital also agreed to lower the per-subscriber rate it charges the cable operator, a key factor in the agreement. NBA TV had been airing only on Comcast’s premium sports package, which costs $5 to $8 a month and has about 2 million viewers. By adding the channel to Comcast’s ‘Digital Classic’ tier as well, NBA TV gains exposure to 11 million viewers. NBA TV will now reach 30 million households nationwide.”

Bill Ingram of HOOPSWORLD: “For the past few days we’ve been hearing rumors that the Boston Celtics might be willing to part with Ray Allen before the start of the 2009-2010 season. HOOPSWORLD asked around in Chicago, where the majority of NBA executives were taking a look at most of the first round draft prospects, and managed to find out a few more details. We have now added to those, with the help of WEEI’s Jessica Camerato in Boston. Off the record, we have several sources telling us that Ray Allen is, indeed, on the block. It’s easy to make the leap, as the Celtics have managed to develop some nice young talent around their Big Three while also managing to win a championship. They might have even repeated had Kevin Garnett been healthy. It’s not a stretch to say the Celtics would part with Allen, who has an ending contract next season, if they could add another top young player to the mix. On the record we have an added wrinkle – one that we thought to be highly unlikely until we found it reported with a quote attributed to Celtics GM Danny Ainge. It seems the Celtics are willing to package Rajon Rondo with Allen to make the right deal happen.”

Paul Coro on the Amare Stoudemire trade rumors: “Reports that the Suns have been engaged in trade talks that would send Stoudemire to Boston or Washington are conjecture. They also probably are not the last of trade rumors for Phoenix, which is just as apt to move Shaquille O’Neal or Jason Richardson. ‘There’s a lot of stuff flying around out there that has no basis,’ Suns General Manager Steve Kerr said. ‘There’s just a ton of speculation but there really is nothing substantial going on. With most of these deals being speculated about, I haven’t even had a conversation with the opposing team. I read this stuff and laugh.’”

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News: “Courtney Lee was a star in high school, no question about that. As a junior, he was a key member of a state championship team at Indianapolis Pike. He was second-team all-state as a senior and played for Indiana in its traditional all-star series against the best players from Kentucky. But all that got him a ticket to the Sun Belt Conference, where he played four years for Western Kentucky. Why? Because at the time there appeared to be better prospects for the big-timers to pursue. Talent scout Dave Telep remembers Lee as a ‘three-star recruit … thought he’d be good, but not top 100.’ So how does Lee go from maybe the 120th player in his high school class to the No. 22 pick in the 2008 NBA draft to the sixth-leading scorer for the Orlando Magic, set to commence the NBA Finals tonight? Hard work, athletic gifts, quality coaching and, for the purposes of this discussion, the too-often-overlooked developmental value of NCAA basketball.”

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