- Orlando’s backcourt is struggling, to say the least: “The point-guard situation is a mess, to put it kindly, with Jameer Nelson trying to get his feet under him and Rafer Alston trying to locate the basket. The shooting guards are, well…there’s a reason they are called shooting guards, right? But here are the unsightly numbers for some of the them: Alston, Nelson Courtney Lee and J.J. Redick are a combined 14-for-53 (26 percent) in the two games against the Lakers. And to top it off, Lee missed a potential game-winner with .06 seconds left in Game 2. ‘Obviously, we didn’t find anybody,’ Coach Stan Van Gundy said after Game 2. ‘Our guards were 6-for-26, and I think for the most part, again. L.A. ’s defense was good … but we just couldn’t knock anything down.We were just trying to see if we could get somebody out there who would make shots off of the double-teams and off the pick-and-rolls and things like that. I thought our guys fought hard, but we couldn’t make enough plays.’”
- Dwight Howard: “Their defensive plan against me in the post has been really good. Phil Jackson is a smart, smart coach. I’m not saying the coach from Cleveland isn’t, but the way they’re using their bigs on the defensive end has been a little tricky for me. But it’s something that I’m learning from. Their bigs are doing a great job of forcing me to other the bigs. It seems like I beat one guy and there’s another one waiting on me or the guards are always there digging down and trying to strip the ball.”
- CelticsHub crunches the numbers and finds that Boston’s offense was better without Garnett. Jeff Clark at CelticsBlog says it’s time to consider trading Ray Allen.
- Sam Smith at Bulls.com: “Bosh said last week he won’t sign an extension this summer, which is no surprise. Dwyane Wade is unlikely to as well. I talked to one general manager who said he expects Wade and Bosh to end up together. I talked to another who said he expected Bosh to end up with James either in Cleveland or New York. Someone else said he’s going to Golden State, which has the best package to offer and is anxious for a big strike. The point is they’re all guessing and they don’t know. Most league executives I talk to believe James will remain in Cleveland. None believe Bosh will remain in Toronto.”
- Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw compares Larry Bird to Kobe Bryant.
- Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: “Derek Fisher walked out of Staples Center on Sunday night not only with a 2-0 NBA Finals lead in hand. Fisher was carrying his cell phone and Pat Riley’s book, ‘The Winner Within.’ Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy worked for Riley in Miami for 10 years, most of that time as Riley’s right-hand man, and you never know what little edge or added understanding you might be able to pick up. Fisher did also have the for-sure relevant info – the Orlando scouting report given Fisher by his current Lakers coaches – folded neatly inside Riley’s 1993 book. But there is not another Lakers player you could imagine doing this sort of additional reading in such committed search for some slight strategic or leadership advantage. There is probably not another player in the entire NBA who would do it. And it was Fisher’s brain that triggered the key play of overtime. He outsmarted the guy from Duke and took the ball from a guy a foot taller and twice as athletic.”
- Dahntay Jones, Chris Andersen, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Grant Hill star in “The Team Mating Game.”
- Bethlehem Shoals wonders if the East has really caught up with the West.
- Jonathan Abrams of The New York Post: “Before games, Turkoglu consumes pizza, a personal choice, but not the most appealing one before two hours of lung-burning cardiovascular activity. After games, he walks the locker room in an embroidered bathrobe in the essence of Hugh Hefner. It is in that span that Turkoglu truly distinguishes himself. He is a walking mismatch, and his improvement was integral to the Magic’s ascension. A gifted ball-handler at 6 feet 10 inches, he is only now reaching his potential at 30 years old. He is widely popular overseas, and he and Utah’s Mehmet Okur are the only N.B.A. players from Turkey. Turkoglu entered the N.B.A. with the Sacramento Kings in 2000 and was nicknamed the Michael Jordan of Turkey. In Sacramento his minutes fluctuated as a backup to Peja Stojakovic, and the organization wondered if he was too carefree. His personality never strayed. ‘When I think of Hedo, all I do is laugh,’ said the TNT analyst Chris Webber, a former teammate of his with the Kings.”
- Video footage from Blake Griffin’s pre-draft workout with the Clippers, via Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com: “Spanish teenager Ricky Rubio, projected as a top-five pick in the NBA draft, took the first step in clearing his way toward the NBA on Monday when he notified his team, DKV Joventut, that he wants to terminate his contract. Rubio is asking out of his deal, and also is challenging a 4.75 million Euro (approximately $6.6 million) buyout, which climbs to 5.75 million Euros after June 30. Rubio made 70,000 Euros last season (about $97,000) and is scheduled to make 125,000 Euros next season (about $175,000). ‘The [buyout] clauses are disproportionate to his salary — abusive clauses,’ Rubio’s father, Esteban, told ESPN’s Chad Nielsen. ‘We want to know, if he really left, whether or not he’d have to pay these amounts. It’s fair for DKV Joventut to get paid a certain amount of money, but what they want to collect is out of proportion with what Ricky earns.’ Rubio hasn’t filed a lawsuit. Instead, he has asked for arbitration to settle the dispute. A source said that Rubio has retained a highly regarded labor law firm in Barcelona to represent him. If the dispute cannot be settled, a civil legal action would be next for Rubio.”
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
