Points in the Paint

» August 18, 2009 6:00 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Bethlehem Shoals on the WNBA: “It’s less a diminished version of the NBA than a mutant strain of it, not unlike various incarnations of Nellieball or D’Antoni Land. It might be even a more sophisticated form of basketball than either the NBA status quo or men’s college ball, which it pretty much makes a mockery of when it comes to both style and content. I don’t know enough about European ball to draw that analogy with confidence, but there might be a family resemblance there. It also reminded me quite a bit of the NBA of the 1960s, at least in the non-differentiated guard and forward positions, emphasis on movement and cutting, and varied offensive sets. Maybe it wasn’t by accident that Bill Russell was at the game that night. Yes, he’s a friend of Mercury GM Ann Meyers, but he’s also on record as being a fan of the WNBA’s style of play. And when Russell first entered the league, it had just discovered the shot-clock and was finally developing an identity apart from college ball that was to its benefit. A decade-plus down the road, the WNBA players not only have gotten better, they also have a better idea of what makes their league unique.”

How much cap space will the Knicks have in 2010? Chris Reina crunches the numbers.

Ira Winderman: “Dwyane Wade isn’t getting Chris Bosh this summer, isn’t getting LeBron James at midseason and might not see Carlos Boozer as anything other than an opponent for a while. But he can get more from his current teammates. At least that’s what Heat President Pat Riley would like to see. While Riley waits to lift his roster to championship level, he would like to see Wade inspire the internal upgrade that coach Erik Spoelstra recently spoke about. ‘It’s really up to each player on this team to help other guys get better,’ Riley said. ‘While Dwyane is waiting for us to bring somebody else in, he’s got the ability to make other players better, even better. He’s been in that situation before, as a lot of other guys have. While you’re waiting for your franchise to make the prudent, right move, you’ve got to continue to help these guys get better and you’ve got to stay the course on that and just let us do our work.’”

Blazers Edge profiles Joel Przybilla: “Przybilla is one of a growing number of NBA players who make use of Mixed Martial Arts training in the off-season to maintain conditioning — a group which includes his Blazer teammate, Steve Blake. During the summer, Pryz spends 3 days a week working on his strength and endurance at the Duke Roufus MMA Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His use of training for combat sports began in the summer of 2005, when he began to make use of boxing training to enhance his footwork and develop his stamina.”

J.A. Adande takes a look at the candidates to succeed Phil Jackson: “Even though Jackson will evaluate his future on an annual basis, the thought process around the Lakers is that he doesn’t want to walk away from potential championships as long as Bryant is one of the NBA’s top players, and he’s also intrigued enough by the prospect of coaching the mercurial Ron Artest that it could prolong his stay. If Bryant still wields influence, another name to keep in mind is New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. That means that what LeBron James does or doesn’t do in free agency next summer could be as significant to the Lakers as to the Knicks. If the Knicks fail to land an impact free agent in the 2010 derby and their program doesn’t make progress, D’Antoni could come into play for the Lakers. That’s another coach for whom Bryant has shown respect, a relationship that dates back to Bryant’s youth in Italy when D’Antoni played there.”