Points in the Paint

» September 10, 2009 6:15 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Chris Reina ranks teams best positioned to win a title over the next five seasons.

Nets owner Bruce Ratner’s latest vision for the Barclay’s Center will include a “pedestrian-friendly direct view of the arena scoreboard through the arena’s glass doors. Patrons in the arena can see the borough skyline from their seats.”

Henry Abbott penned a fantastic blog on the deification of Michael Jordan. Make sure you click Abbott’s link to the Washington City Paper. There are some fascinating stories about Jordan’s nightlife activities during his stint with the Wizards.

Good Doug Collins quote on Jordan’s financial impact: “When he won his third title in 1993 and [retired], the cap was $8.5 million and Michael was making $2.5 million. When they beat Utah [in 1999], the payroll was $85 million and Michael was making $35 million. He took all the players making $1 million-$2 million into the $7 million-$8 million range. He lifted all the players’ salaries.”

Scottie Pippen describes what it was like to defend MJ in practice: “Pippen’s second season would be Collins’ last in Chicago. Phil Jackson was promoted to head coach in the summer of 1989, and a new emphasis would be placed on defense that would eventually become one of the Bulls’ calling cards. ‘I went to a small school, so I had to be a jack of all trades and master a few,’ said Pippen. ‘Defense was one thing I was really able to work at and get better. I came into a situation where I had some good coaches who really understood the defensive end of the game. They taught me things that made a difference. A lot of my instincts came from guarding Michael all the time in practice,’ he added. ‘I had four other guys on my team, but I had schemes that I would throw out there depending on what he did. I’d say, ‘If I make Michael do this, then you go trap him.’ There were things I tried to do on defense to trigger him into a mistake. He was a great player, and if you couldn’t try it on him in practice, there was nowhere else to try it.’”

Adonal Foyle is writing his thesis on retirement experiences of NBA players.

Shawn Marion bought a $5-million Dallas mansion that’s just down the street from George W. Bush.

Paul Pierce talks about Boston’s off-season acquisitions and KG’s recovery.

Benjamin Balskus of ChicagoNow: “‘My strength is made perfect in weakness’ can apply to just as well to basketball as it does to writing. Think of the playing style of Chris Paul. There is something awkward about him, a syncopation of natural rhythm-he waits a quarter-second longer to deliver a pass, takes another half step before rising for a layup. This awkwardness makes him great, and is the natural extension of his formative years, playing as a small guy without the natural advantages of larger players. Through determination, the biggest small guy in the NBA took his weakness and forged it into a strength. Now think of Derrick Rose. He doesn’t have an obvious physical weakness to latch onto. You could say he is a poor defender, and you would be right, but the question I want to answer is why does he struggle on defense? The conventional response is ‘experience,’ and it is valid but it also doesn’t completely answer the question. Derrick is a 20 year-old who has been steered towards basketball since he was a child. He could be better at defense, but he is not. Why? I believe Derrick hasn’t failed enough yet to reach his full potential. He is so gifted with physical and basketball skills that he hasn’t had to play the game at the next level, the game behind the game that allowed Sam Cassell to be effective at age 38. Derrick has had success without needing to get there first, but he is rapidly approaching a crossroads. He will have to learn the game behind the game if he is going to join the ranks of the great.”

Category: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Points in the Paint