Points in the Paint

» October 15, 2009 4:55 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Who says the preseason is meaningless? From John Schuhmann’s article at NBA.com: ”In the past five seasons, 10 teams have gone through the preseason either undefeated or with just one loss. All 10 have made the playoffs. In the same time, seven teams have won just one game — or haven’t won any — in the preseason. Only one of the seven, the 2007-08 Cavs, made it to the playoffs. A look at the standings on Thursday tells us that fans of the Sixers, who are 4-0, and the Clippers (3-1) should be encouraged. We also might want to keep a close eye on the Heat (0-4) and Hornets (1-3) before picking them to get back to the postseason.”

Suns coach Alvin Gentry on Phoenix’ return to the run n’ gun: “There’s a method to the madness, and I think that’s where the biggest misunderstanding about the way we play is. We have led the league in field goal percentage the last (four) years, and we’ve done that because we’ve taken good shots. We just don’t come down there and fire away. I think what we have to do is consistently keep the defense on their heels, and the only way to do that is to be dedicated to running on every possession. That’s what we’re trying to get back to, where we have the mentality of that we’re running on every possession and that we’re in better physical shape than you are, so in the fourth quarter, when your shot is falling a little bit short, we’ll still have our legs to make ours. I guess that’s the simplest form of what we’re trying to do.”

Heartbreaking little story — her father was murdered, she’s a 18-year old freshmen at Cal, and a heart condition ended her college career before it started. Chris Ballard’s story at Sports Illustrated starts like this: “It was the shoes that stood out. Last Friday, 18-year-old Tierra Rogers walked into a small, windowless room inside Haas Pavilion on the campus of Cal. She was there to make her first public comments since the terrifying events of the previous two weeks. Symbolically, the meeting with reporters was the first act in her new life, the one that must now continue without basketball. Yet there on her feet were the shiny, black team hightops, like some tether to the world she was leaving or perhaps a reminder of what she’d lost. Maybe you are familiar with Tierra’s story from early last year. A high school junior at San Francisco’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, she was one of the top players in the country, a rangy forward who could control a game on both ends of the court. On a cold night in January, her father, Terray, was shot and killed outside the Sacred Heart gym during halftime of a game.”

Tim Povtak of FanHouse: “Usually when guys go into their contract year — like Dwyane Wade is — they want more of everything: points, minutes and shining individual moments. How nice would a Most Valuable Player Award look in a free agency summer? Wade, though, is confident enough in his worth that his goals go well beyond the number of shots he will get. ‘I’ll say it this: I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I’m on the court, I want the ball in my hands. I want to be making plays. But we need some of the young guys to break out,” he said. ‘People keep talking about last season, but there still are things I can do better.’ Wade scoffed at any early talk about the MVP Award or his pending free agency. He preferred to talk about his quest to make the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, a goal that narrowly eluded him last season when he was only a second-team selection. That still irks him.”

Chris Bernucca reveals a little known fact about the 72-10 Bulls: “With a little more luck, the Bulls could have been 75-7. Three of their losses were by one point.”

Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: “George Karl hasn’t seen much to write home about from his team during preseason games, but he’s got plenty to smile about anyway. We’re talkin’ about practice. This team is taking the every day sessions with a professional approach Karl has never seen from a Nuggets squad during his tenure. And that has him practically giddy about the possibilities ahead. ‘The compliment I give to them is we’ve had more ‘A’ practices in this camp than any camp I’ve had with this team,’ said Karl, in his sixth year with the Nuggets. ‘Practices at times in the past have been hard. They’ve been pulling teeth. There seems to be a professional respect towards the training camp (this year) that ‘Hey we’ve got to get better.’ … Karl said Carmelo Anthony has been particularly solid with his leadership in October. Anthony also scored 45 points in the Nuggets’ last exhibition game – a win over Indiana in Beijing. ‘I think Melo is growing into that role, more so by his approach and his actions more than just his words,’ Karl said. ‘And the culture. Our culture of who we pick up and who we trade for, I think we’re a little more aware of guys that like to be in the gym.’”

Carmelo Anthony: “First and foremost, my main goal is to win a championship. And my second goal, is to win another one (laughs). Really though, my three main professional goals are all the same – to win a championship.” (Via HoopsHype) First prediction of the 09-10 season: Carmelo will capture his first scoring title.