Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: “Brace yourselves, folks, I think the volcano’s ready to blow. When it does, everything else we’ve seen and heard from the Warriors this season will seem rinky-dink in comparison. I’m not just talking about the Stephen Jackson Issue, though Jackson’s agent re-ignited the lava flow this week by launching a broad attack against Don Nelson to ESPN.com. ‘You guys know what that’s all about,’ Nelson said Monday, suggesting correctly that Mark Stevens’ comments were meant merely to provoke a trade. ‘I don’t have any comment on it.’ A few minutes later, Jackson hummed happily to himself in the Warriors’ locker room before they walloped dreadful-dreadful Minnesota at Oracle Arena. Jackson declined comment but certainly was not displeased by the ruckus. You see, the Jackson affair is just the warm-up percolation, however it is resolved, if it ever is. I’m also talking about the Monta Ellis Issue, which has been building for months. I’m talking about the Anthony Randolph Issue, which Nelson continues to stoke. I’m talking about the Andris Biedrins Issue. The Corey Maggette Issue. The C.J. Watson Issue. The Team-Is-Lousy Issue. I’m talking about all of the issues, all of these players in various states of unease and unhappiness, jammed together in one hothouse locker room, ready to explode.”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “Suns General Manager Steve Kerr joined his team for its weeklong road trip that ended Monday night and liked what he saw, both on and off the court. On the first night of the trip in Miami, Kerr was leaving the team hotel for dinner with coach Alvin Gentry and other staffers when they saw 10 of their players get into taxicabs to go to dinner together. ‘That’s pretty rare,’ Kerr said. ‘We felt good about our team, but we were not quite sure what to expect. We have a group of guys who like each other and play hard for each other.’ Some Suns went to forward Grant Hill’s Orlando home for breakfast Thursday. Besides bonding during bus rides, flights, practices and games, the Suns have been socially active. A communal feeling can translate to the floor. ‘I don’t think anybody even looks at the stat sheet,’ center Channing Frye said. ‘Each person has done something to help this team win. We don’t rely on just one person. Everybody has to do their part, and that’s what makes it fun.’”
Mike Jones of the Washington Times: “On Monday, Saunders devoted the majority of practice to ‘demanding ball movement’ and getting his players to make quicker decisions and maintain motion in the offense. ‘Ball movement, stressing to the guys what’s a good shot, what’s a bad [shot], getting the ball to the weak side — those are the things that were missing,’ center Brendan Haywood said. ‘Guys can’t get your [isolations] and just go. That’s not it. That’s not what a good team does. Good teams, the main players [isolate] down the stretch. But most of the time the ball moves for three quarters, and everybody touches it.’ Part of the problem is that the Wizards still are learning Saunders’ elaborate offense. But the coach said ball movement is key regardless of how complicated a system is. ‘It’s all basic same philosophy. No matter what it is, if you get the ball and think, ‘I’ve got to score,’ no matter what offense you’re in, it’s not going to matter,’ Saunders said. ‘That’s been our mentality a little bit. And it’s hurt most recently with the loss of Mike, who was the one guy who [acted] as the facilitator, making the ball move, keeping the ball moving. So when you’ve got one guy on the floor who does that, it opens up things for everybody else.’”
Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel: “The Milwaukee Bucks have played only five games. Still, the numbers don’t lie. The Bucks are giving up 85.2 points per game. They are the only team in the league that has yet to yield 100 points in a game. And they are off to the best start in franchise history for points allowed after five games. Not bad for a franchise that has not been known for its defense over the past several years. Coach Scott Skiles said there are several factors involved. ‘Preparation, hard work, everything,’ he said. ‘We work very hard at it. The guys are getting good at our schemes. We’re contesting shots very well. We’ve been good on the defensive board. So all the factors you need if you’re going to do that, we’re doing them all fairly well right now. We’ve got a better commitment from the guys. We have a more energetic group. Guys have a lot of energy every day. It seems to be getting internalized rather than being inconsistent with it. You just hope it continues because it’s a way we can win right now.’”
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “A year after starting 3-29 and finishing the season ranked eighth-to-last in points allowed (103.1 points per game) and fourth-to-last in opponent field-goal percentage (47.5 percent), players have now bought into the idea of becoming a better team by starting with defense. ‘It’s still early in the season. But it’s good that we are thinking that way,’ Brooks said. ‘We’re creating an identity that we have to defend.’ The league is taking notice. Through its first six games, the Thunder has had just one poor defensive showing, a 105-94 road loss to Houston in which the Rockets scored 22 fast break points, netted 54 paint points and shot 53.8 percent from the field. The only other game the Thunder allowed triple digits scoring came against when OKC took Fisher’s defending champion Lakers to overtime before losing, 101-98. Against Orlando on Sunday, the Thunder turned in its best defensive effort yet and rode it to a 28-point victory over last year’s Eastern Conference champions. Seven hours before the game, at his team’s morning shootaround, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said: ‘It’s obvious, watching them on film, that (Brooks) has really put a lot of time in and a lot of emphasis on the defensive end. They’re defending with a lot higher level of commitment and purpose than they were a year ago.’”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Vince Carter, who has missed the last four games with a sprained left ankle, could be back against the Charlotte Bobcats. The shorthanded team is hopeful after Carter went through portions of the team’s practice on Monday, although next-day soreness is always a concern. Carter or no Carter, Van Gundy believes it is time for the Magic to stop depending on scoring and just get some stops, period. They aren’t one of the worst teams defensively as far as points allowed, hovering around the middle at 99.5 points per game before Monday’s action. But to Van Gundy’s point — inflamed after the Thunder shot 57 percent — the Magic are among the bottom 10 teams in defensive field goal percentage. They’ve allowed teams to shoot 47.5 percent against them, including 40 percent from 3-point range. Van Gundy can’t quite put his finger on it. He’s seen missed rotations, no close-outs on shooters and far too many ‘blow-bys,’ where opposing guards, especially, speed past defenders enroute to the basket.”
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “As Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman strolled into the locker room after pre-game shootaround Monday night, teammates greeted him with congratulatory daps and salutations. ‘Player of the week!’ Baron Davis shouted, alluding to the award handed down to Kaman by the NBA on Monday — Western Conference Player of the Week. Kaman, who has long been the Clippers’ leader in verbiage per minute, was uncharacteristically subdued about the whole thing. He sheepishly thanked the guys then stared down at the floor with a smile while removing his practice shoes. It isn’t as if Kaman hasn’t won awards before. ‘For shooting stuff?’ Clippers forward Steve Novak asked facetiously (Kaman is an avid outdoorsman). ‘What are you talking about?!’ Kaman snapped back. ‘I was college player of the year in [the Mid-American Conference]!’ Kaman then added, laughing, ‘In high school I got an award for being the best student in some computer class.’ Log on to a computer these days, and Kaman’s statistics over the season’s first two weeks jump off the screen.”
Brian Kamenetzky of the Los Angeles Times: “Post play isn’t bubble gum and moon pies. There’s plenty of pushing and shoving, but Kobe is extremely strong for a two guard (anyone, really), mitigating the damage on that front, while the guys he takes to the elbow, mid-post, and baseline aren’t generally accustomed to playing that sort of defense. They don’t exert pressure of a center or power forward, and will wear down faster because a whole different set of muscles are at play than those used to guard the perimeter. Kobe can dictate the terms of a possession. Add in that he’s running through fewer screens and into fewer big bodies en route to the rim, and it’s a winning formula for him physically. Considering his early stats, it’s a winning formula for the Lakers, too. Not all outputs are created equal. 15 shots off entry passes isn’t the same as 15 shots driving from the perimeter. When the Lakers get Gasol and Andrew Bynum back, I’m sure Kobe’s shot attempts will decrease and at least some of his game will move back to the wings. But even if he’s hoisting in January as he’s hoisting today, if his trend towards post play continues through the season- I think it will, in one form or another- he’ll still likely enter the playoffs with plenty of juice, more than he might with a more conventional approach to scoring.”
Frank Isola of the Daily News: “Eddy Curry has been working privately with two of the club’s conditioning gurus, Dave Hancock and Greg Brittenham. Last summer, Walsh decided to outsource Curry’s conditioning program but the move backfired. Curry then showed up for training camp out of shape and suffered a leg injury on the first day of practice. ‘He’ll be a part of this team and we’re looking forward to having him and seeing what he can do,’ Mike D’Antoni said. ‘But it’s been a year or so since he’s played.’ It remains to be seen how D’Antoni will use Curry and how much he’ll play the veteran center. D’Antoni prefers a smaller, quicker lineup. In Phoenix, he had Shaquille O’Neal for less than one full season and the Suns failed to get out of the first round. Within two weeks, D’Antoni left the Suns and joined the Knicks. When D’Antoni was asked how he plans to use Curry, he replied: ‘He’ll be that big guy in the middle, running down and setting a pick and trying to get the ball close to the basket and hoping he dunks on everybody, that would be ideal. As good as he gets is as much of a role that he’ll have.’”
Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: “Both teams made significant changes. The Cavs sent Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for O’Neal, and then signed free agents Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. The Magic lost Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto but brought in Vince Carter. But it’s the O’Neal-Howard matchup that is the main attraction — unless you’re a member of the Cavs, apparently. ‘It doesn’t matter to me,’ LeBron James said of O’Neal vs. Howard. ‘We’re anxious to see how we play against them.’ The main question is whether coach Mike Brown will double-team Howard, a move O’Neal made clear would be unnecessary in his very first press conference here — a sentiment he repeated after practice on Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. ‘We’re not going to double,’ O’Neal said. ‘I’m sure they are going to double. We’ve just got to play hard.’ Asked if he concurred with O’Neal’s game plan, Brown smiled and said, ‘That’s Shaq’s idea of the game plan. He’s been around long enough. He’s got four rings and 17 years. So he’s got a good feel of what’s going on.’”
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports: “The Warriors no longer seem to have any desire to repair the damaged relationship with their former captain. Jackson’s agent, Mark Stevens, blasted Warriors coach Don Nelson in an interview with ESPN.com Sunday night, criticizing Nelson’s coaching ability and trustworthiness. Nelson wouldn’t respond to Stevens’ comments, but he did say the Warriors are trying to accommodate Jackson’s trade wish. ‘I’m aware the team needs a change,’ Golden State general manager Larry Riley said. ‘I’m working hard toward that.’ Jackson said he has been told 10 teams have expressed interest in him. The seriousness of their level of interest remains questionable. … The Warriors would be amenable to trading Jackson for expiring contracts, but most teams would prefer to save their cap space for the heralded 2010 free-agent market. ‘If it’s soon, I’m ready,’ Jackson told Yahoo! Sports after Monday’s game. ‘Can’t do nothing but be ready. I asked for it as long as it’s the right situation for me and it’s not done out of spite. I’ve done a lot for this team and this organization and I hope the respect stays the same way. If it does happen, I hope it’s somewhere where I want to be.’”
Jenn Abelson of The Boston Globe: “The Boston Celtics want fans to get their green on – online. With a championship-caliber squad on the floor, the team is stepping up its digital game for devotees who can’t get enough of Pierce, KG, Rondo, and Ray on television and can’t score tickets to TD Garden. The team recently began distributing exclusive locker room footage on YouTube, and last week launched 3-Point Play, an interactive stats prediction game for fans on the Celtics’ Facebook page. The Celtics are also sending Twitter messages, including quotes from press conferences and team events, to 21,000 followers and using the social networking site to offer seating upgrades at games. These efforts augment GameTime Live, an application available at Celtics.com that features real time scores, tweets, and blogging with supporters throughout the world. The team beta-tested GameTime Live during the 2009 postseason, and more than 50,000 unique visitors checked it out during the triple-overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of the first round. ‘Now that we’re at this sold-out state, it’s more difficult to get into the game and fans can’t get tickets,’ said Rich Gotham, the team’s president. ‘We want to make sure we don’t forget about those fans. We want to keep them interested and keep them loyal.’”
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com: “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sounded good on the phone. That’s not always a reliable gauge of someone’s mood, but the greatest scorer in NBA history coming across as upbeat and relaxed, maybe even a little playful, means something in this case. Especially in this case. He is a private man who chose to go public with a health crisis, who accepts whatever attention will come with the news that he has chronic myeloid leukemia — a rare form of leukemia — who went on network television to reveal part of his personal life when he could have sent out a press release and left it at that. And that settles it: more than merely the latest chapter of an amazing life, it may be the greatest. Six NBA championships with the Bucks and Lakers, more points scored than anyone, more minutes played than anyone, more baskets made than anyone, six MVPs and three NCAA titles at UCLA as arguably the greatest college player ever is an OK run and all, but just maybe helping educate the public about a disease is more important. ‘This is a great opportunity to spread knowledge and have a positive impact,’ Abdul-Jabbar said.”
(Photo by Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images)
