February 8
Philadelphia Inquirer
columnist Stephen A. Smith
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With NBA all-star weekend just a few days away, we already know all we need to know about these 76ers. We know the Sixers are young and talented, and that there are a few teams that may like their talent, particularly as the Feb. 18 trading deadline approaches. We also know they are choirboys of an expensive variety, likely to make as little news on the court as they're making off it, which explains why most teams are allergic to them right now - and why the rest of us should consider them a complete waste of our time. Where's the Chairman, Mr. Ed Snider, when you need him most? He was perfect for moments like this once upon a time. Right when it was evident that the Sixers were on a path ..."
February 7
Cleveland Plain Dealer
columnist Mary Schmitt Boyer
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The game-day noon shootaround has been a staple of NBA life for decades, but that may be changing. The New York Knicks are one of the teams that have done away with them for home games, preferring to come in about 4 p.m. for a team walk-through and meal before a night game. They still hold traditional noon-time shootarounds for most road games, except for the second game of a back-to-back like Saturday's. The Boston Celtics also have gone with the evening walk-through at home, with occasional shootarounds on the road. The theory of the shootaround was to get players out of bed and prepared for the game with a light workout, but coaches are starting to question that, especially coaches ..."
February 7
Denver Post
columnist Benjamin Hochman
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Amid a powder blue sea of Denver fans, a young boy in Section 130 cautiously applauded the opponent while proudly locking eyes with his smiling mother to his right. And as the Sacramento reserve walked onto the Pepsi Center court, Asaf Shraiber in Section 106 put aside his Denver allegiances to pledge allegiance with the flag - he and friends joyously waved Israeli flags featuring the Star of David, while cheering Israel's best long- range slinger since, well, David. "He's Israeli, I'm Israeli," said Shraiber, who lives in southeast Denver. "This is our homeboy.""
February 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ira Winderman
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How do you make the best of a bad situation? Example A could be the New Jersey Nets. Even as New Jersey chases infamy with its inglorious record, a case could be made that no team could stand better positioned for 2010 free agency. Depending, of course, on how the ball bounces. In a draft lottery that sets up as all-or-nothing as when the Chicago Bulls landed their point guard of the future in Derrick Rose in 2008, walking away from their home-state lottery in Secaucus with Kentucky guard John Wall could change everything for the Nets. While Miami Heat President Pat Riley has been touting his team as the only major player in free agency with both space for a max player and a max talent ..."
February 6
Akron Beacon Journal
columnist George M. Thomas
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Who is LeBron James most like? Is he another Michael Jordan? Or Magic Johnson? Or Oscar Robertson? Those questions have been around James for nearly 10 years. In the first 36 days of 2010, it's clear that James might be a bit of each of those players. He earned the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Month on Wednesday for the third consecutive month. If you go back to the final two months of the 2008-09 season, he has won the award five months in a row. In January, James averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists. Stellar numbers, no doubt, but it's the way he produced those statistics that has some bringing back these comparisons. With the Cavs missing guards Mo Williams and ..."
February 5
Cleveland Plain Dealer
columnist Bill Livingston
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Asked why he guarded Dwyane Wade at the end of their classic showdown a week-and a half ago, LeBron James said, "Anything else would be uncivilized." Asked before the rematch at The Q on Thursday what he would do without James at the end of games, Cavs coach Mike Brown said anything else would be unthinkable. "I haven't even thought about that," Brown said, feigning shock. The coach then ran his fingers around the loose-fitting collar of the sweat-suit top he was wearing, as if it had suddenly constricted. "Whew! Getting hot in here, isn't it?" Brown said, smiling and fanning himself with one hand. The Heat was on again Thursday night. When they threw the ball up for the center jump, the ..."
February 5
L.A. Daily News
columnist Vincent Bonsignore
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The timing might seem peculiar for the Clippers to strip Mike Dunleavy of his coaching duties, but the reality is this is the perfect time for the change. Not because the team will suddenly turn around under interim coach Kim Hughes and make a valiant run to a playoff spot. The Clippers recent 2-6 road trip pretty much sealed the deal on any realistic postseason hopes, and though it's still possible they can leapfrog over the four teams ahead of them for the final playoff seed in the Western Conference, it's hardly likely. This move is about the future, not the here and now, because no coaching change is suddenly going to transform the Clippers into one of the eight best teams in the ..."
February 5
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ira Winderman
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As rumors linking everyone from Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire to Dalas Mavericks forward Josh Howard swirl around the Miami Heat, it is undeniable that this is the time of year when the Heat often gets caught up in the trade whirl. On Feb. 6, 2008, the Heat traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion. Last year, the Heat not only traded Marion to the Toronto Raptors for center Jermaine O'Neal on Feb. 15, but already was deep into negotiations with Toronto about that trade during the first week of February, including administering a physical on O'Neal. Against that backdrop, Erik Spoelstra finds himself trying to coach a team loaded with expiring contracts. "It seems like ..."