NBA Columns

Mavericks would be in serious trouble without Vince Carter
February 10
Dallas Morning News
 columnist Rick Gosselin
"Fraley: I still think it's Odom, but I have to give Carter credit. He doesn't have the explosiveness that he had earlier in his career, but he's changed himself as a player and what he brings to the table is certainly different than what he brough years ago. It's impressive. Gosselin: I thought he was done. We've seen flashes of greatness from him, and considering he was never going to carry this team, he's still had some big games for the team. Carter is having the kind of season we expected Odom to have, and Odom has been a non-factor. Without Vince Carter this team would be in trouble."
LeBron touted by legend Bird, but Heat star doesn't have Kobe's rings
February 10
Washington Times
 columnist Deron Snyder
"The NBA's best player visits Verizon Center on Friday night, but don't take my word for it. That's the opinion of none other than Larry Bird. "You know, Kobe [Bryant] was always my favorite since I got out," Bird told ESPN's Bill Simmons recently. "But LeBron James is by far our best player in this league. I don't really think there's anyone next to him. I think he's there, and then you go down the list." It's hard to argue with Bird, one of the league's all-time greats. But James is a debate magnet. Arguments follow with speed and fury whenever his name is broached — especially since he left Cleveland for Miami and became a bad guy to many previous fans."
Does a trade make sense for Sixers?
February 10
CSN Philly
 columnist John Gonzalez
"Doug Collins likes his team. He likes talking about them, too. This year, Collins has spent a lot of time praising the Sixers as a selfless bunch that bought into his team-oriented system. "As I've said over and over, I wouldn't want to be in any other locker room in the NBA," Collins said. "I'll go with those guys any day." The question is whether the Sixers' front office and president Rod Thorn will continue to go with those guys. The Sixers fell to the Spurs on Wednesday, but they remain atop the Atlantic Division with an 18-8 record. To date, it has been a wildly impressive season. But that's the thing about success: When you start to have some, it leaves you wanting more."
Homecourt disadvantage?
February 10
Washington Post
 columnist Michael Lee
"The supposed comforts of home are often absent when the Wizards take the court at Verizon Center, where fans can purchase tickets on the black market for the price of a call from a pay phone, Andray Blatche gets booed every time he touches the ball, and large crowds only come out to support the opposing team. Already this season, the Wizards have heard Chicago's Derrick Rose hear "MVP!" chants, Boston's Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce draw loud ovations for curch-time baskets, and New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin – author of a spectacular and stunning three-game run – turn the building into Madison Square Garden South."
No regrets about Jeremy Lin, just joy
February 10
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Bruce Jenkins
"He has flair, he's a rising star, he's the talk of the NBA and, yes, he was a Warrior. But it's time to cancel all regrets about Jeremy Lin. Better to celebrate the young man's remarkably good fortune. For one thing, if the Warriors or their fans are suddenly all ticked off about a backup point guard, they've lost all sense of reason. The Warriors' top three needs, in no particular order, are known as big, nasty and intimidating. When Stephen Curry hits the bench, they have a perfectly fine, explosive backup in Nate Robinson. Just as Robinson views Curry and Monta Ellis as penthouse-level talents, Lin wasn't ever going to shine on the Warriors' practice court. Chance of him starting: zero."
Ty Corbin steering Utah Jazz ship through tricky seas
February 10
Salt Lake Tribune
 columnist Gordon Monson
"Following a legend is often a road to nowhere. But when Tyrone Corbin found out in a blurred rush one year ago that Jerry Sloan was quitting and that Jazz management wanted him to take over for the iconic coach, his response was … good choice. "The circumstances weren't particularly pleasing," he says. "But when I got the call, I was ready. I'd spent one year in New York and seven years here as an assistant. I thought, 'OK, let's move forward.' " He somehow thought the same thing two weeks later when Deron Williams was traded, meaning the two faces atop the Jazz's Mount Rushmore had been dynamited away and a whole lot of recasting and remolding and rebuilding had to be done amid the rock"
LaMarcus Aldridge is an All-Star in need of support
February 10
Oregonian
 columnist John Canzano
"So LaMarcus Aldridge is an All-Star. And he deserves it. Maybe you've heard that his mother wanted this honor so badly for her son, and was so disappointed that he was snubbed last year that she threatened to write a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern. No need. The cry for justice this year needs to be delivered to One Center Court. Aldridge has soft hands, and a great outside shot, and good health. He has great feet and runs incredibly well for a 6-foot-11 power forward. He has a $60 million contract. He even has a cool "LA" head-phone marketing campaign that the Blazers designed to promote him for the All-Star honor. What he doesn't have is a sidekick. And if his mother wants to join"
Ivy Leaguers can play hoops, too
February 9
New York Post
 columnist Jonathan Lehman
"It sounds like the setup of a bad joke: Have you heard the one about the Harvard kid who can't catch a break in the job market, keeps getting passed over in favor of other applicants with more impressive resumes and pink-slipped by bosses who don't believe he can hack it? It's funny, Knicks point-guard sensation Jeremy Lin is far from the first Harvard graduate to make it big in New York City. But he's the only one wearing baggy shorts to work in a Midtown office that seats about 19,000. Now, with each shutter-quick drive and acrobatic finish at the rim, Lin is shattering the image of methodical Ivy League hoops that seems plucked from the era when Bill Bradley took his game from Princeton"
Mo Williams hurting himself and Clippers with selfish attitude
February 9
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"What a bummer. Here I am in the middle of a fairy tale, with the Clippers playing like champions, only to stumble across a stereotypical selfish athlete hell-bent on making a fool of himself. Until now it's been a love fest, the Clippers seemingly doing nothing wrong. DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are acting as if they were raised together; Chris Paul's spreading around the goodwill as much as he does the basketball; and Caron Butler's comeback story is beyond inspirational."
'Twas a foul fortnight for Nuggets
February 9
Denver Post
 columnist Woody Paige
"Two weeks ago, the Nuggets were hotter than a habanero. They had won six straight — five of those on the rugged road from East (New York) to the Midwest (Milwaukee) to the West (Sacramento). They had won eight of nine, including a victory over the Heat. They were the deepest team in the NBA, and the highest-scoring — with the most assists and the No. 2 shooting percentage. And they were painting by the numbers in the paint. Now, the Nuggets are colder than a miner's ax."
Rockets may be on outside looking in at 2013 All-Star Game
February 9
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jerome Solomon
"The NBA All-Star Game is coming to Houston next year. Unfortunately for the Rockets, their participation in the league's premier showcase probably will be somewhat akin to hosting a swanky party at your house and being relegated to handling the valet parking. That is the Rockets' (parking) lot in the NBA landscape these days. They almost certainly won't have a player in this year's All-Star Game (in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 26). And unless a major trade happens, they probably won't have one in next year's game either. Wait … a trade? Here is an idea."
Parker, Splitter speak same language
February 9
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"He says the pronunciation of his name is closer to Che-ago, not Tee-ago. And he says something else. "Tony Parker is the only one who gets it right," Tiago Splitter said, smiling. The French in Parker has a sense of the Portuguese in Splitter, and it's telling of a global relationship that is enhanced near the rim. Manu Ginobili was always the one who made his teammates better, yet here is Parker, still scoring like the All-Star he should become today, connecting as he rarely has before."
Wizards lose game – and crowd – to Jeremy Lin
February 9
Washington Post
 columnist Michael Lee
"When the Wizards get trounced at home, the fans at Verizon Center usually to hit the exits early or send them to the locker room to a chorus of boos. But after the Wizards' disconcerting 107-93 loss on Wednesday against the undermanned New York Knicks, most of the 17,376 fans in attendance stuck around, stood up and applauded — Jeremy Lin and the Knicks. It was a troubling scene for the woeful Wizards, who haven't given their fans much to rally behind and allowed their home arena to morph into Madison Square Garden South. The Wizards are used to feeling like guests when the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston, Chicago and now Miami Heat come to town. But even as Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose have"
Condensed 66-game slate has led to injuries, subpar product
February 8
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Mark Potash
"It's hard to say if anybody ''won'' the NBA lockout. But six weeks into the abbreviated 2011-12 season, it's crystal clear who the losers are: The players. The coaches. The trainers. And the fans. The ridiculous pace of the post-lockout season has assured that NBA owners will get 33 of their usual 41 home dates to ease the hit on their precious bottom line. But the rest of us are paying for it. Too many games. Not enough practice. Too many injuries. Not enough days off. Did NBA owners really think their product wouldn't suffer by forcing teams to play 25 or more regular-season games in 58 days after training camp opened — after having no organized offseason activities and two preseason"
The Sixers deserve an All-Star – but who?
February 8
CSN Philly
 columnist John Gonzalez
"Before Monday night's game at the Wells Fargo Center, two Lakers rookies – Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock – sat in the visiting locker room and ate the pregame meal of champions: chicken fingers and cheese fries from Chickie's and Pete's. While they noshed, a TV talking head from Los Angeles wandered over and chatted with them. Actually, he chatted at them. The reporter had clearly done more opposition research on the Sixers than either of the players, and so he set about educating the unprepared lads. He told them the Sixers have six players that average double-digits points per game – even though none of them average more than 16 ppg. He told them that Lou Williams, who leads the"
Clippers' Vinny Del Negro takes this loss personally
February 8
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"It's a Vinny Del Negro I do not know. He's at a loss for cliches and coach-speak Tuesday over lunch, pausing to take a deep breath every time he mentions Chauncey Billups' name. The veteran guard has been active in a Los Angeles uniform for only 20 games, but Del Negro says, "People have no idea what he has meant to this group." Somewhere beyond the half-eaten bowl of soup, small talk and concern about how he might reenergize his team, Del Negro is now on the telephone talking to team trainer Jasen Powell."
NBA needs to expand instant replay to build credibility
February 8
Oregonian
 columnist John Canzano
"The call was incorrect. So now what? A lot of you saw it yourselves, and didn't even need the benefit of an instant replay, but a day later, the NBA knew what everyone else did when it came to that critical Kevin Durant fourth-quarter shot that Lamarcus Aldridge reached out and swatted like it was a piece of tiny lint in the air. Not goaltending. Not a basket. NBA official, Scott Foster, got it wrong. When some of you heard the news, then called your spouse or a friend to tell them the NBA was publicly acknowledging the error in the Blazers-Thunder game, you were greeted with, "Does this mean the Blazers won?""
Will Arron Afflalo and Birdman Andersen rebound for Denver?
February 8
Denver Post
 columnist Benjamin Hochman
"George Karl brought up an interesting point on your question topic, Shawn. Indeed, Afflalo is not back to his level from last year. In the past five games, he's averaged 7.0 points. Karl said that he felt Afflalo, who missed most of camp because of contract negotiations, was "taking little steps" until he pulled a hamstring at Washington in late January. But Karl then pointed out Afflalo's workout regimen. Now, Afflalo is famous for working hard and Karl agreed that his shooting guard indeed does. But, as Karl explained, "He was getting better and more comfortable (before the injury) with how we were using him, where we were using him. People think it's easy to fit in and get a comfort"
Hawks can't take on world when they look like Munchkins
February 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 columnist Jeff Schultz
"t would be unfair to assume that the Hawks are crumbling after three consecutive home debacles, just as it would've been presumptuous to believe that a team without Al Horford (and his backup) could maintain a 16-6 pace for the rest of the NBA season. But at the very least, this basketball team has slipped into that uncomfortable zone between concern and panic. I call it: trouble. They look fatigued. They look disinterested or lost or, worst of all, hopeless. They certainly look short. A team loses the 6-foot-10 Horford and the 7-0 Jason Collins, and suddenly you half-expect 6-8 "center" Ivan Johnson and two members of the Lollipop Guild to run on to the court wearing colored shorts and"
Lou Williams becoming a game-closer
February 8
CSN Philly
 columnist Marc Zumoff
"Lou Williams, at least in part, is starting to answer one of the serious questions of 76ers fans — who would be the man with the ball at the end of a close game? Monday night, against a guy Lou no doubt watched while growing up in Snellville, Georgia, Lou was large for the Sixers. His team-high 24 points included 12 of the Sixers final 14 points over a 3:48 span in a thrilling 95-90 victory over Kobe Bryant and his flagging Los Angeles Lakers. This is not new for Williams. He did, in fact, hit the game-clinching three-pointer last year in the Sixers only first round playoff win against Miami on Easter Sunday at Wells Fargo Center. As coach Doug Collins related after Monday night's"
Wolves made poor choice in character vs. talent
February 8
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 columnist Jim Souhan
"David Kahn should send Nikola Pekovic a gift this morning. Maybe a dessert. Whatever Serbian bouncers wearing skull tattoos on their arms enjoy after a big meal, like the bones of their forefathers' enemies. Pekovic, now the Wolves' unquestioned starting center, dominated his matchup with could-have-been Wolf DeMarcus Cousins on Tuesday, giving Minnesotans temporary respite from regret. Those who don't overreact to individual games should still groan every time they remember the night of June 24, 2010, when Kahn, the Wolves' basketball boss, bought a ticket to the light rail instead of taking a ride on the crazy train. At first, the debate over the fourth pick in the 2010 draft revolved"
Another game, another game with a lot of empty seats for the Pacers
February 8
Indianapolis Star
 columnist Mike Wells
"I set off a lot of talk on Twitter when I mentioned that Pacers energetic PA guy Michael Grady was trying to get the "crowd into the game during the pregame intros." But "that's hard to do when the seats are more empty than full." Then I re-tweeted (Jazz beat writer from the Salt Lake City Tribune) Brian T. Smith's comment, "Thought Indy was a sports town? Not tonight, apparently." The excuses came flying in after that. People mentioned the Super Bowl being in town. The Soap Opera going on with the Colts. The game being played during the week. The Pacers announced a crowd of 11,006 fans at the fieldhouse on Tuesday."
Is it finally time to stop hating Kobe?
February 7
CSN Philly
 columnist John Gonzalez
"The initial reaction wasn't surprising. The introduction was made and the response was the same as it almost always is – unwelcoming, as though the mere mention of his name was an affront to certain people in the crowd. Kobe Bryant was in town. Kobe Bryant was booed. And yet it wasn't as bad as it used to be. The animosity wasn't as universal or long lasting as it was during the infamous All-Star Game held here years ago when Bryant was named MVP and subjected to serious scorn for his effort. There were plenty of Lakers fans in attendance on Monday to offset the usual negativity, as well as more than a few locals who perhaps don't see the point in shouting down a guy who grew up in the"
Warriors ready to face Durant, NBA's quietest star
February 7
San Francisco Chronicle
 Rusty Simmons
"Kevin Durant scrunches his lanky frame into a 1990s GMC van and heads for the Oklahoma City highways. He stops and joins the action when he spots some business men who just clocked out and started a pickup game. He crashes a stranger's barbecue and shoots hoops on the side of a barn."
Goaltending call on LaMarcus Aldridge was bad, but hardly the sole reason for loss
February 7
Oregonian
 columnist Mike Tokito
"Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan was surprisingly blunt about the call. Surely you saw the play – LaMarcus Aldridge blocked Kevin Durant's shot at the basket with 6 seconds left in the Blazers' game against Oklahoma City on Monday. The officials, however, called goaltending on Aldridge. Replays showed that the ball was clearly on the way up, and it had not hit the backboard before Aldridge blocked it. The goaltending call tied the game at 103-103, and the Thunder went on to win 111-107 in overtime."
Rookie LeBron James vs. rookie Kyrie Irving? It's not a slam dunk
February 7
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 columnist Bill Livingston
"When the Cavaliers drew the Golden Ping Pong Ball in the NBA lottery, 18-year-old LeBron James promised to turn the city into Las Vegas by the Lake. It didn't happen. Neither did the long basketball Dark Ages his desertion seemed to portend. This time, no one is calling Kyrie Irving, 19, also delivered via a draft lottery ping pong ball, a savior. Few are checking off "youngest to this or that" milestones for him. The Cavs this season are not on ESPN, TNT or ABC, an alphabet of network disinterest. Mostly, Irving has been nationally noticed only when he has been spectacular. He made a last-gasp, weaving, left-handed layup that finished the recent comeback at Boston and then a jack-knifing"
Knicks disaster has D'Antoni feeling heat
February 5
New York Post
 columnist Peter Vecsey
"There they were with an actual chance to silence the wolves, the lambs and the vultures Friday night in Boston, and what did the Knicks do? Croaked from second-hand choke. Up a dozen against the recently exhumed Celtics, they were hosing their hosts in the third quarter (7:15 left), until the Knicks reverted to playing like the Knicks: No movement, slurred shot selection (0-for-10 from the great divide in second half after downing 3-5 before intermission) and too many defensive breakdowns. The Celtics had more second chances than a career criminal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Even after the refs correctly (and interminably) decided a Paul Pierce prayer resulted after the shot clock had"
The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus . . . and the Clippers
February 5
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"I believe! Any GP in the same predicament would tell you the same thing. I took a few days this week to visit the grandkids in Arizona, finding the daughter upset when I arrived. She had just taken the 7-Eleven Kid and the twins to see the movie "We Bought a Zoo." I remember as a parent how upset I was when I had to sit through dumb kid movies just because I was a father. But she was angry because Matt Damon, the father in the movie, was saying he had a 7-year-old daughter who still thinks the Easter Bunny exists. Well, the 7-Eleven Kid is six and when she smiles these days it's pretty obvious the Tooth Fairy recently paid her a visit. She doesn't need Matt Damon ruining her fantasy world."
Bucks appear to be having another identity crisis
February 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 columnist Michael Hunt
""Thankfully, we're not on the road," Bucks coach Scott Skiles was saying about an hour before the game Saturday night. To have taken in the scene around the Bradley Center would've ran counter to Skiles' comfort-zone notion. There was so much red in the streets that it seemed as if a Badgers hockey game had broken out. But this was the red of the Chicago Bulls, and their fans were wearing it inside and out of every gin joint and eatery between the arena and the river. It was almost like the Bulls' dynasty days, when Phil Jackson would roll 'em up just before the game with just enough time for MJ and the guys to pile off the bus and beat the Bucks, many to few. But there were so many Bulls"
Duo to wait for — it's Thunder vs. Spurs
February 5
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"Kevin Durant believed in Tony Parker. Asked last week which duo he and Russell Westbrook would like to become, he said Tim Duncan and Parker. Not Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen? "Oh," Durant said Saturday night, smiling, "they would be tough to top." Durant opts for what he has seen in San Antonio. "Longevity, wins, championships," he said. It's the Oklahoma City tone. The Thunder owner once was a Spurs owner, and the Thunder general manager once worked for the Spurs, and Durant is Duncan, the humble superstar content to remain in a small market. But wait a few months. Will the Thunder feel the same if the playoff bracket ties them to the Spurs?"
A warm welcome 'home' to Cleveland's favorite 'Caverick'
February 5
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 columnist Bill Livingston
"Saturday's guest of honor came off the practice floor, the very large object of even larger civic affection. Suddenly, Dirk Nowitzki -- 7 feet tall, of German heritage, the 2011 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, a man in the employ of the opposing Dallas Mavericks for 14 years now -- was besieged for autographs. Fans at the Cavaliers-Dallas game thrust programs and photos and Dallas jerseys at Nowitzki, who signed a couple dozen in all, each with a scrawled "Dirk." "Dirk! Dirk!" they cried. Fans want autographs everywhere, but the dynamic was different here. More fans, more warmth. "When you're caught up in the Finals, you really don't know about these things," said Nowitzki afterward. The"
Love's story — he had nowhere else to put his big feet … won't fly. Suspension for Kevin Love should be coming.
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jonathan Feigen
"Despite their best efforts, Kevin Love and the Timberwolves should have no chance of convincing the NBA it was just a Love tap. Love went Savion Glover on Luis Scola's face. Love might be one of the league's best young players, but the league presumably still frowns on players treating other players' faces as starting blocks. Knowing he is in jeopardy of getting hit with a suspension – and this should be a no-brainer one-game suspension — Love did his best to spin the answer. In fact, he danced around it so well, he could have tap-danced on the head of a pin, which makes it difficult to buy his argument that he has feet so large, he just could not miss Scola's face. He did, however,"
Fredette's education continues as Kings rookie
February 5
Sacramento Bee
 columnist Ailene Voisin
"Jimmer Fredette is a rookie, and he will be a rookie next week and the week after that. So for those wondering why the former BYU standout has spent the past two games on the bench – and hello to all you impassioned tweeters from Utah – that's the short answer. The long answer is that Jimmer walked into a mess. The Kings and their coaching change. The Kings and their crowded backcourt. The Kings and their one-on-one style of play. The lockout that forced cancellation of the summer league and traditional training camps, shoving all the usual dramas into a compressed 66-game season. But the thing about the NBA? A rookie's existence often is more fluid than political exit polls. Fredette and"
Raymond Felton calls in private shooting coach Ivorie Manning
February 5
Oregonian
 columnist John Canzano
"It was a high-priority situation. So 44-year-old Ivorie Manning was dispatched direct from Las Vegas to Portland on Saturday. He packed a single suitcase, and from that he pulled a pair of canvas Army-style camouflage tennis shoes, and blue jeans, and a brown shirt and sport coat. This is what he wore to the Trail Blazers' 117-97 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. And then, Manning sat courtside, corner seat, staring at elbows and pointing at shoulders, and looking at little else, and you should know, this is a man with the kind of influence that might just save Portland's season. "I teach a lost art," Manning said. He teaches shooting. Manning was a mediocre high"
D'Antoni, Knicks spinning down drain
February 4
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"What a Super letdown once again for Mike D'Antoni and the Knicks. D'Antoni, with his coaching job possibly hanging in the balance, watched the Knicks again fail to execute in the final minute last night in an excruciating 91-89 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden. The Knicks don't know how to make the big play, set the big pick or hit the big shot, and that falls directly on D'Antoni as well as his players. The system is failing. This was a repeat of the previous night's 105-102 loss to the Bulls in many ways, but much worse because the Knicks blew a 12-point third quarter lead and let an aging team up off the mat to beat them. "We had a great shot to win, but we're a little snake-bit right"
Sixers are good, but not yet elite
February 4
Courier-Post
 columnist David Hale
"Before the game, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra laid it on thick. Oh, these 76ers were good, he said. As his Heat marched to an Eastern Conference title a year ago, it was the rag-tag group of upstarts from Philly that gave them their biggest test. On defense, the Sixers were mirror images of his cadre of All-Stars, Spoelstra insisted — tough, quick, disciplined. Heck, if Spoelstra was going to be honest — and after all, why shouldn't he be? — these 76ers might actually have the advantage over his dream team. "You have two teams playing a similar style, and they have as many athletes," Spoelstra said. "They may have more than us." And after 16 wins and some immensely impressive play through"
Andrea Bargnani loosens up, reveals secrets to success
February 4
Toronto Star
 columnist Cathal Kelly
"Sprawled across an oversize couch in a rumpus room tucked behind the Raptors' ACC training facility, Andrea Bargnani is doing something weird. He's laughing. On the court, in front of cameras and anywhere there's a crowd, Bargnani wears an expressionless mask that his critics have spent six years trying to interpret. The least charitable have decided he isn't grinning or grimacing or generally clowning because he doesn't care. And he doesn't care, but not in the way they mean. When you get him in a room alone, he is an entirely different person. He is solicitous and engaging. He is more articulate in his second language because he can focus on a single conversation, rather than several"
James Dolan and friends better get to the point by bringing help in the backcourt
February 4
New York Daily News
 columnist Frank Isola
"Maybe things turn out differently for the Knicks if only James Dolan had invited one of LeBron James' confidants to sit with him before LeBron became a free agent. Seeing Maverick Carter, LeBron's BFF, seated next to Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman, at Thursday's loss to the Chicago Bulls doesn't do the Knicks, their fans or Mike D'Antoni any good now. Unless Mr. Carter can play point guard, that is. Come to think of it, the Knicks aren't nearly as intriguing on the court as they are along the baseline, adjacent to their bench. Last week, Isiah Thomas occupied a similar seat in Miami. This time it was the media-shy boss and one of LeBron's guys. And you just can't help but think"
Face it, Greg Oden is done as a Trail Blazer
February 4
Oregonian
 columnist John Canzano
"The big charade continued on Friday with the news that Greg Oden was having another knee surgery. This one was arthroscopic, right knee. It was Oden's fourth knee surgery since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Trail Blazers in 2007. And there may be a fifth one, next week on his left knee. Can someone please make this all stop? Oden will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. During games he currently sits at the end of the bench, in a suit, mostly look disinterested. Most of Portland wrote Oden off long ago, when it became clear that he'd rehabilitate on the Blazers' dime this season, and then probably try his NBA career somewhere else. The Blazers said Friday what"
Rose shows 'em what star guard does
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"One superstar point "card'' trumps all the Knicks' stars. All-Star guard Derrick Rose was spectacular last night, leading the undermanned Bulls to a 105-102 victory over Carmelo Anthony (a fellow East All-Star), Amar'e Stoudemire and the Knicks at the Garden. When Rose was done destroying the Knicks, he talked about his supreme will to win and how much his team hates to lose. A few minutes after that, he was inthe hallway outside the visiting locker room shaking hands with Yankees manager Joe Girardi and telling Girardi, who grew up in East Peoria, Ill., "Thank you for coming, sir.''"
Carmelo Anthony, All-Star berth isn't the brightest of his career
February 3
New York Daily News
 columnist Tim SMith
"Before the Knicks took the court against Chicago at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, the results of the NBA All-Star balloting were announced. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Bulls guard Derrick Rose were selected starters for the Eastern Conference team. It was Anthony's fifth selection to the All-Star team — his fourth as a starter. But it was clear from the way that Rose — who finished with 32 points and 13 assists — was dissecting the Knicks in Chicago's 105-102 victory and helping the Bulls maintain their hold on the top spot in the Eastern Conference that not all All-Stars are equal."
Woodson strategy making Knicks predictable
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Peter Vecsey
"Despite coming into the Garden 0-8 on the road recently, the Bucks were oddly confident. They had watched a tape of the Knicks' home setback to the Suns and were happy to see them employing the same defensive principles assistant Mike Woodson used as head coach of the Hawks. "They switch on just about every play, and it creates a lot of favorable mismatches for opponents," a member of the Bucks disclosed before his team broke the schneid with a 100-86 win Jan. 20. "Check out how many times Tyson Chandler wound up having to guard Steve Nash." If the answer is Baron Davis, what is the question? Column contributor Sam Lefkowitz ominously offers some personal perspective on Baron's precarious"
No question Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki has a problem with his legs
February 3
Dallas Morning News
 columnist Corbett Smith
"He's so awkward when you watch him play. There are so many moving parts, elbows and knees going everywhere, he's got a problem with his legs. There's no question he's got a problem with his legs. If Dirk want to test the knee or sit, you got to let him do that. Right now these games are irrelevant; the Mavericks are going to make the playoffs."
Sixers serve notice with big victory over Bulls
February 2
CSN Philly
 columnist John Finger
"Respect. No, the Sixers claim they didn't go into Wednesday night's showdown against the Eastern Conference's top-rated team, the Bulls, at the Center on some sort of quest for respect or their just due. The season is much too long for any declarations of that sort after just 22 games. However, if there ever was a victory that should make the NBA powerbrokers turn their heads and take notice of those Philadelphia 76ers, it most definitely was the 98-82 drubbing of the Bulls, Wednesday night."
Veteran Chauncey Billups is keeping up with young Clippers
February 2
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Dwyre
"With his name, Chauncey Billups should be leading Parliament, not fastbreaks. It turns out there is no mystery to the very British-sounding label placed on him at birth. "My mom just liked the sound of it," he says. Clippers fans do too. This is already the season of their dreams, with continuing fulfillment appearing likely."
Granger goes off while the Pacers add another enemy to the list
February 2
Indianapolis Star
 columnist Mike Wells
"Danny Granger could have easily tried to play the role of Superman without thinking about his teammates. He could have used Kevin Love's hard (could have been a flagrant) foul as an excuse to disrupt the offense by jacking up shots. This isn't a few years ago, Granger says. Back track to last season and Granger would have definitely started trying to get back at Love and the Timberwolves by shooting the ball over and over again."
Do you believe in the Sixers now?
February 2
CSN Philly
 columnist John Gonzalez
"Doug Collins didn't hesitate. The question wasn't fully asked yet – it had merely formed on the tip of one reporter's tongue – but Collins had his reply ready anyway. The anticipation was impressive. So was the comedic timing. Not long before the Sixers faced the Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, Collins did his usual pregame chit-chat with the media in the hallway outside his team's locker room. Toward the end of the gathering, someone in the pack noted aloud that, in the last two losses at home – to Denver and New Jersey – point guards really damaged the Sixers. It was only a statement at that point. The inquisitor never had a chance to work it into a proper question."
Oft-injured Oden has fan in Lexington
February 2
Portland Tribune
 columnist Kerry Eggers
"During a timeout at a recent game at the Rose Garden, the Trail Blazers paid tribute to Greg Oden's 24th birthday with a mention on the JumboTron. As the camera honed in on Oden to scattered applause, the 7-footer looked up, saw himself on the big screen and looked away, seemingly embarrassed. The camera quickly moved to another subject. When I relay that story to Sam Bowie, I can almost feel him wince at his home in Lexington, Ky."
Russell reborn — Duncan relies on his ground game
February 2
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
""You play differently when you get older," Kevin McHale was saying before the game. You can walk differently, too. Wednesday night, as McHale approached a ref with a complaint, or circled his Rockets for a timeout, he limped on the damaged ankle that sped his retirement as a player. This time McHale, one of the best power forwards in NBA history, was talking about the best. He was saying Tim Duncan plays differently now, and this is the way it's always been. "If not," McHale said, "Bill Russell would still be winning championships.""
D'Antoni buys time
February 1
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"These are the cold, hard facts. A coach's No. 1 job is to win. His No. 2 job is to get the players to play together. On both accounts, Mike D'Antoni has failed. There must be more nights like last night for D'Antoni. His Knicks roughed up the woeful Pistons, 113-86, at the Garden to up their record to 8-13 as Carmelo Anthony returned to the lineup after missing two games with assorted injuries. Melo played a complete game, getting his teammates involved instead of being a ball-stopper. That was the difference. "We played hard, we played with energy,'' said Anthony (25 points, six assists) of the Knicks, who compiled 25 assists."
Chicago? Maybe God will direct Dwight to stay in Orlando
February 1
Orlando Sentinel
 columnist Mike Bianchi
"Dear God: Sorry to bother you because I know you're busy dealing with important issues like world hunger, peace in the Middle East and acquiring Tebow some better receivers (LOL!), but something has been brought to our attention here in Orlando. The Magic's franchise center Dwight Howard said the other day that he might go play in Chicago with Derrick Rose "if God wanted that to happen." I know NBA Commissioner David Stern sometimes acts like God, but I'm assuming Dwight is talking about you, the real God. I have to admit, though, I'm going against my longstanding position by even writing you this letter. I have never believed you would get involved in the triviality of sports or play"