- J.A. Adande of ESPN noticed why teams won’t be able to run on the Lakers as much anymore, thanks to the presence of Howard: “First, if he’s going to help the Lakers’ offense be this effective then opponents won’t get many fast-break chances. Tough to run off of alley-oop dunks and swished 3-pointers. The Lakers shot 60 percent in the first half. The other, more surprising benefit for the Lakers: Howard’s poor free throw shooting. Because teams are so quick to foul him around the basket it stops the game and allows the Lakers to get set on defense. So while the Lakers will lose points with the numerous missed free throws from Howard, they also won’t be giving up as many easy buckets at the other end when he’s in. The Kings had only four fast-break points in the first half and 11 for the game. That’s after Sacramento had 28 of them in a 103-98 victory over the Lakers in Las Vegas on Friday night. Utah scored 53 fast-break points in two games against the Lakers last week. You see where this was headed.”
- Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal is still making jokes about Dwight Howard. See what he said below:
- Videos like the one above is probably among the reasons why O’Neal never reached his full potential – not that he cares – as discussed by Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons:
Here are some things the referees will do differently this season. One of them is emphasizing the “Reggie Miller rule”, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (via Slam): “Also, officials will emphasize the “Reggie Miller rule” for a shooter who kicks his legs out during jump-shot attempts to create contact and draw fouls. Officials plan to call offensive fouls on shooters who blatantly kick out their legs to initiate contact. Officials will also be more aware of the “Respect the Game” rule, being more stringent on players who show an excessive amount of emotion arguing calls or attempt to delay the game while protesting. Finally, officials will lighten up on calling technical fouls for players who throw the ball against the stanchions.”
Avery Johnson is already disappointed with his team’s lack of toughness on defense, from Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York: “Nets coach Avery Johnson told reporters after Sunday’s open practice at the Barclays Center that he’s “disappointed” in his team defensively because it doesn’t have a “hit-first mentality.”…“We haven’t had the type of defensive intensity, physicality that I’m looking for,” Johnson said. “This team does not have the personality that I thought it would have at this point. That’s been somewhat of a disappointment. Are they trying? Yes. Is anybody panicking? No. But we should have a little bit more of a physicality.” Added Johnson: “We don’t have a hit-first mentality. And if you don’t have a hit-first mentality, you’re gonna get hit.”
Amare Stoudemire will miss some time due to a ruptured popliteal cyst (what?) in his left knee, and all Carmelo Anthony could do is feel sad for him. Al Iannazzone of New York Daily News has the story: “If he’s out the full three weeks, Stoudemire will miss five games. The Knicks said he won’t need surgery and that his knee will require rest and treatment. But this is a huge hit for a team that’s trying to build chemistry and has aspirations of playing for an NBA title. “It’s sad,” Anthony said after practice at the Carrier Dome. “Hopefully it’s nothing too serious. Mentally, I’m just sad for him. It seems like he can’t catch a break . . . We got his back, and the most important thing is for him to get healthy right now and take that time to do that. We’ll hold it down for him.”
- Carmelo Anthony said that he never considered the idea of staying in Syracuse beyond one year, according to Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com: “Honest Carmelo Anthony again today: Asked if he ever considered staying at Syracuse four years, Melo said: “No, that never crossed my mind. Maybe one year crossed my mind, but four years – that’s a long time.”
Charles Barkley marveled at LeBron James’ abilities over the summer and even compared him to Michael Jordan. He did it again on Monday, according to ESPN Chicago: “If LeBron can win four or five (titles), it’s a legitimate conversation in my opinion,” Barkley said Monday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I never thought I would compare someone to Michael Jordan. I was like, Karl Malone is great, Patrick Ewing is great, John Stockton is great, that guy’s better.”… “Michael Jordan to me had a perfect body,” Barkley said. “He was 6-6, 225, zero percent body fat. LeBron is like 40 pounds heavier and three inches taller. This guy is so special… “I don’t know if he’s going to win six championships, to be honest with you — that’s going to be difficult. But if he’s able to win three or four more championships, man, you’ve got to appreciate this guy. He’s scary to watch play.”
- Here’s something most of us may not have known about what Jordan wanted from Barkley, from Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago:
Barkley talking about how MJ tried to get him out of retirement to play with Wizards. He trained all summer in Chicago then said no.
@ESPNChiBulls
Nick Friedell
Tom Thibodeau doesn’t think James should yet be compared to Michael Jordan, from Friedell: “They’re different,” Thibodeau said after Monday’s practice. “I think with all those type of comparisons, those are tough to make because I don’t think you can do it until LeBron’s done. To speculate now is just … I guess it makes for interesting conversation, but you have to wait til it’s over. And they’re both great. Of course, what Jordan did was just incredible but who knows? You’ve got guys … Kobe’s had a great career. LeBron has had a great career, and LeBron’s still young so there’s still a long way to go for him. But Jordan just kept so much pressure on you in so many different ways, and it’s a different game now than it was then.”
Erik Spoelstra explained why he regrets the decisions he made as a coach in his first season with LeBron James, from Tom Haberstroh of ESPN: “Thinking conventionally that first season with LeBron — that was my biggest regret as a coach,” Spoelstra said. “I put LeBron in a box. And that’s the worst thing I could have done.” And that’s when Spoelstra decided to think outside of it… “LeBron was a small forward, that’s what we knew,” Spoelstra said. “That was how we built and ran the team [in 2010-11]. But after the Dallas series, we decided to start from scratch. “We always talked about how versatile our team was, but we never thought about what it meant. We had to do away with convention.” For that, James had to fully embrace his 6-foot-8, 270-pound frame — and using it in the post.”
- Jeff Van Gundy believes the NBA blocked his brother from ESPN job, from Michael Hiestand of USA Today: “Obviously it’s personal for Jeff.