“He has played incredible defense this preseason. He’s buying in and if you asked me who were my two-best perimeter defenders, I would tell you (Brandon Rush is an elite defender), my two best have been Steph Curry and Klay Thompson If you would have said that to me before, I might have shaken you.”… “The bottom line is that we didn’t have the characters to make the system run,” Jackson said. ”We’re an inside-out basketball team. We’re a push the basketball-type team. We have great shooting. I wouldn’t just say in today’s game. I’m a basketball historian and I watch Steph Curry and Klay Thompson shoot the basketball every day. It’s a tough time figuring out two guys in the same backcourt that shot as well. I know for sure it wasn’t Reggie Miller and I.”
Kris Humphries could be the odd man out of the starting lineup at times depending on matchups, according to Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News: “Avery Johnson said Monday he can foresee himself adjusting the lineup based on matchups, adding that he won’t sacrifice the first minutes of the game for the sake of continuity. Although the coach didn’t go over specific permutations, the odd man out of the lineup would certainly be power forward Kris Humphries, who struggles defensively against quick, hybrid forwards. “Everything is an open book for us,” Johnson said. “I’m not saying if we will or we won’t. I think my job is to make the best decisions to give us the best chance to win. And if that’s something that we need to do, we will. If we don’t need to do it, we won’t. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Paul Pierce rehashed his thoughts about how confusing this past summer was for him, from CSNNE: “It was difficult not only losing, but not understanding what was next,” Pierce said. “A lot of that went in my head after we lost. It was like, ‘Is KG going to retire? Are we going to build? Am I going to be playing somewhere else?’ It was just a lot of things went through my head.” But Pierce wouldn’t have left Boston, would he? “It really did cross my mind because of the way things went with the trade rumors, the possibility of me being traded, possibility of us rebuilding. It’s like, it was hard not to think about that. Sometimes it wears on your mentally. You don’t know what your future is going to be or what’s your next step.”
Shane Battier says a lot of All-Stars would not have been able to play for Duke, but LeBron James could have, from George Richards of The Miami Herald (via Hoopsworld): “You know what? LeBron could have played at Duke, and I don’t say that about a lot of guys,” Battier said. “There are a lot of All-Stars who couldn’t have played at Duke. LeBron is one of the few All-Stars who could have played there and survived. “You have to be mentally tough. You have to know the game — you can’t be some idiot out there, some dummy running around. You have to play for the team and be selfless. Those are all of LeBron James’ qualities.”
- In the same Richards’ article, James talked about his appreciation for Coach K:
“On Tuesday, the Heat plays the Charlotte Bobcats in a preseason game at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. It is the closest the Heat gets to Krzyzewski’s campus in Durham — just a few miles away. Krzyzewski hasn’t confirmed whether he will be attending the game, but James said on Monday that it would “be awesome” if he did. “We have a great relationship,” James said. “We’ve been together since ’05, and our relationship has grown every year. I’ve grown from a young man into a man into a leader of that team. He’s helped me develop that. I give a lot of credit to him.”
Marcus Camby could miss the season opener, according to Marc Berman of New York Post: “Not only is Amar’e Stoudemire missing the Nov. 1 season opener against the Nets, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is not sure Marcus Camby will suit up in Brooklyn either. The Knicks’ preseason continues to deteriorate into a spate of injuries — not entirely unexpected considering the club’s age. Camby, out since training camp’s fourth day because of a calf strain, was expected to return to practice today following the Knicks’ 0-3 preseason trip that ended with last night’s 98-90 loss to the 76ers. But Woodson does not expect Camby today. Asked if Camby will be back for the opener, Woodson said, “Don’t know. That I don’t know.’’
Kevin Garnett likes what he sees from Jeff Green and compared him to James Worthy, from Steve Bulpett of Boston Herald: “You know, I can remember when he first got here,” Garnett said after Sunday’s preseason finale at the Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers. “Maybe he was just understanding his role or whatever. At times he was tentative. Now I think he has a different appreciation. He’s playing like it, man. He’s playing like he knows he’s going to be here, he understands his role, he’s aggressive. We’re going to need that from him. I told him he has an old-school game, like James Worthy, and to see him back, to see him refreshed, doing the things he loves to do, it’s good to see him back, so I’m happy for him.”
Moke Hamilton of SNY Nets wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Deron Williams receiving no votes for best point guard in this year’s GM Survey: “It seems somewhat silly to argue with the results of this meaningless poll. But the thing that stands out to me most is the snub of D-Will. Point guard is the deepest and most talented position in the NBA today, in my opinion, so the competition is fierce… That Deron Williams didn’t receive a single vote for best point guard really shows how heavily winning weighs in the minds of general managers. Personally, I think Williams is better than Tony Parker, but Parker’s team has been more successful over the years and was more successful last year… So he gets a bit of a benefit of the doubt.”
Amir Johnson was all about the Halloween spirit over the weekend, according to Jay Satur of Raptors.com: “The annual Toronto Zombie Walk celebrated its tenth anniversary this past Saturday, but it was a first for Johnson. ”I had so much fun at Nuit Blanche, the art thing, so I was like, let me try the zombie deal,” he said after Sunday’s practice. “I was excited to do it and I might have some plans next year to do it again.” Johnson, who said The Walking Dead is his favourite TV show, went full out by hiring a professional makeup artist to spend an hour on a truly authentic undead appearance.”
- And lastly, and I mean lastly, here is John Lucas III – the most interesting man in the NBA: