“Dwyane Wade admits it’s a challenge for #Heat to remain hungry as the defending NBA champion. “It’s just human nature. You get a team that loses in the Finals or a team . . . like the Lakers and Kobe (Bryant), who really wants one, and those guys get even more hungry than a team that the (previous) year that has won one,” said Wade, referring to the Lakers winning in 2009 after losing in the 2008 Finals to Boston, although they were able to repeat in 2010. “And the challenge is just to come back just as hungry as you were the year before.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports was not shy about expressing his feelings about David Stern: “After controlling NBA executives and the most influential of opinion shapers for so long, the truth about Stern – his volcanic temper and bullying and vindictiveness, the preferential treatment for his personal pets, the processes and protocols pushed aside to mete out justice and injustice, the manipulations of franchise and player movement, the heavy-heavy handed involvement in officiating – finally had found its way into the NBA’s reporting and records… So here comes the emperor now, sleeping well in the understanding that the future of the NBA is secure because Adam Silver promises to make sure anything Stern doesn’t want revealed about these past three decades of totalitarian rule comes out with a steep price and punishment to pay. From the beach and someday the grave, Stern will have this league rigged for his legacy forever and ever. The fear and loathing of David Stern will never end, and perhaps that’s what he’s always wanted.”
Mike Brown is only concerning himself with the big picture, from Eric Pincus of Los Angeles Times: “The Lakers are instituting a pared-down version of the Princeton offense merged with some of Brown’s schemes from last year. “What we’re doing right now isn’t necessarily to win the games now or in the short term,” Brown said. “Hopefully what we’re doing will pay off in the long term when it really counts.” Brown and guard Steve Nash appear to be on the same page. Investing in the system should help prevent the Lakers from being one-dimensional, especially in the postseason against the best defensive teams in the league. Brown hasn’t had the benefit of a full roster this exhibition season to really institute his plan, but he says he’ll “stay the course.”
Carmelo Anthony will probably look to score more in the absence of Amare Stoudemire, from Alan Hahn of MSG Network: “Carmelo Anthony admitted that he has felt that urge to carry the offense with Amar’e out. It’s instinctual. But…then I sit back and tell myself, we missing a lot of guys out there, so when guys come back, I won’t have to put that burden on myself,” Melo said on Wednesday night. “Yeah, there’s going to be times when I have to score, that’s what I do best, I score the basketball, but for the most part . . . we’ve got a lot of good things to happen for us.”
Tyson Chandler never had any doubt that Anthony was never going to score less on purpose, from Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal: “Center Tyson Chandler flatly dismissed the notion of Anthony’s finding a way to shoot the ball less. “That’s not going to happen,” Chandler said before he went down with a knee injury in Wednesday’s game. “He has an instinct that only a few players have in this league. His ability to score isn’t a switch you can just turn off. So I expect him to be the same player.”
- Delonte West will not return to the Mavericks, and he believes he is being wrongfully blamed for a situation that did not involve him, from Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas:
Full of salient points. Don’t stop believing or writing!
I have exactly what info I want. Check, please. Wait, it’s free? Awesome!
Hey, you’re the goto expert. Thanks for hanging out here.
Didn’t know the forum rules allowed such brilliant posts.
We could’ve done with that insight early on.
I can’t believe you’re not playing with me–that was so helpful.
If only there were more clever people like you!
BION I’m impressed! Cool post!
That’s the smart thinking we could all benefit from.
I could watch Schindler’s List and still be happy after reading this.
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Whoa, whoa, get out the way with that good inroimatfon.
really a bummer that you decided to split pages up with a Next Page link to try and (futilely) drive up page views. End result is fewer people will read all your content, and just leave rather than click through multiple pages. Please change back! I love your content but I would just as soon go elsewhere than click through several pages that used to be one!