Mike D’Antoni called the Lakers latest performance “Muppet time”, from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles: “If we’re going to play ‘Showtime,’ my God, they just closed the whole theater on us,” D’Antoni said after Wednesday’s game. “‘Showtime?’ That was Muppet time or something? I don’t know what that was. “It was like watching sap come out of a tree. You can’t do that. That’s energy. We’ve gotta go.”… “I think you always have a little bit of a shock when a guy comes in new and you start off like puppies out there,” D’Antoni said of the Lakers 5-1 homestand after Mike Brown was fired. “Now it’s back to reality a little bit.”
- The loss to Sacramento occurred just a day after D’Antoni said the following, from Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:
Steve Nash remains sidelined without a timetable for a return, according to McMenamin: “The other Steve is coming along,” D’Antoni said of the two-time league MVP. “I don’t think we have a timetable. He feels some nerve endings that are tingling and when they go away, we’ll start ramping it up and he’ll be fine. “Whether it’s tomorrow or next week or next month, we’ll just take our time and he’ll eventually be there. As soon as he gets there, I know, give him an hour and a half and he’ll have the offense down and running it like a clock. So we can wait on that.”
Jeremy Lin predicted he’d become an NBA All-Star when he went undrafted out of Harvard. He still believes in the notion, according to Ian O’Connor of ESPN New York: “Asked in a phone interview Tuesday night whether he still believes he will become an All-Star, Lin told ESPNNewYork.com, “At some point, for sure. Right now I have a ways to go, but at some point, yes. I try to get better every year, and if I do that and work on the things that are problems for me right now, I definitely think I’ll have that chance.”
Coming into the season, rookie Jared Sullinger expected Kevin Garnett to treat him in the worst ways possible. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has the details: “Boston Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger had a preconceived notion of what playing with veteran big man Kevin Garnett might be like. He braced for the worst – Garnett yelling at him, Garnett embarrassing him, Garnett cussing him out like only Garnett can. “I was just mentally being prepared to not cry on the bench,” Sullinger said.”
- Rasheed Wallace is back in the league, which means we will hear plenty of “Ball don’t lie” claims at the free throw line:
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