SH Blog: Woodson always believed Lin was a backup point guard

Kobe Bryant had some choice words for the way Pau Gasol has been playing as of late, from Mark Medina of LA Daily News: “Pau is used to laboring up the floor and coasting a little bit,” Kobe Bryant said. “In this offense, we have to put the motor on the first few steps we move up the court.”… And as coach Mike D’Antoni noted afterward, “Pau didn’t have his legs” after logging 37 minutes. Gasol took ownership of his shooting woes, but downplayed how his conditioning could fare in D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense. “I don’t know if it’s extremely physically demanding.” Gasol said. “It’s an offense that you have to move and have to be on the go and get to your spots run to your spots and find some good flow out there that we really haven’t reached consistently. The offense will evolve and will be better.”

Michael Finley appears to be making a bid for a comeback, according to Marc Stein of ESPN: “Former NBA All-Star Michael Finley is putting his front-office career on hold in hopes of extending his playing career, according to sources with knowledge of his plans. Sources told ESPN that Finley, after participating in NBA pickup games all summer, continues to work out vigorously in pursuit of a contract that would give him one more run as an NBA player before shifting his focus to front-office work. Late last spring, Finley began quietly working as an untitled but prominent member of the Dallas Mavericks’ front-office team.”

The NBA said that the referees missed a call at the end of a game that may have cost the Raptors a victory, from The AP: “The NBA said Thursday that officials Ed Malloy, John Goble and Violet Palmer missed a foul by Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist against Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani on a jump shot in the final seconds of the Bobcats’ 98-97 victory Wednesday night. The league also said Bargnani should have been given two free throws and the clock stopped with approximately 2.4 seconds remaining. Replays showed Kidd-Gilchrist’s right hand made contact with Bargnani’s left wrist as the Toronto player shot, with the ball coming up well short.”

Nicolas Batum says he is not the Batum of old, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “It’s what people say about me and what people too scared to say it think about me: ‘Yeah, he’s been good, but it’s only been 11 games. We’re going to see the old Nicolas Batum soon,” the Trail Blazers’ starting small forward said. “But I’m going to try to avoid that. I’m not the old Nicolas Batum.”… “I’m more free,” he says, simply, about what’s changed in his game.”

Tayshaun Prince isn’t pleased with Lawrence Frank’s rotational tactics, according to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: “Energy ain’t the only thing,” said Prince, noting the poor possessions to begin quarters that plague this team. “That isn’t my decision but we need to figure out some things to do when teams are making runs to get us a good opportunity at the rim or the foul line.” Prince wished all five players hadn’t been subbed en masse, considering it puts the second unit in an unfamiliar position to come in cold against a team riding the wave of momentum… “If I was Coach, I would’ve made a decision sooner than he did,” Prince said. “A 6-0 run, call a timeout. Bam-bam, we come back out, nothing happens, bam (make a substitution). If you gotta make a choice, you have to make a choice. (He) went too long.”

The Lakers are interested in acquiring Raja Bell, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “With the hiring of Mike D’Antoni as coach, the Los Angeles Lakers are showing a renewed interest in trying to find a way to sign exiled Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell once his contract buyout is completed, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Bell, 36, has had strong advocates with general manager Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant since the summer, but D’Antoni’s history coaching Bell with the Phoenix Suns has amplified discussion of signing the veteran guard should the Lakers create an opening on their roster.”

Mitch Richmond explained what Don Nelson would have done if Klay Thompson had made the kinds of mistakes he did in the game against the Mavericks, from NBA correspondent Ric Bucher: “Mark Jackson talked to Klay Thompson after his boneheaded gaffe vs. Mavs; Mitch Richmond says Don Nelson would’ve done far worse. To review: Thompson, after an offensive rebound by Harrison Barnes and kick-out, fired a 3 with roughly 17 seconds on the clock and the score tied at 90-all. He missed and gave the Mavs a chance to win in regulation. They didn’t and GS went on to get the W in OT. Richmond, the former Kings/Ws shooting guard, says Nelson would’ve sat him the rest of the game along with the next couple, and that he would’ve made sure to get on the bus early rather than have to walk by Nelson in his first seat on the bus and hear what else Nellie might announce to the bus about him.”