Amare Stoudemire is inching closer to a return and will come off the bench if necessary, according to The AP: “Amare Stoudemire practiced for the first time this season Tuesday, though the Knicks forward isn’t sure when he can return. Stoudemire scrimmaged with Erie, the Knicks’ NBA Development League affiliate, which was practicing at the Knicks’ training center. The Knicks weren’t planning to have a full-court workout, so they decided to give Stoudemire work with the BayHawks. Stoudemire has been out all season after left knee surgery. He told reporters he felt soreness after the practice, but has been very pleased with his progress… He also added he would be willing to come off the bench if necessary, saying ”whatever it takes to win, that’s the goal.”
- Kenneth Faried played sick against the Spurs on Tuesday, evidenced by what Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post detailed: “The legend of Kenneth continues to grow here in Denver. No he’s not a finished product, but he keeps putting up these memorable games. And on Tuesday night, the dude played sick, so sick with a cold and flu that at one point he threw up in a trash can on the Denver bench. He still logged 29 minutes, scoring 19 points with 11 boards, while making seven of nine free-throw attempts. “(It was) a grind, yes, a top to bottom grind,” he said after the Nuggets’ huge win against the Spurs. “I kept fighting, but it was so hard to produce like I could have. Looking at the numbers, everybody would say I did pretty good. Personally, I believe I can do even better if I was healthy.”
Doc Rivers is quite unhappy with the regression of his team and said it like it is, from Steve Bulpett of Boston Herald: “This team is not a good team right now,” Rivers said after the Bulls hit the century mark for the first time in nine games of this series. “It’s who we are right now. I’ve been saying that. This is who we are right now. We’re a .500 team.”… “They took us out of everything with their effort, and half their baskets were because they cut harder and fought for it,” Rivers said. “I thought they were clearly the tougher team tonight, the more physical team. It was not even close.”… “I just thought we played a team that played with more energy, played harder, got into us,” Rivers said. “I thought their intensity was higher. I thought we came out (early) and competed and didn’t sustain it.”
The development of Marquis Teague could mean the end of Nate Robinson’s time as a Bull at some point this season, from K.C. Johnson of Chicago Tribune: “There’s a fine print element to the point guard rotation that is currently under scrutiny because of rookie Marquis Teague’s solid play when given extended minutes. It’s called Nate Robinson’s non-guaranteed contract. The Bulls signed the veteran guard to a deal that doesn’t become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10. That means they can waive Robinson with no penalty any time before that date, an option that always has been under consideration internally. Teague’s development, not to mention Derrick Rose’s expected return, could make Robinson expendable.”
- Kawhi Leonard will soon return for the Spurs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
After missing a month with quad tendinitis, the Spurs sent Kawhi Leonard to Austin of the D-League for a rehab assignment.
@WojYahooNBA
Adrian Wojnarowski
The NBA filed for trademark names on behalf of the Hornets. One of them, in particular, sounds puzzling at best. K. L. Chouinard of Behind the Buck Pass has the story: “Anil V. George, the attorney who typically handles the trademarks involving NBA brand names, filed trademarks on five new potential franchise names on behalf of the New Orleans Hornets NBA Limited Partnership. The five names included the favorite Pelicans, a mascot that ties into the state bird as well as a minor league baseball team that existed from 1887 to 1959, but the four others also have strong Louisiana ties. The trademarks: New Orleans Pelicans, New Orleans Rougarou, New Orleans Mosquitos, New Orleans Swamp Dogs, New Orleans Bullsharks.
- Coach Nick of bballbreakdown explains what it will take for James Harden and Jeremy Lin to play well with each other, as well as some of the problems the Knicks have on both ends of the floor at times in yet another comprehensive breakdown:
we couldn’t know for cetrian whether Antni had anything to do with Kobe’s different approach, I’m just saying the evidence is lacking, and Kobe said he decided it on his own. I’m just repeating myself here.Well, over the course of one game, taking him out and then putting him back in could be more likely to cause injury, or at least might not minimize it. That wasn’t what I said. I think that the main difference was that he averaged 46 minutes a game or whatever for so many games in a row, that is the cause of the deep fatigue. And definitely Kobe should have gone out in the GS game as soon as we figured out that he was injured the first time- he actually looked like he suffered 3 injuries over the course of the game. Seems like warning lights should be flashing by at least the second.AK- By me, it’s just risk management. The risk is greater the more he plays. I think that the team can handle playing without Kobe, and the reward of having Kobe for a few extra minutes isn’t worth it to me.
Daniel, thanks for the condolence. I knew once the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni over Phil Jackson, LakersNation was going to be run to the ground. He is the worst coach possible to be in this situation for the Lakers right now. He is clueless to figure out a rotation with the roster he has, he cannot answer a straight question and he relies on Kobe Bryant too much.
I am going to say D’Antoni is BS every day, all day as long as he is the Lakers’ coach, and even when (or if ever) he starts winnings more with the Lakers. I hate this guy. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! Why did Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss pick him!!!
I wish D’Antoni wouldn’t let Kobe jack up every other shot and play him for 40-plus minutes every game. The Lakers have other options and Dwight Howard!!! Let those other options be a part of the offense so the team can start winning! All these idiotic decisions by D’Antoni is going to run Howard away from resigning with the team in the summer.
I hate you D’Antoni!
Sincerely,
An annoyed Lakers fan
As a Knicks fan, I want to share my condolences with the Lakers. It’s unfortunate that the best team on paper in the NBA has become another victim of the most stubborn SOB coach in the entire league. And it’s no surprise to me, because we heard it time and time again here in New York:
Q: “Coach, can Carmelo Anthony play efficiently in your system?”
A: “I don’t see why not. He’s too good not to succeed in any system.”
This is D’Antoni’s stock answer for any player whose talents are minimized to drastic result by “his system.” Why the f*ck would any coach be so stubborn as to ask a pure 7-footer like Pau Gasol, one of the three best post players in the league – who, mind you, helped the Lakers win two championships already – play beyond his range and shoot 3-balls all night?
The answer is because D’Antoni is more interested in running up the scoreboard every night, and solidifying HIS legacy as some kind of innovator, than he is in actually winning a championship. Results be damned. He such an arrogant, belligerent a-hole, I can’t believe the Lakers hired this fool in haste. But, truthfully, it seems like everything the Lakers do nowadays is in haste.
Strike two for Lil’ Jimmy Buss.