Jeff Van Gundy thinks P.J. Carlesimo should stay as the Nets coach beyond this season, from Sam Amick of USA Today: “”(Carlesimo) has earned that opportunity to come back and be the coach for a long, long time,” Van Gundy told USA TODAY Sports. “I like the way the team is playing. They play hard. It seems like (Deron) Williams and Joe Johnson are playing with a little more energy, Brook Lopez has been terrific. I think PJ has done a wonderful job.”… “He’s coached for 40 years, he’s been to the pinnacle of the NCAA Finals, he’s been a head coach for three different organizations, he won (three championships) with the (San Antonio) Spurs (as a lead assistant in 2003, 2005, 2007). I mean he has seen it all.”
Mike D’Antoni didn’t like the idea of saying that Kobe is sacrificing anything, from Amick: “I don’t know if you really – really, is it a sacrifice?” he asked after a reporter’s question had been framed in those terms. “Or is it…I don’t know if it’s a sacrifice. That’s all. But (Bryant) set the tone (Friday’s win over Utah) – there’s no doubt about it. He played like back in the day how Oscar Robertson played – got 14 assists, nine rebounds, he got easy shots all over the place.” “It’s a privilege to play the game,” he continued. “It’s a privilege to win, and to me you do everything possible to win. Whether that’s a sacrifice, I don’t know. That’s like saying, ‘He really played hard tonight, and so he sacrificed for the team by playing hard.”
- The Mavericks wanted Jose Calderon, but not at the expense of Vince Carter, according to Marc Stein of ESPN:
Mavs were indeed interested in Calderon, as they've been for ages, but refused to part w/Vince Carter and thus couldn't trump Prince & Daye
@ESPNSteinLine
Marc Stein
Ricky Rubio defended Pau Gasol’s situation with the Lakers, from The A.P.: “He proved to the league he is one of the best,” Rubio said. “He can pass. He can shoot. He can rebound. He can do a lot of things. I think if you use him in the right way he is a top player in this league. If they don’t want him, we are more than welcome to get him.”… “It’s been the last two years that it seems like they don’t want him, but actually they need him,” Rubio said. “He’s a great player. He can do a lot of things and he had some issues with the knees, too. It’s been a lot of years without resting for him. But he’s a veteran. He knows how to play.”
LeBron James has been thinking about returning to the Cavaliers ever since leaving the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “To return to the Cavaliers, James has to believe that general manager Chris Grant can construct a champion around him. Irving is fabulous, but that wouldn’t be enough. As much as anything, that’s the biggest thing the Heat will have going for them… James has been thinking about a return to Cleveland for most of his time with the Heat, including the night of his cable TV special. He had second-guessed himself that night, but once Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert released that vitriolic letter, James understood: There was no turning back.”
- Rudy Gay was mostly sad about being traded, but there is one thing he questioned about the Grizzlies front office, from Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal:
Tayshaun Prince was shocked about being traded, from Vince Ellis of Detroit Free Press: “I was shocked obviously,” Prince said. “For me it’s definitely a tough time, but now it’s time for me to go on to the next page and make the most of it. “I thought things were starting to go well here as of late; I thought the last month we were making strides.”… “When you’re accustomed to one spot for a long time you get acclimated so well,” Prince said. “The feel you aren’t going nowhere. “It’s definitely a culture shock and it’s kind of mixed emotions. Guys were upbeat before the game and the next thing they know they hear this.”
- Speaking of Prince, check out this fan’s reaction when he finds out about the trade that sent the forward packing: