Bryan Colangelo doesn’t think Andrea Bargnani would mind if he was traded, from Ryan Wolstat of Toronto Sun: “Andrea is a player that has definitely garnered interest. Unfortunately when he gets hurt that takes him off the market,” Colangelo explained after breaking down the Gay trade to reporters. “That’s not to say we’re going to trade Andrea … He’s a unique talent, but sometimes a change of address is not bad. I’m not saying he’s asked for a trade, but he would certainly not fight or resist a situation if it was the right situation.”
Steve Nash doesn’t like the Lakers chance to make it to the playoffs without Dwight Howard, from Dave Mcmenamin of ESPN Los Angeles: “If Dwight Howard misses more time, this Steve Nash quote doesn’t bode well for the Lakers’ chances …”It will be tough without him,” Nash said of the possibility of Howard missing more time because of his re-aggravated right shoulder. “This team is built, I think, to play around a center. We are not athletic or fast elsewhere. We’re experienced and we have some skilled players, but I think it’s all predicated on having defensive presence and having a big body in the paint on both ends.”
Glen Davis will miss significant time again with a fractured foot, from Josh Robbins of Orlando Sentinel: “The Orlando Magic already had endured one frustrating defeat after another in the weeks leading up to the moment when Glen Davis and Iman Shumpert tangled their feet Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. As difficult as it is to believe, the weeks ahead might be much more painful. Davis will undergo surgery Friday to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot, and team officials said he is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks.
Despite re-aggravating his shoulder injury, Dwight Howard continues to write off the idea of having surgery, according to Kevin Ding of The OC Register: “Dwight said this is the most pain he has felt in shoulder since he initially injured it. But pain has always … gone away the next day and improved after that, so no reason to believe this time with the shoulder will be any different. Dwight said flatly that he is not considering having surgery on the shoulder or shutting himself down. He is hopeful the pain will go away so he can play — though he stressed it is a lot of pain right now.”
Kobe Bryant believes the shoulder injury is something Howard will have to deal with all season long, from McMenamin: “Kobe Bryant said he has played through shoulder injuries in the past and it will be an adjustment that Howard has to make. “I’m not worried about it,” Bryant said. “It is going to be an all-season thing. That’s how those types of injuries are with the labrum. I’ve had them before. Lamar (Odom) when he was here had them before. It’s one of those things when you get banged like that going up, you’re going to get that stinging sensation. That’s just how it’s going to be.”
Dwane Casey had some harsh criticism towards the referees after the Raptors’ latest heartbreaking loss, from Wolstat: “I’m tired of losing games because of missed calls at the end of games. I know the league is going to come down on me, but I don’t care,” said a seething Casey, smoke practically billowing out of his ears. “These guys have fought their hearts out, played their hearts out and at the end of the game, we get cracked, (league sends out an) apology, go back to Canada. I’ve been in this league 18 years and I’ve never seen so many missed calls at the end of the game to cost us the game. We’ve got great officials in this league, and too good to miss calls and short-change young men like this. It’s not right. I watched the replay three or four times, hoping that they (somehow made the right call) but they didn’t,” he said.”
- For those comments, Casey was fined $25,000 by the league, from The A.P.: “Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday for criticizing officials the previous night after a loss at Atlanta. In the closing seconds of the Raptors’ 93-92 loss to the Hawks, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozangrabbed the rebound of a missed shot by teammate Alan Anderson and had his attempt under the basket blocked by the Hawks’ Al Horford. There was apparent contact from Horford on DeRozan, but no foul was called.
- J.R. Smith wasn’t happy to see Brook Lopez get the call to be Rajon Rondo’s replacement for the All-Star game:
