Andrew Bynum isn’t getting a whole lot of support from anyone these days. Just ask the people from his high school, from Dave D’Alessandro of Star-Ledger: “Everyone here at school says the same thing: What’s wrong with him? Why does he act like that?” says St. Joe’s athletic director Jerry Smith. “He went from someone we’re proud of to someone whose name we don’t even mention anymore.” Bynum’s coach during his Falcons years — that would be 2003-05, his junior and senior seasons — sounds as though he is under no urgent obligation to defend him, because he’s gone seven years without even being asked to give an assessment of any kind about his former center. “Yeah, I never respond to that kind of request, because Andrew has chosen not to stay in touch for whatever reason, so I just don’t get involved with it,” says Mark Taylor, who now coaches the St. Benedict’s Prep powerhouse. “I don’t dislike him, and he’ll continue to do well if he can stay healthy, but I’m sure he’s got people who will guide him in times like this.”
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Should be a good week for Jefferson owners.
John Mitchell of The Inquirer is already thinking about “Plan B”: “So, if “Plan A” doesn’t work out for the Sixers, what is the best possible option at center? The more I think about it, the more I tend to agree with the targeting of Utah soon-to-be-unrestricted free-agent Al Jefferson. Jefferson is not going to give you what a healthy Bynum would/will. But Jefferson, whom the Sixers will see at the end of their upcoming West Coast road trip, would fit nicely alongside Hawes and Thaddeus Young on the Sixers frontline in 2013. Jefferson, 6-10, 265, is averaging 17.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. Also, he does a pretty decent job of getting to the line and converting when he’s there. On the downside, he doesn’t get up and down the court very well and, in order to secure the unrestricted free-agent, it’s probably going to require that the Sixers overpay him.”
Dwight Howard took a step forward in becoming his own man by firing his long-time business manager and cousin, from Kevin Ding of The OC Register: “Howard is growing all on his own, single-mindedly focused on who he wants to be, and he has taken another major step forward in his career by leaving the business manager who has been Howard’s primary advisor his entire career, Kevin Samples. “We had nine great years together,” Howard told me late Monday night. “Just time to go separate ways.” For all the intangible growth Howard has discovered recently, breaking away from Samples is a concrete gesture that the past is the past – and Howard is confident in calling his own shots in the future. “I know what I want to accomplish,” Howard said. “I’ve always written down my goals and everything I want, and I want to make sure I get ’em. Everything I’ve lost, everything that’s gone away, I’m going to get it back.”
Aside from the fact that the Nuggets are 23-4 when Wilson Chandler is in the lineup, George Karl explained why he’s such a big fan of the forward’s game, from Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “He can have an impact on the game offensively, but I think he’s a defensive initiator for us, stabilizes our team,” Nuggets coach George Karl said before the 114-104 victory. “I just really enjoy him defensively, and I think the confidence he gives our team makes us a very good defensive team. … We might not have a big body in the paint, but his pressure and disrupting by being able to be aggressive on the ball — and on pick-and-rolls — lifts our defense about 85 percent of the time. “
Luis Scola is not pleased with his diminished role, although he will never express it strongly. Tyler Killian of The Arizona Republic has more: “With the Suns struggling to forge an identity under interim coach Lindsey Hunter, Scola’s role often has been reduced as Hunter experiments with different rotations. The 6-foot-9-inch Argentinian admits to feeling discouraged at times. “It’s hard for me. It’s hard,” Scola said. “It is (frustrating), but I try to use that frustration to work a little harder. Just try to stay ready and in shape.” Whatever frustrations he may be feeling, Scola is keeping them private, living up to his reputation as a team player. “We have no problems with Scola whatsoever,” Hunter said. “He’s the ultimate professional. If he plays 30 or he plays three (minutes), he’s the same guy — consistent. So he’s been great for us.”
- Lawrence Frank ripped his team for giving up and being terrible, from Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: ‘This is our fifth game like this since the break,” said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, who returned to the team after a six-game absence due to his wife’s illness. “As a group we stunk. This is disheartening to watch.”… “We have to restore the pride of being a Piston,” said Frank before Monday’s game. “We’re not gonna restore it in a day but, big picture, we have to get that pride back in wearing that jersey.”… Getting drilled regularly, though, is the signal of something much more alarming. Despite their 0-8 start and losing a lot of games they shouldn’t have in the season’s first two months, they were still competing, and it was evident by their frustrations after games. But there’s a difference when you let one get away and you gave it away, willingly. “We’d better (have fight left). Our intent to start the game is right and then stuff happens,” Frank said.
- Former player and current analyst Kendall Gill got into a fight, from Danny Ecker of Chicago Business (H/T Beyond The Buzzer): “Comcast SportsNet Chicago Bulls analyst Kendall Gill has been removed temporarily from his on-air duties after a physical altercation with Big Ten Network analyst Tim Doyle in the CSN newsroom Tuesday evening. The incident followed the taping of “Sports Talk Live,” a panel discussion on Comcast SportsNet Chicago that featured me, Mr. Doyle and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Herb Gould. Mr. Gill confronted Mr. Doyle in the newsroom over critical comments he had made on the air about Mr. Gill’s analysis of the controversial final moments of Monday’s Chicago Bulls-Denver Nuggets game… Mr. Gill approached Mr. Doyle and called him out for his comments, which escalated to a shoving match and ultimately Mr. Gill throwing a punch at Mr. Doyle. The two bumped up against a sign on the wall and a small amount of blood was drawn (though it was unclear exactly how) before the two were separated.