Stoudemire hopes to return before the playoffs, and said the injury happened at the perfect time, from Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York: “There’s no timetable set on my return,” he said during a conference call for an upcoming self-documentary. “Hopefully, I can return soon enough for the postseason. I’m gearing toward that, but I want to make sure I’m ready and 100 percent. … It’s only been two weeks since the procedure, so we’re still taking precautionary measures and just making sure everything heals up perfectly before we get too far ahead of ourselves.”… “It actually happened I think at the perfect time because it gives me a chance to have hope to return for the postseason,” he said. “If I feel 100 percent by the postseason, then I should be ready for next season as well, but if not, then I’ll probably have to wait until next season.”
Stan Van Gundy has completely changed his view of John Wall, from Dan Steinberg of Washington Post: “You know what, I’m sort of sitting on the fence now,” Van Gundy said. “So yeah, I havereevaluated. I don’t think anybody has done more for a team this year than John Wall has. Look, they were 5-28 when he came back. Five and 28. The worst team in the league. And they’re 21-16 since then. “And if you look at the numbers, they’re the ninth-best team in the league if you compare defensive numbers and offensive numbers — the ninth-best team in the league, fourth-best team in the East since he’s come back,” Van Gundy continued. “So this is a team that you could project, with John Wall, could be not only a playoff team but be sitting with home-court in the playoffs. And they were the worst team in the league before he came back. Nobody else has done that for a team.”
Chris Paul, who is known as a very talkative player on the court, says Greivis Vasquez talks too much, from Dan Feldman of NBCSports: “Chris Paul and Greivis Vasquez appeared to jaw at each other in the final seconds of the Clippers’ 105-91 win over the Hornets on Wednesday. After the game, Paul was interviewed on the court during the Hornets’ broadcast. “He just talk way too much, man,” Paul said. “He talk too much. I don’t – he talk way too much.” “Well, your scoring and the win did the talking tonight. Thanks a lot Chris,” the interviewer said as Paul interrupted her. Paul said something in audible about the win before adding one more, “but he just talk too much.”
The league revealed that Kobe did foul Ricky Rubio on the final play of the previous game, from JON KRAWCZYNSKI of the AP: “”Video review by the league office confirmed that Kobe Bryantfouled Rubio while Rubio was in his shooting motion,” the league said on its website. ”Rubio should have been awarded three free throws.”… But it will at least give Ricky Rubio, coach Rick Adelman and the rest of a frustrated team a little bit of solace that their disappointment was justified this time. ”We have to earn the respect,” Rubio said. ”But I don’t understand how things go sometimes. We just want to play basketball, play hard as we can and do all the things. Sometimes it’s not fair because we give 100 percent and sometimes we can’t control things. But we have to improve things that we can control.”
Lakers players were happy to see the Heat’s winning streak come to an end, from Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times: “The 1971-72 Lakers can exhale. Their 33-game winning streak is still the NBA’s longest.The current crop of Lakers took some pride in its preservation after the Miami Heat’s streak ended at 27 with a 101-97 loss Wednesday to the Chicago Bulls. Some players were even happy. “In a big way, I am,” said Pau Gasol, who in his six seasons with the Lakers has become friends with the coach of that ’71-72 team, Bill Sharman. “I’m glad that we kept the streak. It was about time that Miami lost.”… “I guess now that it’s over, it’s kind of nice that the Lakers still have it,” Steve Blake said.”
Subsequent week inside soccer cathedrals across the world, qualifying
starts in earnest for FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil , the biggest soccer event
on the world that guarantees to be one of the most watched — and most
collected — sporting functions of all time.
As has become customary, the buildup to following
year’s global soccer showcase will be earmarked by passion, pomp,
pageantry, patriotism, circumstance and stickers.
ROME When Italy gained the 2006 World Cup, then-coach Marcello
Lippi pointed to the team collective as his squad’s strongpoint — and the simple fact that every single ahead scored at the very least a single aim more than
the seven matches attested to that concept.
The leading four teams that qualify in the Premiership graduate
to play the UEFA Championship League. The top two teams enter team stage,
although the third and fourth teams enter the 3rd qualifying
spherical. The latter require to win a two-phased knockout tie
to improve. If the championship is won by a experienced group for Europe, then the League’s UEFA Cup place goes to
the subsequent maximum crew. The optimum staff that does not qualify for the UEFA
Cup can compete in the Intertoto Cup-UEFA, in the pursuing period.
UEFA policies include that the defending champions routinely qualify for the
pursuing year’s competitiveness, irrespective of rating.