Gerald Wallace admitted that his confidence in his shot is gone, from Tim Bontemps of New York Post: “My confidence is totally gone,” Wallace told The Post Saturday. “I’m just at the point now … I’m in a situation where I feel like if I miss, I’m going to get pulled out of the game, you know what I’m saying? So my whole concept is just that you can’t come out of the game if you’re not missing shots. “I think I lost the confidence of the coaching staff and my teammates. So my main thing is those guys can score, so instead of thinking about it so much, just trying to focus on defense, try to move the ball and get those guys shots.”… “I’ve been in the league 12 years. Am I mad about not being out on the court? Am I mad about not making shots? Yeah. But my main thing is I’m trying to stay on the court. I know I can play defense, make plays for the other guys and try to do some things to help me stay on the court.”
Mike D’Antoni will ride Kobe Bryant for as long as he can play, from Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times: “That’s the risk that we’re running with Kobe,” D’Antoni said. “His legs, we’re playing a little bit with fire and we wouldn’t like to. But we’re putting ourselves in a position where we have to. “Obviously, if that doesn’t work, then I should have done something else. Right now, I don’t know. I sit him down and we lose; that’s not going to work either. “Kobe’s our best bet going forward to win games, and he says he’s going to retire after a year, so we’ll get our money’s worth for two years.”… Bryant hasn’t officially said he’s done after next season, his last year under contract with the Lakers. But he is demanding as many minutes as possible. D’Antoni isn’t stopping him. “I keep asking him, and he wants to do it,” D’Antoni said. “If he says he feels great and his legs aren’t bothering him, then I’ve got to take his word for it. If he says, ‘I’m tired, but I want to play through,’ then that’s different.”
- How much of an impact does Kevin Garnett make for the Boston Celtics on the defensive end? Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston has the answer: “In the eight games Garnett sat out, Boston posted a defensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 103.4 — about 3½ points above their season average. On Sunday night, in the 24 minutes Garnett was on the floor, Boston’s defensive rating plummeted to 84.7. Eighty-four point seven! Sure, the Wizards’ offense has a way of making opposing defenses look good, but Washington shot 39 percent when Garnett was on the floor and rarely wandered near the hoop with him patrolling.”
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Eric Gordon is in for a tough week.
New Orleans Hornets may be open to deal Eric Gordon in the offseason, from John Reid of The Times Picayune: “Although he is the Hornets’ leading scorer with a 16.5 average with six games left in the regular season, the Hornets’ fan base continues to have a difficult time embracing Gordon, who was acquired in December 2011 in a blockbuster trade from the Los Angeles Clippers that involved former Hornets guard Chris Paul. A majority of fans in New Orleans have not forgotten the comments Gordon made last summer after he became a restricted free agent and agreed to a four-year, $58 million offer sheet with the Suns, which the Hornets matched even though Gordon said his “heart was in Phoenix.” The Hornets were unable to pull off a trade involving Gordon before the February trade deadline, but the franchise is still likely to remain open to trading him after this season ends, according to sources Saturday.”
- Kevin Love will miss the remainder of the season after making the decision to undergo knee surgery, from Ben Golliver of SI: “The Timberwolves announced Monday that forward Kevin Love will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee that is expected to sideline him for four-to-six weeks. The surgery, which will remove a buildup of scar tissue, will end his 2012-13 season, although he was already sidelined with a previous hand injury. This marks the second surgery of the season for Love, who made just 18 appearances this season for the lottery-bound Timberwolves… He has been sidelined for nearly 12 weeks without returning.”
Pat Riley talked about keeping his current team for a long, long time. Story from Shandel Richardson of Sun Sentinel: “It’s the ultimate dream for me,” Riley said. “It really is. The timing was perfect as far as my age. I haven’t coached for five years. I knew after 2008, the 15-win season, that that was it. But I never realized that I was going to have an opportunity to watch and thoroughly enjoy just the players on the practice court, watching them warming up, watching them playing the game, watch them celebrate, watch them have fun. It’s just been an absolute godsend for me at this stage in my career.” Riley, who was speaking at the Heat’s annual Family Festival on Sunday, said the next step is turning his attention toward keeping this team together for a few more years. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will become free agents after next season.”I want to keep bringing in pieces that are going to complement them and hope we can have one of those 10-year rides,” Riley said. “You think about every team, the Celtics in the 60s, the Lakers in the 80s, the Bulls (in the 90s) and then again the Spurs, those guys have been together for eight, nine, 10 years. If we can keep this group together for eight, nine, 10 years, we’re all going to have some fun.”
