Joakim Noah is unlikely to be a major factor in the Bulls’ first-round matchup with the Nets, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: “Nazr Mohammed is almost certain to start against All-Star center Brook Lopez. Coach Tom Thibodeau did say he’s hopeful that the minutes limit on Taj Gibson, who has been recovering from a sprained MCL in his left knee, would be lifted. Noah played just over 28 minutes in the Bulls’ final two regular-season games. “It just flares up on me,” Noah said. “Even in the limited time I had in the last two games, it wasn’t pretty. It’s painful and I’m just trying to find solutions. It’s tough, but at the end of the day it’s not about one player. I’m really proud of this team. I think we put ourselves in a pretty good situation right now, and I think we’re a very capable group regardless. But I definitely want to be there and help as much as I can. I mean I’ve got a tear in my foot, I’ve got a tear in my foot. It is what it is. I’m upset at myself because I let this linger for a long time and I have no one to blame but myself. I just wish I was a little bit smarter. I played games in the regular season that I probably shouldn’t have played, and it’s going to be tough but these are the cards I was dealt.”
- The tiebreakers have been conducted, and now we know over half of the first round draft order. Head over to NBA.com to check out each lottery team’s chance at the No. 1 pick, and the final order for the 16 playoff teams. Here are the tiebreaker results: “Detroit (29-53) won a tiebreaker with Washington. Philadelphia (34-48) won a tiebreaker with Toronto. Houston (45-37) won a tiebreaker with Chicago and the L.A. Lakers; L.A. Lakers then won a tiebreaker with Chicago. L.A. Clippers (56-26) won a tiebreaker with Memphis.”
- Here’s Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News with some informed speculation on Chris Kaman: “Chris Kaman is another of nine Mavericks in the final year of their contracts, or entering an option year. Kaman declined to make himself available to the media after Thursday’s exit meetings, which could be an indication that his meeting didn’t go well.”
- Brandon Jennings is his usual confident self heading into the Bucks’ first-round date with the Heat, writes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “Milwaukee guard Brandon Jennings attended the Wisconsin Sports Awards Thursday night at the Harley-Davidson museum to accept an award for his work in community outreach programs. He was only asked three questions, but he sure made the most of them. He also made a very bold prediction: “I’m real confident. I’m sure everybody is writing us off but but I see us winning the series in six.” Maybe after noticing that everyone in the room had their eyebrows raised, Jennings smiled. “There’s no pressure on us!”
- Chris Bosh on Brandon Jennings saying Bucks will win in six: "If they already had our attention, now they have more of our attention.''
@christomassonChris Tomasson
- The Jazz’s race for the playoffs went down to the final day but was ultimately unsuccessful. After the Jazz lost Wednesday night, speculation ramped up that coach Tyrone Corbin might be done. But, writes Brad Rock of the Deseret News, Corbin will likely get another season at the helm: “Thus the Jazz entered the off-season with a few dozen questions, not the least being whether they should fire Corbin. Answer: Not if the Jazz have anything to say about it. “His status is that Ty’s our coach and he has the Miller family’s full support,” general manager Dennis Lindsey said. “You guys know how we do it around here, and it’s a blame-the-coach culture in sports. We subscribe to a little different philosophy. That’s not going to pacify all of the masses of our fans, but Ty is, one, the person to lead us and, two, he’s really growing as a coach.”
- Some draft talk now. Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been shooting up draft boards lately, and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld got an explanation why: “NBA talent evaluators have been raving about Caldwell-Pope. While he hasn’t gotten as much attention as he deserves due to Georgia’s struggles (the team went 15-17 last year), scouts and executives believe his game will translate well to the NBA. “Kentavious is a rare combination of an above-average athlete and polished fundamental shooter,” one scout said. “He gets after you on both ends. Pure, athletic two-way shooting guards have become such a commodity in the NBA so I expect him to excel depending on where he gets slotted. The only weakness I see is his tendency to settle for harder shots, but, hey, the guy can make them. You can’t teach that.”
- Mike Woodson is 1-8 in the last 9 postseason games he’s coached… His team has been outscored by an AVERAGE of 21.3 points in those 8 defeats
@TommyBeerTommy Beer
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has the latest on the potential Kings sale: “In a decision that commissioner David Stern described as wrenching, NBA owners requested more information Friday before voting on dueling proposals to have the Kings stay in Sacramento or move to Seattle. The next step will be another meeting late next week of a 12-owner committee, which will then vote on a recommendation. The full Board of Governors – one ownership representative from each of the 30 teams – will then have at least seven business days to review it and cast the deciding vote on the fate of the franchise. “I think it’s 50-50,” one owner told CBSSports.com upon leaving the two-day meeting of the full board. “I think it could go either way.”
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Dan Malone is a journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.
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Yeah, the worst trade in the history of the Assn & he would do it again?