- Daryl Morey thinks the Lakers have no shot at all against the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, from Beyond the Buzzer: “In an interview with Houston’s SportsTalk 790 AM Thursday, Rockets GM, Daryl Morey, was asked about the Lakers chances in their first-round matchup against the Spurs. Morey, whose team lost to the Lakers Wednesday, says the Lakers have no shot at beating the second-seeded Spurs. On if the Lakers have any chance of beating San Antonio? [45:30 mark] “No [laughs]. None….The Spurs I think they’re going to be machine-like against the Lakers, I really do.”
How confident is Brandon Jennings about facing the Heat in the first round? Perhaps a tad too confident, from Lori Nickel of 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!”
Flip Saunders explains why the Knicks are in for a tough out against the Celtics, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday: “Saunders was an advisor for the Celtics last season and coached Kevin Garnett for years in Minnesota so he has a good perspective. “As Doc has always said, this team is always built for the playoffs,” Flip said. “They’re built with their defense to lock down defensively. They’re built that the longer they play a team in a playoff series, the better they become defensively because they understand even more so what type of wrinkles and counters teams are trying to run against them. “The strength of New York is their ability to shoot the basketball on the perimeter, and one of the strengths of Boston’s defense is their ability to contest three point shots and take away three-point percentage shooting. So if they can do that, they really take away a key ingredient of what the New York Knicks do to have success.”
Frank Vogel thinks Paul George is more of a Defensive Player of the Year candidate than Roy Hibbert, from Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Interesting. By the way, I realize this is an unfair question almost, but if you had to pick one of your players to nominate for Defensive Player of the Year — and only one — do you pick Paul George or Roy Hibbert? Paul, but it’s very close to even. I thought you’d say Roy. Why Paul? Him just being able to guard just about every position. But Roy has been dominant, too. He’s the best rim protector in the game, according to most numbers I’ve seen. He’s a candidate, too.”
Joakim Noah’s availability in the first round looks murky at this point, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago: “Despite seeing action in each of the final two games of the regular season,Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah still is in danger of missing all or part of the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Coach Tom Thibodeau is planning on having Noah available for the first-round series that begins Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets, but admitted that some uncertainty still hangs in the air when it comes to the All-Star who has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. During an appearance on ESPN Chicago 1000’s “Waddle & Silvy Show,” Thibodeau was asked if it is possible that Noah doesn’t play. “It’s possible, yeah; he’s still day to day,” Thibodeau said. “If he has soreness, we’re going to take it as it comes.”… Even if Noah does play against the Nets, it’s likely he will be on a severe minutes restriction. How much might Noah be able to play? “I don’t know and that’s the unfortunate part,” Thibodeau said. “All I know is that we’re better with him on the floor. I prefer for him to be out there extended minutes but whatever he can give us we would like him to do it. But if he can’t go he can’t go and we have to go to the next guy.”
Vinny Del Negro and the front office of the Clippers have a sour relationship because of his over-involvement in front office matters, from T.J. Simers: “Del Negro’s name should probably be mentioned in consideration for coach of the year honors. He hired, and in some cases negotiated the contracts, of almost everyone who is sitting on the Clippers’ potent bench. And then he kept them happy all season long. His team swept the Lakers this season, won a division title and recorded 56 wins in a Western Conference rich with worthy opponents. But there’s a feeling within the Clippers that the players and the organization could do better with someone else. I’d suggest a psychiatrist. The front office turned sour on Del Negro earlier this season when he chatted with Celtics’ boss Danny Ainge about a deal to acquire Kevin Garnett. They felt it wasn’t his place to do so. Hard feelings remain. Del Negro also isn’t as sold on keeping DeAndre Jordan as the front office is, and so there are grounds for continued conflict. If I knew the name of the team’s wallflower general manager, I would tell you.”
James Park is the chief blogger on Sheridanhoops.com. You can find him on twitter at @SheridanBlog.
Why do you persist in printing links to the atrocious Sam Amico? One of the least knowledgeable and one of the biggest fawning NBA writers in the country. Nobody is more biased and more in the hip pocket of the NBA franchise they write about. He’s a joke. As sportswriters go, Amico’s credibility rises to the level of Jimmy Haslam. Which is to say he has no credibility and doesn’t possess the qualifications for the job.