Johnny Davis, a former assistant coach of Tracy McGrady, opened up about the guard’s lack of a Kobe Bryant mentality. Jonathan Abrams of Grantland has details: “You never, ever come out of a game questioning Kobe Bryant’s effort unless there was something going on you didn’t know about,” said Johnny Davis, an assistant to Doc Rivers when McGrady played in Orlando and, later, the Magic’s head coach. “When he was not shooting that night he was trying to get others involved or something like that. But you never had to question his work ethic. And arguably, Tracy was more talented and you could make an argument for that case. But you could never make the argument that he worked as hard as Kobe.” Davis and Rivers sought ways to wrest the most from McGrady’s talent. “I’m sure there were times when he wondered, Well, why are you questioning my work ethic? I just gave you 37 points,” Davis said. “But, had he worked harder, maybe that was a 47-point night. Maybe there was no need for him to try to make one at the buzzer. Had he done this the whole game it wouldn’t have even been close. Only he knows that. We look at it and we say, ‘Man, he’s not working hard enough.’ But sometimes guys have an easiness about them that makes it appear that way, and again only Tracy can answer that.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers have cooled off on the idea of drafting Nerlens Noel with the first overall pick, from Jason Lloyd of Beacon Journal: “By the time this week concludes, the Cavaliers should have a clear plan regarding the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. All five candidates under consideration will visit Cleveland Clinic Courts this week, including Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel today. Most mock drafts around the country project the Cavs to select Noel, but sources within the organization seem cool on him. Noel played in just 24 games because of a left knee injury his freshman year and his offensive skills are limited. He has spent time during his rehab working on his shooting. “The day I heard what the injury was, was the only day I felt sorry for myself,” Noel said last month at the combine. “Every day since then, I’ve devoted to my rehab. “I’ve been polishing every little part of my game. As time goes on, I’ll do more low-block work. Right now it’s more form shooting.”
Bill Russell defended LeBron James when it comes to making it to the NBA Finals, from Amick of USA Today: “Russell, who rarely does news media appearances but sat down with NBA TV before speaking with USA TODAY Sports, isn’t among the masses quick to criticize James. James would be 1-3 in Finals appearances if the Heat lose in Game 7, having lost to the Spurs in 2007 while with the Cleveland Cavaliers and in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks in his first season with the Heat. Russell made the comparison to Los Angeles Lakers great Jerry West, who lost in eight of nine Finals appearances. “If I remember correctly, Jerry never won a championship until I retired (in 1969),” Russell said of West, who won his lone title in 1972. “But everybody nowadays says he was a great, great player. LeBron is (28) years old, and so far he’s doing wonderful. The comparisons that are being made are being made by people who really don’t know what they’re doing. “He’s been to the Finals now … four times. Think about the Finals. When you’re on a team, and you’re playing in the last game your league has each year, you had a great year, OK? The Finals are not invitation-only. You get there by winning.”
Jay-Z is now officially NBPA certified, from Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily: “Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports President Juan Perez have been granted certification by the NBPA to represent NBA players in contract negotiations with clubs. The NBPA is the first sports union to grant Jay-Z certification. Jay-Z, Perez and Roc Nation Sports VP Rich Kleiman also applied for certification with the MLBPA, and a decision on those applications is expected soon. Jay-Z launched Roc Nation Sports on April 1 with the intent to create a full-service sports agency which represents players in all of the major sports. Anyone can represent athletes for marketing, but in order to negotiate playing contracts, agents must be certified by the unions that represent players in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL.
- Dwight Howard and Shawn Marion showed their abilities as actors in the following clip: