Mitch Kupchak is concerned about the status of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA: “”The primary weakness is uncertainty. I don’t think that’s a secret to anybody,” Kupchak said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio’s “The Herd.” “Our best player, one of the best players ever to play the game, is recovering from an Achilles tendon tear and one of the other all-time best, Steve Nash, ended the season injured. “Steve, to my understanding, is close to 100 percent, but he’s not as young as he once was and Kobe’s a big question mark. We’re very optimistic, he’s getting treatment every day, he’s in the facility right now, but he hasn’t been on a basketball court. Uncertainty going forward, I guess with our health status would be the biggest question mark.”
Kupchak also described what he did to Phil Jackson as “clumsy”, from Shelburne: “I would say, ‘clumsy,’ is not a bad characterization only because of the late night phone call and there was really no other way to get around it in this business,” Kupchak said of the infamous midnight phone call he placed to Jackson, informing him of the Lakers’ decision. “The last thing we wanted was Phil Jackson, who we love in the organization, the city loves him, was to wake up in the morning … would he get a phone call from somebody at 4 or 5:00 in the morning saying, ‘Guess what? Didn’t Mitch tell you?’ But there was really no other way to do it, and you could say it was clumsy.”
- Kobe Bryant said it bothered him when Shaquille O’Neal said the guard could not win without the center, from Ramona Sheburne of ESPN LA: “Kobe: “It never bothered me when others said I couldnt win w/out Shaq. It bothered me when he said it”
Brett Brown said he wouldn’t have taken the coaching job in Philadephia without a very specific deal, from Jason Wolf of USA Today: “I was not going to take the job without the four years (guaranteed),” Brown said about his contract. “And I am extremely grateful to the owners where they took a step back, and I think it’s a tremendous reflection of what they truly think too. It’s going to take time. They really do have a tolerance. There is a patience. And as much as it was security for myself, I felt like they made a statement to the marketplace that they’re for real. They really do see this being a long-haul type of position. But it was vital to my decision and I’m thrilled that they allowed me to have that duration.”
Dwyane Wade received shock treatment to deal with knee tendinitis, from Ira Winderman of Sun Sentinel: “Dwyane Wade offered a revelation Thursday about the knee issues that limited him during last season’s run to the NBA championship . . . and it was shocking. That actually could turn out to be a good thing for the Miami Heat guard. Speaking before the start of his adult fantasy camp, Wade revealed that he underwent OssaTron shockwave treatment a month ago to deal with tendinitis… “I had to take a month off after I did my treatment and this weekend will be a month to the day,” he said during an event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. “It’s the kind of treatment for tendinitis, certain areas in your knee.”
Wade also chimed in on the signing of Greg Oden, from Winderman: “I think it’s great,” Wade said of the Heat beating out several other suitors for the 7-foot, 275-pound center. “Greg has actually done a good job of trying to get his body back. He’s 25 years old. He wants to play the game of basketball at a high level, like he knows he’s capable of. And he’s been snake-bitten a little bit, and I think he’s done a good job of taking time off and trying to get healthy.” Just as Wade is pleased with his Heat-orchestrated treatment, he believes Oden will benefit from the team’s medical staff, as well. “He’s come to the right place,” he said. “They will do everything in their power to make sure that he’s able to be on the court and be effective. They’re doing a good job. Hopefully he doesn’t rush it. We take him step by step.”
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN explained why the Golden State Warriors may be better of without David Lee: “The playoffs turned the necessity of Lee’s offense into an open question. If a big guy can’t defend, might be holding your offense back, and makes a ton of money, should he be in your team’s future plans?… While it’s possible that Lee’s presence helps an injury-prone roster scratch out wins, it’s almost certain that Lee — a skilled player, to be sure — would be more useful to a team that didn’t have to put aside its best offense to play him. Lee gives the Warriors a distinct ceiling: Neither the defense nor the offense is at its best when he’s on the floor… if Lee doesn’t change, the Warriors must find a way to trade their All-Star — because talented and hardworking though he is, he’s making far too much money not to make the team better.”
Nick Young and the Lakers should just be happy that they have the maximum 25 games on National TV including 6 games on ABC. Knicks have 5 games on ABC. There are only 15 scheduled games on ABC.
I wonder what percent of viewers will be rooting for Lakers/Knicks to lose and whether ABC/ESPN takes that into consideration when they are scheduled.
Truth is that Lakers have a very bad team, when you get past the 3 injury riddled aging starters. They lost several good players from last season.