Oklahoma City is trying to stay quiet about Russell Westbrook’s status, but it sure sounds like he is well ahead of his 4-6 weeks time frame. Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman has details: “He’s been practicing the last few days with us, and that will continue,” Brooks said. “And, like I said, until further notice I have not much else to say. It’s one of those things, you know, every day can’t be another question on is he going to play. Right now, he’s not playing, but we’re excited about the game tonight.” Kevin Durant politely sidestepped questions about Westbrook’s return as well. “I don’t know if I can say or not how I feel,” Durant said when asked if he thinks Westbrook is closer to a return. But he looks good. Like I said, I don’t know the timetables or what the doctors are saying, but he looks good to me. Russell put in a lot of work, so I expected him to look like this. So we’ll see when he gets back out there. We’re waiting for him.” Durant was then asked if Westbrook is playing 5-on-5 in practices. “No comment,” he said.”
Ty Lawson has been frustrated and uncertain about the new direction of his team at times, from Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: “I think it has been a little frustrating for him, to be honest with you,” Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said Tuesday, on the eve of the season opener at Sacramento… “Coach told me he wanted me to be aggressive. And I told him, ‘Well, where do you want me to go?’ How am I going to be aggressive if I beat my man, and then I have to beat the defender of our big in the lane, if he’s standing in the way?” Lawson said. “The level of frustration was pretty high.”… “It’s been a big adjustment,” said Lawson, who added he is slowly learning to pick new spots and ways to attack the defense. “I like to penetrate and touch the paint. It’s a little bit harder when there are bigs in the lane, waiting for the post (pass). There’s really nowhere for me to drive.”
Stephen Curry says he doesn’t agree with what the GMs have said in their survey about him, from Sam Amick of USA Today: “Yeah, I don’t agree with that survey at all,” Curry said. “Obviously I see myself as a point guard who can lead a team and initiate offense and create for other players. I don’t think stereotypically that that’s a shooting guard’s responsibility. “Coming off a pick-and-roll, you can’t go under because I’ll try to shoot it over the top. And if you go over the top, then that definitely means I’ll have the advantage to get in the paint and make a play. That’s just the way I play the position and how I try to attack on the offensive end.”
Carmelo Anthony dismissed what the TNT crew had to say about him and referred to Charles Barkley as “that guy”, from Al Iannazzone of Newsday: “They don’t know what I’m doing,” Anthony said after practice. “I haven’t had a complaint yet in my 11 years in this NBA about playing with me. I think people would love to come to play in New York. And when that time comes, we’ll be working on that. “I have a big black book. I have a big Rolodex. People that talk about what’s going on with me in the offseason, this and that, I should be getting people to come here, I am. I’m trying.” Smith said Monday there aren’t “a lot of guys saying they want to come to New York and play here with [Anthony].” Barkley said Anthony shouldn’t be talking about opting out, and should worry about trying to get players to join him. “I don’t listen to that guy,” Anthony said.”
George Karl expects the Washington Wizards to be a playoff team, from Michael Lee of Washington Post: “I think their expectation is to make the playoffs, and if I had to pick them, I would say they’re going to make the playoffs,” Karl said… “I love John Wall and his speed with the ball,” Karl said. ”I think the way we played in Denver last year we liked the guard to be always on the attack mode and he’s one of those guards that is so fast with the basketball and is so committed to penetrating the ball into the paint that he makes a lot of things happen. And he’s gotten to be very, very good at making good things happen more often than making bad things happen.” On Beal, Karl said: “The Beal kid, in the second half of last year had shot the ball extremely well. He reminds me a little bit of Ray Allen early in his career, his ability when you get him open — he’s got a quick release and he’s deadly and he has a confidence to his game that I think is first class.”
According to Kobe Bryant’s conversation with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, it sounds like the guard won’t be back any time soon: “Q: Do you have a projected practice day Bryant: “No, because you don’t know how it’s going to respond the next day. So hopefully with me, I will continue to push it and ramp it up every single day. And then we can go from there.” Q: Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said that once you begin practicing, you could need two to three weeks of practice before you begin playing in games. Is that correct? Bryant: “That sounds about right. We haven’t had that conversation, but that sounds about right.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter@SheridanBlog.