SH Blog: Celtics may be interested in deal for Stoudemire, Carter calls Howard a crybaby during contest

Doug Collins says the New York Knicks have ball-stoppers on the team, from Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today: “They were going to spread you out. The way the Knicks played early in the season last year had you on rollerskates,” Collins said. “They were ball friendly. Now, they miss Chandler and they’ve got ball-stoppers. The ball stops and sticks. They’re not defending and not playing offense the way they did.” Collins understands the Knicks can turn it around. “You know what I’ve found? You’re really two or three good wins from taking off. That’s how quickly this league changes. The Knicks right now are playing very poor basketball at home. Last year, they were 31-10 at home. When you don’t play well at home, you start feeling that. Fans are on top of you. The ball gets heavy. The Knicks have to get back to playing well at the Garden. They have wonderful fans and those fans want them to win but when they start playing poorly, those fans are going to let them know. They’re looking for a spark.”

Jimmy Butler will miss the next few weeks with a toe injury, from Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler is expected to miss two to three weeks with turf toe, a league source told Yahoo Sports. The Bulls issued a statement calling Butler’s status “week to week” on Wednesday. Butler, 24, wanted to join the Bulls on an upcoming six-game road trip, but will stay back to get treatment on the injury to his big right toe. Butler was hurt in the Bulls’ Monday night victory over the Charlotte Bobcats and had an MRI exam on Tuesday. Butler averages 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds as the starting shooting guard. His spot in the lineup will likely go to Kirk Hinrich or Mike Dunleavy.

More news from Woj about the Philadelphia 76ers: “Former No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown has been waived by the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources told Yahoo Sports. A 6-foot-11 center, Brown had been taken first overall in the 2001 NBA draft by then-Washington Wizards president Michael Jordan, ahead of players like Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolphand Tony Parker. Brown was in a two-year, $6 million contract with the Sixers and has made approximately $64 million in his 13 NBA seasons, despite career averages of 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Brown, 31, had been sidelined by a right hamstring injury and has yet to play this season. The Sixers also released guard Darius Morris.”
The Sacramento Kings are aggressively looking to make a deal, from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com: “The Kings are aggressively pursuing trade possibilities in hopes of accelerating the rebuilding process, NBA.com has learned, with one executive saying the team is looking to swap veterans for prospects and picks. While it is believed some conversations have advanced beyond preliminary talks, it is not immediately clear whether any deals are imminent. One league source rated Sacramento’s interest level in making a move soon as “very high,” and said the new front office led by owner Vivek Ranadive and general managerPete D’Alessandro has had discussions with several clubs in hopes of generating activity long before the Feb. 20 trade deadline.”
Mark Jackson called out his bench after seeing their poor performance against the Utah Jazz, from Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area: “I wanted to make sure my guys were fine, that they were still loose,” Jackson said. “Once they said they were fine, it wasn’t a tough decision at all. I’m not into embarrassing any one of my guys, but if you continue to put forth embarrassing effort, you leave me no choice.” The bench often has been a problem this season, though usually obscured by the large leads created by the starters…He clearly was displeased. “Somebody’s always watching,” he said. “And you never know when you earn a job because of the performance you put forth with two minutes or three minutes or five minutes to go in the game. Disappointed in those guys. They own it, and we move forward.”

Garnett says Jason Kidd should not be the one to blame for the Nets’ struggles, from Brian Lewis of New York Post: “Dismal. No one’s happy about how we’re playing. No one likes the current state. But everybody’s willing and committed towards changing it. The way you change it is through work, and that’s what we’re doing,’’ Garnett said. “The blame’s on all of us. It’s not just on Jason. You can’t put the [blame] all on him. We’re players who obviously have to be professional, come out here and do our jobs.’’… “That’s needed. It’s longer because, hell, we need it,’’ said Garnett, who — like Pierce — didn’t talk to the press Monday. “Obviously the more teaching within the system we’re all learning and trying to get down, trying to create this identity, that’s needed. Hell, if we’ve got to be here two, three hours, then that’s what it is.’’

Hakeem Olajuwon sees old habits – bad ones – resurfacing from Dwight Howard, from Fran Blinebury of NBA.com: “The truth is that I can’t wait to get back to Houston to do more work with Dwight,” said Olajuwon, who left Houston in early October to return to his home in Amman, Jordan and has been keeping track of his pupil on TV. “I wish he was doing a better job. “Dwight has always been athletic and aggressive and he still is. But when I watch him, what I see are opportunities that he is missing. When he gets the ball, he seems to be taking his time to decide what move to make, where he should go. “There should not be a delay for Dwight. He must be able to make a faster recognition of the situations and react immediately with a go-to move. You must move right away before the defense has a chance to set up. You must be the one making the first move so that you can force the defender to always be the one reacting. “I thought we were doing a good job with this when we were working together over the summer and at the start of training camp. But what I see now is that when Dwight gets in competition, he has a tendency to go back to all of his old habits. He’s just doing all of the things that he did before. He needs a reminder.”