Chris Grant’s firing in Cleveland brought some players to tears: “Grant was fired by Dan Gilbert while the players were on the floor practicing Thursday. They learned of the decision before boarding a flight to Washington for the game Friday against the Wizards. Some of the players were emotional over the decision and were even driven to tears, two team sources said. “Everybody was saddened by it,” Dion Waiters said. “Some of it you think, ‘Is it our fault for the way we’ve been playing that a man lost his job?’ A lot goes into consideration when you think about those types of things, especially for a guy who believed in me and made my dreams come true.” C.J. Miles said he was grateful to Grant for giving him another chance. Miles was coming off a terrible shooting season his final year with the Utah Jazz and was struggling to find another place to play. He has resurrected his reputation the last two seasons with the Cavs.
“CG gave me a chance,” Miles said. “He brought me here to come in and remind people I could still play. He was a great guy, a good dude outside of business, too. He did some good things for me, helped me out a lot as far as coming here, presenting me with the opportunity to play basketball, start something new and start something exciting. I thank him for that.”
Knicks head coach Mike Woodson may be nearing his final days in New York: “Sources say the All-Star break would be the ideal time for the Knicks to make a midseason change, if they elect to do so. The move would allow a new assistant coaching staff and Williams to become acclimated with each other while the team is off from Feb. 13-18. The Knicks have three games left before the break, at home tonight against Denver, at Oklahoma City on Sunday and back home against Sacramento next Wednesday. Losses in all three would likely seal Woodson’s fate. “This year has been, for me, it’s been kind of a disaster from a coaching standpoint in trying to get players to compete and play at a high level,” Woodson said Thursday during an ESPN New York radio interview. “That’s the frustrating part about it, because I know we’re better than what we’ve shown and we’ve still got a chance.” That, in a nutshell, is the main reason why Woodson is in jeopardy of losing his job. Woodson also acknowledged the reports of his demise circulating through the media. “It’s been out there, it’s buzzing,” Woodson said during the interview.”
Carmelo Anthony says Woodson’s future is out of his hands: ““There may be players that have a problem with Woody and want to blame him but Carmelo isn’t one of them,” said a person close to Anthony. “If Carmelo has tuned out Woody or doesn’t want him as a coach, why did he score 62 points two weeks ago? Why was he player of the month in January?” Tyson Chandler, on the other hand, has been outspoken in his criticism of Woodson and openly questioned Woodson’s defensive strategy following a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Martin Luther King Day. The Daily News previously reported that Chandler has grown close to Knicks president Steve Mills, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. It is unclear if Chandler was the other player who met with Dolan on Wednesday. “Tyson’s numbers are down and you guys in the media made him Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s nowhere near the player he was two years ago,” said the same source. “If you go back to the playoff series against Indiana, Tyson has struggled and he’s usually pointing the finger at Woody.””- More on Woodson in latest Chris Sheridan Podcast
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest will headline the cheapest All-Star Saturday night in years: “The last time New Orleans hosted the All-Star game, Dwight Howard won the contest while famously donning a Super Man cape. Howard has gone on to become one of the elite players in the game, and for fans who attend All Star Saturday night they’ll get to watch not only the dunk contest but also the three point competition, the skills challenge as well as the shooting stars team challenge. The team challenge consists of timed three-point and half court shots, and like last year, all of the events will be an East vs. West format. If fans aren’t happy with the star wattage for the slam dunk contest, the three-point and shooting stars competition have some big names, including, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Chris Bosh, as well as Tim Hardaway Jr. and his dad. If fans in New Orleans are looking for a less expensive way to get a taste of the All-Star weekend, Saturday night is the way to go. At an average price of $827, Saturday night’s festivities are almost $300 less than NBA All Star Game tickets. Below is an image of prices for All Star Saturday Night’s average prices on the secondary market over the last five years.”
