LeBron James says he will be remembered as one of the greatest: “”I’m going to be one of the top four that’s ever played this game, for sure,” LeBron James said in an interview that will air on NBA TV on Monday. “And if they don’t want me to have one of those top four spots, they’d better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody’s gotta get bumped, but that’s not for me to decide. That’s for the architects.” James, who has previously talked about being one of the greats of all time, was responding to a question during the interview when asked to name his personal Mount Rushmore, the four greatest players of all time. James’ first three selections which he called the “easy three,” were Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He deliberated before taking Oscar Robertson as his fourth choice.”
Jeff Van Gundy believe the Bulls should try to make it work with coach Thibs: “”There’s nobody that does a better job with his team in the whole league,” Van Gundy said Monday on The Carmen & Jurko Show on ESPN Chicago 1000. “I would suspect that he would be back for a long time. I know he loves the city, he loves his team, you can tell. Everything I’ve ever heard about Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner is that he’s a man’s man. I’m pretty good friends with [former Bulls coach] Tim Floyd, and Tim Floyd raves about him as does Tom. “I would suspect if [general manager] Gar Forman or [executive vice president] John Paxson have an issue with Tom, what it could be I don’t know, but if they do, they should try to get it resolved in a positive manner because Tom’s an exceptional talent, and one of the reasons the Bulls have been so good and so overachieving since he’s been there is because of his great work. I hope it works out because it’s a great place and it’s a great basketball city.” Reports have surfaced this season that there is more friction in the relationship between Thibodeau and the front office. The team parted ways with assistant coach and Thibodeau confidant Ron Adams before the season, and the Bulls traded a Thibodeau favorite, forward Luol Deng, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in January.
SheridanHoops own Danny Schayes with a terrific look at the NBA’s search for a new Union Chief: “Currently the National Basketball Players Association is searching for a new Executive Director to replace their last one, Billy Hunter, who was forced out in disgrace. He was charged with being secretive, manipulative, and putting his own agenda before the players. I recently became part of the process as a candidate for the job. I found the process to be secretive, manipulative, and full of conflicting agendas fighting for control. Not surprising given the history of the NBPA and players in general. Pro athletes are among the most manipulated of all employees.”
Knicks guard J.R. Smith has suffered a cheek fracture and will play with a mask: “Knicks guard J.R. Smith suffered a small fracture in his left cheekbone on Sunday in Oklahoma City, but he’s expected to play Wednesday against Sacramento after being fitted for a protective face mask. Smith suffered the injury when his face made contact with Kevin Durant’s knee on a fall to the floor at the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter in the Knicks’ loss to the Thunder. “He will play. He’s getting fitted for a mask and has to protect his eye,” Mike Woodson said after practice. “We’ve had our fair share of injuries. The fact he says he can still play, so he won’t miss a game, that’s good. We’re just hoping he can play well with the mask he wears.””
Plagued by injuries since joining the Lakers last season, Steve Nash is not considering retirement: “”Not yet,” Nash said via ESPNLA when asked if he has thought about retirement. “We’ll see. But I still enjoy being back there on the court so much that this [nerve irritation] is nothing compared to that feeling of being one of the guys and being on the team and trying to win games. So, it’s still well worth it to me.” Like Nash said, retirement is permanent, unless you’re Michael Jordan or Brett Favre, but mostly, when you’re done, it’s done. And for a basketball player like Nash, even though he’s had a long, incredible, Hall-of-Fame-level career, there’s still more to be done. But he’s been fighting injuries the past two seasons, with his troublesome back and now recent leg injury. “I would say it’s probably going to flare up from time to time,” Nash said of his injuries. “I don’t know if I’ll ever [get over it]. I’ll probably deal with this for the rest of my life in some way.” Another reason not to retire: Nash has one year left after this season on his contract, paying him $9.7 million. That’s a pretty good reason to grit your teeth and play on. Just call it a solid retirement plan.”
Guys, I’m a regular visitor to the site and check out most of your original pieces – but I think you’ve started crossing the line with how much of others’ content you quote in your daily roundups. Lowe’s piece today and Aldridge a day or two ago felt particularly egregious. Basic rule of thumb: if it feels like I’m reading an edited version of the entire article then it’s too much.