Frank Vogel says Al Jefferson reminds him of Kevin McHale, from Rick Bonnell of Charlotte Observer: “Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel was asked pre-game if Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson reminds him of anyone. Interesting old-school reply from Vogel: “The coach of the Houston Rockets.” Kevin McHale actually makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels. Like McHale had as a Boston Celtic, Jefferson has a multitude of moves, a full plate of ball fakes and is pretty much earth-bound, as far as playing below the basket. As Jefferson often jokes about himself, he plays an “old man’s game.” Also McHale tutored Jefferson some when Jefferson played for the Minnesota Timberwolves… I asked a follow-up question of Vogel about how confounding Jefferson’s ball fakes are; how, no matter how often a defender has seen them, he still falls for them. Vogel said as a coach you are constantly asking your players to contest shots. Suddenly against Jefferson, that’s more a liability than a plan.”
- Vince Carter believes he still has two years left in the tank, according to Dwain Price of Star-Telegram: “Vince Carter, 37, believes he can play at least 2 more seasons. But he’s not sure that he can play at age 40.”
- Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are apparently not interested in communicating with each other through the tough times, from Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal: “Stoudemire says he and Carmelo haven’t talked much about the team’s struggles this season.”
Despite a horrendous season turned in by the New York Knicks, Mike Woodson still feels he was and is the right man for the job, from Marc Berman of New York Post: “Defiant Knicks coach Mike Woodson admits he’s “failed’’ in some areas but said he won’t “quit.’’“I still think I was the guy for the job and I still think I’m the guy for the job,’’ he said Wednesday. Asked by The Post if his message no longer is reaching the players, Woodson said, “When you lose, everybody tends to reach. Sometimes you might send the wrong message. I think you learn a lot about your basketball team when you do lose. They learn a lot about each other. The character changes a little bit. We’ve had some struggle, a lot of struggles. I don’t think they’re tuning me out. They’re still listening, but just not getting it done on the basketball floor. “That’s the frustrating part of it. We’re in games. We’re competing. Then all of a sudden we forget how to compete. That’s strange as hell from a coaching standpoint. We got to keep working through it. I’m not going to quit. That’s just not my nature. I hope these guys don’t quit. I don’t think they are quitting.’’ “I’ve tried to deal with it on a day-to-day basis and still try to get the team up to speed and where they need to be as a team on the floor. I feel like I’ve failed somewhat in that area. But again, at the end of the day, we still have a shot. My thought process will never change as far as me being a coach here.’’
Steve Clifford says blame for LeBron James’ career game should fall on him and not the players, from Bonnell: “Consider the greatness of the player and the sequence of what happened,” Clifford said of James’ 22-of-33 shooting night. “He was in the pick-and-roll most of the time, which is where most of his baskets happened. As the ball was released, if you stopped (the video) and said, ‘Can we live with that shot?’ you’d realize MKG and Tolliver did a good job. “If there’s somebody who could be blamed for that, then blame me. We did change our coverages somewhat (as the game transpired). You could have flat-out doubled him, but then they would have scored 150. (Kidd-Gilchrist and Tolliver) taking heat for that? No. That’s a coaching decision.”
If you’re hoping to see Steve Nash play one more year with the Los Angeles Lakers and leave the game on his terms, that’s just what you might get. Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report has details: “And the fact is, as of this time, Nash will get one last chance to play next season with the Lakers, who are not planning a free-agent spending spree this summer and are therefore thinking it does not make sense to use the stretch provision to waive Nash. The Lakers would rather be done with the entirety of Nash’s $9.7 million salary next year if they’re not planning on spending much next season, as opposed to stretching that money across the next three seasons if they waive him and suffer future burdens. That decision by the Lakers would give Nash one last season to get his body as right as possible, control the nerve-root irritation sapping his back and legs, and try to go out on something close to his terms.”
Kobe Bryant says he wants revenge come next season, from ESPN: “This year, we all know it’s been a real tough year for us, right?” Bryant told Power 106, according to Lakersnation.com. “So what I’d like everybody to do is to really just sit back and just absorb this year. Take it all in. Sit back and watch and listen and hear all the hate that’s being thrown at us and remember every person that’s kicking you when you’re down, because next year it ain’t gonna be this way. “Appreciate it now. Let it sit in now, because revenge is sweet and it’s quick.”… Bryant told Power 106 that proving those who had a lack of faith in the Lakers and his recovery wrong is what fuels the five-time NBA champion now. “You’ve got to appreciate that and enjoy that and use that as fuel as motivation to basically just shut everybody the hell up,” Bryant told the radio station, according to Lakersnation.com. “It’s that challenge, that challenge that drives us all, I think, and definitely keeps me going.”
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report explains the significance of what Jason Collins has done this season: “Yes, Collins broke a significant barrier last week, and in doing so demonstrated that the NBA is, and was, ready for an openly gay player. The positive response from fans has been encouraging. But it is not about Collins now, or about the NBA. It’s about the next gay player who wants to live openly and honestly, whether he’s already in the league or if he’s a talented teenager with NBA aspirations. It’s also about the barriers that have yet to be broken in the NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball. There are still players who fear coming out, and owners who might not draft or sign them if they do. So yes, Collins still matters and will for some time to come, even if his return has, so far, hardly created a stir.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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