Mike Woodson remains hopeful of making the playoffs after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Carmelo Anthony says the Knicks played like a team for once, from Marc Berman of New York Post: “When they made their run, we didn’t buckle,” said embattled Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who picked up his 300th career NBA win. “We made defensive stops and offensive shots. As I told them this morning, until someone tells us we aren’t making the playoffs and have no shot at it, we got to keep playing. Stranger things have happened.”… “I think it was more backs being against the wall,’’ Anthony said. “Coming out fighting and really focusing in on basketball, not worrying about making shots or not. You saw that from the jump ball. “We looked like a team out there today. Hopefully this win can spark something.’’ “We stayed composed,’’ Anthony said. “Normally in the past, we were crumbling when teams made a run. Tonight we kept our foot on the gas.’’.
Apparently, the attendance for the Bucks is so bad that Ersan Ilyasova buys tickets for fans to make noise for the team at particular sections, from Amos Barshad of Grantland: “To my right, amid the wilderness of empty seats, I notice a small oasis of fans stomping their feet, toting giant cardboard Larry Sanders faces, and tossing confetti with every Bucks basket. Nick, one of these excitable fellows, tells me this is a “fan zone” called Sector 7: Ersan Ilyasova buys everyone tickets, and all you have to do is “make as much noise as possible and cheer for the Bucks.” You also have to stand up the entire game. I ask Nick if it’s been tough fulfilling Sector 7 duties for such a bad team. “They tried to build a halfway-decent roster again,” he says. “But honestly, I’m really happy it’s going terrible.”
- Charles Barkley can’t seem to decide who between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant had the better moment of basketball, from Mark Medina of Daily News: “When I saw LeBron score 30 straight points,” TNT analyst Charles Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show, “that was the best thing in sports I had ever seen.” And what about Bryant? “I didn’t watch the game when Kobe scored 81. But that’s incredible,” Barkley said. “There were nights you get 35 or 40, you think I’m awesome tonight. TO get 81 is scoring and amazing. 81 is probably more impressive.”
After a long layoff, Eric Bledsoe is ready to rejoin the team as soon as next week, from Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “First, the “if” was removed from an Eric Bledsoe return from knee surgery this season. Now, the “when” is somewhat answered. Bledsoe will return to game action for the Suns in the next week. The point guard will play no later than next Wednesday’s home game against Cleveland and no earlier than Sunday at Golden State. The Suns also play Monday at the Los Angeles Clippers, Bledsoe’s former team, at the Staples Center, where he injured his knee in a Dec. 30 win. Bledsoe underwent arthroscopic surgery Jan. 10 and has been rehabilitating it with significant recent progress. On Wednesday, Bledsoe participated in full-court, five-on-five scrimmaging for the third time in five days.”
Paul George wants to be mentored by LeBron James, according to Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders: “It would be great to be able to pick his brain, pick his mind and just talk about the game because I think he’s a player that can help me get to the next level and continue to keep going to the next level,” George told Basketball Insiders. “I wish some day we have that relationship where he is someone I can talk to—not during the season because I’m too competitive during the season—but maybe in the summertime.”… “He’s someone that motivates me,” said George, who is averaging 22.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. “This league is all about guys being competitive and competing. And don’t get me wrong, every time I’m matched up with him I’m going to try to get the best out of him and come out as the best player of that game. But at the same time, he’s been someone that I looked up to. He’s someone I’m going to continue to look up to because at the end of the day, the position I want to be in is where he’s at.”
Reggie Williams will sign a 10-day contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, from Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “The Thunder is filling its 15th and final roster spot with the signing of shooting guard Reggie Williams to a 10-day contract, The Oklahoman has learned. The team is expected to announce the signing Thursday morning. Williams, a 6-foot-6 sharpshooter with four years of NBA experience, is being called up from the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. He is averaging a team-leading 21.1 points per game for the 66ers, along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 37.5 minutes. In 19 games this season, 15 as a starter, Williams has shot 49.5 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from behind the 3-point line. He is the D-League’s reigning Performer of the Week for his efforts in leading the 66ers to a 3-0 record while averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals.”
LeBron James will attend a ceremony for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and the Miami Heat aren’t thrilled, according to our Mark Heisler: “Proving what goes around comes around—and took just four years to circumnavigate—the Cleveland Cavaliers are bringing back LeBron James, their icon-turned demon, who plans to attend Saturday’s ceremony to retire former teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ number. Exactly! It looks innocent. No one can prove otherwise… and the Cavs, who yearn to woo Bron home from Miami as a free agent—he still lives near Cleveland—can walk him out to a ringing ovation in this audition, er, heart-warming moment, showing him that his old fans still love him, despite those bonfires, torn-down billboards, et al. It’s the most outrageous, slickest case of tampering, with even the quick-draw NBA lawyers yet to go for their guns… This isn’t a coincidence. If Ilgauskas, now the Cavs’ assistant GM, invited James, the date was set last October, for this two-day break in Miami’s schedule… Heat officials are unhappy, but this isn’t Shane Battier. With no inclination to disappoint James, the team has kept a low profile to this point.”
Royce White will receive another chance to prove himself with the Sacramento Kings, according to the official release from the team: “The Sacramento Kings today signed forward Royce White to a 10-day contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. White has been assigned to the Kings D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns. White was originally selected by the Houston Rockets in the first round (16th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. Assigned to Houston’s D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, White averaged 11.4 points (.444 FG%, .659 FT%), 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 25.5 minutes per game in 16 contests (started 8). On July 13, 2013, the Rockets traded White, the rights to center/forward Furkan Aldemir (four-KAHN ahl-DEE-meer) and additional consideration to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for future draft considerations. White was waived by the 76ers on October 25, 2013.”
- Chris Bosh says he wants to retire when he’s 36, from Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report: “Chris Bosh reiterates what he has said before: that he admires Duncan but doesn’t want to play until he’s 38. One reason for Bosh wanting to retire before that: “I’ve got kids who need attention. Everybody in my house is needy.”
- During his conversation with Bill Simmons, George Gervin talked about how and why he once scored 53 points in the first half of a game.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, we may already be looking at another possible lockout when 2017 rolls around: “So it may be premature to mention this, but hidden in the details of the league’s day-to-day business in recent months has been this fact: The groundwork is already being laid for another lockout. That is the consensus among league executives and prominent agents. But it is articulated particularly well by Charles Grantham, who worked for the union from 1978-95, serving as its executive director for the last seven of those years (he left a year before Billy Hunter, who was deposed last year amid scandal, took over). No replacement for Hunter has been named, and that’s just one element feeding lockout fears.” “Ideally, whether labor or management, you begin work on the next negotiation the day after you sign the last agreement,” said Grantham. “For the players, they have not been able to do that. They still need to find a director, and once they have one, they need to assemble a team and work on a strategy. They’re way behind.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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