- In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Larry Brown opened up about Michael Jordan firing him and why other teams believed the coach was over the hill. He then discussed what went down in his one year with the New York Knicks, and explained how he did everything wrong, along with why he had an issue with Isiah Thomas as a general manager.
David Nurse of HoopsHype explains why he thinks Michael Jordan is overrated: “I’m not here to question Jordan’s work ethic and commitment to improving his craft; that we can all agree on is obvious. However, it is interesting to note that as his three-point percentage rose, his overall field goal percentage declined. His final seven seasons, he didn’t crack 50 percent from the field. That’s just the regular season, though. The overall consensus has always been once playoff time comes around, Jordan took his game to the next level. I know it can’t all be measured by shooting percentages, but it is worth noting that both MJ’s field goal and free-throw percentage are lower in the playoffs than the regular season… Jordan is a product of the perfect timing and filling a void that was much needed by the NBA and a little company known as Nike. When Jordan came into the league in 1984, the NBA had finally hit popularity throughout the United States thanks to the Magic vs. Bird rivalry. The NBA was looking to capitalize on this upward swing of popularity and knew with finding the one, they could do just that.”
Kemba Walker is excited about the way his team is playing, from Rick Bonnell of Charlotte Observer: “Confidence is everything – not just in basketball, in everything – and I think we have a lot of confidence at this time,” said Walker, whose team has won four of five overall and seven in a row at home. “We beat some really good teams and stayed in games with some really good teams. As long as we compete with the best every night.”… “It’s a whole different story now – two teams trying to make the playoffs, two teams playing great basketball, two teams turning their organizations around,” said Walker (16 points and five assists). “It’s good to see.”… “Especially for some of the guys who’ve been here, who went through all that, it’s nice to be racking up some wins,” Walker said… “I think we get so much better every day,” he said. “We practice like pros. Even when it’s a light practice, you can see the focus.”
Meanwhile, John Wall received a $15,000 fine by the league for criticizing the officials and Walker after losing to the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday. Here is what he said to earn the fine, from J. Michael of CSN Washington: “I didn’t touch him. All he did was scream,” Wall said. “The ref gave him calls all night because he was screaming.”… “This was like a playoff game,” Wall said. “They called it too tight with certain calls that didn’t go our way, but it’s still not the reason why we lost.” The Bobcats had a 22-9 edge in attempted free throws. They were plus-11 in points there. It’s becoming a pattern for the Wizards, who coach Randy Wittman said lacked aggression. The last time his team took more foul shots than an opponent was Feb. 27 at the Toronto Raptors…”I was really upset,” he said. “I was mad. I always wait until the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter to get a call. Plenty of times I jumped to the basket. I think I should’ve been to the line plenty more.”
Jason Kidd may have a secret recipe to beat the Miami Heat because he is 6-1 against them since last season, including 3-0 this season as the coach of the Brooklyn Nets, from Stefan Bondy of Daily News: “The Nets had gone about five years without a win over LeBron James until this season. With Wednesday night’s statement 96-95 victory — a thrilling roller-coaster ride that ended with a Brooklyn steal in the final seconds — they’ve beaten King James three times in four months. It was probably Brooklyn’s most impressive win of the season considering the circumstances. Kevin Garnett (back) and Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) were inactive because of injuries. The Heat was at full strength and at home, where Miami had lost just four times all season. Brooklyn’s backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson was largely ineffective.”
The Clippers are trying to decide on whether to shut down J.J. Redick for good this season, from Dan Woike of The O.C. Register: “The Clippers are nearing a decision on J.J. Redick’s future this season. The team will determine in the upcoming weeks whether Redick is healthy enough to rejoin the team. If he’s not, the club will likely shut Redick down for the rest of the season in an attempt to have him ready for training camp next year. Redick, who hasn’t played since Feb. 3 because of a bulging disc in his back, has recently ramped up a shooting program, though Doc Rivers said the team doesn’t know when and if he’ll be able to return. Redick has played in 30 games this season, averaging a career-high 15.7 points per game. He’s also missed time this season with a broken hand and a torn ligament in his right wrist.
Mike Woodson fully supports the idea of Phil Jackson joining the Knicks organization, from Ian Begley of ESPN NY: “Embattled coach Mike Woodson says Phil Jackson will “enhance” the New York Knicks once Jackson is hired to help run the team’s front office. “I have a great deal of respect for Phil and what he’s done over his coaching and his playing days in our league. He’s been extremely successful,” Woodson said Thursday in an interview on ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s “The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show.” “And if the Knicks are entertaining that, the guy’s got a great basketball mind for the game. So I mean, it’s all good.”… “At the end of the day we know it’s out there, and like I said I’ve got a great deal of respect for Phil, and if the Knicks decide to go that route I think he can’t do nothing but enhance the organization,” Woodson said. “But my focus right now is strictly on coaching and trying to figure out our team and try to get us into this playoffs.”
Kevin McHale believes Joakim Noah should be the Defensive Player of the Year, from Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago (h/t ProBasketballTalk): “Kevin McHale said Thursday that Bulls center Joakim Noah should win the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award based on his performance this season. The Houston Rockets coach knows a special defensive big man when he sees one. He was one himself, being selected multiple times to the NBA all-defense team. He has also coached two previous award winners in Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard… “He’s played very well,” McHale said after his team’s shootaround at Moody Bible Institute. “He should be defensive player of the year. He’s done a great job with these guys. They’ve been winning a lot just on his energy and effort, his kind of determination and toughness. Those are all qualities everybody appreciates.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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