In related news, Steve Kerr is growing tired of the ongoing rumor that he may take over the Knicks coaching position: ““It’s very awkward because it is just speculation,” Kerr said on NBC Sports Network’s “Dan Patrick Show.” “More than anything, you’re talking about somebody else’s job.” Jackson will be introduced as Knicks president on Tuesday and it is believed that Kerr, who played for Jackson in Chicago, is a top candidate to eventually replace Mike Woodson, who is under contract through next season. “I’ve been talking about it the last couple years,” Kerr said of being a coach. “I left Phoenix when I was the general manager knowing I didn’t want to get back into management but feeling like coaching would be a possibility at some point. I love being on the floor with the players and as a GM I was like there one percent of the time. I love the game.” Kerr, who works for Turner Sports, lives in San Diego and would prefer a West Coast coaching job. Kerr added that Jackson will be successful despite never having worked in a front office before. “He worked pretty closely with (the Bulls’) Jerry Krause, despite their differences at the end, evaluating together because they knew they had to fit players into his style of play,” Kerr added. “This is just the natural evolution for Phil.””
Mark Cuban says Dirk will never be traded: “”Never going to happen. One reason is that culture is a critical component to any successful team. There are teams with less talent than us making the playoffs. There are teams with more talent than us who aren’t making the playoffs.” He explained Dirk’s leadership, character, and ability set a tone for the franchise, and he’s right on the money. And unlike some big-name aging stars, Nowitzki was willing to take a paycut to allow the Mavericks more chances at contention. “I can’t talk about specific players, but Phil’s awful smart. But part two to that is, they’re really stuck from a cap perspective. They can use things like the stretch provision to let people go. There are a lot of tricks they can use in the new CBA to add some players. I don’t know. One thing to remember is that Phil let Shaq go. There have only been two players he hasn’t been willing to let go of, Michael and Kobe. So who knows.””
Former Detroit Piston and NBA champion Ben Wallace was arrested Tuesday: “Former NBA and Virginia Union University basketball star Ben Wallace entered a plea of no contest after he was arrested Tuesday for leaving the scene of a February car crash. Wallace received a one year jail sentence. The Henrico County judge suspended all but two days of the sentence. Wallace started serving his two day sentence Tuesday. Last month a SUV registered to Wallace slammed into a fence outside a home off Gaskins Rd. and Peppertree Dr. in Henrico’s West End. “It was dark, but it’s clear from here I saw one person trying to fight to get out of the car,” homeowner Silverio Acosta said in an interview last month. Once the man got out of the SUV, Acosta said he saw the man pick up and smash pieces of wood against the fence “because he was angry.”
Kyrie Irving will be out at least two weeks but hopes to return this season: “”If you could take a positive from the situation, obviously that would be one, that at this point I don’t have to get surgery, which is tremendous,” Irving said after shootaround Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts. Cleveland’s leading scorer was injured Sunday night in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI taken Monday revealed the strain but not a tear, which would have ended Irving’s season. It’s not a certainty he’ll be back, but the Cavs will rest him for two weeks before making any decisions. With 15 games left, the Cavs enter their home matchup against Miami five games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It was going to be a challenge for the Cavs to make up ground with Irving. Without him, they’re in a major bind. The 21-year-old was trying to strip the ball from Clippers forward Blake Griffin when his tendon gave out. “One of those freak plays against a strong individual in Blake,” Irving said. “I tried to get the ball out of his hands. I knew something was wrong when I came to the bench. Obviously, I just felt just a weird feeling after that play in my shoulder. My arm looked a little different in the biceps area. That’s when I knew that I strained it.””
Warriors reserve Draymond Green may have drawn a LeBron comparison: “A day after the Warriors’ Draymond Green helped spark a comeback win at Portland, coach Mark Jackson was mentioning him in the same sentence as LeBron James. To Jackson, the only other player who could compare with Green in being able to legitimately guard all five positions was the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player. “Those two guys have the size, the strength, the knowledge, the competitive spirit in my opinion to do that,” Jackson said of James and Green, who he said was a “genius basketball wise.” “It’s a tremendous luxury.””
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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