- ESPN's Michael Wallace quotes LeBron James calling Derrick Rose this season's MVP. It does not impress John Hollinger, however, who is determined to stop the runaway train of the Derrick Rose candidacy, and says the real MVP of the season is Dwight Howard.
- Sam Amick of NBA Confidential cites sources saying that the Kings' current TV deal in Sacramento is worth $11 million a year. A move to Anaheim would multiply that number. That could well be the math that matters most.
- Wayne Winston assesses the idea that you may want to foul for possession near the end of a tied game, and finds it's a close call.
- Jimmer Fredette, in hip hop tribute from his brother T.J.
- You've got to watch Suns players on video bewildered at their interactions with referees last night. They would not go into detail, for fear of league fines, but for instance Marcin Gortat said (before his teammate Josh Childress reminded him to shut up) that in his four years in the NBA "I've never seen something like that." Referee Ken Mauer ejected Zabian Dowdell with about a minute left, and Dowdell said after the game that he feld Mauer had disrespected him in a manner that he had not seen before from a basketball referee. I'll say this: I know Dowdell a little, as he used to write for TrueHoop. Not in a million years would I believe that guy -- fresh out of the D-League, and years into being as professional as could be -- would pick a fight with an NBA referee.
- Older teams tend to win titles, but that may be less true than it was a few years ago.
- A little shift in the NCAA's position on paying athletes.
- Sekou Smith's Twitter feed is hopping with insight about the man who attacked, and was reportedly punched in the face by, Dominique Wilkins. There are photos said to be of the injured man, but the news story concludes "Wilkins was not injured in the incident" which does not hurt Wilkins street cred one iota. Apparently the issue was something to do with some finery, and the hilarious Twitter account NotWaltFrazier responds: "Dominique, my man, if you wanted some flyer attire you could have just asked. Borrowin' could have prevented this sorrowin'!"
- If you watch the scuffle leading to John Wall's ejection, it's not Wall and Zydrunas Ilgauskas who really seemed liable to go overboard, but instead the peripheral JaVale McGee vs. Juwan Howard. Howard elects himself mayor of all hostile zones. Michael Lee of the Washington Post on Wall's coach, Flip Saunders: "Saunders was right in the middle, cursing at Howard. I told Saunders afterward that I thought he was going to wind up hanging on Howard’s leg the way former New York Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy latched onto Alonzo Mourning when Mourning and Charles Oakley got tangled during the first round of the 1998 Eastern Conference playoffs. 'I wouldn’t go for the leg. I’ve seen that on TV before,' Saunders said with a laugh." (Via the D.C. Sports Bog)
- Kevin Love is a lot of great things, but he is not a skywalker.
- I'm sure the Lakers are thrilled to hear that Ron Artest has balanced his devotions to basketball and a music career. Wouldn't an imbalance, in favor of hoops, be better?
- Will Leitch on the Sports Section on Carmelo Anthony's defense: "Boy, is he ever handsy. If he weren't Carmelo Anthony, he'd be called for about fourteen fouls a night."
- Donald Sterling's attorney wins a trial against Elgin Baylor, and the post-game trash talk.
- The Nets, Rockets and Knicks are reportedly vying to host a massive, 30-team predraft workout.
- David Berri notes that changing the coach of the Knicks, but keeping the same players, is unlikely to improve things.
- Lawyer Michael McCann talks about the potential for a lawsuit to eliminate the NBA's age restriction.
- Lots of Houston fans thought the team picked the wrong guy in the Aaron Brooks vs. Kyle Lowry debate. Do they still think that?
- Get to know Othyus Jeffers.
- Ronnie Brewer, Tim Duncan, Shaun Livingston, Josh Smith, C.J. Miles, Eric Maynor, Kyle Lowry, Ronny Turiaf, Darrell Arthur and Nick Collison are the players who are on the court when teams play their best defense.
Henry Abbott | email
TrueHoop, NBA- Senior writer for ESPN.com
- Founder of TrueHoop blog and network
- Began writing about NBA for magazines in 1999
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop | ESPN @TrueHoop |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop | ESPN @jadande |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop | ESPN @kevinarnovitz |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop | ESPN @Chris_Broussard |
Amin ElhassanTrueHoop | ESPN @AminESPN |
Chad FordTrueHoop | ESPN @chadfordinsider |
Israel GutierrezTrueHoop | ESPN @IzzyESPN |
Tom HaberstrohTrueHoop | ESPN @tomhaberstroh |
Marc SteinTrueHoop | ESPN @ESPNSteinLine |
David ThorpeTrueHoop | ESPN @coachthorpe |
Jade HoyeTrueHoop TV @truehooptv |
HoopIdeaTrueHoop @HoopIdea |
You must be signed in to post a comment