- Eric Prisbell of The Washington Post: "It has become college basketball's rite of spring: After the Final Four, the best non-seniors declare for the NBA draft, then spend the next two months mulling whether to return to school. In the meantime, their coaches wait to find out whether they'll need to scramble to find replacements late in the recruiting season. That familiar scenario could change as soon as 2010. The NCAA Division I Legislative Council is scheduled to vote this week on an ACC proposal to sharply reduce the time underclassmen have to decide whether to remain in the draft. The issue promises to be one of the highlights of the NCAA convention, which is taking place this week at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Prince George's County. Underclassmen currently have until late April to enter their names in the draft, and until mid-June to pull out and retain their collegiate eligibility so long as they have not signed with an agent. The ACC's proposal would give players about a 10-day window after the Final Four in April to make a final decision on the draft."
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "Deep in their hearts, the Spurs knew their last best hope to qualify for the 2008 NBA Finals was lost in the silence of a referee's whistle that didn't blow in the final moments of their final home game of the Western Conference finals. Tonight, they will be waiting at their AT&T Center court, rested and ready, for their first opportunity since May 27 to gain a tiny measure of atonement against the defending Western Conference champion Lakers. The Lakers will bring the NBA's best record and the league's most dangerous offensive weapon, Kobe Bryant, to the Spurs' building. Spurs fans, however, will reserve a special dose of odium for Derek Fisher, the Los Angeles point guard. It was Fisher, the Laker whose buzzer-beating 3-point shot defeated the Spurs in Game 5 of a 2004 conference semifinal series, who got away with fouling Spurs guard Brent Barry on the final play of Game 4 of last season's conference finals."
- Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: "As our sports editor touched on in Tuesday's paper and I've chronicled plenty in the past, Stan Van Gundy has stuck it to Sacramento before. And now, he has done it again. The Orlando coach who picked the Magics' Benz of a roster over the Kings' jalopy two summers ago was among the many joyous members of the Magic celebrating their history-making day at Arco Arena. And while Van Gundy has expressed his regrets more than once about how he handled the Kings in that infamous coaching search, I'm guessing he has no regrets about the way his team manhandled the Kings in the blowout."
- Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times: "Last week, Monta Ellis ran up and down the court with teammates. Tuesday, he participated in a five-on-five scrimmage. Ellis wasn't limited at all. He ran, jumped, cut, spun, dived and held his ground on defense. And talked a whole lotta trash. 'He would look at me and smile every time he talked,' guard Jamal Crawford said. 'And I would smile back and talk back. It raised the level of practice, the intensity of practice.' Afterward, Ellis gave no inkling as to when he thinks he'll return to the court, or even put a percentage on his current health. He did nail down a few things: a) He's not coming back as a reserve but waiting until he's ready to start; b) The Warriors can still make the playoffs; and c) He's pretty much a game-time decision from this point on."
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "Rasheed Wallace was whistled for his 13th technical foul Tuesday in the third quarter by official Mark Lindsay. 'I was disappointed that he received that one,' Curry said. 'He's got to have more self-restraint. That's on him. He knows what we demand as a team. He owes it to us as a team to show better restraint.'"
- Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "On Tuesday, Miami players awoke to a minus-18 temperature and they elected to walk to work rather than risk a second outside reaching the team bus. 'It's unbelievable cold,' said Heat star Dwyane Wade, a potential marquee free agent in 2010 who will be well out of the Wolves' reach. 'It shows me that I love Miami, I know that.' Somebody asked Wolves coach Kevin McHale before Tuesday's game if Minnesota's infamous cold might drive free agents away. 'I can tell you right now, if you go to Detroit, if you go to Chicago, it's cold there, too,' McHale said. 'If you win, they'll come.'"
- Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: "Michael Redd had a concise response when asked the secret for Dwyane Wade's success with the Miami Heat this season. 'He's healthy, man,' Redd said."
- Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Everyone remembers the Miami game on Jan. 3, that 6-for-17 adventure which included two crucial rejections by Dwyane Wade in the game's defining moments. Brook Lopez certainly does. But it's how he responded to it that separates him from the typical rookie. 'I got tips from all over the place after that,' Lopez said. 'Even from Shaq.' True story, he says: His twin, Phoenix center Robin Lopez, said Shaquille O'Neal saw the highlights of that Miami game, and had some advice to impart. 'Robin texted some stuff. Shaq said, 'Up-fake, always up-fake -- and then dunk everything,'' Brook Lopez recalled with a laugh. 'And everyone else was telling me to stay aggressive, and that I'll eventually get the calls.'"
- Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "One of these days, Sonny Weems will make his NBA debut. Family members in his native Arkansas are poised. 'They watch every game, every last one,' the Nuggets rookie swingman said. Weems didn't get into a game between the start of the season and being assigned Dec. 10 to the NBA Development League's Colorado 14ers. He hasn't gotten into one since being called up Jan. 6. 'I'm very anxious,' he said. 'I can't wait until my time comes. ... I'll be kind of nervous.'"
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "Aaron Goodwin, Dwight's Howard's agent, said Howard misspoke when he said that he and LeBron James will help coach in the rookie-sophomore game during All-Star Weekend. Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat will join Howard as a coach."
- Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "In the face of these grim goings-on, Grizzlies management has embarked on a vigorous effort to improve their, uh, bottom
line. They traded for Steve Francis and cash. They traded for Shaun Livingston and cash. They should change the name of the enterprise to 'The Memphis Grizzlies Pawn Shop and Check Cashing Franchise.' So in came LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, drawing a massive crowd of, OK, 15,121. Well, 'American Idol' was back on the tube Tuesday night. And the Memphis Tigers played a big game at Tulsa, which is why press row had a bunch of empty seats to start the second half. ... In one key stretch at the end of the third quarter, Iavaroni went with a frontcourt of Hamed Haddadi, Greg Buckner and Darius Miles. I repeat: Hamed Haddadi, Greg Buckner and Darius Miles. And you know the really sad thing? That was the entertaining part of the game!" - Mike Jones of The Washington Times: "It's a shame to have to continue paying a player (Darius MIles) that never lived up to his contract, but injuries happen. Perhaps Portland should have considered not signing a player already deemed a bust to such a large deal in the first place."
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chad FordTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
John HollingerTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris SheridanTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Marc SteinTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
