- Tim Buckley and Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: "Last Friday, the Jazz announced that their longtime owner had undergone amputation surgery to remove both legs from about six inches below the knees on down. On Monday, the entire team -- losers, at the time, of three straight games, which seems so inconsequential in the scheme of things -- visited, and was uplifted, by him. And on Tuesday night his eldest son, Greg, revealed something few know: One week earlier, the Jazz almost lost Larry H. Miller. Again. 'We had a close call a week ago (Tuesday) where some of the infection (in Miller's feet) began to spread throughout his body,' Greg Miller said, 'and it got bad enough the doctor told my mom to call all the kids and get 'em up to the hospital, because they weren't sure he was gonna make it.' It was his fifth brush with death since last summer for Miller, whose amputations were prompted by his ongoing battle with type-2 diabetes. And that was what ultimately convinced Miller, son Greg bared in a poignant recounting of his father's travails, to have the surgery. "
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "After 21 years of covering the NBA, I think I know the difference between rugged and dirty. What Andrew Bynum did to Gerald Wallace Tuesday was dirty. Bynum, a gigantic athlete for the Los Angeles Lakers, threw a blatant hip-check to keep Wallace from reaching the basket in the fourth quarter. I get it that every play in that quarter mattered -- it did go to overtime, after all -- but there were many things Bynum could have done to avert Wallace dunking. Most of them would not have involved Wallace going to the hospital. Hopefully, this was about youthful indiscretion, not malicious intent. Because as talented as Bynum is, I'd hate to think his destiny is to end up a hockey goon."
- Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer: "It's hard to believe that a strong case has to be made for Mo Williams making the All-Star team, but that appears to be the situation for the Cavaliers point guard. The coaches are voting on the All-Star reserves this week, and it appears two point guards will be named to the Eastern Conference squad to back up Allen Iverson. The real trouble spot is Iverson being voted a starter by the fans, when the veteran guard has not made the Pistons a better team and he's having one of the worst seasons of his career (17.1 points, 42 percent shooting, 29 percent on 3-pointers). Detroit was 4-0 before dealing for Iverson, and 20-19 since adding him and losing Chauncey Billups. No matter, he's on the team. Williams should be, too. But word is the coaches may select Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris instead. Say it ain't so, at least when it comes to Harris. ... Some stat geeks love Harris' all-around game as he's a 21.5 points per game scorer averaging 6.4 assists and a remarkable 9.1 free-throw attempts per game, making 83 percent. But the Nets are 20-25. They were 34-48 a year ago. Yes, Harris makes them a better team, but he has not made the same impact as Nelson and Williams."
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: "NBA people are buzzing about the Heat's emerging young players (Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Daequan Cook). ''They've been absolutely critical, and I don't know if anybody knew what we could expect coming into the season,'' coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday. ... Several scouts/executives agreed with the Heat that Beasley is a power forward long-term and not quick enough to guard small forwards. But Houston's Ron Artest said, 'I don't want to see him at power forward. He can be a dominant small forward because he can shoot.' One NBA scout said Tuesday: 'Beasley has matured a lot. When I saw him earlier, I thought he was lost. He's not making the same stupid mistakes.'"
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: "So while Michael Williams is well aware of Jose Calderon's assault on his record, he's not exactly following it game by game. Nor will he be the least bit disappointed should Calderon best his 16-year-old mark of 97 consecutive successful free throws, which Calderon is 11 shy of tying. 'Tell him good luck from me and I'm cheering for him,' Williams said yesterday. The Baylor graduate says he believes records are made to be broken, a far cry from the Calvin Murphy's of the world. ... Murphy has been known to show up and do whatever possible as a distraction to ensure his lone remaining mark stands, and has promised to be there when the Raps visit Houston on March 3. Williams is not that sort. '(Calderon) won't see one sign of Micheal Williams at any of his games,' Williams said, 'but he will get a phone call from me congratulating him if he does break it.'"
- Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press: "Sure, the Timberwolves can beat the Los Angeles Lakers when they play Friday evening at Target Center, Mychal Thompson said. 'Of course; this is the NBA,' Thompson said. 'If you don't bring your best game, anybody could beat you. The Lakers have been beaten by lesser teams this year. They're not undefeated. And the way Kevin McHale has Minnesota playing, you bet they can beat the Lakers. ... You've got to realize, too, that when the Lakers come to Minneapolis, or any town that they visit now, it is the marquee event of the season,' Thompson said from Los Angeles. 'So every Wolves player is going to be jacked up to play that game because that is the hottest ticket on their schedule, because all their friends, girlfriends, wives, family members, they all want to come to that game to see Kobe (Bryant) and the Lakers.'"
- Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "One topic at Tuesday's Bulls practice was whether Derrick Rose should continue to get the ball in last-second shot situations. The Bulls have had several in the past three weeks. Rose helped win games against Toronto and Cleveland, but couldn't finish off drives to the basket late in losses to Minnesota, New York, San Antonio or Oklahoma City. I'd say the answer is no. Keep giving it to Rose every time. The rookie point guard is an amazing talent and without a doubt represents the future of the franchise. The more on-the-job training he gets, the better off the Bulls will be."
- Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News: "Manu Ginobili laughed about his Salt Lake fans, and he had an explanation for them, too. Ski instructors often come up from Argentina when the seasons reverse, and Ginobili says he likely will hear the same chant when he plays in Denver this winter. 'Cheap foreign labor,' he joked. Parker and Ginobili don't qualify for that; if they put their money in a pot, they could buy a mountain. But they've acted as if they, too, are merely young ski bums sharing a good run together. Some on the Spurs staff have wondered if coming from different countries saved them. They each had their continents to call their own. Another guess: Both are smart enough to know how good they h
ave it. Why let ego get in the way? But Parker has a more specific theory. 'I really believe nobody is selfish on our team, and it starts with Timmy (Duncan),' Parker said. 'Nobody thinks about stats.'" - Roderick Boone of Newsday: "Allan Houston laughed, shook his head and laughed some more. As hard as it might seem to believe, it's been eight years since the now 37-year-old represented the Knicks in the 2001 All-Star Game in Washington along with Latrell Sprewell, who was handpicked by NBA commissioner David Stern to take the spot of injured Grant Hill. ... 'When you think about New York, yeah, you think that that's one of those markets that is going to be represented,' Houston said after the Knicks practiced yesterday. 'But we'll be back there again. We'll be back there again pretty soon.' Possibly as early as this season, and the Knicks will know for sure sometime tomorrow. That's when the reserves for both conferences will be announced, so David Lee has one more game to show his skills, which comes tonight against the Hawks at the Garden."
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "Lionel Hollins is making most of his changes with how the Griz play basketball. But one of his early decisions off the court will affect the players every day. Hollins stopped the team from providing players with breakfast and lunch before and after practice. 'They're grown men,' Hollins said. 'It's not the team's responsibility to treat them like kids.'"
- Broderick Turner and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "Kobe Bryant reclaimed the title of having the most popular jersey in the NBA, and Gasol jumped from 15th at the end of last season to sixth in jersey sales, according to figures to be released today by the NBA. Bryant finished second last season to Boston forward Kevin Garnett, but the two have switched spots at the midpoint of the season. Cleveland forward LeBron James is third in jersey popularity, followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul and Detroit guard Allen Iverson. The Lakers lead all teams in merchandise sales, according to figures compiled by nba.com and the NBA store in New York. The Lakers were second last season to the Boston Celtics. Despite the sagging economy, December was the best sales month in history for the NBA Store and nbastore.com, with combined sales up 10% over the same time period last year, according to the league."
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 |
