This longtime coach's opinion: There won't be many big-money, long-term deals reached this summer because the entire salary structure is in for a sea change. He doesn't think Stoudemire will get one of them. “Stoudemire's going to opt in,” the head coach said. “Knowing what's going to come, there might be three or four (long-term deals this summer), but there's not going to be 10. It's not going to happen." - San Antonio Express-News
Popovich has only scant clues as to why the defensive slide that began two years ago has continued into this season. One explanation he does not buy — a lack of Bruce Bowen. Bowen, an eight-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive team, retired last summer at age 38 after being dealt to Milwaukee. “If Bruce was able to continue to do what he does, he'd be doing it for us or someone else right now,” Popovich said. - San Antonio Express-News
Hughes, who had been Dunleavy’s assistant since the 2003-04 season, took over an inconsistent squad that was 21-28 and seven games out of a playoff spot with 33 to play. “It’s tough, but it’s my choice,” Hughes said. “You have to let the losses go. They hurt and they tear at your heart. It’s awful. If I don’t like the pressure and the fire, then it’s on me. No one forced me to do this. I wasn’t coerced into it. I was presented with it and I said, `OK, I’ll take it.’ Mike ascertained the situation pretty accurately—that they needed a new voice. That’s no detriment to Mike, it’s just that this group really kind of tuned him out.” - AP
Hornets starting shooting guard Marcus Thornton missed his second consecutive game with a sore lower back. Thornton tested his back during pregame warmups but still felt stiffness. Bower said there is a chance Thornton could play Monday night against the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. The Hornets used the same starting lineup against the Bobcats as they did Friday night, with Peterson starting in place of Thornton. - The New Orleans Times Picayune
The big news tonight is that Tyrus Thomas has been suspended for this evening's game due to "conduct detrimental to the team." I haven't uncovered what exactly that conduct was, other than it was some sort of outburst, presumably at practice, but I'll have it figured out before I leave here and will try to touch on it in my post-game wrap up. In any event, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro was nowhere near apologetic for having had to do such a thing, and hinted that Tyrus deserved what he got. - HoopsWorld
Hedo Turkoglu has bowed to the wishes of his friends, family and bosses. The Raptors swingman will wear a mask to protect a fractured orbital bone under his right eye and what transpires when he takes to the court Sunday afternoon is a mystery to all. - The Toronto Star
Fans might want to hold off on ordering Chris Bosh USA Basketball jerseys from this summer's world championship team. A report that Bosh had committed to play for the United States in Turkey in August was premature. "I don't know where that came from, really," Bosh said Saturday. "I have not fully committed. I know there's a whole bunch of stuff going on this summer, I just want to attack that first." - The Toronto Star
Is (Chris Douglas-Roberts) more productive off the bench? It’s a no-brainer – for now, anyway. Consider: In his last four starts, Douglas-Roberts had averaged 8.64 shots and 9.6 points per 48 minutes. Those numbers had been typical over the month of January. But in his last two games off the bench – against Toronto and Boston — Douglas-Roberts averaged 33.6 shots and 17.28 points per 48 minutes. That’s a stark contrast. Now it’s a matter of getting Douglas-Roberts to acknowledge it, embrace it, and force the coach to keep him on the floor. - The Star-Ledger
Injured Knicks center Eddy Curry, attending his first game since January arthroscopic left knee surgery, admitted to The Post he could have delayed the procedure until after the season. Curry apparently decided to go ahead with surgery because he wasn't playing. The Curry sighting at Quicken Loans Arena before the Knicks' 113-106 loss to the Cavaliers last night was a surprise, because he had not attended a game since undergoing surgery on Jan. 17. Curry, in his first remarks since the surgery, told The Post that he will know if he will be back this season after the All-Star break next weekend. The center said he feels he will be ready sometime in early-to-mid March, and he wants to play. - New York Post
The departure of Del Harris Tuesday night came only two days after his agent, Warren LeGarie, approached Nets president Rod Thorn about the possibility that his client become the team’s head coach. This exchange, according to two NBA officials privy to the conversation who requested anonymity because they are friendly with both sides, took place at Izod Center. LeGarie, one of the game’s heaviest hitters, told Thorn the Nets would be better off letting Harris take over and moving Kiki Vandeweghe back to the front office, if only to begin preparation for 2010-11. - The Star-Ledger
Are the Suns inching closer to a trade with Philadelphia headlined by Amare Stoudemire and Andre Iguodala? Separate sources close to both teams caution that it’s too soon to answer that question affirmatively. One source with knowledge of the Suns’ thinking, in particular, insisted that Phoenix was still evaluating several potential trade candidates. However . . . You can safely say that the Suns have ramped up their evaluation of Iguodala, whom they’ve liked dating to the 2004 draft when Iguodala turned pro after two years at Arizona. We know that because the Suns quietly dispatched one of their lead decision-makers – senior vice president of basketball operations David Griffin – to New Orleans on Friday night to watch the Sixers play the Hornets in person. - ESPN
With all the current trade talk going on, I asked Nash how he felt about the potential of another big mid-season deal. He initially responded by saying that it was out of their control and the team just needed to remained focused but he did go on to talk about his desire to see the current group finish out the season. "I think we've shown that we're a good team and I think we've shown glimpses that we can be a really good team and it would be nice to continue to work at it together," said Nash. Steve clearly understands the potential for any trade to be disruptive with the results being far from guaranteed, "Every time a team makes a trade it's a leap of faith." - Bright Side of the Sun
Let me remind you of what Dirk Nowitzki told a German media outlet when asked about Kevin Martin: Dirk on trades: "We won´t make a deal just to make a deal. But we are trying to get better, so we keep our eyes and ears open. We are definitely interested if someone is available that makes us better." Dirk on Kevin Martin: "Kevin Martin is a good player and has made an impressive development since he came into this league. The only problem is that he´s often injured. He missed quite a few games this season, too. The question is if he would bring us to the next level." - DallasBasketball
I know there has been a lot of talk lately about the Wizards being reluctant to move Jamison to Cleveland given the bad blood between the two franchises. The apprehension is believed to be rooted in three hotly contested playoff series, and Larry Hughes's departure in the summer of 2005. The prevailing sentiment from people around the league is that President Ernie Grunfeld has no desire to help Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers win a championship by giving them Jamison. But I had a recent conversation with an Eastern Conference executive who made a very interesting point. The executive said the Wizards should only be concerned about interest of the organization - not what Jamison could do for the Cavaliers - and used Memphis as an example. Around this time two years ago, the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol, Javaris Crittenton and two first round picks. The move was roundly panned around the league, with Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace credited with "gift-wrapping" a title for the Lakers. - Washington Post
But with the two teams squaring off Sunday at the Garden, a week before the big game at Cowboys Stadium, he doesn’t see much point in wearing out Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo so Celtics coach Doc Rivers doesn’t have to worry too much. “He’s got a better chance of me resting his guys because we don’t play him again. So, if we played him the week after the All-Star Game, they’d all go about 42 minutes,” Van Gundy joked before Sunday’s game. “But with us not playing them again, I can’t get much out of burying them.” - WEEI
The bright lights won't bother Billups or Pierce, though being a rookie doesn't faze Curry. "I like my chances," he said. Cook has the added advantage of being the last one to shoot in the first round. "It makes it a little more competitive, knowing I have the opportunity to know what I have to get to make it to the next round," he said. "It gives me an opportunity to see what is happening and know how many shots I need to make from each rack." At stake is $35,000 to the winner and a chance to follow in Bird's trailblazing footsteps. Just don't expect anyone to burst into the locker room and proclaim, "Who's coming in second?" "You've just got to go out there and have fun with it no matter what happens," Frye said. "It's just a game. Of course everybody's going to be competitive when they get out there. I understand those guys. None of them want to lose. It's going to be fun. It's going to be competitive fun." - NBA
Q: I don't know, it just seems to me that the Heat players are not buying into Spoelstra's rhetoric about defense and "purity." I don't think he has their faith. If he did, there probably wouldn't be this much inconsistency, especially on the defensive end. They haven't bought into it. -- Moshe. Ira Winderman: It would be disingenuous for me to disagree after what was said in the locker room in Chicago, and just the overall lack of enthusiasm. The question is whether the issues merely are an outgrowth of losing, or whether faith in leadership has eroded. It will be very interesting to see how Pat Riley handles this. In many ways, the very things he provides as coach are what this team seemingly is yearning for. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In the strongest comments yet by a players' union official since NBA owners made a new collective bargaining proposal, first vice president Adonal Foyle of the Orlando Magic said the offer put forth last week by commissioner David Stern's office was "ludicrous." That was the first word out of Foyle's mouth when he was asked Sunday to characterize the owners' new labor proposal, which was given to the union late last week as the sides took one of the first major steps toward replacing the collective bargaining agreement that expires at the end of the 2010-11 season. - ESPN
The league hasn’t yet said when the postponed game will be rescheduled. But looking at the teams’ schedules, and taking into account the Wizards share the Verizon Center with the NHL’s Capitals and Georgetown University, it’s hard to see how the Hawks can make up the game without playing on three consecutive nights. That’s what happened in 1996, when a rescheduled game due to postponement forced the Hawks to play on April 4, April 5 and April 6. Either way, Woody said the league made the right choice to postpone Saturday’s game. “It’s a mess,” he said. “Trying to travel and play under those conditions would have been tough.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If his Lakers teams are ever awesome, it's in the playoffs when it counts . . . in theory. Every now and then, one kicks back too long, like last spring's champions who didn't zero in until Game 7 of the second-round Houston series. It turned out so well, owner Jerry Buss is wondering whether he can do it without paying Phil $12 million. Lakers sources agree on one thing: Jackson will be asked to take a pay cut. Coming off a title after banking more than $40 million in profit last season, Buss is on an austerity kick. - Los Angeles Times
Popovich has only scant clues as to why the defensive slide that began two years ago has continued into this season. One explanation he does not buy — a lack of Bruce Bowen. Bowen, an eight-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive team, retired last summer at age 38 after being dealt to Milwaukee. “If Bruce was able to continue to do what he does, he'd be doing it for us or someone else right now,” Popovich said. - San Antonio Express-News
Hughes, who had been Dunleavy’s assistant since the 2003-04 season, took over an inconsistent squad that was 21-28 and seven games out of a playoff spot with 33 to play. “It’s tough, but it’s my choice,” Hughes said. “You have to let the losses go. They hurt and they tear at your heart. It’s awful. If I don’t like the pressure and the fire, then it’s on me. No one forced me to do this. I wasn’t coerced into it. I was presented with it and I said, `OK, I’ll take it.’ Mike ascertained the situation pretty accurately—that they needed a new voice. That’s no detriment to Mike, it’s just that this group really kind of tuned him out.” - AP
Hornets starting shooting guard Marcus Thornton missed his second consecutive game with a sore lower back. Thornton tested his back during pregame warmups but still felt stiffness. Bower said there is a chance Thornton could play Monday night against the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. The Hornets used the same starting lineup against the Bobcats as they did Friday night, with Peterson starting in place of Thornton. - The New Orleans Times Picayune
The big news tonight is that Tyrus Thomas has been suspended for this evening's game due to "conduct detrimental to the team." I haven't uncovered what exactly that conduct was, other than it was some sort of outburst, presumably at practice, but I'll have it figured out before I leave here and will try to touch on it in my post-game wrap up. In any event, Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro was nowhere near apologetic for having had to do such a thing, and hinted that Tyrus deserved what he got. - HoopsWorld
Hedo Turkoglu has bowed to the wishes of his friends, family and bosses. The Raptors swingman will wear a mask to protect a fractured orbital bone under his right eye and what transpires when he takes to the court Sunday afternoon is a mystery to all. - The Toronto Star
Fans might want to hold off on ordering Chris Bosh USA Basketball jerseys from this summer's world championship team. A report that Bosh had committed to play for the United States in Turkey in August was premature. "I don't know where that came from, really," Bosh said Saturday. "I have not fully committed. I know there's a whole bunch of stuff going on this summer, I just want to attack that first." - The Toronto Star
Is (Chris Douglas-Roberts) more productive off the bench? It’s a no-brainer – for now, anyway. Consider: In his last four starts, Douglas-Roberts had averaged 8.64 shots and 9.6 points per 48 minutes. Those numbers had been typical over the month of January. But in his last two games off the bench – against Toronto and Boston — Douglas-Roberts averaged 33.6 shots and 17.28 points per 48 minutes. That’s a stark contrast. Now it’s a matter of getting Douglas-Roberts to acknowledge it, embrace it, and force the coach to keep him on the floor. - The Star-Ledger
Injured Knicks center Eddy Curry, attending his first game since January arthroscopic left knee surgery, admitted to The Post he could have delayed the procedure until after the season. Curry apparently decided to go ahead with surgery because he wasn't playing. The Curry sighting at Quicken Loans Arena before the Knicks' 113-106 loss to the Cavaliers last night was a surprise, because he had not attended a game since undergoing surgery on Jan. 17. Curry, in his first remarks since the surgery, told The Post that he will know if he will be back this season after the All-Star break next weekend. The center said he feels he will be ready sometime in early-to-mid March, and he wants to play. - New York Post
The departure of Del Harris Tuesday night came only two days after his agent, Warren LeGarie, approached Nets president Rod Thorn about the possibility that his client become the team’s head coach. This exchange, according to two NBA officials privy to the conversation who requested anonymity because they are friendly with both sides, took place at Izod Center. LeGarie, one of the game’s heaviest hitters, told Thorn the Nets would be better off letting Harris take over and moving Kiki Vandeweghe back to the front office, if only to begin preparation for 2010-11. - The Star-Ledger
Are the Suns inching closer to a trade with Philadelphia headlined by Amare Stoudemire and Andre Iguodala? Separate sources close to both teams caution that it’s too soon to answer that question affirmatively. One source with knowledge of the Suns’ thinking, in particular, insisted that Phoenix was still evaluating several potential trade candidates. However . . . You can safely say that the Suns have ramped up their evaluation of Iguodala, whom they’ve liked dating to the 2004 draft when Iguodala turned pro after two years at Arizona. We know that because the Suns quietly dispatched one of their lead decision-makers – senior vice president of basketball operations David Griffin – to New Orleans on Friday night to watch the Sixers play the Hornets in person. - ESPN
With all the current trade talk going on, I asked Nash how he felt about the potential of another big mid-season deal. He initially responded by saying that it was out of their control and the team just needed to remained focused but he did go on to talk about his desire to see the current group finish out the season. "I think we've shown that we're a good team and I think we've shown glimpses that we can be a really good team and it would be nice to continue to work at it together," said Nash. Steve clearly understands the potential for any trade to be disruptive with the results being far from guaranteed, "Every time a team makes a trade it's a leap of faith." - Bright Side of the Sun
Let me remind you of what Dirk Nowitzki told a German media outlet when asked about Kevin Martin: Dirk on trades: "We won´t make a deal just to make a deal. But we are trying to get better, so we keep our eyes and ears open. We are definitely interested if someone is available that makes us better." Dirk on Kevin Martin: "Kevin Martin is a good player and has made an impressive development since he came into this league. The only problem is that he´s often injured. He missed quite a few games this season, too. The question is if he would bring us to the next level." - DallasBasketball
I know there has been a lot of talk lately about the Wizards being reluctant to move Jamison to Cleveland given the bad blood between the two franchises. The apprehension is believed to be rooted in three hotly contested playoff series, and Larry Hughes's departure in the summer of 2005. The prevailing sentiment from people around the league is that President Ernie Grunfeld has no desire to help Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers win a championship by giving them Jamison. But I had a recent conversation with an Eastern Conference executive who made a very interesting point. The executive said the Wizards should only be concerned about interest of the organization - not what Jamison could do for the Cavaliers - and used Memphis as an example. Around this time two years ago, the Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol, Javaris Crittenton and two first round picks. The move was roundly panned around the league, with Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace credited with "gift-wrapping" a title for the Lakers. - Washington Post
But with the two teams squaring off Sunday at the Garden, a week before the big game at Cowboys Stadium, he doesn’t see much point in wearing out Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo so Celtics coach Doc Rivers doesn’t have to worry too much. “He’s got a better chance of me resting his guys because we don’t play him again. So, if we played him the week after the All-Star Game, they’d all go about 42 minutes,” Van Gundy joked before Sunday’s game. “But with us not playing them again, I can’t get much out of burying them.” - WEEI
The bright lights won't bother Billups or Pierce, though being a rookie doesn't faze Curry. "I like my chances," he said. Cook has the added advantage of being the last one to shoot in the first round. "It makes it a little more competitive, knowing I have the opportunity to know what I have to get to make it to the next round," he said. "It gives me an opportunity to see what is happening and know how many shots I need to make from each rack." At stake is $35,000 to the winner and a chance to follow in Bird's trailblazing footsteps. Just don't expect anyone to burst into the locker room and proclaim, "Who's coming in second?" "You've just got to go out there and have fun with it no matter what happens," Frye said. "It's just a game. Of course everybody's going to be competitive when they get out there. I understand those guys. None of them want to lose. It's going to be fun. It's going to be competitive fun." - NBA
Q: I don't know, it just seems to me that the Heat players are not buying into Spoelstra's rhetoric about defense and "purity." I don't think he has their faith. If he did, there probably wouldn't be this much inconsistency, especially on the defensive end. They haven't bought into it. -- Moshe. Ira Winderman: It would be disingenuous for me to disagree after what was said in the locker room in Chicago, and just the overall lack of enthusiasm. The question is whether the issues merely are an outgrowth of losing, or whether faith in leadership has eroded. It will be very interesting to see how Pat Riley handles this. In many ways, the very things he provides as coach are what this team seemingly is yearning for. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In the strongest comments yet by a players' union official since NBA owners made a new collective bargaining proposal, first vice president Adonal Foyle of the Orlando Magic said the offer put forth last week by commissioner David Stern's office was "ludicrous." That was the first word out of Foyle's mouth when he was asked Sunday to characterize the owners' new labor proposal, which was given to the union late last week as the sides took one of the first major steps toward replacing the collective bargaining agreement that expires at the end of the 2010-11 season. - ESPN
The league hasn’t yet said when the postponed game will be rescheduled. But looking at the teams’ schedules, and taking into account the Wizards share the Verizon Center with the NHL’s Capitals and Georgetown University, it’s hard to see how the Hawks can make up the game without playing on three consecutive nights. That’s what happened in 1996, when a rescheduled game due to postponement forced the Hawks to play on April 4, April 5 and April 6. Either way, Woody said the league made the right choice to postpone Saturday’s game. “It’s a mess,” he said. “Trying to travel and play under those conditions would have been tough.” - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If his Lakers teams are ever awesome, it's in the playoffs when it counts . . . in theory. Every now and then, one kicks back too long, like last spring's champions who didn't zero in until Game 7 of the second-round Houston series. It turned out so well, owner Jerry Buss is wondering whether he can do it without paying Phil $12 million. Lakers sources agree on one thing: Jackson will be asked to take a pay cut. Coming off a title after banking more than $40 million in profit last season, Buss is on an austerity kick. - Los Angeles Times
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