Thorn said he doesn’t expect any Nets being bought out by Monday, the cutoff date for a player to be eligible for another team’s playoff roster. Veteran big man Tony Battie would be a prime candidate. "I don’t have anything going on with any player right now," he said. "I have nothing at all; don’t anticipate anything either." - Bergen Record
Durant said he thinks Bosh would fit from a chemistry standpoint because the Thunder is filled with "likeable guys.” But despite the current difference in their statistical production, Durant said he views Green and Bosh as similar players. "Jeff is on his way to that,” Durant said of Green. "It’s only his third season, and he’s playing phenomenal for us. He’s a guy just like that with versatility to go inside and out. He causes different matchup problems and makes it easier for everybody on the floor. So that’s who we look at to be that kind of guy. "But I’m glad we have the guys we have here. And we’re all young, so I’d like to see our core grow.” - Oklahoman
A source close to the Denver Nuggets told HOOPSWORLD early Saturday afternoon that Zydrunas Ilgauskas will not become a member of the team. The front office made a hard push for his services, but he has opted not to sign with the Nuggets. "We went after Z, but he is going to Cleveland," the source said. - HoopsWorld
In talking to agents, it appears the Blazers are mostly targeting big men. The agents for Kenny Thomas, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Brian Cook and Jake Voskuhl all said the Blazers have called. - Oregonian
Then there is Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who basically begged the Heat or Cavaliers to scoop him up at the trade deadline, but also now is talking about embracing his current employer, still with the ability to sign an extension by season's end. On one hand, he said he was flattered by the trade interest. "Cleveland and Miami, both situations would have been great for me," he said on Dan Patrick's syndicated radio show, adding, "I can't really make too much of a decision right now because we are doing so well or we may make the playoffs here and we may go a step further." - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
But what about the Nuggets crushing the defending champions 105-79 Nov. 13 in Denver? "We played them in a game in which we got in at 4 o'clock in the morning,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. But what about the Nuggets winning 126-113 Feb. 5 in Los Angeles? "They were 16-of-23 (actually 15-of-22) from the three-point line in that ballgame,'' Jackson said. "That's not going to happen every night. You know that as a coach.'' - FanHouse
Rivers was so pleased by Garnett’s performance early on -- he had eight points in the first quarter alone -- that he drew up plays to find him the ball. It’s something that, in spite of Garnett’s insistent to be unselfish, he would have liked the team to do more often down the stretch. “Early, especially, I liked that he was aggressive,” Rivers said. “Kevin is so unselfish, as everyone who’s been here knows. One of the things we have talked to him about is, I know what he’s trying to do. Kevin is so one-hundred percent about the team. He’s always thinking ball movement early. “And one of the things we told him, ‘We are moving it to you, and we want you to look at it.’ And I thought he did a great job of that early on. And then I thought he went a long stretch without touching it, and that’s on us. - WEEI
Kendrick Perkins confirmed before Saturday’s game what many observers have felt about the Celtics for a while now. They are bored with the process. “It’s different because I think guys are really anxious to get to the playoffs,” he said. “You have your veteran guys, Sheed, KG, you could tell that this regular season really don’t excite them, seriously. Even with Paul and Ray, you still have to go out here and compete, and it’s not an excuse for losing but you can just tell guys just want to get to the crunch time, get to the playoffs.” - WEEI
Carl Landry sneaks up on people. Though he stands 6-foot-8 and carries 248 pounds on a thick, muscular frame, sometimes he stares in the mirror and blinks twice, making sure that even he sees what he sees. It's me, he tells himself. It's me. "I have developed so fast the last two years that it's kind of amazing," Landry said with a grin. "From my rookie year, to today, with people talking about me being a good player in this league. I never thought I would come this far. Who knows where I'll be in another 21/2 years?" - Sacramento Bee
Bucks center Andrew Bogut came to his teammate's side after Jennings put on an impressive passing display in Milwaukee's 94-71 rout of Miami on Saturday. "Brandon hasn't been shooting a high percentage and he knows that," Bogut said. "But he still helps us immensely. People are getting on him and media and fans are saying he isn't playing as well as he was earlier in the season. "I beg to differ; we're winning now. He's the starting point guard on a winning team right now, so I think he's doing a great job for us. He's been huge and Luke Ridnour has been huge. One through 12, we don't have any superstar players out there, and I think we're playing basketball together." - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Phoenix Coach Alvin Gentry called Kevin Durant "probably the fourth-best player in the league" behind James, Kobe Bryant and Wade, adding, "He might even be ahead of one of those players. I won't tell you which one." Bryant and Wade may both now drop 60 on the Suns, just in case Gentry meant one of them. - Los Angeles Times
The Grizzlies say Gasol has dropped 25 pounds and reduced his body fat by 10 percent since joining them as a 23-year-old rookie last season, and Gasol said he was toting around at least an extra 10 pounds two years earlier when he first burst onto the international basketball scene coming off the bench for the Spanish team that won the 2006 World Championship in Japan. "I didn’t know the kid that much 4-5 years ago, I didn't know if he'd become a player or not, but he has," said New York coach Mike D'Antoni, who got his first glimpse of the younger Gasol as an assistant to coach Mike Krzyzewski on the U.S. national team that finished third at the 2006 Worlds. "He's very efficient, smart. He might be the best Gasol of the two, I don't know, that's saying a lot. But he's really good." - ESPN
With 22 games to go, Dudley already has himself a push. He got his second dunk of the season in Friday's win against the Clippers, on a breakaway in the second half where he was all alone, and threw it down with two hands. Dudley was, of course, happy to break it down for us after the game. "I was at least 35 inches off the ground," Dudley joked. "At LEAST 35. I slowed up because I wanted to make sure the rim came down so it could be declared a technical dunk. I was on the break, I was thinking about throwing it off the glass, but I said you know what, I'm gonna relax, and I'm just going to take the two-hand." - FanHouse
James missing time would have been another blow to the team, especially with center Shaquille O'Neal currently on the shelf with a sprained right thumb. ''I was concerned,'' Brown said. ''But I would be just as concerned if it was Leon Powe, or Jawad Williams or Shaquille O'Neal. ''I don't want any of my guys getting hurt.'' James said that he's not looking forward to the next couple of days dealing with the injury. ''I knew exactly what it was because I have been kneed in the thigh before,'' James said. ''It is one of the worst pains you can have as an athlete, especially when you have to run up and down the court all day.'' - Akron Beacon Journal
Their lack of doubt wasn't so much because they had comeback before, or because the Pistons were struggling more than them. Saturday, their confidence came from a unique source. "This one was for Frankie Shouldice," coach Don Nelson said after the win, leaving him seven wins shy of becoming the NBA's all-time winningest coach. Frankie, 10, had his dream come true Saturday as part of a collaboration between the Warriors and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A San Francisco resident and avid Warriors fans, Fankie was given a tour by injured guard Raja Bell, took part in pregame drills and sat courtside with his parents. Frankie is battling lymphoma. He isn't quite terminal and has made strides in recent months. Several players said he put some perspective right in front of their noses Saturday. - Contra Costa Times
Davis objected to the suggestion that he was trying to injure O’Neal, saying the clip was taken before O’Neal hurt his thumb. I was like, ‘That’s false,’ ” Davis said. “They edited that. That was before he hurt his hand.” The timeline and replays appear to back Davis’ story. - Boston Herald
Ewing also was in Dallas at NBA All-Star Weekend to coach in the rookie-sophomore all-star game. A kid approached him and asked for his autograph. "I said, ‘Do you know who I am?'" Ewing said, laughing. "He had no idea who I was. He must have thought I was still a player or his parents sent him over. That's OK. "It's funny. Some kids now only know me from the [Snickers] commercial ["Patrick Chewing"] or from the ‘Space Jam' movie," he said. "Times change, I guess." - Orlando Sentinel
Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown might change jobs a lot, but he was adamant this time about not changing bosses. He came to Charlotte for one reason - because Michael Jordan asked him to nearly two years ago. So naturally, Brown was elated Saturday to learn Jordan was buying controlling interest in the team from Bob Johnson. "It means everything. We all love him and respect him and want him involved," Brown said in the stands at the North Carolina-Wake Forest game in Winston-Salem. - Charlotte Observer
Durant said he thinks Bosh would fit from a chemistry standpoint because the Thunder is filled with "likeable guys.” But despite the current difference in their statistical production, Durant said he views Green and Bosh as similar players. "Jeff is on his way to that,” Durant said of Green. "It’s only his third season, and he’s playing phenomenal for us. He’s a guy just like that with versatility to go inside and out. He causes different matchup problems and makes it easier for everybody on the floor. So that’s who we look at to be that kind of guy. "But I’m glad we have the guys we have here. And we’re all young, so I’d like to see our core grow.” - Oklahoman
A source close to the Denver Nuggets told HOOPSWORLD early Saturday afternoon that Zydrunas Ilgauskas will not become a member of the team. The front office made a hard push for his services, but he has opted not to sign with the Nuggets. "We went after Z, but he is going to Cleveland," the source said. - HoopsWorld
In talking to agents, it appears the Blazers are mostly targeting big men. The agents for Kenny Thomas, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Brian Cook and Jake Voskuhl all said the Blazers have called. - Oregonian
Then there is Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, who basically begged the Heat or Cavaliers to scoop him up at the trade deadline, but also now is talking about embracing his current employer, still with the ability to sign an extension by season's end. On one hand, he said he was flattered by the trade interest. "Cleveland and Miami, both situations would have been great for me," he said on Dan Patrick's syndicated radio show, adding, "I can't really make too much of a decision right now because we are doing so well or we may make the playoffs here and we may go a step further." - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
But what about the Nuggets crushing the defending champions 105-79 Nov. 13 in Denver? "We played them in a game in which we got in at 4 o'clock in the morning,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. But what about the Nuggets winning 126-113 Feb. 5 in Los Angeles? "They were 16-of-23 (actually 15-of-22) from the three-point line in that ballgame,'' Jackson said. "That's not going to happen every night. You know that as a coach.'' - FanHouse
Rivers was so pleased by Garnett’s performance early on -- he had eight points in the first quarter alone -- that he drew up plays to find him the ball. It’s something that, in spite of Garnett’s insistent to be unselfish, he would have liked the team to do more often down the stretch. “Early, especially, I liked that he was aggressive,” Rivers said. “Kevin is so unselfish, as everyone who’s been here knows. One of the things we have talked to him about is, I know what he’s trying to do. Kevin is so one-hundred percent about the team. He’s always thinking ball movement early. “And one of the things we told him, ‘We are moving it to you, and we want you to look at it.’ And I thought he did a great job of that early on. And then I thought he went a long stretch without touching it, and that’s on us. - WEEI
Kendrick Perkins confirmed before Saturday’s game what many observers have felt about the Celtics for a while now. They are bored with the process. “It’s different because I think guys are really anxious to get to the playoffs,” he said. “You have your veteran guys, Sheed, KG, you could tell that this regular season really don’t excite them, seriously. Even with Paul and Ray, you still have to go out here and compete, and it’s not an excuse for losing but you can just tell guys just want to get to the crunch time, get to the playoffs.” - WEEI
Carl Landry sneaks up on people. Though he stands 6-foot-8 and carries 248 pounds on a thick, muscular frame, sometimes he stares in the mirror and blinks twice, making sure that even he sees what he sees. It's me, he tells himself. It's me. "I have developed so fast the last two years that it's kind of amazing," Landry said with a grin. "From my rookie year, to today, with people talking about me being a good player in this league. I never thought I would come this far. Who knows where I'll be in another 21/2 years?" - Sacramento Bee
Bucks center Andrew Bogut came to his teammate's side after Jennings put on an impressive passing display in Milwaukee's 94-71 rout of Miami on Saturday. "Brandon hasn't been shooting a high percentage and he knows that," Bogut said. "But he still helps us immensely. People are getting on him and media and fans are saying he isn't playing as well as he was earlier in the season. "I beg to differ; we're winning now. He's the starting point guard on a winning team right now, so I think he's doing a great job for us. He's been huge and Luke Ridnour has been huge. One through 12, we don't have any superstar players out there, and I think we're playing basketball together." - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Phoenix Coach Alvin Gentry called Kevin Durant "probably the fourth-best player in the league" behind James, Kobe Bryant and Wade, adding, "He might even be ahead of one of those players. I won't tell you which one." Bryant and Wade may both now drop 60 on the Suns, just in case Gentry meant one of them. - Los Angeles Times
The Grizzlies say Gasol has dropped 25 pounds and reduced his body fat by 10 percent since joining them as a 23-year-old rookie last season, and Gasol said he was toting around at least an extra 10 pounds two years earlier when he first burst onto the international basketball scene coming off the bench for the Spanish team that won the 2006 World Championship in Japan. "I didn’t know the kid that much 4-5 years ago, I didn't know if he'd become a player or not, but he has," said New York coach Mike D'Antoni, who got his first glimpse of the younger Gasol as an assistant to coach Mike Krzyzewski on the U.S. national team that finished third at the 2006 Worlds. "He's very efficient, smart. He might be the best Gasol of the two, I don't know, that's saying a lot. But he's really good." - ESPN
With 22 games to go, Dudley already has himself a push. He got his second dunk of the season in Friday's win against the Clippers, on a breakaway in the second half where he was all alone, and threw it down with two hands. Dudley was, of course, happy to break it down for us after the game. "I was at least 35 inches off the ground," Dudley joked. "At LEAST 35. I slowed up because I wanted to make sure the rim came down so it could be declared a technical dunk. I was on the break, I was thinking about throwing it off the glass, but I said you know what, I'm gonna relax, and I'm just going to take the two-hand." - FanHouse
James missing time would have been another blow to the team, especially with center Shaquille O'Neal currently on the shelf with a sprained right thumb. ''I was concerned,'' Brown said. ''But I would be just as concerned if it was Leon Powe, or Jawad Williams or Shaquille O'Neal. ''I don't want any of my guys getting hurt.'' James said that he's not looking forward to the next couple of days dealing with the injury. ''I knew exactly what it was because I have been kneed in the thigh before,'' James said. ''It is one of the worst pains you can have as an athlete, especially when you have to run up and down the court all day.'' - Akron Beacon Journal
Their lack of doubt wasn't so much because they had comeback before, or because the Pistons were struggling more than them. Saturday, their confidence came from a unique source. "This one was for Frankie Shouldice," coach Don Nelson said after the win, leaving him seven wins shy of becoming the NBA's all-time winningest coach. Frankie, 10, had his dream come true Saturday as part of a collaboration between the Warriors and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A San Francisco resident and avid Warriors fans, Fankie was given a tour by injured guard Raja Bell, took part in pregame drills and sat courtside with his parents. Frankie is battling lymphoma. He isn't quite terminal and has made strides in recent months. Several players said he put some perspective right in front of their noses Saturday. - Contra Costa Times
Davis objected to the suggestion that he was trying to injure O’Neal, saying the clip was taken before O’Neal hurt his thumb. I was like, ‘That’s false,’ ” Davis said. “They edited that. That was before he hurt his hand.” The timeline and replays appear to back Davis’ story. - Boston Herald
Ewing also was in Dallas at NBA All-Star Weekend to coach in the rookie-sophomore all-star game. A kid approached him and asked for his autograph. "I said, ‘Do you know who I am?'" Ewing said, laughing. "He had no idea who I was. He must have thought I was still a player or his parents sent him over. That's OK. "It's funny. Some kids now only know me from the [Snickers] commercial ["Patrick Chewing"] or from the ‘Space Jam' movie," he said. "Times change, I guess." - Orlando Sentinel
Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown might change jobs a lot, but he was adamant this time about not changing bosses. He came to Charlotte for one reason - because Michael Jordan asked him to nearly two years ago. So naturally, Brown was elated Saturday to learn Jordan was buying controlling interest in the team from Bob Johnson. "It means everything. We all love him and respect him and want him involved," Brown said in the stands at the North Carolina-Wake Forest game in Winston-Salem. - Charlotte Observer
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