Saunders told Blatche he wouldn’t return to the game until he listened to the assistant coaches correct his mistakes. Sam Cassell and Gene Banks tried, but Blatche bristled. Yes, the coach should’ve suspended Blatche, sent him home and played the rest of the week without him. Management told the coach it was his call, league sources say. They would’ve gone with a suspension, a benching, whatever Saunders wanted. The coach backed down, again. - Yahoo! Sports
Naturally, with Wade's high school coach (now a regional scout for the Heat) and several TV camera crews in attendance to interview Wade, the subject of potentially playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls came up. Wade, who has carefully and playfully handled questions about his pending free agency, was again prepared to offer very little. He did, however, suggest that Chicago probably shouldn't have cleared cap space especially for him. "I understand the business side of it, so I understand what they're doing," Wade said. "But it had nothing to do with me." Yeah. Right. - Miami Herald
Real Madrid are rumoured to be offering Argentina guard Manu Ginobili a contract worth $13.5 million for next season. Ramon Trecet of Spanish newspaper Marca has reported that Real are very interested in bringing the 32-year-old guard in and would be willing to pay him close to $3 million more than what he is earning this season. - FIBA
Mayo said his agent informed him about a potential deal, and he credited veteran teammates for keeping the ordeal in perspective. "It's part of the business," Mayo said. "I can't imagine not being here (with Memphis). But it is what it is. I guess the team thought maybe Monta Ellis would be a better fit. I don't know." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
You could be a free agent next year, if you opt out. Would you like to come back? John Salmons: That’s all stuff that I will work out in the future. When it is time to worry about it, I will sit back and make those decisions. - Sporting News
Coach Don Nelson and general manager Larry Riley each said the Williams move and the Bell statement don't exclude Morrow from remaining a Warrior. "It would be good to have them all," Nelson said. "It's good to have a deep bench. When you're going through a year like we're having now, you realize how important it is to have good backup players." - San Francisco Chronicle
Singleton will be a free agent next summer, but said that he wouldn't mind coming back next season. "I've had a great time here," Singleton said. "I know next year, it's going to be a different makeup. But getting a fresh, fresh start with the team would be great, because I already have a half a season under Flip Saunders and the coaching staff and the system. If everything presents itself well, I'd love to return here." - Washington Post
According to a league source, Ilgauskas signed for $925,000 for the rest of the season. That will cost the Cavs $1.85 million in total because they will have to pay a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on that added salary. With it, the true cost of the Jamison trade is now in focus. By taking on guard Sebastian Telfair, re-signing Ilgauskas, plus the slightly more money that Jamison makes, the deal cost Cavs owner Dan Gilbert roughly $5.2 million extra this season, including luxury taxes. Also, Jamison and Telfair have years left on their contracts totaling $31 million over the next two years with which the Cavs were not previously committed. That number could grow depending on whether the team is over the luxury-tax line. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Former Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood, now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, told reporters after Monday's practice that he didn't agree with the practice style of Eddie Jordan, who coached Haywood in Washington and now coaches the Sixers. "In Washington, [Jordan] made it known it was an open competition," Haywood told ESPNDallas.com. Jordan "felt like that competition fueled the team. It was actually terrible for the team. This [situation in Dallas] is more along the lines of, whoever is playing the best, put him in the game and let's try to get something done." - Philadelphia Inquirer
Lewis privately muttered something about Van Gundy’s offense on a night he was 2-of-9 for six points. Matt Barnes was seething at the coach, too. Van Gundy took out defensive specialist Barnes for a long stretch in the fourth period, trying to get the Magic back in the game with shooters, and Barnes took it as a personal affront. “He obviously doesn’t trust me down the stretch,” Barnes huffed. - Orlando Sentinel
After initially taking offense to Charles Barkley labeling him among the "Titos" who have failed to offer enough support to Wade's Michael Jackson, forward Michael Beasley changed his tune Wednesday. He said Barkley should feel free to call him anything he wants. He simply doesn't care. "He can call me Tito. He can call me New Edition. Spongebob. He can call me whoever he wants. I'm going to go out there and play." Beasley said the name-calling episode with Barkley was never anything personal. "I might have said (something) the wrong way. He took it the wrong way. It escalated and snowballed. But I honestly really don't care." - Miami Herald
To make room for Ilgauskas, Brown said he's going to have to cut the playing time of forward Leon Powe and Hickson, both of whom have been playing well. But in an attempt to find the right mix, Brown might experiment with using bigger lineups that put Jamison at small forward. "I do have in my mind what I want to do but it can change," Brown said. "I told Z this is what we're starting with, but don't be alarmed if it changes." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Does it feel like some guys are not as interested out there? Antoine Wright: “I don’t know if it was the interest factor, but sometimes guys, offensively when they’re not making shots and things are not going their way they tend to let it frustrate them and get in their heads a little bit. We’re all at fault in that aspect. It’s happened to every single one of us in this locker room and it happens to other teams throughout the league. I think we just have to do a better job of sticking with the game plan, especially when you’re shot’s not going off. You’ve got to do other things. Until we understand that, we’re going to have more nights like tonight.” - The Score
In this week's Sports Illustrated, a poll of 173 NBA players has Ilgauskas and O'Neal as the two "Slowest Going Baseline To Baseline" in the league. Ilgauskas led with 27 percent of the vote and O'Neal was second with 24 percent. Houston's Yao Ming was distant third with 11 percent. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
While Paul Pierce led the team with 27 points, it was Rondo who was the floor general with his seventh career triple-double - fourth in the regular season - in Boston’s 113-99 win over the talented Denver Nuggets Wednesday night at TD Garden. “We’re starting to put it together. We had a little hiccup at Utah but we’ve done a pretty good job. We’re getting better each game. We’re not going to play perfect every game. We’re not going to win every game from here on out probably but at the end of the day, as long as we continue to get better and work toward our goal, we’ll be fine.“We haven’t blown as many leads as we did early on in the season so we’re getting better.” - WEEI
After having a solid game himself, Nate Robinson was asked about how the play of the starter at his position, Rajon Rondo, was the key to tonight's win over the Nuggets. Robinson paused, then answered gracefully. "Yeah, I mean that’s the most important thing," said Robinson. "[Rondo's an] All-Star point guard, phenomenal player. It’s weird you've got Rondo running the show, you've got KG, and he’s a vet. It’s like you got a guy out here, young guy, running the show, and the vets and everybody are just listening and just try to play together. That’s what makes the team. Nobody plays with egos. It’s a fun, great group of guys, and I love being on this team.” - Boston Globe
O'Neal pounded every single step in the lower bowl along with assistant strength coach Ken Snead, working his away around the arena while the Cavs went through drills before facing the Hornets. That workout, plus what O'Neal said has been a personal ban on cheeseburgers, appears to have helped him peel off weight during the recovery period. O'Neal has been out for three weeks and is expected back in three to four weeks, though he's hoping to get clearance sooner. "I didn't have to see him running, I could hear him," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "It had a nice little rhythm to it." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Naturally, with Wade's high school coach (now a regional scout for the Heat) and several TV camera crews in attendance to interview Wade, the subject of potentially playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls came up. Wade, who has carefully and playfully handled questions about his pending free agency, was again prepared to offer very little. He did, however, suggest that Chicago probably shouldn't have cleared cap space especially for him. "I understand the business side of it, so I understand what they're doing," Wade said. "But it had nothing to do with me." Yeah. Right. - Miami Herald
Real Madrid are rumoured to be offering Argentina guard Manu Ginobili a contract worth $13.5 million for next season. Ramon Trecet of Spanish newspaper Marca has reported that Real are very interested in bringing the 32-year-old guard in and would be willing to pay him close to $3 million more than what he is earning this season. - FIBA
Mayo said his agent informed him about a potential deal, and he credited veteran teammates for keeping the ordeal in perspective. "It's part of the business," Mayo said. "I can't imagine not being here (with Memphis). But it is what it is. I guess the team thought maybe Monta Ellis would be a better fit. I don't know." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
You could be a free agent next year, if you opt out. Would you like to come back? John Salmons: That’s all stuff that I will work out in the future. When it is time to worry about it, I will sit back and make those decisions. - Sporting News
Coach Don Nelson and general manager Larry Riley each said the Williams move and the Bell statement don't exclude Morrow from remaining a Warrior. "It would be good to have them all," Nelson said. "It's good to have a deep bench. When you're going through a year like we're having now, you realize how important it is to have good backup players." - San Francisco Chronicle
Singleton will be a free agent next summer, but said that he wouldn't mind coming back next season. "I've had a great time here," Singleton said. "I know next year, it's going to be a different makeup. But getting a fresh, fresh start with the team would be great, because I already have a half a season under Flip Saunders and the coaching staff and the system. If everything presents itself well, I'd love to return here." - Washington Post
According to a league source, Ilgauskas signed for $925,000 for the rest of the season. That will cost the Cavs $1.85 million in total because they will have to pay a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on that added salary. With it, the true cost of the Jamison trade is now in focus. By taking on guard Sebastian Telfair, re-signing Ilgauskas, plus the slightly more money that Jamison makes, the deal cost Cavs owner Dan Gilbert roughly $5.2 million extra this season, including luxury taxes. Also, Jamison and Telfair have years left on their contracts totaling $31 million over the next two years with which the Cavs were not previously committed. That number could grow depending on whether the team is over the luxury-tax line. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Former Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood, now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, told reporters after Monday's practice that he didn't agree with the practice style of Eddie Jordan, who coached Haywood in Washington and now coaches the Sixers. "In Washington, [Jordan] made it known it was an open competition," Haywood told ESPNDallas.com. Jordan "felt like that competition fueled the team. It was actually terrible for the team. This [situation in Dallas] is more along the lines of, whoever is playing the best, put him in the game and let's try to get something done." - Philadelphia Inquirer
Lewis privately muttered something about Van Gundy’s offense on a night he was 2-of-9 for six points. Matt Barnes was seething at the coach, too. Van Gundy took out defensive specialist Barnes for a long stretch in the fourth period, trying to get the Magic back in the game with shooters, and Barnes took it as a personal affront. “He obviously doesn’t trust me down the stretch,” Barnes huffed. - Orlando Sentinel
After initially taking offense to Charles Barkley labeling him among the "Titos" who have failed to offer enough support to Wade's Michael Jackson, forward Michael Beasley changed his tune Wednesday. He said Barkley should feel free to call him anything he wants. He simply doesn't care. "He can call me Tito. He can call me New Edition. Spongebob. He can call me whoever he wants. I'm going to go out there and play." Beasley said the name-calling episode with Barkley was never anything personal. "I might have said (something) the wrong way. He took it the wrong way. It escalated and snowballed. But I honestly really don't care." - Miami Herald
To make room for Ilgauskas, Brown said he's going to have to cut the playing time of forward Leon Powe and Hickson, both of whom have been playing well. But in an attempt to find the right mix, Brown might experiment with using bigger lineups that put Jamison at small forward. "I do have in my mind what I want to do but it can change," Brown said. "I told Z this is what we're starting with, but don't be alarmed if it changes." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Does it feel like some guys are not as interested out there? Antoine Wright: “I don’t know if it was the interest factor, but sometimes guys, offensively when they’re not making shots and things are not going their way they tend to let it frustrate them and get in their heads a little bit. We’re all at fault in that aspect. It’s happened to every single one of us in this locker room and it happens to other teams throughout the league. I think we just have to do a better job of sticking with the game plan, especially when you’re shot’s not going off. You’ve got to do other things. Until we understand that, we’re going to have more nights like tonight.” - The Score
In this week's Sports Illustrated, a poll of 173 NBA players has Ilgauskas and O'Neal as the two "Slowest Going Baseline To Baseline" in the league. Ilgauskas led with 27 percent of the vote and O'Neal was second with 24 percent. Houston's Yao Ming was distant third with 11 percent. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
While Paul Pierce led the team with 27 points, it was Rondo who was the floor general with his seventh career triple-double - fourth in the regular season - in Boston’s 113-99 win over the talented Denver Nuggets Wednesday night at TD Garden. “We’re starting to put it together. We had a little hiccup at Utah but we’ve done a pretty good job. We’re getting better each game. We’re not going to play perfect every game. We’re not going to win every game from here on out probably but at the end of the day, as long as we continue to get better and work toward our goal, we’ll be fine.“We haven’t blown as many leads as we did early on in the season so we’re getting better.” - WEEI
After having a solid game himself, Nate Robinson was asked about how the play of the starter at his position, Rajon Rondo, was the key to tonight's win over the Nuggets. Robinson paused, then answered gracefully. "Yeah, I mean that’s the most important thing," said Robinson. "[Rondo's an] All-Star point guard, phenomenal player. It’s weird you've got Rondo running the show, you've got KG, and he’s a vet. It’s like you got a guy out here, young guy, running the show, and the vets and everybody are just listening and just try to play together. That’s what makes the team. Nobody plays with egos. It’s a fun, great group of guys, and I love being on this team.” - Boston Globe
O'Neal pounded every single step in the lower bowl along with assistant strength coach Ken Snead, working his away around the arena while the Cavs went through drills before facing the Hornets. That workout, plus what O'Neal said has been a personal ban on cheeseburgers, appears to have helped him peel off weight during the recovery period. O'Neal has been out for three weeks and is expected back in three to four weeks, though he's hoping to get clearance sooner. "I didn't have to see him running, I could hear him," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "It had a nice little rhythm to it." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
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