The biggest story in recent days: Jazz legendary coach Jerry Sloan stepping down. Karl Malone was at last night’s Utah-Phoenix game and had a few words about this. In an NBA TV interview, he suggested the players’ commitment (or lack thereof) had something to do with Sloan’s sudden exit. He implied that something bad must have happened to make Sloan, of all people, quit. Some sources say Deron Williams is the culprit. D-Will has defended himself, saying forcing someone of Sloan’s stature to step down is ridiculous. Coaches and players do get into a lot of arguments, and the media tends to blow such incidents out of proportion most of the time. But who really knows? It may have been the first time Sloan’s players have turned on him in a long, long time.
o Remember when I left D-Will off my All-Star reserves picks? I said either Sloan or D-Will needed to get blamed for Utah underachieving this season. It appears that something behind the scenes definitely went on. But as they say, it’s a player’s league and coaches generally get the blame, no matter how renowned they may be.
o David Thorpe was asked in a recent ESPN.com chat regarding whether he thought Deron Williams would remain in Utah when his contract expires after next season. His response was plain and simple: “No.”
- The Spurs had their worst game of the season last night, losing to the 76ers for the 8th time in their last 11 games between the two teams.
o I’m glad Elton Brand is playing well again. People really wrote him off after a couple injury-plagued seasons. You could say that karma bit him, after he infamously bailed on the Clippers to sign with Philly in the Summer of 2008 after reportedly promising the team to sign with them - particularly considering Baron Davis left the Golden State Warriors to join the team. The Clippers seemed to get the last laugh, as they drafted sensation Blake Griffin and Brand ruptured his Achilles tendon his first season with the 76ers.
o I hope the Spurs don't end the season on a flat note. They're at their best when they start their seasons slow and finish strong. This season seems to be the opposite trend..
o I hope the Spurs don't end the season on a flat note. They're at their best when they start their seasons slow and finish strong. This season seems to be the opposite trend..
- Orlando made one mind-blowing sloppy mistake after another last night, losing 99-93 to New Orleans at home.
o I joked with a friend of mine, who’s a huge Magic fan, about 2 months ago that Orlando would lose in the 1st round this year. Ever since I said that, it’s looking more and more like that’s not a laughing matter. With the way they’re playing, they may very well not even get homecourt advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.
o You gotta wonder if the blockbuster trade with Phoenix was a mistake. I personally think shipping out Vince Carter was a great move, but it’s clear that losing Pietrus and Gortat have really hurt Orlando. Phoenix has been playing well of late with those two picking up the slack. In the Utah-Phoenix game last night, did you notice Vince Carter sat on the bench during crunch time in favor of Pietrus? Maybe Stan Van Gundy should have thought of that strategy. Just sayin’.
- The Lakers dominated the Knicks last night at the Garden 113-96.
o This just in: Amare has NO CLUE how to guard Pau Gasol. None. Remember the Phoenix-LA Western Conference Finals last year? The Kobe-Gasol duo just absolutely shredded the Suns’ defense, thanks to Amare’s awful defensive tactics – always losing sight of Gasol and spoon-feeding him open lanes to the rim.
- LaMarcus Aldridge was a beast once again last night as Portland defeated Toronto 102-96. After dropping 42 on the Bulls last Monday, Aldridge scored 37 and grabbed 10 boards against the Raptors.
o That’s the 3rd time in 6 games he scored 35+ points. Think he’s motivated by being left off the All-Star team?
o He’s making my reserve picks look really, really good.
- What is the deal with Rip Hamilton? He rides the bench while the NJ-Detroit-Denver rumors surfaced during the ongoing Carmelo trade front saga. When those talks died, he came back and played pretty well – 15 points and 3 assists in 20 minutes. After that one game, he’s been sitting out with a groin injury. Really? Something shady is going on. Hopefully he gets traded before the deadline.
No comments:
Post a Comment