General NBA insight – Page 125 – NBA Blog

Raymond Felton describes his game

Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports:

Ask Felton what his greatest attribute as a basketball player is and he’ll hit you with one word: leader.

“When you talk about my game, you might say I’m fast off the dribble, I can get in the paint, I pass the ball, whatever. Tenacious defender,”

Felton said Tuesday. “One thing people always say about me is I’m a leader, and that’s what I’ve always been. So, I keep that role everywhere I go.”

And that’s good for the Nuggets. When the 6-foot-1 Felton arrived in Denver a week ago as part of the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade with New York, Felton, 26, said Nuggets coach George Karl told him his first task was to lead.

Felton’s leadership showed up big Monday night in a victory over Atlanta, when he took over in the fourth quarter of what was a close game. In the final period, he scored 11 points, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists as the Nuggets pulled away late.

Gregg Popovich surprised by all the trades

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

There was so much trade activity last week, even Gregg Popovich was surprised and impressed.

“Yes, I was,” said the Spurs coach. “Usually it’s much ado about nothing. This time all those rumors and situations that were talked about in the papers and on TV and on those fancy machines everybody carries around, most of them came about, and even some surprises that nobody had talked about. So there was a great deal of activity that surprised me.”

What should we make of all that surprising activity?

Don’t ask Popovich, now the longest-tenured coach in the league.

“I have no control over what any of those players might do with any of their (new) teams,” he said. “but when we play each of them, I’ll concentrate on what’s going on with that team. But ahead of that, I’ll spend no time contemplating what it means for everyone.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy reacts to Celtics trading Kendrick Perkins

Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised — and he said so.

“That was interesting,” Van Gundy said after the Magic completed their shootaround to prepare to play the Thunder tonight.

“I have always said to you guys that nothing really shocks me in this league. I don’t know if it shocked me, but Perkins being traded surprised me. I was taken aback by that a little bit because I know how much they liked him in Boston. I know for a fact that their coaches liked him and thought he was a big part of it. He was a big, big part of their whole identity and the way they played. He was a big part of their toughness. He gave ’em a physical presence. He was a defensive-first guy. He didn’t need the ball on a team of stars.

“I think they decided they’ve still got Shaq, so they’ve got size, and that they’re good enough defensively with the other people that their defense wouldn’t be compromised too much. And then I think they thought they could make some offensive improvements — my guess is to try to get more space on the floor for [Rajon] Rondo and for [Paul] Pierce. Jeff Green is a guy who can give ’em depth at the three but he can play the four and spread out the floor. If you go back to their championship year, they went small a lot.”

Deron Williams reacts to leaving Jazz

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

“Everything happens for a reason. You take everything in stride,” Williams told Craig Bolerjack [FSN]. “But I had a great five-and-a-half years here in Utah. The fans have always been great to me. They’ve been the best. They’ve been so supportive through everything, and I’m going to miss them. I’m definitely going to miss them, miss the organization. We had a great organization, great times and great wins.”

Williams admitted it was very hard walking onto the bus and telling his teammates goodbye Wednesday morning as they left for shootaround without him.

“It’s tough, man. I’ve got great teammates, great coaches. I wanted to just say goodbye to them. It’s the last time I’m going to play with a lot of them,” Williams said. “I’ve had a lot of great years with those guys in the locker room. I’ve been here with C.J. (Miles) since I came and Paul (Millsap) for the last five years. Those guys I’m going to miss. Ronnie Price. We had a great group of guys in the locker room.”

Knicks fans welcome Carmelo Anthony

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports:

They started standing in Madison Square Garden at the 15-minute mark, when a faraway shot of the Knicks hallway huddle was shown on the JumboTron. They stayed standing, some 19,000 strong, while Carmelo Anthony went through warmups and grooved to “STAT and Melo,” a remix of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” was played. And they gave Anthony a thundering ovation when his spot in the lineup was announced. Carmelo Anthony may have been excited to be in New York but no more than New York was excited to have him.

This is what they wanted, city and player. Anthony wanted to play in a big market — a big east coast market, if possible — and play on a team with a chance to win. New York won’t win a championship this season, but with Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, both 26, they have the building blocks of a potential dynasty. A couple of good drafts, a free agent or two, maybe another big deal (hello, Chris Paul) and the Knicks should be in business.

The fans wanted it, too. They liked Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler. And Timofey Mozgov was starting to grow on them. But Anthony? They love Anthony. Late Monday night when news of the deal first broke, a cluster of weary people waiting in a cab line at JFK airport clutching BlackBerry’s burst out in a staggered cheer. On Wednesday it wasn’t just the Garden that was sold out; outside the arena hundreds of fans, some carrying hand made signs with messages to Anthony, pressed near the building to watch the game on the big screens hanging from the walls.

Gallinari, Felton react to being traded to Nuggets

Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times reports:

“I’m not sad,” Danilo Gallinari said. “I don’t have any particular emotions now. When I first came there, three years ago, that’s the mentality that you have to approach the N.B.A. Anything can happen, so you can’t be mad at some trades. You’ve just got to live with it and do the best you can. They pay me to play basketball. That’s the only thing I’ve got to concentrate on and do.”

Raymond Felton said he was tired of talking about the trade, even though it had been official for only a few hours.

“I’m here where a team wants me,” Felton said. “The Denver Nuggets wanted me. New York didn’t, so that’s why things happened.”

Felton sent a message through his agent to Denver management asking that none of the incoming Knicks be traded before Thursday’s deadline. He wanted to show their worth together, he said.

“I’m happy to be here,” Felton said. “I don’t even want to hear about it or talk about the trade no more. We’ve done talked about it for three months straight and I don’t even want to talk about no trade. I’m a Denver Nugget now, and I’m happy to be here.”

Jazz thought Deron Williams might eventually leave

Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated reports:

The Jazz realized their relationship with Williams was headed toward the same cliff as LeBron, Bosh and Carmelo, and so they decided to make the best of a hopeless future. Will they next seek to move other expensive commitments to Al Jefferson (owed $29 million over the next two years), Paul Millsap ($16.7 million over the next two years) and/or Mehmet Okur ($10.9 million next year) in order to pare down the payroll and ready themselves to exploit the next collective bargaining agreement? Do they try to trade Andrei Kirilenko’s expiring $17.8 million for long-term prospects, or do they allow his contract to expire this summer for payroll relief?

First, Jerry Sloan leaves, now Williams is sent away. For two decades we knew who the Utah Jazz were and what they stood for as a franchise. Now we, and they, have no idea. They can pursue the same objectives as always, but with no certainty of replicating the discipline and excellence that defined them for so long.

All we know for sure are these two things: 1) the Jazz, who were No. 8 in the West before the Williams trade, will undoubtedly fall out of the playoffs without their leading playmaker and scorer; and 2) the owners of the mid- and small-market teams like Utah will be more galvanized than ever to create a system that can enable them to retain their best players.

Talk of All-Star has been Melo, lockout

By Jeff Lenchiner

LOS ANGELES, CA — While the main attractions of 2011 NBA All-Star weekend are the on-court festivities, the off-court topics have been the same here as they have in the prior weeks and months of the regular season.

Everyone wants to know where Carmelo Anthony will go. High-up NBA employees with very legitimate connections are as unsure as fans wandering the streets in search of photos with stars and autographs.

The general consensus remains the same: The Nuggets, rather than losing Anthony like the Cavaliers lost LeBron James and the Raptors lost Chris Bosh, are likely to trade him before the February 24 trade deadline. In order, the Nets and Knicks are the favorites.

And then there’s a dreaded lockout looming which could wipe out some or — gasp — all of the next NBA season. Big meetings are going on this weekend between representatives of the owners and players to try to sort out the mess, but things still sound bleak.

Etan Thomas, who is on the Players Union executive board, told InsideHoops.com Friday that the two sides are “goal-posts apart.” No one else I spoke to had anything more positive to say about it.

That’s during All-Star off-time. The good news is, as players are hitting incredible shots and performing in the actual events, it’s safe to say that no one is thinking about all that other stuff and just focused on having a good time. John Wall dished 22 awesome assists Friday night in the Rookie Challenge, and as fans flew to their feet cheering the great plays, only excitement and appreciation for the spectacle was in mind.

Share your thoughts on the InsideHoops basketball forums.

D-Rose excited for All-Star

Nick Friedell of ESPN reports:

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose knows there are pundits out there who still doubt how good his team can be. As an All-Star starter and one of the leading candidates for the NBA MVP award, Rose knows that he will have even higher profile when he walks into the Eastern Conference locker room for the first time during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

“Teams know other teams in the league who are good,” Rose said after shootaround before the Bulls play the Spurs on Thursday night. “You know when other teams are ballin’. Like we know the Spurs are a very good team tonight. And you kind of get that respect around the league, even though with some media we’re under the radar as being an OK team even though our record is more than OK. Other players around the league know. That’s the fun thing about it.”

Rose knows that his team has opened up eyes all over the league this year with their play, and he realizes that while the task of climbing to the top of the Eastern Conference is difficult, it’s rewarding to be mentioned alongside the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

Caron Butler`s Valentine`s Day tips

Dallas Mavericks forward Caron Butler presents five ways to impress your girl on Valentine’s Day:

1. Take Her To The Spa: It is a relaxing way to enjoy the day together, and you know she’ll love it.

2. A Romantic Dinner: You probably should have reservations at a restaurant by now. If you don’t, then think about staying in and cooking for her. She’ll be impressed.

3. Roses: Do not mess that up. A must on Valentine’s Day.

4. Jewelry: All women love jewelry. Need I say more?

5. Take her to a play: It will show your sensitive side and is sure to score you some points.

6. Bonus-Romantic getaway: Instead of going home that evening, take her to spend the night at a bed and breakfast or hotel.