General NBA insight – Page 133 – NBA Blog

Bucks got deeper this summer

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The Bucks should have a much deeper team than the one they finished with last season, when coach Scott Skiles had to use Primoz Brezec for important minutes at the center spot in Game 7 of the playoffs against Atlanta (with Bogut injured and backup Kurt Thomas in foul trouble).

“No disrespect to our guys on the bench, but we didn’t really have guys we could rely on coming off the bench,” Bogut said. “Kurt when he was backing me up was a great backup, and we had a couple guys.

“But this year there are questions for us. Does Maggette come off the bench for us or does he start?

“Coach is going to have his work cut out for him figuring out rotations. We genuinely have 10 or 11 guys who can play and on an NBA team you can’t play that many guys. You’ve got to narrow it down to eight or nine guys and the rest pick up feeder minutes. Coach has a tough deal on his plate.”

Examining Bulls forward Taj Gibson

Nick Friedell of ESPN reports:

Taj Gibson will be a jack of all trades for Tom Thibodeau this season. After starting most of last year under Vinny Del Negro, Gibson continued to show improvement as the year progressed, averaging nine points and almost eight rebounds a game while playing in all 82 regular-season contests. He proved to be one of the biggest steals of the draft at No. 26, earning an invitation to play in the Rookie/Sophomore Game during All Star Weekend. Unlike most rookies, the USC alum embraced the concept of defense, and he became a Del Negro favorite because of his team-first attitude. At 25, he is more mature than most young players who come into the league.

With the addition of Carlos Boozer, Gibson will come off the bench this season, but he still is expected to get plenty of minutes as one of the better sixth men in the league. He can play both forward positions and will most likely be used as a defensive presence late in games. After struggling to find his offense in the beginning of last year, Gibson has spent a lot of time in the gym working on his jumper, and he should be able to expand his range.

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson handles the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison defends during the first quarter of game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center in Chicago on April 22, 2010. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

Earl Boykins discusses Bucks role

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Earl Boykins discusses his role on Bucks

“My role is to be ready when I’m needed,” Boykins said. “I’ve had this role my entire NBA career so it’s nothing new. Throughout the course of the year, everybody is going to have an opportunity to play and produce and help the team win. It’s how you approach it.

“If you remain professional, when your opportunity comes, you’ll take advantage of it.”

Boykins has encountered plenty of doubters due to his size, but he never was one of them.

“When I think back, 12 years in the NBA is very humbling,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with a unique skill to play the game of basketball.

“It’s hard to explain, but even at this level, the game has never been hard for me.”

Boykins said his height actually is “a huge advantage.”

“Everyone who plays against me, they have to make an adjustment,” he said. “When you’re 5-5, you don’t change the way you play. Most guys either don’t know how to do it (adjust) or they just don’t want to do it.”

Wade reacts to idea of surpassing 72 wins

Kyle Koster of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Wade discusses the idea of surpassing 72 wins

Winning, and winning with historic regularity, is something this Heat squad is expected to do. NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy recently predicted the Wade-James-Bosh triumvirate could surpass the NBA-record 72 wins notched by the 1995-96 Bulls.

While Wade isn’t discounting the possibility, he said it’s not the Heat’s top priority.

”I don’t think about it, and I don’t think the guys are really worried about it. At the end of the day, we have to go out and play the game. People can say whatever they want, but you’ve got to go out there and play. We’ve got a lot of work to do.

”I look at it, and I can’t believe [the Bulls that year] only lost 10 games. That’s unbelievable. I’m sure that’s one of the hardest feats that’s ever happened in sports. It’s nothing that I’m looking at, though. We’re going to go out there and be the best team we can be. If it isn’t 70 wins and we have a great season and win the championship, I don’t think anyone’s going to be mad.”

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says:

I don’t think it’ll happen. Maybe in the future, but not in 2010-11. Building chemistry takes time, and while winning will come easy quite often for the Heat, there are plenty of very talented NBA teams who can and will beat these guys. But as the supporting cast presumably improves in the future, so will the possibility of winning 70 or more regular season games.

Apr. 25, 2010 - Miami, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES - epa02131631 Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (L) drives the ball past Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen (R) during the first half of their conference quarterfinals round game at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida USA 25 April 2010. The NBA playoffs begin 17 April and end with the NBA Finals in mid-June.

Kenyon Martin not sure Nuggets have improved

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

Kenyon Martin, like his coach, is wondering what will happen with Melo. He’s a friend of Melo’s, but said he hasn’t talked with him recently.

“He’s got a lot of people in his ear already,” Martin said. “But I understand what he’s doing and what he’s going through. I’ve been there. I turned down $66 million in New Jersey and everybody thought I was crazy. . . . My thing is, everybody is rushing this man to sign the extension. Why are they rushing him? He has until July to sign the thing, so why rush? The money will still be on the table.”

Asked about Anthony’s mind-set, Martin said the uncertainty surrounding the franchise has to be on his mind.

“Personally, my thinking is — I can’t see where we got better this summer. Al (Harrington, a free-agent signing) is cool, Al’s my man, but I can’t see how we got better. You know, I’m going to be out and (Andersen) is going to be out (to start the season), so did we get better? I can’t say that we did.”

With his expiring contract, Martin said he wouldn’t be surprised to get traded but expects to play the season out.

“I’ve got one more year, so we’ll go from there,” he said.

Apr. 25, 2010 - Salt Lake City, UTAH, USA - epa02132055 Denver Nugget's Kenyon Martin makes a gesture after missing a free throw in a game against the Utah Jazz's in the second half of their Western Conference first round playoff game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 25 April 2010. The Jazz beat the Nuggets 117-106 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Getting Trevor Ariza helps Hornets

Jim Eichenhofer of Hornets.com reports:

Ariza’s ability to contribute in multiple ways, on both ends of the floor. New Orleans has given significant minutes to several somewhat one-dimensional players at the wing positions over the past few seasons, but Ariza is regarded as an above-average defender and is an improving offensive player (career-best 14.9 scoring average in 2009-10).

As frequent jump shooters, neither Peja Stojakovic nor James Posey – the Hornets who’ve logged the bulk of the playing time at small forward – finish well at the rim on fast breaks, but that’s an area where Ariza has excelled. Monty Williams also envisions the 6-foot-8, long-armed and athletic Ariza giving New Orleans the ability to throw a few varied looks at opposing offenses.

Williams: “He brings some things to the table that we just didn’t have. He’s a guy I can use in transition, he’s become a better shooter throughout his career and he’s a guy who’s going to allow me to put in a 3-2 zone and put him at the top of the zone, and put him in a number of spots. He’s a guy that can switch on pick-and-rolls (due to his combination of size and athletic ability), and guard some of the power forwards in this league. He can rebound.”

April 12, 2010: Trevor Ariza of the Houston Rockets during the game between the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA. Ben Munn/CSM.

Kevin Durant a huge part of Team USA

With several of the NBA’s top stars unavailable for this year’s edition of Team USA, another group of guys have been handed the reigns. And as the team that scores the most points is the one who wins, super-scorer Kevin Durant plays a huge role on the squad.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times reports:

Durant, 21, became the youngest N.B.A. scoring champion last season, and the world championship offers him a platform to move into the elite constellation of N.B.A. stars. His supple jump shot and freakish athleticism will be on display Sunday at Madison Square Garden, where the United States plays France before heading to Europe.

And Durant, a player hallmarked by loyalty and humility, will get a forum on the world stage at a time when James’s off-season free-agency spectacle prompted eye rolls.

So with no players from the 2008 Olympic Redeem Team representing the United States this summer, the coalescence of Durant’s talent and image could not be a better one.

“He’s the whole package,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director. “This is his opportunity to come forth on an international stage.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Durant gets his points. What moves he makes to generate offense and how they will differ in international spacing vs NBA play.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant of the 2010 USA Men's World Championship team reacts after a shot during practice in Tarrytown, New York August 13, 2010. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Pondering Zach Randolph in Memphis

Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Do the Grizzlies trust him enough to give him a rich, long-term deal? Especially when a new collective bargaining agreement could change all the rules? Why would the Grizzlies sign Randolph to a contract under the current collective bargaining agreement when the new one is almost certainly going to be harder on the players?

All of which means that owner Mike Heisley will likely offer Randolph considerably less than the max deal he’s been playing under the last few years. And it’ll be hard to blame Randolph if he declines.

Yes, Randolph seems to genuinely like Memphis. Yes, he’s gratified by the way he’s been welcomed. But he’s also the best and most dominant player on the team. Is he really going to play for substantially less than Rudy Gay?

At some point, it may become a point of pride for Randolph. He considers himself one of the elite power forwards in the league. Why should he settle for something less than those players make?

If you can`t intimidate Kobe, join him

Janis Carr of the Orange County Register reports:

Ron Artest messed with Kobe Bryant during a game and a year later he found himself playing alongside the Lakers star.

Now, Matt Barnes, the Orlando guard who tried to intimidate Bryant by shoving a ball in his face and generally got under his skin during a loss to Orlando last season, has joined the Lakers. What’s up with that?

In both cases, the players came at Kobe’s urging, because he wanted them on his side.

“He said, ‘Anyone crazy enough to mess with me is crazy enough to play with me,’ ” Barnes said with a laugh Tuesday.

Pacers have done nothing this summer

The Indiana Pacers seem to be on a 300-year rebuilding plan.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports (via blog):

Pacers officials weren’t lying when they said they were going to take their time when it came to making a roster move.

We’re in the last week of July and the only additions the Pacers have made so far have been three draft picks in what was supposed to be the “Summer of Dangling Expiring Contracts.”

In fact, somebody in the league recently mentioned to me that the Pacers’ biggest offseason move so far has been naming Clark Kellogg the vice president of player relations.

Until something changes, Pacers star Danny Granger still lacks the teammates to really compete in the East.