General NBA insight – Page 144 – NBA Blog

Fans at Hawks games root for visiting stars

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The Los Angeles Lakers are in town on Wednesday.

That doesn’t mean they have to feel welcomed.

Feel free to boo Kobe Bryant. Go ahead and goad Pau Gasol. Let Lamar Odom know there will be no Southern hospitality for the Lakers at Philips Arena.

It seems Hawks fans may need to be reminded, so Hawks coach Mike Woodson will do so. The marquee teams and stars who’ve visited Philips Arena this season have been too warmly received for Woodson’s tastes.

“It shouldn’t be that way,” Woodson said. “There [are] enough people in this city to support the Hawks. I think we are a fun team to watch. We’ve grown definitely over the years, from the time we started to where we are today.

“Sure, I’d like to see more people in their seats and rooting for our guys.”

Instead, the Hawks have seen fans root for opponents in their house.

Mo Williams role change

George M.Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

With the addition of forward Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams no longer has to shoulder as much of the scoring burden and can focus on running the Cavs’ offense. Although it’s taken some time, Jamison continues to get better and more comfortable in his offensive role.

It’s not just Jamison changing Williams’ role. There’s LeBron James, of course, and J.J. Hickson who is getting more consistent as a scorer and showing more versatility and confidence. When center Shaquille O’Neal, who had begun to assert himself more offensively in Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ absence, returns from his injury, the number of scoring opportunities might further decrease.

”Obviously he’s a terrific scorer,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said of Williams. ”He’s shown that he can score the basketball a lot of different ways, and he’s done that in the past.

”With the addition of Antawn and LeBron being who he is, with all those different types of options we have, Mo is just trying to find his spot within the team.”

Magic Johnson wants great rivalries back in NBA

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports:

“What’s missing now is we don’t have great rivalries,” Magic Johnson said. “L.A.-Boston, people stayed home on Sundays. They couldn’t wait to see the games. We had all these great names playing against each other. And then we played the game the right way…So we need rivalries back in the game, because that’s what people come out to see. That’s what they’re passionate about.”

The only way to rekindle relevant rivalries like the Lakers-Celtics matchups in the ’80s or the Chicago-Detroit series’ in the ’90s, Johnson said, is through the playoffs.

“You got to get in the playoffs and those teams got to be consistent,” Johnson said. “Right now, when you think about Dallas and San Antonio, they don’t like each other. I like that. I want to see you scratching and clawing and fighting. Phoenix and San Antonio, they don’t like each other. That’s what we need. We see some of it going on, but we need more of it.”

Amare Stoudemire does not like Tracy McGrady

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

According to Amar’e Stoudemire, his beef with Tracy McGrady dates back to the fall of 2001, when Stoudemire was a high school All-America in Florida and McGrady was entering his fifth NBA season. At the time, McGrady was attending his brother’s football game when Stoudemire approached and asked for advice about making the jump from high school to the pros.

“He pretty much didn’t say anything,” Stoudemire remembered. “So I look at myself as being successful in the NBA and if a kid from my hometown came up to me and said, ‘Amar’e, I’m thinking about going to (the NBA),’ I would say, ‘It’s a tough process, college is very important. Education is very important,’ so forth and so on. But I didn’t get any of that.”

“He doesn’t remember,” Stoudemire said. “I’m not surprised he doesn’t remember.”

McGrady disputed Stoudemire’s recollection, saying he and Stoudemire had a phone conversation about him turning pro. McGrady added that the two were together in New York as recently as last September following a Jay-Z concert.

Danny Granger returns to form

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

It took nearly the entire season, but Pacers forward Danny Granger is averaging 31 points and shooting 54 percent from the field in the past four games. He has had 13 games of at least 30 points, including three straight, this season.

Granger missed more than a month with a torn right plantar fascia and has had a difficult time adjusting to his new teammates.

“I think he’s found a comfort level,” O’Brien said. “He’s taking what’s there. He’s not forcing the issue, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is up. . . . This is the Danny Granger we became accustomed to seeing last year.”

Danilo Gallinari getting noticed

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

Danilo Gallinari made a believer out of Tracy McGrady and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony after the 6-foot-10 forward scored 17 of his team-high 28 points in the third quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Nuggets. Gallinari asked to guard Anthony, and in the decisive third quarter, the two players traded shots and words in a classic duel that had the Garden buzzing.

“That was like, ‘(forget) everybody else, it’s me and you,’ ” McGrady said. “I haven’t seen (Hedo) Turkoglu and Dirk (Nowitzki) do that. They play within the team concept. That was ‘get me the ball and everybody move out of the way.’ I was enjoying it.”

Gallinari has always been one of the Knicks’ more physically and mentally tough players. He’ll play through pain, he’s not afraid to take big shots and he won’t back down from a challenge. In December, after the Clippers’ Baron Davis hit Gallinari with an elbow, Gallinari returned the favor after grabbing a rebound. Davis looked stunned.

Lawrence Frank will return to coaching… someday

Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports

He’s preparing again.

Not for a game, or for a practice, or for anything immediate or specific.

Lawrence Frank will return to coaching... someday

But make no mistake, Lawrence Frank is preparing for something, and his specific purpose won’t be apparent until some general manager rings his phone in a month or two.

“I hope to get another opportunity to coach another NBA team, and only time will tell how soon that may come,” the former Nets coach said Wednesday. “So I’m working on some things, visiting people, doing some writing, formulating thoughts and ideas, putting together material about the components of coaching – mostly studying the DNA of successful organizations.”

And he’s doing all these things the way Frank does everything: at a whirlwind pace…

“A college team takes on the personality of its coach,” Frank said. “But when you study the NBA, you know a team takes on the personality of its best player. With any team on a high level, the top player embodies its winning culture. So if you’re going to upgrade, it can change quickly – as long as you’re fortunate to get the right franchise player.”

Orlando Magic are on fire

John Schuhmann of NBA.com reports:

The Magic are 14-3 since the [NBA All-Star] break, second only to the Bucks (15-3). But statistically, Orlando has been more dominant than anybody. The Magic have outscored their opponents by 14.8 points every 100 possessions over those 17 games. The next best team since the break has been the Phoenix Suns, who have been just 9.3 points better than their opponents.

The Magic have been terrific defensively since November. For the second straight season, they’re the top defense in the league, allowing 99.7 points every 100 possessions, a hair less than the Celtics. But it’s been on offense that they’ve taken off since the break.

With Vince Carter finding the right balance between aggressiveness and unselfishness, and Jameer Nelson all the way back from arthroscopic knee surgery, the Magic are now as potent as any offense in the league. And when a team has both a great offense and a great defense … well, even Magic coach Stan Van Gundy admits that he’s happy with the way his team is playing…

Orlando is taking care of business against the weaker teams, and the Magic have held their own against the rest of the elite. Van Gundy may want to fine tune some things, but with three weeks to go in the regular season, no team is more ready for the playoffs than the Magic.

Steve Kerr does not see D-League assignment as demotion

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Those who labeled Suns rookie Earl Clark’s three-game assignment to D-League affiliate Iowa as a demotion last week have raised the ire of Suns General Manager Steve Kerr.

“It’s stupid,” Kerr said. “I don’t know why people look at it that way. I’m hopeful that someday, after it’s collectively bargained, you’d be able to send a guy down on an injury stint, like Major League Baseball.”

Players are limited to three D-League trips per season in their first two years. Kerr attended the final two of Clark’s three games with Iowa, for which he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds.

Clark shot decent from mid-range but did not take a 3-pointer. He has tried five 3s, making two, in Suns games. Clark puts in extra shooting after games and before practices but still has work to do with his mechanics.

Leon Powe comeback trail

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

They’ve rebuilt him — or at least his knee — and it’s paying off for the Cavs during the playoff run.

Coach Mike Brown will have some tough decisions when it comes to his playoff rotation and Leon Powe, who sparkled in the postseason during his career with the Boston Celtics, isn’t making it easier.

Powe had his best game (16 points, seven rebounds) against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

”I’ve worked hard on my leg to try and get back to this point,” Powe said, ”but it’s moving a little bit faster than I thought, which is a sign of my dedication to [rehab] and that is a tribute to me.”

He still isn’t very fast. He doesn’t jump very high, but somehow he was able to even get a dunk in against the Pistons.

”My family keeps asking me to get them a dunk,” he said, ”but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it. When I saw the opportunity, I went and tried it and I dunked it. I was happy about it.”