Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Shaq says Kobe is better than LeBron

The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Jodie Valade) reports: If Sunday’s Cavaliers-Lakers game wasn’t enough evidence, take Shaquille O’Neal’s word for it. Kobe Bryant is better. LeBron James? He’s pretty good, too. But Kobe is the best the Big Diesel has ever played with. “Kobe’s probably a 10,” O’Neal said Tuesday night. “LeBron’s a 9.7, 9.8. He’s a fabulous player who does it the right way and gets everybody involved. Those guys [Cavaliers] are playing at a very, very high level right now because of him.”

Kings may be losing big money

The Sacramento Bee (Ailene Voisin) reports:  Responding to speculation about the Kings’ future in Sacramento, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof on Monday reiterated the family’s commitment to the community. However, he expressed concern about projected financial losses and an urgency regarding plans for a new arena. Though he refused to cite a figure, sources close to the team estimate the franchise could lose up to $25 million this season, making it seem more likely that the Maloofs would be receptive to offers from officials in other markets – with more profitable arenas – who are interested in acquiring an NBA franchise. One league executive identified representatives from Anaheim and San Jose as particularly aggressive suitors.

Paul Millsap is worn out

The Deseret News (Tim Buckley) reports: The gritty Paul Millsap, however, readily admits to being a snapshot of personal exhaustion. “The physicality of the game, a lot of dirty work that I do, the licks I take — I mean, I think it’s all just taking a toll on me right now,” he said. “In particular, my knee,” added Millsap, who has been playing extensively despite a still-bruised right knee and a previously strained left. “You know, physically, mentally — that’s still something I’ve got to learn (to) deal with. I’m still learning.”

Jason Kidd must score more

With Dallas Mavericks scoring guard Jason Terry out, point guard Jason Kidd needs to step up in the points department. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (David Moore) reports: Kidd doesn’t look to score. Now, he doesn’t have any choice. Kidd doesn’t have to transform himself into a 15-point a night player. But he must do more than the 8.8 points he’s giving the Mavs. “It’s not really his nature to score big,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “His nature is to get other guys open and fill up the stat sheets in the other columns. But he needs to shoot a little more.” Kidd has taken 10 or more shots only three times in the last 19 games. He must make himself more of a threat.

Jim O’Brien: LeBron better than Kobe

LeBron James enters tonight’s game averaging 28.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists, the third season he has topped 25-7-7. He had his 20th career triple-double taken away last week when he was incorrectly given a rebound in his 52-point, 11-assist, nine-rebound performance against the New York Knicks. “He’s the best player in the league,” Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien said. “I don’t even know if it’s close right now. Certainly, Kobe Bryant is a great player and there are other great players in the league. But he is so big, so strong, so quick, so good off the dribble and so powerful, when he’s hitting 3-point shots, he’s unguardable.”

Nuggets stars to ignore beatdown

The Denver Post (Chris Dempsey) reports: Asked how the Nuggets expect to bounce back from their last game, a 44-point pounding at New Jersey, forward Carmelo Anthony had a simple response. “What game?” he said, smiling about Saturday’s game that at the time was no laughing matter. Said guard Chauncey Billups: “I forgot all about that game. I didn’t even know we played Saturday. As a matter of fact, we didn’t play Saturday.” Amnesia might be the best way for the Nuggets to move on from their worst loss this season, but as they practiced Monday at American Airlines Arena, they mixed forgetting with equal parts humor and trust.

Iverson throws nasty pass

The Detroit Free Press (Carlos Monarrez) reports: On a fast break late in the third quarter, Allen Iverson spotted Richard Hamilton streaking toward the basket and bounced a pass through Grant Hill’s legs. Hamilton took the pass under the basket and scored on a lay-up. “I just saw Rip running,” Iverson said. “I didn’t want to put too much air under it, so that’s why I bounced it. I felt like if I threw a bounce pass it would get there fast enough. I think Grant going for it, trying to steal it, he just added more to the play. It might not have seemed as spectacular if he wouldn’t have tried to stick his foot out there and kick it. It’s a play that I’ve made before, a play that I’ve been practicing since I was kid, since seeing Magic Johnson do it.”

Scoring comes easy for Melo

The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Playing with the likes of Chauncey Billups (acquired from Detroit Nov. 3), a healthy Nene, a healthy Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and Linas Kleiza, Carmelo Anthony doesn’t feel the pressure to carry the scoring load anymore. “Scoring will never be an issue as long as I play basketball,” Anthony said. “But it was just like, ‘What else are you going to do? Are you going to come out and average 7-8 rebounds or 3-4 assists? Are you going to make everybody better?’ “And when Chauncey came, it was like we have the type of team where I don’t have to score 25 and 30 points on a night-in and night-out basis. I’m at 20 points, 23 points and I feel better and feel like it’s one of my best seasons so far.”

Celtics set moving picks, says Jackson

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson is fun sometimes. Here’s an example. The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliot Teaford) reports:

Asked about the difference between having Kobe Bryant guard Boston’s Ray Allen and having him check Cleveland’s LeBron James, Jackson said.”Chasing Ray Allen off multiple picks, especially ones that move as often as Boston’s do, it’s just not feasible to wear him out and get run into by (Kendrick) Perkins and (Kevin) Garnett.”

That’s gold.