Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

The Story Behind Isiah’s Ejection

Yao Ming had tortured the Knicks last night. In more ways than one. It wasn’t just the 36 points. It was the five dunks and four lay-ins, and the way he would linger in the paint on the offensive end. All of it was too much for Isiah Thomas to take.

The Knick coach had complained to the officials that Yao should’ve been called on a number of three-second violations, but to no avail. Danny Crawford hit him with a ‘T”, then wasted no time in tossing him.

Afterward, a much more subdued Thomas explained his stance, after getting bounced 41 seconds into the fourth quarter, with the Rockets ahead 77-74.

“In the second quarter,” recounted Thomas, “I spoke with [Crawford] and asked if they could watch Yao in the lane. I also said that, if you are not going to call [a violation], would I need to get a technical foul to bring your attention to it?

“I wasn’t trying to get ejected. But, I was trying to get a technical, because I did want to bring it to [the officials’] attention.

“I was close enough to [Crawford’s] ear that he could hear me. I didn’t bump him, or anything like that. You can look at my reaction two ways –I could have been given a tech, or be thrown out of the game. I have shown, that I am not a guy who complains a lot. I just needed to make a point, because there was no way that we could guard Yao in the lane that long.”

Thomas paused briefly.

“Even out of the lane,” he joked, “we couldn’t guard him.”

Subsequently, Yao converted the ensuing free throw, fueling the Rockets’ 78-74 advantage, and the Knicks were effectively beaten after that.

Jason Kidd Closes In On Michael Jordan

During New Jersey’s 99-88 victory against Seattle last night, Jason Kidd grabbed five rebounds, pushing his career total to 6,605.  Only Oscar Robertson [7,804], Clyde Drexler [6,677] and Michael Jordan [6,672] are ahead of him.

Kidd -who has averaged no fewer than six boards per game since 1997-98, and is tied for 29th [first among guards] with 8.7 rpg this season- should be passing both MJ and ‘Clyde The Glide’ over the next nine games. 

Kidd’s resume includes 14,117 points, 9,056 assists [6th, but only five dimes behind Isiah Thomas], and 1,960 steals [11th].  He is, far and away, the modern leader with 97 regular season triple-doubles [3rd overall, behind Robertson’s 181 and Magic Johnson’s 138].

The game against the Sonics was never in doubt and, thus, Kidd [who also tallied 16 points and 11 assists] was benched for the final 12 1/2 minutes.  He appeared to be in line for his 11th triple-double of the season, after collecting eight points, five assists and four rebounds in the opening quarter.

Kidd entered with a string of three consecutive triple-doubles.  Jordan, in 1989, was the last player to have four straight.  The NBA record is nine, by Wilt Chamberlain in 1967-68.

Six Raptors notes

The Raptors are looking for their first home win since December 12 when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 92-76. Toronto has lost three straight games on their home court, the longest streak in nearly two years.

Canadian National Team member Samuel Dalembert makes a visit to Canada when the Philadelphia 76ers roll into town. Dalembert became a Canadian citizen over the summer and competed for Canada at the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas.

Former Raptor Fred Jones will face his old team Friday when Toronto visits New York. Jones was traded by Toronto to Portland last February for Juan Dixon. Portland sent Jones to New York during the off-season as part of the Zach Randolph trade.

Juan Dixon will face his former team when the Portland Trail Blazers visit Air Canada Centre this Sunday. Dixon appeared in 76 games for the Trail Blazers and averaged 12.3 points before being dealt at the trade deadline.

Portland guard Brandon Roy will make his first appearance in Toronto during a Sunday matinee. Roy was named the 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year, but missed the Trail Blazers lone game in Toronto last season due to a heel injury.

When Toronto travels to New York on Friday, it will mark the second time in franchise history the team has started the January road schedule at .500. The Raptors are currently 9-9 away from Air Canada Centre. The last time the team started a new calendar year .500 on the road was in 2001-02 when the team was 9-9.

Bosh setting Raptors rebounding records

Forward Chris Bosh became the Raptors’ all-time career leader in blocked shots Dec. 21 at Seattle when he broke a tie with Vince Carter.

Earlier this month, Bosh became the franchise leader in rebounds (December 18, 2007) when he passed Antonio Davis’ mark of 2,839.

Bosh is already the team’s all-time leader in doubledoubles and defensive rebounds. Bosh is also closing in on the franchise’s all-time marks for free throws made and attempted.

Would Mikki Moore Have Helped Knicks?

Mikki Moore, the Sacramento Kings’ back-up center, knows all about persistence. He is in his 10th NBA season, and with his ninth different team. Job security was never something he took for granted. Last season, with the NJ Nets, he averaged a career-high 9.8 ppg and 5.1 rebounds, and became the only undrafted player since 1976 to lead the league in field goal percentage.

Over the years, he has gotten to know Isiah Thomas, the Knicks’ coach.

“Me and Isiah, and Joe Dumars, have been talking for years. My first team was Detroit. He has been wanting me on his squad for a long time, ‘cause he respects my hard work, and how I play –old school. No lay-ups. Foul, if you have to, but not to end someone’s career. That’s how I was raised –on old school basketball. And he likes that.”

Imagine that. A big man who defends the paint.

“Me and him see eye to eye on a lot of things. I’ve told him, “Keep your head right. Don’t let this crowd get you out of your element. All this picketing, and all that stuff -you turn these boys around, [the fans will] be kissing your butt by the end of the season. He already knows that. That’s just how it is.

“You have hard times, and you struggle. Just keep on trying hard. Don’t look at what happened yesterday. Think about tomorrow.”

Perhaps, had Thomas made a play for Moore during the off-season, he would’ve had more tomorrows to pursue his vision of a championship.

Theus Still A King On The Court

The Sacramento Kings, minus the injured Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin, beat the Knicks 107-97 at MSG on Wednesday [January 2]. The win boosted the Kings’ record to 12-18.

“[During the interview with the Maloofs], I had told them,” said Reggie Theus, their first year coach, “that I will coach this team hard, and I wouldn’t play guys if they didn’t deserve to be on the floor. I let them know that before they gave me the job ‘cause I needed to know where my support was coming from. We needed to change the culture around here.”

Theus, who averaged 18.5 points and 6.3 assists over 13 seasons, also weighed in with this summation of the Knicks. “I didn’t see any quit in them. But, I didn’t see any effort to take it to the next level. I didn’t see anyone out there [on their side] that was trying to make a difference.”

So, how much of that is Isiah Thomas’ fault?

“The coach is not on the floor. That is the players’ fault. I know Isiah is telling them the right things. There is a lot of talent over there. But, this league coddles the players way too much. Players have to take responsibility, and be accountable for [their play] on the floor. That’s the way it should be.

“The blame has to be spread out. I’ve been on losing teams. I know what it’s like. I’ve never had a coach tell me not to do certain things. In a lot of cases [when I played], it was talent-based. We weren’t very good. But, the Knicks are a lot better than that. The coach has to take the hit; we all understand that. But, the accountability still needs to fall on the players’ shoulders.”

Unselfish Camby defending, rebounding

NBA.com reports: Marcus Camby just might be the most unselfish player in the NBA. While playing alongside Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, two of the league’s top four scorers, the veteran center’s role is usually limited to the defensive end and the glass. On Thursday, he once again proved his value by posting 18 rebounds and four blocks to go along with six points to help the Nuggets top the San Antonio Spurs.

Blazers have heart, baby

NBA.com reports: They might not be the flashiest or most talented team in the league, but is there any team playing with more heart than the Portland Blazers right now? Portland won 10 at home during its 13-game winning streak and lost in Utah on Monday, leaving many to believe that its recent hot streak was a result of easy home scheduling. But after rallying from 14 down in the second half and outlasting the Bulls in a 115-109 double-overtime road decision on the second day of a back-to-back Thursday, you can’t help but think Brandon Roy and Co. are for real. Roy, who is not even among the top 10 vote-getters for Western Conference guards, tallied 25 points and 11 assists, while Travis Outlaw scored 21, including a big three-point play down the stretch.

Rumors Commentary: TJ Ford is OK

Great news that TJ Ford is going to be OK and will resume his basketball career sometime in the near future. Not that there was specific reason to doubt he’d return, other than remembering how serious his past injury situation was. He really needs to stop this getting hurt nonsense. Or next time just sprain a finger or lightly twist an ankle or something.

Isiah Thomas saying this team should head for a championship is ridiculous and it impresses me that none of the reporters there to hear it burst out laughing. Does Isiah really believe what he’s saying, or was he told to say it by ownership? Maybe that’s part of his contract, having to say what owners tell him, no matter how silly it is. Does Isiah read the papers? If so he’d see that literally every single reporter who heard the comments mocked how ridiculous it is to say that stuff.

As the Feb. 21 trade deadline approaches this rumors page will become even more interesting than it already is, and that’s saying a lot. But once the deadline passes we’ll still be a must-read page. The tone merely changes a bit.

Damon Stoudamire probably only has a few seasons left in his career, which I guess is why he and his agent want him moved as quickly as possible. If he just rides this one out, his next contract may be for the league minimum for a player with his experience. But if he gets traded and gets minutes somewhere, he stil has a shot at getting something higher than the minimum. He’s already 34. Most point guards are washed up right around 35 or so.

Who is the better defensive stopper at this point, Ben Wallace or Chris Kaman? Only answer if you’ve seen at least four Clippers and four Bulls games this season.

So it turns out that former Magic coach Brian Hill was right about almost every aspect of the team. Does that mean he gets his job back? No need, because Stan Van Gundy appears to have as good a grasp on the situation.

Speaking of giving coaches their job back, maybe the Rockets should bring Jeff Van Gundy back. It won’t happen, obviously. But I hope Van Gundy stays on television, where he’s terrific to listen to.

At this rate, the Nets will move to Brooklyn right around the time T.J. Kidd (Jason Kidd’s son) has a grandson declaring for the Draft.

This light, unedited editorial is a response to today’s NBA rumors stories. You absolutely need to hit the insidehoops rumors page every single day — with one main morning update, and more stories later in the day as they develop. Also hit that page to see the photo caption that accompanies the commentary. And of course, read the read of insidehoops.com as well. Discuss today’s hot stories on our basketball forum.

No Nets in Brooklyn until 2010 at earliest

The AP reports: The Nets will play most or all of the 2009-10 N.B.A. season in New Jersey instead of in their new arena in Brooklyn, a team spokesman said Thursday. The spokesman, Barry Baum, said the Nets could begin the 2009-10 season at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and then move to Brooklyn in the first half of 2010. The Nets had planned to play in their new arena starting in 2009. But in October, the Nets’ principal owner, Bruce Ratner, said the arena, to be called the Barclays Center, probably would not be ready by the start of that season.