NBA Basketball Sports News in Philippines: December 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012

NBA 2012: Lakers see a difference in their game with Steve Nash

English: Bryant hangs from the rim after one of several slam dunks during the pre-season game, Tuesday night, at the University of Hawaii. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With the way Kobe Bryant was gushing about what it's like to play next to the great Steve Nash after the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94 win vs. the New York Knicks on Tuesday, it was natural to wonder if Bryant ever caught himself watching his fellow future Hall of Famer with admiration.

"I ain't watching (expletive)," Bryant said with a laugh as he sat at his locker. "I'm looking to get open."

It's only two games with Nash and the Lakers at full strength, but what a difference a two-time MVP makes. Nash, who returned to hit a game-winner at Golden State on Saturday after being out since Oct. 31 with a left leg injury, followed up that 12-point, nine-assist outing with a 16-point, 11-assist effort in which his poise and presence were major factors late against the Knicks. One thing is clear already: Nash changes everything for Bryant and his teammates.

After so many years spent either being asked to carry too much of the offensive load or doing it of his own, Bryant finds himself with luxuries he has never had before. The options are many, chief among them a pick-and-roll with Nash and center Dwight Howard that has Bryant often left alone – no typo there – on the wing. And that, far more than a five-game winning streak that won't mean much if this season goes South again, is the part that should still scare Lakers' foes the league over.

"I get a rebound (and) I'm looking for him, running the floor," Bryant explained afterward. "If he's penetrating or whatever, I'm looking for an angle to back-cut somebody, or coming off a screen, I'm always just looking for crevices to get open because I know he'll find you."

For all the attention paid to the Bryant-Howard pairing and all its similarities to the Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal days of old, Bryant-Nash is where it starts for the Lakers.

"It's like (Michael) Jordan having (John) Stockton, or (Scottie) Pippen, (a player who) can facilitate and allows him to do what he does. I haven't had that throughout my career," Bryant said. "I've played with some great off-guards like (Derek) Fisher and (Ron) Harper and so forth, but I've never played with a point guard of his caliber that can manipulate the defense and put you in positions to be successful and organize the floor. It's great."

Nash helped stave off a late Knicks run with a stepback jumper with 1:47 remaining that put the Lakers up 96-91 and would turn out to be enough. He missed a floater in the lane with 1:11 remaining that was followed by a J.R. Smith three-pointer which cut the Lakers' lead to 96-94, but the Knicks got no closer from there. After tallying a season-high 31 assists against the Warriors, the Lakers had 22 against the Knicks. For the season, they rank 20th in the league with an average of 20.9 per game.

"It allows me to do what I do naturally, which is put the ball in the hole," Bryant said. "At the end of the games, I've had to bring the ball up, initiate the action, get it back, then look to score. Now you put me in a position where I can put a lot of pressure on a defense because I'm in a striking position. So now when Dwight's rolling to the rim or Pau (Gasol) is rolling to the rim, I'm on that backside and they've got to make a choice...It just puts everybody in the positions to do what they do best. He's the best at organizing offense. I'm the best at scoring. Dwight does what he does. Pau does what he does. He just fits."

While wins vs. the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors had certainly been steps in the right direction for the Lakers, this was easily their most impressive win thus far. The Knicks (20-8) not only entered with the league's fourth-best record but with a need for a win after dropping two of their last four.

"It gives you a chance to win every night," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said of Nash. "It keeps your energy up and calms everybody down.

"Everybody is getting the ball and getting into the flow. It feeds and it builds. Just like a snowball, it keeps getting bigger."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2012/12/25/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-kobe-bryant-steve-nash/1791187/

Friday, December 28, 2012

NBA 2012: LeBron James says he will never enter the Slam Dunk Contest

English: LeBron James playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers Español: LeBron James con los Cavaliers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For years, fans have dreamed of watching LeBron James — one of the most athletically gifted and remarkable in-game dunkers the NBA has to offer — compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the league's annual All-Star Saturday Night festivities. And for years, from James' thrilling early days with the Cleveland Cavaliers through his heel-turn move to the Miami Heat to his redemptive title-and-Finals-MVP-winning 2012, we've found ourselves disappointed by the King's decisions to decline.

Sure, the inferred rationales were understandable — the competition has largely become a showcase for younger, lesser-known players; a star of LeBron's magnitude has more to lose in terms of reputation/public perception by posting an unimpressive showing in the contest than he has to gain by winning it; adding more All-Star Weekend work rather than getting rest where you can doesn't do you any favors in a season expected to extend into June, etc. But the heart wants what it wants, and since he entered the league with the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft, NBA fans' hearts have wanted to watch LeBron throw down in the midseason exhibition. Unfortunately, it's never going to happen.

After scoring 30 points in the Heat's 105-89 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Saturday — his 29th straight regular-season game with 20 or more points (45th straight, including playoffs) and his sixth straight game without being called for a personal foul — James put the kibosh on any speculation about whether he'd take part in the dunk contest this February, or in any other year. From Chris Tomasson at FOX Sports Florida:

"No," said James, who turns 28 on Dec. 30. "It's over with. I'm getting too old for that. ... There were times when I wanted to do it. But I came into All-Star Weekend a few times banged up and I didn't want to risk further injury."

While there's been buzz about the prospect of James competing just about every year of his career, discussion reached a fever pitch back in 2010. With Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson going Superman and Lex Luthor in the '09 competition, James tossed his name into the ring for the '10 edition. Then, the following December, with the competition drawing nigh, James began to waffle, proclaiming the odds of his participation "50-50." Sure enough, when the 2010 Dunk Contest field was announced one month later, James' name was nowhere to be found.

The chatter was briefly revived for the 2012 competition, prompting one Oregon youngster to record an impassioned plea for LeBron to finally stop straddling the fence and actually get to dunking, but the song remained the same, as James steered clear of the 2012 event, which Jazz jumping jack Jeremy Evans won (somewhat underwhelmingly) by jumping over teammate Gordon Hayward and slamming two balls at once. James did tell ProBasketballTalk's Brett Pollakoff he might consider entering if the contest's winner won a $1 million grand prize; shockingly, NBA Commissioner David Stern didn't write a check on the spot.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/lebron-james-says-never-enter-slam-dunk-contest-163834704--nba.html

Thursday, December 27, 2012

NBA News 2012: Jerry West: 'I've never worked a day in my life'

Jerry West ( NBA Logo) (Photo credit: prayitno)

Jerry West was one of the greatest Lakers of all time, helping the franchise win its first title in Los Angeles in 1972.

West was the team's general manager who brought Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant together in 1996. Now he's with the Golden State Warriors with an ownership stake and a team that is suddenly looking like a playoff contender.

Speaking to Investor's Business Daily, West said of his love of basketball: "I've never worked a day in my life."

Of course the opposite is true, even if his line of work represents a lifelong individual passion.

"You need lofty goals," said West. "Then cement it with a great work ethic."

West was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. His likeness can be seen in the NBA logo.

"I've always been someone who has been very driven," West said. "I think my circumstances, how I grew up, hard work and work ethic are absolutely vital to any success that people might have regardless of what they might be doing."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-jerry-west-never-worked-a-day-20121224,0,7592876.story

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

NBA News 2012: Jim Buss is frustrated with Lakers production, too

President Barack Obama makes remarks at service event with 2010 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers at the THEARC Boys and Girls Club in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jim Buss is just like every Lakers fan, frustrated by the 9-13 start, the lackluster defensive rotations, the lack of any team identity, the injuries and more.

Except, he is part of the reason the Lakers are where they are — he’s the defacto owner now. He gets part of the blame.

In a text to Sam Amick of USA Today he simply sounded frustrated, like a lot of Lakers fans (just less angry).

“It’s very frustrating, because I think there are many little factors that are causing the issues that we’re having,” Buss wrote in a text message to USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “Nash, injuries, (a) new system. Like I said before, there are a lot of little ones, but the ones that figure to help the most would be Nash returning (and) Gasol returning and just playing together in a new system.”

Getting healthy certainly is the first step for the Lakers. As GM Mitch Kupchak has said, right now it is impossible to evaluate these Lakers because all the pieces aren’t there.

But the Lakers are a team without an identity, and if Buss wants to blame someone for that he can go find a mirror. The Lakers brought in two key new players in Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. They chose not to make a move with Mike Brown over the summer, bringing him back with a brand new offense installed during training camp. Then despite injuries that never allowed him to get his new offense running right, management moved to fire Brown and bring in Mike D’Antoni and his radically different offense and philosophy. On the fly with the season underway and injuries already hitting the roster.

And you wonder why this team has no identity?

The Lakers will start to find that identity at some point once they start to get healthy and the team plays together. The problem is the hole they dug themselves with the start will come back to haunt them when they play a lot of road playoff games.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/13/jim-buss-is-frustrated-with-lakers-production-too/

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

NBA News 2012: Rediscovering Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

Perhaps the key question this year for the Lakers is whether or not Pau Gasol can fit into Coach Mike D'Antoni's system and play alongside fellow big man Dwight Howard.

Gasol's best years were alongside Lamar Odom but Gasol has gradually been pushed further and further from the basket with the emergence of Andrew Bynum (and now Howard).

In the Lakers' 118-115 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, the first game under D'Antoni with Steve Nash in the lineup, the team went often to Gasol in the high post. The forward/center would watch for cutting players, looking first for the pass and then the shot (six assists total).

"It feels good. From the elbow, from the post, there's some movement. There's some action," said Gasol. "I will try to find the open guy and get easy looks from those positions."

It's a role similar to the one Chris Webber played in Sacramento when paired with center Vlade Divac. With Howard more likely to be in the low post, it could be the way D'Antoni gets the most out of Gasol.

"That's a way," said Gasol. "It's a good way for us to have good spacing, to have movement and to find easy looks or good looks at least on offense."

Kobe Bryant is confident in Gasol helping to quarterback the offense.

"Oh, he's great at it. He's the best big in the league at it," said Bryant. "We run the offense through him a lot and he makes plays for a lot of people, makes a lot of guys better because of that. Dwight can feast off of that."

Gasol looked uncomfortable earlier in the season. Some of that had to do with tendinitis in both knees but he was admittedly searching in his initial role, trying to play as a stretch four. It's still a work in progress but some rest (and the return of Nash) may help rejuvenate Gasol's season.

D'Antoni was happy with how his offense ran late in the game against the Warriors, despite Howard's foul trouble.

"A little bit better, better, much better," said D'Antoni. "We're going to have some bumps. We're still not there. We're running better. Again, Steve's the best at running any offense you can design. It had to get better."

Bryant said he's happy to shift to a role of scorer/finisher instead of the team's primary offensive initiator, a role he had to take on while Nash sat out seven weeks with a leg injury.

"You saw me and Steve in the last game, I just slid right off the ball and let Steve do what he does best," said Bryant.

The Lakers have resisted the urge to trade Gasol, instead opting to give this team's core a chance to prove itself. Nash is another fan of what Gasol brings to the floor.

"I think that's something that should become a huge part of our team," said Nash of Gasol's play in the high post. "His size, his ability to pass and shoot should be deadly in the elbows and at the foul lines. Hopefully we can find a rhythm and timing together where he can really exploit that position where he's catching the ball with people trying to recover to him."

So far much of the Lakers' 13-14 record was the result playing through injuries. Now that the team is nearer to full strength, D'Antoni has the opportunity to mix together a talented squad of players.

It's still not clear if the Lakers have the perfect combination of players. Gasol is still playing far from the basket and will be relied on to hit jump shots instead of playing in the low post.

Defensively the Lakers have size but lack in speed and quickness, even if Howard is far more agile than Bynum ever was. D'Antoni is still searching for a rotation to offset the team's flaws.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-lakers-rediscovering-pau-gasol-20121225,0,1630300.story

Monday, December 24, 2012

NBA News 2012: LeBron James bikes to most of Heat home games

English: Lebron James: Washington Wizards v/s Miami Heat December 18, 2010 Italiano: Lebron James Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV License on Flickr: CC-BY-SA-2.0 Flickr tags: LeBron James (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Because an NBA game is not enough of a workout…

LeBron James — reigning NBA MVP, best player walking the face of the earth, Miami Heat franchise anchor — rides his bicycle to most home games. And practices. And shootarounds.

He had done this a little in the past but it has become the norm this season, reports Ira Winderman at the Sun-Sentinel. And if you think it wears him out, know that he rode in on Tuesday night and played 42 minutes putting up 22 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and not one turnover.

James also said he got lights on his bike, for safety. Frankly, for safety Pat Riley would pay for a car to bring him to games. Heck, Pat Riley would drive the car to bring him to games safely. But James just wants to feel the wind in his face and let his fleet of expensive cars rest.

James bike looks to be a kind of hybrid — not a mountain bike, not a street racer, just something you’d own to get around on (TBJ has a photo).

Personally, I think he’d look good on an old beach cruiser with wide handlebars. But that’s just me.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/19/lebron-james-bikes-to-most-of-heat-home-games/

Sunday, December 23, 2012

NBA News 2012: Is the Lakers biggest problem really Kobe Bryant? No.

Kobe Bryant (Photo credit: Boixoesnois)

While Steve Nash and Pau Gasol were out, Kobe Bryant has carried the Lakers. He is leading the league with 29.5 points per game, scoring more points per game than he has since before Pau Gasol arrived as a Laker. Back when Kobe had to carry Kwame Brown and Smush Parker (remember they both started).

But the Lakers have struggled to a 12-14 record — and that is after a three game win streak.

It has led some people to say, “Kobe Bryant is shooting too much.” He is back to being a ball hog and that is what is holding the Lakers back.

I think those people are wrong — Kobe is playing as many minutes but taking fewer shots per game than either of the Lakers most recent title years. With Nash out, the playmaking has to fall to him because you can’t let Chris Duhon do it. But that is different than being an inefficient gunner.

Still you hear it — “Kobe is shooting too much.” And it’s not just fans. This is an assistant coach from another team, speaking to Chris Broussard if ESPN (the story is behind their pay wall).

Thing is, who else on that roster (with Nash out) do you want to handle the ball? Darius Morris?

I think this scout hits the nail more on the head.

“Watching the Lakers play the Knicks this year was hard to watch because the other Lakers were just so bad. It was like Kobe was trying to do all he could just to keep that game close. And hey, if Dwight’s not going to try his butt off and if other guys aren’t going to try their butts off, then I’m going to give the ball to the guy that’s going to go for it, and that’s Kobe. I don’t think it’s that Kobe doesn’t trust his teammates; it’s just that he trusts himself more. A questionable shot by him still might be better than a good look for one of those other guys.

That has always been Kobe — he trusts himself to make plays more than he trusts anyone. If other guys are not knocking down shots early he will do it. The only question was always was he hitting shots and efficient or was he a gunner? This season has been his most efficient in a long, long time.

But it is no different than Kobe from any of the Lakers title years, particularly the most recent. He is who he is.

Let’s see what Kobe and the Lakers look like with Steve Nash in the lineup, then we can discuss what needs to change. But through it all, Kobe is not.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/19/is-the-lakers-biggest-problem-really-kobe-bryant-no/

Saturday, December 22, 2012

NBA News 2012: Nash explains the Lakers' struggles in D'Antoni's system

Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, Spain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For weeks everybody but Steve Nash has had a say on how he will change things for the Los Angeles Lakers once he finally returns from a broken left leg.

How will he make Pau Gasol better? How will he make Mike D'Antoni's offense flow? How will he ease the burden on Kobe Bryant?

Fixing just one of these issues would help tremendously because while he's been out, it's been hard to even find where to start diagnosing exactly what ails the Lakers.

But with his return now in sight, potentially as early as Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, Nash has opened up a little about what he's seen while watching the Lakers play these past six weeks without him.

Hint: It hasn't been a pretty sight.

"We got in a rut there where we lost our confidence and we weren't playing with any fire or spirit or energy," Nash said Tuesday morning. "We weren't a proactive team defensively and our defense slipped. But when you're going through this transition with a new coach and new players and no training camp, we get a little down when we didn't play well and I think we lost our energy defensively."

At the offensive end it hasn't been much prettier. D'Antoni often speaks about looking for "energy" on offense, that if his system is being run correctly, the ball should move freely and find the natural weaknesses in the defense. His tone is usually philosophical, like he's speaking in a language only he is fluent in right now.

Tuesday Nash expounded on all that, and offered what is quite simply the best explanation I've heard for how and why the Lakers have struggled to implement and adjust to D'Antoni's system so far.

"The wings have to get to the corner to create space," Nash said. "The bigs have to run their man to create separation, and when they can get out quickly to create separation, when they can get a piece of their guy and get out quickly to the basket and when we create an advantage and that point guard is guarded by the big, then the flow opens up.

"But if we don't get any separation from our men, we don't set good picks, and we don't get off the pick quickly, then they can just slide through and cover us and we're back to 5-on-5.

"I think that's a dangerous position for our team because we don't create easy shots for each other and we have to take long, guarded shots which ends up killing our defense because then they run out on them. We need to get it going downhill a little bit, open up their defense and make them scramble a little bit to make room for our bigs down low and our point guards."

Yeah, there's a reason D'Antoni's been jonesing to get this guy back.

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/35095/nash-explains-the-lakers-struggles-in-dantonis-system

Friday, December 21, 2012

NBA News 2012: Lakers' future hinges on Howard

English: Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Boston Celtics Robert Parish and Kevin McHale late 1980s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Decade after decade, generation after generation, there have always been certain things Los Angeles Lakers fans could count on. They know their ownership is trying to win, win now and win big. And as 16 championship banners will attest, the franchise knows how to get there, and money will not be an obstacle.

The Lakers have risen and fallen during the Kobe Bryant years, as almost any franchise will do over the course of 17 seasons. But you can judge a franchise by its peaks and valleys. For Los Angeles, that's meant five more titles at the apex, and a floor of a single sub-.500, non-playoff season. In terms of their association with sustained, high-level team success, the only peers Bryant has in contemporary professional sports are Derek Jeter in baseball and perhaps Tom Brady in the NFL.

Now 34, Bryant has spent half of his natural life in a Lakers uniform and 17 years into his career he's carrying as heavy a load as ever, and doing it well. Despite the early struggles of his controversy-plagued team, Bryant leads the NBA with a 29.5 scoring average that only begins to tell his story.

Bryant's PER is the highest it's been in five seasons and is at a level he's reached in just three other seasons. He's putting up a career-best .602 true shooting percentage while using a third of the Lakers' possessions, and he's doing it while playing the most minutes in the league. It's a level of volume and efficiency that few players ever reach, and he's doing it after 17 years of pounding up and down the hardwood.

Current evidence to the contrary, Bryant can't keep going like this forever, not at this level. Oh, he can probably play for a long time to come if he wants to just exist or to chase Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career scoring record, but as he eventually enters his mid-30s, it's impossible to imagine Bryant easing into an elder-statesman, glue-player role like Jason Kidd has filled in recent seasons. And then there is the specter of Michael Jordan in a Wizards uniform to serve as a cautionary tale. No, when Kobe can no longer be Kobe, he'll walk away. He's suggested that will be the case.

The Lakers' story this season really centers around Bryant. One title short of matching Michael Jordan, he's the one with the most at stake if the Lakers' season doesn't turn around.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8758641/nba-kobe-bryant-sake-lakers-make-work-dwight-howard

Thursday, December 20, 2012

NBA News 2012: Kobe's ego is Lakers' big problem

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards in Washington, D.C., USA on February 3, 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The return of Pau Gasol and Steve Nash to the lineup is likely to mask most, if not all, the symptoms afflicting the underachieving Los Angeles Lakers. But the perennial all-stars will do nothing to address the disease lurking deep inside the foundation of the Lakers, the malady that will prevent the high-priced collection of veterans from getting past the Thunder, Spurs or even the Grizzlies come playoff time.

The disease isn’t bungling, overmatched executive vice president Jim Buss. It’s not bungling, overmatched coach Mike D’Antoni.

The root cause of the Lakers’ dysfunction has been consistent for 15 years. It is Kobe Bryant’s ego, his desperate pursuit of Michael Jordan’s legacy. L.A.’s Dwight Howard experiment is going to explode and implode in spectacular fashion unless someone in the Lakers organization is bold enough to kill Kobe’s Michael Jordan avatar so that Howard’s Bill Russell avatar can emerge and lead the Lakers.

You follow?

The wrong player is driving the Lakers. Dwight Howard is the second-most talented player in the league. He’s the single-most gifted defensive player the NBA has seen since Bill Russell. On a properly functioning, championship-chasing team, Howard cannot be a sidekick, a No. 2, Scottie Pippen. Can’t happen. The Heat tried it with LeBron James in Year 1 of the Big Three, and we know how that ended. Dwyane Wade is an awesome basketball player and a terrific leader, but he had to surrender the soul of the Heat to LeBron in order for the Heat to win a title.

Kobe has to let go and let D12. Has to.

Kobe has to accept that he is not the 34-year-old Michael Jordan. You see, at 34 Jordan was taking his final victory lap in Chicago, completing his second three-peat, securing his sixth title, winning his fifth MVP award and 10th scoring title. Kobe wants to duplicate that feat. He’s putting up MVP-like numbers. He leads the league in scoring. He’s shooting a career-high 47.8 percent from the field. He’s averaging five rebounds and five assists. He’s knocking down 38 percent of his 3-pointers. Oh, the numbers look great. The results? The Lakers stink.

You can blame that on the injuries to Gasol and Nash. You can blame it on the incompetence of D’Antoni.

I blame Kobe. He’s the guy stopping Howard from eating. Kobe is the guy giving Howard room to lose himself in his immaturity and hide. Here’s what Kobe has never understood about the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s an organization built to house and nurture giants. From George Mikan to Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers function best when the once-in-a-generation big man the organization acquires is allowed to be the man of the house.

Kobe emasculates his big men. Andrew Bynum politely admitted this week that Kobe stunted his growth.

“I think Dwight is a great player, but he’s going to have to get accustomed to playing with Kobe and not touching the ball every single play,” Bynum said.

The problem is deeper than touches. It’s a mentality that a big man must have in order to lead his team. Dwight Howard must enter every NBA arena with this mindset: “If I don’t hunt and kill, no one eats tonight.”

That’s Kobe’s mindset. But at 34, having played 1,186 regular-season games and 220 playoff games, Kobe doesn’t hunt and kill as effectively as Howard. Kobe isn’t the same as a 34-year-old Jordan. At this stage in his career, Jordan had played 873 regular-season games and 158 playoff games. Jordan was still a force of nature. Don’t get fooled by Kobe’s numbers. He’s not Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe damn sure isn’t LeBron James.

James, Durant and Melo can impose their will on the opposition. Over the course of a seven-game playoff series, they can mentally bludgeon an opponent into submission. We saw James do it to the Pacers and the Celtics in last year’s playoffs. Kobe is smart. He can be efficient. But he’s trying too hard right now. That’s why he leads the league in turnovers with 97. Kobe’s days of imposing his will in a playoff series are over. Howard’s days should just be beginning.

But Kobe’s ego is in the way. Howard can’t be the man of the house with Kobe sitting at the head of the table eating the biggest plate of food. As long as everything revolves around Kobe, as long as Kobe is on TV sitting across from Stephen A. Smith speaking in hushed, dark tones about the state of the Lakers, Howard gets to hide, gets to feel like the Lakers family can eat regardless of whether he chooses to hunt or not.

Kobe needs to fall back. He’s Dr. J right now and he needs to let Dwight Howard be Moses Malone. That does not mean turn the offense over to Howard. It means building a strategy and philosophy that revolves around Howard’s many gifts, which are mostly at the defensive end (and make the hiring of D’Antoni even more ridiculous). It means forcing Howard to mentally and verbally take full responsibility for the success of the team.

Howard is immature. We know that. We watched him in Orlando. Put some pressure on his ass. Make Howard explain why this team is underachieving.

I know this column will appear to many as hatred of Kobe. I don’t hate Kobe. He’s a wonderful player and terrific competitor. He simply has to make the mental adjustment that Dwyane Wade made last season. Come May and June, the Lakers are going as far as Dwight Howard can take them. Nash and Gasol might help the Lakers recover and get into the playoffs. And Kobe is certainly capable of continuing to put up big numbers.

But the Lakers are not winning a title if their second-best player continues to stunt the growth of their best player.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/kobe-bryant-ego-hampers-dwight-hoard-los-angeles-lakers-downfall-121812

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

NBA News 2012: NBA's top trade candidates

Andrea Bargnani (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most NBA players who signed contracts during the past offseason become eligible on Saturday to be traded. What that means: With a much larger pool of players available for deals, NBA general managers will start spending a lot more time on the phone in the coming weeks.

"It's about to heat up on Dec. 15," one Eastern Conference general manager said. "Conversations are definitely happening because once Dec. 15 comes, the pool increases. You've heard a lot of rumors about Pau Gasol, Andrea Bargnani. The names are only going to grow on Dec. 15."

From conversations with several NBA executives, here's a list of players whose names figure to frequently surface in trade talks between now and the league's Feb. 21 deadline for deals.

Andrea Bargnani: Toronto Raptors, 27, PF-C
Contract status: Three years, $33.25 million remaining. Player opt-out in 2014. Due 5 percent bonus if traded.
Buzz: Bargnani is sidelined with elbow and wrist injuries, tempering his short-term value. He hasn't lived up to the hype and injuries have been a concern throughout his career. Still, the young 7-footer can score and remains a sharp 3-point threat.
"Toronto definitely wants to move Bargnani," one NBA GM said.

Marshon Brooks: Brooklyn Nets, 23, SG
Contract status: Making $1.1 million in second year of rookie contract.
Buzz: Brooks had a sensational rookie season averaging 12.6 points. But with the addition of Joe Johnson, Brooks has averaged just 6.2 points through his first 14 games this season. Sources said the Nets dangled Brooks in offseason trade talks, but his low contract number makes it difficult to get much of a return for him in a deal.
"They are one of the rare teams that can afford to keep their team at a championship level financially," an NBA GM said. "For them, the development of young players isn't important because they can overspend."

Andrew Bynum: Philadelphia 76ers, 25, C
Contract status: Making $16.1 million in last year of contract.
Buzz: Bynum is still experiencing left knee pain that has kept him from making his debut with the Sixers, but is hopeful he can return sometime in 2013. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season and was expected to command a five-year contract approaching $100 million. His health problems threaten to substantially reduce that number.
One NBA general manager said the Sixers have been making trade inquiries about adding a starting caliber center.
"They got to be a little panicked now," one GM said. "They could get a really interesting deal for him. I could see them doing that."

Jose Calderon: Toronto Raptors, 27, PG
Contract status: Making $10.5 million in last year of contract. Due a 10 percent bonus if traded.
Buzz: Calderon has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate for years and has been linked with the Los Angeles Lakers in the past. Raptors starting point guard Kyle Lowry is expected to be sidelined another week with a partial tear to his right triceps muscle, but that shouldn't keep Calderon from being shopped.
"I believe 100 percent that they're trying to trade him," one GM said.

Tyreke Evans: Sacramento Kings, G-F, 23
Contact status: Making $5.2 million in final year of contract year. Will be a restricted free agent at end of the season.
Buzz: Evans recently had a positive conversation about his future with Kings general manager Geoff Petrie, a source close to the guard said. Evans thinks the franchise could match any offer sheet he potentially signs next offseason and would prefer to return to the Kings to prove he is a franchise player. But can the Kings afford him?
"If they can't pay him, they'll just move him," one GM said.

Pau Gasol: Los Angeles Lakers, 32, PF
Contract status: Making $19 million this season and due $19.2 million next season. Due a 15 percent bonus if traded.
Buzz: Gasol was nearly dealt to the Houston Rockets last year and continued to be the center of trade whispers. The Lakers, however, aren't expected to seriously consider any deals for him until after he returns and gets a chance to play with Steve Nash, who is also currently sidelined. If a move does happen with Gasol, it will likely be much closer to the trade deadline.
"I believe that the message being conveyed to wait and see with Nash is accurate," one GM said.

Tyler Hansbrough: Indiana Pacers, 27, PF
Contract status: Making $3.1 million in final contract year. Will be restricted free agent at end of the season. Buzz: Hansbrough is averaging career-lows of six points, 4.2 rebounds and 16.1 minutes, but could be a good frontcourt addition for needy teams. By moving Hansbrough, the Pacers could potentially add a wing player to help soothe the loss of injured small forward Danny Granger.
"I'm surprised they haven't been playing him," one GM said of Hansbrough.

Gerald Henderson: Charlotte Bobcats, G-F, 25
Contract status: Making $3.1 million in final contract year. Will be a restricted free agent at end of the season.
Buzz: Henderson averaged 15.1 points last season and seemed to be coming into his own. A foot injury early this season, however, forced him to miss 13 games. The Bobcats have since primarily started rookie Jeff Taylor instead and a league source said the team is open to trading Henderson.
"If they don't look like they can afford him, they are probably going to move him," one NBA GM said. "They were playing their best basketball when he was hurt."

Kevin Love: Minnesota Timberwolves, 24, PF
Contract status: In first year of a four-year, $60 million contract. Can opt out after the 2014-15 season.
Buzz: In an interview with Yahoo! Sports NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Love recently questioned the direction of the franchise under owner Glen Taylor and general manager David Kahn. Love isn't happy about not getting a five-year maximum contract, and some teams might try to explore acquiring him from Minnesota.
"I don't think that's a match that is permanent in Minnesota," a rival assistant GM said. "I'm not saying they're shopping, but if they can get the right deal they would look at it. And I don't think he wants to be there."

Paul Millsap: Utah Jazz, 27, PF
Contract status: Making $8.6 million in final contract year.
Buzz: The Utah Jazz are in the playoff hunt and have two starting big men in the last years of their deals in Millsap and Al Jefferson. Utah also has two talented young big men in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. Any big move by new general manager Dennis Lindsey, however, could disrupt Utah's playoff hopes.
"I would think they would more likely trade Millsap over Jefferson because he is going to be harder to keep," one GM said. "He's made less money than Jefferson and he will go to the highest bidder."

Timofey Mozgov: Denver Nuggets, 26, C
Contract status: Making $3.1 million in last year of contract. Will be a restricted free agent at end of the season.
Buzz: Of their three centers, the Nuggets are most willing to part with Mozgov, who has proven in his short NBA career and Olympic play that he is a serviceable big man. The Nuggets probably won't try to re-sign him with two other free agents on the horizon: guard Andre Iguodala and reserve swingman Corey Brewer.
"It's logical because they have three centers and it's hard for [coach George] Karl to play them all," one NBA GM said. "The Nuggets are not a big revenue-generating team and they're not going to pay the tax."

Anderson Varejao: Cleveland Cavaliers, 30, PF-C
Contract status: Has $27.1 million remaining over final three years of contract. Due 5 percent bonus if traded.
Buzz: Varejao is having an All-Star season, averaging 14.3 points and 14.8 rebounds through 22 games. Cleveland, however, has one of the NBA's worst records so teams will at least ask about the availability of Varejao, whose stock is rising by the day.
"He is a target for trade, but I don't think Cleveland wants to trade him," one GM said. "There is a distinction between players teams might want to move and players teams want to have."

Derrick Williams: Minnesota Timberwolves, 21, F
Contract status: Making $4.8 million in second year of rookie deal.
Buzz: Williams has had a disappointing career in Minnesota after being selected second overall in the 2011 draft. The highest draft choice in franchise history has been earning DNP-CDs or short-minute stints under coach Rick Adelman. Both sides would be happy with a move.
"They will move him in a heartbeat if they could," one rival team executive said. "I don't think the coaches are that high on him. You have to get something for him now because the longer he sits, the more people think he can't play."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--nba-s-top-trade-candidates-000418190.html

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

NBA News 2012: Wade: Beasley ‘most talented guys in the draft’

Wizards v/s Timberwolves 03/05/11 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Miami Heat selected Michael Beasley with the second overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, passing on players who have been on All-Star teams and have won gold medals such as Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. O.J. Mayo has also become an established scorer this season.

“I mean those guys are the future of the NBA,” Wade said of the 2008 draft class. “But I think when you think about in the position we were in, we took one of the most talented guys in the draft. Michael Beasley is very talented. His career hasn’t gone the way the other guys’ have, for whatever reason, but I thought we made a good pick.”

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