Offical 2009-10 NBA Season Thread

[henz0]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

I won't lie. It's getting hard to ignore memphis and zachary boseph.

 

[japanair21]

Wait woah woah woah.

Mavs won?

 

[proshares]

thought you'd be the first person celebrating the win tonight.

 

[blazers21ntnp]

Any Memphis NTers own a gun? I've got my PayPal ready if you're willing to take out JR, Kenyon & Ty before they leave town.

 

[bigmike23]

Originally Posted by SHUGES

Oh ishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... That's as close to being thread-worthy as anything I've seen.

i would make a thread but NT is +#%%@*% up and wont let you embed

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by Proshares

thought you'd be the first person celebrating the win tonight.

Went to watch Avatar (

)

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

Originally Posted by Proshares

thought you'd be the first person celebrating the win tonight.

Went to watch Avatar (

)

Assume you thought it was good. About to check it out tomorrow.

Really don't know how the Cavs can lose that game.

 

[eneyekayee]

Originally Posted by Proshares

Really don't know how the Cavs can lose that game.

We're not THAT good right now *waits for someone to cross out "right now" and add "fixed"*

 

[big j 33]

Originally Posted by EnEyeKayEe

Originally Posted by Proshares

Really don't know how the Cavs can lose that game.

We're not THAT good right now *waits for someone to cross out "right now" and add "fixed"*

Fi... ehh it's not as funny if you give permission

I hate Eddie House but that was sick, and the dunk was clean too

 

[JD617]

That game got out of hand pretty quickly and kind of turned into a highlight reel. In addition to that House to TA play, Rondo had a couple ridiculouspasses.

 

[goldmember]

Really Cavs? without Dirk? ... SMH

 

[i nasmatic i]

Nice to see Tony can still jump.

 

[big j 33]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

Nice to see Tony can still jump.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Le8rMnL56w8?f=videos&app=youtube_gdatahttp://www.youtube.com/v/Le8rMnL56w8?f=videos&app=youtube_gdata

 

[mateen cleaves]

Cavs _ _ _ _........

 

[CP1708]

Letdown game. Classic. No Dirk, Cavs knew it, they let down thinkin the Mavs would roll over.

Not sayin I didn't enjoy the L bein hung on the Prince, but that's the reasoning behind it.

That play by House was filthy.

Can't lie, everytime I see Memphis, I think "damn, BHZ wasn't all that far off"

Denver makin the West easier and easier right now. Teams keep pilin up those losses for me. Make my spring much more relaxed.

I'm friggin frack tired of this click a page and it clicks back crap, plus the embed stuff, what the hell lately? And um, if you think it's bad now,wait til Friday afternoon.

Ima have to watch that game from a bunker.

 

[al3xis]

so Little Nathaniel wants to go to a contender.

LA?

 

[i nasmatic i]

Daily Dime hints he wants to go to Boston.

 

[dlo13]

What's the ETA for Chauncey's return?

 

[bhzmafia14]

Originally Posted by DLo13

What's the ETA for Chauncey's return?

He suppose to be back Wednesday.

 

[proshares]

There's an article up on the front page of ESPN w/the top 50 Lakers. Not gonna copy and paste but it was a good read/list.

[table][tr][td]2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 8[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RANK (LAST WK)[/td] [td]TEAM[/td] [td]REC.[/td] [td]COMMENT[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]1 (2)[/td] [td]Lakers[/td] [td]22-4[/td] [td]Did someone say good week? Kobe can't stop scoring with that broken finger, Pau suddenly has a contract extension even before Kobe does, and the Lakers quietly completed their long-awaited first road trip at 4-1.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]2 (1)[/td] [td]Celtics[/td] [td]21-5[/td] [td]This is probably just a coincidence: Boston is 3-4 on Fridays and 17-1 on all other days. This appears to be a legit problem: Rasheed and Perkins have racked up 10 and 7 technicals already. Suspensions start at 16 T's.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]3 (3)[/td] [td]Magic[/td] [td]20-7[/td] [td]The good news: Jameer is closing in on reactivation. The bad news: Orlando has to deal with two teams that know how to make you work (Utah and Houston) before the big Christmas Day showdown with Boston.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]4 (4)[/td] [td]Hawks[/td] [td]19-7[/td] [td]Impressive as they've been this month, establishing themselves as a top-5 fixture, Atlanta's uber-athletes could easily be 9-0 in December if not for leads blown Saturday in Chicago and in that home L to the Knicks.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]5 (

[/td] [td]Mavericks[/td] [td]20-8[/td] [td]Looking at the Southwest, especially Memphis and the other last-place clubs, Houston's Rick Adelman paid an undeniable tribute to the Mavs: "They're the best team in our division and they're up there in the conference."[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]6 (9)[/td] [td]Suns[/td] [td]18-9[/td] [td]Two more plus points for the only team in the league that hasn't lost a home game: Amare is starting to get some pop back (three straight 20/10 games) and a league-high 17 road games are in the rearview mirror.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]7 (5)[/td] [td]Cavaliers[/td] [td]20-8[/td] [td]The Cavs haven't been higher than No. 4, and it's tough to see that changing in the near future. But count on them to stay at or near the top of the rumor rankings, because they're looking for trade upgrades. Hard.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]8 (6)[/td] [td]Nuggets[/td] [td]19-9[/td] [td]Didn't take long, did it? For all of Melo's brilliance -- he just uncorked his fifth 40-point game of the season -- Denver's first two games without the injured Billups stand as reminders of how important he is to this crew.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]9 (10)[/td] [td]Rockets[/td] [td]16-11[/td] [td]Only one team out West (Phoenix) has played more roadies than the Rockets. And Houston gets to make an extra trip to Dallas if the league upholds the Mavs' protest because it already made its two trips to Big D.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]10 (13)[/td] [td]Trail Blazers[/td] [td]17-12[/td] [td]The way Bayless played against Phoenix on TNT helps explain why the Blazers are reluctant to trade him. Less clear after a performance like that is why they've been so reluctant to throw him out there more with B-Roy.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]11 (7)[/td] [td]Jazz[/td] [td]16-11[/td] [td]We're going to pretend we didn't see the Jazz respond to their Team of the Week nod by losing at home to Minnesota and focus on D-Will's league-leading eight 20-point/10-assist games ? five just since Dec. 10.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]12 (11)[/td] [td]Spurs[/td] [td]14-10[/td] [td]For all the fretting about Jefferson's slow start and the underwhelming 3-6 record on the road, there's this Spurs counter: Duncan is quietly rolling again, churning out an efficient 20 and 11 in a career-low 32.1 mpg.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]13 (14)[/td] [td]Hornets[/td] [td]12-14[/td] [td]Even though he just missed on a triple-double, CP3's 30 points, 19 assists and nine boards against Denver make for a sick line. No one has hit those levels in the same game since Magic Johnson and Fat Lever in 1988.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]14 (16)[/td] [td]Grizzlies[/td] [td]12-15[/td] [td]Division leaders Cleveland, Dallas and now Denver are all Grizz victims, but I have to admit that I still can't stop myself from wondering what we'd be saying if they had drafted Memphis alum Tyreke Evans over Thabeet.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]15 (12)[/td] [td]Thunder[/td] [td]13-13[/td] [td]The shocker is not that the Thunder are a helpless 0-5 when their franchise player is held below 20 points. The shocker is that we just saw it happen twice to the young Durant in Oklahoma City's last three games.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]16 (17)[/td] [td]Heat[/td] [td]13-12[/td] [td]Does Riles still got it? After he challenged everyone on the roster, including D-Wade, Miami trounced Orlando by 18. But the Heat need a win Wednesday over Utah just to break even on this six-game homestand.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]17 (19)[/td] [td]Kings[/td] [td]12-14[/td] [td]One of my best Hanukkah presents: Casspi has been so good that it's totally natural to talk about him all the time. Tyreke has been a certifiable stud … but my guy's coming to Dallas for the Rookie Game, too.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]18 (1[/td] [td]Knicks[/td] [td]10-17[/td] [td]We've all been so wrapped up in the Nate Robinson drama that we almost missed Mike D'Antoni's Knicks -- we repeat: Mike D'Antoni's Knicks -- holding seven straight foes below 100 points in their 7-3 December.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]19 (20)[/td] [td]Raptors[/td] [td]13-17[/td] [td]At least one thing is going according to plan for the Raps: Bosh has racked up a league-best 13 games this season with at least 25 points and 10 boards. That's six more than his closest pursuer, Brook Lopez.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]20 (15)[/td] [td]Pistons[/td] [td]11-16[/td] [td]Can't sum up life with the Pistons these days any better than the AP did after Sunday's lesson from the Lakers. "Three of Detroit's best players wore sport coats: Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince."[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]21 (23)[/td] [td]Clippers[/td] [td]12-14[/td] [td]Just three times all season have teams failed to hold a 20-point lead … with the Clips involved every time. They beat Memphis that way Nov. 29 and lost that way Nov. 13 against Toronto and again Friday in New York.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]22 (21)[/td] [td]Bucks[/td] [td]11-14[/td] [td]Brandon Jennings' recent perimeter struggles don't worry the Bucks. Nor does the fact that Reke got the better of their first duel. The real nuisance is that 1-8 record in games decided by three points or fewer.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]23 (26)[/td] [td]Bulls[/td] [td]10-15[/td] [td]The first Bulls winning streak since mid-November -- two wins in a row after they followed up a big rally in New York with an OT home W over surging Atlanta -- should bring Del Negro his first sense of relief in weeks.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]24 (22)[/td] [td]Bobcats[/td] [td]10-16[/td] [td]The Bobcats treasure the do-everything versatility of G-Wallace, but responding to a quiet game on the boards for Diaw and Chandler with a quote about heart is presumably not something they wanted him to do.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]25 (24)[/td] [td]Pacers[/td] [td]9-16[/td] [td]The ever-reliable Brian Windhorst reports that Troy Murphy is one of three PFs high on the Cavs' trade radar. We figured that Pacers people would rather ponder that than the team's recent Granger-less fortunes.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]26 (29)[/td] [td]76ers[/td] [td]7-20[/td] [td]The Sixers can (probably) live with the loss to the Clips and A.I.'s injury because last week was their best week in ages, thanks to the returns of Lou Williams and Speights and a win in Boston no one saw coming.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]27 (25)[/td] [td]Wizards[/td] [td]8-17[/td] [td]The record-tying run of six consecutive defeats by four points or fewer is finally over. The leaguewide circling of buzzards waiting to see whether the Wiz finally bust up their Arenas-Butler-Jamison core trio only grows.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]28 (27)[/td] [td]Warriors[/td] [td]7-19[/td] [td]This is the month teams down here started consoling themselves with the same two-word draft prayer: John Wall. Even teams like the Warriors, who are awash in guards like Monta and Steph Curry and need a big.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]29 (30)[/td] [td]Timberwolves[/td] [td]5-23[/td] [td]We'd like to think demoting the Wolves to No. 30 was the inspiration for that stunning win at Utah. We'd also like to explain how the Wolves now have huge divisional road wins at Denver and Utah. But we can't.[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

[/td] [td]30 (2[/td] [td]Nets[/td] [td]2-26[/td] [td]More unwanted milestones: New Jersey is just the seventh team in history to rack up 25 losses in 27 games with Friday's defeat in Toronto. The last to do so was New Orleans, which also started 2-25 in 2004-05.[/td] [/tr][/table]


http:// [h3]Jackson done after this year?[/h3]
12:58PM ET

[h5]Phil Jackson | Lakers[/h5]
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Even if the Lakers win the title this season, Phil Jackson might not be back beyond this year.

If things did go well, but then we didn't win, you think maybe it's time for someone else to look at this job and carry this team forward," Jackson told the New York Daily News. "Just winning it outright doesn't mean it's a natural to come back and coach this team. I just don't see it as a natural thing."

As Roland Lazenby of HoopsHype notes, Jackson's words might be a bit of a power play. Earlier this year, Lakers owner Jery Buss announced his son, Jim, would be taking the franchise over, and not his daughter Jeanie, Jackson's longtime girlfriend.

"Lakers fans better hope the Buss family is smart enough not to escalate an internal power struggle for the team," writes Lazenby. "That could quickly become a zero sum game.

"As Krause, West and a long line of basketball experts have discovered, Jackson is central to the success of his teams, regardless of what conventional thinking suggests.

"If Jim and Jerry Buss want my advice -- and I'm pretty sure they don't -- they can save themselves a lot of grief and messy embarrassment if they'll just sit back and chill, and let Phil and Jeanie take over."

http:// [h3]Yi back Wednesday?[/h3]
12:32PM ET

[h5]Yi Jianlian | Nets[/h5]
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According to the New York Daily News, http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3214Yi Jianlian could return to the court for the Nets on Wednesday against the Timberwolves. Yi hasn't played since Nov. 2, as a sprained right knee and cut upper lip that required 50 stitches sidelined him.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2990Josh Boone has filled in the starter's role for Yi in his absence, and he's been rather mediocre, as he's only averaging five points a game.

Yi offers the Nets more versatility. He has the size (7-foot) to play down low (though he could use more muscle), but also is useful in the perimeter game. If Yi improves his shot off of last year's numbers, he might be a nice stretch-4 option alongside http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3448Brook Lopez down low.

Couple those two with Devin Harris and Chris Douglas-Roberts, and the Nets, on paper at least, don't look so bad.

http:// [h3]Tough to trade Robinson?[/h3]
12:04PM ET

[h5]Nate Robinson | Knicks[/h5]
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As we noted this morning, Nate Robinson's agent, after seeing his client get no playing time the last nine games, is asking for a trade.

Robinson signed a one-year, $4 million deal before the season, so his expiring contract might be attractive to teams unwilling to take on salary past this year.

But as Larry #!*# of the New York Times writes today, it's not so easy. First, Robinson, who will have full Bird rights this summer, can veto any trade deal. Though, considering his current status, he probably shouldn't be too choosey.

Second, Base Year Compensation is at issue. Since the Knicks re-signed Robinson with a raise greater than 20 percent and were over the salary cap, Robinson's salary for trade purposes is actually only $2,020,179 -- what he made last season as a Knick -- not the $4 million he's currently making.

"The team at the other end of the transaction would use Robinson's full $4 million salary, rather than his BYC amount," writes #!*#. "Working the math the other way, this means that another team would have to trade away at least $3.12 million in order to acquire Robinson.

"See the problem here? The other team would need to trade away more salary than the Knicks could accept. Robinson could not, for example, be traded straight-up for another $4 million player."

#!*# notes some potential creative options for the Knicks to work around this pitfall, but bottom line: trading Robinson isn't going to be so easy.

http:// [h3]Nelson's diet[/h3]
11:38AM ET

[h5]Jameer Nelson | Magic[/h5]
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As we noted this morning, Jameer Nelson is likely to return this evening after missing the last four weeks due to surgery on his left knee.

And as a precautionary measure, Nelson is keeping his weight down to try and protect the knee.

"My weight is actually a little lower than I'm used to. I've actually been watching what I've been eating," Nelson told NBA.com. "I actually had two salads yesterday and that's really not me. The last time that I weighed in I was 199 and I used to play at 205."

Considering this is Nelson's second knee surgery in 10 months, any lifestyle change to prevent further breakdown or injury -- no matter how insignificant -- is a good one at this point.

http:// [h3]Dirk back Tuesday?[/h3]
11:22AM ET

[h5]Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks[/h5]
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Happen to catch Carl Landry's collision with Dirk Nowitzki on Friday night, in which Landry's mouth collided with Dirk's elbow, leaving Landry with three less teeth and Dirk with a cut-up elbow? If not, here's the video.

Nowitzki's elbow was so bad he didn't play last night against the Cavs -- a game the Mavs won without him.

But he's likely to return Tuesday night.

He told the Dallas Morning News he's on "every pill there is and I'd love to play, but if not Tuesday, then definitely on the 26th."

http:// [h3]-League good for Hudson?[/h3]
10:51AM ET

[h5]Lester Hudson | Celtics[/h5]
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To give him some more minutes and on-court experience, the Celtics sent rookie Lester Hudson to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, for three games.

In those three games, Hudson averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

But it was his defense he keyed on.

"I learned a lot," he told WEEI.com on Sunday. "I learned a lot about the pick-and-roll, team defense. Those were things my coach, (head coach) Doc [Rivers] and (President of Basketball Operations) Danny [Ainge] told me to work on so I tried to work on that and I think I got a little better at that. I've just got to work hard on every possession. I got in a little better shape because I was playing a lot of minutes in those three games, so I'm going to try not to get out of shape."

Hudson only played 3:22 yesterday for the Celtics, but did chip in four points, his second-highest points output this season. With Boston's deep bench, don't expect Hudson -- the 28th pick in the second round of the draft -- to have much of an impact the rest of the season.

http:// [h3]Kuester clarifies comments[/h3]
10:33AM ET

[h5]Rodney Stuckey | Pistons[/h5]
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Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester made some critical comments about point guard Rodney Stuckey after their loss to Oklahoma City on Friday. On Sunday, Kuester wanted to clarify what he said.

"He has done so many wonderful things for our team this year," Kuester told the Detroit Free Press. "He has at times played at an All-Star level. He has had to handle a lot on his plate with things having not gone this season the way we had hoped in certain situations, but Rodney Stuckey has done a wonderful job. And don't lose sight of how important he is to this team.

"Leadership is not always necessarily always coming from the point guard. It's got to come from a number of people. We have to trust each other. We have to trust the people that are on that court and trust the people that have uniforms on."

http:// [h3]Nate wants to stay and play[/h3]
10:31AM ET

[h5]Nate Robinson | Knicks[/h5]
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Nate Robinson racked up his his ninth consecutive DNP-CD Sunday night. His agent let it be known Saturday that a trade was needed. However, Robinson clarified the situation. Robinson's preference is to remain with the Knicks, but only if he can play.

Robinson told The New York Times that "this is where I want to be and if this is where I can be and where I can play, then I want to stay."

And if not?

"We'll have to wait and see what happens, honestly," Robinson said. "That's how it is. I don't know how everything works. All I want to do is play the game of basketball."

According to the New York Post, Knicks president Donnie Walsh will meet with Robinson's agent again this week to try to resolve the situation.

http:// [h3]Why did Foye lose his spot?[/h3]
10:29AM ET

[h5]Randy Foye | Wizards[/h5]
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Randy Foye began the season as Gilbert Arenas' backup at point guard, but lost his postion when he got hurt. He sprained his right ankle in the eighth game and the next day the Wizards signed Earl Boykins. Foye came back two games later, but has not regained his role he had and he doesn't know why head coach Flip Saunders is playing him so few minutes.

"Honestly, I don't know," Foye told The Washington Times. "I got hurt, and Earl came in and played well. I tip my hat to him. I don't ask no questions; I just come to work every day, just play as hard as I can, work out extra and I know how this league is: My time will come. It will change for me. I just have to keep working."

Saunders said there are a few reasons for Foye's falling out of the rotation.

"He's had a couple tough things. One, Earl has come in and played well, and so [Foye] hasn't gotten much time at [point guard], and two, we went with DeShawn Stevenson to get a defensive presence to make sure our main guys knew at the beginning of games that they were going to get their shots, which I think has worked well. And then Nick Young has played well," Saunders said.

http:// [h3]Sloan wants more from Okur[/h3]
10:26AM ET

[h5]Mehmet Okur | Jazz[/h5]
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Mehmet Okur's points are down from 17.0 last season to 12.8 this season. Jazz head coach understands Carlos Boozer presence has affected Okur, but Sloan still wants more from his starting center.

"I think he's got to work harder to be able to run the floor a little bit better and get a chance to get some better looks at the basket," Sloan told the Deseret News, "because when we run 'power,' which we do a great deal of the time, he's the guy on the perimeter, and sometimes I think he can probably take that (post) spot if he put more into it."

http:// [h3]Budinger out two weeks[/h3]
10:25AM ET

[h5]Chase Budinger | Rockets[/h5]
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Rockets guard Chase Budinger will be out two to three weeks after he sprained his right ankle against Oklahoma City on Saturday.

The Rockets are not expected to add a player to their roster with Budinger out. The Houston Chronicle reports Rockets general manager Daryl Morey likely would have signed Mike Harris if Carl Landry was going to miss a bunch of games.

http:// [h3]Mavs appeal Dampier's foul[/h3]
9:50AM ET

[h5]Erick Dampier | Mavericks[/h5]
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The Dallas Mavericks have filed an appeal with the NBA arguing that Erick Dampier was inappropriately assessed a second technical foul in their loss to Houston on Friday.

"What the rule says is, when you review it, the reason it's reviewable is because you want to see if anybody else is involved and make sure that the appropriate penalties are assessed," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. "So you look at the review, and just like a Flagrant 2 can be downgraded to a personal foul or can be downgraded to no foul, when you look at that video, you should assess the appropriate penalty, which in this case is none."

http:// [h3]Wallace victimized by officials?[/h3]
9:39AM ET

[h5]Rasheed Wallace | Celtics[/h5]
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Rasheed Wallace is not sorry for being ejected Friday night and says he's being victimized by officials. Wallace doesn't understand why official Bill Kennedy, who ejected him, was standing near the Celtics' huddle during a timeout.

"You tell me," Wallace told The Boston Globe when asked if he was targeted. "I can say all I want about anybody. If they are standing right near our huddle trying to stick their nose in there, so yeah they are going to hear some stuff. And that's exactly what it was. When have you ever seen a ref stand that close to our bench during a timeout?"

When asked if he was angry with himself for being ejected, Wallace said, "Nah, not really. To answer your question honestly, I wasn't. I still play my game. I ain't changing my game for nobody."

http:// [h3]Wallace's comments irk Chandler[/h3]
9:31AM ET

[h5]Tyson Chandler | Bobcats[/h5]
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Gerald Wallace called out Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler Sunday, when asked about the Bobcats 8-point loss to Utah on Saturday.

"The 4 and the 5 [positions] got eight rebounds," Wallace told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard. "Individually, we're not taking pride in defensive assignments. We're not taking pride in helping teammates."

When asked how the Bobcats could fix their problem, Wallace responded, "Can you fix somebody's heart? That's a personal thing."

Chandler was not happy about Wallace's comments because he's still fighting ankle and toe issues.

"I think it's bull personally," said Chandler. "When you lose and play like we do, you can't say that someone else is the problem. I don't feel like we're good enough to point fingers. ... Some days I feel like I'm 90 percent, then sometimes like last night [against Utah], I feel like I can't move. Doctors have told me I won't be 100 percent until halfway through the season."

http:// [h3]Bender's comeback is amazing[/h3]
9:06AM ET

[h5]Jonathan Bender | Knicks[/h5]
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Jonathan Bender played in his second game for the Knicks on Sunday and scored 11 points. His comeback has shocked and amazed his former teammates.

"The fact that he's back is amazing, it's really amazing," Ron Artest told the New York Daily News. "When he left Indiana, I thought he was done. I never thought he'd be able to come back."

"I'm like Ron, I never thought he'd be back, either," said Charlotte's Stephen Jackson, who played two seasons in Indiana with Bender. "It's unbelievable to see him out there."

http:// [h3]Artest wants to fight Wallace[/h3]
8:08AM ET

[h5]Ron Artest | Lakers[/h5]
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=25Ron Artest was a member of the http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=indIndiana Pacers and http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=885Ben Wallace the Detroit Pistons during the infamous "Brawl at the Palace."

Not only did Artest consider signing with the Pistons last summer, but he thinks he and Wallace should have a charity boxing match.

He respects Wallace, but when asked if he dislikes him, Artest wouldn't answer. "I will let you answer that," Artest told The Detroit News. "I'll leave that to public opinion."

Wallace laughed at the notion of a boxing match. "I am too old for that," Wallace said.

http:// [h3]Spoelstra likes shootarounds[/h3]
7:28AM ET

[h5]Erik Spoelstra | Heat[/h5]
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A few teams have stopped having morning shootarounds on gameday's. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows it may work for some teams, but not his.

"It seems to be the trend right now in the NBA, and it's in vogue to at least to talk about it," Spoelstra told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I think what's important for us is that any time we have a day to be competitive and drill and work on our habits ... we have to take advantage of it and not take anything off the pedal."

"I think it's probably most beneficial to the veteran teams," Spoelstra said of forgoing shootarounds. "I think, ultimately, we have to be a team of work and of building habits. I think if we start to skip out on shootarounds or practices, I think this team, you would see it in the performance."

http:// [h3]Shooting woes a mystery to Wade[/h3]
7:16AM ET

[h5]Dwyane Wade | Heat[/h5]
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Everyone is wondering why Dwyane Wade is having the worst shooting season of his NBA career and there are a lot of theories. The one person who should know what's wrong doesn't have a clue.

"I wish I knew," Wade told The Miami Herald. "If I could put my finger on it, I would do everything in my power to make sure it's not like that. Everyone has their own assessment of you. When the ball's going into the basket and you're getting wins, everything's perfect. When you're not, then you start analyzing and looking at things. You know, I don't really care what people say."

http:// [h3]Nelson to play tonight?[/h3]
6:48AM ET

[h5]Jameer Nelson | Magic[/h5]
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Magic point guard Jameer Nelson will return to the lineup tonight after recovering from knee surgery. He practiced Sunday and felt fine.

"There's a possibility for tonight," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel. "I guess we'll have to see, No. 1, what he looks like [today before the shoot-around]."

Nelson will initially come off the bench since his minutes will be limited.

http:// [h3]Miles in, Matthews out?[/h3]
6:27AM ET

[h5]C.J. Miles | Jazz[/h5]
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2778C.J. Miles has been playing off the bench since he returned from a left thumb injury. Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan is considering inserting him into the starting lineup and moving rookie Wesley Matthews to the bench.

"You know, Wes is playing against some pretty tough players every night he steps out there, and he's disadvantaged sometimes size-wise," Sloan told the Deseret News. C.J.'s just a little bit longer, has a little bit more experience. Usually those guys don't get in foul trouble quite as often as younger guys."

http:// [h3]Bonner hard to replace?[/h3]
5:14AM ET

[h5]Matt Bonner | Spurs[/h5]
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Matt Bonner will likely be out for four weeks with a broken fourth metacarpal in his right hand.

He is shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range, which ranks No. 8 in the league. His teammates know he'll be hard to replace.

"Nobody can replace Matty," Tony Parker told the San Antonio Express-News. "He's unique in the way he plays and shooting the threes. In a way, Antonio McDyess is a little like that, but he doesn't have the same range.

http:// [h3]Randolph surprising his teammates[/h3]
4:43AM ET

[h5]Zach Randolph | Grizzlies[/h5]
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Zach Randolph is not surprised at how he's playing, but his teammates are, especially after the power forward scored 32 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds against Denver on Sunday.

"I knew he'd be good. I had no idea it would be like this," Mike Conley told The Commercial-Appeal. "Shockingly, people here were down on him. But he's 100 percent different than what people thought."

"It seems like he's always in the right spot at the right time," O.J. Mayo said. "He's getting it done. ... I was thinking last year that we'd better get him. He gets the job done without needing the ball. You've got to love it."

 

[chester the cheetah]

The way Bayless played against Phoenix on TNT helps explain why the Blazers are reluctant to trade him. Less clear after a performance like that is why they've been so reluctant to throw him out there more with B-Roy.

Glad to see I'm not the only one wondering this...

 

[kiddin like jason]

I mean, Gerald is out-rebounding the both of them combined...

 

[bigmike23]

Bayless cant play D is why he doesnt get on the court, in the magic game it seem like who ever he was guarding a offense play was called for that player

 

[mjshoefanatic]

Hope Nate stays in the East.

 

[airmaxpenny1]

It's not like A.Miller or Blake are locking people down there. No excuse for him to be getting major minutes.