Intro by Jon Nichols on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 12:59 am | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.insidehoops.com/usa-basketball.shtml

The USA Men's Senior National Team (5-0) utilized a 24-4 second quarter run to close the door on Puerto Rico (1-4) and lock up a berth into the FIBA Americas Championship 2007 semifinals with a 117-78 win Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here's what Team USA's Amare Stoudemire said to USA Basketball and other media after the win:

Question: What are your thoughts of the game? What were your thoughts on the game tonight?

Amaré Stoudemire: I came out thinking that we'd need a lot of activity in tonight's game. Puerto Rico, in the past, has had a lot of success against us and we came out really focused. We knew what it would take to get a win and we've been playing great defense this whole tournament. So, we wanted to continue that and come out and just pretty much play as hard as we can as far as activity from a defensive standpoint to get this win.

Question: Amare, as a reserve on the 2004 team who didn't play much compared to being a key player on this team, can you talk about your role on this team now?

Amaré Stoudemire: I think it is great. That experience in 2004 was priceless, being able to experience different cultures and play for the USA for the first time was amazing. Now, to be back here this year, is even better. I am participating a little bit more and trying to contribute a lot more to this team than I (could) in 2004. I look at it as a blessing and I am trying to continue to grow as a player and learn as a player from all of these All-Stars and superstars.

Question: Six games into this tournament, what is the biggest difference between the team this year last time?

Amaré Stoudemire: I think for me, now, we are extremely focused on the defensive end. In 2004 we had focus on defense but it wasn't the same. I think the coaching staff has done a great job of explaining how important defense is and what it takes to be successful on that end of the court. Offensively, we've got guys that can score. We've got scoring champs, runners-up in the scoring race, etc. This year our focus is defense and I hope you guys are seeing that.

Question: Talk about that three-pointer you hit. Did Mike D'Antoni give you a hard time for that? And also, talk about you and Dwight playing off of each other on the team.

Amaré Stoudemire: Well, that three-point shot, I practice that shot a lot. You guys might not get to see it a lot, but it is a shot that I feel comfortable shooting. Dwight Howard and I got a chance to expose the zone by playing behind it, and we got a couple of easy baskets and nice interior passes there. There are also some times where the opposing defender won't want to step out on the perimeter and so that three-pointer is going to be open.

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Intro by Jon Nichols on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 12:59 am | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2788871

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest was arrested Monday and excused indefinitely from the team after a woman said he shoved her to the floor inside his home and prevented her from calling 911.

If it's not one thing, it's another.

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Intro by Kevin Pelton on Friday, February 23rd, 2007 at 12:23 am | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/top100_feb07.html

It is the ultimate barbershop debate - who are your top 100 players in the NBA?

Who takes the top spot? Do you go for role players or those who make nightly appearances on SportsCenter? Shooters or defenders? Passers or rebounders? Big men or guards?

SUPERSONICS.COM hashed it all out in November, and now beat writer Kevin Pelton and Sonics radio broadcasters David Locke and Francis Williams share their updated top 100 as of the All-Star break.

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Intro by Rob L on Tuesday, February 13th, 2007 at 1:28 pm | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.nysun.com/article/48518

...with nine weeks to go in the regular season, it looks as if the Southeast Division will be one of the most entertaining races. Each of the three presumed leaders has a good chance to win it and gain a first-tier seeding in the playoffs. Although four games separate the three teams, other indicators including team health suggest that this race will go down to the wire.

The Wiz? The Magic? The Heat? Which team will make the fewest mistakes and stop getting hurt so much? The Magic are still a little young for me to think they'll have the presence to finish right. The Heat are old but that also means "championship experience". The Wiz are crazy and they don't play defense.

I thus agree with Johnson's prognosis. This will be the most entertaining race to watch in the league.

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Intro by Rob L on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 at 2:52 pm | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.nysun.com/article/48095?page_no=1

That's why the Knicks must ponder what was unthinkable a year ago — exchanging Channing Frye for a different type of player. Don't get me wrong — I still think Frye will be an outstanding offensive player in the NBA. So do a number of scouts and execs that I've talked to. But the reality for the Knicks is that he simply can't play alongside Curry — one of New York's frontcourt players has to be able to defend good post players, and neither of these two can do it.

Hollinger identifies many pieces that the New York Knicks need. He rates a defensive-minded power forward as the most pressing. Which of course led to the potentially controversial quote above.

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Intro by Rob L on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 at 2:45 pm | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.nba.com/rookies/rankings.html?rss=true

On Wednesday, the rosters for the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were announced, and while our Top Seven are all going to Las Vegas, the last two spots didn't quite jive with our rankings.

Instead of big men Craig Smith, Shelden Williams or LaMarcus Aldridge, guards Jordan Farmar and Marcus Williams round out the roster. That gives the rookie squad a pair of true point guards, as there are none in our Top 10.

There are folks out there that aren't Marcus Williams fans. I've only seen him play a few times, but I like the guy. Too selfish? Maybe, but he's a rookie. I'll give him a couple seasons to figure that one out before I hold it against his game.

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Intro by KnickerBlogger on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 at 3:09 pm | permalink | trackback |

Original Article: http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/bulls070201.html

All the same, Chicago has one big fan - ESPN Insider's John Hollinger. Hollinger's power rankings, which debuted last month, have the Bulls not only atop the Eastern Conference as of Feb. 1 but ahead of two West teams, the L.A. Lakers and Utah, with superior records.

Hollinger's rankings have quickly become a lightning rod for criticism, with the ranking of the Bulls a favorite target. Criticism has come even from within the APBRmetrics community.

"Hollinger's new power rankings will be great for Chicago," commented Dan Rosenbaum, a consultant for the Cleveland Cavaliers, on the APBRmetrics message board. "In a week when they lose three games in the fourth quarter because they can't score, but win the fourth game by 40 over some hapless opponent, they will be able to feel good because they are moving up in the Hollinger power rankings."

Rosenbaum was being partially facetious, but his contention - that the college hoops-style blowouts registered by the Bulls are given too much credit by Hollinger's method - is a common and perfectly reasonable one. While the power rankings account for strength of schedule and recent performance, they are at heart based on team point differential, with win-loss record and the size of individual victories completely ignored.

"This is much less a factor than you might think," Hollinger answered his critics in a FAQ on his rankings. "NBA coaches tend to play their best players most of the fourth quarter as long as the margin is under 20, and as a result, even for the best teams only a small portion of their games are so one-sided that the starters can spend the second half yukking it up on the bench.

"Phoenix is a good example — even with all the one-sided wins, Steve Nash is playing a career-high 35.7 minutes per game."

It's important to note that no OTTERs were hurt in this study.

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