- Antawn Jamison expressed regret for complaining about playing time, from Janis Carr of The OC Register: “I’m kind of disappointed in myself that I kind of expressed my frustration the way I did, but I’m human,” Jamison said after Sunday’s practice. “We move forward and most importantly, we’ve got a game here and whether it’s me being a cheerleader and smiling or run up and down the court, I’m going to do everything that I can to be positive and make sure we continue to win games.”… “I don’t want this to be anything bigger than what it is,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for a while and I expressed my frustration and the way I did, especially after a win, it derails what we are trying to do here and I know what these guys are doing.”
- Doc Rivers thinks his team gives up on defense when the offense isn’t working, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE: “Everybody shows up to compete,” Rivers said. ‘But I think a little bit of frustration breaks certain guys – not every guy – but it doesn’t take but one or two a game. And the frustrating thing this year is it’s been different guys. A guy will get frustrated because he’s not making shots. I think a lot of it is that. If our offense isn’t working, our defensive spirit goes down and we end up losing the game.” Rivers added, “guys get frustrated and they give in. We have to figure out how to fix that. Guys get frustrated and they start hanging their head and then their compete level goes down.”
- Jamal Crawford explained why Vinny Del Negro deserves much of the credit for the success of the Clippers, from Dan Woike of The OC Register: “I think a lot should go to him,” Jamal Crawford said. Crawford, who has played for 16 coaches in the NBA said Del Negro has navigated some tough waters in dealing with the team’s talented, deep roster. “Everybody here has a decent body of work in some way shape or form,” Crawford said. “They’ve proven something somewhere in the NBA. With that is a confidence that a player has, and there are egos involved. “For him to be able to manage that and put people in the right positions and use people to their strengths, he deserves a lot of credit.”
- Stan Van Gundy was blunt about how Dwight Howard has looked this season, from Ben Bolch of Los Angeles Times: “I don’t think he looks quite as explosive or as quick as he has in the past,” said Van Gundy, who coached Howard in Orlando for five seasons before being fired in May. “Now, he’s still above almost everyone in the league at that size athletically, but he has not totally looked like himself to me.”… “It’s a big adjustment for him going from being the guy to not only being the No. 2 guy but really a No. 2 guy that really doesn’t get the ball very much at all,” Van Gundy said. “It’s a different deal and an adjustment he has to make. Those kind of things take time.”
- Kobe Bryant is clearly impressed by what the Clippers have done during their winning streak, from Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles: “When asked if the current Clippers team was the best he’s seen in his 17 seasons as a professional basketball player in L.A., Kobe Bryant replied: “I don’t think it’s a question about it.” “To put together win streaks that are that long, it shows a lot of focus, it shows a lot of unity and a lot of depth because they can beat you multiple ways,” Bryant continued. “If you’re going to have a winning streak that’s that extensive, you have to have guys coming in from all aspects of the game.”
- Gerald Wallace believes Brook Lopez is an All-Star, from Stefan Bondy of Daily News: “”I think Brook has been an All-Star since he’s been in the league. I just think except for him having injuries and missing games, he’s always been efficient and talented. Earlier, I just think it was the team wasn’t doing well and it kind of hurt his chances. But other than that, I just think he’s been an All-Star since he’s been in the league. …He might be the only dominant center that’s 7-foot and can do the things that he does.”
- There is some cause for concern in regards to Tyreke Evans’ sore knee, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
Kings guard Tyreke Evans will visit with Dr. Steve Lombardo in LA on Wednesday morning to receive a second opinion on his sore left knee.
@SpearsNBAYahoo
Marc J. Spears
Nikola Vucevic had a record-breaking night against the Miami Heat on Monday:
Kyrie Irving has work to do defensively