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An average Knicks game score sheet shows Harrington launching just about 20 shots, in the D’Antoni system. This stat that must force an uncontrolable smile both for Al and anyone lucky enough to own him on their fantasy team. The guy is a chucker, and that system is made for chuckers. Will the move of 6′11 Jared Jeffries into the starting lineup in place of Harrington cause his FGAs to drop? In an offense that claims the ball to have energy and prides itself on the 7-second shot - probably not. It may free him up from behind the arc even more…
Marbury to the Knicks will only seal the fate of this fading group. Consumate pro and long-time NBA player’s association rep Ray Allen is the only player on this roster capable of smoothing such an addition. Whether he respects Marbury and his reasoning enough to extend that offer of support is another thing altogether. Remember of course that Stephon likes to shoot the ball - from anywhere.
It is clear that Amare is an angry millionaire. Other than total technical fouls, his numbers are down across the board in what he is happy to say is a contract year. His greatest move right now would be to get in line with 4 time champ Shaq-Fu and state publically his desire to win a championship in 09, at any cost. Frankly, the Suns have all the pieces required with this J-Rich deal in place. Imagine if Amare - possibly the greatest new age PF in the game today - called a press conference dressed as a samurai? Shaq could come out dressed like a Sensei and set a final teaching timeline for delivering Amare to the real Zen of immortality - a ring. Phoenix fans would go absolutely insane and Amare would be seen as the selfless teammate any team would love to have.
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The Knicks coach indicated yesterday that the same lineup that started Tuesday night’s game in Charlotte will start tonight’s game at the Garden against the Pacers. That again would mean although he’s the Knicks’ leading scorer, Al Harrington will come off the bench for a third straight game, with the coach sticking with Jared Jeffries in the starting lineup. NY Post
He still has to finagle a break from the Knicks, but indications are banished point guard Stephon Marbury will wind up with the Celtics, according to a report on ESPN.com. “It will happen,” a source reportedly said when asked if Marbury would wind up in Beantown this season. NY Post
Amare Stoudemire ranks fourth in the league with eight technical fouls - halfway to the automatic one-game suspension that comes with a 16th technical in the regular season. Stoudemire is the only player in the league to have been ejected from more than once this season after earning his second dismissal from referee Bill Kennedy on Tuesday in Memphis. Porter said he hasn’t sat down with Stoudemire for a prolonged discussion of the topic, but said he has to “start doing a better job” with his on-court conduct. East Valley Tribune
And not just because Del Negro dealt with recent internal issues by fining Hughes, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas for conduct detrimental to the team. The Bulls have lost five of seven in a stretch against teams that currently sit in a playoff position. At 26-5 with the league’s only perfect home record (16-0), the Cavaliers likely will make it eight straight. That stretch, mercifully, ends after Friday’s game. The Bulls actually play seven of eight home games and the first four are against teams with the league’s four worst records—Minnesota, Sacramento, Oklahoma City and Washington. Chicago Tribune
Thunder point guard Earl Watson sounds like an NBA analyst when discussing the chances of a certain player soon being traded. That player would be him. “It’s very high,” said Watson, who played for Denver in 2005-06. “At the same time, I’m trying to make the best of the situation here. But I think the writing is pretty much on the wall.” Rocky Mountain News
Watson lost his starting job a month ago to rookie Russell Westbrook. With Westbrook in the team’s future, Watson, making $6.2 million this season and $6.6 million next season to conclude his contract, knows he’s on the block. “It’s obvious the way things are going,” he said. “We’re a team that’s still in transition. . . . You try to be professional and try to mesh in, and try to make the best out of this team.” Rocky Mountain News
That still depends largely on Marbury’s ability to negotiate his release from the Knicks after weeks of fruitless and oft-contentious buyout talks, but sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com this week that Boston is Marbury’s preferred destination if he manages to become a free agent and that the Celtics are indeed hopeful of signing him. ESPN.com
Although it has been widely assumed that Celtics forward Kevin Garnett would resist a reunion with the controversial point guard — after Marbury broke up their Minnesota parternship in less than three seasons together by forcing a trade to New Jersey — one Celtics source insists that Garnett has voiced no opposition to the idea of signing Marbury for the rest of the season to strengthen Boston’s backcourt depth behind starters Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. ESPN.com
One source close to Marbury cautioned that it would be premature to say that he’s narrowed his wish list down to the Celtics, but one Western Conference executive said of the notion that Marbury is Boston-bound: “I’ve heard the exact same thing.” ESPN.com
Orlando and Phoenix are among the top teams needing guard help which have publicly declared their intent to steer clear of Marbury. Miami is often mentioned as a possible destination, but the luxury-tax implications from signing Marbury and the Heat’s status as a rebuilding team make it a questionable fit. ESPN.com
Another bout with migraine headaches forced Dwyane Wade to wear tinted goggles during Friday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade, who missed two practices last month because of migraines, said he wore them to help him deal with sensitivity to lights. He said he did not expect to wear the goggles Saturday. ”I’m just protecting my eyes [after] minor headaches,” Wade said. “They [teammates] said I look like a fool. But that’s all right.” Miami Herald
Dirk Nowitzki was sporting a discolored welt on the bridge of his nose Thursday, courtesy of Minnesota’s Brian Cardinal, who whacked Nowitzki during the Mavericks’ victory over the Timberwolves on Tuesday. “Snore a little more,” Nowitzki said when asked if getting hit on the nose had an effect on his breathing. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Coach Rick Carlisle, however, wasn’t in a joking mood when Nowtizki was hacked. He stomped on the floor, complained to the referees, drew two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. Carlisle said Thursday that he believes Nowitzki should receive more free throws and he indicated he might ask the league to look into the matter. Fort Worth Star-Telegram
On Nowitzki: “I’d like to see him get to the free-throw line more,” Carlisle said. “It’s a situation we’re looking at. He’s unusual because he’s a 7-footer that plays up above the free-throw line. The rules above the free-throw line are different than below. Because he’s 7-feet, sometimes I worry that he’s getting viewed as a big man but not getting the same kind of benefit that the perimeter players get in terms of calls.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Shaquille O’Neal has campaigned to get the ball more. The Suns obliged in this week’s wins with Steve Nash (back spasms) and Amaré Stoudemire (fouled out Monday, ejected Tuesday) essentially out. Nash practiced Thursday and expects to play Friday night. Arizona Republic
“I know I like to be heavily involved,” O’Neal said. “I told Steve (Kerr) and I told Terry (Porter) that I can’t be the Shaq you want me to be, shooting four out of five, nine rebounds. I’m known to wreak havoc offensively, make teams double, get my teammates involved. That’s what I’m known to do, and I still have the ability to do that. I’ve shown that. If I’m involved, into the flow, doing what I’m doing, then I can still put up big numbers, especially the way I’ve been shooting from the free-throw line (66 percent in December). Arizona Republic
The NBA will investigate what happened in Detroit, where Vince Carter was ejected Wednesday on two technicals by referee Derrick Stafford. Carter’s teammates said the Nets captain maintained Stafford directed the derogatory term “boy” at him during the incident. “The entire matter is under review, and we will investigate,” said a league spokesman. NY Post
Carter was bounced with two technical fouls, the second in exceedingly quick fashion, by Stafford after arguing a call. After the second T, Carter’s temper exploded. Detroit reporters sitting nearby claimed Carter yelled, “Don’t call me ‘boy,’ ” at Stafford. Teammates said they did not hear Stafford, like Carter an African-American, use the term but confirmed Carter thought he did and that was what made him incensed. NY Post
By rule, the NBA will fine Carter for the technical fouls and the ejection. Stafford could also be disciplined if it is determined he said anything inappropriate. NBA offices were closed for the holiday Thursday but Nets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, who was at the game, said he expects the league to make a “fair” ruling. Vandeweghe doesn’t think Carter is in jeopardy of being suspended. The Nets’ next game is Friday night against the Hawks at the Meadowlands. NY Daily News
Carter lost his cool with 6:48 left in the first half and the Nets trailing 26-20. After knocking down Iverson’s pass and waiting for the next inbounds play to occur, Carter jawed at Stafford, who eventually hit Carter with a technical foul. About five seconds later, Carter received his second technical and an automatic ejection. At some point, Carter was offended by whatever Stafford said and became irate. Usually level-headed, Carter had to be restrained by Lawrence Frank and Devin Harris before a member of the Nets’ security staff escorted him off the court. NY Daily News
In a statement released Wednesday, the league finally admitted the officiating crew of Mike Callahan, Rodney Mott and Zach Zarba erred in its handling of a controversial play during the Celtics’ 91-86 loss in Portland on Tuesday. A basket by Blazers forward Travis Outlaw was allowed to stand despite Portland having six men on the floor. Boston Herald
However, an admission of guilt isn’t enough for Doc Rivers, who remained bothered by the inflexibility of the officiating crew. Callahan later said that though Portland was assessed a technical foul, the violation was discovered too late to disallow the basket. “We know they were wrong - they don’t have to tell us that,” the coach said. “That was a joke - that call. As an official you know whether something is right or wrong, and that was wrong. There’s a lot of officials in our league who would have overturned that.” Boston Herald
P.J. Brown told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he has indeed retired. The news wasn’t received well by Brown’s former Celtics teammates, who were holding out hope that the big man would come back for a chance at a second championship ring. “That’s not good news,” Kevin Garnett said yesterday. “But you have to understand that decision by him. This game is so hard on your body, and people don’t realize what it does to your family. But if that’s his decision, I support him.” Boston Herald
There’s little doubt the Cavaliers’ offense has been sputtering in its past few games. As the Cavs prepare to take on the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena tonight, it’s a fact that the players fully acknowledge. ”We should be a little concerned but we’re fine. We had a great practice [Thursday],” LeBron James said. ”We’re going to see how it happens tonight. We know we haven’t started the games off the way we wanted and that’s part of the reason why we haven’t played so well.” Akron Beacon Journal
Coach Mike Brown said that part of his center’s effort in that game had a lot to do with adrenaline and it looks like Ilgauskas is still suffering from effects of the injury. ”It doesn’t look like he [Ilgauskas] has that rhythm or the ability to plant and make that move and go strong,” he said, ‘’so I think that injury has hurt his mobility a little bit.” Akron Beacon Journal
After missing two games with contusions in his right knee, forward Wally Szczerbiak will likely return to the lineup against the Bulls tonight. He went through workouts Tuesday and a full practice Thursday and said that he felt good. ”Hopefully it will feel good [Friday] and I’m good to go,” he said. Akron Beacon Journal
Mike Miller practiced almost fully on Thursday when the Wolves returned to practice after Tuesday’s epic loss at Dallas and is expected to play Friday against Golden State at Target Center. Minneapolis Star Tribune
It’s hard to explain how a center averaging 6 points and 8.4 rebounds in 25.1 minutes a game can be in second place in the Eastern Conference All-Star balloting by the fans. But that’s where the Sixers’ Samuel Dalembert remains in the third set of vote tabulations released by the league. The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard is the runaway leader at the position, with 1,709,088 votes. Dalembert, who played only 13 minutes in Wednesday night’s victory over the Clippers, is second with a modest 239,089. But that still places him ahead of Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal, Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut and Atlanta’s Al Horford. Philadelphia Daily News
Amazingly, Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas, perhaps the second-best center in the East, is a distant 10th. Philadelphia Daily News
If Chris Bosh makes it to this year’s NBA all-star game, it likely won’t be as a starter. The Raptors star remained a distant fourth among forwards in Eastern Conference balloting, according to results released yesterday. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers leads all East forwards with 1,521,272 votes, followed by Boston’s Kevin Garnett at 1,101,541. Yi Jianlian of the New Jersey Nets — buoyed by a strong Chinese-voting contingent — is third at 959,324, followed by Bosh at 601,204. Toronto Sun
Deron Williams’ chances of making the All-Star team could take another hit if Tracy McGrady remains second in fan voting among Western Conference guards behind Kobe Bryant. McGrady leads Chris Paul by 93,963 votes in the third returns released Thursday by the NBA. If healthy, McGrady would start alongside Bryant; Paul’s selection would have to come as a reserve by the conference’s coaches. Denver’s Chauncey Billups and Portland’s Brandon Roy already have strong cases to be selected as reserves, along with San Antonio’s Tony Parker, Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Dallas’ Jason Terry. Salt Lake Tribune Blog
Denver teammate Chauncey Billups is 10th in guard voting, but his contributions make him a worthy candidate for an all-star reserve spot. Billups changed the culture in Denver and is 10th in the league with 6.9 assists, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.74-to-1). The Nuggets’ wacky, zig-zagging road trip continues tonight at Oklahoma City. Denver (21-12) played at New York on Sunday, down to Atlanta for a Monday game, up to Toronto for a Wednesday game and finally back south to Oklahoma City. Denver Post
The Spurs’ Tim Duncan remains on pace to make his 10th consecutive All-Star start, leading all Western Conference forwards by a healthy margin. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker rate fourth and fifth, respectively, among guards in the West. Orlando’s Dwight Howard remains the league’s top vote-getter, outpolling both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. There was one small Spurs-related change in the latest round of results. Bruce Bowen has garnered 375,079 votes, enough for him to move up to sixth among Western Conference forwards. San Antonio Express-News
Jay Triano let the Raptors do their thing during practice yesterday. “We played a little scrimmage game. We called timeouts, the coaches stayed out of it,” Triano said. “Let them figure it out, let them talk. Once they start doing that and taking on that leadership role, they will start to become more comfortable.” Triano was referring to Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic and Will Solomon. Toronto Sun
Donnie Walsh may have returned to his hometown of New York, but he still has a fondness for the Indiana Pacers, with whom he was a fixture for 24 years. “Obviously the Knicks are my top priority because this is the team I’m with, but next on the list is the Pacers because I want to see them do well,” Walsh said earlier this week in a phone interview. “I talk to people there still, but I call them up personally most of the time. It’s not basketball conversations.” Indianapolis Star
Walsh, who has a four-year contract, traded Jamal Crawford to Golden State and Zach Randolph to the Clippers in November to clear salary cap space so New York can be a big spender in the 2010 free agent market, which could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire. Indianapolis Star
How are you enjoying being an assistant coach? Shareef Abdur-Rahim: “I’m enjoying it. It’s kind of an easy transition after playing basketball for so long. It’s not playing, but it allows me to stay around the game and stay a part of it.” Were you confident it would go this smoothly? Abdur-Rahim: “Not at all. I wasn’t sure. I don’t think I was ever one of those guys who necessarily always contemplated coaching. It was kind of an opportunity that presented itself. I was lucky to be able to take advantage of it.” Now that you’ve retired, could you imagine going from playing to being away from basketball cold turkey? Abdur-Rahim: “I think I could have. I think it probably would have been a little tougher transition. That’s what’s been such a blessing about this, that it made my transition easier from not playing. Especially coming into the season expecting to play. Late August was when I really came to peace with the fact that I wasn’t going to be playing this year.” Sacramento Bee
Assistant coach Clifford Ray attempted to feed Patrick O’Bryant in the post as Kevin Garnett bumped the youngster with forearms to the chest, grabs at the neck and waist and anything else to make the backup center react. “No foul,” said Garnett, staring O’Bryant down after one particularly heavy hack. “No foul, no foul, no foul.” And then this: “Do whatever I’m doin’.” O’Bryant finally scored, and this time Garnett looked at Ray and said, “If he scores this is over.” Boston Herald
So Garnett scooped up the ball and dunked, swinging off the rim and landing right in front of O’Bryant. Then he repeated the violent motion. “This is how I feel - this is how I feel,” he said before finally allowing O’Bryant to leave. “He’s one of the best big men in the game,” O’Bryant said later, still a little ill at ease. “It’s a hell of a favor for him to take the time to help me out. “That’s just his style,” he added of Garnett’s oral and physical aggression. “That’s his reputation in the league, and some people say I need to work on things, so this is good. We’ve done a few of these.” Boston Herald
“In any profession, anybody can easily blame age, teammates — there’s always a built-in excuse,” Jason Kidd said. “This is a kid’s game, but I enjoy playing it and I still feel like I play at a high level.” Kidd smiled because he has come to enjoy delivering punch lines about his age. “I’m doing it for the older generation,” he said, “to show that we can still compete and work.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram
When the Thunder unveils its new mascot after the All-Star break, the yet-to-be-named character will tightrope a rail in Loud City, drop from the Ford Center ceiling and trampoline to the rim with the dunk team. “We want the mascot to be athletic and very mobile but also be a character that’s part of photo ops and interaction,” said Brian Byrnes, vice president of ticket sales and services. “It’s above and beyond what the character does at our games.” Oklahoman
Team officials are close to finalizing the character. But there’s still work to be done before the mascot makes it highly anticipated debut, most likely in February. “Once we choose the character, there are a ton of minor details,” Byrnes said. “How big are the eye holes? How big are his hands and feet? What’s the weight of the costume, his depth perception? What type of material do we use to make sure he’s athletic? It’s all part of the process.” Oklahoman
New assistant coach Ron Adams wasted no time in putting his stamp on the Thunder, using the final 20 minutes of Thursday’s practice to drill players on defensive principles. Adams, who joined the team Wednesday from the Chicago Bulls, has 17 years of NBA coaching and management experience as well as a college coaching background. Oklahoman
Nenad Krstic has been praised for his high basketball IQ throughout his career, and the recently-signed 7-foot center is showing off his savvy in his first few practices. Krstic still cannot play with the team while waiting on paperwork to be processed on his work visa, but the learning curve isn’t expected to be much of a challenge when he takes the court. Oklahoman
With Luol Deng still sidelined with a sprained left ankle, the bulk of the unenviable task of guarding LeBron James will fall on those three players Friday night in Cleveland. “I’m ready,” said Hughes, James’ former teammate. “I don’t have a problem with it. He’s definitely a tough match for anybody in this league. You try to cut out some of the things that he likes to do. It’s just a basketball game.” Chicago Tribune
As bad as they were on defense, the Bulls’ offense was even worse against Orlando. They went 2-for-20 in the first half on jumpers from 15 feet and beyond. “I wasn’t ready, my teammates weren’t ready to play and it’s not acceptable,” guard Ben Gordon said. “Regardless if we’re making shots or whatever, we’ve got to come ready to play every night.” Arlington Heights Daily Herald
Returning Amir Johnson to the lineup has paid dividends. His energy and presence at the basket have helped get the Pistons off to fast starts, and his length, athleticism and willingness to make all the hustle plays takes a huge load off Rasheed Wallace. “Amir made some mistakes (against the Nets), but because of his size and ability to rebound, he’s really solidified things for us,” Curry said. “Just look at the play he made at the end of the game.” Detroit News
Moving Stuckey to the lineup also has helped tighten the defense. He applies much stronger on-ball pressure than Iverson had been. He and Arron Afflalo tag-teamed dangerous Nets point guard Devin Harris on Wednesday and held him to 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Detroit News
Many eyes will be on Derek Fisher, who has turned back the clock at age 34, sopping up the minutes normally taken by Jordan Farmar. Fisher had averaged 39 minutes in four games without Farmar before coasting to a 19-point effort in only 25 minutes against Golden State on Sunday. “He’s doing well,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “In fact, he wanted to stay on the [practice] floor today instead of coming off. I wanted him to come off a little bit. He wanted to stay out there.” The Lakers won’t be pressed to find another back-up point guard if Fisher continues to play well and Sasha Vujacic produces the way he did against Golden State. LA Times
Jordan Farmar has begun his rehabilitation from knee surgery, though he isn’t expected back until after the All-Star game, which will take place Feb. 15. “The therapist is going to clear me to go when I’m ready,” Farmar said. “Right after the All-Star break would be nice.” LA Times
In its past six games, Miami has outrebounded opponents by an average of 42.6 to 41.1 per game. With perimeter players such as Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers as help defenders in the post, the Heat has ranked among the NBA’s leaders in blocks and steals. ”We never felt like [size] would be an issue because we could outwork people,” Haslem said. “A lot of guys who are bigger tend to be lazier. As the game wears on, we get the advantage chasing rebounds and just being disrupting. That’s when our conditioning comes into play.” Miami Herald
Al Harrington no longer gets emotional when he faces the Pacers, who drafted him out of high school in 1998. “I used to, but not as much,” Harrington said yesterday. “Now it’s just a regular game, [but] I’m definitely going to try and show them up a little bit.” Harrington spent his first six seasons with Indiana before being traded to Atlanta after the 2003-04 season. He was traded back to the Pacers two years later and played 26 games for them during the 2006-07 season. Harrington was shipped to Golden State after that season, and the Warriors sent him to the Knicks Nov. 21 in the Jamal Crawford deal. NY Newsday
Tim Thomas (sore left big toe) took a cortisone shot Wednesday morning and said he might play tonight . . . First-round pick Danilo Gallinari (back), who has been running individual drills, said he hopes to begin practicing with the team in three weeks. NY Newsday
The Nets are a lame-duck tenant in the Izod Center, with intentions of moving to Brooklyn. Many fans seem somewhere between scorned and uninterested. At most home games, large sections of the Izod Center remain empty. Despite promotions and incentives that make tickets relatively cheap and easily accessible, the Nets rank 23rd among the 30 N.B.A. franchises in average attendance (around 15,500). On many nights, the arena seems more empty than the announced attendance, which is based on tickets distributed rather than turnstile counts. “Sometimes, it becomes psychological,” General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. “People start talking about not winning at home and it can get in your head.” NY Times
The Washington Wizards started the new year on a positive note Thursday by practicing with rigor after a day off, and back with them was leading scorer Caron Butler. The All-Star swingman, who this season is averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists, had missed the last three games after he sprained his left ankle Christmas Day at Cleveland. He tested the ankle out before each of the last two games but couldn’t put any weight on it or change directions. Washington Times
Center Brendan Haywood has had the cast off his surgically repaired right wrist since Dec. 22, but he said Thursday he hasn’t begun rehabilitation because doctors haven’t removed a pin that was placed in his wrist during the October surgery to repair a torn ligament. Haywood, who now wears a plastic brace, will have the pin removed next week. Washington Times
Rockets forward Tracy McGrady traveled with the team to Toronto on Thursday, but no decision will be made until today about whether he will play tonight against the Raptors or Saturday in Atlanta. With the Rockets playing three sets of two games in as many nights in the next nine days, McGrady will play in one game in each back-to-back. “That’s the plan and that’s what we have to go with,” McGrady said. “Whatever game I play in, I’m going to go out there and try to do what I can do.” Houston Chronicle
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