Suicide lines: Yao and McGrady, Karl and Cuban, Pistons ...



Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your porridge.
David Aldridge, NBA.com: "The Rockets are putting a positive spin on this, but Waiting for Tracy is a play that nobody in Houston wants to see anymore — up to and including the big man, Yao Ming. 'They don't speak' an extremely plugged-in person tells me. 'And Yao wants him out.' That's not likely this season, as McGrady's $20.3 million is toxic to too many teams' luxury tax plans. Next summer, though, when McGrady will have an expiring, $22.4 million contract, teams may well circle the Rockets looking to make a deal. It's not personal between Yao and McGrady. They like one another. But Yao's frustration is real. And Yao is not the only person that's grown tired of McGrady's self-diagnosis, his up-to-the-last-minute decisions on whether he'll play or not."
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post: "Nuggets coach George Karl doesn't anticipate J.R. Smith being suspended for an elbow Smith threw on Tuesday — and Karl has no problem with Dallas owner Mark Cuban turning the tape into the league. But Karl said Wednesday that he remains dissatisfied with the way Cuban handled the situation. 'I have no problem with him judging that that was a play that should be sent to the league office. But stay away from my players, stay off the court," Karl said after Wednesday's practice. 'I think Cuban's going off on something that happens almost every game. There was no contact, it wasn't even close. It was more of a trash talking, he-hit-me-and-I'm-not-stepping-down. But nothing happened.'"
Chris McCosky,world top 10 germany adolf hitler special forces combat boot black, e Detroit News: "is isn't about lineups nor who's not playing. is is about a veteran group of players, guys who have either won championships or been in countless big games, not finishing enough simple basketball plays to close out games. 'Yeah, it is surprising,' said Allen Iverson. 'I hadn't thought about it that way, but it is surprising to keep getting leads on teams and not being able to put them away. But the only feeling we should have right now is that we can get this together.' [...] Somebody is going to have to step up and be the closer. Chauncey Billups was that guy for six years. He was the anchor late in games. Stuckey is growing every day, but in his second year, it might be a lot to ask of him to close games. Iverson, Hamilton and Wallace have all excelled in that role over the years. ose are the guys who are going to have to step up now."
Sam Amick, Sac Bee: "John Salmons had played for 57 minutes at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night, an astonishing feat on its own and even more so because he wasn't alone. He was one of four Kings to reach the 50-minute mark, with Kings coach Kenny Natt sticking to an amazingly tight rotation during a memorable night between Northern California foes. But the Kings outlasted Golden State 135-133 in triple overtime because Salmons still had something left at the end. He chased down a Kevin Martin miss on the right baseline. After wrestling the ball from Kelenna Azubuike and Anthony Randolph, he rose for a 20-footer that gave the Warriors just 1.6 seconds to avoid disappointing the announced 19,122 in attendance who mostly remained."
K.C Johnson, Chicago Tribune: "It's clear Larry Hughes is out of the rotation as the Bulls continue to shop him in advance of the Feb. 19 trade deadline. Hughes played only seven minutes Monday night against Portland and didn't play by coach's decision Wednesday night for the first time this season and possibly in his 10-year career. [...] Coach Vinny Del Negro has said he understands Hughes' desire to play more, but his comments following a question about the luxury of bringing Hughes and Kirk Hinrich off the bench were telling. 'We'll figure it out as we go,' Del Negro said. 'Kirk will be out there. He takes pressure off Derrick [Rose] and puts defensive pressure on the ball. And we always get leadership.'"
Al Iannazzone, North Jersery Bergen Record: "Many NBA teams would love to do what the Celtics did. Most of them don’t have a shot. It wasn’t just winning it all, either. It was having the right combination of young players, manageable contracts and draft picks to be in position to acquire Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, which turned the Celtics from laughingstocks to NBA champs. The Nets want that and are trying to follow Boston’s blueprint. Since Jason Kidd decided he wanted out and the Nets decided they didn’t want Richard Jefferson, they have collected assets, from young players to draft picks to players with manageable or expiring contracts. Now, this doesn’t guarantee you can make the kinds of moves the Celtics made. They don’t happen often. But the Nets, who faced Boston on Wednesday, have some pieces that could turn into something if a franchise-changing star becomes available."
Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "The probable outcome with the Suns' vacant 13th roster spot is that Dee Brown will be re-signed. They might wait until Monday's deadline to add him. The Suns had interest in Shaun Livingston, but it appears he is leaning toward a return to Miami, which had waived him to avoid a fully guaranteed deal."
John Reid, Times-Picayune / Real GM: "Miguel Paul, a freshmen point guard for the University of Missouri, listed NBA star Chris Paul as his first cousin in the team's media guide. However, when a student from the university, Michael Kelly, came to the Hornets' practice on Tuesday to do a story for an NBC affiliate, Chris said he had no idea who Miguel was. 'Who? I never heard of him,' Paul said,world top 10 seals corps of assassin special forces combat boot brown black, before asking teammate James Posey if he had heard of him. MU basketball spokesman Dave Reiter told the Columbia Tribune that Miguel Paul is, in fact, related to Chris Paul, just more distantly than he, and, therefore, the team’s media guide,world top 10 poland thunder special forces combat boot black, has said."
Ronald Tillery, Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The Grizzlies want to deal second-year point guard Mike Conley to the Milwaukee Bucks, and receive guard Ramon Sessions and swingman Joe Alexander in return, but the ball doesn't appear to be in their court. Milwaukee is apparently weighing the proposal as talks are ongoing, based on conversations with people knowledgeable about the trade discussions. Griz general manager Chris Wallace declined comment, citing the team's policy to not discuss trade rumors. The Grizzlies, though, have no reservations about consummating the transaction in its current two-for-one form. They are looking to unload Conley, the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft, while he's mired in his second performance funk this season."
Mark Hale, New York Post: "Eddy Curry missed his third straight game last night, but Mike D'Antoni believes his second comeback might be near. Curry is out with a sore left knee and, of course, also is embroiled in a salacious sexual harassment lawsuit. His absence last night was attributed to the knee, not the suit, D'Antoni said. 'He just, again, hasn't practiced since the Dallas [game last Wednesday],' D'Antoni said, 'so I'm not going to play him until he practices.' D'Antoni's hunch is that'll be soon. ked how far Curry was from being able to practice, the coach said he wasn't sure. But he believes it should be today or tomorrow. 'I don't think it's far away,' he said. 'I would expect him to be there [today] or the next day for sure.'"
Mark Murphy, Boston Herald: "Kendrick Perkins has had a vision concerning his return to action that is as big as the NBA itself. Phoenix, and more specifically Shaquille O’Neal, makes its annual visit to the Garden on Monday, and the Celtics center knows he’ll be needed regardless of the state of his strained left shoulder. The Celts realistically don’t have another player to fill the role in this matchup, unless an LSU-on-LSU pairing of Glen Davis on Shaq floats your boat. But not so fast. The entire situation spells disaster, as far as Doc Rivers is concerned. The last thing the Celtics coach needs is his strongest big man putting a creaky shoulder in harm’s way just so he can battle the league’s most immovable force. Perkins says that if it was playoff time, he’d be playing right now. Rivers’ answer is that it’s not playoff time. 'Because it’s Shaq and (Amare) Stoudamire, I absolutely won’t listen to Perk,' the coach said."



Related: Suicide lines