First Cup: Friday

• Peter Vecsey of the New York Post: "Kobe Bryant appeared to know exactly what was ailing his two-time defending team. Minutes after being manhandled by the Heat, he pronounced he was going to 'kick [butt] at practice ... and beat it into their heads. It was time to get the team focused.' Which brings us to the crux of my inquiry. How did Kobe propose to pull that off, a Lakers’ legionnaire wondered, 'when he hasn’t practiced the whole season (something no member of LA’s press has called him out on)?' Is that true, I asked Kobe? 'Yeah.' Why? 'Because I have very little cartilage under my right knee cap, it’s almost bone on bone.' Bryant has undergone three operations on that same knee, one this past offseason, after having it drained several times during last year’s playoffs. 'Until I got it drained the first time during the opening round against the Thunder I could not bend that knee at all,' he revealed. 'It was swollen as hell and it hurt like hell. Luckily things got a lot better once I had the procedure.' Kobe is 32. This is his 15th season. Including the regular season, the after-party and All-Star Games, he has played a total of 46,660 minutes. ...�The Christmas Day indignity countermanded the above strategy. The Lakers’ mental and physical lethargy convinced Kobe the team craved his practice presence if it was to regain its passion in time for the playoff pit. In his opinion, some teammates had gotten far too comfortable, and it had trickled down as a group that was dangerously looking ahead to June. Pau Gasol and others need him, he submitted, in their face, chest and game the same way Scottie Pippen and other Bulls needed Michael Jordan in theirs. Kobe hasn’t missed a practice since, and has a puffy right knee to show for it."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "Amar'e Stoudemire's wish was to stay in Phoenix but left over a chasm in guaranteed money. He took a maximum-level, five-year $99.7 million contract that is fully guaranteed over the Suns' five-year, $96.6 million offer with about $56 million guaranteed. The remainder of the Suns' deal would have kicked in if he played a comparably low minute total in his third and fourth years. The stipulation addressed the Suns' concerns about Stoudemire's knees and right eye, all of which have had surgeries. 'If they were looking to rebuild and thought I was the guy they wanted to rebuild with, then we could've came to an understanding,' Stoudemire said. 'But apparently it wasn't that way. It felt like I wasn't wanted. It felt like I wasn't appreciated. I felt like my play on the court was overlooked. If you have the best training staff and brag about the situation, my knees really weren't much of a concern. It was something that didn't make him (Managing Partner Robert Sarver) comfortable and he made a decision. I don't want to get involved in an amount-of-minutes situation because it becomes a control issue. You want to be able to play free.' Suns coach Alvin Gentry said Stoudemire was concerned that the Suns were going to remain mostly Steve Nash's team. Home fans chanted 'M-V-P' for both players."
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "It’s fair to say that 6.6 points and 2.0 rebounds is shadowy for a guy with career averages of 23.9 and 10.9, respectively. But this isn’t your father’s Shaq Daddy. Some of what he’s going through is fully explainable. He’s had lingering trouble with the right shin and calf injuries that begat him further problems when the anti-inflammatories did a number on his internal system. And O’Neal may not be so hip on attacking the offensive glass when he seems to knock down an opponent every time he expands his chest by drawing a breath. And maybe it’s just that time of the year. (How well does your car run in January?) But his Celtics bosses and teammates see through the figures. Or maybe they see other stats beyond the traditional. Yes, O’Neal had just four points and one rebound against the Spurs Wednesday, but in a game the Celts won by two points, the club was a plus-7 with him on the floor. 'I think he’s playing fine,' said general manager Danny Ainge. 'We’re producing when he’s playing. That’s the big thing.' ... The part of Shaq that is unseen — no small matter there for a guy who bats over 300 when he steps on the scale - is always a factor. He doesn’t have to score to create points. 'Him being out there is big for us,' said Ray Allen. 'We’re getting great starts in games. I hope he understands that we need him out there and he’s doing a great job for us, because he’s intimidating and he creates space. He allows us to do the things we need to do, whether he scores or not.' "
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: "Whatever hint of controversy there may be from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau keeping Carlos Boozer on the bench for the final 14 minutes of Wednesday’s loss at New Jersey will be forgotten quickly. Why? Because Boozer will be back on the court, no doubt playing heavy minutes, this weekend when the Bulls play Philadelphia and Boston. The Bulls spent Thursday in Philadelphia and since it was the lone off day during a stretch of four games in five nights, they did not practice. A message sent on Boozer’s Twitter account might have been meant as a sign he has already moved on. It read, 'Be thankful for the blessings we have … instead of worrying about what we don’t have…' "
• Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer: "Each time when it seems as if the Cavaliers have finally hit rock-bottom, they seem to find new ways to sink even lower. First, they lost 10 in a row. Now, they're in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, with a tough five-game road trip beginning today. They allow opponents to hit a record-setting number of 3-pointers (19 by Orlando), then play some of the most porous defense of the season (120 points by Toronto) and vow to correct it. And now? The team's best perimeter defender, according to coach Byron Scott, will miss the West Coast trip precisely when the Cavaliers have sworn to fix the defense. Daniel Gibson's sprained left ankle suffered in Wednesday's loss to Toronto is bad enough that he needs to remain in Cleveland to rest and rehabilitate it, Scott said. Gibson Tweeted that the ankle was as 'fat as a teradactal [sic] egg' when the team left for Oakland, Calif., on Thursday afternoon; there is no timetable for his recovery."
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "Throughout his eight-plus seasons in the NBA, Manu Ginobili has gained a reputation as one of the league’s best closers. Already this season, he hit winning shots to beat Milwaukee and Denver on back-to-back nights. So his Spurs teammates will forgive the botched final possession that sealed their 105-103 loss at Boston on Wednesday. 'On a regular basis, he’s made those plays for us, and he’ll make them again,' Tim Duncan said. 'This was just not the night for it.' The Spurs were down two with 7.3 seconds left, after a miracle comeback that had seen them score seven consecutive points in 17.5 seconds. Coach Gregg Popovich called for Ginobili to run a pick-and-roll with Antonio McDyess. The object was for Ginobili to read the defense, much like an option quarterback, and decipher the best shot -- either for himself, McDyess or another teammate. Boston’s Marquis Daniels and Paul Pierce blitzed Ginobili off the pick, and he couldn’t see McDyess rolling open to the basket. Instead, Ginobili had to force a 3-pointer, which Pierce blocked. 'It was too jumbled,' Duncan said. 'He just didn’t have enough space to see the floor and make a play.' "
• Jason Quick The Oregonian: "LaMarcus Aldridge made it clear this fall when he reported to Trail Blazers training camp: He would no longer talk about his aspirations of making the All-Star Game. At the time, he chuckled and said it looked a little ridiculous for him to keep returning year-after-year and profess that this would be the year he would make the All-Star Game, only to end up watching the game on television. Instead, he vowed that he was going to play this storyline with the All-Star of cliches: He was going to let his game do the talking. Chances are, many are beginning to listen after a three-week stretch in which Aldridge has been one of the NBA's best forwards. In the past 11 games, Aldridge is averaging 25.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 53.7 percent from the field. Although it's too early to tell if Aldridge will make the Western Conference All-Star team next month, one thing is certain: The Blazers big man has at least entered the conversation to be included in the game, which is more than he could say for any of his previous four seasons."
• Zach McCann of the Orlando Sentinel: "When the Magic acquired Gilbert Arenas, one of the biggest question marks was whether Jameer Nelson and Arenas could play at the same time. That question has yet to be answered. The two players haven't shared the court in three games, and with the team winning, Stan Van Gundy doesn't plan to change that anytime soon. 'Playing them together to get more minutes? Not right now,' Van Gundy said. 'I like the way our wing guys are going. But it's certainly a possibility. I look at this stuff every day. We're making sure they all get minutes, but we're trying to get more minutes to the guys who are playing better.' Arenas struggled against Milwaukee on Wednesday, posting six points and no assists in 13 minutes. 'I didn't like it,' Van Gundy said of Arenas' performance."
• Alan Goldenbach of The Washington Post: "Big men have not always fared well in the NBA's Slam Dunk Contest, but Javale McGee, who was selected this week as one of the four participants, said he's prepared to change that. 'I've seen Blake Griffin do some stuff on YouTube on some high school dunk contests,' McGee said. 'I got a lot of exciting stuff that hasn't been done in the dunk contest before.' Along with Kevin Seraphin and Cartier Martin, McGee spent the end of practice showing off a couple of moves, including going baseline and touching the ball off of the side of the backboard before trying to throw it down. McGee knows his history, and he replicated a windmill jam done by the first dunk contest winner, 6-foot-10 Larry Nance, in 1984. Aside from Nance, though, Orlando's Dwight Howard in 2008 has been the only big man to win a dunk contest. 'I'm gonna show some people that big men can dunk, too,' McGee said, 'just like Dwight did.' "
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "One day after being named as one of four participants in this year's slam dunk contest, Thunder forward Serge Ibaka said he hasn't given any thought to what he might pull during the annual event at All-Star Weekend. 'Right now, I'm not thinking about it,' Ibaka said. 'Right now, I'm thinking about playing well and helping my team win games. It's next month so we have time.' Ibaka said he is excited to be in the competition. He said last February that he wanted to participate after watching last year's event live in Dallas. 'It's something I think I can do and enjoy myself and the fans, too,' Ibaka said. Ibaka said he's aware of the feats of former OU star and current L.A. Clippers forward Blake Griffin, the heavy favorite to win. 'I watch his highlights,' Ibaka said. 'He goes high, and he can dunk. He goes hard.' "
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: "Where would the Raptors be without Jose Calderon? Head coach Jay Triano probably doesn’t want to even think about it, yet that was almost the case since Calderon was all but dealt to Charlotte this off-season before Bobcats owner Michael Jordan nixed the trade. With apologies to Jarrett Jack -- who ended up leaving when Calderon stayed -- the Raptors would probably have been in a dark place if the team’s longest-serving player had in fact been moved. Though many starting point guards are better overall players than the Spaniard and average far gaudier numbers, few are as crucial to their team’s offence as Calderon is to the Raptors."
• Terry Foster of The Detroit News: "Richard Hamilton, who used to be the heart of the Pistons offense (2002-09), has a new role this season -- coming off the bench for the Pistons, who carry a three-game losing streak into Saturday's home game against the 76ers. He averaged between 17.6 and 20.1 points from 2001-06, but is at 13.7 points this year. 'It's tough,' Hamilton said of his changed role. 'I try to stay positive with the new role and still try to attack the game the same way I used to. I don't feel like I lost a step. I feel like they are going in a different direction.' Hamilton said he could become a big-time scorer again -- if he were asked to be the go-to guy. 'Easy,' he said. 'I am not a guy who needs my play called all the time because I move without the ball and stuff like that, but when they cut my minutes (down to 26), it is even harder to perform the way you want to perform.' "
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Just a thought, and it won’t make me popular, but that never bothered me: Don’t you think many of the Charlotteans who had a cow Thursday over Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck staying in school are the same people who used to rage when an NBA lottery pick from North Carolina or Duke or Wake Forest passed on another season of eligibility? Can you say, 'Situational ethics’? I used to get these pretentious, angry emails from people when I’d suggest the vast majority of elite college basketball players should jump to the pros as soon as they’re lottery picks. I’d read that I was some pimp for suggesting a 20-year-old choosing to jump into the working world, at a fabulous salary, wasn't a bad choice. So I’d send a simple reply to those emails, asking which college program they root for. Funny, I never got a reply. Today, the kid going to one of the great universities on the planet decides he’d rather put off the adult life another year. And strangely (that’s the nicest word I’d use) many of you act like he ripped you off for deferring gratification. Curious: When Duke’s Kyrie Irving or North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes leaves his school for the NBA in March, are all you true-to-your-school types going to remember your anger that Luck passed on the Panthers? Didn’t think so."
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: "Drew Gooden's season hasn't gone the way he envisioned. He has been hampered by plantar fasciitis and a bruised left heel. Furthermore, the injury-ravaged Bucks have been slow out of the gates with a disappointing (13-20) record. Yet, Gooden is quite content in Milwaukee, especially when it comes to satisfying his hunger. 'Out of all the cities I've played in, Milwaukee has the best restaurants. And I'm including Chicago,' said Gooden, whose much-traveled career also includes stops in Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, San Antonio, Los Angeles and Dallas. 'The restaurants in this city are unbelievable. You got Italian restaurants, German restaurants, Tai, Chinese, American ... You name it, they got it here.' "

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/23673/first-cup-friday-128

Golden State Warriors Jacques Laffite Jason Leffler Dallas Mavericks Jonathan Edward Wood Carmelo Anthony