Player Watch: Knicks' Harrington on a tear

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Dec 16 2008 2:00PM

Any doubt Al Harrington loves playing in New York? Once exiled in Golden State, the longtime favorite of Knicks president Donnie Walsh is now thriving with the Knicks.

"Feels like this was sent from God," Harrington said of the Nov. 20th trade that appears to have resurrected his career. "I couldn't have scripted it any better than this and I just want to take full advantage of it."

Playing in Mike D'Antoni's player-friendly pointfest, Harrington is scoring at a rate reserved for LeBron or Kobe. In his past five games, going into Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Big Al has torched foes for an average of 31 points a game.

The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week shot a solid 51 percent during that stretch and grabbed eight boards per game. Quick to credit D'Antoni for his surge in production, Harrington knew it would work from the first conversation with his new coach.

"He kept it simple," Harrington recalled. "When he first called, I was in L.A. in a hotel, and he told me he was excited to have me and that he just feels I have a lot of skills that he's going to be able to utilize.

"He left it just like that. No promises or expectations as far as doing this, that or the other, but he just knew with my skills and versatility that I'll be able to do a lot of things on the basketball court. He's allowing me to do it. He's given me that freedom to allow my game to blossom."

Harrington followed with a familiar refrain from guys who have played for D'Antoni, past and present.

"He instills confidence in you at all times," Harrington continued. "When I first got here, I think I was shooting at about a 20-percent clip and he kept saying, 'Al, I know you can make those shots as soon as you get your legs back.' He was giving me excuses and allowing me to relax and not put pressure on myself."

Walsh drafted Harrington out of high school 10 years ago and brought him back to Indiana in a 2006 trade. The longtime Pacers' executive, who took over as New York's president earlier this year, has always insisted Harrington deliver.

"Donnie was the only one who put expectations of me when he traded for me," Harrington said with a laugh. "He said, 'Bring your game,' and I knew what that meant. Donnie has watched me since I was a little boy growing up to a man. He knew what type of guy he was getting -- a hard worker, a guy who was very dedicated to the game and will play his heart out every night."

There has been some confusion about what actually is the best position for the 6-foot-9 Harrington -- power or small forward. There's no confusion with the Knicks.

"I'm a basketball player," said Harrington, averaging 25.4 points and 7.7 rebounds overall in 11 games with New York. "I can play point guard. I can play wherever you need me to play."

Options remain for Shaq

Barring an unexpected contract extension, Shaquille O'Neal can join the celebrated free-agent class of 2010. Funny, no one seems to talk about the next oasis for the Big Cactus.

Turning 38 in 2010 has a lot to do with the lack of LeBron-type buzz. But that's fine with Shaq. His focus with the Suns is adding to his collection of four rings. Whether he seeks out another deal is hardly a given.

"I have a lot of options, so I'll just take full advantage of my options," O'Neal said. "I'm very honest with myself. If it's over, I'll do a helluva press conference, we'll do a helluva party and we'll just do something else. But I haven't been thinking about that."

Despite being 36 and in his 17th season, Shaq remains productive. He's averaging 15.8 points and 8.6 boards, and is coming off a 23-12 night against New York on Monday.

Phoenix isn't one of the favorites in the Western Conference. The playoffs aren't a given in the Valley of the Sun. Shaq, at least, isn't ruling out one more magical run.

"I just have to be in the right situation at the right time, and you've got to be lucky," he said. "I might have four championships, but I'd be the first to tell you that three of them, we had a little luck on our side.

"Anything is possible."

Kleiza next?

Denver's search for legitimate frontcourt help will likely come by trade. The question is who will the Nuggets give up?

Linas Kleiza, off to a slow start, wonders if he's the next Nugget out the door. "We got Marcus [Camby] gone. We got [Allen Iverson] gone," Kleiza said, according to the Rocky Mountain News. "One day, I wake up and I might be gone. That's part of the business. Our biggest names have been traded. Whatever happens, happens."

The Value of Shawn Marion

Dec 16, 2008

Posted by: John Schuhmann Marion's defensive excellence often gets overlooked. Victor Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images One of the more interesting aspects of the great season that the Cavs are having so far is that they have Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract that they could possibly use to bring another star to Cleveland. It's fair to say that the Cavs are a half-level below the Celtics right now (even though point-differential analysis gives the edge to Cleveland) and marquee shooting guard or power forward could put them over the top. With that in mind, I read the rumor today that the Cavs could send Wally and Anderson Varejao to Miami for Shawn Marion. Now, what do we make of Marion, who's averaging fewer points and rebounds than he has since his rookie season? Has his value dropped in the last 10 months? Well, I say that points and rebounds don't tell the whole story. Granted, Marion is not as comfortable in Miami's offense as he was running alongside Steve Nash. That's clear. But I maintain that the Suns miss Marion more than he misses the Suns. I'll quote myself now: "Last year, the Suns' defensive rating before the trade was 107.9 (points allowed per 100 possessions), ranking them in the top half of the league. After the trade, it was a Milwaukee-like 113.0." Of course, Marion was reportedly unhappy in Phoenix and not always fun to be around. But even when he's grumpy, Marion is long, athletic and willing to play defense. This year (going into Monday's action), the Suns rank 26th in the league with a defensive rating of 111.8. This is why I don't think the Jason Richardson trade helps them much. Meanwhile, according to 82games.com, the Heat's defensive rating is 105.2 when Marion is on the floor and 113.7 when he's off it. Clearly, he helps their defense. And according to our own +/- stats, Marion is a +.052 per minute, second only to Dwyane Wade on the Heat. Back to the points and rebounds. Let's adjust for pace (because last year's Suns played much faster than this year's Heat). Just doing some quick math here... Marion averaged 21.8 points and 13.6 rebounds per 100 possessions in his 47 games with Phoenix last season. In his 21 games with the Heat this season, he's averaging 17.9 points and 12.9 boards per 100 possessions. So, it's not as big of a dropoff as it may seem if you just look at per-game numbers. If I'm Cleveland, I would do the deal (if of course, the report that it's being discussed is true). Varejao is also a good defender, but the Cavs aren't remarkably better or worse defensively when he's on the floor vs. when he's not.

Dec 16, 2008 5:49 PM EST Report Abuse

Western Conference Insider: The Yao effect

By Dave McMenamin, NBA.com
Posted Dec 16 2008 7:37AM

Colin Pine was a 28-year-old stuck in the world of business and academia before he met Yao Ming. And then the Houston Rockets called, looking for somebody to accompany Yao, their 7-foot-6 rookie, as he made the transition from China to the United States. Suddenly Pine was a translator that traveled the country with an NBA team and co-starred in an internationally released documentary, The Year of the Yao.

Yes, it's good to know Yao Ming.

Just ask 10-year league veteran Bonzi Wells, a one-time teammate of Yao's. He couldn't find an NBA team interested in his services this season, so he decided to go East -- as in Far East -- to sign with Shanxi Zhongyu in the Chinese Basketball Association. Wells' signing underscores a fringe benefit of being a teammate of Yao. Not only do you get the All-Star big man on your side, you get to appeal to a whole new rabid fan base in China and the employment opportunities that come with that.

Five current Houston players have shoe deals with Chinese sneaker companies (Shane Battier and Ron Artest with Peak; Luis Scola and Steve Francis with Anta; Chuck Hayes with Li Ning). And two former Rockets -- Kirk Snyder and Mike Harris -- have parlayed their exposure playing alongside Yao into gigs in the Chinese Basketball Association, just like Wells.

"I thank Yao every night," Battier said on Saturday with a toothy smile. "He's afforded all of us a lot of opportunities. We're very lucky to play with a guy who is so visible worldwide. In China, they know the Rockets. You go over there, they know every person on the roster, every player that Yao's ever played with and it's nice. It's nice."

Wells' move represents one final drip from the spigot that was flowing full force this summer, funneling established, American-born NBA players overseas. Double-digit NBA scorers like Josh Childress (Olympiacos, Greece), Jannero Pargo (Dynamo Moscow, Russia) and Earl Boykins (Virtus Bologna, Italy) all took their games international, as did California prep sensation Brandon Jennings, who chose to play for Lottomatica Roma in Italy rather than hack it in the NCAA.

"Bonzi's kind of crazy, you never know with him," said Brad Miller, his former teammate in Sacramento. "He just wants to play ball I guess. I'm sure he'll have a good time over there. He's still good enough to be an NBA player. [Stuff] happens sometimes in this league as you get older. I think this is an opportunity for him to play for a little bit. I'm sure he'll try to get back over here next year."

It's easy to forget that Wells, who struggled with his weight and his production in his last two seasons with the Kings, Rockets and Hornets, had a seven-season stretch from 2000-01 to 2005-06 in which he averaged 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Wells hit his apex as a pro with a torrid six-game series in the first round of the 2005-06 Playoffs against the Spurs, pumping in 23.2 points per game on 60.9 percent shooting (62.5 percent from three) to go with 12.0 rebounds per game for the Kings.

Wells is the third former Rocket to make the leap to the Chinese Basketball Association, but don't expect the league to become overrun with NBA journeymen just yet. The CBA only allows two players per team to be born outside of Asia.

"I think he's going to be the best [player in the Chinese Basketball Association] because before him Kirk Snyder and Mike Harris also played in China on two different clubs and they are dominating players in the CBA," said Shen Zhiyu of the popular Chinese publication Titan Sports. "I think Bonzi Wells is even better than both of them."

Said Yao: "I think Bonzi is a good player. He helped us out a lot last year with what he brings."

Yao got it all wrong. He was the one who helped Wells out.

Layups

As the Lakers Turn

Not even a 20-3 record can make Derek Fisher happy. Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

The Lakers are off to a 20-3 start and have the best record in the Western Conference. So, everything is happy in Laker Land, right?

Not exactly.

Team captain Derek Fisher called a players-only meeting in the afternoon prior to Los Angeles' game with Sacramento on Friday night to address slippage in the team's play that has left everybody a little "edgy," as Kobe Bryant put it.

"We're doing some decent things out there," Fisher said. "It's not all doom and gloom. It's very early in what will be a very long season and it's difficult to hold it at such a high level every night, all season long. But there are some things that you can hold there every night and that's just the right mentality, the right attitude towards playing as a team. So those are the basic things we don't want to let slide. Regardless of the X's and O's, how many points a team is scoring or whatever; it's important to us that when you look out there and we're watching from the bench, whoever is in the game, that we look like a team, we look like we're playing together, we look like we're playing hard."

Head coach Phil Jackson apparently thought some shake-up was necessary as well. He replaced Vladimir Radmanovic with Luke Walton in the starting lineup in order to "get the ball moving from side to side better." Walton has done his part with 16 assists in his three starts.

"It was the right time to do it, I think," Pau Gasol, the Lakers' most consistent player this season, said of the closed-door meeting. "The message was if you want to play to win a championship, you have to do certain things every single game."

Coaching Any Way He Can

Most head coaches make themselves scarce before the game, huddling in their coach's office to go over last-minute preparation and not taking the court until it's time for tipoff. New Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale was seen on the court in slacks and a sweater before Minnesota played in Los Angeles on Sunday, holding a bottle of Diet Pepsi in one hand and instructing Wolves forward Ryan Gomes on the fine art of the pivot.

Minnesota assistant Ed Pinckney told me that the team has had the chance for only one real practice since McHale took over for Randy Wittman. McHale and the coaching staff take one or two points of emphasis that they want to change and introduce them to the team during walk-through practices on game days. Pinckney cautioned that they don't want to put too much out there for the players to have to focus on while they have a game immediately on the horizon.

"It's hard," McHale said. "You got an hour walk-through [practice] because you have a game that night but you probably got four hours of stuff you want to go over."

The Wolves, 0-4 under McHale, return home this week, when they will have the opportunity for several practices.

Eastern Conference Insider: Celtics, Cavs enter 70-win talk

By Rob Peterson, NBA.com
Posted Dec 10 2008 12:14AM

As the NBA season passes the quarter mark, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers have begun flirting. Not with each other, mind you, but with two historic numbers: 70 wins and a .854 winning percentage (or for you statistical sticklers, .8536).

Based simply on their 20-2 record and a .909 winning percentage, the defending champs are on pace for a blistering 75 wins (74.5 wins, but we rounded up). The Cavaliers, at 17-3 and a .850 winning percentage are on pace for 69.7 wins. Considering we play full games in the NBA and that we rounded up for the Celtics, we'll extend the same courtesy to the Cavs; 70 it is.

Every NBA fan knows only one team has ever reached the magical 70-win plateau: the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who tore up the league with a 72-10 record for a .878 winning percentage. While it's too early to definitively say the Celtics or the Cavs (or the 17-2 Lakers) can realistically reach 70 wins, it's never too early to speculate about making history. In his Dec. 5 PER Diem column, ESPN.com stats guru John Hollinger projected the Cavs, not the Celtics or the Lakers, have the best chance of reaching the 70-win plateau. Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry poo-pooed such speculation.

"I don't pay attention to projections," Ferry said. "For this early in the season, the players and coaches have worked hard and have really put together a bunch of good games together. We like our team and we need to focus on trying to find ways to improve."

Ferry's comments come exactly one year after Boston coach Doc Rivers made similar comments to the Chicago Sun-Times after his Celtics started last season at 17-2.

''The record's nice and all that, but that's not our goal,'' Rivers told the Chicago Sun-Times on Dec. 9, 2007. ''I don't even know what our record is, but whatever it is, that's not what our goal is. We're just trying to get better and improve.

"You know, we've won games, but we can be a better basketball team. Everybody in our locker room, as long as they have that understanding, we're going to be OK.''

They were more than OK. Boston also started last season at 20-2 and had a 70-win pace after 35 games with a 30-5 record, but they never had a .854 winning percentage at any time after that. They reached 51-12 before losing game No. 13 at home to Utah on March 14.

With 70 gone, the Celtics focused on another number: 17, as in the franchise's 17th title. Three months later, they had it after defeating the Lakers in The Finals.

In the end, that's what matters most: an NBA championship. Through 20 games this season, Ferry believes the Cavs have built a solid foundation on both ends of the floor.

"Our offensive efficiency has been really good," Ferry said. "We have done a great job of moving the ball. Even more important, our players have established a strong defensive identity early in the season."

The stats bear out Ferry's comment. NBA.com's John Schuhmann notes in his latest Power Rankings, in which the Celtics and the Cavs are one-two, Cleveland has the league's best offense (116.0 points per 100 possessions) and the second-best defense (101.1 points per 100 possessions).

Still, fast starts don't guarantee successful finishes. In addition to last season's Celtics, two other teams in the last three seasons have had a 70-win pace with one-quarter of the season gone: the 2005-06 Pistons and the 2006-07 Mavericks.

Detroit set a sizzling initial pace winning 37 of its first 42 games for a .881 winning percentage. The Pistons, however, would go 12-7 in their next 19 games. The Pistons' quest for 70 ended when they were defeated by the Knicks on March 17, 2006 for their 13th loss of the season.

In 2007, the Mavericks made it all the way to 62-12 before their road to 70 wins stopped with a loss to Denver on April 6, 2007.

The Pistons finished 64-16 but fell to LeBron James' Cavs in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Mavs didn't even make it that far in the postseason. After posting the sixth-best regular season record in history at 67-15, the top-seeded Mavs fell to the Golden State Warriors in the First Round in six games.

As you can see, the road to 70 wins is littered with the bones of some quality NBA squads. Still, it's extremely rare to see three teams play at such an exalted level even for the first quarter of the season. And with the Celtics and the Cavs pushing each other for the top seed in the East, NBA fans -- and opponents -- could continue to see these two teams pursue excellence while they pursue each other.

"Like every team we will have our challenges but the team has really started to build good habits as a group," Ferry said. "They have had really good focused practices and players have had a one-game-at-a-time mindset."

One game at a time? Yep, but they're still a long way from 70.

Layups

Defensive bailout in Detroit

Meanwhile in Detroit, Rodney Stuckey will move into the starting lineup. After a dispiriting 12-point loss Sunday to the Knicks in New York, Pistons coach Michael Curry demurred about moving Stuckey into the starting lineup. On Monday after practice, Curry made it official.

The 6-foot-5 Stuckey provides more of a defensive impediment at the point than the 6-foot Allen Iverson. The move lets the Pistons set two of the toughest guys to catch in Iverson and Richard Hamilton free on the wings. Tayshaun Prince moves to power forward and Rasheed Wallace slips down to the post.

The Pistons received another boost today when they re-signed Antonio McDyess, whom they shipped to Denver as a part of the Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade. McDyess should provide a much-needed defensive post presence for the suddenly defenseless Pistons. In the first half on Sunday, the Knicks got into the lane at will against Detroit. After the Pistons inserted Stuckey into the lineup in the second half, the Knicks' ventures inside became far less frequent.

Curry said Sunday he will continue to bring McDyess off the bench.

Cuttino Mobley update

Knicks president Donnie Walsh said Sunday the New York Knicks expect a decision this week on Cuttino Mobley, whom New York acquired along with Tim Thomas in exchange for Zach Randolph last month. Mobley has undergone medical testing for an enlarged heart.

"It's his decision," Walsh said. "It's his health."

And if everything checks out?

"Then it's our decision."

With Nate Robinson nursing a sore groin and Most Improved Player candidate Chris Duhon suffering from back spasms, the Knicks are hurting at guard.

North of the border going South

When the Raptors relieved Sam Mitchell of his clipboard last week, they named Jay Triano interim head coach and made history. Triano is the first Canadian to lead an NBA team.

Unfortunately, the Raptors' luck hasn't changed yet as they've lost their first two games with Triano as coach. It doesn't get any easier as the 8-11 Raptors meet the streaking Cavaliers in Cleveland on Tuesday.

Analysis: McHale heads to bench to deal with Wolves' mess

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Dec 8 2008 1:36PM

A fourth coaching pin fell today and it comes as no shock. The Timberwolves relieved Randy Wittman of his job, though he should feel relieved after dealing with rumors of his imminent demise all season.

Wittman hasn't lived up to the "goals and expectations" considering the "talent" he had to work with, according to Wolves owner Glen Taylor. Those are curious claims considering what Wittman had to run out there every night courtesy of Kevin McHale and Taylor.

Wittman could have coached Brandon Roy and O.J. Mayo. Instead, he had Randy Foye and Kevin Love. Those draft-day moves go on McHale's ledger and perhaps it's time for Minnesota's favorite basketball son to answer for them. McHale stepped down from his post as VP of basketball operations to coach the Wolves once again.

His last stint on the bench came during the final 31 games of 2004-05 after Flip Saunders, easily the most successful coach in franchise history, was ousted. The Wolves did go 19-12 under McHale and finished 44-38, but missed the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

Since McHale put this team together, he ought to be the one dealing with this 4-15 mess. Other than power forward Al Jefferson, the rest of the roster is either unrealized potential or veterans, such as Mike Miller, who aren't part of the future. Taylor sounds as if he's not letting McHale off the hook lightly.

"It is my expectation that Kevin will be able to get the most out of our team and our players," Taylor said in a statement released by the team.

Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale will have plenty of work to do to right Minnesota's ship. David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

The Wolves could have as many as four first-round picks next summer. Minnesota needs to hit big in the Draft and/or put together a package to ease the pressure off Jefferson, while helping the development of Foye, Love and Corey Brewer, who recently suffered a season-ending knee injury.

"I truly believe that we have a talented group of players in our locker room who have a great amount of potential," McHale stated. "I'm confident that we can get this turned around and get back to playing a brand of basketball that our fans can be proud of."

Wittman probably wasn't the guy in Minnesota. His record (38-105) in nearly two full seasons on the job suggests as much. The thing is the Wolves may have had the right guy in place in Dwane Casey, who took the ax midway through his second season as coach.

Minnesota was 20-20 in 2006-07 as Casey coached the Wolves team fronted by Kevin Garnett. Those weren't the KG-Spree-Cassell Wolves. They were the KG-Ricky Davis-Mark Blount version.

Minnesota was only 33-49 in Casey's first season, but the Wolves made the kind of improvement the next season that Wittman was fired for not making in this one. Wittman finished out '06-07 at 12-30 and the Wolves haven't sniffed .500 since.

Wittman now joins the millionaire unemployment line with P.J. Carlesimo, Eddie Jordan and Sam Mitchell. Of the four coaches canned this season, Wittman and Carlesimo didn't have realistic playoff expectations.

Other than Saunders, no coach has given more to the Wolves than Wittman. He spent 10-plus seasons, in three different stints, as a Minnesota assistant before following Casey. That's quite a run for a franchise celebrating its 20th season.

There hasn't been much to celebrate lately. McHale, you're up.

McGrady says he'll miss 3 weeks with knee injury

HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston guard Tracy McGrady will miss three weeks to rehabilitate his sore left knee, another blow to an injury-plagued season for the Rockets.

McGrady sat out Houston's last three games after starting the first 15. He had arthroscopic surgery on May 6, but said Tuesday that doctors have told him that the knee is not healed.

"Obviously, I came back a little bit too early," said McGrady, who was averaging 15.6 points. "I'm just not ready."

Tracy McGrady By The Numbers

Career vs. 2008-09 Averages

Season MPG FG% 3PT% FT% RPG APG PPG 08-09 33.0 .407 .417 .789 4.1 4.0 15.6 Career 35.0 .437 .338 .748 6.1 4.7 22.2

McGrady visited renowned orthopedist James Andrews on Monday. The team said Andrews confirmed the initial medical assessment by team doctor Tom Clanton that McGrady is suffering from general soreness in the knee.

Saturday will mark seven months since the surgery, and McGrady said doctors told him that his knee would require 6 to 8 months to heal. He said Andrews reassured him that he won't need more surgery.

"Now I've got some sort of peace of mind," McGrady said. "I don't have to worry about whether it's going to take the whole season for me to get healthy and what I've got to do for me to get back to 100 percent. I don't have to have to go under the knife again. I'm relieved."

McGrady felt like he was holding the team back, even though he's second in scoring, assists and steals. He was noticeably hobbled through long stretches of recent games and was shooting 40.7 percent from the field, three points below his career average.

"I don't want to be out there limping like I was and not really being myself," he said.

Luther Head started the last two games in McGrady's place. He scored 21 points in a 103-84 win over San Antonio on Saturday, but went 1-for-7 with only three points in Sunday's 104-94 loss to Denver.

Coach Rick Adelman has been juggling lineups all season because of injuries.

Shane Battier has missed 16 games already with persistent inflammation in his left foot, Ron Artest has been limited lately by a sprained ankle and Yao missed one game with a sore left foot, which was surgically repaired this spring. The Rockets said Monday that backup guard Brent Barry is out two weeks with a torn muscle in his right leg.

"It's kind of been a never-ending story this year, with guys in and out," Adelman said.

McGrady has been listed as "day to day" lately in the Rockets' game notes. He made a last-minute decision not to play in the Rockets' 91-90 loss to Indiana last Wednesday, then said he would miss two more games and visit Dr. Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

Adelman wants McGrady to take all the time he needs.

"When he does go out on the court, he's got to be able to push himself," Adelman said. "If he can't go through it, then it's best for him not to play until he feels comfortable doing that. That's been my stance right along."

Adelman acknowledged that McGrady's condition had become a distraction for the Rockets, who were 11-7 and leading the Southwest Division heading into Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"We just don't know when he was going to play, or if he was going to play," Adelman said. "If you know someone is out, you just go, you plug somebody in. It's been a problem, because Shane's coming back and you try to limit his minutes and Yao's minutes somewhat. It's not easy for anybody, but it's reality and what we have to face."

Battier said the Rockets are glad to finally have a definitive timeline on McGrady's status.

"You want certainty of knowing what you have going forward," he said.

McGrady missed 12 games last season with various injuries to the same knee and sat out nine games in 2006-07 with back pain. The seven-time All-Star is confident that as long as he rehabs properly, he'll regain his old form this season.

"I'm fortunate enough that I will be able to overcome this," he said. "I don't have to worry about losing any of my quickness, my explosiveness. I should be ready to go by the end of this month."