News and Notes From the Day
- Isn’t this special – LeBron James and Erik Spoelstra had a closed-doors meeting yesterday afternoon to discuss the struggles of the offense – nothing else. Does anyone else smell bull crap? In an attempt to quiet the rumors that LeBron has no issues with his coach said, “As far as me and Spo being frustrated with each other, I don’t think there is. I have Coach Spo’s back or whatever the case may be. This is who we have.”
- In more shocking news, Coach Paul Westphal kicked DeMarcus Cousins out of the Sacramento Kings practice on Monday. Coach Westphal gave no reason as to why Cousins was asked to leave practice. Cousins is headed down a path of self-destruction. Cousins needs to learn how to shut the hell up, follow instructions from his coach and earn millions playing basketball.
- Phil Jackson, never one who holds his true feelings back, is now expressing his concern and frustration that the Lakers have not been able to acquire a backup center to help shoulder the load with the absence of Andrew Bynum and Theo Ratliff. There are rumors out there that the Lakers have interest in Jake Voskuhl, but there has been little progress made on that front. I suspect that the Lakers will start seeking trades for a backup center by using the expiring contract of Maria Sharapova’s husband – Sasha Vujacic.
Top 5 of the Night
- Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 1 blocked shot. Wade will have to re-emerge as the leader of the Heat and take over the reigns if Heat want to win.
- Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. Just another normal night from Mr. Durant.
- Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and 5 steals. Westbrook and Durant are quickly becoming the most lethal duo in the NBA.
- Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz: 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. This is what the Jazz were expecting from this guy when they ripped off the Timberwolves this off-season.
- Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks: 27 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. You knew it would be tough to pull out a victory without Bogut and Maggette, but Jennings tried his hardest.
Fantasy Stud of the Night
Even though Chris Paul could not help his team get a win against the Thunder last night, he probably did enough to help your fantasy team get a great jump start for the week:
- 17 points, 2 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 steals.
What’s even more impressive is that CP3 only had two turnovers. Paul’s scoring has dropped this season, which can, most likely, be contributed to the fact that he is taking three less shots per game than his career average.
Dunk of the Night
What makes this dunk impressive is the fact that Westbrook was able to throw it down with the shot-blocking-machine of Emeka Okafor lurking behind him.
Deadbeat of the Day
For a guy that was getting a ton of hype in the off-season, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute is not taking advantage of the opportunities that he is getting. Here is his pathetic effort from last night’s game against the Utah Jazz:
- 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal.
For a guy that is also supposed to be a defensive stopper, he had an atrocious +/- of -17 – not impressive at all.
Hilarious Pic of the Day
“Karl Malone gotta do what Karl Malone gotta do.”
Karl Malone and Horace Grant really, really enjoyed playing with Luke Walton during their time in Los Angeles. The sad part is that Luke looks like he is really enjoying this instance of homo eroticism.
ATI