Doc Rivers on Phoenix guard Steve Nash's role and what third-year Boston guard Rajon Rondo can learn from Nash, who is in his 13th NBA season:
"Every game Steve's agenda is to make his teammates better and he does it each night. He does it some nights by scoring and some by passing.
The one thing that Rondo can learn from Nash is Nash may not play well every night, but he doesn't have an off night mentally. He has a great mental focus every single game. I've never seen him play in a game where he has no focus or low focus. Young players, in general, are up and down in that area. The great ones, like Steve, are always dialed in."
1.24.2009
JOHN PELPHREY - KEEP HAMMERING AWAY
John Pelphrey's Arkansas team won 12 of its first 13 games of the season before losing their first three games in SEC play.
But Coach Pelphrey hasn't changed his approach:
"Whether we're in the middle of something great like going 12-1 or in the middle of something difficult like being 0-3, you try to be consistent and keep hammering way. You never know what swing it's going to be that shatters that boulder. You just keep hammering away."
But Coach Pelphrey hasn't changed his approach:
"Whether we're in the middle of something great like going 12-1 or in the middle of something difficult like being 0-3, you try to be consistent and keep hammering way. You never know what swing it's going to be that shatters that boulder. You just keep hammering away."
BENCH PLAYERS
Last night against the Dallas Mavericks, Rip Hamilton came off the bench for only the first time in his seven seasons as a Piston.
Hamilton's reaction?
"They told me I was coming off the bench, that it was something coach Michael Curry wanted and I said, 'Fine, cool.' The bottom line is you want to win games. If this is the best way we can win a championship, then I am all for it."
Some bench players say they prefer coming off the bench because it gives them an advantage:
"Coming off the bench allows you to see what's going on," said Tennessee Wayne Chism, who came off the bench against Vandy the other night to go for 20 points and 7rebounds. "You're able to see what's working and what's not working and use that to your advantage."
The value of a good bench can't be overstated. Just last night, in a win over WAS, the Lakers bench played a key role. "The bench was what broke the game open for us, actually," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Sasha, Trevor, Lamar."
LA's Lamar Odom, who until this season had started nearly every game he's played in during his 10-year pro career, takes pride in his role with this year's Laker team:
"Every game when me and Trevor are checking into the game, I tell him, 'Let's change the game. Let's change it. Whether it's offensively, defensively or the intangibles.' Our depth is important to us. As a team, we're proud of it. It makes our practices very competitive. Hopefully it'll help us down the stretch."
Hamilton's reaction?
"They told me I was coming off the bench, that it was something coach Michael Curry wanted and I said, 'Fine, cool.' The bottom line is you want to win games. If this is the best way we can win a championship, then I am all for it."
Some bench players say they prefer coming off the bench because it gives them an advantage:
"Coming off the bench allows you to see what's going on," said Tennessee Wayne Chism, who came off the bench against Vandy the other night to go for 20 points and 7rebounds. "You're able to see what's working and what's not working and use that to your advantage."
The value of a good bench can't be overstated. Just last night, in a win over WAS, the Lakers bench played a key role. "The bench was what broke the game open for us, actually," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Sasha, Trevor, Lamar."
LA's Lamar Odom, who until this season had started nearly every game he's played in during his 10-year pro career, takes pride in his role with this year's Laker team:
"Every game when me and Trevor are checking into the game, I tell him, 'Let's change the game. Let's change it. Whether it's offensively, defensively or the intangibles.' Our depth is important to us. As a team, we're proud of it. It makes our practices very competitive. Hopefully it'll help us down the stretch."
1.23.2009
BRANDON ROY
Six winters ago, Brandon Roy was ineligible and insecure, cleaning out containers in a shipyard.
Last night Brandon Roy became the second player in the 107-season history of basketball at Washington to have his jersey retired.
"I really can't put this into words," Roy said.
The kids were waiting for prime courtside seats to see Roy's UW jersey No. 3 hung in the arena's rafters. Roy chose the number at Washington to honor his older brother, who wore it as a high school star before troubles derailed his chance at college.
"One of two players in 100 years of basketball? That's amazing," Roy said.
Roy failed to get qualifying college entrance scores out of Seattle's Garfield High School in 2002. His scores improved so dramatically when he took the SAT a second time the disbelieving NCAA's clearinghouse rejected them as invalid. So he took it again -- and his scores were lost. Then they were found.
The NCAA cleared him for eligibility. UW did not, initially.
Months of what should have been his freshman year passed, darkly. The Huskies' season began and Roy was a confused teen, shut out of college and the arena in which he is now immortalized. He needed a purpose, a job.
So Roy scrubbed industrial spills out of the insides of shipping containers in the rugged, cold shipyards in downtown Seattle.
"The doubt definitely crept in my freshman year," Roy said, chuckling. "I thought, 'Man, I'll never have that chance to prove myself."
His family kept encouraging him, saying everyone's story is different "and this one is yours." Each day, his co-workers at the shipyard made sure Roy didn't see the docks as a dead end.
"That taught me a lot, sitting with those guys. They would say, 'When you get a chance to go to college, make the most of it,'" Roy said.
Romar remembers as if it was yesterday the January day in 2003 when he told Roy that Washington had declared him eligible. They hugged and held on for what Roy said had to be five minutes.
"That was probably the most special day of my life," Roy said.
He refused to redshirt because he was so eager to play. But for the next couple seasons, he quietly sat back and let teammate Nate Robinson, now with the New York Knicks, get the accolades as Washington soared into the nation's elite.
Washington needed Roy to rebound, so he led the Huskies in that.
Then Roy missed much of his junior season with a knee injury. He returned mainly as a sixth man, content to ease his way back in, to not disrupt the chemistry of a team that was on its way to another NCAA tournament.
He took over in his senior season, averaging 20.2 points and scoring the fourth-most points in a UW season. He passed. He rebounded. He shut down opponents' best scorers. The Huskies went 26-7 and reached another regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament.
"Brandon Roy separates himself from any era. You can't match what he did. Brandon's in a class by himself," he said.
Last night Brandon Roy became the second player in the 107-season history of basketball at Washington to have his jersey retired.
"I really can't put this into words," Roy said.
The kids were waiting for prime courtside seats to see Roy's UW jersey No. 3 hung in the arena's rafters. Roy chose the number at Washington to honor his older brother, who wore it as a high school star before troubles derailed his chance at college.
"One of two players in 100 years of basketball? That's amazing," Roy said.
Roy failed to get qualifying college entrance scores out of Seattle's Garfield High School in 2002. His scores improved so dramatically when he took the SAT a second time the disbelieving NCAA's clearinghouse rejected them as invalid. So he took it again -- and his scores were lost. Then they were found.
The NCAA cleared him for eligibility. UW did not, initially.
Months of what should have been his freshman year passed, darkly. The Huskies' season began and Roy was a confused teen, shut out of college and the arena in which he is now immortalized. He needed a purpose, a job.
So Roy scrubbed industrial spills out of the insides of shipping containers in the rugged, cold shipyards in downtown Seattle.
"The doubt definitely crept in my freshman year," Roy said, chuckling. "I thought, 'Man, I'll never have that chance to prove myself."
His family kept encouraging him, saying everyone's story is different "and this one is yours." Each day, his co-workers at the shipyard made sure Roy didn't see the docks as a dead end.
"That taught me a lot, sitting with those guys. They would say, 'When you get a chance to go to college, make the most of it,'" Roy said.
Romar remembers as if it was yesterday the January day in 2003 when he told Roy that Washington had declared him eligible. They hugged and held on for what Roy said had to be five minutes.
"That was probably the most special day of my life," Roy said.
He refused to redshirt because he was so eager to play. But for the next couple seasons, he quietly sat back and let teammate Nate Robinson, now with the New York Knicks, get the accolades as Washington soared into the nation's elite.
Washington needed Roy to rebound, so he led the Huskies in that.
Then Roy missed much of his junior season with a knee injury. He returned mainly as a sixth man, content to ease his way back in, to not disrupt the chemistry of a team that was on its way to another NCAA tournament.
He took over in his senior season, averaging 20.2 points and scoring the fourth-most points in a UW season. He passed. He rebounded. He shut down opponents' best scorers. The Huskies went 26-7 and reached another regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament.
"Brandon Roy separates himself from any era. You can't match what he did. Brandon's in a class by himself," he said.
1.10.2009
KOBE BRYANT
Here is an observation by Eric Musselman the former NBA coach while watching Kobe Bryant during his game against the Warriors:
During Kobe's pre-game and halftime warm-ups, unlike a lot of guys, he isn't chatting or casually shooting. He's focused & taking game-speed jumpers. Its that kind of focus and preparation that separates him from the other elite players. Kobe takes advantage of every minute he is on the floor and it’s that tiny bit of extra focus that can make a big difference.
During Kobe's pre-game and halftime warm-ups, unlike a lot of guys, he isn't chatting or casually shooting. He's focused & taking game-speed jumpers. Its that kind of focus and preparation that separates him from the other elite players. Kobe takes advantage of every minute he is on the floor and it’s that tiny bit of extra focus that can make a big difference.
GARY WILLIAMS
Longtime Maryland coach Gary Williams points out that for a team, there has to be a consistent level of commitment across the board:
"To be a good team... it's just a matter of if everybody makes the same commitment; there's always going to be one guy that's better than the others. But the team's got to get over that. You're doing everything you can to help us win. In other words, for us to win, that guy's got to get those points. Everybody's got to have their role and accept the fact that points aren't the answer to whether a team's successful or not."
"To be a good team... it's just a matter of if everybody makes the same commitment; there's always going to be one guy that's better than the others. But the team's got to get over that. You're doing everything you can to help us win. In other words, for us to win, that guy's got to get those points. Everybody's got to have their role and accept the fact that points aren't the answer to whether a team's successful or not."
CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl speaks on the addition of Chauncey Billups, the 12-year veteran, who has played in three NBA Finals. He has had an immediate impact on how the team approached the season:
"In a strange way, I think Chauncey has defined winning with this team as being the only reason why we play the game. In the past couple of years, it seems like we've won games, but that wasn't the only reason we played. His no-nonsense priority is that we're here to compete, we're here to win, we're here to represent the organization, we're here to represent the city of Denver and do it in a first-class way."
"In a strange way, I think Chauncey has defined winning with this team as being the only reason why we play the game. In the past couple of years, it seems like we've won games, but that wasn't the only reason we played. His no-nonsense priority is that we're here to compete, we're here to win, we're here to represent the organization, we're here to represent the city of Denver and do it in a first-class way."
1.09.2009
LOU HOLTZ
Below is a worthwhile passage from Lou Holtz's autobiography:
Every athlete who has ever played for me has heard me preach against the pitfalls of entering anything halfway. In my mind, a half-hearted commitment is worse than no commitment at all.
If you're on a team, you owe your coaches and your teammates your total commitment. If you don't -- if you're unhappy because the coach doesn't start you, or because you aren't getting as many touches as you think you should -- you are hurting yourself and the entire organization. You and the team would be better off if you played somewhere else.
Every athlete who has ever played for me has heard me preach against the pitfalls of entering anything halfway. In my mind, a half-hearted commitment is worse than no commitment at all.
If you're on a team, you owe your coaches and your teammates your total commitment. If you don't -- if you're unhappy because the coach doesn't start you, or because you aren't getting as many touches as you think you should -- you are hurting yourself and the entire organization. You and the team would be better off if you played somewhere else.
RON ARTEST
Earlier this week, the Houston Rockets won at Boston, holding the Celtics to 11 fourth-quarter points to snap a three-game losing streak.
After the game, Houston's Ron Artest credited his team's hard work for the win:
"We sometimes forget that hard work is more important than talent. Last year, Boston had hard work and they had talent. That's why they ran through everybody. I think we're just as talented, but we have to work harder."
After the game, Houston's Ron Artest credited his team's hard work for the win:
"We sometimes forget that hard work is more important than talent. Last year, Boston had hard work and they had talent. That's why they ran through everybody. I think we're just as talented, but we have to work harder."
HUBIE BROWN
Hubie Brown on coaching Jason "White Chocolate" Williams:
"I don't care if a player has got a style, as long as he makes no turnovers," Brown said. "As soon as you turn the ball over, then you've got to be accountable."
"I don't care if a player has got a style, as long as he makes no turnovers," Brown said. "As soon as you turn the ball over, then you've got to be accountable."
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