How happy does this make refs?
Today’s Panel:
First Half
Monologue: CP3 injury comes at worst time for Rockets
Yet CP3 wasn’t the only player to get hurt. There was this in the 4th quarter:
Harden did play the rest of the way, but didn’t look like himself.
With CP3’s injury, the Rockets lost all the momentum that they had built up over the last couple weeks
Last night, he played nearly 43 minutes on a second night of a back-to-back, including the final 32 minutes…straight!
So far this season, the Rockets are 0-5 without CP3
During his tenure with the Rockets, CP3 has missed: 31 of 130 games to injury (including the playoffs)
Overall in his career: Hamstring injuries have forced him out for extended periods on 5 separate occasions
How costly is CP3 injury to Rockets?
“It’s going to be very costly. This is a story these guys are getting used to. Hamstrings are so fragile. You’re going to have to give him proper amount of time to make sure he gets this thing completely taken care of and it still may not be enough time” – Scott
“This to me is about margin for error, which the Rockets don’t have. They don’t have the depth they did before” – Windhorst
“Chris Paul is not moving the same and that that contract is worrying them” – Windhorst on what execs have told him about CP3 this year
“He doesn’t have an off button. That’s just the make up of Chris Paul” – Scott
“This is why the Warriors are such a historically great team: Curry and Durant have had injuries, but they’ve got an MVP in reserve” – Windhorst
Rival GMs upset about LeBron talking AD? (Via Woj)
Click here to read more about this topic
“Tampering is pretty much rampant in the NBA. It’s not really even deemed wrong anymore. The NBA doesn’t want it to stop. They love the intrigue in their league” – Windhorst
“I don’t care what y’all think. It don’t matter! I hope it keeps going” – Scott
“All of these tampering rules are insane” – Nichols
December 21, 2005 – Jason Kidd to Vince Carter who finishes it with the nasty reverse alley-oop dunk vs the Magic!
Flash; Are you enjoying Dwyane Wade’s last dance?
Awareness; Funniest travel since Russ?
Last night:
2017:
Batteries; Does Montrezl Harrell ever get tired?
Batteries; Did someone unplug John Wall?
Miss; Should Hassan Whiteside call DeAndre Jordan for some tips?
Let’s…
Worst free throws in NBA History:
3) 2014: Tony Parker
2) 2017: Joakim Noah
1) 2012: DeSagana Diop
Moving on…
Trevor Ariza on Wizards problems: “We lack effort”
Via Candace Buckner of the Washington Post:
“Personally, I just feel like we have to do a better job of giving multiple effort. Basketball is a game of mistakes, and we know that we can make mistakes, but things that you can’t do is lack effort. We lack effort. A lot.” – Ariza
“They brought him there for his leadership. He comes in and he sees right away that the lack of effort isn’t there? That’s a problem” – Scott
“This team, when you look at their player personnel, they should be a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference” – Scott
Before the season started, Scott picked the Wizards to be in the top 4 in the East and is sticking with it
“They’re shutting Scott Brooks out. They’re not listening to him, all of a sudden, anymore. Something has to be addressed” – Scott
“They want him to speak up publicly and privately” – Windhorst
10 things I like and don’t like by Zach Lowe
Second Half
Zion toying with Knicks fans?
“He’s like NBA level already, make a joke and put it off on somebody” – Windhorst
“The kid has some humility as well. There’s 29 or 30 teams in this league that would want you. He’s going to be a great basketball player in the NBA for a long time” – Scott
“If he went to the Knicks and they have cap space and get KP back, you can flip the Knicks into a contender” – Windhorst
“The expectations are crazy on how good this kid is going to be. There’s a lot of similarities between him and LeBron” – Scott
December 21 marks the birthday of Basketball!
2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Nominees
“Chris Webber. Coached him in Sacramento when he was at the prime of his career and you talking about a guy that can do it all. He was a great leader. He was just one of the best players I’ve ever been around as a coach” – Scott
“Ben Wallace. He was a guy who was the best defensive player in the league over a 5-6 year span. He completely ruled the paint when he was in there, he completely changed the game. He’s being penalized a little bit because he was not a great offensive player. He was a champion” – Windhorst
“Chauncey Billups. I covered this team [Pistons]. I was around them everyday. Just his leadership and a guy who started his career where thought he was falling short of expectations, bounced around from team to team throughout the league, people whispering that maybe he didn’t have the right attitude to be a leader in the NBA. He showed how much character he has, basketball skill he has and when that team needed him to make a play, he made it and they won a championship over a team [Lakers] that was heavily favored to beat them” – Nichols
Byron Scott on Rick Adelman:
“He was one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around. Very unassuming, never got enough credit for the things he was able to accomplish as a coach, didn’t like all the fanfare, he was just a guy that just came to work. You look at every organization he went to, they won. Great offensive coach”
Draymond’s agent: “Dustup with KD was bound to happen” (Via Greg Papa Show)
“Those young men, had a misunderstanding — whatever that misunderstanding was. And then they figured it out and they moved on. That’s what great teammates do.” – BJ Armstrong
“No. I don’t believe it for one second that this is cleared up. Do you think Kevin Durant is really just going to forget about that? No. I don’t buy it” – Scott
“Have they moved past it? That is only a question that those two men can answer. I have to wait to hear what those two guys say” – Windhorst
Does it matter Buddy Hield is actually 26 years old (and not 25)?
“I need more information to figure out exactly when this happen. Certain international players, there is questions among scouts about the honesty of their ages. It’s been an issue from players in China, Africa, The Caribbean” – Windhorst
“It’s only a year, if that’s what it is, so it don’t bother me one bit” – Scott
December 21, 1996 – Michael Jordan with the beautiful up-and-under layup vs the Heat!
Other nominees for the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Class:
Mark Cuban: “NBA would improve if American kids trained in Slovenia” (Via EuroHoops)
“That ticks me off in so many different ways. You’re downing our American kids here on how to play the game of basketball. To throw that type of shot at our kids is disheartening to me. This shot is totally uncalled for” – Scott
“This is not relevant and not necessary” – Windhorst
