Lionel Hollins Can’t Remember Jerryd Bayless’ Name in Postgame Presser
Jerryd Bayless is the guy with a shiny head and a headband on the Memphis Grizzlies who sort of looks like Derek Fisher. He spells his first name with an odd “y” and has many identifiable characteristics, but Lionel Hollins had a rough time remembering his name at Sunday’s postgame press conference.
Hollins celebrated his 59th birthday back in October, so he’s hardly the oldest head coach in the NBA. However, he had himself a bit of a rough time getting his mind to remember the name of that guy on the Grizzlies who missed all those jump shots in Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs.
He was going off on a tangent about the Grizzlies needing outside shooters to be more consistent and started listing players.
Then came that moment of realization, a brick wall, and a furrowed brow, along with an awkward moment of silence.
Hollins took a quick glance down at the game notes and probably just looked down the list of zeroes in the “three-pointers made” column, where he found Bayless‘ name sitting pretty with an 0-for-2 on the night.
I’ve got two possible explanations for what went through Hollins‘ mind when he was busy forgetting the name of one of the two players that he actually gives minutes to on his bench.
First, he could have been replaying the number of times Zach Randolph looked completely overmatched when the Spurs ran a pick-and-roll at him, along with all of his missed shots within five feet.
It took so long to replay it all that there was a solid five-second gap of silence that created the flatulent brain of his.
Second, it could be another Hollins coaching tactic, which I’m hoping it was.
Hollis went out there with the intention of slighting one of his players at the press conference, so when he took a look at the stat sheet for the night he decided to call out Bayless.
He couldn’t have picked out Z-Bo or Mike Conley—it would have seemed too staged. However, Bayless would be a totally believable name to forget.
Now, Bayless has the motivation to come out next game and give Hollins a reason to remember his name, for better or worse.
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Derrick Rose Can’t Be Too Happy About What Bradley Beal Had to Say
Everybody has an opinion on the season that wasn’t for Derrick Rose. But it seems like whenever a basketball player talks to a local radio station, he’s asked to offer his opinion, which is what happened with Bradley Beal.
This has been one of the most unusual situations surrounding an injury that we’ve seen in a while. Rose was medically cleared to play, but he never felt confident enough to return to the court, leading to a constant back-and-forth about whether or not he would end up playing.
The Chicago Bulls’ season ended after the Miami Heat knocked them out of the playoffs. That was the end of the speculation, but it was hardly the end of the interest in everything that’s gone on with Rose.
Beal appeared on a Washington-based radio show and was asked his opinion on Rose not playing this season. Per Sarah Kogod of the Washington Post, he said:
That’s hard, because I’ve never experienced that injury. And I know what type of injury that is, it’s possible it’s gonna happen again. Knock on wood. But at the same time, you might have to give it a go. If you’re practicing for two months and everybody in practice is saying you’re practicing well, I figure you gotta give it a shot in a game.
But it’s his decision. I can’t really have a say so in it. If he doesn’t feel he’s mentally confident to be able to go out there and help the team, I guess I can’t really blame him for it.
Beal was then asked whether or not he would lose respect for a player who sat out despite being medically cleared to play:
A little bit. Yeah, I would. The type of player he is, and the mentality and competitiveness that he has, I think he would have gave it a go. I don’t know what was holding him back. I think he’s scared it’s probably going to happen again and he won’t be the same. But you’re never the same after an injury. But you just have to fight through it and do something else to be able to impact the game. I’m not sure what it is he has to do. I really can’t speak for him.
So, was Beal right to call Rose scared?
There had to be more than doubt in Rose’s mind that kept him from getting back on the court after doctors told him that he was good to go.
This seems like one of those situations where we’re never truly going to know what Rose’s mentality was throughout the season, so the conversation will continue until we hear something from Rose himself.
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Rapper: OKC can’t use my music
One of the biggest stars in music today is aggravated with a certain NBA playoff team choosing to play his music to pump up their home fans. Seattle based rapper Macklemore was informed by a Twitter follower that the Oklahoma City Thunder was playing his latest hit, “Can’t Hold Us”, to excite the home fans in the arena. Macklemore’s response was less than enthusiastic… RT @coug123: So apparently the OKC blunder are using @macklemore ‘Can’t hold us’ as a song to hype up the crowd in their arena — Macklemore (@macklemore) May 13, 2013 The song is a huge hit, just reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has over 25 million views on YouTube. It’s got a rhythm that would surely make it a crowd favorite in arenas and stadiums around the country – maybe not on the level of Seven Nation Army, but we’re dying for some new stadium tracks. And I’m sure Macklemore would love to hear it being played all around the country… just not fo…
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NBA Can’t Turn Its Back on Sacramento Kings Now
Who are these cats from Seattle?
Apparently a bunch of dudes who wipe their bottoms with hundred-dollar bills.
The group led by Chris Hansen that’s attempting to relocate the Kings raised its bid to a whopping $625 million. His offer comes after each member of the relocation committee advised to keep the team in Sacramento.
This Hansen dude is relentless—relentless, ambitious and loaded. But do the Kings have the NBA on their side?
David Stern had previously given the Sacramento group extra time to counter Hansen’s initial offer, which they did successfully. But Hansen keeps coming back like an irritating mosquito.
From the looks of it, the NBA is pulling for the Kings. But at what point do they let go? Hansen’s offers keep getting higher and higher, and the fear for Sacramento is that the owners will give in.
But would they really allow a move after the relocation committee advised against it? The NBA can’t turn its back on the Kings now, can they?
That would make that relocation committee’s advisement a serious tease to the city of Sacramento. Many believed the owners would follow their recommendation, which has raised the hopes of many fans.
The big vote comes on Wednesday, when the NBA Board of Governors will meet in Dallas. Relocation requires consent from 16 of the 30 NBA owners.
Hansen has said he plans to purchase the Kings whether the NBA allows them to move or not. His binding agreement with the Maloofs leads legal analysts to believe that the NBA won’t prohibit the sale with fear of running into antitrust issues and a potentially messy lawsuit.
But with enough support, the Board of Governors can block Hansen from moving the team to Seattle, a city that lost its team just a few years ago.
Though I’ve grown up on the East Coast my whole life, it would seem hard to envision a league without the Sacramento Kings. How about we let them stay and add a new team in Seattle through expansion? Seems easy enough, right?
We’ll find out soon enough whether the owners feel Sacramento is a necessary NBA city. But if they allow this move to go down, expect loads of backlash to fire from all angles and cylinders.
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Charles Barkley can’t tackle Shaq
The TNT studio crew gets physical.
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Derrick Rose: My brother and them can’t tell me what to do with my body
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has been the topic of so much speculation that there are plenty of NBA fans that would be good with not hearing his name mentioned for a few months.
That will be a unfulfilled request.
On Saturday, the Bulls will play the Brooklyn Nets in a winner-take-all Game 7 showdown.
The winner will advance to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
If the Bulls lose, Rose will spend the summer frustrated as poison darts will be shot at him from the world-at-large.
If the Bulls win, he will be under pressure to return to help his team face a Miami team that seems destined to run through Chicago like bad Mexican food.
Saturday, Rose provided a series of in-depth comments that shed some light into where he is at, how he is feeling, the pressure that he feels and what he has heard.
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Injury can’t stop Stephen Curry from legendary play
A possible left ankle sprain in Game 2 hasn’t halted the Warriors’ sharpshooter in the playoffs.
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Celtics can’t just stand and watch Pierce try to fly this bucket of bolts
The script wasn’t supposed to go like this.
Jeff Green and Avery Bradley weren’t supposed to lead the Celtics into the locker room as the team’s two leading scorers at halftime yesterday. They were supposed to be the sidebar to the main feature: Paul Pierce eating up the Madison Square Garden hate and spitting it back at the crowd with dagger after dagger. They were supposed to be the outlet for Kevin Garnett when the Knicks had no choice but to double-team him.
Yet, there they were. Leading the second-seeded Knicks in their place with Pierce and Garnett reduced to secondary roles as passers and decoys.
When the ad-libbing from the script stopped and folks stuck to their lines, the third quarter gave us the ugly muck of a game most of us had expected. The Celtics saw their lead dwindling.
“They’re getting closer”
The Celtics did what the Celtics do in those situations. They gave the ball to Paul Pierce and said “here you go, captain… do your thing.” It was like Han Solo pullin
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Key 2013 NBA Playoff Storylines That Every Fan Can’t Wait to See
“Now is BIG.”
That’s the slogan the NBA has been pushing, but as we draw nearer to the opening round of the playoffs, I’m inclined to disagree.
Now isn’t big. Now is huge. Monstrous. Gargantuan. Now is what we’ve been waiting for.
And so much more.
Every season we’re left hoping for a streamline of dramatic finishes, and this year certainly didn’t fail to live up to the hype. And neither will the playoff matchups.
There are so many storylines we’re eager to follow as the postseason is set to commence that it’s (almost) too thrilling.
We’re on the cusp of watching James Harden wage battle against his former team. On the precipice of seeing Carmelo Anthony trying to escape his normal playoff fate. On the verge of witnessing Dwight Howard‘s attempt to lead the Los Angeles Lakers sans Kobe Bryant. On the brink of watching the Milwaukee Bucks get pummeled by attempt to upset the Miami Heat.
And again, so much more.
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NBA Players Who Can’t Wait for 2012-13 Season to End
Those teams who have been eliminated from playoff contention are merely playing out the string at this point. Several players are doing exactly the same, but for an entirely different reason.
With the offseason rapidly approaching on the horizon, there are a number of high-profile free agents who don’t figure to be with their current teams at the start of next year. Some of these players are looking to land a long-term deal while others merely want the prospect of a starting job and/or increased playing time.
And then there are those who are keenly aware that they’re not part of their respective team’s plans moving forward. In these cases, an amicable separation is best for all involved, especially for the player: As the saying goes, one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.
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