NBA On TNT Notes The Valentines Edition: Charles Barkley Shows No Love For Post Katrina Development Efforts
TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com (broadcast live from Johnny White’s Pub and Grill in New Orleans)
Smith on all the NBA legends who return for the NBA All-Star weekend: “It’s like walking around and all your trading cards are walking around the building.”
TNT’s Craig Sager spoke with Mavericks guard Devean George who has blocked a trade involving New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd.
George on his feelings about blocking a trade between the Mavericks and Nets: “I’ve heard a lot about it being a selfish move, but right now I feel like I have to do what’s best for me in my career. I’ve been doing the dirty work for my teams I’ve played for and now I have a little chance to do what’s best for me. Me being comfortable here (in Dallas), being comfortable with the coaches, being comfortable with my teammates and the staff here…me being a free agent, I’m healthy, and I think it’s best to stay where I’m at to have a good free agency this summer.”
George on whether he will continue to object to a trade: “I know in my heart what I feel, I know it’s business, it’s not personal. I’m going to continue to do what’s best for me. There are other ways and opportunities to get things done.”
Miller on his reaction to George blocking the trade: “I think (George) would have a brighter future if he went to New Jersey. This is a guy who has been inconsistent on the floor for the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers. This could be a bright and new adventure for him to go to New Jersey. I’m surprised he’s doing this.”
Barkley on George: “I’m shocked (George) has that type of leverage. (The Mavericks) don’t want him; they gave up a lot to get Jason Kidd. He may be comfortable, but they don’t want him. It would be best for him to move on because it’s not going to hurt him in free agency.”
Johnson: “He’s making $2.4 million now.”
Miller: “He might make $2.41 million in free agency.”
Barkley, who after taking a tour of the devastated areas hit by Hurricane Katrina over one year ago for TNT took another tour to see the progress that has been: “I’m so disgusted by the federal government, the state and local government because they’ve done a miniscule amount of work. It’s embarrassing for those great people in the Lower Ninth Ward, Upper Ninth Ward and Central City. This government, federal, state and local, has to do a better service to these people. I’m going to keep harping on it. Everyone thinks because people come to Bourbon Street, stay in a nice hotel and get drunk…but for those people, especially those black people in the Lower Ninth Ward, it’s a disgrace what the government has done for them.”
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Game 1: Miami Heat (92) @ Chicago Bulls (99)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Mike Fratello with Cheryl Miller reporting
Fratello on the immediate impact of Heat forward Shawn Marion since arriving from Phoenix: “Everyone has noticed there is a difference in this team already, just the attitude, there is more excitement to them and I think they see there is something down the road that is going to be very interesting with (Dwyane) Wade and Marion.”
Fratello on the many distractions the Bulls faced off the court at the start of the season: “Scott Skiles is an excellent coach, that wasn’t the problem. The problem is the season started out with distractions with trade rumors of Kobe Bryant coming here and giving up three or four young (Bulls) players. Then contract situations came up because the young guys struggled early and the team lost early. The young guys turned down big salaries that they could have had by extending their contracts, then they started second guessing whether they should have done that.”
Fratello on his prediction that Heat coach Pat Riley will return as the Heat head coach next season: “I don’t think (Riley will retire), I don’t think he wants to go out this way. I think these two All-Stars of Wade and Marion (are) giving him much hope. All (the Heat) need are a couple of pieces and they’ll be right back in the hunt in the Eastern Conference.”
Riley on the lack of defense played by the Heat in the first quarter: “I think they are playing too much of this ‘Fratello defense,’ they won’t guard anybody, they don’t block out and I need to talk to Mike about that. I’m kidding, he’s one of the great defensive coaches of all-time and I’m embarrassed to have this kind of performance in front of him.”
Halftime
Miller on the report of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s finger injury and his decision to delay surgery: “If he puts off surgery it’s because he thinks the Lakers have a shot to win. Adding Pau Gasol puts (the Lakers) as the favorites over the Spurs and Suns.”
Barkley on the Lakers fate if Kobe Bryant gets surgery before the playoffs: “I don’t think (the Lakers) will make the playoffs if (Bryant) misses six weeks, as competitive as the West is. He’s got to try to play.”
Smith on Mavericks guard Devean George making a business decision by blocking his trade to New Jersey: “There is no allegiance in terms of teams, it’s all about business. Devean George is taking a business route. You can’t fault a guy for exercising his business option the same way a team exercises its business option.”
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Fratello on the Inside Trax segment of the Bulls and Heat coaches, with sound bytes from a low-key Jim Boylan and energetic Pat Riley: “One guy sitting back, ‘there you go baby, atta boy,’ and the other guy is stalking the sideline and pushing them throughout. There are your two guys, Jim Boylan- new school and Pat Riley- old school.”
Fratello on Heat center Mark Blount: “This is where (Mark) Blount has done so well for Miami in the last week in and a half and two weeks, he scores around the basket, he’s made those little inside shots which were non-existent at the beginning of the season.”
Fratello on Bulls guard Thabo Sefolosha driving to the basket: “If you look around and there’s no guy named Shaq there, (you think) ‘maybe I’ll take a chance and go right to the basket.’”
Game break
Smith on the impact of Nets guard Jason Kidd if he is dealt to the Mavericks: “Two weeks ago we said where Jason Kidd goes; it’s going to change the power of the West. Now it doesn’t because of all the news that happened prior to him possibly moving to Dallas; he doesn’t change the scape as he once would have if Shaq (O’Neal) and or Pau Gasol had not been traded. I don’t think he gives them a chance to make a championship, he makes them a contender, but not a championship team.”
Miller on the potential Mavericks/Nets trade benefiting the Nets more than the Mavs: “As much as I like Jason Kidd, I don’t think the trade is beneficial for the Dallas Mavericks, I think it’s more beneficial for the New Jersey Nets. As talented as Jason Kidd is, the Mavericks are not a running team so unless Avery Johnson changes his style, he’s a defensive coach.”
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Game 2: Dallas Mavericks (97) @ Phoenix Suns (109)
Announcers Marv Albert and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting
Collins on Suns center Shaquille O’Neal boosting the Phoenix Suns: “I thought that this Phoenix team had become stale, they were no longer that breath of fresh air in the NBA, that team that was playing the unique style since so many teams adopted their style. The thing I like about Shaq is he is such a proud man and he’s going to come in here and do everything in his power to make this work. The question is how healthy can he get, but he’s going to be motivated and he’ll do everything in his power to get this team in the right spot to get to the NBA Finals.”
Suns center Shaquille O’Neal on fitting in with his new Suns team: “I’m going to come in and fit in, it would be very idiotic to come in and demand 30-40 shots. This team is a well built machine, I’m just going to fit in. Rebound, out it to Steve (Nash), he’s going to give it to the guys, and when Steve penetrates to the hole, my man steps up, I’m going get the high percentage shot and I’m going to play their style. First day I got here I went into Coach Mike’s (D’Antoni) office and I said ‘don’t adjust to me; I will adjust to you guys. Period.’”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Mavericks coach Avery Johnson after the first quarter.
Johnson on needing to slow the pace down against the Suns: “The pace wasn’t in our favor early in the game, that’s why I wanted the timeout to settle us down, now we are playing at our tempo. We can’t play at Phoenix’s speed and have any success.”
Collins on Suns guard Steve Nash having occasional high turnover games: “Steve Nash had seven last night and he’s had some big turnover games this year, sometimes I think he gets a little bored out there and loses a little concentration.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Mavericks guard Jason Terry at halftime.
Terry on the Mavericks playing with a lot of energy: “We’ve been resting all year long; we’ve got a new motto ‘stay stronger, longer.’ This is the time of the year where we start to crank it up, we need to play 48 (minutes) so let’s do it.”
Halftime
Barkley on the founder of Johnny White’s Pub and Grill, who went to Barkley’s alma mater Auburn as well as Duke: “Anybody can get into Duke.”
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Collins on the Suns needing another forward on their roster: “When the Suns made the deal to get Shaquille O’Neal they gave up two perimeter players in Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Marion is a do-it-all forward that can guard a lot of players. I think that (general manager) Steve Kerr and his group need to go to work and find another forward to come in and give them some insurance. Grant Hill has missed a lot of games in his career and already dealt with an appendectomy (this season). They are thin along that small forward position after that trade.”
Albert on the strong performance of Mavericks guard Devean George: “What a nice game for Devean George, I’m told he dedicated the game to the Larry Bird exemption (preventing his trade).”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni after the third quarter.
D’Antoni on the Suns playing with a lack of energy: “We’ve just got to get our energy up, it looks like everyone is waiting for the break and waiting for Shaq, it’s almost like the two or three days before Christmas. We need this win and we are going to do it with energy.”
Collins on the efforts of Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and guard Jason Terry: “Playing four games in five nights, being on the East Coast and coming back, playing last night and traveling, I’ve got a lot of respect for the effort that Dirk Nowitzki has given tonight. This guy has worked so hard, along with Jason Terry, to keep this team in this game tonight, being so undermanned.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller
Barkley on the importance of the Dallas Mavericks making the trade with the New Jersey Nets to acquire guard Jason Kidd: “It’s going to be a very interesting All-Star break for the Dallas Mavericks because this (Jason Kidd trade) doesn’t get done, I don’t think they are strong enough psychologically to overcome that. With these next few days off, if the deal does not get done, they are in trouble.”
Shaquille O’Neal on his role with the Phoenix Suns: “When I was with other teams, I was ‘the guy’, I was the president, the vice president, I was ‘the guy’. Now that I’m (in Phoenix), this team already has a president in Amare (Stoudemire) and a vice president in Steve (Nash). So I’m just a senior advisor to the team.”
Miller on O’Neal’s comments that Stoudemire is the “president” and Steve Nash is the “vice president of the Suns: “Did he say that Steve Nash is the vice president? I don’t know about that.”
Smith: “What country are they in? That country is not right. Because in the country that I see, Steve Nash is not only the president but he might be the emperor of (the Suns). They do not go without Steve Nash. The offense does not go. He sets the tempo of the Phoenix Suns and creates the style of play. We always talk about how to be a great team; you have to have a style. They don’t play as much defense as they should but they have a style because of Steve Nash.”
Barkley on who will benefit most on the Suns with the addition of O’Neal: “The one guy who I think is going to benefit the most from Shaq (O’Neal) is Amare Stoudemire. (The Suns) needed a defender, they needed a rebounder and Amare has not grown into that role. (O’Neal) is going to be an enforcer for Amare Stoudemire.”
Barkley on what needs to happen in the rebuilding effort of New Orleans: “We need to put money in the hands of people who want to rebuild. And the people that don’t want to rebuild, they’ve got to give them something for their houses and their land. There are hundreds of homeless people living in ‘tent cities’ under bridges. The government should come in and tear the whole area down and rebuild these people’s homes. (The government) has collect one billion dollars and the people here say it’s almost impossible to get to that money. You would think that after three years (since Hurricane Katrina) that they would be able to get to that money that President Clinton, President Bush and the people of the United States gave to this situation. It’s a travesty.”
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