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                                  Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers

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                                  26-12-2011
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Lamar Odom says players haven’t tuned out Phil Jackson

The veteran forward laughs off a suggestion that the coach might have lost control of the team, a day after Jackson himself wondered whether Lakers players might no longer be responding to his coaching.

The Lakers coach opined after Friday's lopsided loss in Oklahoma City that the way players responded to his coaching would factor into his decision whether to return next season.

Lamar Odom laughed at the notion that Jackson had somehow lost the players.

"I don't think that's the case," Odom said.

In fact, Odom partly blamed himself for the Lakers' recent lapses.

"When you have a coach that's been around like that, it's up to Derek [Fisher] and Kobe [Bryant] and myself to start to bridge the communication to the newer and younger guys," Odom said.

Odom declined to elaborate on the identity of the "younger guys," but Sasha Vujacic had heated words with assistant coach Brian Shaw during Friday's game because he was angry that coaches were yelling out instructions to him.

In Saturday's game against the Houston Rockets, Jackson had no problem communicating with Jordan Farmar after the 23-year-old guard got caught in the air and forced a bad pass to DJ Mbenga that was deflected and almost stolen.

Jackson called an immediate timeout and chastised Farmar in the huddle.

Jackson, 64, is being paid $12 million in the final season of his contract.

"We want him to be here," Odom said. "It seems like he's a little more comfortable [physically], gets around a little better than he did a year ago. When you're working with somebody, you want them to be happy."

Jackson wasn't happy after the Lakers' 91-75 loss to Oklahoma City, telling The Times, "If [players] don't respond, you say, ‘no, this isn't the time for me to continue coaching.' If they do respond and we have the talent and we do the right thing and still can't win, that's a different story."

How'd that happen?

It was strange when a dispatch from Odom's Twitter feed popped up during the Lakers' game against Oklahoma City.

The post offered a link to a new bracelet Odom was selling but it was deleted within hours. Players are banned by the NBA from using Twitter during games.

"My bad about the twit malfunction during the game 2day," Odom wrote on his Twitter feed after the game. "My website is linked to my twitter and automatically updates [with] new posts."

In an interview, Odom reiterated that it was a case of bad timing. He is not expected to be reprimanded by the league.

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Joe Johnson said he will not sign a contract extension

So when Hawks captain Joe Johnson said he will not sign a contract extension and will play out the final year of his contract this season, it's strictly a business-of-basketball decision for the three-time All-Star.

"My sole focus right now is on this team and what we're trying to accomplish this season," Johnson said. "I have some goals set for this season for my team, and I have some individual goals set for myself as well. I really feel like I can be one of the elite players in this league, and it's going to be an exciting year."

Johnson, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, joining a deep and talented free-agent group that is headlined by reigning league MVP LeBron James and includes All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The Hawks made a four-year, $60-plus million contract offer to Johnson this summer, but Johnson said that he decided not to sign the extension after mulling it over during the offseason. However, anyone concluding that his decision not to sign is any reflection of his feeling toward his teammates or the franchise would be sorely mistaken.

"Like every other man in that locker room, I'm all in for my team," Johnson said. "I don't have any doubts that we're set for a big year, and that's all I care about. We've all worked hard to get to this point, and we're trying to get over that hump this season."

Johnson applauded the franchise's offseason moves, the re-signing of starters Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby and backup center Zaza Pachulia as well as the addition of veterans Joe Smith, Jamal Crawford and Jason Collins and the drafting of rookie point guard Jeff Teague.

"I think with the young nucleus we have with Josh [Smith], Al [Horford] and Marvin and Mike running the show, the sky is the limit for us," Johnson said. "Each year we've gotten better. And I look forward to those guys continuing to improve and our team making more strides as time goes on."

Tuesday's first practice of training camp ended like most every other practice the Hawks had since Johnson arrived from Phoenix in August 2005. Johnson was one of the last players to leave the floor. He stayed on the practice court for an hour, caught up in an ultra-competitive 3-point-shooting contest with Bibby, Crawford and free agents Mike Wilks and Frank Robinson.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who also is in the final year of his contract, said Johnson's contract is the least of his worries.

"You can't worry about it," Woodson said. "It is what it is. He had an option to sign or not sign. Just about every other guy on this roster has been in a similar situation in his career before, and you still have to play no matter what your contract situation is."

Woodson pointed out Johnson's service record with the Hawks as proof that no one needs to concern themselves with what will motivate his All-Star this season.

"Joe's been such a big part of the growth and movement we've made as a franchise, so I wouldn’t expect anything but his best as always," Woodson said. "He's not going to let up, I promise you that. We talked about it at our [team dinner Monday]. This team means a lot to him, and we've got some goals that we've set that we all want to accomplish. There's a time and a place for the business that he'll have to deal with. And that's later. But that's not anyone's concern but his. And it should stay that way."

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Phil Pressey gives oral commitment to MU

Point guard Phil Pressey has given Missouri an oral commitment in basketball, multiple sources have told The Star and PowerMizzou.com, an Internet site on the Rivals network.
Pressey, rated the No. 54 overall player in the nation by Rivals for the 2010 recruiting class and No. 13 in the nation among point guards, was not immediately available for comment. He was believed on his way back to Texas after taking an official visit to Missouri during the weekend.
Pressey, a 5-foot-10 senior at the Episcopal School of Dallas, has long been at the top of Missouri’s recruiting board.
He averaged 19 points, 10 assists and five steals a game last season at Episcopal and was also being recruited by Arizona, Baylor, Florida, Connecticut, LSU, Texas , Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Ohio State.
All along, Missouri hoped it had an in with Pressey.
His father, Paul — a former NBA player who is now an NBA assistant coach with New Orleans — and Missouri coach Mike Anderson were roommates as well as teammates in college in Tulsa.
Pressey has been a frequent visitor to Columbia.
On Saturday he showed off impressive passing skills and the ability to dunk in an open gym session at Mizzou Arena with current MU players.
Pressey joins 6-5 Ricky Kreklow, a shooting guard who is the son of MU volleyball coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow.
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Michael Jordan, a global icon who revolutionized basketball and marketing

Michael Jordan, a global icon who revolutionized basketball as well as sports marketing, will take his place among the game's greats Friday with his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jordan heads a stellar class of 2009 inductees, which also includes his 1992 Olympic Dream Team colleague and San Antonio Spurs standout David Robinson, Utah Jazz stalwart and '92 Dream Teamer John Stockton and longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

When they gather for enshrinement in Springfield, Massachusetts, Jordan, as usual, will be the undisputed superstar of the bunch.

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With his amazing aerial moves, intense leadership and the adaptability to change his game and use teammates when age took a toll, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association titles from 1991 to 1998, abdicating the throne in 1994 and 1995 when he made a stunning retirement at the age of 30 for an unsuccessful bid at playing baseball.

His first departure on October 6, 1993, return on March 19, 1995, and latest retirement in January of 1999 all commanded worldwide attention.

In addition to his starring role with the original 1992 US Olympic gold medal "Dream Team", Jordan became a popular pitchman for products worldwide.

Shoes bearing his nickname, "Air", helped Jordan make more than 100 million dollars a year from endorsements and salaries above 30 million dollars. Children all over the world sported replicas of his jersey number 23 as they tried to be like Mike.

His mega-endorsement deals paved the way for such super sports salesmen as golf star Tiger Woods, just as his on-court skills inspired later NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Jordan led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons from 1987 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998. He was a five-time NBA season Most Valuable Player and a six-time finals MVP.

He didn't win as many NBA titles as Hall of Famer Bill Russell, who has 11. He didn't score as many points in his career as Kareem-Abdul Jabbar or Karl Malone.

But Jordan's fierce competitiveness made him the quintessential clutch player, his career a seemingly non-stop highlight reel that needed no translation as it was beamed around the planet.

"He's the guy that always comes through in the clutch," said Phil Jackson, Jordan's coach at Chicago. "He's a winner and he's proven it so many times over and over again."

After Jordan's first retirement, in October of 1993, he took up baseball, the sport his late father had always wanted him to play.

When a baseball labor feud threatened to envelope Jordan in 1995, he returned to the Bulls, issuing a simple statement: "I'm back."

With Jordan -- wearing a new number 45 -- struggling in the wake of his layoff, the Bulls lost in the NBA quarter-finals that season.

He went back to number 23 and back to work in the off-season and the Bulls followed with the best season in NBA history posting a 72-10 win-loss record.

In his second NBA stint, Jordan didn't miss a single game, often playing more minutes than he did in his younger days.

After retiring again in 1999, Jordan became president of the Washington Wizards. He made an undistinguished return as a player for the Wizards before retiring again, and became a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006.
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Former Piston Joe Smith joins Hawks

Smith signed for the veteran's minimum of $1.3 million as one the NBA's youngest teams added some veteran leadership.

"The last month or so the Hawks have been coming hard at me," Smith told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "and that shows how much they wanted me down here and what they think I can bring to this situation."

A 6-foot-10, 225-pound power forward, the Hawks will be Smith's 10th NBA team -- he played for the Pistons in the 2000-01 season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 draft, Smith finished last season with Cleveland.

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