Category — John Wall

West 152, East 149.
Kevin Durant’s hot line: 36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

The Warriors, who have a history of botched deals, will be infamous for cutting Jeremy Lin, but so will the Rockets. Still, Golden State, with a huge Asian fan base in the Bay Area, looks like the biggest idiots after clearing more than $700,000 in cap room by cutting Lin to sign Clipper center DeAndre Jordan to an offer sheet. Of course the Clippers matched the offer sheet, the Rockets picked up Lin before cutting him and the rest is NBA history. According to Forbes, the “Lin brand” is now worth $14 million.
Forgive Warriors coach Mark Jackson, the former NBA TV analyst, for being a bit sensitive to it all. “I had nothing to do with Jeremy Lin,” said Jackson, who was angered by a tweet Spike Lee sent thanking him for cutting Lin. “I never saw him do a layup. Stop asking me. He never practiced for us, so leave me out of it.”
Right, right.
Yahoo Sports

Is that you Mitch Kupchak?
Several NBA clubs, including the Lakers, didn’t believe Jeremy Lin had the goods to make a decent point guard. Last night, Lin started for the Knicks and schooled John Wall with 23 points and 10 assists in a win for the New Yorkers. Lin also held his own against Deron Williams last Saturday, finishing with 25 points in another Knicks’ victory.
On Friday, he’ll face Derek Fisher and the Lakers and our money says he’ll do some more dealing.
Seriously Mitch, what’s up with that? And if you’re scoring at home (lucky you), the Mavs, Warriors and Rockets also cut ties with Lin, but those clubs have much better point guards than the Lakers.
N.Y. Daily News

Do the Clippers vote David Stern a share of playoff coin if they win it all?
In a poll of 30 ESPN writers and personalities, 25 of them picked the Heat to win this season’s NBA title. Three of them picked the Bulls and 2 predicted the Thunder would win it all.
Us? As much as Miami is the safe pick, we’re rolling with our homies (Thunder). Now beam us up Scottie.
ESPN.com

The NBA lockout has come to an end, with the players and the owners agreeing to a tentative deal early this morning. The season will tip off Christmas Day with a tripleheader, including Derrick Rose and the Bulls visiting the Lakers.
N.Y. Times

Watching David Stern politic and play on the ignorance of many NBA fans who solely blame the players for the lockout, we’re reminded of a solution the commissioner chooses to ignore. It’s called contraction. The league would be better off if they contracted teams such as Michael Jordan’s Bobcats or the NBA-run Hornets, among others. Instead, Stern and his misguided owners believe strong-arming the players for millions and hijacking the game from the fans is a better tactic.
ESPN.com

Unlike LeBron and Kobe, practically everyone loves Kevin.
Hoop heads are still buzzing about last night’s showdown between the Goodman League vs. the Drew League. The game featured heavyweight ballers such as Kevin Durant, who carried off the MVP award, John Wall, James Harden, Brandon Jennings and others. Even DeMarcus Cousins earned some love for throwing 1 down.
Washington Post

With John Wall sitting courtside (the Wizards play the Lakers Tuesday) and watching Blake Griffin and his old backcourt mate Eric Bledsoe produce an excellent ally-oop play, the Clippers delivered against the Kings. Eric Gordon was all the rage, dealing for 29 points, including 9 in a row down the stretch that allowed the Clippers to rally from a late 4-point deficit to win. He also allowed the Clip Joint to avoid an embarrassing loss after it blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Griffin finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.
Griffin and the Clippers get the Lakers on Wednesday.

Tell us again why Doug Collins volunteered for this? Bored sitting around with Sir Charles and the boys? Not me.
OK, Philly’s got a few pieces, but it doesn’t have one like John Wall, who punked the Sixers and fellow rook Evan Turner, who bricked a chance to win it tonight. Nick Young is drinking on everyone’s tab.
Still, we’ve been hyping JaVale McGee (yes, that would be him on the right) for 2 years and we’re plugging him again. Show a young brother love, particularly after that cheap-ass move by Elton Brand.
Washington Post

With Magic Johnson in the house, John Wall recorded his 1st triple-double as the Wizards pounced on the Rockets. Wall’s hot line: 19 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He also had 6 steals.
Washington Post