- Knicks star Carmelo Anthony says he feels re-energized after returning to a regular diet after fasting for two weeks, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola mentions that during Anthony's fast, his on-court performances had been mixed.
- With only one game this past week, the extra time off should only be of benefit to the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. He also notes that Felton, who wants to play against Boston on Thursday, thinks that next weekend is a more realistic return date from injury.
- Although prone to injury because of his energetic and all-out style of play, Gerald Wallace says he's not changing his game (Roderick Boone of Newsday reports). Later, Boone discusses Keith Bogans success as one of the Nets' more productive role players.
- Greg Payne of ESPN Boston thinks that Jared Sullinger deserves to be selected for the NBA's Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star Weekend and notes that head coach Doc Rivers and many of the Celtics players strongly agree.
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- Rudy Gay is turning to his friends around the NBA for support as trade rumors swirl, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News writes that Carmelo Anthony's recent fight with Kevin Garnett brings into question Knicks owner James Dolan's decision to build the roster around him.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that Richard Hamilton is starting to realize that his career is coming to a close.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times praises the recent play of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer for the Bulls.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes that Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger is showing an increased aggressiveness in recent weeks.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer reports that former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is mentoring the team's two young bigs, Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is impressed with the job interim head coach Jim Boylan has done for the Bucks since replacing Scott Skiles.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Gerald Henderson understands that his primary role with the Bobcats is three-point shooting.
The latest news and notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks could use Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire in their lineup, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Jrue Holiday, who signed a four-year extension last month, is so far rewarding the confidence the Sixers showed in him, observes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- John Rohde of the Oklahoman catches up with former Thunder guard Royal Ivey, now with the Sixers.
- Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes that Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger is motivated by his slide out of the draft lottery.
- The Boston Herald also catches up with Glen Davis, who finds Magic coach Jacque Vaughn a nice change of pace from the Celtics' Doc Rivers.
Through two games, it sure looks like multitude of veteran additions that the Knicks made this offseason have made them a more complete team. In the Atlantic division's only contest today, the Knicks stayed unbeaten in impressive fashion with a 100-84 win over the rival 76ers. They are now 2-0 for the first time since 1999.
Let's round up some other Sunday night links from around the Atlantic divsion here:
- ESPN Boston's Chris Forsberg breaks down first round pick Jared Sullinger's night on Saturday, a game in which he was thrust into the Celtics starting lineup in his third game as a pro. Sullinger responded admirably, grabbing 7 boards in more than 30 minutes of action.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins is still hopeful that he can help "unlock" third-year swing man Evan Turner, and thinks it could be just one breakout game away, writes John Finger of CSN Philly. Turner, the second pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, has showed stellar rebounding skills but the rest of his game has yet to develop as planned.
- Brook Lopez spent much of the offseason in the weight room in an effort to improve his rebounding abilities, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday, but the Nets big man has yet to see the results of his hard work translate on the court.
Earlier updates:
- The Knicks have held their first two opponents to 84 points or less for the first time in 60 years, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York. Carmelo Anthony seems to be buying into Mike Woodson's defensive philosophy, and his teammates have noticed and followed suit.
- One of those teammates is Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who was told to shoot on Sunday by Woodson and responded with 20 points off the bench, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Smith, who is normally prone to jacking up too many bad shots, joined the Knicks last season after returning from China and reupped with the team on a two-year deal in July.
- The rebuilt Celtics may take longer to mesh than originally expected, opines Sherrod Blakely. Blakely says that Kevin Garnett's defensive abilities make him uniquely critical as all the new pieces try to find their place on the team.
- In this video, Jason Terry talked about his impressions of the Celtics while he was a member of the Mavericks, the role Doc Rivers played in his decision to sign with the team, and gave a scouting report of himself.
- Team legend and color analyst Tommy Heinsohn answered a fan's question the team's struggles to start the season and implied that the team needs time to develop chemistry with all the new players they've added over the summer. When asked about Leandro Barbosa, he called the Brazilian guard to a spot-player who can either shoot the team in or out of a game and thus might not be right for a role with big minutes at this point.
- Heinsohn agreed with the idea that Chris Wilcox could be a key role player as Kevin Garnett's primary backup because of his defensive awareness, while he believes rookie Jared Sullinger is still too inexperienced to be the better option.
- This staff report asks if Sullinger getting the start over Brandon Bass is a good move. Celtics broadcast analyst Donny Marshall doesn't think so, saying that it sends mixed messages to the veteran forward.
A few bits of information from around the NBA's Atlantic Division:
- Despite having a little bit of success in the preseason, receiving commendable quotes from teammates such as Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett, Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger remains humble, realizing he has much to learn in the early years of his career, writes CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely.
- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers says his team could feature three different starting lineups this season, with Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett as the pillars, and a rotation of Brandon Bass, Jeff Green, and Sullinger filling in at power forward, writes WEEI.com's Mike Petraglia.
- The Sixers have a very professional roster, and it could make Doug Collins' job that much easier, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Cooney.
In their NBA preview issue, ESPN The Magazine teamed up with Basketball Prospectus to project the records of each of the league's 30 teams for the coming season. The magazine's prediction for the Celtics might raise a few eyebrows, as ESPN has them pegged as the fourth seed in the East, and second-best in the Atlantic, behind the Knicks. Let's round up a few more Friday morning Celtics-related links….
- Paul Pierce believes a Celtics bench that just added Leandro Barbosa may be the strongest unit he's seen during his time in Boston, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "I think [Barbosa] can definitely help us," Pierce said. "Another veteran who’s one of the better bench players in the league to go along with our bench that’s pretty well rounded. It’s added scoring punch."
- Within Bulpett's piece, coach Doc Rivers had praise for the newly-signed Barbosa as well: "I love his speed, his ability to handle the ball. We don’t have a backup point (guard), but we have another ballhandler. Our theory is if we throw three ballhandlers out on the floor, someone can bring the ball up — and that’s the way we’ll play with our second unit."
- With two preseason games remaining, Rivers is still seeking chemistry, timing, and cohesion from his rotation, as Bulpett writes in a separate piece for the Herald.
- In a mailbag for ESPNBoston.com, Chris Forsberg fields reader questions on whether the Celtics need a true backup point guard, how the minutes figure to be divided at shooting guard, and Jared Sullinger's potential ceiling.
Here are a few bits of news and notes from around the league.
- Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger may have a body type that mirrors former Celtic forward Glen Davis, but the two players boast very different games, writes WEEI.com's Paul Flannery.
- AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore writes about how Hawks point guard Jeff Teague needs to become a vocal leader this season.
- NBA.com writer Josh Cohen dives into whether or not the Magic will be active at February's trade deadline.
- Glen Davis says the Magic starters have great chemistry so far, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins.
- CSNPhilly.com's John Finger asks how the Sixers are going to replace Andre Iguodala's elite perimeter defense.
- CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes introduces fans to Trail Blazers big man guru Kim Hughes, a coach who should be integral to lottery pick Meyers Leonard's development.
- If James Harden re-signs with the Thunder, it will signal the end of Eric Maynor's tenure with the team, according to The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Sunday night:
- Doc Rivers is formulating a plan to best utilize Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger this season, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
- Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that the new offseason additions the Timberwolves made will help ease the loss of Ricky Rubio, who continues to rehab from a torn ACL.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that, after a strong preseason debut, E'Twaun Moore may have the inside track on winning the spot of backup point guard for the Magic.
- In a Q&A with Mike Wells of IndyStar.com, Danny Granger said that he will try to take things slow through training camp after experiencing irritation in his knee this summer. He also mentioned that he would play if the Pacers were currently in the regular season, adding that the team is just being cautionary right now.
- Paul Flannery of WEEI.com provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Celtics' moves this offseason, complete with some input from coach Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.
- Tyson Chandler told Tim Bontemps that his workouts with Hakeem Olajuwon have been going very well, says Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link).
- After recently signing an extension in Boston, Keyon Dooling talked about his abrupt decision to retire from the NBA (Jessica Camerato of CSNNE reports).
- The Kamenetzky Brothers of 710 ESPN in Los Angeles took to their radio show to discuss Steve Blake's injury and the possible opportunities for Chris Duhon and Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant's ESPN ranking at number six, and Jason Terry's recent comments about the Heat and Lakers.