Via the Arizona Republic:

Barbosa also told Lance that the Shawn Marion-Shaquille O'Neal trade contributed to the Suns' playoff elimination.

"With the arrival of Shaq, we lost our speed - our main characteristic," he said. "We didn't have time to mesh. This ended up hurting us. Shaq will be very useful, but it'll be necessary to change the way the team plays." [Read]

At least Leandro is honest.

From Roland Lazenby of SportsHubLA via Truehoop:

"They're good, man," the 86-year-old guru, Jackson's longtime mentor, says of the veteran Spurs. "They can control the tempo of the game. That's their strength. They're very balanced. Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen, they all present their own sort of problems.

"We're just gonna have to outscore them some way or another. I hope we can. It's not gonna be easy. But it's gonna be interesting. I'm sure we can score on 'em, but I'm not sure we can score enough."

The ultimate decision for Jackson is how the Lakers match up with guard Manu Ginobli. "I'm not sure how we're gonna go with that one," Winter said. "Phil may not know the answer to that one right up until game time Wednesday. That's another one of the keys. What are we gonna do to contain that guy?"

Ginobili is the Spurs' main offensive threat and the key to their success, Winter said. "We've always had trouble with him." [Read]

Ballerblogger.com

The Lakers or Spurs have represented the Western Conference in eight of the last nine NBA Finals, winning seven of the last nine NBA championships.

While the cast of characters has changed somewhat since the early 2000 battles, Lakers guards Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant have faced off against Spurs forwards Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen, and guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili plenty over the years.

Los Angeles and San Antonio met one another in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The Spurs won in 1999 and 2003 and won the NBA championship in both seasons.

The Lakers won in 2001, 2002, and 2004. Los Angeles won the NBA championship in 2001 and 2002 and fell to the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan took part in all five matchups. Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen arrived in 2001. Manu Ginobili was instrumental in San Antonio's 2003 victory.

Los Angeles and San Antonio met four times in the 2007-2008 regular season and split the season series 2-2. [Read]

(Photos by NBA.com)

Ballerblogger.com

Via Blog-A-Bull:

It's only been a couple hours. I think the high has come down (a bit), and I'm starting to try and actually think about what the Bulls really should (and will) do.

It's early, but so far it isn't a situation where I knee-jerkedly say "take Rose" (which I did), and then as time goes on I start to think more and more about Beasley. It's pretty much still all in favor of selecting Derrick Rose.

He just seems the exact type of player, a real upgrade, that can be immediately plugged in without any messing with the rest of the roster. If anything he'll improve it, as while Rose won't make anyone better, he'll can get them open.

Plus there's something to be said about how much easier it's been made for guards to dominate the league. As 'Scotter' said in the comments, you'd abide by the old advice to 'go big' if Beasley was projected to be a Duncan or Hakeem. But he's a slightly undersized power forward, who can rebound but isn't going to be a defensive game-changer. To me, if you're passing on Rose for a big man, it better be for one that can dominate both ends. [Read]

I agree completely.

Beasley is a very talented player but the defensive rule changes the NBA implemented before the 2005 season made it impossible to impede or block the movement of either a cutter or a ball handler.

How do you think Steve Nash emerged from relative obscurity to win two straight MVP's?

The NBA is a guard's game now.

Since Beasley isn't a "Duncan, Hakeem" or even a Greg Oden, the Bulls should select Derrick Rose.

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Via the Racine-Journal Times:

In the last week, several officials from both the Eastern and Western Conferences acknowledged the Bucks have been gauging the interest other teams may have in some of their players. The most notable one is All-Star shooting guard Michael Redd.

Redd is unquestionably the Bucks' best player, the one who would bring back the most in a trade. However, while Redd is one of the most prolific scorers in the league, some teams are reluctant to take on his sizable contract. Redd will make $15.78 million and $17.04M over the next two years, respectively.

What's more, Redd has a player option for $18.30M for the 2010-2011 season. [Read]

I assume the Bucks are looking to shed some of their payroll.

If that's the case, GM Danny Ferry needs to get off his tail and earn his paycheck.

Szczerbiak is entering the last year of a contract that pays him $13 million this upcoming year. Eric Snow is $7.3 million off the books in '09. Joe Smith and Damon Jones are at $5.5 million and $4.5 million, respectively.

That's $30.3 million in expiring contracts for 2009.

Michael Redd would be a perfect acquisition for Cleveland.

(Photo by NBA.com)

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