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Artest puts 'D' in Kings
Carter likely target tonight
Monday, March 06, 2006BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff
The last time the Nets saw Ron Artest, he was in Indiana, already planning his clumsy exit strategy but still as dangerous as any other opponent on the calendar.
He humiliated them that night at Conseco -- this would be back on Nov. 11 -- and seemed to enjoy every minute of it, outscoring Richard Jefferson by a 30-7 margin and helping the Pacers build a 27-point lead in the third quarter.
Four months and one trade later, the NBA's greatest defender and most talented knucklehead will make his only visit to Continental Airlines Arena tonight, and his impact on the Sacramento Kings -- still alive in the Western Conference playoff chase -- cannot be understated.
They allowed 117 points in their loss at Washington yesterday, but the Wiz were only the fifth opponent to score 100-plus in the 17 games Artest has played for Sacramento. In fact, in the five previous games, Kings opponents averaged only 90.1.
"A little more than coincidental," Lawrence Frank said yesterday. "They went from letting teams score 100 points a game to now, where they are 92.8 since he (arrived). They went from averaging six steals a game to nine."
Artest filled up the box score yesterday (30 points, five assists, four boards, three blocks), but for once, the Kings didn't defend. Rarely do they have two bad defensive games in a row nowadays, which means Vince Carter -- Artest's likely assignment -- is going to have a bull's-eye on his back tonight.
"He's just one of those guys you have to figure out," Carter said. "He's a tough defender, so you have to protect. So you just can't play with him. His strength and his size are his advantage. You just have to be smart. He adjusts to how you play. You always have to be a step ahead of him."
And getting a step ahead is always a challenge: At 6-7, 260 pounds, Artest is as quick as most players 30 pounds lighter.
"He is able to get into virtually any offensive player without getting beat off the dribble," Frank said. "So he has got a great combination of strength, speed, quickness, basketball IQ all in one. He is special."
Start the clock on Jeff McInnis, who was actually trying to dunk yesterday.
"I'm getting there. I know I can play offense, it's (moving laterally) defensively -- that'll tell me how I feel," said McInnis, who had his left knee scoped on Jan. 19. "It feels all right when I'm out there drilling with Rich (Dalatri). I've just practice one time and go hard, and we'll see."
The Nets have three straight practice days later this week, and depending on how those go, McInnis might ask for his uniform back.
"I'll definitely know by then," he said. "I hope so. I gotta get back out there -- it's killing me."
Frank's next victory will be No. 100 for his coaching career, which he claims has "zero" significance.
"Now, if it was as thousand, if I'm still around for a thousand, then come talk to me," he said. "Larry Brown's got a thousand. A thousand shows unbelievable longevity in a profession that's tough."
And don't bother asking Mr. 99-81 if he wants 1,000: "I'm just shooting to survive another day," he said.
Cliff Robinson's jumper has been flat lately (2-for-14 in his last three games), but he claims his back problems aren't the reason. "I think I got out of rhythm a little bit during the All-Star break, and I'm trying to get it back," he said.
Frank took Jason Kidd's advice and won a game Saturday, which led someone to wonder whether Bobby Knight ever took suggestions when Frank was the manager for his IU teams.
"Well, obviously... it just comes down to your coaching and leadership style," Frank said. "We like to maximize all resources. It is not a democracy per se, but it is a partnership. You rely on each other and we need each other. That is how it works. At the end of the day, as a head coach you make the ultimate decision but we have super people and you want to utilize them to their full potential."
Artest puts 'D' in Kings
Carter likely target tonight
Monday, March 06, 2006BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff
The last time the Nets saw Ron Artest, he was in Indiana, already planning his clumsy exit strategy but still as dangerous as any other opponent on the calendar.
He humiliated them that night at Conseco -- this would be back on Nov. 11 -- and seemed to enjoy every minute of it, outscoring Richard Jefferson by a 30-7 margin and helping the Pacers build a 27-point lead in the third quarter.
Four months and one trade later, the NBA's greatest defender and most talented knucklehead will make his only visit to Continental Airlines Arena tonight, and his impact on the Sacramento Kings -- still alive in the Western Conference playoff chase -- cannot be understated.
They allowed 117 points in their loss at Washington yesterday, but the Wiz were only the fifth opponent to score 100-plus in the 17 games Artest has played for Sacramento. In fact, in the five previous games, Kings opponents averaged only 90.1.
"A little more than coincidental," Lawrence Frank said yesterday. "They went from letting teams score 100 points a game to now, where they are 92.8 since he (arrived). They went from averaging six steals a game to nine."
Artest filled up the box score yesterday (30 points, five assists, four boards, three blocks), but for once, the Kings didn't defend. Rarely do they have two bad defensive games in a row nowadays, which means Vince Carter -- Artest's likely assignment -- is going to have a bull's-eye on his back tonight.
"He's just one of those guys you have to figure out," Carter said. "He's a tough defender, so you have to protect. So you just can't play with him. His strength and his size are his advantage. You just have to be smart. He adjusts to how you play. You always have to be a step ahead of him."
And getting a step ahead is always a challenge: At 6-7, 260 pounds, Artest is as quick as most players 30 pounds lighter.
"He is able to get into virtually any offensive player without getting beat off the dribble," Frank said. "So he has got a great combination of strength, speed, quickness, basketball IQ all in one. He is special."
Start the clock on Jeff McInnis, who was actually trying to dunk yesterday.
"I'm getting there. I know I can play offense, it's (moving laterally) defensively -- that'll tell me how I feel," said McInnis, who had his left knee scoped on Jan. 19. "It feels all right when I'm out there drilling with Rich (Dalatri). I've just practice one time and go hard, and we'll see."
The Nets have three straight practice days later this week, and depending on how those go, McInnis might ask for his uniform back.
"I'll definitely know by then," he said. "I hope so. I gotta get back out there -- it's killing me."
Frank's next victory will be No. 100 for his coaching career, which he claims has "zero" significance.
"Now, if it was as thousand, if I'm still around for a thousand, then come talk to me," he said. "Larry Brown's got a thousand. A thousand shows unbelievable longevity in a profession that's tough."
And don't bother asking Mr. 99-81 if he wants 1,000: "I'm just shooting to survive another day," he said.
Cliff Robinson's jumper has been flat lately (2-for-14 in his last three games), but he claims his back problems aren't the reason. "I think I got out of rhythm a little bit during the All-Star break, and I'm trying to get it back," he said.
Frank took Jason Kidd's advice and won a game Saturday, which led someone to wonder whether Bobby Knight ever took suggestions when Frank was the manager for his IU teams.
"Well, obviously... it just comes down to your coaching and leadership style," Frank said. "We like to maximize all resources. It is not a democracy per se, but it is a partnership. You rely on each other and we need each other. That is how it works. At the end of the day, as a head coach you make the ultimate decision but we have super people and you want to utilize them to their full potential."
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