Notes from the 2012 Turner Sports NBA All-Star Conference
Call – Feb. 14, 2012
On Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. (ET), NBA TV
will broadcast the BBVA Rising Stars
Challenge Draft during GameTime
with TNT’s Kenny Smith serving as the honorary Commissioner and Ernie
Johnson hosting the live show. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille
O’Neal will serve as the general managers of the two opposing teams -
TEAM CHUCK and TEAM SHAQ. Each team will have a nine man roster, drafted
from the rookie and sophomore player pool.
TNT and NBA
TV will be
in Orlando for
live exclusive coverage of NBA All-Star 2012
on February 24-26.
On Friday, Feb. 24, TNT will present the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at 9 p.m. (ET).
Beginning at 8 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, February 25, TNT will have exclusive live
coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night
presented by State Farm. TNT’s exclusive presentation of the NBA All-Star Game presented by Kia Motors
will tip off at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, February 26.
During NBA All-Star 2012,
NBA TV will deliver fans more than 95 hours of dedicated All-Star programming
including a special NBA GameTime: All-Star Sunday (4 p.m. ET), followed by live
coverage of the Sprint Pre-Game Concert at NBA All-Star (5 p.m. ET).
Throughout All-Star, NBA TV’s marquee roster of talent, including
Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Steve Smith, Dennis Scott and Brent
Barry, will be on site in Orlando
providing fans with updates on NBA TV and NBA.com via Twitter.
This is the 27th year
Turner Sports has featured NBA All-Star coverage, and the 10th consecutive year
the NBA All-Star Game will be televised in prime time on TNT.
Participants:
Shaquille O’Neal – TNT/NBA
TV Analyst
Steve Kerr – TNT
Analyst
Steve Smith – NBA TV
Analyst
Jeff Behnke – SVP and
Executive Producer, Turner Sports
Kerr on
the most surprising team and player this season: “This is really a bizarre season.
Maybe the biggest surprise, and that has gone under the radar, is the play of
the [San Antonio]
Spurs. I don’t think anyone could have predicted they would be where they
are. It is just at testament to how strong that organization is. What has
happened with [New York Knicks guard] Jeremy Lin the last five games is
stunning. We are all in amazement at what we are seeing. It has made for some
incredible storylines given that he has breathed life back in that franchise,
where Carmelo Anthony couldn’t. It is a crazy story but fantastic.”
O’Neal
on New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin: “He has taken New York by storm and he is an NBA
sensation. The guy you have never heard of is becoming a star. I think
people will want to see what the guy can do.”
Kerr on
the lineup for the New York
Knicks:
“Tyson Chandler has been a monster because he is the one rolling to the
rim and scoring big. Now you throw Amar'e [Stoudemire] in and now you have two
guys that want to roll. The question becomes can the Knicks space the floor.
And when Carmelo [Anthony] comes back, can all those guys fit together?
It comes down to if Amar’e and Carmelo can adapt and perhaps play lesser
roles - which they are not used to.”
O’Neal
on forward Dwight Howard staying in Orlando
and the situation being similar to his in 1992: “I don’t think it is similar because I
had many different options. I wanted to stay in Orlando. I had everyone put their options on
the table and I took the best one. There may be an underlining problem of what
is really going on. I don’t know if he doesn’t like the
organization or wants to be in a bigger city. I don’t know really know
the problem. I’m sure they would like to move him so they don’t
lose him.”
O’Neal
on the Miami Heat being a Top 10 team going into
the Playoffs:
“Miami is
always going to be at the top of the list. They are playing well right now and
seem to have a rhythm. Good thing about them is that if one of their stars goes
down, others will and know how to step up. It is going to be like last year.
They have what it takes to get there but can they close? This year is going to
be a tricky year.”
Kerr on Miami Heat being a favorite in the Eastern Conference: “Miami is a heavy favorite. I worry about two
things: One is fourth quarter execution. They tend to go back to their old
habits and that is going to be an issue for them. The other thing I worry about
is the pressure that is on them, that they put on themselves and that we
[media] put on them. It is going to be enormous pressure on them and we have to
see how they will respond.”
Kerr on what the Oklahoma City Thunder need to improve upon: “OKC is the best team in
the West. I worry about fourth quarter execution. They are a little bit
like Miami
– West. They overwhelm you with talent and the ability to beat you off
the dribble. But in the playoffs, can they execute when a team stays in front
of them and slows the game down? Can they get easy baskets? They are the most
talented team, so we’ll see.”
Smith on what is going on with the Charlotte Bobcats and what they need to do to recover: “When I got a chance to play
with them [Charlotte Bobcats], Bernie Bickerstaff created an atmosphere where
the team that was coming back to Charlotte
wasn’t winning a lot, but they were playing hard. This team right now
looks like it is bottoming-out but they are about to rebuild from
scratch. It comes down to - do they draft the best talent? And right now
the Charlotte Bobcats are a team that is looking to rebuild.”
Kerr on what is going on with the Charlotte Bobcats and what they need to do to recover: “It’s going to be a
tough go here [in Charlotte].
They’ve totally bottomed out. They are a total disaster right now.
They are going to have to get lucky in the lottery and be really strong as an
organization in the next couple of years to get out of this.”
O’Neal on the issues the Washington Wizards are having getting back on track: “The downside for Washington is you have a
lot of young talent with no veteran leadership. If they had some veteran
leadership it could be better. As a big man, I watch JaVale McGee and I
see the potential that he has. Other times I watch him and wonder who is
teaching this kid. If they had good veteran leadership, they could start
to turn it around.”
Kerr on the effect of the lockout on
the players so far this season and whether or not it is showing up in the games: “Its showing the most in
terms of consistency, or lack thereof, with the play. We are seeing games that
are spectacular and then some duds where there is nothing in the
tank. This season has proven you need training camps. You need practice.
And you need rest. And there’s not enough of any of that this
year. With that said, everyone is competing and doing the best they can.
Inevitably, there are going to be some stinkers.”
Smith on how the condensed season is
affecting players and the game: “There are some games where players just
don’t have legs. There are some teams with depth and the players
and organizations understood going into this lockout you need to have 10-11
guys that can contribute.”
Kerr on his impressions of Cleveland Cavaliers rookie
point guard Kyrie Irving after having only played 11 college games: “It’s gotten harder
and harder to evaluate players the last decade because so many come out early
and you don’t see them enough. Cleveland
made a good choice. They knew the type of talent and potential he had
[Kyrie Irving] at such an important spot. They knew they had to have someone at
that position. I love what he has done. He’s aggressive;
he’s tough to handle; it’s tough to get in front of him and he is
definitely their cornerstone for the future. He’s a great pick.”
O’Neal on Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie
Irving:
“He’s doing a fabulous job. This guy is on the right
path. He’s a coachable guy. He’s a great team player. If Cleveland can make one or
two moves this year and next year, they could become a respectable team
again.”
Smith: “Totally love his game because
he’s so fundamentally sound. He’s poised, he’s mature and
what I love about him is he is big and strong. He hasn’t been affected by
a lot of different defenses thrown at him. He’s mentally been
prepared for this league.”
O’Neal on LeBron James’
legacy in Cleveland and how he sees Irving creating his own
place:
“What LeBron did was fabulous - legendary. He’s good. There will
never be another LeBron, how he did it. He was a born leader. Kyrie is
also a leader. [I’m] not trying to take anything away from him, I just
urge people not to put too much pressure on him. Work him slowly.”
O’Neal’s expectations for
the All-Star Game in Orlando
and the mood of the fans with the potential trade of Dwight Howard: “All around, All-Star is going to
be a great event. Orlando
has come a long way since the ’92 All-Star game. It would be great if he
[Dwight Howard] could put on a show and get the love and support of the fans
here and get the MVP. Hopefully, he stays. If he leaves it will be a
travesty.”
O’Neal on what the
Clippers’ chances are without injured point guard Chauncey Billups; if a
player like Blake Griffin can be elite without being a great free-throw shooter
and how he likes working with the TNT guys: “The Clippers have a great chance.
If the three guards [Foye, Paul, Williams] can settle things down and
honor the possession and honor the shot clock and not play so erratically, they
can go pretty far. On the free throw thing, I personally know a guy
[Shaquille O’Neal] that dominated the game and shot 50 – 52%.
It can be done. If he dominates the game in a way and keeps everyone
involved, it will get done. I love working with Charles and Ernie and all the
TNT guys.”
Smith on whether or not Clippers
Blake Griffin can be a dominant player: “Blake [Griffin] can be dominant. It comes down
to the players around him elevating their game so they can take the pressure
off Griffin.
It’s going to come down to other players playing well for a long
time. They have a player in Paul that will make the right plays [to
execute in the fourth quarter] but it’s whether or not the supporting
cast can open up the lane for the other guys.”
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