Thursday Bullets

• John Krolik on Antawn Jamison: "Offensively, Jamison’s only notable skill is the ability to create shots. That means that he is able to heave the ball in the direction of the basket at a greater rate than most players who play is position. He is a decent finisher at the immediate rim. That much he has going for him. Everything else is overrated. Jamison favors an array of unorthodox flip shots and floaters from the paint instead of simply trying to power his way to the basket and draw the foul or finish hard. When they go in, it’s very pretty, and the broadcasters will inevitably comment on how unusual and impressive that part of Jamison’s game is. However, there is a reason why nobody’s mid-post game looks like Jamison’s -- those shots don’t go in very often, and he’s prone to forcing them at inopportune times. Jamison made 46.2 percent of his shots from the 3-9 foot area, and his free-throw rate was miserably low."
• The Clippers want to build a team in the Thunder mold. How's that going?
• Jonathan Abrams telling the tale of Billy Hunter.
• Mark Medina of the L.A. Times says Phil Jackson struggled to manage Kobe Bryant at times. Tricky situation for Brown: "The first moment involves when Bryant veers away from the offense or is caught sagging back on defense. It's a tight balancing act in managing Bryant, something even Phil Jackson sometimes struggled in doing. There may be contentious arguments along the way, but Bryant will respect Brown more if he's not afraid to stand up for himself. Yet Bryant is also going to want to be given the proper space and freedom most NBA superstars command."
• Mark Heisler, recently part of a Kobe Bryant conversation on TrueHoop, is tweeting his departure from the L.A. Times.
• Mark Cuban is one of those owners adamant that teams need to be cheaper to run/reportedly intends to sign Caron Butler to a long deal.
• Things to do in a lockout: Watch the faces of divers.
• Intentionally fouling ain't easy.
• Andrea Bargnani has been historically bad, according to Wages of Wins. Literally one of the worst players ever. Worth noting: He was the top overall draft pick in 2006, although with a tip of the cap to Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Kyle Lowry, Brandon Roy etc.� it's worth noting that draft has not aged well.
• When it comes to being photographed with pandas, Kevin Durant does it better than Carmelo Anthony.
• Interesting form of revenue sharing that exists now but is never really mentioned anywhere: When owners include cash in trades. It's happening way more than ever, which is interesting. What if that $3 million restriction were removed? Maybe James Dolan could be convinced to pay three teams' salaries.
• Seen playing pro-am ball, looking as unathletic and shot-happy as ever: Raymond Felton.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/31338/thursday-bullets-215

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