Kobe Bryant knows home is where the MVP is

Close-knit guys

Sacramento’s Omri Casspi on teammate Francisco Garcia, to the Sacramento Bee:

“Cisco, man, we would be lost without Cisco. He’s a brother to me. You can turn to him about anything, and he tells you straight. He has helped me with so many things, made me a better teammate.”

MV-Whoever!

Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, on New York fans’ “MVP!” chant for Amare Stoudemire:

“The home crowds chant MVP for anybody. They chant MVP for Earl Boykins in Milwaukee.”

Survivor: Portland

Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, to Yahoo’s Marc Spears, on teammates dropping around him:

“We’ve been in a horror movie for three years. Any guy that has played center has gone down for us. If you look three or four years, Joel [Przybilla] went down, [Marcus] Camby went down now, Greg [Oden] went down. That’s why I’m always a power forward. … Don’t call me center; call me power forward. That center position is just scary right now.”

Deal or no deal?

Golden State owner Joe Lacob, who called Monta Ellis “our core, franchise player,” while noting oft-injured Stephen Curry’s struggles:

“Does that mean that Curry would be traded, or more likely to be traded than Ellis? Not necessarily. … This is all dependent on what you’re going to get in return.”