Quotes from around the NBA

No need to shout

Lakers Coach Mike D’Antoni, on the effectiveness of yelling at his players after poor performances: “If they’re good guys, you don’t need to yell at them. If they’re bad guys, it doesn’t matter.”

Scenes from an Italian restaurant

David Stern, on his first NBA draft after becoming commissioner in 1983: “We took over an Italian restaurant. I commented to the guys, ‘Do you think we could find a restaurant where part of the ceiling isn’t lower so our players can stand?’ That’s when I discovered that micromanagement was vastly underrated.”

They’re BFF … sometimes

New York guard J.R. Smith, on getting along with Knicks Coach Mike Woodson: “We have a funny relationship, honestly. It’s crazy. Off the court it’s like father-son. On the court we bump heads sometimes. He cusses me out, I cuss him out and we just go from there. By the end of the timeout we’re on the same page. It’s fun. I love playing for him.”

No news is good news

Detroit guard Kim English, tweeting about his hometown: “The saddest twitter account I follow is the @BaltimorePolice. Shooting, shooting, robbery, shooting … We gotta do better, Baltimore.”

--Ben Bolch