CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: DUNLEAVY IRKED BY EFFORT.Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer One day after letting loose in a tirade, questioning his players' heart, intelligence and competitive drive, coach Mike Dunleavy's emotions leveled out Tuesday. Dunleavy clarified a few of his comments, but refused to say which players spurred the tirade. ``If I name people, then I'm devaluing them,'' Dunleavy said. ``That's enough of an answer for you.'' Although Dunleavy refused to give names, a few things can be inferred from his comments and the players' reactions. Corey Maggette Corey Antoine Maggette (born November 12 1979, in Melrose Park, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player, positioned at small forward for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. scored 37 points, missing a career high by one point, in the 105-102 loss to Memphis that preceded Dunleavy's outburst. Despite his high-scoring performance, Maggette did not make himself available to reporters following the loss. The Clippers swingman swing·man n. Basketball A team member who can play effectively in two different positions, especially forward and guard. typically is available for interviews, so perhaps Dunleavy was directing some of his anger toward him. A portion of Dunleavy's diatribe di·a·tribe n. A bitter, abusive denunciation. [Latin diatriba, learned discourse, from Greek diatrib : ``If you're going to win at this level, you have got to be mentally tough. To be mentally tough, you have to be mentally prepared. You have to know what your assignment is, backwards and forwards. And for us, right now, this is a great opportunity for some guys to get a lot of extended playing that normally would not have gotten it. Here's your chance to make your mark in the league, and some guys are missing some good opportunities.'' That could implicate im·pli·cate tr.v. im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing, im·pli·cates 1. To involve or connect intimately or incriminatingly: evidence that implicates others in the plot. 2. various players, with possibly Chris Wilcox Chris Ray Wilcox (born September 3 1982 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. topping the list. Dunleavy has not played Wilcox in nine of the past 19 games. When he has played, Wilcox has averaged just 7.9 minutes per game. ``I don't have a guy on my team that I don't think can be a part of what we need to be,'' Dunleavy said. ``From the standpoint The Standpoint is a newspaper published in the British Virgin Islands. It was originally published under the name Pennysaver, largely as a shopping-coupon promotional newspaper, but since emerged as one of the most influential sources of journalism in the of effort or advancement on their behalf, you got to do it. You have to make us feel like you're still progressing, that you're still a part of it. Otherwise, if you don't, if somebody makes us an offer of somebody else who you might think is further along on the curve, you might make a change.'' Dunleavy said he's not just frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: with role players, but also with his core players. He is open to trading a core player if necessary. When asked who makes up his core players, he said it was ``eight or nine guys.'' Dunleavy also would not say what he told his players. ``What I say in the locker Things commonly known as lockers include:
Joe Stevens, (562) 499-1338 joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com |
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