stemmed from a culture of locker-room "brotherhood

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - I dont make New Years resolutions. Sure, there is a lot in my life that needs changing, especially from a physical stand point, but I wont adhere to it. Im like everyone else - Jan. 2 - 5 life will be good, but after, itll return to habit. Change isnt my strong suit, either. Im a status quo guy, who can improvise when needed, but enjoys regimented planning. However, in the spirit of embracing change, Ive decided to incorporate the New Years resolution into my life ... with a twist. I wont be making any, rather, these are resolutions for all 30 NBA teams. Take this as solid advice for the remainder of this season and beyond. WASHINGTON WIZARDS - RELY on Paul Pierce. The reason hes there is to help get them over the hump and so far, the results are there. Hes scoring the same as last season, hes defending decently still and hes leading. John Wall and Bradley Beal are the stars, but Pierce will be the one to do something large if Washington makes any noise in the postseason. MIAMI HEAT - SHOW pride. Things were going to be bumpy this season when LeBron bolted South Beach, but this group should not be five games under .500. They rank 27th in scoring and 30th in rebounding. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade both missed time and Josh McRoberts is done for the season, but this team shouldnt be 10-12 in this Eastern Conference. SAN ANTONIO SPURS - HEAL. Again, I believe the Spurs are in some trouble this season (http://tinyurl.com/oj55w4d), but a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker are essential for any kind of run. Tim Duncans minutes need to decrease, but this team is capable of a strong stretch to give itself breathing room. They need to be healthy. INDIANA PACERS - TRADE pieces. The bench is performing extraordinarily well right now, so trade while the value is highest. To me, everyone on this roster can be had. Theyre professional playing this kind of defense without hope for any sort of meaningful run this season. Luis Scola, C.J. Miles, C.J. Watson, Lavoy Allen, George Hill and even David West could all be had for the right price. HOUSTON ROCKETS - CREATE consistent rotations. With the acquisitions of Josh Smith, Corey Brewer and Joey Dorsey, the Rockets are building some decent depth. When Terrence Jones comes back, theyll have a legitimate 10-man rotation. Kevin McHale should stick with it and bring consistency to the Rockets. PHOENIX SUNS - ACQUIRE a star. The Suns have a lot of nice pieces and fringe stars like Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and the Morris twins. Alex Len is an emerging prospect. The biggest thing keeping the Suns from contending (other than defense), is the lack of a superstar. Phoenix has assets to move, including Dragic. Hes a free agent at seasons end and hes really playing incredible ball of late. Dragic could fetch a high price if the Suns dont believe theyll re-sign him. Who that superstar might be is more confusing since so few are available. ORLANDO MAGIC - FIND players to go with the core. Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris form the nucleus in Orlando. Elfrid Payton is the leader of the future and Aaron Gordon barely got going before injury. These players are a great start, but none is the breakout star needed to succeed in the NBA at the moment. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - BEG anyone to take Lance Stephenson. Their defensive efficiency has tailed off from last seasons surprising playoff run, but Stephensons presence has done more harm than good. Include a first-rounder down the line, or maybe even Noah Vonleh, or Cody Zeller to sweeten the deal. I wouldnt want to give up either player, but Stephenson is going to be very tough to deal. He has a bit of a reputation and this season is not changing it. Kudos to him for having one of the more painful-sounding injuries in 2014 - sprained pelvis. BROOKLYN NETS - KEEP Deron Williams coming off the bench. Lionel Hollins showed moxy keeping Brook Lopez and Williams as reserves when they returned from injury. Facts are facts. Mason Plumlee and Jarrett Jack are playing better than their much higher-compensated friends. Lopez started recently when Kevin Garnett didnt go, and Lopez starting again is fine with me. Williams is a sad shell of his former self. He makes a billion dollars, so trading him will be tougher than a diner steak. Keep him with the second unit. The growing trend of teams not worrying about finances when it comes to basketball decisions is refreshing. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - SCOUR available wing options. Jeff Van Gundy said it a few weeks ago during an ESPN broadcast - the Grizzlies need a better wing scoring option to truly contend. Tony Allen is a defensive stud. Courtney Lee is sold at best. Vince Carter and Tayshaun Prince have been really good of late, but cant be relied on for too much at the points in their career. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are playing at unbelievable rates and Memphis may never have a better chance at a ring. Gasol is a free agent this summer and could very easily leave. This is easier said than done since the Memphis doesnt have much to entice trade partners with outside of BBQ and the blues. But the lack of a prominent scoring wing player could keep them from a Finals appearance. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - RELOCATE Kevin Durant to a protective bubble. This team is going to click massively. Durant and Russell Westbrook have been sensational when healthy of late. They are angry and ready to go. Keep Durant healthy the rest of the way, and I think OKC could get as high as fifth in the Western Conference. This team is very, very good. DETROIT PISTONS - AVOID injury during self-congratulation. The Pistons displayed incredible chutzpah in releasing Josh Smith with two years and $25 million on the deal. (Stretch provision was a Gods send.) They are 3-0 since releasing Smith. The group of Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond/Kyle Singler/Kentavious Caldwell-Pope/Brandon Jennings has won all three by double figures. There are clear jobs and clear positions. Couldnt be working out better for Detroit. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS - CONSIDER depth in the future. The Pelicans wagered a lot to make the playoffs now, which I still havent fully understood. What happened was the team had six really solid pros in Anthony Davis (biggest star in the league at the moment), Omer Asik (much lower on that list), Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. One went down, and now underachievers like Austin Rivers and Jimmer Fredette have to play key roles. The Pelicans are solid, but no threat as presently constituted. I still say this plan ultimately fails because risking so much of the future on Holiday was not wise in a big-picture way. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS - SPA. If ever there was an NBA team that needed to get away and relax, its the Cavs. LeBron and Kevin Love can get massages for their bad backs. They should go far away and avoid whats being said and written about them. This group will be fine, although the takes time to jell argument is losing traction. I still believe, but without some roster tweaking, this group isnt title-ready. They need size and overall depth. TORONTO RAPTORS - HIRE a PR group to hype Kyle Lowry as an MVP candidate. He fits every criteria - great team, best player on that team, great numbers. Lowry also carried his team through a devastating injury to the best player - DeMar DeRozan. Steph Curry, Anthony Davis and James Harden are the top candidates to date. Curry has way better personnel around him. Davis wont be there in the end because of New Orleans record. Harden is my guy and what I like is how he played and led the team when Dwight Howard was out with a knee injury. Its no different, in fact, more successful, with Lowry in Toronto. LOS ANGELES LAKERS - REST Kobe. After a week off, Bryant played two games and averaged 16.5 ppg, 9.5 apg and 9.0 rpg. The Lakers actually won one of those games. Bryants shooting was killing the Lakers. They had no choice but to play him that much, however, he needs rest. It would easier to sit him if there were some youngsters that could get some seasoning from playing, but LA didnt build its roster that way. The Lakers are a disaster, but extending Kobe like Byron Scott was doing, didnt benefit Bryant or the team. Kobe came back, spread the wealth and the team played better. Basketball is simple some times. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - STAY strong. The only thing that can derail the Warriors at this point is themselves. A few veterans gladly stepped aside and left Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green to starting roles. Andre Iguodala, David Lee, or Marreese Speights could make waves about playing time. But, theyre all getting along beautifully and winning. The Warriors have to stay that way when things begin to go south. Things happen during a season, but if Golden State stays together, it should be around deep into the postseason. DENVER NUGGETS - FIRE Brian Shaw. Hes unhappy, the teams unhappy and it just looks bad in Denver. Start anew. Shaw doesnt want to play the way thats best for how this roster is constructed. Its a bad fit. CHICAGO BULLS - PAY Jimmy Butler. Its possible hes a top-five two-way player already. Butlers scoring has exploded this season and hes become the Bulls best talent. Derrick Roses health is always an issue. Pau Gasol has been great, but hes not Butler great. Joakim Noah appears to have difficulty fitting in with Gasol. Butler has emerged from all of it. Im in the group that believes Chicago will be extremely difficult to beat if healthy this summer. I believe Butler is the biggest reason why. He wants max money and thats tricky. The Bulls will have to dump some salary to make it happen, which means, Taj Gibson probably has to go. Its a steep price, but for a 25- year-old, 20-point scoring, lock-down defending son of a gun, its what the Bulls will have to pay. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS - DEVELOP a bench. The second unit has been much better this season, but they are still 25th in minutes and scoring. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard both rank in the top 10 in minutes per game. Robin Lopez is still out a while. If Chris Kaman, Steve Blake and C.J. McCollum can give them important minutes, itll help the starting group try to advance in the playoffs. ATLANTA HAWKS - FOLLOW every step listed for the Trail Blazers. Their starting unit of Paul Millsap/DeMarre Carroll/Al Horford/Kyle Korver/Jeff Teague have been playing too much of late. This Hawks team came out of virtually nowhere to rival the Raptors for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Mike Budenholzer may feel compelled to overly rely on the starters to maintain that pace. He has to remember his first five isnt as young as Portlands. Atlanta is playing with house money at this point, but if its a real contender (I dont think they are), then the bench needs to play much better. NEW YORK KNICKS - SHUT down Carmelo Anthony. Why is he still out there? Hes a pro thats why, but if hes eventually going to need knee surgery, have it tomorrow and forget this season. Its been a disaster and theres no recovering from it now. Finish out the string and get Melo well for next season. The Knicks will be major players in free agency. Get a better pick to go with whatever core is formed. Anthony has nothing to gain by lacing it up out there anymore. DALLAS MAVERICKS - PRACTICE hard. The Rajon Rondo acquisition is a game- changer, but itll take time. This group needs to play as much as possible together to build those on-court relationships. Rondo is smart enough to figure things out. This is an elite offensive team who can defend, but its not a strength. They are pros and veterans, so work on that chemistry and theyll be a trendy Finals pick. BOSTON CELTICS - BUILD Marcus Smart into a dominant, two-way combo guard. Evan Turner and Jameer Nelson are not long-term answers at the point guard spot. Smart is, but if he builds a strong offensive game as a shooting guard, where he can score more than distribute, itll help in the long run. Avery Bradley has locked up one spot in the backcourt. Hes an underrated combo guard. Molding Smart in the same way will provide Boston with versatility and flexibility. MILWAUKEE BUCKS - REMAIN unselfish. The Bucks are one of the best stories of the 2014-15 campaign, despite losing Jabari Parker for the season with a torn ACL. Theyd have more of a feel-goodness to them if people didnt hate Jason Kidd for his stint in Brooklyn. Milwaukee leads the NBA in bench minutes and bench points. Thats helping them win games and its not stunting Giannis Antetokounmpos growth. Guys fall out the rotation for a little while in Milwaukee, but Kidd brings them back and they perform. Its a solid group of youngsters and Kidd is much better suited for that sort of team than a high- profile squad of veterans. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - REALIZE blessings in disguise. The Timberwolves will trade Kevin Martin as soon as humanly possible. Ricky Rubio went down with injury. Same for Nikola Pekovic. Corey Brewer was traded for almost nothing. The decision was made to go with Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad and Zack LaVine. The results arent good on the court, but Minny is another example of a team that should have had zero expectations. The T-wolves season should be about development. Playing these pups is excellent for the future of the Timberwolves organization. They even look decent. SACRAMENTO KINGS - GET it together. The Kings are 3-6 since abruptly firing head coach Mike Malone. DeMarcus Cousins appeared disinterested at times and even regressed into old ways, getting into a fight with Bostons Marcus Smart. They nearly blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead on Thursday to the lowly Wolves. Its time for Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison to say, I dont know whats going around here, but I know we can do better. Owner Vivek Ranadive made a decision to fire Malone so the team could take the next step. It hasnt worked. There needs to be leadership in this organization. Someone needs to show it. Someone needs to pull this group together. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS - IMPROVE that bench. The Clippers have been a disappointment. There are reports of discontent in the locker room, which was surprising. (I found them to be one of the tightest groups I witnessed last season.) The bottom line is the Clippers have a starting lineup and head coach that can win a title. Their bench is hideous, especially up front. Jamal Crawford is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but outside of him, theres little. Spencer Hawes has been hurt, but nothing special when healthy. Glen Davis and Hedo Turkoglu are past their relevance. Doc Rivers has to be creative in trying to find frontcourt bench help. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS - PLAY Joel Embiid if he can go this season. When Nerlens Noel missed all of the 2013-14 campaign, the Sixers rebuilt his shooting form and basically everything basketball-related to his game. Thats not the case for Embiid. He NBA ready, at least in terms of his skills. Plus, if Embiid can go, the Sixers owe this fan base something to look forward to and hes it. Hes really the center piece. 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Cheap Reggie Jackson Jersey .com) - Tony Parker scored 17 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a comfortable 99-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. NEW YORK -- Jonathan Martin spent nearly seven hours going into "great detail" with the NFL counsel investigating his claims of his harassment in the Miami Dolphins locker room. What came up in their talks, he isnt saying for now. He would say this: He still wants to play in the NFL. Martin -- in town because the league is trying to gather information about the bullying he says he was subjected to by teammate Richie Incognito -- arrived at the Manhattan office building of special investigator Ted Wells on Friday morning, and didnt emerge until shortly after sunset. Mobbed by media, he stood in the camera lights and read a statement. "Although I went into great detail with Mr. Ted Wells and his team, I do not intend to discuss this matter publicly at this time," Martin said. "This is the right way to handle the situation. "Beyond that, I look forward to working through the process and resuming my career in the National Football League." After that, he and attorney David Cornwell went back into the building, later leaving via a side exit. The crowd outside the building drew attention from office workers and tourists all day. Some even stopped to watch and wait, and most seemed familiar with Martins story. Even Miami-based hip-hop artist Rick Ross came by. His record label is located in the building across the street. Incognito has acknowledged leaving a voicemail for Martin in April in which he used a racial slur, threatened to kill his teammate and threatened to slap Martins mother. Incognito has said he regrets the racist and profane language, but said it stemmed from a culture of locker-room "brotherhood," not bullying. Incognito is white and Martin is black. Teammates, both black and white, have said Incognito is not a racist, and theyve been more supportive of the veteran guard than they have of Martin. Incognito has been suspended by the Dolphins. He filed a grievance Thursday against the team over his suspension, and has said his conduct was part of the normal locker-room environment. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also plans to meet with Martin, who said Friday that he will indeed get together with the Dolphins front office. On Monday, Ross said two committees would examine the locker-room culture. Players have been virtually unanimous in saying it doesnt need to be changed. At Dolphins practice Friday, long snapper John Denney, the teams players union representative, was asked about problems. "I cant say I saw it firsthand because Im not an offensive lineman, and Im not in their offensive line room.dddddddddddd I can tell you from my perspective, and having been in this locker room, I never saw it coming," he said. "I can say that. It was a surprise to me. There did not seem to be an increase in behavioural problems. Its been the same here my entire career." Coach Joe Philbin also talked to reporters but kept his focus on football. "I believe in the guys we have in the locker room," he said. "I believed in them before this all took place, before all this scrutiny came upon us. "And I believe in them today." While Martin was in New York, and long before he spoke, Incognitos grievance was a talking point in the locker room some 1,300 miles away. "Hes got to do what hes got to do. Im never going to tell somebody how to run their life," wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "You got to get your money, man. I dont really have too much to say about it." Martin alleges he was harassed daily by teammates, including Incognito, and the case has raised questions about job security for Philbin, his assistants and general manager Jeff Ireland. Philbin won a vote of confidence this week from Ross, but that could change depending on the findings of Wells, who was brought into the situation last week. Wells is expected in Miami next week to talk with Dolphins players, coaches and staff. Wells will determine the role of Philbin, his staff and Miami management in the case, and his report will be made public. One issue is whether anyone on the coaching staff ordered Incognito to "toughen up" Martin, a second-year tackle from Stanford who became a starter as a rookie but played poorly at times. Martin left the team two weeks ago and has been with family in California undergoing counselling for emotional issues. Centre Mike Pouncey missed practice Friday because of an illness and is listed as questionable for Sundays game against San Diego, raising the possibility the Dolphins will be without a third starting offensive lineman. The case inspired a national debate about workplace bullying and attracted a daily throng of 100 media members or more at the Dolphins complex. In Manhattan, both CNN and Fox News Channel were on hand outside the meeting. The Dolphins (4-5) have slumped after a 3-0 start, and on Sunday they play at home for the first time since the scandal broke. "All we have to do," defensive end Cameron Wake said, "is concentrate on playing the game on Sunday." 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