Quoted

He's actually 5-9 and 185 pounds Detroit forward Charlie Villanueva , responding to Sacramento guard Isaiah Thomas' calling him a "dirty player" after Villanueva was fined $25,000 for a flagrant 2 foul on Thomas: "Dirty player? Not at all. He saw an open lane, I tried to block the ball and he's 4 foot 11, 100 pounds wet, so he looks bad. I'm not a dirty player. . . . I know a lot of people that would testify to that. " Yes, he was joking Brooklyn interim Coach P.J. Carlesimo , giving a tongue-in-cheek response when asked if would give the Nets permission to speak with Jeff Van Gundy about the permanent job: "No. I told [owner]

WASHINGTON - A controversial inscription on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, which critics said distorted King's words, will be fully removed after the presidential inauguration in January. The quote in question is a paraphrase from King's “Drum Major” speech and reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.” Some critics, including poet Maya Angelou, pointed out that those were not King's exact words and that they had been taken out of context, making the civil rights leader sound arrogant.

Not backing down Boston guard Rajon Rondo after he shoved Brooklyn's Kris Humphries in retaliation for Humphries' committing a hard foul on the Celtics' Kevin Garnett, earning Rondo a two-game suspension: "I don't think I did anything dirty. I didn't try to start a riot. I don't think it was more than just a pushing war. " Shoot the messenger Golden State General Manager Bob Myers, when asked whether he could understand how fans might feel deceived after only recently being told that center Andrew Bogut underwent microfracture surgery on his ankle last spring: "I can absolutely see their position and feel terrible about that.

Did you get their license number? After the Lakers' up-tempo offense sped past the Rockets for a 119-108 win, Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson said: "Just because they have a new offense doesn't mean they're going to score 120. You know, if you don't guard them, they're going to look good. " Just winless, baby A year ago Washington opened the season 0-8. This season after losing their first nine games Wizards Coach Randy Wittman declared: "I believe these guys can win. I don't have any doubts of it. I come in here every day thinking 'this is the night; I feel good.' I might be dumb, but I believe in them, I really do. " Overdue After losing their season opener, the Grizzlies won eight straight before falling to Denver, 97-92, Monday at Memphis.

Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum after scoring three points on one-for-11 shooting during a 106-92 loss to Oklahoma City: "This is the worst shooting night in my life … and when I don't have my shot, I stop playing. It's my biggest weakness. I've got to work on that. And I have to realize the game is different this year for me. It's not about my contract - I don't care about that - it's about my teammates. If I play good tonight, we win the game. That's on me. " Troy Murphy after signing a one-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks two games into the season: "I haven't practiced or anything.

There is "The Art of War" and the art of coach-speak. UCLA Coach Jim Mora quoted one and strayed from the other just a bit on Wednesday. With the Bruins preparing for Saturday's game at Arizona State, Mora said that he briefly talked to players about opportunities. "This is a big one for us," Mora said. "This is a big one for Arizona State. I think it has a lot of ramifications down the road. " UCLA sits one game behind Arizona State and USC in the Pac-12 Conference South Division standings.