More Wit and Wisdom from the NBA

“I’d probably hire me.” — George Karl, on who he’d hire to replace him in Milwaukee.

“When people talk about Katharine Hepburn, she’s called an icon. She had an affair for 20 years, but Kobe is called a slut. And what about Rudolph Giuliani? He had two women fighting to get into the (New York) mayor’s mansion. But Kobe is a slut.” — Charles Barkley.

“If I had a player out of line, I would bench him. That’s all you can do, bench him. You don’t kiss nobody’s rear end, because it stinks.” — Ron Artest.

“They make teriyaki here?” — Chris Kaman, on visiting Japan.

“Even last year I was watching the Celtics and I could see the offense was disheveled.” — Kenny Anderson.

“Can the Frenchman come in?” — Gregg Popovich, to President George W. Bush, regarding Tony Parker, when the Spurs visited the White House.

“Every year, when I’m with a new team, that’s one less team that doesn’t know that I can’t play. There are 5,000 players in America better than me that aren’t in the NBA.” — Mark Pope, Denver Nuggets.

“It’s not like he is playing a blind man or a guy with an English accent. It should come naturally.” — Calvin Andrews, Carmelo Anthony’s agent, on ‘Melo making his acting debut playing a basketball star from a gritty background.

“[We’re] running on bloody stumps because we are shooting ourselves in the foot repeatedly.” — Jeff Van Gundy, on the Rockets effort.

“He’s keeping the fire at my back the whole time and I’ve got one glass of water. You have to understand, I’ve got one glass of water and he’s got a whole lot of fire.” — Yao Ming, on Jeff Van Gundy.

“Dennis Rodman may be incoherent for much of ESPN’s reality side show about his life, but you still have a better chance of understanding him than Stephen A. Smith.” — Peter Vecsey.

“Those Europeans, they know how to negotiate.” — Donyell Marshall, on buying number 42 from new teammate Mengke “The Decepticon” Bateer, who is actually Mongolian.