NBA quotes of the week

Sweet nothings

New York Knicks forward Metta World Peace, on what lured him to make Madison Square Garden home: “I honestly didn’t even know who the coach was when I was coming to New York. I just wanted to win a championship; I didn’t even know who was coaching. I didn’t care. It could have been Aunt Jemima. They could have had the syrup coaching. I was coming here regardless.”

Moving quickly

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, on his recovery from a sprained knee ligament: “They try to give me a week [count before returning] — three, four, six. I don’t care what number they say, I told them as soon as I can put my foot down on the floor and I can walk, I’m going to rush it and speed the process.”

Look out below

Denver Nuggets Coach Brian Shaw, on his idea for improving his team’s free-throw shooting: “What I did was I joked with the guys that the safest place in the building to stand when we’re at the free-throw line is right underneath the net. So I gave everybody on the team basically a chance to shoot a free throw with myself standing under the net with my hands down, where if they made it the ball would hit me on top of the head.”

Costly tactic

Golden State forward Andre Iguodala, tweeting about the maneuver used by Brooklyn Nets Coach Jason Kidd, who was fined $50,000 by the league after intentionally spilling a drink with 8.3 seconds left Wednesday night against the Lakers so that he could draw up a play: “If I ever become a coach, I’m using that drink spill trick.”

—Ben Bolch