The Top 10: Quotes of the season's first half

	Knicks coach Isiah Thomas has been in the middle of a war of words on more than one occasion this season. Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

In praise of oneself or in criticism of another, players and coaches love to talk, often in response to one another. Here are the most entertaining words of the season so far, with some grouped around a particular subject.

10. Coaching philosophies

• "I'm too mean to get sick."
-- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on how he avoided a stomach flu that ran through most of his team.

• "I don't care if they wear underwear on top of their heads."
-- New Grizzlies coach Tony Barone after doing away with a no-headband rule previous coach Mike Fratello instituted.

9. Damon Jones readies for his GQ spread

• "If being ugly was a crime, I couldn't be convicted."
-- Cavs guard Jones after hitting seven of his 10 3-point attempts against the Knicks in November.

8. Isiah

• "It wouldn't be a good idea for you to rub it in and go to the basket and dunk it on our guys. We're down 18, we're down 19; you don't need to act like that. Basically, show some class."
-- Isiah Thomas describes his conversation with Carmelo Anthony before Knicks guard Mardy Collins sparked an on-court brawl between New York and Denver with a flagrant foul on the Nuggets' J.R. Smith.

• "I think his actions after the game were despicable. He made a bad situation worse. I'll swear on my children's life that I never thought about running up the score. It's absurd. He's a jerk for what he's trying to do. I think he's a jackass for the way he called me out in the game. ... My team has blown 10-point leads, 11-point leads with two minutes to go ... and you're telling me that I'm running the score up? He's full of s---. He's a total ass."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl offers his opinion of Thomas' role in a brawl that saw Denver lose Anthony to a 15-game suspension.

• "Typical NBA punch. In hockey, your own team would beat you up for that."
-- Two-time MVP and proud Canadian Steve Nash describes his thoughts on Anthony's punch and quick backpedal in the Knicks-Nuggets brawl.

7. A silver lining in Philly

• "It's going to be an exciting time come June."
-- 76ers general manager Billy King after trading Allen Iverson for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first-round draft picks in 2007.

6. The high price of respect

• "It just shows how much [the Blazers] care about their players. They don't give a damn about me. ... It ain't fair, everybody knows it's not fair. They are just trying to get their money back. They will do anything to get their money back. I guess they are trying to prove a point and make me an example."
-- Blazers forward Zach Randolph expresses his displeasure at a team-imposed one-game suspension after he made an obscene gesture to fans at Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse. Randolph, whom the Blazers are paying $12 million this season, lost one game's salary, $133,333.

5. Isiah, Part II

• "I'd beat the s--- out of somebody. Really, I would f------ murder them."
-- Thomas when asked what he would have done as a player to an opponent who stuck his foot underneath his when he was shooting.

"Next time he does that, break his f------ foot!"
-- Thomas tells his team his strategy for handling the Spurs' Bruce Bowen, whom Thomas had accused of sticking his foot underneath his players' when shooting.