SH Blog: Deron Wiliams calls out A.J. Price, Lin wanted to be a Knick for life

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When Deron Williams was first traded to the New Jersey Nets two seasons ago, he really didn’t have a whole lot of nice things to say about the situation. The team had no direction and Williams had no interest in being part of a rebuilding project, but fast forward to this preseason and the tone has completely changed. He is more than content with the teammates he now has, and seems to carry a certain level of pride about being the leader of the Brooklyn Nets.

Playing a preseason game in front of the home crowd for the first time in a brand new arena, Williams uttered the words “it’s my home now” during an altercation with A.J. Price towards the end of the game. See what other messed up things Williams said, along with other news around the league from Tuesday:

  • Deron Williams took a personal jab against seldom used guard A.J. Price after the Nets’ win on Monday. Tim Bontemps of New York Post has the story: “Price, who is from Amityville, LI., and gave out 20 tickets for last night’s game, said the whole thing was a miscommunication on both sides. “In the heat of the moment,” he said, “guys say things all the time and one thing led to another, but all in all, it’s part of the game.” Williams, on the other hand, saw things a bit differently. “He started talking for no reason,” Williams said. “I didn’t do anything. He said, ‘I’m home.’ I don’t know what that means. “I guess he had some boys in the crowd that he wanted to impress or something like that while he can with the little minutes he’s going to get this year. “[I told him] it’s my home now.”
  • Here is a clip of the altercation between Williams and Price:

  • Avery Johnson inserted Williams back into the game against the Wizards, which was an invite for trouble, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports: “And so here it was, opening night of the preseason and Avery Johnson had gone the unnecessary step of reinserting Williams into the game’s late minutes to ensure the Nets coach wouldn’t be burdened with the blame of losing a lousy exhibition to the Washington Wizards. Between Williams checking back into the game and the final buzzer, Johnson had invited the trouble of Washington guard A.J. Price, a native son of New York’s Long Island who bumped Williams on a breakaway drive to the basket and pushed into Williams’ mug declaring, “I’M HOME… I’M HOME…” Williams rolled his eyes, laughed and blurted back to Price something that Nets general manager Billy King had worked so relentlessly to hear Williams declare within Barclays: “This is my home now.”
  • Despite the fact that it was just a preseason game, Johnson felt the importance of winning the team’s first game in Barclays Center. Stefan Bondy of Daily News described the chaos of Monday night: “NBA basketball in the outer borough debuted with the combination of pomp and logistical growing pains, with a large crowd that grew louder as the game progressed, and a mad scramble from the arena staff to get Barclays Center ready for tipoff. In the end, though, it was a night devoid of any major snafus, and a victory Avery Johnson wanted so badly, the coach played his All-Star backcourt of Williams and Joe Johnson for a combined 69 minutes – including as the Nets closed the victory in the fourth quarter. “I thought it was important,” Avery Johnson said. “Our fans were terrific. So we just thought it was nice that our fans would go home with a good feeling about our team.”

 

  • Delonte West was suspended for his outburst in the locker room, from Dwain Price of Star-Telegram: “Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said he suspended guard Delonte West after Monday night’s home game against the Houston Rockets for “conduct detrimental to the team.” West apparently was involved in an ugly outburst in the locker room after the Mavs’ 123-104 win over Houston. West played 17 minutes and scored two points in the game.”
  • Jeremy Lin explained to Will Leitch of GQ why he wanted to be Knick for life and never expected to play the way he did: “He misses New York, its people, its fans. “You can’t ask for a city or a fan base to embrace somebody more than they embraced me,” he says. “I know it’s kind of silly to talk about it with only two years under my belt in the league, but going in before free agency, I was like, ‘I want to play in front of these fans for the rest of my career.’ I really did.

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Morning News Roundup

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Here are this morning’s top NBA news stories:

  •  ”Fisher free to return to Lakers now,” by Marc Stein from ESPN.com
  • “Jeremy Lin wanted to retire with New York Knicks, not Houston Rockets,” Marc Berman from the  New York Post
  • “Delonte West of Dallas Mavericks suspended for conduct detrimental to the team,” by Tim MacMahon from ESPN.com
  • “Deron Williams of Brookyln Nets rips A.J. Price of Washington Wizards,” by Mike Mazzeo from ESPN.com
  • “Brandon Bass staying focused despite being unsure of his role on Celtics,” by Gary Washburn from the Boston Globe
  • “Melo: ‘I’m willing to do whatever it takes,’” by Jared Zwerling from ESPN.com
  • “New Bulls guard Marco Belinelli looks lost in Thibodeau’s system,” by Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Nowitzki chooses to delay surgery as long as possible,” by Dwain Price from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  • “Sixers’ Andrew Bynum to being practicing October 24,” by John N. Mitchell from the Philadelphia Inquirer
  • “Knicks’ forward Amar’e Stoudemire returned to practice,” by Tony Williams from the Newark Star-Ledger
  • “Jalen Rose to join Bill Simmons, Magic Johnson, and Mike Wilbon on NBA Countdown,” by Jason McIntyre from The Big Lead
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SH Blog: McHale says Lin will have to play better, Dwight Howard’s back no longer in pain

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If you saw the box score of the Rockets-Spurs preseason game on Sunday, you may have noticed an ugly stat line from Mr. Linsanity – the electrifying point guard that shocked the basketball world last season.

Lin managed to hit just one-of-10 shots with one assist while committing two turnovers in 25 minutes of play against the stifling defense of San Antonio. Lin’s biggest issue so far in the preseason appears to be the status of the knee he had surgery on last season, although some apparently believe Lin simply lacks athleticism.

See what Kevin McHale had to say about the play of his starting point guard, the good news on Dwight Howard and much more from Monday below:

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SH Blog: Dirk Nowitzki’s knee acting up, Deron Williams did not want King to wait on Howard

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The Western Conference, as we’ve become accustomed to, is once again stacked with playoff-level teams. This means one or more of those teams will miss the playoffs due to the level of competition, even if they end up with a winning record. The Mavericks could end up being one of those teams if Dirk Nowitzki, who has a swollen knee that has yet to improve, misses an extended period of time this season. See how the sharp-shooting big man plans to handle his situation, what Deron Williams told Billy King about Dwight Howard in the offseason, what Kobe Bryant hopes to get out of Dwight Howard and more below:

  • Dirk Nowitzki is having knee issues again, and it could lead to surgery if there is no improvement, from Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: “Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t want to sound any alarms, but he also wants to be realistic. For the second training camp in a row, his right knee is sore and swollen. Last season, it took nearly two months to get right. Now, it’s back and Nowitzki would not duck the issue about what will happen if this situation lingers. “We’ll see how it responds,” he said. “But the longer we wait, obviously the worse it is. If we have to do something, it’d be better to do it quick. “But we’re still hopeful that this is a temporary thing. If we relax and rest it for a week and see how it goes, then we’ll have a better idea.” “To do something,” means to go in and clean up whatever is inside Nowitzki’s knee that is causing the inflammation. Those things that are done to alleviate wear-and-tear problems usually are relatively minor arthroscopic procedures that only require a few weeks of recovery.”
  • Deron Williams advised Billy King to not wait on Dwight Howard, from Scott Gleeson of USA Today: “Before Williams’ free agency began, though, he was offering advice to Nets general manager Billy King. He urged the team not to throw all its eggs in one basket. In other words, don’t devote everything to land Dwight Howard. ”One thing Deron did say to me, he said, ‘Please just don’t wait on Dwight. We can’t wait and not have a team,” King said during a premiere of NBA TV’s The Association: Brooklyn Nets. It would have been the perfect pick and roll combination, Williams and Howard, but instead the Lakers eventually traded to get Howard. King took Williams advice. Sort of. After multiple attempts to bring Howard to Brooklyn from the Orlando Magic, including offering Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and first-round picks, the Nets ultimately built their team with key pieces instead. Brooklyn brought in nine new players, mainly star shooting guard Joe Johnson, to support Williams.”
  • Kobe Bryant is feeling very healthy, and hopes to get the most out of Dwight Howard, from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles: “Bryant said he hasn’t felt as good physically as he does right now since the 2006 season. ”With all the training I put in this summer,” he said, “I feel healthy, I feel strong. I feel ready.” And his most important job, besides preparing himself, is trying to get the most out of Howard. While they’ve spoken a lot since the Lakers acquired the mercurial center from Orlando in the middle of August, Bryant said most of what he can teach Howard is learned through observing how he practices and plays. ”I make guys uncomfortable. When I practice, everybody is a little uncomfortable,” Bryant said. “If you want to get to that next level, if a guy’s guarding you in practice, you have to punish him and send him a message. Make the guy who is guarding you think about if he wants to play in the NBA anymore.” While Howard is known as more of a jokester, Bryant said he’s been impressed by what he’s seen so far. He just wants to see more of it, more often. ”Dwight, to be a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, you’ve got to have a little of that dog in you,” Bryant said. “It’s just a matter of him digging deep and just pulling it out. But it’s already there. It’s just a matter of him having it become habit.”
  • Al Horford emphasized the importance of post presence and defense in order for the Hawks to succeed, from Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Horford said the Hawks yet to introduce the low-post offense during training camp. “You need to have an inside presence,” Horford said. “You can’t just sit around and shoot jumpers all day. We have to have a paint presence. We have to establish that. In camp, we have really been focusing on the defensive stuff and getting out and running but at some point we are going to have to address it.” In keeping with the Hawks’ philosophy, it all starts with defense. “First and foremost to be an up-tempo team, you have to get stops,” Smith said. “You can be an up-tempo team, how Golden State was four or five years ago and run-and-gun and try to outscore teams, but in the Eastern Conference you have to play defense in order to win basketball games. In order for us to be an up-tempo team we have to get stops first. When you get stops it makes it easier to get fast-break points.”
  • Wilson Chandler hopes to be ready for the season opener, from Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “Wilson Chandler worked up a good sweat too, but only on a Stairmaster overlooking the court. For now, Chandler remains on the outside looking in on a team that essentially has had to make do without him for more than a year. But Chandler, who joined the Nuggets from the New York Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony trade, is close to getting off the Stairmaster and on the court full time. After renowned Vail hip specialist Dr. Marc J. Philippon performed surgery on Chandler last spring, after a tear of the left labral joint in a game in April, the 25-year-old forward is feeling good and hopeful of being in the Nuggets’ lineup for the Oct. 31 season opener at Philadelphia. ”That’s the goal. I’m working toward that. It’s been a slow process with the hip, kind of a delicate situation,” Chandler said. “I think once I get back into the rotation, I’ll be pretty good.”
  • Derrick Rose doesn’t know when he will be back and didn’t rule out the possibility of missing the season if necessary, from Josh Sanchez of Fansided: “Anytime you are dealing with an ACL injury, you need to be patient in rehab and not rush your return. That may not be what Bulls fans would like to hear but it is the reality Rose is dealing with. Speaking with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Rose explained the patience he will approach his recovery with: “Everybody has their own opinions,” Rose told Nichols. “When the time comes I just have to be ready and prove to the people here that I am ready to play. Who knows when that time is? If it’s all year I might wait the whole year, so what? If I come back at the All-Star (break), so what? “If anything, I think I’ve learned it’s going to help me with my patience. I think I’m way more patient.”

  • Will Harrison Barnes be the NBA’s Rookie of the Year?

    The starting small forward job for the Warriors could go to Brandon Rush or Harrison Barnes, but Rush has the edge and Marcus Thompson of San Jose Mercury News explains the reason: “Rush is clearly the better defender at this point. The starting lineup needs someone who can really make it tough for opposing perimeter stars, and Rush is even better with Andrew Bogut backing him up. Plus, to this point, Rush is shooting better. If Barnes did start, it would likely be because Mark Jackson already knows that Rush can thrive off the bench. Bringing Barnes off the bench, adding the task feeling a game out and getting going after sitting, might take away Barnes’ aggressiveness and impact. Jackson said he hasn’t decided. He said he could easily start Barnes but he is in no rush to make a decision.”

  • Byron Scott was not very pleased with the performance of Dion Waiters in the Cavaliers preseason game against the Bucks, from Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: “Scott was so upset with rookie Dion Waiters that he benched him after just a minute in the fourth quarter. Waiters made just one of seven shots — laying in an alley-oop from Miles before falling down — and had four turnovers. So far in training camp, he hasn’t looked like the No. 4 pick in the draft. ”He struggled offensively big-time,” Scott said. “I took him out in the second half because I drew up a play, guard ran the play, he messed it up. To me that was a lack of focus so I figured he didn’t need to play the rest of the game.” Asked what he’d most like to see from Waiters, Scott said, “Understanding what we’re doing offensively. You’ve got to know the plays. I can’t draw up a play during a timeout and you go on the floor and mess it up.”
  • Dwyane Wade believes the matchup between the Heat and Knicks will be a fun one, from Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York: “All-Star Dwyane Wade told ESPNNewYork.com early Thursday morning in Beijing, where the Heat are playing a preseason game against the Clippers, that the Knicks-Heat rivalry this season will be competitive. ”Oh, man. It’s going to be exciting to see,” he said. “The Knicks are trying to build a team that they feel that can compete for a championship, and we have as well. It’s going to be the first matchup of many, and it’s going to be fun.” Wade joked that one of worst parts about the rivalry is that Mike Bibby won’t be a Knick. During the first round of the playoffs last season, in which the Heat won 4-1, Wade stepped on one of Bibby’s sneakers, removing it in the process. He then threw it to the Heat bench, while telling him he should be wearing his instead.”
  • Carmelo Anthony would prefer to stay at his natural position rather than make a move to power forward at any point, from Ian Begley of ESPN New York: “Carmelo Anthony, an All-Star at small forward, played arguably his best basketball at power forward last season. But if it’s up to him, he won’t be playing there much this season. ”Right now, we have guys in that position. We want to keep it like that,” Anthony said Monday when asked about playing more power forward this year. “I’d rather play my natural position then go down there and play the 4, the 5 and things that I don’t really want to do. So with the guys that we have now, I find that we’re definitely that much more effective.” When asked if he meant that, as long as his teammates remain healthy, his preference is to play the wing, Anthony said, “Absolutely.”
  • Brandon Roy is excited about how his knee has reacted to after practices, and believes aggressive driving to the hoop is still a big part of his game, from Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews: “The knees have been great. We went at it pretty hard the last five days, been going for about three hours. I think a big question in the back of my mind was, ‘How will the knees hold up with some grueling practices?’ And after coming out of all those practices, I feel just as good as I did going in. I’m really excited. We’ve got a game [Wednesday], finally, so I can get out there and play my first game in a very long time.”… Do you think driving to the hoop aggressively can still be a part of your game?: “Yeah, that’s a big part of my game. … If I’m able to make a move on a guy and get a step, my first mindset is to get to that basket and draw a foul or draw some kind of a response where we create a shot for our team. That’s a huge part of my game. If I wasn’t able to get to the basket and have confidence in doing that, then I wouldn’t have tried to make this comeback. That was the first thing that I told myself, ‘Can I still create and get to the hoop?’And I’ve been able to do so. I don’t want to just sit out there and settle for jump shots.”
  • Keith Smart will look to implement the triangle offense for the Kings this season, from Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: “Smart is looking for a system to space the floor and cut down on the excessive dribbling that bogged down the Kings last season. ”I’ve been trying to give these guys some freedom to still get the ball and do your thing whenever you need to do it, but you’ll have space,” Smart said. “So we’ll see how it goes.” Besides the triple post, the triangle relies on players cutting away from the ball, reading the defense and good passing. It’s a contrast from how the Kings have played offense in recent seasons, often with four players staring at whoever had the ball. ”So there’s not so much standing around,” said center DeMarcus Cousins. “Everyone gets involved, everyone gets touches. It’s going to be harder to guard us as a team.”
  • Mike Woodson seems to prefer having J.R. Smith come off the bench, from Barbara Barker of Newsday: “Four days after Smith told reporters that he “preferred to start” for the Knicks this season, his coach made it clear that his preference is that Smith continue to play a sixth-man role. ”I kind of like where J.R. is coming off the bench,” Woodson said. “He could start, you never know. But everybody can’t start. I have a nice mixture of guys at this starting unit and I have to have some offense coming off the bench, as well. ”There’s nothing wrong with that. He could be the best player coming off the bench in this league and perhaps win the Sixth Man Award.”

Tracy McGrady signs contract with Chinese team

Kobe and Nash show great promise in preseason game


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SH Blog: Kobe and Nash show great promise against Warriors, Howard wants to be “Iron Man”

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In Sunday night’s preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors, we witnessed something that may take a while to get used to: Steve Nash was running the floor alongside Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. If you’re not a Lakers fan, what we saw was bad news because Nash – as he always does – made the game look so darned easy for everyone else. The Warriors actually blew the game open for a 110-83 victory and showed promising signs of their own, but the glimpse of what the Lakers could do, even without their prized center Dwight Howard, was the intrigue of the night. See what Bryant had to say about his new backcourt mate, along with your daily news from Monday below:

  • Bryant feels joy from playing with Nash. The bond between the two is already obvious, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports: “Yes, it was just a preseason game for these new-look Los Angeles Lakers. But the first Nash-to-Bryant assist also showed all the promise that could await them this season. ”He just makes the game easy,” Bryant said later of his new point guard. “It’s a joy for me. I’ve had to facilitate and score my entire career. I don’t have to do that now and I’m pretty happy about it.” In Nash’s first game with the Lakers, he and Bryant looked comfortable from the opening tip. The Lakers hope their relationship only continues to improve. In previous seasons, the Lakers too often watched as Bryant dribbled out the shot clock before taking a tough, contested shot. Nash also should be able to keep L.A.’s big men happy – or at least happier than they were when the offense ran only through Bryant’s hands. Bryant can now spend his energy trying to get open, knowing that if he does, Nash will find him.”
  • How did the Lakers look in Sunday’s preseason game against the Warriors? Mark Medina of Los Angeles Times noticed fluidity on offense: “The Lakers also ran the revamped offense that includes elements of the Princeton system with fluidity. Rarely did they ever go into isolation sets. Each player appeared intent on following Nash’s lead and finding the open player for a shot. Bryant, who posted 10 points on two-of-seven shooting and three assists, appeared intent on facilitating. The Lakers set strong screens and actually played off them. They routinely covered for one another on defense. The floor spacing gave plenty of room for Metta World Peace to operate outside and score 10 points on three-of-six shooting. It’s fair to say that this reflects how much calmer and easier it’s been for the Lakers to absorb Brown’s teaching concepts with more time and a solidified roster. As a result, the Lakers look a lot more exciting and fluid on offense than last year.”
  • Klay Thompson displayed his full arsenal against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, from Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area: “It didn’t take long for Klay Thompson to unveil a little more of his game. Thompson, primarily an outside shooter in his rookie season, went to the bucket three straight times early in the game on Bryant, and finished on two of them. Thompson was the Warriors’ best offensive player on Sunday night, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. “I was taking what the defense was giving me,” Thompson said. “If they were playing up on my shot, drive. Kobe can’t move his feet as much as he used to so I got into the paint and made some plays.” Would Thompson have done that a year ago? “Not as effectively, no,” he answered. “But I’ve gotten stronger, worked on my quickness. I would have tried but I wouldn’t have gotten those results.”
  • Here are some highlights from the Lakers-Warriors game. Fast forward to 0:45 for Jarrett Jack’s forgettable moment:

Everybody chill I tripped on pau foot
October 8, 2012 1:20 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite
@Jarrettjack03
JARRETT JACK
Even tho I tripped only thing I was thinking was please don't fall or @ will never let me hear the end of this hahahaha
October 8, 2012 1:35 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite
@Jarrettjack03
JARRETT JACK
  • Dwight Howard apparently wants to be known as Iron Man now, according to Mike Prada of SB Nation: “Dwight Howard gave a mid-game interview with the Los Angeles Lakers’ broadcasters during the team’s preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. During the interview, Howard declared that he is now “Iron Man,” not “Superman.” Which is funny, because: 1. Superman would probably kick Iron Man’s ass. 2. Howard was not playing because he’s still recovering from a back injury.”
  • Deron Williams is impressed with Barclays Center, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times: “It’s built for basketball,” point guard Deron Williams said, drawing a sharp contrast with the Newark arena, which he disdained. “It’s not built for hockey; it’s not built for soccer. It’s built for basketball. Like I said, when they thought about it, they thought about everything. They thought about the crowd reacting, and it’s just got a great feel. It’s almost like there’s no bad seats in the arena.” The Nets will use stage lighting — just as the Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers do — enhancing the feel of intimacy and putting the focus squarely on the court. Johnson described it as “that Broadway feel.”
Deron Williams elaborated on choice of Nets over Mavs. Says Mark Cuban's absence at meeting helped cinch decision.
October 8, 2012 2:31 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@HowardBeckNYT
Howard Beck
  • Nikola Pekovic has become leaner and stronger in the offseason, which had Rick Adelman gushing about the big man’s many talents. Jerry Zgoda of Star Tribune has the story: “He’s slimmed down, but he’s stronger,” Adelman said. “You just watch him. Guys in the scrimmages just want out of there. They don’t want to go against him. He’s going to be crucial for us. If we have a guy who has to be our Iron Man, it’s Pek. When we have him out there, he’s such a force around the basket. It makes everybody else better.”… Adelman praised Pekovic’s passing, of all things, after Thursday’s practice, saying the big guy is seeing plays unfold and making passes that he didn’t see from Pekovic all last season. Adelman also wants Pekovic to expand his offensive game, which apparently means shooting the ball from beyond 2 feet. ”He can really shoot the ball from 15, 16 feet, he just never looks for it,” Adelman said. “I offer him the three-pointer every time I talk to him about it, and he has not accepted that yet.”
  • Tyreke Evans will rely on his jump shot- something he has tirelessly worked on – this season. DeMarcus Cousins and Keith Smart have noticed the difference in Evans, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: “Evans has a key to the Kings’ practice facility and got in a lot of late-night shooting sessions, earning him the nickname “Cat Burglar.” He focused on his form. That meant not leaning back and kicking out his leg on jump shots. ”I just try to go straight up and down,” Evans said. “Every time I’d go and lean back, I’d just think to myself to go straight up.” Evans’ dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. ”He’s way more focused,” said DeMarcus Cousins. “He’s in good shape, and he’s ready to turn things around. He wants to get this thing turned around as well.” A more mature Evans is a good thing for the Kings…”(Evans has) always been a guy who wanted to (improve), but you had to give him a plan and a staff that won’t leave until the last person leaves the building,” Smart said.
  • Allen Iverson played in an exhibition game in China and showed he still has the deadly crossover in his arsenal:

  • Amare Stoudemire is excited about displaying his new abilities in the post and blamed Mike D’Antoni’s system for never having developed a post game, from Marc Berman of New York Post: “I’m ready to step into a new era of my career,’’ Stoudemire vowed. “It’s going to benefit my career and I’ll become more of a complete player, having an all-around game.’’… Stoudemire didn’t know a single move before the summer. He blames it on being attached to former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball game. “I’m a player who adapted to the system I played in,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’ve been under D’Antoni for seven, eight years. Post-up wasn’t a factor for us. We were such a high-octane, up-tempo team where speed and quickness was to our advantage. I’m now allowed to develop a post game where my speed and quickness will still be used to my advantage but add a lot of [post] skill.’’
  • Dwyane Wade will ignore the questioning of his age from reporters moving forward. It’s safe to say that the question ticks him off, according to Shandel Richardson Sun Sentinel: “The whispers will turn into yells if he has any sort of problems recovering from offseason knee surgery that is expected to keep him out most of the preseason games, which begin Sunday at the Atlanta Hawks. So, will Wade struggle early? It’s unlikely, considering Wade kept a log of the “old man” articles from last season. He actually viewed it as an energy drink, an extra boost heading into his 10th season. Did the premature retirement party tick him off? You bet. ”Any time someone questions you, it’s going to bother you if you have any kind of competitive nature,” Wade said. “It fuels you. You want to see what you’re made of in a sense. You want to come back and not only answer the bell, but do a little bit more than expected.”
  • Kevin Durant wants you to stop blowing his workouts with LeBron James out of proportion, from Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “Kevin Durant wants to clear up something about his offseason workouts with LeBron James. “A lot of people blew (it) out of proportion,” the reigning three time scoring champion said. “It was just one day.” Still, some had a problem with Durant recently traveling to Ohio for the second consecutive summer to train with James. Durant, though, doesn’t see the big deal. “I’m a competitive guy,” Durant said. “I’m sure you guys have seen that in me. I just wanted to work out. That’s what it was all about. I’ll work out with anybody. I would have worked out with Kobe Bryant. I would have worked out with Carmelo (Anthony). I just wanted to work out and get better.”
  • Although David Stern likes NBA jerseys the way they are now, he won’t interfere with advertisements if that is the preference, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE: “And while he recognizes the upside of such a decision – increased revenue – Stern likes the league’s jerseys as they are now. ”As a personal matter, I am not in favor of it, but I’m not standing in the way of it,” Stern said. “If my board wants to do it, we’ll do it.” It is clear that Stern’s opposition to having ads on jerseys has more to do with tradition than anything else. ”Of all the leagues in the world, the NBA is the only one that has its own logo on it,” Stern said. “No information of the manufacturer and no sponsor, and that is something that I have worked hard to preserve for many decades. But I understand that the team may have to come to consider it. So we’re going to let the Board of Governors decide what to do.”
  • Stern hopes to see a new team in Seattle within the next five years, according to Gary Washburn of Boston Globe: “Commissioner David Stern offered this little nugget on the future of basketball in Seattle, which is just approved a new arena plan when talking to reporters in Milan, Italy. “It would be my hope that within the timeframe that you mentioned, five years, that if everything works out perfectly, there would be a new arena and new team in Seattle. That’s always, for the board of governors, but I know that many governohrs are favorably inclined.”
  • Andrew Bynum’s teammates firmly believe in the abilities of the center, according to John Mitchell of The Inquirer: “The Sixers I’ve talked to are firmly in their teammate’s camp. This includes Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Dorell Wright and Jason Richardson (who has played with Howard). One of them even went as far to say that Bynum, who will be their first option rather than the third, as he was in Los Angeles, could average 25 points this season. The good thing about this is that, as far as the Sixers are concerned, what’s being said by others outside of their locker room hasn’t altered their opinion about their teammate, which should help them this season… Speaking of Bynum, he looks to be in great condition. He’s trim. He’s engaging his teammates and coaches. And if they were playing games right now, Bynum would be out there.
  • Anthony Randolph will look to renew his career with the Denver Nuggets this season, and his first preseason game was encouraging, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “So there’s this player. He’s only 23 years old, a lanky, leaping 6-foot-11 pogo stick who can seemingly touch this high ceiling everyone talks about him having the potential to reach. Then there’s this player who has been on four NBA teams since 2008, arguably a vagabond bust, cursed by his potential. Well, it’s the same dude. Anthony Randolph is a Nugget now. The team took a gamble on the big man this summer, hoping he’s more potential than unfulfilled potential. And in the Nuggets’ preseason opener Saturday night in Las Vegas, Randolph had the team’s best plus-minus rating (plus-11) against the Clippers and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 18 minutes.”
  • Doc Rivers hopes to change the fragile mind of Darko Milicic, from Washburn: “You can see that he gets frustrated easy,” Rivers said. “So we’re trying to eliminate those episodes. Our thing right now with Darko is to play forward. From being around for a short time, as a coach I can probably feel he’s played his career backwards. He lives in the past a lot and we’re trying to get him to live in the future. I told him (Friday), the only time I’ll take you out is if you make a mistake and make another mistake because you’re thinking about the last mistake. I won’t take you out for making a mistake. So hopefully that works.”
  • Why did the Bucks struggle with their defense last season? The small backcourt was part of the issue, according to Dan Sinclair of Brew Hoop: “The Bucks’ other big problem was an inability to keep opponents away from the basket. They allowed the 5th-most attempts at the rim per game last season at over 26 per. The only thing that saved Milwaukee from disaster in that regard was their ability to contest close shots; the Bucks were 6th-best in opponent FG% at the rim, likely a testament to their many shot blockers. The obvious targets for blame here are Milwaukee’s perimeter players. Jennings has left his early reputation as a plus defender behind, becoming more gambler than stopper. Adding Monta Ellis hardly helped, and Beno Udrih has a poor defensive reputation as well.”
  • Rodrigue Beaubois will miss Tuesday’s preseason game, according to Dwain Price of Star-Telegram: “Dallas Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois will not play in Tuesday’s game in Barcelona, Spain, against FC Barcelona Regal. Beaubois sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of this past Saturday’s 89-84 preseason-opening victory over Alba Berlin in Berlin, Germany. After the game, Beaubois wore a protective boot. However, he is no longer wearing the boot, which is a sign of progress. ”Twisted ankles are just part of the game,” general manager Donnie Nelson said. “No major setback at all.”
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks Shaquille O’Neal is delusional:

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