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• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Derrick Rose sat out the scrimmaging portion of Monday's practice as part of "planned rest." "He did some, the warmup phase," Thibodeau said. "And we went shorter (Monday). We had a teaching segment that of course he participated in and the warmup phase. But the live stuff, we were planning on giving him (Monday) off." Rose, who sat out all last season after left knee surgery, had said he didn't want to miss any practice time or preseason games if the decision was left to him. By all accounts, Rose has looked dominant thus far in practice. "With all our players, usually the third day and fifth practice we’re dealing with heavy legs," Thibodeau said. "We just thought we’d give him (Monday) off. Mentally, he’s sharp so he did his conditioning off the floor. He’ll be ready to go (Tuesday)."
• Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune: For most of Eric Gordon's two seasons in New Orleans, the perception was that he didn't want to be with the organization. It also didn't help that last offseason he signed an offer sheet with the Phoenix Suns. But Gordon tried to clear some things up on Monday and said he has never been unhappy with the New Orleans franchise. "The only frustrating part since I have been down here is dealing with the injuries," he said. "That's the main thing. I know what I can do, and this team knows what I can do. Now I am going to finally get a chance to make it consistent." And now that the Pelicans have a new nickname, practice facility and a bevy of new and young talented players, Gordon finally seems happy. "I've always been happy," he said. "It's just with me individually I've always been dealing with injuries and so fort. But when you have a lot of talented guys where you can have a chance to grow together -- because we are all young guys and we have a chance to grow together – anything can happen. And we have the talent to be a playoff team."
• Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post: This was a cool LeBron James. This was a LeBron James at ease. This was a LeBron James as comfortable in his own skin as anyone could imagine. If the never-ending conversation regarding his potential free agency bothers him — he becomes eligible July 1 — James did a remarkable job of hiding it as the Heat met the media Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena. His situation will be a season-long topic of speculation as Miami seeks a third consecutive championship. “I’ll tell you right now how I’m going to handle it,” James said, “I’m not going to address it.” And then he talked about owing his team his focus and how his concern is winning another title and how mature the Heat is and how his potential opt-out (and Dwyane Wade’s and Chris Bosh’s, too) won’t be a distraction. Nobody has to explain himself, James implied. They have a professional goal, and the effort to achieve it won’t be sabotaged by after-the-fact business. The locker room won’t fracture. “We’ve got a veteran ballclub that’s heard everything and seen everything,” James said. “I know how delicate a team can be. I know how important chemistry and camaraderie are.” Here’s the thing: They’ll all probably opt-out, because doing so provides the player with flexibility. It’s the prudent move.
• Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times: The pleasantries quickly gave way to a more sobering discussion when Doc Rivers first met with Chris Paul. Topics of conversation did not include Paul's six All-Star game appearances, his unmatched ability to close out games or his status as possibly the best point guard in the NBA. "He pretty much told me I wasn't anything," Paul said Monday during the Clippers' annual media day. "He told me I hadn't done anything, and he was right." Welcome to life with the league's most painfully sincere coach. Hard questions can be asked. Perceptions of one's self can change. Feelings can be hurt. But here's the thing: Championships can be won. "I'm honest," Rivers said in the biggest understatement of the day. For a Clippers franchise that has never gotten to the conference finals, Rivers' candor is as alluring as the new light-blue alternate uniforms the team unveiled. His frankness grabs your attention like an open parking space in a dusty media lot suddenly overrun by reporters drawn to the buzz of the most captivating team in Los Angeles. "He's been straight-up, he's been very real and when he talks you can tell he has the attention of everybody," super-subJamal Crawford said. "Winning that championship, being there contending, he did it as a player and now as a coach. He has everyone's respect." Not that it's always fun to hear what Rivers has to say.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Timberwolves forward Kevin Love reported for duty with his surgically repaired knee and hand reportedly all healed and his body lean. He also made one thing abundantly clear: The past is in the…well, you know. “Last year is last year,” the two-time All-Star forward, uttering a line he used repeatedly during a 12-minute session with reporters at the team’s annual media day. He made it clear he has little interest in discussing a lost season in which he played just 18 games after breaking his shooting hand not once but twice. Love also wasn’t much interested in discussing his relationship with former President of Basketball of Operations David Kahn, who was replaced by Flip Saunders last May. “The past is the past and it’s great to have Flip on board,” Love said. “We’ve had great talks. … We all know what happened last year, and we just want to move forward and take care of unfinished business.” Love looked like he’s in the best shape of his career, even though he said he doesn’t know exactly how much weight he lost from last season.
• Tom Layman of the Boston Herald: The search parties were called off as Gerald Wallace emerged yesterday for the first time wearing Celtics garb with the No. 45 stitched on his jersey. Wallace knew there might have been some misconceptions about his whereabouts after the draft-night trade that brought him, Bogans, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks to Boston for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. But, he said, he had a prior commitment with his basketball camp right when the introductory press conference happened, and like he does every summer, secluded himself in Alabama with his family. “The main thing that a lot of people have taken out of this is that I didn’t want to come, I didn’t want to be here, I didn’t want to be a part of it. That’s so far from the truth,” Wallace said. “I think the main thing is that I’m a veteran of 13 years and I’ve been traded three times in the past three or four years. This trade kind of caught me off-guard. I didn’t see it coming.” Wallace did say, however, that going from a team building toward being a major contender to one that is in rebuilding mode isn’t the easiest thing to accept. … Whether Wallace will be part of the rebuilding process will be figured out down the road. He has a contract that will be tough to move with three years remaining at roughly $10.1 million per, and Danny Ainge, Celtics president of basketball operations, said this is always a quiet time in terms of player movement. Ainge also said he doesn’t know what Wallace’s role will be on this team with an overcrowded roster at basically every position.
• Harvey Araton of The New York Times: It didn’t take long for Steve Mills to address his primary mission in assuming the Knicks’ top executive position last week, courtesy of his former and once again benefactor, James L. Dolan. On N.B.A. media day, Mills explained how the job opportunity appeared suddenly, announced the exercising of an option year for Coach Mike Woodson and then got down to the business of what promises to be a season of breathtaking pandering to Carmelo Anthony. He clearly is one of those superstar players that don’t come around very often, and the things he has done to make this team successful and to represent this city is something that’s very important,” Mills said. “So while it’s premature in the process, we’ve made it clear that we have every intention of making Carmelo a Knick for a long time to come.” Given a chance to declare it a mutual love affair and to say he couldn’t wait to put his Carmelo Hancock on a Knicks contract extension, Anthony politely abstained. “When the time comes, I’ll deal with that,” he said. “I’m not going to go through the season thinking about my contract.”
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: O.J. Mayo wanted to find a place to stay awhile. After spending his first four pro seasons in Memphis, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was in Dallas just one year. When the Mavericks focused their off-season attentions on Chris Paul and Dwight Howard (failing to land either one), the unrestricted free agent Mayo could take a hint. So on Monday it was Mayo stepping up to a microphone wearing his No. 00 at the Milwaukee Bucks media day at the Cousins Center. Mayo, who was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft by Minnesota and traded to Memphis, knows big things are expected of him on this stop. And he's just fine with that. "I'm going to do whatever I need to do in order for us to be successful," Mayo said. "If I have to be the tough guy, if I have to bite, scratch, whatever we need to do." The Bucks signed Mayo as the replacement for Monta Ellis at shooting guard, agreeing to a three-year, $24 million contract with the former Southern Cal player. … But foremost on his mind is helping the Bucks. He understands his role will be a critical one on a team with a 21-year-old point guard in Brandon Knight and a young front line featuring fourth-year center Larry Sanders and second-year pro John Henson. "Last year (the Bucks) were the eighth seed but at the same time it was a losing season," Mayo said. "Hopefully we can get to a fifth or sixth seed this year and continue growing, show we're making improvements and strides."
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: New Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks mentioned he talked with Jennings on Monday about the expectations for the young point guard. Cheeks was asked what he said, but he deferred and said he was more curious to hear Jennings’ recollection of the conversation. “Everything was just straightforward,” Jennings said. “He said the team goes as far as I go. He’s looking for a guy who can come in here with a positive attitude every day and a guy that’s not too high and not too low, but in the middle. “He said he is going to be on me every day, and he’s going to put a lot of pressure on me.” One of the things that angered fans last season was former coach Lawrence Frank’s limiting of rookie center Andre Drummond’s minutes. Cheeks said he isn’t looking to limit Drummond and expects big things in his second season. “I’m going to put him out on the floor for sure,” Cheeks said.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: In a bold and franchise-altering day seldom before seen, one thing has become clear. They will forever be the Raptors but they will never be the same. With a new “global ambassador” who appears to have as much passion for the organization as almost anyone employed by it and a new look and colour scheme coming in two years, the Raptors kicked off the official run-up to the 2016 NBA all-star game in decidedly glitzy fashion. Drake, the iconic Toronto music superstar and now the unofficial host of the all-star weekend, will be part of the process of “re-branding” the franchise that has missed the NBA playoffs for the past five years. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke said the process has already begun to change the colour scheme and logo of the team that’s entering its 19th year in the NBA. The name however won’t change, Leiweke said, and it will not be a quick process. Leiweke said the team has already engaged a Toronto firm to help with the process, they will make an effort to somehow involve fans but thanks to marketing and licensing demands, the new look won’t be unveiled until the 2015-16 season. And the NBA will be heavily involved.
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said Monday was the only time he’s going to address Corbin’s contract situation with the media this season. “The Miller family is known for their support for players, of coaches, of management. We’re going to stand by our record,” Lindsey said. “I think as you guys have seen with Coach Sloan, the internal promotion what we did last year and support of Ty and the staff with the Raja Bell situation, coaches here are very well-supported. Beyond that, the Miller family and the management team, we’re not going to comment past that point.” The Jazz’s expectations for Corbin this season? “Our expectations,” Miller Sports Properties president Steve Miller said, “are that he shows up, which he will, and that he does the job that we’ve hired him to do, and he will because he’s the consummate professional.” Lindsey said he has a “gentleman’s agreement” with the agents of Hayward and Favors to not discuss their deals in public, either. Utah has until the end of October to extend the players’ contracts. If that doesn’t happen, the Jazz have the option of turning them into restricted free agents next offseason. “As you guys can assume, we’re having active conversations. We’re hopeful,” Lindsey said.
• Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post: Nuggets center JaVale McGee is working to get better control of his asthma. He is awaiting lung capacity test results taken recently to be able to pinpoint which medication will work best for him this season. "It definitely figures out what medicines I need to take, if I'm taking too much medicine, if I'm not taking enough," McGee said. "So it's definitely a good thing." McGee averaged 18.1 minutes per game last season in a mostly reserve role. Those minutes are expected to jump considerably now that new Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has all but declared him the starting center. "Definitely inhalers," McGee said of required equipment. "And then practicing past my first wind. It's not a huge problem. It's just that once.”
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Fatherhood can impact guys differently. A newborn in the house means many things change. For Dirk Nowitzki, it meant being a “full-on home dad” for the last two months. In case you are wondering, it will not impact his job. Coach Rick Carlisle had the most emphatic answer when asked if daddy Dirk seemed any different to him. “If you’re asking if he’s settling into fatherhood and not as into basketball, I’ll tell you categorically, the answer is [expletive] no,” Carlisle said. “It’s been a tough couple years for him. The ’12 [lockout] season was dicey with the knee thing, and then coming in last year, it seemed like it was OK and then the thing puffed up. So he takes it extremely seriously. … This is serious business, and his effort has been completely matched up with the level of importance.”
• Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle: While most fans have a guess as to who the Rockets’ leaders will be this year, head coach Kevin McHale says it’s just too early to tell who will do the leading and who, in turn, will do the following. “We have only had four practices so far,” McHale said. “Right now they are just trying to get through those.” While most fingers point to James Harden and Dwight Howard, McHale said the leaders won’t emerge for a while. “They all have personalities, and really, I don’t know if you can say, ‘This guy’s a designated leader,’ ” McHale said. “Players are going to follow who players follow, and they follow guys for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes there is the older guy they follow because the guy is full of wisdom and he helps them out all the time. Sometimes it is the high-energy guy they follow because they are just like, ‘That guy plays so hard.’ All that leadership stuff, as it always does, will take care of itself.”
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: If you thought Michael Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t play like a No.2 overall pick last season, then know this: Kidd-Gilchrist didn’t think so, either. The Charlotte Bobcats small forward recalls his rookie season with disappointment – not about the team’s 21-61 record, but rather that he didn’t do more to help. His numbers weren’t bad. He averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and just under a shot-block per game. But he’s used to excelling, and this was well short of that in a class that featured rookie of the year Damian Lillard with Portland and stellar big man Anthony Davis with New Orleans. “I was disappointed in myself,” Kidd-Gilchrist said at media day, on the eve of training camp Tuesday morning at UNC Asheville. “It wasn’t the losses. I like all my teammates and we bonded a lot. I was mad at myself. I set goals and I didn’t reach any of the goals that I set. All my life I did that and last year I didn’t reach one goal.’’ Asked for specifics, Kidd-Gilchrist said he set out to be rookie of the year and failed. He set out to make first-team all-rookie, and failed.
• Monte Poole of The Oakland Tribune: Bob Myers has a fabulous job, with a salary that allows him to live anywhere he likes, visit any place he chooses. On this particular day, as soft clouds hover above the Bay Area, the Warriors general manager chooses state prison. He's not alone. Another member of the 1 percent club, Warriors coach Mark Jackson, a former NBA star, also arrives at the joint. These two are voluntarily rubbing shoulders -- literally -- with men serving time at this world-famous lockup on the north shore of San Francisco Bay. Myers and Jackson and Warriors assistant coach Brian Scalabrine, one year removed from playing in the NBA, are joined by other members of the Warriors organization, including assistant general manager Kirk Lacob, the son majority owner Joe Lacob. They all brave the morning commute to come here and play basketball with the inmates. So, naturally, this visit is about much more than hoops. "It's basketball, but, for the most part, this is about impacting lives," Jackson says.

• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Kirk Hinrich's projected role — backing up both Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler at guard — could aid in his quest to have a healthier 2013-14. "I'm excited," Hinrich said. "I've come off the bench before and enjoyed it. I feel I can come in and bring energy. That will be a good role for me. Most of the injuries last year were just bad luck, so I try not to put too much stock into it. But early in last year's preseason, I had a lot of my small muscle groups hurting. So I'm just trying to do a lot more flexibility and functional stuff in the weight and training rooms before and after practice to prevent that." Indeed, one of Hinrich's regular-season injuries was freakish — a burst bursa sac in his right elbow that became infected. And who can forget Hinrich's final game, when he tied a franchise record by playing 59 minutes, 36 seconds in the triple-overtime victory over the Nets in Game 4.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The 2013-14 version of the Suns head to Flagstaff Monday for a six-day training camp that begins a season of low expectations from the outside and high anticipation on the inside. There will be 10 new faces, but the return of a familiar one feeds the anticipation: Channing Frye announced Sunday that he is cleared to join the camp after a year away from basketball due to an enlarged heart. “It’s been a long journey getting healthy, but I did it through the support of my friends and family and with my will to not give up,” Frye said. “I’m very excited to be a part of this new young Suns team. I take pride in this uniform and can’t wait to run out of the tunnel to the fans that have been supportive throughout this whole process.” … Frye will ease into basketball activity, just as the Suns did with another big man this summer. Alex Len, the Suns’ No.5 draft pick, underwent surgeries on his left ankle in May and right ankle in July but resumed light court work in August. Last week, Len joined the voluntary workouts’ 5-on-5 scrimmages for 10 to 12 plays at a time with no pain.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post: The NBA is a lot like Hollywood: it matters who you know, how successful you are, how much power you wield. People want to be attached to a blockbuster; over the past four years LeBron James went from Cleveland to Miami, Chris Bosh went from Toronto to Miami, Carmelo Anthony went from Denver to New York, Dwight Howard has gone from Orlando to L.A. to Houston, and Chris Paul has gone from New Orleans to L.A. Oh, and Brooklyn raided Boston, and others. As one NBA executive lamented not long ago, “I swear, this league is 60% luck.” So maybe Drake becomes a point of entry, which combined with Tim Leiweke’s connections to Hollywood — and hey, CAA, which is a force in the NBA — Toronto becomes something other than an outpost. But alone, it’s window dressing, fizz. The All-Star Game won’t help much, either. It’s recently been held in New Orleans, in Orlando, in Atlanta, in Phoenix, after which their best players left. The All-Star Game is a billboard, but a blank billboard doesn’t do much good. And that’s why despite the presence of Drake, Rob Ford, NBA commissioner-in-waiting Adam Silver and Leiweke at the press conference, the most important figure remains Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, who has spent the summer quietly sitting on the competitive fence, the Andrea Bargnani trade notwithstanding.
• Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Managing owner Josh Harris reiterated Sunday that the 76ers are not moving to North Jersey. "My answer to the fans is I love the Sixers in Philly. I'm committed to it," Harris said during his state-of-the-Sixers news conference. Harris' keeping the franchise in Philadelphia isn't a surprise to people who know the billionaire businessman. They will tell you the surprising thing is that he's on board with the Sixers' tanking this season. "I want immediate results and immediate upside," he said. "But I think that the reality of professional sports is that things don't change overnight." The things that will allow Harris to keep his sanity during what will be a trying season are his offseason moves that were geared to bring a championship to Philadelphia in a few seasons.
• Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: Amar'e Stoudemire's hectic summer didn't include much basketball but it did include yet another knee surgery, the Daily News has learned. According to a Knicks source, Stoudemire had an unreported surgical procedure in July to repair one of his ailing knees. The Knicks open camp on Tuesday and have yet to announce that Stoudemire has had a third knee operation in 12 months. The surgery was described as "clean up" and isn't considered major. However, the secrecy surrounding Stoudemire's latest health issue could be an indication that the club is not optimistic that they can rely on the veteran power forward. Stoudemire appeared in just 29 games last season and had debridement surgeries on both of his knees, the right knee in October and the left in March.
• Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post: (New head coach Brian Shaw) will let training camp decide which players fall into which roles, but more important, the month of practices and eight preseason games will be the guide to what the Nuggets' new identity will be. Under previous coach George Karl, it was all run, all the time. Shaw will likely blunt some of that breakneck pace and will likely slot in a mixture of speed to continue using the altitude to the Nuggets' advantage and half-court patterns to make sure Denver can execute against any team, in any situation. "We're going to have to establish what our identity is as a team," Shaw said. "At this point, I don't know yet. I haven't had all the guys together. The last two years, when we were in Indiana, we were a smash-mouth basketball team. We did not relent; we did not give in to going small because other teams went small; we stayed true to who we were and took advantage of our length and size and our energy and power. I'll have to see what we're made of and what our identity will be. It will show itself when we get everybody together and get started."
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: If center Andrew Bynum misses the entire preseason, the Cavaliers don’t seem to think it will be the end of the world. The 7-foot, 285-pounder missed the entire 2012-13 season after having surgery on both knees. The former All-Star center signed a two-year, $24.5 million contract with the Cavs in the offseason. Only $6 million is guaranteed. The Cavs’ goal appears to be getting Bynum ready for the regular season. If he misses the majority of the preseason, so be it is the feeling from the team. Cavs media day is Monday and all eyes will be on Bynum. However, don’t expect to see Bynum on the practice court when training camp begins on Tuesday. Cavs coach Mike Brown said recently there’s been no timetable established for Bynum’s return. He hasn’t started court work yet, but he’s running on a treadmill.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: After spending the last 61/2 seasons with the division rival Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, Mike Dunleavy knew what the Bulls were about. His impressions were reaffirmed last spring, when he watched the Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs without Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, then go toe-to-toe with the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat before falling in five games. ‘‘Absolutely, players take note of that,’’ the sharpshooting Dunleavy said of joining a team that shows fight. ‘‘This is a high-character team. You could tell with the way other guys stepped up. There were no excuses. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be part of something like that?’’ But then there was the issue of money. Dunleavy was projected to be a $5 million-to-$7 million-a-year signee. The Bulls got him for $3 million a year for the next two seasons. Sure, players have been pointing to the collective-bargaining agreement negotiated by former National Basketball Players Association executive director Billy Hunter as hurting the free-agent market. But Dunleavy, 33, said money wasn’t the biggest priority at this stage of his career. ‘‘The ghost of Billy Hunter will be haunting us for a long time, but . . . I’ve done well financially, so I could make a decision on what would make me happy,’’ Dunleavy said. ‘‘At this point, it’s playing with a group like this, having a chance to win.’’
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: If you’re a bottom-line, show-me-the-scoreboard kind of person, then the 2013-14 Celtics may not be your cup of entertainment. But this edition will not lack for story lines. It will be interesting to see how first-time NBA coach Brad Stevens adapts to his new digs and how well he establishes a working relationship with players who won’t have to sit out a year if they transfer. It will be beyond interesting to see how Rajon Rondo adjusts both physically and sociologically to playing without Pierce and Garnett. How much of what we saw from rookie Kelly Olynyk in July was the product of summer-league competition? Is Jeff Green ready to exhibit his considerable talent on a more consistent basis? Who among the Brooklyn refugees is here for more than a cup of chowder? The Celtics are wise to be patient as they seek to repackage their roster and multiple first-round draft picks into a worthy entity. But they are still on the clock as regards Rondo, who can be a free agent in two years. Before then, the Celts must show they are close enough to being good to make him want to stay, or, failing that, find the right trade for Rondo before he abdicates.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: The Magic will test rookie Victor Oladipo immediately. Oladipo, who played shooting guard in college, will be asked to play perhaps a significant amount at point guard, continuing the experiment the team began during its summer-league exhibitions. Oladipo faces a difficult test in the weeks ahead. A rookie season is difficult for any player — even someone who played three years of college ball at Indiana, as Oladipo did — and now Oladipo will try to pick up the nuances of the most complex position on the floor. Magic officials believe he can excel as a defender at both guard positions, but anyone would acknowledge Oladipo will have some rough moments on the offensive end of the court. But that should be OK given that the Magic are in Year Two of their rebuilding project. Taking some lumps now might pay major dividends a few years down the road as long as his confidence remains intact.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to Turkey as scheduled this week for its preseason opener despite the country's ongoing violence and the highly publicized crisis in neighboring Syria. Concerns over the safety of players, coaches and team and league personnel raised questions recently about whether the first leg of the Thunder's two-game European tour would be canceled. But the Thunder is scheduled to depart for Istanbul on Wednesday, with the team left to trust that the NBA-mandated trip will be as secure as any other road game. With a Sept. 6 travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State to U.S. citizens traveling to or living in Turkey, Thunder general manager Sam Presti was asked last week about security concerns abroad. Presti directed the question to the NBA. But not before calling it “a very fair question.”
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: Locker rooms can be crowded places during training camps. But that won’t be the case with the Pistons when camp begins Tuesday. Barring a last-minute invite, the 15 under contract will be the only players hitting the practice floor Tuesday morning when coach Maurice Cheeks opens his first camp with the Pistons. The NBA-mandated roster limit is 15 during the regular season, but teams can invite more players to camp for various reasons. The Knicks are bringing 20 players to camp. But with a roster with an average age of 25 and eight new players, the Pistons want to give minutes to their young players and for their regulars to start developing chemistry. There are also several camp battles to watch so it should make for a competitive environment. “This is probably what, in the old-school days, training camp was about, ... competing for spots, competing for minutes, and it gets no better than this right here when you have a lot of guys who can play different positions and in order to get minutes they have to be able to beat out another guy,” Cheeks said last week.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: After two days and three practices, the Rockets are beginning to run out of centers. Dwight Howard remains the center of attention, but his predecessor as the Rockets’ starter, Omer Asik, left the floor late in Sunday’s practice with a strained calf muscle. He is listed as day-to-day. Greg Smith (strained right hip) is also day-to-day and Marcus Camby (plantar fasciitis) is out this week, leaving Howard and rookie Jordan Henriquez available at the position. Guard/forward Francisco Garcia sat out Sunday to rest the sore groin muscle he tweaked at the Tournament of the Americas, but had been practicing.
• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com Most of the team's newly acquired ammo will come off the bench and provide the necessary fire power and rest for starters. The addition of Mo Williams, CJ McCollum, Dorell Wright, Thomas Robinson and Earl Watson is a massive upgrade from last year's second unit. Those acquisition, alone, should pencil-in the Trail Blazers into the playoffs. However, if this team is serious about competing in more than 89 games this year (7 preseason + 82 regular season games), it's going to have to be a drastic change on the defensive end. Head coach Terry Stotts said this past offseason that they will instill a different set of defensive principles this year. He didn't elaborate at the time, but believe it's safe to say that the guards will benefit heavily from such a change. Reason being is most of the time perimeter defenders are told to shade their opponent to one particular side, knowing that you have help behind you. Often the plan is to force them to go baseline as most coaches hate giving up the middle.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: As the Mavs hold their Media Day on Monday and open training camp on Tuesday, Gersson Rosas will try to work his magic again while humbly standing in the background. He knows he made the right move by leaving the Rockets for the Mavs. “There could have potentially been more options for me in the future around the league, but Dallas was a special place that I didn’t want to pass up on,” Rosas said. “I see a lot of potential here. “There’s a championship heritage here that’s important to me, and you have all the resources to be successful. It’s just the opportunity to do the work, and that’s why I’m here.” Lindsey, who has known Rosas since he was 22 years old, believes the Mavs have hired one of the fastest-rising young executives in the NBA who will do wonders for their franchise. “I think he’s a great example of someone who is a great student that has grinded his way to the top, yet didn’t skip any steps,” Lindsey said. “So it’s just a terrific example of what a high level of character and work ethic can do for you.”

Andre Iguodala is going gray. That’s the first thing I noticed at the Warriors practice facility in downtown Oakland on Wednesday. Breaking news, you heard it here first. Slightly famous athlete suffers from apoptosis of the follicle. It’s just that the white hairs are a bit shocking on a guy whose physique looks like Batman’s armor.

I’m casting science aside and blaming the Philadelphia media for Iguodala’s premature “Just for Men” status. “Iggy” (Iguodala hates that media-given nickname, by the way) mastered the subtle art of defense while the local sports pundits not so subtly bellowed that he wasn’t worth the contract. Philly’s a famously angry market, and from what I could tell, its fixation was more on what Iguodala couldn’t do rather than what he could.

Then the Sixers traded him to Denver for the concept of Andrew Bynum. Despite losing Arron Afflalo in the deal, the Nuggets went from a 47-win lockout pace to a franchise record 57 wins. The Sixers trudged to the lottery, trampling Doug Collins’ soul in the process.

Denver was 20th in defensive efficiency before Iguodala arrived and 11th when he left. Philadelphia was third in defensive efficiency in Iguodala’s last season there. Last season, they sunk to 15th.

So where was the widespread credit? Even if George Karl had kept his job, I doubt the public would have embraced Iguodala’s defensive impact as a storyline.

We don’t care about defense. It’s about creating the absence of something, which sounds more like preventative maintenance than the action fans crave from sports. Tune in folks, watch Iguodala perform the NBA equivalent of sealing a wood deck.

A lot goes into Iguodala tilting the odds against action, but it will be ignored for the most part. His defense is as public as it is obscure. Maybe that’s why he sounds a bit annoyed when discussing his game and how it’s regarded. Iguodala is quite literally soft-spoken, but he seemed downright brash on Wednesday on the topic of his D and its impact (bolded emphasis mine).

You think you have another level you can go to individually?

Yeah, definitely. I don’t think I’ve gotten enough credit for what I bring to certain teams, especially last year with the record we had, breaking the franchise record for wins and how we kind of kept everything together and pulled off a great season.

How much credit do you deserve for the defensive leap that Denver took last season?

I would say I had a lot to do with it, because I had a lot of responsibility, especially in the pick-and-roll coverage on the weak side and having to guard two guys, the diver and the 3-point shooter. Which is ... it’s damned near impossible. I see a lot of teams lose games off that.

This could be the season that Mr. "Damned Near Impossible" finds his recognition. He joins a team whose fanbase has long pleaded for better defense. The last season in which Golden State was better than 10th in defensive efficiency happened 35 years ago.

Good defense is damned near impossible to notice. Unless it’s a total change of pace from what you’re used to. Warriors fans were beside themselves over the flashes of defensive might bequeathed by Andrew Bogut, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. If Iguodala vaults this unit to an elite level, Oracle Arena might levitate.

For now, Memphis has the market cornered on fan-friendly defense with their “Grit n’ Grind” branding, energetic crowd, and charismatic spokesman in Tony Allen. Iguodala could be GSW’s Allen -- a reason and symbol for a popular team’s cultural shift. In his 10th season, the often dismissed and maligned Iguodala could finally get his due.

Oh, who am I kidding? If the Warriors go deep in the playoffs we’re going to focus on Steph Curry’s 3-point shooting and little else.

• Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune: There never has been much doubt about Rick Adelman returning as Timberwolves coach, but it wasn’t for sure until he brought his coaching staff out to his home in Portland, Ore., last week and laid out the plans for this season. Wolves owner Glen Taylor confirmed Adelman’s return Sunday. “Yes, he did [say he’s coming back],” Taylor said. On the subject of the remodeling of Target Center and how the $100 million in expenses will be paid for, Taylor reported some progress after a long delay and how much each of the three partners will contribute. “We have an agreement with the city, and now they are working with the management team AEG to get an agreement there,” Taylor said. “We’re just sort of waiting on the city to work it out with them. Then it’s my understanding that once they get that done, they’re going to bring it to the City Council. “We have obligated ourselves to pay for $44 million to fix Target Center. The city will put in $50 million. We have to get $6 million from AEG.”
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: How will Russell Westbrook return? An unfortunate knee injury to Westbrook devastated a state and derailed the Thunder's season. How Westbrook bounces back from that setback will now determine how far the Thunder can go. For five seasons we've watched Westbrook display one of the most fearless styles of play on the planet. His relentless attack has always put pressure on defenses and given the Thunder a go-to option whenever all else fails. But will Westbrook still have that same gear with a reconstructed knee? Will he still have that same mentality? Westbrook is expected to make a full recovery from the torn meniscus he suffered on April 24. But he may not be 100 percent to start the season. As a result, we may see a different player initially than the Tasmanian devil we've grown accustomed to. After an offseason of rehab, Westbrook's confidence and rhythm will be worth monitoring just as much as his motor and athleticism.
• Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News: The upcoming syllabus looks daunting. When camp convenes on the Salve Regina University campus, Brad Stevens will welcome a squad that bears almost no resemblance to the one that won an NBA title in 2008 and was playing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals just 15 months ago. His lone All-Star player, Rajon Rondo, is still recovering from torn anterior cruciate ligament surgery and appears unlikely to be ready for the season opener. One of his most promising young players, Jared Sullinger, was recently arrested on domestic assault charges. His most experienced players — Keith Bogans, Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace — are new to the team after being cast off by the Brooklyn Nets in the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster, and are all unlikely to be a part of a rebuilding squad’s long-term plans. His most natural healthy center and point guard, Vitor Faverani and Phil Pressey, respectively, are rookies. But he has four shooting guards and four power forwards who will all be looking for minutes. His first-round draft choice, Kelly Olynyk, is already dealing with a case of plantar fasciitis, while one of last year’s first-round picks, Fab Melo, was let go last month in a salary dump to get under the luxury-tax threshold. Other than that, transitioning from being a mid-major college darling to the leader of a marquee major-market franchise should be a piece of cake. But Stevens said Friday he doesn’t expect this to be easy, that he does expect this season to be a proving ground for everyone on the parquet and new to the Boston bench, and that he’ll continue to put in the time and effort to get it right.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: Hey, Mary: If this coming season turns into another parade of injuries for the Cavaliers, and they fail to make the playoffs, will Chris Grant finally be dismissed after four long seasons of misery at the Q? Hey, Chris: I don't think Chris Grant is in any danger of losing his job. By and large, his draft choices have performed well and he has pulled off some trades that significantly improved the team, like sending Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Clippers for a No. 1 pick that became Kyrie Irving, an All-Star in his second season. The Cavs were the only team in the league to have three players taking part in the USA Basketball minicamp -- Irving, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller. A fourth -- Tristan Thompson -- is playing for Canada's national team, and a fifth -- Sergey Karasev -- is playing for Russia's national team. I like the gamble he took on Andrew Bynum because if he's healthy he's a steal, and if he's not the Cavs are only on the hook for this season. I'm not sure how you can blame the general manager for three straight season-ending injuries suffered by Anderson Varejao. If you say the Cavs should have traded him when he was healthy, I'd counter by saying they wouldn't have gotten back a player who brought the same energy and defense. The J.J. Hickson trade for Omri Casspi didn't work out, but overall I think most general managers would like to have Grant's batting average in trades. When you consider the state of the franchise when he took over for Danny Ferry after the departure of Mike Brown and LeBron James and where he has it today, there's no reason his job should be on the line.
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: Masai Ujiri has turned to his native Africa to try to fill his squad’s final roster spot. The Raptors president/general manager confirmed Sunday that Angolan guard Carlos Morais has been invited to training camp, along with Julyan Stone and Chris Wright. Morais, a 27-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard has been playing professionally since he was a teenager and has been a major reason why Angola has emerged as the class of the continent since 2005. Morais was named MVP of the recent Afrobasket tournament after leading Angola to gold with averages of 15.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. Angola also won the tournament in 2009, 2007 and 2005 and finished second in 2011, when Morais averaged 17.7 points per game. Morais also averaged 14.8 points at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, including a game-high 24 points against the United States. Morais is considered a scoring guard, a quality outside shooter and a strong athlete, but has mostly played in Angola. He will be in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, like Stone and Wright, who will fight for the final roster spot that was created with the waiving of veteran swingman Quentin Richardson last month.
• Ben Standig of CSN Washington: For all the colorful players that have come through Washington in recent years, none wears the title of knucklehead better than JaVale McGee does. There are scores of YouTube videos depicting the big man's ill-advised forays with the basketball and his own random comments about who knows what. NBA analysts have also piled on. Everything together has led to, well, JaVale, you tell us. “People around the NBA really think that I’m dumb or stupid,” McGee told NBA.com. “But people that know me know that I’m actually very intelligent. It doesn’t affect me at all.” Intelligence can come out in many different ways. Apparently former Denver coach George Karl didn't recognize it from a basketball standpoint seeing as he played the ex-Wizard only 18.1 minutes per game last season even after the Nuggets signed the agile 7-foot center to $44 million extension. According to reports, Karl's limited use of McGee had at least some part in management firing the longtime coach, who was named 2013 NBA Coach of the Year. In 79 games, McGee averaged 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and was among the league leaders with 2.0 blocks.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Stephen Jackson’s previous appearance on ESPN’s Highly Questionable went so well. they couldn’t resist bringing him back last week for an encore performance. This time, completely unprompted, he got to tell Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones the tale of how he ended up with his hand around the throat of former NBA All-Star Steve Francis during a recent club run-in. Jackson explained: “We wasn’t never cool. I don’t hang with him. I don’t call him. We’ve never been in the same circles. It was too packed for me to get to the stage. So I go in the DJ booth…and as soon as I start rapping, he jumps on the back of the DJ booth. “I don’t know why he jumped up there. He bumped me two times with his midsection. I felt his belt on my neck. So the third time he does it…I turn around and I ask him to get down. He said something crazy, one thing led to another, my hand end up on his throat and next thing he in cuffs.” … It’s a mildly amusing story, and as ever, it’s difficult to ever get totally down on Jackson. At the same time, it’s also more than a little pathetic that two gifted ballers — at least in their prime — who might otherwise be playing out the stretch of their careers are getting into an altercation at a nightclub instead of preparing for training camp. This much is probably safe to say: If Jackson has any hope of getting another shot to make an NBA roster, moments like this probably aren’t going to help. It’s also a sad reminder of just how far Francis has fallen.
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: Once a skinny kid in a purple uniform, Tracy McGrady now can sound like a jaded curmudgeon lamenting the state of the next generation. “You’ve got some guys in the league now who are just knuckleheads,” McGrady said. “What turns me off is guys doing the wrong thing. Just the legal part of it, hanging out, getting these DUIs, marijuana — all that crazy stuff, just doing the wrong thing, setting a bad example for the young guys ... I don’t quite understand it. I take a guy like (Michael) Beasley. Had all the potential in the world but he’s not level-headed. He just doesn’t get it. And a very talented player. But where else are you going to make this type of money doing something you love to do every day, take care of your family and play basketball. I mean, are you serious? You get millions of dollars for it and you mess these opportunities up? I don’t get it.” McGrady has been cast as a villain in these parts. But his career, in which he never found himself in the headlines for bad behaviour, is worth respecting.

• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The best thing that Ryan McDonough inherited with the Suns’ general-manager job was a low bar set by his predecessor and a chance with some flexibility out of his starting block. Previous GM Lance Blanks dropped that bar too low for even a limbo, but he and Lon Babby, the president of basketball operations, also took on a different kind of mess than the last-place team McDonough absorbed. It was about this time two years ago when Blanks showed up for work, raising eyebrows by arriving three weeks after accepting his first GM job. It might be hard to blame him, considering any muscle a GM would like to flex was eliminated when the Suns, in the July between Steve Kerr’s departure and Blanks’ arrival, took on about $82 million of contracts for Hedo Turkoglu, Hakim Warrick and Josh Childress (they are still paying him $14.5 million over the next two seasons). McDonough has created some optimism with the drafting of Alex Len and Archie Goodwin and acquisition of Eric Bledsoe, but where will his moves stand in two years? There were 24 players acquired by the Suns for regular-season play during Blanks’ 20 months on the job, one in which he certainly did not act alone. One-third of them remain Suns.
• Staff of The Dallas Morning News: What the Dallas Mavericks will do in future offseasons remains a mystery especially with Mark Cuban running the show. While the Mavericks appear to be building for the future at point guard with Shane Larkin, a reunion with J.J. Barea is not out of the question. Dallas did show some interest this offseason, and Barea said he wouldn’t mind returning in the near future. "It's a great relationship with Mark Cuban. If they want to bring me back to Dallas, I am very [good] with it," he told ESPN.com. "But I'm happy in Minnesota. They're the ones that wanted me there, the ones that signed me for four years, so until they decide to trade me, I'm going to give them all my effort in the games." Barea spent the first five years of his career in Dallas and was a fan favorite during the Mavericks’ title run in 2011. After that season, Barea became a declined a 1-year contract offer and became a free agent. Last year, Barea averaged 11.3 points and 4.0 assists per game for Minnesota.
• Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times: Lamar Odom will be 34 in November. Yet Vinny Del Negro, whose contract wasn't renewed after last season and who probably will be doing television commentary this season, disagrees with the "senior executive of an NBA team." "Lamar can still play," he said. "It's not the basketball skills that are the problem. Once he gets himself in shape and gets his mind wrapped around basketball, he can help somebody." Del Negro said he hates how quickly people will "knock a guy when he is down." He said he hates all the hearsay — "none of us really knows exactly what is going on" — and said of the executive, "If the guy is that powerful, he should have the guts to use his name." We see it all in athletes these days. Overpaid clowns who run their mouths while missing a brain; con artists who work overtime on their public image and very little on their games; sulking jocks with little to offer outside the lines and an expectation of canonization. Odom is none of these. Messed up? Sure. Someone who might have addiction issues? Obviously. Deserving of punishment if it is proved he put others in danger by driving under the influence? Certainly. But dismissed quickly by all of us, especially many in the NBA? Given no chance of recovery and return? Scorned by a public that recently rooted for and adored him? Not now. Not yet.
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: Another victory to close the opening round-robin portion of the FIBA Americas would ensure Canada enters the next phase 2-1 and would enhance the odds of advancing further. Victories against teams previously eliminated do not carry forward. The squad has been able to come together and play well quicker than most anticipated. That’s largely been because of how good Pickering’s Cory Joseph has been. While manning the point, Joseph has been treating opponents like his adversaries in the NBA Development League, where he was a standout months ago. He’s been stuffing the stat sheet, racking up points and assists, even leading Canada in rebounding against Brazil. Joseph looks like a veteran on the court. Reaching the NBA Final and being developed by the league’s best organization, San Antonio, has been huge for the former first-round pick. And he’s playing like a star. Practising every day against MVP candidate Tony Parker surely has something to do with that, as well. Even though he’s the youngest player on the team, Joseph is used to making an impact alongside older teammates. He did it at Pickering Collegiate as a varsity starter alongside players like his brother Devoe, now a teammate again with Canada and he’s done it with the Spurs. Joseph heads into Tuesday in the top 10 in tournament scoring (fifth), rebounding (ninth) and steals (sixth) and leads in assists even though he has also played off of the ball.
• Staff of the Detroit Free Press: Pistons forwards Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome will play for their respective EuroBasket13 teams this week in Slovenia. Datome and Italy open with Russia on Wednesday. Jerebko and Sweden play Greece the same day. Pistons president Joe Dumars and assistant general manager George David were scheduled to leave for Slovenia on Monday to watch both in the tourney, according to pistons.com. The tournament runs Wednesday-Sept. 22, with five games for each team in six days in the qualifying round of the 24-team field. The top-three teams in each of the four groups move on to the second round. Italy, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Russia and Turkey are in Group D. Italy and Sweden play Monday in the final game of group play.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Q: With the Grizzlies waiving Fab Melo, should the Heat consider giving him a chance to earn a roster spot? I read reports last year that he would have been Miami's pick in the draft had he not been selected by the Celtics. -- Rudy, Miami. A: If most-recent impressions factor in, then I would consider it a longshot, based on how the former Sagemont standout looked in front of the Heat staff at the Orlando summer league while playing for the Celtics. The Syracuse product remains a raw presence likely destined for more time in the D-League. If the Heat are able to offload Joel Anthony's contract, then it might be possible Melo could be brought in to compete with Jarvis Varnado, but such a spot might not even exist with Greg Oden essentially a developmental project, as well.
• Gerry Mullany of The New York Times: The former basketball star Dennis Rodman returned Tuesday to North Korea, where he plans “to see my friend” Kim Jong-un, the dictator whose country until recently was threatening to annihilate the United States with nuclear weapons. Mr. Rodman said in Beijing that he was planning a five-day visit to the North but played down speculation that he would try to secure the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary who has been jailed there since late last year after being detained on North Korean soil. “I’m not going to North Korea to discuss freeing Kenneth Bae,” the Basketball Hall of Fame member told Reuters in a telephone interview. “I’m just going there on another basketball diplomacy tour.” His visit comes amid a thaw in relations between North and South Korea, sworn enemies that just months ago appeared to be on the brink of military conflict.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: JaVale McGee’s Pop-A-Shot adventures.

The Lakers were a popular pick in the Summer Forecast, but Israel Gutierrez says the turmoil left with Dwight Howard.

Ethan Sherwood Strauss on who'll win the West, when the Lakers will be back in the Finals and which NBA player he'd pick to help decorate his home.

 

• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Derek Fisher, who traveled to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to sign the contract, will join the Thunder on the veteran’s minimum, or roughly $1.4 million. But unlike his first two stints in town, Fisher this time will have a chance to make his mark from the start of the season. In each of the previous two seasons Fisher was signed midway through the year. Fisher appeared in 20 games as a member of the Thunder during the 2011-12 season and took the court for 24 games last year. … In order to not exceed the tax in the event of a second potential minimum signing, however, the Thunder would have to part with at least one of its three players on non-guaranteed contracts, Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins or Hasheem Thabeet.
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: After talking with several people with knowledge of the situation, CSN first reported a deal for the maximum appeared inevitable just before Leonsis' remarks and that talks were underway between Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld and Dan Fegan, Wall's agent, in Las Vegas last week. ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first confirmed these details: 5 years, $80 million, or somewhere in that ballpark. That means Wall isn't just a "max" player but would be the Wizards' designated player by securing the fifth year. Each team can have only one. So the chatter over the next few days, culminating when the Wizards make it official with a press conference as early as next week, will be inevitable: Is Wall worth it? It all depends on your starting point. If history is a guide, meaning what Wall has accomplished so far, the answer would be undeniably no. He has never been an All-Star, never led his team to the playoffs and until the second half of last season lacked a jump shot. If you're projecting on how good he can be, that answer might be yes. That's what the Wizards are doing here.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: The Nuggets have a dozen (or, counting unsigned center Timofey Mozgov, a baker's dozen) players who are talented enough to crack coach Brian Shaw's rotation. But how many will get meaningful minutes? This week's addition of backup point guard Nate Robinson accentuated the question. "It's going to be a challenge, but what I like is it promotes healthy competition, and we have a lot of competitive guys who aren't going to shy away from it, or pout about it," Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly said Wednesday. "We lack that traditional superstar, so it's important to have depth at these positions. We're three deep at every position, and I don't think there's much drop-off. So, in lieu of the traditional superstar, we've got to do it a different way." If the season started now, assuming small forward Danilo Gallinari (knee surgery) doesn't return until December, the starting lineup would appear to be Ty Lawson at point guard, Randy Foye or Evan Fournier at shooting guard, Wilson Chandler at small forward — and power forward Kenneth Faried and center JaVale McGee in the frontcourt.
• Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press: Glen Taylor was able to persuade free agent Corey Brewer to sign with the Timberwolves with a phone call. But the Wolves owner doesn't feel it will take a personal call to get free agent Nikola Pekovic to re-sign. "I can and I would, but at this point of time, I've not been asked to nor am I inclined to just because I think I know where the contract negotiations are," Taylor said Wednesday. "And it's not at a critical stage or anything like that." The 6-foot-11, 290-pound Pekovic, 27, played for $4.8 million last season, when he averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 62 games. He can expect a four-year extension worth about $50 million. Pekovic is a restricted free agent, meaning the Wolves can match any offer he receives elsewhere. But, surprisingly, there have been no other offers, probably because teams figure the Wolves -- and Pekovic -- are intent on remaining in Minnesota. "I think everybody knows we're going to work it out," Taylor said. If necessary, though, Taylor said he would get on the phone to Pekovic.
• Greg Cote of The Miami Herald: He is 7 feet and 275 pounds, and he is medically set to be cleared for full contact in August and to be ready for the start of somebody’s training camp. “Oden” and “knee surgeries” have been the word-association game for so long, it is easy to forget, and bears remembering, that in 82 career NBA games — the equal of one full season — he has averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 58 percent shooting in only 22 minutes per game. His productivity has never been an issue, when healthy. That continues a massive “if” until proved otherwise, but, for Miami, right now, that’s a calculated, smart gamble. Postscript: LeBron’s high school in Akron, Ohio, and the Indianapolis medical center where Oden has done much of his rehabilitation both happen to be named in honor of Saint Vincent. Omen?
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: DeMarcus Cousins aspires to be considered one of the best centers in NBA history. The Kings' big man, entering his fourth season, said he'd love the opportunity to work with one of the greatest centers of all time, Shaquille O'Neal. After meeting Kings principal owner Vivek Ranadive last month, O'Neal pledged to help "make DeMarcus Cousins the best big man in the game." That's fine with Cousins, but he's still waiting to connect with O'Neal. "I have not heard from Shaq at all," Cousins said. "Not a tweet, DM (direct message), nothing." During his career, and especially with the Los Angeles Lakers, O'Neal taunted the Kings and dominated them on the court.
• David Mayo of MLive.com: Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe will be opponents Thursday night but the effort is steeped in teamwork. The Detroit Pistons big men will play on opposite teams as USA Basketball's intrasquad game wraps up a summer mini-camp with three days of practices in Las Vegas marked by NBA rivals and teammates alike joining together. Drummond and Monroe had dinner Wednesday with Chauncey Billups and gained some familiarity with their new teammate, who also is on the USA Basketball board. They also were struck by seeing some national team incumbents, 2012 Olympic gold medalists Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, in attendance at Wednesday's final practice even though this isn't a veterans' camp. "Seeing guys like that come in the gym on the last day of practice just to come watch us and show their support, that just shows how serious they are about USA Basketball," Drummond said. "I know they want to see who they're picking to be in their spots, too.
• Mike Tokito of The Oregonian: “This” refers to Monty Williams’ new position as an assistant coach for USA Basketball under Mike Krzyzewski. Williams, about to start his fourth season as New Orleans coach, and Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau slid into the slots vacated by McMillan and Mike D’Antoni, who served under Krzyzewski through two Olympics. … Williams, who has gained a reputation as one of the NBA’s most honest, humble coaches, said the job presents him with a great opportunity not to teach, but to learn. “For me, I’m probably the one who gets the most out of it of anybody here,” he said. “I’m the only coach that hasn’t done anything, and I’m getting the chance to learn from some of the best who’ve ever done it. It’s a great atmosphere for learning, to experience different systems and different ways of doing things. If you can’t come here and get better, you don’t have your eyes open.” The appointment continues Williams’ rapid rise in coaching. After finishing a nine-year NBA career in which he played for five teams, Williams started coaching as an intern with San Antonio in 2004-05, a season in which the Spurs won the NBA title.
• Holly Mackenzie of sportsnet.ca: While it’s been a basketball-intensive stretch, DeMar DeRozan couldn’t be happier. Proud to wear USA across his chest, there isn’t anywhere the 23-year-old swingman would rather be in July. Gesturing around the packed gymnasium, DeRozan explained how the intensity of the workouts with USA Basketball fuels him when it comes to thinking about his upcoming season with the Toronto Raptors. “Stuff like this makes me want to work that much harder,” he said. “Not to do it just for myself, I want to bring it to a team perspective and have the same success that I have individually, team-wise. That’s big. That’s the next step for me, really bringing that out with myself and with my team. Not just myself, the whole team and the whole country of Canada be recognized.” While DeRozan will never be the loud and showy type, he has learned how to use his voice within the Raptors locker room. With some urging from head coach Dwane Casey and the assistance of veteran Rudy Gay, he is ready to help lead his team this season.
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Trey Burke’s summer struggles have been well-documented. The national player of the year went 1 for 12 in his Utah Jazz debut two weeks ago. The point guard who led Michigan to the 2013 NCAA championship game in April missed 18 of 19 3-point attempts and only shot 24 percent in his first four games with his new team three months later. The ESPY award finalist for best male college athlete never found an offensive rhythm against guys who were bigger, quicker and more seasoned than most college athletes he outplayed so often. Derrick Favors’ reaction to all of that? Blah, blah, blah. OK, the Jazz power forward, who watched Burke and Utah play in Florida on TV, didn’t exactly say that. But close. “That don’t worry me, because I had a tough summer league too,” Favors said this week while participating in a Team USA minicamp. “His shot was off, but everybody’s shot will be off.” … Gordon Hayward, also participating with USA Basketball, liked the poise he saw from Burke even while his shot was off. “It didn’t seem like he got rattled too much," he said during a team visit in Orlando, "and that's definitely a good sign.”
• Staff of The Dallas Morning News: Mark Cuban: “I’ll tell you something else, I was shocked when people thought we signed a bad deal with Jose Calderon because hey, the guy shot 50 percent from three. The market for guys who can catch and shoot threes and do nothing else was higher than what we paid for Jose. He knows how to play point guard. He knows how to get Dirk the ball. He knows the game. Never turns it over. Literally, I was like what are people thinking. He may not be the best defender, but it’s not like he was replacing a great defender. I was really surprised by the response to Jose. I think he’s going to make us a much better team. Shawn Marion is going to love playing with Calderon because Shawn knows how to use space better than anybody in the game, and we didn’t have a guy who can get him the ball. Dirk and Vince (Carter) were the two best passers so I think there is just so many things to get excited about. But the No. 1 thing is Dirk has a chance to prepare all summer.”
• Staff of the Houston Chronicle: “Linsanity,” a documentary about Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin has been picked up by distributor Ketchup Entertainment and will be released Oct. 4, Variety reports. The film chronicles the life of Lin, from his childhood in California to his magical month in New York, where the relative unknown and undrafted Harvard product became a household name with the Knicks. Directed by Evan Jackson Leong, the doc will debut in about 20 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was featured at South by Southwest in March.

• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: The team will introduce the Kentucky product at 1 p.m. at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The organization will want to keep the focus on Noel, the rail-thin 7-foot center who played 24 games at Kentucky before tearing the ACL in his left knee. ,,, But the conversation at some point will turn to the search for a head coach, a position that has been vacant since Doug Collins announced his resignation on April 18, a 3-month span that has included the draft, the beginning of free agency and a five-game run at the Orlando Pro Summer League. … Pulling the carpet out from Curry and company after they've been in place since April seems almost without logic. They've overseen all the predraft workouts; have been involved in draft night; coached rookie Michael Carter-Williams in the summer league. Would management, with just a little over 2 months until training camp begins, bring in a whole new regime?
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: When Derrick Rose's left anterior cruciate ligament snapped in April 2012, his dreams of playing in that summer's London Olympics crumbled as well. Rose played for Team USA when it won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. He has consistently expressed his desire to play in an Olympics. What's his standing moving forward? "He could factor in very well," USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "It's really up to him. We're waiting for him to come back physically and emotionally and see how he does this year. But we very much consider him a candidate." Colangelo is presiding over a four-day minicamp for younger prospects that began Monday.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: DeMarcus Cousins has never wanted to be a player who demands a trade and has no intention of doing so. … "I'm loyal to my city," he said. "That's one thing I am. I'm loyal. That's the biggest thing. I'm not going to give up on it." Following practice Monday at Team USA'sminicamp at UNLV's Mendenhall Center, Cousins spoke in detail to reporters for the first time since Vivek Ranadive became the principal owner of the Kings, Pete D'Alessandro the general manager and Michael Malone the coach. … USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said his comments last year about Cousins being immature were blown out of proportion. So Cousins had no reservations about returning to try to earn a spot on the national team. Cousins also has no reservations saying he wants to play for the Kings next season and beyond. "I do want to be a King," he said. "I do." Cousins says he remains loyal to the Kings even though he hasn't always felt the same loyalty in return. He clashed with Paul Westphal and Keith Smart, coaches he believes didn't have his best interest in mind. So far, the Kings' new management has gone out of its way to build trust with Cousins.
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: Nate Robinson agreed to a two-year deal with the Denver Nuggets worth a reported $4 million. He sent out a couple of Twitter messages Monday to say farewell. "Chicago will always have a place in my heart. I'll miss all my teammates. It was a treat playing alongside all of them; all stand-up guys," the message read. "I know the NBA is a business, but when you build friendships with guys on the team, it's hard to say goodbye. Thanks again Chitown. One love." So barring a comeback, Robinson will go down in Bulls history as perhaps the greatest one-hit wonder in franchise history. He averaged 13.1 points last season. Among players who spent just a single season with the Bulls, only George Gervin did better, averaging 16.2 points in 1985-86 while Michael Jordan was out with a broken foot. … The obvious question is why didn't the Bulls bring back Robinson? They decided to spend their limited funds on another 3-point shooter and brought Mike Dunleavy over from Milwaukee. The easy answer is since Robinson essentially played Rose's role last season, he no longer will be needed with the former MVP coming back from knee surgery.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: Kyrie Irving is excited about the additions made to the Cavaliers roster this summer and said Monday he is happy to be in Cleveland. Irving, who will have the opportunity to sign an extension with the Cavs next summer, dismissed a report last week from a New York-based radio host that he is anxious to get out of Cleveland. “I’m a Cavalier right now, I’m happy to be a Cavalier,” Irving said. “I kind of had a sarcastic approach to [the report] because it was a rumor starter. I don’t think he knows anybody in my camp and I don’t know who the guy is. That type of stuff I don’t pay any attention to. Right now I’m a Cleveland Cavalier and I’m happy to be here.” Irving, along with Cavs teammates Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, is back in Vegas this week for a USA Basketball minicamp. It is just the latest stop on what has been a whirlwind summer for Irving. … The last time Irving spoke with the Cleveland media was immediately following the regular season, when he seemed down over the firing of Byron Scott. Irving went so far as to say he felt like he had lost his basketball father. “I’m over it,” Irving said Friday. “We’re all entitled to have emotions on it. At the time, I was disappointed Coach Scott had left. I’ve turned the next page and I’m looking forward to developing a new relationship with Coach Brown and our coaching staff.”
• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com: “Trying on the actual USA uniform at my hotel last night was when it hit me that I made it. I had to take a picture of that moment. I was like, 'This is Team USA.'” Those quotes from Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard after the National Team's first practice said it all in regards to how proud he is to be in a position to represent his country. The lightly-recruited high school prospect turned 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year, continues to rack of the accomplishments and accolades in an unusual path. … He admits he still has a chip on his shoulder about being overlooked by bigger schools. But his biggest issue was people not giving him his respect once he felt he had established himself as one of the best collegiate players in the nation. So even after all you've accomplished, you're still bitter? “Definitely, man. It still bothers me,” Lillard told CSNNW.com. “It's not even about not being recruited out of high school, it's about my progress. Every time I did something good, everybody was saying it was because he's at a small school. I want people to see that this is me, man. I better myself each and every year and I can compete with the best. “I belong here.” There's no doubt about that. USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo spoke briefly to CSNNW.com about Lillard's chances with the team and he believes the 23-year old has a bright future.
• Marcus Thompson of The Oakland Tribune: Ian Clark, who dropped 33 on Phoenix on Monday, won the championship game MVP. And Toronto’s Jonas Valanciunas won MVP of the Summer League. But Kent Bazemore leaves Las Vegas with the respect he no doubt earned. Now, he said, it’s time to get back to work. “I’m not satisfied at all,” Bazemore said in a phone interview. “It would be easy to relax and feel like I’ve accomplished something – I’ve proven people wrong about me. But I’ve got to keep working. I really feel like I can be a good player in this league and have a great career.” But before he embarks on more hard work, Bazemore gets to enjoy the benefits of the hard work he already put it. Last year at this time, he was ranked by ESPN as No. 499 out of the top 500 NBA players. Now he’s the MVP of Summer League in Las Vegas. He gained his Bay Area fame by cheering enthusiastically for his teammates while glued to the end of the bench. Lately, he’s had people cheering his name. “I’m impressed,” Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob said. “He’s done enough to justify us keeping him on the roster, rspecially how hard he’s worked to get to this point.”
• Eric Koreen of the National Post: D.J. Augustin is now two teams removed from the Bobcats. He spent a year with the Pacers last year, and had his worst professional season yet: his per-36 minute scoring rate and field-goal percentage were the worst of his career. He earned US$3.5-million for the Pacers last season, and will earn US$1.3-million this year, a relative pittance. He will have to fight with the unheralded Dwight Buycks for the minutes behind starter Kyle Lowry. “We feel like this is a good opportunity for [Buycks],” Ujiri said. “[Augustin and Buycks] complement [each other] because Dwight will pick up full court. He’s aggressive. He’s got very good speed. He’s yet to do it on an NBA court. We had to find a little bit of experience and maybe balance it out a little bit.” Translation: Augustin is now playing for his NBA career, just five full seasons after being the ninth-overall pick in the draft. How much did playing for a bad-by-design team hurt Augustin’s career? It is impossible to say. But, as Ujiri said, here Augustin is, still trying “to find his feet in the NBA and find stability.” If he does not re-establish himself as a solid rotation this player, free agency next year will not be any kinder to him.
• Tom Layman of the Boston Herald: Now he (MarShon Brooks) will have a chance to prove himself in a new city after being part of the trade that sent Pierce, Garnett and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. The Celtics still have some trimming to do with their roster, so Brooks’ spot is not guaranteed, but he can score in bunches off the bench, and he’s still playing on his rookie contract. DeMeo, who recently was named head coach at Northwest Florida State, a junior college in Niceville, Fla., only coached Brooks for one season at Providence, as the Tim Welsh regime was out after the 2007-08 season. But that was enough time for DeMeo to realize Brooks has the ability to shrug off these bumps in the road and move forward at any level. “I think having a change of scenery is going to help him out a lot,” DeMeo said. “The Celtics need a guy who can put the ball in the hole. I haven’t totally followed their roster, but he’s going to get better and stronger and more acclimated to the NBA lifestyle. He’s got a lot more room to grow, no question.”
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: Gersson Rosas, who rose from a Rockets intern to executive vice president with a key role in reshaping the roster, will become general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, a person with knowledge of the agreement said. Rosas’ departure will be the third major change in the Rockets’ front office since last season. Sam Hinkie, formerly the Rockets’ executive vice president of basketball operations, became the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Arturas Karnisovas, formerly the Rockets’ director of scouting, became the assistant general manager of the Denver Nuggets. Rosas, who like Hinkie joined the Rockets prior to general manager Daryl Morey’s seven seasons with the team, also had been the general manager of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s NBA Development League affiliate. The Vipers have won two championships and reached a third finals since Rosas became general manager in 2009-10 and was named the league’s development champion last season. Rosas, 35, who moved to the basketball operations side as video coordinator, was central to the Rockets’ scouting and personnel decisions, bringing a mix of a scouting background and an aptitude for the organization’s use of analytics.
• Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Health remains the biggest risk of signing Greg Oden. His last game was against the Houston Rockets Dec. 5, 2009. He fractured his left patella (knee) in the first quarter, beginning a series of setbacks. Oden underwent four surgeries on both knees the next three years before being waived in 2012. The reason an injury-prone center is a hot summer topic is teams are willing to take the chance because the rarity of effective 7-footers. When healthy, Oden showed his potential. He averaged 8.9 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes during the 2008-09 season, the highlight a 24-point, 15-rebound effort against the Milwaukee Bucks. Still, so much is uncertain. … Cleveland Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston battled a similar struggle as Oden. He suffered a career-altering knee injury that interrupted his breakout season in 2007. He eventually returned but has played with six teams, including the Heat, since the injury. He said dealing with losing a step was tough, but the biggest challenge was constantly thinking about the injury. … Livingston suggested Oden perhaps spend some time in the NBA Development Leaguebefore returning. He said a two-week stint helped him regain confidence. "It will take some time," Livingston said. "He's just going to have to have some patience." Playing in the right situation will also factor into Oden's impact. Grant said playing for a contender such as the Heat or Spurs would ease the burden because of limited expectations.
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: This summer, Anthony Davis said, he's more comfortable and more relaxed than he was a year ago as the newbie trying to blend in with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. "Going in, the first time last year, I hadn't played an NBA game yet and I'm stepping on the floor with LeBron, Kobe, Kevin (Love) and Chris (Paul)," Davis said. "Now, you're on your heels because you don't want to make a mistake. You want to be perfect around those guys. Especially your first time. "Now, I'm just more comfortable, playing my game, being more relaxed." Physically, Davis said he has worked hard on his conditioning this summer, in anticipation of this week's minicamp. And Davis received a stamp of approval from his head coach. "He looks really good," said Pelicans coach Monty Williams, who has been watching Davis work in the gym with other players over the course of the summer. "He's stepped his work ethic up in so may ways. He was already a good worker, and now it's just so diligent about being in the gym and doing all the stuff that we ask him to do and then some. He hasn't put on 20 or 30 pounds like everybody wanted him to do, but we didn't want him to do that. But if you look at his body now, you see a noticeable difference because he's been in the weight room, he's been on the floor. We're at the point now where we think after (this camp) we're just going to tell him he has to take a break for a couple weeks. He's been really going after it."

• Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: I guess the only question is if Metta expires before Shumpert, one of the few Knicks who has value. Dolan is reportedly upset that Shumpert wasn’t interested in working with the summer league team and wants to trade him. Shumpert, I’ve heard, isn’t too crazy about the moves the Knicks have made, which could further stunt his development. The bigger issue is that Dolan is still throwing his weight around and throwing temper tantrums. The man behind the curtain who refuses to answer questions and address his loyal fan base is very much in charge. He was the driving force behind the grand plan to acquire Melo, Amar’e and Paul. Instead, the Knicks’ three big moves this summer were to form the alliance of Bargnani, Smith and Metta World Peace. That none of the three was formally introduced with a traditional press conference is somewhat telling. Leave it to the scene stealing Nets to televise the Garnett and Pierce press conference live last week. The Knicks, who have their own network, went as dark as the Garden in June. My theory is that Dolan didn’t want to preempt any of his summer programming on MSG Network. You know, those fan favorites like “Serpico” and the Knicks legend series featuring Baron Davis and Rasheed Wallace.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: Paul Pierce was asked to play point forward, serve as the Celtics’ primary scorer, and also often defend the opposing team’s best scorer. That responsibility was too much for the 35-year-old Pierce, and Shumpert’s aggressive defense simply wore him down. Pierce may not be the player he was in 2008, when he led the Celtics to the title at age 30, but in his new role with Brooklyn, he should flourish. With Garnett, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez, double teams will be less prevalent for Pierce. He should thrive against single defenders. “There will definitely be less pressure on me on this ball club than there was in Boston,” Pierce said. “In Boston, I was the No. 1 primary option. Here we have so many options. We have young All-Stars on this team. My job is to be more of a glorified role player, as Doc [Rivers] used to always say, with the guys we have. “With my abilities to do so many things, there’s going to be nights where I’m not going to score a bunch of points. I can do other things to help this club win. With the combination of these guys, we’re going to take pressure off each other.”
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Ultimately, the chance to make another playoff run with a roster that remains largely intact brought Splitter back to the team. “When you have such a successful team, you've got to keep what's working,” Splitter said. “We didn't win a ring last year, but we were very close, and we went the year before to the West finals. You don't want to change it.” Splitter acknowledges he thought about signing an offer sheet that might have resulted in playing for another team. The Hawks and Trail Blazers talked to his agent about proffering offers. Prepared for a long summer of free agency intrigue, he was happily surprised when a deal that kept him in San Antonio shaped up quickly. “My agent told me it was going to be a long summer for me,” he said. “But the Spurs made an offer that I liked and is great for me and my family. I couldn't say no. I want to stay here, and I had that in my hands, so it's great for me.” The deal, signed one week ago, will pay Splitter $36 million over four seasons. Still, when offers to play elsewhere were presented, the temptation to leave was considerable. “You feel good that some teams want you, and sometimes you even feel like you'd like to try something new,” Splitter said. “You have that doubt behind your ears. I really wanted to stay. That was always my first option, so when I had the chance to stay, I took it.”
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: The Heat has called to express interest in center Marcus Camby, who cleared waivers late this afternoon. Camby intends to consider the Heat, Chicago and Houston, according to a source. "Marcus is weighing his options and would like to make a decision in the next few days," said his agent, Richard Kaplan. … Besides Camby, the Heat also continues to explore signing 7-0 center Greg Oden, who hasn't played since 2009 because of knee issues. Oden's agent said the Heat will see Oden a second time, possibly this week in Ohio or Indiana, and watch him conduct his daily workout routine, including some shooting and weight training.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: Q: Kyrie has not shown much interest in playing defense in either of his first two years. Would you hesitate to pull your best player off the floor if he’s not defending? Mike Brown: I’m going to coach all of our guys, but it’s not my goal to embarrass anybody. If I pull someone off the floor, it would be as a teaching experience. We talked about that with Dion [Waiters] and Tyler [Zeller]. They’re two roster guys who are young and can grow defensively. Going into the summer league, I told [assistant coach] Jamahl [Mosley], if something needs to be corrected, go ahead and pull Dion. So he got pulled a couple of times. Jamahl and some other coaches let him know what he needed to do as opposed to what he did do and then they put him right back in. That won’t be any different for me. If I feel like I need to pull Kyrie or Tristan [Thompson] or Dion or anyone else, I’ll do it if I feel it’s the appropriate time. I’ll blow timeouts if I have to get a point across to the team. I think as a team we have to be better defensively than what we have been in the past.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: When the regular season starts, Gal Mekel will join Houston’s Omri Casspi as the only players from Israel to play in the NBA. In his six games for the Mavs in the Las Vegas Summer League last week, Mekel showed that he’s a proficient ball-handler who can run an offense and knows how to find an open player. But with rookie Shane Larkin ( broken ankle) not available to split time at point guard, and with the Mavs ending summer-league play with four games in four days, the added burden of playing with less rest took its toll on Mekel. Still, the early impressions from Mavs summer league coach Monte Mathis about Mekel were positive ones. “I think it’s a jump from any league coming into the NBA,” Mathis said. “Any league in Europe, any league in the states — whether it’s college, small college — it’s a jump.” The oldest of seven kids, Mekel as a child in Israel woke up many times in the middle of the night to watch NBA games live on television. Mekel doesn’t have a role model, but he likes point guards. “I love the point guards that’s involving everyone and getting all of the other guys better and controlling the tempo,” Mekel said. “You have a lot of them in the NBA — Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul — a long list. That’s the style of game that I play.”
• Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Though basketball already had a foothold in China, popularity took a quantum leap when Yao Ming made it to the NBA. No one is forecasting a comparable impact in India from the recent purchase of the Sacramento Kings by Mumbai-born Vivek Ranadive, who was previously part owner of the Golden State Warriors. India has yet to produce an NBA player, though nations such as Sudan, Senegal and Turkey have. During a visit to Mumbai in April, outgoing-NBA Commissioner David Stern predicted that could change within the next five years. One possibility is 17-year-old Satnam Singh, already 7-feet-2 and honing his skills at the IMG Sports Academy in Bradenton. "I don't think it's necessary to have an NBA player from India in order to grow the game. It would serve as an additional catalyst," Colaco said. The immediate focus is on bringing the game and league to India. Chris Bosh cut his planned trip to Italy short by a couple days to aid the cause. In a busy four days, he shepherded a replica of Larry O'Brien Trophy around Mumbai, mingled with some Bollywood stars and served as a role model for curious young fans to look way up to. Bosh also had a session with a fortune teller. But he didn't get a definitive answer on prospects for a Heat three-peat. "He just told me that I have some good years ahead. So I look at that as everything else is left up to how it's supposed to be," he said.
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: This is when it starts, this new day for DeMarcus Cousins. His return visit with the U.S. national team – the chance to enhance his prospects as a future Olympian – is also his latest and perhaps best opportunity to obliterate the past and sketch a more favorable, embraceable image. The suspensions. The locker room feuds. The verbal tangle with a television analyst. The communication dust-up a year ago with the USA Basketball czar. With issue-free participation in this week's minicamp, Cousins redirects his career. He wins over his critics, empowers his advocates and delivers a strong message to his new bosses and his curious fans back in Sacramento. But he has decisions to make and thoughts to be shared. He has undertaken a strange vow of silence – his feelings about the dramatic developments in Sacramento are unclear – while his new agent (Dan Fegan) privately seeks a five-year maximum contract before the Oct. 31 deadline. That deal should not and probably will not happen. Cousins, who can become a restricted free agent next summer, still has much to prove. He doesn't have to be perfect, but he has to behave. If he just plays the game and dumps the nonsense, he takes the angst out of any negotiations. He completes the season and earns that max deal.
• John Canzano of The Oregonian: But every time I see Meyers Leonard on the basketball floor I believe he will one day be the answer in Portland. Leonard turned 21 last NBA season. And if you want to polarize your next cocktail party, wait for a lull, and ask for a show of hands of those who believe Leonard will one day start a playoff game at center for the Blazers. Because this city is no longer Eastside vs. Westside. It's not hipsters vs. yuppies. As division goes, there are those who believe Leonard will blossom, and those who think he's a stiff. I see a star. Far as we know, Leonard spent his summer league hacking opponents around the basketball and tweeting about various Cirque du Soleil shows on the Vegas strip. But he also attended a Big Man's Camp, and got stronger, and worked on his footwork. And even as Leonard told me at the beginning of the summer that he wanted the Blazers to sign "a veteran center to show me the ropes," I think a little patience from the organization could end up making Leonard a steal at No. 11 in the 2012 NBA Draft.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Dave Joerger spent several days watching Saunders during the Wolves’ 2003 training camp when Saunders taught his intricate offense to newcomers Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell on a team that reached the Western Conference finals that season. “I love the way Flip coaches offense,” Joerger said. “I can’t get enough. I’ve stolen a lot of stuff. Flip, George, Phil Jackson, those guys are legendary in the CBA. They set the bar pretty high, and I wanted to be like those guys. I never worried about the NBA.” But here he is, six years after then-Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavaroni brought him to Memphis and two months after the team decided to move on from Hollins by promoting Joerger after it had interviewed Karl and two others. Here he was back at summer league for the 15th consecutive year, ever since he was 24. Many years, he came searching to recruit players bound for Europe or the American minor leagues after their NBA dreams died in July or looking for a job. Now he has arrived at the top of his profession with a four-year contract that reportedly will pay him $1.5 million annually and with an established, veteran, winning team no less.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: Playing for coach Tom Thibodeau as a rookie isn’t a foregone conclusion. Jimmy Butler didn’t do it, and Marquis Teague basically redshirted last season. With the Bulls bringing back their core group this season, minutes for Snell won’t come easy, either. Especially if he doesn’t show Thibodeau that he buys into the Bulls’ defense-first mentality. “I understood that as soon as the Bulls [drafted] me,’’ Snell said. “If you’re not playing well defensively, you’re going to get exposed. And there’s no point in you going out there if you keep getting scored on and you’re not playing good defense, so I really take pride in my defense.’’ Snell showed that in five summer-league games, using his length to make life difficult for opponents and at least showing he has the ability to make the NBA three-pointer. He went 8-for-23 from beyond the arc on his way to averaging 11.8 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds. In other words, a very Kawhi Leonard-like showing. So while the comparison works for now, Snell knows that down the road he’d like to carve his own path. “This is the place I wanted to be,’’ Snell said. “I just know that I want to try to help this team win a championship.’’
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: The Nuggets' new assistant general manager was in Las Vegas, but suddenly he was in Barcelona, Spain, transported to a time so powerful that clichés weren't cliché, and as such, sports weren't just sports. "For us, at that time," Arturas Karnisovas said, "the bronze medal was like a gold medal." … The story was storybook. It was recently turned into a documentary titled "The Other Dream Team." The Soviets seized Lithuania in the 1940s, transforming a proud nation under their militant, malicious rule. Nearly half a century later, Lithuania was able to declare its independence — but not before bloody clashes with Soviet troops in 1991. A year later, Lithuania was free. And bankrupt. But in one of the zaniest twists in Olympic history, an American band, the Grateful Dead, became aware of this team, finally free, representing hope with hoops. The band bankrolled the Lithuanian national team, which played under the mantra "Better Dead Than Red" and famously wore tie-dyed outfits during the Olympic medal ceremony. … Karnisovas is now with the Nuggets. He had a splendid professional career overseas, winning FIBA's European player of the year award in 1996. He later worked for the NBA and for the Houston Rockets, with whom he most recently was the director of scouting.

Toney Douglas is a 6-2 journeyman point guard who never really got a handle on how to run an offense. When he signed with the Golden State Warriors this offseason, the news barely qualified as “news,” even during an uneventful time of the sports year.

But in signing this particular role player to a one-year deal, the Warriors didn't just get some fringe backup to occasionally spell Stephen Curry; they saved Curry from having to face Douglas. Because if there is such a thing as a "Curry stopper," then Toney Douglas is just that. Douglas is the archetype for how to ground a rising star. Fortunately for the Warriors, there aren’t many with his skillset and with his approach.

First, a few thoughts on how stars who aren’t Steph Curry get guarded. Your typical NBA superstar possesses time-warping athleticism and presents a constant threat of a rim attack. Thwarting the dynamic talent's rimward path is the defender’s first priority. In these last NBA Finals, the Spurs emphasized that concept to an extreme degree when they decided that thwarting LeBron's drive was their only priority.

Whenever LeBron James putzed around the perimeter, San Antonio’s defenders jumped backwards as though LeBron’s dribble was exploding shrapnel. The idea was to splash a roiling human moat around the paint, making drives impossible -- but jumpers available. Though James is a good shooter, the shot was the lesser of two evils. It worked so well until Game 7, when it finally didn’t. In any event, the approach was illustrative of how, even when facing a 40 percent 3-point shooter like James, the smartest move is probably to cede long shots off the dribble.

Steph Curry is the human inversion of that thinking. He’s not especially adept at getting to the rim and when he gets there, he converts at a paltry 49 percent. Curry’s layup efficiency has declined after a series of ankle injuries, possibly because landing feels like a dangerous proposition. So the points arrive from far away, where shots are theoretically harder to hit. Last season, Curry was far more accurate on right corner 3-pointers (60 percent) than he was at point-blank range.

While there are certainly other players who shoot well and drive poorly, Curry is different in that a) He shoots incredibly well off the dribble and b) He dribbles well, thus tempting defenders to stop him from driving.

Golden State’s spindly point guard feasts on defenders who aren’t used to worrying about 29-foot 3-pointers off the dribble, and who instinctively leap backward when Curry makes a move towards the basket. Even if those defenders know that Curry’s the best off-the-dribble 3-point shooter we’ve ever seen, instinct and experience shout them in the wrong directions.

But Douglas can not be had. Last season, Curry was thoroughly frustrated by Douglas, to the point where Kings announcer Grant Napear yelped the following on three different fourth quarter plays:

• “Douglas is right on him!” (Curry misses.) "Oh that’s tough, tough, defense.”
• “You can’t play better defense than that, ladies and gentlemen.”
• “And he’s wearing him. He’s wearing him!”

In the admittedly small sample size of Toney Douglas sharing the court with Stephen Curry (three games, 39 minutes last year), Curry hit only one shot while marked directly by Douglas. It was a fadeaway 3-pointer. The normally masterful point guard spent the rest of that time wholly flustered on offense. Under constant duress, Curry dribbled off his foot, tumbled to the floor twice, had multiple passes deflected, and shanked six feeble attempts, including one that smacked the backboard’s side.

Douglas bothers Curry for the same reason Avery Bradley and Norris Cole have bothered Curry. Beyond that these are all just plain good defenders, they boast an assertive quickness that crowds a player so reliant on long shots off the dribble. There are only so many guards who possess the talent and endurance to play pressure defense, far from the hoop. It’s probably no coincidence that these guys have limited offensive duties. Their grueling defensive sprint leaves little energy for anything else.

If there was a criticism of Douglas’ specific approach to guarding Curry, it was that he fouled Curry twice on jump shots. Douglas errs towards forcing the issue, daring the ref to bail out the ballhandler. He also chases Curry off the ball with a rapidity that borders on rabidity. Douglas recalls his family’s football background (his brother Harry plays wide receiver for the Falcons) as he darts between and around screens like he’s returning a punt. His slender frame also allows him to slip between physical objects like an ominous, vaporous ghost. It’s as though he can choose to have no physical presence off the ball, only to envelope Curry in an imposing blur of limbs as Curry catches a pass. In these moments, Douglas lives to live in Curry’s space. It’s a constant closeout, because a guy who can shoot off the dribble like this demands a constant closeout. He might be the only player for whom this kind of defense makes sense.

Few defenders also have this tenacity and energy, mixed with a willingness to eschew standard defense against a unique offensive force. Some other team could have had this weapon to deploy against Golden State for the cheap price of a $1.6 million, one-year contract. The Nuggets certainly could have used such help in the first round last season. Instead, the Warriors get to keep a player whose main value might be that someone else doesn’t have him.

• Marc Berman of the New York Post: Asked at Thursday’s summer-league practice about the team’s interest if World Peace becomes available, Mike Woodson said: “[General manager] Glen [Grunwald] is coming up and we’ll sit and talk more about him. We don’t have to rush to do anything. The core group is intact that won 54 games last year. That player, or two, could slip through the cracks with amnesty or someone waived or bought out. It can happen. We got to sit patiently and wait and keep roster spots open to see if that may happen.” World Peace has told his father he doesn’t want to uproot his family by going to another city. He told his father he especially has no interest in playing for a non-contender. However, by retiring, World Peace would forfeit the $7.7 million. If he clears without being bid on, he becomes a free agent and can make $7.7 million plus a portion of the $1.4 million veteran’s minimum (some money is rerouted to the Lakers). “My gut feels like if the Knicks want him now, my gut tells me it will happen,’’ said Artest Sr., who runs his own kids foundation in New York City. “I haven’t spoken to him yet tonight. I think he could be a prized possession for the Knicks. He wanted to play for the Knicks for so long, since childhood.’’
• Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Daily News: What if Andrew Bynum had been able to play? It is the question without an answer for the Sixers. But on the day after Bynum agreed to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending his tenure in Philadelphia - a tenure of lucrative woe - it seems OK to speculate a little bit. It is all a guess, of course, but here goes. If Bynum had been as healthy as advertised - say, healthy for 60-something games last season. The Sixers would have made the playoffs. There would be no lottery pick, no talk of a lottery pick. The Sixers likely/possibly would have won a round or two in the playoffs. With a healthy big man and the ability to play in the half-court in the springtime, this is a fair assumption. Doug Collins likely would still be the coach. And not only that - he would be even more empowered and the organization would be subject to his every whim, or Kwame. The young players would still be ignored. … I was in favor of the Bynum deal. Given everything, it seemed a reasonable gamble. So this is all said in hindsight, granted. But it's all I have. Andrew, adieu.
• Monte Poole of The Oakland Tribune: But the endless maneuvers that delivered Iguodala were, for Bob Myers, a difficult test of executive skill. He aced it. "The hours that you put in are extremely expensive," he said. "You're really working a lot. And this (effort) actually consummated in a player. A lot of times, this doesn't happen. This easily could have not happened and we'd have nothing to show for it -- except for effort." Instead, triumph. Iguodala was the best player on a Denver team that won 58 games before being bounced by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Moreover, Iggy is a Warrior because he was impressed by the franchise. That a star would discount himself for the Warriors is real progress. Like Lacob, Myers is getting things done at a pace previously unknown to the organization. Like Jackson, Myers is proceeding with faith and absolute conviction. All three are collaborating to wipe away decades of scorn and stigma. Lacob walked in and immediately promised a new day. Jackson introduced himself by vowing that "things be changing" with this franchise. Upon moving into the seat that had been occupied by veteran executive Larry Riley, Myers made no such grand proclamations. He said 14 months ago that he thought the Warriors would better in 2012-13 than they were in 2011-12. He was more prophetic than he could have imagined, with no sign of slowing down.
• Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: Are the Nuggets slowly sinking in the Western Conference? Houston landed Dwight Howard, the big prize in NBA free agency. The Los Angeles Clippers lured Doc Rivers, among the league's top five coaches. And what did Denver get? A kick in the teeth from Andre Iguodala, who bolted for Golden State. So here's the blunt question: Did the Nuggets take a step back? "Did we take a step back? I don't know," Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said Thursday. "It remains to be seen. But we're trying to build this team for the long haul." Was Iguodala a rat jumping off a sinking ship? Well, let's clear up a misconception. The primary reason Iguodala departed the Nuggets was not because he thought Golden State had a brighter future or that he was upset because Kroenke fired coach George Karl or he missed the deft touch in negotiations of former general manager Masai Ujiri. No, the top three reasons Iguodala departed were what it usually comes down to in the NBA: money, money, money.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: Pistons owner Tom Gores spotted a face he’d seen in the Palace, only Gores was in the bowels of the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “So I heard you played a little basketball for us,” the Beverly Hills resident said. Chauncey Billups, wearing his usual wide smile, nodded and shook Gores’ hand before turning his attention to Pistons President Joe Dumars after the L.A. Clippers beat up on the Pistons this past March. The two engaged in a conversation, asking about one another’s families and trading old jokes, an exchange that belied the mutual respect the two men shared. Although their relationship had been strained ever since Dumars traded Billups in the 2008-09 season, the door had been re-opened for a reconciliation, and Billups walked through it Thursday morning, signing with the franchise that made him a household name and a champion. The two year contract is worth $5 million, with a team option for a second season, according to sources. “Chauncey’s the best,” said Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, who came to Orlando to visit with the team. “Ask anybody around this league, nothing but great things to say about him. We’re excited as an organization but the fans as well. He’s done a lot of great things for the city of Detroit.”
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: Maybe Jason Kidd was taking a phone call from Andrei Kirilenko. With his team trailing 17-2 in the first quarter of Brooklyn’s 92-76 defeat — a loss that dropped the lowly Summer League Nets to 0-4 in Orlando — the new head coach left the court area to answer his cell phone, sparking an Internet uproar because the sequence was caught on NBA TV. When Kidd finished his call, he returned to the court area and began talking with former Nets GM Rod Thorn about golf. Despite accusations that Kidd left his duties, he did not coach the Nets on Thursday and was a merely spectator to assistant Eric Hughes. Other head coaches at the Orlando Summer League — including Erik Spoelstra, Kevin McHale and Mo Cheeks — have done similar things during games. They’re just not first-time head coaches caught on television.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: It's a calculated risk but one the Milwaukee Bucks were willing to take. The Bucks gambled they could land restricted free agent Jeff Teague with a four-year, $32 million offer sheet, which he signed late Wednesday. Now the Atlanta Hawks have a 72-hour period ending Saturday to match the offer or let Teague go to the Bucks. In a phone interview Thursday, Teague made it clear he wants to be part of the Bucks. "I'm definitely excited at the opportunity to come back to work with Larry Drew," Teague said of the Bucks coach and his former coach with the Hawks. "The Bucks have a good team, a young nucleus and guys that are ready to take the next step. I can help." Teague had dinner with Drew in Milwaukee on Wednesday night and spoke by phone with general manager John Hammond. The Bucks are seeking to replace both backcourt starters from last season and already have agreed to terms with shooting guard O.J. Mayo. "I think after one call he knew this is where he wanted to be," said Teague's Indianapolis-based agent, J.R. Hensley.
• Eric Koreen of the National Post: “What are we going to do, throw players away?” Ujiri said at the prospect of “tanking.” Last week’s rumour of dealing Rudy Gay to Detroit for the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva might be an example of what Ujiri was talking about. “We’re not going to do that. And I think winning is what you want to build around. And I think when you [try to trade away talent for little in return], I’m not so sure the karma is great when you do stuff like that. But I understand the whole big picture and we’re putting all the options on the table.” There are still little moves to make. The Raptors will probably bring in a third point guard to compete with Stone to back up Kyle Lowry. Marcus Camby, acquired in the Bargnani deal, wants to chase a championship, so he will either be moved in a bigger trade or bought out. There is no sense bringing in a veteran who does not want to be in Toronto. … It is a defiantly unglamorous approach to roster building, and it will mean that the Raptors might never “win an off-season” during Ujiri’s tenure. Again: the Raptors’ new general manager does not care in the least about that, and the (hopefully) momentary angst that might create.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: Gerald Henderson went fishing Thursday. I know that because he sent out a tweet, and the water was a beautiful blue. I mention that to illustrate that Henderson isn’t sweating this whole free-agent dance. Perhaps the rest of us should take a cue from that. Five thoughts on where Henderson’s restricted free-agency might be headed: THE BOBCATS WANT HIM BACK: They are wary of overpaying, but there’s no doubt they value him. Sometimes the Bobcats get a bad rap for not making an effort to retain their free agents. They offered more to Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin than either of those two got in the contracts they signed upon leaving the Bobcats. TIME MIGHT BE ON THE BOBCATS’ SIDE: It’s my experience the longer restricted free-agency plays out the more likely it is the player is back with his team, at least on the qualifying offer. Offer sheets – particularly the successful ones that change a player’s team – tend to come quickly into July. Then money dries up in a way that corrects the market.
• John Canzano of The Oregonian: The "This doesn't move the needle for me," crowd yawned at every one of Olshey's moves, no matter how sly and sensical last week. So you figure the naysayers probably graduated to a collective belch by Thursday. And I have no doubt by the middle of next season, they'll be the ones crowing that Olshey got lucky, as they claim he did with Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard. The Blazers are better. That was the point of free agency and the draft. The entire Western Conference got better, but the Blazers had the smartest summer in the league despite having only $12 million in cap room and lots of competition for overvalued free agents. Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright, Thomas Robinson and Earl Watson were the guys being introduced. I don't expect any of them will have their numbers retired and hung from the Rose Garden rafters. Then again, if there's a city that should appreciate the way Olshey pulled this together, it's Portland. … Be clear: The Blazers got Lopez, Robinson, Wright and Watson when they could have had a single star player. Maybe that didn't move your needle. But it sure moved the Blazers toward the playoffs again.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Through the first two days, the Thunder center was turning heads and being praised like never before. That was before he collided with teammate Reggie Jackson. The two bumped heads, and Orton missed the next two games with a mild concussion. But who knows what the story coming out of summer league would have been had it not been for a fluke injury, had Orton stayed healthy? Those first two days clearly belonged to Orton. Fans and media members from all over were gushing about how good Orton looked. “A monster” was what one person said Orton looked like, using the word as a term of endearment to describe his play. But no group was more surprised than the locals in the Orlando media — the same people who watched Orton sit the bench for the first two years of his career before his unceremonious exit. They couldn't believe how well Orton moved, how explosive he had become, how feathery his touch had grown and how aggressive he was around the rim. “All credit is due to the Thunder, the organization and the staff,” Orton said.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: The Jazz traded for Gobert on draft night — giving up the No. 46 pick and cash — no doubt because of his length. But general manager Dennis Lindsey said that night that the team saw more in Gobert than his height, reach (9 feet, 7 inches) and wingspan (7-foot-9). "You know how big guys can sometimes make the league and not put in the time and effort," Lindsey said, "and Rudy’s a serious pro already and you guys will soon see that." It was apparent in Gobert’s 11-point, eight-rebound, three-block performance against the Pacers. In addition to the tip-in, he had two putback dunks, a fadeaway baseline jumper, a dribble-and-kick assist to Jeremy Evans, and a polished spin move punctuated with a hook shot — which hit a spot on the backboard out of even Gobert’s reach. "He did a few more things today," Jazz assistant Sidney Lowe said.

• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: The Knicks had a chance to draft Metta World Peace 14 years ago when he went by the name of Ron Artest, but passed. They probably won't do that again if World Peace becomes available now. There is speculation that the Lakers could waive World Peace through the amnesty provision as early as Wednesday. If they do, league sources said the Knicks would be interested in signing the enigmatic forward. A source with ties to World Peace said the Knicks are at the top of the list of teams he'd like to play for. "If he does get amnestied, Metta would love to play for the Knicks,'' the source said. "I know he would love to be with the Knicks and retire a Knick.'' World Peace, 33, is from Queensbridge, N.Y., and played at St. John's, so coming to the Knicks would be a homecoming. The Clippers also could be an option.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks met Tuesday with unrestricted free agent Andrew Bynum, according to a person familiar with the situation, as the team continued its search for a center. Bynum reportedly received a two-year, $24 million offer from the Cavaliers after he met with the team Monday. The injury-plagued 7-footer is scheduled to visit the Mavericks on Wednesday. …. The list of free agent centers available is dwindling. Zaza Pachulia, who played the past eight seasons with the Hawks, agreed to a deal with the Bucks. After Timberwolves restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic, the list of unrestricted possibilities include Johan Petro, Samuel Dalmebert, Brandan Wright, B.J. Mullens, Cole Aldrich and Greg Stiemsma. Petro saw limited action for the Hawks last season. He started four of the six playoff games against the Pacers after Pachulia was lost for the season with a partially torn Achilles tendon.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: The Cavaliers were pushing Andrew Bynum for a quick response to their two-year offer, but they might have to wait on him longer than expected. After visiting the Cavaliers’ facility Monday, Bynum visited with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday and will meet with the Dallas Mavericks today, his agent, David Lee, told the Akron Beacon Journal. While reports surfaced early Tuesday morning that Bynum could make a decision by the end of the day, Lee said there is no timetable and was vague when asked if it will be made this week. “It might be, but it’s hard to say,” Lee said. He wouldn’t get into specifics of the visits in Cleveland or Atlanta and wouldn’t disclose what the Hawks offered. “It’s ongoing discussions and I’d prefer they stay private among the parties,” he said. Ideally, the Cavaliers would’ve liked a decision by today, when the moratorium period ends and free agents are allowed to sign with their new teams. The Cavs are expected to finalize contracts with free agents Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark today, and adding Bynum to the list would make it a blockbuster day. That, however, seems unlikely now.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: The NBA gets back to business Wednesday, with all those handshake agreements struck over the last 10 days available to be signed as the league’s moratorium is lifted and the new salary cap is set. So are the Mavericks ready for more heartbreak? They are finalists once again for the best free agents left on the board. Favorites for Andrew Bynum or Monta Ellis? Nope. The Mavericks merely are in the conversation, and it’s entirely possible they could come up empty again. … That brings up the distinct possibility that the Mavericks’ search for a viable center might move from a free-agent signing to a trade. A source said that is becoming a realistic option, particularly if Bynum elects to sign elsewhere. Cleveland was believed to have offered a two-year deal Tuesday, and the Cavaliers have more cap space to work with than the Mavericks do.
• Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post: While the Nuggets have struggled to make the improvements necessary to remain among the Western Conference's elite after a NBA franchise-record 57 wins, other teams have made moves that push them closer to the top. So, although the Nuggets haven't definitively lost ground, other teams appear to be getting better. And that doesn't bode well for Denver, which has a new general manager and a new coach. The Nuggets, who will make official Wednesday the acquisitions of big man J.J. Hickson (free-agent signing) and guard Randy Foye (sign-and-trade) now that the league moratorium on signings has ended, finished third in the Western Conference last season. As things stand, it's difficult to make a case for the Nuggets being better than seventh in the West. That has less to do with the Nuggets and what they've done, or not done, than it does the six teams ahead of them: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Houston, L.A. Clippers, Golden State and Memphis. None of the six got worse, and Houston and Golden State upgraded.
• Monte Poole of The Oakland Tribune: Local fans are going to trip over their tongues to express their love for him. Iguodala will have to go wrong 4.8 million ways before October to deny himself a standing ovation on opening night at Oracle Arena. The bar for free agents who are paid big money to wear a Warriors jersey is woefully low, set by Derek Fisher ($37 million over six years in 2004) and Corey Maggette ($50 mil, five years in 2008). Iguodala immediately becomes the most heralded free agent to actually choose the GSWs. It's not that the Warriors haven't signed free agents who became effective. They've had plenty of guys -- Terry Teagle, Rod Higgins, Mario Elie, Earl Boykins, Anthony Morrow, Nate Robinson to name six -- become fan favorites. But each was coming from the CBA or the D-League or off the street. Iguodala is coming from another playoff team, a decorated star joining a competitive Warriors team on a feverish quest to improve. He joins a franchise trying to shed old skin, one that for the past quarter century has responded to every hint of growth by cannibalizing itself. Iggy represents the kind of move the 49ers routinely attempted and often completed under the Eddie DeBartolo ownership before the NFL adopting a salary cap.
• Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune: For Jazz fans worried about what in the name of bad basketball Dennis Lindsey is doing, here’s a bit of advice: Don’t. There’s no guarantee the road the Jazz are now traveling will lead them to real contention, but one thing is certain. The old path didn’t. And another, the old path wouldn’t. Maintaining that former course — scratching and clawing to stay afloat, trading for or signing mid-tier veterans and nudging them toward conscientious effort and sound teamwork — would be a waste of time, at least if the Jazz ever want to climb to the top. Finding themselves somewhere on the sliding scale of good, which the club had pretty much mastered since Karl Malone and John Stockton left the building, but never sniffing great is a mistake of seasons gone by. Now the Jazz are stripping the thing down to grow it back to where everybody around here wants it to be. The notion of safety no longer is in play. It’s time, they figure, to make some smart choices and take some smart chances.
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: But while the 7-footer’s actions — the smooth shots, the court awareness — certainly are enough to warrant praise, it is important to add that they must be taken in context. Or, as Olynyk’s neighbors might say, “How about a little perspective, eh?” It is impossible to avoid being impressed with the kid’s game. He has a calm presence on the floor, and he’s shown a willingness to mix it up in traffic, even if his body isn’t yet entirely suited for such close-quarter combat. But this merely is a summer league, a fact that, to Olynyk’s great credit, he understands. What the 13th overall draft pick is showing on the Orlando Magic practice floor is that he has the skills to be a successful NBA player. But said talents won’t get an honest test until he gets hit in the face — literally and figuratively — by the league and its players. From what we’ve seen, Olynyk can be a player who sets up teammates with his passing and hustle, then makes opponents pay when they drift toward those he has just fed. He’ll be in the right places and will hit open shots, and some that are not so open as well.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: For point guard Kemba Walker, flying to Charlotte this week was no big deal: A chance to get some summertime run on the basketball court and an opportunity to spend time with the coaching staff and rookie Cody Zeller. To new Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford, it was huge. “It shows a commitment, a seriousness about getting better,’’ Clifford said after morning practice Tuesday. “He’s going to practice twice today, completely on his own. From both a basketball and leadership standpoint, it speaks volumes. It will speed up the process for everybody.” Walker, the Bobcats’ leading scorer last season, volunteered to work out with the summer-league team this week. As team president of basketball operations Rod Higgins sometimes says, Walker has been handed the keys to the car. This is his way of living up to that faith.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The Timberwolves are set to publicly introduce newly signed Kevin Martin on Wednesday morning. His arrival finally gives the team a legitimately sized (6-7) shooting guard and reunites Martin with Wolves coach Rick Adelman for the third time in their NBA careers. David Thorpe — Martin’s personal coach, ESPN.com analyst and executive director Florida’s Pro Training Center — recently discussed with Jerry Zgoda the player he has trained since Martin was 19. Q Other than nearly 28 million other reasons, why is this marriage between Kevin and the Wolves now the right fit? A He just felt so good about being part of a team that’s ready to make a resurgence, in a system he knew, with a coach he trusted 100 percent. He has never played with a guy like Kevin Love and for all the points he’s scored, he has never played with a point guard — like Ricky Rubio — who was looking to get him the ball more than he looked to score himself.
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: As the Raptors summer league team assembles here in the desert for the next two weeks, the big question is what direction new Raptors general manager and president Masai Ujiri will take with this year’s roster. That direction should begin to become clearer over the next week as the league moratorium ends today and the backload of signings and trades over the past few weeks become official. Ujiri hasn’t tipped his hand yet as to where he wants to take this roster this year and whatever transpires or doesn’t transpire in Vegas is expected to have much of an impact on that decision. While at least four Raptors for next year’s roster will play here in Vegas including Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross, Quincy Acy and the recently signed point guard Julyan Stone, it’s going to be the call on whether Ujiri can turn some of his surplus wings into something else that will likely set the tone for the season.

Sources: Hawks, Mavs still in Bynum hunt, for now

By Marc Stein | July 9, 2:12 a.m. ET

Andrew Bynum, to this point, has not canceled his scheduled recruiting visits this week in Atlanta and Dallas despite receiving a two-year offer from Cleveland worth an incentive-laden $12 million annually.

Which is to say that the Hawks and Mavs, for the moment, are still in the game.

Yet sources close to the process tell ESPN.com that the Cavs are mostly worried about Dallas in the Bynum chase and have thus tried to construct an offer that the Mavs can't touch while likewise doing no harm to their long-planned bid to try to bring LeBron James back to Ohio in free agency in the summer of 2014.

The Cavs would hold a team option in the second year of the proposed deal, which they feel would provide the needed flexibility to either keep Bynum if he bounces back in a big way or part ways with him if Bynum's famously shaky knees don't hold up.

Why are the Cavs, as reported here Sunday night, willing to extend themselves to such a degree for a player who didn't play a single second in Philadelphia last season and couldn't have been abandoned faster by the Sixers? Word is Cleveland sees this as a unique opportunity, given how rarely former All-Star centers become available -- especially at age 25 -- as well as gettable for a franchise not exactly known for its free-agent pull.

Sources: Brandon Jennings for Jeff Teague?

By Marc Stein | July 8, 2:52 a.m. ET

Word began to circulate late Sunday that the Denver Nuggets were closing in on a verbal agreement with free-agent shooting guard Randy Foye.

And that initially seemed to signal that the Atlanta Hawks' lead in the race to sign Monta Ellis, as detailed here late Saturday, has only widened.

However ...

An alternate scenario began to make the rounds as Sunday bled into Monday suggesting that a far wilder set of moves could soon follow and involve Atlanta as well as Milwaukee, Sacramento and possibly Cleveland.

Sources briefed on the situation told ESPN.com that the Hawks and Bucks have in recent days discussed a sign-and-trade deal to land Brandon Jennings in Atlanta and send fellow restricted free agent Jeff Teague to Milwaukee to reunite with former Hawks coach Larry Drew. ESPN.com reported early in free agency that the Bucks, at Drew's behest, had interest.

If those sign-and-trade talks progress to the serious stage, sources said, Atlanta would inevitably have to rescind its long-standing interest in Ellis, knowing he and Jennings realistically couldn't play together again given how poorly they functioned as a backcourt duo in Milwaukee last season.

Sources say that the Kings, meanwhile, have been shopping the likes of Jimmer Fredette and Chuck Hayes to the Cavaliers to create the requisite salary-cap room to try to sign Ellis comfortably. Hard to see Cleveland wanting Hayes, whose contract runs through 2014-15 and thus potentially would cut into Cleveland's reserves earmarked for a free-agent run at LeBron James next summer. Fredette's $2.4 million salary is a virtual expiring deal.

Yet the closest thing to a lock regarding all of the above, as Week 2 of NBA free agency begins, is that Foye coming to terms with Denver would essentially take the Nuggets out of the Ellis hunt. If the Nuggets strike a deal with Foye, that's essentially an admission that Ellis is out of their price range.

• Roderick Boone of Newsday: Arms extended with his palms pointing upward at the Amway Center practice court, Jason Kidd was incredulous. The guy who had racked up 26 technical fouls in 19 seasons as a player had just been given a technical, all because he strayed too far from the coaches' box with 2:33 to play, wandering past midcourt a few steps from the Pistons' bench. Kidd couldn't believe it. He sought an explanation from one of the referees, only to be told he'd get one later. Essentially, the official's message was this: Hey, welcome to the sideline, Coach. Take a seat. "We were trying to foul a player and the referee missed it and it led to free throws," Kidd said Sunday after making his debut as a coach in the Nets' 76-67 loss to Detroit in summer league action. "So I tried to express to the referees that they missed what we were trying to do. It happens. They are not perfect, we are not perfect. So it's a lesson learned that I know I can't go past half-court." In other words, Kidd is going to have to strike a few things from memory. And quickly.
• Woody Paige of The Denver Post: He never liked to be called Iggy. How about Benedict Arnold Iguodala? The turncoat rejected the Nuggets' offer and signed with the Warriors for less guaranteed money. To which we say: Good riddance. Iggy was no biggie. I didn't want the Nuggets to re-sign Iggy Stardust anyway. He was just a so-sojourner. This doesn't have to be the end of the Nuggets. Losing Dikembe Mutombo in free agency was. Andre Iguodala wasn't on the all-star team and, despite what some claimed, didn't belong on the all-defensive team. (You can look it up, or think about his offensive and defensive efforts in the playoff series against the Warriors.) He isn't among the top-30 players in the NBA, and Iguodala certainly isn't a franchise player. He doesn't have a consistent outside jumper, isn't a feared driver and can't shoot free throws. Twelve mil is too much. Iguodala didn't want to be here. He proved it during his one season in Denver. He switched sides as Arnold, the Duke of Saxony and Melo did.
• Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe: Next year's draft is loaded and the Celtics are rebuilding, which would lead any logical soul to believe that they may well "tank" -- or whatever you want to call it; "experiment" is another word that will suffice -- next season. This theory has been making the rounds, and Celtics forward Jared Sullinger seems to be more than fed up with it. "When you have Celtics pride, you really don’t have time to rebuild," Sullinger said after his team's summer league game here, which he didn't participate in as he's still recovering from season-ending back surgery. You gotta play hard, you gotta play smart. I think with the veterans we have like Gerald Wallace coming from Brooklyn… and we have Jeff (Green), everybody counts us out, but we still have (Rajon) Rondo. He won a title in ’08. He know what it takes. And also with Kevin (Garnett) instilling the will, the power, the intensity in all of us, within that one year, especially with me, that 'rebuild' word we really don’t like it." Sullinger, who will be entering his second season, admitted that he needs to take on more of a leadership role.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: The Pistons’ acquisition of Josh Smith sent shock waves through the NBA and it received positive reactions from two of the team’s building blocks. Smith will make life easier for Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond, the team’s first-round picks in 2011 and 2012, respectively. “Honestly, he’s a great player,” Drummond said after the Pistons‘ 76-67 Summer League win over the Brooklyn Nets Sunday at the Amway Center. “He creates shots for himself and his teammates. He’s (like) a big guard.” Knight, who didn’t play with the summer league team but practiced with them this week, approved of the deal — which was to be expected. “Athletic player, competitor, tough, tough guy,” he said. “If he does decide to come, he’ll be a great player to have.” … As for any concerns about how the three big men will fit offensively, Drummond isn’t the least bit worried. Neither Drummond nor Monroe will be camping out near the 3-point line — although Smith tends to do it more than fans would prefer. “Joe (Dumars) knows what he’s doing,” Drummond said. “We have a great coach in Mo Cheeks so he knows how to get the best out of everybody. I’m sure he’ll find a way.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: Of all the things rookie Victor Oladipo did in his summer-league debut Sunday — the made 3-pointers, the rebounds in traffic, the steals — perhaps nothing should give the Orlando Magic more hope than what occurred with two minutes to go in the final quarter. Teammate Andrew Nicholson set a screen that allowed Oladipo to dribble into the lane. Oladipo slowed a bit, drawing a Boston Celtics interior defender toward him, and dished to Kyle O'Quinn, who scored on a layup. Magic officials already knew about Oladipo's explosive leaping ability, high work rate and improved jumper, but over these next few days, they want to see if the second overall pick in last month's draft can play some point guard, too. The assist to O'Quinn offered a glimpse of potential: Perhaps Oladipo, a shooting guard in college at Indiana University, can run an offense. … A few hours after he signed his contract with the Magic, Oladipo finished with 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists and five steals. "I wouldn't call it an experiment," said the Magic's lead assistant coach, James Borrego, who is coaching Orlando's summer-league team. "It's just more, 'Let's see what we have,' and let him grow at both positions. At the end of the day, we'll find out where he's at.”
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: The future flashed before our eyes Sunday, providing a riveting peek into what the Oklahoma City Thunder might someday look like. Jeremy Lamb was doing something we didn't know he could, running the high screen and roll, orchestrating the offense and taking ownership of his team. Steven Adams, today just a mystery who locals only hope doesn't become the next Robert Swift, the last center the franchise selected with the 12th overall pick, was a bundle of athleticism, energy and hustle. Together, they connected on the highlight of the opening day of the 2013 Orlando Pro Summer League. Adams set a pick for Lamb on the right wing, springing Lamb free to squirt into the paint. When his penetration prompted the Indiana defense to collapse, Lamb lobbed a pass to a rolling Adams. He then gathered, leapt and received the pass with only his right hand. In one motion, Adams brought it straight down into the hoop, punctuating the play with a powerful dunk.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: The center position is open for the Mavericks, and they have options. While reading the tea leaves is difficult, they appear to be in the conversation for Andrew Bynum. But there’s a good chance they are no more than a parenthetical phrase for the oft-injured big man. There are several other teams that have more cap space now than the Mavericks, who are very hesitant to jettison Shawn Marion and his appetizing, expiring contract next season. He’s helped win a lot of basketball games in the last four seasons and can help win a lot more this season. They may have to lose Marion’s money on the cap to get into the Bynum running. Bynum’s agent, obviously, is trying to maximize his client’s value and if a team with more salary cap space is interested in Bynum, that will trump the Mavericks. Hard to believe there is this much attention being paid to a player who has not played in more than a year and has knees that are extremely suspect.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: According to several sources, general manager Gar Forman’s phone has taken more calls than it has made during free agency, with Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah all targeted in trade talks. From Charlotte to Portland, Bulls players have been popular on the trade-talk circuit this summer. But Forman seems content to stand pat and has an excellent reason to think that’s a good decision for one more year. As Forman pointed out several times last season, the Bulls have won 86 percent of their games with Deng, Noah, Rose and Carlos Boozer playing together since Tom Thibodeau took over as coach. That can’t be overlooked, especially with a returning lineup that -- at least on paper -- is as good as the Bulls have had in trying to go toe-to-toe with the Heat. … With a flood of high-profile free agents becoming available next summer, as well as cap space opening up, the Bulls should stand pat and make one last stand.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: Andrea Bargnani is already asking former Knick Danilo Gallinari about the best Italian restaurants in Manhattan. Bargnani, whose trade from the Raptors will become official Wednesday, is flying in from Rome tomorrow to meet with Knicks brass.Bargnani and Gallinari, from Milan, are close former Italian National Team members. Gallinari is giving Bargnani a lot of advice. “We are very good friends,’’ Gallinari said in an email to The Post. “He’s a great guy. He loves to work and he likes New York a lot. He’s very excited. I think he will be good in New York.’’ Clearly, Bargnani, the No. 1 pick in 2007, needed a change of scenery and won’t have the burden of living up to his draft selection. Bargnani, who had an injury-wracked 35-game season, seemingly is healthy and is scheduled to participate for Italy’s National Team in the European Championships, which begin Sept. 4. Gallinari is still rehabbing a torn ACL. When the Knicks drafted Gallinari, there were a lot of comparisons between the two Italians, and Gallinari has proven the better pro.
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: The Cavaliers finally struck it rich in free agency. They agreed to a four-year, $25 million deal with guard Jarrett Jack on Saturday, a league source confirmed. That was a legitimate addition to the roster. If you watched the Golden State Warriors in the postseason last season, you saw Jack in action. He might have been the best backup point guard in the league. Often times, he played during crunch time when Warriors coach Mark Jackson stuck with the players with the hot hand. … Some have suggested that the Cavs overpaid for Jack’s services. I don’t buy that. He’ll average about $6.25 million throughout the deal — the price you have to pay for a player of his ilk. Jack is also a guy who will speak up in a locker room filled with many young players. He’ll probably relish the role as leader. He could also push Irving and Waiters to new heights. They already have the talent. He can help them with some of the complexities of the NBA game.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The Timberwolves have made a formal contract offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic and waived two players in preparation for Wednesday’s end to the NBA moratorium period. According to league sources, the Wolves made an offer to Pekovic on Friday and expect to receive a response early this week. On Sunday, they waived center Greg Stiemsma and swingman Mickael Gelabale in two salary-cap moves designed to clear space to allow them to sign free agents Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger as well as bring back Pekovic on a four-year deal that likely will be worth $12 million a year or more. They also continue to try to trade guards J.J. Barea and/or Luke Ridnour in an attempt to create more cap space to add another two players through signing or trades. The Wolves have the right to match any offer Pekovic receives from another team. As of Sunday, he is not believed to have been offered such a deal and the number of teams who have the cap space and desire to sign him had dwindled to one or two.
• Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel: So what about Brandon Jennings? It has been incredibly quiet on that front. General manager John Hammond said recently that the Bucks would match any offer for the restricted free agent, which doesn't, of course, preclude the possibility that the Bucks would sign and trade their point guard. Most Bucks fans would be fine with the Bucks moving on without Jennings. The Bucks really haven't won anything with him, and the way he monopolizes the ball does nothing for the development of Sanders and Henson. A total rebuild would mean starting rookie Nate Wolters at the point. It's too early to say if he's another Jimmer Fredette, but the Bucks' plan to surround their young building blocks with reasonably priced veterans would lead you to believe that they would get a free agent to replace Jennings, if the Bucks are not overpricing him in the market. How is any of this different from the last half dozen seasons isn't altogether clear at the moment. But for now, the Bucks are hoping that their three prized frontcourt players develop while they win enough games to keep them viable in their own market.
• Bob Young of The Arizona Republic: When word leaked that the Suns were involved in a three-team deal that would send Jared Dudley to the Clippers, ship a second-round pick to Milwaukee and bring point guard Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix, it was reminiscent of another deal made about 25 years ago. That one brought Kevin Johnson to the Valley. This isn’t to say that Bledsoe is the next KJ. But there are some parallels. … But this is what really reminded us of KJ’s arrival: When he got here, the Suns had a young, 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard named Jeff Hornacek. Of course, Hornacek is now the Suns head coach, who happens to have a young, 6-foot-3, 190-pound point guard named Goran Dragic. In 1988, the Suns slid Hornacek over to the shooting-guard position and he evolved into an All-Star. KJ and Hornacek were essentially a pair of combo guards who played together. Like his coach then, Dragic has the ability to play off the ball or run the offense. Bledsoe and Dragic are essentially a pair of combo guards who could, potentially, play in the same backcourt, too.
• Rhett Wilkinson for the Deseret News: Be it in a rowdy pub or on a washed-up deck, Captain Jack Sparrow has a manta he likes to exchange with loyal friend Joshamee Gibbs. “Take what you can,” says one. “Give nothing back,” says the other. This summer, Utah Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey and team brass can appreciate that averment from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" characters — more or less. Lindsey only gave up little-used rookie Kevin Murphy, trade exemptions and $24 million in cap relief to Golden State for center Andris Biedrins and wings Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush, along with unprotected first-round picks in 2014 and 2017, two second-round picks, and an undisclosed amount of cash. The trade has been applauded by many commentators, including Danny Hansen on utahjazz360.com for, among other things, serving youth, “meeting the salary floor” and not letting cap space burn in their pocket.