
To Infinity And Beyond
Few men have ever walked on the moon. But as Alvin Gentry recalls on TrueHoop TV, some that have weren't particularly impressed by the accomplishment. TrueHoop TV » Doc's message for Griffin »
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.”
Rocky Widner, Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty ImagesFew players know much about stopping Stephen Curry. New Warrior Toney Douglas is an exception.
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.
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.
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.