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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.

• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: As with almost every element of the "LeBron Watch," it's all about reading the signs. So in advance of LeBron unveiling his limited-edition watch for Audemars Piguet on Friday night, there was this from an interview with Women's Wear Daily, regarding his potential 2014 free-agency plans and where he eventually would look to settle down in retirement: "I miss the slower pace back home but have grown used to my new city's little perks like fresh fish and sweet fruit. It will definitely be someplace warm. I don't want to go back to cold winters." LeBron, an Akron native, of course, has been linked to a possible return to Cleveland next summer, as well as a potential move to the Los Angeles Lakers.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: No, Dwyane Wade assured, his testy Twitter exchange with Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant was not a joke, not a publicity ploy for Gatorade (for whom they previously filmed a commercial) or any other product. But Wade is ready to diffuse the situation. Asked Thursday night if Durant’s comment that James Harden should replace Wade on Sports Illustrated’s list of the Top 10 players was uncalled for, Wade said: “Everyone has an opinion. We’re in an age now where everyone uses their opinion. That was it. He had an opinion. I had a response.” Asked if their exchange was a joke, he smiled and said, “No.”
• Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: For the first time in 14 years, when the Lakers open training camp Saturday they will be taking the floor in the middle of a Dodgers town. The domination of buzz that began with the Kobe Bryant era in 1996 has at least temporarily ended this fall as the Lakers find themselves surrounded in dysfunction, confusion and blue. Giant gold jerseys bearing No. 24 are being replaced by oversized blue shirts bearing No. 66. Lakers flags are being pulled out of car windows to make room for Dodgers flags. Worry about Steve Nash's legs have been muted over concern for Andre Ethier's shins. Bryant took a self-publicized high dive, yet more people were talking about the Dodgers going swimming. This columnist will not repeat the assumptions that led to the long-ago mistake of calling this a UCLA football town. The Lakers-Dodgers climate change could end by next summer, when the Lakers will have the money and space to bringLeBron James to town. But since the death of Jerry Buss, the Lakers have no longer been the Lakers, so who knows what happens next? Meanwhile, with the best and richest lineup in baseball and the money to keep it going, the Dodgers have again become the Dodgers, a team that owned this city even through the Showtime era, a group that has the economic stability to own it again.
• Nate Taylor and Harvey Araton of The New York Times: The decision to replace Grunwald, 55, with Mills may be an effort by the Knicks to position themselves for the pursuit of stars. Dolan may have concluded that Mills, who also worked a number of years for the N.B.A. in addition to his decade with the Knicks, and who got to know a significant number of agents and top players as he vied in recent months for the union job, will be a good person to lead the team’s free-agent efforts. Those efforts could include finding a way to shed the final part of Amar’e Stoudemire’s contract after this season to create cap maneuverability and possibly even make another run at LeBron James when he becomes eligible for free agency next summer. Mills could also lead an effort to lure another star player to the Knicks after this season, in part to persuade Carmelo Anthony to stay in New York. Anthony can opt out of his contract next summer. It seems possible that the Knicks, feeling the pressure of a much more visible and competitive Nets team nearby in Brooklyn, have concluded that their team needs a more accessible public face and that Mills would do well in that role.
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: While speaking with league sources about the four-year contract extension DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to with the Kings in principle, I learned another interesting bit of information: NBA Commissioner David Stern plans to attend the Kings home/season opener Oct. 30 at Sleep Train Arena. I am assuming Stern will be in Miami the previous night for the championship ring ceremony at the Heat-Bulls game, and then just hop onto his private jet for the 3,000-mile flight to California. No one should be surprised. Keeping the Kings in Sacramento has been on Stern's 'to do" list for at least a decade. And, obviously, his relationship with Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, and former Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive - who had been itching to become a majority partner - facilitated the sale of the team and the proposed downtown arena. After this ordeal, there is no way the Commissioner, who retires Feb. 1, misses out on the emotional opening night celebration.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: And as Bulls fans know all too well after the last three seasons, LeBron James’ rule has not been good for them. The Miami Heat forward is responsible for two of the Bulls’ last three playoff runs ending earlier than they hoped. In the bigger picture, James’ last six years stack up very closely to Jordan’s best seven-year stretch, before his first retirement. From 1986 to 1993, Jordan averaged 33.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, while James averaged 28.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists from 2007 to 2013. Both are known for elite defense, but James has shown to be more versatile, guarding any spot on the floor. While their mind-sets on offense are completely different — James is more facilitator, Jordan was more assassin — they’ll be tied even more closely together if James and the Heat win a third consecutive NBA title this season, when James will still be 29. The Bulls’ mission is to stop that from happening. … It’ll be a great one if they can stay healthy, starting with Rose. While the Indiana Pacers also are expected by some to be the Heat’s primary obstacle in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers don’t have Rose. The problem is the Bulls might not have him, either — at least the Rose they had before he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament. But if the one-time MVP is anywhere close to what he was during the 2010-11 season — with an improved jump shot from all the rehab time — the Pacers will be the third wheel. Will it be enough to end James’ run at history? The Bulls start training camp Friday, and they know kings don’t abdicate their thrones easily.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: When the regular season opens Oct. 30 against Oklahoma City, Kanter will likely step into a starting role, signaling a brand new era of Jazz basketball. The team watched seven players exit in free agency, allowing Kanter, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Trey Burke to all step into marquee roles. … The Jazz offseason was strategically quiet, with the Jazz adding players who would not get in the way of plans to turn the team over to a young core that includes Kanter. "That’s what the fans have been waiting for," Kanter said, "so that’s why I was like, ‘I cannot do crazy stuff and crazy tweets.’ " However, Jazz officials know they can’t ask for too much too quickly from their young stars, and with that, Kanter can’t leave the behavior that made him a fan favorite entirely behind. After the kids had filed out of the gym Thursday, he interrupted his declaration of maturity to make a quiet confession. "I still watch SpongeBob," he said.
• Tom Layman of the Boston Herald: In the wake of Danny Ainge’s comments that Rajon Rondo may not be back until December, new Celtics coach Brad Stevens thinks he has an in-house candidate to fill the star point guard’s shoes. Stevens said Avery Bradley may indeed see the bulk of the point guard duties until Rondo finds his way back from offseason knee surgery. “I don’t think there is any doubt that Avery has elite ability in a lot of ways as a point guard,” Stevens said at TD Garden yesterday morning, where he was a guest at the breakfast to promote November’s Coaches vs. Cancer college basketball tripleheader. “He’s an elite defender at the position. He’s an elite athlete at the point guard position. I think he’s a guy that’s gotten better. I think he’s a guy with more confidence, and I think he’s excited about the challenge if Rajon is out.” Bradley played well in flashes last season, but he also looked miscast as a point guard in Doc Rivers’ system. There is no denying Bradley’s acumen on the defensive side of the ball. The trick will be for him to find the abilities to facilitate the offense and produce some scoring — traits that weren’t consistently on display last year.
• John Canzano of The Oregonian: Monday marks another Trail Blazers media day. The NBA players will take promotional photographs, and perform those video vignettes you see at the home arena during timeouts. For a decade I've watched the players suit up and sit around like a friend on New Year's Eve, vowing, "This year, I'm serious; I'm going on a diet." The thing turns into a massive Eyeroll Festival. It's time for that to change. On Monday, nobody wants to hear the Blazers make the same tired promises. No talking about how much better the locker room feels, how they'll "try to compete for the playoffs" or "We're going to really push tempo this season." LaMarcus Aldridge said on media day in 2012, "I think it's a whole new feeling this year, which is good. Kind of like a new start after last season." If he trots that trite stuff out as an opening statement on Monday someone should poke him in the eye. If he declares the outlook for the 2013-14 Blazers -- as he did last September -- is, "as long as we get better every night... we should be good," he should face a firing line of year-old Chalupas. If coach Terry Stotts says, "We're looking to compete for a playoff spot. I don't know why anyone would say otherwise," he should have to take a lap around the arena. Enough with the meaningless talk. If the Blazers want to make Monday count, what we need to hear is that they will make the playoffs this season. Yes, I'd like a guarantee. Bet you would, too. Because as long as the organization is asking fans to invest their disposable income and emotion in this franchise, the least that a playoff-worthy roster can do is vow that, "It's playoffs or bust."
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: The Magic will be ultra-cautious as they bring Glen Davis back from his most recent foot surgery — making sure he doesn't do too much, too soon — and he will miss training camp, perhaps the entire preseason and maybe the beginning of the regular season. But Davis remains the Magic's best low-post defender. Once he's fully healthy, I envision him returning to his starting role, although Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Maxiell could push him for minutes at the 4. Offensively, Davis is at his best when he's on the move and driving to the hoop. He has a tendency to fall in love with his midrange jumper. Davis could draw interest from other teams as the NBA trade deadline approaches on Feb. 20.
• Michael Pointer of The Indianapolis Star: What position does the now very rich Paul George play? George signed a five-year contract extension worth more than $90 million this week and his versatility is one of his best traits. Coach Frank Vogel can use him at shooting guard, small forward and even power forward, and have him to defend the opposing team’s top player, no matter where he plays. There’s a good chance you will see him at all three spots this season.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: Brandon Jennings sat on the outside looking in during this summer’s free-agency frenzy, arriving in Detroit in a three-year deal via sign-and-trade. The Pistons believe he’ll return to his prep school mode of being a distributor first, rather than primarily looking for his own offense, as he’s done during his first four years in the NBA. Jennings represents an upgrade over Brandon Knight in terms of point guard aptitude, but he must be willing to buy into the system and set up his teammates. Rumors of the Pistons pursuing Boston point guard Rajon Rondo won’t amount to anything anytime soon. Jennings can quiet them with steady play.
• Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Brett Brown's message for Evan Turner: Don't read media reports. "And I hope he's not caring about what goes on Twitter," the new 76ers coach said. Brown wants the Sixers' second overall draft pick in 2010 to get into a gym and rediscover a passion for the game. He said the key would be to go back to his time as a youth when he really enjoyed playing basketball. "Now that sounds a lot easier than it is to achieve," Brown said. "But it starts with the knowledge that you are putting in the time. You get a new toy to play with. And you are being allowed with that in a new place in the house. You need to help him find ways to really find a way to love." Turner appeared frustrated while playing under coach Doug Collins the last three seasons. The 6-foot-7 guard/forward also has been inconsistent since coming out of Ohio State as a junior. Turner averaged a career-best 13.3 points last season and was the only Sixer to start all 82 games. But for every solid performance, he had two or three horrible nights.
• Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune: Pelicans forward Jason Smith, who played for the 76ers during Jrue Holiday's rookie season in 2009-10, was effusive in his praise of their new point guard. "He's great," Smith said. "I got to play with him one year in Philadelphia. I have been praising him since Day 1. He is the most underrated point guard out there. That's a testament to how hard he works and the kind of guy he is on and off the court. … But Holiday isn't expected to be a savior for a New Orleans franchise that has combined to win just 48 games the past two seasons. He is, however, expected to be a key ingredient to an organization that has been rebranded and its roster overhauled. "Hopefully it's to be the vessel of the coach on the court," Holiday said of his role. … "We have guys like Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson, Tyreke (Evans), even Eric Gordon, so I just have to get them the ball where it needs to be. I'll have to even penetrate at times, maybe get a shot and make something happen. But for the most part, I don't think it will be directly focused around me." With that nucleus, Holiday believes the Pelicans won't have any trouble winning much more than they have in the past.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The Rockets, CEO Tad Brown said, will sell out every home game this season. For the Rockets in the Toyota Center era, that is a huge proclamation. “We’re further ahead in our sales process at this time than we ever have been,” Brown said heading into the start of team workouts Saturday. “The season-ticket base is up 34 percent. We are close to being sold out of season tickets. And we are pretty confident with the excitement that this team has already created in the market that we’ll be sold out of every game.” The Rockets have sold out every home game in just four seasons of their history, none since moving into Toyota Center in 2003. Beginning in 1994-95, the second championship season, they had a streak of 176 consecutive sellouts, including 149 consecutive regular-season games. The Rockets sold out 20 home games last season, including 10 of the final 15, but sales took off with the July signing of Dwight Howard.
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: The Cavaliers are attempting to strengthen their bond with their season-ticket holders. Last season, the Cavs launched Wine & Gold United, a year-round, season ticket-based membership program. They promised their members unprecedented and unique access. On Thursday, they provided a perk to their members and tried to deliver on that commitment. After getting league approval, they announced they would print the name of each Wine & Gold United member on the Quicken Loans Arena floor, starting with the 2013-14 season. Each account holder’s name will be displayed in the Cavs’ “All For One, One For All” gold-lettered decal. It will be positioned opposite the team benches. Throughout the season, members will have an opportunity to see their names on the court.

• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: With less than two weeks to go before camp opens Oct. 1, the Magic and veteran small forward Hedo Turkoglu have yet to agree on a buyout. Turkoglu has $12 million left on the final year of his contract, but only half of it is guaranteed.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: A relaxed and engaging Dwyane Wade spoke on a few issues on an appearance a little while ago on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC. Some highlights: On Game 6 of the Finals: "We were only down five with 20 seconds left. That’s what we do. We practice that all day." On free agency next summer: “There’s a lot of media probably watching this in Miami, so I can’t give them nothing.” (Wade said earlier this summer that he wants to stay with the Heat beyond next summer and is optimistic the Big Three will stay together.) On the possibility of a three-peat: “We hope. We're trying to get like the Lakers and Bulls. It’s going to be tough." On LeBron James’ wedding last weekend: “It’s a beautiful, beautiful wedding. Without giving away details, we had an unebelievable time. And I can’t tell you guys nothing else.” He said no phones were allowed and “no phones nowadays is unbelievable. You go nowhere without your phones.”
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: Kobe Bryant continued rehabbing his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon, the latest work involving running at 75 percent of his body weight on a treadmill. Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti thinks Bryant remains a “few weeks away” before advancing to full-weight bearing running, though he added “there’s no projected date” on whether Bryant could play in the Lakers’ season opener Oct. 29 against the Clippers. It’s safe to pencil Bryant out for part of training camp, beginning Sept. 28, though it’s unclear if he could catch the tail end of the Lakers’ eight exhibition games through Oct. 25. It all fits the Lakers’ conservative approach in ensuring Bryant only returns from an injury he suffered April 12 once he fully heals. “He’s doing well and has had no setbacks,” Vitti said Thursday at his trainer’s office at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “He’ll be ready when he’s ready. Nobody has a crystal ball on this thing.” Beyond improving his Achilles tendon, the Lakers training staff also wants Bryant to strengthen his legs, knee, back and core. They hope this approach will ensure Bryant closely replicates last season’s output, when he averaged 27.3 points on 46.3 percent shooting, six assists and 5.6 rebounds before the Lakers lost in a first-round sweep to the San Antonio Spurs without him.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Deron Williams' right foot was in a walking boot, forcing him to miss out on playing in his charity dodge ball tournament Thursday. But he said it won't keep him from going all out in training camp or playing in the Nets' regular-season opener. "Basically, this is just preventative,'' Williams said. "They have me in it now so I don't have to worry about it when the season starts. "It's frustrating because I want to be hooping with the guys right now. I want to play in this. It's frustrating. I have to deal with [the media] speculating. It is what it is. As long as I'm ready for October, that's all that matters to me. But I'll be ready for it.'' Williams suffered a sprained right ankle and a bone bruise about 2½ weeks ago while working out. He said he worked out the following day and continued working out on it, but when he told Nets trainer Tim Walsh he had some pain in his ankle, Walsh sent Williams for an MRI. Williams, who was hampered by ankle injuries last season, said he will undergo another MRI next week, but he doesn't expect to be in the boot much longer. The Nets start training camp Oct. 1 at Duke University and open the season Oct. 30 against Cleveland. "If it's up to me, I'd be walking around right now,'' he said. "I could walk fine. It doesn't hurt. It's just protecting me from myself, I guess.'' When asked if he thinks he'll go full during training camp, Williams said, "That's my plan.''
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: "I'm ready to get to work,'' Anderson Varejao told The Plain Dealer on Thursday afternoon. "I'm excited and I'm ready for the season. I can't wait." No wonder. Varejao missed the last 56 games of the season after a quad injury and then a blood clot. It was his third straight season cut short by injury, coming on the heels of a fractured right wrist that limited him to 25 games in 2011-12 and a right ankle/foot injury that ended the 2010-11 campaign at 31 games. "My goal this season is just to stay healthy,'' he said. "Everything else will come.'' Varejao spent most of the summer rehabilitating his quad in Brazil and working to strengthen his leg. He has only recently started playing pick-up games and, though his quad feels good, he estimates he's at about 70 percent heading into the start of training camp. … Varejao has heard all the speculation about a healthy Bynum -- still no guarantee -- forcing him out of the starting lineup and the two splitting time at center in an effort to reduce the wear and tear on both, but right now that's the least of his problems. "To me, it doesn't matter, as long as I'm important for the team,'' Varejao said. "That's the bottom line. I don't care. I'm going to work the same way, doing what do what I have to do to help the team. Whatever Mike Brown wants to do, it's his decision and I'm here to help.''
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The idea of putting Omer Asik and Dwight Howard together in the frontcourt will offer an interesting training camp diversion, but not much of an option for significant playing time, much less the starting lineup. The Rockets did not get the league’s top center to make him a power forward and don’t want to turn one of their outstanding defensive centers into a liability defending the 3-point arc. Instead, they will likely choose between last season’s holdovers. Greg Smith started late in the season, but Terrence Jones might have the edge after strong showings late last season and in summer league. Donatas Motiejunas, who was the starter after the trades of Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris, added some much-needed bulk, but his low-post skills might make him better suited to coming off the bench when Howard is not on the low blocks. Robert Covington, a tweener forward, could serve as a stretch four, though Jones and Motiejunas could shoot well enough for that. If all else fails, the Rockets could go back to Smith inside, but if they are going to play two centers together again, they do have two others to consider.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: To hear journeyman guard Marco Belinelli tell it, he had no shortage of suitors when he hit the open market this summer. Only one could offer the combination of contract security, pedigree and championship aspirations as the Spurs, making it an easy decision for the Italian to accept their two-year offer. … Belinelli wouldn’t bite when asked about how he’ll be able to improve on the departed Gary Neal, whose slot in the rotation he’ll essentially be filling. He did say cite running the pick and roll, along with scoring and defense, as his main areas of expertise. That bolsters the notion that Belinelli was swapped out for the more one-dimensional Neal to add another competent ballhandler behind Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. It doesn’t appear to be a particularly impressive signing in light of his modest shooting percentage (41.8 percent career) and Player Efficiency Rating (11.6, 3.4 below average). But his with his adequate skills in multiple areas — Belinelli’s career 3-point percentage is almost identical to Neal’s — this could be one of those those pick-ups that pay subtle dividends.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: When the New Orleans Pelicans open training camp on Oct. 1, veteran forward Jason Smith expects to be playing without any limitations despite requiring surgery last season to repair a torn labrum. Though Smith, 7 feet, 240 pounds, has been held out of contact work during volunteer workouts this month to avoid any setbacks in his recovery, he is expected to be cleared in time for camp. ``It’s all fixed; all better,’’ Smith said. ``It’s just knowing that it is better, and I’ve got to go out there and trust it. I think that’s going to be the big test going through training camp.’’ There probably wasn’t a player on New Orleans’ roster last season that played through more injuries than Smith. He played with a torn labrum for almost three months before he re-injured his right shoulder during a February game against the Brooklyn Nets.
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: It has been a while since Wizards assistant coach Sam Cassell has been back on the basketball court of his alma mater. And it's been quite a while since the team has been in this city, too. Led by Cassell, who played at Dunbar Senior High School in the late '80s, the Wizards held a basketball clinic for students Thursday. Bradley Beal, Garrett Temple and Bullets alumni Mike Riordan and Larry Stewart were among others in attendance. The Wizards begin training camp Sept. 28. They will play a preseason game Oct. 17 vs. the New York Nicks at Baltimore Arena. "I haven't been here in a long time. We used to call this place the Eastside Garden. It's changed. The banners are still the same," said Cassell, who graduated from Dunbar in 1988 before going on to a 15-year career as an NBA player. "This opportunity came up to me about coming back to my alma mater, why not?”
• Marcos Breton of The Sacramento Bee: I honestly don’t care if Seattle ever gets an NBA team. But I do hope Hansen is forever frustrated in his bid to be an NBA boss for the smarmy stunt he pulled in Sacramento. Here is a guy who opposes a public vote on the arena he wants to build in Seattle, but essentially finances one in Sacramento – all because he got his fancy pants in a bunch at being passed over for the Kings. The signatures his money bought – around 18,000 of them – are now apparently in the hands of locals who want an arena vote. Without them, the locals have around 3,000 signatures, maybe a little more, but nowhere near the 22,000 they need to qualify an arena vote for the June ballot. That’s why arena opponents made a gleeful announcement Tuesday that they had landed Hansen’s mother lode of signatures. They’re in business. And that announcement was followed by more Hansen buffoonery. In his public statement on the issue Tuesday, Hansen starts by saying he “inadvertently” funded the arena referendum effort. Then he said he decided to contribute to the effort before the NBA made its decision to keep the Kings in Sacramento. How can you “inadvertently” fund an effort you consciously decided to fund?

• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Kevin Love is due in town on Friday, Nikola Pekovic is expected to arrive over the weekend. Rick Adelman will arrive next week and Shved, Barea and almost everyone else other than Rubio will be here as well. Saunders praised Shved’s Eurobasket play for a Russian team that got knocked out early. “He played really good,” he said. “What I liked about him is he kept his composure. He was their best player.” He said the same about Barea, whose Puerto Rico team lost to Mexico in the FIBA Americas final. “He had a great tournament. If they had won it, he’d probably be the Player of the Tournament. He looks like he as lost a little weight, playing as much as he has. He just looked in great shape.” Likewise, Saunders said rookie Shabazz Muhammad has lost weight since the Vegas Summer League in July and said it’s the best shape he’s seen him in all year. For what it’s worth, he also said Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng have “made a lot of progress” since summer. They’ve been working out daily with new player development coach Bobby Jackson. Saunders didn’t go to Slovenia for Eurobasket, but scout Zarko Durisic has been there and just got back a few days ago. Look for player liaison Calvin Booth to join assistant coach Jack Sikma in working with the big men during the preseason. There’s still a chance the Wolves could add a player to their training camp roster. Discussions with agents continue.
• Staff of the Chicago Sun-Times: It has been 508 days — give or take a few hours — since Derrick Rose last played in a regulation NBA game. But when asked by a reporter in Manila, Philippines, the other day if he would play for the U.S. team in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, the rehabbing and well-rested Bulls guard responded that he would like to. “If they select me on the team, it will be an honor,” Rose was quoted by ABS-CBNNews.com. “I definitely will be on the team if [coach Mike Krzyzewski] wants me.” The FIBA tournament begins in 345 days.
• Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News: Gregg Popovich is hoping for something else, and it's that the rebooting of NBA basketball will reboot his brain. No matter what he does, he can't get Game 6 out of his head. Even blows to the head haven't helped. When “Jesse” James Leija puts the Spurs through boxing workouts — and he did again Wednesday — he sometimes puts gloves on Popovich. Leija wears mitts and tells Popovich to hit them. When Popovich drops his hands, Leija slaps Popovich in the face. Popovich tries to hit Leija back and never comes close. “It drives me crazy,” Popovich said, laughing. And when asked if something as aggressive as boxing is a way to release anxiety held over from the 2013 NBA Finals, Popovich doesn't pull punches. “Nothing is a release,” he said. Game 7 is a fog to him. “Was there one?” he asked. Game 6 is another matter. Popovich doesn't second-guess himself. The same coach who often preaches that the game is simple doesn't regret benching his best defender and rebounder when the Spurs needed defense and rebounding. He needed to defend the 3-point line, and other Spurs are better at that than Tim Duncan. This also is how the Spurs played these end-of-game situations about 20 times last season. Still, because it was Duncan, and because Duncan had done so much to get in position to win another title, does Popovich ever wish he'd given Duncan a chance to defend the lead he had helped build?
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: The Washington Wizards spent an entire offseason upgrading and increasing their depth with perimeter talent but remained thin and relatively inexperienced in the front court, with the exception of starters Emeka Okafor and Nene. But with training camp set to start Sept. 28, the Wizards’ most vulnerable area is now much weaker after the team announced Wednesday that Okafor and reserve forward Chris Singleton would both miss significant time because of injuries. Okafor will be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a herniated disk in his neck, and the team announced that Singleton is expected to miss six to eight weeks after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Singleton sustained his injury during a voluntary workout on Tuesday at Verizon Center. Okafor said he began experiencing discomfort in his neck while playing pickup basketball in New York but didn’t believe it was anything more than “stiffness.” … With Okafor down, the Wizards will likely have to move Nene to center and pair him with either Kevin Seraphin, Jan Vesely or veteran Al Harrington. Seraphin was the primary backup to both Okafor and Nene last season and declined playing for the French national team to train primarily in Washington this summer. … Singleton’s injury also came at an inopportune time as he enters a critical season as it relates to his future with the organization. The 6-foot-8 Singleton was already in a difficult position; he was attempting to earn a spot in Coach Randy Wittman’s regular rotation while convincing the Wizards to pick up his option worth about $2.5 million for the 2014-15 season.
• Clay Fowler of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Violet Palmer was out of her comfort zone Tuesday afternoon. Being showered with praise and surrounded by well-wishers is, well, the exact opposite of what she’s used to. It won’t be long before the NBA’s only female referee returns to hulking players barking in her face, coaches questioning her every move and thousands of fans raining jeers upon her nightly, but for one day the Cal Poly Pomona graduate was one of 48 former NCAA Division II athletes across the country awarded a spot on its tribute team. “This is so strange,” Palmer quipped. “I’m not used to all this good love. I’m waiting for somebody to boo me.” While Palmer was a student at Cal Poly Pomona from 1982 to 1986, the cheering was abundant. She was a point guard on two national championship teams long before becoming the first female official to reach the highest competitive tier in a major U.S. professional sport. Despite the verbal abuse synonamous with the job on the court, Palmer has become a celebrated figure off of it. The 49-year-old is now a 15-year veteran with NBA Finals experience who also shoulders the responsibility of overseeing college officials for the Pac-12 and West Coast Conferences.
• Michael Pointer of The Indianapolis Star: Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George said today the team’s fans don’t need to worry about him going anywhere. Indianapolis is his professional home and he plans to be here for a long time. “(A long-term contract) is going to get done,” George told The Indianapolis Star. “There will be a deal signed and sealed on the table before the season. We’re (George and Pacers management) on the same page.” George is entering the final year of his contract and the odds seemed long that he would leave Indiana even before Wednesday’s comments. The Pacers would have the right to match any offer he received next summer and have indicated they would do just that. … “No,” George said when asked if there was any chance he would leave the Pacers. “Honestly, I love it here. I want to be here. It’s a great place. There are no distractions. I can stay focused. It’s all about basketball here. I can stay focused and do my job.”
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: Harrison Barnes and all of the Warriors players have something to prove this season: That they can not only repeat last season's trip to the second round of the postseason, but that they can expand on it. And Iguodala is naturally the guy who is supposed to trigger that improvement. The way to push it all forward is if Barnes and others go as hard as possible in these workouts, and if Iguodala pushes it, too. Of course, Iguodala is a different player from Barnes -- they're versatile in different ways. And there's a strong chance that they could find themselves on the floor together for long periods this season, with Barnes shifting over to the power-forward spot or with Iguodala playing one of the two guard positions. In fact, Iguodala said he is already focusing on facilitating the offense, figuring out where the Warriors' top scorers want the ball and when they want it. By the way, Iguodala, Thompson and Barnes all playing together -- with Bogut defending the paint -- would be the Warriors' most dangerous defensive unit, no question. They're going at each other now to sharpen themselves for the nights when they'll be up against Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tony Parker and all the other top players. It's how an up-and-coming team keeps going up, keeps itself on edge, and storms into training camp at the highest speed possible.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: In July, the Spurs signed a free-agent forward named Jeff Pendergraph to a two-year contract. No player by that name will ever appear in a Spurs uniform. Last month, Pendergraph walked into a courthouse in downtown Phoenix, his wife Raneem and newborn daughter Naomi in tow. He walked out with a new name — Jeff Ayres. Ayres is the family name of his biological father, James. It replaces the surname of a stepfather who hasn't been in the picture since the player formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph was in high school. For the 26-year-old veteran of three NBA seasons, the journey from Pendergraph to Ayres was in some ways as simple as filling out a thick stack of paperwork and filing it with an Arizona judge. It also was a complicated decision with a complex back story, one that tests the traditional definitions of blood and family. “I didn't know who my dad was until I was a senior in high school,” Jeff Ayres said Wednesday, during a break from pickup games at the Spurs' practice gym. … Jeff and James Ayres have a relationship now. They are bonded by a last name, related both legally and biologically. The two won't be attending any father-son picnics anytime soon, but it's a start. They exchange text messages weekly. And last month, when the player still known as Pendergraph arrived at that Phoenix courthouse to rename himself, James Ayres drove from California to accompany him. So, what's in a name? A new Spurs forward named Jeff Ayres thinks he knows. “It's nothing personal,” he said. “It's just family.”
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: Chandler Parsons might be entrenched as the Rockets’ small forward, fashion model and up-and-coming celebrity, but the position gets complicated behind him. Actually, even Parsons’ role will be interesting with the addition of Dwight Howard placing even more emphasis on Parsons’ catch-and-shoot 3-point touch. The greater questions will be determining who can best take on Carlos Delfino’s vital and underrated role as a shooter behind Parsons and as a three that can slide over to be a floor-spacing four. Francisco Garcia is coming off a strong playoff series, but is not an option as a four and could be picking up playing time as a guard, anyway. Omri Casspi might be the best bet for the Delfino role, but will have to find at least the shooting touch he showed as a rookie. Ronnie Brewer is a strong defender, but also has to show he can knock down shots to grab one of the final roster spots. There is a sense that the Rockets are too high on rookie Robert Covington to let him go, even if he might not be ready yet in a win-now season. With five small forwards heading to camp, there will be a battle for playing time and the final roster spot. Yet, while all that plays out at the position, the most important key could be whether Parsons continues his development enough to go from star on the pages of “Seventeen” to “Sports Illustrated.”
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: Tristan Thompson didn't set out to make NBA history this summer. "History in the making? No, no, no,'' the Cavaliers' personable third-year power forward said, laughing. It just worked out that way. When Thompson decided to switch his shooting hand from his left to his right, becoming what is believed to be the first player in NBA history to change his dominant hand in the middle of his career, he thought it was just another step in improving his game. … After working with former Cavs coach John Lucas, and then shooting coach Dave Love, Thompson has come to believe that perhaps he was right-handed all along. "I wouldn't say it's easy, but I think the transition is going more smoothly than one might assume, which probably means I was always right-handed and just never knew, probably because I lived in Canada,'' he said, which isn't quite as crazy as it sounds. "I started playing basketball at such a late age,'' said Thompson, who didn't take basketball seriously until he was 12 or 13. "In America, you start playing when you're 5 years old.'' He reasons that had he started playing five or six years earlier, he likely would have been encouraged to try shooting with his right hand sooner.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: Though his contract is resolved, Brian Roberts is bracing for a more intense battle in training camp, which begins Oct. 1. He could be in a fight for playing time with Austin Rivers at backup point guard. Though Rivers played significant minutes at shooting guard last season, starter Eric Gordon and newly acquired Tyreke Evans could get the majority of playing time at the position. The Pelicans made Evans their top target in free agency because of his versatility. He can play point guard, shooting guard and small forward. "They have a lot of versatility at the guard position and they can go some different ways,'' Roberts said. "It depends on what (coach) Monty (Williams) wants. I’m just going to be ready for whatever he asks me to do.'' Roberts is hoping to evolve as a better overall player, especially defensively. Roberts has participated extensively in the Pelicans' volunteer workouts to prepare for training camp.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: The Lakers haven’t exactly upgraded their talent. But they’ve made a push to upgrade their uniforms. The Lakers released a video Wednesday on their Instagram account of Kobe Bryant wearing the team’s black alternative uniform, something the team will showcase this season for an unspecified amount of select game. The black uniform, dubbed “Hollywood Nights” features a black jersey and the Lakers’ traditional purple and gold as trimming. “This has been a few years in the process of introducing a black Lakers uniform,” Lakers president Jeanie Buss said on the team’s Web site. “In no way are we ever going to replace the purple and gold traditional uniform that has seen so many championships won. But I think the gold is going to pop out in a black uniform. Having the purple letters says it all. It’s all Lakers.” The Lakers will also wear white short-sleeve jerseys at select games during the 2013-14 season, including the team’s Christmas Day game at Staples Center against the Miami Heat.

• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: Considering that Thibodeau and Forman were often seen talking shop during Summer League games in Las Vegas as if it was business as usual, maybe next season was all they were really “thinking about.’’ But at least one source feels that would change if forward Luol Deng is traded or allowed to walk into free agency without an extension next summer. “Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is,’’ the source said. “How happy do you think he would be with that decision?’’ Not very. Then again, it would also depend on what the Bulls would get in return or if there was a bigger free agent whale to hunt down because of the salary that would be saved by allowing Deng to walk, as well as amnestying Carlos Boozer. What can’t be downplayed, however, is with Bulls camp opening up Sept. 27, there is a very good chance that it will be Deng’s last one in the red and black. Derrick Rose is undoubtedly the face of the franchise, but Thibodeau insisted a handful of times over the past two years that Deng “is the glue.”
• Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons training camp is about two weeks away, and Josh Smith is wasting no time getting ready. The forward is intent on fitting into his new environment. “I got lost the other day, but I’m finding my way around,’’ said Smith, who signed as a free agent this off-season. “I listen to my GPS. I just need a couple of places to eat. I have a cousin here, and that helps.’’ From the work he put in with the coaching staff today at the Pistons’ practice facility in Auburn Hills, it’s obvious that he’s focused and ready to make the team a playoff contender. “I’m just trying to polish up on things,” he said after working with assistant coach Rasheed Wallace on the perimeter and in the low post. “I’m trying to be more consistent on my mid-range and long-range jumper. I’ve been working on it hard each and every day here.” … Wallace said the key is to keep Smith in his comfort zone. “You don’t want him doing things he’s not used to doing,’’ Wallace said. “We’re trying to get him comfortable making the 15- to 18-foot jump shot.’’ Don’t be surprised if Smith sees time at both power forward and small forward with the Pistons.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Using spiritual predecessor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a model, he should be in for another elite season. Similar to what Duncan did last season at 36, the former Lakers star actually improved slightly at 37, enjoying bumps in shooting efficiency, total rebound rate and blocked shot rate while recording his best offensive rating in at least seven years. (Due to incomplete box scores, Basketball Reference’s figures only reach back to 1977-78 in that category.) Abdul-Jabbar capped his 16thNBA season with one of the most underrated achievements in history, dominating Boston’s Hall of Fame frontcourt to win the Finals MVP. “Enjoy him,” Lakers coach Pat Riley said after that feat, “because there will never be another one like him.” Well, not quite. As secure as Abdul-Jabbar’s legacy is, Duncan has provided a rather impressive facsimile of perhaps the most durable player in NBA history. While Abdul-Jabbar had ceased to be an impact defender at around 33 or 34 — Duncan, it should be noted, was named second-team All-NBA last season — it wasn’t until he hit 40, at which point he’d played more than 1,604 games, that his offensive game followed suit. Duncan won’t hit that age milestone for another 2 1/2 years, and he’s “only” played 1,391 career games including the postseason. Different bodies, different players, different eras — but also more than enough similarities that it’s reasonable to expect Duncan can follow a similar path. Indeed, he already is.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: As the New Orleans Pelicans prepare to open training camp Oct. 1, guard Austin Rivers is already brimming with confidence. Rivers said he has worked intensely to improve his overall game since July, when he led the Pelicans' summer league team with a 18.2 scoring average. Although the Pelicans significantly improved their backcourt this summer with the additions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, Rivers said he's eager for the intense competition to begin. "I can't wait for the year to start because this is the best that I've ever felt and it's showing when I'm playing,'' said Rivers, who made only 37.2 percent of his shots last season as a rookie and averaged 6.2 points and 2.1 assists. "Mentally, I have 100 percent confidence right now, where last year I was trying to figure things out. So now when that ball tips off, I'm just thinking about winning, playing and having fun.'' Rivers, the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Duke, struggled through the opening half of last season. He showed some improvement after the All-Star break but missed the final 23 games after suffering a fractured right hand in March. In effort to get physically and mentally prepared for the upcoming 82-game regular-season schedule, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Rivers has stayed busy.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: James Harden’s play in his first season as his team’s go-to scorer moved him among the league’s top 10 players, but even more will be expected in his second season with the Rockets. As bright as the spotlight will be on Dwight Howard, it will shift to Harden late in games when he must grow into a more efficient, polished closer and less reliant to iso-heaves when the ball and Rockets’ chances in close games are in his hands. He will likely earn the most playing time on the team, reducing the role for his backups. In addition to the two point guard backcourts, Francisco Garcia will likely pick up many of the minutes as a backup shooting guard. If Garcia plays as a small forward, a player that has to compete for a roster spot could win that and a place in the rotation. Reggie Williams’ shooting could be valuable, but he will have to compete for a roster spot with the offseason additions at the three.
• Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com: Eric Musselman said he and Gerald Green, who played with New Jersey before landing in Indiana last season, still keep in touch. "I look at him as a guy that in 20 years I'll still be talking to him," Musselman said. "When he was with the Nets and they played the Lakers (in L.A.) he came back to our practice and sat for a two-and-a-half hour practice, and it was on a game day. You don't see many NBA players leave their hotel on their own, figure out a way to get there, stay and then hang out with (his former) teammates in the locker room afterwards. That's the type of person he is." Musselman added Green is also a good locker room guy, someone who will keep the mood light with jokes and impersonations. "He does me very well," Musselman laughed. "I think the Suns have done a great job of getting a guy kind of under the radar that you can have in your rotation. He gives you energy and an identity because he can get up and down the floor, which is what coach (Jeff) Hornacek wants to do. And he's a better defender than people think as well. Sometimes he needs to be a better off-ball defender, but that will come in time. "I think the Suns organization is really going to like him."
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: The Celtics have spent the past few months paring down their roster to slice contracts and avoid the luxury tax and Tuesday they waived journeyman Donte Greene before he even appeared in a Boston uniform. The forward, acquired Aug. 15 from the Memphis Grizzlies for center Fab Melo, had a nonguaranteed deal entering this season and lopping off his $1 million salary lowers the Celtics until the luxury tax threshold, considered a must by ownership for a team not expected to reach the playoffs. … The Celtics are now paying out $71.2 million in salaries, $200,000 under the luxury tax threshold.
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: Coach Randy Wittman isn't going to put pressure the 6-8 small forward to start or be the savior of a franchise that hasn't qualified for the postseason since 2008. Most of that responsibility will rest on the shoulders of John Wall, who signed an $80 million extension in the off-season. There are no illusions with Porter. While Wall is the face of the franchise who makes his teammates better, Porter is regarded as more of a "glue" player who can fill various roles on both ends of the floor. They don't expect him to go on 40-point outbursts or be the closer in the fourth quarter. While that will lead to plenty of questions from the outside about what's wrong with Porter, it fits the bigger picture that Wittman appears to have in mind. The front office, as well as Porter, seem to be on board with that plan. There's a lot of competition at small forward with Martell Webster, Trevor Ariza and to a lesser degree at the moment Chris Singleton. Webster is the team's best three-point shooter and Ariza is its best one-on-one defender. By season's end, however, Ariza could be gone as a free agent when his contract expires. Singleton has a team option that the Wizards might not pick up. And Porter could then be ready for a greater role.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: The 35th pick last season, Draymond Green bulked up to about 245 pounds in preparation for his first pro season. But he developed knee tendinitis, which curtailed his workouts and allowed his weight to increase. In May, he hit 250. By the time Green arrived for the Warriors' Las Vegas Summer League in July, however, he had made a major body transition. He didn't crash diet, opting instead to eat right and go to the gym. He has toned, not lost, his muscle and has kept the weight off. "Nobody is just going to bully me," he said. Green said his conditioning is better, he's moving quicker, is getting off the floor better and his knees are fine. All of that should add to the Warriors' versatility and depth. "If you want to go with an all-defensive, shutdown team, you can do that," Green recalled telling owner Joe Lacob recently. "If you want to go with a super athletic team, you can do that. If you want to go with a big team, you can do that. If you want to go with a crazy-shooting team, you can do that.”
• Tim Bontemps of the New York Post: Jason Terry is bringing his tattoo tradition with him to Brooklyn. Terry, who has famously gotten tattoos when playing for the Mavericks and Celtics, said Tuesday morning that he’ll be getting another one by the time the season opens on Oct. 30 in Cleveland. “BK All Day,” Terry said with a smile at a community event in Brooklyn. “You heard it here first.” Terry said the tattoo will be unveiled on Opening Night, but declined to say where he’ll be getting it placed on his body. “You’ll see,” he said, still smiling. Terry first made news with his tattoo selections back in 2011, when he got a tattoo of the Larry O’Brien Trophy — given each year to the NBA champion — prior to the start of the 2010-11 season. The Mavericks went on to complete a magical playoff run, culminating with an upset of the heavily favored Miami Heat in LeBron James’ first season on South Beach to win the title.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Former Spurs center and current front office member Sean Marks will reportedly slide into a new role this season, joining Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff to fill the slot left by Brett Brown. Marks, 38, has been with the Spurs in an executive capacity for the past two seasons, most recently serving as director of basketball operations and general manager of their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros. The new gig will surely allow Marks to maintain his role as Tim Duncan’s pre-game workout partner. Marks played 48 games for the Spurs from 2005 through 2007. They were one of six teams the good-natured New Zealand native played for over 11 NBA seasons, during which he averaged 2.8 points per game. Brown left to take over as head coach in Philadelphia, the second defection of the summer after lead assistant Mike Budenholzer accepted the No. 1 job in Atlanta. Former Indiana assistant Jim Boylen filled the latter vacancy, making Ime Udoka the dean of Popovich’s support staff in his second year with the Spurs.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Remember that 2011 trailer tease for a Steve Nash documentary with Owen Wilson giving a quirky take that Nash’s name sounded like an action hero? Work has continued on the project, titled “Nash.” It was in part extended by the need to add a new chapter to the independent film. After some of documentary was screened at Vancouver Film Festival, the Suns traded Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. The movie also needs more money to finish editing, graphics, licensing for footage and photographs and has turned to a 30-day Kickstarter campaign to finish it. Nash’s film company is not involved in the project and filmmakers do not want to turn to Nash for financial support because that damages a documentary’s authenticity. Nash gave access to all parts of his life to producer/director Michael Hamilton and the film will include interviews with President Barack Obama, Ron Howard, David Beckham, Snoop Lion, Doug Ellin, David Blaine, David Stern, Wilson and NBA players Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Yao Ming and Baron Davis.

• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: James Worthy has one concern about Kobe Bryant, and it has nothing to do with whether he will recover from a torn left Achilles tendon. Worthy, who won three NBA titles with the Lakers during the Showtime Era and is an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, openly wondered if Bryant will adjust his aggressiveness out of health and personnel concerns. “One of the biggest challenges for Kobe this year is, can he step back?” Worthy said. “He’s been in the league for 17 years, has a lot of miles on the body and has had a lot of injuries. Can he find a game that will allow other guys to flourish?” Bryant has steadily progressed on his injured left Achilles tendon, but has yet to resume basketball-related activities.
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: Kobe Bryant continues to move forward in his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles' tendon, though theLakers are unwilling to put an updated timetable on his exact return. "He's progressing well and has met all the targets and milestones of his rehab, and we expect him to make a full recovery," Lakers spokesman John Black told The Times on Monday. "One of the key issues is to make sure he builds up strength and endurance not only in his Achilles but also in his legs, knees, back and core." Bryant's initial timetable called for at least six to nine months of recovery after he was injured April 12 against Golden State. The more optimistic part would put him in play for two Lakers exhibition games in China next month, though Bryant is expected to miss the Lakers' entire eight-game preseason schedule that ends Oct. 25. The Lakers begin the regular season Oct. 29 against the Clippers. It is unknown if Bryant will be back in time. "We're going to avoid giving a target return date until he's doing full weight-bearing running and on-court basketball activities, at the earliest," Black said.
• Howard Beck of The New York Times: Ten months from now, Anthony will probably opt out of his Knicks contract, sign a five-year deal for $129 million and happily resume his role as the basketball prince of Broadway. Anthony loves New York, and New York loves Anthony, playoff failures notwithstanding. He has every reason to stay: the money, the market, the chance to be the savior who ends the Knicks’ 40-year championship drought. It was only two and a half years ago that Anthony forced the Denver Nuggets to send him here. It seems unlikely he would leave so soon. But a lot can change in 10 months, and the specter of Anthony’s free agency will shadow the Knicks all season, just as the threat of his departure loomed over the Nuggets three years ago. … New York is still New York. But there is another city that can offer heady doses of fame, fortune and brand promotion, and it happens to be home to the N.B.A.’s most glamorous franchise. The Los Angeles Lakers will have millions in salary-cap room next summer, and a powerful recruiter in Kobe Bryant, one of Anthony’s closest friends. Per N.B.A. rules, the Lakers could offer Anthony only $96 million over four years. But they can offer something the Knicks cannot: a tradition of success, a knack for acquiring and building around superstars, and a habit of staging parades in June. Maybe Anthony isn’t going anywhere, as he asserted last week. But verbal commitments and loyalty are malleable concepts in professional sports. Nothing means anything until the contract is signed.
• Fred Kerber of the New York Post: From Russia with … nothing shady. That was the finding of a “thorough” NBA investigation into the Nets’ summer signing of free agent forward Andrei Kirilenko, multiple league sources told The Post. The league, after getting complaints from at least one other team that suggested improper agreements, examined the signing and found nothing against the rules. Kirilenko, who made roughly $10 million in Minnesota last season, opted out of the final year of his Timberwolves’ deal and took the Nets’ $3.1 mini-midlevel exception. In doing so, he triggered a wave of anger and suspicion. Rivals owners and executives intimated under-the-table deals existed between Kirilenko and Russian countryman Mikhail Prokhorov, the Nets’ billionaire owner. At least one owner – possibly more – complained to the league. “When there is a formal complaint, the league will look into it,” said one league official who spoke in generalities and refused comment on the Kirilenko issue.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The closest Goran Dragic gets to NBA help is Rasho Nesterovic serving as a mentor in the program. Beno Udrih is not playing. Dragic’s brother, Zoran, was a Houston summer-league player last year. Spain, second only to the U.S. in world basketball, threw Rubio, Sergio Rodriguez, Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernandez at Dragic in waves to wear him down. Slovenia won 78-69, with 18 points and seven rebounds from Dragic. “Every punch they threw at him, he had a counterpunch,” Chris Thomas said. “We’ve had stretches where he’s put the entire team on his back and carried us, especially offensively. “We look to him a lot for those bailout shots at the end of the shot clock or where we just have to get something going. We throw the ball to him and expect him to create. The ball just finds its way to him.” As Slovenia’s tempo increased in recent games, so did Dragic’s scoring. His temperament has been different, too. The cordial 27-year-old who once lacked confidence became surly in a pre-tournament exhibition when he was ejected for shoving a Turkish guard for some post-whistle contact. “I don’t know if it’s the pride of putting on a jersey with your home country on it or if he’s turning the corner as far as being that feisty, gritty, gutsy guy that I know he is now, but hopefully he’ll bring it back to Phoenix with him,” Thomas said.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: But Jose Calderon is willing to try. And while he joins the Mavericks as a B-lister who has been functional but not dynamic throughout his career, he’s a point guard in the same mold as Nash and Kidd – one who has the ability to lead the league in assists and who can make a shot when defenses disregard him. And he brings a wealth of knowledge, both at the NBA and international level, while also being still in his prime. He will turn 32 later this month. … What Calderon does best is take care of business – and the basketball. While he’s probably a little more conservative when he’s running the point than Nash or Kidd, Calderon had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.11 last season. Only Chris Paul at 4.26 had a better average and no other player in the league was better than Jason Kidd’s 3.28 assists per turnover. Calderon’s average last season was right on his career norm of 4.13 assists per turnover. … Anyway, it’s clear that there are numbers to support the Mavericks’ hope that Calderon will be the sort of stabilizing influence they want at the point. He’s almost always at the top of the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Most importantly, he’s going to have to show that he can run a quality team that is adamant about getting back in the playoffs, something the Mavericks missed last season for the first time since 2000. It’s worth noting that Calderon has only one playoff start in his career and his teams have missed the postseason the last five years.
• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: It is highly unlikely that center Greg Oden or forward Michael Beasley will be central to the cause, and moderately unlikely that either will play even a peripheral part. Still, there is intrigue in their additions, especially at the cost – a combined $1.9 million for the 2013-14 season, with only Oden’s deal even guaranteed. There is intrigue because of what they were (first team collegiate All-Americans) and what they were supposed to become (with Oden picked No. 1 overall in 2007 and Beasley chosen No. 2 overall in 2008). There is intrigue because of the way each has fallen short, the oft-injured Oden through much less fault of his own. The masses love a comeback story, and many will find their updates more interesting, especially in the preseason, than anything that James, Wade and Bosh do. There are many questions, none with entirely knowable answers. Still, if Riley can take a shot on these two guys, certainly we can take a shot at some predictions. What are the chances that both make the team? Good. In Oden’s case, it’s nearly a guarantee, unless he gets so frustrated with his rehabilitation that he calls it off himself. Miami is committed to the long game with him and, even if he doesn’t show early progress, he will get one of 15 spots. Beasley will be on the court from the start, barring complications from his legal issues, and his skills are sufficient to earn him a slot over someone like Jarvis Varnado.
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: The Wizards made its off-season, front-office reshuffling official Monday with the key move being the promotion of Tommy Sheppard to senior vice president of basketball operations. Sheppard already was a vice president of operations along with Milt Newton, who recently left the Wizards to become general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Newton was over personnel. … Sheppard's responsibilities have expanded to include salary cap management, draft preparation, college and pro talent evaluation, statistical analysis and recruitment of free agents and handling day-to-day basketball operations. The other promotions: Ed Tapscott to vice president of player programs; Pat Sullivan to assistant coach; Brett Greenberg to director of basketball analytics/salary cap management; Bryan Oringher to video coordinator; and Ryan Richman to assistant video coordinator. The latter two are in their first seasons with the organization.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: No one knows if the introduction would have eventually happened. But it was Mark Aguirre who introduced Mark Cuban to Ross Perot Jr., thus leading to the ownership change of the Dallas Mavericks. That meeting occurred in the latter half of 1999. By Jan. 4, 2000, Perot’s sale of the Mavericks to Cuban for $285 million was finalized. … What made Aguirre even think Cuban would be interested in purchasing the Mavericks? Before winning NBA titles with Detroit in 1989 and ’90, Aguirre was a three-time All-Star with the Mavericks from 1981 until being traded to the Pistons on Feb. 15, 1989. He had witnessed Cuban’s enthusiasm for the Mavericks since Cuban had season tickets near courtside at Reunion Arena and was always one to voice his opinion. “When somebody is that enthusiastic and you see them night in and night out, you can’t help but remember them,” said Aguirre. “So I knew him.” When asked about the importance of Aguirre’s introduction to him buying the Mavericks, Cuban said: “It was everything.”
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: When the news broke that the Pelicans had signed a free-agent guard, it seemed as though it was the last position New Orleans needed to bolster. The Pelicans had acquired Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans earlier in the summer, to go along with a trio of returning guards in Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers and Brian Roberts. But Morrow's career statistics would indicate his long-range shooting accuracy would be a perfect backcourt complement to the frontcourt deep threat of Ryan Anderson, giving the Pelicans a potentially dynamic off-the-bench duo that could either stretch a lead or provide the firepower to play catch-up. Morrow, a career 45 percent shooter (.424 from beyond the 3-point line) has also played some small forward, an area in which the Pelicans can desperately use an offensive upgrade.
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: Partly because of the intense interest – for obvious reasons – in the Kings' regular-season opener Oct. 30 against the Denver Nuggets at Sleep Train Arena, the team and KXTV Ch. 10 came up with a unique format for the 2013-14 tipoff: a commercial-free telecast. The opener is the first of 11 games Ch. 10 will telecast this season. Comcast SportsNet remains the Kings' primary broadcasting partner and will televise 70 games, with ESPN taking the remaining game – Nov. 15 against the Detroit Pistons at Sleep Train Arena. "Opening night is going to be such a celebration, a new chapter in the journey," Kings president Chris Granger said. "It's going to be a sellout, so we have been thinking about ways to include more people. This (commercial-free telecast) seemed like a way to do that, and fortunately, News10 was more than willing to partner with us."
• Dan Nakaso of The Oakland Tribune: Even before the basketball season begins, the Golden State Warriors are winning -- off the court. The team already has sold more than 14,000 season tickets, a franchise record, and will set another franchise record with 17 appearances in nationally televised games. And in guard Stephen Curry, they have one of the league's most marketable stars, one who stokes the team's fervent fan base and gives the Warriors a great shot of winning on the court as well. "The Warriors may be young and up-and-coming, but they've already proven that they can perform in the playoffs," said Amy Brooks, a former Stanford guard who now serves as senior vice president for marketing and business operations for the NBA. "The Warriors have historically had a very loyal and passionate fan base. Their recent success has just driven this to a higher level."

• Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press: Timberwolves President Flip Saunders has been watching point guard Ricky Rubio lead Spain in the European Championships on TV. "What I like about him is, his game continues to get better and better right now in the heat of the tournament," Saunders said. Saunders is heading to California to check in with forward Derrick Williams, whom he wants to lose some weight. Williams finished last season at 260 pounds.
• Ben Standigof CSN Washington: The Wizards front office is less empty now. Washington hired former Raptors executive as Marc Eversley as Vice President of Scouting. Eversley enters the front office along with former Oklahoma City Thunder scout Frank Ross. Going the other way, former director of player personnel Pat Connelly, ex-VP of player personnel Milt Newton and Mike Wilson, who headed the organization's college scouting. Toronto had a front office overall starting at the top. The hiring of former Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri spelled the end for Eversley, the Raptors VP for college scouting. Eversley originally joined the Raptors as director of basketball operations after more than 10 years with Nike.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: The Heat’s signing of Michael Beasley to a non-guaranteed deal was low risk. But the broadcaster who analyzed his work for the Phoenix Suns last season isn’t optimistic about Beasley’s future and wonders why the Heat would inject a “knucklehead” into a locker-room filled with serious, respected professionals. “If he stops smoking marijuana and stops ‘hanging out,’ the talent is there. But I don’t see it [happening] after all these chances,” Suns radio analyst and former NBA center Tim Kempton told us. “It’s difficult to believe he will change his stripes at this point. “People have gone out of their way to make Michael Beasley successful, but he hasn’t accepted it. He spent time in Los Angeles with [former Lakers guard] Norm Nixon. You would think that would have helped him. The Suns had a life coach that traveled with us the entire season. But he slipped three times when he was here” -- an arrest on suspicion of drug possession, an ongoing investigation into a sexual assault allegation, and charges of vehicular violations, including driving with a suspended license. On the court, Kempton said Beasley could exasperate teammates and coaches – both Alvin Gentry, before his dismissal, and interim coachLindsey Hunter.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: Will Jordan Hill’s outside jumper improve? He mostly focused on that area this offseason in hopes of becoming more of a complete player and possibly becoming a stretch forward in Mike D’Antoni’s system. There’s plenty of debate on whether it’s actually good for D’Antoni to feature Hill more as a jump shooter than a low-post player (it isn’t a good idea). But it definitely won’t hurt if Hill adds more to his game simply so he can become more dangerous offensively. Hill said he’s addressed that this offseason at his Atlanta residence by taking at least 1,000 shots per day, focusing on his ball handling and receiving pointers from reserve shooting guard Jodie Meeks. Hill took steps prior to last season to improve his shot, but it hasn’t translated. … It’s unrealistic to expect Hill suddenly to become an elite outside shooter. But if his shooting accuracy improves, that will yield plenty of trickle-down affects. Hill will have an expanded role and become more of a dependable insurance policy for Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman. It’ll also help stretch the floor, giving easier looks to Gasol and Kaman in the post, Bryant on the wing and the post and the team’s outside shooters on the perimeter.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: Basketball was not Carrick Felix's first love. Believe it or not, the Cavaliers rookie swingman initially wanted to make his living on a skateboard. "I wanted to be the next Tony Hawk,'' he said, referring to the most famous skateboarder in the world. From the age of 7, when a neighbor kid on a skateboard landed in Felix's front yard outside Phoenix, until his junior year in high school, Felix was on his board all day every day. "i was always outside practicing from 7 o'clock in the morning to 12 o'clock at night,'' he admitted. But by 11th grade he started to focus on basketball, eventually earning a scholarship to Arizona State. He found that some skateboard skills involving balance and footwork actually transferred quite naturally to basketball. Then in his sophomore year with the Aztecs, his coaches suggest he put the board away. "The skateboard is off limits,'' Felix said, laughing. "I still have it in my room. I never get on it [but] it's always fun to look at.''
• Tom Moore of The Intelligencer: The 76ers are finalizing a contract with free agent point guard Darius Morris. An NBA source said the two sides were close Thursday night. The deal is believed to be for the third-year NBA minimum of $884,293, with part of it guaranteed. Also Thursday evening, Stephen Pina, agent for former Temple standout shooting guard Khalif Wyatt, confirmed Wyatt has "agreed to terms" with the Sixers. Wyatt is an undrafted free agent from Norristown. Morris, 22, expects to play a bigger role with the Sixers than he did as a Laker during his first two NBA seasons after being taken 41st in the 2011 NBA Draft. He could be the primary backup to rookie first-rounder Michael Carter-Williams.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: As Russell Westbrook continues to embrace his inner fashion bug, the Thunder point guard is forcing the fashion industry to pay attention to his unique style. The New York Times caught up with Westbrook during his recent trip to New York City for his first New York Fashion Week. … Westbrook attended multiple fashion shows over the weekend and rubbed elbows with some of the industry’s biggest names. He called the shows “amazing” and said escaping from his routine basketball circle was “refreshing.” As he opened up about his fashion tastes, Westbrook said he’s always been into fashion but didn’t always have the means to be as big into it as he is now. “It was basically what I could afford,” Westbrook said of his fashion choices growing up in the Los Angeles area. “Trying to find the best bargain, I kind of shopped all over the place.” That all began to change, Westbrook said, when he was drafted fourth overall in 2008. He kept things simple as a rookie, but saw an opening.
• Michael Kaskey-Blomain of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Some athletes are content to share their good fortunes with their immediate inner circle, while others look to give back to their community at large; consider Tyreke Evans among the latter type. Evans has a long history of charity work, which includes poker games, camps, and clinics. Most recently, he has spent the past week in his hometown of Chester, working with VSP vision to provide free eye care and glasses to children and families in need. The complimentary eye care comes just in time for the students to head back to school. As if Tyreke isn't busy enough preparing for his first season as a Pelican and helping his hometown, he took some time out to talk to me about the importance of giving back and his expectations for the upcoming season. Q: How did your partnership with VSP Vision begin? A: "This is the fourth year I've worked with VSP. I got connected with them through a diabetes event and have been working with them every year since. We have always had a great relationship and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future."
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: The Cavs have asked the league’s approval to place season-ticket holders’ names on the apron of the court, a league source confirmed, speaking on condition of anonymity because the idea has not yet been approved by the league. Sports Business Daily was the first to report the idea. The Milwaukee Bucks are also seeking approval to place names on the court, according to the report, but the Bucks’ idea is to put the names on the playing court. The Cavs’ names will be on the apron. Final details have not been determined, according to the report, including which ticket holders would be selected. Any changes to the court design must pass league approval. League executives are reviewing the proposal to ensure it won’t clutter the court or distort how the game is viewed on television, according to the report. The Cavs previously allowed stakeholders and their entire staff to sign the four corners of the court during the playoffs a few years ago.

• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: The agent for Luol Deng said Tuesday that the two-time All-Star forward would “certainly visit free agency” next summer after being informed by Bulls management that contract extension talks will be tabled until after the 2013-14 season. “Luol has taken the position that he will definitely go through the free-agent process,” said Herb Rudoy, Deng's Chicago-based agent. CSNChicago.com reported early Tuesday that Deng’s contract extension talks had stalled. They never really began, two sources said, with the sides only talking in generalities and never even exchanging financial parameters. Rudoy said Tuesday that general manager Gar Forman informed him last week that no further talks will take place this offseason or during training camp. Forman declined to comment. The general manager said consistently over the summer that the Bulls would like to keep Deng long term. Forman also indicated this summer that an extension for Deng this offseason would be unlikely. … Currently, there are no indications the Bulls plan to deal Deng. But with Mike Dunleavy signed through next season and the emergence of Jimmy Butler, that stance could change closer to February’s trade deadline.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: NBA training camps will begin in three weeks, so it isn’t a surprise to see a lot of activity in the Pistons practice facility, especially with the many new faces who’ll suit up this coming season. New addition Josh Smith was in attendance, along with the three selections from this past June’s draft, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva. Incumbent guard Rodney Stuckey went through one-on-one drills with Caldwell-Pope and Siva, as Kyle Singler worked on his spot shooting with assistant coach John Loyer on the other end of the floor. But the man who’s been organizing and trying to galvanize the team with summer activities is the Pistons’ youngest member, and perhaps the most important: 20-year-old, second-year center Andre Drummond. “I think this season will be different for us. I think guys see it,” Drummond said. “We added a lot of pieces and a lot of guys are amped and ready to go, as soon as possible.”
• Marcus Thompson II of The Oakland Tribune: His expression was straight forward. His wording precise. His point emphatic. Warriors budding star Harrison Barnes said he isn't concerned about whether he starts. He isn't even consumed by being on the court at the end of games. "Winning the game matters more to me," Barnes said. Barnes, who started all 93 games he played last season including playoffs, is the center of a major question as the Warriors close in on training camp at the end of this month. With the acquisition of swingman Andre Iguodala, Golden State now has six players with starting credentials, meaning someone has to come off the bench. Barnes, after his workout at the team facility on Tuesday, didn't mince his words and gave no breath to controversy. He doesn't care. Whatever Mark Jackson decides, he's game. "I can imagine much worse problems," Barnes said. "I feel confident about this team and where we can go. Regardless if I'm starting or coming off the bench, I think we have a chance to make a serious playoff push."
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Carmelo Anthony believes the Knicks and much-improved Brooklyn Nets will become "the best rivalry in basketball" and they will be competing for fans as well. The Brooklyn-born Anthony is a fan of the moves the Nets made this offseason, which should help their Q-rating in New York and in the borough he was born in. "We all know from the Jackie Robinson days, that was the last time we actually had something to believe in," Anthony said at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit. "Now, with the young kids that are coming up these days, that's their team. They grow up under the Brooklyn Nets and that's their team. It's going to be a funny thing to see the kids growing up there, how they convert from Knicks fans to Nets fans. The household might be Knicks fans and the kids might be Nets fans, so it's a rivalry everywhere, in the households, on the basketball courts, in the streets, in the boroughs. It's everywhere, and it makes it fun for the game." Anthony led the Knicks to 54 wins and the Atlantic Division title last season. But they lost their top leaders in the locker room, Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace, and have other concerns, including Anthony's potentially troublesome shoulder, Amar'e Stoudemire's knees and J.R. Smith, who was suspended five games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.
• Brian Steinberg of Variety: Showtime is developing a one-hour scripted series that takes a peek behind the scenes of a professional basketball team, with NBA coaching great Phil Jackson and current Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis on board as exec producers. The series will focus on the family that owns the team, according to details provided by the CBS Corp. pay-cable service. ... Jeanie Buss, the senior vice president of the Los Angeles Lakers and Linda Rambis will executive produce via production company Street Reason Entertainment. Rambis is married to the Lakers coach. Brett Tomberlin of IDW and Ubiquity Studios will also executive produce, with Brian Gilbert and Andrew Trapani of Nine/8 Entertainment. In an interview, Buss said her experiences working with the Lakers as well as managing events, would inform the stories told in the potential series. “We’ve seen so much, the things that go on behind the scenes,” she said. “We go to events and people ask us a lot of questions about what they don’t see. They know the game. They see the game, but they don’t really know what leads up to getting the team on the court.” Most people “don’t know what makes a championship season or what it’s like to go through a losing season.”
• Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press: Wolves coach Rick Adelman has been meeting with his staff in Portland this week, and talked by telephone with president of basketball operations Flip Saunders for an hour Monday night. "He's excited about everything we're doing right now," Saunders said. "I'm very confident that Rick is going to be back." Adelman missed a few weeks last season to be with his wife, Mary Kay, who was experiencing seizures.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: The Mavericks’ pursuit of finding big-man help on the cheap has led them to Fab Melo, a first-round draft pick of Boston’s in 2012. Melo was taken 22nd and spent most of last season in the NBA Development League. He led the D-League at 3.1 blocks per game, and also averaged 9.8 points and 6 rebounds in 33 games. He played just six games for the Celtics, amassing only 36 total minutes played. President Donnie Nelson confirmed that Melo, a Syracuse product, had agreed to attend training camp, which opens Sept. 30. Melo clearly was a disappointment to the Celtics, who traded him to Memphis in the summer. The Grizzlies quickly waived the 7-foot, 255-pounder. The Mavericks remain thin in the front court. Samuel Dalembert will be the penciled-in starter when training camp opens, but behind him, they have only DeJuan Blair and Brandan Wright.
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: Consider: Emeka Okafor, David Andersen, D.J. Mbenga, Aaron Gray, Gustavo Ayon, Chris Kaman, Darryl Watkins, Robin Lopez. Since Monty Williams arrived in New Orleans in 2010, the center position on his teams hasn't been manned by players for whom opponents needed to game-plan, rather a somewhat itinerant collection of big bodies who were proficient at some aspect of the game but lacking well-rounded serviceability. With the NBA marginalizing the center position – last year the league henceforth eliminated the "center" designation on the All-Star ballot because there has been some difficulty distinguishing a true center worthy of consideration – the spot once occupied by the game's legends has deteriorated into blurred mediocrity. … With forward/backup center Jason Smith coming off surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, the Pelicans needed an extra body inside and signed two-year veteran Greg Stiemsma to a free-agent deal this summer, apparently hoping that a player with just 22 NBA starts in his career can possibly step into a full-time starting role. The bar Stiemsma must clear, mind you, hasn't been set that high. And as Stiemsma met the New Orleans media for the first time on Tuesday, along with fellow free-agent acquisition guard Anthony Morrow, the 6-foot-11, 260-pound post man walked a delicate line avoiding the temptation to burden himself with inflated expectations.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: The Miami Heat on Tuesday announced the signing of two players who ultimately could turn into short-term rentals. Center Justin Hamilton and power forward Eric Griffin, whose additions previously had been confirmed, became the 15th and 16th players under contract to the Heat in advance of the Oct. 1 start of training camp at AmericanAirlines Arena. With 13 other players already under guaranteed contract, and with the Heat potentially to carry as few as 13 this season due to their position against the onerous luxury tax, Hamilton, Griffin and center Jarvis Varnado, the other player on the current roster without a guaranteed contract, face long roster odds. By signing with the Heat, Hamilton, acquired out of LSU in the second-round of the 2012 NBA Draft, and Griffin, who went undrafted out of Campbell University in 2012, become eligible to be sent to the Heat's NBA Development League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, should they be cut at the end of training camp.
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: There is a history here, a Warriors-centric history with the potential for a terribly awkward dynamic: Ranadive is a former Warriors minority owner. Mullin is a former Warriors executive vice president. D'Alessandro is a former Warriors assistant general manager who was hired by Mullin, his fellow St. John's alum and friend for about 25 years. That theory about three people in the bed? Too many chefs in the kitchen? Three being a crowd? I don't think so. I think this works. In this ongoing Kings craziness – a good craziness – square pegs fit in round holes. Mullin is a gentleman and D'Alessandro is a scholar, and in today's NBA, their skill sets are complementary. D'Alessandro is an attorney, a well-regarded front-office executive and a former player agent. Mullin is a basketball legend who can gain access to any gym in the world and has been itching for another front-office position. … Asked if he intended to maintain a high profile or more of a behind-the-scenes presence, Mullin nodded and smiled. "Whatever Vivek wants," he said, "but you can't have too many voices."

• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Last year, the Suns became one of 15 NBA teams to embrace the analytics era by investing in SportVu Player Tracking technology to acquire a higher level of player performance analysis. Good for them. This year, the NBA reached a multi-year agreement with STATS Inc., which owns the SportVU technology, to put six cameras in every arena and become the first American pro league to quantify and analyze each in-game player movement. Good for you. The Suns were commended for getting out in front of the analytics wave, but the movement has gone mainstream. The Suns kept all the data gathered last year to themselves, but this league move is the best thing for hoop junkies since NBA League Pass. The NBA already headed this way by adding advanced stats to nba.com last year. Now, they will post unprecedented data from SportVu on its site (wonder how many points per touch Eric Bledsoe is getting?) and for use in broadcasts (“Eddie, Marcin Gortat has run the equivalent of a 5K tonight”). The Suns do not lose out because they shelled out about $100,000 for it last year, and the NBA is footing the bill for the other teams this year.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Shane Battier isn't sure he's the retiring type, but considering the Miami Heat forward turned 35 Monday, he appreciates the end could be near. … Monday, before a motivational appearance with the students at St. Mark's Episcopal School, he said with his three-year contract expiring at season's end, it only makes sense to take stock. "I'm realistic to where I am at this point in my life," he said, after playing most of last season as a reserve and seeing limited action for an extended stretch of the playoffs. "I'd like to finish my contract strong with the Miami Heat, and then we'll see where we go." Battier, though, said there would not be any sort of retirement tour, with possibilities still remaining in 2014 free agency. "This door is always open," he said. "This is not a farewell tour, no. But if it is, it is. And I'll enjoy this year and try to make the most of it."
• Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman: Recently, Olajuwon spoke of both occurrences in an interview with Nike Kicks, lauding Kobe, LeBron and a few other stars who flew out to Houston for dedicated workout sessions with him. It’s in the embedded video at the bottom of this post, starting at around 5:40, and includes some interesting anecdotal quotes from Olajuwon. But toward the end of the interview, he was also asked which players, of those who haven’t trained with him yet, would benefit most from his tutelage. His answer: Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant. Why Durant? “(He’s) very skilled, but doesn’t take advantage of his height in the post,” Olajuwon said. “He’s much taller than most of the guys who guard him. He’s got all the outside game, but now he needs to take them in the post. In other words, there’s something for everybody.” Overall, Durant’s actually been pretty efficient with his back to the basket, scoring 1.04 points per post-up last season (stat via mysynergysports.com), seventh highest in the NBA. But it still feels like an underutilized part of his game, particularly (as Olajuwon said) when he has smaller players defending him. Only 10.4 percent of his offensive moves were out of the post last season. Will he do it more in the future? We’ll see. Will he work with Olajuwon to improve? Couldn’t hurt. But it’s not exactly the most pressing issue facing the 24-year-old or his team.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: There are some things Kobe Bryant can’t do. He may be fluent in English, Italian and Spanish, but Bryant noticeably struggles saying his name in Mandarin. Bryant can do everything with a basketball, except spinning one. That’s because of the fractured index finger he suffered three years ago, an injury that still hasn’t fully healed. It might be surprising to see Bryant struggle with something after mostly seeing him dominate on the court. But it’s also insightful to see him at his most vulnerable. Bryant hardly frets much about his struggles speaking Mandarin, and steal tries to speak with great enthusiasm. When the CCTV host Sa Beining asks Bryant to spin a basketball, the Lakers star didn’t seem bashful one bit in admitting he can’t do it. To which Beining offered a rightfully collective shrug. “You guys probably think Kobe can do everything, but even Kobe is human,” Beining said in Mandarin. “But so what? He’s still Kobe. Not being able to spin the ball doesn’t make him a less effective basketball player. Kobe Bryant has an indomitable spirit.”
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: Will Nene be eased back into the picture or will he be pushed full-speed ahead? The 7-footer spent the summer rehabilitating from various injuries, both shoulders, both knees and his left foot, as he split his off-season between homes in Denver and Brazil. In April, I asked Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld the same question about easing back Nene and he said that they'd consider it. Wittman: "He got in town Aug. 30. He's been on the floor. He feels good. He's had a whole summer where he didn't have to worry about the pounding and the stuff he did last summer having the injuries he did and having to play on the (Brazil) national team and never gave his body a chance to recover. He's feeling good. He looks good. I'm pretty pleased with that. I anticipate him being ready to go. When did we play our last game? Five months ago? He's done a lot of good work this summer, not only from a rest standpoint but from physical therapy. He's built his strength back up. I anticipate we'll head into the season with no restrictions." Of course, the Wizards' medical staff will be consulted on these matters but it's a good sign if Nene passes the eye test with Wittman.
• John Ried of The Times-Picayune: Pelicans veteran forward/center Jason Smith said last week that he doesn't feel pain in his surgically repaired right shoulder that forced him to miss the final 24 games last season. But he still hasn't been cleared to participate in contact work yet during volunteer workouts. Smith is hoping to be cleared just before the Pelicans open training camp. “That's best guess right now because you never know if things will flare up when you hit somebody,'' Smith said. “You put in the time to rest and recover and you put in the work to strengthened it and get back in shape. That's all I can do right now is try to get in the best shape that I can.'' Smith suffered a torn labrum during a Dec. 12 game last season against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he blocked an attempted dunk by forward Kevin Durant.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: As I wrote last week, David Lighty and Eric Dawson will be non-roster training camp invites. Andonis Thomas is likely to be another invite, although nothing is official at this point. Thomas has been working out in Atlanta this offseason. He was part of the Hawks summer league roster. The 6-foot-7 small forward, an undrafted free agent out of Memphis, appeared in three summer league games. He averaged 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes. The Hawks have 14 players on their current roster with Lighty and Dawson coming to training camp. The Hawks will most likely add two more players and as many as four come the start of camp. Another guard and small forward could be added. I expect the Hawks to keep just 14 on the roster for the regular season. General manager Danny Ferry likes to have the flexibility of the additional roster spot. The status of Lou Williams, rehabbing from a torn ACL, is still a factor in determining the roster.
• Staff of the Pioneer Press: The Minnesota Timberwolves made official Monday the promotion of David Adelman to assistant coach and the hiring of Bobby Jackson to replace Adelman as player development coach. The son of Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman had served in the player development role for two seasons. Jackson, a former University of Minnesota standout, was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings the last two seasons. "David is a bright young coach and has demonstrated the past two years that he is ready to take on additional responsibilities," Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said in a statement. "In Bobby Jackson, we are bringing a Minnesota basketball icon back to our state. Bobby has the respect of players around our league and did a great job working with the young Kings players this past season. Both Rick Adelman and I are very familiar with Bobby and are excited to have him on our coaching staff."
• Bernie Augustine of the New York Daily News: Before Kent Bazemore was “Bazemoring” on the sidelines of Warriors playoff games — and in the latest version of NBA 2K14 — he was packing his bags and getting ready to play basketball professionally in the Ukraine. How quickly things can change. “I would have been living a totally different life, having a totally different experience,” he said recently. … “It takes a strong type of individual to not play but still have that type of enthusiasm,” former Warriors guard Jarret Jack said last season. “He does what he can to contribute to the team, and it’s appreciated.” Soon his celebrations became YouTube fixtures, fodder for blog posts, and features in highlight-reel shows. “It’s definitely spontaneous. I can’t even remember the first pose — the three fingers in the air — I can’t even tell you when I did it, where I did it or how it came to me. It’s just something I started doing and people ran with it,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have names for his signature moves. … “The NBA 2K franchise is all about authenticity, and we strive to include details that accurately represent all aspects of the game,” Rob Jones, NBA 2K’s producer, said. “Our goal is to make the NBA 2K14 experience as close to real life as possible, and Bazemore brings unique moves both on and off the court that serve to amplify the experience for players.” There was so much hype about Bazemore’s inclusion in the game, that his celebrations were featured in the trailer for the game, which will be released on October 1.
• Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee: For weeks, Chris Hansen has been vilified by Sacramento Kings fans for financing a signature-gathering campaign to force a public vote on the city’s arena subsidy. Now the man who tried to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle is trying to make amends. On the same day Hansen and two political operatives agreed to pay a $50,000 fine to state election officials for failing to properly report the source of funding behind the ballot measure effort, Hansen announced Monday that he would “take steps to prevent” the signatures his money financed from being used. In a statement released on his website, Hansen also said a Los Angeles law firm funneled his money to the signature campaign “without my knowledge or consent.” That firm, Loeb & Loeb, paid a Tulare-based company $80,000 in June to dispatch campaign workers in Sacramento to collect petitions, according to state election regulators.
• Lynn Thompson of The Seattle Times: The State Court of Appeals today rejected a challenge to the Sodo arena brought by Longshore workers. The court upheld a trial court decision from February that found that the agreement between the city of Seattle, King County and Chris Hansen to build a new $490 million arena did not violate state environmental laws. “The memorandum does not predetermine where an arena will be built or even that an arena will be built at all,” the Division One Appeals Court three-justice panel wrote in its opinion. “Whether the city and county will agree to Hansen’s proposal is a decision expressly reserved until after environmental review is complete. Because there has not yet been a government ‘action’ as that term is defined by SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act), the courts are not a forum for the union’s opposition to Hansen’s proposal.”
• Brad Rock of the Deseret News: In the early 1970s, downtown Salt Lake was a rough place to be — downtown meaning the paint. That’s where Zelmo Beaty set up shop. The former Utah Stars center considered it his property, on both ends of the court. A good rule of thumb: Crowd him at your own risk. “If you started to encroach into some of his territory in the paint — which he considered all his territory — you might get an elbow,” former Dallas Chaparrals and Utah Stars coach Tom Nissalke said. Beaty, who passed away Aug. 27, played until he was 35, averaging 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in his final season, despite having had numerous knee surgeries. He worked in four markets, but especially during the four years he was in Utah, everything was Big Z’s space. He not only owned the paint, but the city and state, too. He led the Stars to the 1971 ABA championship. After jumping from the NBA to the league with the colorful basketball, he was an immediate hit. He was intimidating, effective, dedicated and best of all he had an unforgettable name.

• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: It is September, the last month of Michael Beasley’s Suns career. Since his Aug. 6 arrest in Scottsdale on suspicion of marijuana possession, Beasley has not been as noticeable in the Valley as he was prior to it when he was working out at US Airways Center and spotted playing at a Phoenix YMCA. On Sunday, Beasley was playing basketball back home in Maryland. He participated in the Goodman League Roundball Classic in Hyattsville, Md., at DeMatha Catholic, a basketball-rich school that is not one of the six high schools he attended. Kevin Durant, Victor Oladipo, Greg Monroe and Thomas Robinson also participated in the game. Beasley led his team, opposite Durant, with 31 points for a 116-116 tie. The Beasley highlight package in this video is a reminder of how Suns people talked about how great he looked in pickup games at UCLA last summer. If you last past that portion of the video, you will see Durant go through the legs and behind the back to stagger Beasley at 1:43.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: DeAndre Liggins isn't the first player in Thunder history to be arrested. But his booking certainly is the most disturbing. And now it will serve as a case study. Put the Thunder to the test. For an organization that has always prided itself on being a pillar in the community and having a roster full of upstanding citizens, the team must now decide what to do with what could be its first felony offense if Liggins is convicted. The decision might be an easy one. Liggins is entering his second season with the team, third in the NBA. He was hard worker and a hustler but still a bit player in his first run with the Thunder, appearing in 39 games and playing a total of 290 minutes. Later this month, he was expected to enter training camp fighting for the 15th and final roster spot. Already shaping up to be stiff following the draft night additions of Andre Roberson and Steven Adams, the competition for that final spot now includes free agent signee Ryan Gomes and the expected signing of combo guard Diante Garrett. Liggins, on this team, is practically expendable.
• Chris Haynes of CNNW.com: Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge participated in Jamal Crawford's Pro-AM championship game at Seattle Pacific University Saturday afternoon. After Aldridge helped his former Trail Blazer teammate in Crawford win his first Pro-AM title since heading this event several years ago, the All-Star sat down with CSNNW.com to discuss a few topics centered around his eventful summer. … Q: Okay. Let's get into it. There was a report that you believed Portland was “too small” and “too boring” of a city. What's your response to that? LA: “Nah, that's not true. I'm a quiet person that keeps to himself, really. Portland doesn't bother me. I don't have an issue with the city of Portland. I've been there my whole career. I like the smallness of it and the passionate fans. That's not true at all.” … Q: Has your representation attempted to get you moved? LA: “Agents talk. I don't know what goes on there. I just worry about playing basketball.” Q: CSNNW.com reported that if moves weren't made to your liking, you would prefer to be moved. Was that accurate? LA: “Yeah, but I don't have to worry about that because we've added some good pieces this summer and I'm looking forward to working with them.”
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: J.R. Smith guaranteed Saturday the Knicks will bring home a championship and claimed the Nets are “still not good.” During a question-and-answer session with kid golfers at Chelsea Piers, Smith was asked how sure he was of the Knicks ending their title drought this season. “I’m 100 percent sure,” the swingman said. Smith was then asked why he joined the Knicks over the Nets when he came back from China in February 2012. “The Nets weren’t good,’’ Smith said. “Now they’re still not good.’ There has been much hype this offseason lavished on the Nets after their bold trade with the Celtics to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who has been the most outspoken promoter of Brooklyn’s chances in the Eastern Conference. … When asked by The Post why he is so confident, Smith said, “I feel comfortable. People ruled us out last year early, too. We added some great pieces. Unfortunately, we got rid of some good pieces. But we added Andrea [Bargnani], Beno [Udrih], Metta [World Peace]. We have to consistently play like we did the first 20 games last year the whole season. We can’t have a middle-of-season lapse. We have to consistently play the same way.”
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: Q: So what is your approach? Do you have a two-year plan? A five-year plan? Obviously, one of the goals is to better manage the salary cap and become major players in free agency.” Mike Malone: This is going to be a process. We have to change the culture, establish an identity, and while we'll try to win every night, we don't want to skip steps. We don't want short-term success. I'm not sure what year we get into our new arena, but by that year, we want to be a playoff team, and not to just be competing in the playoffs. We've talked about that. We know we have to have patience to do it right. Are our young guys getting better? Are we defending? Gang- rebounding? Running with discipline? The only thing I promised Vivek is that we will no longer be the worst defensive team in the league. So if we do that and change our culture, that will result in more wins and a better product. Q: The phrase "change the culture" has become such a cliché. What does it even mean? Mike Malone: “It is a cliché. What I mean is that when you want to change culture, you change people. When the players come back in September, they're going to get a sense that things are different when they're around our staff. They can see how hard we work, how committed we are. I'm running sprints last week with DeMarcus Cousins and Travis Outlaw, and they said, "Coach, we've never had a guy run sprints with us."
• Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com: Having only 11 guaranteed contracts totaling $43.6 million, and as few as four players with guaranteed money beyond this year, which could result in more than $30 million in cap space next summer, “we’ve got a lot to do,” Hinkie said. “You blink it’s halfway through the afternoon and you forgot to eat lunch,” Hinkie said during a 15-minute telephone conversation Friday. Still, Hinkie said, “So far, we’ve had a blast. It’s been a lot of fun. He’s been a real breath of fresh air.” Hinkie said Brown, who was introduced Aug. 14, has been in contact with every Sixers player to give an idea what is expected of them. Hinkie refuted a popular perception that he would like to trade a veteran (likely Thaddeus Young, who is set to make $9.2 million in 2014-15) to create even more cap space after the Sixers should have two lottery picks as high as Nos. 1 and 6 in the draft. “We have the most cap space (next summer) in the league right now,” Hinkie said. “I wouldn’t say we necessarily have a need for a whole lot more. We have a lot to work with.” … As for the embattled White, Hinkie answered a question about White’s possible role on the team generically and never mentioned White by name.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: With expectations to emerge as one of the New Orleans Pelicans’ top players this upcoming season, swingman Tyreke Evans is not going to wait until training camp opens next month to start building chemistry with his new teammates. He’s already getting a head start in the process, taking part in the team’s volunteer workouts for the past two weeks. With raised expectations because of an improved lineup, 10 of the 15 players’ on the Pelicans' roster have been working out, doing conditioning work, lifting weights and taking part in pickup basketball games at the Alario Center. Next week, the Pelicans are expected to shift their basketball work to the Saints complex in Metairie when their new 55,000 square foot practice facility is expected to be completed. On Thursday, the Pelicans' workout group included forwards Anthony Davis, Jason Smith, Arinze Onuaku, Darius Miller and Lance Thomas, guards Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts, rookie center Jeff Withey and Evans.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Less than one month before training camp opens on one of the most anticipated seasons since the dynasty ended, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau made good on his vow to visit Derrick Rose's offseason base outside Los Angeles to witness Rose's workouts. Rose, who is set to attend training camp in late September after missing last season following knee surgery, is set to travel to Asia Sept. 4-16 for his second shoe promotional tour this offseason. Before then, he is working out with personal trainer Rob McClanaghan and other NBA players, including Jimmy Butler earlier this week. Thibodeau traveled west Wednesday to check in on Rose, who is sporting increased range on his jumper and a left-handed floater that he has worked on extensively this offseason.
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: In a competition with Charlie Villanueva for most despised member of the roster among the fan base. He (Rodney Stuckey) has teased with flashes of standout ability for six seasons, but is coming off his worse season as he butted heads with former coach Lawrence Frank — an issue Stuckey has had in the past. Entering a contract year, so the end of his Pistons tenure is probably near. Reportedly offered to the Raptors (along with Villanueva) for Rudy Gay…. Even with the roster upgrades, Stuckey is still one of the most talented guys wearing a Pistons uniform and new coach Mo Cheeks mentioned Stuckey by name at his introductory news conference. He is in the mix to start at shooting guard in the season opener, but his expiring deal does have trade value.
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: The Magic are working on a buyout agreement with Hedo Turkoglu, plan on giving second-round pick Romero Osby a chance to make the team and likely will invite as many as four more players to their training camp, according to a source close to the club. As expected, Turkoglu and the team have been trying to arrange a buyout with the 13-year veteran small forward. He does not figure into the team's rebuilding plans at age 34. Only half of his $12 million salary for next season — the last year of his contract — is guaranteed. If the Magic and Turkoglu can reach an arrangement, Turk will be waived. He then can become a free agent, eligible to negotiate with any other NBA team or play overseas. There are reports that Turkoglu has an offer with a team in his native Turkey if he decides not to stay in the NBA or is unable to sign a deal.

Free-agent forward Lance Thomas has re-signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, his agent John Spencer confirmed with ESPN.com.

The contract is for two years at the minimum salary, with the first year partially guaranteed and a team option on the second year.

This marks Thomas' third go-around with the Pelicans. He was waived by the team in December 2011, and then again this past July. Last season, the 25-year-old played in 59 games and averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in almost 11 minutes per game.

"The first year was a lockout year," Spencer said. "Things moved a little different then and they knew they were going to bring him back. He has built such a good relationship with the team; it's hard to get rid of him."

The Pelicans currently have two roster spots remaining for the 2013-14 season. A player source confirmed that in the past two days, the team has worked out free agents Reyshawn Terry, Josh Powell and Josh Childress, and that new Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans has participated in the workouts.

I recently watched "Doin' it in the Park," a love letter to New York City pickup ball in documentary form. The movie is enjoyable because its subjects wax charismatic on NYC's special brand of toughening. Zigzagging on gnarled black top makes you agile, accounting for crooked rims makes you resourceful, the threat of losing and sitting out hours makes you compete harder. Real New Yawk stuff.

It’s a compelling story. But lately, these conditions haven’t produced much in the way of NBA talent. It’s an open mystery why a town like Chicago churns out pro after pro while New York’s “Mecca” status ebbs towards distant memory.

The question on my mind is whether it's not just that city, but also "the park" that's falling behind.

A few of the league’s rising young players hail from a specific kind of background: They had a parent who played professional basketball. Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving all claim fathers who worked hard in passing their old vocation to the next generation.

The other common thread is that all these guys can shoot. In the case of Curry and Thompson, they might comprise the “greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game." It’s no guarantee that NBA pedigree makes for a sweet jumper (Austin Rivers has certainly struggled), but it’s rare to see the second generation pro baller who flat can’t shoot. You wouldn’t want to leave Mike Dunleavy Jr., Wesley Matthews Jr., Jeffery Taylor, or even John Lucas III open behind the arc. Unfortunately for spacing-starved Memphis, you can let Terry Davis’ son Ed shoot.

Davis is also aberrational in that he’s a high-flying athlete. The NBA sons are a largely ground-bound lot, even if Stephen Curry was recently spotted reverse jamming. Setting aside my suspicion the Warriors hired a convincing Stephen stunt double, the lack of athleticism among second-gen players contradicts an easy “inherited” narrative, pervasive among League Pass announcers when they discuss these familially familiar talents. If it were as simple as “player receive genes,” one generation’s high leapers would raise the next generation’s high leapers.

Instead, junior is a highly skilled shooter, and such a skill can be helped along massively by one’s environment. Sure, Stephen Curry might have come out of the womb with father Dell’s jump shot. But you can also bet your life Dell Curry wouldn’t have just allowed his young son to keep shooting with, say, Rajon Rondo’s elbow-jutted form. NBA dads obviously have a facility with certain basketball abilities, often combined with the means and inclination make it manifest in their kids. They have access to great coaches, great camps, anything you need to turn your child into the optimal basketball robot.

Roughly one year ago, The New Yorker ran a story about a renowned “quarterback guru” and the thousands he charged for turning kids into promising prospects. Quarterbacking may never claim the high bar of entry that, say, becoming a concert violinist requires, but the article’s implication was that money goes a long way in determining a very specific kind of athletic success. The same rules could apply to the jump shot, merely one aspect of the NBA game -- but an increasingly essential one.

Much like swinging a golf club, a jump shot is a deceptively simple motion wherein a lot can go wrong. It follows that shooting skill is probably more easily developed when conditions are ideal (Read: Not in the parks of "Doin’ it in the Park.") It’s better to be in a gym, away from the wind and rain. It’s better to have an involved coach who subjects you to repetitive drills, correcting any mistakes. The guide hand, bent elbow, follow through -- these tend not to be intrinsic behaviors. Guidance begets the guide hand.

Ironic given his pedigree, the aforementioned Ed Davis was present for a dramatic demonstration on the importance of shooting in the modern NBA. His Grizzlies couldn’t shoot, so the Spurs squeezed off the paint until Memphis suffocated. Rule changes have led to a spread-out style, and teams are taking more 3-pointers than ever. Big men are less offensively involved than they used to be. A lack of perimeter shooting can make for a severe offensive disadvantage in a way it just didn't years ago. San Antonio’s sweep was the apotheosis of how spacing is dictating offense. The Grizzlies, rather than standing pat this offseason, giddily snapped up sweet-shooting Mike Miller after he was amnestied. It was a matter of survival.

So, if perimeter shooting is of growing importance in the NBA, there’s a decent chance it’s changing the league’s demographic landscape. The NBA, long known as an inner city beacon of hope, may draw an increasing number of players from the wealthier suburbs where parents spend thousands on obsessive basketball camps. If money talks, it can certainly tell you how to shoot better, in a sport that demands shooting. The park is a great place, but it’s not a given that it can reliably forge ever kind of NBA greatness.

This is mere supposition and could remain so for years given the small sample size we’re discussing and the vagaries of NBA player biographies (many basketball prospects move from school to school, searching for the best-fitting hoops program). I should also mention that a few current excellent shooters speak of humble city beginnings, most notably Kevin Durant. The NBA's just seen a surprising influx of dead-eye shooters born to former professional players. These players, many of whom had hoops in their backyards, year-round access to climate-controlled gyms and shooting coaches are looking at the park and lofting a jumper over it.

• Stephens Haynes of Newsday: The timing couldn't have been scripted better in a sitcom. As Raymond Felton discussed Paul Pierce's inflammatory comments about the heightened rivalry between the Knicks and Nets, a young boy, as if on cue, walked by him wearing -- what else? -- a Paul Pierce jersey. Felton laughed ... then sounded off in round 2 of the verbal sparring match. "Paul Pierce said the Nets are gonna take over the city," the Knicks point guard said with a smirk Sunday. "It's hard for you to take over the city when we've got 'New York' on our chest and you've got 'Brooklyn' on yours. It's been this way since long before he started playing." Felton fanned a flame initially sparked by Pierce last week when the new Net told Complex magazine that he hates the Knicks "with a passion" and wanted to "start the beef." … Felton said the trash talk is "all in fun." He took a jab at the Nets last week in Slam magazine, suggesting the expectations for them should be tempered because "they're not going to have the youth that they had last year."
• Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond shot 37.1 percent from the free throw line last year. But don’t expect the center to significantly change up his strategy as he enters his second year. ESPN writer Ethan Sherwood Strauss pleaded with Drummond last Friday to start shooting free throws under-handed like Hall of Famer Rick Barry did in the 1970s. “If your free throw shooting doesn't improve like Joe Dumars hopes it will, please consider shooting them underhand. Of all the players who have been in this position, you’re uniquely suited to the dramatic style change,” Strauss wrote. He later said: “You’re unique, funny, and increasingly popular among fans, who see you as an antidote to the buttoned-down athlete cliché. If you adopt something as retro-cool as the underhand free throw, fans will love you for it. Make it your signature.” This prompted Drummond to respond Saturday afternoon on Twitter: “Let me make this clear.... I’m not shooting free throws underhand.. #Relax”
• Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: Sports, science and technology are converging at an all-time pace and eight NBA teams are experimenting with a new device designed to optimize and personalize training regiments, thus the ability to maximize performance and reduce injury. The San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and New York Knicks, plus four other teams that have chosen to keep their identities secret, have invested in these complex GPS tracking devices created by the Australian company Catapult Sports, the self-professed leader in “athlete analytics.” “We just want to be able to get smarter about our players and how to train them and how to put them in a position to succeed,” said Mavs owner Mark Cuban. “So that’s just one component of a lot of different things that we’re doing.” The device, called OptimEye, is roughly the size of an oldfangled beeper and athletes wear it inside their jerseys on the upper back between the shoulder blades. The device records literally every movement the player makes, accurately measuring exertions such as distance, velocity, changes of direction, acceleration, deceleration, jumps, heart rate and more. … Cuban said he’s considering using it during the NBA’s preseason in October. He said he has not yet been advised against it by the league.
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: Sad note for talk-show hosts: Mike D'Antoni isn't turning up his car radio to hear you and your faithful listeners destroy him. "Hell, no," D'Antoni said on a sunny Manhattan Beach afternoon, plenty of time before rush-hour shows typically unleash another round of venom aimed at the Lakers' coach. These are trying times to be a Lakers fan in Los Angeles, the playoffs hardly a guarantee next season as the Clippers continue their assumed ascension past the 16-time NBA champions. Naturally, many of the verbal arrows get fired at the affable D'Antoni in comments at the end of online stories, letters to the editor and the above-mentioned airwaves. No, the specter of Phil Jackson never quite left the Lakers. "I think anybody that comes in here the next 10, 15 years, it's going to be that way," D'Antoni said. "I don't think there is any doubt that he was so good and so large and he's still sitting out there. Had that bothered me, I shouldn't have taken the job because you know it's going to be there. I wasn't stupid enough to think that, 'Oh, they won't remember him.' Sure they will. It doesn't really affect what we do day-to-day and how we approach the game."
• Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune: The signing of center Nikola Pekovic to a five-year, $60 million Timberwolves contract is a reminder that Kevin McHale’s legacy as the team’s general manager is still playing out. In January 2006, McHale sent Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a future first-round draft pick to Boston for Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and Mark Blount along with Boston’s 2006 second-round draft pick and the Miami Heat’s 2008 second-round pick, which Boston had acquired in an earlier trade. In 2008 McHale used that second-round pick from Boston, via Miami, to select Pekovic 31st overall. The Star Tribune reported on that draft night that McHale and the Wolves received offers of cash or protected future first-round picks as teams tried to get the obtain that selection. Everyone knew Pekovic was a lottery-type talent but he had contract issues in Europe that were going to be tough to resolve. He lasted until the second round to avoid the rookie contract scale.
• Michael Pointer of The Indianapolis Star: Paul George and his representatives did not want to discuss it on Thursday, perhaps understandable in such a public forum. But unless something catastrophic happens, there’s no way he’s leaving the Pacers anytime soon. First, people seem to be forgetting he will be a restricted free agent. The Pacers can match any offer and there’s no way they are going to let one of the 10 or 15 best players in the NBA walk, even in a sign-and-trade. He’s only 23 and his best basketball is ahead of him. The only way that might change is, heaven forbid, George suffers a serious injury this season. And two, George understands what he has in Indianapolis. He realizes he could be the next Reggie Miller in terms of leaving a legacy here. Heck, he would leave an even greater legacy if he was the man to lead the Pacers to a NBA title or two. Getting involved with Riley is one way of showing he wants to play a larger role in the community. I’ve learned anything is possible in 20-plus years of covering sports, but the idea of him leaving Indiana makes no sense at this point. At all.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Eric Bledsoe has keys to the Parker High School gym in Birmingham, Ala. When he is not working on his leadership by bossing around his little brother at home, he said he spends part of each day working out alone at the gym. “Work,” Bledsoe said of how he has spent his time since the trade. “I’m trying to get better, even better than I did last year. Coming off the bench, I did a lot. I’m trying to increase that 10 times more. Just coming in and having a big impact in the game. “I just try to go as hard as I would in a real game. So when a real game comes, it makes it 10 times easier. I try to do intense everything. Shooting, I try to give 110 percent. Dribbling the basketball. Thinking the game. I just try to do it 110 percent so when the game comes it’s a lot easier.” Bledsoe said James’ comment was an honor that made him want to work harder. An honor missing from that Parker High gym might be doing the same. Bledsoe’s high school jersey has yet to be retired. “Not yet,” he said. Bledsoe, who returned to Phoenix to be part of the uniform unveiling Thursday night, plans to come back to the Valley for good one or two weeks before players are required to report on Sept. 30.
• Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com: Evan Turner knows expectations are low for the 2013-14 76ers. Turner understands that ESPN.com picked the Sixers to finish with a 20-62 record and last in the Eastern Conference. He’s heard the talk about losing being best for the franchise’s future because they could get a top draft pick next June. During an interview at his Evan Turner Basketball ProCamp on Saturday at New Hope-Solebury High School, Turner said he doesn’t subscribe to that point of view. And, based on his Friday night telephone conversation with new coach Brett Brown, Brown doesn’t, either. “I told him, ‘Everybody wants to be in tank mode and thinks we’re going to lose. I intend on trying to win as much as possible because losing’s too easy,’ ” Turner said. “He said, ‘Well, they got the wrong coach if we’re going to go out and lose on purpose. We want to compete and get better.’ ”
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: The Oklahoma City Thunder, many have decided, has taken a step back. The Western Conference, according to some, has caught up. A relatively quiet summer by the Thunder has led many to come to these conclusions. Oklahoma City let sixth man Kevin Martin walk in free agency and didn't splurge on any splashy free agent signings to replace him. The Thunder also selected four largely unknown commodities in the NBA draft, none of whom figure to be rotational players next season. But don't be surprised if the prevailing perception falls short of reality when the games begin. Lost in this summer's extolling of other teams' activity is this simple but significant truth: most every Western Conference playoff contender that added a major player lost a major player. … History has proved that playoff success generally takes time and trust, chemistry and continuity. The Thunder, more than any other team outside of San Antonio, has those things.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The results are in. The departure of Josh Smith will have the biggest impact on the Hawks next season, according to the respondents of the poll I posted earlier this week of this blog. It was a narrow victory. The departure of Smith, who left via free agency for the Pistons in a four-year, $54 million deal, earned 34 percent of the vote. The hire of Mike Budenholzer as head coach earned 33 percent of the vote. Those two choices accounted for two-thirds of the vote. … It is interesting to note that the loss of Smith received far more votes than the signing of his replacement Millsap. … My vote would have gone to the hire of Budenholzer. To me, that will have the biggest impact of how the Hawks fare next season in terms of the offensive and defensive schemes the team will employ, how he will utilize the roster that he had a role in assembling and how he responds to his opportunity and learning curve as a head coach after serving as a long-time assistant.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: Michael Stanfield, the Pelicans' senior vice president of sales, said the franchise has already sold more than 11,000 season-ticket packages in advance of the regular-season opener Oct. 30 against the Indiana Pacers at the New Orleans Arena. The franchise's sales record for season tickets came in 2008-09 when it sold 11,800 the season after the team won a franchise-record 56 games and clinched its first Southwest Division title. But Stanfield predicts by October, the Pelicans will have 12,000 season-ticket holders. Stanfield said all of the new lodge box suites in the lower bowl at the Arena have been sold. The Pelicans also have more than 1,000 group sales commitments after having only 500 last season. … With a potential lineup that includes forward Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, Evans and Holiday, the Pelicans are expected to improve significantly after finishing 27-55 last season and missing the playoffs the past two seasons.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Jr., said the parties involved changed their mind and decided that Oden would sign a one-year deal with the Heat, without a second-year player option as originally planned. Conley said that helps Oden (because of a league ruling involving injury contingency language in his contract) and helps the Heat because Miami would not be burdened with his contract in 2014-15 --- and potentially $3 million in luxury tax payments -- if he suffers another major injury this season.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: Anthony Bennett is part of the Canadian Basketball program along with Celtics rookie Kelly Olynyk, Thompson, and potential 2014 first overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Team Canada could be a threat to medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics and potentially challenge the USA in 2020. “I just feel seeing a couple of Canadian guys, Tristan and Cory [Joseph] get drafted, everybody started taking it serious,” Bennett said. “A lot of other guys are going to prep school, just getting prepared for college, and it’s a great thing.”
• Tom Couzens of The Sacramento Bee: Living in the Sacramento region, we've grown accustomed to the world of politics – especially the sometimes dirty politics surrounding campaign contributions and political action committees. Still, we were shocked – to put it mildly – about Friday's revelations that Chris Hansen was the mystery donor behind the signature-gathering effort to force a vote on the use of public funds for a new Kings arena. Yes, that Chris Hansen, the man who secretly made a deal with the Maloofs to buy the Kings with the intention of moving them to Seattle. Yes, that Chris Hansen, who in defeat congratulated Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and "Sacramento's dedicated fan base" and later said during a radio interview he regretted trying to lure the Kings to Seattle. Five weeks after the NBA board of governors nixed his plan to buy the Kings, Hansen contributed $100,000 on June 21 to the petition drive to put the arena funding plan on the ballot next June. Even in Sacramento, that's outrageous. … Hansen comes off as a rich, spoiled kid who isn't used to losing and doesn't know how to handle rejection. It's time for Hansen to grow up – and stay away.

• Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Brett Brown is the preferred candidate for the 76ers coaching job, according to a league source. If the job doesn't go to Brown, the search for Doug Collins' replacement will remain competitive, the source said. Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool; Sixers assistant Michael Curry, a holdover from Collins' staff; and Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga are believed to be the other serious contenders. … This isn't the first time Brown has been mentioned as the leading candidate. About two hours after the June 27 NBA draft, Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie denied a New York Daily News report that the Sixers had decided to hire Brown. … Seven other NBA assistants - Ed Pinckney (Bulls), Quin Snyder (Atlanta Hawks), Kenny Atkinson (Hawks), David Fizdale (Miami Heat), Melvin Hunt (Denver Nuggets), Chris Finch (Houston Rockets), and Kelvin Sampson (Rockets) - also have been mentioned as candidates.
• Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune: If you take the word of Flip Saunders, the president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, you can quit worrying about the club signing Nikola Pekovic. Saunders believes it’s just a matter of time before the 6-11 center from Montenegro agrees to a deal with the club. “Yeah, I’m still optimistic,” said Saunders, who plans to travel in the near future to New York to speak to Pekovic’s agent. If you want to select the most important announcement one of the local four pro sports organizations needs to make right now, I would vote for the signing of Pekovic. I am convinced that if he returns, the Wolves will be great entertainment this season. “Right now we’re going through maybe an education process [with] Pek and his people of where we’re at with our organization and his importance to us and where we feel we’re at with what our offer is and why we’ve offered him what we’ve offered,” Saunders said. … Saunders also said he remains optimistic that Rick Adelman is ready to return as coach next season. “I think he feels very good about where we’re going,” he said.
• J. Michael of CSN Washington: Ted Leonsis wanted to be certain that Wall was on board. Sure, he could've waited until after the season to re-sign him because the Wizards would've been able to match any offers made to Wall as a restricted free agent. But why bother putting up a front when there wasn't really anything to negotiate? Why deal with a year's worth of questions about it? Wall wanted the max. Leonsis didn't mind giving it to him. “I wanted to do it, show respect. I also wanted to see how he was doing with his workouts,” Leonsis said of his trip to L.A. “The discussion really was that I want to make sure I hear from you that this won’t amp up your personal goals, but it will be more about team goals. One of the reasons we wanted to do this and do it early is to remove the I-need-to-get-stats. This is such a stats-oriented league and to have the focus on what the team needs to accomplish.” This was typical of how the Wizards operated this off-season. They moved fast when the free agency period opened July 1, signing Eric Maynor, Martell Webster and Garrett Temple in the first three days. They have 14 players under contract. The maximum is 15.
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: The whispers and accusations started after Andrei Kirilenko agreed to terms with the Nets, when he took an enormous pay cut to join Mikhail Prokhorov’s quest for an NBA title. Anonymous rival executives surmised a Russian conspiracy, according to a Yahoo! report. They envisioned rubles passed under the table, or elsewhere, although they lacked evidence. They called for an investigation from the commissioner’s office. “I can’t do anything with what people think,” Kirilenko said in a conference call on Thursday. “I’m coming from the facts. I can’t change it. I can’t control it. . . . Those type of rumors I can’t control. And I guess it comes from the history because of the Russian KGB. It makes it a little funny. What can I do?” The reality, according to Kirilenko, was he opted out of a one-year, $10 million deal with the hope of re-signing long-term with the Timberwolves, only to discover Minnesota GM Flip Saunders wasn’t interested. So he signed with the Nets for about $3 million per season, and the 32-year-old forward said it had nothing to do with shady deals or the work of the Russian underworld.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: The Knicks have decided rest is more important for Amar’e Stoudemire than “The Dream Shake’’ and wisdom of Hakeem Olajuwon. Stoudemire will not return to the Olajuwon camp in Houston to work on his post moves again this month as had been planned, The Post has learned. Stoudemire had planned to return to Texas to refine the post moves he learned last summer. That Olajuwon is about to be named to the Rockets staff as instructor for Dwight Howard and Omar Asik is not a factor in Stoudemire not attending. According to a Rockets source, Houston is allowing Olajuwon to fulfill any of his prior commitments with opposing players this month before he exclusively works with Rockets big men. Hence, Stoudemire might never work with Olajuwon again.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: A whirlwind summer has taken 18-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo around the globe. The Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick in the June draft, the 6-foot-9 small forward has traveled to New York and Milwaukee, home to Greece, to Slovenia and Estonia and now back to Milwaukee. Suddenly he's a millionaire after signing his first NBA contract Tuesday. But he's also an untested rookie. The good news for the Bucks is the smiling Antetokounmpo, already being called "GA" by some, is willing to learn. He worked out Thursday on the Cousins Center court with player development coach Josh Oppenheimer and Cody Ross of the basketball operations staff. Asked if he was satisfied with his showing for Greece in the Under-20 European Championship earlier this summer, Antetokounmpo did not hesitate to answer. "No," he said. "I was not satisfied with my performance. What can I do? I'm going to try next year. "If the team had taken a medal, maybe I would have been OK. But we didn't take a medal. I didn't play (great)."
• Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press: In essence, the Detroit Pistons traded Brandon Knight for Brandon Jennings. Is this just a short-term fix or a long-term solution for the Pistons at point guard? If a patient is declared dead and then you get a pulse – that’s a cause for celebration, right? You’re not necessarily looking for him to jump off the gurney and start running all over the hospital. But once you get that heartbeat back, anything is possible. … There are five virtual locks in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs – Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and New York. The Pistons are now high amongst the group of teams fighting for the last three spots. That’s something you couldn’t have said a month ago. And that makes this a team to watch. Full credit to Dumars for moving the parts around to create the space to make this team better. They’re not contenders. Not yet. But they’re alive. And that’s a heck of a lot better than being dead.
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: If all goes according to plan, Derrick Rose's return to NBA action will not start in Chicago. The Bulls released their preseason schedule on Thursday and it features games in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Rio de Janeiro before the first contest at the United Center on Oct. 16 against Detroit. Rose said during a recent European promotional tour he feels 100 percent healthy and plans to play in the preseason opener. He's been sidelined since April 28, 2012 when he tore the ACL in his left knee in a playoff game against Philadelphia. The Bulls will start the preseason against Central Division rival Indiana on Sat., Oct. 5, then face Memphis at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. After that, they'll play the first NBA game in Brazil on Sat. Oct. 12 against Washington.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: Veteran guard Francisco Garcia re-signed with the Rockets on Thursday, taking care of perhaps the final entry on the Rockets’ off-season to-do list. Garcia on July 6 reached agreement on a two-year veteran’s minimum deal, the second with a team option, worth $2.6 million. He had been out of the country following the end of the signing moratorium and unavailable to complete his physical, leading to the delay. The Rockets are expected to announce the signing on Friday. “He was a revelation after the trade,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. “He stepped right in to the locker room as one of our key guys. There was no way we’d have advanced as far as we did in the Oklahoma City series without him. He brings leadership, shooting, defense. We’re very happy we were able to work this out to bring him back.”
• Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe: The Celtics have cut forward Shavlik Randolph, a move that trims their roster to the regular-season limit of 15 signed players and also saves them about $1.1 million. The team had until Thursday to cut the 6-foot-10-inch Randolph or else his contract would have been fully guaranteed for the 2013-14 season. Randolph's agent confirmed to the Globe that the Celtics informed Randolph that they won't be picking up the option on his non-guaranteed deal, thus ending his tenure with the team he joined in February after playing in China. … But with the Celtics' desire to trim salary to stay under the tax line, and with a crowded roster especially heavy in the frontcourt with Humphries, Brandon Bass, Vitor Faverani, Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Fab Melo, Randolph was simply a victim of the numbers.
• Mike Gegenheimer of The Times-Picayune: "We can all be very proud as we're going to be very proud of our team as we work hard to become a champion," Tom Benson said. "We're going to have two champions -- the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans." Pelicans forward Jason Smith gave fans their first look at the team's new home jerseys as he emerged from the manufactured fog and into a crowd of local-area children and several members of the media. Smith, along with Anthony Davis, donned the white home gear, which had red and gold striping down the sides and "New Orleans" displayed across the jersey in blue lettering inspired by the iconic street signs of the French Quarter. The road uniforms, modeled by forward Ryan Anderson and new point guard Jrue Holiday, are similar to the home uniforms in design but navy blue. The Pelicans are one of only three NBA teams to feature the name of the city on home and away jerseys, and one of 10 franchises to have a navy uniform. "I kind of never had that before in my life," Davis said. "To come out here and actually present the uniforms to you guys and the kids and their families and the owner -- it means a lot. It says they have a lot of confidence in me and faith and trust in me."
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: Remember the name Thon Maker. He’s going into Grade 10 and already 7-foot-1, runs the floor well and is a solid jump shooter. He wasn’t even the tallest man in the building this week though. That honor goes to Brampton’s Tanveer Bhullar, who is bound for New Mexico State and stands 7-foot-3, though he’s small compared to his brother Sim, also at New Mexico State and 7-foot-5. Another name to remember: Montaque Gill-Caesar, also known as Teki. He’s the same height and build as Wiggins, plays for Wiggins’ old school, Huntington Prep in West Virginia, has similar mannerisms and even sounds like him. He’s also a solid player already and getting better.

• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra met with Greg Oden and watched him work out Tuesday in Indianapolis, as Miami continued to explore signing the seven-foot center whose career has been sidetracked by knee injuries. Chet Kammerer, the Heat’s vice president/player personnel, joined Spoelstra at the workout, which was also attended by officials from the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Bill Duffy, one of Oden’s agents, said Oden likely will pick a team next week and that every team that has shown interest “remains under strong consideration.” Besides the Heat, Kings and Pelicans, that list also includes the Mavericks and Spurs — who met with Oden previously — and the Atlanta Hawks, who will watch him work out Thursday. … Meanwhile, free agent center Marcus Camby has interest in the Heat, Bulls and Rockets. The Heat has inquired but is not believed to have made a formal offer as of Monday.
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: Malcolm Thomas is out, Marcus Camby is in? Not yet. A source said Tuesday that waiving Thomas doesn’t make the Camby move imminent. But it gives the Bulls some roster flexibility as they try to round out the bench by adding another low-post presence. The Bulls, who’ve offered Camby a minimum contract, are vying with several other teams, and the Rockets are the likely front-runners. Camby, along with Nazr Mohammed, would give the Bulls more protection at the rim and a rebounding presence behind Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.
• Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News: Josh Harris, the team owner and billionaire hedge funder, is accustomed to the pain and the risk of liquidation and reorganization. Sports fans are not. To use Harris-speak, the team's most valuable tangible assets now are: a forward who might not play until the autumn of 2014; a guard who might take three seasons to develop; and a pick that will not be in the top five. Then again, neither of their two picks last month was top five, either. Not among their assets: a coach. That last part matters the least. The team will be abysmal in the near future. Despite Hinkie's contention that his new coach will be long-term protected, whoever the Sixers hire is not likely to survive a couple of lottery-pick campaigns. Rest assured, it will be at least three seasons before the Sixers sniff the playoffs. Rest assured, it will even be longer before they contend. Yes, Hinkie could have chosen to keep Holiday, with a freshly extended contract and a fondness for Philadelphia. Hinkie could have chosen to add Carter-Williams and make Holiday a shooting guard. That would have meant no Noel, no extra first-rounder next year, and, very likely, still no playoffs. "I'm trying to . . . build something that is lasting," Hinkie repeated yesterday. "Special. With a capital 'S.' "
• Staff of The Dallas Morning News: On how much Dirk Nowitzki has left in the tank: Mark Cuban said, “If there is one missing piece between what everybody is saying and what we’re doing, everybody I think has dismissed Dirk like Dirk is done, and he’s on the downslide and he can’t play anymore and he’s not really the type of contributor that he was. Look, if you look at they type of mess we had in terms of our guard play and basketball I.Q., when Dirk got back and got into gear, we beat a lot of good teams and we were at a 48-50 game clip. You put a much better set of players around him and Dirk in a situation where he doesn’t have to rush back where he’s had all summer to prepare his body and get ready, knock on wood, but if we stay healthy, I think people are just dismissing Dirk in ways they shouldn’t. Like I’ve been telling people, Karl Malone won an MVP at 35, and there is no reason he can’t be considered in the MVP conversation at 35. I can also tell you that the way people are randomly dismissing him as basically being done has been incredible motivation for him.”
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: Some of the first lessons Jason Maxiell learned as a Detroit Pistons rookie came from veteran teammates Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. When Wallace thought Maxiell was pressing a bit on the court, Wallace advised Maxiell to slow down and play more patiently. McDyess noticed that the bulk of Maxiell’s offense came from dunks. McDyess told the rookie that athleticism eventually fades away. McDyess recommended that Maxiell should start doing more work to hone his jump shot. Now, eight years later, Maxiell finds himself in a different role. The Orlando Magic recently signed him to a free-agent deal to provide frontcourt depth and to serve as a mentor and example to young players. “I’m not a very verbal guy, but sometimes you have to be,” Maxiell said in a phone interview. “I will guide them along the way. I’m going to show them the first time and help them out the second time. And, by the third time, they should have it down pat, and then they’ll be on their own.”
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: Jrue Holiday is getting a jumpstart on Pelicans training camp, in a sense, taking advantage of the opportunity to create some synergy with power forwards Davis and Anderson, who are both here this week, along with Williams, an assistant on Team USA working toward preparations for next year's World Cup championships. And, as Williams points out, this week's camp featuring such a New Orleans presence would seem to indicate a reversal of team fortune. "We feel like we've kind of turned the corner," Williams said "People said we couldn't do a lot of stuff in New Orleans with all the stuff from our past. I don't think anybody saw this happening." And though Williams hopes his players this week focus on the present, Holiday is using the work to enhance his relationship with guys he'll be playing with over the 82-game regular season.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: It's not as if new Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack needs a job reference, but if he did, Golden State coach Mark Jackson is willing to provide one. Asked his reaction to losing Jack to free agency, Jackson said, "It was torture because he's an incredible, incredible…forget about basketball. He's a great leader, loves the game, no nonsense. He had a great year for us. For me, he was a joy to coach, an absolute joy to coach, and I'll have a relationship with him for the rest of our lives.'' … The Cavs signed Jack to a four-year deal that could be worth $25.2 million, $19.4 million guaranteed. He is expected to split time with Irving and Dion Waiters in the backcourt, including playing the point and allowing Irving to slide over to the two-guard. … Jackson didn't really say how much he lobbied to keep Jack, but it was clear how much he will miss him. "It worked out extremely well for Jack…another win for the good guys,'' Jackson said.
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: With last week’s signings of draft picks Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell, Pistons fans are wondering about point guard Peyton Siva, a second-round pick. Siva has more name recognition than your average 56th pick because he is coming off a senior season in which he led Louisville to the NCAA title. But he could be a victim of the numbers game. The NBA allows only 15 players on the active roster and, with the signings of Caldwell-Pope and Mitchell, the Pistons have reached their allotment. There remains the possibility of a trade creating a roster spot, but president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said he is comfortable if this is the roster he will take into the regular season, although he remains open to dealing. He doesn’t feel compelled to deal just to create a roster spot. Dumars said he would like to keep Siva’s rights — which could mean an overseas stint. To keep his rights, the Pistons are required to tender an offer to Siva by Sept. 6. But he doesn’t have to sign until Oct. 15. So Siva could decide to go to the Development League and if he doesn’t sign the tender, the Pistons would retain his rights.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: Jonas Valanciunas had moments of domination against inferior competition en route to being named the league’s Most Valuable Player, Terrence Ross remains enigmatic with more potential than polish and Quincy Acy remains a delightfully hard-working tweener who may or may not have an NBA position. It’s pretty much what the team’s brass and coaching staff expected when the Las Vegas vacation began two weeks ago. Valanciunas was unquestionably the most pleasant surprise, he arrived bigger and stronger, more capable of adapting to the intricacies of NBA defence and more able to handle the speed of the game. He was the best big man in the 22-team event — even if he was playing against marginal NBA talent — but remains a work in progress. But there was no regression, he was better than he had been at the end of last season. “We’re still working on the fouls, obviously, and moving his feet but that’s all progress in the summer,” said the general manager. “We’re going to touch (base) with him a few more times this summer, even when he’s with his (Lithuanian) national team.”
• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com: On Tuesday the media was allowed access to watch about 85 percent of Team USA's mini camp session, which was Day 2. In that time, it was pretty clear who were the two best point guards of the day – Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. Irving is simply on another planet right now and that isn't anything new to report. His ability to turn it on and off was a pleasure to watch. Lillard is doing an excellent job of making his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Yes, he was consistently knocking down the outside shot and coming off the pick-and-rolls only to let it fly and watch it go through the net. We knew he could do those things, but his defense is what stood out. For the second consecutive day, Lillard was featured as his team's off-guard, meaning he had to guard players two to three inches taller than him. He did more than held his own today.
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Don’t count Derrick Favors among the people fretting about who, what, when, where, why and how the Jazz are going to put points on their fancy new scoreboard with their revamped new team in 2013-14. The recently turned 22-year-old flashed a grin when asked about how the Jazz offense will cope in the Post Big Al/Not-So-Big Paul Era. “It’s time,” Favors said, “for two other people to be the new leading scorers.” The two candidates best positioned to take over an offensive responsibility that’s been shouldered by Jefferson and Millsap are participating together this week at Team USA’s minicamp. Who knows if Favors and Gordon Hayward will be able to match the 7,600 points Jefferson and Millsap combined to score over the past three seasons? One thing is certain. The soon-to-be fourth-year veterans can’t wait to have increased offensive opportunities — and the accompanying responsibilities.
• Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: Karl Malone is still a workaholic when it comes to hitting the weights or taking grueling bike rides near the family’s home in Ruston, La. Three days before his 50th birthday, in fact, Malone asked a reporter to call him back "in three hours," when he’d be finished working out. "To be honest with you, it helps make me a better person," he said. "It takes the edge off. When I sweat, it gets me going." There’s another reason Malone still weighs 256 pounds — his playing weight. One of his new projects is mentoring the Jazz’s young players — specifically power forward Derrick Favors and center Enes Kanter. "I always had a suspicion, at some point, I’d be back involved with some organization," Malone said. "When I stepped back on the floor, I wanted to look like a coach. I wanted to look like I belonged. I thought it might help the young guys listen to me." Yes, Malone is the same guy who has always used the fear of failure as a motivational tool. "I don’t want to disappoint my family, my real fans or myself," he said. "… I’ve always wanted to prove something to Karl Malone and I still do."