ESPN NBA

The Duke shooter was great in college, and now he's reportedly better than expected in workouts:

"I'm actually not a huge believer in individual workouts," one NBA executive said. "However, I think we learned a lot about that kid and it was all good. In almost every area, including shooting, he was better than we thought. You can watch him in games and see that he can really play. But it wasn't until the workouts that you could really see that he may be able to do some of those same things against NBA athletes. He's not going to be the MVP of the league or anything. But he's going to be a good player in the league."

Possible destinations include Boston, with the seventh pick, and Houston a pick later.

From Behind the Blazers Beat:

Blazers president Steve Patterson was perhaps the busiest executive today in Orlando. I will give him this: He is putting his time down here to good use.

My hunch - I'd be surprised if the top four in the June 28 draft stay in the same order. Just a hunch.

Another hunch - the radar here detects a trade is brewing with Darius Miles. His agent today said he hasn't heard of anything, but it is not uncommon for an agent to be left out of the loop on a trade.

Sounds like Portland wants to move up in the draft, and they reportedly have a workout scheduled with LaMarcus Aldridge.

From Behind the Blazers Beat:

Blazers president Steve Patterson was perhaps the busiest executive today in Orlando. I will give him this: He is putting his time down here to good use.

My hunch - I'd be surprised if the top four in the June 28 draft stay in the same order. Just a hunch.

Another hunch - the radar here detects a trade is brewing with Darius Miles. His agent today said he hasn't heard of anything, but it is not uncommon for an agent to be left out of the loop on a trade.

Sounds like Portland wants to move up in the draft, and they reportedly have a workout scheduled with LaMarcus Aldridge.

From Behind the Blazers Beat:

Blazers president Steve Patterson was perhaps the busiest executive today in Orlando. I will give him this: He is putting his time down here to good use.

My hunch - I'd be surprised if the top four in the June 28 draft stay in the same order. Just a hunch.

Another hunch - the radar here detects a trade is brewing with Darius Miles. His agent today said he hasn't heard of anything, but it is not uncommon for an agent to be left out of the loop on a trade.

Sounds like Portland wants to move up in the draft, and they reportedly have a workout scheduled with LaMarcus Aldridge.

From Behind the Blazers Beat:

Blazers president Steve Patterson was perhaps the busiest executive today in Orlando. I will give him this: He is putting his time down here to good use.

My hunch - I'd be surprised if the top four in the June 28 draft stay in the same order. Just a hunch.

Another hunch - the radar here detects a trade is brewing with Darius Miles. His agent today said he hasn't heard of anything, but it is not uncommon for an agent to be left out of the loop on a trade.

Sounds like Portland wants to move up in the draft, and they reportedly have a workout scheduled with LaMarcus Aldridge.

Lots of stuff today from the broadcaster, including this:

Legal zones and hand checking rules have made it a faster, more versatile, high-scoring game. That plays into Phoenix's hands. I think next season – with a healthy Stoudemire – the Suns will have a shot to win it all. Oh, and one more thing: Two years ago, the Pistons won a title that dispelled another long standing theory – that you had to have a superstar to win it all. Maybe the Suns can prove the defense theory wrong.

Lots of stuff today from the broadcaster, including this:

Legal zones and hand checking rules have made it a faster, more versatile, high-scoring game. That plays into Phoenix's hands. I think next season – with a healthy Stoudemire – the Suns will have a shot to win it all. Oh, and one more thing: Two years ago, the Pistons won a title that dispelled another long standing theory – that you had to have a superstar to win it all. Maybe the Suns can prove the defense theory wrong.

Lots of stuff today from the broadcaster, including this:

Legal zones and hand checking rules have made it a faster, more versatile, high-scoring game. That plays into Phoenix's hands. I think next season – with a healthy Stoudemire – the Suns will have a shot to win it all. Oh, and one more thing: Two years ago, the Pistons won a title that dispelled another long standing theory – that you had to have a superstar to win it all. Maybe the Suns can prove the defense theory wrong.

Lots of stuff today from the broadcaster, including this:

Legal zones and hand checking rules have made it a faster, more versatile, high-scoring game. That plays into Phoenix's hands. I think next season – with a healthy Stoudemire – the Suns will have a shot to win it all. Oh, and one more thing: Two years ago, the Pistons won a title that dispelled another long standing theory – that you had to have a superstar to win it all. Maybe the Suns can prove the defense theory wrong.

Good detail from Mike Wise on a story that was lightly covered a year or so ago: Pat Riley almost coached Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant:

On Monday night, June 21, 2004, atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the home of the eccentric owner who gave him his coaching start, Riley drank good red wine, ate, reminisced and drank some more. At Jerry Buss's dinner table that night in Playa del Rey, Calif., were the Lakers' brain trust: Buss's son, Jimmy; Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager; and Ronnie Lester, the team's assistant general manager and a role player on one of Riley's four championship teams in Los Angeles.

"Very sincere meeting, very good," Riley recalled. Musing as he stood in a corridor of American Airlines Center on Wednesday, the day before Game 1, he added, "It was like old home week."

As glasses of vintage Opus One were hoisted with the man who had not competed for a championship in more than a decade, two franchises were about to irrevocably change.

Riley originally was there on a lark, given permission by Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. But he began to genuinely contemplate getting back to the Finals with another guard-center, Hall of Fame combo. Shaq and Kobe -- a Magic-and-Kareem remix. If anyone could get the two feuding stars to realize their future together, Pat Riley believed he could. That's why he asked for their phone numbers that night -- right at the dinner table.

Good detail from Mike Wise on a story that was lightly covered a year or so ago: Pat Riley almost coached Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant:

On Monday night, June 21, 2004, atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the home of the eccentric owner who gave him his coaching start, Riley drank good red wine, ate, reminisced and drank some more. At Jerry Buss's dinner table that night in Playa del Rey, Calif., were the Lakers' brain trust: Buss's son, Jimmy; Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager; and Ronnie Lester, the team's assistant general manager and a role player on one of Riley's four championship teams in Los Angeles.

"Very sincere meeting, very good," Riley recalled. Musing as he stood in a corridor of American Airlines Center on Wednesday, the day before Game 1, he added, "It was like old home week."

As glasses of vintage Opus One were hoisted with the man who had not competed for a championship in more than a decade, two franchises were about to irrevocably change.

Riley originally was there on a lark, given permission by Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. But he began to genuinely contemplate getting back to the Finals with another guard-center, Hall of Fame combo. Shaq and Kobe -- a Magic-and-Kareem remix. If anyone could get the two feuding stars to realize their future together, Pat Riley believed he could. That's why he asked for their phone numbers that night -- right at the dinner table.

Good detail from Mike Wise on a story that was lightly covered a year or so ago: Pat Riley almost coached Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant:

On Monday night, June 21, 2004, atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the home of the eccentric owner who gave him his coaching start, Riley drank good red wine, ate, reminisced and drank some more. At Jerry Buss's dinner table that night in Playa del Rey, Calif., were the Lakers' brain trust: Buss's son, Jimmy; Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager; and Ronnie Lester, the team's assistant general manager and a role player on one of Riley's four championship teams in Los Angeles.

"Very sincere meeting, very good," Riley recalled. Musing as he stood in a corridor of American Airlines Center on Wednesday, the day before Game 1, he added, "It was like old home week."

As glasses of vintage Opus One were hoisted with the man who had not competed for a championship in more than a decade, two franchises were about to irrevocably change.

Riley originally was there on a lark, given permission by Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. But he began to genuinely contemplate getting back to the Finals with another guard-center, Hall of Fame combo. Shaq and Kobe -- a Magic-and-Kareem remix. If anyone could get the two feuding stars to realize their future together, Pat Riley believed he could. That's why he asked for their phone numbers that night -- right at the dinner table.

Good detail from Mike Wise on a story that was lightly covered a year or so ago: Pat Riley almost coached Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant:

On Monday night, June 21, 2004, atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the home of the eccentric owner who gave him his coaching start, Riley drank good red wine, ate, reminisced and drank some more. At Jerry Buss's dinner table that night in Playa del Rey, Calif., were the Lakers' brain trust: Buss's son, Jimmy; Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager; and Ronnie Lester, the team's assistant general manager and a role player on one of Riley's four championship teams in Los Angeles.

"Very sincere meeting, very good," Riley recalled. Musing as he stood in a corridor of American Airlines Center on Wednesday, the day before Game 1, he added, "It was like old home week."

As glasses of vintage Opus One were hoisted with the man who had not competed for a championship in more than a decade, two franchises were about to irrevocably change.

Riley originally was there on a lark, given permission by Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. But he began to genuinely contemplate getting back to the Finals with another guard-center, Hall of Fame combo. Shaq and Kobe -- a Magic-and-Kareem remix. If anyone could get the two feuding stars to realize their future together, Pat Riley believed he could. That's why he asked for their phone numbers that night -- right at the dinner table.

This is the time of year when people who don't know much about basketball tune in. Print this out and give it to them. It might be helpful:

The Basics

• Professional basketball is an indoor game played by two teams of five.
• Both teams try to score points by getting a large round leather ball through a round metal ring suspended ten feet above the floor.
• The primary professional American league is the National Basketball Association (the NBA), which has teams in thirty North American cities (one in Canada) that play from the end of October into June.
• The 12-15 large men on each team are among the highest paid athletes in sports.
• The average player is taller than 6-7.
• With a small number of players, a large ball, simple rules, acrobatic athleticism, and not a lot of standing around, basketball is easy to appreciate.

The Rules

• Players are not allowed to take steps with the ball, unless they are dribbling (bouncing it on the floor as they walk or run.)
• Regular shots are worth two points.
• Shots from a long distance—behind the curved line marked on the court—are worth three points.
• When one player hits, shoves, slaps, jostles, or punches another, the referee blows the whistle and calls a foul. Play stops and they sometimes get to shoot "free throws" worth one point each.
• If the game is tied at the end, five minute “overtime” periods are added until one team wins.

The Teams
This year's NBA Finals star two teams that have never been here before. The first team to win four games will be the champion.

• The Dallas Mavericks are the favorites. The creation of a meddlesome young billionaire, Mark Cuban, their big star is a seven-foot German, Dirk Nowitzki. Their coach is the diminutive and squeaky, but tenaciously effective Avery Johnson.
• The Miami Heat are coached by the guy with the slicked back hair, Pat Riley, who used to be better looking and more famous than he is now. Their stars are an aging but revitalized Shaquille O'Neal--easily the heaviest man in the NBA, and one of the tallest--and the guard Dwyane Wade. For pure fun, just watch Wade the whole time. He's the most acrobatic and exciting player in the series.

The Positions

• Point Guard Usually the smallest and quickest players on the court. In this series the key point guards are Jason Terry and Devin Harris from Dallas; and Jason Williams and Gary Payton from Miami.
• Shooting Guard Slightly bigger than point guards and committed to scoring. The key shooting guards for Dallas are Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels. In Miami the shooting guards are Dwyane Wade and Shandon Anderson.
• Small Forward Mid-size players (despite the name) who do a bit of everything, especially scoring. Dallas forward Josh Howard is one of the most important players on either team, and plays multiple positions including small forward. Adrian Griffin plays guard and forward for Dallas too. Miami's starting small forward is James Posey.
• Power Forward Usually the lowest scoring position on the court, in the typical set up, these brutes are committed to rebounding, defense, and intimidation. Miami's Udonis Haslem fits the bill. Dallas has an unconventional lineup, with super scorer Dirk Nowitzki is the bigger of their two forwards.
• Center These aren't gazelles. They are more like rhinos or giraffes. Almost always about seven feet tall, centers are the biggest and slowest players on the court. The Dallas centers are Erick Dampier and Sagana Diop. Miami's centers are the massive Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning--who (no kidding) is playing with a kidney donated from a relative.

The Lingo

Assist A pass that leads to a basket.

Basket This handy word means all kinds of things, including the orange, metal rim through which the ball passes to score a point, as well as a made shot.

Board This means exactly the same thing as “rebound” (both as a noun and a verb).

Bucket This can used interchangeably with the word “basket.”

Dribble Players are not allowed to take a step while holding the ball unless they bounce it up and down off the floor with one hand. That’s called dribbling.

Drive To dribble, with the ball, towards the hoop.

Dunk A shot in which the player takes the ball to basket and literally stuffs it straight in.

Field Goal There two ways to score points are by free throws (see below) or field goals—which are two or three-point shots made during the course of play.

Free Throw Sometimes, when one player fouls another, play stops and the victim of the foul gets to shoot from 15 feet while everyone else watches. That’s a free throw.

Guard It is both a position and a verb, which means “to play defense against.”

Hoop Can be used interchangeably with terms “basket” and “bucket.”

Key The painted rectangle underneath the basket. Players on offense are only allowed to hang out in that area for three seconds or less at a time. It is also called the paint or the lane.

Layup The easiest shot of them all is the layup, which involves gently “laying” the ball up towards the basket from very close range.

Rebound Collecting the ball after a missed shot. It’s an essential aspect of the game.

Shot Players try to get the ball into the basket a number of different ways—layups, dunks, jump shots, etc.—and collectively, they are all known as shots. You will expose yourself as a novice if you say a player “threw it at the basket.”

Three-Pointer Any shot from behind the three-point line (that sweeping half circle line you’ll see more than twenty two feet from the hoop) is worth three points.

Travel In basketball, players with the ball are not allowed to walk or run with it, unless they are dribbling. If they do, it’s called “traveling.”

This is the time of year when people who don't know much about basketball tune in. Print this out and give it to them. It might be helpful:

The Basics

• Professional basketball is an indoor game played by two teams of five.
• Both teams try to score points by getting a large round leather ball through a round metal ring suspended ten feet above the floor.
• The primary professional American league is the National Basketball Association (the NBA), which has teams in thirty North American cities (one in Canada) that play from the end of October into June.
• The 12-15 large men on each team are among the highest paid athletes in sports.
• The average player is taller than 6-7.
• With a small number of players, a large ball, simple rules, acrobatic athleticism, and not a lot of standing around, basketball is easy to appreciate.

The Rules

• Players are not allowed to take steps with the ball, unless they are dribbling (bouncing it on the floor as they walk or run.)
• Regular shots are worth two points.
• Shots from a long distance—behind the curved line marked on the court—are worth three points.
• When one player hits, shoves, slaps, jostles, or punches another, the referee blows the whistle and calls a foul. Play stops and they sometimes get to shoot "free throws" worth one point each.
• If the game is tied at the end, five minute “overtime” periods are added until one team wins.

The Teams
This year's NBA Finals star two teams that have never been here before. The first team to win four games will be the champion.

• The Dallas Mavericks are the favorites. The creation of a meddlesome young billionaire, Mark Cuban, their big star is a seven-foot German, Dirk Nowitzki. Their coach is the diminutive and squeaky, but tenaciously effective Avery Johnson.
• The Miami Heat are coached by the guy with the slicked back hair, Pat Riley, who used to be better looking and more famous than he is now. Their stars are an aging but revitalized Shaquille O'Neal--easily the heaviest man in the NBA, and one of the tallest--and the guard Dwyane Wade. For pure fun, just watch Wade the whole time. He's the most acrobatic and exciting player in the series.

The Positions

• Point Guard Usually the smallest and quickest players on the court. In this series the key point guards are Jason Terry and Devin Harris from Dallas; and Jason Williams and Gary Payton from Miami.
• Shooting Guard Slightly bigger than point guards and committed to scoring. The key shooting guards for Dallas are Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels. In Miami the shooting guards are Dwyane Wade and Shandon Anderson.
• Small Forward Mid-size players (despite the name) who do a bit of everything, especially scoring. Dallas forward Josh Howard is one of the most important players on either team, and plays multiple positions including small forward. Adrian Griffin plays guard and forward for Dallas too. Miami's starting small forward is James Posey.
• Power Forward Usually the lowest scoring position on the court, in the typical set up, these brutes are committed to rebounding, defense, and intimidation. Miami's Udonis Haslem fits the bill. Dallas has an unconventional lineup, with super scorer Dirk Nowitzki is the bigger of their two forwards.
• Center These aren't gazelles. They are more like rhinos or giraffes. Almost always about seven feet tall, centers are the biggest and slowest players on the court. The Dallas centers are Erick Dampier and Sagana Diop. Miami's centers are the massive Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning--who (no kidding) is playing with a kidney donated from a relative.

The Lingo

Assist A pass that leads to a basket.

Basket This handy word means all kinds of things, including the orange, metal rim through which the ball passes to score a point, as well as a made shot.

Board This means exactly the same thing as “rebound” (both as a noun and a verb).

Bucket This can used interchangeably with the word “basket.”

Dribble Players are not allowed to take a step while holding the ball unless they bounce it up and down off the floor with one hand. That’s called dribbling.

Drive To dribble, with the ball, towards the hoop.

Dunk A shot in which the player takes the ball to basket and literally stuffs it straight in.

Field Goal There two ways to score points are by free throws (see below) or field goals—which are two or three-point shots made during the course of play.

Free Throw Sometimes, when one player fouls another, play stops and the victim of the foul gets to shoot from 15 feet while everyone else watches. That’s a free throw.

Guard It is both a position and a verb, which means “to play defense against.”

Hoop Can be used interchangeably with terms “basket” and “bucket.”

Key The painted rectangle underneath the basket. Players on offense are only allowed to hang out in that area for three seconds or less at a time. It is also called the paint or the lane.

Layup The easiest shot of them all is the layup, which involves gently “laying” the ball up towards the basket from very close range.

Rebound Collecting the ball after a missed shot. It’s an essential aspect of the game.

Shot Players try to get the ball into the basket a number of different ways—layups, dunks, jump shots, etc.—and collectively, they are all known as shots. You will expose yourself as a novice if you say a player “threw it at the basket.”

Three-Pointer Any shot from behind the three-point line (that sweeping half circle line you’ll see more than twenty two feet from the hoop) is worth three points.

Travel In basketball, players with the ball are not allowed to walk or run with it, unless they are dribbling. If they do, it’s called “traveling.”