- Holy cow. Kobe Bryant has not been practicing, nor talking to reporters. Maybe no big deal. Maybe big deal.
- Dwight Jaynes of the Portland Tribune is sick and tired of local broadcast teams who act less like commentators and more like team PR. I totally agree with him that this is a problem, but have to aim a fat chunk of the blame at the thin-skinned team executives who fire commentators for inspiring honest conversation. Jaynes has some Portland examples: "They do a couple of things that drive me – and a lot of fans, from the comments I hear – quite nuts. The first is to suddenly criticize a former Blazer after years of saying nothing about that player. I'm not sure if these broadcasters understand how bad it sounds when they jump on Zach Randolph, as they did last week on the air, for his horrible defense, when they sang his praises night after night while he was a Blazer. Also, for years, the broadcasters have criticized players and coaches from other teams, without talking about Blazer personnel who do the same things. I'm sorry, it's simply not fair to make fun of opposing coaches for not handling game situations well when you don't discuss your own coach's moves. You can't talk about what a selfish player an opponent is if you aren't willing to say anything about one of your players being the same way. It puts your credibility at risk if you rip another team for not hustling, not sharing the ball or not playing smart while being silent about the Blazers doing the same things."
- Etan Thomas's friend, Dave Zirin, writes about Thomas for SI.com: "The post-surgery news is very good. Despite a 4½-hour operation that required his sternum to be cracked open, Thomas is in good health and better spirits. A return to the court by season's end is a possibility. But the question I'm sure might linger for the casual fan is, Why would a player averaging six points and five rebounds in his seven-year career generate an outpouring of concern more appropriate for friends or family?" The answer includes a generous and outspoken personality.
- Remember we were talking about that Band of Horses song "Detlef Schrempf?" Mark Monteith of the Indianapolis Star has gotten to the bottom of it: "The song has nothing to do with Detlef Schrempf, or with basketball. So why is it titled 'Detlef Schrempf?' For no other reason than the man who wrote it is a fan and e-mail pal of the former NBA forward, who played for the Indiana Pacers from 1989-93. Ben Bridwell, a singer/guitarist for the indie group Band of Horses 'likes the way 'Detlef Schrempf' sounds when you say it,' according to Steve Manning, publicist for the band's record label."
- Ooh, I love this photo-rich post documenting the arrival, via FedEx, of the season tickets. When the stadium is full of corporate muckety-mucks entertaining clients, the NBA makes a lot of money. But it loses some higher calling. Some part of its reason to exist. Some ability to spread joy. These people? They have that joy, and it is good.
- Al Thornton, it appeared to me, was the most powerful jumper in Summer League. I don't if he jumps higher than everyone, but he jumps without being bothered by the defense. Jonathan Abrams of the L.A. Times reports: "Technically, Al Thornton's high-jump personal best is 6 feet 10 inches, set as a track and field athlete at Georgia's Perry High. But unofficially, he eclipsed that mark playing basketball for Florida State when he leaped over 6-11 Wisconsin center Brian Butch for a dunk, a la Vince Carter in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 'I actually just wanted to lay it up, but it would have been a charge,' said Thornton, 23. 'I tried my best to clear him and that's what happened.'"
- Jazz owner Larry Miller is talking about life after Jerry Sloan. Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune: "'It wouldn't shock me to see him hang 'em up after this year,' Miller said, 'but we've got to wait and see how the year unfolds. More likely, I think it's another year after that, and after that I think it gets really iffy, just based on where he's at in his life. His age, but his interests more than just his age.'" Remember that Sloan's great passion away from the game is tractors.
- Peter Vecsey of the New York Post says that Danny Ferry tried to sneak behind Dan Fegan's back to sing Anderson Varejao: "Without the knowledge of agent Dan Fegan, GM Danny Ferry traveled to Brazil and met with his 6-10 backup center/macho forward to promote management's perspective, and, perhaps cut out the hardcore middle man. Evidently the backdoor play backfired. Indications are Varejao is remaining loyal to Fegan and adhering to his demand. Nonetheless it was a calculated risk worth taking. One way or the other, to Fegan's credit or discredit, there's never an easy negotiation for any team, no matter how nice or nasty it acts. And the majority of his clientele sign bad deals -- for the team; Troy Murphy, Erick Dampier, Rafer Alston, Earl Watson and Nene, to name a few." Vecsey also points out that Ronnie Brewer is leading the Jazz in preseason scoring.
- Juan Carlos Navarro is showing that he can shoot in the NBA, too.
- Derek Fisher on his daughter, who is battling cancer, as reported by Broderick Turner of the Press-Enterprise: "When Fisher talks about how Tatum is doing today, a smile crosses his face and his eyes beam. She is 15 months old and is 'climbing on stuff and getting into stuff all the time.' Every month at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, Fisher said, they take her to get a CT scan and ultrasound, but the good news is that Tatum hasn't had chemo treatment in three months. The size of the tumor has been diminished by 90 percent. 'So in relative terms, you can say the cancer is dead,' Fisher said. 'The tumor is still there, though. The reason why it's such a delicate balancing act is as long as the tumor is there, the chance of it either spreading or possibly new tumors forming is higher.' The only way to really totally avoid that is to remove the eye. 'So we've just been in close observations and evaluation the last three months, and each month the doctor is telling us that the farther we get away from the last time she had treatment and the tumor remaining dormant or asleep, the better the chances are of it never coming back.'"
- How many times do I have to tell you: don't check your jewels.
- Blazer locker room as Montessori school.
- In America, we have Kerouac. In Europe, the traveling man is called Stanko.
- Steve Francis got a technical in practice.
- Darius Rice watches his teammate LeBron James lose himself in a phalanx of Shanghai media, and says he wants some of that, too.
- ESPN's David Thorpe is all over the rookies this season. Cool stuff. Here's his first real post along those lines, in which he identifies the top prospects. He called specifically to say that he did not leave Taurean Green off the list out of disrespect. "If I thought he'd be getting the minutes," says David, "he'd be on this list. I'm absolutely convinced that he's starting material, ultimately."
- Family worries for Mouhamed Sene.
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