- Luke Walton on his summer, as told to the Guy Report: "Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye come stay with me in San Diego. They're both from Phoenix. And we can't really go to Phoenix in the off-season, because it's so dang hot. So they come out here. So does Brian Cook and Kareem Rush. We workout in the morning and afternoon and, at night, we just kind of hang out and have fun ... We bought a bunch of paintball guns and we went terrorizing the neighborhood. We weren't going after houses, but we went to the little park down the street and we'd get teams of four-on-four, until we got chased off by the neighbors. They called the cops, so we had to do a getaway. You might not even want to put that in print. In case we're fugitives."
- The Christies launch an online talk radio show.
- Story about a young basketball player getting the most out of his college education. Why are these stories so rare?
- Pat Riley insults the Hawks and Blazers. Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald: "Last season, the Heat received their championship rings before playing the Bulls, who spoiled the ring ceremony with a 42-point victory. 'They sent our most bitter rival for ring ceremony night, and San Antonio got, basically, the worst team in the league,' Riley said, half-jokingly, about the Trail Blazers, who used the first pick in the draft on center Greg Oden, who is injured. 'Thank you [commissioner] David [Stern]. We got the shark eater who wanted us badly. I would have liked to have seen maybe Atlanta or somebody.'"
- Esquire puts together a smarmy and PG-13 timeline of recent Knick history. Scary.
- This evening is the D-League draft. This DraftExpress profile has all the particulars, and I have to say I learned a hell of a lot from it. For instance, did you know that D-league players have three salary categories that are set by the league? Did you know that -- in a reversal of bigger trends -- this year promising young European guard Aleksandar Ugrinoski is opting for the D-League instead of his club team? Did you know that some players are allocated to certain teams by the league office? DraftExpress's Jonathan Givony writes: "Some type of connection exists between an allocated player and the home market of the team they are assigned to play for. For instance, Jeff Horner played his college ball at the University of Iowa, and was allocated to the Iowa Energy for the 2007-2008 season. Justin Cage played high school basketball in Indiana, and thus was allocated to Fort Wayne, etc."
- Orlando Magic fans are angry that a lot of Magic games won't be shown in a lot of Central Florida homes because of a breakdown in negotiations between the various corporate entities involved.
- The NBA is serious about community service in New Orleans. It has already started, but the effort during All-Star Weekend should be massive.
- The Raptors are deep. Only three Raptors played more than 26 minutes, and no one played more than Anthony Parker's 35 as they beat the Sixers. And Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points in 22 minutes. This all pays off in late spring, when everyone else is spent.
- Sean emails: "Everyone is gung-ho about the Celts with KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce -- and rightfully so (I'm originally from the Boston area). What about this Nuggets team? Sure, they stand a good chance of winning their weak division (maybe Utah?), but I think the team is stacked and will do some serious damage, especially while being overlooked when compared with the big three -- Phoenix, Dallas, and San Antonio. But how can the Celts be so hyped and not the Nuggs in their first full year with Melo, AI, Camby, and K-Mart? Marc Stein has them at #12 in the power rankings! Is it due only to health and age? AI and Camby have been in the league just as long as Ray Allen. KG started a year earlier, Pierce is only two years younger than them, and K-Mart is two years younger than Pierce (I'm going to omit Martin's microfracture surgeries in both knees)! During the game last night, ESPN showed a graphic with the "high draft picks" that are on this Nuggets team -- AI at #1 and Camby #2 ('96), Martin#1 ('00), Melo #3 ('03), Nene#7 ('02). I couldn't believe it when I saw it! I know more goes into winning games than your draft status ... I just think that if the Celts are getting hyped, the Nuggets should be too." Also, when you're talking Nugget talent, don't forget Linas Kleiza who got 18 points on 12 shots last night. That's one more piece. Why doesn't everyone pick them to be a top team in the West? For some reason I see them as a middle-of-the-pack team, and I couldn't figure out why. Part of it is how miserable they have been in the playoffs. But the other thing -- the thing that Sean just helped me understand -- is that they remind me of the Blazers of 1999 or so. That graphic with the list of lottery picks? They used to show that during Blazer games, too. (And, interestingly, Mark Warkentein was a key player in building both teams.) I think that I see all that talent and I wonder who is ready to be selfless -- because I don't believe great teams have a lot of selfishness. Someone has to sacrifice. Just like with that Blazer team, it's super good, but I have a feeling something will go wrong. (Just noticed Jack McCallum of SI isn't believing in Denver, either.)
- Wizards look medicore against the Pacers. Ugh. Basketbawful sticks it to Gilbert Arenas: "The Wizards 'defense' made Mike Dunleavy Jr. look like the second-coming of Larry Bird: 25 points (7-of-17), 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Teams that give up career nights to Dunleavy cannot be trusted. That same 'defense' sparked the resurrection of Jamaal Tinsley, who scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Pacers ran away for a 119-110 victory. Tinsley also had 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Gilbert Arenas hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but he hit only 10 of 25 shots, went 1-of-8 from three-point range, missed six freethrows, and committed 5 turnovers. Agent Zero was also responsible for guarding Tinsley."
- Willie Green talks to Corie Muhammed of SLAM: "If you were to get a room full of NBA players together the talent would all match up evenly. So, what is going to separate you from the rest of the guys, if you all have talent? This is true for any pro sport, once you get to a certain level everyone can run, jump, everyone has game but what makes you stand out? That is when your character comes into play, your attitude. Being a good team mate, are you coach able? Plus you have to be a hard worker. Not everyone that has talent is a hard work
er. So that person that has talent but no hard work is at a disadvantage when he matches up against a guy that has equal talent, plus is a hard worker. So when you have all of these things, then you can separate yourself from just being talented." - Dave from BlazersEdge: "I got three words for ya: Lu...Ol...Deng. This guy is a player and a half. I only watched a couple quarters of the Bulls-Nets game and he did more amazing things in that 24 minutes than I saw the whole last season for the Blazers. It's not just his scoring either. It's his defense, rebounding, being in the right place at the right time. This kid is WAY for real."
- Hope everything's OK with Rip Hamilton.
- Jason Kapono talks shooting.
- Entering the hallowed ground of the Celtics' practice facility with PerkisaBeast: "We get out of the car in the private player's parking lot and approach a backdoor, where Perk literally sticks his hand into some sort of laser decoder box on the side of the wall, and like we're entering Fort Knox, the door clicks open. As we enter the door, we are met by a member of the Celtics training staff who is just passing by, he smiles and tells us the Celtics Dancers are working out on the practice floor. 'Aren't you guys lucky,' he says to Beef Stallone, our 17-year-old courtside correspondent, who suddenly has his game face on. We agree with him that we are lucky and enter the building. We are Charlie and this is our chocolate factory. Inside, we enter a big lounge where a pool table and large flat screen are placed among comfortable chairs. On the pool table is the familiar leprachan embroidered into the felt. We ar in the players lounge. It's too much for Beef. 'Holy sh-,' he mutters. Beef is in the zone literally, there are stars in his eyes. We walk down the hallway, which is covered in pictures of Celtics legends from the past: Cowens, Reggie Lewis, Larry Bird. Perk takes us further into the inner sanctum. He is our tour guide showing us the trainer's room, the whirlpool, the legendary weight room where Perk makes each of us stand on a machine that vibrates your whole body like a milkshake. This, Perk tells us, is used to warm up your legs quickly. Beef whispers to me that he was shaking so violently he thought some vital parts of his manhood might shake off. Finally, we enter the locker room and suddenly it dawns on me that we are really somewhere that very few people get to venture into."
- Always interested in NBA players talking politics. Here's Grant Hill, as quoted by AOL's Dave Hollander: "I've lent my support to Senator Obama. I actually co-chaired a fundraiser party in D.C. this summer. I read both of his books. I've heard his view on various issues. I hear his message. I just feel like it's time for a change. It's an interesting time in American politics. My family is friends with the Bush family and the Clinton family. But I have to think with over 300 million people in our country there has to be another family outside of those two that is capable of leading our country. As qualified as Hillary is, to have potentially another eight years of a Clinton or a Bush, well, that would be 20-some odd years of just two families. I really support [Obama] and feel like he's a breath of fresh air and someone who's a uniter -- someone who can bring everyone in our country together at a point when people are very divided."
- Beno Udrih reportedly joins Sacramento.
- Eddie Jordan talks about Eddie Jordan.
- Stuff you didn't know about Marco Belinelli: He loves cookies and can't drive a car.
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