- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony hit the first leg of his gold medal tour Tuesday in a news conference, smiling wide as he showed off the hardware from the U.S. team's Olympic win. Today, Anthony will be among 170 medal winners to tape an episode of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that airs Monday. Saturday, Anthony will throw out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game. Sunday, he will be an honorary captain for the Baltimore Ravens in their season opener. It took Anthony four years to get to this point, which he called better than winning the national championship at Syracuse. 'I waited four years to be able to hold this gold medal in my hand,' Anthony said. 'Everything that I went through and everything that this country went through in the past four years just made this gold medal sweeter.'"
- Matt Steinmetz of The Examiner: "The NBA team in Oklahoma City will get its official nickname on Wednesday, and all indications are that it will be 'Thunder.' That's right: Thunder. That decision probably didn't sit well with the Golden State Warriors. Not to mention the guy who wears the suit. Why? Because 'Thunder' is the name of the official Warriors team mascot -- NBA-approved, by the way. Not only that, the image of Thunder is prominent in the Warriors' primary logo -- the one with him holding the lightning bolt above the word 'Warriors.' ... Let's put it this way, the Warriors better be getting something out of this. And hopefully it's not at the expense of the guy in the suit. But there's just no way you can have two Thunders."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "While the options were limited for a player who is joining his fifth team since the start of 2005-06, he (Jamaal Mogloire) was intrigued about the possibilities of playing for first-year coach Erik Spoelstra and fellow University of Kentucky alum Riley. 'First and foremost was my gut feeling for the coach,' he said. 'He gives off a good aura, he gives off a vibe. He's very eager to do well.' The bond with Riley runs deeper. Each wore No. 42 for the Wildcats. 'It was a big deal for me to wear his number because of the legacy he left behind. I asked him last week. I said, 'Coach, why did I have an opportunity to wear your number? I watched Glory Road,' Magloire said of the movie that featured Riley's role as the starting center for Rupp's Runts in the 1966 NCAA championship game. 'He just kind of laughed.'"
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "There will be growing pains as the Grizzlies roll out a major youth movement despite familiar, veteran names such as Antoine Walker, Marco Jaric and Greg Buckner on the roster. Memphis acquired those players in the Mayo deal that sent Mike Miller, Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal to Minnesota. A motivated Walker can score points in bunches, Jaric provides another ballhandler and mid-range ability and Buckner is known for his ability to effectively defend shooting guards and small forwards. In the end, though, the Griz didn't just try to improve with addition by subtraction. After functioning as an NBA bottom feeder the past two seasons, their goal this offseason was simple: To be young, gifted and better. 'I look back to where we were at the end of last season,' Chris Wallace said, 'and now just a few weeks away from the start of camp, we've got more talent and more optimism for the future. That's crucial for this franchise.'"
- Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: "I believe the Jazz, with Deron Williams and presumably with potential free agent Carlos Boozer as the cornerstones, are in position to contend for a long time. I also believe vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor, while keeping an open mind, will not break up the foundation it has taken three years to build out of panic born from a second-round playoff loss to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers last spring. That foundation probably includes Okur and Kyle Korver, too."
- Martin McNeal of the Sacramento Bee: "Knowing Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie as I do, he won't comment about a guy's contract and/or status. However, in this instance, it might be nice, comforting and even beneficial to give his coach a little verbal public love. Then again, knowing Petrie as I do, it's clear he and Reggie Theus are not exactly on the same page. If nothing else, Petrie is closer to mum is the word while Theus is closer to the word rarely is mum. However, no matter what fans feel about Artest and even Mike Bibby, they were proven. Now it appears Theus' gig is to work with the youngsters and see what he can make of them. That's not the way most of us would care to roll into this season -- with a potential ax overhead."
- Conrad Brunner for Pacers.com: "Danny Granger's visit received massive media coverage. The Jawa Pos, one of the country's biggest newspapers, put the story on the front page and named one version the 'Danny Granger Edition.' 'It's really great to meet young Indonesian players,' the 25-year-old Granger told The Jakarta Post before one of his sessions. 'I think the (clinic) will be memorable for them, meeting an NBA player in person. Hopefully, today's experience can encourage them in playing better basketball in the future.' He told Antara News he hoped his visit would 'inspire the youngsters.'"
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: "Count actors Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones among those hoping to attend Pat Riley's Basketball Hall of Fame induction Friday, Douglas' publicist said. The Hall said it's expecting 70 Heat/Riley guests, but not Dwyane Wade, who has his own charity event in Chicago. Said Wade: 'He made it cool to be a coach.'"
- Jeff Thomas of The Republican: "Often traded and a bridesmaid six times for entry into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Adrian Dantley holds no grudges. 'I'll take the high road and compliment everybody who helped me in my career, especially the old-timers,' Dantley said. 'Stay positive.' That hasn't always been easy for Dantley, an outstanding basketball talent and prolific scorer who played for seven teams in a 15-year NBA career that produced 23,177 points. The six-time NBA All-Star will join Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Pat Riley, Cathy Rush, Dick Vitale and Bill Davidson as the Class of 2008 when they are inducted into the Springfield shrine Friday."
- Jeff Arnold of The Ann Arbor News: "For Mike Curtis, life in the National Basketball Association couldn't match the level of satisfaction he found on college campuses. So when the Memphis Grizzlies' strength and conditioning coach had the opportunity to bring his training skills back to school, he chose to head north. Curtis will oversee strength and conditioning duties for the University of Michigan's men's and wom
en's basketball teams, the school announced Tuesday."
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chad FordTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
John HollingerTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris SheridanTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Marc SteinTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
