- Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald: "After averaging 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists in the Celtics two playoff series, it would be understandable for Rajon Rondo to be looking back on that performance as a springboard heading into this season. But as he spoke yesterday at the opening of a Boost Mobile store in Mattapan, it was clear Rondo's focus is centered on Oct. 27, when the Celts open the 2009-10 season in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. 'I just want to get the season started,' Rondo said. 'What I did last year is behind. It's a whole new season. Stats start over, everything starts over. The record is 0-0 so I'm ready to start.' The past few months have been quiet after Rondo's offseason got off to a tumultuous start, beginning with rumors of a trade to the Detroit Pistons. Things took another turn in late June when general manager Danny Ainge publicly criticized Rondo and said he was not a 'max contract player.' With Rondo entering the final year of his rookie contract, he is in line for a major raise. Ainge said the sides would discuss a contract extension this fall, but Rondo reported that talks hadn't begun. Though he was tight-lipped on the issue, Rondo said he wasn't optimistic about signing a contract extension in the near future. If the sides don't agree to an extension by Oct. 31, Rondo will become a restricted free agent next summer. The best way for Rondo to ensure a big payday is by continuing to improve."
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "It isn't an infallible rule, but quite often in professional sports winning can make a franchise recession proof. As the shockwaves from last year's financial meltdown slam the NBA -- the teams were insulated to a certain degree last season because season tickets and sponsorships had mostly been sold before the September crash -- the Cavaliers find themselves cautiously above water. The team is doing relatively well financially and officials are saying it is not planning any layoffs or salary reductions. In fact, over the last year the Cavs have been adding to their staff. 'We have been very fortunate, our fans have continued to show us tremendous support,' said Len Komoroski, the president of the Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena. 'We have seen it in many different levels from record ticket sales, television ratings and Web hits.' Komoroski said the team has also been helped by strong regional support, especially from the Pittsburgh and Columbus areas. Last season, 23 percent of the team's individual ticket sales came from out of state."
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Going against an economy that is taking its toll on efforts to sell tickets in many NBA cities and competing with the Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming injury factors, the Rockets are ahead of their usual ticket sales pace. Success in NBA season-ticket sales, however, is largely determined from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, making the weeks to come the key to the Rockets' hopes of claiming a business victory. 'We are not only ahead of where would previously be (in mid-September), we have sold more tickets to date than any other year we have been in Toyota Center, more full-season tickets,' Rockets chief executive officer Tad Brown said. 'Certainly, our momentum began toward the end of the season and ran through the playoffs, but it hasn't slowed.' Much of the Rockets' good start on ticket sales comes from their postseason success last season. Since their move to Toyota Center in 2003, this will be the first time they begin a season having won a playoff series."
- Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News: "The economic hardship that's continuing to grip the region is going to affect the Pistons this season. Owner Karen Davidson, who took over the team when her husband, Bill, passed away last season, said economics will have an impact. 'We're going to have to work harder. Everything has to be better and we have to give more for the dollar,' Davidson said Wednesday as the Pistons and Coca-Cola teamed up to purchase back-to-school supplies for needy kids. 'You see it everywhere you go. We've always given away tickets -- it's good to get them in the house, so to speak -- but we have to get them (fans) out. And we have good product, I feel real strong about it this year. We'll just go forward. I love Michigan. We're all going to come back. It's a great place to be. I feel optimistic but there's a long way to go. There's a lot of people who need jobs and that's primarily why we're stepping up for this (Wednesday's promotion at an Auburn Hills Costco), too.' "
- Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "It's not often that rookie free agent center Garret Siler is forced to look up to someone on a basketball court. But that's exactly what happened to the 7-footer Wednesday when Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum cut through the door of the Hawks' practice facility to get a workout in at the John 'Beans' Beckett Invitational. Bynum and Siler matched up in two different games and Siler acquitted himself well, neither big man dominated the action -- that honor belonged to veteran pro Jerry Stackhouse (who has been on a tear this week on both ends of the floor against players much younger). Siler said he was just happy to have the chance to compete against a pro of Bynum's caliber. 'This is the best test for me to see guys like [Hawks center] Al Horford and [Bynum] out here,' Siler said. 'It helps mentally when you can say, 'hey, i'm d'ing this guy up and he plays for the world champions. He's got a ring.' So if you can hold your own going against and he's not just destroying you, hey, you must be doing something right.' "
- Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News: "Fabricio Oberto needed to talk. I didn't know him well. We'd met at his first public Texas appearance, the day he was introduced as a member of the Spurs four years ago, but it's not like he was a popular locker-room interview subject. More often than not after games, he'd slip out past the crowds of cameras and microphones surrounding Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili without saying a word. But this day was different, and you didn't need to be a psychoanalyst to figure out why. We were bound for San Antonio -- the city he and his family had called home since 2005, the city where he was recently told he was no longer needed, and the city where the house he'd always figured he'd retire in now stood half-empty with a 'For Sale' sign in front of it. Understandably, Oberto had a few things on his mind. Most of us never dream we'll end up feeling sympathy for millionaires, particularly professional athletes. They live a recession-proof, jet-setting life of luxury, with ego-stroking admirers and work days that look like recess. Sure, they have their problems, but we'd trade ours for theirs in a heartbeat. So it's jarring, then, when you find yourself in the curious position of trying to cheer up a guy who spent your approximate net worth on his guest room. The conversation didn'
t start out that way -- in fact, the tipping point might have been a discussion about the upcoming Austin City Limits music festival. Last year, Oberto attended all three days. This year, he'll miss it because of the Washington Wizards' training camp. 'I wish I didn't have to leave,' he said." - Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: "Facing the possibility of a roster with about a half-dozen new faces, New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott figured some early bonding might be in order this season. What better way to accomplish that than having his team be a captive audience at the outset of training camp, where closeness for a week in Lafayette, Scott hopes, will breed brotherhood. 'With six or seven new faces, I just wanted us to get away,' Scott said Wednesday at the announcement that the Hornets will spend six days working at Louisiana-Lafayette's Leon Moncla indoor practice facility. 'I didn't want practice to end and everybody go home. I wanted us to be in a hotel close to one another. 'We're going to be at the hotel after practice having lunch together and then dinner; they are basically on their own. But you know when you've got guys in the same hotel, they'll start calling each other to see where they want to go for dinner, and that's just to speed up the camaraderie and the togetherness.' "
- Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic: "The Diamondbacks are stagnant, the Coyotes irrelevant and the Cardinals worrisome. If you are in need of a dose of positive Valley sports karma, spend a few minutes with Jared Dudley. Training camp opens in 11 days and no one is more excited about wearing a Suns jersey than the third-year forward. If you're looking for a tangible example of what's right with professional sports, for a guy who won't go Serena Williams on an official or suffer repeated bouts with unsportsmanlike behavior off the court, Dudley's your man. He's an NBA anomaly, a 6-foot-7 forward with questionable hops, so questionable that when he dunks in practice, his teammates stop action and demand it's recorded on video. If you put Dudley through NBA pre-draft workouts, 'in the combine portion, he'd come out undraftable,' David Griffin, the Suns senior vice president of basketball operations, said smiling. 'But in the Wonderlic category? He's a lottery pick.' "
- Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: "The Simons' stewardship of the Pacers always has been driven by the best intentions. NBA franchises aren't money trees, not until you sell them. This is a small market, and generating revenue is an annual, uphill battle. There are a million business propositions out there that are far more profitable than ownership of an NBA team. In the past year, we've seen Herb take a more active, hands-on role with the franchise, helping repair the reputation of a franchise that was once a model, only to fall into temporary disrepair after The Brawl. The Simons were (are) the best kinds of sports owners: Low-key, background sorts who have left the basketball to the basketball people and have given those basketball people the financial help they need to build a team. 'Mel was a giant of a man, and I suspect he was more responsible for making Indianapolis a big-league city than anybody,' said Morris, who is now the Pacers Sports & Entertainment president. 'His generosity, his unselfishness, his love for Downtown. It's an extraordinary story how Mel came here, chose to live here, built his business here. He could have lived anywhere in the world.' ... Mel and his brother have left Indianapolis with more gifts than we'll ever be able to count. And for that, we say thank you."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "For all the offseason drama created by Michael Beasley's time in a Houston rehab facility, Heat teammate Udonis Haslem said Wednesday that he expects the detour to have minimal impact on the team and its training camp. 'Everybody is making a big deal about Mike not being here because of the situation,' Haslem said. 'But, the truth of the matter is, a lot of guys haven't been here. Some guys are just coming back. So it's something that, obviously, I think has been blown out of proportion, just because of the situation of where he's at.' ... As Haslem spoke about Beasley, the Heat's other captain, Dwyane Wade, was dealing with an arbitration hearing regarding the guard's failed business dealings, noting on his Twitter account that it was a 'day of handling business.' Haslem said, as professionals, it is important such issues be managed in a manner that does not get in the way of team goals. 'Everybody has their own distractions,' he said. 'I'm dealing with my mother's cancer issues. None of those issues even compare to the issues that I'm going through. I don't focus on other people's issues; I focus on mine and I do what I have to do in my life. And when it's time to come to basketball, that's when I focus on the team.' Asked if he believed the Beasley or Wade situations would carry onto the practice court, he said, 'not at all, not at all.' "
- Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle: "In the conference semifinals against the Lakers , Aaron Brooks averaged 26.3 points in the three victories and 11.8 in four losses. Basically, when he played well the team won. When he didn't, it lost. It would be unfair to say success this coming season depends on Brooks' play, but when it comes to the Rockets' offense, you're not going to read an endless stream of 'Get the ball inside to Yao' stories. Brooks' stat line will be the first one checked after most games. 'I think there's going to be more pressure on me to make plays, not just score,' he said. 'We added some great pieces, so it'll be more on me to initiate the offense and get us some good looks.' Creating is not a particular strength of Brooks. He is a scorer. But as any middle schooler called into the principal's office would do -- we were in Dr. José Covarrubia's office -- Brooks defended himself. 'Passing's not my strongest suit -- I mean, my scoring ranks higher -- but I wouldn't say passing is a weakness,' he said. 'My first year, I could relax, throw the ball to Tracy or Yao, and sit in the corner waiting for 3s. It was very simple. It wasn't my team. Now I'm in a different role.' "
- Howard Beck of The New York Times: In a last-ditch effort to avert a lockout, the N.B.A.'s 57 referees have instead locked themselves in, setting up camp indefinitely at a Chicago airport hotel until they reach terms on a new contract. The referees met for seven hours Wednesday and unanimously rejected the N.B.A.'s latest offer. But they apparently sensed enough progress in the talks that they decided not to leave town. 'The referees are locking themselves in, in an effort to get a deal done as soon as possible,' Lamell McMorris, the referees' chief negotiator, said just after midnight, following the marathon meeting. He characterized the lock-in as a symbolic gesture that showed the referees' commitment to getting a deal done, even if it meant spending several days in a
hotel, rather than with their families. 'Every referee is here, from all around the country,' he said. 'They're not leaving.' " - Bill Bradley of The Sacramento Bee: "The NBA on Wednesday resumed negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement with its referees union. The previous agreement expired Sept. 1, and it doesn't look good for labor harmony before the 2009-10 season. As odd as it may sound, we could see replacement refs for the first time since 1995 when the NBA exhibition season starts Oct. 1. Some of the 57 refs have been quoted as saying they are bracing for a lockout when the regular season begins. There are lots of rumors the league has been hiring replacement refs from the NBA Development League. The sides have agreed on a two-year deal with no raises this season and 1 percent the next. The sticking point is the NBA wants to cut the referees' benefits, travel budget and per diems. Sure, start the jokes: Any three blind mice -- or even a disgraced Tim Donaghy -- could do as well. But with a possible work stoppage for the players in 2011, the NBA doesn't need to give the impression it has an inferior product. Officiating has been an NBA hot button. It doesn't need to push it."
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 |
