DENVER (AP)—The Denver Nuggets lost their best defenders this summer when they let Eduardo Najera and Marcus Camby get away.
So, what was all the talk about Monday on the eve of training camp?
Defense.
Denver’s never been known for its `D’, but coach George Karl said players and coaches alike will focus on defense this season after spending the last two years trying to match the Phoenix Suns’ up-tempo style.
He plans to change the team’s culture with a slew of new high-energy young players and a renewed commitment from his veterans.
That starts with Carmelo Anthony, whom he trusts will bring with him the lessons he learned from the U.S. Olympic team that rode its tenacious defense to the gold medal in Beijing.
“Our offense is there. Look, this man right here’s got over 20,000 points,” Anthony said, motioning toward Allen Iverson. “I know I can score with the best of ‘em. But that’s really not an issue for us right now. We’ve got to stop people.”
Anthony said all the stopping starts with him.
“You will see a different me,” he promised.
A leader. A stopper. A rebounder. Whatever it takes. Hustling back to the paint, funneling a player toward the help.
Anthony, who also has a national championship at Syracuse to his credit, still smarts when critics bring up his notoriously soft defense. He knows as the team’s superstar, though, he sets the tone and is its lightning rod.
“If I can stop five people out there on the court myself then I’d be the best to ever play this basketball team,” Anthony said. “There’s no ‘I’ in defense. The only thing I can concentrate on is my man and help the other four players on my team. I know I can play defense.”
And he’s certain his teammates can, too.
After a fifth consecutive first-round flop in the playoffs, the Nuggets lost Najera to the New Jersey Nets in free agency and traded Camby, the league’s top shot-blocker and a former defensive player of the year, to the Los Angeles Clippers for basically nothing in return except salary cap relief.
“I know a lot of people are saying that our defense left when Marcus Camby left,” Anthony said. “So, I think that gives us motivation to go out there and prove to everybody that we are going to come together as a team and play defense.
“I’m pretty sure you guys will see a different defensive team this year from the Denver Nuggets.”
The Nuggets averaged 110 points last season but they allowed 107, and the porous defense led to another first-round exit from the playoffs when the Los Angeles Lakers rendered them the first 50-win team to get swept in the postseason.
Karl, an old-fashioned, defensive-minded coach who has spent his last decade in the NBA watching his teams in Milwaukee and Denver light up the scoreboard and more often than not fail to sprint back to the paint to deny baskets, said this team is the faster, quicker and more athletic than any one he’s coached in Denver.
Iverson, known more for his ballhandling skills than his steals, said he’s willing to commit to playing better defense, too.
“I’ve been in this league going on my 13th year and I’ve been to the finals once. I would have thought I’d have been there five or six times by now and won a championship,” Iverson said. “So, obviously, the commitment is there from me to sacrifice my game, do whatever the team needs me to do.”
Karl isn’t expecting miracles, just movement.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
James confident he can lead Cavaliers to NBA crown
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP)—LeBron James keeps his Olympic gold medal in his home office, and from time to time Cleveland’s star takes a peek at it.
“It’s a pretty sight,” he said.
James spent part of his summer helping the U.S. basketball team redeem its global superiority by winning it all at the Beijing Games. At just 23, he was the undisputed leader of that 12-player squad comprised of superstar talents and supersized egos.
“If you can lead 11 of the best guys in the world, you can lead anybody,” James said Monday. “If I can lead Kobe Bryant and MVPs, I should be able to lead Daniel Gibson.”
James has visions of another exquisite, glittering prize—the NBA championship trophy. And he thinks it’s within the Cavaliers’ reach.
“As a leader, I think I can lead these guys to the championship,” he said. “We really believe that. It’s not about making the playoffs for our team anymore. It’s about winning a championship.”
The Cavaliers have come close. Two years ago, they made their first trip to the finals before being overwhelmed and swept in four straight by the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, they pushed the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals but lost.
This year, the Cavs, who acquired point guard Mo Williams this summer in a trade from Milwaukee, feel they can finish the job.
“We all have one goal, and that’s a championship,” said Williams, who averaged 17.2 points, 6.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds for the Bucks. “That’s the goal, and we’re not just talk. Every team in the league on media day is saying they are going to win a championship. But we’re confident. We know that if we put in the work and focus, we can do it. It’s all we talk about.”
On the eve of opening training camp, Cleveland is already in better shape than it was at the same point last year.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron Ja… AP - Sep 29, 6:26 pm EDT
James seems to have already developed a strong bond with Williams, who scored a season-high 37 points against the Cavaliers last season.
“Mo Williams is an unbelievable talent,” James said. “You can watch any film of what he did to us last year in four games. It was like, ‘Wow, he either has something against us or he’s sending up smoke signals to go get him in a trade.”
Williams is the best point guard Cleveland has had since James arrived, and with him on the floor, the Cavs should be able to play at a faster pace than in previous years. James wishes all the talk would stop.
“It’s a pretty sight,” he said.
James spent part of his summer helping the U.S. basketball team redeem its global superiority by winning it all at the Beijing Games. At just 23, he was the undisputed leader of that 12-player squad comprised of superstar talents and supersized egos.
“If you can lead 11 of the best guys in the world, you can lead anybody,” James said Monday. “If I can lead Kobe Bryant and MVPs, I should be able to lead Daniel Gibson.”
James has visions of another exquisite, glittering prize—the NBA championship trophy. And he thinks it’s within the Cavaliers’ reach.
“As a leader, I think I can lead these guys to the championship,” he said. “We really believe that. It’s not about making the playoffs for our team anymore. It’s about winning a championship.”
The Cavaliers have come close. Two years ago, they made their first trip to the finals before being overwhelmed and swept in four straight by the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, they pushed the eventual champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals but lost.
This year, the Cavs, who acquired point guard Mo Williams this summer in a trade from Milwaukee, feel they can finish the job.
“We all have one goal, and that’s a championship,” said Williams, who averaged 17.2 points, 6.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds for the Bucks. “That’s the goal, and we’re not just talk. Every team in the league on media day is saying they are going to win a championship. But we’re confident. We know that if we put in the work and focus, we can do it. It’s all we talk about.”
On the eve of opening training camp, Cleveland is already in better shape than it was at the same point last year.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron Ja… AP - Sep 29, 6:26 pm EDT
James seems to have already developed a strong bond with Williams, who scored a season-high 37 points against the Cavaliers last season.
“Mo Williams is an unbelievable talent,” James said. “You can watch any film of what he did to us last year in four games. It was like, ‘Wow, he either has something against us or he’s sending up smoke signals to go get him in a trade.”
Williams is the best point guard Cleveland has had since James arrived, and with him on the floor, the Cavs should be able to play at a faster pace than in previous years. James wishes all the talk would stop.
Slimmer O’Neal expecting big things from Raptors
TORONTO (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal sweated through endless hours of workouts this summer, but those sessions were a breeze compared to breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Told to drop a few pounds to take some weight off his surgically repaired left knee, O’Neal cut sugar, bread and dairy products out of his diet for eight weeks. The Toronto Raptors center called it “the biggest challenge” of his offseason.
“They felt that it would be important for me, because I was really top-heavy the last two years, to trim down and take some of the pressure off my knees,” O’Neal said Monday at Raptors media day. “They told me 10-12 pounds would be the ideal weight for my knee to stay healthy, to be able to actually elevate and get my explosion back. I did that, and I feel exactly what they were talking about.”
Still, the steady diet of broccoli, carrots and green beans grew a little tiresome, leaving O’Neal longing for his favorite treats.
“When you wake up in the morning, you don’t want to eat oatmeal with no sugar everyday,” O’Neal said. “You want the French toast, you want the pancakes, you want that stuff. I struggled through that but I got through it.”
O’Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade that sent point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic and draft pick Roy Hibbert to the Pacers, missed 40 games last season because of lingering pain from a torn ligament in his left knee that was surgically repaired the previous summer.
The dietary regimen and the hours in the gym were part of O’Neal’s desire to pay back Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo for providing him with a fresh start.
“Bryan really stuck his neck out for me,” O’Neal said. “I’m willing to do what I need to do to make him look good about the trade.”
Colangelo said O’Neal’s rebounding ability “changes the entire dynamic of what we’ve got,” making this the best squad he’s had since joining the Raptors in February, 2006 “In terms of core talent, yes, I’d have to think that this is the best,” Colangelo said. “At every position, we’ve got the talent that we feel we can compete.”
Having reached his target weight, the slimmed-down O’Neal allowed himself a reward.
“I had two cupcakes,” he said. “Very good. Two Red Devil cupcakes. I enjoyed it.”
His sweet tooth satisfied and his body in shape, O’Neal will open his first training camp with the Raptors on Tuesday. At the top of the agenda is figuring out how best to team up with U.S. Olympian Chris Bosh in the Toronto frontcourt.
“I think we’re all excited, just in the potential that he brings to this team,” Bosh said of O’Neal, a six-time All-Star. “If we get on the same page, I think we can do a lot of big things.”
Bosh has only played against O’Neal during informal scrimmages this week, but that will change when training camp begins in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Told to drop a few pounds to take some weight off his surgically repaired left knee, O’Neal cut sugar, bread and dairy products out of his diet for eight weeks. The Toronto Raptors center called it “the biggest challenge” of his offseason.
“They felt that it would be important for me, because I was really top-heavy the last two years, to trim down and take some of the pressure off my knees,” O’Neal said Monday at Raptors media day. “They told me 10-12 pounds would be the ideal weight for my knee to stay healthy, to be able to actually elevate and get my explosion back. I did that, and I feel exactly what they were talking about.”
Still, the steady diet of broccoli, carrots and green beans grew a little tiresome, leaving O’Neal longing for his favorite treats.
“When you wake up in the morning, you don’t want to eat oatmeal with no sugar everyday,” O’Neal said. “You want the French toast, you want the pancakes, you want that stuff. I struggled through that but I got through it.”
O’Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade that sent point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic and draft pick Roy Hibbert to the Pacers, missed 40 games last season because of lingering pain from a torn ligament in his left knee that was surgically repaired the previous summer.
The dietary regimen and the hours in the gym were part of O’Neal’s desire to pay back Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo for providing him with a fresh start.
“Bryan really stuck his neck out for me,” O’Neal said. “I’m willing to do what I need to do to make him look good about the trade.”
Colangelo said O’Neal’s rebounding ability “changes the entire dynamic of what we’ve got,” making this the best squad he’s had since joining the Raptors in February, 2006 “In terms of core talent, yes, I’d have to think that this is the best,” Colangelo said. “At every position, we’ve got the talent that we feel we can compete.”
Having reached his target weight, the slimmed-down O’Neal allowed himself a reward.
“I had two cupcakes,” he said. “Very good. Two Red Devil cupcakes. I enjoyed it.”
His sweet tooth satisfied and his body in shape, O’Neal will open his first training camp with the Raptors on Tuesday. At the top of the agenda is figuring out how best to team up with U.S. Olympian Chris Bosh in the Toronto frontcourt.
“I think we’re all excited, just in the potential that he brings to this team,” Bosh said of O’Neal, a six-time All-Star. “If we get on the same page, I think we can do a lot of big things.”
Bosh has only played against O’Neal during informal scrimmages this week, but that will change when training camp begins in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Cassell back to help Celtics defend NBA title
BOSTON (AP)—Of all the issues Doc Rivers had to deal with in his first summer as an NBA champion—replacing the free agents who left, working on his golf game, figuring out what to wear to the White House—there’s one thing that never came up.
“I can’t imagine even seeing a laid-back Kevin Garnett,” Rivers said Monday. “I don’t think that will happen. So I don’t worry about that part.”
The Boston Celtics coach gathered with his title-winning team for media day at its practice facility, where a shiny white 2008 championship banner is already covering the empty spot where Rivers pointed a spotlight last year— just in case anyone didn’t get the point. It was the NBA-record 17th title for the team, the first since 1986, and no one in the organization wants to go through a similar drought before Banner No. 18.
“You do not get to a level and then step backward,” Garnett said. “It will probably be the hardest thing we’ve done, other than getting the first championship.”
The Celtics won last season after one of the most dramatic offseason overhauls in NBA history, bringing in Garnett and Ray Allen to join with Paul Pierce in a new Big Three that managed, in its first year together, to add to the title cache amassed by previous Boston legends like Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.
But the original Big Three didn’t stop at one—they won in 1981, ‘84 and ‘86. And, after showing last season what a little championship hunger can do, the new threesome wants more, too.
“You look around at all the banners, all the great teams, all the great players that have been here, they did it more than once,” Pierce said. “That’s what it’s going to take to get to that next level with the other Celtics greats.”
The team begins that effort on Tuesday when they begin training camp in earnest at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. It’s not exactly Rome, where the Celtics trained last year as part of an effort to bring all of the new players together, but the mission is different this time, too.
“The bonding is there,” Rivers said. “When you do something we’ve done, and we went on that long journey. That can’t go away. I don’t think we need to go to Europe again.”
Rivers said the team had to deal with the pressure of being the favorite all last season, when it won its first eight games, opened 20-2 and cruised to the best record in the NBA.
“We were on every magazine cover you could be on without actually doing something,” he said. “At least this year we’ve earned that right.”
They’ll collect the rest of their spoils before the season opener on Oct. 28 against Cleveland and LeBron James, whom Boston dispatched in the Eastern Conference semifinals in an epic seven-game series. Past Celtics greats, and NBA commissioner David Stern, are scheduled to be in attendance when another banner is raised above the Boston Garden court and the players will get their championship rings.
Then, if Rivers and the Big Three have their way, there will be no more talking about last season.
“The three of us are not going to be answering a lot of questions dealing with ‘08,” Garnett said.
After spending part of his summer talking to coaches—many of them retired, or from other sports—who have won back-to-back titles, Rivers knows what he has to do, too.
“We need to shake ourselves out of the parade route,” Rivers said. “We won because we were a hardworking team. We have to get back to that.”
Also Monday, backup point guard Sam Cassell showed up for media day and signed a new contract.
“I can’t imagine even seeing a laid-back Kevin Garnett,” Rivers said Monday. “I don’t think that will happen. So I don’t worry about that part.”
The Boston Celtics coach gathered with his title-winning team for media day at its practice facility, where a shiny white 2008 championship banner is already covering the empty spot where Rivers pointed a spotlight last year— just in case anyone didn’t get the point. It was the NBA-record 17th title for the team, the first since 1986, and no one in the organization wants to go through a similar drought before Banner No. 18.
“You do not get to a level and then step backward,” Garnett said. “It will probably be the hardest thing we’ve done, other than getting the first championship.”
The Celtics won last season after one of the most dramatic offseason overhauls in NBA history, bringing in Garnett and Ray Allen to join with Paul Pierce in a new Big Three that managed, in its first year together, to add to the title cache amassed by previous Boston legends like Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.
But the original Big Three didn’t stop at one—they won in 1981, ‘84 and ‘86. And, after showing last season what a little championship hunger can do, the new threesome wants more, too.
“You look around at all the banners, all the great teams, all the great players that have been here, they did it more than once,” Pierce said. “That’s what it’s going to take to get to that next level with the other Celtics greats.”
The team begins that effort on Tuesday when they begin training camp in earnest at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. It’s not exactly Rome, where the Celtics trained last year as part of an effort to bring all of the new players together, but the mission is different this time, too.
“The bonding is there,” Rivers said. “When you do something we’ve done, and we went on that long journey. That can’t go away. I don’t think we need to go to Europe again.”
Rivers said the team had to deal with the pressure of being the favorite all last season, when it won its first eight games, opened 20-2 and cruised to the best record in the NBA.
“We were on every magazine cover you could be on without actually doing something,” he said. “At least this year we’ve earned that right.”
They’ll collect the rest of their spoils before the season opener on Oct. 28 against Cleveland and LeBron James, whom Boston dispatched in the Eastern Conference semifinals in an epic seven-game series. Past Celtics greats, and NBA commissioner David Stern, are scheduled to be in attendance when another banner is raised above the Boston Garden court and the players will get their championship rings.
Then, if Rivers and the Big Three have their way, there will be no more talking about last season.
“The three of us are not going to be answering a lot of questions dealing with ‘08,” Garnett said.
After spending part of his summer talking to coaches—many of them retired, or from other sports—who have won back-to-back titles, Rivers knows what he has to do, too.
“We need to shake ourselves out of the parade route,” Rivers said. “We won because we were a hardworking team. We have to get back to that.”
Also Monday, backup point guard Sam Cassell showed up for media day and signed a new contract.
Mavs’ Howard apologizes for troublesome behavior
DALLAS (AP)—Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard took a first step toward repairing his damaged reputation Monday, saying he was sorry for disrespecting the national anthem.
“I’d like to say that I’m truly and really am sorry for everything that’s happened in the last five months,” Howard said in a statement before taking questions from reporters on the first day of Mavericks training camp. “This is not the way I carry myself, not how I want to be portrayed. I’m sorry to everybody I’ve offended. I’m upset with myself and the way I’ve acted.”
In a video posted recently on YouTube, Howard was shown at a charity flag football game. As the national anthem plays in the background, Howard approaches a camera and says: “‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is going on right now. I don’t even celebrate that (expletive). I’m black.”
The video, which was widely viewed on the Internet, prompted blistering criticisms, including some racially charged e-mails that owner Mark Cuban posted on his blog.
In his first public appearance since the video was posted, Howard said he loves his country.
“It was me joking around,” he said. “Guys were out there making fun and I decided to get along in it. I wasn’t using my head. I guess the valuable lesson I did learn is that words really do hurt. You’re held accountable for what you say.
“That’s not me. … I went to military school. I have friends that served in the military. I know how it is to wake up and salute the flag. The national anthem every game, I have my hand over my heart.”
Howard had another off-court incident during the off-season when he was arrested in July after police said he was drag racing at 94 mph in a 55 mph zone.
He said he knows that there will be some fan backlash about his troubled summer.
“I’ll try to win them back,” he said. “Whatever it takes me to do that, I’ll do it.”
Howard also was criticized last season for saying in a radio interview during a first-round playoff series against New Orleans that he occasionally smokes marijuana. Later that same series, he angered coach Avery Johnson by throwing himself a birthday party after a Game 4 loss to the Hornets.
“It was a rough summer for him, but I believe in his heart he’s a good guy,” teammate Dirk Nowitzki said. “He just made some bad decisions.”
Howard said another mistake he made was not addressing the national anthem controversy when it first surfaced.
“I didn’t do anything to correct it. I let a lot of stuff go,” he said. “It wasn’t me. I’m trying to move forward. This (the press conference) is the perfect opportunity. Everybody’s here. There’s nothing to hide. I made a mistake. I’m ready to move forward.”
Rick Carlisle, who was hired as Mavericks coach after Johnson was fired following Dallas’ first-round playoff exit, visited Howard at his North Carolina home during the summer. Carlisle expects a strong season from Howard.
“I know he’s going to be motivated both on the floor and in terms of how he represents this franchise,” Carlisle said.
Howard, who enters his sixth NBA season, averaged 19.9 points and seven rebounds last season.
“I’d like to say that I’m truly and really am sorry for everything that’s happened in the last five months,” Howard said in a statement before taking questions from reporters on the first day of Mavericks training camp. “This is not the way I carry myself, not how I want to be portrayed. I’m sorry to everybody I’ve offended. I’m upset with myself and the way I’ve acted.”
In a video posted recently on YouTube, Howard was shown at a charity flag football game. As the national anthem plays in the background, Howard approaches a camera and says: “‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is going on right now. I don’t even celebrate that (expletive). I’m black.”
The video, which was widely viewed on the Internet, prompted blistering criticisms, including some racially charged e-mails that owner Mark Cuban posted on his blog.
In his first public appearance since the video was posted, Howard said he loves his country.
“It was me joking around,” he said. “Guys were out there making fun and I decided to get along in it. I wasn’t using my head. I guess the valuable lesson I did learn is that words really do hurt. You’re held accountable for what you say.
“That’s not me. … I went to military school. I have friends that served in the military. I know how it is to wake up and salute the flag. The national anthem every game, I have my hand over my heart.”
Howard had another off-court incident during the off-season when he was arrested in July after police said he was drag racing at 94 mph in a 55 mph zone.
He said he knows that there will be some fan backlash about his troubled summer.
“I’ll try to win them back,” he said. “Whatever it takes me to do that, I’ll do it.”
Howard also was criticized last season for saying in a radio interview during a first-round playoff series against New Orleans that he occasionally smokes marijuana. Later that same series, he angered coach Avery Johnson by throwing himself a birthday party after a Game 4 loss to the Hornets.
“It was a rough summer for him, but I believe in his heart he’s a good guy,” teammate Dirk Nowitzki said. “He just made some bad decisions.”
Howard said another mistake he made was not addressing the national anthem controversy when it first surfaced.
“I didn’t do anything to correct it. I let a lot of stuff go,” he said. “It wasn’t me. I’m trying to move forward. This (the press conference) is the perfect opportunity. Everybody’s here. There’s nothing to hide. I made a mistake. I’m ready to move forward.”
Rick Carlisle, who was hired as Mavericks coach after Johnson was fired following Dallas’ first-round playoff exit, visited Howard at his North Carolina home during the summer. Carlisle expects a strong season from Howard.
“I know he’s going to be motivated both on the floor and in terms of how he represents this franchise,” Carlisle said.
Howard, who enters his sixth NBA season, averaged 19.9 points and seven rebounds last season.
McGrady says shoulder arthritic, knee slow to heal
HOUSTON (AP)—The Houston Rockets, buzzing about the arrival of Ron Artest, already have injury concerns with Tracy McGrady.
Houston’s leading scorer said Monday that his left shoulder is arthritic and will require surgery after this season. He also said his left knee is healing slower than expected from surgery in the spring.
McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24, and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season. He had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his shoulder and knee. He said his knee is “probably 75-80 percent” healthy and will take another two months to fully heal.
McGrady said an MRI revealed the arthritis in his shoulder.
“That’s something I’ve got to deal with again this season,” said McGrady, who averaged 21.6 points last season and was selected third-team all-NBA. “My knee should be ready to go by opening night.”
McGrady said the shoulder injury was not going to keep him out of practices or games, but added that, “it’s going to bother me.”
On Tuesday, the Rockets hold their first practice with Artest after picking him up in an August trade with Sacramento. Houston went 55-27 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
Artest adds versatility on both ends—a lockdown defender who can match up with guards or forwards and a multidimensional scorer who should take some of the offensive burden off McGrady and Yao Ming.
McGrady had to handle more of the offensive load when Yao broke his left foot in late February. He’s averaged more than 21 points for the last eight seasons, but is 0-7 in playoff series.
In Artest, he may have finally found the perfect offensive complement.
“I know I get criticized a lot for not leading my team out of the playoffs,” McGrady said. “It’s hard when you don’t have those pieces that you need to elevate you to that next level. Now, I have that and we’ll see what happens.”
Artest can also step into the role Shane Battier played for the Rockets last season, defending the opposing team’s top scorer. Artest said he was asked to score more for the Kings last season and that coach Reggie Theus told him to ease up on defense to conserve energy.
Houston’s leading scorer said Monday that his left shoulder is arthritic and will require surgery after this season. He also said his left knee is healing slower than expected from surgery in the spring.
McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24, and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season. He had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his shoulder and knee. He said his knee is “probably 75-80 percent” healthy and will take another two months to fully heal.
McGrady said an MRI revealed the arthritis in his shoulder.
“That’s something I’ve got to deal with again this season,” said McGrady, who averaged 21.6 points last season and was selected third-team all-NBA. “My knee should be ready to go by opening night.”
McGrady said the shoulder injury was not going to keep him out of practices or games, but added that, “it’s going to bother me.”
On Tuesday, the Rockets hold their first practice with Artest after picking him up in an August trade with Sacramento. Houston went 55-27 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
Artest adds versatility on both ends—a lockdown defender who can match up with guards or forwards and a multidimensional scorer who should take some of the offensive burden off McGrady and Yao Ming.
McGrady had to handle more of the offensive load when Yao broke his left foot in late February. He’s averaged more than 21 points for the last eight seasons, but is 0-7 in playoff series.
In Artest, he may have finally found the perfect offensive complement.
“I know I get criticized a lot for not leading my team out of the playoffs,” McGrady said. “It’s hard when you don’t have those pieces that you need to elevate you to that next level. Now, I have that and we’ll see what happens.”
Artest can also step into the role Shane Battier played for the Rockets last season, defending the opposing team’s top scorer. Artest said he was asked to score more for the Kings last season and that coach Reggie Theus told him to ease up on defense to conserve energy.
Spurs’ Ginobili continues surgery recovery
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—There was no noticeable limp when Manu Ginobili walked into the San Antonio Spurs training facility Monday.
Even better, there was no sign of bad feelings from his teammates.
Ginobili, who had surgery on his left ankle in early September, could miss at least two months of the season. Though off crutches and out of a protective boot, he’s still got plenty of rehab.
“It could be a blessing he’s gotten operated on, and (surgeons) went in there and cleaned things out,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Had he not hurt it in the Olympics, he probably would have done it 15, 25, 35 games into the season.
“His ankle probably would be in better shape now than it’s been in years.”
Popovich had advised the 31-year-old Ginobili not to play for Argentina in China after he hurt the ankle during the Western Conference semifinals against New Orleans, then aggravated the injury in the Western finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Spurs have delayed contract extension talks until Ginobili recovers from surgery. The sixth-year guard has two seasons remaining on his contract.
“They told me eight to 12 weeks, so I’m looking for eight,” he said. “I would like to make it for the beginning of the season, but I know they are going to be very cautious.”
And Ginobili, who helped Argentina to a bronze medal, defended his decision to play. Though Popovich advised him not to play, he did not tell Ginobili he could not play. And he sent a trainer to monitor Ginobili’s progress while the national team prepared in Argentina.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Ginobili said. “I did everything the Spurs told me to. They gave me the go-ahead to play, and I did.”
Teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker recognize the team will have to make adjustments while Ginobili sits.
“Everybody is going to have to step up their game,” Parker said.
The Spurs lost Brent Barry to free agency, so Michael Finley might start in Ginobili’s place. And the team also added free agent guard Roger Mason Jr., who averaged nearly 10 points per game and started nine games for the Washington Wizards while Gilbert Arenas was out with an injury.
Even better, there was no sign of bad feelings from his teammates.
Ginobili, who had surgery on his left ankle in early September, could miss at least two months of the season. Though off crutches and out of a protective boot, he’s still got plenty of rehab.
“It could be a blessing he’s gotten operated on, and (surgeons) went in there and cleaned things out,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Had he not hurt it in the Olympics, he probably would have done it 15, 25, 35 games into the season.
“His ankle probably would be in better shape now than it’s been in years.”
Popovich had advised the 31-year-old Ginobili not to play for Argentina in China after he hurt the ankle during the Western Conference semifinals against New Orleans, then aggravated the injury in the Western finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Spurs have delayed contract extension talks until Ginobili recovers from surgery. The sixth-year guard has two seasons remaining on his contract.
“They told me eight to 12 weeks, so I’m looking for eight,” he said. “I would like to make it for the beginning of the season, but I know they are going to be very cautious.”
And Ginobili, who helped Argentina to a bronze medal, defended his decision to play. Though Popovich advised him not to play, he did not tell Ginobili he could not play. And he sent a trainer to monitor Ginobili’s progress while the national team prepared in Argentina.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Ginobili said. “I did everything the Spurs told me to. They gave me the go-ahead to play, and I did.”
Teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker recognize the team will have to make adjustments while Ginobili sits.
“Everybody is going to have to step up their game,” Parker said.
The Spurs lost Brent Barry to free agency, so Michael Finley might start in Ginobili’s place. And the team also added free agent guard Roger Mason Jr., who averaged nearly 10 points per game and started nine games for the Washington Wizards while Gilbert Arenas was out with an injury.
Boston's Garnett opens camp on another mission
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Kevin Garnett hasn't had a shorter offseason. And the Boston Celtics star couldn't be happier.
Garnett typically starts working out in mid-June in preparation for the season. His routine, however, changed after he led the Celtics to their first title in 22 years in 2008. Although Garnett's regimen was cut short by a month and a half, he will be in typically great shape for the 2008-09 season, and dreaming of another short summer.
"It's going to be the biggest challenge," Garnett said of repeating yesterday while promoting the NBA 2K9 video game. "But I'm telling you, man, I want to take time to enjoy these next four years. That's not to say I'm going to let up or anything like that. But I'm going to go at this [because] I like how this felt. I need a couple more short summers like this.
"Give me a couple more short summers where I feel like with this team, [we] set our mark. Every Celtics team sort of had their run, and its multiples. It's only right that we set our mark in this league like Timmy [Duncan] has done it with the Spurs, Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [O'Neal] have done it [with the Lakers]. This is my opportunity to do that. I'm trying to take advantage of it fully right now."
The Celtics played more postseason games than any team in NBA history last season. Also, the well-traveled Celtics had training camp and preseason games in Rome and London last year. After the Celtics won the title, a tired Garnett knew it was important to unlace his sneakers for a while. The 2008 Defensive Player of the Year celebrated with teammates in Las Vegas in late June. Garnett said he also used July as "a vacation."
Kevin Garnett hasn't had a shorter offseason. And the Boston Celtics star couldn't be happier.
Garnett typically starts working out in mid-June in preparation for the season. His routine, however, changed after he led the Celtics to their first title in 22 years in 2008. Although Garnett's regimen was cut short by a month and a half, he will be in typically great shape for the 2008-09 season, and dreaming of another short summer.
"It's going to be the biggest challenge," Garnett said of repeating yesterday while promoting the NBA 2K9 video game. "But I'm telling you, man, I want to take time to enjoy these next four years. That's not to say I'm going to let up or anything like that. But I'm going to go at this [because] I like how this felt. I need a couple more short summers like this.
"Give me a couple more short summers where I feel like with this team, [we] set our mark. Every Celtics team sort of had their run, and its multiples. It's only right that we set our mark in this league like Timmy [Duncan] has done it with the Spurs, Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [O'Neal] have done it [with the Lakers]. This is my opportunity to do that. I'm trying to take advantage of it fully right now."
The Celtics played more postseason games than any team in NBA history last season. Also, the well-traveled Celtics had training camp and preseason games in Rome and London last year. After the Celtics won the title, a tired Garnett knew it was important to unlace his sneakers for a while. The 2008 Defensive Player of the Year celebrated with teammates in Las Vegas in late June. Garnett said he also used July as "a vacation."
Gordon’s contract status up in air
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP)—Ben Gordon’s contract status remained unsettled and the fifth-year guard and the Chicago Bulls are both hoping for a resolution by midweek.
Gordon was on hand for the team’s media day Monday, the day before training camp opens, but said he won’t practice until after Wednesday’s deadline to accept a one-year qualifying offer.
According to published reports, Gordon was expected to sign a one-year deal worth $6.4 million by Wednesday, then become an unrestricted free agent following the season. He reportedly rejected a five-year, $50 million deal last summer.
“I thought (a deal) would be done by now,” said Gordon, Chicago’s leading scorer last season with an 18.6-point average. “I’m disappointed that it lasted all the way into training camp.”
Bulls general manager John Paxson said negotiations with Gordon’s agents will continue.
“We’re still seeing if there’s a way to come to some resolution,” Paxson said. “As I said the other day, we have anticipated that Ben would sign the qualifying offer. … One way or another, it’s pretty obvious that Ben’s going to be a part of this team this year.”
Gordon said he would be on hand when two-a-day practice sessions begin Tuesday.
“I’ll be here watching, but I’m going to wait (to practice) until my decision on Wednesday,” he said.
Gordon’s contract status drew as much attention at media day as rookie guard Derrick Rose and first-year Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.
Rose, the overall No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, said he’s ready to go.
“I just want to make sure that we have a lot of energy in practice and while I’m on the court we play hard,” said Rose, a native of Chicago whose lone season at Memphis resulted in an NCAA title game appearance. “I also want to make sure that we win a couple more games than we did last year.”
The 41-year-old Del Negro, named the Bulls’ 17th head coach in June, said his own rookie season will be a learning process.
“I don’t know if you’re ever ready, I don’t care how many years of experience you have,” he said.
“There’s always different things you can learn as a coach. … There’s no magical potion, it’s about going out there on a daily basis, learning things and gaining trust from the players and working together.”
Del Negro succeeded Jim Boylan, who had stepped in on an interim basis last April after Scott Skiles was fired after nearly five seasons as head coach.
The Bulls welcome back nearly the entire team that finished 33-49 last season.
Gordon was on hand for the team’s media day Monday, the day before training camp opens, but said he won’t practice until after Wednesday’s deadline to accept a one-year qualifying offer.
According to published reports, Gordon was expected to sign a one-year deal worth $6.4 million by Wednesday, then become an unrestricted free agent following the season. He reportedly rejected a five-year, $50 million deal last summer.
“I thought (a deal) would be done by now,” said Gordon, Chicago’s leading scorer last season with an 18.6-point average. “I’m disappointed that it lasted all the way into training camp.”
Bulls general manager John Paxson said negotiations with Gordon’s agents will continue.
“We’re still seeing if there’s a way to come to some resolution,” Paxson said. “As I said the other day, we have anticipated that Ben would sign the qualifying offer. … One way or another, it’s pretty obvious that Ben’s going to be a part of this team this year.”
Gordon said he would be on hand when two-a-day practice sessions begin Tuesday.
“I’ll be here watching, but I’m going to wait (to practice) until my decision on Wednesday,” he said.
Gordon’s contract status drew as much attention at media day as rookie guard Derrick Rose and first-year Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro.
Rose, the overall No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, said he’s ready to go.
“I just want to make sure that we have a lot of energy in practice and while I’m on the court we play hard,” said Rose, a native of Chicago whose lone season at Memphis resulted in an NCAA title game appearance. “I also want to make sure that we win a couple more games than we did last year.”
The 41-year-old Del Negro, named the Bulls’ 17th head coach in June, said his own rookie season will be a learning process.
“I don’t know if you’re ever ready, I don’t care how many years of experience you have,” he said.
“There’s always different things you can learn as a coach. … There’s no magical potion, it’s about going out there on a daily basis, learning things and gaining trust from the players and working together.”
Del Negro succeeded Jim Boylan, who had stepped in on an interim basis last April after Scott Skiles was fired after nearly five seasons as head coach.
The Bulls welcome back nearly the entire team that finished 33-49 last season.
Miami Heat GM Randy Pfund resigns
MIAMI (AP)—Heat general manager Randy Pfund, who helped Miami win the 2006 NBA championship as the highlight of his 13 years with the franchise, resigned Monday.
Pfund said Monday night that it was “the perfect time to pursue other opportunities within the NBA,” without offering specifics.
Team president Pat Riley—who already had final say on virtually all personnel moves—will assume at least some of Pfund’s duties, which included overseeing draft preparation, scouting, salary cap management and player personnel decisions.
“Randy Pfund has done a tremendous job for the Heat, helping to build this team into a champion,” Riley said in a statement. “His work ethic and contributions to the organization have been invaluable. I’ve known Randy for over 20 years and in addition to our great working relationship he has been a wonderful friend.”
With Riley stepping down as head coach after last season and settling into a full-time front office role, it wasn’t clear how much room Pfund still had in the Heat decision-making process.
A team spokesman said Pfund’s decision was not related to the recent promotion of Nick Arison, the son of Heat owner Micky Arison and a minority partner in the franchise, to vice president of basketball operations. Nick Arison will serve largely in an administrative capacity—not necessarily relating to personnel, the team said.
But with that move, combined with Riley’s hiring of longtime friend Ed Maull years ago to assist him on the operations side, the Heat front office clearly had an abundance of voices.
In a statement, Pfund thanked Micky Arison, Riley and their wives “for the opportunity to work for the Heat.”
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Pfund said. “Additionally, I want to thank Pat for all his support and friendship over these last 20-something years.”
Wade led the Heat to a championship three years later.
Riley credited Pfund again this summer, when the Heat had the No. 2 overall selection and chose Michael Beasley, even though there was a sense that Miami would have preferred not to take the Kansas State forward.
Pfund, Riley said, was one of three people who “got me in a room and made sure that Mr. Beasley was going to be part of the Miami Heat.”
It wasn’t clear how much time Pfund had remaining on his contract. He received an extension from the team last year, but the terms were never publicly disclosed.
Pfund began coaching at a high school in Illinois in the mid-1970s, then went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he worked for Chet Kammerer, who currently serves as the Heat’s vice president of player personnel. Eventually, Pfund was hired as an assistant coach on Riley’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers, and after Riley left the West coast, Pfund took over as head coach for parts of two seasons in the early 1990s.
Pfund said Monday night that it was “the perfect time to pursue other opportunities within the NBA,” without offering specifics.
Team president Pat Riley—who already had final say on virtually all personnel moves—will assume at least some of Pfund’s duties, which included overseeing draft preparation, scouting, salary cap management and player personnel decisions.
“Randy Pfund has done a tremendous job for the Heat, helping to build this team into a champion,” Riley said in a statement. “His work ethic and contributions to the organization have been invaluable. I’ve known Randy for over 20 years and in addition to our great working relationship he has been a wonderful friend.”
With Riley stepping down as head coach after last season and settling into a full-time front office role, it wasn’t clear how much room Pfund still had in the Heat decision-making process.
A team spokesman said Pfund’s decision was not related to the recent promotion of Nick Arison, the son of Heat owner Micky Arison and a minority partner in the franchise, to vice president of basketball operations. Nick Arison will serve largely in an administrative capacity—not necessarily relating to personnel, the team said.
But with that move, combined with Riley’s hiring of longtime friend Ed Maull years ago to assist him on the operations side, the Heat front office clearly had an abundance of voices.
In a statement, Pfund thanked Micky Arison, Riley and their wives “for the opportunity to work for the Heat.”
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Pfund said. “Additionally, I want to thank Pat for all his support and friendship over these last 20-something years.”
Wade led the Heat to a championship three years later.
Riley credited Pfund again this summer, when the Heat had the No. 2 overall selection and chose Michael Beasley, even though there was a sense that Miami would have preferred not to take the Kansas State forward.
Pfund, Riley said, was one of three people who “got me in a room and made sure that Mr. Beasley was going to be part of the Miami Heat.”
It wasn’t clear how much time Pfund had remaining on his contract. He received an extension from the team last year, but the terms were never publicly disclosed.
Pfund began coaching at a high school in Illinois in the mid-1970s, then went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., where he worked for Chet Kammerer, who currently serves as the Heat’s vice president of player personnel. Eventually, Pfund was hired as an assistant coach on Riley’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers, and after Riley left the West coast, Pfund took over as head coach for parts of two seasons in the early 1990s.
Grizzlies’ Arthur would like to let smoke clear
Less than six months have passed since Darrell Arthur went for 20 points and 10 rebounds to help Kansas win the NCAA championship game. But playing such a key role in one of the most memorable comebacks in tournament history feels like much longer ago.
“Seems like a couple of years ago with everything that’s happened,” Arthur said Wednesday in a telephone interview with Sporting News.
Indeed. Since the Jayhawks celebrated in San Antonio, Arthur twice has made news for reasons he wishes he hadn’t. On draft night, he was expected to be a top-20 pick, but dropped to 27th at least in part because of an alleged kidney problem. Then he was traded three times before the draft was over, ending up with the Memphis Grizzlies. But at least the draft night was out of his control.
.
“I started on a bad note,” said Arthur, who was fined $20,000 and must attend the seminar again next year. “Now I have to try to get back together.”
Give him credit for facing the mess head on. He promptly apologized to team officials for his transgressions. Since arriving in Memphis, he says he helped the Grizzlies open a reading center at a local YMCA, spoke to local churches and worked with area youth. He may be overly optimistic when he says it will take a “couple of months” for people to look past his mistake but, if nothing else, he has grown up fast.
And, unlike the Heat’s Michael Beasley, at least Arthur had the intelligence (or, perhaps, guts) to come out when security entered the room in the middle of the night. Beasley, the No. 2 pick in the draft, admitted to reporters Wednesday that he was in the room. When asked whether Beasley should have come out from hiding, Arthur said, “Yeah, he should have.” Hiding proved costlier for Beasley, who was fined $50,000.
Once sent home, Arthur had to face the Grizzlies’ staff as well as his mom. Who was toughest to tell? “My mom, definitely,” Arthur said.
He knows how furious David Stern is over the incident. Though he hasn’t talked to the commissioner yet, “I plan to soon to apologize to him.”
As he has maintained since being caught, Arthur denied any use of marijuana. “That was the females,” he said Wednesday.
Arthur already had been knocked around on draft night after word circulated that a kidney problem had surfaced in one of his pre-draft physicals. He blames the diagnosis on a dose of Claritin he took before a physical to help clear up cold-like symptoms. There he was, sitting at the draft with no idea that he was slipping because of a medical condition that did not exist. “After the lottery (picks), I started hearing that was the reason,” he said. “But I’m sitting there and I can’t really do anything.”
Arthur took awhile to be drafted, but once he was, he moved around in a hurry. The Hornets drafted him with no intention of keeping him and sent him to the Blazers for cash considerations. Portland then moved him (and Joey Dorsey, the 33rd pick) to the Rockets for the rights to the 25th pick, Nicolas Batum. Finally the Rockets traded Arthur to the Grizzlies for the 28th pick, Donte Green, and a 2009 second-round pick.
“Seems like a couple of years ago with everything that’s happened,” Arthur said Wednesday in a telephone interview with Sporting News.
Indeed. Since the Jayhawks celebrated in San Antonio, Arthur twice has made news for reasons he wishes he hadn’t. On draft night, he was expected to be a top-20 pick, but dropped to 27th at least in part because of an alleged kidney problem. Then he was traded three times before the draft was over, ending up with the Memphis Grizzlies. But at least the draft night was out of his control.
.
“I started on a bad note,” said Arthur, who was fined $20,000 and must attend the seminar again next year. “Now I have to try to get back together.”
Give him credit for facing the mess head on. He promptly apologized to team officials for his transgressions. Since arriving in Memphis, he says he helped the Grizzlies open a reading center at a local YMCA, spoke to local churches and worked with area youth. He may be overly optimistic when he says it will take a “couple of months” for people to look past his mistake but, if nothing else, he has grown up fast.
And, unlike the Heat’s Michael Beasley, at least Arthur had the intelligence (or, perhaps, guts) to come out when security entered the room in the middle of the night. Beasley, the No. 2 pick in the draft, admitted to reporters Wednesday that he was in the room. When asked whether Beasley should have come out from hiding, Arthur said, “Yeah, he should have.” Hiding proved costlier for Beasley, who was fined $50,000.
Once sent home, Arthur had to face the Grizzlies’ staff as well as his mom. Who was toughest to tell? “My mom, definitely,” Arthur said.
He knows how furious David Stern is over the incident. Though he hasn’t talked to the commissioner yet, “I plan to soon to apologize to him.”
As he has maintained since being caught, Arthur denied any use of marijuana. “That was the females,” he said Wednesday.
Arthur already had been knocked around on draft night after word circulated that a kidney problem had surfaced in one of his pre-draft physicals. He blames the diagnosis on a dose of Claritin he took before a physical to help clear up cold-like symptoms. There he was, sitting at the draft with no idea that he was slipping because of a medical condition that did not exist. “After the lottery (picks), I started hearing that was the reason,” he said. “But I’m sitting there and I can’t really do anything.”
Arthur took awhile to be drafted, but once he was, he moved around in a hurry. The Hornets drafted him with no intention of keeping him and sent him to the Blazers for cash considerations. Portland then moved him (and Joey Dorsey, the 33rd pick) to the Rockets for the rights to the 25th pick, Nicolas Batum. Finally the Rockets traded Arthur to the Grizzlies for the 28th pick, Donte Green, and a 2009 second-round pick.
Bucks hope some of Pistons’ success rubs off on them
ST. FRANCIS, Wis.—Sitting on the corner of the office windowsill that overlooks the Bucks’ practice court just outside Milwaukee is a picture of John Hammond sitting next to Pistons president Joe Dumars. Hammond is now the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, but until this summer, he was Dumars’ right-hand man in Detroit, offering an important voice to one of the most successful NBA front-office operations of the last seven years. Still, most new GMs prefer to distance themselves from their old jobs, to forge their own identities. For Hammond, though, the shadow of his experience in Detroit and his relationship with Dumars looms large over his new job in Milwaukee. And that’s fine with him.
“Why not?” Hammond said. “I am proud of what we did there. I am proud of what I helped Joe Dumars and Detroit accomplish in the seven years I was there. We’re all products of our environments. And the Detroit Pistons, that is such a great environment. So, I say that I came from there, and I say it with pride.”
Indeed, Detroit has a pretty strong hold on Hammond—his family is still there, because the Hammonds did not want to disrupt his daughter’s senior year in high school. That has meant many long trips around (or over, by ferry) Lake Michigan this summer, and visits to his wife and daughter will get more difficult once training camp starts next week. But that hasn’t kept Hammond from doing his job, and it’s easy to be impressed when you consider what he’s been able to accomplish in his short time in charge in Milwaukee.
. Small forward had been a black hole, so he dumped Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to bring in Richard Jefferson from the Nets, and he drafted Joe Alexander out of West Virginia. Frontcourt depth was lacking, so he signed Malik Allen and Francisco Elson to back up Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva. Hammond determined that Maurice Williams was not a good fit, because he was a score-first point guard and his contract numbers (five more years at $43 million total) would kill the team’s roster flexibility for years. So Williams was sent to Cleveland, with Milwaukee getting passing point man Luke Ridnour from Oklahoma City in part of the three-team deal. Tyronn Lue also was signed as a backup.
In all, the Bucks will be going with nine new players. “I had someone talking to me about last year’s team the other day, saying, ‘Well, this guy did a good job and that guy did a good job,’” Hammond said. “I thought, ‘No, no, no one did a good job last year. When you win 26 games, no one did a good job.”
This team figures to be better. Much better. There is a quality starter at every position and insurance on the bench. Rebounding could be a weakness, but the hope is that Jefferson’s rebounding ability and an increased effort on the glass from Bogut will mask the problem. Better defense and rebounding are critical to getting the Bucks turned around.
More important, though, is that this team figures to be more focused than Bucks teams of recent vintage. They’ve all got a reason to be a little ticked off. New coach Scott Skiles is ticked off because he took the fall for last year’s Bulls disaster. Ridnour is ticked off because the Sonics/Thunder essentially left him adrift for the last two years. Villanueva will play ticked off because he is approaching free agency. Jefferson is ticked off because the Nets dumped him. And Michael Redd ought to be ticked off because he is making max-player money for a team that hasn’t finished .500 since ‘94.
“Why not?” Hammond said. “I am proud of what we did there. I am proud of what I helped Joe Dumars and Detroit accomplish in the seven years I was there. We’re all products of our environments. And the Detroit Pistons, that is such a great environment. So, I say that I came from there, and I say it with pride.”
Indeed, Detroit has a pretty strong hold on Hammond—his family is still there, because the Hammonds did not want to disrupt his daughter’s senior year in high school. That has meant many long trips around (or over, by ferry) Lake Michigan this summer, and visits to his wife and daughter will get more difficult once training camp starts next week. But that hasn’t kept Hammond from doing his job, and it’s easy to be impressed when you consider what he’s been able to accomplish in his short time in charge in Milwaukee.
. Small forward had been a black hole, so he dumped Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to bring in Richard Jefferson from the Nets, and he drafted Joe Alexander out of West Virginia. Frontcourt depth was lacking, so he signed Malik Allen and Francisco Elson to back up Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva. Hammond determined that Maurice Williams was not a good fit, because he was a score-first point guard and his contract numbers (five more years at $43 million total) would kill the team’s roster flexibility for years. So Williams was sent to Cleveland, with Milwaukee getting passing point man Luke Ridnour from Oklahoma City in part of the three-team deal. Tyronn Lue also was signed as a backup.
In all, the Bucks will be going with nine new players. “I had someone talking to me about last year’s team the other day, saying, ‘Well, this guy did a good job and that guy did a good job,’” Hammond said. “I thought, ‘No, no, no one did a good job last year. When you win 26 games, no one did a good job.”
This team figures to be better. Much better. There is a quality starter at every position and insurance on the bench. Rebounding could be a weakness, but the hope is that Jefferson’s rebounding ability and an increased effort on the glass from Bogut will mask the problem. Better defense and rebounding are critical to getting the Bucks turned around.
More important, though, is that this team figures to be more focused than Bucks teams of recent vintage. They’ve all got a reason to be a little ticked off. New coach Scott Skiles is ticked off because he took the fall for last year’s Bulls disaster. Ridnour is ticked off because the Sonics/Thunder essentially left him adrift for the last two years. Villanueva will play ticked off because he is approaching free agency. Jefferson is ticked off because the Nets dumped him. And Michael Redd ought to be ticked off because he is making max-player money for a team that hasn’t finished .500 since ‘94.
Eastern Conference questions: Do Celtics have drive to repeat?
Well, that’s that. Summer officially passed on September 21, but for sports fans, this is really it. Baseball’s postseason is nigh, and NBA training camp is now open. No longer can we sit idly by and look at the rosters of different teams, rationalizing ways they could come up with 50-win seasons if this or that happens. Now, we’re getting actual looks at the teams in action. And now, some delusions will be snapped. Overall, there are camp questions that will need to be asked and addressed quickly. Five of them really stand out in the East:
1. Celtic drive. The last time a group of hastily assembled veterans won an NBA title wasn’t all that long ago—the Heat took home the trophy in 2006 with a roster of advanced age patched around Dwyane Wade. Thus, it’s easy to revisit the history of that team. The following year’s Heat showed up for camp fat and happy, uninterested in another championship run. They got swept in the first round of the playoffs and now have been demolished beyond recognition. Nothing so dramatic will happen to last year’s champs in Boston—not with Kevin Garnett around. But there’s still the danger that, with their hunger for a championship sated, the Celtics may enter the season in cruise control and never really get out of it. The best time to address that danger is now, in training camp.
2. Jermaine O’Neal’s final act. Things didn’t wrap up so well in Indiana for O’Neal, but he has a chance to re-establish himself in Toronto. So far, so good—O’Neal has been talking up his intention to focus on defense and rebounding this season. That’s fine, but ultimately, O’Neal will need to figure out how to play second fiddle to Chris Bosh offensively. O’Neal isn’t much of a passer, and he’s not really a pure low-post player. That leads to two Raptors questions for camp. First, can O’Neal move the ball and eradicate his reputation as a black hole? And, second, can Bosh and O’Neal stay out of each other’s way? Oh, and a bonus question: Can O’Neal finally stay healthy?
3. Michael Curry takes the reins. Of all the storylines around new coaches in the league this year—Mike D’Antoni in New York, Rick Carlisle in Dallas, Larry Brown in Charlotte, Terry Porter in Phoenix, etc.—Curry is the most interesting. He’s basically been brought in to win a championship, and anything less will be a disappointment. That’s a good bit of pressure. To get that title, he needs to motivate a veteran core that feels a little stale, while working into the rotation a talented group of young players with very high expectations. Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo are the future of this franchise, but the old guys in the starting five are still the base of the present. It will be up to Curry to get the youth and the veterans fully integrated, something his predecessor, Flip Saunders, was unable to do.
4. Establishing the Brand. Andre Iguodala has established himself as the franchise player in Philadelphia. But the Sixers imported another franchise player in the offseason, adding Elton Brand as a free agent and suddenly giving the team the look of a contender. They’re deep, they have a mix of youth and experience, and they play both ends of the floor. But popping one franchise player next to another does not always work. It’s hard to imagine Iguodala and Brand engaging in any ego-driven haggling over who’s the man in Philly, but it will require some shuffling to establish an offense that takes advantage of Brand’s post and midrange skill, as well as Iggy’s passing and slashing. Let’s see what Mo Cheeks has in that playbook.
5. Young Wiz.
1. Celtic drive. The last time a group of hastily assembled veterans won an NBA title wasn’t all that long ago—the Heat took home the trophy in 2006 with a roster of advanced age patched around Dwyane Wade. Thus, it’s easy to revisit the history of that team. The following year’s Heat showed up for camp fat and happy, uninterested in another championship run. They got swept in the first round of the playoffs and now have been demolished beyond recognition. Nothing so dramatic will happen to last year’s champs in Boston—not with Kevin Garnett around. But there’s still the danger that, with their hunger for a championship sated, the Celtics may enter the season in cruise control and never really get out of it. The best time to address that danger is now, in training camp.
2. Jermaine O’Neal’s final act. Things didn’t wrap up so well in Indiana for O’Neal, but he has a chance to re-establish himself in Toronto. So far, so good—O’Neal has been talking up his intention to focus on defense and rebounding this season. That’s fine, but ultimately, O’Neal will need to figure out how to play second fiddle to Chris Bosh offensively. O’Neal isn’t much of a passer, and he’s not really a pure low-post player. That leads to two Raptors questions for camp. First, can O’Neal move the ball and eradicate his reputation as a black hole? And, second, can Bosh and O’Neal stay out of each other’s way? Oh, and a bonus question: Can O’Neal finally stay healthy?
3. Michael Curry takes the reins. Of all the storylines around new coaches in the league this year—Mike D’Antoni in New York, Rick Carlisle in Dallas, Larry Brown in Charlotte, Terry Porter in Phoenix, etc.—Curry is the most interesting. He’s basically been brought in to win a championship, and anything less will be a disappointment. That’s a good bit of pressure. To get that title, he needs to motivate a veteran core that feels a little stale, while working into the rotation a talented group of young players with very high expectations. Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and Arron Afflalo are the future of this franchise, but the old guys in the starting five are still the base of the present. It will be up to Curry to get the youth and the veterans fully integrated, something his predecessor, Flip Saunders, was unable to do.
4. Establishing the Brand. Andre Iguodala has established himself as the franchise player in Philadelphia. But the Sixers imported another franchise player in the offseason, adding Elton Brand as a free agent and suddenly giving the team the look of a contender. They’re deep, they have a mix of youth and experience, and they play both ends of the floor. But popping one franchise player next to another does not always work. It’s hard to imagine Iguodala and Brand engaging in any ego-driven haggling over who’s the man in Philly, but it will require some shuffling to establish an offense that takes advantage of Brand’s post and midrange skill, as well as Iggy’s passing and slashing. Let’s see what Mo Cheeks has in that playbook.
5. Young Wiz.
Starbury causes friction for new Knicks regime
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – They were sitting at tables scattered throughout the practice facility, the Knicks players trapped in a “Twilight Zone” episode. Together, they watched reporters and cameras listening to the narcissistic and irrational ramblings of Stephon Marbury. Somehow, the worst nightmare of Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni played out on the eve of training camp.
Once more, Marbury was draining the spirit of hope and change out of the room, reducing a roster to re-channeling that old self-destructive and self-fulfilling Knicks vibe.
Here we go again, they had to think.
Nothing has changed.
Most of all, the new Knicks president and coach had discovered the hard truth of life with the New York Knicks: Narcissistic and irrational starts at the top with owner Jim Dolan. For all the millions of dollars he’s paid a long list of failed executives, coaches and players to go away, a league source says Dolan refuses to do it with the nearly $22 million owed to Marbury in the final year of his contract.
The last stand of Starbury promises to undermine everything that D’Antoni wants to instill in this training camp.
“They are not going to waive (Marbury),” a league source familiar with the situation said Monday. “That’s off the table right now. Dolan is still the rock star contrarian. Everyone is telling him this is the one he has to get rid of, the contract he has to dump, and he won’t do it. He’s still the rebel without a cause.
“Donnie didn’t want him at camp. Mike didn’t want him there. But he’s there.”
So, Walsh and D’Antoni would have to hear that Marbury promises there will be no negotiation of a buyout. He won’t take less money to leave. And truth be told: Why would he? On his way to Saratoga Springs for the start of training camp Tuesday, it had to make D’Antoni sick to hear Marbury talk with such a distorted, twisted view of the coach’s offensive system. Marbury sees the game through the lenses of a serial loser, a cynical and selfish destroyer of good moods and good chemistry.
“From what I’ve seen, he allowed Steve Nash to dribble the ball for 22 seconds,” Marbury said. “He allows guys to shoot coming down on the break, one-on-three. For me, I like that style of basketball.”
New York Knicks basketball pla… AP - Sep 29, 2:22 pm EDT
Marbury doesn’t see himself the way that his teammates, and fans and rivals do. His presence brings everyone down. The Knicks sent him home a year ago, and told him to stay away. Dolan gave Isiah Thomas every contract buyout he wanted – Larry Brown and Lenny Wilkens, Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor – and now Walsh and D’Antoni can’t get rid of Marbury.
Privately, the Knicks are waiting for an act of insubordination that would allow them to suspend and banish him away again. For the basketball staff, the best case scenario would be replicating what the Indiana Pacers have done with exiling Jamaal Tinsley. D’Antoni hated coaching for a brief time in his first season with the Suns, and knows it will only be worse once he installs Chris Duhon as his starting point guard.
Perhaps only then, the Knicks hope they could negotiate a buyout settlement with Marbury and let him re-sign elsewhere. Marbury has dared them to cut him. “Why would I take a buyout?” Marbury asked. “I have a contract.”
He’s right. Whatever he thinks, Marbury doesn’t have a lot of appealing options around the league. Most league executives had surmised Miami would consider him, but sources on Monday said Pat Riley was close to signing free-agent point guard Shaun Livingston to a two-year contract. Even at the veteran’s minimum, that will push the Heat into the luxury tax. Livingston isn’t expected to be cleared to play with that reconstructed knee until at least the second of the season.
Once more, Marbury was draining the spirit of hope and change out of the room, reducing a roster to re-channeling that old self-destructive and self-fulfilling Knicks vibe.
Here we go again, they had to think.
Nothing has changed.
Most of all, the new Knicks president and coach had discovered the hard truth of life with the New York Knicks: Narcissistic and irrational starts at the top with owner Jim Dolan. For all the millions of dollars he’s paid a long list of failed executives, coaches and players to go away, a league source says Dolan refuses to do it with the nearly $22 million owed to Marbury in the final year of his contract.
The last stand of Starbury promises to undermine everything that D’Antoni wants to instill in this training camp.
“They are not going to waive (Marbury),” a league source familiar with the situation said Monday. “That’s off the table right now. Dolan is still the rock star contrarian. Everyone is telling him this is the one he has to get rid of, the contract he has to dump, and he won’t do it. He’s still the rebel without a cause.
“Donnie didn’t want him at camp. Mike didn’t want him there. But he’s there.”
So, Walsh and D’Antoni would have to hear that Marbury promises there will be no negotiation of a buyout. He won’t take less money to leave. And truth be told: Why would he? On his way to Saratoga Springs for the start of training camp Tuesday, it had to make D’Antoni sick to hear Marbury talk with such a distorted, twisted view of the coach’s offensive system. Marbury sees the game through the lenses of a serial loser, a cynical and selfish destroyer of good moods and good chemistry.
“From what I’ve seen, he allowed Steve Nash to dribble the ball for 22 seconds,” Marbury said. “He allows guys to shoot coming down on the break, one-on-three. For me, I like that style of basketball.”
New York Knicks basketball pla… AP - Sep 29, 2:22 pm EDT
Marbury doesn’t see himself the way that his teammates, and fans and rivals do. His presence brings everyone down. The Knicks sent him home a year ago, and told him to stay away. Dolan gave Isiah Thomas every contract buyout he wanted – Larry Brown and Lenny Wilkens, Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor – and now Walsh and D’Antoni can’t get rid of Marbury.
Privately, the Knicks are waiting for an act of insubordination that would allow them to suspend and banish him away again. For the basketball staff, the best case scenario would be replicating what the Indiana Pacers have done with exiling Jamaal Tinsley. D’Antoni hated coaching for a brief time in his first season with the Suns, and knows it will only be worse once he installs Chris Duhon as his starting point guard.
Perhaps only then, the Knicks hope they could negotiate a buyout settlement with Marbury and let him re-sign elsewhere. Marbury has dared them to cut him. “Why would I take a buyout?” Marbury asked. “I have a contract.”
He’s right. Whatever he thinks, Marbury doesn’t have a lot of appealing options around the league. Most league executives had surmised Miami would consider him, but sources on Monday said Pat Riley was close to signing free-agent point guard Shaun Livingston to a two-year contract. Even at the veteran’s minimum, that will push the Heat into the luxury tax. Livingston isn’t expected to be cleared to play with that reconstructed knee until at least the second of the season.
Lakerland forecast: sunny and warm
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Flanked by his two 7-footers, a basketball in his hands, another season stretching in front of him, Kobe Bryant narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. This was the same cold stare that had chilled opponent and teammate alike, the same withering glare Bryant had flashed from that podium in Boston on the night the Celtics shoved his Los Angeles Lakers from the NBA Finals. Bryant’s eyes, once again, burned with defiance.
For a moment, anyway. The photographer gave his cue, the flashbulbs popped and Kobe Bryant instantly melted into a smile.
“I’m happy,” he would say some 30 minutes later, still grinning during a media session on the eve of training camp.
Given that the franchise’s fortunes have shifted season-to-season on Bryant’s moods for more than a decade now, this qualified as good news, though hardly surprising. As Bryant said himself: These days, there’s a lot to be happy about.
Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ 20-year-old center, says he has recovered “100 percent” from his knee injury and is ready to deliver on the promise and talent he showed during the first half of last season. Pau Gasol, whose arrival midway through last season transformed the Lakers into title contenders, has returned, albeit without the burden of being the team’s primary interior defender. Trevor Ariza also has healed, giving the Lakers an athletic perimeter defender, if not another starting option at small forward should Lamar Odom’s transition to the position not go smoothly.
Even the disappointment of losing in the Finals faded for Bryant as soon as he slipped a gold medal around his neck in Beijing, a day after his 30th birthday.
“I’ve just been rolling,” Bryant said. “Thirty is the new 20 anyway. … I’m all good.”
That’s quite the change from a year ago when Bryant rolled into training camp determined to roll right out of town. He had hopscotched through a series of summer interviews issuing trade demands, criticizing Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and, in one particularly infamous moment, mocking Bynum to two fans by urging the team to “ship his ass out!” Some of the team’s beat writers felt it necessary to check whether Bryant had actually boarded the charter flight to Hawaii for the start of camp.
For much of the previous five years, the Lakers always seemed to begin the season with issues, many of them Bryant’s. He was mad at Shaquille O’Neal. He was mad at Phil Jackson. He was mad at Jerry Buss. He had a court date waiting in Eagle, Colo.
Not this fall. The only scent of controversy has come from Odom, who bristled at Jackson’s public declaration that the versatile forward might be better-suited for a sixth-man role. Jackson, Odom told the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner, “must have woke up and bumped his head.”
Still, Odom isn’t one to create locker-room problems, even if he doesn’t embrace such a move. And as far as offseasons go, the Lakers’ was shockingly … uneventful.
“There’s more focus on our promise and our potential,” Derek Fisher said, “as opposed to our demise.”
The Lakers should open this season as the popular favorite to win the Western Conference, though the road to the Finals figures to be as rugged as ever. Now battle-tested, the New Orleans Hornets return with James Posey, whose defense and long-range shooting figured prominently in the Celtics’ dismissal of the Lakers. The Utah Jazz gained another postseason of experience. The San Antonio Spurs are another year older, but no one’s stuck a stake in Tim Duncan yet. The Houston Rockets added Ron Artest. The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, aging but still talented, added new coaches.
For a moment, anyway. The photographer gave his cue, the flashbulbs popped and Kobe Bryant instantly melted into a smile.
“I’m happy,” he would say some 30 minutes later, still grinning during a media session on the eve of training camp.
Given that the franchise’s fortunes have shifted season-to-season on Bryant’s moods for more than a decade now, this qualified as good news, though hardly surprising. As Bryant said himself: These days, there’s a lot to be happy about.
Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ 20-year-old center, says he has recovered “100 percent” from his knee injury and is ready to deliver on the promise and talent he showed during the first half of last season. Pau Gasol, whose arrival midway through last season transformed the Lakers into title contenders, has returned, albeit without the burden of being the team’s primary interior defender. Trevor Ariza also has healed, giving the Lakers an athletic perimeter defender, if not another starting option at small forward should Lamar Odom’s transition to the position not go smoothly.
Even the disappointment of losing in the Finals faded for Bryant as soon as he slipped a gold medal around his neck in Beijing, a day after his 30th birthday.
“I’ve just been rolling,” Bryant said. “Thirty is the new 20 anyway. … I’m all good.”
That’s quite the change from a year ago when Bryant rolled into training camp determined to roll right out of town. He had hopscotched through a series of summer interviews issuing trade demands, criticizing Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and, in one particularly infamous moment, mocking Bynum to two fans by urging the team to “ship his ass out!” Some of the team’s beat writers felt it necessary to check whether Bryant had actually boarded the charter flight to Hawaii for the start of camp.
For much of the previous five years, the Lakers always seemed to begin the season with issues, many of them Bryant’s. He was mad at Shaquille O’Neal. He was mad at Phil Jackson. He was mad at Jerry Buss. He had a court date waiting in Eagle, Colo.
Not this fall. The only scent of controversy has come from Odom, who bristled at Jackson’s public declaration that the versatile forward might be better-suited for a sixth-man role. Jackson, Odom told the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner, “must have woke up and bumped his head.”
Still, Odom isn’t one to create locker-room problems, even if he doesn’t embrace such a move. And as far as offseasons go, the Lakers’ was shockingly … uneventful.
“There’s more focus on our promise and our potential,” Derek Fisher said, “as opposed to our demise.”
The Lakers should open this season as the popular favorite to win the Western Conference, though the road to the Finals figures to be as rugged as ever. Now battle-tested, the New Orleans Hornets return with James Posey, whose defense and long-range shooting figured prominently in the Celtics’ dismissal of the Lakers. The Utah Jazz gained another postseason of experience. The San Antonio Spurs are another year older, but no one’s stuck a stake in Tim Duncan yet. The Houston Rockets added Ron Artest. The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, aging but still talented, added new coaches.
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