NBA Games

The Celtics' Best From Beyond the Border

2009-12-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

This week, Maine Red Claws head coach Austin Ainge will be taking part in his second Basketball Without Borders event when he heads down to Mexico City from Aug. 6-9. Ainge will be assisting with the NBA Cares mentoring program, but will the young skipper stumble upon the next Eduardo Najera?

Basketball Without Borders, consisting of the top youth players 19 and under from Asia, Latin America and Africa, as selected by the NBA, FIBA and participating federations, will train under NBA players and coaches and compete against their peers. The sessions will be held in Beijing and Johannesburg, South Africa, along with Mexico City.

"Basketball without Borders helps us to grow the game of basketball and bring attention to important social issues that affect communities around the world," Kathleen Behrens, the NBA's executive vice president of social responsibility and player programs told NBA.com. "We know that by teaching the values of the game -- teamwork, sportsmanship, hard work and healthy living -- our current and former players and coaches can also make a lasting impact on communities in need."

Ainge, the son of Celtics president Danny Ainge, was named the first head coach in the history of the Red Claws, who are one of the newest clubs to join the NBA Development League. With Ainge heading south of the border, one has to wonder how foreign-born players have fared wearing the storied green uniform.

Here is an attempt to list the top five foreign-born players in Celtics history:

5. Wally Szczerbiak: Despite playing in just 64 games for the Celtics, Wally edges out both Jiri Welsch and Michael Olowokandi for the fifth slot. Szczerbiak averaged 17.5 points and 3.2 assists per game in 32 games in the 2005-06 season and 15 points per game in 32 contests the next year. Szczerbiak was born in Madrid before moving to Long Island, N.Y., as a child.

4. Vitaly Potapenko: "The Ukraine Train" was shipped to Boston from Cleveland for Andrew DeClerq and a first-round pick in 1999. V averaged 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his first full year with the C's in the 1999-2000 season -- his only campaign as a full-time starter.

3. Dominique Wilkins: Nique, also known as "The Human Highlight Film," is the most decorated foreign-born Celtics player, but he only lasted one year in the Hub. The Paris native played in 77 games for the C's in the 1994-95 season, averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 boards and 2.2 assists en route to an All-Star nod. Wilkins played in nine career All-Star games and finished in the top 10 in scoring nine times, finishing first in 1986 with 30.3 PPG.

2. Rick Fox: The Celtics' first-round pick out of North Carolina (by way of Canada) in the 1991 draft lasted six seasons with Boston. Arguably the best year of his C's career was his last one, when he averaged a career-high 15.4 points to go with 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the 1996-97 season. Fox averaged 10.7 points in 444 career games for the C's from 1991-1997.

1. Dino Radja: The 40th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft turned out to be a steal for the C's, who opted for the 6-foot-11, 26-year-old Croatian forward. Radja played just four seasons for the Celtics, but they were ever-lasting for C's fans, who watched Radja, along with Dee Brown, attempt to carry a team that won just 115 of 328 games (.351 winning percentage). Radja earned second-team All-NBA Rookie honors in the 1993-94 season by putting up 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. That year happened to break the franchise's 14-year playoff streak as the C's went just 32-50, their lowest win total since 1978-79. Radja would play 224 career games for the Celtics and average 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting .497 from the floor in 3,052 career attempts.

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The NBA's biggest problem? Way too many overpaid players

2009-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Last week's big-man trade of Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor might have seemed random when it came to the players involved.

But the deal was built around salaries.

Chandler has two more years and $24.6 million left on the contract he originally signed with the Bulls in 2005.

Okafor has five years and $62.7 million remaining, which means Charlotte shaved nearly $40 million in future salary commitments by making the deal with New Orleans.

The Hornets, meanwhile, trimmed a few million off next year's luxury-tax bill, since Okafor will make less this season. So each side saved money in some way.

Like so many industries, economics are troubling the NBA, and many observers expect another lockout in 2011 when the current collective-bargaining agreement expires.

I'd say the biggest issues the league needs to solve are keeping the games affordable and evening the playing field for small-market teams.

But the fundamental problem in the NBA right now is simply too many players who are wildly overpaid and locked into guaranteed contracts.

That's why teams make so many personnel decisions based on money.

With that in mind, let's rank the worst NBA contracts currently on the books:

1. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards (5 years, $96.3 million): Washington forgot the Grant Hill Rule - never foist a massive contract on someone who can't walk. Arenas has played in 15 games the past two seasons.

2. Elton Brand, Sixers (4 years, $66 million): This seemed like a good idea at the time, but Brand has played in just 37 games the past two years because of injuries.

3. Eddy Curry, Knicks (2 years, $21.7 million): Thanks to this contract, the former Bulls center may prevent New York's dream of chasing two major free agents in 2010.

4. Marko Jaric, Grizzlies (2 years, $14.7 million): This guy averaged 2.6 points last season. And that was before he married supermodel Adriana Lima.

5. Tracy McGrady, Rockets (1 year, $23.3 million): He will be the league's highest-paid player this season. I still laugh at how ex-Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy congratulated McGrady on TV last spring for winning his first career playoff series. Of course, T-Mac was hurt and didn't play a second.

6. Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz (2 years, $33 million): Utah might not be so eager to unload Carlos Boozer if it hadn't rushed to give Kirilenko a ridiculous deal in 2004.

7. Peja Stojakovic, Hornets (2 years, $29.5 million): This is a classic NBA mistake, bidding wildly for a free agent when there is no serious competition. Ben Gordon and the Pistons might be Exhibit B.

8. DeSagana Diop, Bobcats (4 years, $26.8 million): Dallas has a history of overpaying for mediocre big men, but the Mavs managed to unload this deal. Diop averaged 2.3 points and 3.6 rebounds last season.

9. (tie) Mike Dunleavy (2 years, $20.2 million) and Troy Murphy (2 years, $23 million), Pacers: As they finish up huge contracts, this pair has combined to play 1,048 games without ever making the playoffs.

10. Beno Udrih, Kings (4 years, $27.8 million): Might have been the league's worst starting player last season.

11. Bobby Simmons, Nets (1 year, $10.6 million): Hopefully, the former DePaul star will spend some of this money in his hometown.

12. Corey Maggette, Warriors (4 years, $39.7 million): Golden State felt it had to do something last year after losing Baron Davis unexpectedly. Signing another shoot-first perimeter player wasn't it.

13. Michael Redd, Bucks (2 years, $35.3 million): Milwaukee realized too late this is too much for a one-dimensional player.

14. Jerome James, Bulls (1 year, $6.6 million): Signing the massive center to a five-year deal in 2005 wasn't even Isiah Thomas' worst move as Knicks GM.

15. Brian Cardinal, T-Wolves (1 year, $6.8 million): A source swears the league distributed a memo last year warning teams that signing players to a full-term midlevel exception usually turns out bad. It was titled The Cardinal Rule, I'm pretty sure.

Honorable mention: Dan Gadzuric, Bucks (2 years, $14 million); Jermaine O'Neal, Heat (1 year $22.9 million), Etan Thomas, Thunder (1 year, $7.4 million), Sam Dalembert, Sixers (2 years, $23.6 million), Jason Maxiell, Pistons (4 years, $20 million).

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Thunder Insider: Etan Thomas could fill sore spot

2009-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Etan Thomas, acquired in a trade with Minnesota, isn’t a savior. The 31-year-old power forward hasn’t even been a starter much of his NBA career.

Oklahoma City acquired Etan Thomas, left, in a trade with the Timberwolves. Thomas could help the Thunder with its biggest deficieny — interior defense.

But if he can stay healthy, Thomas could help address the Thunder’s biggest deficiency — interior play.

One stat from last season underscores the Thunder’s small margin for error in the paint.

Oklahoma City was 19-27 when it out-rebounded opponents, 4-32 when it lost the battle on the boards.

That startling stat is representative of a bigger issue more than to suggest rebounding is the end-all, be-all for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City lacks an inside presence, which is Thomas’ strengths. During his seven-year career he’s been assigned the dirty in-the-paint jobs.

Thomas is a chiseled body accustomed to drawing the assignment of guarding the league’s elite big men, something the Thunder sorely lacks.

The all-time shot block leader in Syracuse history, Thomas averaged 3.6 blocks during his four seasons under coach Jim Boheim. He’s averaged 1.0 blocks in 373 NBA games.

Thomas has averaged around 5.0 rebounds in 373 NBA games. While that doesn’t sound like a difference maker, it’s more noteworthy considering he has averaged only 18 minutes.

If Thomas provides 15 to 20 minutes of much needed inside muscle, it could be invaluable on a team full of scorers and young players who excel in transition.

Thomas’ influence might be invaluable in the locker room. He’s played in 20 playoff games, experiences he can pass along to the organization’s foundation pieces — Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

On a roster full of 25-and-under players, Thomas also can impart off-the-court wisdom.

Thomas wrote a poetry book that addresses hot-button political issues such as war, racism and the death penalty. He’s been lauded for his work in juvenile prisons and inner city schools in the Washington, D.C., area.

But for Thomas to make any contribution, he must first remain healthy. He missed the entire 2007-08 season after undergoing surgery for a heart ailment.

After Mayo clinic doctors repaired a leak in his aortic valve, Thomas returned at full strength last season only to miss the final three months after he suffered a torn knee ligament.

Even though he now lives in the nation’s capital, Thomas is returning "home,” having led Tulsa Washington to two state titles in the 1990s.

Interior play is the one area general manager Sam Presti must address for the Thunder to become a viable threat in the Western Conference in the next two or three seasons. In the meantime, Thomas could provide some help, even if it’s a role off the bench.

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Scoring in the big leagues

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

A diesel van carrying half the Simon Fraser University men's basketball team is barrelling down the desolate highways of the Pacific Northwest.

Head coach Jay Triano is at the wheel, leading a boredom-evading discussion about the particular skills of NBA players, only this isn't a car game. It's the early 1990s, and the coach is working for video-game developer Electronic Arts Canada, filling an increasingly seminal role for the company's NBA Live franchise.

Somewhere between Lewiston, Idaho and Ellensburg, Wash., above the roar of the engine, Mr. Triano and his crew will determine a major element of the gaming experience.

“We'd sit there and I'd say ‘How do you rate this guy as a shooter?'“ said Mr. Triano, now of the Toronto Raptors, and the first Canadian to become an NBA head coach. “We'd take the average score and give it to the particular player. At the time, that was the best information they [EA] were getting. They were all computer guys building this game, but they didn't have a basketball guy. It's neat the way it has transformed.”

By transformed, Mr. Triano is referring to EA's ascendance into the professional sports club, its behind-the-curtain access, and its Nike-esque cachet among athletes. The long-time industry leader has evolved from making games about sports, to making games with sports.

From inexact beginnings in Mr. Triano's van, EA Canada is now a place that doesn't flinch at the sight of tennis luminary Venus Williams, or basketball's Dwight Howard, one of the NBA's emerging superstars, who visited its suburban Vancouver campus last month. Other visitors over the years include golfer Tiger Woods, soccer stars Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes, boxing champions Sugar Ray Leonard and Lennox Lewis, and Dion Phaneuf and Jeremy Roenick of the National Hockey League. Vancouver Canucks players, who are far more accessible, have also helped the NHL game.

It's a good thing they all do visit, especially since the video game industry could use their help.

The recession has taken its toll across the U.S., with sales of consoles and games suffering their worst year-over-year decline in nine years, according to a report by market researcher NPD Group. Hardware, software and accessories sales fell by 31 per cent in June, to $1.17-billion (U.S.).

Electronic Arts Inc., (19.50-0.07-0.36%) headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., late last year announced that it was slashing 10 per cent of its work force, about 1,000 people, including cuts at the Burnaby office, home to 1,600 employees. EA Canada moved its Black Box studio from downtown Vancouver to Burnaby to save costs. It also had another 20,000-square-foot downtown space, which was intended to be a third B.C. studio, but leased it to a third party.

EA Sports, the sports-games brand that made the firm famous in the 1990s, has accounted for about one-third of company revenues in recent years (revenues last year were $4.2-billion), and the NBA Live franchise annually sells more than 1 million units worldwide.

In 1991, the company bought out Distinctive Software Inc., the B.C. firm founded by Don Mattrick in 1982, and the Canadian arm began publishing many of the EA Sports titles, including basketball, hockey, boxing, soccer and tennis. EA Sports partners with sports leagues, governing bodies, unions, scouting services and broadcasters, but the relationship to athletics transformed its business.

It happened in the name of realism, which gamers began expecting, and which the company itself promised with its trademark phrase: “It's in the game.” And it happened because the technology, namely a realism-culling process called “motion capture,” and the advancement of the consoles, placed athleticism at the forefront of sports-game creation.

Rather than the passengers in Mr. Triano's van deciding on the individual merits of players from afar, EA went to the source, and began digitally replicating the athletes on which its sports games are built.

“We realized the level of fidelity we could get to in terms of how our characters looked, the way they moved, and the way they behaved,” said Brent Nielsen, an executive producer who started as an EA game tester in 1995. Dwight Howard, EA's cover athlete for NBA Live 10 , is a prime example of motion-capture possibilities.

The Orlando Magic centre stands 6 foot 11, and weighs 265 lbs. Clearly, Mr. Howard has few body doubles, but if he did, they wouldn't be able to move with his power, speed and grace.

“[With motion capture] we can get Dwight Howard's perfect signature shot, and we can get the suite of dunks that he typically uses at any given time in a game,” Mr. Nielsen said.

The motion-capture studio, the largest in the world at 40,000-square-feet, is equipped with 119 cameras and can also gauge the length of Mr. Howard's stride, the form of his shot, and the height of his leap. During these sessions, athletes will wear a skintight black bodysuit affixed with tiny rubber spheres wrapped in reflective tape. It allows the “mo-cap” team to record the movements three-dimensionally, and integrate the data into the games.

But Mr. Howard, just 23 and nicknamed “Superman,” also serves another purpose. Unlike superstars such as Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan, his generation was raised on video games, and understands their showmanship and entertainment.

“They play games now, and that's another big difference in the culture,” Mr. Nielsen said. “They speak with a level of not only an authenticity about the sport, but an authenticity about gaming … They know what players would be more likely to do in what situation, but they also understand that it's a video game that has to be fun.

“From our perspective, that's fantastic.”

The company will never be able to motion capture every athlete, in every sport, on an annual basis, so EA compensates as best it can. It employs scouts and consults communities of gamers with knowledge of sports. It is hiring more players from the NBA Developmental League, a minor league for basketball, and retired players, for motion capture shoots.

EA's game developers are continuously educated on their sports. They go on skating field trips, shoot hoops in the company gymnasium, and have twice weekly boxing workshops. If an employee isn't athletically inclined, then at the very least, he or she will know enough to join the conversation at sports bars.

“When I first came here, that wasn't necessarily the case,” said Mr. Richards, who joined in 1999. “We're method gamers. ‘

“We really dive deep into what that means and try to experience what that is, so that when we go to tell that story, it's coming from a place of authenticity.”

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Former Husky Kevin Ollie Signs With Thunder

2009-12-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

Free agent Kevin Ollie signed with the Thunder on Saturday, his 11th team entering his 13th NBA season. Ollie appeared in 29 games in 2002-03 for Seattle, which moved to Oklahoma City before last season.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Ollie brings "experience, leadership and professionalism" to the team. The Thunder finished 23-59 last season, 31 games behind Denver and Portland in the NBA Northwest.

The former UConn guard (1991-95) averaged 4.0 points, 2.3 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 17 minutes last season in 50 games, including 21 starts, with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ollie, 36, has appeared in 637 career games, averaging 2.3 assists, 3.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes.

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Time spent not spending

2009-12-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

During the NBA draft in June, Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave his take on the offseason strategies of teams. Rivers noted about one-third of the league’s 30 teams seemed confident of going for the championship next season. Those teams are willing to spend money on free agents, the others shying away, believing they do not have a realistic chance of contending.

“Nine or 10 teams think they can win the championship next year, and you can see by the moves,’’ Rivers said. “Because of the economy, 20 or 21 feel they can’t. A group of nine looked at the Finals last year and said, ‘We can do this,’ and they are going for it.’’

Rivers’s assessment is playing out, but not just because of the economic downturn.

Most of the league’s teams simply cannot compete with the elite, so they are undertaking long-term rebuilding programs, or setting themselves up for next year’s free agent extravaganza.

But there are other factors muddling the free agent market.

Agents have struggled to judge the level of demand for players. The fates of restricted free agents Marcin Gortat, 25, and Glen Davis, 23, show how confounding the market can be.

Gortat gained a full midlevel exception contract offer from Dallas within a week of being eligible last month, the Orlando Magic matching. Gortat averaged 3.8 points per game in the regular season and 3.3 in the playoffs in 2008-09.

Meanwhile, Davis, who averaged 7 points in the regular season and 15.8 in the playoffs with the Celtics in ’08-09, has yet to receive an offer, and will likely settle for something less than the midlevel exception.

Gortat-Davis is an apples-and-oranges comparison, Gortat being a mobile 7-footer, Davis equally mobile but considerably shorter. But in recent offseasons, Davis would likely have been assured a contract worth the midlevel exception, based on his late-season and playoff performances. That still could happen for Davis, but the way things are going his expectations might have to be lowered.

“In my particular case, I couldn’t be happier,’’ said Guy Zucker, Gortat’s agent. “Gortat got the best deal of the year, the full midlevel exception, fully guaranteed for five years, equal to [Antonio] McDyess and [Rasheed] Wallace, [Ron] Artest, [Trevor] Ariza. Marcin played well in the playoffs and it helps that [the Magic] got to the Finals. He’s a center, he’s fast, athletic, quick, plays the pick-and-roll well, and plays with a lot of heart. And he played big in big moments. Whenever a team does well it helps everyone - coaches, players, GMs, owners, everyone.’’

Gortat is still a backup and, so far, an exception to a trend, and not just a midlevel one.

The trades of Ryan Anderson and Vince Carter from New Jersey to Orlando and Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee to San Antonio “would never have happened in a normal market,’’ Zucker said.

Anderson’s contract was expiring and Carter’s contract would have launched the Nets near $80 million in salaries next season. So, the Nets chose to stay with a young, relatively cheap roster, awaiting the 2010 free agent market. Milwaukee, like other medium- and small-market franchises, is simply cutting costs based on the economy, and on the NBA’s projected loss of revenues and reduction of the salary cap.

Then there is Allen Iverson, who earned $20.8 million from Detroit last season. If Iverson receives an offer, it will likely be a one-year, midlevel exception deal.

“It is not a lack of money, but a strategy,’’ Zucker said. “New York, for example, could easily pay more but is choosing not to. They want to reduce the payroll and grab a superstar.’’

The “haves’’ are using the perceived economic downturn to their advantage. When the negotiating period began last month, many free agents expected teams to come to them. As time goes on, some of those free agents are not receiving the offers hoped for, so they are going from the pursued to the role of pursuers, going to teams with reduced demands.

There is also the European part of the equation. The failure of Dynamo Moscow signaled a significant reduction in demand for foreign players, reducing US players’ bargaining powers. Last year, Dynamo Moscow awarded contracts worth about $3 million to Bostjan Nachbar and Jannero Pargo. Now, those contracts are not worth their weight in rubles.

“A year ago, the market peaked for energy prices and the euro had a favorable exchange,’’ said Zucker, a Boston University graduate. “Ukraine and Russia are energy-driven markets, and now teams like Dynamo Moscow are barely able to function. Several teams could offer seven-figure salaries, not to superstars but to midlevel and below players. Now they can’t, so that takes away 15 to 20 jobs and reduces the leverage of the guys above them.’’

So, based on how teams have approached the free agent market, these could be the Celtics’ competition next season: Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando, and Toronto in the Eastern Conference, and the defending champion Lakers, Dallas, Houston, Portland, and San Antonio in the Western Conference. Denver, Phoenix, and Utah have been willing to spend to keep free agents but have not gone outside for help.

But whatever happens during the remainder of the offseason, it is merely a prelude to next year’s free agency bonanza.

Scalabrine believes the best is ahead

Brian Scalabrine was on the same page as Celtics management with free agents. And Scalabrine believes the acquisitions of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels will make the Celtics the favorites to regain the championship.

“I’m loving Rasheed Wallace,’’ Scalabrine said last week at a State House presentation for the team’s Heroes Among Us program. “And Marquis Daniels gives us versatility. Those two things, I think, make us the best team in the league.

“I’m incredibly psyched. Winning championships is something I want to continue to do. I felt we were the best team in the league last year, the year before, and we will be the best team in the league this year. The key thing for us is limiting guys’ minutes and being healthy. Our bench needs to be able to sustain leads or build them.

“Rasheed Wallace, if I had to name one guy that I’d want on our team he’d be the guy. The way Doc [ Rivers] uses power forwards, he’s a perfect fit for us. Defensively, he’s a dominant force and his basketball IQ is through the roof. [Daniels] is going to help Ray [ Allen] and Paul [ Pierce] get some rest throughout the season. And I’ve heard he can also play some point guard for us, so it would be nice to have him as backup, and maybe play with Eddie [ House] at [shooting guard]. He’s super versatile and that’s going to help us a lot.’’

The Celtics were 25 games above .500 after the first 29 games (27-2) last season. In the final 67 games, including playoffs, the Celtics were 17 games above .500 (42-25), losing Kevin Garnett (knee) in February.

“If we would have beaten Orlando or lost in the Finals without Kevin, I would have thought we overachieved,’’ Scalabrine said. “But even the team we had out there, we had really good players. But the biggest thing was the season wearing on, and wearing on Paul and Ray, the amount of time they had to play. Even then, those guys were awesome, what they did. But for us, it’s staying healthy and our bench has to sustain leads.’’

The Celtics had a 3-2 advantage over Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and maintained the lead going into the final quarter of Game 6 before losing, 83-75.

“Game 6 was disappointing; I’ll probably never get over it,’’ Scalabrine said. “But you have to move on.’’

Etc.

Waiting by the phone

Jeff Adrien said he is “still playing the waiting game’’ after suiting up for Memphis in the Las Vegas Summer League. Adrien, a Brookline native who played for the University of Connecticut, last month had a tryout with the Celtics, and has been looking to catch on as a free agent after being bypassed in the draft. The forward has to prove himself as a perimeter threat, but teams are realizing he could be a force off the bench as a rebounder and overachieving scorer near the basket. In Las Vegas, Adrien had 35 points and 26 rebounds in 78 minutes of playing time in four games, shooting 11 for 23 from the field and 13 for 20 from the foul line, as the Grizzlies went 5-0.

Mass appeal

Former University of Massachusetts forwards Gary Forbes, Tony Gaffney, and Stephane Lasme had productive showings in Vegas. Forbes averaged 17.8 points for the D-League Select team and Lasme averaged 5 points for San Antonio. Gaffney, a Boston native, averaged 3.8 points for the Lakers and has been invited to training camp in October.

Bench boss

David Blatt, who went from Framingham to Princeton to a major coaching career in Europe, will guide Russia in the European Championships in Poland next month. Blatt was recently fired by Efes Pilsen in Turkey but could return to Benetton Treviso, which last week added former Southern California guard Danny Hackett. The bad news for Blatt’s Russians is Andrei Kirilenko (Utah) will not play because of “personal reasons.’’

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GAME fueled by late teen’s passion

2009-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

The death of 13-year-old Steven Odom stirred the community when he was fatally shot in October 2007 a few feet from his Dorchester home by a Roxbury gang member. Nearly two years later, the neighborhood is keeping his memory alive through the game he felt most passionate about.

Hundreds of people, along with Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, streamed into the Madison Park High School gym yesterday in his honor for the second annual Steven P. Odom Peace Charity Basketball Game. This year’s theme, Changing the GAME, which stands for giving, affirming, mentoring, and empowering, was aimed at bringing people in Dorchester and Roxbury together and highlighted the neighborhoods’ positive aspects, said Steven’s father, Ronald Odom.

“It is all in the name peace,’’ he said. “We are looking for that better day, we are working toward that day.’’

Three games were played between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a 15-and-under game first, then high school and college players, and, finally, NBA and overseas athletes.

Steven had been two grade levels ahead of Stephanie Soto when he was fatally shot, she said. Soto, who is now 13, did not know him personally, but came to yesterday’s game to play in his memory. The event “is special because everybody who knew him loved him,’’ she said. “He was well known in school.’’

Tyler Ryan, 16, said he lived down the street from Steven, and the two used to play basketball in the neighborhood. Yesterday’s game showed that Steven’s death brought the community together, he said.

“Steven did not like to see people fighting, and he loved to play basketball,’’ said the student at Boston Prep High School.

Steven “sweat, drank, and ate basketball,’’ his father joked. He slept with a basketball. He dribbled it while waiting for the bus, and when it accidentally rolled into the street one day and was squashed flat by a zooming car, “a neighbor said he had had a look on his face as though he had lost his best friend.’’

Passion for the game is what brought him and his brother together, said Brandon Odom. That is why he began coordinating the charity event last year. Now his greatest challenge, he said, is keeping his emotions in check while he is planning for the games.

“When it is all coming together, I realize it is for a great cause,’’ Brandon Odom said. “It brings me back down to think I am doing this for my little brother.’’

Ronald Odom said he hopes to develop the charity game into a two-day event that will include empowerment workshops and competitions with teams from other states.

“It is always a tragedy when a family loses a loved one to violence, but all the community support softens the blow, lightens the load,’’ he said.

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NBA Veteran Kevin Ollie Joins The Thunder Basketball Team

2009-12-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

“We are excited to welcome Kevin Ollie to Oklahoma City,” Presti said. “He brings experience, leadership and professionalism to our team as we continue to develop our roster on and off the floor.” Ollie, 36, has appeared in 637 NBA games over 12 seasons, averaging 3.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest with Dallas, Orlando, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland and Minnesota. Last season, the 6-2 guard, averaged 4.0 points 2.3 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 17.0 minutes in 50 games (21 starts) with the Timberwolves.

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Week in review/preview: Spurs adept at finding vets wanting a ring

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Spurs make a habit of acquiring an older veteran every year. Two decades of having either David Robinson or Tim Duncan on the roster usually means that a big man willing to deal with fewer minutes than he could get elsewhere will sign here.
Sometimes the move has paid off for the Spurs and the veteran looking for a championship. This time around, it’s 14-year veteran Theo Ratliff, a 36-year-old 6-foot-10 shot-blocking center, and 13-year pro Antonio McDyess, a soon-to-be 35-year-old 6-9 forward, looking to duplicate what these guys did and win that first ring.
Jerome Kersey
The 6-7 forward signed on Jan. 22, 1999, for his 15th season at age 37. He spent 12 in Portland, with two of those ending in NBA Finals losses. He wasn’t asked to do much. He averaged 15.5 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in the regular season and 10.9 minutes, 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in the playoffs, which ended with the Spurs’ first NBA title.
Kevin Willis
At 40, he played 71 games for a Spurs team that won the 2003 NBA title. The 7-foot center averaged 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing 11.8 minutes a game. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18 playoff games. He had played 17 seasons with six teams before coming to San Antonio. He played three more years.
Tony Massenburg
At 37, the 6-9 forward ended his circuitous career in 2004-05 where it began in 1990. The 13-year veteran played for 11 other NBA franchises and three more in Europe after spending 36 games with the Spurs to start his playing days. He averaged 11.5 minutes, 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 61 games, but he only played nine playoff games when the Spurs won their third NBA title.
Jacque Vaughn
A veteran of four other teams, the point guard played in all 20 playoff games for the 2007 championship team. Then 32, he averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 assists, and his minutes were almost cut in half from his previous season with the Nets. However, he provided a steadier hand when subbing for Tony Parker than Nick Van Exel had for the 2005-06 team.
Still ring-less
These veterans tried to do the same thing and win that ring with the Spurs, but it didn’t happen. So grabbing the old guy doesn’t always work.
- Terry Porter, G, 36, 1999-02
- Mark Bryant, F/C, 36, 2001-02
- Nick Van Exel, G, 34, 2005-06
- Damon Stoudamire, G, 34, 2008
- Kurt Thomas, F, 35, 2007-09
WEEK THAT WAS
Freak of the Week
News that Boston slugger David Ortiz is one of the 104 baseball players who tested positive for performance enhancers in the 2003 “secret” screening is just shocking.
Here’s a likable guy just trying to make his merry “Big Papi” way through life and BAM! He gets slammed with a lifetime of doubt, and the Red Sox now own a pair of suspicious World Series crowns.
Who saw this coming?
Not Bud Selig. Not Terry Francona. Not baby-faced Theo Epstein. Not Manny Ramirez.
Oh wait, he’s on the list, too?
Now that you mention it, Ortiz never hit more than 20 homers before 2003. Then he hit 208 in five seasons. Only two did better. Alex Rodriguez, another on the list, hit 220 in that period. Albert Pujols, hopefully never on any such list, hit 211.
How come I didn’t see this coming? (Wink, wink)
Best
Holiday cheer: If Christmas rolls around, and the Cowboys are falling short of expectations, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo still will be riding high — on your tree. Romo is 15th in Hallmark Keepsake’s Football Legends series of Christmas ornaments. Good luck finding one if you wait until the holiday rush. Troy Aikman is No. 2, and Emmitt Smith is No. 4 in the series.
Worst
Southern drag: The Big 12 South had four teams ranked in the top 13 at the end of last year. The other two? Texas A&M and Baylor start the season at No. 8 and 9, respectively, in Maxim’s worst BCS teams. Sure, it’s Maxim, but it’s as arbitrary as most of the polls used in the BCS formula. Perception is reality.

WEEKLY PLANNER
TODAY 2 - Sunoco Red Cross 500: The first of six races before the Chase for the Cup begins. Carl Edwards won this race last year, the first of four wins in five starts.
MONDAY 3 - Rangers at A’s: Texas gets a shot at gaining a half-game since the Angels are off. Oakland’s status as one of the AL’s worst helps the Rangers, too.
THURSDAY 6 - Dream at Silver Stars: Ann Wauters plays her first game at home this season. The center joined the Silver Stars Saturday after sitting out the first 17 games.
SATURDAY 8 - UFC 101: Middleweight champ Anderson Silva takes on light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin, while lightweight champ BJ Penn faces Kenny Florian.
SATURDAY 8 - Pro Football Hall of Fame: After years of denial, Cowboys receiver and Olympic champ Bob Hayes reaches his final resting place. He died of cancer in 2002.

Source

Sports buzz: Spurs’ Parker out with ankle sprain

2009-12-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

San Antonio fans have another star player’s ankle to worry about.

Point guard Tony Parker will miss the next game for the French national team after the Spurs confirmed a mild right ankle sprain Saturday.

The Spurs brought Parker, their leading scorer last season, back to San Antonio for tests after he injured his ankle and thigh in a collision with an Austrian player last week.

•Forward Hakim Warrick has agreed to a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Warrick, a former Syracuse star best known for blocking a potential game-tying three-point shot from Kansas’ Michael Lee in the 2003 NCAA title game, played the past four seasons with the Grizzlies.

•Oklahoma City signed 12-year veteran guard Kevin Ollie for his leadership and professionalism as the young Thunder develops.

•The Los Angeles Lakers waived star Chinese national team guard Sun Yue.

•Former Iowa State guard Mike Taylor was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kansas hoops schedule fills out

The Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase announced its matchups, filling holes in the Jayhawks’ men’s basketball schedule.

After a previously announced Nov. 17 showdown against Memphis, which Kansas beat for the 2008 national championship, the Jayhawks will face Central Arkansas on Nov. 19, Oakland on Nov. 25 and Tennessee Tech on Nov. 27. The three new games will all be at 7 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse.

ESPN has also changed the tip time for the Jan. 23 Kansas at Iowa State conference matchup to 1 p.m. | Full schedule, C12

Venus easily advances to final

Second-seeded Venus Williams was at the top of her game against third-seeded Elena Dementieva.

She won 6-0, 6-1 in the Bank of the West Classic semifinals in a match that lasted just more than an hour.

“I felt like everything went well for me,” Williams said as she got ready for her doubles match with sister Serena. The pair advanced to the final with a 6-2, 6-2 win. “I was able to raise my level at the important parts.”

Serena lost in an upset Friday to Sam Stosur, who then fell to Marion Bartoli in the semis. Bartoli and Venus play for the title today.

•Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko cruised into the final of the Croatia Open by beating Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 6-1.

Davydenko, who missed four months with injuries at the start of the year but is 17-3 since the French Open, will face former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.

•American Sam Querrey upset top-seeded Tommy Haas 6-3, 7-5 and reached the finals of the LA Tennis Open.

Querrey, the No. 6 seed, will play qualifier Carsten Ball, who beat Leonardo Mayer 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) for the title.

Mine That Bird upset in W. Va.

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird lost in a huge upset to Soul Warrior at the West Virginia Derby.

Dismissed at odds of 23-1, Soul Warrior won in a photo finish against Big Drama, while Mine That Bird wound up third.

•Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra is ready to run against the boys again.

The dazzling 3-year-old filly takes on Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and five other fellas in today’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

NHL investigating Hossa deal

Marian Hossa’s 12-year, $62.8 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks is under investigation by the NHL, the league confirmed Friday.

The Ottawa Sun reported that the league is studying whether the contract circumvents the salary cap and the collective bargaining agreement.

The Blackhawks said they disputed the implication, saying Hossa had a legitimate contract that was approved by the league.

Source

Oklahoma City Thunder signs Kevin Ollie

2009-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

The Thunder has signed veteran point guard Kevin Ollie.

Terms of the deal are unclear, but the contract likely is a one-year deal for the 36-year-old journeyman. The veteran’s minimum in 2009-10 for a player with 10-plus years of experience is $1,306,455.

Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook drives past Kevin Ollie of Minnesota during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. BY NATE BILLINGS

“We are excited to welcome Kevin Ollie to Oklahoma City,” said Thunder general manager Sam Presti through a statement. “He brings experience, leadership and professionalism to our team as we continue to develop our roster on and off the floor.”

Ollie is entering his 13th NBA season and has career averages of 3.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. He spent last season in Minnesota, where he played 50 games for the Timberwolves and averaged 4.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game.

Ollie’s best season came in 2002-03 in Milwaukee and Seattle. While playing all 82 games, he averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 23.1 minutes.

Ollie has also played for Dallas, Orlando, Sacramento, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, Indiana, and Cleveland. With the Thunder he likely will serve as a third string guard behind Russell Westbrook and Shaun Livingston and add another experienced veteran to help mentor one of the youngest rosters in the NBA.

The move brings the Thunder’s roster to 14 guaranteed players, indicating Oklahoma City could be done acquiring players this off-season. Under NBA rules teams can carry 15 players on their rosters but having an open spot during the season is an asset for teams looking to make trades or sign a player in the event of rampant injuries.

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Celebrate Lamar Odom's return to Lakers, but don't plan another parade just yet

2009-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice! The Lakers have signed Lamar Odom! The dangerous game of chicken is over. We can breathe easy again, we can begin celebrating back-to-back titles a year ahead of time! Start collecting the confetti for next June's parade to the Coliseum.

Uh, hold on a minute, not so fast . . .

Yes, of course, on the face of it, this is a wonderfully smart and savvy move by a team angling for a repeat. It certainly nudges the Lakers another step toward that goal, and Odom's chilled-out vibe will certainly be a tonic for a team that now must deal with daily doses of Ron Artest.

But some perspective is needed. Let's not forget who we're talking about. Signing Odom, as maddeningly inconsistent and frustrating as anyone in the NBA, ensures nothing more for Lakers fans than a continued roller coaster ride and another season of heartburn.

Next season, guaranteed, will come moments when you'll swear he's Elgin Baylor. There will also be times when you'll swear he's Elgin your aging third cousin who comes off the bench for his church league team. Despite their great talent, if we see too much of your cousin, the Lakers just might get upset in the first round of the playoffs.

Odom signs and it's now a lock that the Lakers will run the table next season? Be careful with that line of thinking. That's all I'm saying.

True, we found out during the most recent playoffs that a lively Odom can mean all the difference. We've long marveled at his physical skills. In crunch time, during the last two games of the Western Conference finals and in almost all of the NBA Finals, we witnessed No. 7 merge his fluid physicality with real, hard-edged aggression. For the most part, it was marvelous. It was also, in crunch time, a first.

The Finals went by quickly, four games to one, but a few bounces go the other way and it's all different. Against Orlando, Odom's contributions in his team's Game 2 overtime win -- 19 points (on eight-for-nine shooting), eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists, one steal and 46 minutes -- may well have kept the Finals from becoming a blood match. Bathed in the glow of another Larry O'Brien Trophy, those last impressions, the memories we choose to hold on to, are pure gold.

Ah, memories, how powerful. Already dealing with unease caused by swapping rock-solid Trevor Ariza for Artest, Lakers fans were worried sick these last few weeks, what with Odom and Jerry Buss engaged in an ego-fueled stare-down over a new deal. Suddenly, in the minds of many, Odom was a 10-time All-Star. In fact, despite having as much skill as anyone in basketball, he's never even been a one-time All-Star.

Now don't go getting me wrong. It's wonderful that he stays here. He isn't only a great talent; he's also a good guy and a calming force. Just don't believe for a moment that he's suddenly become a player who will deliver the goods night in and night out. Memories are powerful, and sometimes fickle.

We forget, after this last playoff run, the unexplainable pratfalls that have pockmarked Odom's career. One could sift through season after season of examples, but there's no need to go back that far. Remember that alongside those flashy playoff games last spring there were several with no luster at all. Remember Odom's two-point, 25-minute performance against Houston in Game 4, which kept that series a stalemate. Remember Denver and clunker Games 1, 3 and 4. Odom played a total of 93 minutes. He scored seven, eight and five points.

Remember how, smack in the throes of the playoffs, doctors were sending the Lakers unasked-for-advice theorizing that Odom's insatiable sugar cravings had created an NBA Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Remember how, not so long ago -- just the start of last season -- Odom was a whipping boy. When I wrote a piece last October titled "Don't be so hard on Lakers' Lamar Odom" my in-box overflowed with e-mails claiming I'd lost my marbles. Back then, in the minds of many who now say his signing ensures a dynasty, Odom was a lost cause: wonderful trade bait in a deal for Shawn Marion, a pack of pecans and an old goat.

Today, of course, we talk about how great Odom is and will be. Today we prattle on about how this signing ensures the spectacular chemistry of next season's Lakers and the wisdom Odom will bring his New York City running buddy, that wack job Mr. Artest.

Already there's talk of whether the city should pay for next year's parade.

Lamar is back! Rejoice! Rejoice!

Go ahead and do it. This is a smart and savvy move by the Lakers, true enough. But don't forget who we're talking about. With Odom, bless him, all that can be counted on for next year is more maddeningly spectacular inconsistency. It was good enough for one title. Whether it will be good enough for more isn't as sure a bet as many -- bedazzled by memories of a few great games -- seem to think.

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Answering your NBA questions: No love for Knicks?

2009-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

As a huge Knicks fan (yes, some of us still exist), I didn't think there was any way we'd be able to keep David Lee and Nate Robinson after the seasons they just had. But no one seems to want them. What gives? Is it because no one has dough to offer? Or is it that they just aren't that good? — Charley Middleton, St. Louis

For sure, money is in shorter supply than it has been in recent seasons — and both Lee and Robinson have demanded paydays either approaching or surpassing $10 million per.

Nate Robinson and David Lee aren't enjoying free agency as much as they hoped. (Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)

Even so, both of these guys have large holes in their respective games.

Let's start with Lee: He always hustles and relentlessly attacks both boards. But he can't shoot. His offense consists of elementary drop-steps. And he can't defend.

Also, the Knicks' barely controlled chaos generates more scoring opportunities for Lee than he'd find on a more disciplined ball club. For him to be a starter with a legitimate team, Lee would need to play beside a shot-blocking big man who would also need to be double-teamed whenever he received the ball in the pivot.

In other words, Lee is strictly a very limited role player. A 20-minute-a-game player off the bench for an excellent team. As such, he's not nearly worth the humongous contract that he has been seeking.

Robinson, on the other hand, is a freakish player who, barely 5-foot-8, can create makeable shots against virtually any defender. His range is outstanding, and he can sometimes single-handedly rally a team from a deep deficit.

But, like Lee, he plays inferior defense. And, despite his diminutive stature he's absolutely incapable of not only running an offense, but also of executing plays under pressure. In truth, he's a grossly undersized shooting guard.

Bad shots. Either silly- or non-passes. And a total focus on his own numbers. That's what's wrong with Robinson.

Not to mention that his foolish adolescent behavior on and off the court routinely alienates his teammates.

I take exception to your recent article that brands Chris Paul as being overrated. Also, how can you claim that Slater Martin was the last "pipsqueak" point guard to lead his team to a championship? What about Avery Johnson and Isiah Thomas? — Versal Mason III, Durham, N.C.

You're absolutely right about Avery Johnson. My bad.

But Zeke was another story altogether.

Thomas was at least two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier than Paul — so Zeke could not be characterized as a pipsqueak. In any event, he also played much better defense and his offensive skills were more diverse and effective than are CP3's.

When Paul truly learns to run an offense, when he can play adequate straight-up defense, when he doesn't require the help of a screen/roll to get good shots, then I'll remove him from this category.

It looked to me as though Derek Fisher lost his legs in the last four months of the season. Is he done? An if he is, who do you think should start at the Lakers point guard spot next year? — Aaron, Beverly Hills, CA

Throughout his career, Fisher has never been accused of being a speed merchant. In fact, he's so naturally slow that it's hard to tell if he's really lost a step or not.

In any case, he's still smart enough to draw charges, and play excellent team defense. On offense, he reads the triangle to perfection so he can still put himself into position to take (and make) open shots in critical situations.

He averaged slightly less than 30 minutes per game last season, and at age 34 he should be able to do the same again.

The question of his eventual successor remains to be answered. Jordan Farmar shows flashes of being able to take over, but still makes too many mistakes at both ends. Shannon Brown is another viable candidate. Brown has yet to prove that he can shoot well on the move, totally absorb the offense, cut down on his mistakes, and play a slightly higher grade of defense.

If I'm not mistaken, Vince Carter was once compared to Kobe and even to Michael Jordan early in his career. What exactly happened to Carter that changed his career so dramatically? — Aaron Ju

He always had, and still does, the same type of outlandish skills and athleticism as Kobe and MJ. But it took a while for VC's lack of heart to become irrefutably evident. He mostly avoids hard contact in the paint, makes frequent mistakes in the clutch, and doesn't play hard all the time.

Too bad.

Lamar Odom is good, and that's not a left-handed compliment. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty Images)

You said that being left-handed is a big advantage for Lamar Odom. Why? — Reuel Vidal, Antipolo, Philippines

Only because virtually every right-handed hooper who ever played the game at any level can't help himself from instinctively biting for a right-handed fake. Guys will stay mindful that an opponent is indeed lefty for a while, but as the intensity of any given game increases even the most veteran players tend to lose their mindfulness and make automatic reactions to certain moves and suggestions.

For the same reasons, most defenders are much more comfortable pushing off with their right (power) foot and sliding to their left than vice versa.

Plus, the scouting report on the vast majority of NBA right-handers is that they'll drive right and pull left. This is a pattern that borders on being automatic — and conditions defenders to believe they can challenge most leftward-bound jump shots without giving up too much ground. Which means they're apt to be leaning forward just a bit when their opponent does go left, and subsequently they can be easily turned.

Charley, you compared Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. What about the real best point guard of all-time, John Stockton? — Pete Jackson, Logan, UT

There's no question that Stockton was one of the best PGs ever. He was a deadly open shooter, could also pull-and-make off his dribble. He was likewise adept at changing speeds and drawing fouls. His decision making was unparalleled, and he was also very effective going back door on the give-and-go.

Of course, his screen/rolls in tandem with Karl Malone were exemplary. And it should be noted that he did more for Malone's game than the Mailman ever did for his.

Despite his lack of bulk — 6-1, 175 — Stockton was eager to set screens for his teammates. Most of these were back-screens. He was a hard-nosed guy, who many opponents believed was borderline dirty.

On defense, his primary weapon was his anticipation. But he always had difficulty defending wing screen/rolls against quick opponents. And, when helping on defense, he frequently over committed to ball penetration. Stockton was also a serial flopper. However, I feel that because of their size and strength both Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson created more radical matchup problems for opponents than did Stockton.

There is also a significant mitigating circumstance behind the fact that Stockton is the league's all-time assist leader. Longevity.

Here are the numbers:

Stockton played in 1,504 regular season games in 19 years, and averaged 10.5 assists per outing.

Oscar appeared in 1,040 games during his 14-year career and registered 9.5 assists per game. It should again be noted that Oscar had more scoring responsibilities than either Stockton or Magic.

In his 13 years with the Lakers, Magic averaged 11.2 assists over a total of only 906 games.How about Stockton as the third-best PG in NBA history?Source

On the road with Isiah: Las Vegas

2009-12-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- He stood out, which you would expect of Isiah Thomas.

The Henderson International School gym, a sweatbox of a hoops court with maybe eight rows of bleachers on one side and folding chairs doubling as the bench on the other, isn't where you'd expect to find a former NBA Finals MVP and 11-time All-Star.

Except on this steamy July Wednesday, it wasn't who he is that made Thomas easy to find. He was easy to find because of what he was wearing.

In a sea of school-emblazoned golf shirts and T-shirts lacking only the work of a BeDazzler to draw attention to them, Thomas stood out in a pale blue-checked shirt, a pair of navy blue dress pants and loafers.

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Doug Benc/Getty ImagesIsiah Thomas takes over an FIU program that has never quite gained its footing in Division I.

There was not a single stitch representing Florida International on him -- not a logo, not an emblem, not even his new employer's initials.

Understand the significance of this -- ubermarketer Tom Crean had T-shirts specifically made for the July recruiting period, with an intersecting IU on the front and "It's Indiana" printed on the back so "kids could see us coming and going."

Coaches don't endure a 12-hour case of bleacher butt to evaluate talent so much as to baby-sit the talent they've already evaluated. This is a place to be seen.

As he hugged the side railing near the door, Thomas was taking a major risk in his anonymity … which would, of course, be the case if he weren't Isiah Thomas.

Without moving from his perch of more than six hours, 48-year-old Thomas welcomed a steady receiving line of visitors. College coaches stopped by to introduce or reintroduce themselves, the various hangers-on and entrepreneurs who populate the summer-league circuit inserted themselves into conversations just to say hello, and spectators tried desperately to be inconspicuous as they nonchalantly walked by, only to whisper and rubberneck once they passed.

"Sure, the recognition helps," Thomas laughs, "but that's the way it's been my whole life. That's not why I'm here."

Critics might snicker that Thomas' new head-coaching gig at Florida International is nothing more than an image reclamation project by the man and a public relations stunt by the university.

They wonder how the bus rides to Mobile, Ala., will play out to a man accustomed to flying charters, question whether he has the stomach for the grind of recruiting when he has spent years evaluating NBA talent.

To spend the end of the recruiting period on the road with college coaches is to spend a week in Dante's lowest circle of hell. Coaches are exhausted, bored and fed up. They're tired of being on the road, tired of watching games all day and half the night, tired of the travel.

Fueled by nothing more than a fruit smoothie at 9 a.m., Thomas looks -- four hours later in a stuffy gym in the middle of the desert at the end of July -- as if he has landed in Candy Land.

"The biggest difference I notice now is the passion and the raw emotion here,'' he says. "This game goes to the soul of these kids. In the NBA, it's entertainment or a job. This is the game at its purest. You can't fake that. You can practically smell it. And for me, it's so refreshing because I haven't smelled that smell in a while."

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AP Photo/Seth WenigSuffice it to say, the pressure at FIU will be much less for Thomas than with the New York Knicks.

He has smelled a more offensive stench recently. In three seasons with the Pacers, he endured three first-round playoff exits.

And then there was the nadir in New York, the professional and personal disaster that ended with him on the wrong side of a 23-59 record and an $11 million sexual harassment lawsuit.

Of that, Thomas, who always has proclaimed his innocence, says, "Who knows what that was all about? I mean … who knows?"

From the outside, FIU seems the perfect place to rebuild a career and a life -- a mid-major school that has not had a winning season in nine years.

How can a man fail at a place that has never tasted success?

But Thomas insists this isn't about licking his wounds and saving face. It is about basketball. It has always been about basketball. He likens the game to the adrenaline rush a person might get jumping from a plane, talks wistfully about his childhood days in Chicago, days when he played until he threw up and refused to leave the court even to use the bathroom.

With candor, he admits that this interview wouldn't have gone as well if it had taken place in a coffee shop, that the comfort zone of the gym allows him to let down his guard.

He has tried to find another love. Before taking the FIU job, Thomas dreamed of competing in an Ironman triathlon. He has biked a century race (100 miles) and still will pedal 30 to 40 miles a day when time permits.

It wasn't the same. Since he was a kid sitting at the feet of Naismith pupil John McLendon, listening to McLendon speak at the Martin Luther King Boys Club in Chicago, Thomas has held strong to one belief:

"I remember him saying this ball can you take you anywhere, all around the world," Thomas says. "You can dine with kings and queens, you can meet presidents and heads of state. If you're true to the game, it will be true to you. I've tried to stay true to the game, and it has always been true to me."

It is this almost carnal love for the game that Thomas says has made the transition to FIU so easy. Others might look at it as a major step down. He considers it just another job in basketball.

Sure, things are different. For one, he never had to sweat out an exam in the NBA. Passing the NCAA compliance test brought all sorts of horrors back for Thomas -- "I hadn't taken a test since college. I forgot how nervous I got. I was a wreck."

And although the accoutrements of fame aren't vital to him, they are still available to him: He stayed at the luxurious Wynn while in Las Vegas, not exactly the host hotel and casino for his Sun Belt brethren.

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AP Photo/Lynne SladkyBy snagging standout commitments for 2010 and 2011, Thomas is making waves in recruiting circles.

But on the positive side, there is the bounty of recruiting, where everyone, he says, is a free agent. No one is slotting whom he can and can't have. Everyone is up for grabs to the hardest worker, a challenge Thomas relishes. He already has commitments from 2010 point guard Phil Taylor, rated the 37th best at his position, and 2011's Chris Coleman, tabbed the No. 5 center in his class.

For those who think he will thumb his nose when his new hotels fail to rate a Fodor's ranking, that he will succumb to the grueling schedule of summer recruiting, Thomas just laughs.

You think sitting in a gym all day is tough? Try his final year in New York.

Better yet, try his childhood.

"You know the poverty line?" he says. "We were below it."

Try playing a couple of years for Bob Knight.

Or better yet, try living your whole life under the watchful eye of Mary Thomas. Now a feisty 87-year-old who has lost a leg to amputation, survived three heart attacks and every day all but gives the grim reaper a polite but firm middle-finger salute, Thomas' mother does not suffer fools or tolerate BS.

When her son recently took her to one of the Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas, Mary decided when it was over.

"I said, 'But Mom, it's the finale,'" Thomas recalls. "She just said, 'Mmmm-hmm' and got up. That was it. I used to tell Coach Knight all the time that he was nothing compared to my mother."

And so as Hour 4 turns into Hour 5 without any sustenance save the water from the now-empty bottle at his feet, Thomas sits contentedly. Despite a thermostat that will not go below 80, even after Gonzaga coach Mark Few adjusts it, Thomas isn't sweating.

He knows he's fortunate. His NBA career has dealt him the comfortable hand of not needing to coach for the money. If he gets canned in April, his pride might take a hit but his bank account will be just fine.

"I know the rest of these guys, they can't say that," says Thomas, who donated this year's salary to charity. "For them, this is about money and survival. Me, I'm here because I want to be here."

As he talks, a slow smile creeps across Isiah Thomas' face.

This isn't where he needs to be for now.

This is where he always wanted to be.

Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at espnoneil@live.com.

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Garfield High to host NBA stars and prep players in exhibitions

2009-12-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

No Sonics, no Portland Trail Blazers exhibition game, no problem.

Despite the recent snubs, Dumi Maraire, a local entrepreneur, is bringing NBA-caliber games to Seattle.

"We've got enough NBA guys to put on our own game," Dumi Maraire said. "With the Sonics not being here, we know there's basketball fans here that want to see these guys and we're giving them a way to see them that's cheap, affordable and fun."

After a three-year absence, Maraire and business partner Dana Tade restarted the Adonai Hood Classic, which features NBA stars Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford among the list of players invited to participate in the two-day event that begins Saturday at Garfield High School.

The tournament includes players from four high schools: Franklin, Rainier Beach, O'Dea and Garfield. Two games are scheduled each day and a dunk contest and three-point challenge are planned Sunday before the championship game.

"It's been challenging trying to get this going again," Maraire said. "The hard part has been reaching out to players. It's a little challenging because you don't know the response. And in some ways, that was part of reason why we allowed it to leave because people took it for granted.

"The response from the community has been fantastic. That part wasn't hard, but getting players to commit is difficult."

Other players expected to play include: Terrence Williams, the former Franklin standout and first-round New Jersey Nets draft pick, Garfield High junior standout Tony Wroten Jr. and former Washington Huskies Will Conroy and Tre Simmons.

NCAA restrictions prevent college players from participating in the games this year. However, UW guard Isaiah Thomas is scheduled to compete in the three-point shootout against former Husky Justin Dentmon.

Tournament organizers are working to secure commitments from Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes and former UW Husky football star Lawyer Milloy to participate as celebrity judges for the dunk contest.

"We want to bring the community together to something peaceful," said Maraire, who is also relaunching the Adonai Clothing line this fall. "We want to celebrate all of our athletes young and old. It blows me away to think how much talent is here and how many players came out of these four schools. So this is a chance to give kids an opportunity to see these guys up close and in a real way."

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Keeping Odom should keep Lakers on top of NBA

2009-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

There's little doubt that the extended drama involved in Lamar Odom's threat to sign with Miami was nothing more than a negotiating ploy to force a more favorable deal from the Lakers.

Here are several reasons why Miami never had a real shot at Odom:

The ballyhooed fact that Florida doesn't have a state income tax was a red herring. So what if Odom could have saved about $200-300K per season? With the Lakers able to offer a signficantly larger salary, the tax savings would have been mere pocket change.

All of Dwyane Wade's talk about Odom's "coming back home" to Miami was also nonsensical. L.O. was born in Queens, N.Y., has played a total of nine years in Los Angeles and only one in Miami.

Even if the Heat had inked Odom and Carlos Boozer, the best they could have hoped for was to finish behind Boston, Cleveland and Orlando. Why would Odom — or any other player in his right mind — leave a defending championship ball club to play on the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference?

There was some buzz about Odom's lingering unhappiness coming off the bench for the Lakers and Miami's guaranteeing him a starting slot. But hey, last June the guy averaged over 32 minutes per game in the playoffs and was always on the court in the end game. Winning the gold ring ultimately convinced Odom that finishing for a winner is better than starting for an also-ran.

L.A.'s pulling its offer from the table last week was just another business-as-usual negotiating ploy.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom will chase more titles together. (Andy Hayt / Getty Images)

Hadn't Odom repeatedly claimed that Phil Jackson was his all-time favorite coach? And that he couldn't see himself playing under anybody else?That said, here's the usual run-down on what Odom will bring to next season's Lakers.Pros: Simply put, Odom can do just about everything he puts his mind to. Rebound, handle, run, jump, shoot from long range, post-up, pass and defend. All this at either the small forward or the power forward positions — and even playing center in selected matchups.More specifically, he can drive effectively both ways but prefers going left — and therefore works very hard (mostly with a nifty right-to-left crossover) to get back to his left hand. He's quite a handful when he posts on the right block and looks for his lefty jump hook or turnaround jumper. And he's learned to be aggressive when playing without the ball.Cons: His habitual lack of focus is a problem. Too often, Odom will disappear and not be a factor whatsoever. This happens perhaps one out of every three games in the regular season and one game per playoff series. Also, his 3-ball stroke can be flat. Plus, he exhibits too much ball and body movement at the stripe and is therefore little better than a lifetime 70 percent shooter from there, which is slightly below the average league-wide efficiency.Prognosis: With both Odom and Ron Artest in the fold, the Lakers are heavy favorites to repeat. All they need to round out their roster is another lively big man off the bench — Josh Powell doesn't fill the bill — and a guard/wing who can provide another reliable scorer off the bench. It could very well be, however, that if Adam Morrison's leg has healed and fully regained its strength, he could be the secondary scorer for the second unit.Note: The Lakers would have had absolutely no chance to re-sign Odom if there was an NBA franchise in Hershey, Pa.Let's also look at the most significant of the latest player relocations.

Andre Miller, left, will force the Blazers into a more patient offense. Emeka Okafor, right, is a questionable acquisition for New Orleans. (Ned Dishman / Getty Images)

Andre Miller to Portland

Pros: He's strong, smart and can run an offense with clockwork efficiency. When he must, Miller can also overpower opponents and create his own shots. His hesitation moves enable him to consistently get to the hoop and finish. Has incredible court vision and a great drive-and-kick game. Can do a good job defending screen/rolls.Cons: Cannot run, shoot from long range or defend any but the slowest point guards in one-on-one situations. Prognosis: Miller's presence will force the Blazers to play a more deliberate style than they have in recent years. This will put even more pressure on Greg Oden to hasten his development. So even with Miller, Portland's future still depends on Oden.

Matt Barnes to Orlando

Pros: He's a high-energy player who can run the floor like a guard. Barnes' quick hops also make him an effective rebounder and an outstanding finisher. He has excellent 3-point range and rarely misses open shots.Cons: Takes far too many ill-advised shots, especially in fast-break or early offensive situations. His lefty handle is weak. Worst of all, Barnes is a below-average defender.Prognosis: If he learns to differentiate between good shots and bad ones, Barnes could be a streaky but potentially dynamic scorer off the bench. A probable plus for the Magic.

Jamario Moon to Cleveland

Pros: This guy is one of the best all-around athletes in the league. He can run, jump and change direction like a Hall of Famer. Moon is a highlight finisher on the break. Can also knock down treys and play aggressive defense.Cons: His incredible skills remain somewhat unsophisticated. Doesn't see the court well enough to make judicious passes and he makes mucho mistakes in executing half-court sets.Prognosis: If the Cavs can get him to slow down and look before he leaps, Moon could be a huge addition who greatly enhances their championship hopes.

Tyson Chandler to Charlotte

Pros: A quick jumper and eager shot-blocker, especially when coming from the weak side. Can outrun most other centers. Does a good job of spinning off of top-heavy interior defenders and making himself available for lob passes. Except for some lefty jump hooks, put-backs, and duck-under moves, Chandler's primary offense is generated by his slipping screens and dunking the resultant lob passes.

Foul prone and injury prone, Tyson Chandler is likely to frustrate Larry Brown. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)

Cons: Is very soft and can be bullied. Can't pass or score when stationed in the low post but gets upset when he doesn't get sufficient touches. When opposing players take the ball right at him and then execute a convincing pump fake, Chandler is so intent on blocking shots that more often than not he'll commit a foul. Is both foul prone and injury prone. A poor free-throw shooter.Prognosis: Is the perfect eraser in a zone defense, and the perfect backup. Unless the Bobcats come up with a more stalwart starting center, Larry Brown will be hard on Chandler's case all season long.

Emeka Okafor to New Orleans

Pros: Big, strong body and sure-handed rebounder. Will block his share of shots.Cons: His post-up moves are very crude and depend more on power than technique. A poor passer, Okafor is a turnover looking for a place to happen. Has trouble defending opponents who can face-up and go. Another below-average shooter from the stripe. Lacks the foot speed to provide Chris Paul with the screen/roll options that Chandler did. Is grossly overpaid.Prognosis: Plays better without the ball than with it. Could turn out to be the kind of lane-clogger that will limit the flexibility of the Hornets' half-court offense.

Drew Gooden to Dallas

Pros: Plays hard. Likes to post-up on left box and execute either his go-to move — a right-handed jump-hook — or a turnaround jumper. Also looks to spin on his drives. Can rebound, handle some, and block an occasional shot.Cons: Is a streaky shooter who stubbornly tries to shoot his way through dry spells. Has slowed down to a noticeable degree and since he's always had trouble defending quick players off the dribble, his defense is now highly questionable.Prognosis: Gooden is a career under-achiever and the Mavs are the seventh team he'll play with during the course of his (soon-to-be) nine years in the league. As such, Dallas is the latest outfit to believe it can prompt Gooden to fulfill his potential. Could be a useful player off the bench who should be quickly yanked when he misses three shots in succession.Source

Raptors get Belinelli in trade with Warriors

2009-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Raptors acquired Italian guard Marco Belinelli from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Devean George, the NBA team said on Thursday.

Taken with the 18th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by Golden State, Belinelli averaged 8.9 points, 2.1 assists, 1.7 rebounds in 42 games last season for the Warriors.

"Marco fills a void at the wing position where his shooting and scoring strengths will be needed," said Raptors president Bryan Colangelo in a statement. "Marco's versatility and playmaking abilities make him a very valuable piece for us."

Prior to joining the Warriors, Belinelli played for Bologna in the Italian league for five seasons and was a member of the 2006 world championship squad.

George, who spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, never played a game for the Raptors after coming to Toronto as part of a four-team sign and trade deal along with Hedo Turkoglu and Antoine Wright.

The Raptors also announced that they had signed free-agent Rasho Nesterovic.

The 7-foot center returns to Toronto after spending last season with the Indiana Pacers.

Nesterovic had previously spent two seasons with the Raptors averaging 6.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 20.9 minutes in 151 games.

(Writing by Steve Keating in Grand Blanc, Michigan, editing by Justin Palmer)

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Diogu still seeking right NBA fit

2009-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS — Ike Diogu is still trying to prove he deserved to be a coveted lottery pick, some four year after he was taken ninth overall in the 2005 NBA draft.

On Thursday, Diogu arrived in New Orleans to formally join what will be his fifth team in as many seasons when training camp starts next fall.

"I haven't had too many opportunities with the previous teams I've been with, so I'm just excited to show everybody I belong in the league and that I was worthy of being taken ninth overall," Diogu said, looking relaxed and confident in a T-shirt and designer jeans while seated at a conference table at the Hornets' 19th-floor downtown headquarters.

Diogu, drafted out of Arizona State by Golden State, has averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 187 career games. Yet from time to time, the 6-foot-9 power forward has shown enough potential to get the attention of general managers around the league.

"We expect a lot more from him in the form of production," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "We feel Ike's got the talent, the capabilities, and over his career he's demonstrated when he's played minutes that he produces and we feel he'll be in a situation where we will see that. We need that type of production."

For Bower, the key evidence included Diogu's performance late last season for Sacramento after Kings center Spencer Hawes went out with a left knee injury at Denver.

Diogu wound up playing 41 minutes against the Nuggets, finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds. He played 40 minutes two nights later in the Kings' regular season finale at Minnesota, scoring 28 and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Those performances showed "what happens when you give me an opportunity to showcase what I can do," Diogu asserted.

Diogu said his agent, Thaddeus Foucher, has been in contact with a half dozen other teams since he became a free agent this summer. The Kings were interested in keeping him, while Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Toronto and Washington also made overtures, he said.

He ultimately settled on a one-year deal with the Hornets, who've been looking for a young, energetic power forward to come off the bench behind All-Star David West.

"It's going to be a one-year deal and we'll see what happens from there," Diogu said. "Hopefully, I'll take care of business and that will set me up long-term."

Diogu used the term "logjam" to describe the front court depth on the other teams with which he's played, from the Warriors to Portland to Indiana and finally Sacramento.

"It's tough to get out there and play like four minutes and then get subbed out of the game," Diogu said. "But when you give me consistent time, I feel like I can put together consistent games."

Diogu also spoke of his ability sink the mid-range jump shot, a talent that could open the offensive end nicely for a penetrating point guard like Chris Paul.

"I have a consistent jumper out to 17, 18 feet and I think most people are going to be surprised when they see me shoot that and hit that consistently," Diogu said.

The signing of Diogu comes within a week of a trade that sent center Tyson Chandler to Charlotte in exchange for Emeka Okafor. Like Diogu, Okafor is of Nigerian descent and Diogu smiled at the prospect of both sets of parents, who are all ethnically Igbo, speaking together in their native dialect should they run into one another at a game next season.

Pleasing as that prospect may be, it does not represent the sense of belonging Diogu seeks right now.

Time in head coach Byron Scott's regular playing rotation is what he really wants.

The Hornets "said they wanted to add some more depth in the front court and if you just look at their roster on paper, everything looks pretty good," Diogu said. "So it's all on me, and that's basically all I'm looking for is just the opportunity for it to be on me."

Source

Belinelli-George trade

2009-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Warriors confirmed Thursday that they have acquired wing Devean George from Toronto for guard Marco Belinelli. As part of the deal, the Warriors also receive cash considerations.

"We're looking forward to adding a veteran with Devean's experience to our squad," general manager Larry Riley in a news release. "He is obviously a proven winner and has been on several very successful teams during his career, which is something we feel is important when you look at the youth on our roster. He is a versatile player and someone who we feel can contribute both on and off the court."

George, 31, has played the last three seasons with Dallas after spending the first seven years of his career with the Lakers. Last season he appeared in 43 games for the Mavericks, averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 16.5 minutes. The 6-foot-8 wing has appeared in 86 playoff games, including four trips to the NBA Finals.

Belinelli, 23, appeared in 42 games for the Warriors last season, averaging 8.9 points and 2.1 assists in 21 minutes a contest. Originally selected with the 18th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Belinelli owns career averages of 6.2 points, 1.4 assists and 15 minutes in 75 games.

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Knicks, Griz after Jason Williams

2009-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Point guard Jason Williams (notes) is finally close to being able to come off the voluntary retirement list that he put himself on last summer when he told the Los Angeles Clippers to take a hike with the deal he had signed with them.

Now the 33-year-old fella who hasn't played in the NBA since 2008 but the Memphis Grizzlies are apparently taking a gander at him this week, according to AOL FanHouse. If that weren't enough, word is that Williams has some interest from the New York Knicks as well, which is just a sad statement on how far the Knicks have fallen.

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Yao Ming's Absence: A Threat to the NBA's 2009-2010 Global Audience

2009-12-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Last October, the NBA announced it was laying off 80 people in the U.S., about 9% of its workforce, because of the slowing American economy.

About the same time, the league announced a massive program, with AEG, to "design, market, program and operate multi-purpose, NBA-style sports and entertainment arenas in major cities throughout Greater China." The press release also mentioned that "the NBA opened its Hong Kong office in 1992 and currently employs 100 people in four offices in greater China. NBA.com/China has become the most popular sports Web site in China."

Yao Ming -- seen here in a poster at the NBA Store in Beijing -- tends to attract the NBA's biggest TV audiences. So what happens to the NBA if he doesn't play for a season?
(China Photos/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, in recent years, shoe companies have increasingly spent their most precious resource -- the off-season free time of their highly paid pitchmen like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul -- wooing Asian audiences.
It doesn't take an MBA to assess that the powers that be are betting big on international audiences, especially in China.

So, what happens if the single biggest driver of Chinese interest in the NBA is missing from the league, at a time when basketball is desperately in search of revenue?

I mentioned that my friend Max was bitten by a spider, nearly died, and in his recovery had all kinds of interesting thoughts, one of which inspired a post yesterday about NBA players who have played in the most games. (In the comments, IceKeenan wondered: "Dude had a near death experience, and it made him talk about Yao Ming?" In fact, IceKeenan, yes.)

Max asked me yesterday: If Yao Ming misses the entire NBA season, as expected, does that really mess with the NBA's bottom line?

Games featuring Yao have been, by various measures, perhaps the most watched in basketball history. China's love of the NBA has roughly tracked Yao Ming's NBA career, which began in 2002.

Is there any way to guess what the upcoming season's Yaolessness, due to his recent foot injury, might do to the NBA's popularity in his enormous and important home market?
Renjun Bao covers the NBA for China's Titan Media, and agreed to help shed some light on the issue. In response to my questions, he e-mailed:

Before Yao was drafted in 2002, indeed there were some NBA fans in China. Although I don't have statistics, I guess that the percentage of whole population who paid attention to the NBA was less than five percent. There were no national basketball newspaper at that time. There were three national basketball newspapers and tons of basketball magazines by around 2005.
It is safe to say the major reason is Yao.
Besides the printed media, TV and internet has more and more coverage on Yao, the Rockets and the NBA. Yao became the top celebrity in China and his team, the Rockets, have arguably become the most popular professional team among all sports in China. (That's why many players on that team get endorsement contracts from the Chinese companies.)
In 2008-2009, China Central Television (CCTV, the only state owned national TV in China) broadcast 39 NBA regular season games. 13 featured the Rockets, almost double the second most commonly shown teams, the Lakers and the Cavaliers, who were tied at seven apiece.
Again I don't have official data here, but I think at least 20% of whole population pays attention to the NBA, and I'd guess at least half of them do this because of Yao.
If basketball has not passed soccer to become the No. 1 sport in China, it's getting close. Before 2002, that idea would have sounded ridiculous.
It is not hard to predict that Yao's injury will impact the TV ratings here.

Renjun Bao estimates that the NBA's popularity in China has spread, during Yao's NBA career, from less than 5% to more than 20% of the population. These are guesses. But for the record, approximately 15% of the more than 1.3 billion people living in China would be about 200 million people. Or, roughly double a good TV audience for the Super Bowl. He further estimates that about half of them follow because of Yao Ming.
It's hard to imagine any sports league could cope with losing a Super Bowl's worth of supporters.
The notion that China's love of the NBA was driven mainly by Yao Ming's presence seems unimpeachable. The idea that, now that the NBA is already popular in China, fans might turn away in similar numbers, however, is more complicated.
Renjun Bao says several factors could mitigate a cooling of interest from Chinese sports fans while Yao is sidelined:

There are more and more Chinese elements involved in the NBA besides Yao Ming. Yi Jianlian's popularity will catch up a little bit next season. As you might know, a China born investor became a minor owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. CCTV is considering airing more Cavs games next season. Shaquille O'Neal, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd ... a lot of NBA players with China endorsement contracts are featured in the commercials on TV in China.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the most popular international sports stars in China. All of these will remain despite Yao's injury. As a result, I don't think Yao's injury will bring inevitable damage to this market.
And of course, Yao's injury is not career ending, which will keep a lot of people's spirits up.
Last but not least, the NBA China branch is growing rapidly these days. I am sure they will do what they can to keep the game as popular as ever.

The NBA has shown some signs of feeling an economic pinch. A dip in basketball-related income. New ways for teams to borrow money, facilitated by the League. More teams talking about carrying shorter rosters, to save money.
Many people are looking for signs that such hard times could be coming to an end. A stock market rebound, for instance, could free up resources for owners, sponsors and ticket purchasers alike. Optimism in the real estate market could have a similar effect, as might a return to normalcy in credit markets.
But as far as the NBA is concerned, another key economic indicator to watch for is the return of Yao Ming.

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Hornets' Paul heads back to China

2009-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS -- Chris Paul was so taken by basketball's popularity in China during the Beijing Olympics that he's adding a Chinese flair to his signature shoe and making a return trip for the first time since receiving his gold medal.

Paul said he felt like a member of the Beatles while touring the country with Team USA last summer and that he continues to be amazed at China's passion for the sport.

Paul

"When you're engulfed in something like that, I'm just taking it all in, realizing that it's a dream to be able to travel to China and people want to see you play, they want to know what you're doing," Paul began. "It's still something I can't totally grasp."

Paul's second trip back to the Far East in as many years will be among the highlights of a busy offseason that saw him become a father, go back to college and add a little bulk to his physique.

The Hornets' All-Star point guard and 2008 Olympic gold medal winner will arrive in Tianjin on Aug. 2 and move on to Guangzhou on Aug. 3-4, hosting basketball clinics and dedicating an outdoor court on the grounds of a Guangzhou school.

The trip will include the launch of the Jordan CP3 II China Edition basketball shoe, which will be decorated with Chinese characters symbolic of Paul's life, such as the year he was born (1985), and the No. 61, which relates to Paul scoring 61 points in a high-school game to honor his 61-year-old slain grandfather. It also will include the No. 106, a nod to his NBA record for consecutive games with a steal.

Though the shoe will be sold in the United States, Paul said it only makes sense to also market it in China. He took in some youth-level basketball games last year and came away impressed.

"Man, they can really play. That's the thing," Paul said. "I'm excited about going back to see some of top point guards over there because you never know, these might be some of the guys I'm playing against in the World Championships or even in the Olympics in 2012. ... Everyone thinks we know all the tricks here in the NBA, but you can learn some different things when you travel because different players are doing different things."

Paul spoke about his trip on Wednesday before wrapping up a three-day basketball camp in New Orleans, during which his foundation donated about $55,000 to charities in the New Orleans area.

During breaks at the camp, Paul hovered over a baby carriage, attending to his 2-month-old son, Christopher Emmanuel Paul II. The NBA star had the child with Jada Crawley, his girlfriend since college at Wake Forest. Paul said he loves fatherhood and raves about his son's prodigious appetite and playfulness, and posted a picture on Twitter.

Last weekend, Paul dedicated the second of three public courts he is refurbishing in New Orleans.

Paul has begun most days this offseason with workouts aimed at improving his strength, and his new bulk was evident at his basketball camp. Last season, he often logged close to 40 minutes a game and was worn out by the playoffs, when New Orleans appeared punchless in a lopsided first-round loss to Denver.

Paul estimated that he is now between 10 and 15 pounds heavier than he was as a rookie in 2005-06.

"It's to make sure I'm durable for the season, for the amount of minutes I play," he said.

He has spent much of the summer in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., dining out with relatives and performing more charity work. He also took three summer classes at Wake Forest, where he played for two seasons. Eventually, he intends to graduate with a degree in religion.

"I'm a Christian. I'm Baptist, and I think a lot of times people tend to believe what they believe because that's what their parents told them," Paul said. "I just wanted to find out more information about other religions, so I could know why I believe what I believe."

When the summer traveling is over, Paul looks forward to getting back in the familiar confines of New Orleans Arena, where he draws the loudest cheers when he is the last starter introduced.

"I really use that as energy to get ready for the game, to know they really have that confidence in me," Paul said. "I think a lot of times, people are thinking, 'Man, that's a lot of pressure.' But I use it as fuel. I'm extremely grateful."

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Steve Nash hypes Vancouver NBA pre-season game, charity soccer match

2009-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER — Professional athlete. Two-time National Basketball Association MVP. Movie producer. Professional soccer team owner. Professional soccer league owner. Philanthropist. All-around great guy.

Steve Nash didn't get to where he is by listening to most people. Good thing. The Phoenix Suns' guard may never have played hoops past high school if he had.

So it was fitting a few years back when the Victoria native opted to deep-six the Steve Nash Foundation's Charity Classic basketball game — brought to you only upon the terms dictated by the NBA — in favour of a more grassroots approach to charitable sporting endeavors.

Hence the creation of the Showdown in Chinatown in New York two years ago, and its byproduct the Showdown in Downtown to be played at David Lam Park on Sept. 19. The charity soccer match will feature Nash, some of his NBA pals as well as retired European and current professional soccer players in a game against the Vancouver Whitecaps residency team.

"We had a great run with the three Classics," Nash said via a conference call to hype the event as well as a Suns pre-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers at GM Place on Oct. 22. "I think the bottom line is . . . this is much more deliverable event."

But as much as the Showdowns are about Nash thumbing his nose at the bureaucratic red tape and logistical nightmares that came with putting on something of the charity classic's magnitude, the decision to go in a more altruistic direction was also a little selfish. Not that he can be blamed for wanting to see more proceeds going to the kids rather than bills.

"When you rent a building like GM Place and all the staff it entails, all the logistics can be overwhelming," said Nash, whose foundation is dedicated to assisting under served children in their health, personal development, education and enjoyment of life. "Plus there's a lot of stakeholders involved. It's kind of fun to have a level of freedom here."

Nash will receive an honorary doctorate of laws degree in a special convocation ceremony at the University of Victoria one day prior to hitting the pitch. The 35-year-old graduate of Santa Clara University grew up being inspired by watching the Vikes national championship hoops dynasty of the 1980s and legend even has it that he'd tape the door latches of the school's gym in order to sneak in after closing hours.

Nash offered a glimpse of his dry sense of humour when asked about what it meant to be so honoured.

"All the books and essays and contributions I've given to modern science, it's the least they could do," cracked the latest of a select list of athletes to be given honorary degrees, including Olympic-medallist rower Silken Laumann along with 1954 miracle-milers Sir Roger Bannister and John Landy.

"I don't want to sound like a jerk (but) I've been offered a lot of honorary degrees, but this is the only one I've accepted," he continued. "The University of Victoria has a special place in my heart, growing up in that gym and living so close to campus."

Unlike Nash's charity classic games, the exhibition between the Suns and Trail Blazers promises to be the most competitive basketball played in province in years. Phoenix played host to the Seattle SuperSonics at GM Place prior to the 2006-07 season, in what was the first NBA game in the building since the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001.

"It's just great news," said Lawrie Johns, manager of youth programs for Basketball BC and the caretaker of the nation-wide Steve Nash Youth Basketball League for the province. "It's been two years since our kids have been able to see their idol live and in-person. We've grown by about 4,000-5,000 in that time so those kids may have never had the chance to see Steve play."

Tickets for the Suns and Trial Blazers game will be available through Ticketmaster starting Saturday. Prices will range from $17 to $91 for bowl seats and a limited number of floor seats will be available with partial proceeds being donated to Nash's foundation. The Showdown in Downtown is a free event with all proceeds going directly to the foundation's BC Grants platform, which funds child-focused services across the province.

Outside his charitable endeavors, Nash is also a co-owner of the Whitecaps as well as a partner in the fledgling Women's Professional Soccer. He and his cousin also have a production company called Meathawk, which is currently working on a documentary about Terry Fox to be shown on ESPN.

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Carter likes Orlando Magic's chances next year

2009-12-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Vince Carter isn't looking to replace Dwight Howard as the face of the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

Not even close. The recently acquired Carter just wants to fit with his new team and get the prize that has eluded him for a decade in the NBA -- a championship ring.

"I think we have a wonderful team," Carter said of the Magic during a break at his basketball camp. "On paper it's pretty darn good. It's the preparation and work we put in, and not becoming complacent."

Carter admitted on Wednesday that he was surprised by the June trade that sent him and forward Ryan Anderson from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic for center Tony Battie and guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston.

However, the thought of playing near his home and sharing the court with Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson has rekindled the championship hopes that disappeared in New Jersey over the past two years with the trades that shipped Jason Kidd to Dallas and Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee.

The acquisition of Carter gives the Magic a proven go-to player who has averaged 23.5 points in his 10 NBA seasons. He is also a versatile scorer who can prevent opponents from focusing all their defensive efforts on stopping Howard's inside game.

The trade also gives Orlando, which lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games, an immediate replacement for Hedo Turkoglu, who was shipped to Toronto in a sign-and-trade deal.

The one thing Carter isn't looking to do is to be the focal point of the Magic, something that he has been throughout his career in Toronto and New Jersey.

"If you think about it, I never really said 'This is my team,"' Carter said of his four-plus seasons in New Jersey. "I said, 'I'm going to help this team win.' When I first got here, it was Jason's team. I just want to help make (Orlando) better. He (Howard) can be the face all he wants. My concern is more so just getting wins. I kind of leave that for people to say or debate on. I think for me, it's 'Can Vince come in and do his part for the Orlando Magic?' That's more so my goal."

Carter conducted his camp at the Nets' training facility on Wednesday. He had committed to the youth camp before the trade and the Nets allowed him to hold it.

But Carter enjoyed being back and seeing old friends. He talked to coach Lawrence Frank, Nets president Rod Thorn and a couple of former teammates.

The only regret he had was not finishing the job he started, which was to get the Nets a title.

"I mean, I worked my butt off to gain the trust of each and every player here and every staff member and really to instill the mentality and belief that we could win," Carter said. "I don't think we were expected to win as many games as we did. It was just creating a mentality and making it a habit."

Carter was the player the Nets counted on for scoring and leadership in recent years, and he said now it will probably fall to All-Star guard Devin Harris to fulfill the role.

"I mean, Devin can do it," Carter said. "He has seen it done and he's been around. It's just if he wants it. He has definitely established himself in the NBA as a player and that's the next level for him."

Carter spoke highly of the players the Nets acquired from Orlando, saying Lee was unbelievable, Battie was a proven veteran who has been to the championship round and that Alston is a great leader.

For the Nets to be successful next season, he said it will take a team effort in a year where not much is expected.

Carter did not know how the Nets would fare in the 2010 free agency market when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade might all be available.

"It will be a great opportunity for somebody, maybe a guy who wants an opportunity to build a team around him and play with Devin," Carter said. "You give them another guy or another stud, anything can happen. I think it's possible. I really do."

For now, all Carter is thinking about is the Magic, admitting he still feels weird.

"It's hard to say Vince Carter, Orlando Magic right now," he said. "It won't be once we start doing things as a team."

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New Dallas Cowboys Stadium may draw largest NBA audience ever

2009-12-14T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tickets for the highly anticipated 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend were sold out in less than 20 minutes on the Ticketmaster website on Tuesday. The hosts, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his Mavericks counterpart Mark Cuban will divide the weekend’s events.

The Rookie Challenge & 3-Point Shootout will be played at the Maverick’s home, the American Airlines Center, in the trendy Victory Park, with the main event, the All Star Game, at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

The last time the NBA All-Star weekend was in Dallas was 23 years and it was held at the Reunion Arena.

The 2010 NBA All-Star Game’s logo also reflects the collaboration between the two Dallas teams, which NBA commissioner David Stern labeled “the creation of one of the most memorable basketball events of all-time.”

The All-Star game’s logo includes a version of the Cowboys’ star along with the Mavericks blue and green colors.
Cuban had been skeptical in the past about hosting the event due to space constraints, fearing there wouldn’t be enough rooms for Maverick fan’s and NBA All-Star weekend spectators. The Grand opening of the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, has put an end to that skepticism.

The three million square foot venue seats 100,000 for special events, features a retractable glass ceiling roof, including the Cowboys’ trademark hole at the top of the dome and a 60-yard long video screen so a moment won’t be missed. The stadium, developed by HKS architects was built with the philosophy that “there isn’t any event it can’t handle,” and is the largest and most expensive stadium in the NFL.

The Cowboys played at Texas Stadium in nearby Irving for 35 years. This season will be their first their new home which has already been christened by some soccer events this summer.

The new venue has been the brainchild of Jones since purchasing the Cowboys in 1989 for $150 Million. Jones has worked on the plans for the stadium over the last eight years with HKS architect, Bryan Trubey. Jones’ vision was simply to create something more than a sports venue. He wanted to build what some in Dallas call “an entertainment empire.”

The Cowboys stadium is already the home of Super Bowl XLV, The Big 12 Championship games and the 2010 Cotton Bowl. The last time an All-Star game was played at a football stadium, was in 1996 at the San Antonio Spurs’ old home, the Alamodome.

This time around, Jones' architectural monster will blow that away amongst other things expected for the weekend as well.

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Seattle's NBA fans jilted again? Blazers won't play exhibition here after all

2009-12-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

Seattle basketball fans will have to wait a little longer for the NBA to return to the Emerald City.

The Portland Trail Blazers have decided not to stage an exhibition against the Phoenix Suns at KeyArena on Oct. 14, announcing Wednesday that the preseason game will be held at Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

"The game [in Seattle] was never an absolute definite go," president Larry Miller said. "We were looking into it, checking into and thinking that it was going to work out, but at the same time we were looking at some other options for that game."

The Blazers, who celebrate their 40th anniversary this season, haven't played at the Coliseum since 1995.

In an interview last month, Tod Leiweke, CEO of Vulcan Sports & Entertainment, which oversees the Blazers, Seahawks and Sounders FC, said the Blazers wanted to play in Seattle because it made good business sense.

"This isn't designed to be some major statement," he said. "Those who are reading into that, they're just not reading it properly. I think relative to Portland, ownership has fought hard to make Portland work.

"There are lots of people in Seattle who still love the NBA and want to follow a team. It's only logical."

Reaction to the game was mixed when the news broke last month, but Miller said it didn't affect the team's decision.

"We didn't think that it was too soon to play there," he said. "We got a lot of positive feedback as well as some negative feedback and we just felt like the timing would have been OK and the situation would have been good."

Leiweke said the fiscal constraints of operating in a small market forced the Blazers to expand marketing in the Northwest. According to consulting firm ProAdvance, Portland is the 23rd largest media market in the nation and Seattle ranks 13th.

After the Sonics left for Oklahoma City, the Blazers received permission from the NBA to broadcast in the Seattle area and began televising games on Comcast Sports Net last season.

Miller said "it's a strong possibility" Blazer games will be broadcast on the radio in the Seattle area, but the team has yet to finalize a deal with a station. The Blazers will also reconsider playing an exhibition in Seattle in 2010, he said.

"We'll absolutely take another look at that as an option for next year and hopefully things will work out and we'll be able to play up there next year," Miller said. "We want to bring our team up there. We want to play a game up there. We think that market and NBA fans up there deserve to have NBA basketball and we're looking forward to being able to provide that for them."

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Hornets sign free agent Diogu

2009-12-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Hornets have signed forward Ike Diogu to a free agent contract, hoping he can provide solid backup minutes behind All-Star David West.

Diogu, who is 6-foot-9, played in 29 games last season for Portland and Sacramento. He averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds.

Diogu was drafted ninth overall out of Arizona State by the Golden State Warriors in 2005. He then played for Indiana before moving on to Portland and Sacramento.

He has averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 187 games during his four year NBA career

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Checking the Odometer on Some of Your Favorite Players

2009-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Age is one thing. But in terms of NBA wear and tear, games played is another important measure.

I was just talking to my friend Max (who is recovering from -- no joke -- a spider bite that nearly killed him). His near-death experience has made him pretty philosophical, and he was talking about Yao Ming, injuries, and the cost of NBA wear and tear.

He was also talking about players with a lot of miles on the odometer. So I looked it up. Which players have played the most games?

Grant Hill is often seen as one of the NBA's elder statesmen. Here's what I want to know (if you cheat by looking it up, your conscience, and probably some people in the federal government, will know): Which of the following players have played more NBA games than Grant Hill?

Allen Iverson
Shaquille O'Neal
Jason Kidd
Kevin Garnett
Rasheed Wallace
Kobe Bryant
Ray Allen
Steve Nash
Ben Wallace
Tim Duncan
Erick Dampier
Antonio McDyess

Answer after the jump.
The answer is: They all have.

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Amid summer full of changes, Bulls are placing faith in themselves

2009-12-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

Pardon fans of the Chicago Bulls if they view Luol Deng's decision not to play for Great Britain's national team this summer as something less than an NBA offseason-defining development for their preferred club.

When a player has been as disappointing and overpaid as Deng has been just one year into his lavish, long-term $71 million contract, it's understandable that the locals might not be moved by whatever emotions or anguish he might feel in backing off a commitment to a team across the pond. In a non-Olympic year. While recovering from a stress fracture in his right tibia. While the Bulls still are waiting to get the best of Deng through 82 games plus a deep playoff run.

Still, no news is ... well, in the case of the Bulls, no news. Deng's decision to put first the team that committed to building itself around him is about all that passes for news around the Berto Center these days. While other contenders throughout the league engage in a protracted bout of high-stakes one-upsmanship that has been fairly exhilarating, Chicago has opted to do next to nothing. It has taken the tease and the potential of the Bulls' unexpected and remarkable seven-game playoff clash with the Boston Celtics and has wrung it dry of promise, thanks to an improvement-from-within attitude that even the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic would be embarrassed to peddle.

But even approach requires a best-case interpretation of Ben Gordon's move to the Detroit Pistons, his 20.7 points per game replaced somehow, by someone, a still-unknown who will need help covering the 41.4-point swing that represents four times a season when the Bulls face their Central Division rivals. It's true that Gordon was a gunner, that he reportedly envied Deng's deal and often played for his own (five years, $55 million from Detroit), and that he resented the Bulls for twice pulling offers from the table. It's true as well that his game is locked into one dimension: On the night he scored 42 points against Boston, Gordon had one rebound and no assists in 44 minutes -- and Chicago lost. In fact, the former UConn star averaged 29.0 in the four games the Bulls lost, 18.0 in the three they won.

But those who say Gordon would have cost the Bulls upwards of $20 million annually -- putting any luxury-tax burden solely on his contract, as the latest done -- are just fiddling with numbers to rival any Washington stimulus committee. Sorry, too, if we're not convinced by owner Jerry Reinsdorf's recent stated contention that, with Jannero Pargo now in the house, Gordon would have trouble getting his minutes. At least coach Vinny Del Negro didn't try to sell that elixir.

"There's no question we'll miss some of the things Ben gave us, the ability to have big scoring quarters, his ability to make shots, especially at the end of games" Del Negro told Sam Smith of Bulls.com. "Other guys have to step up. It's a big year for Joakim [Noah] and Tyrus [Thomas], for [Derrick Rose's] growth. John Salmons and Brad Miller will be with us from Day 1. Get Luol Deng to the level we need him. We're going to miss Ben in certain situations, but I feel the rest of the guys can pick up and hopefully we can be better defensively and rebounding."

Hopefully. It's hard to make plans for May and June on hopefully.

There is evidence that Salmons could pick up most of Gordon's scoring slack, stemming largely from the 35 points he scored in the triple-overtime Game 6 victory vs. Boston. Salmons didn't so much blossom when he got to Chicago as emerge from under that bushel in Sacramento; his stats were amazingly similar before and after the trade (18.4 ppg, 37.4 minutes, 47.2 percent FG shooting, 41.8 three-point shooting in 53 games with the Kings, 18.3 ppg, 37.7 minutes, 47.3 FG, 41.5 three-point in 26 regular-season games with the Bulls). But he's 29 years old, is with his third team and never averaged more than 12.5 points before last season.

Then there's this: Gordon at least was headstrong enough not to yield entirely to Rose, the rookie who instantly was seen as the Bulls' all-everything guy. It's almost a certainty that Rose will try to score more now, even though his team and he might be better off if he actually tried to score less. Remember Game 1 of the playoffs, when Rose thrust his name up there with legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by getting 36 points as a rookie in his postseason debut? Well, don't forget Games 2 and 3 then, when Rose combined for 19 points, shot 9-of-25 and totaled nine assists and 11 turnovers after posting 11 and five in the opener. The last thing Chicago needs is to turn this guy into Allen Iverson.

The draft yielded James Johnson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Wake Forest who was the No. 16 pick overall in the June draft. Johnson opened some eyes in the Summer League, as a sturdy player capable of logging time at two or three spots who averaged 16.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in Vegas. But he will need to stay lean, has to work on his shot and won't be as a rookie what Rose was. Forward Taj Gibson of USC, the Bulls' other first-rounder, sat out the final three games in Vegas with a foot injury and committed 19 fouls in the two games he played (summer rules, remember).

Since the draft, Chicago has been toyed with as a destination for Utah forward Carlos Boozer. It has been enmeshed in sign-and-trade rumors about Knicks restricted free agent David Lee. It saw Gordon jump to a rival. Just the other day, it saw New Orleans swap Tyson Chandler not for P.J. Brown and J.R. Smith -- two players long gone, from whom the Bulls got little (Brown) and nothing (Smith) -- but for Emeka Okafor. Okafor at least would have been an upgrade over Thomas and Noah in the Bulls' endless quest for some low-post scoring.

Contenders hither and yon are reconfiguring and seemingly improving themselves, while Chicago has to count on Deng, who has missed 52 games the past two seasons, along with this year's playoffs. Meanwhile, as new general manager Gar Forman awaits Aaron Gray's move on his qualifying offer, he sees the roster as set.

"It's an important year for us because we want to grow," Forman told Smith. "We think we've got a team that will compete."

Really? Subtract Gordon, add Rasheed Wallace and a healthy Kevin Garnett to the Celtics and I'm not sure that springtime thriller even lasts four games.

Source

Mavericks pick up Thomas

2009-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Free-agent forward Tim Thomas signed with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Contract details were not disclosed.

Thomas, 32, played 64 games last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.

He averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 19.5 minutes a game.

Thomas is a 43.6 per cent shooter as a pro, having averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 26.1 minutes a game in 806 NBA games (403 starts) since being drafted seventh overall by the New Jersey Nets in 1997.

He also has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.

Source

Delaware pol says leagues, NCAA ‘hypocritical’ on gambling

2009-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

The NFL, three other pro sports leagues and the NCAA are hypocritical for suing the state of Delaware to stop sports gambling while helping to promote gambling elsewhere, according to the Delaware House majority leader, Rep. Peter C. Schwartzkopf.

Schwartzkopf sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, with copies to the other four organizations, criticizing the lawsuit filed last week in federal district court in Wilmington. The Inquirer obtained a copy of the letter.

Delaware is working toward single-game sports betting for the start of the NFL season on Sept. 10 at its three racetrack casinos.

Major League Baseball, the NHL, NBA and the NCAA joined the NFL in the suit.

In the letter, Schwartzkopf criticizes the "blatant hypocrisy" of the leagues and the NCAA claiming a threat to the integrity of their contests while also entering business relationships with gambling interests.

The NFL could not be immediately be reached for comment.

The letter appears below:

July 28, 2009

Dear Commissioner Goodell:

I write this letter in response to the lawsuit the National Football League and other sports leagues filed against the State of Delaware concerning recent legislation reintroducing the sports lottery in Delaware. I was lead House sponsor of that legislation and write this letter in response.

The issue of Delaware expanding state sponsored gambling activities, such as sports betting, is an important one. For those of us who supported it, we sought to lighten the tax burden on Delawareans and help pay for core government services, like public safety and education. For those that oppose it, they often cite moral concerns and the potential for over reliance on a potentially volatile revenue source. While I have supported this expansion, I have great respect for those legislators and Delawareans who have taken the opposite view.

What I do not respect is the blatant hypocrisy of the professional sports leagues like the NFL that have now brought a lawsuit against Delaware. The lawsuit complains that legalized sports betting in Delaware will somehow undermine the integrity of their leagues. But the stance taken in these legal filings is belied by the close nexus between gambling and the leagues themselves. Thanks to the investigative reporting by the (Delaware) News Journal, we already have learned that the NFL receives millions from CBS, FOX, ESPN and others for broadcasting their games and those same broadcast companies openly and aggressively promote gambling on NFL games on their websites.

We also learned that the NCAA, while threatening our Delaware universities with taking away home playoff games if sports betting moves forward, sponsored the Las Vegas Bowl last year, housing its players in hotel casinos where bets are taken on games. Now, the NBA, the NHL and MLB have joined the fray as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Yet, the NBA permits those that have ownership interests in Las Vegas casinos with sports books to own NBA teams. Indeed, the Maloof family has ownership interests in both the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and the Sacramento Kings basketball team. News reports revealed that the NBA Board of Governors specifically authorized sports betting on NBA games at the casino. A similar arrangement exists and was also endorsed by the NBA between the Boston Celtics and the chairman and CEO of Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Apparently, the NBA is not as concerned about the integrity of the league when their money (or their teams' owners' money) is at stake. Meanwhile, NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, recently teamed up with George Maloof to host the league's annual award ceremony at the sky villa suites at the Palms Casino. The league's top players and "legends of the game" reportedly attended and participated in charity poker games. Apparently, a few lucky guests and players were also invited to an exclusive party at the Rain Nightclub located within the casino later that night.

The NHL's history with gambling does not end there. Former Philadelphia Flyer Rick Tocchet was accused of financing a nationwide gambling ring in 2006 and later pled guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling. He was sentenced to two years probation, but the NHL reinstated Tocchet, allowing him to coach young players less than two years after his conviction. So while NHL players and executives party in Las Vegas casinos where sports betting abounds, its lawyers are here in Delaware claiming the NHL's reputation is at stake if Delaware moves forward with sports betting.

Major League Baseball should also be more vigilant about policing its associations with gambling enterprises. Visitors to the new baseball stadiums this season have undoubtedly noticed ties between the teams and gambling interests. Visitors to the Mets' new CitiField can enjoy the game from the Caesars Club, courtesy of a partnership between the Mets and Harrah's Entertainment, the owner of Caesars in Atlantic City. Prefer the Yankees? New Yankees Stadium includes the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, where fans can watch Rodriguez, Jeter and Sabathia while considering the short trip to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. Other MLB teams, including the Cubs and the Braves, have marketing partnerships with casinos. In the end, MLB should spend their resources on something other than paying lawyers to stop Delaware from legalizing and properly regulating something that happens every day in this country.

It is hard to imagine why moving forward with sports betting in Delaware will undermine the integrity of professional or college sports. Las Vegas has promoted sports betting for many years, so Delaware is not covering new ground here. When it comes to expanding state sponsored gaming, legitimate debate and discussion should continue among Delaware's elected representatives and its citizens. But the self-serving, hypocritical pronouncements and legal threats by these for-profit sports leagues that have sued Delaware should be rejected.

Sincerely,

Peter C. Schwartzkopf

House Majority Leader

Delaware House of Representatives

cc: Major League Baseball

National Basketball Association

National Collegiate Athletic Association

National Hockey League

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Taxing dilemma for NBA's 2010 free agents

2009-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

“Derrick’s a much better player now,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who recently re-upped with USA Basketball for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics,. “Vinny (Del Negro) and his staff have done a great job with him. I don’t think the NBA gets credit with the amount of teaching they do. With Derrick you can see the maturity."
(Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Posted by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 07.27.09 | 10:30 a.m. CT

Could, in the end, the biggest barrier to the Bulls attracting a major free agent next summer like Dwyane Wade be the health care legislation now being debated in Washington?

Let’s face it. The prize next summer is Wade. LeBron James seems almost certain to remain in Cleveland given the weak state of the New York Knicks’ roster and uncertainty regarding the moving plans of the New Jersey Nets, supposedly James’ two speculated destinations. And do you really want to give a maximum contract to Chris Bosh, who doesn’t seem to impact winning very much? It seemed to me Bosh had a much better roster last season than Wade’s in Miami and the Heat was far better than the Raptors. And the reason why Wade could well move is that roster. There’s no way given how much Wade had to do last season that he could hold up carrying a team like that. It’s why you figure Miami is so desperate to make a major move now and why Wade, seemingly, has challenged them to do so.

Michael Beasley was at the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas Saturday hanging out in the media and family area after the scrimmage. He was the most obvious omission among the young players invited to try out for the Olympic team. Beasley couldn’t have been more gracious after the game staying around and signing autographs for everyone who asked. But he also was wearing his shorts so low you got way too much of a view of his underwear as he walked away. I know it was Vegas, but leave something to imagination. That streak of insouciance coupled with extreme immaturity suggests Miami has work to do with its roster to appease Wade.

And now comes the health care legislation, and you wonder what that has to do with anything?

The answer is taxes. The closest anyone seems to a plan now to pay for the changes is to tax the so-called rich. That would include just about every player in the NBA. I know we’re not supposed to feel sorry for rich people and assume they have so much that giving up more doesn’t matter. It does, just as comfortable people in the middle class with two cars and a nice health club membership don’t want to pay more taxes, either, even though they can afford to.

So I contacted a tax expert in Chicago, Noel Wilner, president of CBIZ MHM, an accounting and tax advisory company, and asked him to do some calculations. The assumption was single tax payer, the 2011 tax rates when the presumed five percent health care surtax would go into effect with the higher rates that year, salaries of $5.5 million, which is about the NBA average, and $17 million, which would be a high earner like Wade and no deductions.

Here were his computations:

The total tax for a $5,500,000 salary and an Illinois resident is $2,568,412. This is made up of $2,142,412 of federal income tax, $261,000 of health care tax and $165,000 of Illinois tax. A Florida resident will have the same federal and health care tax but no state income tax ($165,000).

The total tax for a salary of $17,000,000 will be $8,088,412. That is made up of $6,696,412 of federal income tax, $882,000 of health care tax and $510,000 of Illinois tax. A Florida resident will have all the same tax except no state tax ($510,000).

In addition, Wilner notes, there is typically an allocation to other states where the games are actually played. But there should be at least a savings of 50% of the state tax for being a Florida resident as 50% of the games are home games.

I know almost $9 million after taxes is a lot of money. But with the government adding on another half million dollars penalty to pay for health care and who knows how much more down the road as the rich seem to be set up as the villains in this health care debate, suddenly hanging onto more than $500,000 in state tax may sound appealing. So perhaps someone like Wade sees he can resign with his own team for an extra year under NBA rules and then get that much more in tax benefit, and maybe the money starts becoming too big to decide to leave? With increasing taxes geared to the wealthy and the Bush tax cuts also coming off the books, it may be that the low tax states like Florida and Texas begin to have a big advantage over higher tax states. And then seemingly making it even less appealing to go to a ridiculously high tax state like New York.

Durant as good--or better?!?!--than LeBron?

-- It’s being whispered now among NBA types because, I believe, under a secret NBA/ESPN provision you are not permitted to say aloud anything that might be interpreted to suggest LeBron James isn’t the best thing to ever happen in anyone’s life. But sitting in the stands in Las Vegas at the USA Basketball mini-camp and hearing NBA coaches and general managers, the gasps have been for Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. I’ve now heard more than one say Durant could be a better player than James given Durant’s combination of amazing size at about 6-10 and pure shooting stroke. And he’s still 20. The feeling is Durant is on the brink of being a 30 per game scorer. Plus, Durant is a serious worker. The Bulls' Derrick Rose has become close with Durant and the two have worked out together considerably this summer. Said Rose, who is five days younger than Durant: “KD is great. He’s real talented. I look at him as like a big brother to me even though we’re the same age. He’s been in the league longer. He’s a great talent, 6-10 guy who can dribble, shoot like a guard. He’s going to be a great talent in the league.”

Oden adjusts to a new role

-- While Durant is considered a certainty to be added to the USA Team, Greg Oden was in Las Vegas and just happy to be invited to try out. Oden said he didn’t expect an invitation, but was pleased he was not forgotten and hoped to show the staff he can be a solid defender and rebounder. It’s certainly a long way from the 2007 draft when Oden was the consensus No. 1 pick. There wasn’t a team executive I could find who now wouldn’t pick Durant first. No matter what they say, there wasn’t one two years ago who would have. Though Oden seems over most of his injuries, his movements remain somewhat mechanical and it’s difficult to project him as a high level NBA player anymore, but more a rebounding and shot blocking specialist. It was clear even USA officials were looking to see if Oden’s mental state was improved from the brooding person he’s seemed to have become. He seemed, as expected, clearly weary about discussing his frustrations and hoped to begin, finally, to look forward to some sort of productive career.

“It’s just good to be here to let guys know you are interested in playing,” said Oden. “I’m just going out there and playing and not worrying about all that (other) stuff.

“You want to start out (your career) really good, you want to play well,” said Oden. “You want to be looked at as someone who is premier player. But things happen. I never get caught up in the hype. I just try to go out and play and do what I can to help my team. Injuries set me back a lot the last couple of summers I wasn’t able to play. Last year when the season came, I was set back because I wasn’t training by the time camp started. I had injuries during the season and that set me back more and I never got where I wanted to be. It’s tough. Things happen. You have to play through it and live through it and do what you can.

“I’m still working at it,” said Oden. “I’m trying to improve each day. I’m not comparing to what I was. I’m just trying to be a better player, getting my knee and legs back.

“I thought they (USA team) were going to be like, ‘It’s a lost cause.’ They see something in me so I want to come out here and work and show them what I’ve got,” said Oden. “It’s a team with a bunch of good guys. They have a lot of scorers. I just want to do some things, defense and rebound. For me to be a guy who can rebound and block shots, that’s good.” Oden had a game high 10 rebounds in the Saturday scrimmage, but was outplayed by opposing center Brook Lopez.

The team is looking for inside size, so Oden has a chance. Though in international ball the centers generally roam outside and shoot, which is why Chris Bosh played more center than Dwight Howard on the 2008 team. Even on the roster for the media, Oden and Durant are listed one after the other with Oden first. But that’s now only on paper and from the 2007 draft.

“Let's be realistic about it,” said USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, who is giving Oden every chance to make the team. “Durant has already established himself in two years in the NBA. He averaged 25 points a game last year in the NBA, so he's determined that he's a player to be reckoned with. Oden still has to find himself."

Will the real Sam Smith please stand up?

-- I’ve long wanted to hook up with my namesake, Sam Smith, the UNLV guard who made the first four-point play in NBA history. That was Oct. 21, 1979 for the Bulls in a 113-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. I caught up with Sam, the old UNLV star guard, in Las Vegas, where he lives and is in business--Team Sudden--as a highly regarded shooting coach with local prep stars and international players. Bulls fans who remember Sudden Sam knew he was born to shoot.

Sam helped lead UNLV to the Final Four in 1977 and was drafted in the third round. He played in the Western Basketball Association, an old minor league, and then got picked up by the Bucks when the late Norm Van Lier was released. He moved on to the Bulls with old college buddies Reggie Theus and Ricky Sobers, the latter also living in Las Vegas. After playing the 1979-80 season with the Bulls and averaging 8.6 points, Sam then played a decade overseas in places like Switzerland, England, Belgium, France, the Philippines and Taiwan.

He’s proud of that four pointer and remembers it vividly coming up to the anniversary 30 years later.

“What happened is we were playing against the Bucks and Nellie (Don Nelson),” recalled Sam. “(Jerry) Sloan put me in and we were down two points. He put me in to take the last shot and was going to draw up a play for me. Reggie told Jerry to, ‘Let Sam catch and shoot wherever he’s at.’ The three was way back then. They moved it in. I was about three feet behind (the line). Brian Winters fouled me. The funny thing was he taught me that move when I was in Milwaukee to lean in and get fouled. I hit the shot, but we still lost 113-111.”

Could AI team with OJ?

-- Allen Iverson is heading to the Hall of Fame, but still can’t seem to find a team. The Grizzlies remain one of the possibilities, and there was speculation that’s why the team let go Hakim Warrick, though management has denied it. Still, it would be quite the show if Iverson went there with Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo, all offensive minded players. Though Mayo said while at the USA Basketball mini-camp he’d welcome Iverson.

“Overall, if you come to a Memphis Grizzlies game, you don’t have a sold out arena,” noted Mayo. “Bringing Iverson in would help us from a business standpoint. A sold out arena makes you play a little harder and compete harder and helps in the win column at home. That’s a plus for the team. Iverson is a Hall of Fame player. Why not? At the end of the day, it’s not in my hands. The owner and general manager will do what’s best for the Grizzlies.

“(With Iverson) we might score 200 points,” laughed Mayo. “Coach (Lionel) Hollins is a defensive guy and we’ll follow his lead. If he wants to outscore opponents, that’s what we’ll do.”

Mayo played at USC with Bulls rookie Taj Gibson and is a big fan. Said Mayo of Gibson: “He’s definitely a hard worker. You’ll never question his work ethic or how bad he wants to win. The Bulls got a good player in Taj. He can shoot outside, he’s a great offensive rebounder with those long arms.”

I asked Mayo to compare Gibson to an NBA player. Mayo thought for a while and then said, “Tim Duncan.” I gagged a bit, though Mayo explained not to have the impact of a Duncan, but more in style.

“Taj can shoot outside,” said Mayo. “He’s a great offensive rebounder, had the jump hook, shooting of the glass, all the fundamentals and he is a great team guy and hard worker. He’s the kind of guy you wouldn’t mind going into the foxhole with.”

Coach K back in the mix

-- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski re-upped with USA Basketball for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, but what of 2016, which could be back in Krzyzewski’s home town of Chicago? It’s hard to imagine Krzyzewski taking a pass on Chicago, if the city gets selected, especially with USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo also a local native and part of the 2016 committee. But Krzyzewski was coy about the future.

There is expected to be a selection announcement in October, and Krzyzewski did say if Chicago is selected it could determine this team’s training and exhibitions to prepare for 2010 and 2012.

“Next summer (if Chicago is selected), we probably would want to do something in Chicago,” said Krzyzewski. “Maybe preparing for the Olympics in 2012 the summer before. We’d love it. The important one is Jerry. (For me), it’s too far in the future to say.”

Coach K impressed by Rose

-- Krzyzewski also said he’s impressed with what he’s seen of Derrick Rose after Rose played against the 2008 team last summer.

“Derrick’s a much better player now,” said Krzyzewski. “Vinny (Del Negro) and his staff have done a great job with him. I don’t think the NBA gets credit with the amount of teaching they do. With Derrick you can see the maturity. I’ve talked to him about his shooting and he said, ‘Coach, I know I have to get better. I work every day.’ I said, ‘Your defense has been better.’ And there’s his commitment. I watch the NBA game a lot during the year. In trying to get to know these guys I talk to them. I said to Derrick, ‘You were a rookie who never hit the wall. How did that happen?’ He said, ‘I play basketball. That’s all I did.’ He said, ‘You hit the wall if you are doing other things.’ I think that shows his passion and love for the game.”

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'NBA 2K10' taking rookies through 'Draft Combine'

2009-12-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Publisher 2K Sports will release a downloadable title allowing users to create a player and bolster their skills ahead of the release of NBA 2K10.

The game titled NBA 2K10: Draft Combine arrives in September for about $5 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

Users will create a custom player and work with a mentor to improve their skills in a variety of drills and 5-on-5 games. Users will have 300 different customizations to choose from, such as physical features and shooting animations.

Custom players can then be transferred to the full NBA 2K10 game for use in the new My Player mode. Users can also track their progress against others through online leaderboards.

The feature seems to follow a common trend in sports games, where users can create their own player and guide them through a superstar career. Electronic Arts has made this a regular staple in some of their titles, such as Madden NFL and the NHL series. The key difference here, of course, is users paying to build up their player before the game arrives.

Readers, what do you think of the Draft Combine?

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NBA Notebook: In ‘Lou’ of Signing Miller

2009-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Since Andre Miller accepted a three-year contract offer from the Portland Trail Blazers Friday, the Sixers can now move forward with filling out their own roster, which currently stands at 10.

Some would say the organization had long moved on from Miller, a free agent who had two and a half great years in Philadelphia – but was never going to be that one player who would enable the team to compete for a championship.

Ironically, Miller could be just that for a talented, young Blazers squad that won 54 games last year.

Now, it’s up to Lou Williams to step up.

“I’m prepared for it,” said Williams of the Sixers’ starting point guard position. “It’s something I feel I’ve been prepared for, for a long time.”

The 21-year-old Williams, a score-first guard, is coming off his highest scoring average of his four-year NBA career – 12.8 – but he shot just 39 percent from the floor and only 28 percent from three point range, both career lows.

His assist-to-turnover ratio was just 1.6 last season, which didn’t come close to cracking the top 50 in the NBA. Former Villanova standout Randy Foye had the honor of being No. 50, with a 2.02 ratio.

Still Williams’ departure from sixth man and arrival at starter appears to be an issue of here-and-now, and Williams knows it.

“I spoke to Ed [Stefanski] a couple of times about it on the phone,” Williams said. “And my message has been the same: you give me an opportunity and I am going to do my best to take full advantage of it. This has been one of the more challenging summers for me.”

Those challenges include a physical, mental and emotional approach to working out as if he were in the regular season. He also added tape work to his routine.

“I have been watching a lot of old games. Chris Paul games, a ton of Chauncey Billups. Just seeing how those guys take over games’” Williams said. “I also watched a couple young guys like Derrick Rose and Rajo Rondo – just to see how those guys are reacting to certain situations at the beginning and end of games looking to see what’s expected of a starter.”

One person is easing Williams’ transition to starting point guard: Coach Eddie Jordan, whose offensive system Williams believes will take pressure off him in his new role. He said he can already see this in their summer drill work.

Williams does have one request from the Philadelphia fans, however: “Don’t expect Andre Miller out of me. I am not that type of player.”

Stars that spangled
Stefanski was in Las Vegas to watch a minicamp for USA basketball late last week, which included two of his players: Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.

Iguodala played “very well,” Stefanski said, adding that Young was feeling his way as a first-timer.

Stefanski returned to Philadelphia Friday so he was not on hand in Las Vegas to see Young shoot 6-9 in an exhibition game Saturday night. But the most eye-catching performer in Stefanski’s opinion was Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City.

Work to be done
Stefanski was no closer to revealing on Saturday at the 10th annual Sixers Bash what veteran guards he was targeting to fill the roster spot vacated by Andre Miller.

Names that are thought to be under consideration are Juan Dixon, Tyronn Lue, Bobby Jackson, Jason Hart, Brevin Knight and Luther Head.

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Voices of the Game | Kevin Calabro was energetic Sonics voice, now he's revving up Sounders fans

2009-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

On a drab Wednesday night above the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field, the radio broadcast is coming to a close as thousands of Sounders FC fans stream for the exits and pour onto Occidental Avenue South.

When engineer Lloyd Glaeser gives the nod that the microphones are dead, Kevin Calabro finally says what he's been dying to say since the Sounders squandered a two-goal lead in the final minutes and limped away with a 3-3 tie that felt more like a heartbreaking defeat.

"Gosh dang it!" the Sounders play-by-play man blurts in his deep baritone while jabbing a fist in the air. "Man! That hurts."

Calabro is a recent convert to the sport, and the beautiful game has engulfed him now. This new role with Seattle's expansion Major League Soccer team has forced the former voice of the Sonics to grow as a broadcaster in ways he never imagined when he was carving out a reputation as one of the finest play-by-play announcers in the NBA.

"Were you like this with the Sonics?" asks analyst Pete Fewing, Calabro's broadcast partner for this game.

"You know, come to think of it, yeah, a little bit," he says, laughing. "If we were up by 18, then blew the lead and blew the game, yeah, I'd get a little salty."

He's reminded of the time when his off-air criticisms of the Sonics to a reporter made their way into the newspaper in 2000 and nearly had him fired if he hadn't apologized to coach Paul Westphal and the organization.

Lesson learned, says Calabro, 53. He's older now and a little wiser. Still, he's as passionate as ever about the games he covers.

"I get into it," he says. "It's hard not to. Does that help or hurt calling the games? I don't know. I'd like to think that if the audience hears me getting into it, then they'll want to come along for the ride."

Former Sonics owner Barry Ackerley and general manager Bob Whitsitt recognized that same enthusiasm when they hired Calabro in 1987. He worked alongside Bob Blackburn, the original voice of the Sonics, in an awkward arrangement in which they alternated the play-calling and analyst duties during games.

"I remember before games we'd flip a coin to decide who gets to call the fourth quarter," Calabro says.

In 1989, he took over the play-by-play job full time in an unpopular move at the time. Blackburn remained with the team until 1992.

Over the years, Calabro, an Indianapolis native, endeared himself to Sonics fans with a bombastic delivery, homespun Midwestern storytelling and quirky street-seeped observations that spawned a slew of colorful catchphrases.

But in this new life with Sounders FC, there are no references to Miss Molly, magic carpets or flying chickens in a barnyard, staples of his NBA broadcasts.

Instead during a home match against D.C. United, Calabro's call of the night is: "[Fredy] Montero crosses over with the left foot. Hits a bender. Gooooo-oooooal! He put some mustard on it with the left foot."

"He's a pro," Fewing says. "He's one of the best in the business. I love going to practice with him and sitting next to him. He's asking questions all the time. He's committed. He's serious. His learning curve has been fantastic.

"The word on the street in the soccer community is everybody really likes him. They appreciate what a pro he is and the expertise he brings to soccer."

The transition hasn't been easy. Calabro admits that not every Sounders FC fan likes his play-calling and he has the nasty e-mails to prove it. Much of the criticisms were deserved, because early in the season he'd confuse goal kicks with corner kicks and the end line with the touch line.

"I'm still learning the nuances of the game and the subtleties," Calabro says. "I don't think I'll get that for a while.

"I'm still trying to come up with terms to describe where the ball is.

"You know, there are no yard lines. Beyond the 18 and center field, you have no way of telling other than approximating where the ball is at for the audience."

The fish-out-of-water analogy fits, but it's a familiar feeling for Calabro.

After working part-time at radio and television stations in Indianapolis and studying broadcasting at Butler University, his first big break into sports broadcasting came in 1980, when he landed the play-by-play job for the Indianapolis Checkers, a minor-league hockey team, on WIBC Radio.

He knew nothing about hockey, but worked more than 100 games that season before Whitsitt, then the general manager with the Kansas City Kings, hired Calabro in 1983 to handle play-calling.

It was Calabro's dream job. Ever since he can remember, Calabro has wanted to call NBA games. Maybe it's because radio is in his blood.

Before Kevin's father Paul became principal at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, he was a radio man, working communications on a naval vessel in World War II. Paul told war stories to his sons Kevin, David and Ron, who played with transistor radio, and grew up to emulate their father.

David, a TV sports anchor in Indianapolis, pursued a career in broadcast journalism while Ron became a teacher.

Kevin pursued a life in radio. His first stint in the NBA lasted just one season because his station lost the rights to the Kings in 1984. He called University of Missouri football and men's basketball in 1985 before being fired and moving to Seattle to work as sports anchor for an FM station.

That's when Whitsitt called again.

During his tenure with the Sonics, Calabro dabbled with network jobs and had been linked to Mariners and Seahawks openings, but he would have been content to continue as the Sonics' play-by-play man if the team hadn't moved to Oklahoma City last year.

Calabro and his wife Susan didn't want to uproot their family, so he needed to adapt. He took on the new challenge of hosting an afternoon sports-talk radio show on 710 ESPN and accepted the job as voice of Sounders FC.

His jobs give him the flexibility to call a handful of NBA games on ESPN, but the pain of giving up his dream job still lingers.

"It's like saying goodbye to your first love," Calabro says. "It hurts. I suspect it will always hurt. But, hey, you move on. Heck, you have to. So now I'm into MLS and the Sounders, and it's really cool. I'm having a blast."

And the soccer aficionados are finally beginning to embrace Calabro as one of their own. How does he know?

"I get fewer e-mails blasting me," he says. "Either that or they just got tuckered out and tired of killing me."

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Euroleague American Tour 2009 Games Set

2009-12-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

BARCELONA, Spain -- Euroleague Basketball and The National Basketball Association (NBA) have announced that two Euroleague teams will compete in four preseason games from October 3 to 12, 2009 in the United States. The four games, which are part of the Euroleague American Tour 2009, will be played by Olympiacos Piraeus of Greece and Partizan Belgrade of Serbia. The two Euroleague teams will face four NBA opponents: the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns, the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"We are very proud about this kind of initiative, which is very attractive for our clubs and fans, confirms the globalization of basketball and reinforces the healthy relationship between Euroleague Basketball and the NBA," Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu stated.
"These games continue our collaboration with Euroleague Basketball as we work together to grow the game of basketball globally," said David Stern, NBA Commissioner.
The Euroleague American Tour 2009 continues a tradition of friendly competition between NBA and Euroleague teams that dates back to 1978, when Maccabi Tel Aviv played the Washington Bullets in Tel Aviv, Israel. A total of 57 games have been played between European and NBA clubs.
The Euroleague American Tour 2009 will tip off on Saturday, October 3 in Denver, Colorado, where Partizan Belgrade makes its North American debut against the Nuggets. Partizan's second preseason game will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, against the Suns on Tuesday, October 6.
Olympiacos Piraeus will play two games in the United States. First, the 2008-09 Euroleague semifinalists will face the four-time NBA champion Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, October 9. Three days later, on Monday, October 12, Olympiacos will make the last stop in the Euroleague American Tour 2009 with a showdown in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
Another Euroleague team appearing next autumn in the United States is Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, which is scheduled to play the New York Knicks on Sunday, October 18 in New York, and the Los Angeles Clippers two nights later, on Tuesday, October 20, in Los Angeles.
Two NBA teams -- the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz - will participate in NBA Europe Live 2009 presented by EA Sports. The Jazz will play the Bulls on Oct. 6 at the O2 in London, followed by the Jazz versus Real Madrid of the Euroleague on Oct. 8 at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid.

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Gambling is NBA's latest hypocrisy

2009-12-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

The United States is about as puritanical and hypocritical a country as it gets.

Take a look at our smokers. Over the last 10 or 20 years, convicts have gotten more empathy from our judgmental-sect. But, and here comes the hypocrisy, if you do like to inhale, please suck down an extra pack so we can fund a massive $1 trillion dollar health care program with the taxes placed upon you.

Same for drinkers, it's not really good for you...wink...wink...but go ahead and down one more Grey Goose so we can sin-tax the hell out of you.

Yep, we like to feel good about ourselves and profit at the same time at the expense of others. After all, if someone else isn't following our moral code, surely they can't be a functioning member of society.

The latest victim of the torch-carrying puritans is Fort Myers, Fla. city manager Scott Janke, who was fired after officials learned his wife is an adult film actress.

I can hear Rev. Lovejoy's wife screeching now..."Think of the children!"

Of course, the mayor of the small southwest Florida town, Larry Kiker, defended the town council's decision to fire Janke, insisting that the termination had nothing to do with his spouse's job but that the town was merely trying to maintain order.

"What we were addressing was a situation where we weren't going to be able to govern the town with all the disruption and interruption," Kiker said.

Right...

Kiker's "well-intentioned plan" set off a media firestorm. "I've done over 30 interviews . I've gotten hundreds of e-mails, we're getting threatened," Kiker said. "Nobody is getting any work done around here."

Maybe if Kiker and his council minded their own business and judged Janke on his actual job performance instead of his wife's, Fort Myers wouldn't have had every major news outlet in the country swooping down on them.

The NBA and the sports world in general are hardly any different than the rest of our society, save for the vice -- gambling.

Late last week, the four major professional sports leagues (NBA, MLB, NFL and the NHL), along with the NCAA, filed a complaint against the state of Delaware in federal court in Wilmington, seeking to stop the state from offering single-game betting on pro and college games.

The leagues and the NCAA assert that the state's recently-announced decision to offer single-game betting as part of the 2009 Delaware Sports Lottery violates federal law.

To the rest of the world, Delaware is known as one of the 13 original states to participate in the American Revolution and the first to ratify the Constitution of the United States. To those of us who live within driving distance, it's the home of tax-free shopping.

In corporate America, despite its diminutive size, the state is a true heavyweight, loved for its friendly laws designed to lure big business. In fact, if you look closely you will often see the term "A Delaware Corporation" next to the names of many large companies. Over 50 percent of US publicly traded corporations, and 60 percent of the Fortune 500 companies, are incorporated in Delaware.

To be blunt, most major corporations love Delaware and its tax policy, save for David Stern's monopoly and his compatriots, who have always remained more than hypocritical on the betting issue.

The daily point spreads you see in your local newspaper are an obvious deference to games of chance, but the NBA and its cohorts have always had plausible deniability in that aspect since the spreads are compiled by various Las Vegas casinos and sportsbooks, not the leagues themselves.

Of course, daily press releases announcing injuries are clearly designed to even the playing field for the gamblers who fuel the popularity of all the various sports.

Despite that disingenuous policy, the leagues filed the suit, citing the The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which became law in 1992 and prohibits states from operating a lottery or betting scheme based on pro or college games.

Four states, including Delaware, were grandfathered in the legislation since they had previously operated sports betting. The exception, however, only applies to the type of wagering scheme that occurred in the states from January 1, 1976 through August 31, 1990.

According to the suit, Delaware did not conduct single-game wagering during its 1976 sports lottery, which was limited to parlay bets on NFL games. Therefore, they say that the PASPA exception does not permit Delaware to now conduct single-game wagers on the NFL or wagering on sports other than the NFL, the lawsuit states.

So, why is the NBA, along with the other pro sports leagues, so against gambling in Delaware?

The same reason they are "against" performance-enhancing drugs -- public relations.

The leagues know that gambling generates more interest. But, they also are aware that the majority of the public looks down on the activity as a seedy enterprise.

"The leagues know they need the gambling, yet they have to appear as if they're completely against it," gambling expert Steve Budin told the Wilmington News Journal earlier this year.

Whether it's legal or not, gambling on pro sports will continue in Delaware. The only question is whether its proceeds will remain the domain of the corner bookie, or will it shift toward the government.

Will the local thug kick up his proceeds to a John Gotti-like mafia boss or will the "new mafia," headed by Barack Obama and Delaware's own Joe Biden, place their sticky fingers deeper into your already-strained wallet?

The NBA doesn't care -- just keep gambling.

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NBA rookies rock UNLV alt text

2009-12-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

The NBA Summer League brought the national spotlight to UNLV for a 55-game schedule over its 10 days. Young stars like Blake Griffin, Jonny Flynn and Stephen Curry came here to showcase their talent.
“The city has certainly embraced us once again,” said Warren LeGarie, Summer League founder and sports agent.

“A lot of people thought this was going to be a down year because of the economy, but we had more teams, as good if not better players than we’ve ever had before and most importantly, the most support we’ve had by the Las Vegas community.”

The size and enthusiasm of the crowds at the Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center provided players with an NBA-caliber environment. They responded with a step up in their games.

Second-year Golden State forward Anthony Randolph appears primed for a breakout season after dominating the competition. He played with agility and versatility rarely seen at the Summer League level. The 6-foot-10 power-forward led all players in scoring at 26.8 points per game, including a 42-point showing that tied the Summer League’s scoring record. That was until Randolph’s teammate Anthony Morrow set a new mark two days later with 47 and finished second in scoring average at 24.7 points.

The rest of the top five leading scorers were returning veterans with considerable NBA regular season experience. Nick Young (Washington Wizards), Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers) and Adam Morrison (Los Angeles Lakers) each scored more than 20 points per game.

Many of the rookies impressed as they laced up their sneakers for their first NBA games. Lottery picks Jonny Flynn of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and DeMar DeRozen of the Toronto Raptors flashed considerable ability. Flynn and Evans ran their offenses effectively with a pass-first mentality, while DeRozen wowed fans with his earth-shattering jams and awesome athletic ability.

Second round picks like DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs dominated in the paint despite his height, while Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets was instrumental in leading his team to a 5-0 record.

Beyond the teams playing, there was one individual that everyone was there to see.

The eyes of the world were rested squarely on the 6-foot-10 Clippers power forward and he gave them plenty of reason to cheer. Blake Griffin looks like he’ll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come after averaging 19.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game in five Summer League games.

“I felt like I made some mistakes, but I came out with things to improve on,” Griffin said after his first game.

“Playing with Eric [Gordon] helped me pick up on some things that he likes to do. I need to keep shooting open jump shots and not hesitate. I’m just going to go back in the gym and get back to work.”

Other rookies head to camp with much to work on as they try to rebound from a tough summer. Golden State rookie sensation Stephen Curry showed little comfort in playing point guard and shot a very spotty 32 percent from the field.

Likewise, fellow lottery pick and Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson gave former UNLV coach and Nuggets General Manager Mark Warkentien little reason to believe he’ll be a steady contributor in the near future, as he failed to be a distributor during key stretches and late game situations.

Yet, even as these rookies face a long road ahead in realizing their potential, the 10-day league gave fans, coaches and scouts alike a chance to see how bright the future is in the NBA. “This isn’t a Jay-Z concert or a Rolling Stones show. This is a bunch of kids going out and competing in a game they love,” Milwaukee Bucks coach Kelvin Sampson said summing up this year’s of NBA Summer League. “For them, these aren’t practice games.

These are games that could determine their family’s future as well as the future of the game of basketball

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Deepest Team This Decade?

2009-12-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

When Fabricio Oberto puts his signature to a contract sometime in the next few weeks, the Washington Wizards' 2009-10 roster will be set and Team President Ernie Grunfeld's offseason makeover will be complete. The Wizards will likely enter the season with 14 players who form arguably the deepest team this organization has fielded in 30 years - on paper, at least.

And it very well should be at a price tag of almost $86 million ($77.8 million in salary and $7.9 million in luxury tax penalties).

Grunfeld entered this summer with a roster of healing stars, some young developing players, some excess foliage on the bench and the No. 5 pick. He turned that into a roster of healing stars, some young developing players and three veterans who can contribute and become regular rotation players. Nineteen wins should become a distant memory next season, and the Wizards are looking at making one of the more dramatic turnarounds in NBA history next season.

No need to worry about the Wizards setting the record for biggest turnaround. The 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics had a 42-game improvement from the previous season. This Wizards team is not going to win 62 games. The San Antonio Spurs improved by 36 games after adding Tim Duncan and a healthy David Robinson in 1997-98, and they had improved by 35 games after adding Robinson in 1989-90.

The 2004 Denver Nuggets had the largest improvement for a team that failed to win at least 20 games the season before, as Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller and Marcus Camby led them to a 26-game turnaround. If the Wizards win 26 more games, they'll match the 2004-05 Wizards, who recorded the best regular season since 1979 (45-37).

My first year in Washington, I covered that team, which advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 1982. That team had an explosive young backcourt with Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes, the high-scoring, unorthodox power forward in Antawn Jamison, with the still-developing Brendan Haywood and Jared Jeffries filling in the gaps. The bench featured Jarvis Hayes, Kwame Brown, Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Etan Thomas, Michael Ruffin and Anthony Peeler. That team improved by 20 wins from the previous season.

Now you have a team that features Arenas, two high-scoring forwards in Jamison and Caron Butler, a much-improved Haywood and a shooting guard spot that could be filled with either Mike Miller, Randy Foye or DeShawn Stevenson. Let's say that Coach Flip Saunders decides to start Miller, since he could be a big, playmaking guard who wouldn't mind being a setup man for Jamison, Butler and Arenas. That leaves a second unit of Foye, Nick Young, Stevenson, Mike James and Javaris Crittenton in the backcourt, with a frontcourt that features forwards Dominic McGuire and forward/centers JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche and Oberto.

You could make the case that this is the best team that Grunfeld has assembled since coming to Washington. But again, that's on paper. The Wizards have seven guards that bring varying skills -- Arenas (at least the healthy one we remember) is an all-star who can score from anywhere on the floor; Miller can shoot threes and create for others; Foye can play either guard position and score in spurts; Young is a streaky scorer; Stevenson is a tough-minded defender; James is a veteran who can get on an occasional hot streak and Crittenton is a change-of-pace point guard who thrives on his speed.

Then, you have all-stars Butler and Jamison, a defensive specialist in Dominic McGuire, two finesse big men in the multi-dimensional Blatche and hyper-athletic McGee, and a hard-fouling, flop artist in Oberto.

That roster has few players who overlap, giving Saunders the chance to mix and match and try different lineups. And, given Saunders's history, you have to assume that four or five of those guys won't even make the regular rotation.

There still are several question marks with team and none is bigger than the one that follows Arenas. Arenas told me that he plans on being in Chicago the next few months, continuing his rehab workouts with trainer Tim Grover. Memphis guard O.J. Mayo told SI.com that he has been picking Arenas's brain while running drills with him in Chicago. Arenas has been trying to maintain a low profile this offseason, trying to focus on what is an important season for him after losing two years from his prime because of the left knee injury.

Jamison turned 33 last month and is also recovering from ankle surgery, while Stevenson is coming off back surgery in March. But assuming that those three players can come back healthy, you still have wonder if McGee and Blatche will be consistent and reliable reserves. That being said, this team looks better than the one that won 45 games in 2004-05, even with the Eastern Conference improving exponentially the past five years. On paper, at least.

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NBA game headed to Beijing

2009-12-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

(AP) – The NBA is serious about spreading its game across the globe.

Over the years it has played exhibition games in locales like England and Spain.

The NBA adds another step on its global tour, this time in the Far East.

The Denver Nuggets will play an exhibition game against the Indiana Pacers in Beijing, China and marks the second time they will meet in Asia.

Both teams are coming off vastly different seasons. The Nuggets emerged as an NBA power, posting a 54–28 mark to win the Northwest division.

Under the play of star Carmelo Anthony, the squad beat the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals.

The Pacers meanwhile finished fourth in the Central division at 39–46. In spite of a break–out year from young star Danny Granger the Pacers finished three games behind division rival the Detroit Pistons for the final playoff seed.

The October 11 match–up at Wukesong Arena, site of the 2008 Olympic basketball competitions, will come three days after the teams play the NBA’s first game in Taipei.

The NBA has announced five preseason games outside the United States or Canada this year. This will be the league’s third game in Beijing.

Unlike other places the NBA should get a rousing welcome in China. At last year’s Olympic Games the US national basketball team rose to the occasion and won the gold medal.

Comprised of NBA stars like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade the US team marched through the competition (including the Chinese team) before taking down Spain in the final.

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NBA Insider: Andre Miller will make point in Portland

2009-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- The reviews around the league for the Trail Blazers' acquisition of Andre Miller are generally positive.

"It's going to help them out a lot," Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant said. "He and Brandon Roy in the backcourt together? I was just telling my brother the other day, 'That's going to be a monster.'"

The Blazers on Friday signed the former Philadelphia 76ers point guard to what is believed to be a three-year, $21 million contract. The move addressed one of the Blazers' major offseason goals of adding an experienced point guard capable of taking some of the scoring pressure off Roy and forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

"He took a lot of pressure off me," Philadelphia forward Andre Iguodala said. "My scoring went up, but I took fewer shots. The game was easy and I didn't have to work as hard. He made it easy for all of us.

"Those guys are going to love him. Roy and Aldridge's games are going to go up to another level. Everybody's game is going to step up because of Andre."

Miller averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds for Philadelphia last season. He has averages 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 10 NBA seasons. Miller is not a great perimeter shooter, but he is a very capable finisher near the basket. The 33-year-old has slowed considerably since Cleveland selected him eighth overall in the 1999 draft, but he has proven he is capable of creating his own shot.

"He's deceptively athletic. He's not gonna wow you with dunking over people," New York Knicks forward David Lee said. "He knows what to do using shot fakes and using deception. Just at the time you think he can't finish in the lane, he shoots a floater over you. When you think he can't shoot, he's hitting the little 15-footers over you."

The Blazers hope Miller provides the intangibles and veteran leadership the team lacked last season and was seeking this summer. Roy, entering his fourth season, is clearly the team leader, but Miller is entering his 11th NBA campaign.

"He has the same demeanor, he doesn't change and plays the same way," Iguodala said. "The same risky pass he makes in the first quarter, he'll make in the fourth quarter and he'll complete it. When you get into situations that are really tense -- where it's a last-second shot or the game is really emotional -- you look to your point guard. That takes a lot of pressure off his teammates."

Miller will join what is now a crowded point guard position with incumbent starter Steve Blake and second-year player Jerryd Bayless.

With two point guards capable of starting, some might wonder if the Blazers have too much talent. The assumption is Miller will start and Blake will come off the bench. However, the Blazers won 54 games with Blake as the starter -- does coach Nate McMillan want to mess with success? And it's highly likely Blake would view the change as a demotion and wonder why he's coming off the bench after a solid season.

"We went through it last year with Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Bosh," Toronto Raptors coach Jay Triano said. "We never really found a comfort level. People must put their egos aside and understand and do what's right for the team."

A hypothetical second unit of Miller, Martell Webster (assuming he's healthy), Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw and Greg Oden or Joel Przybilla could potentially be very potent. Miller gives the Blazers versatility and options. McMillan can tinker with lineups until he finds a winning combination. And with so much talent, everyone except Roy and possibly Aldridge should not feel secure about their roles and minutes.

"You need versatility on your team," Triano said. "That's a problem every coach would love to have."

Miller's teammates in Philadelphia said they were sad to see him leave the 76ers to join the Blazers.

"'Dre was one of the best guys I ever played with," forward Thaddeus Young said. "'Dre was a great guy to have on the court and around the locker room."

Notes: Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn returned from Spain Friday and said discussions with Ricky Rubio's former team for the point guard's release were "productive." Kahn dismissed the rumor that Rubio was going to sign with Real Madrid. "I don't think that is true," Kahn said. ... Kahn also said he's conducting second interviews with a "small group" of coaching candidates. He declined to say if Portland assistant Monty Williams is among the group. Previously mentioned candidates include assistant coaches Elston Turner of Houston, Kurt Rambis of the Los Angeles Lakers and Terry Stotts of Dallas, and television analyst Mark Jackson.

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In return to Suns, Hill motivated by 'failing' season

2009-12-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

After playing 82 regular-season NBA games for the first time, Grant Hill was in demand this summer even at 36. He might have played on the NBA's marquee stage, at Madison Square Garden, for the New York Knicks. He could have joined the Boston Celtics. Or perhaps five other teams.

TEAM REPORT: Inside the Phoenix Suns

Instead, like teammate Steve Nash, Hill elected to stay with the Phoenix Suns to complete what he says is unfinished business. The Suns failed to make the playoffs last season for the first time in five years despite going 46-36.

"Even though we won 46 games, there was a feeling of failing," said Hill, who averaged 12.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. "That's the first time that core of guys (including Nash and forward Amar'e Stoudemire) had gone through that in a while. … I don't think people are expecting a whole lot from us this season. That's a good situation to be in. I'm not going to say we're going to do this or that. But, as players, we're going to erase the bad taste from last season."

The Suns will move forward without center Shaquille O'Neal, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With lumbering O'Neal gone, the Suns plan to return to the fast-paced style coach Alvin Gentry favors and that suits Hill, Nash and Stoudemire.

Gentry's return also was a factor for Hill, who likes the people in the organization and appreciates the medical staff. Hill had not played in 80 games since 1997-98. He said he and the staff "really found a nice plan to attack the season. That's always a concern."

Hill averaged 29.8 minutes, on par with what he has averaged since missing 2003-04 with ankle injuries. His newfound durability made him attractive to several teams, and he narrowed the choices to Boston, New York and Phoenix.

"The most telling thing is that all three teams were coached by men for whom Grant had previously played," said Hill's agent, Lon Babby. "They all wanted him back."

Hill played for Gentry last season and with the Detroit Pistons from 1998 to 2000. Hill played for Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix (2007-08) and Boston coach Doc Rivers with the Orlando Magic (2000-03).

The Denver Nuggets, Hill said, were also seriously in the mix for the upcoming season. So who was No. 2? "I'll say the politically correct thing: They all were No. 2."

Babby did recommend that Hill sign his deal for one year plus an option for a second, "in case something unexpected happened with the team." One of those possibilities was Nash — the league MVP in 2004-05 and 2005-06 — bolting from Phoenix. But last Monday he agreed to a two-year extension worth more than $22 million.

Nash, 35, had one year left on his contract that would pay him $13 million next season. He's now under contract through 2011-12.

"I consider Steve a good friend," Hill said. "He's one of the reasons why I initially went to Phoenix."

Before Nash's decision, Hill said the two talked a lot during the last few weeks. Nash "never made any promises. He didn't really try to recruit me or anything like that. As a friend, he just sort of bounced things off me."

Hill isn't sure, exactly, what he'll do when his basketball career is done.

"I can do a number of different things — and maybe all of them," he said. "Broadcasting, dabbling in business, maybe at some point … a political career of some sort. Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, politics has always interested me. Life is short, you want to do as much as you can. And I'm a little bit behind the curve, because I've been running after a ball for the last 15 years."

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Sources: Gooden to sign 1-year deal

2009-12-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

The Dallas Mavericks have struck a deal with unrestricted free agent Drew Gooden to make use of some of the money they got back when Orlando matched their offer sheet earlier this month to restricted free agent Marcin Gortat.

Gooden announced via his Twitter feed shortly past midnight Saturday that he is signing with the Mavericks. "Dallas here I come," he wrote. In response, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweeted: "Welcome Drew."

Sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.com that Gooden is receiving a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $4.5 million with incentives that will likely take it beyond $5 million by season's end. A formal announcement of the signing is expected Monday or Tuesday.

Gooden had previously announced via Twitter on Friday that he would be "making my decision tomorrow on which team I will be playing for." Sources said that Gooden had narrowed his final choices to Dallas, Cleveland and Charlotte.

Despite leg and abdominal injuries that cost him 31 games last season, Gooden was highly coveted in February after negotiating a buyout with the Sacramento Kings and wound up signing with the San Antonio Spurs. It's believed that he'll get a shot at starting at center for the Mavericks ahead of Erick Dampier, after that spot had been earmarked for Gortat with a five-year, $34 million offer sheet early in free agency.

Although he had a minimal impact in San Antonio's first-round loss to Dallas -- averaging 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.8 minutes -- Gooden fared better in 19 regular-season games with the Spurs, averaging 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in just 16.8 minutes per game. He posted a double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds) in his only game with the Kings after arriving with Andres Nocioni in Sacramento as part of the deal that sent Brad Miller and John Salmons to the Bulls.

The Mavericks will be Gooden's seventh team in eight seasons of a career that has been unsettled since his rookie season, when he was dealt from Memphis to Orlando after being selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick.

Yet he's just 27 and has the ability -- when his focus is there -- to provide a low-post scoring option that Dallas has lacked, whether he starts or comes off the bench. Finishing games is hardly assured, as Dallas is apt to close with a small-ball lineup of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki to maximize its offensive firepower. But Gooden should have ample opportunity to supplant Dampier, who is entering what is widely considered to be his final season in Dallas.

Gooden will be asked to fill the void created by the departure of face-up forward Brandon Bass, who signed a four-year deal with Orlando worth $16 million while the Mavericks' money was tied up in their offer sheet to Gortat. Taking the full seven days allowed by league rules, Orlando stunned many league observers by deciding to match on Gortat -- given that Dwight Howard's backup will essentially be a $12 million player next season when the luxury-tax costs are factored in -- after signing Bass.

Gooden would be the Mavericks' second prominent newcomer this season following its recent trade acquisition of Shawn Marion. Dallas awarded a five-year deal worth nearly $40 million to Marion in a sign-and-trade arrangement featuring three other teams and also re-signed point guard Jason Kidd to a three-year deal worth $25 million.

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BATTLING BACK: Mended Oden on rebound

2009-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Greg Oden had been away from the USA Basketball program for so long, he was worried the national team had forgotten about him.
Oden missed the last three summers with injuries, denying him the opportunity to participate. But the Portland Trail Blazers' 7-foot center reminded everyone Saturday in the USA Basketball Showcase that he can still play.
Oden was a force on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring seven points in 24 minutes for the White squad, but the Blue team posted a 100-81 win in front of 6,427 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

For Oden, it was a small yet significant first step in what he hopes will ultimately culminate with a spot on the 2012 Olympic roster.
"It was all right," he said. "I played decent. I tried to hold down the paint and concentrate on defense.
"It was good to be out there, getting some up and down and playing against this kind of good competition."
Oden said the three-day Las Vegas minicamp was a good experience, especially given the fact it was the first one he could participate in.
"I thought they were thinking, 'It's a lost cause,' " he said. "I was afraid they had forgotten about me, but I guess they were still looking at me."
Through all his injuries -- the broken right wrist while still in college that sidelined him in 2006, the tonsillitis that KO'd him in 2007, the microfracture surgery to his right knee in 2008, the USA Basketball hierarchy never lost faith.
"I haven't given up on him," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "I've said this many times; people who put the time in, people who want to be part of this program, people who have built up some equity, we're going to give them a chance.
"Greg wanted to be here each summer, and had he not been sick or hurt, he would have been. It's not his fault."
Colangelo said Oden's injury history, the latest mishap a chipped left kneecap which forced him to miss 10 games in March, was taken into account when it came time to decide whether to invite him to Las Vegas this week. Ultimately, Colangelo, coach Mike Krzyzewski and the rest of the USA Basketball coaching staff wanted to see how Oden would play.
"It's way too early to throw the baby out with the bathwater," Colangelo said of Oden, who has played a grand total of 61 NBA games in two seasons. "He's still struggling to get off the mark on his career. He needs to build his confidence level and have some success."
Only 21, Oden said he knows some people are already labeling him a bust as a pro. But he doesn't care.
"I don't worry about all that," he said. "I'm just going out there and playing. It could be a distraction, but I don't get caught up in that."
His focus is on trying to catch up in his development. He has spent the summer working with Bill Bayno, a Blazers assistant coach and former UNLV head coach.
Bayno said Oden will catch up.
"People forget he's just a kid," Bayno said. "He's going to be fine. He's still maturing, and you can't rush developing a big man. But he's one of the best people I've ever been around, and he works as hard as anyone I've coached.
"Sure, his career hasn't started as quickly as everyone hoped because of the injuries. But trust me, he'll be fine."
Oden said all he can do is try to move his career forward, which was what Saturday was all about.
"You want to start out well and be looked at as a premier player," he said. "But things happen. You just gotta play through it."

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Greg Oden ready to bring the joy to his sophomore season

2009-12-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

LAS VEGAS -- Greg Oden shouts "take him," as he sprints down the court trying to help slow a fast break during a scrimmage. Later, Oden yells "pick, pick right," to a teammate.

A few possessions later, Oden attempts his version of Hakeem Olajuwon's "Dream Shake" move -- a series of shoulder fakes -- on the baseline before taking a jump hook shot.

The Trail Blazers' young center is rediscovering the joy of playing basketball, as was evident last week as he participated in USA Basketball's minicamp with 20 other rising NBA stars.

"I want to have fun this year," a smiling Oden said. "I'm going to try and enjoy playing."

Isaac Brekken, The Associated PressBlazers center Greg Oden, practicing last week in Las Vegas, is ready to put his rocky rookie season behind him.

Oden, glad to have his rookie season behind him, is looking forward to the 2009-10 season. The injuries and inconsistent play of last season continue to fade. The moodiness that surfaced after listening to criticism throughout the season is giving way this summer to a happy, more relaxed Oden.

"I saw some teeth. He looked a little bit more relaxed and was talking (on the court)," said Blazers coach Nate McMillan, after watching Oden practice. "He looked comfortable. He looked like he was having some fun.

"I think that's the key. That's the reason these guys took up this game. They loved it, enjoyed it and you should have fun playing it. You gotta put in the effort and the work, but you should enjoy it."

One reason for the change in attitude is Oden's decision to toughen up mentally. Oden acknowledged last season wore him down psychologically the same way Shaquille O'Neal can wear him down physically on the court.

No more.

"I'm just going to go out there and play hard," Oden said. "Go out there, play my game and not worry about what everybody says -- not deal with all the ups and downs. Just go out there and have fun."

Oden said he's going to tune out the critics, the ones ready to give up on him and label him a bust after one NBA season.

"I'm just telling myself it doesn't matter what they think, what matters is what I think," Oden said. "I'm the one who has (to) go out there, and I'm the one who has to live with how I play. No one else."

Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard also noticed Oden's upbeat mood at the minicamp.

"I really liked his positive energy," Pritchard said. "He seemed like he was in good spirits."

Oden has spent most of the summer in Columbus, Ohio, where he has taken classes at Ohio State and worked out, mostly alone. Away from the spotlight in Portland, the time in the Midwest has helped him focus and work on his game. He is lifting weights to gain strength and running for conditioning.

Oden is healthy this summer, allowing him to work hard during the offseason for the first time since the Blazers drafted him in 2007.

"I run stairs instead of running on flat surfaces. It's easier on my knees," Oden said. "Probably about two or three times a week."

Oden said most of his individual on-court work is on offense, since it's hard to work on defense without someone to guard. That's why his jump hook and footwork looked more refined during the USA Basketball scrimmages.

"(The jump hook) is not new. It's always been there," Oden said. "I've been working on it a lot this summer. I'm more confident shooting it now."

Portland assistant coach Bill Bayno and former Blazers player Brian Grant have traveled separately to Ohio to work with Oden several times during the summer. Oden said Grant was helpful in providing a big body to guard and work against on offense.

"He's given me a lot of wisdom. He has played through it and been through everything in the league," Oden said of Grant, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, including three with the Blazers. "It's good to be able to talk to him also."

USA Basketball minicamp coach Jay Triano of the Toronto Raptors said he hadn't seen much of Oden during the league season but was impressed with Oden's presence, particularly on defense, during the minicamp.

"Just his physical presence defensively. I just thought he used his size and his brawn very effectively," Triano said. "We got 11 straight stops on one of the drills we were doing, and he was the anchor behind that."

Although the minicamp was just three days and some of the scrimmages during practice were limited to 10 minutes, the competition was intense. Oden found himself pushing against 7-footers Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee, in addition to exchanging elbows with power forwards Paul Millsap and Kevin Love.

"McGee, Lopez and Millsap are physical, but have different styles of play," McMillan said. "It was good to have (Oden) running out there with these guys. ... This is an opportunity for him to play and work on his game against some really good competition."

Oden understands his primary responsibilities with the Blazers are defense and rebounding. The Blazers have plenty of scorers, particularly with the addition last week of point guard Andre Miller, but Oden said he's comfortable in his role.

"I know my position and what I need to do in Portland," he said. "I know what I can do for (the Blazers) and I know what I'm capable of doing."

The Blazers want Oden to justify his selection as the first overall pick of the 2007 draft with a strong sophomore season. They know that even a little improvement from Oden could mean a lot more success next season.

"We know he has all the potential in the world now," McMillan said. "What he has to do is work on that and do the things that are necessary for him to come back better to help us improve. We feel like when we get him to that point, we're going to have a shot at winning a lot of games."

Oden, who is returning to Ohio after minicamp ends, said the offseason work and a having a year of NBA experience will help him progress toward being one of the league's best centers. Just as important as his development on the court is his evolving mental approach to the game off the court.

He plans to be a game-changer, and a happy one.

"I'm just going to play the best as I can and as hard as I can," Oden said. "I know I can have an impact on the game."

Source

NBA Talk: How The Addition of Andre Miller Improves the Blazers

2009-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

Although ESPN's John Hollinger does not like the deal of Andre Miller with the Portland Trailblazers, I totally have to disagree. Miller, who signed a reportedly three-year $21M contract which Hollinger called a bargain, helps the Blazers a lot.

How so?

That's where I come in. Let's break down how Andre Miller makes the Portland Trailblazers a much better team. And trust me, he improves them very much. So let's go ahead and break this down!

You all know what this is, it's the world-famous NBA Talk.

You know, it actually does make it a bit tough for Andre Miller with the Blazers. The point guard spot will truly be a competition between Steve Blake and Andre Miller. Jerryd Bayless will still be learning a bit, although he was quite impressive last year. Although it'll most likely seem that Miller will win, it does leave a whole for Blake and Bayless as both will have to receive playing time.

So that brings me to the depth chart:

PG: Andre Miller/Steve Blake/Jerryd Bayless
SG: Brandon Roy/Rudy Fernandez
SF: Martell Webster/Nicolas Batum
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/Travis Outlaw/Jeff Pendergraph
C: Joel Pryzbilla/Greg Oden

I think this depth chart is pretty reasonable. I used it from a man named Ryan who made a depth chart of his own in one of my Blazer articles. Thank you Ryan. And also, I think many of you could agree with this actually.

Many people have questioned Andre Miller's three-point shooting ability sometimes, but man can he take it up to the rim. I've seen countless times when Miller has done that and he is pretty good at it as well. Miler is probably the point guard the Blazers needed. It really creates a spark for them coming into next season.

And don't worry, Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless will receive some playing time. Although the man who commented one of my Blazer articles who went by the name of Yeager_06, said that Bayless did have of what he called a "half-ass performance" at the summer league, which I saw a bit, I think Bayless with be a flashy scorer coming into this year.

Coach Nate McMillan will try to work something out with the three point guards so all of them can receive reasonable playing time coming into this year's 82-game season. And at shooting guard, there is no need to worry when Brandon Roy has it all covered. We also have Rudy Fernandez, who played a key role last year. He played pretty good last year, averaging 10.4 points per game as he showed who good of a guard he was.

We then move to small foward in which Martell Webster takes control. Despite him missing all of last year, the 2007-08 year was a spark of improvement from the 2006-07 season. He had a career-high of about eleven points per game in the 2007-08 season and also averaged two other career-highs in assists with 1.2 and rebounds with of about four.

Then there is Nicolas Batum, who played well last year, averaging about five points and about three rebounds. He truly looks to be sharp coming into this year as he and Webster look to create a show with their entertaining skills.

The Blazers then move on to the big men as power forward LaMarcus Aldridge takes control of starter there as he averaged a career-high of 18 points and about eight rebounds along with that. He hasn't let a frown on anyone's face so far this year as he hasn't averaged lower than nine points and and five rebounds in the 2006-07 rookie year. Watch out for Aldridge this year as he goes for 20 points per game, and possibly ten rebounds as he is entering into his prime.

Then there is Travis Outlaw, as his last two years have been nothing less than impressive. He averaged about 13 points per game last year, along with about four rebounds. His stellar performance came in the 2007-08 season, but the 2008-09 was a little of a downgrade. But with he and Aldridge, boards will be grabbed and points will be scored with this one-two punch.

But it really isn't a one-two punch after all with Jeff Pendergraph in the mix.

He was recently drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft this year. Coming out of Arizona State, Pendergraph had a career-high of about 15 points and about eight rebounds last year. He looks to have some of his minutes this year as he will be playing somewhat of a key role when he comes off the bench.

Here, we end with the centers as I believe Joel Pryzbilla will take the starting role this year. I am just not that big of a fan when we involve the-man-that-looks-like-a-50-year-old Greg Oden. Words like "bust" and "Sam Bowie" have already been involving as Oden comes into his third year (pretty much second actually after being out of the whole rookie year). Oden will have to step it up a notch this year.

I like Pryzbilla's style of play as this 7'1" center looks to lead the Blazers as he will be grabbing a lot of rebounds as his size takes the advantage. Watch out for Pryzbilla this year, folks, he looks to be dramatic.

Although Andre Miller doesn't make a giant difference, he actually does though. The addition of Miller shows how strong the backcourt squad of Portland will be. The backcourt is going to be very impressive and they will lead the Blazers to victory. With such stars like Miller himself, Blake, speedy Bayless, unstoppable Roy, and key-role Fernandez, I think the Blazers are going to be good-to-go coming into the 2009-10 season.

Miller is going to create a spark this year, and heck, the Blazers will too as they will be making a lot of noise this year, and will be banging on the front door of the NBA Finals. Watch out, the words, "first round exit," will never be mentioned, unless if it involves the opponent.

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Leagues line up vs. Delaware to stop sports betting

2009-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Four professional sports leagues and the National Collegiate Athletic Association sued the state of Delaware yesterday, hoping to prevent the state from starting a sports-betting lottery when the NFL season begins Sept. 10.

Faced with budget challenges, Delaware hopes to raise $50 million in profit in the first year alone.

The focus of the complaint, filed in federal district court in Wilmington, is Delaware's plan for betting on single games, which is much more appealing to gamblers than multigame lotteries.

Major League Baseball, the NFL, NHL, NBA, and the NCAA fear that such interest will prompt gamblers to try to fix games or illegally obtain information to win bets.

"Sports lotteries involving single-game betting threaten the integrity of professional and amateur sports and are fundamentally at odds with the principle - essential to the success of MLB, the NBA, the NCAA, the NFL, and the NHL - that the outcomes of professional and collegiate athletic contests must be perceived by the public as being determined solely on the basis of honest athletic competition," the complaint said.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and state Lottery Director Wayne Lemons were named in the complaint. An expedited hearing was requested given the state's plan to start sports betting by Sept. 10.

"Delaware's sports lottery will help pay for our core government services like our teachers and police and will also create new jobs in our state. That's our focus," Joe Rogalsky, Markell's communications director, said in a statement. "We asked for and received a Delaware Supreme Court advisory opinion prior to moving forward to ensure we are in compliance with state law. We invited the NFL to sit down and share their concerns. They decided instead to sue."

Delaware has had slot-machine gambling at its three casinos attached to racetracks since 1995. The state passed a law to legalize sports betting earlier this year.

Delaware, Nevada, Oregon and Montana are the four states that were granted exceptions to the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which Congress passed in 1992 to stop the expansion of state- and tribal-sponsored sports gaming.

Delaware's three casinos have been preparing to offer sports betting at their venues.

In the complaint, the leagues argue that the grandfather clause in the federal law only allows games of chance that were in use before the law was passed. Delaware did not have single-game betting in 1976 when it had three NFL-oriented lotteries.

NFL gambling draws the most action in Las Vegas and the NFL is especially interested in stopping Delaware before it gets moving.

"We are sensitive to the economic issues in Delaware and all other states," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. "That is the primary reason our office wrote Governor Markell on April 7 and told him we would be willing to discuss ways - short of using our games as betting vehicles - that we might assist him and the legislature in helping to close the budget gap as we have done recently in other states. The Governor responded five weeks later on May 14 that he was signing legislation that day which, in effect, uses our games as betting vehicles. We could not sit on the sidelines and had to move forward with the other leagues and the NCAA."

Dover Downs Hotel and Casino is home to 3,100 slot machines and also offers harness track racing and simulcasting. Denis McGlynn, president and chief executive officer of Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment Inc., declined comment.

Atlantic City operators are closely watching the developments in Delaware. New Jersey state senator Ray Lesniak (D., Union) filed a federal lawsuit in March against the Justice Department, seeking to overturn the ban on sports betting in other states.

Last month, Gov. Corzine said he supported legalizing sports betting in New Jersey.

Mark Juliano, chief executive officer of Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., which owns the three Trump casinos in Atlantic City, said Atlantic City casinos want sports betting as another revenue source.

"Delaware is in a different situation than we are," he said yesterday. "It was smart enough to grandfather sports betting in when it did.

"We have to go back and actually challenge the federal law because we did not ask for that exemption," Juliano said. "We think it's worth pursuing."

Juliano said sports betting was "an amenity we would love to offer because it helps you create an environment where customers can watch the games, bet, and do everything else we like them to do when they are here - which is eat in the restaurants, go to the bars, and stay in the hotels.

"Anytime we have any kind of gaming that we can add to the existing games that we have, we like to do that," he said.

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Sixers' Miller goes to Portland

2009-11-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Andre Miller is now a Portland Trail Blazer.

After a month-long stalemate between Miller and the 76ers, the 33-year-old point guard signed a three-year deal with the Trail Blazers yesterday.

"I'm just looking forward to the challenge, you know?" Miller said in a conference call, according to the Associated Press. "I know Portland wants to accomplish a lot of things, and I want to add to that."

The Sixers will now turn to Lou Williams or rookie Jrue Holiday to guide the offense.

Miller was very steady and reliable, but the Sixers were interested in a one-year deal for about $6 million. ESPN reported that a source said the Portland deal is for three years and $21 million, but with only $14 million guaranteed. The third year, and $7 million, would be a team option.

Neither agent Andy Miller nor the Trail Blazers would confirm contract details.

Miller had been the team's starting point guard for the last 21/2 seasons, coming to the Sixers in 2006 from the Denver Nuggets as part of the midseason trade involving Allen Iverson.

Miller has played in 530 consecutive NBA games, which is the longest active streak in the league. Last season, he averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists a game.

"We are excited to add a player of the caliber and character of Andre Miller," Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. "He is one of the league's ironmen who brings a wealth of veteran leadership to our team and is a great fit for our young and improving roster."

Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski could not be reached for comment.

When NBA free agency opened July 1, it became clear that Miller and Stefanski differed greatly on their demands.

Miller wanted three years and a yearly salary similar to the $10 million he made in 2008-09.

Stefanski pulled his one-year offer from the table Thursday.

"Andre Miller did a very nice job for us," Stefanski said earlier this month. "But where we are stationed right now and what type of team we have, to go long-term is not a prudent decision for our franchise."

Stefanski also said he felt confident that Williams could do well if given an opportunity as the team's starting point guard. While plenty of time remains in free agency - time enough for Stefanski to sign a reliable veteran to help at point guard - the Sixers currently have two potential point guards under contract, Williams and Holiday.

"I'm fine with the option," Stefanski said about Williams just over two weeks ago. "I think Lou Williams has a chance to be that guy. Give him a shot. We're in a situation where we have a young nucleus of guys who have playoff experience, but we're going to grow with them. And to go long-term on a contract with an older point guard, we don't see that as being a viable option right now."

Because new head coach Eddie Jordan runs a two-guard offense, there has been speculation that an old-fashioned point guard is extraneous, or even that swingman Andre Iguodala could provide a reliable option at the position, but Stefanski has still been hunting the bargain racks for a solid point guard to help the team through what should be a transition season at point guard.

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Blazers Sign Free Agent G Andre Miller

2009-11-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers signed veteran free agent guard Andre Miller to a three-year, $21 million deal on Friday.

Miller, whose NBA career has spanned 10 seasons with four teams, averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists as a starter for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
"I'm just looking forward to the challenge, you know?" Miller said in a conference call. "I know Portland wants to accomplish a lot of things, and I want to add to that."
Miller joins point guards Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless with the Blazers, the second-youngest team in the NBA last season. Portland won 54 games and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
Miller has played an NBA-high 530 straight games. He has missed just three in his career.
The 33-year-old Miller went to the Sixers in 2006 in a midseason trade with the Denver Nuggets that involved Allen Iverson. He did not miss a game for Philadelphia.
Miller met with Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan at a restaurant in Las Vegas earlier this week.
Pritchard said he was impressed with how much Miller know about the Blazers offense.
"Andre was terrific. He knew our team. He knew how he could help our team. He seemed like a coach," Pritchard said.
Miller was the eighth overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Utah by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Over his career, he has averaged 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 815 games, 768 starts. He has 174 career double-doubles.
The Sixers went 41-41 last season and were knocked out of the playoffs in six games for the second straight year. The team reportedly offered Miller a one-year deal for about $6 million.
"Did I think it was a fair offer?" he asked. "No, I didn't."
Miller confirmed his deal with the Blazers was for two years with a team option on a third.
Philadelphia forward Andre Iguodala said he sensed Miller would seek a team on the West Coast because he is from Los Angeles.
"Portland's a good team, a young athletic group and he'll fit in perfect with them. He'll thrive in that system without having to do too much. Portland's going to be a much better team," Iguodala said. "I don't think they know what type of guy they got."
Miller's departure means the Sixers will likely turn to fourth-year guard Lou Williams to run the point. They made UCLA's Jrue Holiday their first-round pick and hope he can develop into their point guard of the future. Shooting guard Willie Green is the only other true guard on the roster, leaving the Sixers thin in the backcourt.
The Trail Blazers were $7.7 million under the salary cap after the league set it at $57.7 million for next season. The cap is determined by a percentage of league revenue from the previous season.
Portland had been unsuccessful in the market this summer. First, they went after free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu, who pulled out of talks at the last minute and instead went to the Toronto Raptors.
The Blazers also made a move on Utah forward Paul Millsap, a restricted free agent, but the Jazz matched Portland's offer.

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NBA PM: Portland And Andre Miller

2009-11-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

In this edition of the NBA PM: Blazers have come to terms with Andre Miller…Spending is down in 2009…Nike giving back the videos…NBA among sports who sue Delaware…Upcoming HOOPSWORLD chats.
Does Miller Fit Portland? The Portland Trail Blazers have found their man and it's point guard Andre Miller. The deal – according to Chad Ford of ESPN – will be a three-year deal worth $21 million, with the third year being a team option at $7 million.
Miller's old team, the Philadelphia 76ers, did not want to spend the money Miller was asking and the New York Knicks did not want to give him the years he was asking for – and could not pay as much as Portland, who had $7.7 million available compared with the Knicks only having the MLE to spend ($5.9 million).
Last season Miller averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.33 steals on 47.3% shooting overall. In six playoff games he posted 21.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.17 steals on 47.5% shooting.
So how does Miller fit Portland? Decently, but not perfectly. His biggest weakness as a perimeter player is his three-point shooting, but as is obvious from his field-goal shooting as a whole he makes generally good shooting decisions with shorter jumpers and drives to the hoop. In 2008-09 he got to the free throw line about five times a game, shooting 82.6%.
Portland's game – with Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge in the middle and Brandon Roy driving to the hoop – demands the other players on the floor be shooters. As long as Miller can still find open space inside the three-point arc due to the play of the other players, it shouldn't be an issue.
Miller is an outstanding decision-maker at the point position, and having a player who has excelled at the position for so long should take some of the pressure off All-Star Brandon Roy to initiate so much offense. It's not that he'll stop or no longer be asked to; it's just that Roy will have more help.
Miller is a very good rebounder at his position, and also an excellent player in the post because of his size.
"It's a perfect fit, I have always felt that way,'' agent Andy Miller told Jason Quick of the Oregonian."I think he can take the Blazers to the next level in their quest for a championship.''
(UPDATE - it's official.)

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The interesting part will be what does Portland do next? They have two point guards already in Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless. Blake, last year's starter, would be an excellent backup, but that was where Bayless was planning to fit in for 2009-10. Neither would figure to be all that happy as a third PG. The 76ers, on the other hand, have only rookie Jrue Holiday at the position (well, two if you count Louis Williams), so perhaps something can be worked out. Blake will make $4.9 million in 2009-10, the final year of his contract. Bayless will make $2.1 million in the second year of his rookie scale contract. Presumably Philly would prefer Bayless to Blake for the potential, but Bayless hasn't shown he can be a starter at this level yet – nor shown the tendencies needed to be a starting point guard – and Philly probably wouldn't be comfortable with two inexperienced floor leaders. Blake would be a decent fit, but perhaps not a long-term solution – and Portland likes him as a backup.
The same would be true for any team, not just Philadelphia. Signing Miller likely means Portland has another move in them this summer. It also means the extensions of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will become the most important thing on General Manager Kevin Pritchard's to-do list.
Spending Money 2009: There has been a lot of talk about how the economy is impacting spending in the NBA, but has it really? The only way to figure that out is to compare how much money is being committed this summer to free agents and compare it with the past few seasons. HOOPSWORLD has data back to the summer of 2006, so it's not a huge sample size, but you can see a trend. (Click on the links for detail – numbers in $millions; the detail on these pages do not include minimum contracts or rookie scale contracts.)
2006 - $1,518.8
2007 - $1,193.8
2008 - $1,722.4
Right now we are about a month into the season of committing dollars to players, so what's the total so far? "Only" $684.1 million. It's still early, but it definitely looks like its unlikely spending hits the billion dollar mark in 2009. There could still be plenty of deals done – and extensions to Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy could add well over another $100 million to this total.
So who is spending? With the acquisitions of Jarrett Jack and Hedo Turkoglu, plus the extension to Andrea Bargnani, the Toronto Raptors have committed $123 million – or, for the people who like math, about 18% of the dollars that fit the criteria.
Detroit is next with $96 million for Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, and Chris Wilcox, and the Cleveland Cavaliers (Anderson Varejao and Anthony Parker) and Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Quinton Ross) have all topped the $50 million mark.
Should Portland complete the deal with free agent Andre Miller and sign their young stars to the aforementioned extensions, they could blow away Toronto's $123 million mark as this summer's big spenders.
Still, the summer of 2009 seems to be lagging a bit as teams deal with the new salary cap, the desire to have cap space in 2010, and lower ticket sales. HOOPSWORLD will keep an eye on this trend all summer long.
Nike's Mea Culpa? Nike is giving back the tapes of LeBron James getting dunked on – at least, that's how it's billed – at his own basketball camp. But that doesn't necessarily mean they think they are wrong.
"It was never about the play or the player, it was always about our media policy," Nike said in a statement. "The interest in the tapes has greatly overshadowed the focus of the camp, which is to help young athletes improve their skills, and that is regrettable. It was Nike's decision to take these tapes based on our media guidelines, which we will continue to enforce."
Now, this is curious. The two tapes in questioned belonged to the video cameras of journalists approved to be at the camp. Nike claims they had a policy not to record video, yet at the same time these two journalists were obviously recording video. It's been my experience – at least with the NBA – that all such rules are clearly posted. It's also been my experience that you don't carry a video camera to a sporting event as media unless you intend to use it.
Either those guidelines were not clearly communicated or posted, in which case Nike is in the wrong, or the guidelines were clear and the two journalists shouldn't have been doing video, and did so anyway, making them in the wrong. If the former is the case Nike didn't exactly apologize in their statement. If the latter is the case, why give back the tape at all? All that is needed is a clear explanation of what the media policy and that these two should have known the rules.
Again, not being there and not knowing the situation it's not possible to know the truth – but it sure looks like Nike caved on a policy they realized they couldn't enforce or wasn't enforceable due to media pressure.
Every event has guidelines journalists must follow, so there is a right and wrong here. Nike's statement clarifies nothing.
NBA, Other Leagues Sue Delaware: The NBA joined forces with the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NCAA today in filing a lawsuit against the State of Delaware for allowing betting on single games. Here is a copy of the press release:

The four major professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL and the NHL) and the NCAA today filed a complaint against the state of Delaware in federal court in Wilmington, DE seeking to stop the state from offering single-game betting on pro and college games.
The leagues and the NCAA assert that the state's recently announced decision to offer single-game betting as part of the 2009 Delaware Sports Lottery violates federal law. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act ("PASPA") became law in 1992 and prohibits states from operating a lottery or betting scheme based on pro or college games.
Four states, including Delaware, were grandfathered in the legislation since they had previously operated sports betting. The exception only applies to the type of wagering scheme that occurred in the states from January 1, 1976 through August 31, 1990.
Delaware did not conduct single-game wagering during its 1976 sports lottery, which was limited to parlay bets on NFL games. The PASPA exception does not permit Delaware to now conduct single-game wagers on the NFL or wagering on sports other than the NFL, the lawsuit states.
The leagues and the NCAA recognize that Delaware has many pressing economic issues but more legalized single-game wagering presents a direct threat to the integrity of their games and long-term health of their sports.

Obviously it will take some time for the legal wrangling to work itself out, but at least from where we sit it looks like Delaware is in the wrong.

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Trail Blazers break through with signing of Miller

2009-11-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

For the Portland Trail Blazers, it was a solid salvage of a bad month. For Andre Miller, it was a life preserver thrown, perhaps just in the nick of time.
The Blazers and Miller made a marriage out of necessity on Friday, with Portland signing the point guard to a three-year, $21 million deal, according to a source.
"It's a very good opportunity," said Miller's agent, Andy Miller. "For him, it's the right fit."
The Blazers got serious with Miller on Tuesday, as NBA.com reported, after their four-year, $32 million offer sheet to Utah Jazz forward Paul Milsap was matched by the Jazz. Feeling they would not likely have this much cap room in the future -- the Blazers have rising superstars in guard Brandon Roy and forward LaMarcus Aldridge, along with center Greg Oden -- there was significant sway within the Portland organization to do something this summer to add to the team's young core.
Acquiring the 33-year-old Miller, who has missed just five games in 11 NBA seasons, ends a month in which Portland was rejected, time and again, despite having $7.7 million in room under the salary cap and one of the most promising young teams in the league.
The Blazers have long thought they needed to improve themselves at point guard, with Steve Blake the current starter and second-year guard Jerryd Bayless thought of more as a combo guard than pure point. They had tried to pry loose the likes of Kirk Hinrich from Chicago and Jason Kidd from Dallas through trades for several months without success. Nor did they have much luck with Phoenix trying to acquire Steve Nash. They hoped to lure Kidd in free agency, but Kidd quickly agreed to stay with the Mavericks.
Portland then went the point forward route, believing it had a deal with Orlando unrestricted free agent Hedo Turkoglu on a five-year, $50 million contract. But Turkoglu changed his mind while in Portland meeting with team officials, spurning the Blazers for a $53 million deal with Toronto that left e Blazers fuming. The Blazers then went away from ballhandlers altogether in signing Milsap to the offer sheet. But they turned back to point guard when Utah agreed to match the offer sheet. (Portland was never very interested in Lakers free agent forward Lamar Odom, whose contract talks with Los Angeles are now back on.)
The Blazers wanted someone who would be a perimeter threat, feeling that Roy and Aldridge needed that. That's not Miller's game; he's just a career 21 percent 3-point shooter, making just 34 threes in the last five seasons.
But Miller is still one of the league's best passing guards, who showed he was able to stay with the Sixers' young, athletic players like Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams the past season and a half. A post-up point who uses his body, head fakes and angles to get defenders off their feet, Miller's 409 free-throw attempts last season ranked fifth in the league among point guards, behind Devin Harris, Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Russell Westbrook. Miller finished 14th in the league in assists per game last season and 15th in assist-turnover ratio (2.68).
Miller played well in Philadelphia after being acquired in December, 2006 from Denver in the Allen Iverson trade. He had provided steady on-court leadership and showed he still had an ability to score in leading the 76ers to consecutive playoff appearances after many thought they'd flounder without Iverson. One of the quietest guys in the game, Miller, with career averages of 14.6 points and 7.4 assists, chafed in silence when he wasn't mentioned as one of the game's best, frequently saving some of his biggest games for when Philly went up against some of the league's premier points.
He averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists last season, but throughout the year, the 76ers made it clear that they weren't going to commit to a long-term contract, and Miller grew antsy and frustrated. After the team was eliminated from the Playoffs in six games by Orlando in the first round, Miller was a no-show for his exit interview with team management.
Things didn't get much better when the 76ers offered him only a one-year deal at the mid-level exception. New York made a similar offer, and it looked like Miller would be the veteran point left out in the cold compared to Kidd (who got three years and $25 million from Dallas) and Nash, who got a two-year extension at $22 million from Phoenix as well as having this year's $13.1 million salary fully guaranteed. Portland will be Miller's fifth NBA team, after playing in Cleveland, in Los Angeles with the Clippers, Denver and Philadelphia.
The 76ers, with new coach Eddie Jordan, will now look for a veteran, defensive-oriented point guard, feeling that they have plenty of scorers in Iguodala, Young, Elton Brand, Williams and Willie Green. They're looking at several potential options, from Jamaal Tinsley, just bought out on Wednesday by the Pacers, to Carlos Arroyo, who played last season in Israel, to C.J. Watson, the Warriors' restricted free agent. They've also taken a look at players like Tyronn Lue and Juan Dixon, but feel they're a cut below the others.
Portland's agreement with Miller is a big blow to Knicks restricted free agent forward David Lee, who is still looking for a home. The 25-year-old has been trying to find a team that would do a sign-and-trade deal with New York, but the Knicks have been reluctant to tie up any of their cap room for the 2010 offseason by taking back any contracts for that year from other teams.
The Blazers were the last team remaining with enough cap room to give Lee anything near the $10 million annually he's seeking; the Pistons already have used their room on free agents Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox, and the Thunder have not been willing to make any kind of long-term commitments to anyone, knowing that they will soon have to extend the likes of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Westbrook, not to mention adding talent around those three.
ESPN.com reported Friday that the Blazers recruited Lee in Las Vegas, where he's part of USA Basketball's mini-camp. But New York remained reluctant to making any kind of sign-and-trade deal.

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Catching his breath

2009-11-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

DeMarre Carroll was back home in Birmingham, Ala., earlier this week, enjoying an overdue moment of serenity after four of the most chaotic months in his life. Only then, as he kicked back on his parents’ couch, could the former Missouri forward begin to reflect on everything that had happened to him since March.

It had started with the end of a senior season that turned out better than anyone could have imagined. He followed that up with an MVP performance in the Portsmouth Invitational and equally impressive showings in individual workouts, endured a predraft scare that coincided with the revelation of a liver condition and experienced the euphoria of hearing his name called on draft night, when the Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the 27th overall pick. Then it was right into press conferences and workouts and finally last week’s NBA summer league in Las Vegas.

“It’s crazy,” said Carroll, who was on the verge of signing a two-year contract that is expected to pay him $1,009,680 in his first season and $1,085,400 in the second with team options for the two seasons after that. “I am happy to be able to sit back and actually enjoy everything because I really haven’t even thought about me actually in the NBA and having this much money and being able to take care of my family. I’ve just been on the move so much. Many people have asked me, ‘Do I realize the accomplishments I’ve made?’ I really haven’t enjoyed it.”

He isn’t getting much of a break, though. He was scheduled to head to Memphis to meet with team officials and begin shopping for a place to live.

Carroll plans on spending the first week in August in Las Vegas, working out with dozens of other NBA players — including, he said, budding stars such as Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay — and longtime NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich in his annual camp. Soon after comes the NBA rookie transition program. Then he said he’ll spend time working out in Memphis and then Los Angeles, make a short visit to Columbia to catch a football game and then head off to training camp, which begins in late September.

“Having this down time is key for me,” Carroll said. “It allows me to get ready for training camp and actually get back mentally strong for what’s about to take place.”

His experience in last week’s summer league should have taken some of the surprise out of what’s in store. It gave Carroll and his fellow rookies an opportunity to get a feel for the nuances of the NBA game, from the way it is officiated to the longer 3-point line and the typical rhythm of each contest.

The competition will, of course, get better as he gets into the NBA season, but Carroll showed well with his summer-league play. He averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds, shot an impressive 58.5 percent from the field and even came up with six steals to help the Grizzlies squad, which included fellow draft picks Hasheem Thabeet and Sam Young, compile a 5-0 record.

“You can put me on any team in any setting, and I’m going to do what I do and bring what I bring, and that’s energy and just being all over the place,” Carroll said. “It was pretty easy for me because, my coach told me, the type of game I play, you don’t necessarily have to run any plays, you can just throw me out there and I’m going to make plays.”

The 6-foot-8, 212-pounder is hoping his summer-league performance started to answer the question of whether he’d be able to make the switch from power forward to small forward at the professional level.

Things have not been as easy for his former frontcourt mate, Leo Lyons, who was not selected in the draft.

Seldom used by the Indiana Pacers in the Orlando Summer League earlier this month, the 6-foot-9, 244-pound forward looked to be making the most of his second chance with the Cleveland Cavaliers team in Las Vegas. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first two games before his minutes suddenly dwindled and he combined for only 11 points and eight rebounds in the final three games.

“It’s really tough in the summer leagues,” said agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, who represents Carroll and Lyons. “You’re going with new teammates, new coaches, a new system. It’s very hard for a young guy to get acclimated, especially when you’re not a team’s draft pick. I thought he did really, really well, and I’m really excited about his future.”

Lyons hasn’t given up on that future including a spot on an NBA roster. He participated in a minicamp with the Atlanta Hawks this week and Bartelstein is continuing to explore other opportunities that might be available to him.

“We’re going to talk to everybody in the NBA and see what we think are the best opportunities for him in terms of making a team,” the agent said. “We’re also talking to a number of people overseas that are real interested. Hopefully, we’ll come to a decision here over the next couple weeks.”

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Allen Iverson Just Might Have To Retire

2009-11-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Allen Iverson said last season after being trade to the Detroit Pistons for point guard Chauncey Billups that he would rather retire form the game of basketball than not be a starter and come off the bench. Well Iverson just might have to retire than, all four teams that are in discussions of acquiring point guard Allen Iverson want him to be a bench player. This doesn't mean Iverson wont see ample playing time on the basketball court and, he will likely play the entire fourth quarter if he does decide to except the role. Think of Lamar Odom last year during the play offs, even though he came off the bench to start the game he averaged the second most minutes on the court just behind shooting guard Kobe Bryant.

The Memphis Grizzles and The Las Angeles Clippers have retracted the offers they recently made to Allen Iverson giving up hope on acquiring the super=star talent. Though Iverson is not known as a pass first type of point guard he is still a very effective NBA player. In over 10 NBA seasons Iverson has averaged over 7 assist on 7 separate seasons, he has a career average of 2.2 steals a game and over 3 rebounds a game in his career. Iverson has never averaged less than 20 points a season until last year and, is the 16th leading scorer all time in the NBA and second leading score all time among active players. Not to mention 10 all-star appearances and 4 scoring champion titles.

At only 34 years of age, that's younger than Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, Allen Iverson can still can't find a job even though all his career stats except assist rank higher than those two for mentioned point guards. Well Kidd averages more rebounds per game than Iverson but, Kidd rebounds like a forward for his size. The Heat and The Bobcats seem to be the only two teams left to actually pull the trigger on signing Iverson. Still nothing has become final and Iverson and his agent are hopeful some team will want his services as the season nears. In an NBA TV phone interview Iverson said "I Just want to play were i can be happy". I hope Iverson does find a team to sign a contract with, If not he will be happy at home watching NBA games with his kids on the big screen.

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Spurs sign veteran Theo Ratliff

2009-11-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Spurs have gotten younger and more athletic this summer, but their latest addition proves they still value veteran players who can defend, even as their athleticism has begun to wane.
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford confirmed Thursday that Theo Ratliff, a 36-year-old center who averaged 3.6 blocks per game in 2003-04, has agreed to terms of a contract for the 2009-10 season.
“Theo has always been a very good defender and shot-blocker,” Buford said. “Looking to next season, we thought that shot-blocking and rim protection was an important piece we needed to fill.”
Ratliff last season played 46 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 1.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 12.6 minutes per game, all of his time coming from the bench.
Terms of the contract haven't been disclosed, but it is believed to be a one-year deal for the veteran minimum — $1.3065 million for a player with Ratliff's tenure. Such a deal allows the Spurs to be reimbursed for the amount exceeding the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience, $825,497. Only the two-year veteran minimum will count against the team's total payroll for salary cap and luxury tax purposes, an important factor with the Spurs' payroll already exceeding the new luxury tax threshold, $69.9 million.
The addition of Ratliff gives the Spurs 13 players under contract, seven of them big men: Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi, recently signed free agents Antonio McDyess, Marcus Haislip and Ratliff; and second-round draft pick DeJuan Blair.
The Spurs regard both Bonner and Haislip as perimeter power forwards, big men with 3-point range capable of stretching defenses. Haislip may even play some at the small forward position.
The six perimeter players under contract are small forwards Michael Finley and Richard Jefferson, point guards George Hill and Tony Parker, and shooting guards Manu Ginobili and Roger Mason Jr.
In all likelihood, Ratliff's signing rules out the return of former Spurs Fabricio Oberto and Bruce Bowen, traded in the three-team deal that brought Jefferson to San Antonio. Oberto was waived by the Pistons after his new, partially guaranteed contract went into effect on July 1. Several NBA sources have said the Bucks are offering Bowen, and his half-guaranteed contract, in trade talks.
“The goal right now is to build as productive a team as we can this year, but also try to search out some athleticism for the future,” Buford said.
Ratliff is a true center whose primary skills have been interior defense and rebounding. Next year will be his 15th NBA season.
Injury-prone his entire career, he has played more than 60 games in a season only five times. He's played only 74 games over the past three seasons because of injuries.
Early in his career Ratliff was regarded as one of the NBA's rising stars among centers, but injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential. While a member of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2000-01, he was voted to the Eastern Conference starting lineup for the 2001 All-Star Game. A wrist injury prevented him from playing, and he was traded to Atlanta at the February trade deadline, shortly after that All-Star Game, in exchange for Dikembe Mutombo, who helped the 76ers reach the 2001 Finals.
The Spurs will be Ratliff's seventh NBA team. Drafted 18th overall by the Pistons out of Wyoming in 1995, he played two-plus seasons in Detroit before a trade sent him to the 76ers in 1998. Injuries limited him to 50 and 57 games his first full two seasons in Philadelphia, and he was traded after the wrist injury in 2001.
His best NBA seasons came in 2002-03, when he averaged 3.2 blocks in 81 games for the Hawks, and in 2003-04, when he played 85 games, 53 for the Hawks and 32 for the Portland Trail Blazers. He blocked 307 shots, an average of 3.6 per game, that season.

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Sixers need productive replacements at guard

2009-11-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

The 76ers need a veteran point guard, but they really could use a Reggie Evans and a Theo Ratliff - reserve players the team parted company with after last season.

To offset the loss of Evans and Ratliff - their relative production will be hard to replace - the Sixers are looking at 7-foot-1 Primoz Brezec (Toronto), 7-0 Aaron Gray (Chicago), 7-0 Ryan Hollins (Dallas), 6-11 Jake Voskuhl (Toronto), 6-10 Adonis Foyle (Orlando) and 6-11 Jared Reiner.

Reiner, who has 46 career games under his belt in two seasons, has not played in the NBA since he was with Milwaukee in 2006-07.

Evans, a 6-8 banger who was sent to Toronto for Jason Kapono, was a crowd favorite who regularly brought energy. In each of the last six seasons - two with the Sixers - Evans ranked in the NBA's top 10 in rebounds per 48 minutes.

Though he played in only 46 games, the 6-11 Ratliff was second on the team in blocked shots, and averaged 3.8 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. The 36-year-old center, who criticized then-coach Tony DiLeo after Orlando eliminated the Sixers from the playoffs, agreed Wednesday to a deal for next season with the Spurs, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Among the guards the Sixers are interested in, Miami Heat free agent Luther Head is intriguing, especially if Andre Miller leaves.

Yesterday, talks between Miller and the New York Knicks were said to be heating up, and a league source said Portland also was going after the free-agent point guard.

At 6-3, Head can play both guard positions, and he is a tough defender. The Illinois product has averaged 8.6 points per game over his five-year career, with a high of 10.9 in 2006-07.

Head's agent said he would be a good fit for the Princeton Offense the Sixers will run under first-year coach Eddie Jordan.

"They ran similar stuff at Illinois," agent Mark Bartlestein said. "We're having ongoing conversations with the Sixers. They're involved with Andre Miller, so we'll see what happens in the coming days."

Notes. The Sixers had interest in restricted free-agent guard C.J. Watson, who played for Golden State last season. But the 6-2, two-year veteran wants a multiyear contract, which the Sixers are not offering. . . . The Sixers are talking about 6-3 Jamaal Tinsley, who was released by Indiana on Wednesday after the sides agreed on a buyout. The Pacers sat the seven-year vet for the 2008-09 season because of disciplinary issues. He was connected with three late-night conflicts in a 14-month span.

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Summer league offers proving ground for NBA hopefuls

2009-11-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

The popular TV commercials touting "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is a sentiment Josh Heytvelt desperately hopes is untrue.

The 23-year old former Gonzaga University forward is among the myriad unsigned NBA hopefuls who descend upon Las Vegas every year to participate in the NBA Summer League, which ran July 10-19.

There, Heytvelt went up against other undrafted rookies and young players in an attempt to attract interest from NBA clubs.

"You've got to showcase yourself and show teams that you really are somebody that they need," said Heytvelt, who played for the Washington Wizards squad. "This might be the only chance you get."

Heytvelt might just as well have been in the middle of nowhere as Las Vegas. He was all business for the week. His only nod to his surroundings was a mid-week trip to see Cirque de Soleil with his girlfriend and family.

The rest of the time was filled by morning shootarounds, followed by afternoon rest and evening games at Nevada-Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Arena.

"There's only 500 people (in attendance) for a game, but there's so much riding on it, which gets you pumped up," Hetvelt said. His chances "all depend on what I do with summer league."

Heytvelt averaged a modest 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.6 minutes but said he was satisfied with his performance.

"I felt pretty good," he said. "I have to do my thing, rebound and play good defense. I think I've done a good job showcasing that."

For others, such as Wizards third-year guard Nick Young, the league was an opportunity to learn a new system. Young is preparing to play for a new coach, Flip Saunders, and appreciated the time to get acclimated to Saunders' offensive philosophy.

"We've got a whole new staff and I'm trying to learn the plays," he said. "They told us what they're looking for, coming off screens and getting open shots."

Young was one of the most improved players in the league this summer, his third time playing in Las Vegas. He averaged 23.8 points, third most in the league.

"It comes naturally. For me being a vet, I know more of what's going on, I know how to take my time," Young said. "I'm more comfortable out there."

He also enjoyed the various perks of being a veteran leading younger players.

"Being a captain, being a veteran and having rookies to get me a drink, get my towels and stuff, it's nice," he said with a laugh.

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Asian-American Sports 101: Which Asian players have made it to the NBA?

2009-11-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Asian basketball players haven't had a big impact on the NBA until recently, but their influence is growing steadily.

The first Asian player to appear in a pro basketball game is actually an excellent trivia question, since most NBA fans would get it wrong.

1. Wataru Misaka, a Japanese-American from Ogden Utah, was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1947, and played with them for just three games.

The 5'7" guard had previously played for Weber Junior College (now Weber State) and the University of Utah. Misaka (or "Wat" as he was called) led the Utes to championships in the 1944 NCAA tourney as well as the 1947 NIT.

2. Most people had forgotten him, however, by 1999, when the Dallas Mavericks drafted Chinese center Wang Zhizhi, who is the first foreign-born Asian NBA player.

A seven-footer with a decent 255-lb. build, Wang had played with the military's "August 1 Rockets," whom he guided to six straight championships before securing permission to play in the States.

He played two seasons with the Mavs, only getting real playing time in his second season, 2001-2, when he came off the bench in 55 games, averaging a little over 10 minutes a game, scoring 5.6 per, pulling down 2.0 boards, but only 0.3 blocks.

The performance was enough to get him a 3-year deal with the Clippers the following season, but a season and a half of declining numbers led to a swap to the Miami Heat, where he slowly faded into obscurity.

He did enjoy some playoff excitement, as the Mavs advanced to the conference semis both seasons he played with them, and the Heat got just as far in his first season with them.

3. Though Wang was the first Chinese player to be drafted, he was not the first to start an NBA game. That honor goes to Mengke Bateer, a 6'11" 300-lb. center nicknamed "Dinosaur" who signed with the Denver Nuggets in 2002.

The Nuggets had traded away Raef LaFrentz and needed a big man, so Bateer started 10 of the 27 games he appeared in that season, performing well enough for Greg Popovich to trade for him just days after he'd been traded to the Pistons. While with the Spurs, he became the first Chinese player to play for a championship team, although he never appeared in a playoff game for San Antonio.

The next season, he appeared in 7 games for the Raptors then was picked up by the Knicks before the 2004 season, though they waived him before he could appear in a game.

4. Wang, Zhizhi and Bateer had made small contirbutions, but Yao Ming would change everything. Drafted as the first overall pick in 2002 by the Houston Rockets, Yao's impact was immediate, on and off the court.

The Rockets stepped up their Asian marketing, and found themselves flooded with Chinese media and fans. This, on the heels of Ichiro Suzuki's similarly huge splash in MLB in 2001, cemented the idea in sports executives that Asia was an untapped reserve of both marketing dollars and talent.

Yao's size and skills eclipsed Wang's, giving the Rockets their best big man since Hakeem Olajuwon, who retired the season before Yao was drafted.

The 7'6" center was a bit too wiry to excel in his first season, as he had to adjust to the much more physical NBA game. His .498 shooting percentage, 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game averages would all be career lows for him. But Yao arrived in 2003, appearing in all 82 games and averaging 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game.

That last category showed the extra dimension Yao brought to the floor. Never a dominant shot blocker, Yao moved and passed like a guard, with fluid moves away from the basket that puzzled defenses and made his teammates better.

Sadly, this would be the last year where Yao was healthy enough to play in 82 games, and the nearly 2700 minutes he played would also be a career high. After missing two games in 2004, a series of lower-body injuries cut short each of his seasons from 2005 to the present.

First, it was osteomyletis in his big toe, requiring surgery midway through the 2005 season. In 2006, he broke his right knee, but did return in March 2007, in time for the playoffs. He made it through the rest of the 2007 calendar year without injury, but ended his season abruptly in February of 2008 with a stress fracture in his right foot.

This past year, he made it through the season largely unscathed, but bad luck would once again strike, as the Rockets—looking like they might finally make it to a title with Yao—lost their big man to a hairline fracture in his right foot two games into a second-round showdown with the Lakers.

Though the injury was expected to heal on its own, it didn't, and now Yao will undergo a series of surgeries that will keep him out the entire 2009-10 season, but hopefully allow him to continue his career without more lower-body problems.

5. Yuta Tabuse, called the "Michael Jordan of Japan" for his popularity there, became the first native Japanese NBA player when he appeared in 4 games for the 2004-5 Phoenix Suns. He only played a total of 17 minutes, scored 7 points, and was later waived. He now plays in the Japan Basketball League.

6. The first Korean player was Ha Seung-jin, a 7'3", 305-lb center drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in the second round of the 2004 draft.

He played two seasons with the Blazers, spending some time with the NBA's developmental league because of his raw game. His size made him appealing, but he could never develop the inside presence required to succeed in the NBA.

The Blazers traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2006 offseason, but he never appeared for them, as they waived him a few months later.

7. Next to Yao, Yi Jianlian has created the greatest excitement of any player coming over from China. Like Yao, he excited scouts because of his combination of size and fluid movement. Standing 7' tall, Yi has the height to dominate inside, but can hit the outside jumper as well.

Yi was initially drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2007, causing some controversy because he'd expressed the desire to play for a playoff-caliber team in a city with a significant Asian population. The Bucks offered neither, and so there was initially talk he'd hold out or demand a trade, but in the end he reported to the Bucks.

He played fairly well for Milwaukee, starting 49 of 62 games and averaging 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. Whether due to his dissatisfaction with the team or theirs for him, he was traded in the offseason to the New Jersey Nets.

Finally, he'd get the chance to start for a team with playoff aspirations, in an area with a strong Asian population. But he struggled with the Nets, who had their own problems with injuries and inconsistency.

Yi's outside shooting improved, from 29% beyond the arc to 34%, even as his inside shot percentage fell from 42% to 38%. He lacked aggressiveness on the inside, often getting muscled out by smaller players, and struggled getting into the flow with his teammates.

And just as it seemed he was putting it all together, he broke his finger on January 8, an injury he never quite recovered from, as his shooting suffered the rest of the season.

He'll look to rebound next season with a Nets team now without Vince Carter, their best player, but with emerging stars like Brook Lopez and Devin Harris. He faces no significant threat to his playing time, so he should have the right atmosphere to thrive.

8. The last of the Asian stars, and another player who could emerge as a superstar, is the Los Angeles Lakers guard Sun Yue. The 6'9" point guard from China has been called "The Chinese Magic Johnson" for his ability to distribute the ball with flair, though he had little chance to show that last season, his rookie year.

He played his first game on December 8 of last season, but played in all of ten games before getting assigned to the Lakers' D-League team, the D-fenders. He returned for the playoffs, though he didn't appear in a game, traveling with the team and gaining valuable experience for next season.

The Lakers drafted him 40th overall in 2007, so they're likely to give him a chance at some point to really shine. Expect that to be in the 2009-10 season, probably in a more significant reserve role.

Keep reading the Asian-American Sports Examiner to see how these players perform next season!

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Best and worst of the Las Vegas Summer League

2009-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

The NBA Summer League is over and admit it, you're feeling kind of empty.

Remember that girlfriend you had freshman year of college who lived halfway across the country from you? When the spring semester came to a close and you had to say goodbye for the summer, you tried to get in a solid earth-shattering kiss to last you until you saw her again in the fall when school started back up.

Well, like that little freshman hottie, our precious NBA just packed up its Yaffa blocks and mini fridge and is driving away for August and September. If you missed the chance to plant a wet one on the Association during the summer league in Las Vegas last week, now's the time to remember it like you were creepily flipping through a Facebook photo album of your girlfriend's at 3 o'clock in the morning.

To tide you over, here's a Best/Worst of the Summer League list ...

Best Moment

When Baron Davis (notes) showed up for one of the Clippers games in a Clyde Frazer-esque beard/fedora/dark-rimmed glasses combo (which was awesome enough in itself) and took a courtside seat next to Mike Dunleavy across from the Clips bench where Blake Griffin (notes) and Eric Gordon (notes) were sitting. A total, "let's stay together for the kids" moment.

Best Decision by a Veteran to Show Up

Last summer Dahntay Jones (notes) parlayed a solid showing in Vegas into a starting gig with Denver for the season that resulted in an $11 million contract with Indiana. This summer's big winner was Sean May (notes), who despite not playing any games (Charlotte didn't even field a team), was able to impress Sacramento officials enough at a private workout to secure a one-year deal despite the fact that he's only played in 82 out of a possible 328 games in his four-year career.

Worst Decision by a Veteran to Show Up

Chris Paul (notes) showed up, told long-time NBA reporter Chris Tomasson that the Hornets are so into savings mode that he wouldn't be surprised if even he was tradable and then went on to deny the conversation ever occurring on his Twitter account. Coming in a close second was Paul Pierce (notes) who wore sunglasses in the gym the whole time he watched the games. Anytime you're wearing shades indoors in Vegas, you're coming under scrutiny for trying to hide all-night Black Jack bags under your eyes. That's just how it goes.

Best Second-Rounder

For a supposedly shallow draft pool, the second-round talent sure ran deep. If you had to choose just one, Detroit's DaJuan Summers (notes) (18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds) is tough to argue against, but San Antonio's DeJuan Blair (notes) owned the boards (8.7 rebounds in just 25 minutes per game) and showed a soft touch belying his 6-foot-7, 265-pound frame (81 percent from the line); Milwaukee's Jodie Meeks (notes) had the nicest looking shot of anybody in the gym all week and don't forget Kevin Durant (notes) was in attendance (53 percent from three); Houston's Chase Budinger (notes) (17.8 points on 68 percent shooting) and New Orleans' Marcus Thornton (notes) (20.7 points per game) both look like they can come in immediately and provide bench scoring; Memphis' Sam Young (notes) shot 50 percent from the field, showing an improved jumper since his days at Pitt to go with his developed wing defense; and Portland's Dante Cunningham (notes), Detroit's Jonas Jerebko (notes) and Cleveland's Danny Green (notes) all showed promise of being 2009-10 contributors as well.

Best Record Broken

Anthony Randolph (notes) tying the scoring record of 42 points was stellar, and Anthony Morrow (notes) setting the new mark with 47 a few days later was stunning, but it didn't quite match up. Joey Dorsey (notes) coming even with the all-time rebounds mark with 20 offered some solace to Houston fans mourning Yao's foot injury, but it still pales in comparison. Marcus Williams obliterating the old summer league record of 11 assists in a game by dropping 17 dimes against the Thunder in the Grizzlies first game in Vegas was a sign of good things to come. Memphis started out inviting him to fill out the summer league roster and by the end of the week after he had led the Grizz to a 5-0 record and scored a game-winning layup against the Spurs in the last game, he had the team considering him for a back-up point guard position for the upcoming year. "I want him on the team if it was up to me," one Memphis team exec told me. "I'll go to bat for him."

Best Veterans on the Court

Outside of Golden State's two Anthonys, Dorsey and Williams, there were a few other seasoned players making some noise. Nick Young (notes) (23.8 points per game) was dialed in and looked ready to be the extra scorer the Wizards have lacked ever since Larry Hughes (notes) left town. Adam Morrison (notes) (20.8 points) was the Lakers No. 1 option and seems primed to give Sasha "Scoreless Machine in the Finals" Vujacic a run for his minutes next season. And Julian Wright's (notes) play (14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds), had Byron Scott talking about him taking over for Peja Stojakovic (notes) in the Hornets starting lineup next year.

Best Fan

Clipper Darrell ushered in the new era for his team, giving the Clippers the best crowd support of any of the teams playing all week. And he made sure to baptize several of the league's top picks including Hasheem Thabeet (notes), screaming at the top of his lungs in an otherwise quiet gym: "Hey Thabeet! Welcome to the NBA, baby! U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly!"

Worst Fashion Statement

Allan Houston (notes) wearing Crocs while taking in a Knicks game. I realize the dude made more than $100 million in his career, so he could wear a Snuggie in public and care less, but come on, Crocs?

Best Collection of Talent

The rookie point guards did not disappoint. Jonny Flynn (notes) (15.0 points, 7.4 assists) impressed scouts with his vocal leadership skills, directing a team of temporary players around the court like he had been playing with them for years. Tyreke Evans (notes) showed triple-double potential and has a crossover that will take the league by storm. Stephen Curry (notes) was the crowd darling every time he took the court and played a full floor game even if he didn't shoot it that well (33 percent). Brandon Jennings (notes) got the Bucks to run and made a point of getting Joe Alexander (notes) going when he was struggling. Darren Collison (notes), Ty Lawson (notes) and Roddy Beaubois were all score-first points, but there's no shame in that if you're shooting it as well as these guys were.

Worst Collection of Talent

If the Knicks' three re-tread lottery picks weren't bad enough (Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Mouhamed Sene (notes), Yaroslav Korolev (notes)), Jordan Hill's (notes) run-of-the mill week (14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, but on just 43.8 percent from the field) led to an 0-5 mark for the team.

Best Conversation Overheard

"You got to pick up my kid, somebody's got to pick up my kid. He can play. Come on, Nate, do me a favor." - Nuggets coach George Karl appealing to his former player in Seattle, and current Portland head coach Nate McMillan, to have him sign his son, Coby Karl (notes). Coby averaged 15 points on 62 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals in Vegas.

Best Rookie

If you want to nitpick, you'll point to his 46 percent mark from the free throw line in Vegas, but now's not the time to doubt Blake Griffin. After putting up 19.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the summer league, the No. 1 pick left several impressions on those who watched, all starting with the word "wow" as in "Wow, I didn't know he can pass so well ... Wow, look how he grabs a long rebound and dribbles it up the court to start the break ... Wow, the gap between him and the rest of the rookies is as wide as the gap in the entertainment value between Simon Cowell and the rest of the American Idol judges." He's the real deal. Rejoice, Clippers fans.

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Mamba No. 3

2009-11-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

Cracked me up when I read it. An American sports columnist concocted a wonky fictional telephone conversation between Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Jesus. After the Los Angeles Lakers romped away with Game One against the Magic (100-75, with LA going on to win in five games last June), Van Gundy the embattled coach — christened by Shaq as “the Master of Panic” — made a phone call (long distance or intergalactic?) to Jesus asking him to suit up for a couple of games to stop Kobe Bryant. The Lord declined, offering instead to turn Kobe’s Gatorade into wine, but that’s about it. An imaginary exchange stemming obviously from Denver Nuggets coach George Karl’s assertion that not even Jesus could stop some of the shots made by No. 24 in the Lakers’ Game Six win against Carmelo Anthony and company.

Blasphemous, of course, but such is the meatiness of the metaphors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Remember Larry Bird’s comments about playing against “God” when Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the vaunted Celtic defense? In a playoff game, mind you. In the Garden, of all places. And the Boston Garden in the ’80s was as imposing as the Roman Colosseum with its gladiator-like enforcers in the shaded area. Not to mention its leprechauns, uneven parquet floor, and malfunctioning air-conditioners in the visiting team’s dugout.

Kobe Bryant — like Michael Jordan before him — has ascended the heights of the hyperbolic, with coaches, basketball players, and scribes singing his praises. Kobe and Michael: two guys who could take off from the free-throw line, hang in mid-air, repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, pose for a NBA-copyrighted poster, and, just before landing, reinvent the game of basketball. But it’s not just about aerial acrobatics, or else you could add Vince Carter or just about any other one-dimensional leaper into that equation. It’s about being a competitor, about living and dying in the clutch. Kobe and Michael: two shooting guards who live for the moment when the game clock is winding down, the fans are on the edge of their seats, the odds are stacked up against them, and only a miracle or something like it could salvage the entire enterprise.

And it’s the love for the game.

The Lakers superstar, onstage at the Manila Peninsula’s Rigodon Ballroom, smiles and spreads his hands when reminded about Coach Karl’s Jesus comment, as if dismissing the divine dimension of playing D against him, but also saying, “Yeah, it is a bit difficult.”

The 2009 NBA Finals MVP is in Manila as part of his Asian Tour to promote the Nike Dream Season shoes designed specifically for outdoor basketball; give a donation to Gawad Kalinga at Nike Park; conduct a basketball clinic, as well as to showcase his basketball prowess alongside the Nike Elite Campers at the ULTRA (PhilSports Arena in Pasig City). Manila is the first stop. Afterwards Kobe jets off to Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Chengdu.

It seems Kobe did a McArthur during his second visit to the Philippines back in 2007, saying he shall return.

He first came to Manila in 1998 as a flamboyant, high-flying punk having joined the NBA in the 1996 draft straight out of high school, fitted the role of a high-scoring sixth man, and was crowned the Slam Dunk king in 1997; that was before he became a part of the Lakers three-peat from 1999 to 2002 (with the cast that included Shaq the bard of the boards and Zen-master Phil Jackson) — ah, the triangle offense, “Showtime” revisited (just like in the olden days of Magic, Kareem and James Worthy), and the high drama of it all.

In the procession of NBA seasons Kobe would create heralds as well as haters. Lots of doubters as to whether Kobe could measure up to Jordan, or get a ring without Shaq (who got traded to Miami and won a championship with Dwyane Wade), without that imposing “Jaws-meets-Bambi” at center. There are those who consider Kobe a ball-hog or, as local hoop geniuses would say, “buwaya,” owing to a lot of air balls and forced shots (much like Allen Iverson who shot a lot of blanks when he was in Philly). He became tabloid fodder in 2003 for the sexual assault allegation in Colorado. Feuds with O’Neal (who did a taunting rap about Kobe, etc.), and with Jackson (who once called Kobe “uncoachable” in his book) got overblown. Lots of trade rumors through the years. At one time we thought Bryant was headed for Chicago or, worse, the Clippers.

Nine years after the first visit, Kobe was a bit older and relatively wiser. He owned three championship rings (co-shared with O’Neal), was a perennial All-Star and All-NBA teams, was about to play a key role in Team USA’s bid to redeem its basketball glory in the Beijing Olympics, and was poised to win his first MVP in the 2007-2008 season. But the doubters remained. Just as the 2008-2009 playoffs were underway, lots of sportswriters predicted boldly that King James would depose the Black Mamba in the NBA Finals. That didn’t happen. LeBron proved to be a bad sport as he refused to shake hands with the team that deposed him in the Eastern Conference Finals, chucking tradition. (That Nike “Most Valuable Puppets” commercial where puppet Kobe taunts puppet LeBron with his three championship rings is a hoot.)

In the NBA Finals, LA demolished Orlando, despite the latter having Dwight Howard as the man of steel, a sweet-shooting Rashard Lewis, and a tongue-sticking Hedo Türkoglu, touted as the “Michael Jordan of Turkey” which is as believable as being the “Elvis Presley of the Philippines.”

Thus, Kobe returns to Manila a champion. A player responsible for cardiac-arresting, game-winning shots, as well as moves for the highlight reels (particularly wicked were his twisting, sideways, falling-down shot against a phalanx of Magic defenders and his pirouetting drop pass to the streaking Spaniard, Pau Gasol, in Game Four). A man who once scored 81 points in an NBA game fielding questions from journalists about Jordan comparisons and imaginarily being guarded by Jesus.

Nothing godly about it, he would say. What Bryant simply wants to do is play both ends of the court really well. All it takes is a great work ethic.

Kobe explains, “(Being able to) play both things extremely well gives me tremendous pride. There are players (who see themselves as) too cool to play hard, too cool to box out, too cool to dive for loose balls. (The important thing) is not to play like the number one guy in the team. Play like the 13th, 14th or 15th guy.”

The reason he has returned to Manila is that he loves being around youngsters who enjoy the game of basketball.

“It takes me back to being a kid, and working so hard (to get to that level). Last time I was here, I saw a lot of kids who were willing to do the work to be the best. I am fortunate to be able to play the game of basketball. (But it’s not about) scoring a lot of points or winning championships, it’s about what you do with that talent, (about) doing things in a positive way.” Helping the less fortunate, sharing one’s skills and knowledge to others — these things resonate more than what a person does on a basketball court.

About the Nike Dream Season performance shoes, he explains they were designed for the outdoor course. While regular basketball shoes get roughed up a little bit more when used in the playground, the new Nikes are “durable and more comfortable.” Mainly because of the shoe’s outsole made of XDR (or “Xtra Durable Rubber”), a rubber compound that can last two to three times longer than conventional rubber.

About Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Bryant has this to say: “I love him. I enjoy being around people who are competitive (and who have an excellent) work ethic. (Manny) truly loves what he does; he loves the sport. I have tremendous respect for him.”

About Filipino food, he quips, “I grew up in Italy so I’m open to trying anything new. Anybody here who offers Filipino food, I’m all for it.”

About which championship he treasures the most, Kobe says it the most recent one. “Because we just won it (laughs).”

Yes, it was a team effort. Derek Fisher dropped a three-pointer to send Game Four into overtime and sank the go-ahead three with 31 seconds left in OT. Pau Gasol augmented his finesse playing with spurts of power moves (no one called him a softie afterwards, not even Phil Jackson). Swingman Trevor Ariza was a revelation (and the way he stole the ball in the dying seconds of that game against the Nuggets reminded me of how Bird picked off an Isaiah Thomas pass in the Celtic victory over the Pistons in playoffs back in the day). Andrew Bynum wasn’t flat-footed anymore. Sweet-toothed Lamar Odom played like a hyper-energetic kid with a sugar rush. But it was Kobe who spelled the difference in the series.

There is this thing about an old injury in the little pinky of Kobe’s shooting hand that he hasn’t dealt with in a long time. Is it a lucky fracture of sorts? “I’m not touching it. We’ve had a lot of success with it, so leave it alone (laughs). (I say) if it’s broke, don’t fix it,” the Lakers superstar says.

But what about the Lakers championship configuration that has changed in the off-season with the departure of Ariza (who will suit up for the Houston Rockets next season) and Lamar Odom’s limbo-like status? Does the LA team need more tweaking (what with the arrival of enforcer Ron Artest who is billed as Kobe’s Dennis Rodman), and with the arms race in the Eastern division (what with Vince Carter joining the Magic, Rasheed Wallace upgrading the Celtics, and Shaq bolstering the LeBron-led Cavaliers)?

Kobe informs that he talks with the other players all the time in strategizing for the next season. “Fish and I are great friends. I talk a lot to Ron Artest. We are a close-knit group. We lost the chemistry that we had (with the exit of Ariza). The puzzle has changed a little bit. But it’s really not about individual players, it’s about how we work with each other (as a team).”

As for the nagging comparison with Jordan, Kobe concludes, “It is a great honor (to be compared with Michael), but (the area of difference is) in (our own respective games).” Michael was the focal point of the fabled Chicago Bulls team with Scottie Pippen acting as his foil. Like Hamlet and Horatio.

“My role in the team is a bit different. I am more of the facilitator and orchestrator.”

From ball-hog to team leader — Jesus, what a transition.

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Blake Griffin injures his right shoulder

2009-11-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

Blake Griffin hasn't been a Clipper for long . . . but long enough, apparently.

It hasn't even been a month since the NBA draft, but the prized rookie already has an injury that will keep him out of action for weeks, not days.

The team issued a release Wednesday saying the power forward suffered a strained right shoulder and will be resting for three to four weeks.

This means Griffin, the No. 1 overall draft pick, will miss the USA Basketball national team mini-camp in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas was where Griffin made his Clippers debut, receiving rave national reviews and being named the most outstanding player in the NBA's Summer League.

He averaged 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in five games, impressing Clippers Coach and General Manager Mike Dunleavy with the same work ethic and skills that defined him as college basketball's player of the year last season as a sophomore at Oklahoma.

And Griffin seemed to survive summer league, and at least, for the moment, keep the much-discussed Clippers curse at bay.

Not quite.

It turned out Griffin suffered the injury in the third game.

He saw the Clippers' team doctor Tuesday and was evaluated Wednesday by specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum, who confirmed the original diagnosis, according to the team.

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Pacers waive G Tinsley

2009-11-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

INDIANAPOLIS — Larry Bird's housecleaning project is complete.

The Indiana Pacers announced that they waived point guard Jamaal Tinsley on Wednesday, and a team spokesman said the NBA will process the request Thursday. If he clears waivers in seven days, he will become a free agent.

The move was an important one for Bird, Indiana's president of basketball operations. When the waiver becomes official, none of the players who have had legal problems or were involved in the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans in 2004 will remain on the roster.

"This ends a very difficult period for all parties involved," Bird said in a statement. "We are pleased to have this resolved."

Tinsley has career averages of 10.4 points and 7.0 assists, but he has been hampered by injuries and legal problems in recent years. The Pacers told him not to report to training camp last season and did not allow him to play. The NBA players' union filed a grievance for him in February, but the arbitration hearing scheduled for next week has been canceled.

Tinsley, a Pacer since 2001-02, now will try to revive his career elsewhere.

"Jamaal is happy to be moving on," Tinsley's agent, Raymond Brothers, told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. "He's sorry it didn't work out for the Pacers. He appreciates the opportunity he had there. He's looking forward to turning over a new chapter in his life, starting over and carrying on with his career."

Tinsley was owed $14.7 million over the next two years. The team did not release details of the resolution and says it will have no further comment. Brothers said he couldn't comment on the matter because it was a confidential agreement.

Tinsley was a favorite of former Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, and he thrived under Jim O'Brien two seasons ago until he was injured.

He averaged 9.4 points and 8.1 assists as a rookie. Then helped the Pacers claim the league's best record in 2003-04, and the team was 34-9 in his regular-season starts after he came off the injured list. He averaged a career-best 15.4 points in 2004-05, but played just 40 games. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 assists in his first 24 games two seasons ago before a knee injury slowed him. In the past six seasons, he's only played more than 52 games once.

Tinsley was connected with three late-night conflicts in a 14-month span.

He was there when Stephen Jackson fired several shots into the air before being hit by a car at an Indianapolis strip club in October 2006.

He faced a felony charge of intimidation and misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and intimidation after a bar fight in Indianapolis in February 2007, but agreed with prosecutors last year that if he stayed out of trouble for two years, all charges would be dropped.

In Dec. 2007, someone in a truck fired shots from an assault rifle at three cars carrying Tinsley's entourage outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel. Tinsley wasn't hurt, but Pacers equipment manager Joey Qatato was struck in both elbows as he sat in one of the cars.

Brothers said Tinsley has worked with a personal trainer since the Pacers exiled him last season and packs a solid 187 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame.

"Jamaal is in the best shape of his life," Brothers said. "There are several teams that have tried to trade for him, and there are several teams that are interested in him."

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Blake Griffin injured

2009-11-16T18:50:00.000-08:00

Funny how it works with the Clippers.

Barely a day ago, I was doing an interview with a radio station in Oklahoma City, extolling the virtues of young Blake Griffin of the Clippers, the No. 1 overall draft pick.

We spoke about how well things have gone for him since the NBA draft, not a single misstep since he inadvertently wore a Lakers-colored purple shirt that night in New York. He averaged 19.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in five games of the recently completed NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was named the league's most outstanding player.

Well ...

The news surfaced Wednesday that Griffin has a strained right shoulder and will not be attending the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas as a precautionary measure, according to a team announcement. He had suffered the injury in the third game of summer league.

That didn't seem overly serious.

But the release went on to say he would be out for three to four weeks. That raised a few eyebrows in the office among those long familiar with Clipper lore.

The lore? Never going to underestimate it again.

-- Lisa Dillman

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Free Agent Forward Chris Wilcox Signs With Pistons

2009-11-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons have signed free agent forward Chris Wilcox to a multiyear contract.

The 26-year-old Wilcox has appeared in 448 NBA games since the Los Angeles Clippers drafted him eighth overall in 2002. He also has played for Seattle/Oklahoma City and New York, averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 21.7 minutes per game in his career.
In 62 games with Oklahoma City and New York last season, Wilcox averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. His best two seasons came in 2006-07 and 2007-08 when he averaged 13.5 points and 13.4 points, respectively, for Seattle.
The Raleigh, N.C., native played two seasons at Maryland, helping the Terrapins win the NCAA championship in 2002.

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Nuggets, Pacers to play exhibition in Beijing

2009-11-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Denver Nuggets will play an exhibition game against the Indiana Pacers in Beijing, the second time they will meet in Asia.

The Oct. 11 matchup at Wukesong Arena, site of the 2008 Olympic basketball competitions, comes three days after the teams play the NBA's first game in Taipei.

The NBA has announced five preseason games outside the United States or Canada this year. This will be the league's third game in Beijing.

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