Loading ...Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie: “It’d be lovely if the prosecutor in question actually admitted to the real reason for the inquiry. It’d be nice if he just told us that he wants to see if the Phoenix Suns were royally screwed in Game 3 of that year’s Western Conference semis; a game in which the Suns were royally screwed. I keep a lot of games on DVD, but I don’t have that one, though I did watch it twice before deleting it from the trusty Tivo (I was at a Wanda Jackson concert that night, it was my almost-birthday). What I do remember is the Suns getting royally screwed, the officiating was horrid, but it wasn’t coming from Donaghy. Eddie F. Rush, even some Suns fans admit, was the real culprit behind most of that nonsense.”
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian: Remembering Kevin Duckworth
Jason Quick of The Oregonian: Steve Blake talks about his relationship with Allen Iverson [Audio]
BMac’s Blog: “James is an exceptional passer. He is strong and fast. He is not, however, a great three-point shooter and he dribbles too much. Playing James as the PF does not mean taking the ball out of his hands. The Kings ran their offense through Vlade Divac and Chris Webber and each exhibited his passing acumen. Imagine James at the high post. If he penetrates, there is no way for the weak side defender to get from outside the lane to a position where he can take a charge. So, the defender either has to cheat, meaning James can show off his passing skills, or challenge James as he jumps to dunk. I seriously do not know how anyone would defend the Cavs if they ran their offense through James at the high post. Teams would have to play zone and take their chances with James passing to his teammates on the perimeter. When the Cavs give James the ball at half court and stand and watch him try to break down the other team, they make it easier for their opponents. They make James easier to guard. Honestly, James would get 35 and 8 if he played the game within 18-feet of the basket, rather than dribbling away half the shot clock 30-feet from the basket.”
[Finally, someone agrees with me: King James’ Rightful Position]
JONES ON THE NBA: The Evolution of NBA Player Introductions
Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: “It’s a good thing the Suns plan to have Steve Nash play less minutes and take a few nights off during the season — with all the mentoring he has in front of him this season with Goran Dragic and Sean Singletary behind him, he’s going to need the rest. Singletary looks good on film and had a nice college career at Virginia. Like Dragic, he is a pure point guard and specializes in the kind of floor generalship the Suns crave. But neither has played an NBA game, and for a veteran-laden team to lean on such inexperience at a key position is a roll of the dice — especially if this group fancies itself for one more kick at the championship can.”
Mike Wells of IndyStar.com: “The Pacers made the playoffs in each of his first seven seasons, including the 2000 NBA Finals. The culture inside the locker room suffered the past two seasons, when they missed the playoffs. Foster insists better days are ahead. The roster transformation is almost complete. More players have spent the summer in town, working out at Conseco Fieldhouse. All-Star Jermaine O’Neal has been traded, albeit perhaps a couple of years too late. “It was tough because Jermaine really didn’t want to be here the last couple of years,” Foster said. “It was tough to become a team when your best player did not want to be on the team.”" [Via: Indy Cornrows]
Louis Aguilar of The Detroit News: “When Detroit Pistons fans bang their “Thunderstix” this season, the sound may be the same but the noisemakers will look different — no more Rock Financial logo. The Michigan-based mortgage lender is no longer the major sponsor for the Detroit Pistons, the NBA team and The Palace of Auburn Hills said Tuesday. “It’s been a fantastic relationship, and they will still be involved in advertising in some way, but they have decided to end their presenting sponsorship with the Pistons,” said Dan Hauser, executive vice president for Palace Sports & Entertainment Inc., which operates the team and The Palace. Both are owned by billionaire businessman William Davidson. Rock Financial’s parent company, Livonia-based Quicken Loans Inc., is owned by Dan Gilbert. Quicken has decided to focus its marketing efforts toward the NBA team that Gilbert owns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who happen to play in Quicken Loans Arena, Hauser said.”
The Painted Area: Olympic Basketball All-Tournament Team
Associated Press: “Aito Garcia Reneses has quit as Spain’s basketball coach after leading the national team to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Garcia Reneses made use of a clause in his contract which allows him to vacate the position after the games, the Spanish basketball federation announced Tuesday. “I don’t want to coach only for two months a year. At present, I prefer to be active throughout the season,” said Garcia Reneses, who is expected to take over at Spanish club Unicaja.”
Ball in Europe: Details the difference between what is considered a traveling violation in the NBA compared to FIBA basketball
Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: “Colangelo should reach out to Jerry Sloan and try talking him into accepting the job as head coach of Team USA in the 2012 Olympics in London. While most of the speculation on the successor to Mike Krzyzewski will center on Gregg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni, who are both deserving, Colangelo should recruit Sloan for the job that somehow eluded him in 2000. Over the years, I have written quite a bit about the unsavory turn of events that ended with Rudy Tomjanovich — not Sloan — coaching Team USA at the Olympics in Sydney. I won’t rehash the whole thing for you, but the bottom line is Sloan was the lead assistant for the 1996 Olympic team. Everyone figured he would get the top job in 2000, given USA Basketball protocol going back to the Dream Team days. But Sloan was bypassed in favor of Tomjanovich for the head coaching job in Sydney.”
Ira Winderman of The Miami Sun-Sentinel: “So on Thursday, another banner goes to the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena, this time commemorating Dwyane Wade’s Beijing Olympic gold. No issue there. But only if Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway also get their Olympic nods for returning to the Heat in 2000 with Sydney gold.”
Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: “But comparing the 1992 and 2008 rosters? Maybe in your dreams. While Team USA’s recent success is generating a chatter that will persist through a few breakfasts, lunches, dinners and late-night snacks, the bunch that owned Barcelona – the squad Daly labeled “majestic” – is impossible to replicate. Just a few munchies to chew on: The 1992 team averaged 29.9 assists, in a 40-minute game, and with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and John Stockton ailing throughout. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen routinely punished opposing ballhandlers. The three-point shooting was exceptional. Karl Malone, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing overpowered inside. The irrepressible Charles Barkley was the best player in the tournament. Daly never called a timeout. “If we had faced the zone that they (2008 team) did Sunday against Spain,” he added, chuckling, “I would have put (Chris) Mullin on one wing and Bird on the other. That would have been it.”"
