Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe: “The odds appear to be stacked against Darius Miles. If Miles can make a successful comeback with the Celtics this season, he will be the first player to perform in the NBA after officially being diagnosed with a career-ending injury. Tim Grover, for one, believes Miles is capable of returning. “He is going to Boston a little sooner than we’d like,” said Grover, a fitness specialist who has trained Michael Jordan and other stars from the Attack Athletics gym in Chicago. “But, from an explosiveness and quickness standpoint, he is 80-85 percent from where he used to be, and my guess is he should be back to 100 percent by Christmas.”"
Celtics.com: Interviews Paul Pierce and Ray Allen about their off-season workout regimens [Via Green Bandwagon]
Bethlehem Shoals of The Sporting News: “Shaq’s motivation was bound up in bringing a ring to Phoenix. Does anyone really expect that, when this team is solidly middle-of-the-pack, he’s going to be the one to step up and lead, or make a difference, or do anything other than coast along until he finds himself in a position to show how valuable he still is? A renewed commitment, or last dash into the sunset, requires the kind of unconditional resolve that Shaq’s just never had.”
Lang Whitaker of SlamOnline: “None of the “name” guys Shaq won rings playing alongside have won rings since he left. (WHOA! Here comes an avalanche of hate!) But why? Isn’t this factually accurate? I’m not saying Shaq’s the sole reason they won a title and that Kobe or Wade will never win a ring again, but I am saying that having an in-shape, focused Shaq on your team is one hell of a way — maybe the best way in the history of basketball — to draw double teams and generally disrupt other team’s defensive concepts. And get yourself a ring. What I don’t know is if that Shaq exists anymore.”
Bright Side of the Sun: Counts down the days (literally) until Shaq’s retirement
Trail Blazers.com: “And then there’s Greg Oden. Greg plays 5-on-5 every other day, and he seems to get better every time I see him. I’ve noticed he doesn’t dunk the ball as often as I’d like, opting to throw the ball through the hoop or simply drop it above the basket, but it all scores the same. These kinds of games are a bit hard offensively for a guy like Greg, as dumping the ball into the post and letting the big man work tends to slow the game down. That’s great in a real game with real stakes, but that ain’t what they’re playing in Tualatin. There’s a reason why you don’t see much back to the basket play on the playground. It’s no different on the courts at the PF (that’s what we call the practice facility, by the way). Greg does get to try out some of the moves he works on during his off-days, primarily the jump hook, but it’s still a work in progress. He’s got a nice mid-range jumper, which surprised me, but he doesn’t use it often during games. That would require being more than five feet away from the basket. Defense is where Greg shines in these runs. On numerous occasions I’ve seen GO block back-to-back shots with ease. His rebounding is more than sufficient. He’s the immovable object in the post.”
Aaron J. Lopez of The Rocky Mountain News: “”I still think Stan Kroenke is a great owner. He wants to win big, but he wants to get more financial responsibility into the contracts. I respect that, and I think sometimes a little bit less is better in sports. We’ve had maybe too much talent and the talent has gotten in our way at times.” Without Camby to anchor the interior, Karl plans to employ a more aggressive defensive style in an attempt to take advantage of his team’s speed and athleticism. Karl is hoping Anthony can build upon his versatile performance with the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, and his young star appears ready to take another step toward being a better all-around player. “My teammates seen what I did this summer on the defensive end,” Anthony said earlier this month. “With Marcus Camby gone . . . it’s going to almost force us to come together and play defense as a whole and not just have to rely on one person.” If Anthony and Iverson set the tone, it will be easier for players such as Smith to fall in line.”
Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: “Economics drove the decision to move Camby. The team removed $10 million from its payroll, which was important for owner Stan Kroenke, who, according to the NBA, cut the league a luxury tax check of roughly $13.5 million for last season’s payroll, which was $81 million. Aside from money, the choice to make Nene the featured player in the middle was the unspoken part of the Camby trade. The Nuggets are relying on Nene as their center for now and the future. Within the organization there is a belief Nene is an all-star talent, if he can stay healthy and refine his game.”
MSG.com: Details Madison Square Garden’s upcoming renovation [Via NY Knicks Beat]
Neil Hayes of The Chicago Sun-Times: “By that time, the second arrow had found its mark. It came in the form of a rookie from North Carolina the likes of which Chicago and the NBA had never seen. Little Dwyane had learned about Chicago’s rich tradition of producing great players. Now he got to see one develop before his very eyes. Michael Jordan was beginning an ascent that would take him to the top of the world. Along the way, he would radically alter the landscape of Chicago sports. Little Dwyane Wade, sitting on the floor by the television, mesmerized, was soaking it in and filing it away. ”Oh my God. When you talk about a role model as a basketball player he was the ultimate role model,” Wade said of Jordan. ”I looked up to him as if he was from Chicago because he was so associated with Chicago. I was nine years old when I fell in love with the game. That’s when the Bulls won their first championship. The Bulls were Chicago. The impact they made on the city was incredible and I wanted to be a part of it.””
Eric Musselman’s Basketball Notebook: Taking 1200 shots a day for 12 years (and keeping track of every one of them)
Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune: “You won’t know Greg Miller nearly as well – which is exactly how the new boss wants it. “I’m very content to stay behind the scenes and let my people lift me to success,” he said. “I learned a long time ago that surrounding myself with talented people and working together to achieve our goals is more important than being out front, trying to steal the spotlight. That just isn’t important to me.” Give former Utah Jazz star John Stockton an assist in molding Greg Miller’s management style: “I learned a lot about what I wanted to be in that regard from watching John. He shunned the spotlight. He wasn’t afraid of it. If he needed to sit at the podium after a game and answer questions, he would. But he certainly didn’t need it [and] I’ve always admired that about him. John’s been very influential in that regard.”"
MarketWatch: “Thousands of fans filled the stands of the Verizon Center in Washington, DC this Saturday to watch some of their favorite athletes and other well-known celebrities duke it out on the basketball court for a very important cause — reducing family homelessness in the DC area. They were there for Freddie Mac’s Hoops for the Homeless(R) basketball tournament, headlined by basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Washington Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas also joined Freddie Mac for this year’s event, which raised $600,000 for six local homeless nonprofits providing support services to homeless families in the region.” [Via Gilbertology]
Alan Hahn of Newsday: Eddy Curry gives a tour of Tim Grover’s ‘ATTACK Athletics’ facility [Video]
SonicsCentral: “I have to tell you all frankly that my energy level on this is up and down. In just the last 10 days SOS has met with the Governors staff, Dino Rossi was kind enough to sit down for a full 1 on 1 dinner during a very busy campaign season, and the Mayors office has continued to engage us. Additionally the committee led by Ross Hunter continues to roll along with another meeting scheduled this month. It is productive time. We’re sitting here with a full new staff of people who have the skills to get this arena done and just waiting for indications that a real campaign will be put behind this. I cannot tell you all that I am not frustrated with the Mayors office and that they probably arent equally frustrated with me. I told them my position when they cut the deal. If they took the money and made a token effort then I would say that they just took the sold our team and ran. If they worked hard and built towards a new team then we could say that they made a strategic decision.”
Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: “Presti deflects praise. To Presti, the NBA is a player’s game. Players are on ESPN highlight reels. Players win games. His job is to stay in the background and acquire players that fit the Thunder way. He’s sometimes labeled a salary cap wizard but you’ll rarely hear him rattle off statistics. Instead, he uses terms such as vision, creating an environment, establishing a culture, becoming part of the community. “I very much support his approach to building this organization on the basketball operations side,” said team chairman Clay Bennett. “But I’m most impressed with the man as an individual — his personal character, his loyalty, his sincerity in his relationships, his aspirations to always learn. His desire to always find ways to do things better is inspiring.”"
