The Fundamentals

Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic:  “‘I’m always going to be a force,’ O’Neal said. ‘Whatever team I’m on is going to have a great shot.’ The new Suns are a fascinating study in change. The coach has changed, the system has changed, and the point guard has his mop-top back. The Little Team That Didn’t has morphed into something bigger and deeper, where defense and discipline are no longer empty promises. It’s going to take some time. It’s going to take some patience. But as usual, it’s going to come down to O’Neal, his emotional investment and how bad he wants to stick it to the Lakers.”

Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times: “In his first game since sustaining a knee injury in January, Bynum backed down Mehmet Okur for an easy turnaround, dunked off a feed from Derek Fisher and pinned Paul Millsap down low on the way to converting a three-point play. On the other hand, two of his shots were blocked and he had four turnovers in 24 minutes. ‘He’s shown some really good things out there and then he’s shown some things that he definitely needs to improve upon,” said assistant coach Kurt Rambis. ‘We keep impressing upon him that he’s got to do a much better job of running the floor to both ends and that he’s got to do a much better job of anchoring our defense. It’s a big man’s responsibility to not only control his man but be the support man and the help man whenever people are driving to the basket.’”

HoopsVibe:  “The NBA is a want, not a need. David Stern’s league relies on individuals and businesses spending discretionary income on tickets, parking, jerseys, and anything else with ‘The Logo’ brand. So what happens when there is little discretionary income? Even worse, what happens when there is no discretionary income? We could soon find out. The American economy is currently in a worse state than Yonkers rapper DMX (I liked X’s early stuff, but right now it’s dark and hell is hot). Stocks are crashing. Real estate is a mess. And Democrats and Republicans wasted days disagreeing on a bailout. The NBA is in no way immune. League revenues could stagnate or decline, which means the salary-cap declines. Several markets could feel the sting in their bottom line.”

A. Sherrod Blakely of MLive.com:  “Most of us around here are still getting to know Kwame Brown. But the one thing that’s pretty obvious already: the kid has developed a fairly tough skin when it comes to being criticized. That’s why when Rasheed Wallace ripped into him throughout the end of this morning’s practice, Brown wasn’t the least bit phased. ‘He’s trying to make you better,” Brown said of Wallace’s taunts. ‘It actually fires you up.’ It certainly appeared to have worked on Brown, who scored three baskets in the final half hour of practice - all of which were scored on Cheikh Samb.”

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com:  “They were looking to see how Brown responded. Because if Rasheed was going to rattle him in an October practice, they’d start to wonder what use their new big man would be to them in, say, Boston or Cleveland, come May or June. ‘He’s testing him,’ Curry said – and then he said something telling, recalling a conversation he had with Jud Buechler, his Pistons teammate during the 1999-2000 season. ‘It’s funny, because when Rasheed does it, some people take it as he’s getting on guys too hard. I never played with the Bulls, but I sat here with Jud Buechler who talked about how Michael Jordan messed with Steve Kerr every single day in practice. Whether he hit him coming off picks or yelled at him or jumped at him for every shot he got ready to take, he was testing his guys and when he needed him most, he turned to him and he helped him knock down the shot to win a championship.’”

Bullets Forever:  “I know, I know, there are already a couple threads going already, but has there ever been a more snakebitten team in history?  We’re basically talking about potentially losing 3/5 of your starting lineup before the first quarter of the first preseason game of the year.  In my case, without a computer and being out of market, I had no way of following the game, so I literally was blindsided when I logged on and saw this information.  I don’t know if that makes things better or worse. I know Jamison says his injury is not serious, but pardon me if I say “prove it.”  Only in D.C. would Brendan Haywood go from being out for a week to being out for potentially the entire season.  Seeing Jamison’s injury on replay, that fall was not natural.  In fact, it kind of reminded me of Shaun Livingston’s injury in that it was totally unprovoked.”

Gil Lebreton of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram:  “Carlisle, otherwise relatively inconspicuous for the night, had one other strategem, starting Antoine Wright at the shooting guard position. Wright’s 6-7 frame immediately brought dividends on the defensive end. His 9-point night — which included 4-for-4 from the floor — was a bonus. If Wright can show that he merits increased minutes at the No. 2 position, Carlisle can be free to bring Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse off the bench. Add to that the return of DeSagana Diop, and the Mavericks could suddenly again have a deep and effective bench.  ‘Guys are really buying into it,’ Wright said of the new offense. ‘A lot of times last season, we would just drop the ball into the post and kind of play off that.’ True, it was only an NBA exhibition game, a bare speck on the long, dusty road to the postseason. But as first impressions go, the Mavericks seemed … well … more free … happier.”

DallasBasketball.com:  “He later found a groove, though, and while it can be argued that he has an early grasp on Carlisle’s offense because it is in some ways similar to what Kidd (and Wright) ran in Jersey, Antoine’s greatest work came largely on the break. He finished 4-of-4 shooting for nine points. Two of those shots were of the gymnastic variety – just what Dallas’ offense has long lacked – as Wright finished on the break on one play shortly after flying through the lane, absorbing a hit and a foul, and controlling his body to make the shot (and then the free throw) for a highlight sequence. The three turnovers he committed? Pretty much offset by the three steals and the four assists, plus the two rebounds and – something some of the other candidates for 2 time cannot do — some damn stifling defense on DeShawn, who scored just three points on 1-of-7.”

Aaron J. Lopez of The Rocky Mountain News:  “The Nuggets are hoping Andersen can provide rebounding, defense and energy off the bench, much the way Eduardo Najera did for the past three-plus seasons. Najera, who signed with New Jersey as a free agent, was known as a guy with a high basketball IQ, and coach George Karl has been pleasantly surprised to learn Andersen also has some court smarts. ‘Initially, my impression of Chris was he was kind of a good-bad player. And I think, in general, you’d have to say he’s more cerebral,’ Karl said. ‘He seems to be more in tune to the mental game, and that’s good. I think we have a little bit too many good-bad players. We need more fundamental players.’”

Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Times:  “Elgin had just dropped out of sight this preseason until Tuesday’s announcement . . . in an eight-paragraph press release . . . titled, “Clippers Add GM Role to Coach Mike Dunleavy’s Duties.” Almost in passing, it noted Dunleavy was replacing Baylor, followed by this effusive quote from you: “We greatly appreciate Elgin’s efforts during his time with the Clippers and we wish him the very best.” That’s it? That was 18 words — not even one word for each of the 22 seasons Elgin worked for you. I understand you’re put out at Elgin. You usually sue former employees, not the other way around, and I can see where this is less fun. Relative to other GMs with as much tenure as he had, Elgin always made bubkus — reportedly $400,000 — so what would it have hurt to pay him another $400K for taking all those bullets for you all those years?”

Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald:  “At the suggestion of teammate Luol Deng, Thomas spent about three weeks this summer working out at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. ‘We just wanted to go somewhere we’re away from everything,’ Deng said. ‘IMG was kind of the perfect place. It’s very relaxing. There’s nothing to do down there. You get a condo and you work out twice a day. They have meals for you; they have the weight room there.’ Thomas felt the instructors at IMG not only helped with his basketball skills but also taught him about having the right attitude, being more outgoing and how to better handle things like media obligations.”

Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe:  “Allen rivaled Pierce for Finals MVP, with Pierce’s overpowering second half in the Game 4 victory over the Lakers likely carrying him to the award. But, slump or not, Allen’s shooting did fall off for a while in the playoffs. From Game 6 in the first round against Atlanta until Game 2 in the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Allen was 34 for 102 (.333) from the field, his 3-point accuracy even more uncharacteristic at 6 for 38 (.156). But Allen recovered with a 25-point performance (9 for 16) against the Pistons and finished strong in the conference finals and NBA Finals.”

George M. Thomas of The Akron Beacon Journal:  “That doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything to watch as the Cavs tried to cage the Raptors. While it’s not easy to project what the final product will look like with James in the lineup, fans could walk away feeling a bit optimistic because this won’t play like that Cavaliers team that far too many times looked as if it were lumbering up the court. These Cavs? They produced 21 points in transition. Why? Because the team finally has a point guard in Mo Williams who will allow them to do that. While on the floor, Williams (12 points, 4 assists) led the charge to drive up the court.”

Frank Isola of The New York Daily News:  “Can he really believe that with everything that has happened the past 12 months, including Mike D’Antoni’s refusal to essentially acknowledge that Marbury is even on the roster, that starting or coming off the bench is Marbury’s decision. The Knicks clearly don’t want Marbury on the team. Why else would Duhon, an inferior player, be starting ahead of Marbury in the first place? And why the need to announce it publicly? If Marbury really wants to play the part of the consummate teammate he should have addressed it with his head coach and left it at that. Instead, he is grandstanding by trying to sell the public - and perhaps other clubs - that he has been reformed. Yet again Marbury has made himself the story … which is exactly what the Knicks are trying to distance themselves from.”

Howard Beck of The New York Times:  “Brittenham has served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach (officially, as assistant coach/player development) for nearly two decades. He has spent only a few months with D’Antoni, the former Phoenix Suns coach, but when Brittenham explains the importance of efficient running, he sounds like a D’Antoni acolyte. ‘Our first three to five steps are so critical in winning the race down the court,’ said Brittenham, affirming, ‘I can really help teach how to run.’ The race training began in earnest last week in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Brittenham rolled out a long carpet runner on the Skidmore College basketball court and strategically placed a series of 8-inch-high foam-rubber hurdles at regular intervals — 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet and so on. The idea is to refine a player’s stride, to force him to lift his knees and lengthen his steps.”

Mike Barrett of Blazers.com:  “I’m not extremely impressed that they beat Sacramento, playing without Kevin Martin and Brad Miller, in the exhibition season. What was impressive was the way this team played, especially in the second half, and the way the already-healthy chemistry appeared to be even healthier than expected coming out of training camp. It was an atmosphere you don’t find in preseason games in this league. The energized crowd was absolutely eating up every highlight, every replay, and certainly got its money’s worth. Have you ever said that about an exhibition game? That’s right, it was just an exhibition game. But, it sure seemed to be a whole lot more.”

Blazers Edge:  “It was halfway through the fourth quarter of an exhibition game, a 30 point blowout, and I absolutely did not want it to end.  Time: move slower so this moment stretches. Dunk Parade. Forever. I could have stayed all night. I cannot wait for tomorrow. I could have slept in a chair in an empty Rose Garden. I was warned not to overhype the first game. Nate told me to keep the result in perspective and that the team had a lot to work on.  The radio guys were quick to remind me that tonight’s exhibition doesn’t matter in the win and loss column. Cool.  Good luck with that.”