Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “He’s become a regular guest with David Letterman and opened his home to ABC for a feature on his family last spring. After years of rejecting the offer, LeBron recently filmed an interview for an upcoming feature on ‘60 Minutes.’ Yet despite this dream scenario of excellent play and massive media attention, James’ products and popularity aren’t soaring as expected. ‘His Nike shoe and apparel sales have been just average, which means not very good,’ said Matt Powell, an analyst at SportsOne Source, which tracks sporting goods sales. ‘It is the same for jersey sales.’ The NBA does not release actual numbers, but in its most recent rankings James is third worldwide in replica jersey sales. In Europe, he ranks fourth. In China – where James and Nike have focused their efforts with specialized campaigns, including games or promotional tours in each of the past four years – James ranks fifth.”
AP: “NBA superstar LeBron James and Grammy-winning recording artist Jay-Z want people to get out early to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. James and Jay-Z will host a rally Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland which will include a free concert by the hip-hop star.”
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “James loves the way he plays with Team USA, which includes bursts at power forward. The Cavs are making it a priority to put him there at times this season to attempt to duplicate the success. James, though, must take advantage when the matchups favor him, which means being willing to accept the ball in the post and go to work there. Often in the past he’s been reluctant to set up down there and has floated to the perimeter instead of being aggressive inside.”
John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “‘The way the rules are,’ Williams says, ‘it’s hard to guard guys in this league one on one.’ Especially when you’re just 6-1 and might often be teamed in the backcourt with 6-2 Daniel Gibson, meaning one of you will likely need to guard an opponent four or five inches bigger. That scenario doesn’t worry Brown. ‘We have a system that’s been in place going on four years now defensively, where it’s five guys guarding the basketball,’ the coach says. ‘If that basketball moves, everybody moves. And if somebody’s about to get beat, everybody should be on a string and there should be help there. So, we’re OK with [a small backcourt] on the defensive end, because Mo nor Daniel will have to guard anybody by themselves.’ That sounds good to Williams, who welcomes a defensive focus, because while scoring points is fun, losing is not. And in order to win, defense must be a priority. ‘Coming to Cleveland,’ he says, ‘you can just feel why teams are good and why teams are not good.’ And focusing on defense isn’t an entirely foreign concept for Williams. Before signing with the Bucks in 2004, he spent his rookie season in Utah. The 2003-04 Jazz ranked 14th in the league defensively under Jerry Sloan.”
Michael Ventre of NBCSports.com: “Some will conclude that he tried to commit suicide — though police said that wasn’t the case. It may be that he unintentionally harmed himself. Yet the idea that this Hall of Fame point guard who led Indiana University to the NCAA championship in 1981 and later directed the Detroit Pistons to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990 had fallen so far in unsuccessful attempts to achieve in his post-playing career what he had while in uniform underscores the bittersweet reality that athletes often spend the first half of their lives on a pedestal and the second half wondering why it’s so difficult to find another one upon which to be placed.”
Upside and Motor: “For one minute, put yourself in Isiah’s shoes. Not just in the ‘Oh, even I could be a better GM!’ kinda way, but I mean really empathize with the guy. Being a general manager is not an easy task. Add in the most critical media center in the world and you’ve got a disaster just waiting to happen. Every misstep is ridiculed, every mistake is magnified. But the thing that really makes it difficult to live in Zeke’s shoes is a unanimous agreement of just how bad he was at his job. By the end of the Isiah era in NYC, there were no loyalists left. Everyone who had once supported Isiah had taken a step back, retracted their opinions, and crossed the line in the sand. You were either with Isiah or against him, and Isiah, after Dolan finally crossed that line, stood completely alone. ‘No man is an island.’ Well, no man wants to be an island. Some are forced to be one due to circumstance or misfortune. Isiah is by no means a victim in all this; he played a very active role in his own downfall. But the power of public opinion and the power of the media likely weighed heavily on one of the most confident and proud (or arrogant, depending on how you see it) players to ever wear an NBA uniform in a league full of confident and proud players.”
Janis Carr of the Orange County Register: “Yep, Shaquille O’Neal said Friday that Bynum, the guy who is trying to become another legendary Lakers center, is a good young player. But he didn’t stop there. Shaq said called Bynum fortunate to be playing ‘with the best guy in the world.’ And he wasn’t talking about Celtics’ Paul Pierce. ‘Kobe is (the best player in the world),’ Shaq said, after addressing students during Tuffree Middle School’s anti-drug program. ‘He is easily, by far. He’s always been the guy who wanted that spot, he earned that spot by almost winning the championship. Hes like a 10 and everybody else is like a 6 or 7 and that includes LeBron (James), DWade (Dwyane Wade), everybody. Kobe is the best in the world.’”
Art Thompsen III of the Orange County Register: “Oden, who looks much older but actually is three months younger than Bynum, 21, graduated from Lawrence North in Indianapolis in 2006. Oden’s was the first high school class affected by the NBA rule that required graduates to wait at least a year before being declared eligible for the NBA draft. So he spent one year at Ohio State before being drafted first overall in 2007 by the Trail Blazers. Microfracture knee surgery forced Oden to miss the entire 2007-08 season, so Tuesday’s opening-night game at Staples Center between the Lakers and Trail Blazers will be their first meeting since … ‘Sixth grade in AAU,’ said Bynum, who recalled that although they both are listed as 7-footers now, Bynum recalls Oden being 4 inches taller back in the day. The mature-looking Oden, who was sporting facial hair as a college freshman, wasn’t shaving back then, though.”
NBA.com: Dave McMenamin spends a day with Andrew Bynum as he goes through his offseason training regimen
Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com: Handing out the best and worst awards for 08-09
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “Every time I’ve thought about the Jazz this season, I’ve pretty much assumed that they’d improve on last season’s 54-28 record. It’d be hard not to, right, when you consider how dominant they were at home and what a difference just a handful more road wins would make? Having gone game-by-game through the schedule this weekend, I realize just how tough it’s going to be for the Jazz to win on the road. It’s the absolute key to the season, more than Andrei Kirilenko coming off the bench as a sixth man or Deron Williams’ ascent to stardom. The Jazz absolutely have to get off to a fast start and take advantage of their schedule in November, December and January because it is unforgiving in March and April. The second-to-last week of the regular season the Jazz have a trip to New Orleans, Dallas and San Antonio. That’s positively brutal.”
Canis Hoopus: “Given all the failed efforts to surround KG with talent, and the resulting rebuilding from scratch, we really have only two proven players to speak of: Big Al and Mike Miller. There has been no Iron Ranger draft choice or draft day acquisition that has emerged as a solid, dependable player from the recent draft pools. True, the jury is still out on Brewer and Love, but for players like Foye and McCants, how much longer will it be before folks will say they’re just decent, but flawed? If the Wolves are going to rejoin the ranks of the playoff contenders, some of these recent top ten draft picks–or the stockpiled first rounders–are going to have to emerge, big time. It’s where the Wolves ultimate success or failure will be determined.”
Queen City Hoops: “There was a stretch last season when the Boston Celtics seemed capable of setting an all-time league best mark for Defensive Efficiency. They let up a bit as the season went on, resting their legs for the playoffs, and wound up merely being among the best of all-time. Well, judging from this preseason, history could be within these Bobcats’ grasp… As the worst offensive team in history (at least relative to their competition – the game has changed a lot over the years). With a quick skim of Basketball-Reference, I found two competitors: The NY Nets of 76-77 at 92.2 (but the league as a whole had a lower efficiency) and the 98-99 Bulls at 92.4 points per 100 possessions. Luckily for the Bobcats, it was only the preseason, but they ‘bettered’ both of those marks: 91.5 points scored per 100 possessions. Yes, really.”
Basketball-Statistics.com: “Paul Pierce, who ranked 6th in Defensive Composite Score last season, had not ranked higher than 94th in any of the previous four seasons. Ray Allen, who ranked 34th last season, never previously topped 183rd. Eddie House ranked 38th in 07-08 after finishing as one of the worst defenders in the league in 2004, 2005, and 2007, and not too great in 2006. In limited minutes, Tony Allen ranked 4th last season after finishing 89th in the previous year. The list goes on and on. The Celtics did have Kevin Garnett, the Defensive Player of the Year. Unlike the previous players, Defensive Composite Score has always loved Garnett, so his year was no fluke. Because Garnett is a big man who does a great job guarding the paint but also has the quickness to extend his D, he certainly makes everyone around him better. Still, I’m sold on his defensive abilities having this large of an impact.”
Liberty Ballers: “Elton Brand-Our big, bad free agent signing. The dude that’s supposed to lead us to bigger and better things. Well… he wasn’t very good this pre-season and when I say wasn’t very good, I mean, he was terrible. Check this: He ended the season shooting 39% from the field, on 56 total shots and in one of the games against the Knicks he was 10-13 from the floor. If we take that game away, he was 12-43 shooting this pre-season. That’s 27%. Ouch. I know, I know, it’s just pre-season, he’s coming off Achilles surgery and he’s getting acclimated to a new team, but don’t those numbers have to worry you just a tiny bit? I’m a little worried. As a sports’ fan it’s almost impossible to be 4 days away from opening night and have no worries at all. And if you happen to be one of those fans that don’t worry, you’re in for a rude awakening. Just ask 2008 Dallas Cowboy fans. Like I said, I’m just a little bit worried, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “It was significant Saturday that the Suns’ starting lineup ran as a unit in practice for the first time, tipping off four preparation days for Wednesday’s regular-season opener at San Antonio. But the black-clad starters’ scrimmage losses to the ‘White Heat’ crew of reserves was emblematic of a greater good. The Suns planted a seed in the off-season to grow an active, hungry and talented reserve unit that would impact practices and games. It is sprouting. NBA reserves often are the practice aggressors, but rarely do they include a seven-time All-Star (Grant Hill), a Sixth Man of the Year (Leandro Barbosa) and a Most Improved Player (Boris Diaw).”
Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Soft-spoken, cheerful and courteous since arriving in a trade for Eddie Jones on Oct. 10, the 6-foot-9, 225-pounder relates a sympathetic tale of a hard adolescence while being raised by his grandparents in inner-city Memphis. ‘I guess I was so cute,’ Williams said, laughing, ‘that my grandma wanted to raise me.’ His hardships don’t excuse his transgressions, but they might offer some understanding for them. His mother, he said, was around; his father was mostly gone. His only sibling and best friend, older brother Ramone, got caught up in the streets and the streets caught up with him. In 2005, Ramone was shot and killed. That day, Shawne had started to film a documentary about his often improbable journey to the University of Memphis, where he played one season before coming out.”
X’s and O’s of Basketball: Breaks down Dallas’ New 2-3 High Offense
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “The Grizzlies tried telling anyone who would listen that the 23-year-old Gasol, Pau’s younger brother, was more than just a throw-in to complete the infamous February trade between Memphis and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, teammates and coaches not only count the ways Marc is different from Pau, but believe his attributes make him a more-than-serviceable player to man the middle. Albeit in only a month, Marc Gasol has revealed unabashed toughness, passable rebounding and defense, gifted passing skills and a feathery shooting touch from mid-range.”
Don Seeholzer of the Pioneer Press: “‘Kevin has actually had a ball in his hands since he was in his walker, those little baby walker things,’ said his father, Stan Love. ‘He just fell in love with sports. You know, he was a terrific baseball player, and he just learned to love basketball.’ Kevin got that from his father, a star forward at Oregon University who had a four-year NBA career with the Baltimore Bullets and Los Angeles Lakers from 1971-75. Those are solid credentials, but Kevin has an even more famous uncle. That would be Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love, Stan’s older brother, who said his nephew has a decent singing voice to go with a soft jump shot.”
Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post: “Beasley, who averaged 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 fouls per game in the exhibition season, said the Heat’s defensive rotations are his downfall. ‘I think it would be better if coach let me play defense 1-on-1,’ he said with a smile. ‘With the rotations, it’s a tough job … The first rotation is probably the easiest. But it’s when they make the extra pass and then they make one more extra pass, that’s where you get messed up. That’s where it’s not pretty. That’s where I mess up.’”
Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com: “I don’t know the exact reasoning, but guys seem dead set on getting paid at Oden’s expense. Maybe it’s a way to spice up what can seem like a long and relatively meaningless preseason. Maybe in these tough economic times even the high-end wage earners among us are hard up for some quick cash. Whatever the motivation, G.O. wants you to know he doesn’t mind being the object of the bounty. In fact, he takes it as a compliment. ‘It’s kind of flattering,’ says Oden. ‘People respect my defense enough that they’re actually paying money to see if somebody can dunk on me. I’ve got a bull’s eye on my back, so I guess guys are coming after me.’”
Chris Bosh for NBA FanHouse: “I’ll let you guys in on a little secret about myself and a little philosophy that I like to use. In my opinion, sometimes setting goals is like putting a limit on what you can do. Now, let me explain what I mean by that. Let’s say I wanted our team goal to be 45 wins in a season. To me it’s like putting a ceiling over your head. Once you reach 45 wins you’ll get a little content because you’ve reached the ceiling. If you don’t reach it, everyone will start asking ‘what happened?’ and ‘are you disappointed?’. It will just bring a whole new batch of questions that have to be dealt with. I would rather tell people we want to win as many games as possible this year. That way I don’t put any limits on what this team can do. There is no ceiling put up so we can go as high as we want to.”
SLAM: No Lie, Rafer Wasn’t Drunk Off Three Drinks [Video]
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “Patience was vital as the Blazers navigated through a top-to-bottom roster makeover and the forgettable seasons that accompanied it. But even though the rebuilding is in the final throes, McMillan says patience is needed more than ever while his players develop into winners. There’s just one problem. ‘I don’t have an ounce of patience,’ McMillan says. ‘I’m totally the opposite. If I go buy furniture, I want it now. Go get it out of the back and bring it to me. My wife (Michelle), she wants that stuff that you have to go build and it takes four to six months. That drives me crazy.’ The Blazers have four rookies and three third-year players. Just three veterans with more than four years of NBA experience will start the season in the playing rotation. There will be games this season, McMillan points out, when his team plays like a bunch of rookies.”
YouTube: Some footage of Ricky Rubio celebrating his 18th birthday, taking public transportation, and attending school [Via Ball in Europe]
Giuseppe Matarazzo of DraftExpress: “Question: You landed in Athens some months ago, can you say now if you’ll stay here till the end of your contract? Josh Childress: ‘I can’t say that now. Sure, I don’t complain about my decision, it was the right one. I’ m well here, the team is competitive, and I feel I’ m growing in every part of my game. It’s true, I feel this experience is making me become a better player…no doubt about that.’”
Peter May of HoopsHype.com: “If Stern really wants to stop the younger kids from coming into the NBA at such a callow and tender age, there is another way he might go about it. He can revisit the whole concept of guaranteed contracts for rookies. It might not stop the influx of younger players, but it might make a kid think twice. Back in 1995, when Kevin Garnett was thinking of applying for the draft out of Farragut Academy in Chicago, he called Vaccaro for advice. Vaccaro said, simply, ‘even if it doesn’t work out, David Stern is guaranteeing you three years of salary. How can you say no to that?’ How could anyone say no to $5 million, which is what Garnett was guaranteed. Stern is still guaranteeing money to the untried, although now it’s only two years with a team option for a third. It’s ridiculous money for someone who has never proven himself in the league, starting with the more than $4.8 million-per that Derrick Rose will get from the Bulls this season.”
