Points in the Paint

» June 30, 2009 6:24 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News on Michael Curry’s dismissal: “Now, I knew, everybody knew, that Curry was on a short leash. I honestly thought the Pistons would wind up having to fire him early to middle of next season, but I expected him to be here at the start. That thought was reinforced Monday when he was out front as the Pistons introduced their three draft picks. I talked to him for a long time, about last year, about all the Rip Hamilton stuff, about his mistakes and how he grew from them, how he would be better this coming season. There was no hint that he was about to be fired. But, here’s what I think happened. Dumars told Curry after last season that he had to mend fences with his players. He had to get Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, and even younger players like Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo back on board with him. He essentially gave Curry the early part of the summer to reach out to those guys and convince them that things would be better next season. By all accounts, none of that happened. He and Hamilton still haven’t spoken. Dumars looked around, on the eve of a most important free-agent summer, and saw a bunch of still un-mended fences. He looked at three wide-eyed rookies, a roster that was in complete transition and wisely, if not belatedly, decided that Curry wasn’t experienced enough for this challenge and fired him.”

Chris Mannix: “Rubio’s camp is not about to put Rubio in a minutes-sharing situation with Flynn. It wants Flynn gone, and it has come to the bargaining table with a pretty big stick: the possibility that Rubio could sign a lucrative contract in Europe. Kahn sounds prepared for that. He has said all the right things, praising Rubio and his agent, the high-powered Dan Fegan, and talking about how he looks forward to the day when Rubio is in a Minnesota uniform. If that’s this season, great. If it’s next season, well, that’s OK, too. Even two years is within Kahn’s time frame. But there is a factor that may be getting overlooked. According to sources close to the situation, top European teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Tau Ceramica have been coming hard after Rubio. And there is a real chance that one of those teams will be willing to make the popular Spaniard the highest-paid player in Europe.”

Pedro Moura for the Los Angeles Daily News: “Clippers assistant general manager Neil Olshey’s phone rang at 8:30a.m. Saturday. Surprise, surprise. It was Blake Griffin. The newest Clipper, selected first overall in Thursday’s NBA draft after more than a month of buildup, had flown into Los Angeles and was ready to get to work. ‘I got a call from him asking if I could track down the strength and conditioning coaches to get him into the gym,’ Olshey said. ‘And by 11a.m. he went through a full weight workout, got treatment, was on the floor for two hours and was right back at it again. How many guys,’ Olshey asked, ‘are going to get a full 2-hour workout in prior to their press conference?’”

Indy Cornrows: “One thing I don’t expect is for Larry Bird to consider all of the racist hoop fans in Indy when trying to fill out the roster. Fortunately, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks, he just wants to work with players that want to work to improve the team while also keeping the roster’s financial situation in check and under the luxury tax. So there you go. Make sure you understand me. I’m not saying there’s racial harmony in Indiana nor any hoop fans who view the game through a personal racist lens. I’m also not saying the Pacers won’t add white players in the future. In fact, I’d love it if they could swing a deal with a bridge player or two to land Ricky Rubio and Brian Cardinal’s expiring contract from Minnesota. We can dream, right? What I am saying is that Larry Bird has enough factors involved in trying to build a roster for the future without also trying to execute some sinister conspiracy to make the team white. And if you actually take an honest look at the basketball decisions which led to the current roster (not to mention who was making the decisions), that line of thinking based on a general, current snapshot unravels. In fact, looking at the core future, if Bird’s desire is to ‘whiten’ the Pacers, then he’d be failing miserably.”

The Wall Street Journal helps explain China’s adoration for Kobe Bryant: “China’s embrace is largely an appreciation of Mr. Bryant’s basketball talent—he won his fourth NBA title earlier this month with the Los Angeles Lakers. ‘He reminds everyone of Michael Jordan,’ says Shen Zhiyu, a senior basketball writer for Titan Sports, China’s largest sports daily. But it is also a reflection of a deliberate campaign by Mr. Bryant to make inroads in the world’s most-populous country. In addition to his frequent visits to China (a planned trip in late July will be his fourth in as many years) and his considerable work on behalf of sponsor Nike, he’s assuming another identity: philanthropist. In an attempt to tap into the Chinese government’s growing interest in promoting charity, Mr. Bryant is establishing the Kobe Bryant China Fund. The organization will partner with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government, to raise money within China earmarked for education and health programs. Mr. Bryant’s existing fund, the Kobe Bryant Family Foundation, will also work to strengthen ties between the two countries by teaching middle-school students in the U.S. about Chinese language and culture.”

Mike Bresnahan: “If Bryant wants to opt out of his contract, he needs to officially notify the Lakers via fax by the end of today. The Lakers declined to comment. Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka, did not return a phone call. Knowing Bryant’s flair for the dramatic, it could be a wait-until-the-last-minute decision. It wouldn’t be the first time. As a free agent in 2004, he made the Lakers and Clippers wait until the last possible second before announcing he would sign a seven-year contract with the Lakers.”

Check out my thoughts on Yao’s injury, J-Kidd’s free agency, Rubio, and the Amare to Golden State trade rumors in today’s Scoop Du Jour.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “Hours before free agent negotiations can begin, Artest’s agent David Bauman said Yao’s condition has not changed Artest’s desire to return to the Rockets next season. ‘Our first choice is to do a deal with Houston, Bauman said. Yao’s situation doesn’t change that. It has not affected us one way or another. He’s concerned more for Yao than anything.’ With Yao, Artest had considered the Rockets to be contenders and cited that potential as one of the reasons he hoped to sign with the Rockets as a free agent this summer. Bauman said that he and Artest are confident that if Yao does miss much or all of next season, the Rockets have the depth and roster flexibility to make moves without stepping back to rebuild. ‘The beauty of what Daryl (Morey, the Rockets general manager) has done, is the Rockets are not just Yao Ming,’ Bauman said. ‘They are Ron. They are Aaron (Brooks). They are Shane (Battier) And they are (Luis) Scola. That’s the great thing about this team. They can fire on five or six different cylinders.’”