Brian Kamenetzky of the Los Angeles Times: “Kobe Bryant is still just 30 years old, but that doesn’t mean his odometer isn’t flipping digits like an ‘86 Volvo station wagon owned by a couple of liberal arts professors at a small Maine college. It’s easy to forget how long Kobe’s been around and how many games he’s played… so allow me to remind you. 948 in the regular season, good for ninth among active players. (Assuming good health, by mid-season 24 will break into the top 100 in pro hoops history.) Looking just at minutes logged, Kobe is seventh among current players at 34,531 This doesn’t include his 175 postseason games and their additional 6,888 minutes on of burn. This is not to suggest that Kobe is ripe for decline- the dude keeps himself in terrifyingly good condition- but the Grim Reaper (roundball version) eventually comes for all who play, even the best in the game. Kobe will be good for a while, likely very good, but won’t be Kobe forever.”
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports: “The sometimes too unselfish Odom has the ability to shoot 3-pointers, nail mid-range shots, score in the post, bring the ball up the floor, drive to the basket and find teammates for open buckets – all without an ego. ‘He can be nonchalant, non-aggressive at times,’ the West advance scout said. ‘But he adds to the team concept. He’s not worried about scoring. He’s a point forward. He makes extra passes. He makes plays for the team. He’s talented, has length and has size. Not many power forwards can make those plays. His playmaking ability makes everyone better. When he makes jump shots and he’s assertive, he creates mismatches for everyone.’ There is a statistic that provides a true indication of Odom’s value: individual plus-minus. Odom finished the 2008-09 season with a team-best +693 plus-minus – better than both Bryant (+659) and Gasol (+572). Moreover, the only NBA player with a higher plus-minus than Odom’s was Cleveland’s LeBron James(notes) (+871).”
Brett Martel of The Associated Press: “Paul has begun most days this offseason with workouts aimed at improving his strength, and his new bulk was evident at his basketball camp. Last season, he often logged close to 40 minutes a game and was worn out by the playoffs, when New Orleans appeared punchless in a lopsided first-round loss to Denver. Paul estimated that he is now between 10 and 15 pounds heavier than he was as a rookie in 2005-06. ‘It’s to make sure I’m durable for the season, for the amount of minutes I play,’ he said. He has spent much of the summer in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., dining out with relatives and performing more charity work. He also took three summer classes at Wake Forest, where he played for two seasons. Eventually, he intends to graduate with a degree in religion. ‘I’m a Christian. I’m Baptist, and I think a lot of times people tend to believe what they believe because that’s what their parents told them,’ Paul said. ‘I just wanted to find out more information about other religions, so I could know why I believe what I believe.’”
Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: “His ‘guaransheed’s had him branded as a big mouth, but he brought necessary attributes to a team in need of an attitude transfusion. Yes, he’s outspoken. Of course, he’s remembered for gems like ‘both teams played hard’ and ‘cut the check,’ but Wallace has spoken out against commissioner David Stern’s favoritism toward star players and teams. He’s also a critic of the age limit for American-born players, noting the same rules don’t apply for international players. He was Detroit personified, engulfing himself in the underdog mentality that made him loved. ‘He doesn’t care about basketball, all he cares about is ratings,’ Wallace once told me of Stern. ‘I’m not a media darling, the majority of them don’t like me because I tell it like it is.’ As maligned as Wallace was and still is, he has a knack for knowing the nuances of the game. What he’s physically lost to age, he makes up for mentally. He’s taken young bigs such as Zach Randolph and Jermaine O’Neal under his wing, and they’ve flourished. He’s an enigma wrapped inside a riddle and embraces it. He’s unapologetically authentic. He used to play the Isley Brothers in the locker room and can quote Sun Tzu.”
Fred Kerber of the New York Post: “Vince Carter left New Jersey with one primary regret: The Nets fell short of the playoffs last season. Throughout the campaign, Carter continually insisted the Nets could land in the playoffs. Many smiled, removed sharp objects from Carter’s reach and listened as he continued to plead his case. While they did fall short, the Nets were in the playoff chase far longer than outsiders expected. ‘I felt we had a pretty good team and we had a shot — not top five in the league, I knew that, at least a seven or eight seed,’ said Carter, whose worries, but not his connections, with the Nets ended when he was traded to Orlando on draft night. That’s why it’s hard. I mean I worked my butt off to gain the trust of each and every player here and every staff member and really to instill the mentality and belief that we could win. I don’t think we were expected to win as many games as we did,’ Carter said at his youth summer basketball camp at the Nets’ facility yesterday. ‘If we had another month I think we would have gotten in the playoffs.’”
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: “Even I didn’t imagine Nelson/Riley would give away Belinelli to Toronto for something as meager as George, who I know fairly well since I covered him his rookie year with the Lakers and have watched him fairly closely in the many years since. This is just a dump. A we-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-this-talented-player dump. A terrible, misguided, noxious dump by a team now run by an erratic, tired coach and a GM who does his bidding. George is 8 years older than Belinelli, by the way. He has a $1.6M expiring contract this year, but Belinelli’s would’ve expired next summer if the Warriors didn’t pick up his option, plus Belinelli is MUCH MUCH BETTER than George. Warriors fans might remember George from the 2007 playoffs, when he was a key Mavericks’ role player, and I think he even got a defensive turn or two against Baron Davis. George shot 20% in that series, so yes, he’s fantastic. (No, he never played for Nelson in Dallas.) The only possible logic for this, I got from Marcus T: The Warriors were not planning on picking up Belinelli’s fourth-year option, which would’ve left him as a lame-duck all this season, potentially in a poisonous mood. That’s what happens to bad teams. Bad, crumbling, weird (add: financially troubled) teams.”
Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Marvin Williams will remain a Hawk, according to a report by Marc Spears on Yahoo! Sports. Hawks general manager Rick Sund would not confirm a deal had been reached Wednesday night, but the sides seem very close to a signed contract. (Indeed, that’s the word Williams used in a text message to AJC colleague Sekou Smith on Wednesday — ‘close.’ And Williams told Sekou via text he’s hopeful something works out.) The proposed contract, Spears reported, is for ‘about $40 million over five seasons,’ although that $40 million is believed to include incentives. As a restricted free agent, Williams could have accepted the Hawks’ qualifying offer of $7.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent in July 2010. A long-term agreement would mean the Hawks have locked up a 23-year-old who averaged 13.9 points last season and is still regarded as a developing talent — and have done for essentially the qualifying offer times five. If Williams does stay, the Hawks will have retained three of their four key free agents — Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia have re-signed, and Flip Murray now seems surplus to requirements — and added guard Jamal Crawford in the same offseason. And that would make this just about the greatest summer in Hawks history.”
Mike Cranston of the Associated Press: “The joke began circulating minutes after Michael Jordan hired Larry Brown: The demanding Hall of Fame coach will want to trade everybody on the Charlotte Bobcats’ roster before opening night. A little over a year later, Brown is more than halfway there. Emeka Okafor became the latest ex-Bobcat under Brown—joining a growing list that includes Jason Richardson, Adam Morrison, Sean May, Jared Dudley, and Matt Carroll. Tyson Chandler, acquired from New Orleans Tuesday for Okafor, becomes the 27th player to dot Charlotte’s roster since the start of last season. It’s uncertain if the moves will be enough to make the Bobcats a playoff team in the improved Eastern Conference. But while Jordan and general manager Rod Higgins sign off on personnel moves, clearly Brown has been given plenty of power. ‘The biggest thing when you’re building a team and you don’t necessarily have the depth of the more established teams, you’ve got to find guys that can play more than one position,’ Brown said. ‘That’s what we’re trying to do. If you look at our team, Boris Diaw can do that, Gerald Wallace can do that, Tyson can do that. I think the more guys that can be in that kind of situation the more flexibility you have.’”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “Would you be disappointed if you go into training camp with the roster as it is? Daryl Morey paused and considered his answer, unsure if he would use the word ‘disappointed’ but certain he was too determined to make changes to accept that he might not. Finally, he said he would not be disappointed with the roster itself if it does not change, but because he has been trying to make moves and will keep trying, he would be disappointed if nothing clicks. ‘You’re always trying to do better, but I don’t think disappointed would be the word,’ Morey said. ‘We’re continually vigilant to upgrade. We’re at a somewhat stable point. We feel like we can be competitive. We’re always looking for the next step. I think we’re going to have a tall task ahead of us to be a playoff team. I think that is the goal for us. The history of teams with no all stars making playoffs is pretty limited.’ Some of that might sound like standard GM talk. But for the Rockets, the goal has changed — from being a contending caliber team, to just making the postseason. For Morey, the job for the remainder of the off-season has become as difficult as it is clear.”
Bloomberg News: “Cablevision is preparing to spin off its Madison Square Garden units, including the New York Knicks basketball team and Radio City Music Hall, according to a person familiar with the plan. Splitting off the units will let Cablevision focus on its more profitable cable television business and may lure potential buyers for the company, such as Time Warner Cable Inc. or Comcast Corp., Rich Greenfield, an analyst at Pali Capital LLC, said this month. The assets being spun off would also include the Madison Square Garden arena, the Rangers hockey team and two New York-area sports networks. Cablevision spokeswoman Kim Kerns declined to comment. Stockholders would receive one share of the new company, to be called Madison Square Garden, for every share of Cablevision they own, said the person familiar with the plans, who declined to be identified because the plan isn’t public.”
A.J. Perez and Michael McCarthy of USA TODAY: “Beginning this season the NBA will let teams sell ads on their practice jerseys, says deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who adds the league is continuing to explore the issue of ads on game jerseys. ‘We are operating a diverse business all around the world,’ Silver says. ‘(The sponsored game jersey) is a well-established practice in other countries. Ultimately, I think our fans will come to accept it.’ The NBA is in the process of developing its guidelines, says NBA spokesman Mike Bass. WNBA teams were allowed to sell ads on game jerseys this season and two teams took advantage. The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks featured LifeLock and Farmer’s Insurance, respectively, prominently featured on the front. … At least one team owner would like to see the same in the NBA. ‘Times are different,’ says Joe Maloof, whose family company owns the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and WNBA’s Monarchs. ‘It’s a new economic climate now. Any time you can generate revenue in the right way, you should be able to do it. You have to. If we can find the right partner, why not?’”
