Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times: “Baron Davis was in Mumbai for a week in July for the NBA’s first fan clinic event in India, part of 345 international events the NBA has played host to in 158 cities and 24 countries in the last year. Davis’ clinics attracted about 10,000 fans a day, including Indian cricket stars Irfan Pathan and Piyush Chawla. The surge of interest in basketball overseas reminded Davis of his several trips to China. ‘You see the before and after effect,’ he said. This summer, Davis also visited China to promote his shoe and apparel line with the Chinese company Li Ning. ‘It was great to be a part of the NBA and see the way they build their brand,’ Davis said about his tour. He had plenty of company. About 300 current and former NBA players, coaches, dance teams and mascots and about 50 sponsors have participated in the league’s international events.”
Tom Knott of the Washington Times: “Brendan Haywood has become something of a media junkie, watching an array of shows on ESPN, listening to talk radio and reading an assortment of publications. He appreciates the on-air insights of Doug Collins and Hubie Brown, thinks they are the best at what they do. He used to get a kick out of Bill Walton. ‘I would tape the games that he did on us, go home and start watching it, and he would have me laughing about some of the things he would say about me,’ Haywood says. He likes Mark Jackson, Greg Anthony and Jay Bilas. He understood the shtick of Stephen A. Smith, the angry one. He sees what others do but is developing his own style and voice. ‘I do my homework,’ Haywood says. ‘You have to do a whole lot more preparation when you’re in the media. You have to be knowledgeable about all the sports, all the players and teams, not just the team you’re playing next when you are a player.’”
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: “The question of defense has been raised often this off-season with the Pistons. There is little doubt president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has increased the firepower with acquisitions of free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and the drafting of multiskilled rookies Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko. But what about stopping power? Neither Gordon nor Villanueva has been accused of being a lockdown defender, but this off-season was more of an acknowledgment to how the game is played now. Up-tempo basketball featuring the pick-and-roll is how the game is played. League rules dictate fouls practically whenever an offensive player is touched. So good defense is more about schemes than just telling a guy to stop an opposing scorer one-on-one because that is a lot harder than it used to be.”
Tim MacMahon of The Dallas Morning News: “Mark Cuban wouldn’t let Dirk Nowitzki or J.J. Barea play with their national teams this summer, but he didn’t say anything to stop Nathan Jawai from playing with Australia. Actually, Cuban has never said anything at all to Jawai, the young big man who was a throw-in from Toronto in the Shawn Marion deal. Jawai understands that just because he’s property of the Mavs doesn’t mean they plan on keeping him on the roster. ‘It’s hard to have a guy on your roster that you haven’t seen play before and know a lot about,’ Jawai told the Cairns Post, an Australian publication. ‘I’m talking with my agent but I’m a Maverick right now. So whatever happens, happens. I still haven’t heard anything from them so all I can do right now is have a good summer and perform well for the Boomers in the next couple of games and see where it’s at after that.’”
Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: “A year from now, Oklahoma City’s NBA team will feature what team chairman Clay Bennett has promised — a training facility that will rival any in the league. When fans hear terms such as ‘finest facilities,’ some probably envision Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban providing his players with personal laptops, flat screen TVs and a plush locker room. The Thunder’s new facility will provide perks for players, but a training facility’s primary role is to provide practice courts and weight training equipment to assist players during a grueling 82-game season. ‘We hope to establish a platform that in Oklahoma City, as a franchise, we are known for providing cutting edge best care, best rehab and best approach to medical services that there is in the league,’ Bennett said earlier this year. The new facility, to be constructed on Britton Road, near Broadway Extension in northeast Oklahoma City, will feature two full length practice courts, luxurious locker rooms, team meeting rooms and nutrition, rehab and medical services.”
Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: “During his first two seasons, Julian Wright has struggled to find his niche. A crowd favorite because of his athleticism, he has been unable to hold onto a spot in Coach Byron Scott’s normal game rotation. And on the occasions when Scott would give Wright regular minutes, the young forward often pressed resulting in silly errors which landed him back on the bench. Once again this summer, Wright has spent time in Chicago working with renowned trainer Tim Grover, who was once Michael Jordan’s off-season mentor. Wright’s five-day-a-week routine included work in the weight room as well as on the court where participants in Grover’s summer program play five-on-five games. So far this summer, Wright has faced some impressive players in the pick-up contests. ‘Tim has done a tremendous job so far keeping my focus,’ Wright said. ‘The lifting regimen is pretty solid. The workouts as well. At the end of the day we’re playing five on five against some great players. There are a lot of wings. Not to name drop, but one day in one game I’m guarding (Philadelphia 76ers guard) Andre Iguodala. The next game, I’m guarding (Cleveland Cavaliers forward) LeBron (James). The next game, I’m guarding (Los Angeles Lakers guard) Shannon Brown. So I’m guarding guys who are quicker than me, who have played in the league longer. All these types of things. And it’s just summer time. It’s fun. We work hard. It’s summer time, but we’re working hard.’”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “One more summer league training camp, one more round of false promises and exaggerated hope, and Lance Allred found himself on the Orlando Magic’s bench honoring the final days of a useless July commitment. As the deaf son of a polygamist colony, the most improbable 7-foot prospect, an NBA front office had once more underestimated his abilities. ‘I will just say this about the end in Orlando: Some people don’t understand that because my hearing is impaired, I’m really, really good at reading lips from even across the gym,’ Allred said. ‘With some of these [team executives], it’s just like you’re in high school again with all the cliques, the way that they talk about you. I’ve seen this all before, except now the kids have millions of dollars.’ Even before this summer, a painful process of self-examination had taught one of basketball’s most fascinating journeymen the cruel truths of his life. From a childhood in a Montana utopian commune to the twisted psychological abuse of ex-Utah coach Rick Majerus, Allred had spent too much of his life chasing the validation of false prophets. He had spent much of his identity pursuing the hallow validation of everyone else. And with the insecurities of his 75 percent hearing loss – with an obsessive-compulsive disorder – Allred was forever an easy victim, an easier target.”
Mike Moreau of HOOPSWORLD: “Just a year ago at this time, Courtney Lee was preparing for his rookie season with the Orlando Magic. As he trained with us here at IMG, we were helping to prepare him for his first year in the NBA. Most of us anticipated that first season would be one of watching and learning. We talked about being a professional in his work habits, getting to practice early, watching extra film, taking care of his body, and being prepared for those few and far between opportunities that might come along. Getting playing time on a team with visions of contending for the Eastern Conference title would not be easy. With Keith Bogans, J.J. Redick and the newly acquired Mickael Pietrus all log-jammed in his position, it looked liked Courtney Lee was going to be spending his rookie season practicing hard and playing little. So how wrong could we have been? About as wrong as you can be. Courtney went from barely getting a sniff of playing time in October and November, to getting major minutes in December, and then to the starting lineup in mid-season. He was so good in his role as the spot-up-two-guard-lock-down-defender that the Magic traded Bogans and didn’t even miss the injured Pietrus. He was the last rookie standing in the NBA playoffs and started in the NBA Finals. So how does that happen? Luck? Karma? Providence? None of the above. It happens because of what Courtney Lee represents in his everyday life – character and hard work.”
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee: “Omri Casspi knew better than everyone else, or certainly, before everyone else. At age 15 – before he went on a date or finished high school – he decided that he was the chosen one. He would be the first. The first Israeli selected in the opening round of the NBA draft. The first to live among Kings and Lakers. The first to successfully represent this basketball-crazed country of approximately 7.5 million people, few of whom measure up to NBA standards. Former Israeli stars Mickey Berkowitz, Doron Sheffer, Oded Kattash, Yotam Halperin and Lior Eliyahu all flirted with the notion of careers in the National Basketball Association, but for various reasons – timing, injury, attitude, aptitude – never made it to training camp. Casspi will make it to camp. As a first-round selection of the Sacramento Kings and the 23rd pick overall, the 6-foot-9 small forward – all grown up now at 21 – has a guaranteed contract and a date for opening night. ‘We have had other good players try for NBA, and all were nice guys,’ said Zvika Sherf, Casspi’s former coach with the Israeli national team and Maccabi Tel Aviv. ‘Maybe too much. They didn’t have the elbows. Omri, he has the elbows.’”
