Points in the Paint

» August 25, 2009 4:33 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Andrew Katz of ESPN.com: “St. John’s sports information director Mark Fratto has been a proponent of Twitter since the social-networking site began. In an effort to reach a new medium, Fratto is doing something his colleagues in similar positions in professional sports leagues have not — embrace Twitter. St. John’s was scheduled to announce Tuesday that it is credentialing Peter Robert Casey for all of its men’s basketball games. According to the school, Casey is believed to be the first primarily Twitter-based blogger anywhere in the country to earn a spot on press row. Casey has more than 50,000 followers on Twitter, and Fratto has deemed that enough of a ‘circulation’ of readers to credential him for all games. In terms of basketball-specific Tweeters, the Brooklyn-based blogger is among the top 10 in followers, behind only prolific posters such as Shaquille O’Neal, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva and Kentucky coach John Calipari.” (Via @Peter_R_Casey)

Draft Express filed a good scouting report on Paul Millsap. Here’s a snippet: “Shows flashes of potential with the ball from time to time, leading you to believe that he could become a very effective option to isolation facing the basket. Has a very quick first step and likes to spin and pivot sharply on his way to the rim. Will post on the block occasionally, but not isn’t quite as effective in this area. Doesn’t possess a tremendous skill-level at this point, and tends to get blocked more than you might hope at the rim. Not a high-flyer, gets by more-so with his smarts and aggressiveness. Beginning to expand the range of his jump-shot. Can make a 17-foot jumper every now and again, but still needs to continue to work on this part of his game. Rushes his shot, doesn’t always set his feet, and appears to just fling the ball at the basket. Unselfish player who has improved his feel for how to operate in a half-court offense under Jerry Sloan’s tutelage. Posts a positive assist to turnover ratio, and has gradually made strides in this area year by year. Tremendous offensive rebounder.”

The Wall Street Journal published an interesting article on how long it takes elite athletes to earn $100,000. FYI: “LeBron James played 3,054 minutes in the 2008-09 regular season and made $100,000 every time he passed the 21.2 mark.”

The always entertaining Mound Round of Rebound sounds off on Michael Beasley and Allen Iverson.

Sarah Millar of the National Post: “Chris Bosh has been busy this off-season. This fall, the Toronto Raptors forward will be releasing a CD and DVD, and an iPhone application, according to a news release from Warner Music Canada. Bosh’s DVD will include all of the ‘original comic’ characters he has created in videos uploaded to YouTube, as well as an inside look at Bosh’s life in Dallas and how he made it to the NBA. The CD will feature music by some of Bosh’s favourite artists, as well as recordings from new artists. Bosh is soliciting songs from unsigned artists, giving them a chance to submit songs for consideration for the album. Bosh’s iPhone application will allow fans to keep track of the NBA superstar with automatic updates from his Twitter feed, when he posts a video on YouTube and to keep track of his game statistics during the NBA season. Bosh is the first athlete to have his own iPhone application.” (Via TrueHoop)

HOOPSWORLD’s Tommy Beer wrote a good article on one of my all-time favorite players: John Starks.

Jeff Clark on Rajon Rondo: “He’s already outplayed almost all of the 20 players picked ahead of him in ‘06. He was good enough often enough to help us win a title in his second year. He has made progressive leaps from ‘prospect’ to ‘solid starter’ to ‘near All Star.’ He’s got all the tools to make that last leap into the elite category but even if he doesn’t he’s already proven that he can be very very good at a critical position on a great team. As an unapologetic fan, I fully expect him to develop a nice midrange jumper to keep defenses honest, play much more consistently, and make his first (of many) All Star appearances in Dallas this year. As a blogger making a passing attempt at objectivity I wouldn’t be too surprised if there were a few more bumps in the road ahead.”

In response to Charley Rosen’s list of the league’s top defenders, Third Quarter Collapse analyzes Dwight Howard’s defensive value.

Bill Wennington shares a Michael Jordan practice story: “Practice for the Bulls was just underway at the Berto Center in Deerfield during the team’s second three-peat. Jordan beat his man in a drill, and he immediately drove to the hoop. Enter Wennington, a well-traveled seven-footer, who rotated over from the weak side and sent the shot attempt from the game’s greatest player in the opposite direction. For the rest of that practice, Wennington said, no matter if they were in a five-man scrimmage or it was two-on-two or three-on-three, every time he shot the ball, he made a point to get past his defender, find Wennington, and shoot over him. And Jordan did plenty of talking along the way. ‘That’s what he did to challenge himself, and to challenge me as well,’ Wennington recalled from his Lake Forest home. ‘He wanted to make sure I was going to compete and not back down.’”

Bethlehem Shoals: “Forget Twitter, or weed, or whether teams really should draft for character above all else. As of now, all we know for sure is that Michael Beasley was depressed, and checked into a facility seeking treatment for this condition. A euphemism, maybe, and we could still learn that drugs or alcohol were involved. But there’s a reason why most people, including myself, immediately pounced on the rehab/weed correlation, and it wasn’t just a certain famous photo. As a society, we still don’t know how to talk about mental illness. Especially when athletes are involved. There’s a ready-made template for stories of addiction and recovery. And no matter what your feelings on pot’s relative harmlessness, professional athletes have to go through the motions of penitence whenever they’re inextricably linked to big bags of green. But when athletes are confronted with depression, not only do they have trouble seeking treatment—as fans and media, we’re stuck dealing with an exceptionally tricky issue, one that’s at once a matter of science and something that millions of people take very personally. While there has been something of a thaw in recent years, athletes have been notoriously reluctant to seek treatment. That’s because they’re expected to be tough in the brain, have nerves of steel and know all about facing the pressures of celebrity.”