Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: “Kevin Martin was one of six NBA players on Jordan’s brand to accompany him as his legacy was honored. Martin jumped at the chance to take part in such regal hoops history. One of 27 male and female athletes on the brand’s Team Jordan, Martin accepted Jordan’s invite and eventually joined him and the other NBA royalty for pre- and post-Hall of Fame parties and ceremonies. He listened to the many moving speeches during the main event Friday, when Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer were the Hall headliners. But for Martin’s money, he said he’ll always be most inspired by what took place after the cameras were gone. Martin – the relative rookie in a group of Jordan brand players on hand that included Ray Allen, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Finley, Juwan Howard, and Richard Hamilton – was thrilled to spend a few private minutes talking with Jordan at his afterparty. ‘I was congratulating him, just telling him it was well-deserved,’ Martin said. ‘And the first thing he said was, ‘I can’t wait to be here for your (Hall induction).’ So I told him, ‘Quit drinking.’ ‘ Martin, who was admittedly surprised and humbled by the compliment, said it’s one he won’t soon forget.”
Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: “Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf didn’t want to make a judgment call on Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech. ‘Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player who ever played,’ Reinsdorf said at a ceremony to help open Chicago Bulls College Prep, a charter high school a few blocks from the United Center. ‘He said what he wanted to say that night and it’s not up to me to grade it or interpret it.’ Jordan discussed a long line of characters who helped motivate him to be great – his siblings, Jerry Krause, the alleged all-star ‘freeze-out’ culprits, Pat Riley, Bryon Russell and others. The speech met with mixed reviews. Reinsdorf got a mention when Jordan recounted his comeback from a foot injury late in the 1985-86 season. The Bulls didn’t want him to risk re-injuring the foot, while Jordan wanted to play. During his induction speech, Jordan said Reinsdorf asked him if he had a headache and was given a bottle of 10 pain-killers, but one was coated in cyanide and would kill him, would he take the medicine? Jordan’s response was, ‘How bad is the headache?’ ‘It’s hard to imagine that story took place 23 years ago,’ Reinsdorf said Monday. ‘His memory of it wasn’t exactly perfect, but it did explain what a competitor he was that he was willing to risk his entire career just to get back and play basketball.’”
Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune: “There never has been much doubt about the competitive nature of Hornets guard Chris Paul. So it should be no surprise that Paul’s personal sporting résumé has broadened to include golf. And the benefactors of his latest hobby will be several local children’s charities who will receive funding from the proceeds of Paul’s first CP3 Celebrity Golf Classic that tees off today at TPC Louisiana under the auspices of the CP3 Foundation. Long a bowling aficionado, Paul recently has been smitten by that frustrating outdoor adventure known as golf, where he can join other NBA players and his coach, Byron Scott, for a friendly game on the links. ‘It’s funny, because I’ve been doing bowling and all the other things for years,’ Paul said last week. ‘People said, ‘You should do a golf tournament.’ During the season, every morning I’d wake up and I’d try to call over to my brother’s (C.J.) room, and he’d never be there. He’d always be at the golf course. ‘I went to a really good golf school in Wake (Forest, alma mater of the legendary Arnold Palmer). And I would go with my roommate and hit golf balls every now and then. But after the season I just got the bug. I’ve been going to play about every day since the season got over.’”
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “The Trail Blazers’ offseason has been sprinkled with contract negotiations, free agent pursuits and rehabilitating players. But through all the newsmaking endeavors, an equally noteworthy event has developed quietly thousands of miles from Portland. Nicolas Batum, fresh off his breakout rookie season, has shown both maturation and an improved game this summer during high-level international competition in Europe. Batum, who starts alongside fellow NBA players Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf and Boris Diaw on the French national team, has displayed increased confidence, a newfound aggressive nature and versatility while playing in EuroBasket, a premier international tournament. ‘The best players in the league are always trying to add something to their games (in the offseason),’ Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. ‘You’re either getting better or getting worse. Well, I really feel like he’s gotten better.’”
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News: “Wizards PF Antawn Jamison is excited. Well, he is excited because he knows someone who is excited—longtime teammate PG Gilbert Arenas, who has been limited to just 15 games in the last two seasons because of knee injuries. Both the Wizards and Arenas have undergone heavy criticism for the six-year, $118 million contract Arenas signed last summer, after which it was discovered he would need more knee surgery. This summer, though, Arenas has been working out in Chicago. Jamison said he talks to him regularly, and said Arenas is eager to exact revenge on his critics. ‘I think people are going to be shocked by where he is, by how ready he is to play,’ Jamison told Sporting News. ‘There is going to be rust, of course, but he is going to be ready. I think sitting out for two years has really motivated him. I know Gilbert, and the guy loves basketball about as much as anyone I know. It’s killed him to be out this long. Plus, the criticism and all of that, he has listened to it, he has taken it. Now he wants some payback.’”
Matt Steinmetz of FanHouse: “Warriors coach Don Nelson said today that he wasn’t going to strip Stephen Jackson of his captaincy because of his comments earlier this summer about wanting out of Golden State. Of course Nelson is not going to strip Jackson of his captaincy. Nelson’s not an idiot. In case you didn’t know, Nelson needs 24 wins to pass Lenny Wilkens on the all-time win list among NBA coaches. You think he really wants to head into 2009-10 by alienating one of his best players, not to mention the most volatile? Of course not. Look, Nelson has gone out of his way during his tenure with the Warriors to accommodate Jackson, and for good reason. Basically, if you don’t accommodate Jackson, you’re pretty much on your own. Last season, in the wake of Baron Davis’ departure, Nelson gave Jackson more freedom than Jackson’s ever had in his career. Nelson put the ball in Jackson’s hands most of the time, and Jackson responded in kind – with more points, assists and turnovers than ever before.”
Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “After playing eight games in 10 days with the Dominican national team in the FIBAS Americas tournament in Puerto Rico, Horford took just a few days off before returning to the grind with an assortment of his Hawks teammates and other pros in daily workouts on the track and court. ‘I know this is a big season for us, a big year, and that’s what you have to do,’ Horford said. ‘This is what you have to do. If you want to get better you have to put in the time. So I’m here just like the rest of these guys trying to get it done.’ Horford worked with a team comprised mostly of younger players Monday, teaming with Hawks rookie point guard Jeff Teague and training camp invitee Frank Robinson to stay on the floor (winning team stays on until they lose) for most of the day. His presence on the floor was beyond noticeable, as he worked over big men from the opposing two teams (mainly veteran center Randolph Morris and rookie free agent and training camp invitee Garret Siler). As much fun as he was having Monday, Horford acknowledged that the stakes are dramatically different now compared to what he was doing as recently as last week in Puerto Rico. ‘It’s a big difference between just pro basketball and when you’re playing against other countries,’ he said. ‘It’s a big deal. There’s a lot of heart and a lot of emotion. It’s such a big deal. It’s a lot of fun. It’s different basketball, but a lot of fun.’”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “The wait on the expected release of Sasha Pavlovic turned out to be worth it for the Suns. The Suns and Pavlovic, acquired from Cleveland in June in the Shaquille O’Neal trade, agreed to a buyout that would save $500,000 more than the Suns stood to save by simply waiving the guard. Phoenix made the O’Neal deal for Pavlovic and Ben Wallace with the savings in mind. Wallace stood to make $14 million this season but took a $10 million buyout and signed with Detroit. Pavlovic had only $1.5 million of his $4.95 million salary guaranteed but accepted a $1.25 million buyout, giving the Suns an extra $250,000 savings in salary and another $250,000 saved from the luxury tax it would have cost. The buyout is pending NBA approval. O’Neal will make $20 million this season and has a $21 million salary-cap slot because of a trade kicker in 2008. The Pavlovic buyout would mean the O’Neal trade saved the Suns $18.5 million in salary and luxury tax. The Suns used some of that in July to re-sign Grant Hill ($3 million) and add free agent Channing Frye ($2 million), putting the payroll at about $74.7 million and its luxury-tax burden at $4.8 million.”
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “The economic realities that could have the Miami Heat operating below the NBA’s roster limit this season also have taken a bite out of the team’s coaching department. While Erik Spoelstra’s staff will return intact, all will operate at salaries significantly lower than last season. Seeking to avoid the type of layoffs that cost the business side of the team’s operation about 20 jobs in May, Heat President Pat Riley instead asked those on the basketball side of the team’s operation to voluntarily accept pay cuts ranging from two percent to 20 percent. The cuts, which include everyone from the team’s media-relations staff to the scouting staff to the executive staff, will cost Spoelstra and Riley well into the six figures. With all members in basketball operations agreeing to the cuts, the coaching staff will return intact from 2008-09.”
Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: “The league’s officials were scheduled to report this weekend at their annual camp as NBA teams get poised to open training camps. It’s now in limbo. There’s talk that a meeting has been called for this week to discuss the union’s future course of action. It’s easy to dismiss the stalemate, but it can’t be overlooked because of its potential impact. When the Raptors were hatched in 1995, it coincided with a lockout of the NBA’s officials that made most of the games unwatchable, even by expansion standards. The lockout lasted roughly two months. Here’s hoping cooler heads prevail. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the NBA in the wake of teams making wholesale changes and big-name players changing jerseys. The credibility of the league, which took a huge hit following the Tim Donaghy scandal, will be challenged with the presence of replacement refs. In the end, the biggest losers in any dispute involving money are the fans.”
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports: “The young players attending the NBA’s rookie symposium figured the tall, elderly black gentleman standing before them must be somebody important. But they didn’t know who he was. Even when Earl Lloyd was initially introduced, his name didn’t register any recognition from the audience. Only when it was announced that Lloyd had been the first black man to ever play in an NBA game did the players begin to stir. ‘Very few players know who I am,’ Lloyd said. ‘…But once they find out who I am, I have their attention and they sit up.’ Lloyd of the Washington Capitols, Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton of the New York Knicks and Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics became the first three African-Americans to play in the NBA during the 1950-51 season. Lloyd was the first to participate in a game – on Oct. 31, 1950, in Rochester, N.Y. Yet with the 60th anniversary of the breaking of the NBA’s color barrier nearly a year away, the story of these three men remains virtually unknown.”
