Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “While fans went gaga over rookie forward DeJuan Blair, Popovich chose to reserve his judgment and tamp down expectations, liberally applying the phrase ‘typical rookie’ to most every discussion of the former Pittsburgh All-American. Six games into his inaugural preseason, however, Blair appears to have made a believer even out of Popovich. After watching Blair take his wrecking-ball act to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Popovich figured there was no use in denying the obvious. ‘He’s going to be a good player in the NBA,’ Popovich said, ‘and he’s going to be a good player quickly.’ Blair, the 37th pick in the June draft, has been perhaps the star of the Spurs’ preseason, averaging a team-leading 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in just 18 minutes a night. In a 119-102 victory over Oklahoma City, he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, despite not entering the game until midway though the third quarter. It was just another chapter in the growing Legend of DeJuan. Blair had 16 points and 19 rebounds in his preseason debut against Houston and a 28-point night at Miami. ‘We call him ‘The Beast,’ ‘ said Antonio McDyess, who at age 35 is 15 years Blair’s senior. ‘He just goes so hard. It’s like he’s been playing this game a lot longer than he has.’”
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: “Jackson has often been hard on Bynum, realizing how close the soon-to-be 22-year-old is to attaining All-Star status. Is he finally satisfied? ‘You ask me questions like that and I rarely say yes,’ Jackson said. ‘There were about four or five defensive things that really got to me [Tuesday against Golden State]. That’s where I want to see improvement. Offensively he’s doing great, he’s dunking the ball, getting that ball to the basket . . . but those defensive things have got to change.’ Bynum slipped out after Wednesday’s practice without talking to reporters, but it’s safe to say he knows he needs to work on his defense. The Lakers’ coaching staff is imploring him to be more of a quarterback down low. They want him to keep his head on a swivel and yell out when and where screens are coming at teammates. They also want him to be faster with help defense if a guard squirts through the perimeter and closes in on the basket. ‘Some of it’s just basic awareness, basic protection of the basket, which our big guys have to do,’ Jackson said.”
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “Deron Williams has received exactly four fifth-place MVP votes in his career. I know this because one of those votes was mine in the 2007-08 season, when the Jazz won 54 games and Williams finished second-team All-NBA. Nobody is touting Williams as a potential MVP candidate this season – - the Jazz are coming off an incredibly disappointing 2008-09 season and he plays for one of the league’s smallest-market teams. Having watched him in the preseason, though, I think Williams most definitely will be part of the MVP conversation. (His selection to the All-Star Game, for what it’s worth, should be a foregone conclusion.) Williams was spectacular for the Jazz in scoring 27 points in 30 minutes Tuesday against Portland. After the game, Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer sat across the locker room from one another, reenacting one Williams’ drive and reverse layup. Through six preseason games, Williams is averaging 17.3 points and 5.4 assists in 26.1 minutes. That would translate to 25.2 points and 7.9 assists over the 38 minutes a game you can expect Williams to be playing this season.”
Brian Windhorst of The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Somebody may need to get Shaquille O’Neal some flashcards. With the start of the regular season less than a week away, the Cavaliers new center is admitting he’s still having some trouble learning the offense. It is a different system from what’s he been used to during much of his career and he’s struggling a bit remembering and executing some of the plays. ‘It is vital that I start to memorize the plays’ O’Neal said. ‘I’ve been used to a certain system for 17 years so I have to work on that. I still have a few days before we start.’ In an effort to improve spacing and clear lanes for LeBron James and Anderson Varejao, the Cavs are having O’Neal come away from the hoop quite a bit to set screens. He’s also setting up more in the midpost and even the high post at the elbow. ‘We’re trying to put him in different spots on the floor to get him moved around so people can’t home in on him,’ Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ‘That’s what we’re going to continue to try to do.’”
John Canzano of The Oregonian: “He fell in love with Sebastian Telfair. And he raves about Jerryd Bayless’ potential. And Paul Allen’s eyes danced when he talked about the development of Sergio Rodriguez. And so you should not be surprised today when the Trail Blazers give the final roster spot to Patty Mills. He may not play for months. He may never be a starter. But what we have here is a matter of mostly heart and Allen exercising his ownership rights by keeping around a player he is already falling for. ‘I love to watch the young point guards,’ Allen told me after the team’s first practice of the season. And coach Nate McMillan confirmed that at times in the last few seasons Allen has visited with him before games and asked, innocently, ‘Is Sebastian Telfair playing tonight?’ or ‘Will Sergio get more minutes?’ McMillan will not like this decision because it takes away a full-time player and gives the roster spot to someone who isn’t ready. And general manager Kevin Pritchard won’t like it because he promised Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins that their play on the court in the preseason would determine who won the spot. Neither owns the team, though.”
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “Powe, who continues to target the February All-Star break for a return from knee surgery, said he’s put aside the bitterness that resulted from the Celtics’ decision not to re-sign him. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t dearly love to make them regret that move the first time he steps on the floor, especially against the Celtics. ‘It’s not my whole reason for wanting to come back,’ he said. ‘But it would be fun to play them.’ Gone, he insists, is the disappointment of not being retained by the team he helped win its 17th NBA title. ‘I let that go,’ Powe said. ‘I just called my agent and said find somebody else. It’s over with now. They had an opportunity, and they didn’t do nothing.’ And if he makes it back all the way, it will be their loss. But Powe is more concerned, beyond his ongoing rehabilitation, with determining his place on yet another exceptionally deep team. ‘I can see how I fit,’ he said. ‘They have a lot of 4s and 5s on this team, but the offense they run is very similar to Boston.’”
Julian Garcia of the Daily News: “We’ve seen glimpses of Chris Douglas-Roberts’ competitiveness. But tonight it really came out after the Nets lost to the Knicks 94-92 in a preseason game at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Nets trailed by 18 at the half and Douglas-Roberts felt like his team was getting hammered in a playoff game, or at least an important regular season game. ‘Man, I came in here when we were down damn near 20. I was livid back here. I was livid, I was really upset,’ said Douglas-Roberts, the second-year pro who is starting to act and play like a veteran. ‘I felt like we weren’t giving any effort at all. That’s what I tried to emphasize back here. But who am I to say anything if I don’t go out there and compete myself? So I just tried to do whatever I could do to try to get us back in the game.’ He did that, scoring 12 points in the third quarter and helping the Nets take a one-point lead going into the fourth. Douglas-Roberts made only two of seven shots in the third, but he got to the free throw line eight times and made each of his shots. He finished with a team-high 26 points, going 10-for-10 from the foul line. But after the Nets let the game slip away in the final minutes, Douglas-Roberts was upset, mostly about his team’s effort early in the game. It seems not everyone plays as hard as he does, and that’s one of the things Lawrence Frank is hoping some of the other Nets pick up from him.”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “Sacramento power forward Jason Thompson, all 6 feet 11 inches and 250 pounds of him, was at the free-throw line at US Airways Center on Tuesday night when the Suns’ Amaré Stoudemire loudly chimed in from the lane. ‘I’ve got a mouse in the house at the other end,’ said Stoudemire, officially an inch shorter and a pound lighter. The classic line for a size mismatch in the post drew a dismissive ‘pffft’ from Thompson, who later fouled out in 22 minutes of play. ‘That lets your teammates know that you’re totally in tune,’ Stoudemire said. ‘You’re ready to go. It lets the opposing team know that we got a problem on our hands.’ Stoudemire has been as confident in his comeback, often stating how he has improved since he started playing in voluntary pickup games about six weeks ago. A better indication of Stoudemire’s return to form might come in that vocal swagger and other Suns’ observations. ‘Amaré was the best I’ve seen him, getting back to attacking the basket,’ forward Grant Hill said of Stoudemire’s 27-point effort Tuesday. ‘Early on, he’s sort of been finding his rhythm and shooting a lot of jump shots. But when he’s attacking the rim and getting to the free throw-line and mixing and matching, doing both that and shooting his jumper, he’s a load. He was STAT. . . . He’s getting his comfort level so that’s reassuring.’”
Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia News: “One of the 76ers’ most impressive players in the preseason has been second-year forward/center Marreese Speights. Much work has gone into his improvement, in which he has become a scoring threat both inside and out. He has consistently been hitting the 10- to 15-foot jumper and has now added some sharp low-post moves, like the baby lefthanded hook he made against the Wizards on Tuesday night. ‘I see a relentless, tenacious will to get things done – score in the post, play good defense, get scoring opportunities on the perimeter,’ coach Eddie Jordan said of Speights. ‘I see a will and determination to run the offense. He just has a tenacious sort of approach right now, and for his big body, that’s good. He’s being a little bit more physical at both ends, and we need that presence. Every top-tier team in the league needs that presence. He’s shown more than I expected.’ preseason, with an average of 13.7 points per game. He also is grabbing 8.4 boards. Strong numbers, indeed. Even better when you consider he is averaging less than 22 minutes a game. ‘He’s a great kid; they all are,’ general manager Ed Stefanski said. ‘Mo’s been told by me numerous times that it’s all up to him. He’s got a good work ethic. He’s got a big upside. We have to give him some guidance, which is there. Will he take it? So far, he’s really done well. In the trip to Phoenix [and Mexico] his numbers were just excellent. And [Tuesday] the same thing. If you do his stats per minute, he’s got to be one of the top guys in the league. It’s the preseason, so you have to temper your feelings, but the kid’s played really well.’”
Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer: “Basketball star Stephen Curry wanted to show the Davidson community how thankful he is for the past three years. So, on the eve of his NBA career, Curry made a remarkable gesture. At a personal cost of $3,000, he sent out 2,000 ‘Thank You’ postcards this month to fans, faculty, students and alumni. ‘I started thinking about this while I was taking a summer school class at Davidson,’ Curry said in a phone interview Wednesday from Oakland, Calif., after completing a practice with his new team, the Golden State Warriors. ‘It hit me that I wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye to everyone I wanted to, and that they might have a hard time keeping up with me now that I’m on the West Coast. I want people to know that even though I’m here, I’m still deeply tied into Charlotte and Davidson. I still bleed Carolina blood.’ The 5.5-by-8.5-inch postcard has three pictures of Curry and the words ‘Thank You Davidson’ on the front – and a 201-word message from Curry on the back. ‘Before I begin the next chapter in my life,’ it reads, ‘I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the loyal alumni, students and fans of Davidson College who have so passionately supported me over the past three years.’ While the postcard was designed by the agency that also negotiated his pro contract, Curry said he paid all of the costs for it, and that the words and idea were his.”
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “The Cavaliers got their only real test of the preseason against one of their biggest rivals on Wednesday night. For the most part, they failed it. The retest is next Tuesday, and fortunately for the Cavs, that’s the one that will count. The Boston Celtics didn’t play several of their key players but still looked much further along and focused across the board in hammering the Cavs and their normal rotation, 96-82, in front of a sellout crowd at Value City Arena. For various reasons the Cavs haven’t been able to get as much out of the preseason as they wanted. Coach Mike Brown has even started routinely saying he thinks it’ll be a few more weeks before there’s any sort of rhythm. That rhetoric was verified with this one; the Cavs looked like they were a step slow and a second late all night. ‘The way we lost the game was disappointing,’ Brown said. ‘I hoped we’d be further along but that’s part of what this process is about. We’re not going to be all together right now and if we try to get better in areas we’re lacking we’ll have a chance to be a pretty good team.’”
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “And they say these games are meaningless. Tell that to Shelden Williams and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams, who had to be separated during a scrap in front of the visiting team’s bench just before halftime of last night’s 96-82 Celtics victory. Shelden Williams attempted to get position, Mo Williams hit the floor, and a little regular-season heat broke out in the middle of the last exhibition game. Celtics players, on their way to the locker room, briefly stepped onto the floor to break up the skirmish. Considering that these two smoldering foes open the season on Tuesday night in Cleveland, the Celtics might want to screen those calls from the league office, should the incident get reviewed. C’s coach Doc Rivers wasn’t worried. ‘There was no time on the clock,’ Rivers said. ‘There was no issue there. Their whole team was on the floor, too, because they were going to the locker room. So there isn’t a problem.’ There was no problem with the way the C’s played, either. In one of their best games of the preseason, the Celtics saw their bench get the better of the Cavaliers starters, including LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.”
Edmund DeMarche and Rich Calder of the New York Post: “If first impressions mean anything, Russian billionaire playboy Mikhail Prokhorov’s attempt to become majority owner of the New Jersey Nets and move them to Brooklyn appears to be a slam dunk. Russia’s richest man won over many NBA owners last night at The St. Regis hotel in Midtown during his first meeting with league brass about his plans to buy an 80 percent stake in the Nets from developer Bruce Ratner, a source said. ‘Everyone seemed excited over the love he has of basketball and the unlimited amount of money he can inject into the game,’ the source said of the closed-door session. ‘He can also do a lot to boost the presence of Eastern European talent in the league.’ Prokhorov, who declined comment, is seeking to become the NBA’s first non-North American majority owner. He must gain the approval of at least 23 of the NBA’s 30 owners following an extensive league background check given to prospective new owners. A formal vote has yet to be set, but league owners will meet again today.”
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “I don’t blame adidas. I don’t blame them one bit in the controversy regarding what brand of shoes Marcus Jordan, the son of Michael, will wear when he suits up for UCF’s basketball team this year. UCF evidently promised Marcus Jordan when he was being recruited that he could wear his father’s Nike Air Jordan brand even though UCF has an exclusive $3 million, six-year contract with adidas that requires all coaches and athletes to use the company’s shoes, apparel and game equipment. That $3 million could now be lost if Marcus doesn’t wear adidas this season. ‘When I was being recruited, we talked about it,’ Marcus Jordan said. ‘They said they had talked to the adidas people, and it wasn’t going to be a problem. I think everybody understands how big of a deal it is for my family. It’s a level of importance with the Jordan brand and my family. It’s no disrespect to adidas. I have a high level of respect for adidas, but I’m going to be wearing Jordan shoes. I’m wearing the adidas uniform, and all my other UCF gear is adidas, but the shoes are going to be Jordan brand.’ Here’s an idea: If Marcus is so determined to wear Nike then why doesn’t Nike come to the rescue and and give UCF the $3 million apparel deal adidas is threatening to take away? Nike has certainly made enough money on the Jordan name. How about a little payback right now (and think of the positive publicity)?”
