Eddie Sefko of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “This will be a special year for Jason Kidd, no matter what. And it will be big for other reasons than the ones you might suspect. Everybody knows Kidd will go down in NBA history as a player who loves to give the ball away. Before he’s done, he will have passed the ball better than anyone except John Stockton. Of less renown, but just as important to his legacy, is that Kidd also is a player who loves to take the ball away. Kidd, with a full year in Rick Carlisle’s system and a career’s worth of knowledge to guide him, is in rare company. He’ll likely pass Mark Jackson for No. 2 on the all-time NBA assists list early this season and has a chance to finish his career No. 2 in steals, too. With his 10th theft this season, he’ll pass Clyde Drexler for No. 6. Barring injury, he should be up to No. 4 by the end of the season. Not bad for a 36-year-old guy who everybody says doesn’t have the quickness he once did. What he does have left is still pretty unique. ‘He has a special sense for defensive anticipation,’ Carlisle said. ‘Guys that have that unusual trait get a lot of steals without a lot of missed steal opportunities that leave a defense vulnerable.’”
Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston: “Ray Allen has been called a sniper before because of his accurate shooting from the perimeter. But the Celtics 14th-year guard actually studied up on snipers a few years back to improve on his free-throw shooting. Asked about trying to better his already sterling free-throw percentage this season, Allen talked about how reading a book on snipers a few years back helped him start raising that number. ‘I’m raising the bar so high, it has to continue to improve over the years,’ joked Allen. ‘I’ve understood free-throw shooting more and understanding my heart rhythms and trying to relax. It’s pretty interesting. I read a book about snipers, how they train over their targets and how they slow their heart rate down. If their heart beats just a little too much because they get excited, they’ll miss their target. So I added that into thinking about my free-throw shooting, [how to] slow down when you want to make a free throw. How do you slow your heart down so that you don’t get overexcited so you miss a free throw because your are nervous? All those things I learned allowed me to calm down and relax.’”
Bob Finnan of the News-Herald: “LeBron James was generally considered the best player in the NBA last season, as evidenced by his Most Valuable Player trophy. But the Cavaliers forward insists he returned for the 2009-10 season a better player. … James said he’s seen an improvement in his shooting this season, which includes his perimeter game and interior work on the elbows. Chris Jent, a former Ohio State star, had to reconstruct James’ shooting form two summers ago. It was more about fine-tuning his shot last summer. ‘He’s added a couple of things to his game,’ Jent said. ‘He hasn’t applied them yet, just because he hasn’t been in situations yet to use them. He worked hard in areas he had trouble with the previous season, as far as spots on the floor. He honed in on those areas. He became more of a consistent shooter. Last year, he shot the ball great. Make or miss, he was shooting the same shot. The difference this summer, he started at that point. The difference from the summer before, we tried to rebuild the shot a bit. We didn’t mess around with his shot at all this summer. We just applied that shot to different areas on the floor. He’ll be an even more consistent shooter.’”
Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: “Due to the sheer number of newcomers, Popovich shortened his playbook and promised to give All-Star point guard Tony Parker near autonomy to run the team’s offense. The approach will be an adjustment, even for the most veteran of Spurs. ‘I think it’s going to take some time on offense,’ Parker said. ‘It’s very different, even for the old guys. We’re doing a lot more pick-and-rolls, and we want to push the ball a little more to use Richard and use the weapons we have. We’re going to post up Richard, and that’s different for us, too. ‘Overall, it’s still going to be Spurs basketball. We’ll start with defense, and transition ‘D,’ and try to win games like that.’ Entering his ninth season at age 27, Parker believes he and the other players who have been Spurs the longest — Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley and Matt Bonner — will take it upon themselves to provide on-the-floor leadership through the first weeks of the season. ‘I think our experience gives us the edge to get through the first five or 10 games,’ Parker said. ‘You’re going to see a little more of the old guys, and I think the experience will get us through.’ Noting that the Spurs have only 11 home games in February, March and April, Parker stressed the importance of getting out to a quick start, learning curve be damned.”
John Reid of The Times Picayune: “The Hornets are going to run a number of plays this season where Paul will play off the ball, allowing him to attack defenses from the wing and other uncustomary places, Scott said. Paul will remain the Hornets’ catalyst offensively, albeit from a different point on the court. ‘When he’s (Paul) playing off the ball, you get the defense moving, ‘ Scott said. ‘When you get it back in his hands on a live dribble, it’s harder for the defense to load up on him.’ Scott said Paul still will see plenty of double-teams, but defenses will be more susceptible to his drives. Paul, who made his second consecutive All-Star appearance last season and led the NBA in assists the past two seasons, embraced the change. ‘I love it because it gives me the opportunity to attack in spurts and not every possession, ‘ Paul said. ‘When it’s every possession, teams can sort of figure out and start different defensive schemes.’ If the preseason is any indication, not knowing what spot Paul might strike from has made it more difficult for teams to isolate their coverage against him. He easily has beaten bigger front-court players on dribble drives and taken more spot-up jumpers. ‘He’s the best decision-maker in the league, ‘ Scott said. ‘He can turn and see the defense and still run the offense.’”
Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: “One facet that remains a work in progress is one that could develop into one of the Blazers’ biggest weapons down the road: the high-low game between Aldridge and Oden. The two revealed a hint of high-low ability in spurts late last season and the Blazers have been working on it regularly in practice throughout the preseason. Aldridge and Oden are continuing to become comfortable with the set, so the Blazers did not feature it much during exhibition games. But in time, Aldridge says, the two could become as feared a the old San Antonio Spurs connection of Tim Duncan and David Robinson. ‘We’re definitely working on it,’ Oden said. ‘It’s going to take some time for us to build that chemistry, but we’re still working at it and he’s still looking at it. We’ll get there.’ But beyond high-low sets, offensive rebounding and other technical developments is this: Oden acknowledges that he’s never been more confident and it seems his teammates have never been more confident in him. The byproduct is trust. ‘The guys respect how much he worked over the summer, they appreciate that and they trust him,’ Williams said. ‘When you have the trust of the guys in your locker room it changes things for you. Last year we knew he was big and he had a presence. Now guys are like, ‘Snap, this guy is a force,’ and they are trusting him more that ever.’”
Tim Povtak of FanHouse: “Joe Johnson wants to believe that his Atlanta Hawks are on the verge of being contenders in the Eastern Conference. They should be getting close. But going into the start of the NBA’s regular season next week, Johnson isn’t so sure anymore. ‘Sometimes, I can’t tell if we really want it,” Johnson told FanHouse after his Hawks were embarrassed by a 37-point loss Friday night in their final exhibition game by the Orlando Magic. ‘It’s discouraging. Sometimes, you never know what you’re going to get from this team. And that won’t work.’ The Hawks won 47 games last season, improving their win total for the fourth consecutive year in a very patient, well-planned rebuilding project. They also landed the No. 4 seed in the East last spring, winning their first playoff series in 10 years. By adding some depth with Jamal Crawford and Joe Smith to the same young, athletic starting lineup, the Hawks should be looking at their first 50-win season since 1998. ‘You see flashes of a team here that can play with anyone in the league, a really good team. Then other nights we’re horrible, like we’ve never played together before,’ he said. ‘We have to decide, which team do we want to be. And right now, I don’t know.’”
Matt Moore of FanHouse: “First, the guns. Then the unexcused absences. Now we can add a domestic violence report to the recent events section of the Delonte West dossier. WOIO.com reports that Saturday night, West drove his wife to the Cleveland airport where an ‘incident’ occurred. Reportedly the incident started at the couple’s home where the Cavs’ small guard tried to take her wedding ring off. After the argument continued to the airport, West’s wife filed a domestic violence report with authorities. Police told the station there were no signs of abuse or injury. Well, then. As long as he’s managed to put all that trouble behind him. There are two realities that are coming to clarity from all this. The first is that Delonte West’s issues extend beyond the prototypical troubled NBA player getting tagged for DUI after a late night at the club. In a very short time he’s exhibited a pattern of personal turbulence that spans multiple time zones, and that branches across unrest with the law, with his team, and now with his home life. Many said he needed help before this incident, but this just reinforces the point and it at least appears that he’s not headed in the right direction. The second reality is that the Cavs are going to have to start evaluating whether or not West is worth the headache, and if they can afford it this season.”
Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: “Coming soon is Bird 24/7. Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen is already larger than life on a mural on the side of a downtown building. He’ll soon have a radio segment, tentatively called ‘Bird’s Eye View’ on KEPN 1600 AM. A superheroesque Birdman will appear on drinking glasses at Arby’s, a special set of three to be released soon. This is Year 2 of the Birdman reclamation story. In the past year, he has gone from endangered species to the winged warrior. He has shown he can get back on his feet. Now, the question is: Can he handle the fame and fortune that comes with his new life? He has a new contract, new ‘flock socks’ tattoos — a string of birds on each leg near his calf area — a fiancee and a renewed sense of self. He embraces the community and the challenge of a larger role on a Nuggets team that expects to contend for the Western Conference championship. He is having the time of his life, on a rocket-ship ride from being banned by the NBA for two years for violating its substance abuse policy to his stunning comeback a season ago, to playing an even larger role on one of the best teams in basketball. ‘He’s having a bounce-back part of his life,’ Nuggets coach George Karl said. ‘He’s very excited about playing, and excited about giving back. He’s just really comfortable to be around.’”
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “There are still questions from reporters in almost every city and still speculation about what will happen before the February trade deadline, but with the season set to begin this week, the Jazz’s dominant storyline of Carlos Boozer ’s discontent largely has disappeared. For that, general manager Kevin O’Connor is grateful, praising the way Boozer has handled himself so far. ‘He’s been an absolute, total pro — absolute, total pro,’ O’Connor said Sunday. ‘He’s done everything that coach has asked him to do. Just been an absolute, total professional.’ Boozer averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting better than 60 percent in the preseason. O’Connor even said he looks at Boozer as little different from Kyrylo Fesenko and Kyle Korver in playing in a contract year. O’Connor didn’t dispute the suggestion that the Jazz appear a better team for having brought back Boozer, despite his trade campaign this summer in which he went so far as to name Chicago and Miami as favored destinations. ‘He’s made the All-Star team two of the last three years,’ O’Connor said. ‘That’s some of the things that you focus on. Not the negatives, the positives that he brings. He’s a veteran that’s in the prime of his basketball career and somebody that came back in shape. He’s healthy and he’s been an absolute, total professional, working on the things he has said himself he wants to work on to become more of a complete player. We’re thrilled.’”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Most superstars pass on the coaching gig after they retire. It’s for grinders and masochists, certainly at the higher levels. One look at Stan Van Gundy and you wonder if the profession should come with mental-health warnings. ‘Vinsanity’ would have an all new meaning for Carter. Guys like Vince have too much money and ego and lasting fame to deal with the aggravation. Then again, Vince isn’t like other guys. He’s something of a loner, never had an entourage and has been an unselfish player despite all the all-star fanfare. Van Gundy even had to order Carter to quit trying to fit in during training camp, stop passing up shots to ingratiate himself with teammates. For another thing, he’s matured since his young, foolish days, when he wrestled with then- Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell and wanted out of Canada so badly his motivation waned. Former Magic Coach Brian Hill has said that Carter was the most coachable player he’d ever been around while an assistant with the New Jersey Nets the past few years. Coaching, broadcasting, promoting his sanctuary to treat addictions and becoming a restaurateur — ‘Vince Carter’s’ is set to open in Daytona Beach soon — is what Carter envisions for his basketball afterlife.”
Karen Crouse of The New York Times: “Brandon Jennings, whom the Bucks picked 10th over all in the June draft, blazed a new trail to the N.B.A. He became the first high school athlete to bypass college to play one year of professional basketball overseas before entering the draft. He averaged 5.5 points, 2.3 assists and 17 minutes in 27 games with Lottomatica Virtus Roma, an experience he described as ‘humbling’ after his star turn on the high school stage. Since then, more air has been let out of his ego. Jennings, 20, may be a second-year pro, but as an N.B.A. rookie he faces a steep learning curve. In his start against the Pistons, he played like a college underclassman among men. At 6 feet 1 inch and 169 pounds, Jennings was knocked off his game by the Pistons’ starting point guard, Rodney Stuckey, who is 4 inches taller and nearly 40 pounds heavier, and bullied by Stuckey’s backup, Will Bynum. He missed 7 of 9 shots and finished with three turnovers and five fouls in 27 minutes. It was the Bucks’ final exhibition game before their season opener Friday at Philadelphia, and Jennings, a point guard who is competing against the seventh-year veteran Luke Ridnour for a starting spot, did not help his cause. ‘This was not a great night for Brandon,’ Bucks Coach Scott Skiles said, adding, ‘But that’s why you play these games, so he can get a further understanding of what it takes to excel at this level.’ The N.B.A. is faster and more physical than Jennings expected. And the players, even the journeymen, are a handful. ‘That really surprised me,’ Jennings said. ‘Everyone’s really legit. Everyone’s special in their certain way.’”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “The seasons, the players and even the arenas have changed over the years. The questions Jim Mann hears never do. Mann, a member of the Rockets’ stat crew since the 1995-96 season, will on occasion mention that he spends evenings in Toyota Center recording everything the Rockets and their opponents do. That inspires the same reaction. ‘I get two questions,’ Mann said. ‘The first one is: ‘Can you get me tickets?’ The answer is no. The second one is: ‘Do you need an assistant?’ ’ The answer to that one is they might not enjoy it if they did try it and probably couldn’t do it anyway. Modesty might prevent admitting that it has taken years for the stat crew members at Toyota Center — most often Tony Stick, Tracy Clayton, Ken Nicholas and Mann — to hone their art to the point that not only were they the only NBA crew the league did not correct last season, they inspire raves from noted statistics aficionado and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Morey considers their work so vital that he is sending his veterans back to Hidalgo to work with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. It won’t be the only trip of the season. The NBA flew the Rockets crew to Las Vegas to work the 2007 All-Star Game and annually flies it to other All-Star festivities, with the local crew handling the game. ‘They’re in the front lines for us in terms of helping evaluating what we’re doing on the floor,’ Morey said. ‘They were the only stat crew in the NBA last year that didn’t have a mistake. ‘They track everything that happens from an event perspective. They get it right, and they get it right the first time, and that allows us to get to the coaches early evaluations. That feedback right away often becomes the most valuable.’”
Bob Rains of The New York Times: “James Naismith is known to the world as the inventor of basketball. But with a little luck, he could also be remembered for developing a stretching machine to make people taller — something he was certain would work but was never able to perfect. Naismith was a far more progressive thinker than century-old black-and-white images of him holding a basketball would suggest, a man who was ahead of his time in many areas other than his chosen sport. A minister as well as a medical doctor, he quickly realized that taller players had an advantage in basketball and wondered if there was a way to stretch babies to make them grow taller. Naismith actually conducted experiments on a machine he invented. In 1907, he said his theory was that ‘the body is more or less elastic’ and that ‘by stretching the body 30 minutes a day for six months, it will lengthen two inches.’ He thought the best time to stretch individuals was from 5 months to a year old. He was worried that an individual might grow too quickly, and there would be no way to stop it from happening. The results of Naismith’s tests were never revealed; in later years, he moved on to other experiments, including inventing a crude Breathalyzer-type device to try to measure the effects that drinking had on the human body. He enlisted the aid of some of his college students for those tests. When some were reluctant, he performed the test on himself. Naismith even had some ideas about his own game that were progressive. He thought baskets from outside a certain distance should be worth more than baskets made from short range. He suggested the rule change, to no avail, at a college coaching committee meeting in 1932. He also proposed a variation of the shot clock, trying to prevent teams from stalling, but the college coaches again rejected a Naismith idea.”
