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September 2, 2010

Stephen adding spice in Turkey

09/02/2010 - 4:34pm

This is not the first time that Stephen Curry has worn a USA jersey. He played at the FIBA U-19 World Championship for Men in Serbia in 2007.

Now Curry is getting his first run with the senior team in a major competition and the 22-year-old shooting guard extraordinaire is having the time of his life while playing under coach Mike Kzryzewski at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

"When I got the invite it was definitely an honor to be able to take part in this tournament and represent my country at the highest stage," said Curry exclusively to FIBA.com

"We have not won the World Championship since 1994 so to be able to have an opportunity to win and bring the gold back to the US is definitely a goal of mine and my teammates."

Curry is enjoying court time with the likes of Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Lamar Odom and Kevin Love and it doesn't get better than that.

"I love it," he said. "The whole team has never played before together so that's an experience in itself trying to learn how to play with each other and having fun while we are here.

"We have a short time to get one objective done and that is to win and we are right there."

FIBA.com

Douglas sees Knicks making playoffs

09/02/2010 - 4:25pm

Toney Douglas only could laugh when two of the first three questions from young kids at a Knicks youth camp in the Hamptons were on his thoughts on LeBron James choosing Miami over the Knicks.

Douglas said he only can control what he can control. What he should have said is he can't wait to meet James in the playoffs. Because Douglas, the Knicks' backup point guard, said he thinks his team is going to break its six-year playoff drought.

"Definitely," Douglas told The Post yesterday at Hayground School in Bridgehampton. "I feel like we have a lot of talent. We just all have to be on one page and make sure everybody is totally on it. I feel we are a playoff team."

The coaching staff will tell you nobody has worked harder than Douglas this offseason. The second-year Florida State product has done two-a-days at their Westchester compound since the beginning of May -- save for a two-week break in July.

Douglas, the Knicks' most tenacious defender, said one of the reasons he has worked so hard is he wants to be a leader this season. There were none during last season's 29-53 campaign.

"I had an OK rookie year, but this year I want to be more vocal and be one of the leaders on the court," Douglas said. "At the same time, you can't be a leader if you don't hold up your end of the bargain. If people are slacking, I'll tell them. If I'm slacking, I want them to tell me."

Douglas is now working out with Danilo Gallinari, who spent almost all of the offseason in Italy, Wilson Chandler, Amar'e Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph and Rony Turiaf.

New York Post

Thibodeau says he's not worried Rose is getting burned out

09/02/2010 - 3:26pm

New Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says he is not concerned that his All-Star guard,  Derrick Rose, might be burned out for the start of the NBA  season after playing for Team USA this summer.

"He has been terrific," Thibodeau said. "And the way he practices ... I'm real excited. I thought he showed great leadership out there, and their team is playing extremely well right now. … I think being around those types of players and being around that type of competition is great. I think he will take a lot from it."

Joakim Noah also endorses Rose's European experience: "I see Derrick on TV and he looks pretty good," said Noah. "I know that Derrick always works very hard and he is going to be in great game shape. He has a chance to win a medal. He's doing big things ... sometimes you forget he is only 21 years old."

Chicago Tribune

Grizzlies launch press to stir fans

09/02/2010 - 10:30am

The Grizzlies want fans to know that this season — their 10th in Memphis — is the one to really believe in.

And the franchise is sending the message with a full-court billboard campaign.

More than 80 billboards featuring Griz players were unveiled Wednesday in the Mid-South as the team attempts to generate more enthusiasm for the upcoming season.

"We started out with an aggressive television campaign that is fun. We've really gotten a positive response from that, and it set the tone for introducing our 10th year in Memphis," said John Pugliese, senior director of marketing communications. "But we know it's about our basketball team and what coach (Lionel) Hollins is putting on the court. Our ad campaign will start to shift to a focus on our players and coaches. We know we'll have something special on the court this season."

Pugliese contends that the onslaught of billboards is the most aggressive any business has employed in the Mid-South. The Grizzlies reach far, with billboards in Mississippi and Arkansas.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal

Riley keeps plugging along as Warriors iron out their future

09/02/2010 - 10:29am

Larry Riley isn't interested in a conversation about his job status. Sure, Riley wants to stay on as Warriors general manager through the upcoming ownership swap, but campaigning or justifying his work isn't his style. A humble and straight shooter, Riley prefers to do his job. Not talk about it.

"I'm just going to do my job until it's over," he told NBA.com this week.

That's fine. Others are doing the talking for him.

A number of columns in the Bay Area this summer have praised the job done by Riley to reposition Golden State for this season and in those to come. The Warriors have undergone a personality shift by beefing up the roster, while adding financial flexibility.

They've done so in a climate of uncertainty, as the franchise waits for its new owners to assume control. A group led by Celtics minority owner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber reached an agreement to buy the Warriors on July 15. League approval is expected to take 60-90 days, meaning it could be mid-October before the issue is resolved.

That's two weeks before the start of the regular season. Not exactly the optimum time to make wholesale changes like firing your GM and coach. That would appear to bode well for both Riley and coach Don Nelson.

Riley, especially. As Nellie hangs in an odd limbo as the league's all-time wins leader, Riley continues to win support. Riley freely admits all that Nellie has done for him through the years, including bringing him to Golden State as an assistant coach four years ago.

NBA.com

Carlos Boozer thinking big

09/02/2010 - 10:23am

Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer has lofty expectations for his new team this season.

"A championship," he told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night after a Nike House of Hoops event. "I think a realistic goal for us is a championship. I think anything shorter than that we're setting ourselves up to be shorter than what we can reach. I think [we have] potential to be a championship-level team."

One of the reasons Boozer feels so confident is due to the fact that he gets to play with the Bulls' 21-year-old All-Star point guard, Derrick Rose.

"He's tight," Boozer said. "He can play. With our combination of what we have on our team, with myself in the post, with D. Rose at the point guard spot, Joakim [Noah] plugging that middle up, Luol Deng being very versatile on the wing, I think we have a team that can rival anybody. I think we'll be able to compete against every team in the league."

When it comes to Rose's progression specifically, Boozer isn't surprised at all that his new teammate is succeeding under the tutelage of his former college coach at Duke and current Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"I think [Rose] went out there and made that team, proved to be the starter for that team," Boozer said. "Coach K loves him, of course, and they've been able to compete and have a chance to win. I think they're a game or two away from winning the gold and hopefully they can bring it back for us."

ESPN Chicago

Lean and Hungry

09/02/2010 - 10:23am

His 5-year-old daughter Lexi off to kindergarten, Rodney Stuckey flew back to Michigan from Seattle on Tuesday night and spent Wednesday morning passing out backpacks to underprivileged Michigan kids also about to return to school.

Then it was off to school himself – Camp Kander. Stuckey will spend the next four weeks at the Pistons’ practice facility working with Arnie Kander getting ready for the opening of training camp. And on Sept. 27, when trainer Mike Abdenour dutifully records all the heights and weights, Stuckey will be curious to know where the needle on the scale will settle.

More accurately, he’ll be curious to know how much less he weighs since last season ended.

“I haven’t gotten on a scale yet,” he said. “The 27th will be the first time I’ll be on the scale. I’m looking forward to (learning) how much weight I lost. It looks like I lost a lot of weight, right? I think I just toned up a lot. My clothes fit a lot different. I’ve got to poke holes inside my belt because I’m losing a lot of weight. I’ve just been working hard, staying focused and just working out.”

There were two areas of focus for Stuckey over the off-season: getting in superb condition so he can walk the walk – he said at various points last season that he wanted to run and do more to force tempo – and making his perimeter shot more reliable. He also took to heart a postseason conversation with Joe Dumars, who told him that while he had been a good player over his first three seasons, “sometimes good isn’t good enough.”

NBA.com

Kobe on LeBron: “A different person than I am.”

09/02/2010 - 10:20am

In case you missed it Friday, at the end of this post is the video of Derek Fisher’s nine-minute interview conducted with teammate and friend Kobe Bryant on “Jim Rome is Burning.”

For as many 1-on-1 interviews as I’ve seen with Bryant, including those I’ve conducted myself, I’ll say Fisher definitely did well in getting a few interesting and honest tidbits from Bryant, clearly at ease with his buddy (despite the disparity in their wardrobes). Fisher was also much more comfortable talking to Bryant than earlier in Fisher’s stiff, overly cordial interview with Milwaukee guard Brandon Jennings.

Fisher was sharp with some follow-up questions and got Bryant to talk about how he, personally, would not have done what LeBron James did in leaving Cleveland. Some have observed that Bryant was revising his history, which includes him being perfectly willing to leave the Lakers to win.

The Orange County Register

Gibson brushes off the rumors

09/02/2010 - 10:17am

All Taj Gibson can do is shake his head and smile.

The Bulls forward has heard the rumors all summer that he may be involved in some kind of deal but he understands that's just part of the business side of the NBA.

"It's crazy," he told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night after a Nike House of Hoops event. "Every time I turn around [I hear something], but it's a part of the game. My coach in high school and even my dad told me when your name doesn't pop up then you have to be worried. But that's what happens when you have a good season and people seem to see that you have a lot more potential -- it's great. I'm just looking forward to getting to the season and hopefully getting even better."

The USC alum had a solid rookie season for the Bulls becoming a key contributor while averaging nine points and eight rebounds a game. Those are the biggest reasons why Gibson's name continues to swirl in the rumor mill. Unless the team can land a superstar, it's hard to imagine Bulls' brass would flip Gibson in any kind of deal. They view him as a building block for the future and it's the message they relayed to the 25 year-old.

"Right after the season, that's what they told me," Gibson said. "They just told me I had a great season and I look forward to being part of this team and growing, but this is the NBA, you never can really tell, guys move around so often, but we have to just sit back and wait. My name's always going to be in most of the trades; it's kind of a bad thing, but that's what happens when you're kind of productive and [the team] knows you'll work hard in an NBA game."

ESPN Chicago

Former Phoenix Suns star Amar'e Stoudemire returns, reflects

09/02/2010 - 9:15am

Wednesday was like any early September day at US Airways Center the past eight years.

Always an early-summer arrival, Amar'e Stoudemire was working out in the training room, playing informal games with some Suns and leaving last after a rigorous individual session.

Even though he wore Suns shorts, he was just visiting an old home now that he's a member of the New York Knicks. It is a common open-door policy for NBA players to work out in opposing arenas, but Stoudemire did not expect to find a game to join, and he needed to borrow shorts.
Three months after signing a five-year, $99.7 million deal with New York, Stoudemire, who played eight years with Phoenix, said he is not used to his new life. But he has no hard feelings about his departure.

Managing Partner Robert Sarver offered him a five-year, $96.6 million contract with $56 million guaranteed and the rest kicking in if Stoudemire logged significant minutes in the third and fourth years.

"It was fair from Robert's standpoint," Stoudemire said. "I understand his concerns, which were injuries and health. There are no hard feelings at all. From a security standpoint for myself and with as much work as I put in on the court, I was after a greater goal. It was a fair offer from his standpoint. We still talk and have a good friendship.

"The greater goal was to have a sense of security. I didn't want a football deal (with some or all of the money non-guaranteed). I want a NBA deal. That's what I ended up getting."

Stoudemire said he had not heard of such a contract structure, which Sarver said required Stoudemire to play 2,200 minutes (26.8 minutes per game for 82 appearances) in each of the third and fourth years.

Stoudemire entered his first free agency with two priorities: staying in Phoenix and pursuing a championship. Picking New York was a step away from both.

"My goal is to do what I did here in Phoenix - to rebuild," Stoudemire said. "The year we traded Stephon (Marbury), Penny (Hardaway) and Googs (Tom Gugliotta), the next year we rebuilt.

"The question ownership asked to me was, 'Who do I want - Jason Kidd, Steve Nash or Kobe Bryant?' I said Steve. Over Kobe. At the time, Kobe had a reputation for being selfish and Steve was the ultimate point guard. I felt like that's what we needed. We had Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion. We just didn't have a PG to control tempo. Kidd was banged up after microfracture (knee surgery)."

Arizona Republic

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