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Sunday, September 6

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Allen Iverson is getting closer to playing in a Grizzlies uniform. The free-agent guard and Griz owner Michael Heisley were trying Saturday to arrange a face-to-face meeting -- a development that indicates Iverson is on the verge of accepting the Grizzlies' one-year offer, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Heisley and Iverson have yet to meet because the Griz were only dealing with Iverson's agent, Leon Rose, until now. But Iverson appears to have run out of options. He has spent the offseason holding out hope for offers to play in better situations than the Grizzlies' present. Memphis offered Iverson, 34, a reserve role paying at least $3.5 million or what it has remaining under the salary cap. The Griz could increase the offer to about $4.4 million should it renounce its rights to Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro. The deal still is less than the $5 million Memphis originally considered paying Iverson. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Wolves signed Ramon Sessions. Your take? Andrew Bogut: He’s got a great contract in Minnesota. We wish him all the best, but I think with the point guards we have in our roster now, it would be tough to find minutes for all four with a fourth point guard. HoopsHype.com

Well, the Bucks can still match the offer. Andrew Bogut: We have time to match but I don’t see it, honestly. Well you never know, we could make a trade. I’m not saying we are going to do that, but you never know in the NBA. HoopsHype.com

DB: Bill, you and I are working different sides of the same street here … and therefore getting different answers to the same questions. A source very close to Nellie has told me that Golden State plans on exploring a trade with Dallas that would provide the Warriors with cap relief (i.e., what we call "The Buck Shot,'' aka Greg Buckner's vanishing contract). Josh Howard isn't their trade target; cap relief is. Meanwhile, Nellie would prefer to not lose Jackson but very much wants to move Ellis. HW: Yes, well it's amazing how many people want to share "inside information" with us, isn't it? If I had a dollar for every time I've gotten a call, text, or email from someone inside an organization who was dead sure some deal was going to happen . . .that didn't happen, I'd be a very rich man. It's always good to consider as many sources as possible. HoopsWorld

DB: I've been assured that the fractured Cuban/Nellie relationship wouldn't be an issue here, and as soap-operatic as it all sounds, the fact is, Nellie also left Milwaukee, Golden State and New York (all on sketchy terms) and he still deals with them, right? Business is business … so deals between the two teams will be explored. One more thing: A source tells me Nellie plans on being in Big D this week. It's just a social visit with friends, some Scotch, some cards. But his "vacation'' plan certainly belies the court-document testimony Nellie gave regarding how Cuban (paraphrasing) made it so Nellie couldn't even socialize in the city he loves, eh? The Mavs are sitting on a unusual pile of assets, contracts that are more than just "expiring.'' Buckner provides major relief instantly. If dealt before January, Drew Gooden's contract is structured favorably for his new team. Williams, Thomas, Jawai are all final-year guys. Howard can be an expiring at $10.9 mil. And then there's The DUST Chip. HoopsWorld

It may not be the most vital topic at this point, but there is still a little uncertainty over the 15th spot on the Cavs' roster. Young stretch forward Rob Kurz has a standing training camp offer, but he hasn't signed it yet because the Cavs have declined to guarantee him significant money. According to a source, there is still one other team that is flirting with giving Kurz a guarantee, and he's waiting before signing with the Cavs. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Dan Dickau has recently been participating in informal training sessions with several Blazers at the team's practice facility in Tualatin, Ore. Dickau discussed Saturday during an interview his current situation, the return of Blazers guard Martell Webster and the assets of Portland point guards Steve Blake and Andre Miller. ... "I've been out there the last couple weeks," said Dickau, 30, a Vancouver resident. "They have a really good open-door policy for guys like myself." Columbian

Dickau said he is currently balancing the opportunity of playing professional ball in Europe with the possibility that an NBA team will offer him a guaranteed contract. "It's kind of up in the air," Dickau said. "I'm trying to figure out exactly what I'm going to do." This time last season, Dickau had signed with an Italian team. Dickau said he soon figured out, though, that the situation was not a good fit for him or his family. Dickau then moved on to play for a German team. "At times it gets frustrating," Dickau said. "But you can only control what you can control, and you just have to stay focused." Dickau added: "A lot of the teams in Europe have already started. But there's always a lot of player movement." Columbian

On the Blazers' point guard situation: You don't need a point guard who can dominate the ball. That's why they didn't go after a Chris Paul or one of those guys. They don't need it. ... Both Steve (Blake) and Andre Miller are very unselfish players who play the game a little bit differently. Miller's going to back you down from the point guard spot; create mismatches with his size and strength down there. He'll pass out of double teams, and if you don't double him, he's going to score on most point guards down there. Where as Steve is a very smart player — he knows when to pick and choose his spots and when to shoot. I thought Steve did a great job with the team last year, just watching him from an outside perspective. ... I think that's definitely going to be a big battle throughout training camp. Columbian

Former University of Massachusetts forward Tony Gaffney on being invited to the Lakers’ training camp: “The second I got the call from the Lakers, the day after the draft, I immediately turned into a diehard Lakers fan,’’ Gaffney told Hoopsworld.com. “I put the Boston Celtics behind me and now I’m ready to beat the Celtics with everything I’ve got. As of right now, I’m a Laker and I love wearing purple and gold.’’ Boston Globe

There's plenty of time to plot. Rubio can bolt Regal Barcelona in two years. Though Geoff Petrie drafted a potential franchise player in Tyreke Evans, the Memphis man-child who has NBA execs salivating over his immense talent, the Kings basketball president can surely share a dance with the mop-haired kid who can lead and, most importantly, who can pass. In two years the Kings will likely still need a point guard, and Rubio probably will still be lagging behind Minnesota rookie Jonny Flynn, still pressing the T-wolves for a trade. Meanwhile, here in Sacramento … can the mayor spare a few dimes? Sacramento Bee

But back to the point, to the suspicion that Evans is a lead guard only in an emergency: The Kings should learn what Rubio eats, when he sleeps, what he reads. They should chart his every pass, his every tendency, his every desire. They should get to know the youngster so well that two years from now, if they haven't already acquired someone to deliver the ball to Evans, Martin and Hawes, they should invite Rubio for another visit, another look. "I want to be a really good point guard here in the best league in the world … ," Rubio told The Bee during the first of his two pre-draft visits last June, "so I have to find the team who wants me, who really wants me." Sacramento Bee

Orlando's decision caught him by surprise. He didn't expect the Magic to commit so much money to a reserve. "It wasn't any disappointment," Gortat said. "It just isn't normal for the team to match the offer for a backup center who is playing 10 minutes a game. It was just a huge surprise for me. But I'm really happy that I'm going to have this opportunity to play for this team [the Magic] again. Obviously, we're going to have a good team, and our goal is going to be to win the championship." Orlando Sentinel

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How are the Bucks going to play this season? Andrew Bogut: I think we’ll run. With a kid like Jennings you’d be crazy trying to play half-court. He’s one of the quickest point guards I’ve ever seen with the ball. He can find the open man. We’ll try to push the ball offensively and defensively we’ll be definitely be a half-court team. We’ll try to get stops to win games. We’ll be a defense-first team. That’s Scott Skiles’ system and that won’t change. HoopsHype.com

In Slam Online, Etan Thomas posted a response to your comments in the Sydney Morning Herald when you talked about the public’s image of NBA players. Do you remember that story? Andrew Bynum: No (laughs). If you could go back in time, what would you say? Andrew Bogut: The way it came out it was wrong. I definitely agree with the points Etan Thomas made, I definitely wasn’t right looking back now, but it wasn’t the point I was trying to make. I think it was taken a little bit for a ride by a certain journalist but it definitely wasn’t the point I was trying to make. So that journalist wrote it in a different way you said it. Andrew Bynum: It was a phone conversation, so obviously when you are talking to a journalist on the phone you don’t know in what context they are talking about or in what sort of manner they are talking about, so it’s kind of hard we don’t see each other face to face. But like I said, I made a mistake and I’ve learned from it. HoopsHype.com

According to Yahoo! Sports, the NBA is preparing Twitter guidelines for the players. You are one of those players that are into this new way of getting in touch with the fans. What do you think about it? Andrew Bogut: I haven’t heard anything yet, maybe once the season starts they let us know, but it’s gonna be very hard to the NBA to tell people what to do with their lives outside of basketball. It’s pretty hard for the NBA to say “You can do this, you can’t do that”… I think it’s gonna be very very tricky. But once you’re on the court at a practice site, I definitely agree you shouldn’t be posting twitters or facebook. Once you finish a game if you write “We had a good win” or “We should have played better” or whatever, I think that’s fair enough. But at halftime… I definitely agree with that. I’m a professional and you should do that on your own time. HoopsHype.com

The intensive training you had during this summer seemed to have enhanced your game alot, particularly that you had added 3 kilograms of muscles. How did you view this progress? Yi Jianlian: How should I put this? The training I received during this summer in the States definitely had helped me much; I thought I had improved in my shooting and physical resistance. However, you can’t rely on such short term, 1-month or 2-month type of intensive training. I need to persist to train and improve my game on a daily and yearly basis. Nets Daily

As Yao Ming fades out from the national team, (everyone expects) you will become the pillar and backbone of the next generation of the national team. Fans/critics all over the nation will compare you and Yao Ming at the same altitude/level. Do you feel the pressure? Yi Jianlian: I thought regardless of which kind of situation, there will certainly be pressure. I will not care whether the pressure is high or low. I will only place my attention and focus on my performance on the court. Moreover, I would like to make use of this opportunity to thank all the fans who supported me. Thank you all for giving me alot of good suggestions/advices. I will definitely work hard and diligently to improve my game and enhance myself so as to repay the attention and support rendered by all my fans. Nets Daily

Robinson is scheduled for enshrinement Friday into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He will be honored in Springfield, Mass., the birthplace of basketball, for his achievements on the court: These include two NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, one NBA Most Valuable Player award, 20,790 career points, 10,497 career rebounds and 2,954 career blocks. Robinson's most enduring basketball achievement, however, can't be quantified. He was pro basketball's savior in San Antonio. “Certainly, David saved the NBA for San Antonio,” said B.J. “Red” McCombs, a member of the Spurs' ownership group that drafted Robinson in 1987. “I truly believe we would not have been able to continue to operate if we had not had something dramatic happen.” San Antonio Express-News

Without Robinson, the Spurs had struggled through the mid-1980s. Before they made Robinson the No. 1 overall pick of the 1987 draft out of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Spurs had just completed their fourth consecutive non-winning season. Attendance lagged. “We had fallen off in season ticket sales, and the team wasn't performing well,” McCombs said. Attitudes about the Spurs began to change as soon as Robinson was drafted. The basketball decision to draft the athletic, 7-foot-1 Robinson was easy, but his military status made things dicey. He had a two-year commitment to serve in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Annapolis. If the Spurs couldn't sign him before the two years were up, he could become a free agent. Some teams didn't wait before letting Robinson know they wanted him, a violation of NBA rules. “We knew there had been tampering by other clubs,” McCombs said. “You can't prove it, but it was well known he was going to do his two-year (military) commitment, and there were other clubs trying to interest him in waiting for them.” San Antonio Express-News

There's also that darn speech he has to give at the official enshrinement ceremony. Sloan has been working on it, but, oh boy, don't remind him. Might as well hand him some lemon pulp to gulp. "I don't know what the hell it will be," he joked this past week. "It's not something I look forward to doing." It will be from the heart, though. And if it's the shortest speech in Hall of Fame history, it won't be for a lack of Sloan voicing his appreciation to those who have helped him make this moment possible. "The most important thing is to try to thank a bunch of people. That's all I know. What else am I going to say?" Sloan said. "I wouldn't be here without a whole lot of people. That goes without saying. "There's people everywhere that's had a piece of my career," he added, "whether it be a teammate or a coach, all the people I've been involved with." Deseret News

Turns out, the Hall of Fame committee agreed with Sloan's family and the Jazz. Both he and Stockton were voted in the first time they were eligible. "I hesitated because I really didn't see myself (as a Hall of Famer)," Sloan admitted. "(I) never won a championship, never been involved in some of the other things, All-Star games, that sort of thing." But, he added, "I talked to my kids and my family and that's why I changed my mind. … They said I should just do it." Deseret News

Hey, Brian: With Michael Beasley's recent troubles, I wanted to ask what do individual teams and the NBA offer its players in terms of psychological assistance? Does it vary for each team? Clearly a kid like Beasley needed some help. -- Todd Spehr Hey, Todd: The services vary by team, and the players' association can provide help as well. In Beasley's case, he was already part of the NBA's drug program and was under supervision. The teams are of course interested in taking care of their players, but there's also the reality that they are huge investments and are protected as such. As for the Cavs, they have had the same sports psychologist, Dr. Charles Maher, for the last 10 years. Maher also works with the Browns and Indians, in addition to other pro teams. Cleveland Plain Dealer

One of Marcin Gortat's dreams soon will come true. The Orlando Magic center will wear a red-and-white jersey with the word "Polska" on its front. A flag-waving crowd of adoring fans will fill the stands. His country's national anthem will play before tipoff of a crucial game. And it will all happen in Wroclaw, Poland, just 130 miles from his birthplace. Orlando Sentinel

Magic swingman Mickael Pietrus decided against playing for France in EuroBasket. Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, said Pietrus played at the end of last season with "microfractures" in his right wrist and wanted to give the wrist additional time to heal. Pietrus should be fully recovered by the time the Magic begin training camp on Sept. 29. Orlando Sentinel

Leandro Barbosa is turning into a real pain for Canada's senior men's basketball team. Two nights after blitzing Canada for 31 points, the Brazilian and Phoenix Suns guard went off for 22 last night as Brazil dumped Canada 73-65 in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas world qualification tournament in Puerto Rico. Canada, by virtue of a Friday night win over the Dominican Republic, has already qualified for the world championships starting next August in Turkey, and the games this weekend are solely to determine seeding in the 24-country worlds. Toronto Star

Canada will face either Puerto Rico or Argentina today at 6:30 p.m. in the bronze medal game. "(Saturday) was an example of our youth playing into the game," head coach Leo Rautins said on a conference call. "The guys were emotionally spent after (Friday) and qualifying for the world championships. It was very difficult for our players to recover." Barbosa, who sat out a game Friday after torching the Canadians in the quarter- final round, made eight of 11 field goal attempts and two of six three-pointers while getting to the free throw line only once. Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers added 16 points. "We actually, technically, played him (Barbosa) better than we did the first game," said Rautins. Toronto Star

During an interview with the Korea Times on Friday at Jamsil Gymnasium in Seoul, he reiterated his message to NBA teams that he's available and he wants a shot at coaching. "I know that I have knowledge about the game that I can convey. The knowledge I have will help other players play well," said Abdul-Jabbar. Korea Times

On Friday in Seoul, Abdul-Jabbar said he would be interested in a coaching position for any NBA team, not just the Lakers. "When you're a coach you've got to go up the ladder, you've got to be ready to travel. That's the nature of coaching. So I understand that," he said. "Certain things have to fall into place. The stars have to align, more or less, but I feel that I've done a very good job with my assignment and somebody might feel that I deserve another opportunity." As for replacing Jackson, Abdul-Jabbar admitted that he has had no discussions with Lakers management about moving into another role. "They made it very clear what they wanted from me, and I delivered that. I think they are happy with that. But as far as me moving up the ladder, we haven't had any discussions," he said. Korea Times

Varejao isn't the only Cav who has been in Puerto Rico for the past few weeks. Assistant coach Mike Malone is also an assistant for the Canadian national team, which pulled an upset against the Dominican Republic to secure a berth in Turkey on Friday. Malone has been an assistant with Canada for the past four summers. Cavs coach Mike Brown likely won't announce it, but Malone is expected to be given the offensive coordinator responsibilities vacated by John Kuester when he left for the Detroit Pistons. Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Timberwolves are endorsing former radio analyst Kevin Lynch for the Gophers men's basketball radio analyst job. Lynch lost the position with the Wolves because of an economic cutback. St. Paul Pioneer Press

But some friction remains in the Krause-Jordan relationship, in stark contrast with Krause’s feelings toward another inductee, Utah coach Jerry Sloan. In fact, Krause said he might be tempted to attend if he were contacted by Sloan, whom Krause scouted in his Baltimore Bullets days in the early ’60s. “If Michael called, no,’’ Krause said. “If Jerry called me, that would be a tough one. But the answer is no.’’ Krause contends that Winter’s triangle offense was crucial to the success of the Bulls and also helped bring out the best in Jordan. In fact, Winter was a Phil Jackson assistant for all six of the Bulls’ NBA championships and for three of the Jackson’s NBA titles with the Lakers. “I think when we hired Phil to be head coach and Tex was already there with the triangle, Michael found out he could score in ways he never dreamed of scoring,’’ Krause said. “Michael ended up being the best-scoring point guard ever.’’ Boston Globe

Krause joined the Bulls during Jordan’s rookie season, replacing Rod Thorn as GM. “We had Michael and 11 guys I didn’t want,’’ Krause said. “We didn’t know how good Michael was going to be - nobody knew. He improved year by year.’’ Krause was concerned that Jordan’s eagerness to play while injured could have deleterious effects. After Jordan broke his navicular bone in ’85, four doctors recommended he not play. “Michael was very mad about it,’’ Krause said. “I told him, ‘I’m not going to let you play. You have a long career ahead of you and the navicular bone is the toughest to get blood to - very few athletes recover from that injury.’ He said I just cared about getting into the lottery and I said, ‘I care about your health.’ Boston Globe

“We were not close, and we’re not close today,’’ Krause said of Jordan. “And that’s fine. I read [Bill] Russell on Red and it was a great book. We had the same success but not the same relationship. “I don’t know if it was adversarial. We were both stubborn and both had our minds made up about the game. We would needle each other. I’d say, ‘That move last night, you’ve got a ways to go before you catch [Earl] Monroe.’ And he would say, ‘That [expletive] Monroe.’ After he retired the first time, I told him he was better than Monroe. “He was a total professional in every sense. He really understood what it meant to be a professional. He could have been real difficult about contracts but he wasn’t.’’ Boston Globe

Sometimes Michael Jordan will walk into the golf shop at Medinah Country Club with a shirt bearing the logo of a different club. "We'll say, 'You're cheating on us,' " Medinah head pro Mike Scully said. "He loves my merchandiser, so he'll say, 'OK, pick out three shirts for me.' " Such is life for a man who friends joke is working on his "second bag" of clubs -- not irons and woods, but country clubs. Yes, he is believed to be over the 14-club limit for a single bag, given his memberships in North Carolina and around Washington, D.C. Through his spokeswoman, Jordan declined to comment for this story. Jordan drives for show and putts for (lots of) dough at five Chicago-area clubs. He is a longtime member at Medinah and the Merit Club. He pays dues at Twin Orchard but hasn't been around much of late. Last year he joined Glen Flora after being told he was nearing the limit on the number of times he could play as a guest. Chicago Tribune

David Kaplan, host of "Sports Central" on WGN-AM 720 and "Chicago Tribune Live" on Comcast SportsNet, played 36 memorable holes with Jordan last September at Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan. He described Jordan as "the nicest guy ... but he talks the entire round, giving people [the business]." Jordan hit the green on the par-3 sixth hole but was left with what Kaplan described as "an impossible, snaking, 25-foot putt." "He turns to me and says, 'Hey, Kap: 50 bucks I make the putt.' I said: 'Dude, I'm not the Jazz and this isn't a basketball court. I'll take the bet.' Then he drills it. "We play another 18. On the 18th he hits it on but has a good 35 feet for birdie. Another ridiculous putt. He says, 'Double or nothing on your $50?' "I say: 'You're not making this one. You're on.' He drills it again and says: 'The Lakers couldn't beat me. The Blazers couldn't beat me. The Suns couldn't beat me. The Sonics couldn't beat me. The Jazz had two shots and couldn't beat me. You, you'll never [bleeping] beat me.' Jordan shot 74-74 that day; Kaplan, 80-81. "If you fantasized about having an opportunity to play with Michael Jordan," Kaplan said, "it lived up to it and went way beyond." Chicago Tribune

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