HoopsHype.com Rumors

Saturday, October 3

Visit the HoopsHype.com Forums to discuss the latest news and rumors in the NBA / You also can check out rumors from back in the day in the Rumors Archive

Golden State Warriors forward Brandan Wright suffered a left shoulder injury Friday that could require surgery and keep him out four to six months, an NBA source told Yahoo! Sports. Wright suffered the injury when a defender slapped his left arm hard during a shot attempt in Friday’s evening practice. He is being evaluated over the weekend by the Warriors’ medical staff and will have an MRI on Monday. Yahoo! Sports

Wright, who turns 22 on Monday, has had a history of left shoulder issues. Despite the injury, the Warriors are expected to exercise his contract option for the 2010-11 season. While Anthony Randolph is expected to start at power forward, Nelson said Wright had been the better of the two players during training camp. “We were just so happy with his performance and his improvements,” Nelson said. “We thought he’d really be a factor this year. It’s quite a loss for us.” Yahoo! Sports

"We were going to start Anthony Randolph, but I can't tell you that Wright wasn't the better player in camp," Nelson said. "We thought he was really going to be a factor this year, so it's quite a loss for us. "It's just a real kick in the teeth." Yahoo! Sports

Holly McKenzie: After Chris Bosh comes out to the bench a brief chant of "Re-sign" breaks out. Twitter.com

George Thomas: No Delonte West at Wine and Gold Scrimmage...Working out at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Twitter.com

Mike Jones: Gilbert Arenas won first round of windsprints (up and back six times) at conclusion of Wizards practice. Twitter.com

Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing bounced the ball back to Howard, who shot again, and made it. Then he made another one, and another one. As his teammates filed out of the gym after day two of training camp, Howard kept making free throws and Ewing kept counting. "Eighteen," Ewing said, then passed the ball back. "Nineteen." He went all the way up to 28 before Howard missed again. As the ball clanked off the rim, Howard half grimaced, half smiled, in mild, but good- natured frustration. Twenty-eight straight made free throws isn't bad, after all. Orlando Sentinel

"Have you ever seen a better athlete with worse low-post moves? Er, move?" wrote ESPN.com's Bill Simmons in a diary of Orlando's Game 4 loss to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. "He's like a jukebox with one song — and in this case, the song is, 'I'm going to turn right, bring the ball down low, take a dribble, put my shoulder into my guy and shoot a jumphook.' I think the Lakers know it's coming, Dwight. No offense." But to Howard, that's not the real issue. "People say that, but when you get double-teamed every play, it's hard to get post moves," Howard said. "My biggest thing is passing out the double team and allowing my guys to get shots, trusting them. That way I have an easier chance to score." Orlando Sentinel

"Everything is going so quick," Thabeet said. "I feel the pressure. They're throwing a lot at me, but it's about trying to make me better and get me ready for the season. I'm just trying to do whatever they want me to. If they tell me to be somewhere, that's where I'll be. I'm trying to pay as much attention as I can. I like learning new stuff. I believe I'll get better." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Thabeet has been out of position so much that Hollins stopped a drill and simply asked the Tanzanian, "Why did we draft you?" "To block shots," Thabeet responded. "Well, guard the basket," Hollins yelled as Thabeet stood near the free throw line. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Hollins often admonished the Griz for their lack of energy and focus. The team's offensive drills were filled with Hollins' expletives and forceful demands to "do your jobs." Players had to repeat several drills over and over, and ran a lot because of their mistakes. At times, 14-year veteran guard Allen Iverson also implored his teammates to increase their intensity and level of concentration. "C'mon, man," Iverson yelled. "This ain't punishment. This is how we're trying to play." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Jared Dudley: "The mood here has been very upbeat but at the same, intense. Everyone is focused on getting better and we have a lot of guys who are either very young or new to the team so this week is really important. So far, the most surprising player has been our rookie, Earl Clark. We all knew he was good but he's been showing us a lot both offensively and on defense. He's been very impressive and definitely a pleasant surprise. HoopsWorld

“Last year, I really didn’t know the NBA game, I was brand new, and I had a fairly bad attitude,” Douglas-Roberts said. “Or, I’ll say my attitude wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was just in a frame of mind where I let not playing get to me. That was an immature thing, but I was a rookie. I learned from it. “This year I’m totally different: I’m experienced, every question he asks, I’m answering it. And I just feel more comfortable, because I put in a lot of work this summer. I have no fear of not being ready every day. I feel I’m very much ready.” Newark Star-Ledger

The muscular 6-foot-6 Williams, drafted No. 11 out of Louisville, can defend both guard positions and small forwards. From what his teammates have seen through weeks of pre-camp pickup games and five practices, it’s not too early to attach lockdown defender to Williams’ name. "You can say lockdown," veteran forward Jarvis Hayes said. "He can come around here and be that right away. "He’s ultra athletic. He can play multiple positions. He’s very active. He blocks a lot of shots with his length and athleticism. He’s going to be a huge asset, huge asset." Bergen Record

Marc J. Spears: warriors forward brandan wright suffered a left shoulder injury during friday nights practice. he is being evaluted this weekend. Twitter.com

Mike Jones: Wizards' Crittenton out at least two weeks with double bone bruise and tendon strain in left foot. Twitter.com

Following the team’s final practice prior to preseason games getting underway, Luol Deng estimated he was around 85 percent. The 6-9 forward, who missed the last 22 games of the regular season and the playoffs due to a stress fracture, was encouraged by the first week of practices and said he played pain-free on Friday. “I think training camp helped a lot,” Deng said. “I really wasn’t sure where I was with full speed, because I wasn’t able to do much during the summer. I’m further along than I thought I was. I know I won’t play a lot, but I’ll try to use the preseason to get my rhythm back.” Bulls.com

Near the end of a routine question- and-answer session on a routine afternoon at training camp, Lakers coach Phil Jackson delivered a nugget of unexpected news. He revealed he might not travel to Anaheim for the team's first exhibition Wednesday. "I may not go to that game," he said Friday. "Remember last year I took that game off. We'll have a shootaround in the morning and I may not go to Anaheim." The Lakers have a shootaround scheduled for 2 p.m. at their El Segundo training facility. Then they will hop aboard a bus that will deliver them to the Honda Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Pacific Division rival Golden State Warriors. Los Angeles Daily News

At his perch on the top row of the bleachers in Carleton University's gym, Jasmin Repesa accepts visitors and welcomes conversation. Bryan Colangelo stops by as the Raptors conclude a training camp scrimmage; Marc Iavaroni wanders by after the session is over; Jay Triano has a word a few minutes later. Repesa is being afforded unfettered access to the Raptors' coaches during training camp because they believe you can never have enough sets of eyes watching what's going on. It is fitting, seeing how Repesa is considered one of the great minds of European basketball. Toronto Star

"I really respect him," Triano said of the 48-year-old Repesa, who will be at the Raptors' camp until the end of next week. "I told my coaches, make sure you go talk to him. We can learn a lot from guys, especially guys who have coached in Europe for a long time. "I try to talk to him every day and value him being here." Toronto Star

After agreeing to two league proposals which his members shot down, a source close to the NBA referees' union says lead negotiator Lamell McMorris has withdrawn, leaving the locked-out refs on their own. After talks broke off last week, McMorris announced he would turn over future negotiations to the union's counsel and its five-referee board of governors. Actually, the source says McMorris, who was in his first negotiation representing the referees, has turned everything over to the counsel and the board. Last week, senior referees began calling outside lawyers, seeking direction on how to proceed in these talks. Los Angeles Times

McMorris has not replied to telephone and email requests for comment. Despite all the screaming coming from the talks, with Commissioner David Stern having withdrawn earlier, the union leadership's agreement to two league proposals suggests the two sides are actually close to a deal. The issue now seems to be as much within the union, as between the union and the league. Last week McMorris took the latest agreement to his members with a 3-2 majority on his board. Joey Crawford, Bennett Salvatore and Bill Spooner were in favor; Steve Javie and Bob Delaney were against. Los Angeles Times

Austin Rivers is a 6-foot-4-inch high school senior guard. Some people - hey, I’m just reporting - maintain that he is the best senior guard in America. He is, by the way, already spoken for, having committed to Billy Donovan and Florida after his freshman year, which does not entirely please Pop. Nothing against Donovan, but . . . “I just thought he should look [at other schools], just to make sure,’’ Rivers says. “But that’s where he wants to go. He’s going to Florida. There’s no doubt about that. He’s committed there. He’s a Florida kid.’’ Boston Globe

Glen Davis’s weight loss is paying off. Davis’s two-year contract is worth $6 million, but only if he fulfills his part of the bargain in keeping the pounds off. “I really don’t know,’’ Davis said when asked yesterday how much he weighed. “I’ve lost and I’ve leaned out a lot. I’ve lost, I’ve just been working hard. But I can lose as much weight as possible and if I don’t maintain it throughout the season, if I gain 20 pounds by the playoffs, it doesn’t matter. I just want to be consistent, and that’s what I’ve been learning to do - be a professional and be consistent, every day.’’ Boston Globe

Asked about the weight clause, awarded annually, Davis said, “That’s a big reason, too. The bonus is huge. I wouldn’t agree to it if it wasn’t attainable.’’ But Davis, who was listed at 289 pounds last season, said he is not watching the scales. “I have to weigh a certain weight at a certain time,’’ he said. “I have to find out what time and what the weight is. I just look at my body - you know when you get fat. You have to know who you are and you’ve got to know your body.’’ Boston Globe

It remains uncertain whether Mason will make the team, as his veteran's minimum contract is nonguaranteed ($1.18 million). But he has been working his way toward earning a spot, showing no ill effects from the knee injury that ended his season with Oklahoma City in January and impressing those from Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie on down. "We're going to find out (who will start)," Westphal said. "I'm pretty open-minded about it." Sacramento Bee

White is known for his acceleration and ascension — "He's probably the best dunker in the league," said teammate J.R. Smith, who was in the NBA's dunk contest last season. In Denver's first game, White glided to the basket consistently, earning 14 foul shots, of which he made 10. "He's a fast, athletic guy, a poor-man's J.R. Smith type of guy," Karl said of the 6-7 White. "We'll give him 30 days of basketball and see what happens." Denver Post

Joe Freeman: Blazers announce they have waived Quinton Hosley and Donell Taylor. Roster stands at 16. Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins fight for 15th spot. Twitter.com

Gery Woelfel: Good luck to Dominic James. He signs 1 year deal with Mercin in Turkey. Twitter.com

Chris Palmer: I talked to a handful of NBA players about the league's new Twitter rules. No complaints from anyone. Twitter.com

"I tell you what, now that they've got Ron Artest, I couldn't think of anything better," Cuban said during an appearance on Dallas' ESPN 103.3. "If you would have said, what one player -- and I'll get killed over this -- what one player would you like to see on the Lakers? Ron Artest. "Could you imagine? Ron Artest has got the ball, and Kobe's standing there, 'Throw me the ball.' Thank you, Ron Artest." ESPN.com

"I think he'll add some character to that team," Cuban said with a smirk. "Whether it will be positive or negative will be interesting to see." ESPN.com

If boredom was the punishment for not playing ball, Bryant's now feeling the reward. "I feel fresher, healthier, as healthy as I've felt in a long time," he said. "I haven't had a chance to take a month and a half off in quite some time." Los Angeles Times

Mike Trudell: Brian Shaw said that Luke Walton, not Kobe, Artest or Josh Powell, has been leading the team in good trash talking so far. Twitter.com

Magic PG Jason Williams is the only player on the roster who has an NBA championship ring, having won a ring with the Miami Heat in 2006. J-Will says this Magic team has more potential than his old Heat club — and Miami had Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. "I think we have more talent here than when we won the championship in 2006," Williams said. "I think 1 through 15, there's more talent." Orlando Sentinel

Roy said he and Miller formed an instant connection and the team “didn’t miss a beat” with them on the court together. Roy also praised the point guard’s unselfish play, deft passing, strong defense, versatility and basketball IQ. The chemistry between these two stars is one of the most pressing issues of training camp and Roy said a bond might develop faster than some expect. “I liked it; I liked it,” Roy said. “I don’t think it’s going to be nearly as hard as people think. I think it’s going to be pretty simple. It was the first day, but there wasn’t even a moment where I was like, ‘All right, this might be a struggle.’ It was pretty cool from the jump. Even (Thursday) night, when we were going over plays (in the same unit), I was like, ‘This is flowing ... really smooth.’” Oregonian

“People think he’s a ball-dominant point guard, but he’s not,” Roy said. “I remember watching him last year. There were times when Andre would handle it and times when (someone else) would come in … and handle it. Andre just kind of plays. He doesn’t have to have (the ball). A couple times today, he was like, ‘You take the point.’ I was like, ‘Cool.’ That’s what I kind of wanted to see, because (Steve) Blake lets me do that. I kind of like a point guard that let’s me have (the ball) sometimes.” Oregonian

Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said Webster has been the most impressive player on the team through the first week of camp. McMillan referred to Webster, who missed nearly the entire 2008-09 season due to injury, as a sniper. "You gotta guard Martell," McMillan said. "You can't play him soft … you can't sleep on him, or he'll burn you from the 3." Columbian

"I think I'm probably one of the smartest point guards in the league" - Rajon Rondo. CelticsBlog

Malone had perhaps the toughest job, working on getting O'Neal to fit into the Cavs' offensive schemes and creating new ones for him. "I watched a lot of him when he was in Miami just to see what he did well offensively," Malone said. "We've never had a player like him here and you want to do everything that you can to put him in a position to succeed." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Then there were subtle things only a professional coach would notice, such as how O'Neal is more effective when he goes to the end of the court and waits to play defense when his team is on the foul line. "We're not going to rewrite our offense for him but we feel we do need to make some changes," Malone said. "He's a Hall of Famer, so let's get him where he's most comfortable." Cleveland Plain Dealer

O'Neal and Jamario Moon were playfully boxing after practice Friday and O'Neal showed off the skills he learned to fight Oscar De La Hoya for his television show over the summer. It was rather scary, especially O'Neal's jab. Had it been a real match Moon probably would not have made it to the second round. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Wade said Friday he would keep track of his minutes in the preseason, with hopes of playing a reduced role early and gradually building up to ``regular minutes'' by the Oct. 28 opener against New York. ``They did us wrong with those two back-to-backs in the preseason,'' Wade said. ``I'm not really excited about that, so I'm going to monitor things. It'll be a challenge.'' Miami Herald

The Heat took a cautious approach with Wade during the preseason a year ago after he pushed through grueling rehabilitation for knee and shoulder injuries and then led the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. ``At some point, [Wade] is going to have to play a full load, which is probably toward the end of the preseason,'' Spoelstra said Friday. ``But I would say [he'll play] probably no more than half a game for the first couple. And we'll build from there.'' Miami Herald

"I can score, a proven scorer," said Butler, who has averaged at least 19 points in each of his last three seasons. "I'm trying to be the best defensive player that I can possibly be. I have a lot of key assignments this year, and I look forward to it. I pride myself on that and having my body prepared to enforce my will on the game defensively. That's what I've been concentrating on." Washington Post

"I told him I think he can be an all-defensive type player," Saunders said. "On the perimeter, he's as good as anybody. He has the ability to be a stopper. He relies a lot defensively on his ability to get steals and gamble a little bit. I told him, 'Let's be more of a meat-and-potatoes type defensive player.' He's taken that challenge and he's put a lot of effort on the defensive end." Washington Post

It happened in the closing minutes of Detroit's series-clinching victory against the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. Milicic, then a rookie, was on the floor in garbage time only to have his right hand broken by a hard foul. "I was asking to come out of the game but Larry wouldn't let me," Milicic says. "He told me to, 'Play the right way.'" New York Daily News

That makes Milicic the answer to a trivia question, and leaves him with a legacy he'll never live up to. The other four are perennial All-Stars. Milicic is on his fourth team in five years. "If I did have a chance to play I might be a better player," Milicic said. "I'm not saying I'd be an All-Star, but three years of not playing .. ." New York Daily News

Spoelstra said Richardson's slimmed-down appearance does not remove him from consideration at small forward. "He lost all that weight, lost body fat and kept all his strength," Spoelstra said. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

But Westphal did reveal a more substantial development, saying he is leaning toward returning veteran small forward Andres Nocioni to the reserve role he's filled for much of his six-year career. Nocioni was the Kings' starting small forward after being traded to Sacramento from Chicago on Feb. 18. "I think it's likely we'll bring him off the bench at either the three (small forward) or the four (power forward)," Westphal said of Nocioni, who has started in 156 of the 374 regular-season games he has played. "There's some nights when he'll have it going, you'll have real good matchups, and he can play extended minutes. And (there will be) other nights he might not be needed as much." Sacramento Bee

A talent scout from another NBA team describes Flip Murray as Iverson, only less so: Less drama, less expense, less tattoos. "I can agree with that,'' Murray said Friday. "I know what my chances are to score. I'll be aggressive. But there are certain times in a game when you look for your shot and other times when you're driving and penetrating to open other people up. "You have to know when it's time to drop it off to the big fella.'' Charlotte Observer

Ginobili was heartened by Friday's announcement that Rio de Janeiro had been chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, saying he was happy to see Games headed to South America. Just don't expect to see him suit up for his native Argentina in Brazil. “I'll be 39 years old,” Ginobili said, “so I don't think I'm going to play.” San Antonio Express-News

Two Jazz guys with Olympic experience and Illinois ties admitted Friday they were pulling for Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Games. Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan were also somewhat disappointed that the Windy City got rejected by the IOC. "It really didn't surprise me," said Williams, who played at the University of Illinois. "You know how some countries feel about us. It's all about votes and you've got people voting against you. We didn't have much of a chance." Deseret News

With the role of special assistant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reduced this season, which member of the coaching staff will assume the responsibility for tutoring 21-year-old center Andrew Bynum? "Just about everybody on my staff wants a piece of Andrew, just about everybody will have something to say," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said today. Abdul-Jabbar mentored Bynum during his first four seasons in the NBA, following his jump to the pro ranks as a raw 17-year-old from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, N.J. Kurt Rambis also worked a great deal with Bynum in the past season. Rambis left the Lakers to become the Minnesota Timberwolves' new coach in August, however. Los Angeles Daily News

Speaking about the talks between Medvedev and Obama in New York, Timakova noted that they covered the entire extent of bilateral relations. In particular, according to her, Medvedev told Obama among other things about Russian businessman [Mikhail] Prokhorov’s intention to acquire the New Jersey Nets basketball club. Nets Daily

NBA referees will be able to use instant replay on shot-clock and out-of-bounds calls this season. The NBA Board of Governors approved the expanded use on Friday. Referees will be permitted to check replay to see if the 24-second clock expired before a successful shot or a foul. ESPN.com

The Spurs have added a new piece to their training camp routine: Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. Amid fears about the spread of the H1N1 virus, team officials have ensured that while in the practice gym no player will ever be more than a few feet away from a bottle of hand sanitizer. There is one posted at or near each of the six baskets, plus bottles stationed in the locker rooms and weight rooms. Players are encouraged to sanitize often. San Antonio Express-News

Mo Williams the All-Star is big-time now. After having his own Nike commercial during the summer, he's now got his own Nike shoes with his nickname, "Mo Gotti" on the tongue. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dwight Howard: Then, things got even better. I worked on two movies – the first one was “Just Wright,’’ a movie with Queen LaTifah. The storyline is a physical therapist who falls in love with a basketball player who suffered a major injury. It’s tight and ya’ll have to make sure you check it out later this year when it comes out. A few weeks back I worked on “Valentine’s Day,’’ and let me tell you it has real star power in that movie. Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher and Anne Hathaway were in it, too. Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard: I finally got a chance to see what it takes to be a movie star. It takes a lot of work. I like movies and really enjoy doing that kind of stuff. But people just see the finished product and they don’t see everything that it takes to make that movie. Sometimes it was two or three hours just to do one or two scenes. Being in front of the camera is something that I actually really enjoy. It allows me to be myself and have fun. Hopefully I’ll have a lot more opportunities in the future to do more commercials and movies because I really enjoy it. Actually, a couple of the directors told me that I did a really good job and they want me to come back and do some more stuff with them in the future, so that’s exciting for me. Dwight Howard

Nate Robinson: Sit n here watch n bruno man too funny, iam cry n ova here.. I need to make a movie or be in one! Twitter.com

Rudy Gay: Hold up yall!!!! Hamed Haddadi has a twitter??? Hahahahahaha, Ima have to talk to him about that! Twitter.com

Patrick O'Bryant: Kanye shoulda went to Denmark" Ima let u finish but chicago is the best city for the olympics of all time." Twitter.com

One of the cardinal rules of journalism is never make yourself part of the story if you can help it. Well, I'd be eternally grateful if someone could get me out of this story, for the lack of the better word, and the sooner the better. Yesterday would be good. For those of you who have not heard, I was coerced into getting a faux-hawk at the Toronto Raptors' media dinner on Wednesday night in Ottawa, where the team is holding their training camp. Folks at the dinner raised $1,000, and some kind-hearted family and friends/schadenfreude enthusiasts have also kicked in some money. All proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (Any donations would be awesome. Some people are making the donations in my name, but the money is the important thing here.) National Post

A few of us arrive at the restaurant for the annual dinner. Some of the players' hairstyles came up. At this point, I might have suggested that new Raptors' forward Amir Johnson's faux-hawk was ill-conceived. A lot of things were said that night; it is hard to remember. -Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo suggests that I would look good with a faux-hawk because of my reasonably full head of curly hair. I laugh it off or taunt him; I can't remember, again. National Post

This becomes Colangelo's pre-dinner mission, because I guess he doesn't have any more players left to trade. He tries to raise money to get me to get the cut, with the cash going to a charity of my choice. The first volley is $450. "Not nearly enough," I say. Once more, I should have just kept quiet. -The talk dies down for a while as we eat dinner. After dinner, though, Colangelo once again takes up the cause. It is like he is running a telethon or something. He is going person to person, be they lowly scribes or members of the Raptors brain-trust, asking for money. At this point, he is literally collecting cash. There is really no turning back at this point. My fate was sealed then. National Post

And then on Friday, I came face-to-face with the man that caused this debacle: Johnson. I expressed some trepidation about how the cut would flatter my forehead (as the joke goes, it's more of an eight-head). First he gave me the finer points on the hair style. Then he delivered the punchline. "I ain't gonna lie -- with your forehead, it's going to look bad," Johnson said. National Post

Any rumor missing? E-mail us at hoopshype@hoopshype.com.