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Saturday, October 17

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Jackson told Yahoo! Sports on Friday that even if the Warriors made a major trade for a big man to upgrade their roster, he would still want to be traded. “I’ve been scarred a lot these last couple of weeks,” Jackson said. “I’ve been handled in a lot of ways that I didn’t expect to be handled. You can forgive, but you can’t forget. All this stuff is still going to be in my mind. I would embrace it if it did happen, but I wouldn’t promise you that it would change my thoughts. I’ll definitely embrace it and make the best out of it. Yahoo! Sports

“At this point, I can’t see it, I can’t see it, I can’t see it, I can’t see it. At this point, I can’t see nothing that will change the way I feel right now.” Yahoo! Sports

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m here the whole season because I know what I’ve done for this team and this organization since I’ve been here,” Jackson said. “I wouldn’t be surprised. But whether I’m here or somewhere else, I’m going to give my best.” Said Riley: “He’s even explained to me that, ‘If you take my money in a situation where there is a suspension, that doesn’t [go away].’ I understand. But I do think that he will go on the practice floor and go into the games and play hard.” Yahoo! Sports

“There are a lot of teams that Stephen Jackson fits in good with,” Jackson said. “I’m a missing piece to a lot of teams. The bigger issue is it being even. There aren’t many players that play on both ends and average 20 points. I’m rare. I’m not saying I’m the best in the business, but I can play with anybody on any night. I play on both ends. “Some people think [my contract] is difficult to move. I think it could happen. But it has to be a situation [that works] for everyone involved.” Yahoo! Sports

Jackson expressed his trade request during an event in New York on Aug. 28. He said he wanted to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams. “It wasn’t purposely said, but eventually it was going to be said,” Jackson said. “&helip; It was going to come out whether I went public with it or another way. It was going to be said sooner or later. I knew the fine was coming. I was willing to deal with that. “I’m not saying it was premeditated. But at the same time, it was on my mind.” Yahoo! Sports

Golden State general manager Larry Riley said the team currently had no strong offers for Jackson. “We’ll be motivated to do something to improve this team,” Riley said. “You can’t let personal feelings get into it. You have to set some of this stuff aside and do what’s best for the Warriors. And if there is something to do what’s best for us, we’ll do it.” Yahoo! Sports

"He doesn't have to do that anymore if he's uncomfortable," Nelson said. "All he has to do is play. ... I really like him on the floor, and I like him with this team. I actually hope we don't trade him, because I think he can be a big part of what we do here. ... "(A trade) is not so easy to do when a guy has a big, long-term contract, and, especially, when he's had some issues. He is a good player, and I like him a lot on this team. Actually, we'd be looking for a guy just like him. As funny as it sounds, he's in the right spot, I think he likes the way we play and he's had his best year for me." San Francisco Chronicle

Jackson said that after signing a three-year extension worth about $28 million last season, he was led to believe the Warriors would acquire a talented big man. League sources said Golden State had discussions with the Phoenix Suns about Amar’e Stoudemire near the draft, but concerns about Stoudemire’s health stalled those talks. The Warriors also have reportedly spoken with the Utah Jazz regarding forward Carlos Boozer. Yahoo! Sports

Riley said Jackson was never given a timetable as to when a big addition would come. “My comment to my players when we talked to them last spring is that we did want to improve the team,” Riley said. “I didn’t recall putting deadlines on it at all. It may be in February. It may be over the next summer and it may be that some of our guys grow into that player that we are looking for. And that’s a real possibility. “That’s how I approached it. I can see how someone could say, ‘Help is on the way immediately,’ and that’s the deal because sometimes things get lost in the conversation.” Yahoo! Sports

“Who is going to turn down three years and $30 million?” Jackson said. “I was born at night, but not last night. I wasn’t going to turn that money down. But at the same time, I was thinking they were going to bring other guys in to bring us back to the playoffs. That was my thought at the time. “By signing me at that time, I thought things were going in the right direction to get this organization back to where we were when we had B.D. and Jason Richardson. Ever since then, things have changed. We didn’t get any big names, which that’s not my job. I just figured we’d come in here with a more veteran team fighting, knowing that we’d be in the playoffs. We are in a position where we still have to work and things are still up in the air.” Yahoo! Sports

Red Star signed for the season the center Dwayne Jones. The player finished last season in NBA with Charlotte averaging 2ppg and 2rpg in 6 games. Sportando

Mavericks alumnus Jerry Stackhouse is arguably the most prominent free agent in the league still looking for a job. But that's largely because the 34-year-old, twice an All-Star, is determined to wait for a firm offer from a certain playoff team. Sources close to the situation say that Stackhouse was promptly called by the Houston Rockets earlier this month when the Rockets -- after inviting Rashad McCants to Rockets camp on a non-guaranteed contract -- decided they could not go through with their intended signing of McCants because the swingman was sidelined by an abdominal injury just before camp opened. ESPN.com

The Rockets, though, wanted Stackhouse to come to camp to compete with three other players - leading contender and former Mavs teammate Pops Mensah-Bonsu along with summer-league guards Will Conroy and Garrett Temple -- for their final roster spot. The combination of that stipulation and Houston's expected slide into the lottery, with Yao Ming expected to miss the entire season and Tracy McGrady facing an uncertain return from knee surgery, prompted Stackhouse to pass. ESPN.com

Atlanta, Denver and Miami are said to be three situations that greatly intrigue Stackhouse after he worked out some with the Hawks late in the offseason and with both the Nuggets and Heat known to have a need at his position. Yet all three of those teams would like to carry 13 players this season instead of the maximum 15 because of luxury-tax concerns and/or want players with non-guaranteed contracts at the end of their rosters to maintain maximum flexibility. ESPN.com

The Portland Trail Blazers exercised a fourth-year contract option on center Greg Oden, and third-year options on guard Rudy Fernandez, forward Nicolas Batum and guard Jerryd Bayless, the team announced Friday. The moves keep all four players under contract through the 2010-11 season. Oden, Fernandez and Batum played key roles on a 2008-09 Blazers team that finished 54-28 and appeared in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Columbian

Dickau is wearing the purple and orange of the Phoenix Suns. “I was going to Boston, but this opportunity came up pretty quickly _ about a week before camp started,” Dickau said. “It fits me much better. A lot of times, that’s what you have to do _ see what’s a better opportunity for your style of play.” The former Gonzaga star joined the Suns and is trying to make the final roster. Dickau said the Suns’ uptempo style of play is more suited for him than the more deliberate style of the Celtics. “I felt much more comfortable with the style in Phoenix than in Boston,” Dickau said. “The style they play accentuates my strengths _ shooting, passing and getting up and down the floor.” Oregonian

Arenas said that he is getting back his timing on the floor and finding his comfort zone within Flip Saunders's offense. "Just playing with the ball again. It's not like the last offense where it's just pass and cut and every time I touch it, it's a scoring opportunity. Now I'm sitting at the top with the ball just bouncing and I haven't been in that position in a long time, so just have to get used to it," he said. "It's just the same as I was before. I was in an offense that was made for two guard, two forwards and a center. Team assists. Before when I drove and someone was open I passed, and if not, I scored. Same thing here." Washington Post

"I have the ball 95 percent of the time, I will find a way to score," Arenas said. "It's just a matter of them hurrying up and finding a way to get their rhythm. That's the key. Once they get their rhythm, we'll be fine." "To be honest, and this is the reality part," he said. "The reality is since I have the ball in my hands all the time now, the assists are going to go up no matter what. Coach told me to be aggressive the whole time, so naturally the assists are going to go up from six to eight or nine just because of the offense." Washington Post

"The fans, I just think they just want to see me play again. I think they can live without me rambling on about stupid stuff in my life," Arenas said, during a 10-minute conversation that was far more cordial than the 95-second exchange with reporters in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Tuesday, the same night the league fined him and the Wizards $25,000 each. Washington Post

Arenas was asked if he had any regrets about opening himself up to the world with his once-popular blog on NBA.com. "The blog was entertainment. I never actually gave you guys good quotes. You just took it off my blog and went from there." When asked if he can find a happy medium between being focused and talking, Arenas said, "The happy medium is you guys stop asking me questions, so I don't have to get fined. But you guys are not, so this is what you're going to get all year." Washington Post

He said he expected to hear criticism about his $111 million contract, but said many of the shots taken against him the past two seasons were unfair and hurtful. "If it's right, then okay. If it's not, then yeah of course it hurts," he said. "I just call you guys [reporters] lazy, that's all. Instead of doing research and finding out the truth, you just write what you hear. That's the difference. I work out six hours a day on my craft. You guys hear something and write it instead of finding out the truth. Laziness. Last two years." Washington Post

Rajon Rondo doesn’t consider himself a player that takes extra steps, but he said he’s curious to see how players and refs adjust to the new terms. “It’s part of the game, and they’re looking for it now, so I’m interested in seeing what they’re going to call this year,’’ Rondo said. Boston Globe

Paul Pierce, one of the cagiest scorers in the league, said players will adapt. “They put rules in every year,’’ Pierce said. “Two steps, one step, no steps, players are good enough to make the adjustment.’’ Boston Globe

On the plus side, Carlisle said Beaubois enthusiastically jumps into the film room to watch his mistakes, as he did following the Memphis game. “He saw the film,’’ Carlisle said, “and knew how bad it was.’’ (Dallas also has him watching film of NBA point guards like Chris Paul, Deron Williams and, of course, Jason Kidd.) The coach also is quick to note that Beaubois has all “the tools and the skills’’ to contribute to Dallas this year, even while he’s stuffed down on the guard depth chart below Kidd, Barea and Terry and, for that matter, Howard and Ross, too. DallasBasketball.com

Yesterday, I tweeted the fun fact that Dudley was leading the NBA in steals per game. He "retweeted" that little tidbit which drew a friendly admonishment from the LA Time's basketball journalist J.A. Adande, "@JaredDudley619 You cant retweet your own stats!" Jared in his usual playful style fired right back, "why not lol I might not ever lead the NBA in anything again lmao$" Bright Side of the Sun

After the Suns shoot around today I asked JD about the Jared Dudley brand, "So what I'm trying to do is brand my name and also pump our team up. A lot my stuff has to do with the Suns fans interacting...That helps your brand and also lets people see your personality outside of basketball." Bright Side of the Sun

Tyreke Evans knows what it says next to his name on the roster and he doesn't care. He knows he's listed as a point guard and is expected to be the Kings' starter at that position on opening night. But he also knows he can play shooting guard and small forward -- and he may have to do just that as part of a versatile Sacramento offense. "I just look at myself as a basketball player," Evans said before Thursday's preseason game here against the Lakers. "I don't want to box myself in." SI.com

"He just needs to play the way he plays. We're not going to ask him to be the orchestrator of all things for this team," said Westphal, who likens Evans to a combination of Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle, his backcourt tandem in Phoenix when he led the Suns to the Finals in 1993. "We have a lot of offense that is initiated by many different people. He's not being asked be the second coming of Bob Cousy. We're asking him to attack and make the right decision when the defense adjusts to his attack." SI.com

Coach Stan Van Gundy says Anderson has been "terrific." Carter calls him a "lights-out shooter." And Dwight Howard sees shades of a former Magic player whenever Anderson spots up from long distance. "He's a perfect fit for us," Howard said. "I call him 'The New Pat Garrity.' I think they play similar styles. I think Ryan's going to be good for our team once he just gets in his mind, 'Coach wants me to shoot every time I'm open.' Then he's going to be great." Orlando Sentinel

"Man, this opportunity's amazing," he said after a recent practice. "These guys have welcomed me in so well. They haven't really looked at me for my age. They've looked at me as a player." Orlando Sentinel

James is featured in a question-and-answer piece in the current issue of Maxim. The magazine asked on whom James would most like to dunk. His reply: "If it doesn't have to be a basketball player, George W. Bush. I would dunk on his [butt], break the rim, and shatter the glass." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Why does basketball seem like the one sport that hasn't been rocked by steroid scandals? LeBron James: It's something that's not done. I think it’s hurting baseball, because it wasn't banned and now it is banned, so it's hard to flush out completely. It's just something in the NBA that hasn't been done, so no one’s going to start. I wouldn't expect to see anybody taking steroids in the game of basketball. That would be kind of crazy. Maxim

Back then, the 2007 Finals went into the books as the least-watched, maybe most one-sided, least interesting in history. But if the same clubs that stretched their muscles through Friday night's 105-98 preseason win by the Spurs meet again next June, it would be two Goliaths with no David. Certainly a fairer fight. "Absolutely," said James. "We're just a much better franchise. We were caught in a situation where the Spurs definitely were a much better team and we all knew that after the fact. "We've grown as a franchise. I've grown as a player. We're much better team. We're more of an elite team every single game. We go out there and every single team we play, we know we can win." NBA.com

"Two years ago, we felt, if Manu [Ginobili] is healthy in the Lakers series, we were competitive," said Spurs general manager R.C. Buford. "But I think it was obvious in the last year that several teams, including Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, L.A. had all changed their teams and improved significantly and we had to take big steps to match that. Dallas, Denver, those were all different teams than we were at the end of the 2008 season. Chauncey (Billups) in Denver, (Pau) Gasol in L.A., Boston with what they did, LeBron and Mo Williams in Cleveland. Orlando was better. So we had to make a significant change to our team. We couldn't tease ourselves and think we were good enough anymore. "We made changes. Big improvements, we hope. But you look at Cleveland and they've added one of the greatest players of all time and they have two more years under the belt of the guy who maybe will become the greatest of all time. I think that says a lot about them, tells you who they are, how good they can be. Throw in guys like Mo Williams, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon and they don't take a backseat to anybody." NBA.com

Law, meanwhile, has been gaining favor with coach Don Nelson. He has 29 points and five rebounds in 38 minutes during two preseason games, both against the Los Angeles Lakers. Using his strength and physical style of play, Law showed Nelson he could fill a niche. "Because we're just so overloaded at point guard," Nelson said, "I told him to concentrate more on playing small forward for me. Actually, he's a pretty good defender. He's strong and pretty physical, so I can use him there a little bit, especially if I have an injury." Contra Costa Times

Law was able to hold his ground with Bryant and wasn't afraid to give a hard foul. Since then, Nelson has had Law guard swingman Stephen Jackson in practice. "I look at it as an opportunity to get a chance to play," Law said. "It's a challenge. I look forward to that. Jack is one of top players in the league. It's fun. It's bettering my game. I'm trying to make him better, being hard, fouling him, making it tough for him. It's a lot of fun." Contra Costa Times

DeMar DeRozan: If I get to 20,000 followers by the opening night of NBA season I will give away tickets in every city we play in for the entire season. Twitter.com

Minnesota forward Kevin Love fractured a bone in his left hand during the Timberwolves' 94-90 preseason loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night and will likely miss about six weeks. ESPN.com

Chris Douglas-Roberts strained his neck in the third quarter of tonight’s 93-89 preseason loss to the Knicks. He said his head went back and it caused “a little ligament tear.” But x-rays were negative and he’s listed as day-to-day. Douglas thinks Saturday’s off day is all he will need and it won’t keep him out of anything. “No, it’s not,” he said. “Nah. Not at all. I’m going to ice it down, do what I have to do tonight, see how it feels in the morning. But I won’t be missing anything. I can tell you that now.” Bergen Record

The Wizards are sort of in a holding pattern until they know something concrete about Antawn Jamison, who will miss the remainder of the preseason with a subluxation of his right shoulder and will be reevaluated next week. A league source said that Jamison plans to soon meet with a shoulder specialist to determine the prognosis. Washington Post

One headache was alleviated Friday, when the NBA announced that Yi would not be going back to China to play in its national games, after the Chinese Basketball Association had solicited help from David Stern personally. So Yi stays in Jersey, and the Nets desperately need him to take giant steps with the season. Last night was legitimate, as he had 10 points and six rebounds in the first quarter alone. “I’ve played four games and try to pick it up every game,” Yi said. “There were a couple of games where I had foul problems, and I just try to go through it.” Newark Star-Ledger

The Orlando Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy have been fined $35,000 each for his criticism of referees earlier in the week. The fines were announced Friday, a day after Van Gundy's comments about the replacement officials were published. Van Gundy became the third coach in three days to be fined. The Charlotte Bobcats and coach Larry Brown were each fined $60,000 on Wednesday for Brown's verbal abuse of officials and refusal to leave the court in timely manner after he was ejected during a preseason game, and his subsequent postgame criticism. ESPN.com

A few days before Mikhail Prokhorov’s arrival in New York, he sent two emissaries to watch the Nets here Friday. One was Todd Schaefer, the British attorney for Prokhorov’s holding company, the Onexim Group. The other was an unidentified basketball official. Newark Star-Ledger

O'Neal said that when he does retire he'd like to have a TV or radio show that is stocked with former NBA players to comment on and analyze the league. The networks the cover the league -- namely TNT, ESPN and NBATV -- already have such shows, but O'Neal believes he could take it to the next level. "I've thought about being the first guy to put together an expert panel of players," O'Neal said before the Cavs took on the Spurs Friday night. "I get tired of hearing comments from guys that don't play, guys like [ESPN "First Take" regular] Skip Bayless. I'll just put it out there now. Cleveland Plain Dealer

O'Neal has become known for his sometimes subtle and sometimes scathing digs at fellow players and coaches. In a memorable rant last season, he took aim at Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, calling him the "master of panic." "I'm sort of like a low-level Charles Barkley. I do it my way, I do it an unorthodox way," O'Neal said. "I talk crap and get into trouble every now and then. But it is always done in a respectful manner." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Former Pacer Austin Croshere, one of the best quotes in the locker room when he played here, teamed with Mark Boyle for Friday's game. Longtime radio analyst Slick Leonard missed the game for personal reasons. Croshere will also do Saturday's game . Croshere didn't venture too far from the locker room, the court, the parking garage and Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh's office during his time with the Pacers because he approached me in the media room to ask where the nearest restroom was. Indianapolis Star

Ron Artest: All you athletes doing music don't let these industry people steal your money. If they say they want millions ,they wanna see you broke! Twitter.com

Bill Walton said he nearly gave up on life. He thought he was going to die. He wanted to die. And he was afraid to live. "It's been an emotional rollercoaster for me," said Walton, who played center for the Portland Trail Blazers from 1974-78, and helped guide the team to its lone NBA Championship in 1977. Columbian

Walton directly apologized to Blazer fans, stating he regretted not being a better person and a better player while with the team. He expressed remorse for the multiple injuries that slowed and eventually ended his once-remarkable career. And he said he was ashamed of the circumstances surrounding his departure from Portland — Walton sat out the 1978-79 season in protest after the Blazers failed to grant a trade request. He joined the San Diego — now Los Angeles — Clippers in 1979. "I just wish that you could do a lot of things over, but you can't," said Walton, a two-time NBA champion who resides in San Diego, Calif. "And so I'm here to apologize. I'm here to try to make amends. I'm here to try to start over. I'm here to try to make it better." Columbian

Walton's post-playing career has been wrecked by an unending series of medical operations. The former UCLA standout and No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA Draft said he has undergone 36 orthopedic surgeries. Walton recalled a recent low point by stating, "I was lying on the floor, a pitiful, helpless ball of flesh, that could not walk, think, talk, sit, stand, sleep, do anything." He described "unrelenting, excruciating and debilitating" nerve pain that ranged from his chest to his knees. Columbian

A judge says former Los Angeles Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor must provide the Clippers with documents that supports his discrimination lawsuit against the team. A Los Angeles judge on Friday gave Baylor's attorneys two weeks to hand over the information. The 75-year-old Hall of Famer was general manager of the Clippers for 22 years before leaving last fall. ESPN.com

Miami Beach police are investigating a claim that Rodman assaulted a female at Club LIV on South Beach early Wednesday morning, not long before he was a part of a breast cancer awareness fashion show. According to the police report, Rodman approached the woman at the bar and whispered something in her ear before putting his hand between her legs and walking away. The woman went to security and said she was "upset, embarrassed and angry." The report said there were no witnesses to the incident. NBC Miami

A woman accused former NBA star Dennis Rodman of touching her inappropriately at a nightclub in Miami Beach early Friday, Miami Beach police said. According to an incident report, the woman said she was at LIV nightclub with a group a friends when Rodman walked up to her, whispered something in her ear, and then put his hand between her legs and grabbed her crotch area. The woman called security and Miami Beach police responded. Miami Herald

The woman called security and Miami Beach police responded. Darren Prince, Rodman's agent, said Rodman denied allegation and does not know the woman who accused him. ``He thinks it's probably just another woman trying to get money out of him,'' he said. Miami Herald

A ruling by a New Jersey judge Friday set the stage for a second manslaughter trial for former NBA star Jayson Williams, whose lawyers argued that a racial slur and other misconduct by the prosecutor's office should result in dismissal. State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman upheld Williams' convictions for covering up the shooting death of a hired driver and rejected attempts to dismiss a retrial early next year on the manslaughter charge. Defense attorneys' latest attempts to clear Williams centered on a racial slur an investigator in the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office used to describe the basketball star, who is black. The comment came in the months after the 2002 shooting of Costas "Gus" Christofi at Williams' central New Jersey estate. AP

Spanish sports journalist Andres Montes was found dead at his home in Madrid. EFE Agency was the first media that published the report. Marca.com

Spanish journalist Andres Montes, one of the stars in international NBA TV, has died at the age of 53. Twitter.com

Montes' body was found by a nephew and showed no signs of violence. Marca.com

Pau Gasol: The news of the death of Andrés Montes surprised me a lot. A person who has contributed that basketball in has now more fans is more loved. A reference point in the Spanish media of our generation and lover of basketball. We will miss him very much. Our memories are with him and his family. Farewell Andrés, ET will miss you. Pau Gasol

Jose Calderon: In Toronto, I was reading the Spanish press on the Internet, and I learned of Andres Montes' death. I just spent two weeks with him in Poland, as we enjoyed the broadcasts of LA SEXTA and that time helped me to see what a great guy he was. We have been lost "a true player", as he would say. I can not believe I will not see him again or hear his jokes. I remember with a lot of affection his "nicknames" and will always remember the one that he gave me a few years ago: "Mr. Catering". We have lost a great professional journalist but above all a friend. Jose Manuel Calderon

Ricky Rubio: Andres Montes, you've been great. Rest in peace. Thanks for all the fantastic moments watching TV. Twitter.com

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