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Sunday, October 18

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Agreed, it's hard to imagine Larry Bird walking away from a multi-million contract that has one year remaining after this one. Nevertheless, two NBA management sources, one inside the Pacers organization and one former employee whose initials are not D.W., contend the team president will call it quits at the season's conclusion -- citing health and lack-of-enjoyment issues. That eventuality seemingly explains why Jim O'Brien recently was given a contract extension. It's reasonable Bird would take financial care of his coach because a new boss probably would look to make an immediate change, the way Bird did when he fired Isiah Thomas and hired Rick Carlisle. New York Post

Except that doesn't make sense, at least not if you believe those in the know who claim Bird believes the Pacers need a fresh approach and a young coach who is relatively on the same wavelength as the new breed of players. One thing's for sure, "Our players were sick when they heard about the extension," someone on the scene accentuated. This leads me to believe Bird took care of O'Brien for a job well done last season knowing he's going to fire him should the team get off to a horrible start. New York Post

There has been talk that Bosh might play for the Knicks (perhaps joining James), or head to his native Dallas and play for the Mavericks, or even become the first major free agent acquisition of the Oklahoma City Thunder, just three hours north of Dallas. He is already tired of the constant speculation. “I stopped talking about it this summer,’’ he said. “I’m happy that the season is here so we can talk about something else. “I’ll ask you the same thing: ‘What are you going to do next summer?’ I can’t predict the future or anything, but I’m happy right now. Happy where I’m at, and I’m looking forward to building with this team.’’ Boston Globe

“I never had any thoughts like that [of demanding improvement],’’ (Bosh) said. “I just trust people who do that stuff are going to do their job, and Bryan doesn’t want to lose, he’s very competitive himself, he’s going to make the right move. “Everybody knows what the deal is. We have some players here and we can put that stuff behind us and start winning games.’’ Boston Globe

According to sources, the Cavs do have an interest in Jackson and have had some internal discussions about trading for him. He is a quality perimeter defender and has championship experience with the San Antonio Spurs. With strong team leaders and Mike Brown, who is close to Jackson and coached him in two different stops, there is a belief the Cavs could harness his good qualities and suppress his bad ones that he’s been showing in an effort to get out of Golden State. Cleveland Plain Dealer

However, right now there is no trade that works between the Cavs and Warriors. Golden State wants a big man, as they should because they need one. The Cavs don’t want to give one up. For the time being, expect the Cavs to track the developments and watch out things play out both in Cleveland and in the Bay Area. One issue that may not be a huge hang-up is Jackson’s contract, which has three years after this one. That is a red flag to many teams but the Cavs may be willing to swallow it under certain conditions. Stay tuned. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Second-round pick Danny Green has been sidelined most of the preseason with a strained glute muscle. He will make the team because he has a guaranteed contract. But, according to a source, his salary is not fully guaranteed for this season. Green’s deal guarantees him $140,000 and it will not become fully guaranteed for the rookie minimum of $457,000 until Jan. 10. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Wally Szczerbiak turned down the veteran's minimum ($1.4 million) guarantee from Denver. European teams (Real Madrid, for instance) would sign him in a second for much more than that, but his oldest daughter is in school, so it doesn't appear he'll go overseas. New York Post

If Morey's comments do not indicate a leaning, there is a reason. Morey has spoken with Adelman about the players fighting for roster spots, but not about how to best shape the roster. “Unfortunately, there's a numbers crunch on our team,” Adelman said. “We're going to have to sit down and decide what we're going to do with our roster. “The problem with Tracy and Yao being hurt, you have two roster spots being used by two people who are hurt. “I don't really want to let anybody go at this point.” Houston Chronicle

Jamaal Tinsley turned down a non-guaranteed vet minimum from the Heat, prompting the signing of Carlos Arroyo. Tinsley, owed $5.5 million per this season and next by the Pacers, demands to be G-ed in order to report. Who knows, should Delonte West suffer another relapse, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who related well to Tinsley (and Stephen Jackson) as a Pacers assistant, knows what a great maker of plays Jamaal can be. New York Post

The last time Arroyo was in the league, he earned a guaranteed $4 million from the Magic in 2007-08. Now, it's $1.1 million paid incrementally, based on how many days he's on the regular-season roster, if any at all. "I've been in this position before," said the seven-year veteran, who entered the league undrafted out of Florida International University. "I know what it's about. It's about focus and doing your job and everything else will take care of itself. "It was different in the beginning. To be in that position now, I can relate to it. It's less pressure and more about focus and maturity." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The seemingly innocuous signing of an injured second-round draft pick has created a surprising three-way competition for the Trail Blazers’ 15th and final roster spot less than two weeks before the regular season opener. When the Blazers announced they had signed rookie point guard Patty Mills Friday evening, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Why would the team ink an injured player, who was the 55th overall selection of the draft, this close to the start of the regular season? Well, it turns out, NBA rules all but forced the move. The Blazers, just as all teams must do with second-round draft picks, had to tender a contract offer to Mills by Oct. 15. Oregonian

But even though Mills is unable to participate in basketball-related activities, much less practice, he signed the non-guaranteed contract anyway, suddenly thrusting himself into a three-man competition for a roster spot with veterans Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins. If the Blazers do not pick Mills, he will become a free agent. Had Mills declined to sign the contract, the Blazers would have retained his rights and he could have attempted to make the Blazers’ regular season roster next season. Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard refused to talk about the signing or go into great detail about the three-man competition, saying, merely: “We’re going to keep an open mind on who makes that last roster spot.” Oregonian

Andrew Bogut: Congrats to Patty Mills, the Blazers finally inked him to a deal. Hope the foot heals quickly! Twitter.com

Last season, his first as a Clipper after signing a five-year, $65 million free agent deal to complement Elton Brand (whoops), Barren Davis weighed in at 235 and never got his body and head right, at least simultaneously. This season, he reported at 213 and is back to being The Baron of Basketball. By all accounts, Davis is working harder than ever before. Maybe because he has never had anyone pushing as hard as assistant coach John Lucas, hired when Tim Grgurich decided to remain alongside Nuggets coach George Karl in his contract year. Go to sleep on this; no one is harder to fool. Cool Hand Luke has heard every imaginable excuse . . . because they came out of his mouth during his substance-abuse years. New York Post

As Larry Hughes used the tail of his shirt to wipe the beads of perspiration off his face, he tried to explain why he is not sweating the fact that he hasn't made a shot in the preseason. "I'm a proven scorer in this league, so it's not a problem for me,'' Hughes said after the Knicks held an open practice for fans at Fordham University yesterday. "It's the preseason. I'm not too concerned.'' Newsday

Said Hughes: "I haven't been getting a lot of shots that I want and making shots that I want. But it's the preseason. I think I'm getting limited minutes and not getting into a rhythm. But it will come. I've played in this league a long time. I'm not concerned.'' Newsday

Marc Berman: One talent evaluator told me after last night's game Marcus Landry is better than Jordan Hill (0-7). Twitter.com

Darko Milicic finally has his freedom. Now he has to take advantage of it. "I like playing in this system because I'm getting a lot of freedom," Milicic said Saturday. "I get to play quick and play fast and just run up and down. It's fun playing this way." New York Daily News

Vladimir Radmanovic was loudly booed upon entering the game late in the first quarter, perhaps a sign Lakers fans haven't forgiven him for claiming he separated his shoulder slipping on a patch of ice in 2007 rather than admitting it was a snowboarding accident. "It sounded like there were some split opinions about me coming back," said Radmanovic, who scored 15 points in the Lakers' 91-87 victory. "That's the reality of life. Some people are going to love you. Some people aren't going to love you. I don't really mind it." Riverside Press-Enterprise

He was booed after he hit both of his three-pointers in the Wizards' 109-104 exhibition win against the Cavaliers, gleefully waving his hand in front of his face to rile the fans even more. "It's crazy how it's still going on," Stevenson said of his feud with the Cavaliers and their fans. "Even if I'm in a different jersey, it's still going to have that effect and I'm going to bring that rivalry somewhere else, because this team don't like me." Caron Butler can vouch for the incident at the airport. "Obviously, it ain't dead," Butler said of the rivalry, shaking his head. Washington Post

“We won 19 games and it left a sour taste in our mouths,” Stevenson said after the game, a preseason win over the dreaded Cavs. “Does what happened last season provide us with motivation? Yeah, man. It does.” HoopsHype.com

“Look, we have so many different weapons, not just with the starters but with the guys coming off the bench,” Stevenson said. “We all came back healthy and in shape, we made some key moves in the offseason, and we’re feeling really good right now. One of the reasons last season left us with such a bad feeling is because we know we’re a playoff team.” HoopsHype.com

“It’s early, but we’re coming together well,” Saunders said. “There’s always an adjustment period. We have some new guys who can play, and we need to work them in with the talented guys who were already here, and other guys who are coming back (from injuries). All of that is a process. But everyone is leaning on each other and we‘re excited.” HoopsHype.com

I heard from a few people that when Steph Curry came to Sacramento for predraft workouts, Tyreke gave him the business. It’s no surprise, either, as Tyreke is a beast. It’s a bad match-up for Curry, no doubt. Evans is 6-foot-6, 220 (which, btw, is the same size as Corey Maggette, minus five pounds) and super athletic. Curry is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. Contra Costa Times

Curry said he isn't overly worried about his poor shooting but has been dissecting his shot selection and putting in extra work after practice. He's calling what he's going through now simply a slump, but he acknowledges that he's having difficulty adjusting to coming off the bench. "I played a lot of minutes right off the bat (in college)," Curry said. "It's different sitting to start. I'm just trying to get a rhythm and flow. Coming off the bench is different for me. It's something I've got to get adjusted to and work through. ... I'm shooting well in practice so I think it will translate to games soon." FanHouse

"I haven't seen this kind of length before," Curry said. "In college, you have 6-foot-3 guards. It's a different look when you've got guys 6-foot-7, or a guy like (6-foot-10) Anthony Randolph running out at you. That's something you have to get used to. But I've only been playing at this level three weeks, so I'm not really worried about it at all. I'm doing other things and the shooting will come." FanHouse

A recent poll of NBA general managers ranked Rondo among the best defenders in the league (find the poll here). Rivers had a humorous take on the GM’s vote. “That’s because they don’t coach. Don’t get me wrong, Rondo is a fantastic defender, but he’s got a level to go and he can be a great, great defender. For him to do that, he has to stay in front of the ball. When the GM’s start coaching, then we’ll listen to them. Until then, go with the coaches.” Boston Herald

Bell, Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin combined to shoot 5-of-24 in a 91-87 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. After going 3-of-9 Saturday, Bell is 5-of-30 for the preseason. Coach Larry Brown says he's not concerned. "He got good shots,'' Brown said of Bell, a 3-point shooter and defensive stopper. "If he was taking bad shots then maybe I'd be concerned. But those were great looks. "He's putting a lot of pressure on himself, but that's OK.'' Charlotte Observer

Teams are taking precautions stateside to prevent unnecessary exposure to the disease, so it's of course going to be even more of a hot topic as players venture out of the country. And in fact, the subject of swine flu was the first thing on the mind of Amar'e Stoudemire, when he was asked about the impending trip to Mexico after Friday night's game. "We just gotta stay away from the swine flu," Stoudemire said. "That seems to be the name of the trip so far." FanHouse

As was initially rumored to be a league-wide precaution for players this season, the teams will try to keep hand contact to a minimum during their brief stay in Mexico. "Keep your hands clean," Stoudemire said, when asked if there were any special guidelines in place. "If you see us kind of high-fiving with the backs of our hands, you know that's for the, 'swine flu precautionary measures.' " FanHouse

The All-Star center has surprisingly hit as many as 28 straight free throws in practice during Orlando’s training camp. The work is all part of his goal to rid his free-throw woes after missing a costly pair in the waning seconds in Game 4 of the NBA finals, a blown opportunity that still haunts Howard. "It’s not gone yet. Every day I wake up and I think about what happened,” Howard said. "Every day I get a reminder when I turn on the TV … first thing I see is Kobe (Bryant) putting up the championship sign. You think about it, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since we lost. I put some of the moments away, but losing something when you’re so close, it hurts. So you don’t want to go through that experience again.” Oklahoman

"From the free throw line this year, I think 75 percent is realistic for him,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He can shoot free throws. I’d be really disappointed with anything below 70 percent. He’s capable of doing that. And if he makes free throws, you just can’t hammer him anymore. When he’s hitting 70 percent, he’ll be very difficult to guard. He’s pretty difficult to guard now.” Oklahoman

The talk of the first week of training camp was the play of Tyrus Thomas. Bulls insiders were raving about the energy and effort he showed -- something that wasn't a constant during his first three NBA seasons. After sitting out nearly two weeks with a hip injury, Thomas had a chance to display that energy at home. He finished with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes as the Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-90 at the United Center. Chicago Sun-Times

"I don't know why 60,000 people care about what a white kid from Snohomish, Washington is doing," he said while popping his head out of the back door for a tongue-in-cheek chat. "I'd like to thank the fans. We did this together." Asked about his teammates' shameless requests to pilfer some of his followers, Brockman was ever so charitable. It hadn't stopped there, as his former University of Washington teammate Nate Robinson was apparently feeling jealous as well. "My friends can be their friends, but ultimately it's up to them," he said. Sacramento Bee

Veterans can be so mean to rookies. In Chicago, veterans are making first-year players James Johnson and Taj Gibson wear pink backpacks. Johnson has a Dora the Explorer model. Morning Journal

And there's no doubt in his mind that his Oak Hill teams were better than the 2001-02 team Carmelo Anthony headed up. "We would beat them by 50," Lawson said. That remark slipped out in Anthony's presence. "Man, he's lying. That dude is crazy," said Anthony, in Lawson's direction. "We had one of the best Oak Hill teams ever." "They said that about us," Lawson said. "They say that about everybody," Anthony quipped. Denver Post

"After my freshman year, I really should have left," Lawson said. "I just got scared of being in the NBA, and I was only 19 years old. I probably would have learned a lot more if I would have left my first year. But I learned a lot of things under Roy Williams. I matured a lot." Denver Post

Cavs guard Mo Williams is one of many NBA players who have given up using their Twitter accounts for the time being. The league issued guidelines that prevent players from sending Twitter updates while they're at arenas, but Williams hasn't issued any sort of Tweet in six weeks. He isn't alone. Players who were well-known Twitterers, like Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, also have gone silent. "I thought it started getting out of hand. There was a lot of negative publicity around it," said Williams, who used his account to tell followers about his charity events, his Nike commercial, and even got help in buying a birthday gift for his wife. Cleveland Plain Dealer

McMillan had hoped to give Fernandez and the rest of the rotation players more time over the next two games. That plan has been scrapped, however, as the focus has evolved into getting Fernandez ready for the regular season. With 10 days remaining before the opener against the Houston Rockets, Fernandez has played just 40 minutes in three games this exhibition season. “Yeah, for sure it’s frustrating, because I want to practice with my team,” Fernandez said. “I want to play the games. But right now I think it’s more important to feel better and play in the regular season.” Oregonian

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers deemed guard Tony Allen "day to day" with ankle soreness after he missed Friday's open practice in Lowell. But after once again sitting out Saturday's session at the Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint, Allen didn't seem so keen on the timetable for his return. Allen, rehabbing from arthroscopic right ankle surgery and posterior tibial tendon repair during the offseason, talked about recent setbacks Saturday, pointing to inflammation and scar tissue in the ankle. ESPN.com

After playing three games in four nights -- and playing nearly 32 minutes in the third game -- Luol Deng reported no problems with his lower right leg following the Bulls' 94-90 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night. In fact, Deng said his leg felt better Friday than it had at any point this preseason. "Just moving wise, running jumping, I thought today was the best I felt out there," he said. "Even defensively, I was moving. This is the best I've felt so far. Even before the game, I just felt great." Chicago Sun-Times

Hornets suits are shooting daggers in Byron Scott's direction. Everything must be done to convince Chris Paul the franchise is in business to win it all; if that means sacrificing the coach who got 'em so close to beating the Lakers two tournaments ago, so be it. New York Post

Karl, by the way, was offered an extension this summer. Obviously, he felt insulted by its terms. Most likely it was the perfunctory one-year, easy-to-dump variety should the Nuggets fail to meet high expectations or the coach becomes uncoachable. New York Post

The only thing Stan Van Gundy regrets about what he said after Thursday's practice is that the Orlando Magic got fined for them. He doesn't regret what he said, or think his comments about the replacement referees were negative. The NBA fined Van Gundy and the Magic $35,000 each on Friday "for publicly criticizing game officials." "What I said was accurate, reasoned and positive," Van Gundy said. "I thought it was positive about both groups. I don’t regret anything I said. "You work under the auspices of David Stern. He decides what you can talk about and what you can’t talk about. I talked about a subject I’m not supposed to talk about and he hit us hard." Orlando Sentinel

Is it a new rule by the NBA, or is it a refinement of an old rule the league has had a hard time enforcing over the years? If you ask Jackson, the new rule under which players are allowed to take two steps before they have to stop, pass or shoot, is really nothing new. "Well, I guess if you can't call it, you just regulate it as a rule," Jackson quipped about something players had been doing for years. "But, it's really hard to digest that as a person that's been in basketball for as long as I've been in basketball, that we're just going to give in to this new rule of doing it." Los Angeles Times

Jackson said he's always been against the "two-step walk," even mentioning how Reggie Miller used to catch the basketball and then go two steps back to get behind the three-point line for a shot. Jackson said there has been a European style influencing the NBA in which players "guys pick it up and run a couple of steps with the ball." Los Angeles Times

"Well, palming the ball or carrying the ball has been in our game for quite a while now," Jackson said, adding that Allen Iverson "was probably the most egregious in that distinction. But the discontinue-dribble is the one to stop. When the rhythm of the basketball dribble stops, then there's a definite advantage to the offensive player." Los Angeles Times

Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert wants to add one more title to his lengthy resume: casino owner. Gilbert, 47, the mortgage magnate who has been ranked by Forbes as one of the richest men in the United States, is helping to bankroll Issue 3 on the November ballot. The statewide casino proposal would amend the state Constitution to allow 24-hour Las Vegas-style casinos to be built in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. Akron Beacon Journal

Gilbert has notified the National Basketball Association about his intentions. The league, which has become increasingly jittery about gambling, especially after the recent betting scandal with referee Tim Donaghy, has no rules barring team owners from operating casinos. The Maloof family, owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, also owns the Palms casino in Las Vegas. Harrah's Entertainment Chief Executive and President Gary Loveman is a minority owner of the Boston Celtics. Akron Beacon Journal

I've heard from more than one referee - and long before this labor dispute - that NBA Commissioner David Stern talks dismissively to the refs as a group. They deserve more respect; the travel, the odd hours and the mounds of paperwork (hours of reports that must be completed after games) would overwhelm most of us. Charlotte Observer

Obama is scheduled to visit Boston this Friday, October 23, to attend a luncheon for Governor Deval Patrick’s re-election campaign. Although Allen was unaware of the event, he was enthusiastic upon hearing the news. “I’d be pumped to meet him, just to sit down and have a conversation with him, just to talk to him,” Allen told WEEI.com following practice on Saturday. “I think that we get so consumed with what’s going on in our lives. I have a saying, and I’m sure that other people use it, but never judge a man before you walk a mile in his shoes, and then once you get a mile away you can say whatever you want. And that’s kind of how it is. You watch somebody from afar, I think you see people’s jobs unfold. Like people criticize us for what we do, what we don’t do on the floor. WEEI

Allen already knows his opening line if he ever met the President. After that, he would find it easy to relate Obama’s position in politics to his own role in professional sports. “I think that I would ask him about his hoop game because I heard that he played a lot,” he said. “And then it would depend on how much time I would have with him. If I had five seconds, I would say how’s the hoop game? If I knew I had like 20, 25 minutes with him I would probably ask him a lot about just how he does it and how he holds it in. I know how I hold my position in and what I do. Somebody said something interesting today about America. We were talking about when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, Doc [Rivers] actually said this to me. We were talking about all the people who were criticizing him and it would be like if Doc won Coach of the Year and I said, ‘Why did he get it? He didn’t deserve it.’ He’s on my team, I want him to get all the awards that he should get. And that’s the same thing when he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Doc said, we were talking about it, ‘Unfortunately everybody in America’s not on the same team.’ And that’s the unfortunate thing.” WEEI

Allen could see himself getting involved in politics after he retires from basketball. Even though he may be a veteran in the NBA, he understands he would be a rookie in the political world. “I would consider it,” he said. “Obviously I think I have a lot to learn about the economy, not just the American economy but the overseas economy as well. I’d need to make sure that I went to more than just Mexico and Canada (laughs). I’ve been overseas a couple of places but I’d have to extend my travel. You have to see the world, you have to understand people around the world. You can’t just be from one place and try to rule over everyone.” WEEI

Professional basketball player Stephon Marbury plans to build an after-school athletic and educational facility in Syracuse sometime in the near future. Marbury visited Syracuse Saturday during an event for the National Society of Black Engineers. He said he will work with Karen Iglesia, owner of Iglesia Educational Centers, to build two multimillion-dollar learning centers, one here and the other in Rochester. “You only get one life and that’s it,” Marbury said. “I want to help kids make the most of their lives. This is an opportunity to make that happen.” Syracuse.com

In a speech to middle and high school students at Danforth Middle School, Marbury estimated the projects would take between five and 10 years to complete. Iglesia runs educational centers in Rochester and Syracuse. She said her projects with Marbury will be privately funded. “Stephon has billionaire friends that are very interested in making this happen,” Iglesia said. Iglesia’s business partnership with the basketball star began at Michael Jordan’s basketball camp, where Marbury mentored Iglesia’s 9-year-old son, Anthony. Syracuse.com

Kobe Bryant said Saturday there was no truth the Internet rumors that his wife, Vanessa, had been approached to star in the “Real Housewives of Orange County.” “No one has even called,” Bryant said. Considering the Bryants, who live in Newport Coast, covet their privacy, it’s doubtful they would return anyone call from the reality show. “H%$& no!” was Bryant’s response. Orange County Register

Edwards, who had only previously publicly addressed the notion he doesn’t like James by disputing the claim with a post on his Twitter page, said he has no issues with the NBA’s reigning MVP. “There was never anything with him, never will be anything with him,” Edwards told me. “I have nothing but respect for him. He’s a great player and we don’t even play the same sport.” Newsday

So why does King James have that perception of Edwards being envious of him? “Beats me,” Edwards said. “I try to stay away from it because to me it’s not that important. I’m focusing on more important things, which is the Jets winning, getting on the same page with my quarterback. So I pay that no attention. I’ve said what I’m going to say and I’m not going to go above and beyond to try to say anything else. “It is what it is.” Newsday

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