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Tuesday, August 14

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» 08:39 PM ET Update » 06:46 PM ET Update » 02:14 PM ET Update » 12:03 PM ET Update » 07:03 AM ET Update

» Update: 08:39 PM ET

Former Orlando Magic assistant coach Steve Clifford has agreed to join Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown on his coaching staff, CSNNW.com has learned. The terms of the agreement are expected to be finalized by the end of the week. Clifford was in talks with the Portland Trail Blazers in recent days for their assistant opening as well. However, the chance to be a part of the Laker organization was too much to pass up, CSNNW.com was told from a source close to the situation. CSNNW.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Steve Clifford 

In Los Angeles, Clifford will be a familiar face to the team's new franchise center Dwight Howard. Initially, the Magic had shown interest in Clifford filling their head coaching vacancy before the team decided to go in a different direction and later hired Jacque Vaughn from San Antonio. CSNNW.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Steve Clifford 

A federal judge in New York refused to allow an early end to supervised release for Tim Donaghy, the former N.B.A. referee who took money from a professional gambler. Donaghy, whose sentence ends Nov. 3, argued that he should be released early because of good conduct and because it was difficult to find work while under court supervision, but Judge Carol Amon denied the request. New York Times

Law, Tim Donaghy 
 
 

» Update: 06:46 PM ET

An unrestricted free agent, the 7-foot Oden disputed Internet reports that he wants to play for the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat and that he intends to play next season. These rumors were fueled by a si.com report that quoted his agent, Mike Conley Sr., saying Oden “has talked about Miami.” Oden’s denial doesn’t mean he is ruling out a return in 2012-13, but he stressed that it’s unlikely. Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Free Agency, Greg Oden 

After spending last season with the New York Knicks, big man Jerome Jordan is currently an unrestricted free agent. Jordan was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the Marcus Camby trade, but was waived by the Rockets several days later. Now, Jordan is working out at Impact Basketball in Los Angeles and waiting to see what his future holds. “It was kind of tough, especially because it was my first time being traded,” Jordan said. “I was looking forward to going to Houston and playing, but then soon after I got waived. The only thing I can control is working hard. I’m just going to keep working hard and be ready when the next opportunity comes.” “I’m just waiting. I know my agent is talking and working for me. I’m trying to wait it out and just keep working. I want to be in a good position to play and compete for a back-up spot. I’m going to keep working hard and show teams that I can play.” HoopsWorld

Free Agency, Jerome Jordan 

In case there was any question, Iguodala is very much looking forward to joining the Nuggets in the wake of last week’s blockbuster trade that sent him from Philadelphia to the Mile High City. “As soon as I made the Olympic Team, my focus was all on USA Basketball and winning a gold medal,” Iguodala told Nuggets.com. “I didn't let that change when the trade went down, so it really wasn't until I left London that I started to really think about it and get excited. "I really like what they're building in Denver and I look forward to being a part of it." NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Andre Iguodala 

Rest assured, Iguodala has taken notice of the success. "I like the roster that Josh and (executive vice president of basketball operations) Masai (Ujiri) have assembled,” Iguodala said. “It's a high- energy group with a lot of athleticism. “I've played with Andre Miller and know how valuable a player he is. Ty (Lawson) is one of the best young point guards in the league and Danilo (Gallinari) can really stretch the defense with his shooting and can do a lot of other good things offensively. The young bigs like JaVale (McGee), (Kenneth) Faried and (Timofey) Mozgov are all talented guys who will only continue to get better." NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Andre Iguodala 

On Thursday, Oden insisted that he never experienced a moment of truth which led him to reduce his alcohol consumption. “I knew I abused it more than I should have,” he told me. “It happened. I’m not going to sit here and try to hide it. People around me knew it happened.” That part of Oden’s life did not last long, however. “The people around me, they kinda recognized it,” recalled the 2007 NBA No. 1 overall draft pick and former Lawrence North High School and Ohio State standout. “At that young age, I was still in party mode.” Terre Haute Tribune-Star

Greg Oden 

The Magic have hired Brett Gunning to join head coach Jacque's Vaughn's staff as an assistant coach, a league source tells the Sentinel. Gunning spent the last four seasons with the Houston Rockets, including last season as an assistant coach. He served as the team's director of player development the previous three seasons. Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Jacque Vaughn, Brett Gunning 

Now that Robert Pera has created a billion-dollar public company, the next thing he wants to do is buy a professional basketball team. But Pera’s desire to buy the Memphis Grizzlies puts him and his company, Ubiquiti Networks, in the spotlight during a time when Ubiquiti is mired in controversy and has seen its stock price fall more than 60 percent since early May. The stock drop has caused people to question whether Pera, 34, can afford the team, as the NBA investigates his personal and business background as well as his financial status. “I think in the long run we’ll be OK,” Pera said about his San Jose company’s struggles on Wall Street. “I think we’re looking at some short-term irritation, and it’s irrelevant to our long-term goals.” Sporting News

Memphis Grizzlies, Robert Pera 

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson has sold his house in the Hollywood Hills to Indiana Pacer Danny Granger for $3.715 million. The chic contemporary, built in 1990, features walls of glass, city views and 15-foot-tall ceilings, which may have appealed to the 6-foot-8 small forward. Designed for entertaining, the house has three expansive terraces, a pool area bar and a swimming pool. There is a gym with a sauna, a home theater, four bedrooms, 51/2 bathrooms and 5,140 square feet of living space. Los Angeles Times

Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger 
 

» Update: 02:14 PM ET

Terrel Harris might continue his career in Europe, as reported to Sportando. The combo guard has already played in the Old Continent with SIG Strasbourg and EnBW Ludwigsburg while last season he was in the NBA with the Miami Heat. Sportando

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Terrel Harris 

While stopping short of putting a name on his unique version of the killer-cross this weekend, the reigning Rookie of the Year did speak on how it was developed. “When I was younger, I always wanted the AI Crossover,” Irving said from his ProCamp in Cleveland. “In elementary school that was the only move I had, was the Allen Iverson crossover. I probably practiced that crossover a million times.” From there, the Cavaliers point guard says he reached back into the NBA archives for elements of two other crossovers in the construction of his own. “I had the Timmy Hardaway too,” Irving told SLAM. “I practiced the Tim Hardaway move over a million times as well, along with the KJ (Kevin Johnson), which was just go by everybody with quickness. Over time, I combined all of them together, and made it into my own move. “It was fun learning from those guys, and watching CP3 too, all of them,” Kyrie added. “I grew up on all of them, and I’ve incorporated different things from all their games into mine.” SLAM

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving 

A source close to Davis said he intends to return to the league this season. Given he tore the ACL and MCL of his right knee back in May, a recovery any time sooner than a full year may be a stretch but Davis is committed to getting back in the league. It just might take another season for that to happen. HoopsWorld

Injuries, Baron Davis 

Eastern Michigan men's basketball head coach Rob Murphy is considering an offer to become an assistant with the NBA's Orlando Magic. Murphy did not immediately answer text messages sent to him by The Detroit News. EMU assistant coach Benny White said Murphy hasn't made his decision. "I talked to him yesterday (Monday)," White said. "He didn't say (whether he was leaving or not). He has been offered (a position). That is big- time. It's a dream for college coaches (to go to the NBA). We'll see what happens." Detroit News

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Rob Murphy 

Rob Hennigan at a press conference, when asked specifically about dealing with the Rockets, he said the offer sheets that you all had out there made it more difficult to deal with you, do you think that’s accurate? Daryl Morey: “I haven’t seen Rob’s comments. I think those deals were done for a while now so that would surprise me but really the only opinion that matters is Rob’s. If he felt like that made it difficult then it was difficult right? At the end of the day he has the player that he was trading that everyone wanted and there are a whole host of things that either made it positive or more difficult for them and how they value things. I really think in these big trades it often comes down to how people value individual players in the deal. Last year when we did the big trade we found a partner in the Hornets and they were a team that obviously really liked the players they were getting in that deal. In this case Orlando really liked the players they were getting in that deal. That’s all that matters and I think Rob Hennigan is an unbelievable executive and going to be in the league for a very long time. He made the best deal for Orlando and that is all there is to it.” Sports Radio Interviews

Houston Rockets, Dwight Howard, Daryl Morey 
 
 

» Update: 12:03 PM ET

Sources close to Andrew Bynum say he is beyond thrilled about the situation in Philadelphia. He’ll get the chance to be his own star, be the focal point of the team and remain in the discussion as an All-Star starter. Bynum is in the final year of his deal and, like all of the names on this list, is not signing a contract extension. The 76ers say they are OK with the risk, because they feel they acquired a marquee center that will stay long-term. HoopsWorld

Philadelphia 76ers, Andrew Bynum 

Andres Nocioni, the Argentine star who played eight years in the NBA before joining Caja Laboral last season, offered high praise for his Spanish League teammate Mirza Teletovic Tuesday. Nocioni, who played small forward to Teletovic's power forward, told SportSport Bosnia he's guarded "just a couple of players at the same level as Teletovic." "I'm happy for Mirza since joining the NBA is the pinnacle in the career of every basketball player. However, I regret that we will no longer be teammates because he is a fantastic basketball player and person," Nocioni said. NetsDaily

Brooklyn Nets, Andres Nocioni, Mirza Teletovic 

But there was no mentor. James didn't run to anybody. Instead, he ran away from everything. "[Here's] a little history of how Savannah is: 80 to 90 percent of young black males either end up doing nothing with their lives at a dead-end job working at McDonald's or at a grocery store," James said. "Or they get in trouble, start selling drugs, end up in jail, or get killed over some foolishness. A lot of my friends were starting to go that way. I guess that's when a lot of people figure out what they are going to do with their lives, whether they are going to stay on track or go down that wrong path. It's around that 10th-grade year. A lot of guys that I knew were doing the wrong thing, and that wasn't really me. I didn't want to go to jail. I didn't want to sell drugs. I just wanted to get away from all that." Grantland

Dallas Mavericks, Bernard James 

James dropped out gradually. I don't care about this class, he thought one day. It's easy and I'll pass when the test comes around. His absences grew to two or three days a week. Then, he only showed up once a week. James was a good student — he dropped out only to avoid delinquents. "I just wanted to get away from it all," James said. "I didn't like having people constantly trying to make me feel inadequate, like my value is any less because I didn't have the new Jordans. That was my motivation at first. I guess to just feel like I was worth something. I didn't like going to school every day just to get beat down emotionally." Grantland

Charlotte Bobcats 

Coach Rick Carlisle, on hand in Las Vegas, marveled at the progress James showed in just a handful of practices with the Mavericks. James posted numbers similar to his college averages in the five summer league games, with 10.2 points, nine rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. "We followed him at Florida State and we're clearly fans," Carlisle said. "He's long. He's a shot-blocker. He plays the game with passion. That's a big thing for us. He's also the kind of character that we want inside of our locker room. He's a big integrity guy. He's had an unbelievable wealth of experience that we think is going to serve him well." Grantland

Dallas Mavericks, Bernard James 

Could three-on-three basketball be coming to the Olympics? It will if FIBA, the international governing body, has its way. Secretary-general Patrick Baumann said Saturday that his group planned to propose it to be played as early as the 2016 Rio Games. Three-on-three, the game played in driveways, on playgrounds and around the country during the annual Gus Macker tournaments, debuted in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. FIBA wants to create a comprehensive ranking system that would determine the best three-on-three teams in the world. FIBA already has a three-on-three world tour and world championship, but Baumann welcomed all three-on-three tournaments, such as Gus Macker and Hoop It Up, into the fold as long as those tournaments adhered to FIBA rules, including the registration of players in a database to chart wins and losses. USA Today

FIBA, Olympics 
 

» Update: 07:03 AM ET

What Canada Basketball wants from Nash is for him to develop a family attitude around the team, make it impossible for people to say no when they are asked to play because it’s a good and fun environment. The camp will do that, it’ll let the players start to get to know each other on and off the court; a journey they hope ends with a solid finish in Rio four years hence. Oh, and I’m hearing that they’re thisclose to naming a head coach and Jay Triano, if not a lock for the gig, is certainly high on the list. Toronto Star

Coaching, Jay Triano, Canada 

David Andersen signed in the last hours his two-year contract with Fenerbahce Ulker, as reported by Ismail Senol. The Australian forward with Danish passport will be announced in the coming hours by Fenerbahce who agreed on buyout with Siena since weeks (around €800.000). The official announcement is expected soon. Sportando

David Andersen, Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker 

David 'Dubi' Pick: Extremely dissapointed in these Euroleague teams letting Akognon slip away. Magic, Mavs, Spurs, Bucks & Pacers in mix w/ vet-camp invites. Twitter

Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Josh Akognon 

Six-time NBA All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire "can't wait" to explore the moves he has learned from former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon when he returns to play with the N.Y. Knicks. Stoudemire has been in Houston for about a week working with the Hall of Fame center. "It's always room to improve as a player," Stoudemire said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "To want to be the best is always a common denominator for most players. "So working with Hakeem, one of the best players to ever play the game, is a great opportunity for me. We are both very quick and athletic for our positions. So to learn from him will be a great advantage for me." FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, Amare Stoudemire, Hakeem Olajuwon 

"He helped me a lot," Stoudemire said. "A lot of moves that he has really, really translate to my game. To now develop a post game is going to be remarkable for me. It's going to catch a lot of my opponents off guard and it's going to be a great year for me. "I have the IQ to implement this and learn fast, but it's not easy. There's a lot of detail that goes into it. He's very, very swift with his footwork, and he's very agile also, at (age) 50 still. It's great to learn from him. This is a great opportunity because you never how long he's going to be able to do this. So while I'm young and can still learn from one of the best, (I'm) very blessed to be a part of it." FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, Amare Stoudemire, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Steve Nash, in his role as general manager of Canada’s senior men’s basketball team, is bringing together 20 or 25 of the country’s top prospects for a camp in Toronto that starts around Aug. 22. I’m told the college kids, the teens and the NBA guys are supposed to be around for the better part of the week in what’s a very important first step on the trip to get the team to the 2014 worlds in Spain (Boss? I’m going, right? Right?) and then the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Toronto Star

Steve Nash, FIBA, Canada 

Retired NBA basketball player Yao Ming is visiting Kenya to film a crucial documentary aimed at highlighting the dwindling populations of rhinos and elephants in the country, occasioned by poaching. Yao’s first ever visit to Kenya is a meaningful one, as it will enlist his support in taking the anti-poaching message to his Chinese homeland, where Ivory is a prized commodity. According to a statement from the Ol Pejeta conservancy, which houses four of the world’s remaining seven northern white rhino, the documentary will be titled “The End of the Wild”. Capital FM

Yao Ming 
 
 

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