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» Update: 08:41 AM ET |
 Sorry to disappoint again: Anthony isn’t even on the market. Not yet, anyway. That status could certainly change before NBA teams open training camps later this month, should Ujiri prove unsuccessful in his forthcoming attempt(s) to convince Anthony to sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension that the Nuggets, right around the June draft, believed Melo was on the verge of accepting. The current reality, however, is that Melo is not in play for trade pitches. ESPN.com The Nuggets can do nothing to prevent the futures of Anthony, Chris Paul and Deron Williams – “I have a feeling he’s next for all these trade stories,” one Western Conference team official said of D-Will – from becoming the new season’s sidebar obsession to the actual basketball. But they can tell teams that call about Anthony that they’re not ready to discuss potential Melo trade scenarios. ESPN.com Yet sources tied to five potential Anthony suitors, reached in recent days by ESPN.com, all relayed the same story about the Nuggets’ response: They’re pretty much ending these conversations before they even start by saying that they don't want to engage in Melo talks. Ujiri's Denver superiors instead want him to lead the club's mountain climb of a bid to try to reconnect with the 26-year-old scoring machine before they even consider trading him, hoping that memories of Ujiri and Anthony breaking in together as Nuggets rookies in 2003-04 bring some sort of positive karma. ESPN.com Although one source close to the situation insisted last week that a trade could materialize quickly enough that Anthony “might never wear a Nuggets uniform again,” Denver isn’t obligated to do anything drastic before the February trading deadline. ESPN.com  Jorge Sierra: Etan Thomas' manager Carlisle Sealy confirms the 6-foot-10 will take physicals for the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. Twitter Jorge Sierra: Pending results of physicals, Thomas will be signing Friday morning at the latest. Twitter  All Taj Gibson can do is shake his head and smile. The Bulls forward has heard the rumors all summer that he may be involved in some kind of deal but he understands that's just part of the business side of the NBA. "It's crazy," he told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night after a Nike House of Hoops event. "Every time I turn around [I hear something], but it's a part of the game. My coach in high school and even my dad told me when your name doesn't pop up then you have to be worried. But that's what happens when you have a good season and people seem to see that you have a lot more potential -- it's great. I'm just looking forward to getting to the season and hopefully getting even better." ESPN.com Managing Partner Robert Sarver offered him a five-year, $96.6 million contract with $56 million guaranteed and the rest kicking in if Stoudemire logged significant minutes in the third and fourth years. "It was fair from Robert's standpoint," Stoudemire said. "I understand his concerns, which were injuries and health. There are no hard feelings at all. From a security standpoint for myself and with as much work as I put in on the court, I was after a greater goal. It was a fair offer from his standpoint. We still talk and have a good friendship. "The greater goal was to have a sense of security. I didn't want a football deal (with some or all of the money non-guaranteed). I want a NBA deal. That's what I ended up getting." Arizona Republic Stoudemire entered his first free agency with two priorities: staying in Phoenix and pursuing a championship. Picking New York was a step away from both. "My goal is to do what I did here in Phoenix - to rebuild," Stoudemire said. "The year we traded Stephon (Marbury), Penny (Hardaway) and Googs (Tom Gugliotta), the next year we rebuilt. "The question ownership asked to me was, 'Who do I want - Jason Kidd, Steve Nash or Kobe Bryant?' I said Steve. Over Kobe. At the time, Kobe had a reputation for being selfish and Steve was the ultimate point guard. I felt like that's what we needed. We had Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion. We just didn't have a PG to control tempo. Kidd was banged up after microfracture (knee surgery)." Arizona Republic  Gary Washburn: Doc Rivers on Delonte West: "I think we're getting Delonte at a good time in his life. He knows who he is now." Twitter "Chemistry is a delicate thing. I understand that, and I'm as cautious as anyone with it. I guarantee you, I'll be keeping my eye on it,'' Rivers told FanHouse Wednesday evening, confirming the Celtics' addition of West earlier in the day. "I don't know yet if we can make it work. It is going to be interesting, that's for sure.'' FanHouse.com  Fisher was sharp with some follow-up questions and got Bryant to talk about how he, personally, would not have done what LeBron James did in leaving Cleveland. Some have observed that Bryant was revising his history, which includes him being perfectly willing to leave the Lakers to win. What Bryant meant in his answer that he wouldn’t have done it is that he wouldn’t have left to work with another superstar the way James did with Dwyane Wade. In fact, Bryant was tempted to leave the Lakers in 2004 to get away from Shaquille O’Neal’s shadow. Bryant would only leave to build around himself, telling Fisher: “I’m as stubborn as a mule.” Orange County Register Bryant tried to clarify that it wasn’t “a knock” on James, saying: “We’re different. He’s a different person than I am. You can take that as a positive or a negative.” It’s a somewhat moot point anyway with Bryant now telling Fisher: “I’m definitely not playing for another team.” Orange County Register Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer has lofty expectations for his new team this season. "A championship," he told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night after a Nike House of Hoops event. "I think a realistic goal for us is a championship. I think anything shorter than that we're setting ourselves up to be shorter than what we can reach. I think [we have] potential to be a championship-level team." ESPN.com (Stoudemire) also feels that his endorsement profile will rise on Madison Street. "I think it's going to go up a lot," he said. "I think being in New York, NBA fans are going to see how hard I work, what type of player I am and what type of person I am. I'll get an opportunity to really enhance endorsements, charity efforts and my camps for kids. A lot of folks don't understand how much I do in the community. Now being in New York, a lot of people will see how much I do and what type of person I am. Ultimately, it's going to help with endorsements and foundation efforts. My music label. All the different relationships I can build and companies I can associate myself with is going to allow my off-the-court to expand and hopefully we can prosper." Arizona Republic  Then it was off to school himself – Camp Kander. Stuckey will spend the next four weeks at the Pistons’ practice facility working with Arnie Kander getting ready for the opening of training camp. And on Sept. 27, when trainer Mike Abdenour dutifully records all the heights and weights, Stuckey will be curious to know where the needle on the scale will settle. More accurately, he’ll be curious to know how much less he weighs since last season ended. “I haven’t gotten on a scale yet,” he said. “The 27th will be the first time I’ll be on the scale. I’m looking forward to (learning) how much weight I lost. It looks like I lost a lot of weight, right? I think I just toned up a lot. My clothes fit a lot different. I’ve got to poke holes inside my belt because I’m losing a lot of weight. I’ve just been working hard, staying focused and just working out.” NBA.com That backcourt – already numbering Stuckey, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton – got deeper with the August signing of Tracy McGrady. As a teen just hoping to make his mark on the Seattle prep scene, Stuckey was a big fan of McGrady’s, at the time right there with Kobe Bryant on any list of most prolific scorers. “I’m really happy,” Stuckey said of the addition. “I’ve been reading a lot of stuff on the Internet – people think he’s too old. I still think he has a lot left in the tank. He’s only 31 years old. We’re all excited for him. I can’t wait to meet him and I can’t wait to get on the court with him. NBA.com There are times in this business when you think you’ve seen it all. Over 23 years of covering the Heat, there are times I certainly have thought that. And then there was Wednesday, when Heat rookie forward Da’Sean Butler tweeted a children’s short story. Yes, tweeted. In 28 tweets of 140 or fewer characters, he put together his compilation. Because this is not a literary review, I will leave such judgments to others. But at least now I know that I hadn’t see it all. South Florida Sun-Sentinel  One player in particular impressed you? Serge Ibaka: Pau Gasol is the most talented big man for me. Defensively, it’s Dwight Howard. His rebounding ability, his blocks and his athleticism. In the paint, he’s really impressive! hoopsnotes.com Do you expect to have more responsibilities next season? Serge Ibaka: At the end of the season, I had more playing time so hopefully it will keep going. I am ready to accept all challenges and why not be selected for the Rookie Challenge as a sophomore. The Thunder won’t surprise other teams anymore. SI: This will be a good experience for KD and Russell (Westbrook). Many teams will be wary of us this year. What is certain is that we don’t fear anyone. hoopsnotes.com Toney Douglas only could laugh when two of the first three questions from young kids at a Knicks youth camp in the Hamptons were on his thoughts on LeBron James choosing Miami over the Knicks. Douglas said he only can control what he can control. What he should have said is he can't wait to meet James in the playoffs. Because Douglas, the Knicks' backup point guard, said he thinks his team is going to break its six-year playoff drought."Definitely," Douglas told The Post yesterday at Hayground School in Bridgehampton. "I feel like have a lot of talent. We just all have to be on one page and make sure everybody is totally on it. I feel we are a playoff team." New York Post Alex Kennedy: Los Angeles Lakers rookie Derrick Caracter has signed with Nike, according to sources. Twitter  Kelenna Azubuike, who was expected to compete for a starting job, may start training camp on the sideline, because of lingering concerns over his surgically repaired left knee. Azubuike tore his patellar tendon last November while playing for the Golden State Warriors. He missed the rest of the season, and the Warriors expected he would need a full year to recover. The Knicks are taking a similarly conservative approach. “We’re not sure,” said the team president Donnie Walsh, who described a torn patellar tendon as “one of the worst injuries in the league.” New York Times According to Douglas, newcomer Kelanna Azubuike is not yet working at Westchester and still is doing offcourt rehab after missing most of last season with a torn tendon in his left knee. It's looking more doubtful the shooting guard will be 100 percent when training camp opens on Sept. 25. New York Post Gibson gutted his way through the entire 82 game season a year ago while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot, but after a summer's worth of rehab he feels like he is healthy and ready to go. "It's feeling much better," he said. "Just getting rehab, staying on it, get icing [treatments], it's been going well. The Bulls staff has taken really good care of my foot." ESPN.com  The United States team tried to keep the focus on the floor, with Krzyzewski saying he had played in Iran in the 1970s with an Armed Forces team and had great respect for the country. Krzyzewski was answering a question about turnovers in the postgame news conference when he noticed Iran Coach Veselin Matic to his left nodding in agreement. “That’s the first level of diplomacy,” Krzyzewski said, joking. “That’s one thing we’re in agreement with.” New York Times In the political arena, Iran versus the United States is a matchup that gets attention. In a basketball arena, that wasn’t the case on Wednesday. “For me, it’s a normal game,” said Mahdi Kamrany, Iran’s captain for the world championships in Turkey. The United States won easily, 88-51, in Istanbul to earn a top seed in the knockout round in the first meeting between two countries with a history of contentious relations. New York Times In yesterday's victory over Iran, which I dissected in my post-game column with a critical eye regarding the Americans' offense, Love led the team in scoring with 13 points despite playing the fewest minutes (just under 11) of anyone on the roster. "I just go out there and try to be productive. Coach said today everybody's in their roles. I think for me, I know Lamar is going to be the starting center, and he's going to play a lot of minutes. So when I get the chance to come in, whether I'm playing 5 minutes or 25 minutes, I have to get the job done. And I feel I've done a good job contributing thus far," Love told ESPN.com. ESPN.com  New Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says he is not concerned that his All-Star guard, Derrick Rose, might be burned out for the start of the NBA season after playing for Team USA this summer. "He has been terrific," Thibodeau said. "And the way he practices ... I'm real excited. I thought he showed great leadership out there, and their team is playing extremely well right now. … I think being around those types of players and being around that type of competition is great. I think he will take a lot from it." Chicago Tribune Joakim Noah also endorses Rose's European experience: "I see Derrick on TV and he looks pretty good," said Noah. "I know that Derrick always works very hard and he is going to be in great game shape. He has a chance to win a medal. He's doing big things ... sometimes you forget he is only 21 years old." Chicago Tribune I have been asked several times by foreign journalists why there are so few American writers here. (There are only five of us from the mainstream media: Brian Mahoney of AP, Pete Thamel of the New York Times, John Schuhmann of NBA.com, Chris Tomasson of Fanhouse, and myself. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the presence of industrious Syracuse senior Nick Gibson, who is blowing off his first two weeks of school to build his brand.) My stock response is that there are more of us here than there were four years ago in Japan, when ESPN.com, the AP, the Akron Beacon-Journal and the Houston Chronicle were the only U.S. news outlets to cover the entire tournament -- although Commissioner Ryan parachuted in for the medal round. ESPN.com FIBA's dance team has been benched during Turkey's games. The Red Foxes have been told to stop performing in games involving the host country because their risque costumes and routines are offensive to the nation that is nearly entirely Muslim. Islam prohibits women from exposing their skin in public. Basketball's governing body said Wednesday the ban was not its decision. Secretary general Patrick Baumann said he wants entertainment to be part of the games, but "if it needs a little bit of adjustment that is fine with us.'' NBA.com The Red Foxes, a professional dance team from the Ukraine, will still perform at other games in Ankara. "The dancers bring much fun and joy to fans watching games and help to create a vibrant, happy atmosphere in the arenas,'' Baumann said. NBA.com The dance team’s coach, Elena Rozhkova, said her team was pulled from the past three Turkey games for a “political” reason. And FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, admits to making cultural adjustments. But the Turkish Basketball Federation said the dancers were not scheduled to perform. “I would like to assure you that the decision had no influence from either the government or the federation itself,” Sancar Sonmez, the Turkish federation spokesman, said. New York Times In a country that is almost entirely Muslim, where Asia and Europe intersect, and where secular Western and more devout Muslim cultures mingle, the issue has become divisive. Muslim women are often expected to dress more modestly. “I think it was planned, it was not coincidence,” said Nagehan Alci, a columnist for Aksam, a prominent daily newspaper here. “But it was also not something that the prime minister would be happy with. He’s a conservative, but he’s also a democrat. It would be harmful if he was involved in limiting people’s freedom of expression.” New York Times  The Bulls are getting closer to hiring an assistant coach. It looks like the candidates are former Bucks and Suns head coach Terry Porter, along with former Bulls forward Adrian Griffin. Griffin retired as a player a couple years ago and joined Scott Skiles’ coaching staff in Milwaukee. One issue the Bulls may be dealing with is whether or not the Bucks are willing to let Griffin leave. Porter has been out of the league since being fired by Phoenix during the 2008-09 season and appears ready to get back into coaching. Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson, rumored to be a candidate, was never in the mix with the Bulls, according to multiple sources. Arlington Heights Daily Herald The Bulls are also pondering whether to hire a big man coach. Sidney Green was brought in to fill that role a year ago and he’ll stay with the Bulls in some capacity. It’s possible Green will continue to work with the big men. Arlington Heights Daily Herald Scott Schroeder: Interesting rumor I heard tonight: Jacque Vaughn turned down coaching the Austin Toros to remain in his role with the Spurs. Twitter  A former UTEP basketball star will be back on the Don Haskins Center floor this season - this time, as an undergraduate assistant coach on coach Tim Floyd's staff. Greg Foster, the 6-foot-11 center who played for UTEP in the 1980s, has spent years trying to break into the college coaching ranks and is now going to get his shot. "A lot of people are trying to re-invent themselves. I'm no different," Foster said. After dabbling in real estate and as a sports agent with Foster Sports Development, the 41-year-old is finally getting his shot at coaching. "I feel fortunate to have this opportunity," Foster said. "Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know." KVIA.com Larry Riley isn't interested in a conversation about his job status. Sure, Riley wants to stay on as Warriors general manager through the upcoming ownership swap, but campaigning or justifying his work isn't his style. A humble and straight shooter, Riley prefers to do his job. Not talk about it. "I'm just going to do my job until it's over," he told NBA.com this week. NBA.com As Nellie hangs in an odd limbo as the league's all-time wins leader, Riley continues to win support. Riley freely admits all that Nellie has done for him through the years, including bringing him to Golden State as an assistant coach four years ago. The Don hated losing Riles to the front office as assistant GM in 2008. Many close observers speculated that Nellie would lose the stomach for coaching -- again -- without his trusted confidante on the road. The Warriors were losing. Nellie's misery needs company, Bud Light and cigars. Riley shared in all three. NBA.com Riley is doing his job until someone tells him not to. Until that day comes, he's looking for ways to improve. Twice this summer he sent assistant Stephen Silas to work with Monta Ellis in Jackson, Miss. Assistant Keith Smart was dispatched to Latvia to tutor Andris Biedrins. "I don't know how far we can go, but I know we're going to be better," Riley said. NBA.com More than 80 billboards featuring Griz players were unveiled Wednesday in the Mid-South as the team attempts to generate more enthusiasm for the upcoming season. "We started out with an aggressive television campaign that is fun. We've really gotten a positive response from that, and it set the tone for introducing our 10th year in Memphis," said John Pugliese, senior director of marketing communications. "But we know it's about our basketball team and what coach (Lionel) Hollins is putting on the court. Our ad campaign will start to shift to a focus on our players and coaches. We know we'll have something special on the court this season." Memphis Commercial Appeal Pugliese pointed out that the organization made a few tweaks designed to build on the "Grizz Nation" and "Grizz Country" slogans it introduced last year. The billboards, which feature action shots of players instead of the customary stoic poses, will carry more than 40 "We believe ..." mottos, such as: "We believe in the name on the front of the jersey." "We believe underdogs bite harder." "We believe great towns deserve great teams." "We believe in showing the world what Memphis means." "We believe in jerseys with blue collars." Memphis Commercial Appeal At 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, former Long Beach State player Kevin Cutler (1989-91) became the tallest and heaviest referee ever to work an NBA game last season. He was called up during the middle of it from the NBA Developmental League and wound up appearing in seven games. He was one of seven officials from the D-League who was given such an opportunity as part of a new NBA program, with the most promising ones moving to the head of the list for any openings on the league's 60-person staff. Long Beach Press-Telegram Well, Cutler must have made an admirable impression, since he recently was hired full-time by the NBA. Cutler, a 1986 graduate of Ganesha High in Pomona, isn't allowed to comment on his promotion until he receives approval from the NBA office, but one of the league's communications managers, Peter Lagiovane, confirmed it. "Once the formality of a background check is completed, Kevin will be made available to the media," he told me. Long Beach Press-Telegram  Jared Dudley: I'm looking to Host a radio show in PHX.. Spead the word..I'll host in on Wed and call it West Coast Wednesday. Twitter Penguin Group slapped best-selling author Adrian Wojnarowski with a suit seeking the return of a $140,000 advance for "Jimmy V: The Life and Death of Jim Valvano." The Manhattan federal court filing says Wojnarowski -- the NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports -- initially promised to produce a 130,000-word manuscript about the controversial coach by August 1, 2007. New York Post Wojnarowski blamed the suit on "a miscommunication between my agent and me," saying: "if they had given him a warning, he had not passed it on to me." "I had no idea it had gotten to that point," he said. "I'm literally sending them the money today." Wojnarowski said he did "a great deal of reporting" for the Valvano bio, but that "the demands of my job at Yahoo! made it diffcult for me to finish it." New York Post |
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