HoopsHype.com Rumors

As of late Sunday, the Goodman-Shaw League showdown was still on for next Saturday at Washington, D.C.'s Trinity University. The confirmed participants were, for the Goodman (D.C.) squad, Kevin Durant, Ty Lawson, Gary Neal, Michael Beasley, Grizzlies rookie Josh Selby and forward Sam Young, Kings big men DeMarcus Cousins and Donte Greene, And1 star Hugh (Baby Shaq) Jones and D.C. guard Warren (D-Nice) Jefferson. The Shaw (L.A.) League has commitments from Brandon Jennings, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Dorell Wright, Nick Young, JaVale McGee and Pooh Jeter. Durant warmed up for the battle this past weekend by leading his Madness team to the Goodman championship game on Sunday with 44 points. The Shaw game will end a whirlwind summer of playing for the Thunder's superstar, who told the Washington Post he's set an October 1 deadline for deciding whether he'll play abroad if the lockout continues into the regular season. NBA.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, DeMarcus Cousins, Brandon Jennings, Javale McGee, Dorell Wright, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden, Nick Young, Gary Neal, Pooh Jeter, Marcus Cousin, Ty Lawson, Donte Greene, Josh Selby, Goodman League 

T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards' John Wall, the overall No. 1 selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, headline the 2010-11 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Griffin was the lone unanimous selection. Joining Griffin (58 points) and Wall (57 points) on the T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team are New York's Landry Fields (56 points), Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins (54 points), and San Antonio's Gary Neal (44). NBA.com

Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Los Angeles, Landry Fields, Gary Neal, Marcus Cousin, New York 

A year ago, Neal was playing for Unicaja Malaga in Spain, wondering if he'd ever get closer to the NBA than an Internet connection and a video stream. Now, he was getting ready to become a YouTube sensation, a walking defibrillator. "It's kind of a great feeling when Coach Pop draws a play up and you see that you're going to get the shot and nobody looks around the huddle and questions or anything like that," Neal said. NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Not that there wasn't a time when Ginobili might have wondered on the day he first heard the name Gary Neal. "It was mid-September," Ginobili said. "I was working out and he showed up one day. They told me that this was the new shooter we had. I'm not lying when I say that I saw him miss the first 20 shots that he took. "I'm not kidding. We were playing open gym and he was shooting confidently. But he wasn't making one." NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

"When I think about where I've been and where I was this time a year ago, in Malaga, Spain, I never could have pictured this, being in a Game 5 of the NBA playoffs with an opportunity to tie the game up and extend the series." NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Popovich said he watched replays of the sequence that led to Mayo’s shot, which followed a basket by Spurs guard Gary Neal with 2.1 seconds left in the quarter. His conclusion: The clock did not start until after guard Greivis Vasquez took a full dribble after taking the in-bounds pass that followed Neal’s basket. “You can’t do that in 2.1 seconds,” Popovich said of a play that involved an in-bounds pass from the baseline under the Spurs’ basket, two dribbles, one pass and a shot. “The clock didn’t start until after one dribble and back in his hand, and then the clock started. There was no way that it was good. But that’s the breaks of the game, and it’s what happened. It’s not a referee’s call. The clock started slow.” San Antonio Express-News

Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, Greivis Vasquez, Gary Neal 

The San Antonio Spurs will be taking on Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets tonight without two of their rookies. Tiago Splitter, who is out with a strained left hamstring, and Gary Neal, who has mild concussive symptoms will not play tonight. ProjectSpurs.com

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Injuries, Gary Neal 

Neal had just completed his sophomore season at La Salle in Philadelphia, a burgeoning star on the mid-major college basketball scene, and was working as a coach at a summer youth basketball camp. One night after lights out, he became involved in a drinking party with other counselors. Fueled by the alcohol, things got out of control. According to police reports and court testimony, a 19-year-old woman, who played basketball at another school and was serving as a camp counselor for a week, accused Neal and teammate Michael Cleaves of raping her. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Defense attorneys said the woman may have regretted the sex act, but was not raped. After two days of jury deliberations, Neal and Cleaves were acquitted. Their reputations, however, were forever stained. They were not allowed back at La Salle. Neal was a free man, but with fewer options. “It changed everything,” Neal said. “It changed where I went to school. It pretty much changed my whole life.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Coming out of the ugliness of La Salle, however, Towson was Neal’s last refuge. He took out student loans to attend classes, but before he could join the basketball team, he had to plead his court case all over again. The interviews and background checks, with Kennedy and with the school administration, were exhaustive. “It was an extremely extensive vetting,” Kennedy said. “But once we’d talked to Gary, we were willing to give him the opportunity he deserved.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Yet, perhaps partially due to the La Salle scandal, Neal didn’t receive so much as an invitation to work out for an NBA team. Frustrated, he headed overseas, splitting a season between Turkey and Spain before playing the past two seasons with Benetton Treviso in Italy. All along, Neal never stopped believing. “I had never failed at the NBA thing,” Neal said. “I realized if I could get an opportunity, I could make the best of it. I never had any doubts, because I never failed.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Once again, however, Neal had to answer all the uncomfortable questions about the red flag on his résumé, and the dark recesses of his past. The response he gave Spurs management is the response he gives now. “If you don’t learn anything or get better from a situation like that, then really the situation was no benefit to you at all,” Neal said. “I think everybody grows and matures, and I have too.” The gamble was only a moderate one for the Spurs. Just the first season of Neal’s three-year deal, at $565,000, is guaranteed. At this point, he feels like a bargain. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Eric Koreen: About Gary Neal's defence, Pop says his defence stinks. Because he's a rookie? "No. He's just bad." Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich, Gary Neal 

Jeff McDonald: Gary Neal said he thought J.R. Smith's 360 layup a better play than dunk in DEN. "It wasn't on me," Neal said, "so it was better." Twitter

Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, JR Smith, Gary Neal 

The Spurs were still chuckling at Saturday’s shootaround about Gary Neal being the victim of a thunderous slam by Denver’s J.R. Smith in Thursday’s game. “That was bad,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “Poor Gary.” But such is life in the NBA, where if you play enough games, somebody will likely have a similar chance for a statement dunk. “It happens,” Ginobili said. “It’s not that we can blame him. We can laugh at him a little. But he did a good job and tried to get there, but he was a little late. We’ve all been there. No exceptions. Whoever plays … sooner or later gets one of those.” San Antonio Express-News

Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, JR Smith, Gary Neal 

But it hasn’t kept Blair from keeping a reminder of Smith’s statement dunk on Neal, which has already received more than 250,000 views on You Tube by Saturday morning. “I actually have a picture of it on my phone,” Blair said. “It’s my screen saver. But it happens. It’s just basketball.” San Antonio Express-News

Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, DeJuan Blair, JR Smith, Gary Neal 

Benjamin Hochman: Melo on JRs dunk from thurs: "that was the top dunk of the last couple years in the #NBA" Twitter

Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, Gary Neal 

George Hill: Why is my timeline filled up saying I got dunk on. I guess alot of people didn't watch the game cause my number is 3 not 14 Twitter

Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Twitter, JR Smith, Gary Neal, George Hill 

It’s one hour before tipoff against New Orleans. By accident or design, the Spurs have placed the stalls of two undrafted, NBA longshots next to each other in the locker room. Gary Neal sits in front of one stall with a grin as wide as a house. He’s off to a great start -- he will score 11 points against the Hornets -- but he’s still learning the game, still learning about his teammates. “Did you know,” I ask, “that Ime didn’t make it to the NBA until he was 26, just like you” Neal’s face turns quizzical, shakes his head. “I didn’t know that,” he says, and glances at the stall next to his. Ime’s clothes and personals are there. But he is not. NBA.com

San Antonio Spurs, Gary Neal 

Roger Mason Jr. had heard the name before. But that was about it. Mason didn’t know Gary Neal is from his Baltimore-Washington area, and he didn’t know Neal had played overseas, as Mason once had. Mason also didn’t know Neal was once charged with rape. But Mason knows one thing about the player who, in effect, replaced him on the Spurs roster. “If the Spurs signed him,” Mason said, “I’m sure he’s a good kid.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Roger Mason, Gary Neal