Coast to Coast: 12/26/08

Let’s go coast to coast with the stories and views from around the league:

• Steve Dilbeck of the LA Daily News: “The Lakers came into their showdown with the Celtics an impressive 23-5, and very much needing to beat Boston down. Needing reason to truly believe they are as good they like to think they are, that they are that much better than the team Boston drummed in the NBAFinals last June.  The Celtics came into Staples Center on a roll, having won a franchise- record 19straight games. Still looking focused and determined, and playing with a mature consistency that has eluded the Lakers.  But the Lakers needed this one more, needed to brush aside the perception they were soft, too weak mentally, just too inferior to the mighty Celtics.  Despite the great run the Celtics were on, despite the glare of a nationally-televised Christmas Day game, this game was more important to the Lakers, and ultimately they played like it.  They may not have been dramatically better, but it was the Lakers who answered the challenge, who made plays down the stretch and came away with the 92-83 victory that reeked of playoff intensity.”
• Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Which brings us to the Cavs, the surprise team of the NBA after Thursday’s 93-89 victory over Washington. The 25-4 Cavs are right behind the 27-3 Celtics in the race to be the best in the Eastern Conference.  Was it reasonable to expect the Cavs to win 50 games this season? Of course, assuming LeBron James stays healthy. But a 25-4 start with only five players remaining from this time a year ago?  It’s a product of chemistry…make that trust…much like Boston a year ago.”
• Mark Heisler of the LA Times: “Yet to be determined is whether the Lakers have undergone an actual attitude adjustment and will play hard all the time.  On the other hand, when you think of their fans booing them off the court at halftime in their last game here, when they trailed the New York Knicks by 15, followed by losses in Miami and Orlando and a rally from five points behind in the last 3:30 to win in Memphis, Christmas marked some turnaround.  The Lakers defended energetically, if not always well.  They showed that their physical advantages over the Celtics in size and depth matter.”
• From the Detroit News: ”Chris Paul of the Hornets saw his league-record string of 108 games with at least one steal end in the Hornets’ 88-68 loss to the Magic on Thursday. Paul, the NBA steals leader (3.7 average), and most of the starters came out early in the fourth quarter with the Magic up by at least 20. “Half the time when I got a steal I didn’t even know it,” said Paul, who was unaware his streak ended until after the game. “It was going to end at some point so why not Christmas?”“
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News: “The NBA went all out to make the late-night portion of its Christmas Day extravaganza a real yuletide experience. The uniforms were green for the Mavericks, red for Portland.  Given the festive atmosphere, you half expected the teams to come out wearing Santa hats.  But by the third quarter, good tidings were officially over.  A flurry of technical fouls and some elbows-first kind of play turned the game into a nasty, rugged affair devoid of any Christmas cheer.  That was just fine with the Mavericks, since they ended up grinding out a 102-94 victory over the Trail Blazers in probably their most commendable victory of the season.”
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: “Irate, Duncan grabbed Stoudemire so that referee Jason Phillips was forced to call a foul, and that gave Duncan time to give the whistle blower his opinion.  Fifty-nine seconds later, Duncan rued the momentary loss of his stoic demeanor. Whistled for bumping O’Neal as the Suns center looked for a cutting teammate, Duncan knew he was one foul shy of disqualification.  Somehow, he managed to avoid a sixth personal while stopping three drives to the basket by Stoudemire in the final 1:53, each time rebounding the miss.  It was a clutch performance Popovich called “absolutely spectacular.”  Duncan’s defense kept things just close enough for the dramatic ending. Spurs guard Roger Mason Jr. launched a 3-point shot from the left corner that beat the buzzer as it left his hand and beat the Suns when it went in the basket.”
• Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic: “Being plucked from a bad franchise and put into a successful one two weeks ago was like a Christmas present for Jason Richardson.  The new Sun wants so badly to help. Too badly.  His decision to help on defense Thursday against San Antonio’s Tony Parker made the NBA’s third-ranked 3-point shooter, Roger Mason, look as alone in the corner as a Christmas tree once the presents are gone. Mason, subbed in for that play, made good on the 3-point shot to beat the buzzer and the Suns, 91-90, at US Airways Center.”

Coast to Coast: 9/26/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• AP is reporting that the Kings have agrred to a multiyear deal with Francisco Garcia.  He was eligible to become a free agent at the end of this season.  Good move by Sacramento as Garcia is a good two way player that they desperately need.
• AP is reporting that no punishment has been decided for point guard Monta Ellis.  It turned out his injury occurred in a moped accident after signing a 6-year, $66 million deal in the offseason.  This is a tough situation for an organization.  You don’t want to create any friction between the organization and your centerpieces of the franchise.  However, something needs to be done to assure that Ellis has learned his lesson.
• AP is reporting that the Rockets have matches the Bobcats’ offer sheet for restricted free agent Carl Landry.  It is an offer sheet of 3 years and $9 million.  This is an absolute must for Houston.  I thought Landry and Luis Scola really played hard and gave them great energy down low.  You also cannot afford to lose his size with the injury concern of Yao Ming.
• AP is reporting that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is not pleased with all the talk of LeBron eventually leaving Cleveland in free agency.  ”It’s kind of an insult to the city of Cleveland in my opinion — an insult to the Midwest,” said Gilbert.  It is also a bit of an insult to continue to be unable to give James a good supporting cast in Cleveland.  Playing with Larry Hughes will make a lot of people want to leave places.
• AP is reporting that after signing free agent Elton Brand, the 76ers and the city of Philadelphia are expecting some big things.  So am I.  The 76ers are my sleeper team to contend for an Eastern Conference title.
• AP is reporting that Sun Yue, the newest Laker, has mononucleosis and will miss the beginning of training camp.  The real problem for Yue will be finding playing time in the crowded backcourt for LA.
• AP is reporting that guard Chucky Atkins of the Denver Nuggets will miss six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee.
• The Rocky Mountain News speculates on the future of Allen Iverson.  AI is in the final year of his contract worth just over $20 million.  They seem to believe he is a strong candidate to be dealt before the regular season trading deadline.  I agree since it is doubtful the Nuggets will contend this year or be willing to give Iverson a long term deal.
• Newsday is reporting that our New York Knicks are trying to convince fatso Jerome James to retire.  Worst free agent signing in NBA history.  Period.

Coast to Coast: 9/25/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• KTAR.com is reporting Goran Dragic of the Suns had his first practice with the Suns and he is comparing his game to Tony Parker’s.  ”I like to penetrate, play pass basketball,” he said. “I’m a good defender, I like to play defense and make some [opportunities] for other teammates.”  Remember the backup to Steve Nash is a very important position.  You don’t want to have to go into a funk offensively when Nash is on the bench.
• The Seattle Post Intelligencer is reporting that the Spurs have signed George Hill, the team’s first round draft pick.  Hill and free agent addition Salim Stoudamire need to help rejuvenate the Spurs bench.  Their bench was old and ineffective last year and was their ultimate undoing.]
• The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that the Nuggets are bringing Nick Fazekas to training camp on a nonguaranteed contract.  I can see him as a good fit in Denver because of his scoring ability and his indifference towards playing defense.
• Frank Isola of the Daily News is wondering the same thing as all of us: how is what Jay Z doing not tampering with LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Says Isola, “Did you happen to see the photo of Jay-Z and LeBron James in last Friday’s Daily News? The Nets minority owner and the NBA’s second best player were together attending a fundraiser in Manhattan (and no, it wasn’t to help finance the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.)  These two guys are spotted together so often that Beyonce is starting to ask questions. At what point will the Cleveland Cavaliers start accusing the Nets of tampering?”  Yes Frank, it is enough to make you sick.  Maybe the Nets should consider getting some NBA level talent before expecting LeBron to come to a terrible team.
• The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Hedo Turkoglu will likely opt out of his contract at the end of the season.  This is somewhat of a problem for Orlando.  Sure he is old but he is still arguably the best scorer on their roster and someone they look to in the clutch.
• The Orange County Register had an interesting Q & A with Andrew Bynum.  The most interesting quote was this: “Yet perhaps the most revealing and key bit of information Bynum shared with a near-capacity room of Lakers fans during the Register-sponsored Q&A was that his surgically repaired knee is in “super” condition.”  Look out Western Conference.

Coast to Coast: 9/23/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The big news around the league, especially around the Knicks, has to do with the inevitable release of Stephon Marbury.  One thing to remember is that it is not official yet, but it is expected to be by the end of the week.  The only thing holding things up at the moment is the approval of The Clown himself, James Dolan.
• Henry Abbout of TrueHoop on Marbury: “He has had opportunities galore. He was Kevin Garnett’s sidekick — and it didn’t work out. He was supposed to be the point guard who lifted the Nets of Kenyon Martin to fulfill their potential … instead they did that the moment he left town was replaced by Jason Kidd. And the Knicks spent like drunken sailors to surround him with the best (or at least, most expensive) coaches and talent money can buy, and it became a cautionary tale for the ages.”
• The Wizards have lost Gilbert Arenas for a significant chunk of the season.  However, they did make a move on Tuesday by signing free agent Juan Dixon, as the AP has reported.  “Juan is a proven NBA player and we like what he brings to our team,” said Grunfeld.
• The Wizards also made other news with the interview involving Grunfield and coach Eddie Jordan.  Despite the loss of Agent Zero they are keeping expectations high as CBS Sportsline is reporting.  Good luck with that.  ”We feel very confident in the players that we have and the way we played last year, the way we shared the ball, moved the ball, played defense and made the playoffs,” Jordan said.
• However, the uncertainty around Arenas remains.  ”We don’t have a time frame for when he’s going to be back,” Grunfeld said. “It’s a process. We expect him to be back and be an outstanding player in this league. This, for us, is not a two- or three-month proposition. We’re looking at the long term here. He’s only 26.”
• Disgraced ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy has reported to federal jail to serve his 15-month sentence, CBS Sportsline is reporting.  He may be removed from society for over a year, but the black cloud that his scandal has created over NBA officials remains.
• Miami Heat fans should be excited about their new trio of Shawn Marion, Dwayne Wade, and Michael Beasley.  However, the Miami Herald reports that he is on the last year of his deal and will likely head into the start of training camp without an extension.  So this trio may not be together for that long.  I think it also might be a good idea to see how the three of them coexist before giving Marion a big deal.
• The writing appeared to be on the wall this summer for Jamaal Tinsley.  The Pacers brought in point guards TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack to take over his job.  But the way they are pushing Tinsley out the door does seem a bit rough.  Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports, “Jamaal Tinsley remains on the roster, but the Pacers have taken steps to distance themselves from the point guard. They’ve removed Tinsley’s nameplate from the locker he used at Conseco Fieldhouse and he is not expected to be at the team’s media day Monday.”
• Good news for USA basketball: Jerry Colangelo is considering staying on board and taking aim at more success with the national team, as the Seattle Times is reporting.  ”I’m kind of leaning toward continuing, but we still have some things that we’re talking through just in terms of organization,” Colangelo said Monday at a luncheon benefiting the Special Olympics of Arizona. “I’m kind of inclined to continue because it is my connection to basketball.”  Maybe we will see him at the World Championships in 2010.

Coast to Coast: 9/23/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The biggest news of the last 24 hours has to be the retirement of Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the USA Today is reporting.  He played 12 seasons and averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 boards, and 2.5 dimes for his career.  ”I came to grips with the fact that, health-wise, I won’t be able to get back to the condition and level that is needed to play in the NBA,” Abdur-Rahim said. “My right knee has become arthritic over the years, and is to the point where it won’t allow me do the things and play at the level at which I’m accustomed to playing. As tough as it is to come to grips with, it’s the reality.”  
• Hoopsvibe is reporting that the Spurs have signed former Hawk Salim Stoudamire.  This is a good move by the Spurs to bolster their bench.  Their lack of depth and age was exposed in the playoffs against the Lakers.  Stoudamire can shoot it as well as anyone and can become their three point sniper off the bench.  
• The Boston Globe is reporting that the NBA has confirmed that Darius Miles will be suspended for the first 10 games of the season.  Miles’ contract is nonguaranteed but the Celtics want him to contribute and help fill the void left by the departure of James Posey.  Do not expect Miles to make any significant contributions.  You just can’t count on him at the moment.
• The Oklahoman is reporting that the Thunder is expected to reveal the official team uniforms on Monday.  The rumor is that the road unis will be sky blue and the home ones will be white.
• Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer on Mike Conley: “Rudy Gay is the best player the Grizzlies have, and rookie O.J. Mayo will likely be the most talked about. But I tend to think that second-year point guard Conley is the most important played on this year’s team.”  I agree somewhat but I do believe that O.J. Mayo will become a star and end up being the best player from this past year’s draft.
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com is reporting something interesting about the draft class of 2009.  ”NBA scouts continue to offer dire warnings about the NBA draft class of 2009. After two stellar years, thanks to amazing college freshman classes, a draft drought may be on the way.  ”Even if you assume everyone declares for the draft next June,” one longtime NBA executive said, “you’ll struggle to find much star power or depth next year. My scouts are walking around depressed already and it’s September.”"
• Mike Bibby of the Atlanta Hawks on last year’s playoffs, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “I think we definitely could have beaten them,” Bibby said. “We just didn’t play well on the road at all, and I mean at all. But things happen for a reason. Maybe that was the start for us to excel this season.”

Coast to Coast: 9/22/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• There are some professional athletes that get it and there are some that don’t get it.  Dwayne Wade gets it.  LeBron James gets it.  So does Chris Paul.  You can tell how smart and bright these guys are by the way that they carry themselves.  However, Josh Howard is one of those that just doesn’t get it.  A moron said something really stupid.  Let’s just move on.  Realgm.com explains the situation in detail including labeling him as the problem child.
• Meanwhile the AP is reporting that Mark Cuban has said on his blog that Howard realizes his comments were wrong and that he apologized.
• We have talked about the Zach Randolph situation plenty but one possible destination floating around for him to land is Golden State.  The 3 years and $48 million left on his deal is a huge roadblock though to any potential trade.  The San Francisco Examiner is reporting that for the Warriors to acquire Zach, they would likely have the unload another bad contract in the deal such as Stephen Jackson or Al Harrington.  Unlike Randolph, Jackson and Harrington only have 2 years left on their deals.  Also Harrington can opt out after this season but he is set to make a whopping $10 million this year regardless.  It just makes it hard to imagine a trade between the two teams.  I don’t think the Warriors would trade one of their bad contracts for an even worse contract that lasts for one extra year.
• The Orange County Register is reporting that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has made the most obvious statement of the day: that the Lakers gave up less to get Pau Gasol than the Grizzlies originally wanted.  Thanks for that hard hitting analysis Mitch.  You fleeced them, I understand that.
• Slow news day in basketball so that is it for today.  I do want to say congratulations to the US Ryder Cup team who played wonderfully all weekend long in their upset over Europe.  Hunter Mahan, Boo Weekley, and J.B. Holmes were all huge for the home team.  Golf fans need to get to know these names soon.

Coast to Coast: 9/2/08

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.  Let’s go coast to coast.

• The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that the 76ers are to sign free agent Donyell Marshall.  The contract is likely to be for the veterans’ minimum.  The team was in need of bolstering their outside shooting so Marshall seems to be a good fit for coming off the bench.
• The Ben Gordon saga appears to be far from over.  The Arlington Daily News is reporting that the Bulls are offering a 6-year, $59 million deal.  Gordon reportedly wants around $12 million a year.  Gordon has also stated that he expects a sign and trade soon.  However, league sources claim that there is not one credible rumor of a team that is seriously interested.  He also claims he’d rather play in Greece for one year at $10 million than stay for one awkward season with the Bulls.
• The Palm Beach Post is reporting that the Miami Heat will sign free agent Jamaal Magloire.  The Heat are in desperate need of some help at center and don’t have much cap room to spend.  But Jamaal Magloire won’t exactly help much.
• ESPN has come out with some of their preseason predictions.  You can see them here.  For the awards they are predicting LeBron James to win MVP, Michael Beasley to win Rookie of the Year, Elton Brand to be the best newcomer, and Baron Davis and Jermaine O’Neal to be the worst newcomers.
• ESPN has also released predictions for how they think the Eastern Conference will shake out.  According to them the playoff teams from the East will be Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington, and Miami.
• They have also come out with their predictions for the Western Conference.  The predicted playoff teams are Los Angeles, New Orleans, Houston, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, and Portland.
• There are pictures flying around the internet of what the logos and uniforms of the Oklahoma City franchise will be.  It is expected that they will be named the Thunder but nothing has been official.  Everything is supposed to be announced this week.  But it can’t hurt to look at what the uniforms and logos are rumored to be.
• The USA Today is reporting that the Phoenix Suns and head coach Terry Porter are planning on limiting Steve Nash’s minutes in the regular season to make sure that he is fresh for the playoffs.  I’m not sure if this matters much.  Their championship window appears to have closed especially with how much the Western Conference has improved over the last couple years.
• Slow news day around the league.  Over the next couple months I’ll be posting my breakdown of each of the divisions in the NBA as well as my preseason power rankings.  So stay tuned.

Coast to Coast: 8/29/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The Grizzlies made the big move of the day as they have signed Iranian center Hamed Haddadi as the AP reports.  This was a move the Grizzlies wanted to make to improve the rebounding and defense on their front line.  Does this mean that the Zach Randolph to Memphis talk will die down?  Probably not since they still don’t have a true low post scorer but this was still a nice signing for Memphis.  Haddadi averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds at the Olympics in Beijing.  Terms of the deal have not been released.
• The Canadian Press is reporting that the New Orleans Hornets have signed free agent and former Sun Sean Marks.  Marks is a nine year veteran who is the first person born in New Zealand to play in the NBA.  This adds some needed depth to their frontline.
• The Oklahoma City franchise has not announced officially its nickname being the Thunder but it looks like that will happen soon.  The Oklahoman reports that there was a slip-up in the season ticket plans printout for the Orlando Magic.  For the December 5th game it says, “Magic vs. Thunder.”  You can see the slip here.  Nothing is official though as the announcement is not until September 3rd. 
• The Orange County Register is reporting that Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has seen Andrew Bynum working out and likes what he is seeing.  He also expects Bynum to be healthy and ready to go for training camp which starts at the end of September.  I don’t expect Bynum to be great in his first year back from a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery.  But the Lakers don’t need him to be great.  They just need a solid 12 points and 10 boards on average from him and they’ll be in great shape.  How about the starting five of Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum?  That’s a lot of length and athletic ability that will be tough to matchup with.
• Also Andrew Bynum’s trainer has given some insight at AndrewBynum.com into the tough workout schedule Bynum has been going through lately to prepare for his comeback season: “It all begins on the track at about 7:30-8:00 a.m. each morning for a serious hour and a half workout. We must begin early because after all,……. this is “Hotlanta” and after 9:30 a.m. one could practically melt!  Immediately following extensive work on the track we move on to resistance (weight) training in the weight room for about a one-hour session.  Basketball is the last activity for the morning/afternoon session and varies from one to three hours.  Later that evening he is again put to the test for one more conditioning activity which usually lasts for about an hour and a half.  That only leaves time for healthy eating and much needed sleep.  This guy is a serious worker; you almost can’t give him enough.”
• The Seattle Post Intelligencer is reporting that even though the lawsuit for the city of Seattle against Clay Bennett and Co. cost the city $2.9 million, the city still came out of it ahead financially.  However, they still came out in the red where it really matters: -1 in the number of NBA franchises.
• The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Rockets forward Chuck Hayes had surgery to repair his broken nose and will be out four to six weeks.  But there is a good chance he will be ready to go for the start of training camp.
• The Miami Herlad has reported that Pat Riley has said that he plans on keep the core players of the current Miami Heat team intact.  So do not expect any major trades or shakeups prior to the start of the season.  However, you should expect some sort of move to help them with their weakness at center as Riley said, “Now, we’re just trying to fortify with pieces. We still need help in the post.”  Jamaal Magloire and DJ Mbenga won’t exactly be huge helps.
• The Miami Herald is also reporting that Thursday August 28th was declared as Wade Day by the City of Miami in honor of his gold medal winning accomplishment.  The Heat also unveiled a banner in his honor at AmericanAirlines Arena.  Some really cool stuff here.  He sure deserves it.
• I absolutely love the game of Rudy Fernandez from Spain who will be joining the Portland TrailBlazers this year.  Apparently I’m not the only one as the Oregonian has some thoughts from his new coach Nate McMillan: “I was so impressed with him that it was to the point where after the second time I saw him, I didn’t sleep that night because I was moving my rotations around.  I swear I did not sleep. I could not sleep thinking about him. Because I’m saying, ‘We can put him here, do this with him, do that with him and Brandon (Roy), and do this… So he’s playing for us. Oh yeah. I see that right now.” 

Coast to Coast: 8/28/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The big story of the day has to do with the devastating injury to Warriors PG Monta Ellis.  The AP is reporting that Ellis will be out 3 months after severely spraining his ankle in an offseason workout.  Last year Ellis averaged 20 points, 5 boards, and 3 dimes per game.  In the offseason he was given a 6-year, $66 million extension while Baron Davis signed on with the Clippers.  Monta Ellis was going to be the guy this year for the first time and now he will miss at least the first month of the regular season.  The Warriors do have Marcus Williams to step in but he isn’t ready to play at the level that Ellis does.  This officially crushes any hopes Golden State had at competing in the difficult Western Conference this year.  I did think that this year was going to be when Ellis was finally recognized as a star in this league.  Tough break for him and the organization.
• The AP is reporting that the Oklahoma City franchise will announce its team name and colors on September 3rd.  Apparently the franchise has applied for the trademarks to six names: Thunder, Energy, Marshalls, Wind, Barons, and Bison.  I hear that the Thunder is most likely to be the one that is announced.  That’s fine as long as they don’t end up as the Oklahoma City Wind.  I don’t think you would see much jersey popping by the players if it read WIND on the front.
• The Orange County Register is speculating that the Lakers should consider signing free agent Shaun Livingston.  Livingston is currently rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee.  Livingston is talented and just 22 so I think some team should take a chance on him.  But not the Lakers with Fisher, Farmer, Sun Yue on board.  Doesn’t make much sense for them.
• Meanwhile the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Warriors are looking at Livingston.  Chris Mullin is traveling to Chicago today to see him work out.  This makes much more sense to me.  Why not give him a chance when all you’ve got is Marcus Williams and C.J. Watson.
• According to ESPN, Mike Krzyzewski said that he will continue to be involved with Team USA by helping with the model that Jerry Colangelo introduced.  When asked if he would coach the team again he said, “I’ll help in some capacity in consulting, in whatever they need to do.”  Despite the superior talent, Coach K deserves more credit for the job he did in stressing defense and teamwork to the Redeem Team.
• The Boston Globe is reporting that an autopsy revealed that fromer Blazer Kevin Duckworth died after his enlarged heart failed.  He was 44.  Catch your Duck tribute here.
• The Miami Herald is reporting that Dwayne Wade has said that his mission is to bring the team back to being a title contender.  This coming off a league-worst 15-win season.  They will be better with the Wade-Marion-Beasley trio but their situation at center prevents them from being considered a title contender. 
• The Salt Lake Tribune is speculating that the Jazz should consider making a play at acquiring Ben Gordon from the Bulls.  This makes no sense to me especially with how expensive Gordon will be.  The Jazz don’t need his outside shooting ability.  Stick with Kyle Korver and be happy you don’t have to overhaul your roster while bringing in Gordon, who apparently wants Monta Ellis money.
• The Toronto Sun is reporting that second round draft pick Kyle Weaver has signed a contract with the Oklahoma City franchise.  I think Weaver will be a good role player in this league.  Weaver is a solid defender who also has a versatile offensive game and had a knack for making big plays while playing in college at Washington State.  Good value in the second round if you ask me. 
• Finally the Rocky Mountain News is reporting that the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors will be playing two preseason games in China this October. 

–

Photo via AP

Coast to Coast: 8/27/08

It’s time to push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the big stories from around the league.

• Sad story as former Blazer Kevin Duckworth died Monday night at the age of 44.  Duck will surely be missed.
• Geez another sad story as former NBA player Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated due to his fight with bone cancer. 
• Great piece at TrueHoop on the future of Team USA.  There won’t be much to redeem in the future other than their current #2 FIBA ranking.  Got to give credit to Jerry Colangelo on how he changed the selection process and preparation of Team USA.
• We’ve all heard the Zach Randolph to Memphis rumors by now (Darko to NY?) but there is also talk of the Grizzlies looking at Portland’s Travis Outlaw as reported by the Memphis Edge.  Portland is expected to want Mike Conley in return and if that’s the case, I imagine Memphis would do the smart thing and look elsewhere.  I would only look to part with Kyle Lowry or Darko if I were them.
• The AP reports that a Phoenix prosecutor wants the federal files from the Tim Donaghy case.  You can almost picture David Stern cringing as this thing will not go away.
• Nick Collison told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he is still a little shocked by the move of the Sonics.  “A lot of people just say they are sad to see us leave,” he said. “They say a lot of nice things about me personally. That’s the toughest thing for me. We’re a part of the NBA. We accept this. But the fans are left with nothing, so that’s who I feel the worst for, the diehard Sonics fans who have been around for a long time.”  Well said Nick.  Check out my previous post on the Sonics move here.
• EURweb.com is reporting that Allan Houston has released an open letter thanking fans for all the report he received as his daughter underwent heart surgery.  She will be fine thankfully.  Remember Houston will try to make a comeback with the Suns this year.  Raise your hand if you think his body can last more than 2 weeks in training camp.  I didn’t think so.
• It has apparently been allowed that NBA teams can now pursue signing Iranian center Hamed Haddadi.  He averaged a double-double at the Olympics (16 pts, 10 rebs).  The Grizzlies were reportedly interested, maybe as an alternative to trading for Randolph or Outlaw.
• The Miami Herald reports that the Heat are interested in DJ Mbenga who received a minimum level offer from the Lakers.  First the interest in Jamaal Magloire and now Mbenga.  I still can’t tell if the media is messing with us with these rumors.  I don’t exactly see one of these potential signings satisfying Heat nation.
• I’m sure you’ve heard by now but the LPGA has instituted a rule requiring all golfers to be able to speak English as the New York Times has reported.  Apparently this is something the NBA is not considering.  So when Yi Jianlian is out of the NBA soon, he will not be able to blame it on his lack of expertise of the English language.  Only his lack of ability to play ball at a non-crappy level.