Nick Borges 10y

First Cup: Friday

  • A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com: Jeff Green has been in town for a couple days, long enough to get in the practice facility to work out with some of the Boston Celtics' new faces. But it is a familiar one - Rajon Rondo - whose healthy return this season should pay off with improved play by both Green and the Celtics. ... The 6-foot-9 forward is on point in acknowledging how Rondo being further removed from a torn ACL injury suffered in January of 2013, can improve Boston's chances for success. But the same can be said for him playing with more consistency. Although he led the Celtics in scoring with 16.9 points per game, the highs and lows he experienced on the floor were ridiculously high and absurdly low in comparison to others with similar talent. He opened the season with 25 points last season at Toronto, but managed to total just 20 points in Boston's next two games.

  • J. Michael of CSN Washington: Will Otto Porter play like a No. 3 overall pick? ... Porter will play 65 games or more, average at least 20 minutes per game, 8-10 points and possibly work his way into the starting lineup pending how quickly he develops. Paul Pierce signed here as a free agent, but he’s not going to log starter’s minutes all season (and Martell Webster coming off back surgery). The plan is for the Wizards to spread playing time with a deeper bench, preserving the likes of Pierce, 36, for the long run in an 82-game season. If all goes well, Pierce could sit late in the season to rest while Porter eats up the minutes heading into the postseason. That way both players would be in top form.

  • Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press: Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton said he's optimistic that the team and point guard Ricky Rubio will negotiate a contract extension but insisted there is no urgency. "If we can get something done sooner, great. If not, we're not necessarily in a rush," Newton said Thursday after a pre-training camp workout. The Wolves and Rubio's agent, Dan Fegan, have been able to negotiate since July 1 and have until Oct. 31. Newton said the sides are in "constant contact" but stopped short of calling that "negotiations." "Knowing Ricky the person, he wants to be here," Newton said. "We just have to deal with his agent." The maximum deal allowed under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement would be five years, $90 million. Given Rubio's shooting struggles and the time he spent on the bench in the fourth quarter last season, a more likely offer would be a four-year deal in the ballpark of $40 million. "Until that right number comes up, I guess we will continue to talk," Newton said. Rubio will receive $5 million this season, and if the sides don't agree to a long-term extension, the Wolves will have until July 2015 to offer him a one-year qualifying offer for 2015-16.

  • Perry A Farrell of the Detroit Free Press: Jodie Meeks was happy for Detroit Pistons teammate Andre Drummond and the U.S. for winning the FIBA World Cup championship with a resounding victory over Serbia on Sunday in Madrid. It's something he'd like to be part of, eventually. The Pistons' new shooting guard has dreams of making the 2016 Olympic team. "I'm happy for him," Meeks said of Drummond. "It's a great honor to play on the USA team, and I know he put in a lot of hard work. He has improved a lot between his first and second (NBA) year, and hopefully, he'll do the same in his third year. Hopefully, one day, I'll get a chance to participate in that and be with him." Meeks would have to beat out a bunch of American shooting guards, but by moving to Detroit from the Los Angeles Lakers, he'll get a chance for plenty of playing time.

  • Dave Zrum of Sportsnet.ca: If you’re into dunking (and who isn’t?), February can’t come fast enough. That’s because with Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine headlining a rookie crop featuring some of the most explosive athletes to hit the NBA in years, there’s a strong chance that this might be the season the dunk contest at All-Star Weekend ceases to suck. But it turns out that if you’re in Minnesota you won’t have to wait that long. Not even close. Earlier this week, the Timberwolves announced they will be holding a Midnight Madness-style team scrimmage on the eve of the pre-season at a university campus near Minneapolis. Taking a page out of the college text book, the event will feature a dunk contest between Wolves rookies Wiggins, LaVine and Glenn Robinson III. ... The event goes down on September 29th and will be aired live on NBATV.

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