Nick Borges 10y

First Cup: Monday

  • Roderick Boone of Newsday: That forgettable performance by Deron Williams in the second game of the Nets' playoff series against the Heat in May elicited many opinions. Even Kobe Bryant chimed in, questioning whether Williams "psyched" himself out after clanking his first nine shots, causing him to shy away from taking shots the rest of the night. In response Sunday, Williams cited the difference in the positions they play, making it crystal clear that hoisting a bevy of shots when his stroke is off doesn't exactly equate to success in his world. "I'm a point guard," Williams said. "If I'm 0 for ... 9, I'm not shooting 20 more shots. Not going to happen. I'm a point guard. I'm going to find somebody else. Kobe Bryant, that's what he's supposed to do. He's got that mentality. That works for him. I got my mentality, it works for me."

  • Marc Berman of the New York Post: Knicks rookie coach Derek Fisher said he is not a Phil Jackson clone or puppet and has learned plenty from other marquee coaches. Fisher played for Jackson on five Lakers championship teams, but he also has played for Jerry Sloan, Rick Carlisle, Del Harris and finished his playing career in June under the Thunder’s Scott Brooks. “I’m not Phil Jackson, that’s for sure,” Fisher said Friday in Tarrytown. “I am not going to try to be or even pretend to be. I’ve for sure taken a lot of the basketball experiences and knowledge and life experiences and knowledge from working for Phil for so many years. So there will for sure be some things I will try and channel. At the same time, I’ve learned a lot from other coaches, other men, other people that inspire me, other great leaders, other great athletes, great people that I’ll also channel."

  • Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: Rondo’s slip in the shower last week and emergency hand surgery punched a two-month hole in all sorts of plans. ... Brad Stevens begins training camp without his best player for the second straight year, and any chance Ainge had of measuring or building Rondo’s trade value is again on hold. The same can be said of Rondo’s own plan — one that has him heading into free agency next summer with the legitimate hope of a max contract. The Marcus Smart era, though, may arrive sooner than expected. There’s no reason not to expose the rookie point guard to as much of the league’s fire as he can handle, quite possibly in a starting role. Perhaps Smart’s initial growth is also where Stevens begins to build this team in his image and according to his principles. That wasn’t going to happen with last year’s turnstile mix of journeymen, veterans and youth. But the coach who admitted that everything from the schedule to expanded timeouts forced him to think differently last season is now more grounded. Stevens can start implementing a culture on a team that hasn’t had one since the departures of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

  • Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Ten years ago, the Suns were undergoing the second ownership change in franchise history when Jerry Colangelo weighed two leading bidders aiming to succeed him as the franchise's managing partner. Colangelo knew more about Jeff Moorad, a baseball agent who had represented Luis Gonzalez and would later become a minority partner in replacing Colangelo's Diamondbacks ownership. Colangelo knew the other, banking and real estate magnate Robert Sarver, about as well as Sarver knew the NBA at the time — but Sarver's group bid had weight. With a then-record $401 million bid that later grew by a few million for success escalators, Sarver became the Suns' managing partner with nobody knowing what to expect. A decade has changed Sarver's NBA expertise — about as much as how time has changed the three little boys in a 2005 Steve Nash MVP photo outside Sarver's office. The boys now are teenagers who grew up with the franchise, just as their father grew into it. Sarver learned from missteps in a different business world while remaining part of the new breed of hands-on owners who want to apply their business savvy to franchises with rapidly growing value.

  • Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: With media day Monday heralding the start of training camp, every Derrick Rose jump shot, dribble, quote and ice pack soon will be scrutinized. The additions of Pau Gasol, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic and the subtraction of Carlos Boozer are all well and good, but this boat sinks or sails into the Eastern Conference finals because of Rose. Two season-ending knee surgeries since the 2012 playoffs, however, have raised questions about Rose’s ability to even be around in May. A better supporting cast puts even more pressure on Rose, who says he has never been surrounded with as much talent.

  • Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press: Former Pistons leading scorer Richard Hamilton was a recent guest on ESPN2's "Highly Questionable" with Miami-based journalists Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones. Hamilton mentioned several teammates in the interview, including funny stories about how well Rasheed Wallace can dress and how big of a competitor Michael Jordan really is. But it was the third member of the "Highly Questionable" crew, Le Batard's father, who asked the question that drew the most interesting response. Papi asked Hamilton for his honest reaction when the Pistons drafted Darko Milicic with the second overall pick in 2003. "When you've got Carmelo Anthony out there, aw man, it was hard to pass up on him. I think I had the same reaction everyone else had, and that was ..." followed by a befuddled, puzzled stare that Hamilton held until the end of the interview. The show hosts giggled as Hamilton stayed stone-faced as they went to commercial.

  • Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press: Contract talks that could make Ricky Rubio the second-highest-paid Timberwolves player will take place in person this week, and both the 23-year-old point guard and the Wolves seem ready to make a deal. Rubio and Wolves owner Glen Taylor spoke several times by telephone last week, with each expressing hope a contract extension can get done soon. Rubio is to be paid $5.08 million this season. A new deal, expected to be for four years, could be worth $11 million annually. Center Nikola Pekovic is the highest-paid Wolves player at $12.1 million a year. If there is no deal before Oct. 31, Rubio could become a restricted free agent after the season, but the Wolves would have the right to match any offer. Rubio's representation has been seeking a five-year maximum contract that could be worth about $75 million. The Wolves are willing to wait if Rubio decides a four-year deal isn't enough.

  • Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Gregg Popovich joked on media day — at least, we think he was joking — that the Spurs have started a pool on Boris Diaw’s weight, with the minimum bet starting at 275 pounds, during his excused absence from the first week of training camp. Obviously enjoying his time off after leading France to third place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Diaw reached out via social media on Sunday to assure his head coach he’ll be ready for action when he rejoins the team upon their arrival in Europe later this week for their two-game preseason tour. The caption, which isn’t showing up for whatever reason, reads: No worries pop only one glass of wine and daily workouts! But really, the picture speaks for itself.

  • Chris Haynes of The Plain Dealer: It's a pivotal year for the Cavs, as so the case for Tristan Thompson, individually. He is entering the final season of his rookie-scale contract and the Cavs can reach an extension with their young forward by the Oct. 31 deadline. If not, he will become a restricted free agent next summer with the Cavs having the ability to match any offer sheets competitors throw his way. Thompson would surely have no shortage of suitors entering free agency because of his tremendous upside and high character. As of now, Northeast Ohio Media Group is told, "there have been no communication" between the Cavs and Thompson's agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group. That doesn't mean much. Quite frankly, it's simply too early. "In terms of contract, I'm not worried about that at all," Thompson said to NEOMG. "My main focus, especially with this new team, is how we can gel and trying to pick up coach [David] Blatt's philosophy. My mindset is solely on how I can help this team win and help us grow as a franchise. As long as we win, that's all that matters and everything else will take care of itself."

  • Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer: Lance Stephenson can remember well the moment he felt on top of the basketball world. He was 12 years old, ranked the No. 1 sixth-grade player in the country by Hoop Scoop, a national basketball player-ranking service. Hoop Scoop editor Clark Francis said Stephenson was the best middle schooler he had ever seen. “When I got 1, I was like, ‘Yo, I’m nice,’” Stephenson said. “...I always played two levels up. When I played with my age group it was like walking in the park. Going up for a layup was easy. From that day on, every time I played with my age group I was like, they’re too little for me. That’s when I knew I could be good.” As a Coney Island teenager given the nickname “Born Ready,” he became New York City’s best high school basketball player. After a quick stop in college, he has toiled in relative obscurity in the Midwest up until last season with the Indiana Pacers. Now, Stephenson, the Charlotte Hornets’ big free-agent signing this offseason, is poised for a breakout with his new team. But his talent has always been belied by his outbursts.

  • Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: Chris Bosh is starting to realize just how much offensive freedom he’s going to have this season. And it’s a little intimidating. Bosh is looking forward to being the focal point of the Heat’s offense this season, but losing LeBron James also means Bosh is going to have to be a two-way franchise player. He’s going to have to lead the team defensively as well. It’s something he has been preparing for mentally throughout the offseason and through the first few days of training camp. “Right now it’s easy,” Bosh said Sunday. “Everybody is supposed to win a championship, everybody wants to win a championship right now, everybody is undefeated, but when those back-to-backs come and those long road trips come, it’s going to be a big-time challenge. “And especially those nights when you’re going to have to put the extra effort for the team and to lead them in a certain way that I wasn’t doing before. It’s going to be hard.”

  • Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: With training camp set to open Monday for Los Angeles’ two basketball teams, it seems right to take a deep breath and ask the only logical question. That magical dark force is responsible for this Freaky Friday body switch? The goals for Southern California’s NBA teams can be broken down in one sentence: The Clippers want the Lakers’ past, and the Lakers want the Clippers’ future. Weird, right? How’d this happen? The Clippers got a combination of getting it right and luck, while the Lakers got old without much luck or getting it right.

  • Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Mehmet Okur is back with the Utah Jazz. Not as a player, though. The lovable, sharpshooting Turkish big man isn't leaving the retirement life anytime soon. Rather, Okur has agreed to be a team ambassador in an official capacity for the NBA team he played for from 2004-11. Jazz CEO Greg Miller complimented Okur because, he said in a statement released by the team's PR crew, the center "has always carried himself with class and dignity." Miller said Okur will work with players, sponsors and fans. The 2007 NBA All-Star will also help with the organization's alumni, community and fan relations efforts; the Jazz's business development; and perhaps even with basketball operations, according to the press release.

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