Daily Factoid -In the last 8 seasons, the Most Improved Player has averaged a 1.2% decrease in efficiency after his MIP season. (Monta Ellis and Jermaine O’Neal were the only players in these years that improved their efficiency after winning their awards)
- The Dream Shake’s preseason rankings of the Western Conference.
- Jonathan Feigen – ‘Look past the injuries. When the NBA goes international, it is still worth the risk’: “The injury to Beaubois was immediately described as justification for Mark Cuban’s long-held objection to NBA participation in international events. Splitter’s condition was a rapid reminder of the more serious injuries suffered by Spurs’ stars Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The injury history with Yao Ming has long left Rockets fans crossing fingers and holding breath while Yao played for China, and then debating the impact those competitions had on the injuries that followed. Yet, this weekend’s setbacks, like Yao’s, though unfortunate in no way argue against NBA players playing for their countries. These injuries have nothing to do with the uniform the players wore at the time. The idea that injuries incur because players were training with their national teams is usually ridiculous. Players that choose not to play internationally — or who do not have that option — do not sit at home encased in bubble wrap. They are training, too. And they usually train without the advantages of working under the direction of top trainers and with the help of top medical people. Yao’s injury issues have inspired all sorts of finger-pointing, blaming his participation in the Olympics and World Championships, though he always sustained the injuries while playing for the Rockets. The wear and tear argument might have some logic, but it ignores that back when he played every summer for China, he was not hurt in the subsequent seasons with the Rockets. His more severe injury problems have come in the past five years when his responsibilities with the national team were dramatically reduced. The guy could spend a summer with his wedding and honeymoon, but an injury nine months later would be blamed on the grueling summer with the national team. Even the argument that his play with the Chinese National Team wore too much tread off those tires does not make a lot of sense. Yao has missed far more NBA games than he has played for China. An extra 10 games every other summer does not compare to the number of additional games other play in an 82-game season.”
- Fanhouse interviews Chuck Hayes, the smallest big man in the NBA.
- ESPN – ‘Sources: Pistons mulling Tracy McGrady’: “Tracy McGrady might be playing in the Central Division next season, but not with the team he was anticipating. The Detroit Pistons are seriously weighing whether to sign the two-time scoring champion after McGrady’s recent flirtation with the Chicago Bulls, according to sources with knowledge of Detroit’s thinking.”
- ESPN – ‘Source: Bulls, Keith Bogans agree’- “The Chicago Bulls agreed to terms with free agent Keith Bogans on Friday, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. The deal is for two years, with only one guaranteed, according to the source. Bulls.com writer Sam Smith reported that the deal is worth about $2.5 million.”
- NBA Playbook on how to play zone defense in the NBA.
- Nets Daily – ‘When a Star Becomes Available… Cap Space is Crucial’: “Why hold on to cap space when there are good players out there who could help you? It’s all about being ready to move quickly should the opportunity to acquire a star suddenly arise. The reason is that every year, at the trade deadline and again on Draft Day, unhappy stars, even superstars, become available. Sometimes, the possibilities are obvious and well-publicized, like when Vince Carter or Jason Kidd, demanded trades from Toronto and New Jersey. Sometimes, they’re not so obvious or well-publicized, like when Kidd and Carter were traded with little warning by Phoenix and New Jersey. Preparing for that opportunity means having a menu of odd assets on hand because what most NBA teams receive for their unhappy star isn’t another star, but a package drawn from that menu. History shows a combination platter of cap space or expiring contracts combined with draft picks, young players, cash and trade exceptions often satisfies the team looking to deal. Nothing is more important that cap space. Large salaries can be swallowed up by cap space. The more you have, the more you can engineer a deal without matching salaries, without dealing in the arcane world of exceptions.”
- Forum Blue & Gold writes a short tribute to Nick Van Exel and his time with the Lakers.
- RealGM – ‘Jeff Van Gundy Predicts Heat Will Break Chicago’s Wins Record’- “‘They will break the single-season win record [of 72],’Van Gundy said. ‘And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers’ 33-game [winning] streak [in 1971-72], as well. And only the Lakers have even a remote shot at beating them in a playoff series. They will never lose two games in a row this year. ‘They have put together a much better roster than anybody could ever have expected,’ Van Gundy added. ‘There is now no good way to defend them. They are unguardable. They are indefensible. They are just too good and have added so much shooting and are so versatile that they will score at will. ‘And with Erik Spoelstra coaching, they will be in the top three defensive teams in the league, as well. The other 29 teams better hope the lockout gets moved up a year.’”
- Boston Herald – ‘Ray Allen likes Shaquille O’Neal signing, underdog role’: “Ray Allen says there is room in Boston for the Big Diesel and the Big Three. The Celtics guard, speaking Saturday before a charity basketball game in Connecticut, said he believes Shaquille O’Neal is a good fit in Boston’s quest to repeat as Eastern Conference champion. ‘It’s definitely interesting to me, because I think he can help us,” Allen said. “One of our bad traits this past year was offensive rebounding and rebounding in general, and he’s a guy that takes up a lot of space, so I definitely think he can help us.’ Allen said he wasn’t sure he would be returning to Boston after the NBA finals. A good friend, he said, was even sending him advertisements of houses for sale in Miami. ‘I don’t think anybody’s mind had to be changed,’ he said. ‘I think once the dust settled, we all had to understand what our stance was. Everybody took a look and said, ’We still have something good here, and we don’t want to give it away.’ Allen said he’s looking forward to the battles with LeBron James and Miami, and likes being in the underdog role, rather than the team with the bulls-eye on its back.”
- Brian Windhorst – ‘Was ‘moody’ an understatement when it comes to LeBron’: “I don’t believe James’ behavior as a Cav was ever ‘loathsome.’ Something that was an issue with the Olympic team was his reluctance to accept the sort of leadership role the coaches expected of him. This was covered in regular reporting and then in great detail in the book I authored with Terry Pluto on James’ development into an MVP that was co-published by The Plain Dealer. The coverage of James over the last seven years, in Cleveland and from the outside, has been as comprehensive as any athlete in pro sports. As I’ve written before and will continue to: whatever issues there were with James, the Cavs were more than ready to re-sign him for six more years. Whether or not he’s can be a champion is yet to be seen. But what he brings massively outweighs any downsides.”
