Rockets Daily – Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Daily Factoid: During the 2005-2006 season, Brad Miller dished out 6.1 assists per 48 minutes, the highest mark among all centers in the league. To put this in perspective,  Steve Francis averaged 5.3 assists per 48 minutes during that same season.

  • ESPN – ‘Bulls not sold on McGrady’: “One source close to the process told ESPN.com that the prospect of Chicago signing McGrady was downgraded to “unlikely” after the workout and interview, with the Bulls saying they wanted more time to consider other options. ESPN.com reported Sunday that McGrady had to show Chicago that he was sufficiently healthy and, perhaps more importantly, eager to take on any role outlined by new Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau — big or small — to join a young, promising roster that already has 11 players… Yet McGrady, when asked about coming off the bench, seemed to suggest that he expects to be more than a role player in Chicago.
  • ESPN – ‘Hornets GM confident Paul staying put’: Chris Paul is staying put with the New Orleans Hornets — at least for now. The Hornets’ star guard did not request a trade Monday in his meeting with new coach Monty Williams and top team officials, general manager Dell Demps said. Although Paul did not speak with the media, the team released a statement from him that indicated the three-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist was encouraged by the Hornets’ recent coaching and front-office overhaul.”
  • Fanhouse – ‘Whether Chris Paul Stays or Goes, NBA is Losing Integrity‘: “As for now, when future generations ask whatever happened to that pro basketball league that once had all of those players in short pants and long hair who helped orchestrate the true meaning of ‘teams,’ folks will blow the dust from the history books and turn to the chapter entitled ‘The NBA summer of 2010: The loss of integrity… Integrity involves trust, and fans trust that most of the players on their team are giving every millisecond for their city, for their teammates — and for their fans.’”
  • ESPN : “The Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to trade point guard Ramon Sessions and forward Ryan Hollins to the Cleveland Cavaliers for point guards Delonte Westand Sebastian Telfair. The Timberwolves say they will also send Cleveland a future second-round pick in the deal completed Monday night.
  • DailyThunder, on Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green playing for Team USA: “I think being the alpha dog on Team USA will almost demand this next stage in development for Durant’s game. There is no doubt who is the best player on this squad and who is the biggest offensive threat on the floor no matter who the USA plays against. KD will be wearing a red, white and blue bulls-eye, which is precisely why he can become that much more effective and lethal of a player if he can continue to progress as a passer and creator of offense for the team than just for himself.
  • SB Nation – ‘Why Greed is Good’: “But as you know—as everyone knows—LeBron James, the elephant, obscured it all. The years-long buildup, the week-long buzz of back-and-forth rumors, the crescendo of LeBron’s narcissism, and the subsequent cascade of name-calling and wild predictions. He cast a shadow over everything. It all felt like satire, but it was actually about as real as sports gets… But, what’s our current reality? Don’t let LeBron distract you: This will be awesome. Really, really awesome… The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms. Greed—for life, for money, for love, knowledge—has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.
  • CelticsHub – ‘Jermaine O’Neal is the starting center for the Boston Celtics’: “The Celtics should be a better offensive team with O’Neal playing heavy minutes. And that’s a good thing, because the Celtics need to be a better offensive team. They ranked 15th in offensive efficiency last season, a shockingly low number for a team that was a few baskets away from winning the NBA title. They need to do better, and O’Neal should help in that regard.”
  • Hoopinion – ‘Jamal Crawford wants to stay; Childress glad to be gone’: “Jamal Crawford, the league’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has requested a contract extension from the Atlanta Hawks, according to league sources… Given what the Hawks have proven willing to pay aging shooting guards–$19 million to Crawford for his age 29 and 30 seasons, $124 million to Joe Johnson for his age 29 through 34 seasons–who could blame him?… Josh Childress spoke with Sekou Smith about why he left Atlanta: ‘I don’t think I ever got a formal offer. All I wanted was a deal. I just wanted to feel like they wanted me to be a part of their team. And I never had that feeling. It was always, ‘we’ll deal with him when we have time.’ Personally and professionally, I felt like I acquitted myself the right way. I came to work and did what was asked of me. and then when it came time to negotiate, it was like ‘we’ll get to him whenever we can.’”
  • According to Neil Paine, the most efficient player in the league against above-average defenses last season was, unsurprisingly, Lebron James. More surprising, however, was that Kobe Bryant was only 16th best, behind the likes of Joe Johnson, Danny Granger, and Marcus Thorton.

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