Washington will be the first Conference on the early black contribution and influence on the game of basketball. stay tuned for more information, as DC basketball is involved. Mayor Bing, Earl Lloyd and others are confirmed participants, and the venues include the Smithsonian Institution and Howard University:
BCB
That changed at the 9 minute, 19 second mark of the first quarter Wednesday night against the Raptors. Upset with a casual start that featured turnovers, poor transition defense and bad decision-making, Thibodeau burned a 20-second timeout and blistered his team. 'He expects a lot out of us,' Luol Deng said of the timeout. 'And we were letting him down.' Despite playing without Joakim Noah, Kyle Korver and obviously Carlos Boozer, the short-handed Bulls responded with a 110-103 victory at Air Canada Centre. With less than a week until the regular-season opener, it's time to get serious."Howard Beck of The New York Times: "This is the Knicks’ new reality. For two years, they operated under the shadow of LeBron James. Now they are dealing with the specter of Carmelo Anthony. A shaky preseason has only made a trade look more urgent. The speculation will end only when Anthony is finally traded, wherever the destination may be. 'It’s just talk,' Coach Mike D’Antoni said before the Knicks’ 118-91 loss to Philadelphia 76ers. 'And I’m not going deal in it. I don’t deal in it.' Asked about the impact on his young team’s psyche, D’Antoni said: 'Hey, you’re in New York -- put on a winter coat and let’s go. If you want to be here, this is part of the deal. And handle it.' Talks have been going on between the Knicks and the Nuggets since the summer. But the Nuggets have never been enamored of the Knicks’ players."Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Though Rockets center Yao Ming hasn't had any issues with his surgically repaired and altered left foot, he said he hasn't gotten over the concern about traffic in the lane, especially after teammate Chuck Hayes sprained his ankle Tuesday while stepping on Yao's foot. 'It's still a little bit (of a concern for) me, honestly,' Yao said. 'I get into (physical situations with) a lot of guys in a small area. I'm a little bit afraid people will step on me or I will jump in the air to try to get a rebound and land on somebody. That gives me a little to worry about. That goes slightly away day-by-day. I have a size 19 foot. That happens. I step in the paint; a quarter of the paint is full. Honestly, I already got a couple in the China Games. You see me fall on the ground. It was not because I really fell. I stepped on people's feet and shifted the stress. I was rolling my body on the ground to shift my weight.' Coach Rick Adelman said the concern is natural but Yao must overcome it."John Rohde of The Oklahoman: "To this day, members of last year's Thunder roster struggle to explain how they felt after Game 6, when their magical season ended abruptly with a 95-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. Even more inexplicable is what happened roughly 30 seconds after the final horn sounded inside the Ford Center on April 30, 2010. ... Already on their feet and wearing the complimentary blue T-shirts that adorned each seat upon their arrival, the 31st sellout crowd of the season began to cheer. The noise quickly built to a crescendo, as if Russell Westbrook's jumper from the corner actually had gone in and forced Game 7. Thunder players couldn't believe their ears. They broke their huddle, turned around, raised their hands and gave a wave of thanks. Several players applauded the crowd. It was a raw sports moment that couldn't possibly be choreographed -- disappointment, followed by emotion, followed by gratitude -- a sequence rarely experienced by any team whose season ends with a loss at home. ... 'I've never seen a response like that,' said Thunder coach Scott Brooks, who played in the NBA for a decade and has coached for another. 'That never happens. It was heartfelt and our guys appreciated it.' Brooks paused and searched for more words. 'That's, um... not common,' Brooks said. 'That's not common, but there are so many things we love about Oklahoma City. Our fans are so loyal to us. They had tough times early on (a 3-29 start in 2008-09), but hopefully those times are behind us.' Backup point guard Eric Maynor hails from North Carolina, the Bible Belt of college basketball, and still shakes his head at what he witnessed. 'Fans stuck around after a loss,' Maynor said. 'I've never seen anything like it.' "Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "What separated the Suns from the playoff pack last season was the bench. Five reserves comprised a unit with a distinct style and personality, giving the Suns a 10-man mix and a wave of unselfish, energetic game-changers who eased the load on veteran starters. The Suns again turn to a five-man bench to carry the middle of each half and ride hot hands to the finish. As it was prior to last season, success off the bench this season is no sure thing -- mainly due to a lack of familiarity. When Goran Dragic runs the second unit, Hakim Warrick and Josh Childress give him a new look to handle. Now, Childress is indefinitely out with a broken right index finger, and Channing Frye feels behind with 'heavy' legs and shots falling short. 'It's still more of an athletic team with Josh,' reserve Jared Dudley said. 'Defensively, we have the potential to be there but Channing and Warrick have to help us out, just because bigs are crucial in the NBA. It takes time and that's why chemistry is going to be huge. We're trying to copy last year's format but in a way. We kind of can use some of it but some is new players. Hakim is not Lou (Amundson). Josh is not LB (Leandro Barbosa). We have to figure out their style into our second unit. Pushing the ball is definitely going to be a key.' "Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press: "One of the Timberwolves' key offseason objectives was to improve their outside shooting. The results have been quick and surprising. After seven exhibition games, the Wolves lead the NBA in three-point shooting, hitting 59 of 133 attempts for a .444 percentage. Perhaps the most significant factor in the Wolves' early success is that four of the team's top six three-point shooters were not on last year's roster, a group that ranked 26th in the league in long-range shooting. Newcomers Martell Webster, Anthony Tolliver, Sebastian Telfair and Wesley Johnson have made a combined 32 three-pointers, validating the efforts made by Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis to upgrade the team's perimeter play. 'Our three-point shooting has changed our whole identity,' said Wolves forward Kevin Love, who ranks sixth in the league (13 of 22, .591) during the exhibition season. 'It doesn't allow teams to just pack it in the paint on us. It opens up a lot of aspects to our offense. Teams will have to play us different.' "Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The problem for the Hawks, of course, wasn’t that they couldn’t beat Orlando. It’s that they couldn’t compete with them. Clearly that’s the reason Woody is no longer the coach. Rick Sund could have gone further and sent away some players, too. But the 53 wins and the 11-9 record last season against the other teams Sund considered elite–while no reason to throw a parade–also helped convince him that dismantling the team would be premature. He said he learned from Jerry West and Wayne Embry not to blow up a good core too soon. 'Fans may not understand and media certainly wouldn’t understand because they like the hype of all the moves in the summer,' he said. 'But when you look at our club, we’ve got a pretty damn good club and a good nucleus given that we [operate] under the luxury tax.' "Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger: "The meeting in Avery Johnson’s office manifested itself into an impromptu film session centered around Terrence Williams’ play in China. The worry, Johnson said, was an over-abundance of shots -- 38 in two games as a reserve. The two outlined certain plays where Williams should have looked to distribute more, where drives to the basket sucked in defenders and left teammates open. Williams had the games in his iPad, dissecting them on the plane ride home, already anticipating a shakedown from Johnson. In his coach, Williams has found stability, one coach instead of the three he had last year, with a specific plan laid out for him. A detailed role that doesn’t leave him believing he’s better, or worse, than he is. Now, the texts from his friends -- the ones that say 'when’s (coach) gonna stop playin’ and start you?' -- don’t get to him anymore. Now, he responds like this: 'It’s great,' Williams said. 'This coach for this team is the best decision the Nets have made in like the last 15 years. Nah, I’m playing, but honestly he helps me out a lot.” eager to grant Anthony’s wish to play in New York.' "Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune via Twitter: "Well you don't see this every day: Larry Bird standing on N 7th St, smoking on the sidewalk on a Wednesday afternoon."Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News: "All right. I'll never be known for my sartorial flair, but I do consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of sports uniforms. As such, I found a lot of interest in a recent slideshow created by NBCSports.com that details the ugliest uniforms in professional sports history. The list was heavily tilted to the NFL, but the NBA was included. Some of their NBA selections included the Atlanta Hawks , the old-time Denver Nuggets (which I'm sure will break Mike Monroe's heart), the Golden State Warriors road uniform encrusted with the outline of California, the Houston Rockets' uniforms with vertical stripes and my personal choice of the old Toronto Raptors' road uniforms with the dinosaur on the front. The Spurs' silver-and-black ensemble ranks in my opinion as one of the classiest in the NBA, along with Boston Celtics' home uniforms and the Los Angeles Lakers' gold and purple home and road uniforms."Neal Rubin of The Detroit News: "More than 300 people registered to try out for the Detroit Pistons' new 50-person spirit section, the Power Plant. Exactly 11 of them showed up at the audition Wednesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which is not very peppy. But this is a cheer squad, so you have to look on the bright side:Those 11 people have a very, very good chance of making the cut. And are the Pistons giving up? That wouldn't be very peppy, either. The Pistons Power Plant is designed to be a professional version of Michigan State University's Izzone -- a core group of diehards whose sworn duty is to get the rest of the crowd standing, shrieking, frothing and rending their garments. What that will do, in theory, is assure the Pistons of a whopping home court advantage. In return for their assistance, the Power Planters will each receive a free lower-level ticket for all 41 games -- with the requirement they show up for every single, solitary, Oct. 29-through-April-11 one. The people who didn't make it to the audition do not have great promise in that regard. But you get the feeling that the 11 who showed up would arrive for every tipoff even if they had to walk."Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. the type of person I am,' Wall said. 'Rookie of the year would be great to have, as an individual goal, but like I told you, if I get better individually and worry about individual goals for myself in this team, it's not going to help this organization get to where it wants to be -- and that's hopefully a playoff contender and before I end my career, a championship contender. The main thing is focusing on the team and worrying about myself second.' ... Last week, DeMarcus Cousins posed with a T-shirt that read, 'ROY-DMC,' and has already pledged to take out his anger over sliding to fifth on the four teams that passed on him in the draft. Wall said he loves Cousins's confidence. 'That's what you need, though. I don't want ... he shouldn't have to say, 'John is going to win rookie of the year; Blake Griffin is going to be rookie of the year.' You have to be that confident in yourself and I'm not mad at him or knocking him or nothing like that. That's how he got to be. This is a different team for him. He's the big man on their team to hopefully help them win a lot of games. He should want to win rookie of the year.' "Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle: "Rockets coach Rick Adelman said Ishmael Smith, an undrafted rookie guard, has been the surprise player of camp. Smith has averaged five points and 3.3 assists while averaging 17 minutes during the preseason. During the NBA Summer League, the Wake Forest product led the Rockets in assists (4.8 per game). Adelman called Smith 'the best passer in camp.' 'All through summer league he was good, but you never know what that’s going to translate into camp,' Adelman said. 'He’s been terrific every time we use him. He’s never backed down. We knew he could play, but he’s been very consistent.' Smith said he will assume whatever role the Rockets need. 'If I have to impersonate Chris Paul, Tony Parker or whoever it is to get the guys ready, I’m going to do that,' he said. 'When my number is called, I’ll be ready.' "Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "Asked why the Spurs did not sign a veteran free agent in the offseason, which they often did in the past, Gregg Popovich said the decision was driven not by preconceived intent, but by circumstance. 'I don't know that it is so purposeful,' he said. 'You go by who's left. You look at the rosters and the available people out there, and you choose. If there would have been a Robert Horry out there, I would have taken him. It just depends, year to year, who is there.' When it was pointed out that Horry, who retired after his 2007-08 season with the Spurs, remains technically available, Popovich couldn't resist a wisecrack. 'That's the puffy Robert Horry,' he said, noting that Horry, now 40, has added weight since retiring to a post-basketball career as a pizza pitch man. 'That's the thick-crust Robert Horry.' "Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: "Blame the 'dumb coach' for Wayne Ellington not playing more this preseason. And this is coming from Wolves coach Kurt Rambis. He was asked about Ellington, who took advantage of his start Sunday against Milwaukee by hitting eight of 11 shots and all three of his three-pointers, picking up four assists, two steals and a block in 25-plus minutes. 'To me that's the way Wayne has been playing [all camp],' Rambis said after Monday's practice. 'His dumb coach hasn't been giving him enough time to show what he can do out there. What you saw him doing in the starting position, that's what he's been doing.' That performance has muddied an already super-competitive competition at the shooting guard position, where Martell Webster, Ellington, Wes Johnson and Corey Brewer are all competing for time and starts. Ellington, taken by the Wolves with the 28th pick in the 2009 draft, appeared in 76 games last season, averaging 6.6 points. But he clearly had been working on his game. 'I worked very hard all summer,' Ellington said. 'I knew that there would be competition coming in. I knew that the position was open. I wanted to show what I could do.' "Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: "Jay Triano had an interesting analogy in describing Reggie Evans’ role, which is to get more possessions by rebounding the basketball. 'We have guys who play the piano and guys who carry the piano,’ Triano waxed. '(Evans) carries it.' A not-so subtle change to Evans, besides his leaner body, has been his willingness to kick the ball out when he hauls down a board rather than try some crazy offensive move."Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "With Thunder general manager Sam Presti hailing from the San Antonio organization, the Thunder for years has drawn comparisons to the Spurs. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said Monday those comparisons are 'flattering' but added that the Thunder isn't necessarily seeking to copy the Spurs' model. 'We're two different organizations,' Brooks said. 'Sam has done a good job of building the team. But we do things the way we feel is best for our organization. But the San Antonio Spurs, I have a lot of respect for the organization and coach (Gregg Popovich). The way they handle success and the way they handle when they're not successful.' Comparisons aside, Brooks said it's always beneficial to play the Spurs. 'They play hard,' Brooks said. 'I like playing this team because they challenge you in so many ways. You learn so many different things about yourself because they make you play hard and smart basketball for you to be successful.' "Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "With just one exhibition game remaining before the start of the regular season, one unquestionable truth has emerged: When Rudy Fernandez steps on the court, he sure doesn't look unhappy. And with every passing October day, every swished three-pointer and every highlight-reel play, Fernandez's coaches and teammates say they have discovered one more truth: They can depend on the disgruntled guard, homesick or not. ... At Oracle Arena on Monday night, Fernandez refused to talk about his 'situation,' except to say that he continues to take things 'day-to-day.' It's clear he's grown tired of the constant scrutiny and sick of answering questions about his displeasure. But team insiders say that behind the scenes Fernandez seems happier than when he first arrived in Portland for training camp, in part because teammates have reached out to make him feel more at home in Portland. ... 'The team is helping me,' Fernandez said. 'I'm good with the dynamic with the team. I'm focused on my work and focused on helping my team. When I'm on the court, I try to help my team with my shot, with my defense. This is my role and my focus.' "Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Coming off an eight-turnover game at Portland on Saturday, Stephen Curry promised it wouldn't happen again. Then, he committed six turnovers in the Warriors' 100-78 victory over the Trail Blazers on Monday night at Oracle Arena. The 14 turnovers in the last two games are part of a training-camp-long problem. Curry has 28 assists to 28 turnovers in the shortened playing time of five preseason games. That equates to 9.1 turnovers per 48 minutes. Curry played 80 games last season and committed more than seven turnovers in a game only once (10, Feb. 19 at Utah). In the final 10 games of his rookie season, he had 78 assists, 32 turnovers and 22 steals. 'It's me trying to create a play instead of reading the play correctly,' Curry said. 'It's working the kinks out of the new lineup and figuring out where people are going to be. But, I'm not panicking.' In many ways, then-coach Don Nelson's freestyling isolation sets and pick-and-roll offense protected Curry as he adjusted to the toughest position in the league as a rookie."Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: "Jonas Jerebko partially ruptured the Achilles' tendon in his right leg, and his season -- at least most of it -- is over. Monday, 10 days after undergoing surgery, Jerebko sat at practice, visibly dejected he couldn't be out there with his teammates. 'All I can think about is being back on the court,' said Jerebko, who is expected to miss the next five months. 'I was looking forward to the season.' Initially, Jerebko thought he'd miss a couple of games -- at most. But he knew something was wrong when strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander examined him. 'He landed on my leg,' Jerebko said of the play. 'You can't take 250 pounds on your leg. I felt something. It just numbed my whole leg.' Now, all Jerebko can do is wait and hope that all the work he put in this summer, which included developing a post-up game and the ability to create his own shot, will account for something. 'I'll just try to get it back,' said Jerebko, who averaged nine points and six rebounds last year. 'And I will get it back.' "Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.