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#Post#: 631--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: February 19, 2013, 9:53 am
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Kobe Bryant passed on trade after this lesson from Jerry Buss:
It's good to be a Laker for life
Adrian Wojnarowski / Yahoo! Sports
2/19/2013
After all the anger and angst and fury of the immediate
post-Shaq era had inspired Kobe Bryant to make a trade demand,
Jerry Buss finally called his superstar guard to the owner's
home in the Los Angeles hills on an autumn evening in 2007.
The Los Angeles Lakers had found a trade for Bryant, but Buss
warned him that it wasn't to one of his selected destinations.
"Detroit," Buss said.
The Lakers had agreed to a deal to send Bryant to the Pistons
and needed Bryant's approval to waive his no-trade clause. The
package included a combination of Detroit's core players and
draft picks, sources say. Buss and Lakers general manager Mitch
Kupchak needed an answer soon, because they refused to let the
issue linger into training camp.
Looking back, Bryant isn't sure it would've mattered whether it
was Detroit or Chicago, Dallas or New York. In that moment, in
Buss' house in the hills, it washed over Bryant how much staying
a Laker for life meant to him, how no matter how dire the state
of the franchise seemed, that Buss had a history of restoring
the Lakers to championship contention.
"It hit me that I didn't really want to walk out on Dr. Buss,"
Bryant told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.
Months later, Kupchak honored Buss' faith and made the trade for
Pau Gasol. Soon, the Lakers were back in the NBA Finals three
straight years and winning two more titles. Soon, Bryant was
back to understanding the inevitable essence of Jerry Buss'
prowess: In the end, the old man was a force of nature.
The Lakers change forever now with Buss' death. For all the
historic talent and genius and ego melded into champions under
his watch, Buss was the connection from title to title, the star
of stars. From Magic to Kareem, from Riley to West, from Shaq to
Kobe, Buss was the self-made icon who commanded the biggest
respect in the room.
He didn't come blustering loudly, the way George Steinbrenner
did with the New York Yankees. He was the ultimate California
cool, a playboy with an understanding that Hollywood commanded
celebrity with its stars, glitz with its winning.
Nevertheless, the substance of the man – a most American
rags-to-riches tale – was forever the underlying, undeniable
ethic of the Lakers. In so many ways, they never went corporate.
They were a mom-and-pop store, a family business.
In the wake of Buss' death, the most pressing question centers
on the ability of his children to work together, hold onto the
franchise and operate it in a manner with which it will remain
in the sport's elite.
In a perfect world, the Lakers would be run with the stewardship
of Buss' daughter, Jeanie. She's earned the right. She inherited
her father's social sensibilities and, more importantly, worked
to earn the business acumen to run the organization.
Nevertheless, Jerry anointed his son, Jim, to lord over the
basketball operations, and, ultimately, it could be the undoing
of the franchise.
Now, the Lakers understand that relying upon Bryant as the
franchise player is coming to an end in the next couple of
years, and Dwight Howard must be convinced to stay and be the
cornerstone for the future.
Buss had been seriously ill, less connected to the franchise in
the past year, but you'd have to believe at a different time in
his ownership that he would've forged a relationship with Howard
that would've made it impossible for him to leave. Those days
are done; Jim isn't Jerry. No one will ever be Jerry Buss again.
In that meeting in the fall of 2007, near the start of training
camp, Buss presented Bryant with a scenario of Bryant's own
request: a trade out of Los Angeles, out of the franchise that
drafted and groomed him and taught him to be a champion.
Even now, Kobe Bryant still thinks about that time in his life
when he was too impatient, when he failed to give Buss' own
history and greatness its proper due. Whatever the owner had
told him that night about a trade – Detroit or Chicago, Dallas
or wherever – it probably wouldn't have mattered.
For all Bryant's impatience, there was still such an immense
part of him that was comforted in the company of the Los Angeles
Lakers' patriarch. True for Bryant, true for all of them.
No one walks away from the Lakers, from Buss, and does so
without a deep, lingering regret. These were the Showtime
Lakers, and they would be again with Bryant and Pau Gasol and
Andrew Bynum. In his 17th season, Bryant's belief that he'll
never wear another uniform is unwavering.
Jerry Buss gave Bryant the gift of Jerry West trading for him on
draft day in '96, of Shaquille O'Neal and Phil Jackson, of five
NBA championships that perhaps wouldn't have been available
anywhere else.
All these years later, Kobe Bryant is blessed to know that he
never walked out on Dr. Buss, that he'll share something with
the late, great owner forever: Lakers for life – and beyond.
#Post#: 645--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: April 16, 2013, 4:31 pm
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Spurs sign former All-Star Tracy McGrady for playoff run
Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports
4/16/2013
Free agent Tracy McGrady has signed a contract to play for the
San Antonio Spurs for the rest of the season, league sources
told Yahoo! Sports.
McGrady, 33, played this season for Qingdao in the Chinese
Basketball Association and averaged 25 points a game on 56
percent shooting. He worked out for the Spurs in the late summer
before signing in China, but wasn't offered a contract.
With the release of Stephen Jackson and surgery to Boris Diaw,
McGrady gives the Spurs some athleticism, scoring and maybe most
of all still – an effective passer.
McGrady's letter of clearance arrived from China on Monday,
which allowed the Spurs to sign him. Because McGrady wasn't on
an NBA roster this season and waived after March 1, he is
playoff eligible.
McGrady has averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and
1.21 steals in 32.7 minutes during his 15-year NBA career.
#Post#: 666--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: June 8, 2013, 11:42 pm
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GO SPURS!!!
#Post#: 670--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: June 26, 2013, 12:24 am
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NBA trade rumors: Celtics reportedly have plan for Josh Smith
sign-and-trade deal
The Boston Celtics might be planning to start the rebuilding
process by trading for Josh Smith once free agency begins.
Scott Schroeder/SB Nation
Jun 25 2013, 1:48p
Josh Smith could move to the Boston Celtics in a sign-and-trade
deal once NBA free agency begins, according to Sean Deveney from
Sporting News. The Celtics would only be able to bring Smith in
if they're able to create a trade exception by moving Paul
Pierce, though.
Despite being in the process of rebuilding, Boston isn't
scheduled to have a ton of room for free-agent signings this
summer. If the Celtics are able to net a trade exception by
sending Pierce -- who is owed $15 million if not bought out for
$5 million by the end of the week -- to a team that can take on
his salary, however, it'd open more room for the Celtics to
trade for a big name like Smith.
And, according to our friends over at CelticsBlog, the fan base
wouldn't mind seeing Smith move to the Celtics:
Last summer, he joined the Celtics in L.A. for pre-season
workouts, due mainly to his friendship with Rajon Rondo. He's a
pogo stick in a bull's body, but the biggest question is whether
or not he's a franchise player. His shot selection leaves a
little to be desired, but paired with a pass-first PG, that
could definitely change in Boston. If KG decides to close out
his career in green, he could do wonders tutoring Smoove in the
Celtic way.
Deveney reports that the two teams most likely able and willing
to help Boston get this deal done are either the Cleveland
Cavaliers or Milwaukee Bucks. It sounds as though Cleveland
isn't that big on the deal, though, and Milwaukee might be able
to make a play for Smith themselves, too, instead of just
helping Boston acquire him.
#Post#: 674--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 5, 2013, 11:08 am
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Lakers Losing Hope of Howard Returning?
The teams in the Dwight Howard sweepstakes spent Independence
Day in fairly agonizing fashion, left with no alternative but to
wait and hope that a decision from the NBA’s most coveted free
agent indeed comes Friday.
Sources close to the situation stressed that the famously fickle
Howard — deliberating at a hideaway in Aspen, Colo. — still was
undecided about choosing between the Houston Rockets, Dallas
Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and incumbent
Lakers. Yet, there were indications late Thursday that Lakers
officials, already bracing for the worst, had begun to rethink
their long-held position of ruling out sign-and-trade options in
the event Howard decides to bolt to one of L.A.’s rivals.
#Post#: 675--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 5, 2013, 11:09 am
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Kings to Build Around DeMarcus Cousins
Sacramento Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro, coach
Michael Malone and former NBA player Junior Bridgeman – a friend
of new Kings owner Vivek Ranadive – visited center DeMarcus
Cousins in his hometown of Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday to let
Cousins know they consider him a cornerstone of the franchise’s
future.
“DeMarcus is a really talented player and we look forward to him
being a major part of this team,” D’Alessandro told Yahoo!
Sports. “We want him to get better as a player and help him get
there. That’s our mission. We love him in this role. I’m sure
he’s excited about it.”
#Post#: 676--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 5, 2013, 11:10 am
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Mavs Target Free Agent Point Guards
Most of the point guards that the Mavericks are believed to be
interested in — Monta Ellis, Mo Williams, Jarrett Jack, Chauncey
Billups, Jose Calderon — remain on the market.
The Mavericks are working behind the scenes talking to numerous
agents regarding potential acquisitions. But until Howard makes
his choice, all talk is premature.
#Post#: 677--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 5, 2013, 11:12 am
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Justin Holiday: Jrue ‘doing well’ after Trade
Justin Holiday is a superb actor if he’s disappointed with the
76ers for trading his brother, Jrue.
The Sixers swingman was in a jovial mood after Thursday
morning’s practice at Central Florida for the Orlando Pro Summer
League. He even joked that Thursday evening’s practice would be
canceled for the Fourth of July. (It wasn’t.)
“I think he handled this pretty well,” Justin Holiday said.
“He’s been in the league for how many years? Four or five years.
He understands this is a business. He’s OK.”
#Post#: 678--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 5, 2013, 11:13 am
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Wade to Work on Shooting in Offseason
Dwyane Wade, an explosive attacker and finisher and one of the
most dangerous scorers in the NBA, has paid the price for his
physical style of play.
As he looks ahead to the 2013-14 season and his Miami Heat
chasing a third straight NBA championship, he understands that
his game will have to change.
“The older you get, the less you want to go inside and get
banged around,” Wade told USA TODAY Sports. “So I want to be
more of a consistent outside shooter.”
#Post#: 679--------------------------------------------------
Re: Around The NBA
DIR By: Phill23
Date: July 6, 2013, 12:34 pm
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Dwight Howard to join Rockets
ESPN.com news services
July 6, 2013, 11:16 AM ET
Dwight Howard is Houston-bound, after all.
The All-Star center told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on Friday night
that he will leave the Los Angeles Lakers and sign a free-agent
contract with the Rockets after the league lifts its annual
moratorium on player business Wednesday.
Howard confirmed his decision on Twitter.
I've decided to become a member of the Houston Rockets. I
feel its the best place for me and I am excited (cont)
HTML http://t.co/h8WK4yP3zB
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) July 6, 2013
Howard said he feels the Rockets give him the best chance at
winning his first NBA title.
"[A championship is] the priority. That's the priority. [Shoot],
I'm betting $30 million on it," Howard told ESPNLosAngeles.com
in a phone interview Friday night, referencing the amount of
money he likely will leave on the table by bolting Los Angeles
for Houston.
"I just looked at both teams and I felt like Houston was going
in one direction -- they got a lot of young players, they got a
good coach in Kevin McHale and I just felt like having him as a
coach, he could really help me in the post and help me develop
like I want to. That was mainly the big reason right there, and
having the opportunity to grow with a team, a young team, like
the Rockets. That's the reason why [I decided to leave]."
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Howard informed the
organization that he would not return to Los Angeles.
"Naturally we're disappointed," Kupchak said in a statement on
the team's website. "However, we will now move forward in a
different direction with the future of the franchise and, as
always, will do our best to build the best team possible, one
our great Lakers fans will be proud to support. To Dwight, we
thank him for his time and consideration, and for his efforts
with us last season. We wish him the best of luck on the
remainder of his NBA career."
Earlier, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that
Howard had contacted the Lakers, telling them he was 50-50 on
his decision to sign with either them or the Rockets. That call
came hours after a person from his camp informed the team that
he would not re-sign with Los Angeles, according to the source.
"He changed his mind," the source said. "Hey, he's Dwight. What
can you say."
Sources said Howard had a possible change of heart because of
the extra $30 million he would be leaving on the table if he
signed with Houston. The Lakers could have given Howard a
five-year deal worth $118 million while Houston can offer $88
million over four years.
After thinking about it on the flight, a source told
ESPNLosAngeles.com, Howard felt solid about leaving Los Angeles
for Houston and called Kupchak to inform him of his decision.
Howard said he's happy the process is finished.
"I'm relieved," Howard said. "Now I can just really concentrate
on what I've been trying to concentrate on all summer, just
getting better."
Howard ended up spending just one season with the Lakers,
averaging 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds in 76 games.
"It was tough," Howard said of leaving Los Angeles. "I enjoyed,
for the most part, living here in L.A. I just really think the
timing in L.A., it wasn't right for me. Maybe two years ago, or
2-3 years from now, it would have been the right time. But I
just think right now the timing was off for me. That's not
saying that L.A. is a bad place, but I just think it's all about
timing and fit when you're talking about basketball. You can put
anybody together on the court and expect them to win, but the
pieces have to really fit in order for a team to be successful
and it was very, very tough, man. It's probably one of the
toughest decisions I've ever had to make in my life."
A Lakers source in the team's pitch meeting for Howard last
Tuesday said they felt Howard essentially had "made up his mind"
before even meeting with them and described him as
"emotionless."
"He would barely look us in the eye," the source said.
Another Lakers source said "we felt like we were wasting our
time" in the meeting.
Howard told an additional source that the main reason he was
leaving the Lakers was because he wasn't comfortable playing for
coach Mike D'Antoni. Sources told ESPN that D'Antoni said few
words to Howard when he met the Lakers earlier this week, which
affected the center's decision to leave.
"I think that we had our moments, but I think that his style was
a little bit different than what I was accustomed to, but I
don't want to blame any of that on the coach as the reason why
I'm leaving," Howard told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Friday night.
A source also said Howard did not want to play 3-4 more years as
a sidekick on Kobe Bryant's team, especially in a D'Antoni
system that would rely heavily on 39-year-old point guard Steve
Nash.
Howard, though, refuted talk that he was unwilling to coexist
with Bryant.
"That was not a factor," he said. "I just felt like everything
in Houston was right for me. It's a great opportunity. Me and
James Harden together I think can be really, really
unbelievable. We get the opportunity to really grow together.
I've been a superstar in this league and I feel like me and him
together can just really grow and be a dominant force together
in the NBA as long as we're healthy. That was really the key to
me. It had nothing to do with what Kobe did."
Bryant stopped following Howard on Twitter after he announced
his decision. Bryant also posted a photo on Instagram of him and
Lakers teammate Pau Gasol with hashtags that included
"lakercorazon," which means Laker Heart.
Howard now joins a Rockets team that could become an immediate
contender in the Western Conference. He will look to find a
chemistry there that seemed to elude him in Los Angeles.
"We have good teammates. They're young. They're guys who are
great not only on the floor but off. He's going to get along
great with our team," Rockets GM Daryl Morey said in an
interview with Comcast SportsNet Houston.
Howard said he looks forward to a new beginning in Houston.
"... This is an opportunity for me to write my own story," he
said. "It's an opportunity for me to move forward, to change the
perception of what other people have tried to make of me. It
starts on the court with winning and that's what I'm doing. This
is a fresh start for me. It's a clean slate. I get the
opportunity to start from scratch and I'm going to make the most
of it. I've been working all summer already to get my body, to
get myself back right and getting ready for the next couple of
years. I'm just looking forward to it."
Earlier Friday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed the
Mavs were fully out of contention for Howard. Howard also told
the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks he would not be
joining them. All three teams, as well as the Lakers and
Rockets, had met with Howard earlier this week.
By going to Houston, Howard will leave $9.3 million on the table
in net guaranteed dollars, because he could have received a
five-year deal and more money from the Lakers, rather than the
four-year maximum deal he will get by signing with another team.
This assumes that Howard will be a resident of Texas instead of
California, since Texas has no state income taxes, while
California has the highest state income taxes in the country.
Comparing just the first four years of what the Lakers could pay
Howard with what the Rockets likely will pay him, Howard will
net $2.6 million more after taxes in Houston if he becomes a
Texas resident.
Magic Johnson, out of pocket in Europe, wished Howard luck via
Bill Simmons' Twitter account.
Magic Tweet #1: "Good luck to Dwight Howard with the Houston
Rockets."
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 6, 2013
Magic Tweet #2: "Laker Nation - don't worry, we'll be back
stronger than ever with the leadership of Kobe Bryant + Pau
Gasol."
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 6, 2013
Magic Tweet #3: "I'm disappointed in Dwight's decision, but
I'm excited about all the cap space the Lakers will have in the
summer of 2014!"
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 6, 2013
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