SH Blog: Andrew Bynum leaning towards staying with 76ers, Derrick Rose opens up about knee injury

We have covered and linked you to Dwight Howard stories as much as anyone could possibly want to read about him since the blockbuster trade that sent him to Los Angeles, so Andrew Bynum – the other major star of the trade – will lead the topic of discussion today. Be sure to read up on Jon Marks’ column about Bynum’s welcome party, as well as how Bynum feels about joining the 76ers and what Kareem Abdul Jabbar thinks of his former student below:

• Kareem Abdul Jabbar talked about the acquisition of Dwight Howard and was rather critical of Andrew Bynum, from Mark Medina of Los Angeles Times: “Dwight is very committed to playing and winning,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “Andrew has been up and down on that issue. There are times he wants to play, do a great job and he goes out and does it. Then there are other times where it seems like he’s not focused.”…”When I first started working with him, he was eager to learn,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He appreciated me shortening the learning curve. Once he figured he did everything he wanted to do in terms of learning, he didn’t want me to bother him constantly going over the fundamentals.”… Abdul-Jabbar said he was unsure if Bynum would thrive in a larger role in Philadelphia: “It’s up to him to determine how much of a leader he wants to be and how to make that happen on the court. Some people like that position and adjust to it naturally. Other people aren’t comfortable with it.”

• Bynum has already enjoyed his new team so much that he is already leaning towards staying with 76ers long term, from Amick: “New Philly center Andrew Bynum breaking future free agency news in his presser. When asked about his free agency next summer, he says, “To be honest man, my first experience here has been so great (that) I’m really leaning towards making this my home (fans who are at press conference go nuts). I’m not a guy who tries to be all around and have a lot of teams on my belt, so I don’t know man. It’s crazy. That’s really the answer man. I’m really leaning towards being able to stay here and making it my home.”

• For the first time since suffering a devastating knee injury, Derrick Rose opened up about the experience, from Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago: “I remember it,” he recalled. “I remember everything. I remember jumping in the air and coming back down, and just that popping sound. I felt it actually tear when I laid all the way out and it just let go. “I didn’t have that that much pain after that. In the beginning I did, but I didn’t want to yell or anything. When that happened, all I could think about was people just talking. You could hear the whole arena, people just whispering all around — one of the things, like ‘Not again. Come on, man. First game back. We had the win’ — and I was just hoping [it was] nothing serious,” Rose continued. “Then, we got to the hospital, got in the MRI machine, the whole time praying. “Dr. [Brian] Cole, the Bulls doctor [who also performed the subsequent surgery], came up to me and told me it was torn. I couldn’t believe it. That’s the closest thing to death, the closest to death I’ve got to right there, where it just seemed like the wind and everything was taken out [of me].”

• Jim Boeheim stated that LeBron James may have surpassed Michael Jordan as the best player he has ever seen, and Ken Berger of CBS Sports took issue with the thought: “There’s nothing technically inaccurate in what Boeheim said — except the part about “Michael Jordan-type skills.” Nobody who has ever lived possessed Michael Jordan-type skills, with the lone exception of Michael Jordan. Not even Kobe Bryant, who is the closest I’ve seen in terms of a perimeter/midrange game since I’ve been watching the NBA… But to suggest that, after one championship at age 27, James has surpassed Jordan as the greatest player a renowned basketball authority has ever seen? It is both silly and predictable — and unnecessary. Bryant enters his 17th season in a few months, and only by virtue of two brilliant acquisitions by Mitch Kupchak appears to have one more legitimate shot at a sixth title to equal Jordan. Seventeen years. A lot can, and will happen for (and to) LeBron if he plays that long. Let’s just enjoy his talent and see how it plays out, shall we?”

• Meanwhile, Michael Jordan detailed and reiterated why the 1992 Dream Team was notably better than the 2012 USA Team, from Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated: “In [terms] of how the game is played from an offensive standpoint and a defense standpoint — from a team standpoint — I feel like we were much more solid defensively. We could definitely guard the perimeter and force them to penetrate to shot-blockers, which I felt like would’ve made a big difference with this team in 2012. They only had one shot-blocker. Granted, I know LeBron [James] and some of those guys can still block shots. It’s not the same defense and it’s not the same intensity.” “Granted, I think those guys are much more athletic than maybe we were at that particular time, but I’d like to think that we were a little bit smarter and well-groomed about playing at that level of basketball,” Jordan said. “So in all honesty, I don’t think we would’ve had any problems with them, as much as they think they probably would’ve given us a lot more difficulties. I think our team would’ve been a lot better in terms of all-around basketball game.”

• Stan Van Gundy shared his thoughts about why Dwight Howard may have went back and forth about staying with the Magic, from Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews: “Well, I think it confuses everyone. It confuses all of us. I was a little bit surprised at the time. Look I think Dwight Howard is a guy, who likes his teammates, enjoys the camaraderie of the locker room and he’s gotta realize you are in season making that decision and the guys you are with every single day are your teammates. It’s also…the timing of it is we were also out on the road at that time and just played San Antonio, so it’s not like he’s going home after practice or something else. He is with his teammates all day and sort of got wrapped up in that and just decided hey I want to…I might as well just finish this season in Orlando and he opted in, but at the same time I don’t think his desire to leave at some point ever left him, so it was more I think to finish the year in Orlando.”

• Apparently, Greg Oden is not as ready to return to the NBA for next season as reported through the internet, from David Hughes of The Tribune-Star: “An unrestricted free agent, the 7-foot Oden disputed Internet reports that he wants to play for the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat and that he intends to play next season. These rumors were fueled by a si.com report that quoted his agent, Mike Conley Sr., saying Oden “has talked about Miami.” Oden’s denial doesn’t mean he is ruling out a return in 2012-13, but he stressed that it’s unlikely. “I would love to play [in 2012-13], but I’m not going to rush anything,” he said Thursday. “I need to take a year off. What I told Mike was ‘Look, I want to get back with a team. I want to play. If there’s a chance that later on in the [NBA] year, if I feel good or if I’m healthy enough to play, I would love to play this year.’ That’s the conversation we had. I think some people kinda blew that up and took his words and kinda changed them around. I know I need to get healthy first before I do anything.”

• Josh Harrelson was waived by the Rockets today, from Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle:

• Hakeem Olajuwon has been working with JaVale McGee, and is highly impressed by the agility of the center, from Mark Berman of My Fox Houston: “No question, I see him as another star,” Olajuwon said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. “That guy should dominate the league. “He has tremendous talent. I give him all these moves and he can finish and he’s already skilled. So now just show him how to use that skill to (get) to the next level.”… “McGee is incredible because he’s not just a seven-footer, he’s skilled,” Olajuwon said. “He’s very agile. “Most of my moves are designed from a shot-blockers perspective. I am a shot blocker. What are the moves most difficult for a shot blocker? I’m coming from inside out. This move is very difficult for a shot blocker to block.” Olajuwon believes what he has to offer fits McGee’s game. “The moves that we work on are not for a stiff big guy,” Olajuwon said. “With him he’s agile. The move flows. So I’m excited to see what he’s going to do this year.”

• Speaking of Olajuwon, here is video part two of him training with Amare Stoudemire.

• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic had some news about the Phoenix Suns today:

• Yi Jianlian may not be able to return to the NBA this season due to an injury, according to  Netsdaily:

• Baron Davis is somehow hoping to return at some point in the upcoming season, according to Eric Pincus of Hoops World: “While Davis, a free agent of the New York Knicks, is currently recovering from a significant knee injury, he looked trim and healthy considering how badly he was hurt. “I’m feeling good, getting there,” Davis said on Sunday.  “A lot of rehab.  A lot of rehab. My summer is just consisting of rehabbing, focusing in on this foundation and these kids and doing as much good as I possibly can with my time off.” A source close to Davis said he intends to return to the league this season. Given he tore the ACL and MCL of his right knee back in May, a recovery any time sooner than a full year may be a stretch but Davis is committed to getting back in the league.  It just might take another season for that to happen.”

• Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa thinks if her husband is going to spend time away from her and her kids, he’d better be winning championships every year, from Vanessa Grigoriadis of NYMag: “I love basketball. And I know what goes on behind the scenes, so I have a different perspective on things, but still, I do. I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can’t win championships. If you’re sacrificing time away from my family and myself for the benefit of winning championships, then winning a championship should happen every single year.”

• Team USA’s top 10 plays in the Olympics can be found here, with some feel-good music.

• Jason Terry shows off his new championship tattoo and explains why the Celtics can win it all in the upcoming season.

Kyrie Irving explains the evolution of his crossover moves

Carmelo Anthony seeks championship

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