The 2009 NBA Draft had quite a number of notable players – particularly point guards – that have developed over the past three seasons. Today’s news will include perhaps two of the most noteworthy point guards from that draft, and whether they are deserving of a contract extension as the season draws near. You’ll also find Stan Van Gundy and Mikhail Prokhorov talking some smack, along with some entertaining videos below:
Stephen Curry believes that he is a good investment piece for the Warriors, from Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com: “Tens of millions of dollars are on the line, with a short evaluation period in which to make a very risky call. “I’ve talked to Bob,” Curry said after the Wednesday burn that lasted about 90 minutes, in addition to his therapy. “He’s expressed that they want me as a part of the future. Obviously it’s a business decision, an investment, and they have to protect themselves as well. I don’t know what that’ll mean and exactly what they’ll offer. But hopefully they see how hard I’ve been working in the summer to get back and that I have a different optimism than I’ve had going into each year. I’m ready to go. “They’ve seen me work out a little bit now. Knowing that we went into the ankle in April and saw there was no structural damage, no red flags that say, ‘Hey, he’s not going to be the same player ever again’ — all those things kind of add up to me being a good investment piece for the future.”
Brandon Jennings, who is hoping for a contract extension, is wants to become a better player and a leader for the Bucks, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: “Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings is hoping to have a contract extension in his pocket by the time the regular season opens on Nov. 2 in Boston. Jennings is entering his fourth NBA season and is in line for an extension that could keep him with Milwaukee for four additional seasons. But the 23-year-old had more than his contract on his mind during an interview Sunday morning at Homestead High School. Jennings was on hand to supervise a group of 200 youngsters on the second day of the Brandon Jennings Basketball ProCamp. “It would be something I’d love to get done with and over with so I don’t have to worry about it,” Jennings said of the contract extension. “But the main thing is just to come into training camp a better player, a better leader … just lead the team to the playoffs.”
Andrew Bogut could possibly miss some preseason games, but vows to be ready for the season-opener, according to Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area: “That’s my goal,” Bogut said when asked if he thought he’d be fully back by the Phoenix game. “I definitely want to be ready for training camp, and I think it will be close. But I think I’ll definitely be ready for the first game. So the immediate goal with all of this is to be ready for the first game, whether that means only playing in only half the preseason games or whatever or just being smart. “It’s about being smart with my ankle. There’s no point in trying to get ready for October 1st, when another week might significantly help. I’m trying to get ready for camp, but my main goal is to be 110 percent for the first game of the season.”
After sounding uncertain throughout the summer, LeBron James stated that wants to play in the Olympics again, according to The Associated Press: “LeBron James wants to step inside the Olympic rings a fourth time. Fresh off winning a gold medal in London with the U.S. men’s team, the NBA’s reigning MVP said Sunday that if he’s healthy – and if the rules allow – he would like to play again at the Rio Games in 2016. James said he’s “done the math, and I’ll be 31,” but he’d love the opportunity to represent his country again. James is one of just three players to be on three U.S. Olympic teams.”
- Chris Sheridan has more on James’ willingness to take his talents to Ipanema Beach: “If James is going to have company as a four-time Olympian, he could get it from Carmelo Anthony, who also was a member of the bronze-medal U.S. team in Athens, and the gold medal-winning teams in Beijing and London. If those two players do take their talents to Rio, there will likely be a new coach leading them. Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who won his final 50 games coaching the men’s national team, told the AP during the London Games that he would be relinquishing the position.”
Without an actual general manager, other members of the Clippers organization have stepped up to handle basketball operations, including coach Vinny Del Negro, from Earl Bloom of The Orange County Register: “Perhaps the Clippers don’t need a general manager after all. Or maybe Neil Olshey’s successor already is on the premises. The Clippers have been one of the NBA’s most active teams this summer, bringing in a half-dozen veteran players — headed by Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill and Lamar Odom — while re-signing Chauncey Billups, and getting Blake Griffin’s signature on a max extension that could keep him a Clipper through 2017-18. Coach Vinny Del Negro, team president Andy Roeser and director of player personnel Gary Sacks have handled basketball operations since Olshey defected to the Portland Trail Blazers in early June.”
The Van Gundy brothers have been critical of the Magic organization over the past week, and Stan Van Gundy was at it again – this time blasting CEO Alex Martins – from Brian Schmitz of Orlando Sentinel: Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, looking to coach again in the near future, chastised franchise CEO Alex Martins for intimating that Van Gundy could not relate to players. Martins fired Van Gundy after the club was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. “It’s a typical lack of understanding from someone who has no sports knowledge, who has never coached or played, who has never been in a lockeroom….it’s a naivete,” Van Gundy said of Martins Monday morning on Mike Bianchi’s show on AM 740. “….I’ll stand on the relationships with players based on the results we got. “I think Alex’s comments are based on the fact that Dwight and maybe others didn’t like me…and thinking somehow that’s important.”
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov called Knicks owner James Dolan “that little man”, via IAMAGM: “The one corporate box that’s off-limits? The “Prokhorov Suite,” sitting at the center bowl of the arena, larger than any other private box and reserved for the mercurial Russian owner. (Prokhorov told me back in December that he plans on attending a quarter of the regular-season games and “all the playoff ones.” He also made sure that I heard him call Dolan “that little man.”) The Nets frequently note that a minimum of 2,000 seats a game will cost $15 or less, at least for the first season. Still, it’s clear that the Nets did not move to Brooklyn to be Pepsi to Jim Dolan’s Coke: They want to be Veuve Clicquot.”
Jason Terry believes his Celtics will win it all for the upcoming season, and that he has the clutch genes to help them get there, according to Steve Burton of CBS Boston: “And newcomer Jason Terry is confident the C’s will be raising that banner just over a year from now. “If I looked at our team and what they accomplished last year – they’re one game away. They’re one game away from going back to the NBA finals, and I think they win it,” Terry told WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton Thursday at the Reebok Headquarters in Canton. “This year, put a little ‘Jet Fuel’ into the mix, and I think we have the team,” laughed a confident Terry… “When the game is on the line, I’ll be right there willing and ready to take and make the big play. I want it — want it,” he said, noting he has a “clutch gene”. “It’s just something I’ve done throughout my career. You can never have enough guys at the end of the game a game to go to to be able to win the game for you. I think with us, we have three or four guys that can get it done.”
- Doug Collins wants Thaddeus Young to continue to come off the bench for the 76ers, according to John Finger of CSN Philly: “I’d like to continue to play Thad off the bench. I like his energy and his attitude he brings to us,” Collins said earlier this week when the team introduced Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. Collins thought Young lacked a little extra pizzazz when the playoffs wound down last May. Young had trouble against the Bulls’ big power forward Taj Gibson during the opening series and scuffled in a pair of games against the Celtics. Late in the regular season, Collins said Young lost a bunch of weight and that may have sapped some of his strength. But from all reports, Young is having a good summer. With the addition of Bynum and Kwame Brown and the re-signing of Spencer Hawes, Young won’t have to spend as much time battling bigger players in the paint.”
Kobe Bryant scored 68 points in 15 minutes in The Sprite China 2nd Annual Charity Basketball game. It’s not as impressive as it sounds, though.
- Singer Chris Brown joined some NBA players on the court and showed what he can do in The Goodman Roundball Classic.
Who does Prokhorov think he is? James Dolan has been a thorn in the side of Knicks fans forever, but are comments like that even called for in the professional arena?
Prokhorov is a guy who owns a team that won 22 games last year (and was probably present for none of those wins) , he heads a business organization that was naive enough to think the Knicks were going to become the East’s version of the Clippers, and now he takes shots at other owners before his new-look team even suits up in their new arena? This is like David Kahn talking trash to Mark Cuban (not that I think Dolan is anywhere on the level of Cuban, but you get my point).
Here’s an idea – how about the Nets actually win a few games… like, more than 20…. and then their owner can talk all the crap he wants.
Nets = Hype