If you haven’t checked out Chris Bernucca’s breakdown of the ten best free agent signings, go do that right now. Next comes the fun part: figuring out which teams have improved enough to be legitimate threats, now or in the long term, and which are just treading water in the sea of irrelevance. The Nets, the Rockets, and the Warriors all added proven impact players who will slide right into the starting lineup, but as Shlomo Sprung pointed out right here on Sheridan Hoops, sometimes the depth improvements can make a big impact. If that’s the case, maybe the Clippers could come away the big winners, adding Jared Dudley and JJ Redick while retaining Matt Barnes. And as Shlomo said, the Blazers could be poised to make a playoff appearance, which could be a stepping stone to bigger things in Rip City.
Now it’s time for me to bring you the latest news and rumors from all over the NBA landscape.
Kobe Bryant is running again, and he’s got video to prove it. Here’s Phillip Barnett of Lakers Nation (click through for the video): “Earlier this morning, Kobe Bryant tweeted that he had a big video announcement for his fans. Moments ago, he shot out an Instagram video of him running on an anti-gravity treadmill. The anti-gravity treadmill allows for Bryant to walk or run without putting all of his body weight on his Achilles, but this is a huge improvement from earlier this June when he could only walk on the anti-gravity treadmill. This video comes on the heels of Bryant saying that he was on the verge of shattering the recovery time for a ruptured Achilles. Even with the video of Kobe running, it’s still impossible to know right now whether or not he’ll be ready to play by opening night, but it’s encouraging to see him working on getting back to full strength so he can come back to play at some point next season.”-
Lakers spokesman says Kobe will be re-examined in a few weeks, at which time an updated timetable for his return will be set.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) August 19, 2013
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld answered fans’ questions on NBA rumors. One of the most interesting involved the possibility of the Knicks acquiring Kevin Love: “Too many “ifs” in that equation. I can tell you this. The Knicks feel like they have one of the most desirable situations for an athlete. They have an owner willing to spend for talent and they feel like there are lots of options for them in 2015. As for Kevin Love… he really likes whats going on in Minnesota. He and Flip Saunders speak regularly. He has a great relationship with Flip and a lot of the negativity spun about Kevin was really tied to David Kahn… that said Kevin Love will hit free agency, so there is always a chance he leaves. Again, your scenario has a lot of things that have to happen before the scenario is viable enough to say yes or no… the Knicks like where they are positioned in 2015 and Kevin Love is really happy with where things are in Minnesota right now.”
- Here’s Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald with some Dwyane Wade news: “Though Dwyane Wade said he intends to stay with the Heat beyond next season, he did not rule out opting out of his contract. He would make $20 million in 2014-15 and $21.5 million in 2015-16 if he does not opt-out either preceding summer. It’s possible he could take less money in exchange for more years. “We’ll see,” Wade, 31, said Friday of the opt-out. “You have to figure out what’s best for yourself and what’s best for the team and then you come up with that answer.” Of adding to his game, Wade said: “The only thing left for me to do is become Mike Miller and shoot a lot of threes.” But he shot just 17 for 66 on threes last season and said he won’t decide until during the season whether to shoot more.”
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Houston Rockets, I’m told, are wrapping up a deal with free agent Ronnie Brewer
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 19, 2013
Greg Langlois of Pistons.com has an article about how Rasheed Wallace is helping out Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. It’s a real good piece, but I like this bit the most: “Andre Drummond soaks up a little knowledge from Rasheed Wallace every day they spend together. One of the most searing lessons so far: Don’t engage him in a game of H-O-R-S-E. “I played with him the other day – it wasn’t fun,” Drummond grinned after a Monday workout. What did coach Wallace throw at his prodigy? “Everything. The little side corner shot with his feet against the out-of-bounds line. The shot from the track line (that runs behind the basket), over the hoop, made it in. And then the two-ball thing. He’s a natural. I don’t know why I did it to myself. I have no idea why I did it.” Rasheed didn’t pitch a shutout, though. “I got him with a couple of things. He can’t dunk still, so I had to do some things he couldn’t do.” “
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Dan Malone is about to begin his fourth year as a journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and spent this summer as a features intern at the Cape Cod Times. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.