There’s a common saying as baseball teams head south each spring: “hope springs eternal.” It basically means that in March, every team is going to win the World Series. Of course, come October, only one team can take it home.
We’re in basketball’s version of spring training right now. Every team has a new plan, one that’s absolutely going to work this year, every team won the offseason, every injured player will be back before too long. Sure, we all want the games to start already, but unless you’re a Sixers fan, you’ve got to be loving the good feelings going around right now.
There are exceptions, and they’re generally pretty glaring. This time last year, there was a minor item in one of these blogs about Danny Granger’s knee injury. He said something along the lines of “it hurts really bad, and it’ll be tough to play through.” He missed most of the season. As a Baltimore Orioles fan, I remember Dylan Bundy’s “minor forearm tightness” this spring that turned into a torn elbow ligament.
The point is that preseason goggles make everything look rosy, and if something doesn’t look great in October, it’ll probably look even worse in January.
On that note, let’s get right to today’s roundup of the latest news from NBA training camps:
Dwight Howard wants to be the next LeBron, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tells us about it: “Dwight Howard watched how the derision dissipated for LeBron James, how the mocking turned back into marvel. The path to a superstar’s public cleansing for past immaturities and missteps on free agency’s jagged journey doesn’t rise out of clever commercials and endless explanations. Championships changed the framing of LeBron James, and an NBA title promises to be the sole basketball salvation for the league’s best center. “Last year, I felt like I was the villain,” Howard told Yahoo Sports. “Now, I feel like I’m an even bigger villain.” Most of all, victory validates the villain. It promises to free Howard. That’s the burden of this NBA now. Born of a belief these players and coaches and management offer him the best chance at a championship, Howard has come to the Houston Rockets with an eye eastward.”-
Rockets Leslie Alexander on long-term plans for Chandler Parsons: “He’ll be here. We’ll sign Chandler. He’s an integral part of the team.”
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) October 4, 2013
- Kevin Garnett is looking good in practice, according to the fine folks at Nets Daily: “Doc Rivers said it back in July, talking about Kevin Garnett. “His presence there alone will absolutely change the culture of Brooklyn.” That’s the word from Duke, too. As one Nets insider who’s been at the practices said, “He is definitely a very commanding presence. He just emanates power.” “I don’t take any s–t.” KG said, when asked about toughness. “Anybody wants to say something to you guys, including the women here, you guys will fire back. I’m no different than that. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I care about the game. I never disrespect the game or myself or my family. If want to call that tough, I guess that’s tough.” “
- Deron Williams is also looking good, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: “For the first time Wednesday, the point guard acknowledged a problem with his weight gain last summer — and also discussed his commitment to health for this season. “It’s a good lesson learned,” said Williams, 29, who dropped the extra weight and more over the All-Star break in February. “Especially as you get older, your metabolism starts to slow down. It’s definitely harder to get that weight off. There was no weight gain this summer for me. I tried to stay at the same weight I was when I left. That’s been helpful.” Whether or not Williams’ weight contributed to last season’s ankle problems is a subjective assumption, but he finds himself in a similar position this season, only slimmer. The other difference is caution, and an understanding that it’s not worth risking aggravation or further injury in training camp.”
Though it seemed the Wolves made mostly lateral moves in the offseason, Kevin Love is excited by the new possibilities, writes Zach Harper of CBS Sports: “Heading into the 2013-14 season, help is not only on the way but it’s in training camp cutting off his shoulder toward the basket and fading to the corner to help spread the floor and give him room to operate. For the first time in his career, Kevin Love has a bevy of weapons on the court, both inside and outside, that are there to make his life easier and his team more successful. “I think it’s really important that our more skilled players become better in a lot of areas,” coach Rick Adelman mentioned during his press conference on media day. “Kevin Love for example, he can be a real facilitator for the other guys. I think he can be a really good passer but now we’ve got people that he can pass the ball to.” That’s the plan of attack with the Wolves and Kevin Love. He has Kevin Martin and Corey Brewer flanking him on the wings with Nikola Pekovic bruising opposing frontcourts inside. When Chase Budinger gets back from his injured left knee, that will add another deadeye outside shooter to spread the floor for Love and allow him to draw the defense in and make them pay with passing, or to attack his man one-on-one in the right situations. “I’ve always been… I shouldn’t say, willing is not the right word, but able to pass the ball and see different things,” Love said during his availability on media day.”
- Brandon Jennings has a new team, and he thinks that means he won’t be taking as many shots, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: “Former teammate Larry Sanders may feel that Jennings should have passed more, but Jennings thinks the only way the Bucks had a chance was for him and backcourt mate Monta Ellis to take the majority of shots. “I had to, I had to, though,” he said. “I mean, I had to take the shots. That’s just what it is. Me and Monta had to take those shots. Regardless for us to even get into the eighth spot in the playoffs, we had to take those shots. That’s just what it is.” The back-and-forth started when Jennings was introduced to the Detroit media after being obtained from the Bucks during the summer. He was asked about his shot selection and said it wouldn’t be an issue because of the presence of promising big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe — options he didn’t have in Milwaukee.”
-
.@mrvincecarter15 on playing at age 36: “I’ll be a year older but I don’t feel a year older.” He’s visibly slimmed down this summer.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) October 3, 2013
A bit of a Kobe Bryant injury update from Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com: “Five days into the Los Angeles Lakers’ training camp, Kobe Bryant took the court for the first time Wednesday. Bryant didn’t practice with his teammates and the Lakers continue to avoid providing a timetable for their star guard’s return, but just seeing Bryant do some light jogging and set shooting was a sight for sore eyes for coach Mike D’Antoni. “He just keeps progressing,” D’Antoni said. “He was out today shooting a little bit and jogging. He just keeps getting better.” It was a minor step for Bryant, who has been sidelined from basketball activity since April as he rehabilitates a torn Achilles in his left leg, yet a significant one. When training camp opened last weekend, D’Antoni told reporters that Bryant had recently upped his workout from 75 percent of his body weight to 80 percent on the team’s altered-gravity treadmill. By jogging on the court, he effectively graduated back to his full body weight.”-
Plan is for Kobe to go over to Germany and undergo the same knee procedure he had there two years ago. Might do other areas too (ankle?).
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) October 3, 2013
