With the Olympics over, it’s just about time to turn our attention to the NBA season, which begins in two and a half months. But first, let’s take a quick look ahead to 2016, when there will be no age-limit restriction for the Rio Olympics. And in NBA talk, check out Moke Hamilton’s column about how the Nets and Knicks match up with each other, and in what has to be a frontrunner for most bizarre story of the year, Osama bin Laden’s translator doesn’t like LeBron James.
Here’s all the latest from around the basketball world:
- Here’s a look at how Andre Iguodala will fit into the Nuggets’ scheme, and how long he might be doing that, from Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post: “Sure enough, it was Carmelo Anthony himself who excited Iguodala about the very team Melo left in 2011. While in London, Melo told Iguodala: ‘You’d be a perfect fit for Coach Karl.’ It’s understood that Iguodala should excel in George Karl’s system because of his dedication to darting down the floor in transition. ‘Just run fast, it’s pretty simple, especially with a great point guard,’ Iguodala said. ‘The pass ahead is really what gets it going. And I’ll do the same thing getting the rebound and pushing it on the break.'”
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has some quotes from Dwyane Wade on his Sulia. Here’s a couple: “The latest update from Dwyane Wade is that everything is on schedule from his July knee surgery. ‘I’m feeling good. Everything is going good. I will turn it up more in the next two weeks.'”, “Wade on Olympics, ‘It was very difficult not to be part of the team because it was kind of the guys I played with. Obviously, I had a decision to make. If I wanted to, I could have been boneheaded and said, ‘No, I’m just going to play in the Olympics’ and then get surgery after that or go through the season next year and feel nothing bad happens. But I had to make a smart decision for my career and for the franchise that I made a promise to, the Miami Heat, when I inked this six-year deal.'”
- Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has a profile on new Blazers coach Terry Stotts, who made this bold proclamation: “‘I don’t know if patience is the right word,’ says Stotts, 54, who served as chief assistant to Rick Carlisle in Dallas the past four years, helping the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title. ‘We’re going to come out and compete. That’s what people want to see. We’re going to play hard and develop young talent. That’s going to be a priority with our roster. But I’ll say this: When you have players like LaMarcus (Aldridge) and Nicolas (Batum) and J.J. Hickson and Wes Matthews, and an excellent young point guard in Damian Lillard, that’s a solid core that is going to put you in position to win games. We are going to compete to try to make the playoffs.’ ”
- Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com writes that the Warriors and Stephen Curry are talking extension: ” ‘I’ve talked to Bob (Myers, the Warriors’ GM),’ Curry said… Wednesday. ‘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.’ The Warriors will talk contract ahead of Oct. 31. But what is not clear is whether they will be courtesy conversations, designed to let Curry know he is wanted yet minus the serious money to close the deal.”
- Greek club Panathinaikos is interested in veteran NBA center Ben Wallace, reports E. Carchia of Sportando: “As reported by Gazzetta.gr, Panathinaikos is interested in Ben Wallace. The American big man is still free agent after he announced his intention to retire when last season ended. Wallace changed his mind in the last weeks and he wants to play for one more year. But the roster of the Pistons, where he has spent most of his career, is full.”
- Here’s a Nets tidbit from Nets Daily: “Ilkan Karaman will join Istanbul’s Fenerbahce Ulker this season, the Turkish team announced Friday. The signing means that the Nets’ two “Euro-Stash”, Karaman and 2011 pick Bojan Bogdanovic, will both play for the Turkish and Euroleague powerhouse. Karaman, a 6’9.5″, 255-pound power forward, signed a three-year deal with Fenerbahce. Under contract terms, Karaman will not be eligible for an NBA buyout until the summer of 2014. Bogdanovic is eligible next summer.”
- And here’s another piece from Nets Daily: “In a nearly 17 minute interview with SLAM’s Aggrey Sam, MarShon Brooks talks about the lessons he learned last season, what he expects next season from himself and his team. He leaves no doubt of his personal goal, ‘Sixth man of the year, sixth man of the year,’ he repeated with a smile. ‘I’m not going to sell myself short.’ “
- Finally, HoopsHype is keeping track of all the campaign contributions made by NBA personnel, and you can check that out here.