SH Blog: Howard sheds tears, Spoelstra regrets first season with James

And after ESPN asked Jeff to help recruit Stan, “Obviously this stings. Frankly, it’s a shame what happened.” Going forward? “As a broadcaster of the NBA, it give you pause,” Jeff says. “How forthcoming can you be? You don’t want your honesty to cost you a chance at employment. This is a shot across the bow.” Jeff’s big picture: “This is an organization that’s treated me great. But this raises interesting questions about what a (league-network) partnership means. You have to realize, as a fan, you’re not getting the whole truth. … It seems like there are certain people in each sport that (TV) can’t criticize, or you can’t criticize the league itself.”

• On a lighter note, here is Van Gundy in a funny commercial with Russell Westbrook and Mike Breen:

• Tracy McGrady will be in China for the upcoming season, but he won’t be reaching out to Stephon Marbury anytime soon, says Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld:

• Possibly joining McGrady in China is Gilbert Arenas, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

• Mike Ross Trudell of Lakers.com has an update on the status of Kobe Bryant’s right foot:

• The Pacers made some moves today. Sam Amick of SI has the details in this tweet:

• Speaking of the Pacers, Roy Hibbert decided to have some fun and surprised some folks at a mall by doing the ever-popular Gangnam Style dance. Here’s that clip:

• Marcus Camby has missed all of preseason due to a strained left calf and his status is uncertain heading into the season opener, according to Iannazzone:

• Andre Iguodala had some notable highlight dunks during the game against the Thunder:

• Anthony Davis discussed the great relationships he had with his teammates during the Olympics, from Adam Figman of SLAMOnline: “SLAM: Did you make a connection with any of the guys specifically that you weren’t expecting to? AD: Yeah. Kevin Durant. He’s a funny guy. Andre [Iguodala]—me and him, especially both being from Chicago, made a connection. Really all the guys welcomed me, made me feel like I was a part of the team. You couldn’t ask for anything better… SLAM: I imagine you probably had a pretty interesting relationship with Kobe, given that he was the elder statesman on the squad and you were the up-and-comer. AD: Yeah, me and Kobe were real close. He told me when I come to L.A., to hit him up. He’s definitely gonna be one of my closest friends—he really showed me a lot of love. He put me under his wing, and helped me out whenever I needed something.”

• Trey Kerby of TBJ wrote an insulting piece about DeShawn Stevenson for Deadspin, saying he is the braggart with nothing to brag about. Here is what he thinks of Stevenson’s tattoos: “Speaking of those tattoos, come on. He’s got a crack tattooed on his forehead that means “I don’t crack,” which is literally the opposite of what a crack on your forehead would mean (it would mean you have cracked). He has a backward “P” on his face that he swears looks the right way if you stand far away from him. He has Abraham Lincoln on his throat because”He freed the slaves,” but really because he wanted Martin Luther King Jr. but was scooped by Gilbert Arenas and had to scramble. Oh, and then he turned it in to a $5 bill because no one could understand why he’d get Abe Lincoln on his throat, which just goes to show that if someone steals your brilliant throat-tattoo idea, maybe you shouldn’t get the second choice.”

Ray Allen explains where things went wrong with Rondo

Floppers to be put on notice

Follow @SheridanBlog