- “Shocked. I actually can’t come up with any examples of a player of his caliber and age getting traded at the time he was traded – it really has never happened. So we were obviously very aggressive and we gave up a lot – Oklahoma City does a great job; we gave up some great players in Kevin (Martin) and Jeremy (Lamb) and some great draft picks – but a top player like James really never gets traded so we jumped at the chance. I actually didn’t think they’d trade him. I think he’s a great, great player. I think he’s already playing at an All-Star level and is going to be a perennial All-Star and those players are rarely traded so I thought, frankly, it was going to work out there. I’m very happy for the Houston Rockets that he’s here. Then when we were able to talk to James it was real exciting because I think our goals and his goals are aligned: We want to win a championship and this is a place where he can win a championship as a foundational player for a team.”
Kevin McHale doesn’t think there will be a huge adjustment for someone as good as Harden, from Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle: “He can play,” McHale said. “He was essentially a starter they brought off the bench. I don’t think there will be any adjustment. He will play more minutes. “They actually had the same rules whether you came off the bench or started. I just played more. I don’t think that will be an issue at all.” McHale thought so highly of his new shooting guard, little else seemed to be an issue worth his concern. This was not a new revelation. “I’m a big fan of his,” McHale said. “I loved him coming out of Arizona State. I like the way he plays. He has a pace to his game I like. I think he plays at a speed where he can repeat things over and over again. He’s not playing at a warp speed. He plays under control. “When I was working at TNT, we used to always laugh. Chris Webber and I said he plays an old-man game. He really takes his time and goes when he wants to go. He’s a sophisticated player.”
Here is what Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had to say about Harden’s trade, from Brian Windhorst of ESPN: “It was shocking but they made the move they felt was right for them,” Dwyane Wade said. “It shakes up the West a little bit. I think both team got fair value. I’m not a GM or anything but both teams came out pretty good… I’m not one of those guys who fell back too far. They have good depth, Kevin Martin is a pretty good scorer in this league. We’ll see how it shakes out but I still think they’re the best team in the West right now,” Wade added… “I think we all know that James Harden was a big part of their team,” James said. “He was a big part of why they made it to the Finals. They got a couple pieces back that are really good as well. But we don’t know how it changes their team until they actually get out there.”
- Amare Stoudemire will be out for at least the first six weeks of the season due to his knee injury, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN:
Amare Stoudemire to miss at least 1st 6 weeks of season with knee injury, according to league sources. Knicks expected to announce tomorrow
@Chris_Broussard
Chris Broussard
- Kobe Bryant again sat out practice, meaning he appears unlikely to play in the season opener, from Eric Pincus of Los Angeles Times:
- Metta World Peace, however, is certain that Bryant will play, from Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:
Metta World Peace is still confident in Kobe playing: "There’s no way I can see him missing the game."
@mcten
Dave McMenamin
- Bryant will officially be a game-time decision, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
.@Lakers coach Mike Brown said Kobe Bryant (foot) is a game-time decision in season-opener vs @dallasmavs on Tuesday night.
@SpearsNBAYahoo
Marc J. Spears
Manu Ginobili is sufering from back spasms and will be out for the season opener against the Hornets, according to Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express-News: “Still suffering from back issues, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili won’t make the trip to New Orleans for Wednesday’s regular season opener against the Hornets. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Ginobili, who missed Friday’s pre-season finale against the Washington Wizards because of back spasms, tried to participate in Monday’s practice session but was not able to finish the session. “He’s not going to travel to New Orleans and we’re going to assess him again on Thursday,” Popovich said of the 35-year-old two-time All-Star. “He still feels his back. He tried to get on the court today and he couldn’t do it.”- Deron Williams would rather have Raymond Felton than Jeremy Lin, from Tim Bontemps of New York Post: