In the mind of Derrick Rose, he is the best player in the NBA right now, from Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago: “It has taken Derrick Rose more than a year to recover from the physical effects of a torn ACL in his knee, but his mentality appears to be in midseason form. When asked by CNN’s Pedro Pinto in an interview who the best player in the NBA is right now, the former MVP did not hesitate with his answer. “Derrick Rose,” the 24-year-old answered confidently. The fact that Rose answered that way won’t surprise those close to him. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman both said recently that the star point guard is feeling great and is ready to start the season.”
- Summer league standout Ian Clark has inked a deal with the Utah Jazz, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
Summer League star Ian Clark signs a two-year deal with the Utah Jazz, his agent Bill Duffy tells USA TODAY Sports. Team option on year two.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) July 24, 2013
Derek Fisher will come back to the Oklahoma City Thunder for one more season, from Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “Derek Fisher is coming back. An addition that has been expected seemingly all summer is now official, as Fisher has signed a one-year deal that will bring the veteran guard back to Oklahoma City for the third straight season. Fisher, who traveled to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to sign the contract, will join the Thunder on the veteran’s minimum, or roughly $1.4 million. But unlike his first two stints in town, Fisher this time will have a chance to make his mark from the start of the season. In each of the previous two seasons Fisher was signed midway through the year.”
DeAndre Jordan took trade rumors involving him as a sign of respect, although he added “I never listen to the shit on the news or the radio”, from Shams Charania of RealGM: “If I go, that just means that, honestly, somebody else wants you,” Jordan told RealGM on Tuesday. “As long as someone else is interested, and you’re wanted, you can’t feel negative. I never listened to the s— on the news or the radio. I just wanted to get better and be ready for the season. Whatever jersey I had on, I really didn’t care to be honest with you. “And if I got traded, then s—, so what? I’m still going to be in the NBA. I’m still going to be playing the game that I love, just for a different team.” Now, Jordan appears stable with the Clippers, and he has already had two conversations with Doc Rivers about his role within the team.”
Ryan Gomes wants a role in the NBA again and hopes to become a coach one day, from Nick Greene of The Hartford Courant: “One day I want to be a coach,” Gomes said. “I just use the experience of playing basketball all of my life, not just in the NBA, to try to give advice and try to predict the right play to make. I want advice from every guy on this team too.”… “I was never a superstar kind of guy, I was more of fill-in guy, but I’ve always been consistent,” he said. “My last year playing with Los Angeles wasn’t my best year, it was probably my worst in the NBA. So if I go to a team like [the Thunder or Spurs] I know what my roll is already. I’ll come in and try to fill any void they have there.”… “I’m not an X’s and O’s guy yet [like Rivers], I’m just a vocal guy,” Gomes said. “And [McHale] was another coach who I loved the way he attacked mismatches.”
Andrew Bynum says he’s never played for a city that really supports the team, from Mark Medina of Daily News: “I haven’t had an opportunity to play for a city that really stands up and really supports the team,” Bynum told Fox Sports Cleveland. “I’m super excited and I can’t wait to see what it’s like.” Of course, Lakers fans have always received generalized criticism for showing up late at Staples Center, stargazing and only cheering during the big moments. But there’s also Lakers fans who gripe on message boards about the team’s struggles, throw out trade proposals and live and die by every game. Add it all up, though, and the Lakers have become one of the world’s marquee sports brands. But not in Bynum’s eyes despite winning two NBA championships in seven seasons with the Lakers.”
John Wall and the Wizards are progressing towards a maximum contract agreement, from Woj: “The Washington Wizards have made significant progress toward completing a five-year, $80 million maximum contract extension for guard John Wall, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Wizards will make Wall their designated franchise player, allowing him to get the fifth year on the extension, sources said. The Wizards and Wall’s agent, Dan Fegan, have until Oct. 31 to complete an agreement on the rookie extension for Wall to avoid restricted free agency next summer, but are moving swiftly to reach a deal. There’s strong belief on both sides that an agreement will be reached soon, but there are still contractual details and terms that need to be agreed upon before it can be formalized, league sources said.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.