You never know what to expect when dealing with the NBA offseason on a day-to-day basis. Some days, the biggest news turns out to be Tyreke Evans crossing up the mayor of Seattle in a Pro-Am game. Then there are days like today, where there are an endless number of eye-catching stories around the league.
Here is something in particular that will make you say “whoa, really??”: Chris Paul, at one point during free agency, was going to leave Los Angeles to team up with James Harden and Dwight Howard in Houston. Now that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league. As we know, though, Paul will remain with the Clippers, making this story something that would have been much more juicy had it been leaked before things settled down with the addition of Doc Rivers.
This one has been expected for a while, but John Wall has officially come to terms with the Washington Wizards on a maximum contract worth approximately $80 million over five years. The question is, did anyone else think that Wall deserved a contract that only the best point guards in the league have received? Shlomo Sprung explains why that’s not the case.
And how about the idea of Steve Nash – who has had many tough and ugly battles against the San Antonio Spurs over the past decade – actually rooting for them during the Finals this past season? This actually happened, and here’s an explanation of why Nash has a fondness for the team that ended his playoff run on more than a few occasions, from Zach Lowe of Grantland:
[Q] Were you rooting for the Spurs, despite all the history there? I mean, they’re older, and you’re one of the league’s elder statesmen, and you’re close with Boris Diaw.
[A] I was rooting for them a little bit. I did find myself wanting Boris to win, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Pop. He’s an amazing coach, and I was even rooting for him a little, which is strange, considering he beat us so many times. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t try to tear his head off in an alley if the championship was put on the line.
[Q] Do you see some of the D’Antoni Phoenix teams in San Antonio? Pop has acknowledged the influence those teams had on him. Have you ever talked with him about that?
[A] No, I haven’t. But that’s one of the interesting things — here’s a guy people look at as a disciplinarian, almost like a military guy, given his background. But he adapts continuously to his personnel, and to the game. The game is changing. How many post players are there in the league? There’s not that many, and it’s not that effective anymore.”
Nash also opened up about how he had to accept the fact that the ball simply won’t move as much with Kobe Bryant on the team:
[Q] Were you nervous about how you’d fit with Kobe, after having the ball in your hands basically all the time in Phoenix?
[A] Not nervousness, but acceptance. I knew it wasn’t gonna be the same. I felt like I was going to try something new, and that I was going to adapt — and to accept that, and embrace it. I think it’d be nice to find a middle ground where he does his thing but the ball still can move for great parts of the game. Hopefully we can find that this season. But I knew it wasn’t going to be the same. When you play with Kobe Bryant, the ball is gonna be with him most of the time, which is understandable.
There are plenty more insightful thoughts from Nash in this great interview, so be sure to click the link to give it a full read.
Onto other news from around the league:
Lance Stephenson would be okay with a bench role if necessary, from Michael Pointer of Indy Star: “Despite having an outstanding season, there’s been a lot of speculation you may go back to coming off the bench this season, especially if Danny Granger is healthy and ready. Would you be OK with that? A: I’m just coming in to play hard. Whatever coach (Frank Vogel) decides to do, I think it’s a great decision. Me coming off the bench, Danny coming off the bench, either way, we’re deep. Whatever helps the team, that’s what I want to do… Q: Now that you’ve had a little time to reflect, why do you think you improved so much last season? A: I got more consistent with my jump shot, but really, it was just playing hard and playing good defense. Do whatever it takes to stay on the floor. If I stay like that, the sky is the limit for me and the Pacers.”
