We’re moving out of the doldrums of the NBA calendar. Just nine more days of September, and then we get to October, when we’ll actually have real basketball games to dissect.Until then, it’s preview time, and here at Sheridan Hoops, we’ve got a nice set of previews going on right now. Here’s the latest one from James Park, on the Warriors, who will hope to have Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut together for a full season to go along with Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and David Lee. That’s a starting five any NBA team would love to have. The flashes of full-strength Bogut that we got in the playoffs were obscene. He’s still got the chance to be one of those guys that every team wants but almost nobody has: the paint-dominating center who can take over any possession through sheer force of will.
Of course, his health is a big question, as is Curry’s, and D-Lee missed most of the playoffs as well. So the Warriors need a lot of things to break right, not least of which will be Toney Douglas trying to replace Jarrett Jack. But with the Great Denver Exodus leaving the Nuggets weakened, there could be a vacant space at the top of the West, and the Warriors could be the team to grab it.
Now let’s get to the latest news and rumors from around the world of the NBA:
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post has a really good interview with Deron Williams up. Definitely one to check out. Here’s an excerpt: “One of the biggest moves the Nets made was convincing Andrei Kirilenko – one of the linchpins of those Utah teams alongside Williams and Boozer – to sign for one year at the mini-midlevel exception, giving the Nets one of the league’s most versatile players as well as an excellent perimeter defender. Having Kirilenko will allow coach Jason Kidd to deploy all kinds of different and creative lineup combinations. And Williams, who has remained friendly with Kirilenko since being traded from the Jazz in 2011, did his part to recruit his old running mate to Brooklyn. “Once I saw that he had opted out and free agency was kind of drying up,” Williams said, “I was like, ‘Man, just come play for us for one year, and you can make more next year [in free agency].’ [Kirilenko] has made a lot of money in his career, so it wasn’t about money. He wants to come to a team where he gets to have fun and has a chance to win, and I think he’s going to have a chance to play here and we’re excited about that addition. That’s as big of an addition as [Pierce and Garnett], if you ask me.” “
Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star takes an in-depth look at Paul George, the breakout star of this summer’s playoffs and the guy the Pacers are planning to build their franchise around. Here’s a bit from the intro: “David West is the Pacers’ veteran spiritual leader. Lance Stephenson gives them an edge. Longtime star Danny Granger returns after playing in just five games last season. George Hill is the local hero. But the cornerstone of a team that enters the season with its highest expectations in nearly a decade is George. “I’m a homebody,” George said during an interview with The Indianapolis Star last week at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “And being in Indiana, you have to be a homebody. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of things that attract people here. But it’s a different city. If you want glitz and glamour, this is not it, and it shouldn’t be. Go somewhere else. It’s working class, and I take pride in that because I’m a hard worker.” “- Here’s Ricky Rubio on what new Wolves GM Flip Saunders did this summer, via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype: “There’s been a lot of good moves, but (Nikola) Pekovic was a very important piece for us. (Chase) Budinger is a key player for us. Kevin Martin will give us extra scoring punch. He’s been with coach (Rick Adelman) for several seasons scoring 20-plus points, which means his system works for him… (Andrei) Kirilenko was taking this team to another level defensively and with him leaving, it’s good to have Corey Brewer, who can also give us that.
- Fun story on Kevin Johnson saving the Kings from Cambi Brown of CBS Sacramento: “A new book shows the inside story of how Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson kept the Sacramento Kings in town. The book is by the former special assistant to Johnson, who says the mayor cared about the Sacramento economy, not the team. “Kevin Johnson hates the Kings,” said author R.E. Graswich. “He still holds a grudge from 1987 when they drafted Kenny Smith one spot ahead of Kevin Johnson.” The mayor’s been called a hero for keeping the Kings, but Graswich says NBA Commissioner David Stern is the real Sacramento savior. “It’s David Stern driving this thing. Kevin is the loyal soldier,” he said. Stern saw the Sacramento Kings as his project. The team moved from Kansas City a year before he became commissioner.”
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Free agent swingman Josh Childress will go to training camp with the Washington Wizards, HoopsHype has learned. http://t.co/qK2PvxV4UZ
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) September 21, 2013
John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune talked to LSU grad Shaquille O’Neal about the Pelicans, and their new name, which is intended to be regionally inspired: “Shaquille O’ Neal likes New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson, but he doesn’t care much for the franchise’s new nickname. Here is O’Neal uncut: “It’s a terrible name. I told Charles on TNT, I don’t think I’ve seen a Pelican before. Pelicans, are they that big white bird? I would had named them Tigers, Crawfish or something. Pelicans — no. But I wish them well. I’ll be anxious to see how many jerseys they sell. Hopefully one day they’ll get some marquee players and fill the arena up because it’s a town that wants to support something good. Louisiana, in general, if you give them a good product, they’ll get in their RVs and drive and they will support you. Hopefully, one day we’ll get two or three good players that people would want to spend their money on.”
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Dan Malone is in his fourth year as a journalism student at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and spent this summer as a features intern at the Cape Cod Times. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.