Do you smell that?
Yes, that’s the sweet smell of fresh NBA news.
It’s finally October and training camp has officially started. The wait is over, so let’s get right to it. Here’s the latest from a big day of NBA news.
We’ll start in Brooklyn, where the Nets are focused on finishing nowhere short of an title. Here’s the latest from Adrian Wojarnowski of Yahoo! Sports: “Kidd understands appearances now, the suggestions that he’ll be an ex-player trading high-tops for wingtips who won’t take seriously the craft of coaching, the hours and purpose needed to make the transition. He has lived a professional life of scrutiny, but the ball’s no longer in his hands. Control is gone, passed onto his players now. He’s learning that affecting winning and losing no longer comes in dramatic moments with the world watching, but in the long, lonely hours of preparation and solitude.”
The criticism “had already started with me not holding the clipboard during a [summer-league] game,” Kidd told Yahoo Sports. “Maybe it’s fair. Maybe it isn’t. But it comes with the territory.”
“As a player, you could see the floor, but what happened in summer league was the perfect example of how that isn’t enough anymore,” Kidd said. “Here is a pick-and-roll right in front of me, and I think I’m doing the right thing but Lawrence has the vision of seeing everything else – all the things happening on the weak side of the ball.
“That told me right there: You have to widen your screen. Your screen has to see everything that’s developing, because your tendency is to just focus on the players that are involved with the ball.
Here’s more from around the NBA
It had been discussed right after JR Smith’s surgery became public, that it was delayed to help get a better contract. As it turned out, Smith still only received under 18 million for 3 years from the Knicks. The Knicks organization (known for lack of credibility) claims that they were aware of the situation at all times, and that there was no deception.
Regarding Deron Williams, injuries have been the major reason for his setbacks. Last year he couldn’t even walk up the stairs of his Loft in less than 10 minutes, until after the All Star break. He has had wrist and ankle problems.