Chris Kaman doesn’t think the Clippers will ever reach the Lakers’ level, and touched on what Sterling used to be about, from Mike Bresnahan of Los Angeles Times: “I respect what they’re doing and what they’ve done, but still, they’re nothing like the Lakers,” Kaman said Monday. “You look up here at all the championships. They’re never going to have that. It’s never going to happen. I don’t see it. “There’s just something about the Lakers. The history behind everything. It just makes it that much sweeter.” Kaman was plenty complimentary of the Clippers, though. “Before, the owner, Donald Sterling, didn’t care about winning,” Kaman said. “He cared about sharing that luxury money. I think it was all about save as much money as I can, get as much highlight players and still people will come watch. That’s what he did for a long time.”
The Big Three in Miami talked about facing the Chicago Bulls in the season opener, from Tom Haberstroh of ESPN: “We don’t like them, they don’t like us,” James said of the Bulls after the drill. “It’s not unheard of. We all know how it is.”… “It don’t matter who it is,” James said of the opponent for the opener. “But we like the fact that it’s the Bulls.”… “We wanted to embarrass [the Mavericks] on their home floor,” Bosh said. “We wanted to defecate on their night and we know [the Bulls] want to do that to us. They want to spoil what we have going and we’re aware of that. We have to hit first.”… “We’re both trying to do something, trying to win [a championship],” Wade said. “You’re going to run into each other along the way and you’re going to dislike each other. They want to beat us as badly as we want to beat them.”
The Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors recently made some very relevant moves at the center position, to which Zach Lowe of Grantland had some things to say about: “Gortat is a good player — probably better than most people think, considering the prevalence of the “he basically died without Steve Nash” narrative. But in a vacuum, the Wiz probably should have passed on this kind of deal. They have no hope of making any real noise in the postseason, and might have been able to mount an inspiring push for the no. 8 seed with a patchwork roster, especially if Al Harrington can find 85 percent of the game he brought to Denver two seasons ago as a stretch power forward off the bench… And then there’s the worst-case scenario: Bogut’s ankle suffers again under the pressure of a large human playing too many basketball games, and it turns out he cannot be a reliably healthy big-minutes player. The Warriors have hedged against Bogut’s best-case scenario. I’d have hedged against the worst-case scenario, confident that the most likely course of events wouldn’t cost me much more than the three-year, $36 million extension — and I love Bogut.”
- Danny Granger can’t seem to catch a break: he is due to miss the first three weeks of the season, according to NBA.com: “Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger will miss approximately three weeks as he rehabilitates a strained left calf injury sustained in the preseason. The length of time is a precautionary measure as the team wants to ensure Granger is physically ready to play in light of missing all but five games last season due to his knee injury. The rehabilitation time is strictly related to the calf injury.”
Thaddeus Young realizes that getting traded is a part of the business, from Christopher A. Vito of Delaware County Daily Times: “Right now, this is my family and this is my home for the past seven years. If that day comes, it comes,” Young said, following the Sixers’ practice at PCOM. “I can’t worry about it. I can’t stress myself out about it. You pack up. You have a family and have to go to the next city. “I’d definitely be heartbroken, by the simple fact that this is the team that drafted me, this is the team I’ve been with, and this is the family I’ve always been with. I’ve been through the ups and downs, the goods and bads. It’ll be tough, but at the end of the day it’s a business.”… “If they see fit to trade one of us, two of us or all three of us, we have to pack up and go,” Young said. “It’s still a job and you still have to remain calm. You can’t be mad or anything like that. It’s a business.”
Ty Lawson is no lock to play in the season opener, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post: “Nuggets guard Ty Lawson said he hopes to be ready for Wednesday night’s season opener at Sacramento but that he’s not sure his ailing groin will let him. “It’s still feeling a little stiff, so I don’t know yet,” Lawson said. Lawson was injured in the Nuggets’ final preseason game Friday at Chicago. He did not participate in practice Sunday. He said he wants to test his ability early this week to get a handle on whether he’ll be able to play Wednesday against the Kings. Lawson said he will wait “to see how it feels, see how far I can take it.”
Mike Brown’s wording of Anderson Varejao’s abilities is rather comical in this article by Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: “Cavs coach Mike Brown said he used to get “really uptight” whenever Varejao shot the ball. “‘There’s a reason why you’re open, Andy,’” he told the Brazilian big man. Brown has learned to cope with Varejao shooting jump shots. “He’s a crafty player who I have gained a lot more trust in shooting the 15- to 17-foot shot,” Brown said… “That’s how he’s made his money in the league, doing stuff nobody else can do on a consistent basis,” Brown said. “That’s the definition of a garbage guy. He’s very clever. “He’d get a pass and pump fake and step through and shoot a little reverse layup. He’s got great footwork and great timing. He’s never played above the rim, so he’s really crafty down there. The only thing that’s a little different is when he shoots the ball, I’m not as uptight. That’s the biggest thing.”
LeBron James says he feels like he is one of the biggest role models in basketball. He also explained the difference between Brooklyn fans and Boston fans, from David Aldridge of NBA.com: “Absolutely. I feel like being one of the, I don’t know, one of the best players in the world, one of the leaders, one of the biggest role models in our sport, I feel like I have a responsibility, if I’m healthy, to go out there and showcase what I’m capable of doing. It’s like you said what Bird said, or MJ said. There may be a kid that got a birthday gift. And it was their only gift, to see a Heat game. Hopefully, that night, I can put on a performance for them… Me: Since Pierce, certainly, and KG certainly thought of as Celtics, does that rivalry your team had with Boston transfer to Brooklyn? LBJ: No. Because with the Boston rivalry, not only were you playing against those guys, you were playing against their fans, too. And there are not too many fans that can compete with Boston. Probably the Palace of Auburn Hills when it was rocking, as far as animosity or hatred. Brooklyn doesn’t have that. Obviously, they have great fans, but Boston has that hatred. You kind of inherit not only going against those guys, but you inherit going against those fans as well.”
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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