SH Blog: Dwight Howard says he and James Harden need to “come correct with each other”

It feels like I’ve been waiting all summer for October to get here. Not only do I love the fall weather, but my birthday is this month, my Orioles are in the MLB playoffs, and basketball is coming back.

Sure, it’s just preseason now, but by the end of the month, we’ll get some real, actual basketball games that count. For now, though, we’ve got a month of relentless optimism, where every team’s new offense is exactly like the Spurs’, every injured player’s recovery is going great, and each practice is better than the last (which was really great itself). So take some of the optimism you’re about to read with your preferred dose of salt.

With that in mind, though, something that isn’t overwhelmingly positive can seem like a bright red flag. It wasn’t long ago that Danny Granger said he was going to try and play through his knee injury, but it was “going to test him.” He played in five games that season. Sometimes it’s nothing, but at this time of year, even the slightest hint of discord is something to note, just because it’s so far out of the ordinary.

Here’s a story, from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, that, while it definitely falls into the typical boundless optimism of training camp category, also has some interesting notes on how the pieces in Houston might fit together, or might not (it also says Dwight Howard is back to his Orlando self, which… I’ll believe it when I see it in January):

Around the Rockets, they’ll tell you: Howard was deferential to Harden a year ago. Howard eased his way into the franchise, never trying to cramp Harden on offense, never chastising him much for his absentee defense. Harden has promised to make a greater commitment on that end, and only time will tell. Together, they’ll make the Rockets a contender – or they won’t.

“You have two guys who’ve been in the position where they’re that guy for a team,” Howard says. “There’s going to be some friction. But it’s not about outshining each other, it’s about doing whatever we can to lead this team. After a year together, I think we really understand that.

“We’re in a better place now. I don’t think there were any times when I got so upset that I couldn’t come in and say, ‘Hey, brother, I need this from you …’

“We all have one goal and that’s to win a championship and in order to that, [we] have to take ego out and come correct with each other.”

Before Howard could get up off a couch in the Rockets’ lounge, he had to unwrap those ice bags off his knees.

“A lot of miles on these things,” he says, but still Dwight Howard nodded and smiled as though to tell you this: I haven’t felt this good in a long, long time.

Here’s some more of the latest news from around the NBA as teams get ready for their first semi-competitive games in months:

PROKHOROV LOOKING AT MERGER, NOT SALE

The Guggenheim group is well-known in baseball circles for ending the Yankees’ dominance atop the payroll charts by taking all the unwanted contracts the Boston Red Sox had in 2011, catapulting the Dodgers to the top of the payroll charts. Prokhorov’s modus operandi has been fairly similar with the Nets, so from a purely sporting perspective, this rumored merger seems fitting.

Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News:

A source close to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov screamed “Nyet!” on whether the Russian billionaire would surrender majority control of the team in Brooklyn.

“He’s not a seller,” the source familiar with Prokhorov’s thinking told the Daily News on Friday. “He wants the Nets and he loves the Nets and he wants to be controlling owner. This is something that he really enjoys.”

A flurry of reports surfaced on Thursday describing two potential scenarios involving the Russian oligarch and his holdings in Brooklyn: First, that Prokhorov is interested in integrating his sports and entertainment assets with Guggenheim Partners, the company that joined with former NBA great Magic Johnson to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012 for roughly $2 billion.

The second is that Prokhorov is preoccupied with cashing out and selling his stake in the Nets to the highest bidder.

The source said only the first picture is accurate.

Earlier this week, Prokhorov and Nets executives met in Russia with Guggenheim Partners’ Todd Boehly, president of the well-heeled global investment firm, according to the Netsdaily.com, which first reported on a potential deal between the two business behemoths.

According to Netsdaily.com, Prokhorov and Guggenheim are looking for ways to meld their sporting empires.

The source described the meeting — which Nets minority owner Bruce Ratner and chief executive officer Brett Yormark also attended — as “exploratory” in nature.

WHO WILL BE THE CAVS’ STARTING CENTER?

Good examination of the issues at play from the Akron Beacon Journal’s Jason Lloyd here:

When David Blatt was discussing the merits of choosing between Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson as his starting center, he dismissed much of the debate by declaring “it probably doesn’t make a big difference.”

On the court, he might be right. Both players are similar rebounding machines, although Varejao is statistically a slightly better rim protector and has more range offensively. Off the court, however, choosing a starting center will be an important and tricky journey for the Cavaliers.

Both Varejao and Thompson could essentially be playing this season for their next contracts. Varejao is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, although his age (32) and injury history will likely preclude him from demanding top dollar. And now that his good friend LeBron James is back, Varejao likely won’t want to leave.

Thompson, however, is only 23 and very much in pursuit of a new deal. The Cavs have until Oct. 31 to come to terms with him on an extension, otherwise he’ll become a restricted free agent next summer.

At this point, with the clock ticking and little negotiations between the two sides, that might be how this plays out. And given that Thompson shares an agent with James and will be seeking a significant raise on his next deal, securing a starting spot for this season could be of utmost importance to him.

NIK VUCEVIC AT EXTENSION CROSSROADS

On our 2011 draft class extension scoreboard, Chris Bernucca suggested that something similar to the 5 year/$60 million deal Nikola Pekovic got would be fair for Vukevic. That seems to be echoed by the Orlando Sentinel’s Josh Robbins:

Only five NBA players averaged at least 10 rebounds per game in each of the last two seasons.

They are: Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Zach Randolph and Nik Vucevic.

You can bet Orlando Magic executives have been reminded of that recently by Vucevic’s agents. Because Vucevic is a former first-round draft pick who is entering his fourth season and has had all of his contract options picked up, he and the Magic have until Oct. 31 to reach a contract extension that could run through the 2018-19 season.

Vucevic has said he wants to remain with the Magic, and the team’s general manager, Rob Hennigan, said the franchise’s “hope and intention” is to reach an extension deal “if it makes sense for everybody.”

A potential extension is one reason why the months ahead are crucial for Vucevic, a 23-year-old center. He arrived at training camp leaner and more muscular than before and, he said, more comfortable to be an offensive threat in the low post.

“I’m ready,” Vucevic said. “Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll be ready to do. Shooting the ball, passing the ball or rebounding, whatever — I’ll be out there trying to do the best I can.”

…

During the summer of 2013, restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic, a friend and countryman of Vucevic’s, reached a five-year, $60 million deal to remain with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pekovic was 27 years old at the time, and although he’s a better scorer than Vucevic, he’s probably not as good a rebounder as Vucevic.

And consider this: When Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward became a restricted free agent a few months ago, Hayward signed a four-year offer sheet with the Charlotte Hornets worth an average of $15.8 million per season.

The Jazz matched the deal. But the Jazz likely regretted not signing Hayward to an extension back in Oct. 2013. At that time, Hayward reportedly was willing to sign for $13 million a year.

To be sure, Vucevic has his flaws. He isn’t a shot-blocking threat, and he can be overpowered by physical centers and out-jumped by athletic centers.

Still, few centers possess his rebounding ability and his shooting touch.

And, since he’ll turn just 24 later this month, he has plenty of time to improve.

BLAZERS ADD VETERAN DEPTH

As a huge Maryland Terrapins fan (which I may have mentioned once or twice before), I’m always pleased when Steve “Oh He Steal” Blake starts another season on an NBA roster. And, while it’s partially attributable to training camp positivity syndrome, this article, from Sean Meagher of the Oregonian, is nice to read:

It didn’t take long for offseason additions Steve Blake and Chris Kaman to make an impact in Trail Blazers training camp.

The veterans, each entering their 12th NBA seasons, have blended seamlessly with a roster that returns 13 players off last year’s 54-win team, providing advanced leadership and experience to a team already bubbling with chemistry.

“Anytime you can bring knowledge to a team it’s beneficial and it ultimately makes you better,” guard Wesley Matthews said of Blake and Kaman. “Knowledge with character guys, that’s even more of a bonus.”

Point guard Damian Lillard, who thrived playing alongside reserve Mo Williams last season, lauded Blake for his overall knowledge of the game and patience at the position, while saying Kaman pushing All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge in practice will make him a better player. And forward Nicolas Batum, who played a season-and-a-half with Blake from 2008-2010, said Lillard will learn a lot by playing with the “little general.”

THE FIFTEEN WORST NBA PLAYERS, ACCORDING TO NBA 2K15

Who else has this game preordered? It drops on my birthday, so that’ll be a nice day all around. Here’s who the lowest-rated players in the league are (yes, Hasheem Thabeet still counts as “in the league”).