July 2013 – Page 10 – NBA Blog

NBA summer filled with reunions for coaches and players

Reunions are all the rage across the league these days, with some more surprising than others. Flip Saunders has taken over as president of basketball operations in Minnesota eight years after the Timberwolves fired him as head coach. Larry Bird has returned to Indiana’s front office after a year away, and Kurt Rambis has been talking to the Los Angeles Lakers about returning to the bench as an assistant coach under Mike D’Antoni.

Chauncey Billups signed with the Detroit Pistons, the team that he led to a title in 2004 and then traded him four years later. And Metta World Peace is joining the New York Knicks 14 years after they passed on the local St. John’s star in the 1999 NBA draft.

“He’s really excited to be joining his hometown team,” said his agent Marc Cornstein. “That’s obviously been something that’s been a dream of his since growing up in Queensbridge.”

In many of those cases, the key to the reunion lies in how both sides handled the initial exits. Firings and trades in the NBA often can be about more than simply business. Feelings are hurt. Egos are bruised. Bridges aren’t just burned, they’re vaporized.

Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Stephen Curry finishes fourth in celebrity golf tournament

Warriors guard Stephen Curry hung in as the third-round leader for most of Sunday, but he faded down the stretch and watched Billy Joe Tolliver top Mark Rypien in a playoff for his fourth title at the American Century Championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Tolliver made par on the third playoff hole, the par-5, 501-yard 18th hole to claim the title after Rypien deposited a short pitch into a pond alongside the green. Tolliver and Rypien, former NFL quarterbacks, tied at 67 points, and Curry ended up with 64 — good enough for a fourth-place finish.

“I think I showed I’ve got what it takes to win here,” said Curry, the 36-hole leader. “Obviously, it takes a lot to win. A lot has to go right. The more I play, the more comfortable I get. It’s a great environment to play golf.”

Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Blog)

Brazilian center Vitor Faverani set to join Celtics

Signs seem to be pointing toward 7-foot Brazilian center Vitor Faverani finally becoming a Celtic. Faverani’s Spanish team in Valencia issued a press release on Friday that the 25-year-old has officially told them that he is leaving the team to pursue his basketball career elsewhere.

The Celtics and Faverani had essentially agreed on a three-year, $6 million framework of a deal, but the transaction had been delayed due to the Celts’ continuing attempts to get below the luxury tax line of $71.7 million. The C’s were $2 million over that line before this deal.

Reported by the Boston Herald

Gal Mekel has confidence after Vegas league

Shane Larkin’s ankle injury moved Gal Mekel into a more prominent role in the summer league and ended up giving Mekel the opportunity to be the most consistent player on the floor for the Mavs.

He finished the summer league by averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. Not bad, considering the Mavs ended the summer league playing four games in four days.

“For me, I think it was a great week the first time getting to know the NBA game,” Mekel said. “I think I played pretty good for the first time.

Prior to the summer league team leaving for Las Vegas, Mekel, 25, was considered a unique prospect because no one really knew what kind of game he had. Fresh off a title and MVP award in Israel, the guard’s resume impressed his coach.

Reported by Bryan Gutierrez of ESPN Dallas

Ricky Ledo ready to prove himself

By making a trade to acquire the 43rd overall pick in the 2013 draft, the Dallas Mavericks made Providence shooting guard Ricky Ledo their guy.

“We specifically grabbed that pick for Ricky Ledo and we feel pretty good about him,” president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said.

Ledo, 20, is considered to have big upside, but there is a reason he was available in the second round. He never played for Providence. After moving from high school to high school, the guard sat out his freshman year as a partial academic qualifier before declaring for this year’s draft.

“Certainly, he needs to mature and needs time, but we really feel good about him,” Nelson said.

Reported by Bryan Gutierrez, special to ESPN Dallas

Kevin Martin feels he brings a championship tone to Timberwolves

Kevin Martin didn’t realize how mediocre his NBA experience was until last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The new Timberwolves shooting guard had played on competitive teams in Houston and Sacramento, but an organization with an NBA-Finals-or-bust attitude was uncharted territory.

“It’s just a special atmosphere when your team has a championship tone in that locker room,” Martin said in a conference call Saturday afternoon. “That’s one thing I feel like I bring.”

Martin ended up with the Thunder last year after the Rockets made him part of a trade for superstar James Harden. Because of salary and luxury cap restrictions, it was unlikely Oklahoma City could have afforded Martin’s return this season. The Wolves swooped in for a sign-and-trade deal that was made official July 11.

Reported by Alex M. Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

DeMarcus Cousins aims to become a better defender

Cousins will return to Las Vegas next week as part of the USA Basketball minicamp.

Cousins did not speak with the media, except for an interview on NBA TV. He was asked about the changes to ownership, the front office and coaching staff as he enters his fourth NBA season.

“To be honest, we came into every season with something to deal with,” Cousins said. “Just make the best of it and try to stay focused and play your game.”

Cousins said he continues to work on his overall game but with a special emphasis.

“I really want to improve the defensive end this year,” Cousins said. ” … That’s my main thing – just being better on the defensive end.”

Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Meyers Leonard may do big things for Trail Blazers

He’s out of position too often. He’s awkward at times, and the only thing that’s consistent about his game is that it’s reliably inconsistent. In fact, the Trail Blazers spent a good portion of their summer seeking a player who could make him a back-up. But every time I see Meyers Leonard on the basketball floor I believe he will one day be the answer in Portland.

Leonard turned 21 last NBA season. And if you want to polarize your next cocktail party, wait for a lull, and ask for a show of hands of those who believe Leonard will one day start a playoff game at center for the Blazers. Because this city is no longer Eastside vs. Westside. It’s not hipsters vs. yuppies. As division goes, there are those who believe Leonard will blossom, and those who think he’s a stiff.

I see a star.

Far as we know, Leonard spent his summer league hacking opponents around the basketball and tweeting about various Cirque du Soleil shows on the Vegas strip. But he also attended a Big Man’s Camp, and got stronger, and worked on his footwork.

Reported by John Canzano of the Oregonian

Will the Detroit Pistons make the NBA playoffs?

Based on the additions and subtractions in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

That year coach Michael Curry and the Pistons got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The five teams that are virtual locks to make the playoffs in the East are two-time defending champion Miami, Brooklyn, Chicago, New York and surging Indiana, which could challenge the Heat for supremacy in the conference finals.

Three teams that made the playoffs last season have been severely weakened. Boston traded away landmarks Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who are still grieving over leaving Beantown. Atlanta lost Josh Smith to the Pistons via free agency. Milwaukee lost Monta Ellis as general manager John Hammond is changing the roster.

Reported by Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press

Six Kobe Bryant items sell for $433,531 at auction

Two NBA championship rings that Kobe Bryant gave to his parents each sold for more than $100,000 at an auction that supported one of his charities.

Goldin Auctions said six items of Bryant memorabilia sold for a combined $433,531 in the monthlong auction that closed early Saturday morning.

A 2000 Lakers championship ring gifted by Bryant to his father, Joe, sold for $174,184. A ring given to his mother, Pamela, from the same championship season went for $108,153.

Reported by the Associated Press