October 2, 2012 – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

James Harden not worried about Thunder extension

For all the Oklahoma City Thunder followers worried about whether the team will be able to afford a new contract with the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, there’s one person who doesn’t seem fazed by it: James Harden.

Harden heads into this season as possibly the odd man out in the Thunder’s young nucleus. Like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka before him, he’s eligible for his first contract extension and would become a restricted free agent if he doesn’t get a new deal by next July.

The difference for Harden is that small-market Oklahoma City, approaching the salary cap with all the others already locked into long-term deals, may not be able — or willing — to pay the luxury tax likely to come along with Harden’s price tag.

“Everything will figure itself out eventually,” Harden said at the team’s preseason media day Monday. “Right now, training camp is starting. I think everybody is excited to be here and just to enjoy each other’s company. We really missed each other.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Heat exercise option on guard Norris Cole

The Miami Heat announced today that they have exercised the third-year Rookie Scale Option on guard Norris Cole.

Cole appeared in 65 games (two starts) with the HEAT last season and averaged 6.8 points, 2.0 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 19.4 minutes. Among rookie league leaders, he finished 17th in scoring average, tied for 11th in assists per game and eighth in free throw percentage (.776). He appeared in 19 postseason games during Miami’s championship run and averaged 1.8 points in 8.9 minutes of action.

Cole was originally drafted by Minnesota in the first round (28th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft before his draft rights were acquired by the HEAT in a draft night trade.

Adam Morrison may retire if he doesn’t make Trail Blazers roster

When the Portland Trail Blazers gave Adam Morrison – the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft – a chance to return to the National Basketball Association by signing him to a training camp deal, I’m not sure anyone knew this could probably be his last chance.

After being out of the league the last two years, Morrison, 28, told CSNNW.com that if he didn’t make the Trail Blazers’ regular season roster, he has plans to end his professional playing career and start a new one.

“I’m going to finish school and start coaching (If he didn’t make the Trail Blazers roster)…I did the Europe thing and it just wasn’t for me,” Morrison told CSNNW.com. “Not saying the (Europe) culture or anything like that, (or) the people, it just wasn’t for me. So, yeah, if it doesn’t work out, I’m willing to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it a honest shot’ and turn the page. Do something else.”

Coach Morrison has a nice ring to it.

— Reported by Chris Haynes of CSNNW

Chicago Bulls hope to keep Taj Gibson

After losing restricted free agent Omer Asik to the Houston Rockets over the offseason, the Chicago Bulls don’t want to take the same risk with Taj Gibson, whose contract expires after this season.

The Bulls have always been confident they could retain Gibson, whose agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPNChicago.com in June that the two sides had already started discussing a new deal.

“I can only worry about basketball,” Gibson said after practice Tuesday afternoon. “I can only worry about what I can take care of on the court. I’m listening to my agent Mark Bartelstein and I’ll let (Bulls GM) Gar Forman and (Bartelstein) worry about that. Right now I’m just worried about getting better with my teammates, and so far it’s been great.”

Given what happened with Asik, Gibson really finds himself in the driver’s seat.

— Reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago

Jeremy Lin seems healthy at start of Rockets training camp

Though Jeremy Lin had pronounced his rehabilitation from knee surgery as “100 percent” and Rockets teammates praised Lin’s play on the first day of camp, Rockets coach Kevin McHale said “the knee is still a thing he is working through.

“He’s in a really good spot right now physically,” McHale said. “It’s just a matter of topping everything off. But he looked good.

“This will be the first time since he had the surgery that he will be pressing that knee day after day after day at an NBA level. No matter what you do in rehab it’s hard to replicate NBA level. I don’t foresee it being a problem.”

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

Celtics fight sleep to practice in Turkey

Celtics play an October 5 exhibition game in Turkey

After a flight that lasted about 12 hours with many players getting little to no sleep, it would have come as a surprise to no one if Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave his players the day off after they landed.

Nope.

Instead, Rivers put them through about an hour’s worth of practice with a simple goal in mind — to keep them awake.

Huh?

“That’s a rarity in the NBA where you try to make sure they don’t go to bed early,” Rivers said. “Usually it’s the exact opposite. But because of the time change and all that, I thought if we went straight and did nothing they would fall asleep at 6 p.m. and sleep the rest of the night away.”

— Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE

Nuggets center JaVale McGee got sick during practice

After a couple hours of Denver’s first practice of camp, the practice-ending scrimmage was, sure enough, tied. The coaches knew there’s a long camp ahead, but some of the players, perpetually competitive, wanted to keep playing…

Center JaVale McGee got sick during the practice and didn’t finish the day. Forward Wilson Chandler and guard Julyan Stone, each coming off a hip injury, practiced lightly and didn’t compete in scrimmage play.

Denver’s first preseason game is Saturday in Las Vegas against the Clippers.

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

Hornets coach Monty Williams has work to do

New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams doesn’t like to look back, so first-day comparisons between Tuesday’s initial training camp practice and the one he oversaw last December when the NBA lockout ended were a trifle disconcerting.

Williams greeted a roster on Tuesday that included no one who attended the first day of Hornets’ training camp last season, though several players, including center/forward Jason Smith, forwards Lance Thomas and Al-Farouq Aminu and guards Eric Gordon (who did not practice Tuesday because of a sore right knee) and Greivis Vasquez, were present for portions of the team’s camp a year ago.

Aside from those familiar faces, the rest of the 17-man roster were all first-timers.

— Reported by Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Deron Williams was frustrated last season

Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams called the 2011-12 campaign the toughest season he’s endured and called out teammates for not sharing his frustration.

On most nights, Williams was surrounded by an injury-plagued and talent-depleted roster as the Nets stumbled to a 22-44 record. As the losses mounted, his frustration began to show in the form of negative body language, so much so that coach Avery Johnson had to call him out on it.

But Williams believes he had every right to be frustrated because his teammates were joking around after losses. And that didn’t sit well with him.

“It was hard. I’ve never been in that position before,” Williams told reporters Tuesday, following his team’s first day of training camp. “So at times, I’ve showed frustration, but I think anybody would have. I think no matter who it is, if you were there every day and you saw what was going on in the locker room you’d be pissed off too sometimes. You’re getting your asses kicked and then you’re in the locker room laughing about the game afterwards.

“I don’t think that stuff is funny. That’s what we had to deal with last year. But I don’t think we’re going to deal with it this year, because just talking to the guys, that’s not what we’re about. We’re talking about not losing two games in a row. We were just trying to fight to win two games in a row last year.”

— Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Eric Gordon sits out Hornets practice

New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon was, as expected, a first-practice spectator Tuesday morning at the Alario Center as the team went through a 2 1/2 hour workout, the first of two scheduled days of two-a-day workouts.

When media was allowed into the gym, as the team was running post-practice wind sprints, Gordon, who is being held out with a sore right knee, was working on an eliptical machines off to the side at one of the baselines.

Gordon missed all but nine games of last season’s lockout-shortened 66-game schedule because of the bothersome right knee, which was eventually treated with arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-February.

— Reported by Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune