Now on Bucks, Racine native Caron Butler comes full circle

caron butler

Butler will be starting his 12th pro season this fall and believes he has plenty to offer to a revamped Bucks squad.

“Everything was handled the right way, in a very classy way,” Butler said of the Suns. “The Bucks had made inquiries about me, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me and my family. My son (Caron Jr.) will be in eighth grade this year in Racine.”

Even though Butler was a starter for a Clippers team that won a franchise-record 56 games last season, he played just 24 minutes a game.

“After I got back healthy, I actually wanted to play more,” Butler said. “I had to accept the role I was given.

“I felt I was back to my old self. It’s never been hard for me to score. As long as I’m out there, I’ll find a way.”

Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bob Myers did not think Warriors would get Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala
Bob Myers did not think Warriors would get Iguodala
Brings versatility

Bob Myers got his man. He got Andre Iguodala. But before the forward signed with the Warriors, Myers was convinced that he wasn’t going to get Iguodala.

In an interview with Sporting News, Myers was very candid in his persuit of the 2011-12 All-Star.

“Andre was still a longshot, too,” Myers told Sporting News. “And it looked like more of a longshot as we were going through the process. I remember walking into my house late at night, just about every night that week, and telling my wife, ‘This is disappointing because no one cares about the work you put in, they just care about the result.’ We were ready to not get the result. You can say you tried really hard, but no one wants to hear that. Many times it looked futile. I killed it, five, 10, 20 different times. I said, ‘We’re not getting him, we can’t do it.’”

Reported by CSN Bay Area

Warriors expect healthy Andrew Bogut for upcoming season

Warriors expect healthy Andrew Bogut for upcoming season

Andrew Bogut hasn’t played more than 69 games in a season since 2007-08, but the Warriors expect that to change next season.

According to general manager Bob Myers, Golden State is currently treating Bogut like he is completely healthy, and Myers didn’t have to go through questionable sources to come to this conclusion.

“At this point, you treat him like he is 100 percent healthy,” Myers told Sporting News, “that is what he is saying, that is what the medical staff is saying, so, you don’t treat him any other way.”

Bogut, 28, underwent ankle surgery in the April 2012, and suffered a setback in November after playing just four games for the Warriors. He came back in January, but the center still showed signs that the ankle was bothering him. Even though Myers is optimistic about Bogut’s health, he said the Warriors are prepared for another injury problem.

Reported by CSN Bay Area

Sacramento push for new Kings arena continues

Sacramento Kings
Sacramento push for new Kings arena continues
This new arena stuff is taking a while to materialize

Eight local legislators joined Friday to back a bill to shield Sacramento’s downtown arena plan from lengthy litigation that could cause the building to miss a tight, NBA-imposed deadline for opening.

The 11th-hour effort, championed by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, would speed up the judicial process for handling environmental lawsuits, limit the courts’ ability to stop construction, and add mediation to the mix.

Steinberg, who promised the league in New York this spring he’d help shepherd the arena project through the state’s often lengthy environmental process, said the bill keeps the arena on a fast track to open in 2016.

NBA officials have said they are willing to give Sacramento an extra year, but Commissioner David Stern has warned that the league reserves the right to force the team to move to a new city if the project lags.

Reported by Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee

No timetable yet for return of J.R. Smith

No timetable yet for return of J.R. Smith

J.R. Smith continues to progress in his rehab from offseason knee surgery. But there is no timetable for his return.

“No, not yet,” Smith said Saturday. “I wish.”

Smith had left patella tendon surgery and an arthroscopy for a tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee in mid-July.

The initial recovery time for Smith’s surgery, which was performed by team orthopedist Dr. Answorth Allen, was approximately 12 to 16 weeks. That meant Smith would likely miss part of training camp and the beginning of the regular season.

Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

No, J.R. Smith does not own an armored truck

J.R. Smith
No, J.R. Smith does not own an armored truck
Not a tank or armored truck owner

When the Knicks re-signed Smith, they also renewed their acquaintance with his flamboyance. He denied he was driving a $450,000 armored truck that was parked outside a restaurant where he was dining in the Meatpacking District last month. Smith said the vehicle was his friend’s and he came in a Bentley.

“I don’t know how that got out,’’ Smith said. “I wasn’t even in the truck. I was standing next to the truck. It’s not my truck. It’s one of my friend’s. The Bentley was just over there. I don’t know why they didn’t think that was mine.”

Smith also no longer has blonde hair after his mother and coach Mike Woodson made him dye it back to its original color.

“My mom was killing me, [Woodson] didn’t like it at all,’’ Smith said. “He told me he wasn’t playing my golf outing if I had it blonde. My mom was the deciding factor. She said it was time to bring back the old me.”

Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Financial issues continue between Allen Iverson and ex-wife

Allen Iverson’s ex-wife is sick and tired of dragging him to court to squeeze out child support … she’s asking a judge to make him cough up the next 13 years worth RIGHT NOW — a cool $1.2 MILLION.

TMZ broke the story … after the couple’s nasty divorce Iverson was ordered to pay $8000/month in child support for their 5 kids. Problem is, Tawanna has gone to court on numerous occasions because A.I. won’t pay.

It came to a head in July when a judge threatened Iverson with jail, unless he forked over $40,000 in back support — which he did. But Tawanna says she doesn’t want to keep running into the same problem.

Reported by TMZ.com

Spurs have hired scout Dave Telep

Spurs have hired scout Dave Telep

The San Antonio Spurs, long innovators in NBA front-office operations, have hired well-respected prep recruiting analyst Dave Telep, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Telep will work in a scouting coordinator role for the NBA draft under GM R.C. Buford, sources said.

Telep had recently left a job as an analyst for a cable television network, where he had grown his sizable reputation in the basketball community as one of the game’s most knowledgeable and trusted talent evaluators.

Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports