Inside Hoops – Page 1025 – NBA Blog

Video: Top Spurs plays from 2013-14 season

The San Antonio Spurs finished the regular season with a 62-20 record. And then they won the 2014 NBA championship. Enjoy this video showcasing some of their best plays from an amazing season:

Jared Sullinger looks ready for Celtics season

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting on a key young Celtic:

Jared Sullinger smiled wide, but wouldn’t bite when asked if he’d dropped any weight this offseason.

“Maybe,” a trimmer-looking Sullinger playfully offered Friday at the Hennigan Elementary School after leading some students through an afternoon hoops clinic as members of the Celtics organization joined more than 150 volunteers from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and City Year to revitalize the school’s grounds. “I can’t tell you everything, but maybe.”

The eye tests seems to suggest a more fit Sullinger, but the coy player only acknowledged that he’s in a better place now further removed from the back surgery that stunted his rookie season and erased the offseason before his sophomore campaign.

Earlier this offseason, Sullinger expressed a desire to improve his conditioning with the goal of maintaining his production in the fourth quarter of games. But he’s realistic when asked if he thinks that will happen this season.

Pistons, Greg Monroe together for another season

Here’s the Detroit News with an update on a key Piston that will be around for another season but is likely to hit the road after that:

Greg Monroe has officially agreed to a one-year qualifying offer with the Pistons, according to a source.

Monroe, a restricted free agent, will be paid $5.5 million this season after not being able to agree to terms with the Pistons on a long-term contract. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent next July, free to sign with any team.

Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy has said Monroe was his first priority since taking over basketball operations this spring, and all indications were the Pistons were prepared to match any prospective offer sheet a suitor would’ve signed Monroe to, even a max contract.

Celtics president Rich Gotham preaches optimism

Here’s ESPN Boston reporting on the Celtics, who continue in their transitional period. They’re rebuilding. Winning isn’t expected. Nevertheless, the team president, as he’d be expected to do, shared optimism:

Gotham, a pair of gardening gloves sprouting from his back pocket after he joined members of the Celtics’ organization, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and City Year to revitalize the grounds at Hennigan Elementary School in Jamaica Plain on Friday, thinks this season’s team is ready to roll up its sleeves and do the dirty work necessary to take the next step in its development.

“I think the expectation for this year’s team is that the future will come a little bit more into focus,” said Gotham. “Some of the guys who showed promise last year, guys that took a step last year like Jared [Sullinger] and Avery [Bradley] and [Olynyk], I think their continued development is a great reason to be optimistic. The addition of Tyler Zeller helps us a lot as we have a pure center on the roster now. I think a healthy [Rajon] Rondo is a huge difference-maker for us. And so I think, while we were very competitive last year, in a lot of these games … I think we have a better shot to take some of those games that come down to the last two minutes. Guys will have another year in [coach] Brad [Stevens’] system, I think we have great depth on this team, we have quality depth. We just look forward to taking the next step in our progression.”

Warriors reach extension with GM Bob Myers

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle blog reporting on the Golden State Warriors:

The Warriors and Bob Myers agreed to a three-year extension that will keep the general manager through at the least the 2017-18 season, a team source confirmed late Thursday night. The agreement was actually reached weeks ago, and the Bay Area News Group first reported it Thursday.

Myers, a longtime agent, was hired as the Warriors’ assistant GM in 2011 and was promoted to the lead role a year later. He’s helped shape a team that has made consecutive playoff appearances, and he was part of the management group that grabbed new head coach Steve Kerr this summer when it appeared Kerr was set to join Phil Jackson in New York.

DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay learning from World Cup experience

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on some key Kings, who are currently with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup tournament:

Now Cousins and Gay are traveling throughout Spain, making a noticeable impact on the world’s biggest international basketball stage, an impact that, they both say, will translate to success back home in Sacramento. Team USA plays Mexico today in the first game of the round of 16. The championship game is Sept. 14.

Gay, acquired by the Kings from Toronto in December, said he couldn’t have asked for a better way to jell with his new teammate this offseason than playing together for Team USA.

“It’s huge for us because we’re practicing and working every day together,” Gay said after Team USA’s win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. “And we’re learning with some of the best players in the world.”

Cousins, who is backing up NBA All-Star and 2012 Olympian Anthony Davis, agreed.

“It’s definitely good bonding time for us,” Cousins said Thursday. “And for camaraderie, too, because when you wear USA on your chest, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself.”

Pacers sign C.J. Fair, Arinze Onuaku, Chris Singleton, Adonis Thomas

The Indiana Pacers announced Friday the signing of free agents C.J. Fair, Arinze Onuaku, Chris Singleton and Adonis Thomas. We are guessing that these signings are mostly just for training camp, and these players will still have to compete to earn an actual regular season contract.

C.J. Fair is a 6-8 rookie forward out of Syracuse who played on the 2014 Dallas Mavericks summer league team.

Arinze Onuaku is a 6-9 second-year forward, also out of Syracuse, who played for both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2013-14 season. He has also spent time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Canton Charge of the NBA Development League.

Chris Singleton is a fourth-year, 6-9 forward out of Florida State. He played all three seasons of his NBA career with the Washington Wizards, with career averages of 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Adonis Thomas is a 6-7 forward that played collegiately at Memphis. He is in his second year in the NBA, having played for both Orlando and Philadelphia in the 2013-14 season.

Shaq still interested in being a crime-stopper

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal:

Former Miami Heat star Shaquille O’Neal applied to be a reserve police officer for the city of Doral on Wednesday.

O’Neal stopped by Doral’s City Council chambers to say hello before sitting down with the police chief. The council was in session discussing budget proposals. The mayor called a five-minute break and council members rushed to pose with the superstar.

The 7-foot-1 O’Neal is still going through the application process as well as a background check, city spokeswoman Christina Baguer said.

“If he passes, he will then have to do everything else to be certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, just like any of our other officers, reserve or not reserve,” Baguer said.

Carmelo Anthony says business opportunities helped him re-sign with Knicks

Here’s New York Newsday reporting on Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony:

Carmelo Anthony said Thursday there were business reasons in addition to basketball ones that led him to re-sign with the Knicks this offseason.

“I just couldn’t leave from that perspective,” he said at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit in Manhattan. “There were so many opportunities that I started to build upon here in New York City, business opportunities, different situations.

“I just felt if I was to leave, I would have to start all over in the next place, meet new people, build that foundation up once again, and it took me a lot to build that foundation and get it up and going to where it’s at right now.”

Anthony spoke at length at the summit about his new company, Melo 7 Tech Partners, which focuses on investing in tech companies, most recently the secondary ticket search engine SeatGeek. (Peyton and Eli Manning also invested in the company.)

Deron Williams discusses the difficulties of NYC life

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on Nets point guard Deron Williams:

Deron Williams says he still loves New York, but sometimes it’s good to get away.

In an article published in Resident Magazine, the Nets point guard detailed his difficulties adjusting to living in the city — specifically the issues with raising children while declaring “I don’t really feel like a New Yorker.”

“I grew up in an apartment in Texas where you could send your kids outside like, ‘Yeah, go play in the sun.’ Here it’s more challenging,” said Williams, who lives in Tribeca during the season but kept his home in Utah for the summer. “The process of getting them into school (in New York) is a nightmare. Even private schools where you pay are an ordeal. In Utah, you just send your kids to the first public school in the area because they’re all great. Truth is, we enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle and going back to Utah every summer. It’s a relief to take that timeout. No traffic. No crowds. My daughters still have their friends there. There’s a big backyard. They go to the pool; the playground and they jump on the trampoline. Kids running wild and free here…? I don’t think so.”