Inside Hoops – Page 1261 – NBA Blog

Cory Joseph shining for Canada at FIBA Americas

Another victory to close the opening round-robin portion of the FIBA Americas would ensure Canada enters the next phase 2-1 and would enhance the odds of advancing further. Victories against teams previously eliminated do not carry forward.

The squad has been able to come together and play well quicker than most anticipated.

That’s largely been because of how good Pickering’s Cory Joseph has been. While manning the point, Joseph has been treating opponents like his adversaries in the NBA Development League, where he was a standout months ago. He’s been stuffing the stat sheet, racking up points and assists, even leading Canada in rebounding against Brazil. Joseph looks like a veteran on the court. Reaching the NBA Final and being developed by the league’s best organization, San Antonio, has been huge for the former first-round pick. And he’s playing like a star. Practising every day against MVP candidate Tony Parker surely has something to do with that, as well.

Reported by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun

Mavericks: A glance at Devin Harris

Devin Harris

Older but presumably wiser

Devin Harris: Signed to a guaranteed one-year, $884,293 contract.

Much like DeJuan Blair, the Mavs were able to take advantage of acquiring Harris as a veteran minimum signing. Harris is actually being paid $1,272,797, the salary for a nine-year veteran, but the league is paying the remaining amount over the $884,293 total due to the collective bargaining agreement.

Harris comes back to Dallas slightly more polished on offense and more versatile on defense. His progression in Atlanta, where he played alongside point guard Jeff Teague, provided some unique flexibility as he defended the shooting guard position with moderate success.

Reported by Bryan Gutierrez of ESPN Dallas

Heat D-League team to offer tryouts in Miami

Walk into AmericanAirlines Arena and try out for the Miami Heat? That’s not going to happen. Try out for the Heat’s D-League affiliate? You only need apply.

The Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce, whose basketball operations were purchased by the Heat earlier this year, have announced open tryouts in both Sioux Falls and South Florida.

Per the release issued by the Skyforce:

“The Sioux Falls Skyforce, the exclusive NBA Development League affiliate of the back-to-back NBA Champion Miami Heat, announced today that the team will hold open tryouts for the 2013-14 season in Sioux Falls on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Miami on Saturday, Oct. 12.

“Open tryouts offer players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of Skyforce coaches and Heat personnel while they compete to earn an invite to the NBA D-League team’s training camp in November.

Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Photo: Michael Rapaport at Elite 24 game

Here’s an InsideHoops.com photo of Michael Rapaport at last week’s Elite 24 high school all-star game in Brooklyn, New York. The man loves basketball:

Photo: Oklahoma City Thunder rookies

InsideHoops.com was with the Oklahoma City Thunder rookies a few weeks ago, at Rookie Photo Shoot day. Here they are, posing together:

Now on Bucks, Racine native Caron Butler comes full circle

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

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

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

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