The AP reports: C.J. Miles and Deron Williams scored 16 points apiece and the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 103-87 on Thursday night in an uneventful debut for replacement referees in the NBA preseason… Williams also had six assists in 21 minutes, Miles was 5 for 7 from the field and Mehmet Okur had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Jazz. Anthony led the Nuggets with 13 points.
Andre Miller fails Trail Blazers conditioning test
Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports: Andre Miller was the only player with a guaranteed contract who didn’t pass the Trail Blazers conditioning test on Tuesday night, while Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Greg Oden recorded notable times. In each of his five training camps, coach Nate McMillan holds a conditioning test that requires players to run the length of the court and back five times, or in other words, 10 lines. They have to do this in four different sets. Guards are allowed 61 seconds to do 10 lines, forwards 64 seconds and centers 65 seconds. Players are allowed to “bank” time in each set, meaning if they finish under the designated time for one set, it carries over to the next sets.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Miller isn’t especially quick or fast. He also can’t make outside shots. Yet he’s been a successful NBA point guard. That’s pretty unique. He’s like a rich man’s Anthony Carter.
Brad Miller has TV show
Chicago Bulls center Brad Miller’s NBA career has tapered off in recent seasons, but his celebrity status just got a boost in the world of people who love the great outdoors.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:
Miller got to travel the world filming footage for “Country Boys Outdoors,” a new TV show he’s co-hosting that premieres on The Sportsman’s Channel this month.
A self-described “hick” from Kendallville, Ind., who long has been passionate about hunting and fishing, Miller found himself chuckling over his good fortune when he, say, hunted red stagg or rabbits in New Zealand.
“We’ve been filming stuff for over three years,” Miller said.
That’s eight less than the number of seasons the wily veteran has played after leaving Purdue as an undrafted free agent.
“Obviously, you approach the offseasons a little differently now because you’re looking more just to stay healthy,” Miller said. “You don’t recover as much as the young guys. So a lot more Advil, more time icing and just maintaining your body. Or hunting.”
Nothing beats a summer spent doing what you love and getting paid in the process. Dude is lucky.
Delonte West skips two Cavs workouts
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West seems like a nice-enough guy, and he’s a talented combo guard, but the guy has some issues. Unfortunately, the Cavs now have a bit more of a distraction to deal with.
Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:
West hit a new low Tuesday on the first day of training camp, skipping both of the team’s workouts. The absences were unexcused and caught the team off-guard after West reported to Monday’s media day. It has now left the Cavs immersed in a gray area of how to proceed with their talented but troubled guard.
“Delonte is in Cleveland,” Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. “He is addressing a personal matter and did not attend practice.”
According to a source, West was in his home for the day and did not leave to come to practice. There was no indication whether West was planning on coming to today’s workouts.
Whatever is going on, I hope Delonte is OK and not in some sort of bad situation beyond what everyone knows.
Less handshaking?
OCT. 2 UPDATE: This story is apparently inaccurate. No such anti-handshake directive has been passed down.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports: The NBA, fearful of the damage an H1N1 flu outbreak could wreak on the league, has passed down an anti-handshake directive. Players and coaches have been asked to greet each other via more sanitary means of contact, like fist pounding, or maybe chest bumps. One can only imagine what Utah’s Jerry Sloan thinks about this. “No handshaking,” Doc Rivers said. “I think it’s a good thing. A fist pound is just great.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: Before I shake hands with a public figure these days, I pull out a giant spray-can of cleaning fluid and unleash a few gallons of it on him/her. Then while I shake hands with one hand I offer the celeb a towel with the other. It does the trick and keeps me healthy.
Tony Allen still healing
Boston Celtics shooting guard Tony Allen is taking a while to regain full health.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports:
A slower-than-expected recovery from ankle tendon surgery was given as the reason Allen didn’t scrimmage during yesterday’s practice at Salve Regina College.
Add the arrival of swingman Marquis Daniels to the picture and Allen has never been further down the depth chart.
“We were hoping Tony would be able to come along for training camp but he just wasn’t coming along as quickly as we wanted,” general manager Danny Ainge said. “We’ll take it week by week. He’s close. He’ll do things on the court, but he just won’t go live to come out of the gate. It puts him behind everyone until he can play. You have to remember that the most important ability is availability.”
All players need their athletic ability to be effective, but some need it more than others. Allen is one of those guys. So until he’s close to 100 percent he should probably remain out of action.
Al Jefferson slims down
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The AP reports: ”Big Al” isn’t quite as big these days, and that’s no accident for the Minnesota Timberwolves star as he returns from a major knee injury. A slimmer, trimmer Al Jefferson returned to full practice Tuesday for the first time in nearly eight months following surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. He has lost 31 pounds in an effort to reduce the stress on his knees and get him ready to run in the new up-tempo offense that coach Kurt Rambis plans to install. ”It felt real good,” Jefferson said after the Timberwolves opened training camp in owner Glen Taylor’s hometown. ”It’s more about my lungs than anything. My knee felt great. Felt good to be back out here with the team.”
Nuggets declare Renaldo Balkman a small forward
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Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman is an energy player. At 6-8 and around 210 pounds, he has no clear position. He’s not a shooting guard. And although he hits the boards and bangs like a power forward, he’s too small to really play the four-spot. Size-wise, he’s a small forward. So, even if he can’t shoot, from now on that’s what the Nuggets will consider him.
Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:
This year, George Karl is making what he thinks is “a pretty drastic switch,” but it could be fruitful — Balkman is now a small forward.
Makes sense. No, Balkman can’t shoot like most small forwards, but as far as size, he’ll be a perfect fit defensively. And with Linas Kleiza no longer on the team, that opens up some minutes behind Carmelo Anthony — though it’s possible Karl could, at times, play a point guard alongside J.R. Smith and Arron Afflalo.
“We’re a little excited about seeing Balkman at small forward,” Karl said. “We’re going to give him a lot of minutes there in training camp. We would like, as we cut the roster down, to give him 15-20 minutes in the games at the two or three position.
Regardless of what position he’s playing, Balkman will do what he does, which is hustle and try to fill in the blanks and make things easier for teammates who have better-refined basketball skills.
Aaron Gray out 6-8 weeks
Chicago Bulls center Aaron Gray developed lower leg pain over the last two days. He was examined by team physician Dr. Brian Cole of Midwest Orthopedics at Rush University Medical Center and it was determined that he has a stress fracture of his left fibula. The diagnosis was confirmed by MRI. He is likely out 6-8 weeks.
The 7-0, 270-pound Gray is entering his third NBA season, playing each year with the Bulls.
Suns to run again
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The Phoenix Suns were a fun, super-fast, run-and-gun team back in the not-so-distant past. Then they made a bunch of trades, added Shaquille O’Neal, and became a regular squad that fast-breaked about as much as anyone else.
Now, Shaq is gone and Steve Nash has guys like Jason Richardson, Amar’e Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa to toss the rock to. Guys with quickness and athletic ability.
What this means is, the fun Suns may reappear.
The AP reports:
The Suns begin training camp with “a clear vision of how we’re going to play,” Steve Nash said at the team’s media day on Monday.
That would be fast and furious, just like in the days when Mike D’Antoni was coach.
“This year I think it’s going to be much clearer as to who we are and how we’re going to play,” Nash said, “and that’s going to allow us to build a chemistry and believe in one another.”
It’ll be interesting to see how aging Steve Nash performs in 2009-10.