Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Hornets Hope Major Changes Bring Wins?


But that reality aside, is there much to not like about the work done by Hornets General Manager Dell Demps and his staff this offseason? And as a result, is there any reason to not believe the Hornets won’t be vastly improved because of it?
There’s a level of enthusiasm, hope and expectation surrounding the Hornets that perhaps only has been matched once during the team’s tenure in New Orleans, the offseason of 2008, when there was great promise after the Hornets pushed San Antonio to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals and appeared ready to make the jump and become a conference championship contender for several seasons.
And the talk has remained audible even as the Saints have opened training camp — a statement that hasn’t often been made about the Hornets during the offseason — because of all the good things that have happened to the Hornets, and all the good things they have made happen, since the NBA Draft Lottery.

Magic Hope Vaughn is the Next Doc Rivers


The Orlando Magic may have just identified their next Doc Rivers.
The Magic introduced Jacque Vaughn as their new head coach at a news conference Monday, and Vaughn seemingly reminded everyone of a young Doc, whom the Magic plucked from the broadcast booth in 1999 and turned into an NBA head coach. Like Doc when he came to Orlando, Jacque is a former NBA point guard who has never been a head coach before at any level. But there’s just something about the way he walks and talks that makes you think he might be something special someday.
He is an intelligent, eloquent man who loves poetry and quoted Maya Angelou on Monday: “Some people will forget what you said and how you said it, but they’ll never forget how you make them feel.” He communicates and relates well to players. He has charisma, a sense of humor and that innate ability to light up a press conference.

Report: Nate Robinson to Sign With Bulls


The agent for Nate Robinson, Aaron Goodwin, says the veteran point guard will sign with Chicago today “barring unforeseen problems.”
Robinson averaged 11.2 points (42.4 percent shooting overall), 23.5 minutes, 1.2 steals and a career-high 4.5 assists per game with Golden State last season. Assuming the signing takes place, this will be the 28-year-old’s fifth team since the 2009-10 campaign.

No Contract Extension for Suns’ Gentry?


The transaction flurry that has defined the Suns this month has not included a contract extension for head coach Alvin Gentry.
And that’s not a surprise. We were escorted to the acceptance porch of this reality during Lon Babby’s preamble-to-summer press conference back in June.
“My view is if a person has a three-year contract, you assess it at the end of three years,” the Suns’ president of basketball operations said when asked about Gentry’s status with the final year of his deal approaching.
“That’s how I’m going to be judged. I’ve talked to Alvin, and he’s perfectly fine with that, and you know, there are a lot of very successful coaches in the league right now coaching in the final year of their contract.

Possible Lin Backup Not on ‘Bandwagon’


Scott Machado, the former Iona point guard, is a committed Knicks fan. But he stopped short of saying he was an admirer of Linsanity last season when Jeremy Lin was electrifying the league with his come-from-nowhere play.
“I wasn’t on his bandwagon,” Machado said. “I was a Knicks fan and we were winning with him, so I was just happy.”
Machado went undrafted last month but caught on with the Houston Rockets summer league team. Now, armed with an invite to the Rockets training camp, Machado has a chance to make the team and possibly back up Lin at point guard.
“I feel like Jeremy Lin is a good player – nothing against his game – but I want to show my talent and be able to play there as well,” Machado said.

Olshey: Lillard a ‘Franchise point guard’


Damian Lillard is an NBA paradox, a relative unknown on the national stage during a 4-year college career who will enter his first fall training camp with the greatest of expectations.
“We found our franchise point guard,” Portland Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey said of Lillard, a 21-year-old from Weber State, shortly after selecting him with the No. 6 pick in June’s NBA Draft.
Lillard’s leap from “Have you ever heard of…?” to potentially being the face of a rebuilding franchise lacks a clear recent precedent. A survey of the league’s current franchise point guards bears little similarity to Lillard’s background. Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving came out of the blue blood ACC. Deron Williams played in an NCAA title game while at Illinois. Derrick Rose played for John Calipari (enough said). The enigmatic Rajon Rondo went to Kentucky and Russell Westbrook, often cited an off-the-radar recruit, wound up attending a little program known as UCLA.

Grizzlies Re-Sign Hamed Haddadi


The Grizzlies wanted to add more size to their frontcourt, and did so Saturday with a familiar face.
They finalized a two-year contract with Hamed Haddadi, re-signing the 7-2 backup center in a move that was expected and will likely conclude the team’s offseason dealings.
Haddadi will earn between $1 million and $1.3 million for the 2012-13 season — his fifth with the Grizzlies. The second year of his contract is partially guaranteed.
“We’ve invested four years in Hamed. We have continuity with him,” Griz general manager Chris Wallace said.