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News From Around The World: September 24

09/24/12

Written by: DHawes22

September 24

Trail Blazers TV: Meet BlazerDancer Kimberly

Trail Blazers: Aldridge: Lillard Is A 'Must Watch'
"David Aldridge, writer for NBA.com and "cousin" to our own LaMarcus, put together his Top 10 "must-watch" storylines heading into training camp. He touches on how George Karl will find different ways to utilize Andre Iguodala, wanting to see Brandon Roy on the court again, and getting a full season out of Steph Curry among others. But with the NBA at his fingertips and a plethora of angles to pursue, what was his most anticipated story heading into the 2012-13 season? None other than our own Damian Lillard!"

Trail Blazers: Will-osophy: 'That's MY House'
"It's like sometimes I wake up in the morning and it's just unreal for me," said Barton. "A lot of people probably don't understand where I'm coming from, to go from never having your own bed, never having your own room, to having your own house. That's my house. Not my momma house, not my dad house, not my sister or my brother. That's MY house. I pay the rent. I got that. I work hard for it. It's crazy when I'm in my own big room in a big house in a nice neighborhood, it's like all this work I put in to get this far, it just really motivates me to not want to stop, because I want more. When I say I want it all, I want it ALL, man."

Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum Sees Something Else
"I think it's good to restart like this," said Batum. "With what happened the last four, five years, all the injuries, coaching situation, GM situation, everything got all drama. So now I think we're good. We have a new start, a fresh start. This city deserves a good team so we're going to try to show them they can trust us, they can come in every night to support us and try to make them proud."

NBA: Return of NBA normalcy creates must-watch camp storylines
"Can't Wait ... to see Damian Lillard play for the Blazers. Just have a feeling that the Blazers' first first-round pick is going to be a pretty dynamic player. He is a rarity in our 500-channel universe: a lottery pick that wasn't on TV five times a week at Weber State. He's going to be as exciting a first-year player as there is."

DIME: The Next 10 Who Will Shape The Future Generation Of Basketball
"But Lillard’s place on this list isn’t so much about his basketball potential as it is his path to the NBA. It’s been a while since a truly small school produced such a high-caliber player, and nowadays it’s rare to see top players stay in school for more than two seasons. If Lillard does succeed in the league, he may give confidence and assurance to prospects considering smaller schools outside of the Big Six conferences, and let them know that staying for a few years of college doesn’t hurt either. "

Off The Dribble: Adam Morrison' Is back. Will He Stay?
"Fitting, perhaps, that it comes in Portland, Ore., a city with a proud but tortured basketball tradition of underachieving players and careers cut far too short. Indeed, with his skinny frame and shoulder-length locks, Morrison fits Portland’s hip aesthetics to a T, while his new demeanor could serve him well in a city where basketball summons a singular passion. "

Trail Blazers: Harry Glickman To Join The Ranks Of Oregon History Makers
"Glickman was the driving force that founded the Trail Blazers in 1970 and then oversaw the franchise’s growth over its first 24 years, serving as executive vice president, general manager and president. During his tenure as the Trail Blazers’ leader, he helped construct the roster that earned the Trail Blazers their first NBA Championship in 1977. He also guided the Trail Blazers business operations to the all-time professional sports record of 814 consecutive sellouts. Glickman retired as team president in 1994. Since his retirement, Glickman has served as the team’s president emeritus."

CSNNW: Jonny Flynn Agrees To One-year Deal With Pistons
"Flynn worked out for the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and a few other teams not confirmed at this time. Teams were wanting to see if Flynn has fully recovered from the hip surgery he had two years ago."

Rip City Project: LaMarcus Aldridge: MVP Candidate, or Borderline All-Star?
"Four: His team would have to win. With Aldridge, the Blazers have never made it past the first round of the playoffs. The playoffs don’t factor in to the MVP race, but because the Blazers haven’t won enough during the season to have home court advantage, they seemingly always end up with very difficult first round opponents. They would probably need to win close to 60 games, and compete for a top two or three spot in the conference, for him to be considered."

Blazersedge via ESPN: ESPN: LaMarcus Aldridge (No. 20) Leads Blazers In NBA Player Rankings
"All members of the Portland Trail Blazers have now been accounted for in ESPN.com's annual NBA Player Rankings, with All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge leading the way at No. 20, up from No. 23 last season."

Pro Basketball Talk: Could LaMarcus Aldridge win MVP? Well, no, but let’s talk about it anyway
"Aldridge is a fantastic player. He is the sun and the moon for the Blazers, and he’s remained so since his rookie season, despite the franchise constantly billing Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, then Nicolas Batum over him. He’s been an All-Star worthy player the past three years and yet still took so long to nab his spot. He doesn’t complain in the press, he doesn’t show up his opponent, he has an actual drop-step hook and he goes out and guns it every night when the Blazers aren’t tanking. He’s worthy of being on the list of consideration. He just can’t be considered a serious contender, because of the level of play in this league. It says nothing bad about Aldridge that he’s not on the serious list. It just says a lot about those who are."

Ball Don't Lie via Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum, on his Olympic-sized crotch-punch: ‘I feel bad about it because that’s not me. I just lost it’
"What I'm mad about is what I showed to people about myself, what I showed about the game, about France, everything," said Batum. "I feel bad about it because that's not me. I'm human. I lost it. I just lost it. You don't want this type of action. I can't do it. You can't see that on the court. If the (International Basketball) Federation or the Olympics want to suspend me a couple games or fine me, I'm okay with that. I won't say anything."

Ball Don't Lie via NBA: George Karl wants a shortened season that the NBA would never, ever go back to
"I'm sure Commissioner Stern won't like this, but I think the product would be better if we shortened the season. When we start playing in late October, the people are thinking football. If you could just get us less fatigue [in a shorter season], I think you'd have a better product. When they started on Christmas Day, I thought, 'This is not a bad idea. This should be the start of NBA basketball ... Maybe start Dec. 1 and play 62 games, whatever number they'd come to."

Ball Don't Lie: Jalen Rose details the night that Vince Carter bodyslammed Raptors coach Sam Mitchell (VIDEO)
"Worse, the ploy didn't work. Relative to his previous success, and brilliant work with the Nets once he was dealt, Vince was in the midst of a miserable season. That game against Portland, just a few minutes after the tussle, saw Vince take just nine shots and make only two in 22 minutes of tepid work against a Portland team that had a just-as fractious locker room. The Raptors lost by just three points. We'd consider that part of Vince's miserable year, and nothing to be alarmed by, if only..."

The Basketball Jones: Derrick Rose deep-dishes on his pizza game
"Even though he’s a native Chicagoan who says a thin crust cheeser is his favorite pizza — I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk this treasonous behavior up to having eaten deep-dish his whole life and just enjoying a little bit of a change for now and/or trying to eat less carbs because he’s doing rehab and wants to stay slender — this is still a perfect story. Local boy loves hometown pizza, becomes superstar athlete in hometown, invests in favorite pizza place. It’s the American dream, baked between two greasy crusts and covered with cheese."

The Basketball Jones: Hakeem Olajuwon Can't Stop Doing Post Moves
“Working out with Hakeem Olajuwon” is our generation’s “added 15 pounds of muscle,” in that it seems like everyone who is anyone is doing it in the summer. Want to be a cool guy who people give credit for having a post game before even seeing it in action? Plunk down the $50,000 and get your Dream Shake on. Kobe started it, but players as diverse as LeBron James JaVale McGee have participated and it’s the new big thing."

The Basketball Jones via DIME: Video: Rasheed Wallace in midseason form
"Good news, Knicks fans. Your new center is already ready already for his return to the NBA after two years of being in chill mode. From the yelling at referees to the going through an entire clip set without posting up to the fact that he can throw down a 360 which I didn’t even know was possible before he had a belly, he looks just like he did when he left the NBA. That’s your call on whether or not that’s a good thing, but it’s certainly true. Congratulations."

DIME: Dime Q&A: Allan Houston On Fatherhood & The 5 Best Midrange Shooters In The NBA
"Basketball is a tool. It can be used to get a lot of people out of unfortunate situations. The same way as music and art does. For us, we’re using basketball to paint a bigger picture. That bigger picture is letting people know that there are men who are fathers, coaches and teachers that are really trying to be out there for their kids. Statistics and public perceptions suggest that they’re not. So, our message is not enough just to be there for your kids. Someone is going to raise our kids if we don’t. It’s not enough to be there but we have to train them. My father was there for me as a coach and as a mentor. I’ve learned certain principals – life principals and skills – from playing from him that I felt like we had to share. Our goal is to tell the men and tell the families that the power and presence in their lives is to train them to be what God chose them to be."

DIME: The Top 10 Dunkers Since 2000
"That 2000 highlight reel from Athens and Oakland could stand on its own as an offering of Vince’s top five dunks in his career, and it would still make him one of the best in history. But we haven’t even gotten to the dunks Vince executed in actual NBA games over his current 15-year career. Some were beautiful, others were ugly. Some were vicious, others were majestic. On breakaways or in traffic, Vince was an attraction. For several years, the attraction. From Toronto to Jersey to Orlando to Phoenix to Dallas, even at 35 Vince can still bring the house down."

SLAM via Sun-Sentinel: Hakeem Olajuwon Thinks Miami Can Win ‘3 Out of 5 Championships’
"With the Heat set to open training camp Saturday, Olajuwon, who knows what it takes to repeat, has some bad news for the rest of the league. He believes LeBron will soon incorporate even more of the low-post game they polished. “That was just last year,” Olajuwon says. “That was his first year. Now I think he gets a little more comfortable. When he gets more comfortable, he will come more into his own in the post.” Nor does Olajuwon, while acknowledging the presence of several “legitimate” title contenders out west, see any reason LeBron can’t do what Kobe did and follow up his Hakeem Sessions with back-to-back titles. “I think it will be much easier for him,” Olajuwon says. “All the pressure of, ‘OK, can he do it?’ That’s gone now.”

SLAM via FOX Sports: Minnesota Timberwolves to Sign Lou Amundson
“Here’s what agent Mark Bartelstein said Louis Amundson, who will sign 1-year deal with Minnesota, will provide: ‘His athleticism is unbelievable,” Bartelstein said. ‘I think that, with his athleticism, he fits really well with them and complements very well what they have.’ Bartelstein said Amundson has agreed to terms with the Timberwolves. He’ll sign a one-year guaranteed contract for the minimum of $1.07 million.”

ESPN Boston: Late December return for Bradley?
"Honestly, at this point I am used to Russell Westbrook looking like this and have maybe even been brainwashed a little in to liking his outfits. Well, not that black shirt with a jellyfish or whatever that is that’s on the far right, but everything else is fine. For him, at least. I guess this what Westbrook is going to look like for a little bit, so we might as well embrace it. And even though he got called some pretty horrible things, he looks like he’s having fun, so that’s nice."

The Basketball Jones: Brad Miller and Jared Jeffries killed an alligator
"Not even close,'' Rivers told ESPNBoston.com. "I don't like to put a time limit on injuries, but I don't think you'll see him before December -- and there's a chance it could be closer to January.''

ESPN LA: Steve Blake out after puncturing foot
"The backup point guard is entering his third season with the team, but hasn't performed to expectations upon being signed. Last season, Blake averaged 5.2 ppg, 3.3 assists and 33.5 percent from 3-point range in just over 23 minutes per game. He also missed 13 games with a rib injury. His production, however, did pick up a bit during the playoffs, highlighted by a 19 point performance in the decisive Game 7 of the opening round series against the Denver Nuggets. "

Sports Illustrated: Storylines to watch in 2012-13
"Of course I'm looking forward to seeing top-three picks Anthony Davis (New Orleans), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte) and Bradley Beal (Washington), but the real intrigue starts at No. 4: Dion Waiters. The Cavaliers surprisingly selected the high-scoring Syracuse reserve, who just weeks earlier was pegged as a mid-to-late first-round pick by most evaluators. Then he showed up slightly overweight for Las Vegas summer league in July, offering mostly underwhelming performances in three games while not being able to play with new teammate Kyrie Irving. The top pick in the 2011 draft broke his hand at a Cavaliers practice in mid-July but is expected to be ready for training camp."

Sports Illustrated: A poignant moment for a humble superstar; more news and notes
"At an event to launch his Adidas shoe and clothing line, the former MVP showed the kind of humanity and humility that even the most disenchanted of sports fans would have to find endearing. Rose, who isn't expected to return from his May 12 ACL surgery until late this season, broke down in tears after a video of his long rehabilitation process was shown to the attending crowd. Adidas vice president Lawrence Norman had handed Rose the floor during the presentation, and the words were supposed to keep flowing. Instead, Rose sat silent -- wiping his eyes, staring at the floor -- for nearly 30 seconds before sharing the root of all this unfiltered emotion."

Sports Illustrated: Suns' Frye out with enlarged heart
"Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle, primarily affecting the left ventricle, which becomes enlarged and can't pump blood to the body with as much force as a healthy heart, according to mayoclinc.com."

Trail Blazers: Weekend Plan: Specially Designed For Families And The Busy Nine-To-Fiver
"Built for the family-oriented fan with a busy work-week, the 12-game Weekend Pack maximizes the thrill-factor while keeping the competitions to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A smattering of Western Conference rivals and Eastern Conference visitors during one-offs and key home stands, you can get your hands on this schedule-friendly pack for as low as $11/game and $52/game in the lower bowl."

Trail Blazers: The Rivals Plan: Two LAs, Oklahoma City And The Return Of Roy
"The smallest of the four big ticket plans, the eight game Rivals Pack packs a big punch. You’ll be in the building and eating a corndog while others are wondering how to get their hands on a way to see the return of Brandon Roy and the sure to sell out L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder."

Trail Blazers: Why The Value Plan Makes 'Cents' For You
"The Value Pack starts at just $5 a game. That’s 12 games for as low as $60! Talk about some serious bang for your buck. But that’s not even the best part about this ticket plan. Four of the 12 games take place in the month of January. And there is absolutely no better place to be during an Oregon winter’s night than inside the raucous Rose Garden. Not to mention this pack gets you into the arena to see some of the league’s biggest names and brightest young stars such as Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Rudy Gay."

Trail Blazers: Big Games Plan: 12 Of The Biggest Games
"This game has it all. Season opener, at home, against the loathe-inducing Lakers, in Steve Nash's first game in purple and gold and it's on Halloween night! Any game against the Lakers at the Rose Garden is going to be a lively one, but the confluence of circumstances in this particular game sets the stage for one of the all-time season openers in Trail Blazers history."