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News From Around The World: October 3

10/03/12

Written by: DHawes22

October 3

Trail Blazers TV: Training Camp: Day Two

Trail Blazers: NBA Announces Anti-Flopping Rule
“Flops have no place in our game – they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call," Jackson said. "Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the Competition Committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should – after a warning – be given an automatic penalty.”

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers Unveil Alternate Red Uniforms
"This marks the first time the Trail Blazers uniform has seen a redesign since the 2002-03 season. The alternate uniform was modernized to show innovation towards the future while still reflecting the team’s rich heritage. They are anticipated to be worn on 8-10 occasions throughout the season."

Trail Blazers: Behind The Scenes At Media Day
"Nicolas Batum was the first player to begin the daunting task of traveling through the many media stations, but he made a great choice in starting with Todd Bosma and the filming of the in-arena favorite, "Name That Tune." To fully tell this story I'd have to reveal what Nic was listening to, but I'm not going to give anything away. So just know, "Name That Tune" will be just as glorious this year as it has been in the past."

Trail Blazers: Time To Roll
"As we talked about over the summer, one of the early steps of this process was the draft. Yes, it's early, but it continues to look like it was a solid success. It's at least a good example of direction. They identified their targets early, and got them. This is still very much LaMarcus Aldridge's team, and should be, but Damian Lillard has the look of a guy who could be a game changer. That's not to heap even more expectations on his untested NBA shoulders, but it's tough to watch him in action, even during training camp, and not get excited."

Trail Blazers: VIDEO: Media Day Fan Chats
"For the first time since we starting doing live fan chats on Media Day four years ago, we were able to get every player on the show (though the segment with Wesley Matthews was rather short and the Sasha Pavlovic interview had audio issues). Not only did every player at least sit down, but all of them were in good spirits and willing to answer your questions honestly. "

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers Training Camp: Day One Notes And Quotes
"There’s a new addition to a wall in the practice facility, a brass bell. The bell rang out twice while the media was present triggering a curiosity, what is that for? It’s for recognition and awareness of successful three-point shooting, an aspect Head Coach Terry Stotts has expressed will be a major part of spreading the floor on offense. Stotts on the bell: “You've gotta make 20 out of 25 threes to ring the bell. That's the goal."

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers Training Camp" Day Two Notes And Quotes
"Meyers Leonard on working toward being a starter: “I come in, show them that I want to learn and that I want to try and prove myself. I think if you come every single day to practice and show ‘em that you care and you want to work hard and you want to get better then you’re gonna have your chance during the games. There’s always intensity going on between guys trying to get playing time. But not only that, for me I’ve always been competitive, so I’m going to get after it regardless, but definitely, the fact that it’s kinda out there for someone to go grab and take off with it, it’s kinda a thing to fight for.”

Oregon Live: Trail Blazers' J.J. Hickson chases starting center spot and new chapter in career
“J.J. is playing at another level right now,” Matthews said. “It’s like he’s got something to prove and you know I’m a fan of guys who play like they have something to prove.”

Oregon Live: Owner Paul Allen makes presence felt in a sea of new Blazers faces
“It’s so early to tell,” Allen said. “I think we’ll know more when the regular season starts, and we’ll know really quickly. I think we have a tough early schedule. It’s all going to unfold. It’s a very, very exciting time with all the changes that we made. We’ve got a new coach and a new general manager and new players. It’s a pretty massive change, and an exciting change at the same time.”

Columbian: Blazers on defense as camp opens
"Defense, I think, has been something I have been looking for an improvement in for a years now," owner Paul Allen said after watching the team's workout. "It was exciting to see that be emphasized."

Portland Tribune: Blazers rookies Lillard, Freeland, Leonard show confidence
“When people talk more about you, that’s just more to live up to,” Lillard said. “I’ve got to keep working and get up to the point where people think I can be. If they think I can be rookie of the year, then that makes me want to work toward that. I always have something to prove.”

CSNNW: Karl unaware he picked Roy's number; Barton's ailing hamstring
“They (Trail Blazers) told me I was coming to camp Saturday. They called me Saturday afternoon and said we have 7, 10, 17, 18, and like 50,” Karl explained to CSNNW.com. “I've always played in 5 and 11 and 22 and none were available so I just said 7 and the next day I got here, I was like...'Oh, that's Brandon's number.'"

Blazersedge: LaMarcus Aldridge, Free Agent To Be In 2015, Is "Fine With" Portland Trail Blazers' Direction
"I'm fine with it," Aldridge said of the rebuilding cycle. "We have some guys who are really, really good. They're young. Give them one or two years and we should be good to go."

Blazersedge: Transcript: Blazers Owner Paul Allen Talks To Reporters At Training Camp
"I think everyone here in this organization is very competitive. We've got to find out how good our draft picks are. We're very, very optimistic. With what we've seen so far from the draftees, we had high expectations but I think they've exceeded those. But we've yet to play a preseason game too so it's going to be interesting to see how things develop and how the preseasons go and when we get into the regular season."

Ball Don't Lie: Dwyane Wade ends endorsement with Jordan Brand, jumping to China’s Li-Ning
"Wade is a major star with global appeal, so this news carries more weight than most changes in endorsement. It's a risk, as well — Wade is moving from one of the most popular brands on the planet to a relatively new company with plenty of money but little market penetration, especially in America. Li-Ning has deals with players like Evan Turner and Jose Calderon (and has worked with bigger names like Shaquille O'Neal and Baron Davis in the past, but they've yet to work with a major superstar in his marketing prime. Wade is that kind of player, and he can help Li-Ning reach new heights in America. Plus, he'll see new heights of fame in China now that he's aligned with a native corporation."

Ball Don't Lie: Royce White misses Rockets camp with apparent anxiety issues, which is part of his process
"It's not good news that White is out of Rockets camp, but it's also not a sign that things will never get better, or that the Rockets made a terrible decision in draft White in the middle of the first round. Overcoming anxiety, for massively talented basketball players or random dudes who blog from their parents' basements, is a process. And while there's no certainty that White will get past these issues as a member of the Rockets, or even as a professional basketball player, what's important right now is that he attempts to manage that personal development in a way that's comfortable for him and the Rockets. (Spanish soccer star Jesus Navas is one athlete who managed to work his way through similar issues.) If White attempts to push through the issues with little-to-no sensitivity, then things are likely to get worse. If everyone involved — including fans and media members — affords that patience, then White is likely to see slow, yet meaningful, improvement."

Ball Don't Lie: The 2012-13 New York Knicks are the oldest team in NBA history
"JVG is accurate in pointing out that New York won't be relying on Camby, Kidd, Wallace and Thomas for big minutes and a giant impact. And though this team might not strike out a championship course this season, it will serve as one of the more fascinating Basketball-Reference.com or DougStats.com pages some years down the line. The sheer number of famous NBA names, even if most of them are well past their prime, will make for some fascinating trivia."

Sports Illustrated: Insiders assess most-discussed contract of the offseason
"I thought the contract was a lot, just because of his condition. But the Celtics' situation, if they lose Jeff Green for nothing, then how do they fill that spot? It wasn't going to give them any more cap space. They weren't going to spend that money on somebody else, so they had to find a way to keep him. If their number is $10 million, then that's just what the number it is. If somebody else is offering him $9 million and he goes, then you lose that asset with nothing to replace it."

Ball Don't Lie: Shane Battier says refs tell him to flop, sell contact
"The unfortunate thing about the block/charge [distinction] is that I've had many, many times where a ref told me that you have to go to the floor to get the call. By the letter of the law, I've taken a hit, but I've stood on my feet. Even though I've gotten nailed, the ref calls it a no-call. I say, 'Ref, what's wrong with that [charge]?' He says, 'You have to go down to get the call.' Inherently, there's something wrong with that."

The Basketball Jones via CSNNW: Adam Morrison is ready to retire if he doesn’t make the Trail Blazers
“I’m going to finish school and start coaching (If he didn’t make the Trail Blazers roster)…I did the Europe thing and it just wasn’t for me,” Morrison told CSNNW.com. “Not saying the (Europe) culture or anything like that, (or) the people, it just wasn’t for me. So, yeah, if it doesn’t work out, I’m willing to look myself in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it a honest shot’ and turn the page. Do something else.”

The Basketball Jones: People thanked Nicolas Batum for punching Juan Carlos Navarro in the nuts
"So basically, “I’m not proud I punched Juan Carlos Navarro in the junk, but people do think it was pretty great,” which is a very weird version of a humblebrag. I didn’t know it was possible to be boastful and ashamed at the same time, but here we are."

The Basketball Jones: Video: The Clippers love DeAndre Jordan’s new free throws
"Feel free to watch the whole minute and change of this thing talking about how much DeAndre Jordan has improved, but the money shot is at 28 seconds when Jordan steps to the line and knocks down a free throw. Not a big deal, except for the fact he shot 52 percent from the line last year, best in his career but still good bad enough for 13th-worst in the entire league."

SLAM via CSNNE: Paul Pierce Thought About Switching Teams During the Offseason
“It was difficult not only losing, but not understanding what was next,’ Pierce said. ‘A lot of that went in my head after we lost. It was like is [Kevin Garnett] gonna retire? Are we gonna rebuild? Am I gonna be playing somewhere else? A lot of things went through my head.’ Pierce said they weren’t passing thoughts, either. The questions and doubts lingered, and the Celtics captain wondered if his time in Boston might be over. ‘It really did cross my mind,’ Pierce said. ‘The way last year went with the trade rumors, the possibility of me being traded the possibility of us rebuilding, it was hard not to think about it, sometimes it wears on you mentally because you can’t know what your future is gonna be or what’s gonna be your next step. I’m in a position to where I really didn’t wanna be part of being in a rebuilding situation, especially after playing over the last five years on teams that were capable of winning a championship."

SLAM: Top 50: Stephen Curry, no. 47
"Then there was the recurring right ankle injury that caused Steph to miss 40 games last season. He began having issues the season prior and had surgery to fix it in May of 2011. But the ankle continued to be a problem and 26 games into the season, he was done. Shut down. Whispers of him being “injury prone” started floating about and folks began writing him off as a result."

ESPN: Who is ready to rise high in 2012-13?
"There seems to be a lasting -- perhaps deepening -- chasm between those teams that battled their way into the postseason and those left on the outside looking in. Phoenix got worse, Portland didn't do much, and lord knows what Houston is doing. Minnesota seems like the best bet, but lacking Rubio to start won't help. So I'll pick Golden State, which has youth, some dynamic talent, a few reliable veterans and a motivational coach who may be able to find a way to make it all work."

ESPN NY: Rasheed Wallace officially joins the Knicks
"A 15-year veteran, Wallace retired after the 2009-10 season, which he spent with the Boston Celtics. He took a physical with the Knicks last week and has been working out at the team's facility for most of the last two weeks."

Sports Illustrated: Success of the 'Super' Lakers will depend on new Princeton offense
"The Lakers' fabulous five -- Steve Nash, Bryant, World Peace, Pau Gasol, and a surprisingly mobile Howard -- was somehow losing a game of five-on-zero because of the rules. The Princeton offense, a free-flowing, read-and-react system they plan to use en route to a championship, was the invisible opponent. And it was clearly getting the best of them."

Sports Illustrated: Players poised for strong seasons
"Cousins could join Howard and Bynum on the short list of elite centers this season, his third. The 22-year-old further refined his game over the summer after averaging 18.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season. "It has the potential for a really significant growth year for him," Petrie said. "On the physical side for sure, he really consistently worked on his conditioning, played every day for the past couple weeks here getting ready. He's shooting the ball very well. He's coming into camp in the best shape I've ever seen him, really."

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."