NBA Injury News : Speedy Claxton

The Atlanta Hawks have had a temporary setback to their plans with news that point guard Speedy Claxton has broken a bone in his hand. Claxton was the ATL's key signing for the off-season and is envisaged as being the missing link in the fast-paced Hawk offense which is full of swingmen such as Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Joe Johnson. Johnson, who spent the summer at the World Championships with Team USA, was forced to handle the majority of the PG duties last season. The arrival of Claxton sees him freed up to score more on the wing. The Hawks hope to have Claxton back not too long after the start of the regular season.

Grant Hill : still drinking his Sprite

Remember when Grant Hill was the next Jordan? The next Magic? Thankfully for the most part the media has given up on those types of comparisons that never come true... after Harold Miner didn't become the next Jordan and Walt Williams didn't become the next Magic it became a bit futile. Well, we still do have the hopes placed on the next Bird, Adam Morrison. But I digress...

Grant Hill was absolutely massive. Sharing the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award with Jason Kidd, every kid wanted to be like Grant. The ads on TV proclaimed, "Grant Hill drinks Sprite" and we wanted to do the same. He was a mild-mannered superstar along the lines of David Robinson -- a reputation (along with his multi-talented efforts on the basketball court) which made him the first rookie ever to lead the NBA All-Star balloting before then leading it again the following year.

His co-ROY, Kidd went on to a stellar career which is still for the most part in full-flight. Unfortunately for Hill, his flight never reached the lofty heights for which he was destined. He has shown the determination of a champion in getting through more sessions of major surgery than his most people have had hot dinners. But Grant fights on.

According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel, Hill is pumped for a big season. More than that, he is ready for many seasons to come by the sounds. Hill wants to make up for lost time. He's obstensibly had five seasons on the sidelines -- plenty of rest. For the sake of the old school good guy, I hope that there are no more setbacks and his career can be completed in the style which it started.

Kemp chance fizzles

Sadly, as we should have expected (and many did), Shawn Kemp's last chance looks like it has expired. Kemp did not turn up for his try-out with the Chicago Bulls yesterday. Travel problems were the excuse given -- and given the Reignman's keenness to impress, I don't doubt this is true. It's just a real shame.

In other news:

- NBA stars bowling.

- Melo's going to be a father.

- A 2005/06 NBA Draft recap here at NBADraft.net.

Positive signs for the Blazers in camp

The positive outlook this offseason for the Trail Blazers continues. As reported by the Oregonian, coach Nate McMillan has been pleased with the number of players who have voluntarily turned up early to training camp. In particular it is heartening to hear that young guns Martell Webster, Jarrett Jack and Travis Outlaw are amongst those pounding away.

What is disappointing, but sadly expected, is that Darius Miles is not one of those players working out. Perhaps Miles has a valid excuse -- perhaps not -- either way, given the trade rumours all off-season and Miles' attitude last season, I didn't expect to see his name as the first on the list working out.

After his tireless workouts in the off-season, it is good to hear that Zach Randolph is in camp. As the guys at SLAM pointed out in their recent write-up of the Top 50 players in the NBA today, Zach may get himself into some stupid positions off the court, but there is no doubting his work ethic on the court.

McMillan also pointed out that the Blazers have to be "a physical team" this season. The arsenal that the team has up front, with the drafting of LaMarcus Aldridge and the acquistion of Jamaal Magloire certainly would dictate that. This inside presence, coupled with the outside abilities of rookie Brandon Roy and Martell Webster are positive signs for the Blazers.

In other news, the NBA has launched compulsory cardiac screening for all players after the sad death of Jason Collier and other recent scares. This can only be a good thing and something other sports should consider following.

NBA 2K7 : Demo release

2K Sports has released a demo version of its newest offering -- NBA 2K7. After taking the lead in the NBA simulation market last year, following poor output from the guys at EA Sports, 2K7 looks to continue that. There has been plenty of NBA Live '07 coverage on this site, due to the amount of news that EA has been releasing, but 2K7 certainly is mouth-watering.

A full list of features of the game is available here at the official site, however the key comparisons with NBA Live can be summarised as follows:

- 24/7 : Next -- replicating the increasingly popular style of games such as NBA Ballers, this mode allows you to take your own baller from the streets and prove that he belongs with the pros, something Live does not offer.

- Franchise Mode -- features such as multiplayer franchise, 3 team trading and progressive fatigue give a different look to the Dynasty mode provided by NBA Live (which has definitely stepped up its game this year with new features of its own).

- Stunning graphics -- as the final version of both games have not been released, it is always fatal to comment here without playing a copy for oneself, however the screenshots released certainly are impressive and realistic. If nothing else, next-gen consoles have done wonders for realism on our screens.

For XBox 360 owners, the demo version (playable for 4 minutes) is now available through Marketplace for download. Comments from those that have tried the demo out would certainly be welcome!

36th Carnival of the NBA

Check out the Nugg Doctor for the 36th Carnival of the NBA -- a collection of links on what is making the NBA Blogosphere rotate at the moment.

The Reignman : Can he do it this time?

Everyone out there wants Shawn Kemp to make it. Every guy on the street, whether they were a Sonics fan or a Bulls fan barracking against him back in the day, wants a glimpse of the excitement he used to provide on a nightly basis.

Freaks of nature like Kemp are what make the NBA exciting. Windmill dunks over three guys in traffic are the reason we watch. We all saw the downfall from those exciting days, when his stints with the Cleveland Cavs and with our Blazers were less than inspiring -- but we remember the good times. When news broke some months ago that Kemp was hoping to make a comeback to the league, that he had been working his butt off and had lost a whole bunch of weight in preparation for a return to the Sonics or any team that would take him, it piqued interest.

Kemp attended the Denver Nuggets free agent camp, then was supposed to attend a tournament to showcase his skills -- then disaster struck again. In July Kemp was charged with possession of drugs. He claimed that he was totally off the habit and that the drugs were old. Either way, the punishment will likely not be severe should be found guilty. The Reignman has shed pounds and is pushing to make it back.

The lastest news has Kemp trialling for the Chicago Bulls' final roster spot. Here's hoping he makes it this time and we can see if he's still got it. This old article (and interview) from SLAM online is a fair indication of the mind of the man -- he just needs that shot.

Mason a Blazer?

The Oregonian has blown wild speculation out into the Portland winds with the idea that Desmond Mason, a free agent at the end of this season, could become a Blazer in a years' time. It's a nice idea -- Mason is extremely athletic and would be a great fill at the small forward position, assuming we have gotten rid of Darius Miles by that time -- but I'd prefer to leave that speculation for the time being. You've heard the old saying that 2 minutes is a long time in the NBA, well a year is an even longer time...

Former Blazer Derek Anderson has been waived by the Miami Heat. Anderson only played 23 games for the Heat last season after arriving from Houston and did not appear to feature prominiently in their plans. It's another interesting speed bump in the career of DA and at this stage it's uncertain where he could land next. Anderson once had a very promising career as a first/second option scorer in his early years with Cleveland and Portland. I hope he lands somewhere that gives him a chance to progress.

Start the season, already!

As a Blazers fan, after such a flurry of off-season moves, it's like the calm after the storm now. It's such a let-down to have to wait to see how this re-tooled squad pans out.

There isn't much news relating to the Blazers to report of late and hence nothing to write about here. Here's what we know to expect this coming season:

Brandon Roy will be exciting

Based on his Summer League play, everyone is expecting big things from the rookie guard. He'll likely spend most of his time at shooting guard and put up a lot of points, whilst also lead the team from the point at times. The poise he has displayed to date will be what every Blazer fan wishes and hopes for. Here's some more hype on him, if you haven't got enough. I guess the big question will be, how good will Roy really be? As a rookie will he be an 18-4-4 guy? Many are suggesting this. I would venture to say he may well come close to these numbers -- but let's not put too much pressure on him just yet -- this is a best case scenario. He's more than likely to fall a bit short of these heights. The problem of late is that the precedents set by LeBron James and Chris Paul are expecting Rookie of the Year to mean instant superstar. That is not always the case.

We will have to wait a bit to see LaMarcus Aldridge

...but when he does return, he should be another exciting attraction of this season. LaMarcus is a different postion to Roy in that he will be competing for time with established veterans Zach Randolph, Joel Przybilla, Jamaal Magloire and Raef LaFrentz -- in what makes for a very crowded frontcourt. Fortunately this means that he will be given every opportunity to develop slowly without the pressure heaped upon other high picks of the past. See: Kwame Brown.

Dramas are a constant in Blazer City

The Zach Randolph pre-season sex-drama is just the norm. We know this. We also know that it is just the first of the speed bumps to come on the highway that is the NBA team previously nicknamed the Jail-Blazers. There is still to be resolution on the status of Darius Miles -- who many tipped to be traded during this off-season. For now, let's assume that he'll be around to see out at least the first half of the season. Will Miles or Randolph explode again? Will there be gripes over playing time in the loaded frontcourt? Will there be further rumours of sale of the team? Will front office personnel be finalised soon? We await this and more.

How will Jarrett Jack and Martell Webster perform?

They're not rookies any more. In the case of Jack in particular, responsibility will be passed in his direction. Bassy and Blake are gone. Jack will be given the reigns of the team and told to lead. It will be interesting to see if he flourishes, if Roy is given a lot of the PG duties or if another option is taken altogether. Continued development from Webster will be expected. A lottery pick last year, return on investment is expected. He will be sharing minutes with Juan Dixon, Roy, Miles and Travis Outlaw at the swingman positions -- who gets the minutes will no doubt depend on form.

Where does Juan Dixon fit into all of this?

I don't know if it's just me, but I don't see Dixon staying too long with the Blazers. With the emergence of Roy and Webster, I doubt a young team like Portland can afford many minutes for an undersized veteran SG such as Dixon. That said, he provided a solid second/third scoring option last season when noone else would. What happens is uncertain. I still think he goes.

There's no doubt that the nucleus of the team is an exciting one. We can't expect big things or even the playoffs as a given, but there will definitely be many reasons to watch the Blazers ON the court this season. Bring on November.

NBA News : Around the traps

A few news items floating around today.

• The Hawks officially have announced their signing of Lorenzen Wright, which everyone knew about a couple of weeks ago. Wright returns to the Team of Swingmen (aka the Atlanta Hawks) after a 5 year stint with the Grizzlies - a team that has been stacked with forwards in recent years, meaning limited playing time. He'll be pleased to come to a team which definitely will have minutes for him. Billy Knight says "Lorenzen's addition really upgrades our frontcourt." Ouch... any team saying that about the signing of Wright is definitely in dire straits.
• The Answer is being sued $4.2 million for hiring bodyguards, claimed to be "dangerous individuals." According to the article, Iverson's security firm is called The Horsemen. I thought that was what LeBron called his crew... Maybe AI should save himself the trouble and just get himself Charles Oakley as his bodyguard like Michael Jordan does.
• Charles Barkley is always good value. The Round Mound of Rebound, who dominated All-Interview teams during his career is now continuing to stir headlines with his policies in the lead-up to a potential run at being elected as Governor of Alabama. This time he's been on TV saying that he advocates same-sex marriage. Whether you agree with Sir Charles or not, the refreshing thing about him has always been his willingness to speak his mind, in an age of sports stars who give manufactured answers. If you haven't picked his book up before, Outrageous is a great read.
• Yesterday news broke that the Bay Area will see Don Nelson again. That's right, Golden State is rocking it like it's 1994 with the announcement that they are hiring him back as coach of the Warriors. Opinions vary wildly on how this will pan out. One thing is for sure, the Warriors have been disappointing and underachieving of late and this can only be a chance worth taking. Nelson was the last coach to take the team to the playoffs, 12 long years ago with a team consisting of Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Mullin, Billy Owens and Chris Webber. The current team fits this run'n'gun mould nicely, so who knows? The executive team even has a bit of Run TMC flavour with Mullin, Rod Higgins and Mitch Richmond on the staff.
• In other news, it's good to see this Blazer fan having some success on the rap circuit, without the rap-sheet to go along with it.

Things are pretty quiet on the Blazer front at the moment -- the season can't come soon enough to see how this new squad looks.

NBA Live '07 : PSP Edition

Relief! It sounds like the guys at EA Sports have realised how much the PSP version of NBA Live '06 resembled the mechanics of a Bill Cartwright jumpshot and brought their 'A' game for the soon to be released version.

This blog by the Lead Producer of the PSP version gives us an insight into what is to come for '07. It seems that previously the PSP verison suffered the same fate as the XBox 360 version of '06 in that EA rushed to release the game on a relatively new platform, with poor results. First of all, my thoughts on the short-comings of the '06 version, which I hope have been improved:

- Substitutions: the CPU does not appear to be programmed to make substitutions at all, so their starters end up playing the entire game and being exhausted in the 4th quarter.

- Dynasty mode: one of the key attractions of NBA Live is the deep Dynasty mode, nurturing a franchise through many seasons, developing players and drafting as-yet unknown rookies - the fact that Live '06 did not include this severely limited its longetivity.

- Limited AI: point guards (and to a lesser extent shooting guards) have a high propensity to drive to the basket and rack up high scoring averages. The artificial intelligence (AI) of the game is geared in the wrong way in this respect - problems also are evident in some fast break situations where the CPU will hold up play needlessly. The fact that there are no sliders available (which are available in the console and PC versions) to adjust parts of the AI such as this really disappointed.

- Roster updates: as with the console versions, there is no ability to download roster updates through sites such as http://nba-live.com/ on the PSP version. One of the main attractions of the PC version for me is the ability to update rosters in tune with what is actually happening out there. The fact that the PSP has a USB link and access to memory sticks should mean updates would be possible - well, I would have thought so anyway.

Enough of the negatives. So what has been addressed in NBA Live '07 on the PSP? According to the IGN Blog linked above, we get the following:

- Dynasty mode with many of the deep features of the console versions (phew!)

- Link to PS2 - meaning that you can play at home on the console, then save the files across to your PSP and go mobile...

- New mini-games - these are often the best features of handheld versions of games, giving a different experience to the console version and this is no exception, with "2 Ball" and "Handles."

- MP3 music can be played during the game directly from your memory stick

- ESPN integration when you go online - though I don't see much purpose in this as it would only be active when you are hooked up via the USB

Many of the other new features that are coming to all versions of Live '07 will be here on PSP too -- for more on those, have a look here.

Let's hope it lives up to the hype.

Sprewell : All choked up

... and calling to the stand special expert witness, PJ Carlesimo.

Latrell Sprewell has been accused by a woman he was having sexual relations with on his boat, of strangling her. In an incident reminiscent of his 1997 attempted strangling of then Golden State coach Carlesimo, Spre allegedly left red marks on the woman's neck.

Sprewell, also famous for his remarks that he needs big NBA contract money to "feed his kids", may need even more money now to pay the legal fees. There is still no word on any team being likely to agree to his contract demands for the 2006-07 season however.

Old School Flashback

A quick flashback to happier times in the Blazer franchise, 15 years ago, in the days of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter:

Bench Renaldo: Carnival of the NBA #35

Head over to Bench Renaldo, where they're hosting the Carnival of the NBA, with all of the accompanying craziness:

Bench Renaldo: Carnival of the NBA #35

Rose Garden Refurbishment

The Rose Garden has just undergone a refurbishment to its corporate suites to give the cronies who turn up not to watch the game, but watch each other, a reason to pay their fees each year. A new bar -- 60 feet long -- is included in the deal. Hopefully this season will provide a little less reason to drown one's sorrows at the game.

Well, since the Rose Garden Bar has gone under the knife, maybe we'll have to do the same here soon at the Rose Garden Blog, in preparation for the beginning of the season. Facelift to come...

Also of (possibly more) interest in the article above, on page 2, are details of the financial arrangements that Paul Allen has made with the Rose Garden in the past. Interesting reading for those not totally up-to-date on that situation.

Zach Randolph : where's your head at?

Zach Randolph is guilty.

Guilty of poor judgement.

Guilty of living in an age where professional basketballers have control over ridiculous amounts of money.

Guilty of having the ability to control a franchise that signs him to such a contract -- and not giving a damn if he destroys it.

Whether or not Randolph gets convicted of any wrong-doing in this sex-scandal that he was "involved" in, the Blazers need to clear his dead wood out of the franchise.

This past Summer we see Zach working hard, training like a madman for the coming season. The Blazers, like us, hoped that this was a sign of good things to come. A fresh team with some exciting new blood could be the thing to focus Zach on what he's paid all those millions for, right?

Wrong.

As John Canzano puts it, there's no way the Blazers can retain a guy who is going to find himself stupid enough to get involved in these sorts of situations. Whether Zach so much as committed a small misdemeanour is irrelevant. The fact is, anyone with an ounce of common sense knows how this situation could be misconstrued and should not have gotten themselves in the situation to begin with. He needs to find himself some new friends, some new hobbies (shooting and pit bulls - forget about them) and the Blazers need to find him a new team.

Clyde the Glide : "Video Game Character"

I was just reading this interview with Clyde Drexler, which dates back to March.

Clyde says some interesting things about Kobe, the attitude of players today and about video games.

He says there were plenty of games where he could have challenged for 81 points, had he played in the 4th quarter (rather than resting for the next game) and had he taken as many shots as what Kobe does. On a team that included guys like Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth -- who all did their share of scoring -- Clyde was in a very different scenario to the modern day Kobe. Then again, so were a lot of guys back then. MJ, Dominique and co could all have attempted to score more than what they did, but the concept of team was something different back then.

That said, with Glide's usual class, he doesn't say a bad word about Kobe. But you know what he's thinking.

World Championships : USA v Australia Preview

Sunday 1pm (Japan time) sees Team USA take on the Australian Boomers. Check here for your local time on the match.

USA has gone through Pool D undefeated and thus meets Pool C's 4th place, an Australian team led by Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut and former Vancouver Grizzlies (1997) draftee CJ Bruton.

Bogut will likely lack interior support against the USA frontline including Elton Brand, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. The Australian team, decimated by injuries to key big men, including reigning Australian NBL MVP Chris Anstey, who was also drafted in 1997 - by the Trail Blazers. In addition, former Boomers captain Matt Nielsen currently playing in Lithuania, has been unable to obtain reasonable insurance to cover his club contract and will be unable to compete.

However, the athleticism of key swingmen Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and point guard Chris Paul will likely spell the biggest advantage for Team USA. Outside of Bruton, Australia does not have an experienced backup PG, with Baylor Bears' Aaron Bruce being the main candidate to see some minutes. Experienced campaigners at SG and SF, Jason Smith and Sam MacKinnon, whilst being athletic, do not have the measure for Team USA's young guns.

Off the bench for Australia, potential 2007 NBA Draft candidate Brad Newley is worth watching for his explosive scoring. Joe Johnson and Kirk Hinrich will serve as a lesson to the young Australian looking to make his mark for an entry to the NBA.

In a show of new humility for Team USA (at least publicly), LeBron has come out and said that Australia is "pretty good." That's superstar speak for, "we're going to kill them."

NBA Live '07 : Bringin' it like Todd Fuller

According to this article from IGN, NBA Live '06 on XBox 360 stank like Todd Fuller. Now that's just not fair on Mr Fuller... after all, he is set to tear it up this season in Australia's National Basketball League, playing for the South Dragons under former Cav, Mark Price.

There definitely are some serious improvements though, as the article points out. From ESPN Integration in the game, to animations -- both on the court and on the sideline -- and an enriched Dynasty mode, '07 should see a return of the franchise.

I just can't understand however, if this screenshot of Stromile Swift playing for the Grizzlies is from his coming stint with the team or his previous one...

Trivia : Team USA vs Italy

Here's a trivia question : Which former Trail Blazer held the Team USA record for points in a World Championship game until Carmelo Anthony broke that today vs Italy with his 35?

The answer can be found in the game report of USA's comeback victory over Italy.

Anthony has been a leader for Team USA in the current World Championships in Japan, as they now are undefeated in 4 matches. Their final match is against Senegal on Thursday.