Linsanity!

Jeremy Lin, where ever he goes, he can easily attract people. His plays when he was on Knicks has really boosted up his popularity.

Lin was mobbed by reporters and photographers on a Manila basketball court, a day after the Rockets and Indiana Pacers arrived in the Philippine capital for Thursday's game.

"I'm excited to play here and in Taiwan," said Lin, the league's first American-born player of Taiwanese descent. "I think the fans don't get a chance to often watch an NBA game live, so hopefully they'll really enjoy the experience and I think we're going to definitely enjoy it as well."

He said he's had a taste of the "electric environment" of the Philippines, where basketball hoops are mounted in every available space and it tops the list of countries following the NBA on Facebook and Twitter outside the United States.

Lin said his Taiwanese parents told him good things about the Philippines.

"I'm glad to see and feel the warmth they showed to me in person when I got the chance to walk in the mall last night. Everyone was polite, respectful and I was really blown away," he said.

He said he was thankful for a chance "to inspire people, especially my fellow Asians."

Last season was Lin's first full season in the NBA, and he started all 82 games for Houston. In the previous two seasons, he played less than half seasons for the New York Knicks, when Linsanity exploded on the basketball world, and the Golden State Warriors.

"They were different times in my life," he said, comparing his tenures with the Rockets and Knicks. "Different stages, different roles, different systems. ... I can't really compare the two. My goal is just to get better every year."

Adjusting to his second full season, he said "There's always some difficulties and hurdles but I think that's part of the natural progression."

He said that handling fame and fortune are a "constant battle."

"I'm human, there's always that element of pride that I have to fight," he said, adding that his Christian faith "is very integral, not just me being an athlete but as a person."

He said he was trying not to think too much about the pressure to perform as an Asian-American in Asia.

"I think for me, I just want to be as much as myself as I can, and then be real and as authentic as I can be and let everything else follow," Lin said.

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Jordan- I can beat LeBron

Michael Jordan, 6 times NBA champion and considered by many the greatest basketball player ever said he could beat Lebron in his prime. In a video promoting the NBA 2K14 video game that is being released today, Jordan said there's a long list of players he would've liked to have played one-on-one - Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Bryant and James, who dons the cover of this year's game.

"I don't think I would lose," Jordan said in the video, before smiling and adding, "Other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves."

Lots of people when asked, if Michael could win against LeBron, most said yes. One of the commenter also said that he has been watching NBA for a long time and seen Michael play. There's no way LeBron can take on MJ.

The 50-year-old Jordan, who was a five-time league MVP, also shared the cover in 2012 with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

This year will be the first time on the cover for James, a four-time league MVP who has led the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA championships.

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Durant on Derrick Rose!

Kevin Durant commented that it was the best choice for derrick to sit out last season. He thinks derrick looks better and stronger now. It's not just Durant, we have been hearing a lot from everyone that derrick has become stronger as a player, outside and inside the court.

But the question is, will he be able to rise with the bulls, will they be the one raising that trophy at the end of this coming season? I guess we just have to find out, but, one thing is clear. From what we hear we won't be disappointed as everyone has been saying Derrick Rose is at his best right now.

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Shaquille O'Neal buys a piece of Sacramento Kings

Shaquille O’Neal spent the first part of the century smashing Sacramento’s dreams of an NBA championship. Now he wants to spend the next part doing anything he can to build the Kings into a winner.

Declaring the new name of the city “Shaqramento,” O’Neal began by taking steps in his size 22 shoes Tuesday to make amends to Kings fans for his past verbal swipes. The new minority owner of the Kings said he just wanted to rile up people and market the game when he called the franchise the “Sacramento Queens” while winning three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I apologize,” O’Neal said. “If you see me around town, come give me a hug, give me a kiss. I’ll do whatever you want.”

The 15-time All-Star centre promised to use the same brand that bullied Sacramento for years to bring positive attention to California’s capital city.

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Husband LeBron James!

LeBron James wanted his wedding day to be perfect and private.

It appears he got both.

With guests dining on a five-course dinner, prefaced by plenty of appetizers and all done under incredibly tight security, the Miami Heat star married his longtime partner Savannah Brinson on Saturday night at a posh resort in San Diego. Guests had their phones taken away for the ceremony and reception in an effort to ensure that no photos or details leaked out.

"A first-class affair," said one of the guests, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the couple had yet to reveal any details of the event themselves. "Ceremony was short and sweet."

Many members of the Heat organization were there, including Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, managing general partner Micky Arison and coach Erik Spoelstra. Wade and girlfriend Gabrielle Union posted images of themselves dressed for the occasion on social media, as did Bosh and his wife Adrienne. Some of James' longtime friends were also in attendance, including his manager Maverick Carter.

"What a wonderful evening!!" Adrienne Bosh wrote on Twitter. "Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. James...Thanks for sharing Ur night & love with us"

The ceremony was the obvious highlight of a three-day wedding weekend for the couple, who were high school sweethearts and are the parents of two sons. They were engaged just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2012, when James dropped to a knee and surprised his longtime girlfriend by finally popping the question as many of their close friends were gathered around.

James told AP last year that he and Brinson decided not to rush plans for their wedding, especially since last summer was hectic for him basketball-wise - James played for the U.S. in the London Olympics, helping the Americans win a gold medal, and also was involved in the wedding for one of his longtime close friends.

So the date was set for this offseason, and even after a 21-month engagement, very few details leaked out - including why the wedding was taking place in San Diego, especially since the couple still considers Akron, Ohio as home and have essentially been based in Miami for three years now.

Also unclear: If the couple would be using social media to make any statement about the wedding - James has more than 14 million fans on Facebook, and nearly 10 million followers on Twitter.

The measures to ensure privacy were hardly a surprise. In an interview with AP last spring, Brinson acknowledged that she's leery of media coverage, since she hasn't always found it to be fair or factual.

"I've heard things about me that are bad, where they've literally looked up into the sky and said, `What can they say about Savannah?,"' Brinson told AP in April. "It's going to happen."

Television stations in San Diego showed aerial images of the hotel, including large tents set up for both the reception and to shroud the arrival of guests. In some cases, umbrellas were even used to protect the identity of wedding-arrivers from prying eyes in the sky, and people who tried to gain access to the hotel just to get a better look were quickly ushered away and told only that a private event was taking place.

Even some local vendors in the San Diego area thought they had a role in the wedding - though were not themselves actually sure if that was the case. The Village Mill Bread Company - located about 3 miles from the wedding site - told Fox affiliate KSWB that someone ordered 500 loaves of Brioche from them to be delivered Saturday, but would not confirm that they were heading to the James-Brinson nuptials.

James is a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and he will be back in Miami later this month to resume preparing for training camp. James is scheduled to address reporters when the Heat hold their annual media day on Sept. 30, and the first practice of the new season is scheduled for Oct. 1.

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Melo and The Mavs

Melo was a first-round pick by Boston last year and played six games for the Celtics. The 7-footer spent most of the season with Maine in the NBA Development League. He was traded to Memphis for Donte Green in August and waived by the Grizzlies two weeks later.

Kennedy helped Rio Grande Valley win the D-League championship last season. He played two games for Cleveland during the 2011-12 season and scored 12 points in his debut with the Cavaliers.

McConnell played in Italy last season, averaging 13.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Tezenis VE.

The Mavericks now have 17 players. Training camp starts Oct. 1.

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Happy Birthday Kobe Bryant!

Kobe Bryant turned 35 on Friday.

Bryant said recently he's unsure if he'll make it back in time for the Lakers' Oct. 29 season-opener against the Clippers -- but he believes he's ahead of the original six-to-nine month recovery timetable.

Through 17 seasons with the Lakers, starting in 1996, Bryant has won five NBA titles, one league MVP, 15 All-Star berths and two scoring titles.

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Lebron James and Greg Oden

It’s been so long since we’ve seen Greg Oden doing any kind of basketball activity (almost four years, in fact) that even after he signed a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, it’s difficult to believe he’s actually going to attempt a comeback.

Luckily, his new teammate and four-time MVP LeBron James posted a photo to his Instagramaccount of the pair hitting the weight room at the Heat’s practice facility. There’s no telling when Oden, the top pick in the 2007 NBA draft, will be ready to take the court, but he looks like he’s lost weight. He still looks like a 60-year-old, though.

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Faith, Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is ready to move on from a disappointing season with the Houston Rockets.

Speaking at a youth conference in Taiwan, Lin gave a candid assessment of his first season in Houston, claiming that Rockets coaches lost confidence in him due to his inconsistent play.

"I became so obsessed with becoming a great basketball player ... trying to be Linsanity, being this phenomenon that took the NBA by storm," Lin told a crowd of approximately 20,000 at the Dream Big, Be Yourself youth conference in Taipei, Taiwan.

"The coaches were losing faith in me; basketball fans were making fun of me. ... I was supposed to be joyful and free, but what I experienced was the opposite. I had no joy, and I felt no freedom."

Lin admitted during the youth conference that he placed extremely high expectations on himself upon joining the Rockets.

"I was ready to invigorate the entire city of Houston," he said. "I was supposed to save Houston basketball."

Lin was one of Houston's marquee acquisitions prior to last season. Following a breakout 2011-12 campaign with the New York Knicks, he signed a three-year, $25 million deal to join the Rockets.

But Lin struggled, averaging 13.4 points and 6.1 assists a game, and battled injuries that forced him to miss two games in Houston's playoff-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lin went as far to say that he experienced "emptiness, confusion and misery" at points last season.

"The one thing I learned was how empty fame and worldly success really are. ... The desire for success never stopped," Lin said. "If the voice that you listen to the most isn't God's voice, then eventually you will experience that emptiness, confusion and misery that I felt when I listened to the voice of Linsanity."

Lin, a devout Christian, told the crowd that he has leaned on his faith in order to reassess his basketball career and his future.

The Rockets will be counting on Lin, who will turn 25 on Friday, to help lead an emerging team that features newly acquired star center Dwight Howard and All-Star guard James Harden.

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Kemba Walker and The Charlotte Bobcats!

Reboot and rebuild. Those words have dominated the conversation about the Charlotte Bobcats in the two seasons Kemba Walker has played for the franchise that made him the No. 9 pick in the 2011 Draft.

Be it coaching or personnel changes, they have always been accompanied by those words and whatever ramifications come with them in a franchise that has for too long used them as staples this time of year.

It feels different this time, though, at least for Walker. The addition of Al Jefferson, a seasoned low-post operator acquired via free agency, presents an entirely new dynamic that Walker can't wait to take advantage of in this latest reboot under new head coach Steve Clifford.

"I've honestly never really played with a dominant big man, a guy who commands the kind of attention he will night in and night out," Walker said. "I don't think people realize how he changes the game for guys like Gerald [Henderson] and myself, the guys who have to work on the edges. I looked back at the way we played last season and some of the shots we took, and the situations we were in was ridiculous. The degree of difficulty was off the charts. It won't be like that with an anchor down low."

Jefferson's addition didn't push the Bobcats into a different category in the Eastern Conference and it didn't inspire the sort of universal praise from the pundits that helps generate the sort of buzz and excitement you usually get with a big offseason move. But internally, and perhaps most importantly in the locker room, adding a 6-foot-10, 290-pounder with the production (career 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks) and experience the nine-year veteran brings changes everything.

It takes the pressure off of not only Walker, Henderson and other returnees, but also a young and talented 7-footer like Cody Zeller, the No. 4 pick in the June Draft.

"No offense to the guys we've had in that spot before, but you don't realize how important it is until you play in this league without that kind of presence," Walker said. "It makes all the difference in the world to know that we have Al rolling with us. It changes everything."

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Adidas unveils "Dwight Howard 4"

New city, new team, new contract and, yes, new sneakers. Rockets center Dwight Howard, wholanded in Houston after spurning the Lakers in free agency, will have a new signature shoe by Adidas for the 2013-14 season.

Adidas unveiled Tuesday the “D Howard 4,” the latest signature for the seven-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Here are a few notes from the release.

Built for speed and power, the D Howard 4 features a comfortable and supportive upper combined with Crazyquick technology elements in the outsole.

The spiral wave design on the shoe’s upper is inspired by Dwight’s playing style and how he circles the paint protecting the rim by blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. The bright color palette of this Yellow-Gold-Blue colorway was selected to match Dwight’s personality while the tongue and three-stripes branding both feature a chrome treatment to stand out on the court.

Howard will sport the yellow/gold/blue version of the sneakers during an upcoming tour through South Korea, Taiwan and China. He has already worn the D Howard 4 on multiple occasions: he sported a Lakers-themed colorway during the 2013 playoffs against the Spurs and he wore this Rockets red/white version during his introductory photo shoot after inking his new deal in July.

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Shaq believes Kobe's return!

In an interview with Time Warner Sportsnet in LA, former Laker great Shaquille O'Neal said that he's "sure" Kobe Bryant is going to come back "early" from his Achilles tendon injury. From the LA Times' transcript:

"I'm sure Kobe is going to come back early," said Shaquille O'Neal in a video interview with Time Warner Cable SportsNet on Friday. "Anything before nine months is early. Him making the first game, I wish him well. He's a very, very competitive kid. He loves the naysayers. He loves proving people wrong.

"When he put the rumor out there that he may be back the first game, best believe he's trying to come back the first game," continued O'Neal.

via Shaquille O'Neal: Kobe Bryant trying to be ready for season opener - latimes.com.

While trying and doing are two different things, O'Neal knows as well as anyone the depths of dedication Bryant will go to in order to overcome physical challenges.

You also have to love O'Neal calling the soon-to-be 35-year-old Bryant a "kid." Bryant will never escape that relationship where he was the brash upstart next to O'Neal.

Bryant recently said that his Achilles is feeling "really good" while in China. I broke down why I think he's back for opening night here.

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Steph. Curry and The Golden Warriors!

Everyone knew that Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was good, but he proved in the 2012-2013 NBA season that he has the potential to be better than just good. In just his fourth season in the league, Curry showed that he is on the precipice of becoming one of the most memorable players of this era in the league.

Curry was able to stay healthy for all of last season, playing in 78 games for the Warriors last year. He averaged 22.9 points, 6.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.6 steals in 38.2 minutes per game. Curry also shot a solid 45.1 percent from the floor and an unreal, especially considering that he took 7.7 threes per game, 45.3 percent from long-range.

There’s no denying that Curry had moments of greatness last season, most notably his 54-point performance in Madison Square Garden, but he still has some growth left to do as a player and a point guard in this league. Given that, one has to wonder what’s next for Curry if he’s going to make the leap in the 2013-2014 season.

With the arrival of Andre Iguodala to the Warriors, one might assume there will be fewer opportunities for Curry to shine this season. However, the arrival of Iguodala should provide Curry more opportunities to grow as a facilitator and passer, which is really the next step for him.

We all know that Curry can score and shoot the rock, but he hasn’t consistently been great in terms of facilitating his teammates. He’s an extremely capable passer, but he’s never been around guys that differentiate terribly from his offensive skill-set, namely shooting threes. Iguodala will provide a slashing wing that can open up the floor more for Curry in the offense.

Essentially, Curry needs to develop more as an overall playmaker this season. He has the tools in place to help him do that and it will be interesting to see if he elevates himself to elite status or if he stays as just a dynamic scoring point guard.

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Jeremy Lin and Houston Rockets!

As a result of circumstances beyond his control, in less than a year, Jeremy Lin has gone from the Houston Rockets’ most notable free agent pick-up to the team’s most fascinating trade bait. Along the same lines, mostly because of factors that he has absolutely no impact on, despite the fact that Daryl Morey clearly wants to move him, Lin probably won’t be moved for at least the first few months of the upcoming 2013-14 NBA season.

While Houston made it known that they were open to moving Lin immediately before and after the Dwight Howard signing, they reportedly couldn’t get anyone to bite. That doesn’t necessarily mean nobody was interested – it just means the timing wasn’t right. Maybe certain squads had their eye on someone else, perhaps the asking price was too high, etc. You will recall, even though everyone knew the Orlando Magic would move Howard, it took months for the deal that ultimately shipped him out to materialize.

The problem now is that this is the NBA’s dead period. If nothing got done up to this point, chances are, it probably won’t get done before the season starts. That will give all involved a chance evaluate where their franchises are, as well as what moves need to be made in order to accomplish whatever their goal is. (Championship, playoffs, lottery, No. 1 pick, etc.)

Seeing as he couldn’t move Lin -- and Omer Asik -- when he wanted to, Morey will likely give the current roster some time to mesh. Then he’ll analyze the results and make whatever decisions he wants to make after that.

It’s been said time and again that Lin would have been a perfect fit for the Detroit Pistons. Instead they went out and acquired Brandon Jennings, who may be a better overall player than Lin, and even that is debatable, but who is absolutely a worse fit for that roster than Lin would have been.

As recently as this week, it was reported that Detroit would be open to trading Jennings for someone like Rajon Rondo. The reason they’re open to this move is because Joe Dumars realizes that Josh Smith’s awful shot selection doesn’t work especially well with Jennings’ awful shot selection. Detroit made the only move it could make given the circumstances, but they’re not in love with Jennings’ game. This much is clear.

A three-team deal between the Boston Celtics, Pistons and Rockets, in which Boston gets Jennings, Detroit gets Lin and Houston gets Rondo makes a whole lot of sense.

The only thing that can really throw a wrench in that prospective trade is Lin playing really well with Houston at the beginning of the season. Jennings, and everyone else who was brought on this summer, can’t be traded until Dec. 15. That means everybody has three months, more or less, to prove themselves to their respective teams.

On Tuesday, the NBA released its schedule for the upcoming season. The Rockets have arguably the easiest starting schedule of any ballclub in the league. Their only mildly challenging road outing in the first 16 games will be against the Los Angeles Clippers. Aside from that, they’re basically coasting until Nov. 30 when they take on the San Antonio Spurs on the road. If Morey sees his group get off to a really hot start, and if the lax schedule allows Lin to develop a rhythm of sorts with the starting lineup, then the seemingly inevitable trade may end up not being so inevitable after all.

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Miami heat signs Oden!

Greg Oden has taken his physical, done a bit of house hunting in South Florida and signed on the dotted line.

The former No. 1 overall pick signed his contract with the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat on Wednesday, the last in a series of formalities that needed to be completed before the team could finally announce the move. Oden announced late last week that he was accepting Miami's offer, one that will pay him about $1 million this coming year and includes a $1.1 million player option for the 2014-15 season.Nearly four years after he last played, he's officially back in the NBA.

"I am very excited and happy to be here," Oden said. "I'm thankful to the Miami Heat organization for bringing me in and I'm ready to get to work."

Heat President Pat Riley said Wednesday that the team will take a cautious approach with Oden, who has been through the cartilage-repair procedure known as microfracture surgery three times.

"It's a great challenge for him," Riley said in a statement released through the team. "We know all about his past injuries, but we feel that there is a huge upside and the possibility of him helping us. We will continue his program and then we will tackle basketball issues after that."

Riley said the team spent "many months" getting to know Oden, evaluating him both on and off the court before coming to the realization that the time for his comeback may be now. And when he decided to accept Miami's offer -- there were about a half-dozen serious suitors in all for the 7-footer -- Oden said he was won over in part by how the Heat will not have the expectations for him to play big minutes right away.

Oden's last NBA appearance was Dec. 5, 2009, for Portland against Houston. He went up to defend a layup attempt by the Rockets' Aaron Brooks, fracturing his left kneecap on the play and doing so without even making contact with anyone. Oden collapsed to the floor in obvious agony, was wheeled off the floor after a delay, taken for surgery and the Blazers quickly announced that his season was over.

At the time, no one knew that the following three seasons were basically over as well.

Oden's health issues started overshadowing his NBA career before it even started. What would have been his rookie season coming out of Ohio State was lost after he had microfracture surgery during the summer of 2007 to repair cartilage problems in his right knee.

In February 2009, he chipped his left kneecap and missed about a month. And when he broke that kneecap 10 months later, he was playing like an All-Star -- matching a career-high with 24 points against Chicago a couple weeks before that injury, and setting a career-best with a 20-rebound game against Miami on Dec. 1, 2009.

Four days later, he was gone, and NBA fans haven't seen him play since.

Another microfracture surgery awaited him in November 2010, and a third one was needed early last year. The Blazers waived him in March 2012, and nearly a year and a half later, he's getting another shot.

"Congrats Greg," Heat managing general partner Micky Arison wrote in a tweet. "The journey continues."

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Kobe Bryant's Come Back, sooner than we expected!

The ruptured Achilles’ tendon suffered by Kobe Bryant on April 12, 2013 against the Golden State Warriors ended the star’s incredible late-season run. The initial recovery timetable was set at six to nine months. However, recent reports suggest he may be ready to return for not just the start of the 2013-14 regular season, but as early as training camp. While on tour in China, he said the surgery performed was innovative and thus his recovery has been unique.

“The surgical procedure was different […] and because of that the recovery has been different,” Bryant said in the southern city of Shenzhen. “The normal timetable for recovery from an Achilles, we’ve shattered that. Three-and-a-half months I can already walk just fine, I’m lifting weights with the Achilles just fine and that’s different. So we don’t know what that timetable is going to be. It’s kind of new territory for us all.”’

Obviously, this could just be Bryant’s pride and Lakers’ public relations getting in the way of the actual facts. A return to the NBA after only five months of recovery from a devastating injury seems ridiculous for any player and especially ridiculous for Bryant, who is entering his 18th season in the NBA and turns 35 years old on August 23. And the thought becomes absurd when you factor in the additional offensive burden he will need to carry next season with Dwight Howard gone.

But this is still Kobe Bryant. A freak (according to Steve Nash) and one of the most intense competitors sports has ever seen. He returned exceptionally from a knee injury which he received an experimental procedure for in 2011. So while it may be absurd to expect Bryant back from his Achilles injury so soon, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

His return, no matter how quick, should be handled with caution. The career of Isiah Thomas was ended at the young age of 32 by an Achilles injury and countless other players have seen their careers ruined by this injury. The most successful return from an Achilles injury was performed by Dominique Wilkins in 1992. The Human Highlight Reel was in the middle of another All-Star season with averages of 28.1 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks before his season was quickly ended by a torn Achilles’ tendon. Wilkins returned the next season to post the highest scoring season of his career with an average of 29.9 points per game. Wilkins has reportedly reached out to Bryant to give advice about the injury. Like Bryant, Wilkins’ main motivation during his recovery was “to prove all the doubters wrong” and he tells USA Today Sportsthat he rehabbed twice a day, everyday for nine months after the injury.

This is the type of commitment and determination many expect from Bryant this offseason. In an interview with ESPN Brazil earlier this summer, Bryant talked about his friendship with soccer star David Beckhamwho also suffered an Achilles’ injury in 2010. Beckham was able to return strong from the injury and continued to win championships, which is most likely the main motivation for Bryant, who will return to a Lakers team in dire need of its star next season.

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The First Basket in NBA History!

On November 1, 1947, during the inaugural game played between the New York Knickerbockers and Toronto Huskies, Ossie Schectman of the Knicks scored the first points ever in NBA history.

About the NBA: 
The NBA is the premier professional basketball league in the United States and Canada. The league is truly global, with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, as well as rosters that currently feature 85 international players from 36 countries and territories. For the 2012-13 season, each of the league's 30 teams will play 82 regular-season games, followed by a postseason for those that qualify. 

The NBA consists of the following teams: Atlanta Hawks; Boston Celtics; Brooklyn Nets; Charlotte Bobcats; Chicago Bulls; Cleveland Cavaliers; Dallas Mavericks; Denver Nuggets; Detroit Pistons; Golden State Warriors; Houston Rockets; Indiana Pacers; Los Angeles Clippers; Los Angeles Lakers; Memphis Grizzlies; Miami Heat; Milwaukee Bucks; Minnesota Timberwolves; New Orleans Hornets; New York Knicks; Oklahoma City Thunder; Orlando Magic; Philadelphia 76ers; Phoenix Suns; Portland Trail Blazers; Sacramento Kings; San Antonio Spurs; Toronto Raptors; Utah Jazz; Washington Wizards. 

The NBA offers real time access to live regular season NBA games with a subscription to NBA LEAGUE PASS, available globally for TV, broadband, and mobile. Real-time Stats, Scores, Highlights and more are available to fans on web and mobile with NBA Game Time. 

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Derrick Rose!

While the entire city of Chicago was hanging on every modicum of hope that Derrick Rose would return during the Bulls' playoff run last season, it was widely reported that it was his confidence, not his physical health, that was impeding his return.

Given Rose's hesitancy to return early from the torn ACL he suffered in the previous playoffs, it has to be reassuring that, evidently, his confidence is back.

When asked in a rapid-fire, headline-inducing, 90-second interview with CNN who the best player in the NBA was, Rose didn't stutter, didn't hesitate, didn't even change his tone when he muttered, “Derrick Rose,” in his calm, reassured manner.

That didn't exactly jibe with what CNN's Pedro Pinto was expecting the former MVP to say, as he questions Rose's answer and then wondered who the toughest guy to defend was, to which Rose predictably answered, Lebron James.

Rose, James and Kobe Bryant are known as the three most competitive players in the NBA, so who could fault Rose for insinuating that he is, in fact, better than James, despite James' second-consecutive NBA championship this past June? Who cares if it's a preposterous claim seeing as Rose hasn't suited up in over a full season?

Maybe he knows something we don't.

Let's not take this interview for gospel, either. After all, Rose, a Chicago native, was asked who his "basketball idol" was, and was then asked how much he watched that certain someone as a kid. So we'll take this whole charade with a 12-ounce jar of Morton's salt. Or better yet, we'll consider it as significant as Rose throwing down a through-the-legs dunk.....on an eight-foot rim.

That being said, what to take away from this?

If nothing else, Rose's confidence is back, which is all Chicago fans needed to hear.

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Warriors Wins The summer League!

The Warriors are golden after two Las Vegas Summer League tourneys.

Golden State improved to 12-0 and took home the first Las Vegas Summer League Championship with a 91-77 win over the Phoenix Suns, Monday (Tuesday, PHL time) at the Thomas and Mack Center.




Ian Clark, an undrafted rookie guard out of Belmont University, came off the Golden State bench to explode for 33 points, including 7-of-10 from downtown, a Las Vegas Summer League record. He also added two rebounds, two assists and a steal in just under 30 minutes, and was named the inaugural Summer League Championship game MVP.

Kent Bazemore stuffed the stats sheet with 18 points, four boards, five assists, two steals and a block, Draymond Green added 12 markers, eight rebounds and three dimes, while Cameron Jones also scored 12.

It was back-and-forth for most of the early part of the first half, until eight straight points by Clark put the Warriors up 50-40, with 1:07 left in the second quarter.

The Suns however countered with an 8-0 blast bridging the middle two cantos, before Bazemore broke their rhythm, scoring via a layup, under three minutes gone by in the third, 52-48. Phoenix knotted things again at 52-all, but they had to settle for a four-point deficit entering the fourth, as Bazemore added six more markers to widen the Warriors' lead, 65-61.

A three-minute scoreless stretch for Phoenix turned out to be the nail in their coffin, as they conceded 13 unanswered to Golden State, allowing the latter to go up 81-66 with 5:19 remaining in the game. The Suns were within twelve with 3:17 left, 84-72, but Clark nailed a lay-up and a three-pointer for a 17-point buffer, 2:19 on the clock, effectively ending the game.

Archie Goodwin, the 29th overall pick in this season's draft, led the Suns with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Morris twins combined for 27 points and 13 rebounds, but they got precious little from their bench, just 18 points to be exact.

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Metta World Peace A.K.A Ron Artest Joins New York KNICKS!

Metta World Peace cleared waivers after being amnestied by the Los Angeles Lakers, became a free agent, and has quickly found a new home in almost no time at all. World Peace joined the New York Knicks' broadcast on MSG for their summer league game against the Charlotte Bobcats and announced he has indeed signed with the Knicks.

"I want to win in New York," World Peace told the Knicks fans on the telecast.

The Knicks and Clippers were thought to be the front runners for the man formerly known as Ron Artest, who averaged 12 points and five rebounds last season. If it goes through, the deal gives the Knicks another versatile forward to use defensively and a veteran who can create easy buckets, even if his shot has fallen off as he has gotten older.

It would also be a return home for the Queensbridge-raised World Peace, who joins another contender in New York, as the Knicks try to keep pace with their crosstown rivals, the Nets. The curious former star had been contemplating playing in China as well but apparenely signed with a team that keeps him in the race for another title.

The Knicks this summer re-signed Pablo Prigioni and J.R. Smith and traded for Andrea Bargnani. This would be one of the weirdest and most-entertaining 50-plus-win teams in NBA history with this collection of talent.

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Chauncy Billups returns to Piston

The Detroit Pistons have decided to bring back Chauncey Billups.

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars confirmed the move Thursday morning.

Billups has agreed to a two-year deal - the first season is guaranteed - for $2.5 million a year.

Detroit dealt Billups to his hometown Denver Nuggets early in the 2008-09 season and the team has struggled since making the unpopular trade. Billups was the NBA Finals MVP in 2004 when he led Pistons past the Los Angeles Lakers.

The five-time All-Star turns 37 in September. He bounced back last season to play 22 games for the Los Angeles Clippers after tearing his left Achilles tendon during the 2011-12 season.

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NBA fines Houston Rockets! $150,000!

The NBA fined the Houston Rockets $150,000 for talking about center Dwight Howard during the free-agency moratorium period, two people with knowledge of the fine told USA TODAY Sports.

They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the fine, which was announced in an email to team executives.

After Dwight Howard decided last week he would sign with Houston Rockets, which was first reported by USA TODAY Sports, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey went on Twitter and TV in Houston and discussed Howard's decision. That is against league rules during the moratorium, which lasts from July 1-10 this year.

While Howard's decision is common knowledge, teams cannot complete deals or talk about agreements reached during the moratorium.

Morey made at least five Tweets after Howard's decision was revealed and went on Comcast Sportsnet Houston to discuss Howard's decision.

The Rockets were also fined in June for tampering after a story on Houston's official team web site discussed players who were still under contract with other teams but were expected to be free agents in July.

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David Price beaten!

David Price beaten by Tony Thompson again in rematch!

British heavyweight David Price suffered a second loss to Tony Thompson in a dramatic fight in Liverpool.

Price, stopped in round two of their first contest in February,appeared to be on course for revenge on his 30th birthday when he floored Thompson, 41, in the same round of the rematch.

But the American recovered to pin the Liverpudlian on the ropes in the fifth.

Referee Marcus McDonnell gave Price a standing count as he failed to return punches, before stopping the fight.

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Andy Murray claims his Wimbledon crown!

Seventy-seven years after the MP’s son from Stockport won the last of his three All England Club titles, Britain finally has another Wimbledon men’s singles champion. Andy Murray, for so long the standard-bearer for his country, achieved one of his lifetime ambitions and ended the nation’s tortuous wait for a home winner when he claimed the trophy here on Sunday amid scenes of raucous celebration on Centre Court.

Twelve months after suffering one of the greatest disappointments of his career when he lost to Roger Federer in his first Wimbledon final, Murray returned to beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 after three hours and nine minutes of pulsating drama. The lessons learned from last year, plus the confidence he derived from his subsequent Olympic and US Open triumphs, were all evident as Murray swept aside the world No 1 with a superbly focused display of attacking tennis.

“Winning Wimbledon, yeah, I still can’t believe it,” Murray said in his post-final press conference. “I can’t get my head around that. I can’t believe it.”

In front of a crowd full of famous faces, ranging from David Cameron through to Wayne Rooney, and two Wimbledon legends in Rod Laver and Roy Emerson, Murray confirmed what a supreme master of grass-court tennis he has become. This was his 18th victory in a row on the sport’s most challenging surface and was achieved on the hottest day of the tournament, with the temperature approaching 30C.

“It was so hot,” Murray said. “I hadn’t played any matches in the heat of the day. Since I missed the French Open with my back, it had been cool. I hadn’t played at all in those sort of conditions. The first few games were brutal as well. The first four games took 30 minutes, so it was an incredibly demanding match physically.”

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Josh Smith $56 million deal!

The free agent forward agreed to terms on a four-year, $56 million deal with the Detroit Pistons this afternoon, a deal first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

This ends Smith’s at times tumultuous nine-year tenure with his hometown Atlanta Hawks, the team that selected him with the 17th pick in the 2004 Draft. It also ends the pursuit of the versatile forward by both the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, who were both still trying to figure out ways to present possible sign-and-trade deals to the Hawks that would land Smith.

Smith’s childhood friend and fellow free agent prize Dwight Howard picked the Rockets Friday night. It was widely known that the Rockets were trying to pair the former AAU teammates, both 27, as professionals in a dynamic frontcourt package with All-Star James Harden and point guard Jeremy Lin in the backcourt.

Ultimately, the opportunity to play for an organization, general manager (Joe Dumars) and coach (Mo Cheeks) who believe that Smith can be a game changer in a promising frontcourt group that includes Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond won Smith over, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The Pistons were the first team to meet with Smith when free agency began at 12:01 a.m. on July 1. He’ll play both forward spots for the Pistons and brings career averages of 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals.

Smith inspired a love-hate relationship with the hometown fans, they loved him when he was at his best and extremely tough on him when his shot selection wavered or he had dust-ups with his coaches. The Hawks replaced Smith Friday night by adding former Utah power forward Paul Millsap on a two-year, $19 million deal.

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61 days to NFL Kickoff

KICKOFF!!! 

Only 4 weeks left for the kick off and just 61 days to Kickoff. 

The NFL is an ever-changing world.

As skill sets, strategies and rules change, so does the game of professional football.

Teams and players must, in turn, evolve in order to keep up with the game as it changes from year to year.

Every offseason, we see coaches hired and fired, game plans tweaked and rosters overhauled in an effort to keep up with the competition, changing trends and the great game itself.

This offseason, like each before it, each of the NFL's 32 teams has undergone changes—some only minor, some drastic.

I guess time wil only help us next, who will be the top, who do you think will come victorious?

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Dwight Howard with Houston ROCKETS!

Dwight confirms!
Just a while ago Dwight Howard of LA Lakers confirmed that he will be signing with Houston Rockets. Will he like this team and work well with it more than the Lakers or Orlando Magic? Will he play better than he played his previous season with Lakers, I guess we just have to wait and find out.

"I've decided to become a member of the Houston Rockets. I feel [it's] the best place for me and I am excited about joining the Rockets and I'm looking forward to a great season," Howard wrote on Twitter on Friday night.

"We have been informed of Dwight's decision to not return to the Lakers," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement. "Naturally we're disappointed. However, we will now move forward in a different direction with the future of the franchise and, as always, will do our best to build the best team possible, one our great Lakers fans will be proud to support.

"To Dwight, we thank him for his time and consideration, and for his efforts with us last season. We wish him the best of luck on the remainder of his NBA career."

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Allen Iverson "The Answer"

Will he be back?

Yet again he has been named for gambling and losing all the money, his wife also said he kidnapped their children. But, no matter what everyone has only one question, "will he be back?".

Allen Iverson has announced all the reports of him playing outside NBA is False. It looks like He is looking to get into NBA, Some say he is only after the money but is it true? I think that, he is serious he wants to play and show what he is made of. for his age i don't think he can match up the athleticism of young players but i still think he can do it. Should he get another chance? If he did get it, will he make it big?

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OKC out, Knicks struggling and Warriors still confident

This wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Not this game. Not this series. Not this postseason. Kevin Durant’s historic offensive regular season came to a cringing, clanging conclusion Wednesday night, smothered for a fourth consecutive game by a focused Memphis Grizzlies defense.I thought that trading westbrook from okc would make them better. Well, it looks like it will be the other way round if they do that. They're looking so terrible even kevin durant couldn't do much. I miss the OKC team from last year with harden. They looked unbeatable. Haha and Derrick Fisher. You ain't getting your 6th ring. Grizzlies were beasts under the paint and OKC just couldn't stop it. Tough loss.

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NBA Draft. Canadian Talent

It is a testament to the depth of young basketball talent Canada is producing that history may be in the offing as the lead-up to this year’s NBA draft begins here in earnest this week.

The league’s draft combine — a series of group and individual workouts along with a series of physical and psychological tests — includes more than 60 of the top prospects for the June 27 draft, including enough local Toronto talent to make it one of the most intriguing drafts ever.

There is a slim chance — if the guesswork of mock drafts are to be believed this far in advance — that UNLV forward and Toronto native Anthony Bennett could eclipse Tristan Thompson (fourth overall, 2011) as the highest selected Canadian ever.

If Gonzaga forward Kelly Olynyk, a resident of Kamloops whose father, Ken, was the long-time University of Toronto head coach, earns himself a lottery spot it will mark the first time two Canadians have been taken in the top half of the first round of the draft.

And Myck Kabongo, a Toronto product and a Texas point guard, would make it an historic Canadian threesome if he’s drafted, as expected, sometime early in the second round.

Two of the three — Bennett had shoulder surgery and is out for four months — are here for three days of workouts and meetings with teams hoping to raise their stock.

“Players can move up and down a lot, but this is early in the process,” one NBA official said recently.

That Bennett is injured is keeping with an enduring theme in a draft that lacks a splashy marquee player, a fact that will put added emphasis on workouts and interviews here. Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel (knee) is out for the summer as is Maryland’s Alex Len (ankle).

While both are going to be lottery picks — Noel is likely to go No. 1 overall regardless — if teams find a safer, more ready teenager through the workout process that starts here it could affect the top of the draft.

Players and their agents are, typically, taking a careful approach lest flaws in talent become more apparent in workouts against other players. Some combine invitees will only take physicals and meet with team officials rather than go through full workouts.

There are generally three things that teams look for above any drills scenario here since all the top prospects have been seen repeatedly over the course of the college season.

Some teams put high value on how a player conducts himself in the interview process, they look to see if players have been working diligently on conditioning and they want to see effort in all drills.

The Raptors are represented here by a group of front-office types but basically just as a formality. So far without a pick in the draft — they only retain it if they vault to the top three in next week’s lottery — they will take in workouts as basic due diligence in case something comes up.

But with the future of president and general manager Bryan Colangelo still undetermined, it will be anything but business as usual for the Toronto contingent.

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