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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