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Speaking of putting on size -- Durant is bulking up too… relatively: Kevin Durant is getting bigger with age The Thunder star looks bigger, stronger. But Durant said nothing special was done during the offseason. http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/w620-b9a267ca05c6d826aa6b04cf900b72fe.jpg From his lower body, through his midsection on up to where it’s as clear as ever — his upper body — Durant has bulked up. As with everything else that defines his skills, Durant isn’t overly interested in discussing the matter. That he said as much as he did hints that he has indeed gotten stronger and is darn proud of it. “I hope so,” Durant said when told he looks bigger and asked if he got stronger over the offseason. “I guess we’ll know when we start banging during the season. But I feel a little bigger, and coach is going to put me down low a little bit more at the 4, so I’ve got to be stronger to guard those guys. I’m just looking forward to doing as much as I can to help this team.” Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-kevin-durant-is-getting-bigger-with-age/article/3715821#ixzz28UlhMJRR

Thought I'd post this good read on Iggy here: Andre Iguodala "a stopper" in coach George Karl's eyes When describing the Nuggets' defense last season, one is reminded of golfing great Ty Webb, who in "Caddyshack" consoled his struggling playing partner by explaining: "You're not, uh, you're not (pause), you're not good." But the Nuggets weren't, like, that bad — if you look at differential stats. Yes, Denver allowed the second-most points of any NBA team (allowing an average of 101.2 per game). But the differential stats show that Denver averaged 2.9 more points per game than its opponents (ninth-best in the NBA) and shot 1.96 percent better than its opponents (eighth-best). But coach George Karl believes the Nuggets' overall defense can improve, so he got himself a differential difference maker. "With Andre Iguodala, I think we have a stopper," Karl said of his new starting shooting guard, an all-star last season. "I don't think we're going to be statistically high in a lot of traditional defensive categories. But I think differential is the key for us — field-goal differential, points differential, turnover differential. How we control the other team. Can we have moments of defensive momentum rather than offensive momentum? Can we have moments when we intimidate with our presence on the defensive end on the court? "And, in the fourth quarter, I still believe you win most games with stops, extra possessions, offensive rebounds, making free throws. I just think defensively you win so many close games with intimidation." The Denver Post

Thaddeus Young day-to-day with sprained ankle It’s not that serious, nothing that would likely cause a player to miss more than a game in the regular season. However, in the preseason teams tend to be more cautious. Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young sprained his ankle and is day-to-day, tweets Bob Cooney of the Daily News. He didn’t take part in a team scrimmage. These things linger if not allowed to fully heal, but there is no reason to push him back in the preseason. A couple other notes from Cooney out of the scrimmage — Evan Turner was attacking the rim with more power and less finesse, and Jrue Holiday looked like the star. Pair that kind of wing production with Andrew Bynum when he gets back and it’s going to be a fun year to watch the Sixers. My link

Phil Jackson talks in a Zen way about new Lakers http://nbcprobasketballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/113539872.jpg “It’s finding a role that each player can move towards and be comfortable in,” Jackson said. “I think that’s how you want to feel. You want Steve to have the ability to have the ball with confidence that he is doing the right thing and feeling like he can run the team and getting the ball to Kobe in critical situations is important because that’s what his best role is standing out in the moments of crisis or the moments that are critical. And the inclusion that you have to have to make Howard feel a part of it. So all those guys have to find a little role…. “(Nash) is a guy that can kinda make it easier for Howard to be a player inside,” Jackson said. “As Pau can move around in the post and move up to the high post and he can be an outside defender that can help out in a variety of screen-roll activities that maybe Howard might get himself in foul trouble having to defend all the time. So they’ll be able to do a lot of things with a more mobile and quicker Pau Gasol. This is a team that you have to find an offense that is going to work and include everybody because Kobe dominates the ball and Steve Nash dominates the ball." LA Times

J.R. Smith says he would prefer to start for Knicks J.R. Smith may get his wish, but not for a full season. Smith has been one of the best sixth men in the NBA for years — he comes off the bench, can score, picks up the defensive intensity. He can be a gunner, he can be erratic, but the energy can’t be questioned. And he’s expected to play that role for the Knicks once Iman Shumpert return. But what Smith really wants to do is start. That’s what he told Jared Zwerling. “I would prefer to start. I would rather be a starter,” he said. “My goal was to come in here and be a starter, and play with those other four guys on the floor. It is frustrating after a while that people see me as a sixth man, sixth man, sixth man, when you believe you’re a starter. But at the same time, you have to understand this is a team game and you have to put individual goals aside.” Source

‘Sheed talks about why he chose Knicks (try Mike Woodson) Rasheed Wallace is back in the NBA. Which should be a good test of the NBA’s technical policy if nothing else. He’s had a few other chances to return from retirement the past two years, a number of teams including the Celtics (where he last played) have approached him. He said no. He didn’t want to come back. But he has this season with the Knicks, and he talked with the New York Times about why. And the why is coach Mike Woodson. "It was Woodson, perhaps with perfect timing, who called Wallace in May. That was the same month the Knicks removed his interim title. “He asked me if I still wanted to play,” Wallace said of Woodson, who coached him as an assistant in Detroit. “It meant a lot that Coach Woodson still has that feeling that I can be a positive influence on this team.” Woodson was an assistant coach on the 2004 Pistons team that won the NBA title with Wallace. That is where their bond formed. “You know with myself being a hothead and with Ben Wallace, the way he was, Coach Woodson kept us calm,” Wallace said. “He was the one that quieted the storm.” How much Wallace can help remains to be seen. The Knicks start Tyson Chandler at the five and Amare Stoudemire at the four, then bring Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and they plan to use Carmelo Anthony some at the four like Team USA did this summer. (Also, Steve Novak can be a stretch four if you want.) There are minutes to be had but Wallace has to earn them because Woodson has options. But ‘Sheed is back in the league and ready to rack up some technical. And points. Source

Worst one I done seen in a while: http://i.imgur.com/V4lat.jpg

Griffin: Flopping rule is just a money grab Players seem to think maybe this will cut down on flopping where they all think they were victims (but none of them think they actually did it). Blake Griffin, not so much. He thinks this is pretty much a money grab by the league that may not be much of a deterrent when it matters, he told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports. “It’s not going to win or lose games for anybody. It’s a good way for the NBA to get more money,” Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. “I guess it’s good in a sense that it stops any of it from happening,” Griffin said after the Clippers’ open practice and scrimmage at the Galen Center on Wednesday. “But now you’re telling me if it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals and a guy has a chance to make a play he’s going to be like, ‘Well, do I want this $10,000 or do I want a championship? “ First, let us pause here to enjoy the irony — Blake Griffin sells calls and flops as much as anyone in the league. In fact, he may have my favorite of all time, the self-flop: Second, this is not a revenue stream for the league. Money from fines is split between the NBA and the players union then both use all that money exclusively for charitable causes (NBA Cares stuff, for example). Full Story

Mmm... 'kay?

Yeah, I know it's a 'dumb [expletive]ing thing to wish for'. Maybe I'm well aware of that. No. Let me ask you something get something straight-- just because I'm not talking about Manu and Rudy - it doesn't mean I love the way they flop, man. Really, what the heck do you think you're gonna do with your last couple of posts towards me? You think calling me a 'moron' just because you disagree is very mature? ***************************************************************************** Sadly, that's a wrong impression you get. Once again, I'm not 'going against the grain' for the sake of discussion. Honestly, that's not my intention. Never been. Members are jumping down my throat because they're mature. A friend of mine here told me how he thinks it's like they just look for any reason to jump right down my throat. And I know Brandon is really fed up with this type of bull sh!t. That's why I ain't taking the bait no more. This ain't going outta control. "Not this boy pinto." Not this time around!

Clippers are signing Marqus Blakely The L.A. Clippers are signing Marqus Blakely for the upcoming season, a source told Sportando. The forward spent last season in D-League with Iowa Energy and Sioux Falls SkyForce and finished in the Philippines with B-Meg Llamados with whom he averaged 22.4ppg, 13.4rpg, 3.3apg and 2.7bpg in 22 games. http://i.imgur.com/NruOO.png Source

Allen Iverson won't sign with Maccabi Haifa for the NBA Preseason games Maccabi Haifa will play two games in the US against the Warriors and the T'Wolves Contrarily to reports from Israeli media, mostly from Sport5.co.il, Allen Iverson won't be joining Maccabi Haifa for the two exhibition games in NBA against Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. Sportando's David Pick spoke with Brad Greenberg, Maccabi Haifa coach and ex 76ers GM, who denied all the rumors: 'It is natural for people to link us up but I have not spoken to Allen in years' said Greenberg. Source

According to @DanWoikeSports: #Clippers will debut new blue alternate jerseys Saturday in preseason opener."" Only pic I could find: http://i.imgur.com/cn0Ei.jpg

Darko Milicic with the sit-down tip back and Jeff Green's put back dunk in the C's loss to Fenerbahce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDfMZHcvmr8

Video: Clippers Sing Happy Birthday To Grant Hill NBA vet, Grant Hill, celebrated his 40th birthday today, which makes him one day younger than the current oldest player in the NBA, Kurt Thomas. Watch his teammates sing him Happy Birthday after practice: http://www.beyondthebuzzer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/421.png

http://hoopshype.com/videos/videos/video-deandre-jordan-we-have-improved-tremendously

When did I say you said I wrote it?

I'm not. Anyway, 'grats on crackin' up 11K...

It's not like I wrote it.

Why Losing Matt Barnes Hurts the Lakers http://wagesofwins.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/72612753.jpeg Alright so the Lakers, who won 50 games (adjusted for 82 games) last season have pushed themselves over 55 games. So they’re contenders again! Except losing Barnes is going to hurt, a lot. In fact, I’d argue had the Lakers amnestied Kobe, kept Barnes, signed Meeks and not signed Jamison, they’d actually be in great shape. However, as Barnes walked, they are not. Let’s show why. And for fun I’ll be using one of my favorite players: Kobe Bryant. Matt Barnes was really good with the Lakers. In fact, despite significantly fewer minutes than Kobe, he put up much better stats. Treating both Kobe and Barnes as Guard-Forwards, here’s a comparison of how many wins above average they got per category. http://i.imgur.com/KE2cM.png Kobe is good at exactly three things: getting to the line, not fouling and pulling down defensive boards. While useful skills, it turns out Kobe’s chucking habits and turnovers pull him down into the “bad range”. Matt Barnes puts up more than 4 wins than an average player would with his minutes. Kobe costs his team 2 wins compared to an average player with the same minutes. Let’s not forget that the Lakers signed Jodie Meeks, who happens to play the same position as Kobe. Based on the box score and the Synergy stats, it’s hard to argue Kobe was that amazing at defense. At the very least, it’s hard to believe he’s better than Matt Barnes. The Lakers have some bona fide stars — albeit with concerns on health and age. However, beyond the top of their roster, the Lakers are lacking. Additionally, replacing Matt Barnes with Antawn Jamison will certainly hurt. As long as the Lakers keep believing Kobe is a major player, they’ll be in trouble. Of course, they can believe he’ll rebound and play like the Kobe of old. I’d much rather have bet on a cheap Matt Barnes though. Full Story

http://jamaicansmusic.com/videos/watch/2833