Category: NBA (Page 35 of 595)

Andrew Bogut on Jennings, lockout and more

July 20, 2011 / John Paulsen

Andrew Bogut spends part of the offseason in Croatia, which may seem odd since he’s from Australia. But he doesn’t like going from winter in the U.S. to winter in Australia, so he has an apartment in Croatia, which is where his grandparents are from.

Anyway, he spoke with HoopsHype about a wide-range of topics. Here’s his take on Brandon Jennings:

He had a very good first season and in the second he had an injury and it was a little up and down. But he’s a guy that’s a very, very hard worker. I definitely enjoy playing with him because I can see in the offseason and during the offseason how hard he works on his game. I don’t think people realize the work he puts in. Maybe they see him doing these tours with Under Armour and think he’s not working on his game, but he’s a very hard worker. He’s going to get better and better. You have to remember he’s still very young and his potential is huge.

Bogut and Jennings are the Bucks’ core, in that order, so the duo better learn to be effective with each other. They have shown flashes, but last year it was a real struggle to score, and that’s on them.

Bogut was asked about being slighted for an All-Star nod and here’s what he had to say:

I think this year I didn’t deserve it, but the previous year I was a little hurt about it. That’s just the NBA. Al Horford deserved to be in because his team had a much better record than us, but the previous year they put David Lee with a worse record than us… (Making the All-Star team) is one of those goal that you work towards and hopefully one day I will have my All-Star jersey.

Bogut also mentioned that he was shocked he didn’t make the All-Defensive 2nd Team, and I agree with him. I thought he was in the running for DPOY and he didn’t even get a 2nd Team nod. But like Andrew says, that’s the NBA.

External Sports, NBA

Andrew Bogut Milwaukee Bucks

Greece not an option for NBA stars

July 19, 2011 / John Paulsen

Remember when Josh Childress signed a deal with a Greek team because he wasn’t happy playing as a restricted free agent for the Atlanta Hawks? One would think that with the interest being generated in Europe that Greece’s biggest teams (Olympiakos and Panathinaikos) would be big players. But as HoopsHype reports, the economy in Greece makes that a non-starter:

“It’s ironic,’’ says agent Marc Cornstein of Pinnacle Hoops, who has extensive experience placing players in Europe. “(Olympiakos and Panathinaikos) were in the forefront with Childress and Kleiza. They were very aggressive in the past. But they are lagging because of the economic climate over there. It’s very quiet.”
Has Cornstein heard anything about either Greek team making approaches to NBA players?
“In a word – no,’’ he said. “It’s a shame, really. They were two of the biggest teams in Europe.”
Greece’s volatile and tumultuous economic climate certainly militates against signing a big-name player. As Cornstein put it, “you would have to be very, very cautious about sending a player there right now, and not even from a basketball standpoint. Look at their economy. That has an impact on all industries, including basketball.”
It’s also not as financially advantageous. The pro basketball players in Greece used to be taxed at a flat, 20 percent. Now, they are taxed the same as all Greek citizens and, for any highly-paid player, that means the tax would likely be 45 percent.

If not for the Greek financial meltdown, Olympiakos and Panathinaikos would likely be major players during the NBA’s lockout. NBA players are likely to consider only those European franchises on the most solid of footing, as basketball in Europe has long been plagued with stories of bounced paychecks (or no paychecks at all).

External Sports, NBA

NBA labor negotiations NBA lockout

ESPYS: Dirk Nowitzki’s Academy of Awkward Basketball [video]

July 17, 2011 / John Paulsen

External Sports, Humor, NBA, Video

Shaw learned about Brown hiring on TV

July 16, 2011 / John Paulsen

Brian Shaw, who many thought was the heir apparent to Phil Jackson, says he found out that he didn’t get the Laker head coaching job by hearing the news on TV.

Shaw, in an interview with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky on “The Mason & Ireland Show” on 710 ESPN Radio on Friday, said he first learned that Mike Brown had been hired as the Lakers coach during a television interview with Brown on ESPN at halftime of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
“I wasn’t really told anything,” said Shaw, who had the public backing of players Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, among others, to take over for Jackson. “Unfortunately, I found about not getting the job and who was hired for the job on ESPN. I didn’t really talk to anyone for about three weeks after that.”
Just this week, Shaw was hired by the Indiana Pacers to be their associate head coach. He will work alongside Pacers coach Frank Vogel, a man he knows from their days on the Lakers staff together during the 2005-06 season.

Well, it’s good to see Shaw land on his feet, but…ouch. The Laker organization seems to be transforming under showrunner Jim Buss. Given the role he played in back-to-back championships, it seems like the franchise could at the very least notify Shaw of the decision before the news broke on ESPN.

Stay classy, L.A.

External Sports, NBA

Brian Shaw Jim Buss Los Angeles Lakers Mike Brown