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Cavaliers Sign Veteran Lorenzen Wright
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed veteran center Lorenzen Wright to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Hall-Bound Bill Davidson Reflects on Time With Pistons
In the DETROIT FREE PRESS, Mitch Albom writes "Bill Davidson is ready to go. He sits behind his desk, holding his arms, and before I can fully sit down, he grins and says, ‘OK, let's start.' At 85, Davidson needn't wait for anything or anyone. And those who know him suggest, at his age, he's not waiting around for the perfect words, either. He speaks his mind, honestly and frankly. He is at times impish, coy and painfully blunt. His profile is known: a most successful businessman, a philanthropist of a very high order, a father, a grandfather and, yes, the owner of the Pistons for the last 34 plus years -- and more recently the WNBA Shock -- for which he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame tonight. "
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Dantley Was All That Jazz
In the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, Steve Luhm writes "think about Utah's sporting history, except that 30 seasons of NBA basketball are missing. Picture John Stockton not sending the Jazz to the Finals, or Karl Malone not winning two MVP awards. Imagine the 1993 All-Star Game that went overtime not being played in the Delta Center, or today's fans not being bedazzled by rising star Deron Williams. It could have happened that way, according to former coach, general manager and president Frank Layden, if Adrian Dantley had not spent seven of his 15 NBA seasons in Utah. ‘He played such an important role in those early years of the Jazz,' Layden said. ‘If not for him, maybe we aren't still here, in Salt Lake City.' On Friday night, Dantley joins the greatest players, coaches and contributors in the history of the game when he is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Dantley's former teammates couldn't be more elated. ‘He carried us, he was the franchise,' recalled Mark Eaton. ‘He was the guy you could count on for 30 [points] every night - the one bona fide All-Star we had.'"
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Olajuwon, Houston a Match Made in Hoops Heaven
In the HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Fran Blinebury writes "before there was a monument outside the Toyota Center, before a Hall of Fame career, before two championships, before Phi Slama Jama, there was a skinny 17-year-old kid sitting on a gym floor one hot afternoon in Lagos, Nigeria. As the coach spoke, he listened to the instructions, but his eyes and his mind wandered. His gaze kept rising toward the rim. When the talk ended and his teammates began to stand slowly, stretching their legs and their arms before the start of practice, he rose like a shot. Gathering the leather basketball into both hands, he went up, up, up. Bam! 'My first dunk ever,' said Hakeem Olajuwon.'Oh, I remember, because the coach had been trying for weeks to get me to dunk the ball. I had never seen anyone do it. I didn't really think it was possible, the coordination of the jump and holding the ball.'"
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Still a Rookie, Oden Joins Others for Orientation
Brian Mahoney of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reports "Greg Oden definitely feels like a newcomer this week, joining a number of first-year players in the league's rookie transition program, a four-day event where players are counseled on issues they will face on and off the court. Players are given three years to complete the program, in case they are unavailable in the summer before they enter the NBA. Oden couldn't come last year because it started just days after he had microfracture surgery on his right knee."
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Storm's Sue Bird in MVP Discussion
In the SEATTLE TIMES, Jayda Evans writes "never in the WNBA's 11-year history has it happened. A point guard as the league's MVP? Not a chance. The league's glitziest award has gone to the snazziest scorer for obvious reasons. Showstoppers like two-time MVP Cynthia Cooper (Houston) and three-time winner Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) immediately drew the media's attention and ran away with the vote. But what about the point guard? Reflect back to 2003, when Storm star Lauren Jackson became the youngest (22) and first international player to win the MVP title. That came in the shadow of point guard Sue Bird, who averaged a career-high 6.5 assists. Yet no one talked about Bird being a candidate. ‘It takes two to tango,' Bird quips about the teamwork it takes to get an assist.”
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WNBA to Raise Awareness, Funds in Fight Against Cancer
From ESPN.COM, "continuing an effort that has raised more than $2 million for breast health awareness, the WNBA will host several activities from Sept. 7-13 as part of Breast Health Awareness Week to continue to generate awareness about breast cancer and raise funds to help fight the disease. Two nationally televised WNBA games -- San Antonio at Connecticut on Sunday (ABC, 1 p.m. ET) and Phoenix at Detroit on Tuesday (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET) -- will include special programming on the league's breast health initiative and awareness efforts. Each WNBA team donated pink and white autographed basketballs and both home teams participating in the televised games will wear white uniforms with pink trim, which will also be auctioned off for charity beginning Sunday. In addition, coaches will wear pink ties or scarves and the referees will use pink whistles during these games.”
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Dwight Howard Wants to Join U.S. Olympic team Again
Dwight Howard and his Olympic gold medal have been nearly inseparable since the Beijing Games.
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Damon Stoudamire Still Looking for a Team
Jason Friedman of ROCKETS.com writes, "These scrimmages are fascinating to watch; especially when you focus on the battles taking place at the point guard position. Brooks is there, of course, as is the newly acquired D.J. Strawberry. But things get really interesting when other players who call Houston home during the offseason show up. Damon Stoudamire especially has impressed, showing off some of the skills which once earned him the nickname "Mighty Mouse"during his halcyon days in Toronto and Portland. He's obviously put in major work to get into prime playing shape and has made no secret that he's hungry for an opportunity to prove he can still play quality minutes for a contender."
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Cavs Looking to Add Big Man
In the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, Brian Windhorst writes "the Cavaliers might be close to adding another piece to their roster. Looking for depth and experience on their front line, a league source said, the team is near a deal with veteran big man Lorenzen Wright. A contract could be completed in the next few days. The Cavs talked to him last summer before he signed with the Hawks and later was traded. The 6-foot-11 veteran of 12 NBA seasons can play forward or center and has been a solid rebounder during his career. His career averages are 8.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. If a contract is completed, Wright would be an insurance policy for the Cavs, who have been down a big man since trading Joe Smith in a package for point guard Mo Williams last month.”
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