Berry Tramel with a nice column on George Shinn: ”But Shinn showed us how much fun pro basketball could be. His Hornets, not always a winner on the court in any of their three homes and not always a winner at the box office in Charlotte or New Orleans, always were an entertainment winner. Shinn showed Oklahomans that a night in an NBA arena was a night of merriment, no matter the score. From Hugo to the Honeybees to the video-screen antics, the Hornets provided a big bang for the mighty big bucks required of an NBA ticket.”
Jeff Green was added to the Team USA roster yesterday.
Fanhouse has an updated Top 50 free agents list.
John Hollinger looks for the best point guard in the league but also looks ahead: “Fortunately, we aren’t lacking for candidates to take over. In addition to the players above, up-and-comers such as Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, and (if you consider him a point guard) Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans figure to muscle their way into the argument in coming seasons.”
The art of selling a flop. With tips for drawing fouls from Russell Westbrook: “My one-dribble shot-fake. I dribble and pump before slightly jumping into my guy. I’ll say this: It’s better to jump straight up and rely on your man bumping you.”
Channing Frye wore the KD II’s (along with Amare) in Game 1 for Phoenix.
Orlando is to host the 2012 All-Star game. Next year is at the Staples Center.
Rudy Fernandez could be on the block: “According to The Columbian newspaper in Oregon, Blazers GM said Rudy didn’t ask for a trade in the team’s exit interviews, but the 6-foot-6, 25-year-old “expressed displeasure” with the way he’s being used.”
Dime looks at the top eight freshmen in the draft: “Xavier Henry: After gracing the covers of many national publications before the season, Henry never wowed people like we thought he might. Nonetheless, his body is NBA-ready and so is his game. Had Kansas not lost so early in the Big Dance, you’d have to think that a lot more people would be talking about him right now. Who knows, maybe he’ll drop down like Paul Pierce did and be one of this year’s biggest sleepers.”
