Knicks Smile At Gallinari’s Showing

Very good article in the NY Times

Danilo Gallinari’s scouting report came to life Tuesday night, with dunks, deft passes and fluid moves. From the sideline, Mike D’Antoni could only smile and try not to get carried away.

It was just one training-camp scrimmage, the Knicks’ first of 2009. But watching a healthy, energetic Gallinari run the floor and make plays underlined what D’Antoni, the Knicks’ coach, has been saying all along: the kid can play.

“I’m excited,” D’Antoni said. “I’ll try to tone it down. But you see that he knows how to play.”

Peja Stojakovic’s Summer

NY Times reports

Peja Stojakovic’s summer on the beaches of Greece wasn’t all about relaxation.

”You think I was sitting over there drinking cocktails? Yeah, I was doing that, too, but I had to jump in the water once a day to refresh myself. It’s too hot,” joked Stojakovic, a native of Serbia who makes his offseason home in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Of course you weren’t just sitting on the beach partying and drinking tequila Peja … so what was he doing out there?

When the New Orleans Hornets’ sharpshooter waded into the Mediterranean Sea, he did so with a purpose — conducting a series of low-impact exercises while immersed in salt water he believes can be therapeutic.

Who’s Losing or Gaining Weight?

I’ll be using this post here to keep track of players who have lost or gained a substantial amount of weight this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see how many players, and specifically which players, benefit from drastically changing their physique over the summer.

This is only an early draft, and I’ll be adding more names as I come across them over the next few days. If there’s anybody I should be aware, please point them out in the comments!

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Which players are losing or gaining a lot of weight this offseason?

Losing Weight

Big Names

• Al Jefferson lost 31 pounds and is now down to 262 pounds. I like that playing weight for Big Al.
  • Good article with some good quotes from Jefferson in Sporting News.
• Eddy Curry lost 40 pounds and is now down to 317 pounds. And, I think he’s still at least forty or so pounds overweight.

Delonte West MIA

Yahoo Sports reports

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Delonte West skipped a second consecutive training camp practice Tuesday night and the front office is unsure when the troubled shooting guard will return to the team, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Beyond the fact that he’s in his Cleveland apartment, one associate said, the reason for West’s absence is still a source of speculation for Cavs general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown.

Two consecutive practices? What the heck?

Marko Jaric Trade Request

ESPN reports

Memphis Grizzlies guard Marko Jaric is expected to seek a contract buyout from the Grizzlies if a team willing to trade for Jaric can’t be found, his agent said Monday.

The Grizzlies announced earlier Monday that they have given agent Bill Duffy permission to search for a new home for Jaric after the sides mutually agreed that the 30-year-old would not attend Memphis’ training camp in Birmingham, Ala, or play in preseason games.

In 53 games, Jaric averaged just 2.6 points in 11.4 minutes per game and shot 33.1 percent from the field.

“This is pretty much a mutual thing,” Jaric’s agent, Bill Duffy, said Monday. “Very much cooperative between the Grizzlies and us. We would also likely consider a buyout if a trade is not tenable. This just gives us freedom to look around.”

Bryan Colangelo – 50 Win Target

Toronto Sun reports

The happiest day of the year (media day) came and went yesterday with an optimistic Colangelo announcing that not only does he expect the Raptors to qualify for the playoff this season, he expects his rebuilt squad to actually make a run in the post-season.

“And that means probably putting yourself in a position (to be) the fourth or fifth seed (in the Eastern Conference),” the always-dapper GM said, while adding that the Raptors likely will have to win more games than the previous club record of 47 to accomplish that goal. “Are (we) shooting for a target of 50 games? Yeah, I think that’s what we should be realistically looking at.”

Olajuwon Works With Kobe + Thabeet

Great article on MyFoxHouston

Olajuwon said Bryant reached out to him for help with his moves in the post.

“He gave me the biggest compliment,” Olajuwon said. “(He said) You are the best (at the) mid-post and post move.

“He wanted me to show my moves to him.”

Olajuwon said his style of play in the paint is really suited for a guy like Bryant.

“In my mind most of my moves for a guy (with) that agility can use it better than the big guy,” Olajuwon said. “Because my moves are not really for the big guy.

“It’s for the guards and small forwards. So he would benefit most on the post because of his agility.

SVG Wants VC To Spot Trying To Fit In

Nice article by Tim Povtak over at NBA Fanhouse

Ever since he was traded to the Orlando Magic almost three months ago, Vince Carter has said all the right things. He’s talked endlessly about fitting in with a team that reached the NBA Finals last season, about altering his game to fit with center Dwight Howard, and about being happy to change the way he has played his entire career.

On Friday, coach Stan Van Gundy finally asked him to stop.

2009 Free Agent List – Part Six

Unrestricted Free Agents

Guards:  Andre Miller, Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Ben Gordon, Mike Bibby, Stephon Marbury, Ronnie Price, Jannero Pargo, Juan Carlos Navarro, CJ Watson, Brevin Knight, Royal Ivey, Kevin Ollie, Flip Murray, Anthony Carter, Bobby Jackson, Jason Hart, Damon Jones, Luther Head, Sean Singletary, Cartier Martin, Will Solomon, Tyronne Lue, Juan Dixon, Marcus Williams, Lindsey Hunter, Jacque Vaughn, Mike Wilks, Will Conroy, Pooh Jeter, Dan Dickau, Eddie Gill, Steve Francis, Mateen Cleaves, Blake Ahearn, Jeff McGinnis, Alex Acker

Joey Graham Finally Gets A Job

NBA Fanhouse reports

Meanwhile, the Nuggets will sign Graham, who averaged 7.7 points last season with Toronto, to a one-year non-guaranteed contract worth $884,881. Sources confirmed the deal. Nuggets guard J.R. Smith said he has heard Graham will sign, and called him “really athletic.”