First Cup: Monday

• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: "There is an imperative episode missing from Hilal Edebal's brain, unremembered over 18 years of haze. As with a lot of incidences and acquaintances since the accident, she can't recall anything about the day her neurons shifted and her former life was snatched away. She only recently recognized it was the same car crash that killed Drazen Petrovic and devastated two basketball communities - one in Croatia, the other in New Jersey. The brain damage casts a heavy fog. What remains for the 41-year-old woman are huge gaps of empty space, mental lapses and problems maintaining a job. She also has questions, lots of them: Why would Petrovic, a man of NBA wealth, ask for a car ride to Munich instead of catching a plane? Why was she even in Germany while enrolled in college in the United States? Why did she lose her career and Petrovic lose his life, while the driver of the car soon returned to basketball and modeling? And Edebal's most destructive thought: Might she have been better off suffering the same fate as Petrovic? 'It's just so unfair,' she says, from her home in Istanbul, Turkey. 'Everything was perfect before the accident.' "
• Howard Beck of The New York Times: "The 204-day lockout in 1998 spawned many regrettable remarks, the kind that cast players as greedy and callous, alienate fans and become instantly enshrined in the unofficial catalog of 'Things Pro Athletes Shouldn’t Say in Public.' With history as their guide, the N.B.A.’s current generation of locked-out players is striving to play a better public-relations game this time around. They have been in contractual limbo since July 1, with no resolution in sight. But they have largely kept their commentary on point and their Twitter feeds in check. ... It is relatively early in lockout terms. No games have been canceled, and players will not miss a paycheck until mid-November. At any moment, one of the league’s loose cannons could embarrass the union. But so far, at least, 'we haven’t had a Kenny Anderson moment,' one player advocate said. That is ultimately a good sign for both sides because, after all, when the lockout is over, the N.B.A. will be promoting the same players it is fighting with today. Given the sluggish economy and high unemployment, it is a bad time for millionaires and billionaires to be waging public-relations battles."
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: "The old Jazz crew was reunited, and an upbeat Deron Williams was undeniably happy. Williams joined former Utah teammates Kyle Korver, C.J. Miles and Wesley Matthews on Saturday at The Factory in Lehi, participating in a well-attended charity dodgeball tournament. Williams and Korver co-hosted the event, which benefited the Boys & Girls Club of Midvale via Williams’ Point of Hope Foundation and the Seer Group, the Utah branch of the Kyle Korver Foundation. Williams acknowledged that this year’s tournament will likely be the last time the event is held in Utah, ending a three-year run, and expects the 2012 version to be based in Chicago. As a result, D-Will decided to go out with a bang. He arrived in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, proceeding to work out with current Jazzmen Miles, Paul Millsap and Ronnie Price. A Friday night party brought the nucleus of the 2009-10 Jazz back together. By Saturday, Williams was comfortable and at ease, looking like he was back home. As if a shocking Feb. 23 trade to New Jersey had never happened, and he was still the face of the franchise for a small-market Jazz team that struggled to finish a disappointing 2010-11 campaign. 'I love Utah,' said Williams, who added that he will likely buy a house and settle in Park City after he retires."
• Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com: "With the NBA lockout going on since July 1 there has been much speculation about who and how many NBA players will take their skills abroad. The Sixers' Lou Williams had an opportunity to play in Europe for a team he would not disclose, but did say was in Europe’s top league. He turned it down. He had his reasons for rejecting the offer but he thinks for many of the guys choosing to go overseas, the reason is obvious. 'I think it is financial,' Williams said on Sunday in Los Angeles, where eight Sixers have convened for off-season workouts. ... Andre Iguodala would be one of those I-like-to-travel guys, but extenuating circumstances factor in to his decision-making process. 'I would have enjoyed going over there and playing but I have other things as far as the length of my contract and what is at stake for me makes that not a smart decision,' Iguodala explained. ... As for the no-longer-rookie Evan Turner, he has only one place he wants to play in lieu of playing for the Sixers during the work stoppage. 'I am going to Henry Avenue with Herb Magee to work on my jumper,' Turner stressed."
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "So far, 30 players who ended last season on an NBA roster have agreed to open next season abroad, with that number growing weekly. So have eight members of the league’s June draft class, who have been unable to sign rookie contracts in the NBA for lack of a collective bargaining agreement. Like Danny Green, most have negotiated opt-out clauses that would free them to honor existing NBA contracts, or to sign a new one, once the labor impasse is over. ... That was the vision National Basketball Players Union chief Billy Hunter was hoping to sell earlier this summer, when he gave his membership blessing to pursue opportunities outside the NBA. It is also the message being sent by a powerful cadre of player agents, who can’t draw a paycheck unless their clients do. As in any labor tug-of-war, leverage is everything."
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was at a restaurant recently when someone asked him whether NBA coaches could take their talents elsewhere during the lockout. Van Gundy responded, 'That's an interesting question.' Hmmmmm. After all, players are investigating opportunities overseas to play and make money. New Jersey Nets star Deron Williams already has signed with a Turkish team. If the lockout cancels the season — a real possibility — there will be a lot of basketball brain-power going to waste. But the big difference is that head coaches and assistant coaches — considered management — still get paid during the work stoppage while players do not. ... Without the game of basketball in the air, Van Gundy concedes that going to his Amway Center office is 'quite honestly, different. Nobody's in the gym. It's a little depressing.' (Memo to Commissioner David Stern: Every effort has been made in this column to avoid quoting Van Gundy about the machinations of the lockout, per league policy, so please, don't fine him … again.) ... The Magic would allow coaches to pursue other opportunities, I'm told. When I asked the league Friday about the loan-a-coach idea, NBA communications chief Tim Frank said, 'I don't think there is an answer to that at this point. …' "
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "For the third time this offseason, LeBron James is poised to take his talents into a competitive situation. Amid the recent flurry of face-offs between leading pro-am leagues during the NBA lockout, the Miami Heat forward has opted to join a group of NBA stars that Tuesday will represent the Baltimore-based Melo League and take on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and a group of stars from the Washington-based Goodman League. 'I'm in,' he told the Associated Press Sunday. The game, scheduled for Baltimore, follows in the wake of the recent game between stars from the Goodman League and the Los Angeles-area Drew League."
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: "He stood in the lobby of the Finch Center, decked out in a gray Memphis shirt and black Memphis shorts. Over his shoulder, hung a picture of Larry Finch shooting a sweet-as-you-please jumper over a certain large man who once played for UCLA. 'That's Big Red, right there,' said Luke Walton. 'I know my family name has some history here in Memphis.' Like yellow fever has a history in Memphis. Like pestilence and floods. Bill Walton went 21 of 22 to lead UCLA to the national title over Memphis in 1973. Thirty-nine seasons later, his son returns to the city to set things right. 'Make amends, bring that title to Memphis,' said Walton. 'It's a small world that I'm here trying to help Memphis win a national title.' What the father took away, the son may help restore. Unless the NBA lockout ends tomorrow, of course, in which case he'll be back and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, I had to go and mention that. It's a risk. Memphis coach Josh Pastner acknowledged that from the start. But on Walton's first official day as an assistant coach in Memphis, it didn't seem like much of one."
• Sean Meagher of The Oregonian: "Last week it was free agent power forward Carl Landry stating his thoughts on playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. Saturday, starting Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge tells Chris B. Haynes of SLAMonline.com he likes the idea of Landry bolstering Portland's frontcourt. 'That’s big of him to speak out and I’m glad he spoke out and said he wants to play with us,' Aldridge told SLAMonline. 'He’s a good player and I definitely feel like he can help us immediately.' Aldridge also tells Haynes he doesn't think the two power forwards would have a problem coexisting. 'Landry’s a really good player and good players know how to fit in,' Aldridge said. 'Wouldn’t be a problem at all.' "
• Staff of CNA: "Derrick Rose, the NBA's youngest Most Valuable Player (MVP) in history, was seen happily receiving a new Chinese nickname on Saturday during a two-day visit to Taiwan. Chosen by Taiwanese fans through an online poll recently, the nickname 'Biao Feng Mei Gui,' which means 'speedy stormy Rose,' was presented to the Chicago Bulls point guard at a news conference in Taipei. The 22-year-old star held the paper scroll on which his new nickname's characters were written in calligraphy and practiced saying it a few times by repeating it after the host. Rose, who led the Bulls to a 62-20 record last season, was traveling on his final leg of an Asia tour that has taken him to Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing in China."
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "The bulk of filming for the feature-length Warner Bros. film that Thunder forward Kevin Durant has agreed to star in will be filmed in Baton Rouge, La. rather than OKC. It's likely that the final few days of filming will be shot in Oklahoma City. But by losing the majority of the project, both Oklahoma City's economy and its growing status as a bustling city on the rise has been dealt a blow. The entire project couldn't be shot in Oklahoma City because of a snag with state incentives for film production. The state of Louisiana offers a tax credit of 85 cents on the dollar, making the state a premier destination for filming. Oklahoma offers a 37 percent rebate for companies filming in the state, but the Oklahoma Film & Music Office had already run out of funding for this fiscal year. ... Filming, as first reported in The Oklahoman, remains on schedule to begin in mid-September."
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: "Ron Artest isn’t known as much of a dancer, but if he’s quick enough to keep step with NBA small forwards, then can he also make moves on ABC’s 'Dancing with the Stars,' right? Artest is said to be named Monday as part of the cast of celebrity dance competitors, according to bloggers at Charged.fm and TerezOwens.com. Artest said a month ago he hadn’t been contacted about the show despite circulating rumors and said: 'I play defense, but I don’t know if I can dance.' Artest, whose official name change to Metta WorldPeace was delayed last week by outstanding traffic warrants, has little fear of failure in new endeavors, as seen by his recent work as a stand-up comic."
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "From his clashes with former coaches Michael Curry and John Kuester to the unwieldy contract the Pistons seeming have been trying to unload for years, fans can't wait to see Rip Hamilton's bags packed and him headed out of town. But a funny thing has happened in the past two years -- that big contract isn't the albatross it once was. He's owed roughly $21 million over the next two seasons, as the second year is only partially guaranteed. And remember president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has almost traded Hamilton several times when the financial burden was greater. So Hamilton, 33, will be on the trading block as soon as regular business begins in the NBA, and the Pistons need to eventually turn the page to the next era. Hamilton might be more valuable as potential trade bait whenever the next trade deadline comes."
• Craig Stouffer of the Washington Examiner: "From the moment the first reports emerged of the locker room gun encounter between then-Wizards guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, it appeared the injured, inconsistent backup guard was a mere pawn in an episode in which his superstar teammate's penchant for over-the-top practical jokes finally went too far. But it appears Pandora's box might have been opened for Crittenton. The 23-year-old's basketball career has been in fits and starts since, and his life will be forever changed now that he has been charged in Atlanta in the fatal shooting of Jullian Jones, a mother of four. As of Sunday evening, he hadn't turned himself in. ... Now his basketball talents have taken the ultimate backstage. Whatever really happened with Arenas -- Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and received probation, while Arenas got 30 days in a halfway house -- there's a chance, if the latest charges prove true, it was a glimpse into a part of Crittenton many didn't realize was there. It's also a sad and unwelcome reason to revisit a scary and dangerous moment for the Wizards that never gets easier to forget."
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: "Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap will be inducted Oct. 1 into the Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame. Millsap led the NCAA in rebounding three consecutive seasons (2003-04 to 2005-06) while starring for the Bulldogs. He left the school after his junior year, and was selected by Utah with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Millsap will join Jazz legend Karl Malone and NFL great Terry Bradshaw in Louisiana Tech’s Hall of Fame, and will be honored at halftime of the Bulldogs’ home football game Oct. 1 against Hawaii. 'It’s tremendous. … Not only was he a super athlete, but he’s been a super ambassador for the university,' Louisiana Tech athletic director Bruce Van De Velde said."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/31687/first-cup-monday-169

Tracy McGrady Yao Ming Luis Scola Jonathan Albaladejo Andrew Brackman A.J. Burnett