First Cup: Wednesday

• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "In Malcolm Gladwell’s view, the owners’ assertion that the NBA’s business model is broken is absurd because basketball isn’t a business at all. Rather, he asserts that most owners are in it for what he terms the 'psychic benefits' they derive from owning a team, much as a super-rich art collector derives significant psychic benefit from a piece that may have cost tens of millions. Gladwell concludes that an NBA owner is losing money 'only if he values the psychic benefits of owning an NBA franchise at zero — and if you value psychic benefits at zero, then you shouldn’t own an NBA franchise in the first place. You should sell your ‘business’— at what is sure to be a healthy premium — to someone who actually likes basketball.' But Gladwell makes no allowance for the economic upheaval of 2008 disrupting the dynamics of psychic benefit theory. Some NBA owners who love basketball just as much as Cuban have been badly buffeted by the recession. The owners of some of the 22 teams reported to have lost money last season no longer can easily afford the psychic benefits they once were willing to absorb. Trouble is, there’s no reason to expect those owners will soon sell their teams to basketball-loving billionaires willing to treat teams like Van Goghs or Picassos just so NBA training camps will open on time. They would rather crush the players union to get new terms that guarantee profit."
• Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Even though his hometown fans booed him something awful during the playoffs, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade says he still loves Chicago. 'I always will, and Chicago will always be my home,’ he said in an exclusive interview Tuesday. ‘I was born in Chicago. My mother [the Rev. Jolinda Wade], other relatives and friends still live here. I own a home here, and one day I’ll probably settle here when I retire.’ Wade is in town to direct his fourth annual Wade’s World Weekend to raise money through his foundation for underprivileged youth and organizations that promote the best interests of the inner city. ... As for the NBA lockout? '‘I don’t believe that lockout really starts until the preseason is canceled and players start missing paychecks in October,’ Wade said. ‘My gut feeling is that there will be a season. It may not start on time. But there will be a season.' Wade also denies rumors he will play abroad if there is no season. 'Those are just rumors,' he said. 'I’m keeping my options open like everybody else. But nothing is set in stone.’ "
• Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "No matter what kind of audience LaMarcus Aldridge runs into these days, the L-word inevitably surfaces, and Tuesday was no exception. And after the Trail Blazers' power forward finished signing autographs and posing for pictures at the camp, he acknowledged there does not appear to be an end in sight for the NBA lockout, which is approaching the conclusion of its second month. 'No,' Aldridge said, when asked if there was reason for optimism. 'Both sides are pretty (far) off right now. So it's going to be a while.' Aldridge, who is the Blazers' player representative in the NBA Player's Union, said he does not expect the season to start on time but does believe there will be a season eventually. That said, he is prepared to sit out all of 2011-12 if necessary. 'If that's what it takes to get a fair deal done, then yes,' Aldridge said. Aldridge has become so pessimistic he's joined the growing list of NBA players who are considering playing overseas during the lockout. He refused to go into great detail about what international leagues he's investigating or what country he would like to play in, but Aldridge said if they lockout drags on he will explore his options."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: "He came, he saw, he listened. As we first reported at noon, Rick Adelman was in town today to interview for the Timberwolves coaching job and as of late afternoon, I heard he was already on a plane out of town -- presumably home to Portland -- without an offer yet being made. He met with president of basketball operations David Kahn, owner Glen Taylor, CEO Rob Moor and probably minority partners and other personnel as well. The Wolves brass worked for weeks to get Adelman to come in for more than a phone interview. If he wants the job and they can agree on a salary, the job is probably his. That salary would probably approach $5 million per year. The four-year contract he signed with Houston in 2007 was worth a bit more than $16 million. Don Nelson and Sam Mitchell are the other top candidates in a process that also included Mike Woodson, Bernie Bickerstaff, Terry Porter and Larry Brown. ... Adelman's signing would give the Wolves the kind of coach -- a successful one who believes in fast-paced basketball -- Kahn last month said he seeks and it'd be a proactive step toward getting Kevin Love to sign a long-term contract extension."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "Grant Hill's free-agency status - not to mention the NBA lockout - provide reasons to wonder whether Hill will be with the Suns this year. Yet, during the hottest Valley days of the year, Hill and his family have made their usual August return. Don't read too much into that, considering school began here for his older daughter, but the Hills do have a home in Orlando, too. Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver said before the lockout that he wants Hill to finish his career with Phoenix. Among current Suns, only Steve Nash has a longer tenure than Hill, who came to Phoenix in 2007. Hill did not comment on his free agency but has the same grim outlook that most do for the NBA season. 'It certainly seems like we're far apart,' Hill said. 'Hopefully, we can get things resolved but it might take some time. At least it looks that way.' Hill and his family just returned from a trip to China, the last week of which he coordinated to be there when Duke basketball visited for exhibition games and promotion of a campus in Kunshan."
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: "He’s certainly no NBA labor expert, but University of Memphis coach Josh Pastner does have a deeply vested interest in the length of the NBA lockout after hiring Lakers forward Luke Walton to be a full-time Memphis assistant for as long as it lasts. Pastner calls it a 'calculated risk' to bring Walton into his team’s inner circle when Walton conceivably could bolt very soon if the NBA season starts on time. 'I think at least — minimum — we’re going to have him through December,' Pastner said in predicting the duration of the NBA work stoppage. If that’s the case, Memphis will still get a lot from Walton, whom I wrote in my latest column has the qualities to be a great coach — plus some guts to try this new job when he still has two years left on his Lakers playing contract."
• Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News: "Coach Rick Carlisle, who became the third member of the Mavericks organization to throw out a first pitch at Rangers Ballpark since the team won the NBA title in June, was an open book on his curveball and love of the Rangers. On basketball and the NBA lockout: not so much. 'Sorry, I’m not going to talk about that,' said Carlisle, who threw a strike to Washington from the top of the mound. Carlisle said he recently watched the second half of the Game 6 Finals win over Miami for the first time. 'It was such a great series,' he said. 'The level of basketball was so high and so pure. It was really just an unforgettable two weeks.' "
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: "Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing didn’t get the Detroit Pistons’ head-coaching gig, but he hopes his interview with the Pistons will pave the way for other head-coaching opportunities down the line. Ewing had a phone interview and, later, a face-to-face interview with Pistons executive Joe Dumars and some representatives of the franchise’s new owner, Tom Gores. But the position ultimately went to former New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank. 'I thought it was a great interview,' Ewing said on a conference call Tuesday to promote an upcoming Basketball without Borders trip to South Africa. 'They told me I did an outstanding job, but they just wanted to go in a different direction. They were looking for, I guess, a more experienced head coach. It was my first interview. I have one under the belt, and I’m looking forward to having many more and, hopefully, becoming a head coach very soon.' "
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "Cavs coach Byron Scott is looking to find a replacement for departed assistant coach Chris Jent, who left the Cavs for a position on Coach Thad Matta’s staff at Ohio State. 'He’s a tough guy to replace,' Scott said. 'C.J. and I had an unbelievable relationship. He fit in extremely well with the team and what we did as a coaching staff.' Scott is looking for some of Jent’s characteristics in the coach he will hire. '(He has to be) good with the X’s and O’s, very good with the players, a very good communicator, and someone who gets along with us very well,' Scott said. 'That cohesiveness has to be there, just like with the players.' Scott is not handling the lockout well. 'I wake up every morning and say, ‘What the hell am I going to do today?’ ' "
• Staff of the New York Post: "The NBA lockout claimed a stock market victim Tuesday, as shares of New York Knicks parent Madison Square Garden Co. (MSG) were downgraded to neutral by Bank of America Merrill Lynch -- in part because of lost income caused by the work stoppage. 'Despite our continued belief in MSG's robust long-term story ... we think the shares will be unlikely to outperform over the near term with $90 million of adjusted operating cash flow at risk from a full-season NBA lockout and a possible LA Forum acquisition on the horizon,' the analysts wrote in a note. They lowered their target price for the stock to $28. MSG agreed to buy the LA Forum concert venue late last year. Shares of MSG were down a fraction to $22.72 at Tuesday's US market open."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/31662/first-cup-wednesday-172

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