ESPNNBA

What do you do when Greece's Sofo Schortsanitis is coming after you? If you're Nenad Krstic of Serbia, you look for the nearest piece of furniture.

Watching this melee develop, you'd might assume there was a lot at stake. But the Acropolis of Athens Tournament, sponsored by Eurobank, is nothing more than a four-team exhibition. This year's attendees were host nation Greece, Serbia, Canada and Slovenia.

The fight starts when Greek captain Antonis Fotsis gets into it with Milos Teodosic. Then all hell breaks loose:

MADRID, Spain - From the looks of the place, it's going to be loud Sunday night when Team USA plays Spain in an exhibition game.

Reporters were let inside Team USA's practice Wednesday (Tuesday night's session was closed), and one of the first things that struck a first-time visitor to the new Caja Magica Deportes Centro (a.k.a. MagicBox) was how low the ceiling was in comparison to what is common at arenas in the United States.

Also, the ceiling at the stadium (which is usually used for tennis tournaments) is constructed of corrugated metal, and coach Mike Krzyzewski took note of how the seats closest to the court also had waist-high metal enclosures separating them from the other pricey lower-level seats closest to the court. (Think box seats, then think box seats enclosed by low metal walls).

"In my country they'd kick those things," Krzyzewski said. "This place looks like it'll be loud."

Krzyzewski also said he would stick with the starting lineup he used against France last weekend -- Tyson Chandler, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups and Rajon Rondo -- in Saturday night's game against Lithuania. But he added that Derrick Rose, Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom and Danny Granger also should be considered potential starters as the team moves forward.

"The youth of our team is the biggest concern," Krzyzewski said, pointing out to the Spanish media that Team USA has five 21-year-olds, "and then there's rebounding. But we have good quickness, and we're going to have to use that strength to overcome our weaknesses. This is not a veteran team like we had in Beijing."

The big news Wednesday was Stephen Curry's ankle injury, and everyone on the team, from coaches to players to support staff, was still trying to get their body clocks on European time after the long airplane trip -- 15 1-2 hours from jetway to hotel entrance, with refueling stops in Newfoundland and Iceland -- from the United States.

Billups was asked for his thoughts on the talents of Ricky Rubio, and he replied that he had never seen him play. I asked him: "What about the 2008 Olympic gold medal game (in which Rubio started for Spain against the Redeem Team)?" To which Billups replied: "I didn't see it."

I also spoke with Derrick Rose about some of the particulars of that gold medal game, when Spain lost Rubio and backup Raul Lopez to foul trouble (three apiece) early in the second quarter and was without Jose Calderon because of an injury. I told Rose how Juan Carlos Navarro had filled in admirably despite playing out of position, and Chandler gave Rose a scouting report on Navarro's signature shot, the floater, or teardrop, with Chandler pointing out that Navarro's release on his shot is so quick coming off a screen, it makes it almost undefendable.

The Spanish team, which defeated Brazil 84-68 in a friendly Tuesday night in Lograno, Spain, in a game in which Anderson Varejao sprained his ankle, is playing without Pau Gasol this summer and did not have Marc Gasol (back injury) Tuesday.

"Any team with Pau is better. any team without him does not mean you're bad, but he's one of the best players in the world," Krzyzewski said, noting that Spain easily won the gold medal game against Greece at the World Championship four years ago in Japan despite Gasol sitting out with a broken foot. (Gasol won MVP honors in that tournament despite missing the final game). "To watch the Spanish basketball team play, with the way they pass the ball, is to watch beautiful basketball."

On a side note, FIBA announced the referees for the World Championship, which begins Aug. 28 in four Turkish cities.

NBA referees Bill Kennedy and Anthony Jordan are the two American officials. Kennedy will work the preliminary games in Kayseri (Serbia, Argentina, Australia, Germany, Jordan and Angola), while Jordan hit the geographical lottery and will bring his whistle to the seaside city of Izmir (Spain, Lithuania, France, Canada, New Zealand, Lebanon).

• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "The Pacers might want to go find the private investigator they hired to check out Lance Stephenson because it appears the person didn't do a good job. The Pacers suffered a blow when Stephenson was charged with third-degree assault after he reportedly pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs in Brooklyn, N.Y., early Sunday morning. ... The Pacers are the last team that can afford to take a hit in the PR department after spending the past few years cleaning up their image. They raved about doing their homework on Stephenson and his family prior to the draft. Several people reached out to me after the draft and questioned why the Pacers decided to select him. Those same people called me Sunday and said, 'I told you so,' after hearing about Stephenson's brush with the law. The Pacers are in a dilemma with Stephenson. ... The Pacers might end up kicking themselves for signing Stephenson to a guaranteed contract last month."
• Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "A methodical connecting of dots is slowly leading to a grim conclusion for the Nuggets, who want to re-sign Carmelo Anthony to face-of-the-franchise status beyond the upcoming season. These are some of the dots: He's selling his Littleton estate; the constant reports of Anthony telling friends that he wants to play for the New York Knicks; his New York wedding; his East Coast upbringing; summer trade talk that has cropped up twice in his time in Denver, which hasn't always made him feel wanted; oh, and not signing a contract that averages around $21.6 million per year for the next three years, a sizable amount of money that he may not be able to earn with a new collective bargaining agreement. Anthony has connected some dots of his own. Even if he was completely happy with the Nuggets now, in three years he may look around at a team that is a shell of the one that reached the Western Conference finals in 2009. It could be young and inexperienced. It could be filled with mediocre talent. His NBA biological clock would be ticking loudly because he would be in his 10th season. There's no way he wants to start over 10 seasons into his career. For the record, Anthony calls the New York speculation 'rumors.' "
• Steve Adamek of The Record: "The United States men’s basketball team that heads off to Spain today, then Greece to continue preparing for the world championships later this month in Turkey might best be called the 'B Team.' That’s because it lacks LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo or any of the only-single-name-needed “celebrity” players who won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 'redeeming' its predecessors’ bronze medal of four years earlier. Or maybe 'Team Tiny' fits better, for among the remaining 13 players, five are point guards (Chauncey Billups, Stephen Curry, Rajan Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook) and only one (Tyson Chandler, after JaVale McGee was cut Sunday) is a natural center. Plus, coach Mike Krzyzewski noted, five are just 21 and two are 22. So he said after Sunday’s 86-55 highlight-reel thrashing of France at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in its first pre-tournament game, 'It’s a young group and not a very bulky group.' Team Callow, then, might fit."
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: "Kevin Durant now uses the failures as motivation, as well as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of selfishness. 'From the outside looking in, it looked like the chemistry wasn't there,' Durant said after scoring 14 points in Sunday's 86-55 exhibition victory over France in front of a sellout at the Garden. It was the last game before the team travels to Europe today for the World Championships in Turkey, with its tournament opener Aug. 28 against Croatia. 'We have the chemistry here,' Durant added. 'All the egos are out the door and we're always willing to sacrifice. If that means our shots and minutes need to get diminished, then so be it.' Avenging USA basketball isn't Durant's only source of motivation. As last season's MVP runner-up and the best player on Team USA -- anointed as such by coach Mike Krzyzewski -- he's carrying the torch for the young NBA superstars, the post-LeBron generation. While every other player who received a MVP vote is skipping the World Championships, the Thunder forward embraced the challenge of a tournament viewed largely as inconsequential in this country, despite its significance to the rest of the globe. It's also a tournament the Americans haven't won in 16 years. 'We do have something to prove, of course we want to go and win it,' said Durant, who was cut from the 2008 Olympic squad. 'Without the big-name guys, people are counting us out.' Durant is a big name, even if he won't admit it. He just doesn't have the same innate desire for hype."
• Lenn Robbins of the New York Post: "Lamar Odom, 30, is the second oldest player on the roster, after Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, who scored 17 for the U.S. They're the leaders, which is exactly how Odom wants it. He spoke yesterday of possibly going into coaching someday (maybe the first reality basketball coaching show?). He knows he wants to stay around the game. After he buried his mother, Odom shot baskets long into the night at his neighborhood's Lincoln Park. Two years ago he hosted Lamar Odom Day at Lincoln Park. Every kid got a present. That night he hosted a barbecue at his old house. He brought Khloe back to his old neighborhood -- 165th and Jamaica Ave. -- this past Independence Day weekend. 'She had never stepped out of Manhattan,' Odom said. 'It was a new experience. I guess to see the people's reaction. Everyone is so real and grounded, respectful yet street smart. I'll never forget where I'm from.' "
• Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News: "Earlier yesterday, Jeff Green and JaVale McGee were cut from the team. Thirteen players are going to Europe. One more will be cut. It won't be Andre Iguodala. Coach K has been praising him for weeks as the team's defensive stopper. 'Iguodala has been as good as anybody we have had so far,' Krzyzewski said. 'His defense is just at the highest level. He's really one of the great defenders, I think. But he has scored the ball well. Today, I think he had two shots, and it didn't stop him from playing defense. I even talked to him right after the game. I said, 'I'll try to get you more than two shots.' He said, 'No, coach, I'm OK.' I said, 'I know you're OK.' ' ... Kevin Durant will be on the 2012 Olympic team in London. Given that almost all of the players from 2008 have committed for London, there are probably only two or three other spots unaccounted for. The U.S. players who are most effective in Istanbul will get a long look for those spots. 'I'm truly happy right now,' said Iguodala, who neither looked nor played happy last season with the Sixers. 'It's great to be a part of this.' "
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: "Judging by Team USA’s weekend exhibitions, Bulls guard Derrick Rose will get his share of playing time, but he may end up third in the point guard pecking order. Chauncey Billups and Rajon Rondo were the starting guards in blowout wins over China and France in New York. Rose played just 15 minutes against France on Sunday, finishing with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 turnovers. Billups finished with 17 points, second on the team to Rudy Gay’s 19. Against China, Rose got a longer run and scored 12 points in 21 minutes, knocking down a pair of 3-point baskets. Team USA figures to have some easy wins at the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. But when things get tight, coach Mike Krzyzewski may go with the experience of Billups and Rondo. ... One more player has to go before the World Championships and many observers are predicting a battle between Stephon Curry and Eric Gordon for the last spot, although Russell Westbrook could be a candidate, since he’s basically the fourth point guard on the squad."
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "Last season, we saw Russell Westbrook develop more patience as a playmaker, which only boosted his passing skills and complemented his underrated court vision. In one year, Westbrook's assists average ballooned from 5.3 to 8.0. Westbrook had 17 games in which he recorded at least 10 assists and had two turnovers or less. The Thunder went 14-3 in those games. The other major improvement in Westbrook's game was his midrange jump shot. Westbrook's total shooting percentage last year was just 41.8 percent, only percentage points above the paltry 39.8 percent of field goals he connected on as a rookie. But anyone who looks beyond stats can see how much better Westbrook became as a free-throw line extended shooter. That new skill helped transform him into an almost unstoppable performer down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, as defenders had to now respect his pull-up jumper as well as his ability to dart to the basket."
• Les East of NewOrleans.com: "Let’s give Dell Demps high marks for his first three weeks on the job. He immediately was confronted with all the Chris Paul trade demand speculation and put out that fire right away. He demonstrated the commitment to Paul by shipping away Collison, who would have been Paul’s replacement if the All-Star point guard were to be moved. 'We’ve been very clear. We haven’t been hesitant. We want Chris here and Chris wants to be here,' Demps said. 'Chris has been great. He has been engaged. He’s been texting and calling. He has ideas. Chris is on board.' And now so are Ariza and Belinelli. If Demps can make a couple more moves like his first two, the Hornets might start to look more like the Southwest Division champion team of 2007-08 than the disappointing one of the last two seasons."
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: "There will be something new and old on hand for Utah Jazz faithful tonight during the team's Fan Fest on the southeast plaza at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz will unveil their new uniforms with the old-school logo during the 7 p.m. event, using male models Utah players Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles and Ronnie Price. The other highlight for fans will be a public appearance and autograph session by former Jazz standout Darrell Griffith. Today is the first day the NBA will allow the Jazz to show off their new uniforms, which will include the team's new dark-blue, green and gold color scheme."

NEW YORK - Nobody would come right out and say it, but it appears Jeff Green will be cut from Team USA before the team leaves Monday evening for Europe.

Green did not log a single minute Saturday afternoon as the United States played a closed-door scrimmage against China at Madison Square Garden, winning the first three quarters handily (the scoreboard was reset to 0-0 after each quarter) before losing the final quarter 17-16 while experimenting with a small lineup featuring Kevin Durant at center.

JaVale McGee was also a DNP-CD, but he may still make the trip to Europe for exhibition games against Lithuania, Spain and Greece as an insurance policy in case starting center Tyson Chandler gets injured.

"The chances of us having more than 12 on the plane Monday are good, but it may be one more than 12, or two more than 12," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "What we’re trying to do is see how Lamar (Odom) and even (Kevin) Love do there at the center spot. The 3 spot and the 4 spot with (Kevin) Durant, (Rudy) Gay, (Danny) Granger and (Andre) Iguodala is pretty solid, and the 5 with those two guys (Chandler and Odom) is good.

"So, it's who do you want to be insurance or a backup for a big, and then we have to evaluate the guard situation as to making sure we have a point in there all the time. We tried to take a look at those things today, and tomorrow (in an exhibition game against France at 1 p.m. EDT) will be even better because it’ll be a game."

So with Green and McGee more or less out of the picture, the competition for the 12th spot may come down to Stephen Curry vs. Eric Gordon.

Gordon was the better of the two Saturday, scoring 15 points and going 3-for-8 from downtown in 15 1-2 minutes to Curry's 7 points and 1-for-3 3-point shooting in 13 1-2 minutes. But Gordon could not connect on the final shot of the fourth quarter, a 3-point attempt from in front of Spike Lee's regular courtside seat off a designed inbounds play from near midcourt.

Lakers reject Sun Yue had given China the late fourth-quarter lead by sinking two free throws with 1.3 seconds left following a questionable foul call against Granger (team-high 22 points) on the perimeter.

"I was trying to ask the ref what I did," Granger said. "I don't know. It's one of those things with the international refs. They call it a little bit differently than they do in the NBA, and it's just one of those things you have to get accustomed to. And I think that was a good situation for us, because next time I'll know I'm going to have to give him at least a foot because I didn't think I fouled him. He said I hit him on the arm, and I thought I went straight up."

The U.S. team won the first quarter 20-11, the second quarter 27-15 and the third quarter 35-8 when Yi Jianlian sat out the entire quarter and the Americans employed a zone in the halfcourt when their full-court pressure failed to produce turnovers. For almost the entire 40 minutes, China was unable to get its set offense in motion because of the constant harassment from the U.S. defenders, who produced 22 steals (Gay had four, while Iguodala, Durant and Rajon Rondo had three apiece) as China committed 28 turnovers.

I watched the game with David Thorpe of ESPN.com, who is a huge Derrick Rose fan but believes Granger will prove himself to be the second most valuable player on the U.S. team behind Durant. One thing Thorpe kept repeating: "The last U.S. team had basket-getters at every position. This team doesn't."

Green did not make himself available to reporters afterward, but those who spoke to him Friday said they had noticed a change in his normally outgoing personality. Green did not distinguish himself during an intra-squad scrimmage at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night -- except for blowing a wide-open dunk on the fast-break that led one wag (OK, it was me) to quip that it was the worst onstage moment in that building since Kanye West grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV awards.

NEW YORK - LeBron James did not get booed Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall.

Nike wouldn't allow it to happen.

It one of the stranger scenes of this Summer of LeBron, the King who took his talents to South Beach was kept conspicuously off-camera and did not speak to the crowd Thursday night as Team USA played a Nike-sponsored and Nike-produced intrasquad scrimmage on the stage where the Rockettes usually perform.

Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire and coach Mike Krzyzewski all took the microphone and answered questions from the emcee during timeouts, but James remained seated in the front row and was silent throughout the scrimmage as he made one of his first public appearances in one of the cities he scorned when he made his free agency decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

Adding to the intrigue, James was barely even shown on the two large video screens set up stage left and stage right to give fans a closer view of the action -- a 24-minute scrimmage in which Andre Iguodala was the MVP and the blue team won, 49-47 in sudden-death overtime on an alley-oop dunk by Tyson Chandler off a pass from Rajon Rondo following an offensive rebound on the first possession of extra time.

James watched the first 24 minutes onstage wearing sunglasses -- just like his friend Jay-Z, who performed a concert after the scrimmage. But he took them off to watch overtime, which came about after Stephen Curry missed a 3-point attempt at the regulation buzzer that would have won it for the blue team.

The comments the crowd heard as the emcee interviewed Anthony, Paul, Wade and Stoudemire were innocuous at best, as were the questions ("Sample: Emcee to Paul: "How is your golf game?"). Interestingly, the emcee at one point asked "Do we have any Knicks fans in the house?"

The crowd was so silent, he had to ask it again, receiving a similar response.

No question the Knicks fans who were in the house would have opened their vocal chords, negatively, if James had been brought to the front of the stage for a public one-on-one with the emcee, but that never happened. (Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins declined comment.)

We shall see where this goes from here, but IMHO James being muzzled and kept off-camera is a development that will be dissected and debated ad nauseum by the sports business media, and deservedly so. When the biggest basketball star in Nike's stable is front and center yet silent and relatively unseen on one of the world's most famous stages, it certainly qualifies as a strange circumstance.

Two small news items from Team's USA practice today in New York:

Danny Granger was held out of practice and underwent an MRI at the behest of the Indiana Pacers after x-rays came back negative on the right ring finger he injured at practice Tuesday.

Rajon Rondo was absent following the death of an uncle in Kentucky. He was expected to rejoin the team, which will not practice Thursday, in time for a promotional appearance for Nike on Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall.

Reporters were allowed to watch the final 20 minutes of practice, and we can tell you from that small sampling that Stephen Curry looked a whole lot better than Eric Gordon, who he is presumed to be battling with for a spot on the final 12-man roster. Gordon briefly ran the point and had his pocket picked by UConn point guard Kemba Walker, leading to a breakaway, and he nearly botched a simple pick-and-pop pass to Kevin Durant on the following possession. Curry, meanwhile, stroked one 3-pointer and had a terrific 60-foot underhanded hook pass to Andre Iguodala ahead of the field for a breakaway dunk. (As long as we are singling out Walker, a member of the U.S. Select Team that is practicing against Team USA, we should also mention that Florida State forward Chris Singleton displayed a nice shooting stroke from NBA 3-point range.)

After practice, I spent some time chatting with JaVale McGee, who was cut from the team after mini-camp in Las Vegas but then was invited back when Brook Lopez withdrew. McGee had an interesting story to tell about rifling through the dresser drawers at his grandmother's house when he was a young boy and coming upon the Olympic gold medal was won by his mother, Pam McGee, for the 1984 U.S. Olympic women's team. McGee's aunt, Paula -- the twin sister of Pam -- was cut from the '84 team, and McGee's younger sister, Imani Stafford, 16, won a gold medal earlier this summer for the United States at the under-17 girls World Championship in France."He's trying to do what he can do," coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "and if we don't make the final roster decision here, which I don't think we will, I hope he continues on with us because he'll keep getting better. At that spot, Tyson (Chandler) is really playing well, and you know what Lamar (Odom) will do when he gets into game shape. But if something goes wacky, to have another big guy is not a bad thing. That's where he fits in. He's in the discussion. And when we started camp in Vegas he wasn't even invited. So he's made that much of an impression."

USA Basketball has canceled plans to bring the team to Springfield, Mass. on Friday night for ceremonies at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, where the 1992 Dream Team and the 1960 Olympic team will be inducted. (I interviewed Oscar Robertson and Charles Barkley last week and elicited some colorful recollections from both of them, which you can read tomorrow on the main NBA page.) Team director Jerry Colangelo's explanation: "With all the disruptions here and distractions, if we had gone to Springfield after practice Friday, getting back in the wee hours -- that would have killed Saturday. And we need a good practice Saturday (when the team will scrimmage against China). It would have been great to have the players there, expose them to it and all that. But with all of the stuff going on, it's more important to be ready to practice Saturday. We have a lot of work to do. This is a new group. It takes time, and we can't afford that."

Kevin Love tried to do a little backtracking after telling NBA.com that he felt more appreciated by Team USA than he does with the Minnesota Timberwolves. "I was a little shocked last year to be coming of the bench, but this year is a new year, obviously Al Jefferson is out of there and that will open some minutes for me. (Nikola) Pekovic is there, and Michael Beasley will play some 3 and 4, so hopefully I'll have an opportunity to play more than the 28 minutes I played last year. I'm hoping to play 30-plus and get an opportunity to win a starting job."

The man sporting the most savage tan at camp is assistant coach Jay Triano of the Toronto Raptors, who spent the first nine days of this month in Senegal as part of the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program. He described it as a life-changing event in a country with only one indoor basketball court, said it was haunting to visit the ports on Goree Island where slaves were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, but inspiring to be a part of the outreach efforts. "We went into villages and distributed mosquito nets to hang in some of the homes, because one child in Africa dies every 30 seconds because of malaria. These nets have poison on them that kills the mosquitoes, but they're not educated on it and they don't use them. But we distributed 20-some thousand of them and hung some in homes."

Also, Chris Bosh dropped by for about 30 minutes and spent five minutes chatting with Krzyzewski before departing, but he was not quite so talkative on the elevator at John Jay College when he arrived -- even failing to laugh when it was pointed out, jokingly, that he has quickly become one of the most hated players in both Canada and in every city in the United States except Miami. "I haven't laughed at some of your jokes, either. So that doesn't make him a bad guy. Actually that might make him an authority on which jokes are funny," Krzyzewski said, seizing the opportunity to turn the tables on this particular ESPN.com reporter, who has been a occasional thorn in his side since he took the Team USA head coaching job back in the fall of 2005. "How many daggers did I just hit you with?"

This week on TrueHoop, several NBA personalities will weigh in with some book recommendations. The first installment was on Monday and featured Adonal Foyle, Dean Oliver, Dwane Casey and David Thorpe. Today we hear from Jeff Van Gundy, Coleman Collins and Sam Hinkie:

Jeff Van Gundy

ESPN/ABC analyst and former NBA coach

The recommendation: Mindset, by Carol Dweck

The reason: This book debunks the myth that people have IQs that are set in stone, and that can't change over time. It explains new ways of thinking about the brain, the elasticity of our neurology, and how we can develop new pathways. I'm reading it right now, after my brother recommended it. Fascinating.

This book is required reading for: People who spend their time thinking about how to educate our kids. More reps for some kids can really change things for them. We should not pigeonhole kids.

This book is not for: Anyone who is fan of prehistoric educational tactics. You will not enjoy this.

---

Coleman Collins

Writer, semi-regular TrueHoop contributor and professional basketball player

The recommendation: Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell

The reason: I spent a month in Barcelona this summer and before I got there I wanted to learn about it. I picked up Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia," his account of being a volunteer on the Communist side in the Spanish Civil War. "Down and Out" was the most logical next step. He became a hobo, basically. It's beautiful, beautiful writing. Funny and interesting. The best moments are in kitchens in Paris. His description of the behind-the-scenes action in the restaurants of the time is incredible. It's a great look at the effects and implications of the industrial revolution or after the revolution, the early part of the century, the class structures in Britain. Most people know Orwell as a conservative, but he was actually quite the radical leftist for most of his life.

This book is required reading for: People who enjoy memoirish non-fiction in the vein of Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast."

This book is not for: ... I can't really imagine anyone not liking the book. You could not love it. But you couldn't hate it.

---

Sam Hinkie

Houston Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations

The recommendation: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande

The reason: This was Dr. Gawande's first book (since written Better and The Checklist Manifesto), which is really a compilation of some of his early essays from The New Yorker. In "Complications," he pulls back the veil on modern medicine from a surgeon's perspective. He fully admits how much doctors still don't know. How much he doesn't know. His storytelling is always interesting -- think of an "ER" episode from inside the head of the surgeon -- but his humility is what I like best about this book. He shines a light on the errors inherent in his field, including his own errors, in an effort to learn and to minimize them. Here's a line from the book: "Medicine's ground state is uncertainty. And wisdom -- for both patients and doctors -- is defined by how one copes with it." That's surely true for more than just medicine.

This book is required reading for: Those who think they don't have the time, the energy, or enough experience to have an impact. He writes the majority of this book as a third year surgical resident, which is as grueling a schedule as anyone can imagine. While still officially in training to be a doctor, he has the maturity to step back and thoughtfully look for solutions for systemic problems much bigger than himself. But he engages you in this discussion without a trace of boastfulness or arrogance; some have described his tone as "confessional." May we all be so lucky.

This book is not: A pick me up. If you're the sort that trusts blindly that "doctor knows best," you're probably right most of the time ... but not nearly as often as you might think.

• David D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Stop the presses, or whatever it is that you use to upload words with these days: The Commish has finally seen the light with regard to the excessive toll that international competition takes on a certain portion of our population. In his case, the revenue-producing portion. ... We’ve been beating this issue to death since the 2002 Worlds in Indianapolis, or after 12 guys from Team USA missed an average of 13 games in ’02-03. Heck, some of us were writing about it after the Barcelona party wiped out the ’92-93 season for guys like Clyde Drexler and Chris Mullin, or after the Toronto event in the summer of ’94 all but wrecked the ’94-95 seasons for Derrick Coleman, Joe Dumars, Kevin Johnson and Mark Price. But that stuff never mattered in the league’s noble pursuit of sheckles. It’s been obvious to anyone with a working brain that owners who allow their $100-million commodities to play three extra weeks in the summer are playing with fire, and only a handful of people (Mark Cuban and Sam Mitchell among them) had the guts to question the nanny state and flout Stern’s directive to shut up about the risks. Now Commish admits there is a risk. Imagine that. After 18 years of shouting people down about it. Must be getting soft."
• Richard Sandomir of The New York Times: "When the Isiah Thomas announcement was made via news release at about 1 p.m., it had been a done deal since the night before. But it was not made known until after Garden officials held a conference call to discuss their second-quarter financial results. Clearly, no one wanted to stun any hoops-loving Wall Street analysts on the call. But the news about Thomas’s return was out in time for the stock market to react. The market, which has been through enough shocks in the last three years, fortunately did not panic. In the two hours after the news broke, Garden stock fell by 17 cents a share in trading on Nasdaq. Then it rallied to close up three cents. Maybe that boost in value will help pay Thomas’s retainer. On Monday, the stock rose 20 cents to $20.41 share -- perhaps on speculation that the N.B.A. may nullify the Garden deal because Thomas is already under contract to coach Florida International University’s basketball team. Creating a positive image in sports and corporate circles has rarely been a concern of James L. Dolan, the executive chairman and overlord of the Garden. So it was less a surprise than a disappointment that he is ushering Thomas back to the Knicks, which is now part of the publicly traded Madison Square Garden. ... It is certainly Dolan’s prerogative to hire anyone he wishes and to do the wrong thing whenever he chooses. And if his decision-making creates chaos or even the perception that he is usurping Walsh, whom he belatedly but rightly brought in to undo his and Thomas’s mess, he seems not to care."
• John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: "The NBA officially will release the 2010-11 regular-season schedule on Tuesday. I'm a lot less interested in who the New Orleans Hornets will be playing, and when, than in who will be playing for the Hornets. As it stands, the Hornets of the upcoming season essentially will look no different than the Hornets of last season. As it stands, New Orleans' hopes will rest on improved health and new offensive and defensive systems installed by first-year coach Monty Williams. Now, that's not a hopeless formula. If Chris Paul plays 75 to 80 games, as opposed to the 45 he played last season, the Hornets almost are guaranteed to win more than 37 games. If everyone else shows up dedicated and in shape and receptive to change, then we can't rightfully declare it's impossible for New Orleans to climb out of the lottery and back into the playoffs. But the odds aren't all that favorable for that combination of things to happen, either. Not with everyone else counting on some of the same things, plus roster tweaks and improvements."
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "It seems Al Horford’s comments about playing power forward caused a frenzy among my blog people. Actually, it seems any news that potentially means Marvin Williams goes to the bench gets people excited.But as far as I can tell Al’s comments reflect what I wrote last week: Larry Drew plans to use a 'big' rotation that includes Twin (Jason Colins) and also will use Al and Zaza Pachuila together. It doesn’t mean a change in the starting lineup but rather more combinations of bigs and a deeper rotation. I can’t see how shifting Smoove to small forward would ever be a good move. I know he played the 3 as a rookie but when I talked to him about that he didn’t seem too enthusiastic about going back. Why take a guy whose forte is defending the paint away from the glass? Wasn’t that one major weakness of the switching D? And do you really think Al would be a better power forward than Smoove, or at least so much better that it’s worth it to stick Josh out on the perimeter guarding the best athletes in the league? At the very least, don’t you want to see how Marvin looks under LD before such a drastic and potentially counterproductive move is made?"
• Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times: "It's only fitting that Michael Jordan will present Scottie Pippen because they were the only players on all six of the Bulls' championship teams during the 1990s. Many call Pippen one of greatest sidekicks in NBA history. Many also say Jordan is the primary reason Pippen won six rings and is being inducted into the Hall. But Pippen, a seven-time All-Star, made his own mark by averaging 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his 17-year career. He also was known for his smothering defense. When Jordan was inducted into the Hall last year, he surprised many when he chose David Thompson to present him. Thompson, who was Jordan's boyhood hero, starred at North Carolina State before going on to a nine-year NBA career that featured four All-Star selections. Because Pippen is only two years younger than Jordan, he can't call him a boyhood hero. But he did watch and admire Jordan while playing his last three years at Central Arkansas. Pippen actually will be honored twice Friday because he'll be inducted as a member of the United States' 1992 Olympic gold-medal-winning Dream Team, too. He was joined on that team by Jordan, Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, among others."
• Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press: "This is not just about basketball. I'm guessing what the Ilitches really covet is the Palace, Palace Sports & Entertainment, and the possibilities of having a hammerlock on entertainment in metro Detroit. Think of it. They'd have the Fox, the Masonic, Cobo, Comerica Park, the Palace, DTE Energy, Meadow Brook and whatever new arena the Wings and Pistons would play in. There's not a concert, convention, truck show or rodeo they couldn't book. They already have the guy who ran the Palace entertainment side -- Tom Wilson -- under their employ. The Ilitches are smart people. They are family-oriented. And, yes, they are sentimental -- but rarely at the cost of good business. They didn't keep Tiger Stadium alive forever. They've parted company with popular players. I'm sure Mr. Ilitch would like to see the Pistons stay in Detroit as opposed to, say, moving to Las Vegas, but he's not going to fork over $300 million or $400 million to spare a weepy good-bye. You best believe this makes business sense for the Ilitch family -- and it should. Detroit is a tough market right now, and there's not exactly a line of people dying to throw money at us. In the end, if they can get their price, the Ilitches have more synergy than a lone sports tycoon, and they have a history with the city that make fans feel assured."
• Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News: "Detroit. Go for it. It's the Ilitch Mantra, in the pizza business, in the sports business, in the competitive realm. So this makes perfect sense, that Mike Ilitch would announce his intention Monday to pursue a purchase of the Pistons. It's a welcomed, fascinating foray, no matter where it leads. It's also not a surprise, even though Mike and Marian Ilitch never have expressed much interest in the NBA. It would make business sense because it's the only logical way a much-needed arena will get built downtown, to house the Red Wings and Pistons. It makes emotional sense because the Pistons are in trouble and Ilitch cherishes Detroit and its history and loves to rehabilitate -- from the Wings, to the Tigers to the Foxtown area."
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: "Who is the best power forward of all time? Is it the current popular choice of Tim Duncan? Perhaps Charles Barkley? One of the Kevins (McHale or Garnett)? Maybe Dirk Nowitzki or an old-timer like Bob Pettit or Elvin Hayes? Or could it be the postal carrier that would carry the vote in Louisiana and Utah? So, Mailman, are you the best ever? 'I don't know,' Malone answered when asked the question during a recent KSL-TV interview. Malone admitted that he never even thought about those types of things during his playing days. 'Being the best power forward or the best player,' he said, 'I will tell you without a doubt I never thought I was.' When it came to being ready to play, however, Malone definitely believes he held that advantage."
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: "Though his profession has enabled him to travel the world, it was Willie Green's first time in Africa, and it affected him to his core. 'It really makes you appreciate the style of living that we are able to have in being fortunate enough to play basketball for a living,' Green said. 'Waking up and playing basketball is our way of life, and it affords us a very good life. Being here [in Africa] so makes you appreciate the things we have, the things we love. It really brings you back to reality. Seeing the kids here, their faces and eyes light up when they see players from the NBA. Here we are, thousands of miles away from the U.S., and they are so happy to see us up close, to give us a handshake, to give us a hug. For the kids, it's a great experience for them, something they will always remember. But it's the same for us, maybe even more so. This is an experience that I, and the other players here, will certainly never forget.' "
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: "The dearth of talented young referees is a problem everywhere from the pro ranks to local high schools, in basketball and other sports, and lately you can lay some blame on adults who should know better. Ron Foxcroft said 65 per cent of Hamilton’s high school referees quit after three years because they grow tired of the badgering from parents in the crowd. It’s a telling snapshot of the current climate of hyper-criticism that carries on up the ladder to the pro ranks. Never have referees been under more scrutiny. Never before have the masses displayed so little patience with the failings of human beings engaged in the difficult work of bang-bang judgment calls. 'The negativity weighs on our (referees),' Ronnie Nunn said. What isn’t pointed out often enough is that calling an NBA game has to be one of the hardest jobs in sports. And NBA refs -- for all the examples of badly botched decisions -- do an awfully good job, considering. Every call is evaluated, after all, by in-arena observers and by video analysis. And though the results of those evaluations aren’t made public, Nunn said the best NBA refs, when they blow the whistle, get the call correct 94 to 96 per cent of the time. When they don’t blow the whistle -- when it comes to non-calls on, say, a subjective level of body contact -- Nunn said the percentage dips to the high 80s or low 90s, even if players and coaches carry on as though nobody on their team has ever committed a foul."
• Jeff Caplan of the ESPNDallas.com: "Dallas Mavericks guard Roddy Beaubois will have surgery on Friday to place a pin his broken left foot. Beaubois, 22, is expected to miss two to three months, which all but takes him out of training camp and possibly will sideline him for the beginning of the season in late October. 'It's a setback, but it's not the end of the world,' Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. 'It could have been worse. He could be a horse.' That is true. At worst, it's a disappointing way for the Mavs to end the summer and look ahead to training camp in late September. Beaubois is clearly the wild card in for the 2010-11 season. Dallas is expecting its second-year shooting guard/point-guard-in-training to deliver dynamic scoring at the rim and beyond the 3-point arc."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "I recently got an email from a reader saying he didn't think it would be a good idea for Danny Granger to play for Team USA because of the possibility of getting injured and he could tire down earlier during the NBA season. I have to disagree for a couple of different reasons. Granger should have fresh legs because he's had an extended offseason for four straight years. Making the team (he's currently with the squad in New York) will be the best thing to happen to Granger. He needs to be around players that know how to win and lead. Chauncey Billups. Kevin Durant. Derrick Rose. Rajon Rondo. Russell Westbrook. Lamar Odom. All those players listed above played in the playoffs last season. Rondo, Billups and Odom have won NBA titles. Granger can learn from those guys. Durant is a good guy to learn from, too, because he can score off the dribble and from the perimeter. Granger can learn from those guys."
• Dave Newhouse of The Oakland Tribune: "No other surname in professional sports is as repulsive. The Warriors' surname, which won't ever disgrace this space, also is meaningless. It doesn't reflect a city or state, thus it has no mayor, no governor, no voting precincts, no ZIP code. A more suitable surname, and easily more palatable, would be 'Oakland Warriors.' ... What do I think the chances are of renaming the Warriors? Not good. You see in June, two weeks before the team's sale was announced, the Warriors changed their logo and their look once again -- new uniforms, new merchandise, new home court surface logo -- complete with that same disgusting surname. I believe Lacob and Guber agreed to that logo change. Otherwise, why would the old Warriors ownership seek to upset the new Warriors owners, who might begin firing staffers right and left as soon as they walk in the door? I just don't foresee the Oakland Warriors happening. And if that's the case, I wish the new owners nothing but futility dunking on their heads."
• Patricia Lee of The News & Observer: "Before his accident -- during which he hit a ditch and flipped over his handlebars -- Rodney Rogers worked for the city of Durham as a heavy equipment operator, helped start a youth football team and coached a middle school girls basketball team. But now, the former Wake Forest basketball player must rely on others to check his ventilator, give him water and get him in and out of bed. Sunday's appearance at the S.J.G. Greater NC ProAm league's championship game marks only the second time he's been out at a community event since his accident, he said. ... Earlier this year, Rogers founded The Rodney Rogers Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Apex aimed at raising awareness of the difficulties of living with paralysis and providing medical services and relief for people who are paralyzed or in wheelchairs. 'This is just a way for me to stay busy and to give back to the community,' he said. 'I'm trying to help others, people that are less fortunate and who can't afford medical supplies. I just want to help them out.' "

This week on TrueHoop, several NBA personalities will weigh in with some book recommendations. Here's the first installment:

Adonal Foyle

Free agent center and NBA Players' Association vice president

The recommendation: The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

The reason: When I read, I want to be challenged in many ways, no matter the subject matter, and I read the whole genre of books ranging from comedy to non-fiction. One of the most compelling books I've read is "The Fountainhead." Ayn Rand takes you on a tour that challenges your view of life, beauty and what you hold to be your true ideals. It's a book that rocks the very foundation of what you think. Howard Roark, the main character, is eccentric, idiosyncratic and arrogant, but also certain and intriguing. The book is about standing alone in defense of your ideals and finding truth when everyone else is telling you that it's wrong. It's about his being willing to pay the ultimate prices -- seclusion and poverty -- to fulfill his version of beauty. It's an oldie (published in 1943) but has stood the test of time and will move you and frustrate you but ultimately inspire you to find your true self.

This book is required reading for: those who enjoy a challenge and those who like to think and be moved by a different perspective.

This book is not for: the faint-hearted!

---

Dean Oliver

Denver Nuggets' director of quantitative analysis and author of "Basketball on Paper"

The recommendation: Guns Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond

The reason: All those years in school learning history by memorization, all those years being told that history was made by unique people, this book completely changed my perspective. History gets formed in part by the natural geography and natural history that unique people live in. It still does take people to do things, but their motivations and tools are so strongly shaped by their environment (and the timing of being in that environment) that this books tells a much more complete story. I actually read this (the first time, that is) while writing "Basketball on Paper" and it inspired some broad explanations of basketball. As much as I love certain science-fiction books for their ability to create a rich and interesting world, this book is about how our own rich and interesting world was actually created.

This book is required reading for: Anyone who wants more than the political angle for why the world changes. I really wish this had been the textbook for my high school history courses. History makes a lot more sense to any student after reading this.

This book is not: Some criticism of this book has been that it overlooks the impact of human decisions on history. That is, I think, true. But if you are balanced by the typical world view of history, the criticism is hollow. As mentioned above, this book should make you think, not accept everything. So, as much as I enjoyed it and it filled many knowledge gaps, it is NOT the complete history of the world.

---

Dwane Casey

Dallas Mavericks assistant coach

The recommendation: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu

The Reason: It's a book that you can relate to sports and life! Sun Tzu teaches how to command an operation with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness. He teaches different strategies based on the foe or situations you are facing! He teaches a balanced perspective between Defense and Offense! Like in a game, "preparation" is a must and you have to know the opponents weaknesses and how to exploit them! He also offers a great perspective on picking the right people for the right jobs and utilizing their combined knowledge and energy to WIN!

The book talks about the importance of laying plans, the use of energy, maneuvering (adjustments), the use of spies (scouts)!

The book is required reading for: Coaches, business people, strategists, parents and anyone preparing for competitive battle! The same issues and obstacles they faced 2,500 years ago when it was first written can be compared to today! It's timeless! It will leave a lasting impression of discipline and achieving goals!

This book is not: for you if you are not a history buff or a true competitor!

---

David Thorpe

Analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and executive director of the Pro Training Center in Tampa

The recommendation: The Little Red Book by Harvey Penick

The reason: Few books, regardless of the topic, inspire people to be better human beings-and succeed. This book does. It's so far from just being a book about golf. Sure, there are fantastic and specific golf lessons in there, dozens of them. But there are far more anecdotes about things that helped me strive to be more decent to people, and more humble in my daily interactions with everyone I come across. If every political leader read this book once a year, we'd all be better off. I love how Coach Penick spoke so directly to his pupils, and his friends. There is nothing stupid about being "plain-spoken," and this book proves that. It would be hard for me to believe that after reading this book a few times, you would not use some of its lessons when dealing with your own child, in your home or on any competitive playing field. Perhaps my favorite thing about his teaching style is that he tries not to overcoach, and that he treats every student uniquely. As a coach and a dad, it helps to guide me daily. I get inspired to love my students as much as he so obviously loved his.

This book is required reading for: Parents, teachers, coaches, and sports enthusiasts in or out of the golf world. And me, once every year for 15 years straight.

This book is not: Just for golf lovers. And it's not alone on the bookshelves either. He wrote many follow-ups, similar in most respects but unique enough to be read multiple times as well.

Tom Friend has written a splendid article about Pau Gasol's longstanding attachment to the medical profession. Gasol actually still has a place waiting for him in Barcelona, where he left medical school after a year to dedicate his time to basketball. The whole thing is really a must-read, and something like it will be told in video this Sunday on Outside the Lines.

As you'll see in the video below, a pivotal part in the narrative is Gasol's observing spinal surgery on 13-year-old Isabelle Shattuck.

Her mother Lisa remembers her reaction when she asked if was OK that Gasol observe Isabelle's surgery.

Lisa had never heard of Pau Gasol, and told Friend: "Maybe if he'd have said Roger Federer was coming, I'd have said, 'Oh Lord' -- I probably would've had a hot flash right there and then."

The other day I wrote that I thought Darko Milicic would contribute more to the Timberwolves this season than Shaquille O'Neal would to the Celtics.

What I didn't make clear enough was that my point is really a story about reputations. O'Neal is a champion and a celebrity. While there is trepidation related to his age and other things, I have seen plenty of commentary suggesting that he could really help the Celtics.

Milicic, meanwhile, has been derided as one of the worst signings of the offseason.

The general point I'm addressing is one I saw on Twitter when word of this bet first was being discussed. Essentially: What has Darko Milicic ever done? How can you compare him to Shaquille O'Neal?

To which I'd respond: How does what they did years ago matter now? And how do we adjust to the reality that no matter how great O'Neal was in his prime, he's so not in his prime anymore?

My point is not that Milicic is better than O'Neal. My point is that the O'Neal signing might seem like a big deal, but probably isn't. And I get that Milicic will be making more money, and therefore could be more productive but still poorer value. My point is really that even though it's a common technique, reputation alone is a lousy way to judge a signing -- it skews drastically to the big names, and away from the players with tarnished reputations like Darko. Meanwhile, they're actually pretty similar players!

Hence the bet -- to highlight that.

On the day I made up the bet, I had no one to bet against. But I'm very thankful that FanHouse's Tom Ziller has stepped forward, and in style. He is not only picking O'Neal, but he's picking him by a country mile, with some fancy and intimidating charts backed up with some powerful rhetoric.

Tom and I spoke a couple of days ago and I made clear that there would be no free passes for injuries or anything else. It's cumulative regular season-long contributions at both ends of the court. I'm not saying Milicic will score more, play better D, have a better PER, be more efficient or anything else. I'm saying that over the course of this season, smart analysis will show he'll produce more at both ends of the floor, in total. In other words, if O'Neal's lumbering fouls up Boston's defense, that'll matter. If one or the other gets suspended, injured, rested or anything else, tough.

And that may not be fair in judging the better player, but it's fair when we're talking about the value of signing this or that player -- players who can get on the floor are more valuable than players who can't.

Tom and I also agreed on something else: If it's close, then at the end of the regular season, we will ask the stat experts who comprise the TrueHoop Stat Geek Smackdown (my mom, as a non-expert and a partisan, will abstain) to determine the winner. One of them, David Berri, has already done some projecting on this issue, and predicts a close race.

The bet is as follows: Loser has to write some flowery rhetoric about the other guy's player. So if O'Neal is the better performer, I'll be writing about how great he is. And if Milicic proves the more productive, Ziller will sing his praises.

• Now that it's summer and you have some time to think, think about this from Tim Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell: "It’s not hard to imagine a world where sports executives clamor for as much genetic information about their players as possible. After all, every quarter-inch counts. And these players are paid handsomely on guaranteed contracts. The PR executive will tell us its about saving lives, and the CFOs will tell their bosses it’s about saving money. No matter the spin, the information locked inside our DNA is always valuable. It’s the red apple of temptation, and everyone wants a taste. After the celebrity-cool advanced metrics community settles into a more pedestrian profile, there will be a Daryl Morey of DNA analysis. Bank it."
• Athletes, it turns out, excel at giving each other nasty skin infections.
• The Painted Area has power rankings for the World Championships, and Team USA is second to Spain, just ahead of Argentina, Greece and Brazil.
• The Hall of Fame induction has been moved from September to August 13 to accomodate the World Championships in Turkey. The Hall says they expect every living member of the 1960 and 1992 U.S. Olympic teams to attend this year's event, so, yes, that means Michael Jordan will be there to see Scottie Pippen inducted. Here are links to all kinds of stories about the enshrinement.
• You think NBA players make a lot of money? $100 million or so is peanuts compared to the haul of the Roman empire's greatest charioteer, Gaius Appuleius Diocles. Peter Struck writes in Lapham's Quarterly: "His total take home amounted to five times the earnings of the highest paid provincial governors over a similar period -- enough to provide food for the entire city of Rome for one year, or to pay all the ordinary soldiers of the Roman Army at the height of its imperial reach for a fifth of a year. By today’s standards that last figure, assuming the apt comparison is what it takes to pay the wages of the American armed forces for the same period, would cash out to about $15 billion."
• Darius from Lakers blog Forum Blue and Gold on the Lakers vs. Heat Christmas day game: "The Lakers play poorly on Christmas. I’ve had plenty of recent Christmases at least partially spoiled by a Lakers loss. Look at last year’s matchup with Cleveland. Or the three straight years the Lakers lost to Miami on Christmas (’04-’06). Really, when looking at the past 10 seasons, the Lakers have only won three games on December 25th and at one point lost six of seven (and five in a row). And it’s not like this lack of success can be blamed on being on the road as the Lakers have played eight of those 10 games at home. (Although, if you want my theory, I actually think being at home hinders you in a Christmas day game as you’ve got all of your family commitments and the good times of the holiday broken up by a basketball game. When you’re on the road, I would think it’s easier to focus on the game itself without all the other commitments swirling around you. But I digress.) And maybe the Lakers weren’t the most talented team in that stretch (especially in the middle of the decade), but considering the Lakers have won five championships in the last 10 seasons but have only won three games on this particular holiday ... let’s just say I’m prepared for any result."
• When Bruce Bowen almost became a Knick.
• Which player was the best bargain in the game last season? By this analysis, LeBron James.
• Nets.com on Avery Johnson's first visit to Russia: "He warmed up with the Russian players, all kitted out in Nets gear, and then put them through their paces. One player was overheard asking why he had to skip across the court. Coach Avery then changed into a CSKA jersey. Joining Coach Avery was Sergey Kushchenko, the former President of the CSKA basketball club, who led the team to two Euroleague championships when Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was the team’s sponsor. Sergey now serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Russia's Biathlon Union, which has Mikhail as its President, and is one of Mikhail’s closest advisors on sports. Also on the court: Avery’s 15-year-old-son, Avery Jr., who held his own against a much more mature team."
• The Mark Warkentien era in review.
• The Sports Business Journal's John Lombardo reports that the Miami Heat have a strategy of not selling too many season tickets. They could sell out the arena with season tickets, but their calculation is that the team does better not having the same 19,000 people at every game. For one thing, you want more than 19,000 people getting really excited about the team. For another thing, with demand so crazy, this approach lets you can charge more per ticket. The team's president of business operations says the team is learning from its mistakes when Shaquille O'Neal was in town a few years ago. "We are not shy," he says, "about taking advantage. We may as well get our piece."
• Joakim Noah's jumper is getting better.
• Rob Mahoney of the Two Man Game: "I’d ask this: what’s a power forward? What characteristics link Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Rashard Lewis, Lamar Odom, Reggie Evans, Tyrus Thomas, and J.J. Hickson? Not rebounding. Not scoring. Not skill set. Not height relative to their teammates. Not even the spaces they occupy on the floor. I’m at a total loss as to the criterion that would group that bunch together, which makes the assessment 'Player X isn’t a real power forward' pretty much worthless. I think I know what it means, but without the ability to define the contemporary power forward, how could I really know for sure?"
• John Wall highlights, just because.
• Were injuries the problem in Detroit last year?

Every now and again I get it in my head to place some kind of embarrassing public wager.

I usually lose, which can be painful.

So, let's do it again!

Here's the deal: The Celtics have reportedly come to an agreement with Shaquille O'Neal, which is generally being seen as a good, or at least potentially good, thing.

Meanwhile, just about everybody agrees that about the dumbest move of the offseason was the Timberwolves' four-year, $20 million contract for Darko Milicic.

Here's my bet, or prediction: Milicic will help his team more than O'Neal will this upcoming season.

Why do I say that?

Zach Lowe of CelticsHub has done a nearly perfect job of articulating the many reasons to worry about O'Neal in green. That's a must-read. (Kevin Pelton is a bit sunnier.)

My reasons:

The Celtics have succeeded on the basis of team defense

It's five guys on a string. O'Neal does not move on a string. He doesn't even follow team instructions on defense. "Shaq is famous," says Scouts Inc.'s David Thorpe, "for doing his own thing on defense. When he's supposed to show on the pick-and-roll he does not show. That doesn't mean he isn't going to change. But I think that's going to be a problem. Even if the Celtics just want him to score a few buckets, doesn't that take away from what the team's identity is?"

Thorpe relays a line from his assistant, Anthony Macri: "What's going to hurt the Boston defense more -- the departure of Tom Thibodeau, or the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal?"

Age

O'Neal will be 39 years old before the playoffs. Milicic is 25. This is the part of the bet where I feel like I'm cheating. It's the only part.

The truth is, though, that agile, athletic big men in their prime years are seldom disastrous to sign. I'm reminded of the many howls about Nene's big deal several years ago. Nobody could see why you'd pay him $10 million a year, but now lots of people wish they had. I'm not saying Milicic is the same player as Nene, but he's making half the salary. And he's still enormous, agile and strong.

Minutes

Milicic will play a lot of them on a team that needs all the talent it can get, and just lost big men Al Jefferson and Ryan Hollins. The only other real center with NBA experience under contract is Kosta Koufos. The last thing the Celtics want is for Shaquille O'Neal to play huge minutes.

System

Big men get touches all the time in Minnesota because Kurt Rambis' offense runs through them. That means Milicic will be in the mix play after play. It's unclear what role O'Neal will play in a Boston offense that needs to find meaningful opportunities for Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Milicic is finally wanted

I had the idea for this post, and was kind of excited about it. Then I looked at Milicic's and O'Neal's stats last season. They were really not close. Milicic's PER was 12.8 -- below average for all players. O'Neal's was 17.9 -- which is above average and frankly not bad. Because of their ages, I was willing to project one up and the other down ... but that much? The idea was essentially dead.

I called Thorpe. I told him my original idea, and asked him to help me brainstorm a better candidate than Milicic.

He said he thought Milicic was perfect. The first words out of his mouth were "royal jelly." As a player development coach, Thorpe is convincing that a supportive coach, and lots of minutes are important to inspiring players to do their very best. We have delved into this point at length in the past.

In any case, it's hard to imagine a player who has been more beat up in his first few NBA seasons. Milicic was scorned as a draft pick, then nailed to the bench as a player. If coaches can inspire a young player to greatness with belief and trust, he experienced the precise opposite of that.

Minnesota -- where the GM recently said he was "like manna from heaven" -- is the first team to really try treating him differently. Thorpe's bet is that such an approach is likely to inspire the best play of Milicic's young career, and I've found you can do worse than to trust the hoops insights of one David Thorpe.

The bet

So, here's the deal: I'm not saying Milicic will score more, play better D, have a better PER or anything else. I'm saying that over the course of this season, smart analysis will show he'll produce more at both ends of the floor, in total. In other words, heck yes we'll factor in defense, and heck yes, I'll take the advantage I'll get from the reality that he's likely to play more minutes.

And that may not be fair in judging the better player, but it's fair when we're talking about the value of signing this or that player -- players who can get on the floor are more valuable than players who can't.

If the two have similar production, at both ends of the floor, we'll appoint some kind of commission of stat geeks to poke into all the best available metrics -- PER, SCHOENE, plus/minus, WinScore, or whatever they want to use -- to break the tie.

The point

Here's what I'm really getting at with all that. O'Neal has a huge reputation. Milicic has a tiny one. But reputations aren't everything, and in reality these two players are not so different.

• Hedo Turkoglu, in Phoenix, may find himself playing a lot more post defense than he has in the past. An intense and smart breakdown of how Turkoglu guards the post.
• The off-season is about adding new moves, and Glen Davis is hard at work (PG-13). Also, is there an NBA player who is more ready for Dancing with the Stars?
• This is a hilarious Mary Carillo rant about badminton from the archives. If you listen carefully, it does technically include mention of basketball, which is justification enough for me to include it here. Also, it begs the question: How many basketballs do you own? She says she has about 18. I have three, I think. Maybe four. There's one here in the office, in fact. That's one that was worn out five years ago, and always seemed a little undersized. At some point it was clear we had more basketballs than we needed, and this was the one that had to go. I'm not sentimental about possessions like that. I'll throw away all kinds of stuff. But somehow, I just couldn't throw that thing away! So I dribbled it around for a few days, then stuck it in the office, which is kind of like finding an old race horse a spot at some nice farm. Why is it to hard to throw away a basketball?
• Tom Haberstroh on ESPN New York: "[Kelenna] Azubuike provides the Knicks with some much-needed depth at the shooting guard position with a real shot of beating Wilson Chandler for the starting gig. Why? Simply put, Azubuike can shoot and Chandler can’t."
• For no good reason: A picture of young Joakim Noah, who, as it happens, looks shockingly like the current Joakim Noah.
• Players who have gotten under the Lakers' skin.
• Derrick Rose's jumper does appear to have more arc than in the past, but Matt McHale of Bulls By the Horns hopes it doesn't keep him from getting to the line more.
• There won't be vuvuzelas at the world championships in Turkey at the end of the month, because of health concerns. But that doesn't mean you can't watch the Voodoo Sellers "Blow that Vuvuzela" video once more.
• The Secret Service somehow does not seem to know about TrueHoop. Yet.
• Reviewing the deals John Hammond has made since taking over the Bucks.
• A video visit with the best game in Timberwolves history.
• Oh wow: a brutal hoops parable about how dumb it is to quit.
• Phil Jackson knows how to handle a championship hat.
• Laker owner Dr. Jerry Buss has had unmatched success in sports. How can a man who does so much right get the hair so wrong?

• The Painted Area is doing something amazing, by leading an internet video tour of the best plays of this year's playoffs. Number 15 is my favorite so far -- that's the play of Goran Dragic's life.
• Does Derrick Rose have new shooting form?
• YouTube offers forth two contenders for world's longest basketball shot.
• Mike Kurylo of Knickerblogger writes a rare thing -- a thoughtful New York-based reaction to LeBron James' decision. He makes a ton of great points, and you should go and read the whole thing. But there's one particularly interesting chess analogy to James and Dwyane Wade deciding to play together: "It would be like Karpov and Kasparov sitting down to play, but Karpov’s queen decides it would be easier to win if she decided to play alongside Kasparov’s queen. LeBron, Wade, and Bosh’s choice could start a trend in the league." This gets to a core issue, in some ways. It's crazy for a chess piece to leave his team to play with his buddies, because chess pieces are made out of wood, glass, stone, plastic and the like. And we have long seen it as a crazy thing for NBA players to do, because that is not what they have done. On the issue of friends as co-workers players have been as silent as chess pieces. But, of course, players are not made out of wood, glass, stone, plastic and the like. They are human beings, like you and me. And there's nothing strange at all about human beings wanting to work with people they like and respect. In fact, it's totally normal. Kurylo also makes one other point I'd mention: "Free agency in a capped league," he writes, "like the amateur draft, is meant to help the weaker teams become more competitive." It may have the potential to have that effect, but let's be clear that the NBA has free agency only because they can't legally get rid of it. There is not a likely legal strategy to abolish it. That's because the government realizes even rich athletes aren't made of plastic or wood, and might need the right to leave a bad work situation once in a while.
• John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog: "It’s fine to boo LeBron James. It’s fine to hate LeBron James. What I’m concerned about is Cleveland becoming a franchise that defines itself by its hatred of LeBron James. It’s something I’ve seen other fanbases do to varying extents in the past, and it was never pleasant to look at. The fact that LeBron acted foolishly in the weeks and days leading to his decision to play for a different team didn’t change my mind about that. So here we are. Cleveland fans (and the owner of the Cavaliers) clearly feel that they were wronged by LeBron James in a major way, and most feel a very deep antipathy for him now. Fighting against this current with a 'Thanks for the seven years of service and all you did for the franchise, LeBron' night upon his return would be foolish. On the other hand, 'Screw You, LeBron night' (orchestrated chants, video segments to incite the crowd, 2-3 play stoppages because somebody threw something at LeBron, et cetera) also wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I completely understand why such a thing would happen, and acknowledge that it likely will. That said, this is a beautiful game played by a lot of good people, and losing sight of that makes for bad sports fandom. Also, going overboard with that stuff could lose Cleveland fans a lot of the good will they’ve gained since the LeBacle."
• All hail Elgin Baylor.
• Video scouting Kevin Seraphin, the Wizards rookie who has been compared to Nicolas Batum.
• Dwight Howard, in a conversation with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "You have to look long term and what’s best for your team. Cleveland got Shaq to match up with the Magic. They also got Antawn Jamison to match up with the Magic. But they didn’t even play the Magic. They played Boston [and lost]. You match up for the league, not just one team."