The Atlanta Journal Constitution's Terence Moore with a tale from Mike Conley, Sr.: "Once, when the younger Conley was 8 years old, the older Conley popped in a video of himself running the 200 meters at Arkansas. 'I was the proud father showing my son how fast I used to run, and how I took second place in college against a silver medalist in the Olympic Games,' recalled the older Conley. As the younger Conley watched the video, he burst into tears after the older Conley crossed the finish line. 'He was crying like crazy and saying, You lost, Daddy. I can't believe you lost.' That tells you how competitive he's always been. You can't teach that.'"
Saying what a million people have been thinking about Shaquille O'Neal as weight loss role model. He's still a professional athlete though. I'd like to see columnists lead that kind of show.
Ronald Tillery in the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "[Jerry] West has told confidants that the Griz have their eyes set on an established and young frontline player with a large contract. That player would be "great" alongside Gasol. A couple of guesses come to mind: Portland's Zach Randolph and Denver's Nene."
NBA TV is playing back old first rounds of the NBA draft. Hilarious at times.
Ron Artest in his advice colum in Dime Magazine: The NBA is European basketball now. A lot of the rule changes, a lot of guys Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan and Bill Laimbeer, when those guys played it was a little more dirty. Now I think the NBA is going towards an overseas-type game, a softer game. It's more jump shots and stuff like that. It's like two different leagues from how it used to be. It caters to the overseas player.
Doug Smith of the Toronto Star on where Grant Hill might end up: "There are those in the Raptors organization who think they will lose out on Grant Hill not to Detroit or Phoenix but to San Antonio. The Spurs may be willing to give Hill a starting role - bringing Mike Finley and Manu Ginobili off the bench - and Hill would get a chance to finally play alongside Tim Duncan, seven years after they were supposed to hook up in Orlando."
Joakim Noah's journal in SLAM: "We're working out, staying in a complex right by Venice Beach that has some amazing restaurants, pretty girls everywhere and a pool in the complex. But we work out so hard there's not much time for anything else. We wake up at 7 every morning, start lifting at 8. We're eating like five times a day-Corey even put on two pounds. I've been doing a lot of shooting and a lot of repetitions and conditioning. Personally I feel like I can work on everything. Joe wants to get my game looking more polished, but that's never going to happen."
UPDATE: Drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan was arguably not the biggest mistake in Blazer front office history. But for writing some fat checks, oft-injured Bill Walton's backup would have been ... Moses Malone.
UPDATE: Ever-shifting betting odds on who will be drafted where in Thursday's draft. At the moment I looked at it, Jeff Green was considered most likely to go all the way down to eight, and Spencer Hawes was not in the top ten.
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