Derrick Rose believes in the process. In fact, he says “My biggest concern is don’t worry about me. I know I’m going to be all right” (that doesn’t really make sense). The fallen Chicago star took to YouTube yesterday to provide a rare update for his fans on the status of his injury. Of course, reports say his knee is ahead of schedule, but what did you really expect to hear? Most are saying Rose won’t be ready anytime before the turn of the new year, and we sincerely hope the Bulls take their time with him. They aren’t winning the title next year, and we’re not trying to see another Gilbert Arenas instance go down, where it felt like every comeback from injury was rushed. Rose is looking at the bright side, saying perhaps this was just a sign from God that he needed to slow down and start taking everything in. Maybe that approach will work off the court, but on it, Rose was the man because he never slowed down. We’re still praying he doesn’t lose it … We’ve loved what the Suns have done to salvage this summer, and even though we aren’t huge fans of Shannon Brown‘s game, it’s another step in the right direction as they attempt to plug the holes they’ve created over the years by being so cheap while still staying somewhat exciting. Brown re-upped with them for a two-year deal worth around $7 million, and naturally, it received about two sentences worth of attention on ESPN.com. Why? Brown seems like he’s a free agent EVERY summer, right? He’s forever looking for that big deal that never comes, and almost always ends up signing on with someone under the unspoken agreement that “Okay, I’ll play for cheap now. But once I show I can dunk, hit threes and have the biggest hands of anyone 6-5 and under in the league, I’m going back on the market next year looking for a bigger deal that’ll never come.” It’s all so predictable … The Suns introduced another one of their new pickups recently, Michael Beasley, and the former No. 2 overall pick believes he’s finally gotten over the drug and marijuana problems he had in the past. The new Sun put it this way: “I realize 10 minutes of feeling good is not really worth putting my life and my career and my legacy in jeopardy.” Well, it probably shouldn’t have taken him this long to figure that out, but we’re happy he’s finally seen the light … And in some interesting news, the sign-n-trade sending Courtney Lee to Boston finally went through. The Celtics get one of the most underrated “not quite great but very good” swingmen in the league. The Rockets? They got JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Sean Williams and a second-round pick… except Johnson and Moore will be waived the second they step off the plane, and Williams will probably get pushed out the door before he ever puts on a Rocket uniform. So basically, they got nothing … Keep reading to hear about the latest good move the Lakers made …
Interestingly, the key component in this Dwight Howard fiasco has shifted in the last few days. Now that we know Howard is willing to go to the Lakers for the long-term – even if his agent is trying to do his best to keep his good poker face on – the emphasis shifts to what are in Andrew Bynum‘s plans? Will he sign an extension if he’s traded somewhere? Does he now officially hate the Lakers organization for throwing him into trade talks for the 57th time since they drafted him? Is he excited about a new beginning, even if it means his team will probably suck? We’ve argued we believe Bynum should be super excited to go to a place like Cleveland, and reports are saying he’s never had a problem with the Lakers, despite all the trade rumors. His agent is also saying anyone who wants to trade for him should talk to him first, because he won’t just sign with anyone (the Lakers are the only team he’ll sign an extension with right now). That’s not good news for anyone who needs closure on this. Cleveland has already said they won’t make the deal unless they get long-term insurances first. This sucks… we finally get Dwight to make up his mind after about 12 months of back and forth, and now we have to deal with Bynum possibly not cooperating. This may never end … More good news for the Lakers (wouldn’t you just hate to be a Celtics fan right now?): Jordan Hill is coming back to L.A. He inked a deal for two years and just under $8 million. We actually like Hill a lot, and he fits on a team that desperately needs some youth and athleticism. But more importantly, above all else, this signing means the Lakers won’t go and have to sign someone like say, a decomposing Jermaine O’Neal (who still says he hasn’t felt better in the last five years, even though that’s like Nicole Richie saying she’s the most sober she’s been in five years). That in itself is a win … Zach Lowe of SI.com tweeted that he recently talked to Masai Ujiri, and the Denver GM told him JaVale McGee plans to head to Houston soon for two weeks or training with Hakeem Olajuwon. If Hakeem could get Dwight Howard to make a face-up bank shot every once in a while, which he did last year, hopefully he can help add a move or two to McGee’s repertoire … And our prayers and thoughts go out to all of the victims and their families in the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Just awful … We’re out like everyone Houston got for Courtney Lee.
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