NBA training camp is right around the corner. Which means NBA TV’s “The Association” is right around the corner. Which means we’re all going to get to know the Brooklyn Nets a lot better. No, there won’t be as many crazy personalities as an NFL locker room, but on a positive note, there won’t be nearly as many heartbreaking stories of guys getting their dreams crushed. And on paper, this team has some made-for-TV potential: Josh Childress‘ slight nerdiness, Brook Lopez‘s overt nerdiness, Reggie Evans‘ blatant creepiness, the reclamation project that is Andray Blatche, and the tabloid hell that is Kris Humphries‘ life. Oddly enough, the two most “boring” guys on the squad may the two best players: Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. So get ready to find yourself getting distracted at work wondering if James Mays survived cut day, or if Jerry Stackhouse can make it to the season opener without retiring. Then there’s Avery Johnson tawkin’ basket-bah-wohl, Mikhail Prokhorov, and the looming possibility that Jay-Z will randomly show up at any moment … A lot of vets wouldn’t want the intrusion of any more cameras than they already have to deal with, but Dwyane Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he wouldn’t have minded if “The Association” had picked the Heat. Of course he wouldn’t mind. D-Wade is one of the best basketball players in the world, he’s beloved in Miami, he has a closet that Tim Gunn would appreciate, and that closet is in the home he shares with Gabrielle Union. Why wouldn’t he want to show off? … Keyon Dooling decided to retire, the day after he was waived by the Celtics and despite rumors that the Heat were interested in him (or vice versa). Six teams in 12 seasons with career averages of seven points, two assists and a little more than half-a-steal per game, and he played a significant role on a couple of decent playoff teams. Pretty good career, to be honest. Better than a lot of guys. But when you remember that Dooling was a Top-10 draft pick and realize his most memorable NBA moment was getting into a fight with Ray Allen, does it start to look like a letdown? Do you think it’s fair or unfair that we almost always set expectations on a player and eventually judge his career almost solely based on his spot in the draft? … … Hit the jump to hear about a Miami Heat peace summit …
Speaking of guys who may never play in the NBA again, why is this Raja Bell situation taking so long to resolve in Utah? Short recap: Bell hates the Jazz, they kinda hate him, but he won’t let them buy him out for whatever they’re offering, they won’t cut him, and apparently no team wants to trade for him. So this could end with Bell getting a season-long paid vacation, but what’s more likely to happen is that some contending team will have an early-season injury in the backcourt and decide they need a veteran defensive stopper who can knock down a three … The Bulls are reportedly close to signing Taj Gibson to an extension. We hear both sides really want to make it happen, but then again, we’ve heard that same thing about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao for like nine years, so … Ray Allen and Udonis Haslem are inevitably going to become real cool with each other in Miami — Ray needs screen-setters to get open and Udonis sets solid screens — but Udonis has made sure there is no lingering bitterness from the Heat/Celtics wars of playoffs past. In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Haslem said, “I’ve had a chance to talk to Ray and kind of explain to him my situation. I told him, ‘I’m not the guy that you see when we play the Celtics. That’s just how the games end up turning out.’ So we’ve talked and we’re all ready to go.” These are two vets that always handle their business and want to add another ring to their respective collections. They’ll be fine … Having recently received the news that he won’t be playing this season due to a heart condition, Channing Frye seems to be in good spirits. “I look at it as a rare opportunity to spend time with my family that I may not get again, especially with my kids so young, and see how everything goes behind the scenes especially during the season,” Frye told an Arizona TV station. He didn’t close the door to playing after this season, so this could hopefully be like a Jeff Green situation and he’ll be back next year … We’re out like Denard Robinson‘s Heisman hopes …
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