NBA Bric a Brac

Ben Gordon to Warriors. I'm not a fan of Ben Gordon's game but for a veteran squad like the Warriors I reckon he fits in just fine. The Warriors were amazingly healthy last year, that kind of luck is rarely repeated, Gordon might end up playing some meaningful minutes.

Michael Beasley to Shandong (China). I wonder if his lack of Chinese will give him a little more time before everyone figures out what a douche he (apparently) is. I suspect that level of douch-ery transcends language but I also suspect that in China Beasley can get his game, might finally become the dominant player he was meant to be. If he plays well, will he be able to get back to the NBA by playoff time?

Derrick Rose fractured orbital bone. Looks like he'll be ready for opening day so to my mind this is not really a big deal. Rose has been so unlucky with injuries the last coupla years that every injury seems like a career ender, but hey, man, guys get hurt and this seems like a (relatively) normal wear and tear of a pro athlete. In a weird way I think it could be good for him: he'll start the season a little slow, might get up to speed at the right time for the post-season.

Kevin Durant speculation already. Yeah, yeah, this talk is gonna be going on all year long. Coach Donovan, your mission is clear: win or lose, you gotta re-sign KD.

Iman Shumpert hurt. The speculation I saw said that he won't be ready til after New Year's. The Cavs should breeze through the Eastern Conference but without their best perimeter defender, they might miss out on some home games in the playoffs (eh, I doubt it'll matter).

Anthony Bennett to the Raptors. The T-Wolves are adament they didn't 'give up' on Bennett but they did waive before the beginning of the season letting him walk to his hometown Raptors because...I dunno....they really liked him and thought he could play? Bennett to my mind is an undervalued stock and I can imagine going back to Canada might finally give him the opportunity he needs. The Raptors made changes in the off-season though it wasn't the blow-up I thought it would be. Looks to me like Bennett will get some playing time and if he can find a scoring touch, he might be really useful for them.

Mike Miller to Nuggets. Why? Dude, what could Mike Miller possibly have to prove at this point in his career? I can see him getting back to the Cavs or even the Grizzlies but why Denver? Zero chance of a post-season activity for the Nuggets this year.

Kobe to play beyond this year? Even Phil Jax threw out the idea that Kobe could play for someone other than the Lakers next year. Hey, man, I say Kobe doesn't leave until he flat out can't play any more, he is as dedicated to basketball as any player I think I've ever seen and if he can still get paid to score points, I say he keeps going until his body is absolutely done. And if the Lakers don't want him back, I can see him playing elsewhere (why not slide into Manu's spot in San Antonio?).

Raptors pick up options on Caboclo and Nocieria. Those two are the future and with Amir Johnson gone, I guess the future is now for the spunky young Brazilians. I look forward to seeing what they can do.

Sixers waive Gerald Wallace. Wait, when did he get to Philly? Are the Sixers cutting players that aren't even on their roster now?

Pre-season begins. So far all I've seen is Tibor Pleiss. Nickname suggestion: Scarecrow ('cause those arms are freakishly long).

FIBA Euro Spain over Lithuania. I was in and out of the FIBA Euro tourney, good stuff. Spain over France in the semis was probably the money shot game (kinda thought Pau fouled Gobert on that game-tying shot but, man, Pau was balling that day). Kind of a replay of the previous summer's FIBA World Cup: Spain, France, Lithuania and Serbia were the best non-USA teams two straight summers.

I'm so freakin' ready for basketball. Glad football's back, glad MLB is into the post-season, digging as much EPL and Euro soccer as I can watch. But basketball's my thing.