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INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- He arrived without a nickname but with a motto.
"Win a ring for the King," Shaquille O'Neal said Thursday of his mantra now that he has been traded to the Cavaliers.
Have to admit, it has a certain ring to it, what with O'Neal joining LeBron James on the same team.
Resplendent in a suit, pink shirt and pink tie, O'Neal was a little more serious than expected at his introductory news conference, but still provided occasional humor.
Views: 1 | Fri, Jul 3 2009• sports-jazz headlines
Warriors' Stephen Curry, from smallish Davidson, says he can handle the NBA pressures
OAKLAND, Calif. -- There they sat, Golden State Warriors general manager Larry Riley and Davidson star guard Stephen Curry.The interview was part of the pre-draft camp in Chicago in late May. He was a bit concerned, perhaps even nervous. Wanting badly to make a good impression, the questions raced through his head. Is he even interested? Does he even know who I am or how good we can be together?But the uncertainty, the concern wasn't on the part of the 21-year-old college junior. He had already nailed his first impression. The fret belonged to the 64-year-old first-time NBA executive.
A huge Shaq-uisition for NBA title-hungry Cavaliers
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- He arrived without a nickname but with a motto."Win a ring for the King," Shaquille O'Neal said Thursday of his mantra now that he has been traded to the Cavaliers.Have to admit, it has a certain ring to it, what with O'Neal joining LeBron James on the same team.Resplendent in a suit, pink shirt and pink tie, O'Neal was a little more serious than expected at his introductory news conference, but still provided occasional humor.
Timberwolves' draft pick Ricky Rubio might be a diamond in the rough, a crown jewel or perhaps both
MINNEAPOLIS -- Ricky Rubio is basketball's rock star, a pro since he was 14 with a flair on the court that has made him the sport's first international YouTube sensation.His mop of hair, dark eyes, lanky 6-4, 180-pound frame and deft passing skills have drawn repeated comparisons to the legendary Pete Maravich, and teenage girls are said to swoon when he leaves the locker room of his Spanish pro team.
Shaq is a Cavalier, and wants a ring for the King
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Shaquille O'Neal has one purpose in Cleveland: bring an NBA title to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. "My motto is very simple," the 15-time All-Star center said Thursday. "Win a ring for the King." Acquired in a trade last week with the Phoenix Suns, O'Neal was introduced Thursday by the Cavaliers, who believe he can be their missing piece. The city of Cleveland has been waiting since 1964 for one of its three pro sports franchises to win a championship.
No. 1 picks get paid for their pain
It's hard to know how to feel about the fates of Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin and Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, the first overall selections in their respective NBA and NFL drafts. Griffin, last week, became a Clipper. Stafford, this past April, became a Detroit Lion. Should we have sympathy for them as innocent victims of a draft system that lets every year's best players get publicly abducted by the worst, supposedly neediest and sometimes most dysfunctional franchises?
Taco Bell is in, McDonald's is out as NBA sponsor
NEW YORK -- Taco Bell has replaced longtime sponsor McDonald's as the NBA's fast-food partner. Taco Bell and the NBA have agreed on a four-year deal that includes ads for the fast-food chain on ABC, TNT and ESPN, NBA-themed promotions at Taco Bell's 5,600 restaurants and NBA-themed advertising. Taco Bell will be the title sponsor for the All-Star Saturday Night Skills Challenge and an associate sponsor of the All-Star Jam Session.
Sixers have their eyes on Miller
PHILADELPHIA -- This summer's free agency -- like most Philadelphia 76ers possessions the last 2 1/2 seasons -- begins with point guard Andre Miller. And it begins Wednesday, the first day of NBA free agency, when the Sixers are allowed to contact Miller, an unrestricted free agent, to begin discussions about what it might take -- how much money and over how many years -- to re-sign the team's 33-year-old starting point guard.
Knapp: Jennings shows potential and candor
When Brandon Jennings' Twitter account evaporated sometime Monday afternoon, he (or his handlers) folded. To stay within the tight confines of acceptable pro-athlete behavior, the Golden State Warriors rookie guard's public persona needed some pruning. Somehow, we suspect that everything will grow back soon, including the Twitter account.
First job out of college and he's aiming to impress
LOS ANGELES -- Thirty minutes before the Los Angeles Clippers introduce their No. 1 overall draft pick, Blake Griffin is in workout garb. He trots to center court at the Clippers' training facility in the Playa Vista district of this city, where second-year guard Mike Taylor is putting up shots, sweating like he's cutting grass in a Texas summer. Griffin leans his 6-foot-10 frame down to the 6-2 Taylor, smiles, and offers a towel. "Whatever you need, sir."
Bucks part ways with Villanueva
MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks bid goodbye to Charlie Villanueva on Monday, keeping their fiscal options open while continuing to rebuild the team during the offseason. General manager John Hammond said no qualifying offer would be tendered to Villanueva, who played the last three seasons with Milwaukee after arriving in a June 2006 trade. Hammond did not want to elaborate on the reasons for the decision.
Fan visiting each WNBA arena to raise breast cancer awareness
DETROIT -- Alex Chambers' three-week, 13-city trek around the WNBA, during which he will visit every arena, started Sunday in Detroit when the Shock played Sacramento. The journey is in memory of a friend, Cyndee Luque, who died of breast cancer last April. "People asked me why I started in Detroit, but the way the schedules fell with the gaps in the schedule this was the best place to start," said Chambers, a Phoenix resident and avid fan of the Mercury. "I've never been to the Palace. This is a great place with a lot of history from watching it on TV. I look up to the rafters and see all the championships and great players.
Carter heads home, welcomes challenge of helping Magic to title
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sometime early Thursday afternoon, the camp's star counselor went bonkers. Berserk. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. At the time, he was on the floor and personally instructing some high school kids on the finer points of the pick-and-roll. Then, after taking a brief phone call, he raised his hands over his head and screamed like a sudden lottery winner.
Basketball player Brandon Jennings, returning from Italy, bucked the trend
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Other than Tyler Hansbrough's chiding from fans, the most interesting development during Thursday's NBA draft was the Brandon Jennings episode.
NBA draft about teams making gains
Blake Griffin arrived on cue. The wonderfully athletic power forward from Oklahoma was expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft since the Los Angeles Clippers won last month's lottery.Everything else surrounding Thursday's draft was mostly unscripted, a frenzy of trades and maneuvering that dramatically shuffled rosters around the league.
Alexander: Griffin cornerstone of Clips' foundation
LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin hasn't been a Los Angeles Clipper for 24 hours, and the No. 1 pick of the NBA draft already has committed his first rookie mistake.I mean, when the guy they're likely going to be building a marketing campaign around shows up on draft night wearing a purple shirt ... well, let's just say someone quickly pointed out to Griffin that wearing the color associated with the Lakers was a pretty glaring faux pas.
Yao's foot injury not healed
HOUSTON -- Yao Ming's broken foot is not healed and the Houston Rockets say the All-Star center is out indefinitely.
Nike, Hall of Fame sued over Michael Jordan line
BOSTON -- A Massachusetts company has sued Nike and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, claiming it has been cut out of the sportswear business related to Michael Jordan's upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame.
An alternative to the NBA draft that some players consider
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Here's an example of how popular playing professional basketball overseas has become: Camps are springing up in North Carolina to help players get there.
North Carolina's Danny Green enjoying life before the draft
Danny Green was in an airport. Again.
Sizing up NBA guard prospects
Here's a closer look at the top guard prospects for Thursday night's NBA Draft in New York City:
Warriors' Randolph making offseason progress
OAKLAND, Calif. -- After the Golden State Warriors' season ended, rookie forward Anthony Randolph went home to Dallas to take some time off. He was determined to relax for a while, that is until he made a mistake.
Basketball player Jimmy McKinney has chance to make transition back to baseball
ST. LOUIS -- This is a story about love and basketball. It's also a tale about love and baseball. But mostly, this is just a story about the power of love and its irresistible lure.
Tyreke Evans ready to go early in NBA draft
PHILADELPHIA -- Tyreke Evans had just been measured and weighed during last month's NBA draft combine in Chicago. When he arrived at an interview session, someone remarked that Evans seemed to be getting taller.
Carlson: How good will Griffin be?
Former Oklahoma star and likely No. 1 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin is still working on his outside shot.
Fat chance? Humbled Oliver Miller eyes the NBA again
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Oliver Miller is hungry again. His mouth is watering.
Ricky Rubio's path to the NBA just got a little easier
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The prospect of drafting Ricky Rubio is about to become less risky.
Miss State roster features Congo contingent
JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi State's Chanel Mokango, Armelie Lumanu and Rima Kalonda have something that Africans playing basketball in America rarely enjoy.
Miami's Jack McClinton believes he has the skills to make it in the NBA as a guard
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Jack McClinton seems in a hurry.
Out of Africa
DAKAR, Senegal -- He moves across the sand-specked basketball court swathed in the glossy dark blue jersey of his old Japanese pro team, a keepsake from a career that propelled him around the world.
Bulls' draft plans all center around Derrick Rose
The lights came back on at the Berto Center on Sunday, even if fallout from the storms that rocked the Chicago area still played havoc with the building's air conditioning.
After Blake Griffin, then who in the NBA draft
A look at five talking points that have the league buzzing:
Pickeral: Learning how to play overseas
Here's an example of how popular playing professional basketball overseas has become: Camps are springing up to help players get there.
Point guard prospects shun Bobcats
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The strength of this NBA draft is at point guard. Point guard is also a position where the Charlotte Bobcats look strong.
New 76er Jason Kapono eager to contribute from long range
PHILADELPHIA -- Sometimes revelations come at an early age.
Cavaliers' top draft need is a big one
Call it a season of lessons learned.
Odom's mind on returning to Lakers next season
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Lamar Odom wants to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he hopes the team will keep both him and starter Trevor Ariza.
Knicks' playoff run of 1994 remembered for Rockets, controversial call, O.J. Simpson and no Mike
There was Patrick Ewing's moment, when he stretched out his arms for an all-inclusive hug-out with the Madison Square Garden crowd. There was Hubert Davis and Hue Hollins. There was Reggie Miller.
Lakers owner Jerry Buss shows that it's not all about money
They held a parade in downtown Los Angeles for the new NBA champions the other day.
Arizona State's Pendergraph ready for NBA draft
Jeff Pendergraph was in Portland Tuesday, Los Angeles Monday and Utah on Sunday.
No doubt Spain's Ricky Rubio should be a King
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Arco Arena should be in lockdown mode. Doors barred. Windows covered. Sentries posted at the gates. Passwords and access codes revised.
Arizona's Jordan Hill could bounce high in NBA draft
Jordan Hill has overcome obstacles more difficult than any adjustment he will face as an NBA rookie.
Ed O'Bannon: From the court to the sales floor
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Retiring was the easy part -- because, really, what was it that Ed O'Bannon was walking away from in the summer of 2004? A career? No, basketball had long since ceased being a career. It was at that point just a paycheck, a mostly joyless succession of one-year contracts with godforsaken European teams. Basketball staved off the day when he had to go out and get a real job.
Lakers should prioritize Trevor Ariza over Lamar Odom in free agency
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Media-friendly and all-around great guy Luke Walton got in there and asked Phil Jackson and Mitch Kupchak the burning question.
ESPN tries to keep up with technology
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Let's stay in the NBA afterglow for a moment.
Magic say they're willing to pay the price to keep Turkoglu
ORLANDO, Fla. -- They have just received an overpowering whiff of the magical incense.
Case for Bryant as NBA's No. 1 player rings true
One of the peculiarities of sports is that they can reduce a man of great dignity, integrity and legend into an average guy sitting on a stool at the neighborhood bar.
Quick fixes available, but will teams spend?
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The last place Phil Jackson expected to end up when he returned to coach the Los Angeles Lakers was the NBA finals awards podium.
A thin line between lucky and legendary
Coaches and managers, like quarterbacks and presidents, receive too much credit when all goes well and too much blame when the results turn south.
Ostler: West still big influence on Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Jerry West in 1960, No. 2 overall. It was such a momentous event that somebody from the Lakers phoned West a couple days later to let him know he was their pick.
A championship With ramifications
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Yeah, right, as if these guys are going to miss a chance to let down, and put anyone away on their first try.
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