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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
ESPN.COM News Services reports "Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is leaving the broadcast booth for the floor one more time -- and to set one more record. The Detroit Shock have signed Lieberman, the team's former coach and a current ESPN basketball analyst, to a seven-day contract, meaning she will become the oldest player to ever suit up for a WNBA game. She turned 50 on July 1. 'It is an amazing opportunity to continue to play the game I love,' Lieberman said.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In USA TODAY, The Associated Press reports, "no more bronze medals for LeBron James. This time he's coming home with gold - and that's a guarantee. So he says, anyway. James made his guarantee in a Time magazine story that hits newsstands Friday. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar is featured on one of the covers of the Olympic preview issue. After comparing the feeling of receiving a gold medal on the podium to opening a prized gift on Christmas morning, James was asked if that meant he would lead the Americans to the title. 'Absolutely,' James responded.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the LAS VEGAS SUN, Rob Miech writes "the pick-and-roll, those are the three dirty little words to Team USA. 聭They've hurt us pretty bad,' Kobe Bryant says. 聭We're looking forward to the challenge, to see if we can negate that problem.' Foreign squads have picked U.S. teams apart and rolled them aside, keeping the Americans from playing in the past three international finals 聴 two world championships and an Olympics. That's a record for futility for Team USA. 聭That's the bread-and-butter play for many countries,' Jason Kidd says. 聭In the past, that's something that has hurt us. We haven't communicated as well as we should have.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the USA TODAY, Tim Dahlberg, a sports columnist for THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, writes "size seems to have become an issue for the Olympic basketball team, if only because every other issue has long since been settled. This is a team so deep and talented and full of superstars that winning the gold medal seems assured even if Kobe Bryant and LeBron James never pass the ball to anyone. Chris Paul laughed because he's seen the intensity. He knows the desire. 聭I don't care if they put me at center, it will be fine,' Paul said. 聭We've got 12 of the best players in the world on this team and they all know a lot about how to win.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE, John Reid writes "James Posey, a 6-foot-8 swingman, gives Scott and the Hornets plenty of options with his versatility. 聭I just think James can play three positions (shooting guard, small forward and power forward),' Scott said. 聭Offensively, he just doesn't make mistakes. He takes great shots and does all the things he can do, and he doesn't try to go overboard. But that's what you get when you have a veteran guy. 聭Right now, we're looking at him as our sixth man, probably our first guy off the bench. We're fortunate and very blessed to have him. You look at his track record, he's won everywhere he's been. I think we are a better basketball team.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In a Reuters story posted in the PENNISULA QATAR, "Spanish hopes of adding an Olympic men's basketball title to their world title rest largely on the shoulders of Pau Gasol. The versatile seven-footer will be a marked man in Beijing with Los Angeles Lakers team mate Kobe Bryant declaring his aim was to 聭stop Pau winning gold'. Able to play power forward or centre, the Barcelona-born Gasol averaged 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in helping the Lakers reach the NBA finals this year. LA's defeat by the Boston Celtics could help Gasol's motivation in Beijing as will the memory of Spain's 60-59 upset loss to Russia in last year's European championship final in Madrid. "
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Boston Celtics announced Wednesday that they have re-signed guard Eddie House. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Utah Jazz announced Wednesday that the team has acquired veteran point guard Brevin Knight from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Jason Hart.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The New Jersey Nets has acquired Keyon Dooling from the Orlando agic in a sign-and-trade transaction last week for the $3 million contract exemption the Nets owned from the Jason Kidd deal last season.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
"We were informed this morning by Josh Childress' representatives that he has signed with Olympiakos in Greece, and we want to wish him the absolute best with his future career in FIBA.
"We have a great deal of respect for Josh and appreciate his contributions to our franchise. We were very comfortable when we began this process that if Josh were to play in the NBA, he would remain with the Hawks. This is a unique situation with Greece, and to my knowledge it is believed to be the highest contract ever awarded in Euroleague history.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed forward Anthony Tolliver. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed. The 6-8, 240-pound Tolliver played on the Spurs summer league teams in Las Vegas and at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes while shooting .571 (12-21) from the field and .615 (8-13) from beyond the arc in three games in Las Vegas. At the Rocky Mountain Revue Tolliver appeared in all four games, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 26.5 minutes while knocking down 53.3 percent (8-15) of his shots form beyond the arc.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed free agent guard/forward James Posey. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.
"I am excited to be a Hornet, it was a coveted destination for me and I am glad that we were able to come to terms,"Posey said. "I can not wait to play alongside Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler and so many other great players on this team.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed guard Tony Allen. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Allen, a 6'4", 213lb guard, has spent his entire four year career with the Celtics after being drafted with the 25th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy recorded career highs in minutes (1373), assists (114) and points (494) in 75 games last season as he worked to return from his January 2007 knee injury.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
According to a report on ESPN.com, "Josh Childress signed a reported three-year deal worth $20 million with the Greek club Olympiakos after leaving the Atlanta Hawks. Olympiakos announced the deal Wednesday. The guard was a restricted free agent, but the Hawks do not have the ability to match an offer from a European team."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, Rusty Simmons reports "nobody on Team USA is going to tell Jason Kidd to act his age. Especially when he's having so much fun playing basketball -- and playing at such a high level. This is the 35-year-old Kidd's last hurrah playing for his country. He already has a gold medal from the 2000 Olympics, and he fully expects to earn a second gold next month when the 2008 Games get under way in Beijing. 聭As long as I can play at a high level and give something to the team, I want to be out there," he said Tuesday after Team USA's training camp session at Valley High School. "It's always a great honor to represent your country, and it's always a thrill to play with guys this talented.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the WASHINGTON POST, Ivan Carter writes "Gilbert Arenas has been the face of the Washington Wizards franchise for several seasons. But the moment he signed his name to a six-year contract on July 12, he became a franchise player. The difference is that Arenas, who is entering his eighth NBA season and sixth with the Wizards, not only will be asked to put up big numbers, hit game-winning shots and sell tickets, he also will be expected to carry owner Abe Pollin's team to its first NBA championship since Wes Unseld led the Bullets to the title in 1978.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Steve Springer writes "Frustrating. Disappointing. Comical. Which of those words best describes the U.S. men's basketball team in the 2004 Olympics? For Dwyane Wade, it's all of the above. "It was very comical," said Wade, a member of that team and the 2008 squad. 聭You just had to shake your head. Everybody on that team was a good individual player, but when you tried to put it together, it didn't work. It was like a bad mix of food.' 聭Now I look at the team we have now, look at the mix. Look at everything we are doing. We are getting along so well. I think it's because we understand we need each other to make this work. It's not going to be five guys. It's going to be 12 guys who are going to get this done.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Julia Garcia reports "the Nets aren't scheduled to move to Brooklyn for at least two more years, but their identity continues to change dramatically. The team continued its extreme makeover Tuesday, trading backup point guard Marcus Williams to Golden State for a possible future first-round draft pick. If the Warriors make the playoffs in 2011, the Nets will get Golden State's first-round pick that year. If not, the Nets get Golden State's pick in 2012, as long as it is not 1 through 11, or the Warriors' pick in 2013, as long as it is not 1 through 10. If the Nets are not awarded any of those picks, they will instead acquire Golden State's second-round picks in 2013 and 2015.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, Scott Fowler writes "for Anne Donovan in these Olympics, there is No. 1. There really is nothing else. An unhealthy attitude? In most cases, yes. You wouldn't want your kids to think that way. But Donovan, a Charlotte resident since 2001 and now the coach of the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, believes it is a realistic attitude, given her current job. 聭It's funny,' Donovan said. 聭When I see some athlete get a silver medal and say he won't even wear it because it's not gold, I think, 'That's sad.' But we've got a history in U.S. women's basketball. Anything less than gold will be looked at as a failure by a lot of people, including myself.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Dwight Howard is excited about competing against NBA teammate Hedo Turkoglu in an Olympic exhibition, his return trip to China and more.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Well-traveled sharpshooter Matt Barnes signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
As Team USA's practice ended, LeBron James reclined on a table with trainers tending to his sprained right ankle. It occurred Tuesday when James landed on Kevin Durant's foot during a scrimmage between Team USA and a select squad of young NBA players.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie forward/guard Nicolas Batum, general manager Kevin Pritchard announced Monday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The Trail Blazers acquired the rights to Batum, the 25th overall pick in this year's draft, from Houston in a Draft Day trade in exchange for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur (27th overall pick) and Joey Dorsey (33rd overall).
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Golden State Warriors have acquired guard Marcus Williams from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for a conditional first round draft choice, it was announced Monday by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Sebastian Telfair have agreed in principle on the terms of a new contract. Telfair is expected to be in Minneapolis tomorrow and will meet with Twin Cities media at Target Center.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, Dan Gross writes "Christian Abate majored in education at Temple, but put his studies on hold for a few years while having financial hardship. He's worked as a busboy for eight years at Saloon (750 S. 7th), where he struck up a friendship with one generous regular at the Italian restaurant who volunteered to pay his Temple tuition. During a visit to Saloon last summer, Charles Barkley asked Abate how he was enjoying teaching, and was disappointed to learn that Abate had still not returned to Temple because of problems securing financial aid. Abate, 28, of South Philly, started at Temple in 1997, months after graduating from St. John Neumann High."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Following the Lakers' loss to the Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant tried to make sense of the series that his team just dropped 4-2 and was able to glean a little bit of wisdom from what transpired.
"I think if we're going to learn anything from this series is that we can't expect to win a championship by focusing on the offensive end,"Bryant said. "We have to be able to hold people down as well."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The world will be watching when the men's basketball competition tips off at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing on Aug. 10. We give you a preview of what to look for.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have re-signed forward/center Kurt Thomas. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Cleveland Cavaliers forward and 2008 USA Basketball Senior National Team member LeBron James has been named the recipient of the NBA Community Assist Award for June, in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
CCTV INTERNATIONAL reports "Angola defeated Serbia 68-60 in Hangzhou on Sunday to win the Stankovic Continental Cup. China finished second after beating Russia 72-50 late in the night. Yao Ming started for the first time in the three matches of the tournament, scoring 6 points in two quarters. Russia at one point created a 9-point run. But Wang Zhizhi scored 13 points in the second quarter to lead China to a 12 point advantage at the break. Russia posed no threats to China in the second half. Chinese substitute Wang Lei was the focus of attention as he knocked down 13 points, and China comfortably won the match. With two wins and one loss, China finished as runners-up of the tournament."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
On ESPN.COM, Chris Sheridan writes "they were equal parts wary and confident, a split-yet-evolving personality that showed not only how some of them have matured, but also how they've come to grips with who they are and where they stand in the global basketball equation. Yes, they're the favorites. No, they don't expect to be crowned Dream Team 2.0 without having earned it. The bar is set pretty high when anything other than gold is unacceptable, but that's the deal for the 2008 version of Team USA -- and the players know it."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, Sekou Smith reports "Hawks restricted free agent swingman Josh Childress spent Monday in Athens, Greece, not Georgia, exploring his options beyond the NBA. Childress and at least one of his agents, Jim Tanner, were in Greece to visit officials from European power Olympiakos and discuss the possibility of Childress playing the upcoming season there rather than with the Hawks or any other NBA team. Just how serious Childress is about blazing that trail remains to be seen and can only be answered if and when he makes a decision about that offer. With no salary cap for European teams, Olympiakos can offer whatever they'd like to entice Childress to leave the NBA for a stint in the international game. The Hawks also lose the right to match any offers made to Childress, a condition of his restricted free agency, because they wouldn't be competing against another NBA team.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In XINHUA, Shan Lei writes "one of the hottest topics among Chinese basketball reporters recently is what is the real target of the national men's basketball team at the Beijing Olympic Games. Li Yuanwei, vice president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and director of the Chinese Basketball Management Center, said the goal at the Olympics is to advance to the quarterfinals. It would have been the fourth time that China enter the top eight after they finished eighth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics as well as the 1994 World Championships, if they could fulfill the goal.聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the BOSTON HERALD, Rich Thompson writes "James Posey is a member of the New Orleans Hornets because his practical side trumped his emotional side. Posey was the Celtics sixth man and designated defender during the run to their 17th NBA championship, and his contributions drew acclaim from the players and management alike. But Posey and the Celts were unable to reach an agreement on a contract, and the 31-year-old forward inked a four-year, $25 million deal with the Hornets on July 16. 'From a personal and professional standpoint, leaving the Celtics was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do,' Posey said yesterday from his home in Houston."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, Phil Jasner writes "It took several days for the news to filter back, but the 76ers last week had their first face-to-face meeting with agent Merle Scott concerning the possibility of a new contract for Sixers restricted free-agent guard Lou Williams. Stefanski has said repeatedly that he intends to re-sign Williams and Andre Iguodala, who is also restricted. Iguodala is training with the Select Team that is helping prepare the U.S. Olympic team for the competition in Beijing, but will not participate in scrimmages because of his contractual status."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The New Jersey Nets have acquired guard Keyon Dooling from the Orlando Magic in exchange for cash considerations, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The Boston Celtics have re-signed guards Eddie House and Tony Allen, two role players from their title-winning team. General manager Danny Ainge confirmed the deals Monday.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
The NBA today announced that it has restructured the league's Referee Operations department, appointing Bernie Fryer to the position of Vice President and Director of Officials, Joe Borgia to the position of Vice President, Referee Operations, and Ronnie Nunn to the position of Director of Development.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Brandon Geogre writes "The probability of swingman Devean George returning to the Mavericks next season appears to be decreasing every day. George, a free agent, has at least a half dozen other teams interested in signing him. The Mavericks, however, only have two open roster spots left with little money to work with after signing center DeSagana Diop. 'I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope right now,' Donnie Nelson said. 'We're pretty far apart as far as the numbers go.' George, a 6-8 guard/forward, averaged 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 53 games last season. George, who will turn 31 years old in late August, has averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds over nine NBA seasons (the first seven with the Los Angeles Lakers). "
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the NEW YORK POST, Marc Berman writes "The Knicks ended the Las Vegas summer-league yesterday the way they came in - unsure if 19-year-old rookie Danilo Gallinari will contribute this season. After suffering a back injury in Monday's opener against Cleveland, the Italian Stallion missed the final four games, including yesterday's 111-91 loss to Minnesota in the finale at UNLV's Cox Pavilion to finish 2-3. A team source said the Knicks are considering resting Gallinari the remainder of the summer and request he not play for the Italian national team that gets together in two weeks. The decision could be out of Gallinari's hands as the Italian players are threatening a strike. In his lone game, Gallinari had an impressive seven minutes in the second half when he scored 14 points after going scoreless in the first 2陆 quarters. "
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, the Associated Press reports "Greece, which stunned the United States in basketball two years ago, will join the Americans at the Olympics in a strong Group B, which now includes all three medalists from the last world championships. Germany also was drawn into Group B after clinching the last available spot in Beijing by beating Puerto Rico 96-82 Sunday behind 32 points from Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki in the third-place game at the Olympic qualifying tournament. Greece locked up its spot Saturday by beating Puerto Rico in the semifinals. The Greeks knocked off the Americans 101-95 in the semifinals of the 2006 world championships before losing to Spain in the finals."
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, Jennifer Floyd Engel writes "Dirk Nowitzki did not do any interviews immediately after propelling Germany to its first Olympic berth since 1992. He couldn't. The Dallas Mavericks' best player was in the locker room in Greece bawling Sunday, like a baby or newlywed or player who has finally delivered on a promise to his country, his coach and himself.He had been thinking of this moment long before he dreamed of MVPs and NBA championships.聰
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In the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, the Associated Press reports "Normally basketball is an afterthought for Iranian sports fans, given the popularity of soccer, weightlifting and wrestling. But with Iran's national basketball team preparing for its first Olympic appearance in 60 years, that has changed. 聭For every athlete, it is like a dream to participate in the Olympic Games 聴 especially for us because basketball in Iran is not that ... important," captain and forward Samad Bahrami said. "Everyone is looking for you and taking care of you.'聰
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
In the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, Steve Carp writes "from the moment the United States finished third in men's basketball in the 2004 Athens Olympics, all of USA Basketball's attention and energy have been devoted to putting America back on top. A new philosophy was introduced. A new management team and coaching staff were brought in. Thirty-three players were chosen to compete for 12 spots. Will it pay off? The Beijing Olympics are three weeks away and the quest for gold begins in earnest today as Team USA's Las Vegas training camp begins at Valley High School. 聭We've spent 2 1/2, almost three years getting ready and if we were to take an accounting right now, today, I'd say we're on target,' said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball managing director for the senior men's national team. 聭All the preliminaries are out of the way. Now we're ready for the final push.'"
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Bayless was named the T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie after averaging 29.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in four games out in Las Vegas. Even though he was only competing against rookies for the award, had there been an overall MVP given out, he would have won that too. NBA.com spoke to the 19-year old following the Blazers' last summer league game on Sunday.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Get caught up on the most significant stories and moments from the past week in the WNBA with Josh Cohen.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
Suns to Sign Free-Agent Forward Matt Barnes
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Donte Greene scored 22 points to lead a three-pronged attack as the Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings, 98-91, in the final game of the 2008 NBA Summer League.
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J.R. Pinnock scored a game high 30 points and led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 78-63 win over the New Orleans Hornets at the NBA Summer League on Sunday.
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Fetched: July 25th, 2008, 12:40am CST
An offensively-balanced Milwaukee Bucks squad won their final game of the 2008 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-72, on Sunday.