Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Spurs’ Green headed abroad

Danny Green, the second-year swingman who finished last season with the Spurs, is headed to Europe.

Joining a swelling parade of NBA players poised to spend the lockout abroad, Green has agreed to a contract with Slovenian basketball league champion Union Olimpija.

The deal is believed to include an opt-out clause that would allow Green to return to the NBA after the lockout is over, where he would be a free agent. Green, 24, appeared in eight games over two stints with the Spurs last season, and also made four postseason appearances.

In May, before the lockout began, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spoke of Green as a player the team was eager to bring to training camp.

“I like his willingness to let it fly,” Popovich said then. “I put him in some games here and there towards the end of the season and, bam, he didn’t have any problem. He showed a little bit of head for the game. I like what I saw.”

Green is the second player off the Spurs’ 2010-11 roster to flee overseas, joining Chris Quinn, the backup point guard who last month signed a deal to play in Russia.

Stern reportedly not accepting massive salary during lockout

After undergoing heavy criticism over the last several days about his multi-million dollar salary, NBA commissioner David Stern reportedly will not be paid during the lockout.

ESPN.com reports that during the lockout that has been estimated up to $23 million per year. His contract reportedly rivals that of almost all of his players.

That massive salary earned a rebuke from Philadelphia center Spencer Hawes, who wondered in a tweet how while his players are locked out.

Stern earlier hinted that he wouldn’t accept a salary if there was a lockout.

Responding to a question at the time about whether he would drop his salary to $1 as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did during the NFL’s lockout, Stern said: “I would say that last time (during the NBA’s 1998-99 lockout) I didn’t take a salary. I think a dollar would be too high in the event of a work stoppage.”

In the battle of public perception, leaking the fact that Stern will not be paid is good public relations for the league.

But the fact that he is paid a yearly salary commensurate with the very best players in the league makes some of the owners’ claims of poverty in the negotiations ring a little hollow.

Creating a monster: Olajuwon trying to refine LBJ’s inside game

The rest of the NBA should be very afraid.

The news that LeBron James has turned to postgame guru Hakeem Olajuwon could help refine one of the league’s very best players in an area of his biggest weakness.

Forget about the perimeter game and the passing. If James ever added a consistent inside component, he might fulfill the promise of becoming “The King” for the NBA.

It was almost painful at times to watch James attempt to score against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Give him credit for .

“Right now I’ve just been focusing on being a better player, working on my game every single day,” James told the Associated Press in comments reported by Pro Basketball Talk.com. “Like I said, the Dallas Mavericks were a great team and they deserved to win that championship. And I’ll just use that as motivation coming into this season.”

That has taken him to Houston, where he’s working with the Hall of Famer Olajuwon to bolster his inside play.

Olajuwon practically refined post play during his career, which included an MVP in 1994 and two NBA titles.

“I look at what he was able to do throughout his career,” James said. “Unbelievable talent. Multiple champion. Just to see how he was able to dominate in the low post, for me as an individual, I just try to look at some of the things I feel I need to get better at and hit home at it. Our team becomes better if I continue to get better and that’s what it’s about.”

Finesse added to James’ bullish strength could be a deadly combination.

Consider the rest of the NBA to be duly warned if the work with Olajuwon improves James’ game.