Around the League: October

[iLLmatic]

What did you think of Kobe's limited time?

[Shabazz]

He looked pretty good. Good enough to give us hope of getting that draft pick.

[INFORMER]

LeBron reacts to the new TV deal:

LeBron James might not hold an official title within the National Basketball Players Association, but his standing as the league's best player put him in an important position to speak about the new television rights deal.

"I am kind of the guy that has the power, I guess, without even having to put a name on it," James said Monday after the league announced a nine-year extension of its TV deal with ESPN and TNT that begins in 2016-17. "I'm very educated and I will use what I have to make sure our players are taken care of."

He commendably gives credit where credit is due:

The payday comes less than eight months into Adam Silver's already celebrated tenure as the commissioner, but James pointed out all of the work that David Stern put in running the NBA the last 30 years before retiring in February was critical in it coming together.

"Give a lot of credit to David Stern, I'll tell you that," James said. "He built our league, he built our brand and for us to be able to make a television deal like that for that type of money, it was a lot of his vision."

I agree with LeBron here:

While the current CBA seems to be skewed in the owners' favor, James said that getting a deal done in order to salvage a 66-game shortened season in 2010-11 led to the explosion in revenue the league is seeing today.

"I think it was a good deal," James said. "I think you can always want more and give less. But I think both sides kind of benefited from it, as you see in this new TV deal. Both sides continue to grow it, but there's some things that we'd like to see changed as players going forward."

I've always hated the narrative that players got so shafted in the last negotiation. I think that's more or less fiction.

One of those changes could be the NBPA pursuing the abolition of max contracts. James would not comment on his stance on the subject; however, reporters including ESPN's Brian Windhorst have intimated that the increase or removal of max contracts is indeed on James' agenda for the next CBA.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11654 ... deal-place

[carey]

I think it's great that he's willing to go to bat for the players. They should get all they can, while they can. At first I thought he sounded totally obnoxious, but he's right on almost all his points. I tink this might make me like him a little bit. I could never imagine Jordan doing this. In fact, Jordan, as an owner, thought the 50-50 BRI split was too generous. He instead wanted the players to get 47%. Would he have said the same thing in 1996? I doubt it.

[SDC]

You really think so?!

i think markieff is more talented than faried. kieff can be a go to guy in the 4th. fareid cant shoot.

[SDC]

https://twitter.com/mr_jasonjones/status/518952759303737344

At least he's honest?

you cant use your white privilege card in the nba.

[Superbone]

...reporters including ESPN's Brian Windhorst have intimated that the increase or removal of max contracts is indeed on James' agenda for the next CBA.

A little self-serving, no?

[EDC]

Removing max contracts only helps a handful of players while hurting all the others. I can't imagine the players union would even consider that.

[TOO]

...reporters including ESPN's Brian Windhorst have intimated that the increase or removal of max contracts is indeed on James' agenda for the next CBA.

A little self-serving, no?

When has James been anything but?

[carey]

D.A.'s new morning tip: http://www.nba.com/2014/news/features/d ... index.html

There's a couple of Suns nuggets in there. We're 14th in the power rankings and a mention of Alex Len. Most of the discussion is about the new Tv deal.

I think what D.A. complains about below is valid. I think the NBA training camp is way to short. Especially when compared to other sports. Just one week? Then they play a number of meaningless games for 3 full weeks before the season starts.

1) Time to get on my Old Man box and rail about how the NBA handles preseason. While NFL teams spend three-plus weeks in training camp, and baseball teams are in Florida or Arizona for a month, the NBA spends exactly one week in camp, and then sends its teams all over creation for meaningless preseason games that very few people care about. I know the union is partly responsible for this, too, insisting that veterans spend as little time as possible in camps before the season. But there is value in being sequestered together for a couple of weeks. There is at least the chance to create chemistry and bond and get to know your teammates better. (Parochially, a week of camp makes it almost impossible to go see more than one or two teams before they start traveling. Not that you should care.)

The NBA has it backwards; teams should have three weeks of camp, and one week of these ridiculous exhibitions for which most fans are required to pay regular season prices.

[ShelC]

I've always felt it was odd to have such a short training camp. Granted, most players are in the gym working out with each other for 2-4 weeks prior, but it doesn't seem like a lot of time to install an offense and go over defensive principals. There are 2 a days and other walk throughs, but if you're a new coach with new players, you really want to hammer that stuff home. And it's nearly impossible to practice and teach new things during the season. Most practices are just walk throughs going over the next opponents plays and personnel.

[carey]

I've always felt it was odd to have such a short training camp. Granted, most players are in the gym working out with each other for 2-4 weeks prior, but it doesn't seem like a lot of time to install an offense and go over defensive principals. There are 2 a days and other walk throughs, but if you're a new coach with new players, you really want to hammer that stuff home. And it's nearly impossible to practice and teach new things during the season. Most practices are just walk throughs going over the next opponents plays and personnel.

Yeah, it's something that really should be addressed in the next CBA. Veterans just don't want to practice as much though. So it will be hard for the NBA to add more camp or more practice time even though I think it would lead to a better product on the floor.

[INFORMER]

Well preseason is really an extension of training camp. Coaches continue to work on things, implement things, and coach guys up.

So the "training" doesn't with after one week.


Still, I do think the preseason lasts too long.

[Cap]

I'm starved for Suns action right now and appreciate the long preseason. A shorter preseason would mean a longer wait. The preseason we have starts tomorrow, which is great timing. The Real Training Camp show will get me through today.

[INFORMER]

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

[Superbone]

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

Not a bad idea. Cut exhibition in half and start the regular season two weeks earlier.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

+1
Specially those awful 4 games in 5 nights.

[SwingMan]

I'm starved for Suns action right now and appreciate the long preseason. A shorter preseason would mean a longer wait. The preseason we have starts tomorrow, which is great timing. The Real Training Camp show will get me through today.

This.....

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

.....and this.....

+1
Specially those awful 4 games in 5 nights.

.....and this.

Chop 3 games off of the pre-season, start the season in mid-October and extend the season (in days, not games) to 1990's endings in the last week of April.

[SDC]

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

+1
Specially those awful 4 games in 5 nights.

4 games in 5 nights (LAC, LAL, GSW, SAC)

[Cap]

I say just start the season earlier so that back to backs can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

+1
Specially those awful 4 games in 5 nights.

I see only one of those on the schedule: Dec. 5 @Dal, Dec. 6 @Hou, Dec. 8 @LAC, Dec. 9 vs Mia.