Brandon Jennings expected in Goodman/Drew showdown, Tobias Harris giving back

JS: Jennings goes back to fundamentals
The old "[fill in name] is working hard on his game" story is a staple of every summer, and even more so when there's no summer league or free agency for us to overreact to. And while those stories usually don't mean a whole lot--players practicing the craft that they're paid millions for seems kind of reasonable, right?--it's always nice to hear a guy is taking his job seriously. Charles Gardner writes that is indeed the case with Brandon Jennings, who as per usual is aiming rather high.

"Next year will be my third year and I need to establish myself as one of the best point guards and one of the best players in the game. It's just trying to get better and better every day. Working with Scott Skiles (before the lockout), getting in the weight room, dedicating the summer to strictly basketball. It's going to be my third year, so it's time to become an all-star."

Music to my ears, Brandon...but don't hold your breath on the all-star talk.

Half Hollow Hills, NY Patch: Tobias Harris Returns to Mentor Campers
Tobias Harris has been lending a helping hand to his hometown basketball camp. Love the pictures. Speaking of camps, Jennings will be holding his annual camp at Homestead High school in Mequon August 11-12 (my alma mater!).

SBNation.com: Kevin Durant, Brandon Jennings, among those is summer league showdown
Dan wrote about Brandon Jennings' exploits in the DC-area Drew League on Sunday, but he'll reportedly be repping his West Coast roots when a rather awesome Drew League/Goodman League (L.A.) showdown goes down on August 20.

JS: Beno Udrih not heading to Europe
Like most NBA players with generous contracts, Beno Udrih is not planning to risk injury with a European vacation. Smart move, Beno...and congratulations on the wedding.

SI.com: NBA lays off about 114 league employees
In not-so-fun business news, the NBA laid off about 11% of its employees last week, claiming the moves were part of a broader cost-cutting initiative that was "not a direct result of the lockout.'' Sure!

Sports Radio Interviews: Super Agent David Falk Believes it is ‘worst time to have a lockout’
David Falk, aka the guy who repped Michael Jordan back in the day, offers up a fresh, honest take on the lockout and what's at stake. Most agents have an obvious agenda when they talk about the lockout, so it's interesting hearing Falk discuss some of the more nuanced aspects of the negotiations.

Today, the rank and file is running the union, and there’s a lot more rank and file players — they are passing the rules that disadvantage the stars that the people come to see and buy their merchandise or watch their commercials. And they’re overpaying the middle guys, so you have guys that are really out of shape…I’m not going to name names….there are certain guys that I watch when I come to the games here that I wouldn’t pay a nickel to watch because they’re in worse shape at age 22 than I am at 60."

The Business Journal: It's tough to cheer for the Milwaukee Bucks
Read all about it!