HoopsHype.com: Bogut recovering well, likes playing with Jennings
Andrew Bogut's right arm is the most important limb in the world as far as I'm concerned, so I'm rather pleased to hear Bogut providing mostly positive news on that front.
It’s good. It’s much better. I had to get surgery again at the start of April. The Bucks told me to stop playing and have surgery. It’s not totally pain free, but it’s much, much better than last season. I’m training and shooting in the last month and I’m very happy with where I’m now, but there’s still much more to do.
Obviously we'd all prefer to hear Bogut say that he's completely healthy and pain-free, but it's important to remember where we were a year ago at this time. Bogut also alludes to the possible benefits of a lockout giving him more time off to get healthy--a point that Johann (and perhaps others) have made a number of times. Of course, in the same interview he also discusses looking at options abroad should he be ready to go by October, but my guess is that Bogut probably wouldn't sign abroad unless the whole season was canceled. Why risk it? As far as the Bucks' current roster, he says all the right things about Jennings and looking forward to playing with Stephen Jackson, though I'd be shocked to hear him say anything to the contrary at this point. I'm not suggesting he doesn't like either guy, but really, what else is he going to say?
The Point Forward: A little work could turn Jennings into All-Star
Just a fantastic analysis from SI's Zach Lowe on Brandon Jennings' offensive game. I think the underlying tone of Zach's piece is what has kept so many of us hopeful about Jennings despite his obvious flaws as a distributor and inefficient scorer--there's still so much there that makes you think he could be special. That may well prove to be fool's gold in the end, but for now the Bucks have no better option than to roll the dice on Jennings as their franchise point guard.
For me, the most frustrating thing about Jennings' offense has been the one dimensionality of his P&R game. It often seems like the only reason Jennings even looks for a screen is so he can try to turn the corner and finish at the rim (or put up a floater if it's too congested). For the screener, you might as well call it pick-and-watch. It's all just go-go-go, with a dose of dribble around, along the baseline and back out for good measure. Part of the problem is a lack of skilled scorers and finishers around him, but I'd also love to see Jennings be more patient as well. Think of the way Chris Paul often ends up going half speed in many P&R plays, probing the soft spots of the defense and daring defenders to over-commit to create seams to pass through. I don't expect Jennings to be CP3, but it's that patience and playmaker's mindset which could do Brandon and his teammates a world of good.
FanPosts: Carlos Delfino's journey
Our resident South American correspondent Palomba checks in with an extensive update on our favorite Argentine, including more details on his frightening concussion struggles and whether he's considering a move back to Europe.
Imig: Darington Hobson eyes a comeback with the Bucks
Paul Imig catches up with 2010 second round pick Darington Hobson, who is finally shooting a basketball again after over a year on the sidelines. Pretty amazing that a) his underlying hip issues went undetected so long and b) how long the whole process has had to be. So what about the odds of Hobson returning?
"The main thing was we parted ways on good terms; really good terms," Hobson said. "They have a lot of loyalty and they trusted my abilities. It's not like it affected me in any way because I knew I wasn't playing. So when I got released it wasn't like, ‘Oh man, I'm not in the league anymore.'"I was just focusing on getting back healthy and getting right. When the time comes, hopefully we can work it out. I know when training camp is ready, wherever I'm at -- hopefully it's here -- I'll be ready to go 100 percent."
SLAM ONLINE: Jennings joining Durant, Wall, Evans in Goodman/Drew League game
As expected, Jennings will be staying true to his California roots when he reps L.A.'s Drew League against the DC-area Goodman League on August 20. With Kevin Durant, John Wall and Tyreke Evans among many NBA players taking part, this might be the most entertaining basketball game we see for quite sometime.
The Basketball Jones: Finally, a John Salmons clothing line
Fashion icon/NBA blogger Trey Kerby reports from the runway.
Welcome to Loud City: Celtics Inking New Media Rights Deal; What Does It Mean for League Revenues?
Terrific read on why the structure of the new Celtics' new TV deal likely won't be helping players--and other owners--as much as it otherwise would.
NBAstuffer.com - 2011-2012 NBA Schedule Rest Days Analysis
Cool breakdown of NBA team and opponent schedules.