Grizzlies' gentle giant reaches his goal "HASHEEM THABEET FILE"

[Lumi]

Grizzlies' gentle giant reaches his goal

Tanzania-born rookie Thabeet 'living dream of playing in NBA'
At 7 feet 3 inches, Hasheem Thabeet is menacing enough without the Mohawk that he has been sporting during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

But don't let looks fool you. Thabeet is a gentle giant with an engaging smile, a great sense of humor and the intelligence to discuss a wide range of topics. One minute, he might talk about the politics of his native Tanzania. The next, he's bragging about a recipe he just tried out that was a big hit.

"I love people," Thabeet said. "I like meeting different people, seeing different places, doing different things. I enjoy life."

His life has changed dramatically in the past few weeks. The former Connecticut center is a rich man, having been drafted No. 2 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. He is living his dream of playing in the NBA and is excited about his future.

Thabeet sat down after his first NBA Summer League game and talked about the journey that got him to Las Vegas this week.

Q: First, what's up with the hair?

Thabeet: "It was a mistake. I just wanted to get it cleaned up a little. But then I looked in the mirror afterward and said, 'Oh no.' I tried to fix it, but it was too late."

Q: So, this isn't a permanent look for you?

Thabeet: "No way. I've got to cover it up." (He reaches for a Los Angeles Dodgers cap and places it on his head.)

Q: Is it still a bit overwhelming to see yourself in this situation, playing in the NBA?

Thabeet: "Of course. Definitely. Seven years ago, I never thought I would be here. But I came here (to the United States) to learn, and now I am living my dream of playing in the NBA."

Q: The Grizzlies did a lot of homework on you before they took you with the second pick. In doing your homework on them, what did you learn about the Grizzlies?

Thabeet: "It's an exciting team. It's a young team. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs. It's going to be tough. I remember my first year at UConn, we had eight freshmen, but we went through a lot, and my junior year, we went to the Final Four. We're not going to make it to the NBA Finals in one year, but I promised them I would work hard and try to make the team better."

Q: What were your initial impressions of Memphis?

Thabeet: "It's hot. Very hot. The people are very friendly. I think I'm going to like it there."

Q: Is a trip to Graceland on your to-do list?

Thabeet: "Wow, I really don't have an answer to that. There's a lot of country (music) there, which I liked. We'll see. Maybe."

Q: What was it like growing up in Tanzania?

Thabeet: "It was tough. Thank God my dad was educated, he went to Oxford, so I was pushed into education. I thought I'd be like my dad, who is into architecture. But then I came to the States when I was 14 for basketball. I still like architecture."

Q: You were a bouncer at a nightclub. Did you have a lot of problems even though you were 7 feet tall at the time?

Thabeet: "They told me to stand over there, and if I remember, a couple of times when a fight would break out, I'd get away from it and stand off on the side. I didn't want to get in the middle of it. Let someone else break it up."

Q: You also did some modeling. What was that like?

Thabeet: "It was great. I got to experience a lot. I think that's why I know a lot about fashion."

Q: You went to three prep schools in this country. How hard was it for you to bounce around from school to school?

Thabeet: "I had to learn a lot about different cultures. Going from Tanzania to Amsterdam to L.A. to Mississippi to Houston to UConn and now to Memphis, I've seen a lot of different things. The hard part was adjusting to the different cultures. I was never there long enough to get comfortable until I got to UConn."

Q: What are your memories of the six-overtime loss to Syracuse in the Big East tournament?

Thabeet: "The whole experience was unbelievable. Coach (Jim) Calhoun kept pushing me, pushing me to get through it. It was an amazing game."

Q: How did playing soccer help you with basketball?

Thabeet: "Soccer didn't just help me with my footwork, it helped me with my vision, to see everything on the court, and it taught me to learn to be patient and to think."

Q: What was tougher to understand, English or Jim Calhoun's English?

Thabeet: "Jim Calhoun's English. You have to pay close attention. He'll tell you something, and you think he means one thing, but he means another. Once I thought he said for me to go into a game, and I got up off the bench to go in, and he said, 'Where are you going?' So you have to listen closely when he speaks."

Q: What's the best trash-talk line in your arsenal?

Thabeet: "When I block someone's shot, sometimes I'll say, 'What were you thinking?' "

Q: People may not know this about me, but ...

Thabeet: "I'm pretty funny. When people see me for the first time, they think I'm this serious guy. But really, I like to laugh, joke around and have fun. I have a good sense of humor."

Q: My hidden talent is ...

Thabeet: "I love to cook. I love to be in the kitchen, experimenting. I watch some of the food shows. I like the one where the guy (Andrew Zimmern) eats all the bizarre foods."

Q: Is Twitter the best way for you to communicate with your friends?

Thabeet: "It's great because now you don't need somebody's phone number to communicate. You don't have to use up all your minutes."

Q: My summer league goal in Las Vegas is ...

Thabeet: "Play hard, have fun, learn from my coaches and teammates and get better every day."

HASHEEM THABEET FILE

TEAM: Memphis Grizzlies

POSITION: Center

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 7 feet 3 inches, 263 pounds

AGE: 22

DRAFTED: Second overall

COLLEGE: Connecticut


ODDS AND ENDS

BEST TRASH-TALKING LINE: ?What were you thinking??

HIDDEN TALENT: Cooking

FIRST IMPRESSION OF MEMPHIS: It?s hot

 

[Lumi]

No. 1 pick Griffin rebuffs pressure to save Clippers

No. 1 pick Griffin rebuffs pressure to save Clippers

No. 1 pick Griffin rebuffs pressure to save Clippers


From the moment the Los Angeles Clippers won the NBA Draft Lottery in May, Blake Griffin has been preparing.

Not so much fine-tuning his game for the NBA as much as dealing with the questions all No. 1 picks must face.

Questions such as: "Can you turn this franchise around?"

Griffin, a 6-foot-10-inch, 250-pound forward from Oklahoma and college basketball's consensus player of the year, is ready for the questions. He brushed up on the Clippers' abysmal history. He's aware that Danny Manning and Michael Olowokandi, the last two Clippers drafted first overall, don't have their busts in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

But Griffin insists he didn't come to L.A. to be a savior, even if that's what the Clippers desperately need him to be.

"I don't put any pressure on myself," Griffin said. "We have players who are talented. I just need to fit in with them, work hard and help make the team better."

Griffin will get his first taste of pro competition Monday when the Clippers play the Lakers in the NBA Summer League at 5:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. It was no accident that Griffin's debut was scheduled in the 18,500-seat arena rather than Cox Pavilion, which seats a couple of thousand. All five of Griffin's games this week will be at the Thomas & Mack.

His run of games here will be followed almost immediately by a five-day stint with Team USA in Las Vegas from July 21 to 25.

Griffin's new condominium in Playa Vista in Los Angeles, close to the Clippers' training facility, will sit unused for most of this month as he works on his game here.

"I think playing in Vegas will give me a good idea of where I'm at," he said. "I don't believe Vegas makes or breaks you."

Griffin said that with Baron Davis and Al Thornton as the Clippers' leaders, he doesn't need to be the team's main man. While that sounds appropriately deferential, it's surely not what Los Angeles fans want to hear. Whether Griffin likes it or not, he'll be expected to do more than merely fit in.

However, he might not be able to do savior-like things on the court, at least not immediately. Griffin has noticeable holes in his game, primarily his shooting. He's a strong finisher around the rim, but isn't likely to dominate inside in the NBA the way he did in college. He knows he has to develop a reliable midrange jump shot.

"I've been working on my jumper every day, and I know it's going to get better," he said.

Griffin has been in the gym working with Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy and assistant Kim Hughes, who will coach the Summer League team. Griffin also has spent time with assistant Fred Vinson on his shooting mechanics.

Dunleavy cautions that Griffin is a work in progress at the NBA level.

"He's going to need time to develop like all rookies do," Dunleavy told reporters after the Clippers drafted Griffin. "He's got lots of talent, but it's a different game at this level, and he's going to go through a period of adjustment."

Griffin understands that in a star-driven town such as Los Angeles, he has much to prove on the court before he can be mentioned with Kobe Bryant and Manny Ramirez among the city's reigning sports celebrities.

"If I do well, the opportunities will be there," Griffin said of his commercial value. "To go to Los Angeles, it's a great city. I look at being a Clipper as an opportunity to move forward."

Griffin has not been coached in political correctness, but he's a bright young man. He didn't need anyone to remind him to step lightly when reporters asked about the Clippers' secondary status to the Lakers in Southern California.

"I'm very comfortable with my situation," Griffin said. "I like Coach Dunleavy. He's been a player himself, so I can learn a lot from him."

Griffin also will learn what losing is like -- at least for a while. The Clippers won 19 games last season and have been to the playoffs once in the last 11 years.

Even the summers have not been kind to the Clippers. In the four summers they have come to Las Vegas, they have never posted a winning record, going 2-3 each time.

If Griffin can get that turned around this week, the savior talk isn't likely to stop.

 

[Lumi]

Wednesday, July 15
Cox Pavilion
New York vs. Detroit, 1 p.m.
Milwaukee vs. Chicago, 3 p.m.
Toronto vs. Phoenix, 5 p.m.
Portland vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center
Sacramento vs. D-League Select, 5:30 p.m.
Denver vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 16
Cox Pavilion
Toronto vs. Milwaukee, 1 p.m.
Houston vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 3 p.m.
New Orleans vs. Golden State, 5 p.m.
Dallas vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center
Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio, 5:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, July 17
Cox Pavilion
Detroit vs. Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Sacramento vs. New York, 3 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Washington, 5 p.m.
Phoenix vs. D-League Select, 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center
Oklahoma City vs. Chicago, 5:30 p.m.
Denver vs. Portland, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 18
Cox Pavilion
Dallas vs. Oklahoma City, 1 p.m.
Chicago vs. New York, 3 p.m.
Memphis vs. Phoenix, 5 p.m.
D-League Select vs. Denver, 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center
Minnesota vs. New Orleans, 3:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Washington,
5:30 p.m.
Portland vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 19
Cox Pavilion
Washington vs. New York, 1 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Chicago, 3 p.m.
Memphis vs. San Antonio, 5 p.m.
D-League Select vs. Portland, 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack Center
Denver vs. New Orleans, 5:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

 

[Lumi]

Stepping out of brother's shadow a steep climb for Taylor Griffin

Stepping out of brother's shadow a steep climb for Taylor Griffin

Stepping out of brother's shadow a steep climb for Taylor Griffin

So this is what Casey Affleck and Frank Stallone and Billy Ripken and Mike Maddux felt like. So this is why that whiner Jan Brady ranked among the most annoying characters in television history.

This is why Robert Barone was so jealous of Ray.

It's a tough thing, escaping shadows. The harder you try, the darker it seems to grow. There must be times when Taylor Griffin feels as if he's dribbling in Antarctica.

Griffin isn't entirely trapped, but he might never again know a time when the basketball gods shine their light of acceptance on him before his freakishly talented younger brother. Weaker minds might dwell on it, but not a guy intent on reinventing himself as a player. Not a guy trying to survive.

Taylor is bunched together in a basement of NBA hopefuls, working and searching and wondering how to distinguish himself enough that he might at least be allowed to view the first floor. His brother is already a penthouse resident.

But while Taylor Griffin doesn't have the skill and size of No. 1 overall draft pick Blake, he does, like his brother, own a trait that not even the most detached general manager can miss. The guy plays his tail off.

He is a second-round draft pick (No. 48 overall) of the Phoenix Suns and here for summer league trying to impress enough so that he won't be watching Blake with the Clippers next season, but rather playing against him. It won't be easy to make it by any stretch. Robert Barone had a better chance of Mom loving him more than Ray.

"Taylor is going to have to play a different game here than in college," said Dan Majerle, who's coaching the Suns' summer team. "He's smart and athletic and a hard worker, so he has that going for him. But he's going to have a hard transition."

Here's why: Few, if any, go to sleep one night an undersized but productive power forward in college and wake up a competent small forward in the NBA. You don't doze off after seasons of attacking the rim from a few feet and guarding opposing post players for Oklahoma to suddenly stir as a catch-and-shoot perimeter threat who can guard Shawn Marion or Andrei Kirilenko or Josh Howard with great success, much less those named LeBron and Carmelo. You don't take years to master Spanish and expect to become fluent in German overnight.

It's tough. It's really tough. The 6-foot-7-inch Griffin on Monday made his summer debut at Cox Pavilion and offered four points and two rebounds in 21 minutes against Dallas. He shot 1-for-5 and a few times treated an open 18-footer with the hesitancy of a teenage boy approaching the head cheerleader.

In college, he would have put the ball to the floor and drove with authority. Against the quickness of an NBA small forward, he might not even get to the driving part.

Guys know the odds. They know how many guaranteed contracts a team's roster has for next season. They know during any given summer, there are maybe one or two spots available on a particular team, that most of those in the basement are looking at an immediate future playing overseas or in the NBA's Development League. They know deep down how unrealistic some of their dreams can be.

But the elder Griffin is not without options. He, too, is a No. 1 overall selection, the first player identified by the Harlem Globetrotters in their draft last month. There was no photo op with David Stern, no official hat to wear, no green room nerves, not even someone throwing a bucket of confetti in his face. You can't be anxious about something you don't know.

"Honestly, Blake was the first one that told me about it," Taylor said. "He heard about it in an interview. I didn't know anything. I had to turn down interviews because I didn't know what to talk about.

"I'd much rather be here. For me, this is my desire."

The shadow also played Monday, over in the big boys gym of the Thomas & Mack Center before 3,000 or so animated fans. The shadow went for 27 points and 12 rebounds and made 11 of 18 shots in about 30 minutes. The shadow is going to be really, really good. Taylor Griffin, meanwhile, doesn't worry if the darkness persists. He got used to it long ago. He's too busy trying to discover his own sliver of light.

"Each step of the way, I've gotten to where I've reached my goals," he said. "The first part was coming to workouts, impressing teams and getting drafted. I got that. The next step is to make a roster."

The next step is brutal because, while the first floor might be in sight, it's a long, difficult climb.

Just ask Ray Barone's brother.

 

[Lumi]

Once declared an NBA bust, Tskitishvili back to prove himself

Once declared an NBA bust, Tskitishvili back to prove himself

Once declared an NBA bust, Tskitishvili back to prove himself

The biggest bust in NBA lottery history.

That?s a tough label to shake, but that?s just what Nikoloz Tskitishvili is trying to do here at the NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks.

He was a wispy 19-year-old when Denver selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2002 draft. Two years later, he led the first Vegas Summer League in scoring for the Nuggets.

Now, however, Tskitishvili (pronounced skit-ish-VEE-lee) is trying to prove that he isn?t the same guy who averaged 3 points and less than 2 rebounds over four NBA seasons.

?I understand that,? he said of that bust label. ?From my side, it?s not fair. But from their side, all they want to see is me playing well. They don?t understand what I?ve been through.

?But I can?t blame them. Know what I?m saying? I blame myself. I was young. I was really young. I was 19 and I weighed 209 pounds when I got here.?

The 7-foot Tskitishvili, who now hits 265 on the scales, hit three 3-point shots Tuesday afternoon against Memphis in Cox Pavilion and finished with 12 points in a 90-86 defeat to the Grizzlies.

?A summer league wonder,? said an American agent.

?I saw him hit five or six 3-pointers in one game last season,? said a Spanish scout. ?Is he above average? Yes.?

The Knicks play Detroit inside Cox today at 1 p.m. and have three more games on the UNLV campus, all of which are chances for Tskitishvili to prove himself.

The native of Tbilsi, Georgia, is fortunate that Mike D?Antoni is coaching New York.

In the first seven months of 2002, Tskitishvili played for D?Antoni?s Benetton Treviso club that won an Italian championship.

?A great time, one of the best times I?ve had in my life,? Tskitishvili said. ?I didn?t play a lot, maybe 10 or 12 minutes a game, but when I played I did well. Scouts were watching. That?s why I was a high lottery pick.

?I want to show him that I can do it, man. I can do it. I love his system and the way he wants to play the game.?

He beams about D?Antoni?s wide-open scheme.

?It?s freedom,? Tskitishvili said. ?That?s my game. The pick-and-pop. Running. Three-point shots. I enjoy that.?

D?Antoni said he had a bright future after Denver picked him so high, but Tskitishvili found it difficult to survive in the NBA.

?He kind of got sidetracked,? D?Antoni said.

Tskitishvili played for Denver, Golden State, Phoenix (in a brief stint for D?Antoni) and Minnesota during a lackluster NBA career in which he made nearly $9 million.

But he flourished at the first Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 25.7 points for Denver in 2004.

?I didn?t have a good first year,? Tskitishvili said. ?I was weaker and young. That second year, I worked out hard and was in the best shape I?ve ever been in for Las Vegas. I really took it seriously.?

During the ensuing preseason with the Nuggets, though, he broke a thumb. He got sidetracked before he could find a niche with Denver.

The past three seasons, he has played two years in Spain and one in Italy, averaging almost 9 points.

?I have a lot to show people, especially that I can really play in this league,? Tskitishvili said. ?I went back to Europe and got a lot of minutes and experience, and I think I?m ready.?

He said he hasn?t spoken to D?Antoni about a role or the future.

?There?s still a long time to go before that,? Tskitishvili said.

D?Antoni knew enough about Tskitishvili to give him a shot.

?I think he?s got something,? D?Antoni said. ?It?s got to be a special role, but I think the guy can play. He was 18 years old then. He?s a man now.?

 

[Lumi]

Despite an MMA background and a black belt, Johnson now focused solely on hoops

Despite an MMA background and a black belt, Johnson now focused solely on hoops

Despite an MMA background and a black belt, Johnson now focused solely on hoops
Chicago Bulls first-round pick puts rare combination of size and athleticism on display in pro debut

Chicago rookie forward James Johnson showed up to Cox Pavilion for his NBA summer league pro debut on Tuesday afternoon thinking much the same way his favorite fighter ? heavyweight mixed martial artist Frank Mir ? showed up to the Octagon for the UFC 100 main event down the street last weekend.

Both came to win.

Instead, both lost.

That's not all that the two athletes have in common. It even goes beyond Johnson's appearance resembling an intimidating fighter, complete with a pseudo-mohawk, a steely stare and tattoo-clad upper arms.

"He can fight up top, he can choke you out, he can do it all," said Johnson, who tallied 21 points and 8 rebounds in Chicago's 95-83 loss to Golden State. "That's kinda like my basketball game."

Johnson, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound Wake Forest product who the Bulls selected 16th overall in last month's NBA Draft, was raised in Cheyenne, Wyo., with a fighter's mentality.

Well, actually, he was raised to be a fighter.

Johnson's father, Willie, runs J&P Martial Arts School in Cheyenne, Wyo. He's a sixth-degree black belt kickboxer. His mother, Vi, is also a black belt.

James is smack dab in the middle of nine children in his family. All but his youngest sister, 10-year-old Kiandra, are black belts. Kiandra will catch up soon enough, though. She's already earned a blue belt.

But Johnson isn't just trained in mixed martial arts. He's undefeated when he performs.

With an amateur kickboxing record of 20-0 and seven world karate titles to his name ? oh, nine national titles, as well ? he fought his first amateur MMA bout as in 2006, when a local event needed a last-second substitute on its card.

Just a high school junior fighting in the 205-pound weight class, it took him all of 90 seconds to defeat 31-year-old Damond Clark, a Casper, Wyo. native who now fights professionally.

It's hard to believe that all of this came before heading off to college, where in two seasons, he helped lead the Demon Deacons to a 41-20 record, averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Still, what came on Tuesday was completely new. And despite an individual performance that was deemed by many onlookers to be dazzling, he sounded like a defeated prizefighter when asked to describe it.

"I'm not happy with the performance," he said. "I wanted to win. I came down here to Las Vegas to win. I know the guys on my team are not satisfied. I'm definitely not satisfied, but we're gonna push hard, keep pushing each other, work hard and get some more wins hopefully."

The Bulls play four more games this week, but the organization's brass on hand for Johnson's pro debut appeared pleased and sang his praises.

"It seems like he's athletic for his size ? a guy with that much bulk and that much weight who can move and handle the ball and things," said Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro. "His agility, obviously, is impressive for a guy with his size. That'll just improve. We've gotta get a little weight off of him, and he knows that, but he does things you can't teach.

"I haven't seen any film on him fighting, but I'm not worried about him. His dad's the one you've got to worry about."

He showed several of those natural gifts to a crowd that saw him as a relative unknown coming in, having not played much in the national spotlight at Wake Forest.

Even this past season, when Wake at one point earned a No. 1 ranking in both major polls, it was teammates Jeff Teague and Al-Farouq Aminu who garnered much of the spotlight.

Johnson displayed abilities indicating that he could very easily play either the small forward or power forward position in the NBA.

A couple of times, he scored in tough fashion inside. A couple of times, he put the ball on the floor and spotted up outside, knocking down 16-foot jumpers without the aide of the rim.

Other times, he did it all on his own.

Johnson's most impressive play of the day came with 6:09 left in the second quarter, when he grabbed an uncontested defensive rebound off of a missed free throw. He put the ball on the floor and moved onward with a full head of steam.

At the top of the key, he crossed a Warriors defender over to the left, went back right, penetrated the paint and threw down a nasty two-handed slam that forced the crowd to erupt.

With his combination of size and grace, he said he'd like to see himself develop into the same type of player as a Carmelo Anthony or Paul Pierce. His buttery shooting touch both inside and out showed that it's more than possible.

At just 22 years old, he believes he's not even close.

"I'd probably say a C-plus," he said of where his total package is at. "It needs work, man. I need work. That's what it is."

What's going to obviously help that process along, however, is the way he's been able to translate his karate and MMA training onto the hardwood, as he plays lighter on his feet than just about any 6-foot-8 player you'll find, either pro or amateur.

"Quickness, hand quickness, foot quickness, I try to utilize that," he said. "Other than that, just growing up using footwork all of my life, coming out here is kind of easy."

From a mental aspect, he appears to be every bit a fighter. Most championship-caliber mixed martial artists are known for a down-to-earth approach and humility.

However, he said his basketball endeavors have commanded more discipline than fighting.

"Fighting, you're one-on-one," he said. "It's you against him. You don't have to worry about backside help or helping another guy who gets beat. It's just you against the other dude. Basketball's teamwork, a lot of talking and other things I need to get better at."

Fighting has made Johnson who he is at this young age. There's no questioning that.

But Johnson isn't ready to call fighting simply a part of his past. He's indicated recently that he's not done with his first love, but for now it has to be on the burner.

Obviously, hoops is what's going to pay the bills. He signed his first pro contract before departing for Vegas, making him an instant millionaire.

"Fighting is fighting ? I did it all my life," he said. "Right now, it's a new chapter. I'm gonna try to write this chapter, then whatever happens happens.

Right now, I'm just focused on keeping my skills sharp on defense. That's it, and I'll worry about the other thing ... It's like riding a bike. Fighting's like riding a bike. It's gonna be easy to get back into it, so when it's time for me to get back into it, I will. Until then, I'm just gonna keep grinding out here on the hardwood."

That doesn't mean Johnson isn't following the fight game.

He didn't get into town early enough for the monstrous UFC 100 event at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday night, but he watched it at home on pay-per-view.

Oddly enough, his favorite moment of the night came from watching Brock Lesnar defeat Mir.

"Brock ? I liked Brock's swag, man," he said. "He's a crazy dude. He's a big ol' country bumpkin, dude. He's serious, though."

Like seemingly everyone else who even heard about the fight, too, he chimed in with his thoughts on Lesnar's WWE-like antics after the fight, which included taunting Mir to his face and flipping some obscene hand gestures to the booing fans, among other eccentricities.

"Uncharacteristic, but that's his swagger," he continued. "You have to be nasty in the cage. You don't want somebody coming up challenging you. You see that, would you want to challenge him? No. That's probably why he did it, so I respect it, but at the same time, his character wasn't very ... he didn't have to say some of the things he said, but some of the things he said put fear in people's eyes, man."

Whether it comes on a basketball court or on a canvas mat, don't expect to ever see Johnson putting on a postgame show like Lesnar treated the world to on Saturday.

As gifted and rare as Johnson is at his size, he's all about developing the craft and staying humble ? a lesson he learned earlier than most pro athletes.

"I'm not worried about who sees me and who doesn't," he said. "I'm playing basketball for me and the love of the game. It's good not to sign 100 autographs. I'm walking into these places. I love just going up to my room and being a regular dude. That's what I want to be, no matter how much fame I get or don't get. I just wanna be a regular dude."

 

[Lumi]

In different positions, Griffin brothers begin summer journeys

In different positions, Griffin brothers begin summer journeys

In different positions, Griffin brothers begin summer journeys

Top pick Blake Griffin and older brother Taylor hope for a happy Sunday showdown

After filling up the stat sheet with 27 points and 12 rebounds in his pro debut Monday night in NBA summer league play at the Thomas & Mack Center, Blake Griffin -- the top pick in last month's NBA Draft -- towered over a horde of cameras, notepads and recorders with questions fired at him in a cramped hallway.

The 6-foot-10 All-American out of Oklahoma, who had just performed in front of 3,000 fans, Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, Clippers owner Donald Sterling and NBA commissioner David Stern (among several other notables), was humble in describing a showing that lived up to the hype, earning him a standing ovation in the game's final minute.

"I'd say a B-minus," he said in a deep, quiet tone following the 93-82 Clippers triumph. "Mostly, we won, and that's great. But I did some things wrong defensively. That's the hardest part for me is picking up on different things and also just remembering plays. It hadn't been a problem in the past, but so much was thrown at me the last three days that it kinda just gets jumbled up and I messed up a few times."

Blake Griffin is allowed this week to make all the mistakes he wants. He'll still be in the Clippers' starting lineup come opening night this fall, pretty much no matter what.

Just hours earlier, his older brother, Taylor, spoke in a similar voice with a much smaller group of reporters -- three, to be exact.

Taylor, two years older than Blake and a teammate of his younger brother the past two seasons at OU, was a second-round pick of the Phoenix Suns that same night Blake waltzed across the stage in a crisp black suit and shook the mitt of the commish.

Second-rounders aren't allowed the same lengthy leash, and nothing is guaranteed, be it money or roster spots. While Blake is introducing himself to the pro basketball universe this week in Las Vegas, Taylor is trying to simply make sure he gets to training camp with the Suns -- or anyone, for that matter -- in the fall. All the while, he's playing a new position.

"I want to change my game and improve as quick as possible, but I do feel like I have some time to develop," said the elder Griffin, who at 6-foot-7 is trying his hand as a small forward. "I think I can, it's just I've been so used to playing the four position the last four years. I've grown a lot since the end of the season, just working out as a three, playing the three position, shooting from farther out, shooting NBA threes, my handles have gotten a lot better.

"With my work ethic, I'm gonna keep improving until I stop working."

The 2009 summer league will culminate with the two brothers going head-to-head in the week's final game, with Phoenix and Los Angeles tipping off at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night at the Mack.

Until then, the two have very different agendas.

At Oklahoma, it all set up beautifully.

Blake Griffin's size and strength allowed him to overpower practically anyone while playing center, with Taylor manning the power forward slot.

But at the professional level, Taylor's physical makeup is more suited for the small forward position. Hence, his transition.

There's no better system to learn in than the fast-paced, up-and-down style Phoenix employs under coach Alvin Gentry. For the most part on Monday, Taylor looked comfortable in that role.

He finished with four points on one-of-five shooting with two rebounds and an assist to his credit in 21 minutes played in a 95-90 victory over Dallas.

Inside the numbers, however, he looked fluid and comfortable on the fast break, with his only glaring flaw coming in that he hesitated to pull the trigger here and there on the outside jumpers he's been working on since the end of his career as a Sooner.

"That's not something I'm used to," he said. "I'm used to pump-faking and getting to the hole. That's probably one of the biggest things for me, but once I get rid of that and get to where I'm just shooting without hesitation, I think I'll be good."

Taylor Griffin has worked this whole offseason with one goal: making an NBA roster.

He's been so focused on making it through, that he didn't even realize along the way that the Harlem Globetrotters made him the top pick in their third annual player draft last month.

"Honestly, Blake was the first one that told me about it," Taylor recalled. "He heard about it in an interview, they asked him about it. I didn't even know until he told me. Obviously, I wasn't focused on that. It's a nice option to fall back on. I didn't know anything. I had to turn down interviews because I didn't know what to talk about."

Instead of taking the guaranteed solid living that could come with a contract from the Globetrotters, Taylor opted to roll the dice in Vegas as a still-unsigned second-round pick.

"I'd much rather be here," he added. "For me, this is my desire.

"Each step of the way, I've gotten to where I've reached my goals. The first part was coming to workouts, impressing teams and getting drafted. I got that. Next step is to make a roster."

No one outside of Taylor himself believes that can be accomplished -- especially as a small forward -- more than brother Blake.

While Blake Griffin was busy averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game last season for the 30-6 Sooners, Taylor continued his steady improvement with the finest year of his OU career as a senior, averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 boards.

"He's so strong -- He can guard the three," Blake said. "I feel he can guard the two, three, four and occasionally the five because he's so strong and he moves well. I think a lot of people don't give him credit for how athletic he is. I saw it all growing up, just how he catches people. He'll dunk on people and you don't expect it. He's so explosive, and I think he's gonna be fine.

"From what I hear, he's been playing really well, but not from him -- from other people. I think he can make it."

Taylor, however, has no hesitation in confessing that this week at the summer league is much more important for him than his little brother.

"Definitely me, no question," he said. "He's signed, sealed, delivered. Everybody knows how good he is. I, on the other hand, have a lot to prove."

After he was done making his initial impression in the Cox Pavilion, Taylor sauntered over and found a seat at the Mack to watch Blake's grand opening.

Without the burden of worrying whether a roster spot is in his future, Blake played like a mad dog let off the chain.

On the game's first three possessions, he made sure to announce his presence swiftly and firmly.

A designed play netted him an easy layup underneath just after tip-off against the Lakers.

"That's something I wanted to do was hit my first layup, make that first shot a layup and just take the edge off a little bit," he said. "I kind of settled down on my jumpers."

He showed that immediately on the next possession, barking for the ball from point guard Mike Taylor just after crossing mid-court. From there, he settled in after taking it to the left block, then spun and pushed a sweet jumper off the glass.

"I love using the glass," he said. "It gives me a comfort level."

Well, he sure appeared to be beyond comfortable on the Clips' third trip up the floor, casually swishing a 3-pointer from atop the key, giving him the team's first seven points just like that.

"I'm not gonna be a guy that shoots the three a lot," he said with a grin. "I felt like I was wide open on that one and I didn't roll enough, so I just caught it and let it go. I'm not gonna settle for threes. I know where my bread-and-butter is, and I've been working really hard on the 15- and 17-foot shots."

The entire array of his ability -- bred from intimidating size, seemingly endless strength and massive hands that provide a surprisingly soft touch -- was on display the rest of the night, keeping the intrigued crowd on edge.

As a finishing act, he left a lasting impression on the Clippers' brass seated courtside when he took a charge late in the game with his team up by 15 points. An unnecessary risk in the minds of many, but simply natural to Griffin.

"Like everyone else, I'm just trying to show my coaches and show my team what I can do, and in my mind there's never a bad time to take a charge," he said. "That's the way I've been taught to play, and I'm not gonna stop playing just because we're up."

Last year in the summer league, the Clippers shut down first-round pick Eric Gordon a little bit early when he got banged up, avoiding the risk of further injury.

But Griffin, who played a team-high 29 minutes on Monday, said he figures to play extensively in each of the Clippers' five contests this week, with the next one coming on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. back at the Mack against New Orleans.

Nothing, however, might mean more to Blake than being able to play in Sunday's finale.

To his knowledge, Blake said it's the first time he and his brother will have ever squared off in a real game.

"It's gonna be fun -- It's gonna be really fun," he said. "He's gonna be playing the three, so we won't get to guard each other, but hopefully we'll get to switch off a few times.

"It's been different, but we still talk every day. I'm still asking him what his workouts are like, and stuff like that. I heard they got a win earlier, I heard he played well. I was definitely happy for him, and I hope they win every game ... except for when we play them."

 

[Lumi]

One game in, Golden State?s Curry already has the look of a pro

One game in, Golden State?s Curry already has the look of a pro

One game in, Golden State?s Curry already has the look of a pro

Rookie guard shows benefits of growing up around NBA locker rooms

Don Nelson has coached in 2,482 NBA games dating back to 1976, and over that period of time, it was never a secret that he favored veteran players to rookies and other youngsters.

Never one to go out of his way to pad a young ballplayer's ego or hand him too much praise during his development, what he had to say on Friday from the COX Pavilion stands while watching rookie Stephen Curry's pro debut in the NBA summer league came a bit out of left field.

"I like everything about him," said Nelson, kicking back in a T-shirt and baseball cap. "There isn't anything I don't like about him. He's gonna be a very fine player, I think.

"He'll always be a good offensive player. When that opportunity presents itself, he'll do fine. It's just until he feels comfortable playing the game and being out there early as a young rookie. We can ride with the mistakes that he'll make and he'll become a well-developed player."

While it may be odd to hear Nelson sound so liberal regarding the seventh overall pick in last month's NBA draft, it's pretty widely known that Curry isn't your ordinary rookie.

The 6-foot-3 scoring machine out of tiny Davidson College ? who in three years there averaged 25.3 points per game and had the Wildcats within one possession of the 2008 Final Four ? has already mastered the toughest part of learning to play in the NBA.

That's the mental aspect of it.

Curry carries himself like a pro in every way possible.

Whether he was nervous for his pro debut on Friday or not, you could never guess by looking at him. His body language was smooth and professional, even as he struggled to score 16 points on just 4-of-14 shooting and picked up 4 of his 7 personal fouls in just over 8 minutes.

He even kept his cool after having to stick a cotton swab up his nose to stop some bleeding early in the game.

"My first possession in the league, a bloody nose," he said jokingly.

Following the Warriors' 73-69 loss to the Houston Rockets, during which Golden State failed on several occasions to close out their opponents when holding a slim lead late in the second half, he was still unflappable.


Justin M. Bowen

Golden State guard Stephen Curry chews on his mouthpiece during a break in the action on Friday afternoon at the NBA summer league at COX Pavilion. The former Davidson standout scored 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting in his pro debut.
The baby-faced assassin handled his media responsibilities, glad-handed some onlookers, packed his things and went back to his hotel.

This kind of demeanor comes natural at such a young age when you spent much of your childhood hanging around NBA locker rooms.

Stephen is the oldest son of Del Curry, who played 16 seasons in the league from 1986 to 2002.

He obviously was paying attention every step of the way.

"He's so far ahead mentally that these little things here aren't gonna bother him," said Golden State assistant Keith Smart. "Even when he missed some shots that he normally would make, he didn't drop his head and stop playing. He's so far ahead of the game, now he's waiting for the rest of his game to catch up with him as an NBA player."

Smart, who is coaching the Warriors summer league squad, said he can already notice the impact that simply hanging around NBA locker rooms has had on his two young sons, who are 10 and 12 years old.

While Curry's game is all there mentally, he showed on Friday where he still needs to improve in terms of execution.

His first pro bucket was one of his patented feathery 3-pointers from atop the key just over 90 seconds into the game.

But after that, he was offensively silent for the rest of the half. Curry, who played the point position predominately over the last year at Davidson, is now transitioning into becoming a guy who can create his own shots away from the ball.

His finest stretch of the afternoon came early in the third quarter as Golden State mounted a comeback from a halftime deficit. After hitting a two from straight-on coming off a ball screen set by Anthony Randolph, he bothered a shot by Houston guard James White on the other end.

Then, off the rebound, he pulled up and swished a three on the right wing in transition.

It all took about 29 seconds, and he did it in spite of a first half during which the Rockets tried to get in his head constantly, whether it was by grabbing his jersey, holding his arm or even slapping him on the head.

"I'm sure it's going to be a point of emphasis for all guys down the road, but I've had that kind of attention for the last year in college," Curry said. "I'll be fine to handle it, it's just getting comfortable on the floor and knowing where to be."


Justin M. Bowen

Golden State guard Stephen Curry drives against Houston during the Warriors' 73-69 loss to the Rockets in opening day action of the NBA summer league at COX Pavilion. Curry was grabbed at and knocked around by Houston repeatedly as his foes attempted to get in his head.
Curry may have the most ground to gain on the defensive end, where he'll be at a distinct size disadvantage against just about everyone he covers as a rookie ? and probably beyond.

Still, it doesn't cause him concern. There's an air of confidence that comes with acting like a pro, and it's something Curry got down pat a long time ago.

"I've been around the NBA, so I know the techniques and the systems and what I have to guard," Curry said. "Now it's just getting out there and doing it. I think with this experience in the summer league and going through those things early, figuring out how to defend and where I need to be, and how quickly the ball moves. It's a little different, but I think I'll be able to get it."

He'll have quite the support system in doing so, as he's now part of a young nucleus in Golden State which includes a versatile 7-foot second-year forward in Randolph along with 23-year-old budding stars in point guard Monta Ellis and power forward Andris Biedrins.

More important is that all three of them know the demands of growing as an NBA player under Don Nelson's strict guidelines.

Randolph is the perfect example of how a player can grow under Nelson.

A year ago, the one-and-done from LSU showed up to the Vegas summer league with hardly any muscle on a wiry 6-foot-10 frame. He played timid and showed nothing more than flashes of his potential.

On Friday, he scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and did everything with ease and confidence.

He pulled Curry aside at the half to remind him to simply stay confident and stick with what works.

"I think I can just help him with the ups and downs I went through in the season," he said. "I told him you've got to just shoot the ball, that's what we drafted you for. Just do you.

"It's (a perfect fit), because he spaces the floor out for us."

Curry will pick up more pieces as he goes along. Heck, he'll probably get more before he leaves Las Vegas.

The Warriors play four more times in the summer league, with their next contest at 5 p.m. Saturday against Sacramento.

He'll pick up some more when he goes through his initial training camp. And he'll certainly pick up even more when he goes against the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for the first time.

But don't expect him to give off the impression that it's a whole new experience.

"Growing up in the NBA, he's not in awe of the people, the media and other players," Smart said. "That's gonna help him even when we get to the regular season and the real pros come to training camp. That's not gonna faze him at all."