Photo: borisdiaw.com

Playing so many games in very little time can take it out on you, just ask Boris Diaw. Who after two months with the French national side is taking it easy. And San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is not looking forward to when his forward comes back during their tour of Europe. 

DIAW DISHES OUT TOP COMEBACK ON POP 

Boris Diaw has been given extended leave from the San Antonio Spurs due to his long stint with the French national team, who won bronze at the recent FIBA World Cup in Spain. 

During the Spurs media day, coach Gregg Popovich was “worried” about Diaw’s fitness and said this to journalist Chris Mannix, who later tweeted the comments. 

“Boris is having pina coladas. We have a pool where you guess his weight. You have to start at 275,” Popovich said. 

It wasn’t quite a pina colada [maybe he had one in Spain] but the Frenchman came back with a picture on his Instagram. Lovely setting, chilled, relaxed but alcohol in hand. Genius. 

 

Check mate. 

RUBIO AND TIMBERWOLVES TO HOLD CONTRACT TALKS

Spanish guard Ricky Rubio will hold talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next few days regarding a contract extension with the pitch being that Rubio will be the face of the franchise now that Kevin Love has gone [they won’t mention Love, we are assuming]. 

Via St Paul Pioneer Express: 

Contract talks that could make Ricky Rubio the second-highest-paid Timberwolves player will take place in person this week, and both the 23-year-old point guard and the Wolves seem ready to make a deal.

Rubio and Wolves owner Glen Taylor spoke several times by telephone last week, with each expressing hope a contract extension can get done soon.

Rubio is to be paid $5.08 million this season. A new deal, expected to be for four years, could be worth $11 million annually. Center Nikola Pekovic is the highest-paid Wolves player at $12.1 million a year.

If there is no deal before Oct. 31, Rubio could become a restricted free agent after the season, but the Wolves would have the right to match any offer. 

STEFANSSON REPLACES DRAGIC IN MALAGA 

Iceland international Jon Stefansson has joined Unicaja Malaga as a replacement to Zoran Dragic, who has joined the Phoenix Suns.

Defensive specialist Stefansson joins Malaga from Grenada, where he averaged 7.5 points a game in the Liga Endesa and 6.2 points in 14 Eurocup games. 

The guard has also guided Iceland to their first ever Eurobasket birth for next year as well. 

LEBRON: THIS IS KYRIE’S TEAM 

Cleveland Cavaliers have had their media day, and also have taken training for the first time since Kyrie Irving’s MVP showing at the FIBA World Cup. LeBron James might be The King, but he was waiting for Irving to come back. This is his team. 

Via ESPN:

“I’ll probably handle the ball a little bit, but this is Kyrie’s show,” James said following the team’s first practice of training camp. “He’s our point guard. He’s our floor general, and we need him to put us in position to succeed offensively. He has to demand that and command that from us with him handling the ball.”

[…]

“Coming back, my [Sports Illustrated] letter kind of spoke for it, what this city and Northeast Ohio, what I mean to it. That had a lot to do with it, probably 95 percent of it. And the fact that Kyrie was here as well. That’s a huge part,” James said. “I’ve never played with a point guard like Kyrie Irving, a guy that can kind of take over a game for himself. We need it.”