Sometimes, trades and the rumours that go with it can frustrate today’s NBA player. To build a home around your job as a basketball player and enjoy your surroundings is highly rewarding.
Gerald Green enjoys being at Phoenix and would like to continue helping the Suns move on to great things. But the NBA is a business.
DO THE SUNS WANT GREEN IN PHOENIX?
Gerald Green enjoys the desert, but Suns coach Jeff Hornacek seems undecided and even Green is unsure if he will stay in Phoenix, long-term.
Via Arizona Republic:
“He never really seemed to get it going and then it comes to the point where, if you’re not scoring and if your defense isn’t picking up, it’s hard to stay in the game,” Hornacek said.
“The next guy is going, ‘I needed help here and the guy wasn’t here.’ We’re trying to develop something for the future, not just being out here for everybody to play in the game. We want to get to a top-notch winning level and you’ve got to do it on both sides.” …
“I want to be here but I just don’t know if they want me here,” Green said. “Because if you want somebody, you show them. I didn’t think I was playing that bad and now we’re here.”
BARGNANI TO STAY IN THE BIG APPLE?
New York Knicks big man Andrea Bargnani looks likely to remain in the Big Apple once he becomes a free agent on July 1.
Via New York Post:
The Knicks will consider bringing Bargnani back because of his offensive talent, but aren’t planning to use their cap space to do so. If they can get him back for the veteran’s minimum, he’ll surely be a Knick next season. But another team may outbid them on the free-agent market.
“He’s an extremely talented player and the injuries limited him reaching his ceiling,’’ Fisher said. “Whatever the future holds, the way he’s finishing the season is not only showing us, but other teams as well, he’s a very capable player at this point and trying to prove that to everyone, including us. If he’s back, that’s great. If not, he’ll do great no matter the situation.’’
NBA AND FIBA TO HOLD FOUR-DAY BASKETBALL CAMPS IN CUBA
Via NBA:
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced today that they will host their first joint basketball development camp for men and women in Havana April 23-26, making the NBA the first U.S. professional sports league to visit Cuba since December’s order to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, and WNBA Legend Ticha Penicheiro will lead the four-day camp with the Cuban Men’s and Women’s National Teams, and community outreach projects in association with the Cuban sports ministry, INDER, and the Cuban Basketball Federation (CBF).
For the first time, the NBA and FIBA will invite two players and one coach from Cuba to participate in the upcoming Basketball without Borders camp.
“This is a great day for Cuban basketball and our federation,” said CBF President Ruperto Herrera. “To have both the NBA and FIBA collaborate on youth instruction and the development of the game in our country is magnificent. We thank the Republic of Cuba and INDER for opening the doors for these basketball camps that will end up benefiting the future of national and international basketball.”
“We’ve seen the bridges that basketball can build between cultures,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and FIBA Executive Committee Member Mark Tatum. “We look forward to sharing the values of our game with Cuban youth and learning together through the common language of sports.”
“In the continued effort to strengthen our national federations, it is extremely gratifying to see Cuba serve as the center of a development camp of this magnitude,” said FIBA President Horacio Muratore. “This is a country that loves basketball and we are proud to work together with the NBA on this historic venture.”
Through NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, the NBA and FIBA will refurbish three basketball courts and host youth basketball clinics at two Havana locations. Tatum will join the legends and local officials to participate in the court dedication ceremonies focused on encouraging healthy, active lifestyles and teaching the values of the game such as teamwork, respect and dedication.
Orlando Magic Head Coach James Borrego, Utah Jazz Head Coach Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz Assistant Coach Brad Jones, USA Basketball Youth Development Coach Don Showalter, and Director of Basketball Academy of the Americas Victor Ojeda will participate in training camp efforts for the Cuban Men’s and Women’s National Teams at the senior (18+) and junior levels. Additionally, the coaches will be joined by Washington Wizards Vice President of Basketball Administration Tommy Sheppard, New York Knicks Associate Athletic Trainer Anthony Goenaga, and FIBA Americas Referee Geraldo Fontana to host workshops for coaches, trainers, and other sports professionals.
