HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets still have a long way to go after finishing with the league’s worst record for the last two seasons as they embarked on a complete rebuild. 
This season is likely to be another tough one for this extraordinarily young team, but one of its rising stars issued a guarantee ahead of training camp. 
“This year the Houston Rockets will be better than last year,” Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, said Monday. “If we buy and stay together and I think the team will take off.”
These Rockets aren’t banking on winning a lot of games or vying for a playoff spot. What they are focused on is improvement and building toward the future. 
General manager Rafael Stone made it clear that this team won’t be one that anyone can take lightly.
“If we are a team that is very hard to play at both ends of the court ... I think for a team like us, for a young and up-and-coming team, I think that’s the measure of success,” he said. 
The Rockets went 20-62 last season, and just 17 the season before. They aren’t predicted to have a much better record this year, but coach Stephen Silas needs to see growth every time his team takes the court. 
“There has to be a level of improvement,” he said. “The team that we see next Sunday against San Antonio and the way that we play is going to be different than the team that we see post-All-Star break. So having some level of patience, obviously. But there has to be steady, marked improving as the season goes on.”
A year after opening the season with four 19-year-olds on the roster, the Rockets will again field one of the youngest teams in the league. Their training camp roster features seven players who are 20 or younger, including three starters in Green and Alperen Sengun — both 20 — and 19-year-old rookie Jabari Smith, Jr., who was the third overall pick in this year’s draft. 
Kevin Porter Jr., who at 22 is like a big brother to others, loves the youth on the team. 
“Our team is filled with young guys and we’re filled with fire,” he said. “We want to get better and want to be the best. I think that all of us being around the same age and working together is a big part of our chemistry and growth.”
GETTING DEFENSIVE 
It might take some time for Smith to settle in offensively in the NBA, but the Rockets are convinced he’ll make an immediate impact on defense. 
“He is such a gifted defensive player right now ... him as a defender is what I’m so, so excited about,” Silas said. “And that’s the thing that I’m going to really hone in on him with because as I said ... last year at the end of the season, our defense needs to be better. And he’s a big piece to that.”
STILL GROWING 
Green spent the offseason trying to add some bulk to his slim frame, proudly noting he’s “officially 182 pounds." The 6-foot-6 guard said he played at just 172 pounds as a rookie, but spent a lot of time in the weight room and hired a personal chef that had him eating four meals a day to beef up. 
Smith, meanwhile, believes he might have gotten taller since he was last measured before the draft. Listed as 6-10, Smith said both he and his father, former NBA player Jabari Smith Sr. think he might have added at least an inch. 
“I’m really curious to see if I have, but I think I have,” he said. “I feel taller.”
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Sengun, who is from Turkey, conducted his interviews in Turkish with a translator during his rookie season. On Monday, he sat down to meet the media and announced that he’d answer questions in English, with his translator there in case he needed a hand.
The center took some classes for a couple of months last year to work on his English, but he said his learning was helped much more by simply practicing with his new friends in Houston.
“I’m not a shy guy,” he said. “I’m always talking, and I can make mistakes. But that’s it doesn’t matter. I don’t care actually.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; The Houston Rockets still have a long way to go after finishing with the league&rsquo;s worst record for the last two seasons as they embarked on a complete rebuild.
This season is likely to be another tough one for this extraordinarily young team, but one of its rising stars issued a guarantee ahead of training camp.
&ldquo;This year the Houston Rockets will be better than last year,&rdquo; Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, said Monday. &ldquo;If we buy and stay together and I think the team will take off.&rdquo;
These Rockets aren&rsquo;t banking on winning a lot of games or vying for a playoff spot. What they are focused on is improvement and building toward the future.
General manager Rafael Stone made it clear that this team won&rsquo;t be one that anyone can take lightly.
&ldquo;If we are a team that is very hard to play at both ends of the court ... I think for a team like us, for a young and up-and-coming team, I think that&rsquo;s the measure of success,&rdquo; he said.
The Rockets went 20-62 last season, and just 17 the season before. They aren&rsquo;t predicted to have a much better record this year, but coach Stephen Silas needs to see growth every time his team takes the court.
&ldquo;There has to be a level of improvement,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The team that we see next Sunday against San Antonio and the way that we play is going to be different than the team that we see post-All-Star break. So having some level of patience, obviously. But there has to be steady, marked improving as the season goes on.&rdquo;
A year after opening the season with four 19-year-olds on the roster, the Rockets will again field one of the youngest teams in the league. Their training camp roster features seven players who are 20 or younger, including three starters in Green and Alperen Sengun &mdash; both 20 &mdash; and 19-year-old rookie Jabari Smith, Jr., who was the third overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft.
Kevin Porter Jr., who at 22 is like a big brother to others, loves the youth on the team.
&ldquo;Our team is filled with young guys and we&rsquo;re filled with fire,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We want to get better and want to be the best. I think that all of us being around the same age and working together is a big part of our chemistry and growth.&rdquo;
GETTING DEFENSIVE
It might take some time for Smith to settle in offensively in the NBA, but the Rockets are convinced he&rsquo;ll make an immediate impact on defense.
&ldquo;He is such a gifted defensive player right now ... him as a defender is what I&rsquo;m so, so excited about,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s the thing that I&rsquo;m going to really hone in on him with because as I said ... last year at the end of the season, our defense needs to be better. And he&rsquo;s a big piece to that.&rdquo;
STILL GROWING
Green spent the offseason trying to add some bulk to his slim frame, proudly noting he&rsquo;s &ldquo;officially 182 pounds." The 6-foot-6 guard said he played at just 172 pounds as a rookie, but spent a lot of time in the weight room and hired a personal chef that had him eating four meals a day to beef up.
Smith, meanwhile, believes he might have gotten taller since he was last measured before the draft. Listed as 6-10, Smith said both he and his father, former NBA player Jabari Smith Sr. think he might have added at least an inch.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really curious to see if I have, but I think I have,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel taller.&rdquo;
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Sengun, who is from Turkey, conducted his interviews in Turkish with a translator during his rookie season. On Monday, he sat down to meet the media and announced that he&rsquo;d answer questions in English, with his translator there in case he needed a hand.
The center took some classes for a couple of months last year to work on his English, but he said his learning was helped much more by simply practicing with his new friends in Houston.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a shy guy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always talking, and I can make mistakes. But that&rsquo;s it doesn&rsquo;t matter. I don&rsquo;t care actually.&rdquo;

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; The Houston Rockets still have a long way to go after finishing with the league&rsquo;s worst record for the last two seasons as they embarked on a complete rebuild.
This season is likely to be another tough one for this extraordinarily young team, but one of its rising stars issued a guarantee ahead of training camp.
&ldquo;This year the Houston Rockets will be better than last year,&rdquo; Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, said Monday. &ldquo;If we buy and stay together and I think the team will take off.&rdquo;
These Rockets aren&rsquo;t banking on winning a lot of games or vying for a playoff spot. What they are focused on is improvement and building toward the future.
General manager Rafael Stone made it clear that this team won&rsquo;t be one that anyone can take lightly.
&ldquo;If we are a team that is very hard to play at both ends of the court ... I think for a team like us, for a young and up-and-coming team, I think that&rsquo;s the measure of success,&rdquo; he said.
The Rockets went 20-62 last season, and just 17 the season before. They aren&rsquo;t predicted to have a much better record this year, but coach Stephen Silas needs to see growth every time his team takes the court.
&ldquo;There has to be a level of improvement,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The team that we see next Sunday against San Antonio and the way that we play is going to be different than the team that we see post-All-Star break. So having some level of patience, obviously. But there has to be steady, marked improving as the season goes on.&rdquo;
A year after opening the season with four 19-year-olds on the roster, the Rockets will again field one of the youngest teams in the league. Their training camp roster features seven players who are 20 or younger, including three starters in Green and Alperen Sengun &mdash; both 20 &mdash; and 19-year-old rookie Jabari Smith, Jr., who was the third overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft.
Kevin Porter Jr., who at 22 is like a big brother to others, loves the youth on the team.
&ldquo;Our team is filled with young guys and we&rsquo;re filled with fire,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We want to get better and want to be the best. I think that all of us being around the same age and working together is a big part of our chemistry and growth.&rdquo;
GETTING DEFENSIVE
It might take some time for Smith to settle in offensively in the NBA, but the Rockets are convinced he&rsquo;ll make an immediate impact on defense.
&ldquo;He is such a gifted defensive player right now ... him as a defender is what I&rsquo;m so, so excited about,&rdquo; Silas said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s the thing that I&rsquo;m going to really hone in on him with because as I said ... last year at the end of the season, our defense needs to be better. And he&rsquo;s a big piece to that.&rdquo;
STILL GROWING
Green spent the offseason trying to add some bulk to his slim frame, proudly noting he&rsquo;s &ldquo;officially 182 pounds." The 6-foot-6 guard said he played at just 172 pounds as a rookie, but spent a lot of time in the weight room and hired a personal chef that had him eating four meals a day to beef up.
Smith, meanwhile, believes he might have gotten taller since he was last measured before the draft. Listed as 6-10, Smith said both he and his father, former NBA player Jabari Smith Sr. think he might have added at least an inch.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really curious to see if I have, but I think I have,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel taller.&rdquo;
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Sengun, who is from Turkey, conducted his interviews in Turkish with a translator during his rookie season. On Monday, he sat down to meet the media and announced that he&rsquo;d answer questions in English, with his translator there in case he needed a hand.
The center took some classes for a couple of months last year to work on his English, but he said his learning was helped much more by simply practicing with his new friends in Houston.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a shy guy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always talking, and I can make mistakes. But that&rsquo;s it doesn&rsquo;t matter. I don&rsquo;t care actually.&rdquo;

The young Houston Rockets team is focused on improvement and building toward the future behind Jalen Green and Jabari Smith, Jr.

Young Houston Rockets focused on growth and improvement

TORONTO (AP) — The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is ready to run the offense a lot more often in his second season.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 225 pounds, is listed as a guard/forward on Toronto’s training camp roster and projects to be one of several super-sized point guards used to initiate the attack.
“I’ve always been a point guard, I always had those point guard things,” Barnes said Monday. “I feel like I can do it all, no matter what it is. I can play any position, so I don’t really try to limit myself to one position.”
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 35.4 minutes per game in his first season, starting all 74 games he played. He led NBA rookies in minutes and was third in points and rebounds.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri called the versatile Barnes “one of those players of the future.”
“I don’t know how to describe him,” Ujiri said. “I don’t know what position that guy plays. He’s one of those guys who just plays basketball and is an incredible basketball player.”
Barnes said he chose to attend Florida State because they promised to let him play point guard. Raptors coach Nick Nurse is happy to let Barnes, the fourth overall pick in 2021, keep pursuing that passion as a pro.
“He’ll get some opportunities there,” Nurse said. “He likes it. He’s kind of an organizing, pass-first type of guy. He likes the position point guard, he likes that behind his name, so we’ll see if we can develop that out a little bit.”
Another thing still in development, Ujiri acknowledged, is Toronto’s title aspirations. The 2019 champions returned to the playoffs last season after a one-year absence but fell behind 3-0 before losing a six-game series to Philadelphia in the opening round.
“Are we good enough to win a championship?,” Ujiri asked. “I don’t know that we’re there yet. Are we good enough to grow and make a jump? I think so.”
SPREADING JOY
When he’s not sharing the ball on offense, Barnes is just as likely to be sharing a chest bump or a smile. It’s a quality that makes him especially fun to play with, forward O.G. Anunoby said.
“He’s a very joyful person,” Anunoby said. “He gets excited not just for his success but for others’ success. We have a lot of guys like that but Scottie is fun to play with. Very unselfish and just a really talented player.”
PRAISE FOR PORTER
Toronto’s biggest offseason addition was forward Otto Porter Jr. The nine-year veteran left reigning champs Golden State to sign a two-year deal with Toronto. Nurse praised Porter for his shooting, his “unique rebounding ability,” and his championship acumen.
“It’s always good to have a veteran, it’s always good to have somebody that’s got a championship under their belt,” Nurse said. “I mean, the guy was starting in the NBA Finals last year. That’s pretty cool.”
SIZE MATTERS
Toronto didn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-9 last season but changed that by drafting 7-foot-1 center Christian Koloko from Arizona in the second round. Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior last season. He led the conference and ranked 14th in the NCAA with 2.76 blocks per game, and tied a Wildcats single season record with 102 blocks.
“We’ve been asking for a big and we got one,” guard Fred VanVleet said. “He can really run, he’s athletic, he really knows how to play, he listens, asks questions. We can use him if he ends up being ready. I like what I’ve seen from him so far.”
CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
The Raptors flew west Monday to hold training camp in Victoria, British Columbia. Toronto begins its preseason schedule Sunday in Edmonton, Alberta, when the Raptors face the Utah Jazz. Toronto hosts Chicago at home on Oct. 9 and concludes the exhibition schedule in Montreal with an Oct. 14 game against Boston.
“We want to feel the love of the people of Canada because we know of the support,” Ujiri said. “It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been able to do stuff like this.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is ready to run the offense a lot more often in his second season.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 225 pounds, is listed as a guard/forward on Toronto&rsquo;s training camp roster and projects to be one of several super-sized point guards used to initiate the attack.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been a point guard, I always had those point guard things,&rdquo; Barnes said Monday. &ldquo;I feel like I can do it all, no matter what it is. I can play any position, so I don&rsquo;t really try to limit myself to one position.&rdquo;
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 35.4 minutes per game in his first season, starting all 74 games he played. He led NBA rookies in minutes and was third in points and rebounds.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri called the versatile Barnes &ldquo;one of those players of the future.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to describe him,&rdquo; Ujiri said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what position that guy plays. He&rsquo;s one of those guys who just plays basketball and is an incredible basketball player.&rdquo;
Barnes said he chose to attend Florida State because they promised to let him play point guard. Raptors coach Nick Nurse is happy to let Barnes, the fourth overall pick in 2021, keep pursuing that passion as a pro.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll get some opportunities there,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;He likes it. He&rsquo;s kind of an organizing, pass-first type of guy. He likes the position point guard, he likes that behind his name, so we&rsquo;ll see if we can develop that out a little bit.&rdquo;
Another thing still in development, Ujiri acknowledged, is Toronto&rsquo;s title aspirations. The 2019 champions returned to the playoffs last season after a one-year absence but fell behind 3-0 before losing a six-game series to Philadelphia in the opening round.
&ldquo;Are we good enough to win a championship?,&rdquo; Ujiri asked. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that we&rsquo;re there yet. Are we good enough to grow and make a jump? I think so.&rdquo;
SPREADING JOY
When he&rsquo;s not sharing the ball on offense, Barnes is just as likely to be sharing a chest bump or a smile. It&rsquo;s a quality that makes him especially fun to play with, forward O.G. Anunoby said.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very joyful person,&rdquo; Anunoby said. &ldquo;He gets excited not just for his success but for others&rsquo; success. We have a lot of guys like that but Scottie is fun to play with. Very unselfish and just a really talented player.&rdquo;
PRAISE FOR PORTER
Toronto&rsquo;s biggest offseason addition was forward Otto Porter Jr. The nine-year veteran left reigning champs Golden State to sign a two-year deal with Toronto. Nurse praised Porter for his shooting, his &ldquo;unique rebounding ability,&rdquo; and his championship acumen.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to have a veteran, it&rsquo;s always good to have somebody that&rsquo;s got a championship under their belt,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;I mean, the guy was starting in the NBA Finals last year. That&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
SIZE MATTERS
Toronto didn&rsquo;t have a player taller than 6-foot-9 last season but changed that by drafting 7-foot-1 center Christian Koloko from Arizona in the second round. Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior last season. He led the conference and ranked 14th in the NCAA with 2.76 blocks per game, and tied a Wildcats single season record with 102 blocks.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been asking for a big and we got one,&rdquo; guard Fred VanVleet said. &ldquo;He can really run, he&rsquo;s athletic, he really knows how to play, he listens, asks questions. We can use him if he ends up being ready. I like what I&rsquo;ve seen from him so far.&rdquo;
CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
The Raptors flew west Monday to hold training camp in Victoria, British Columbia. Toronto begins its preseason schedule Sunday in Edmonton, Alberta, when the Raptors face the Utah Jazz. Toronto hosts Chicago at home on Oct. 9 and concludes the exhibition schedule in Montreal with an Oct. 14 game against Boston.
&ldquo;We want to feel the love of the people of Canada because we know of the support,&rdquo; Ujiri said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a couple of years since we&rsquo;ve been able to do stuff like this.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year is ready to run the offense a lot more often in his second season.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 225 pounds, is listed as a guard/forward on Toronto&rsquo;s training camp roster and projects to be one of several super-sized point guards used to initiate the attack.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been a point guard, I always had those point guard things,&rdquo; Barnes said Monday. &ldquo;I feel like I can do it all, no matter what it is. I can play any position, so I don&rsquo;t really try to limit myself to one position.&rdquo;
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 35.4 minutes per game in his first season, starting all 74 games he played. He led NBA rookies in minutes and was third in points and rebounds.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri called the versatile Barnes &ldquo;one of those players of the future.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to describe him,&rdquo; Ujiri said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what position that guy plays. He&rsquo;s one of those guys who just plays basketball and is an incredible basketball player.&rdquo;
Barnes said he chose to attend Florida State because they promised to let him play point guard. Raptors coach Nick Nurse is happy to let Barnes, the fourth overall pick in 2021, keep pursuing that passion as a pro.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll get some opportunities there,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;He likes it. He&rsquo;s kind of an organizing, pass-first type of guy. He likes the position point guard, he likes that behind his name, so we&rsquo;ll see if we can develop that out a little bit.&rdquo;
Another thing still in development, Ujiri acknowledged, is Toronto&rsquo;s title aspirations. The 2019 champions returned to the playoffs last season after a one-year absence but fell behind 3-0 before losing a six-game series to Philadelphia in the opening round.
&ldquo;Are we good enough to win a championship?,&rdquo; Ujiri asked. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that we&rsquo;re there yet. Are we good enough to grow and make a jump? I think so.&rdquo;
SPREADING JOY
When he&rsquo;s not sharing the ball on offense, Barnes is just as likely to be sharing a chest bump or a smile. It&rsquo;s a quality that makes him especially fun to play with, forward O.G. Anunoby said.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very joyful person,&rdquo; Anunoby said. &ldquo;He gets excited not just for his success but for others&rsquo; success. We have a lot of guys like that but Scottie is fun to play with. Very unselfish and just a really talented player.&rdquo;
PRAISE FOR PORTER
Toronto&rsquo;s biggest offseason addition was forward Otto Porter Jr. The nine-year veteran left reigning champs Golden State to sign a two-year deal with Toronto. Nurse praised Porter for his shooting, his &ldquo;unique rebounding ability,&rdquo; and his championship acumen.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to have a veteran, it&rsquo;s always good to have somebody that&rsquo;s got a championship under their belt,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;I mean, the guy was starting in the NBA Finals last year. That&rsquo;s pretty cool.&rdquo;
SIZE MATTERS
Toronto didn&rsquo;t have a player taller than 6-foot-9 last season but changed that by drafting 7-foot-1 center Christian Koloko from Arizona in the second round. Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior last season. He led the conference and ranked 14th in the NCAA with 2.76 blocks per game, and tied a Wildcats single season record with 102 blocks.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been asking for a big and we got one,&rdquo; guard Fred VanVleet said. &ldquo;He can really run, he&rsquo;s athletic, he really knows how to play, he listens, asks questions. We can use him if he ends up being ready. I like what I&rsquo;ve seen from him so far.&rdquo;
CROSS COUNTRY TOUR
The Raptors flew west Monday to hold training camp in Victoria, British Columbia. Toronto begins its preseason schedule Sunday in Edmonton, Alberta, when the Raptors face the Utah Jazz. Toronto hosts Chicago at home on Oct. 9 and concludes the exhibition schedule in Montreal with an Oct. 14 game against Boston.
&ldquo;We want to feel the love of the people of Canada because we know of the support,&rdquo; Ujiri said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a couple of years since we&rsquo;ve been able to do stuff like this.&rdquo;

The Toronto Raptors look to build behind "player of the future" Scottie Barnes entering the new NBA season.

Versatile Scottie Barnes is Raptors' 'player of the future'

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra’s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday — Ruby Grace, the couple’s first daughter after two sons. 
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
“PJ’s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “We’re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I’m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we’ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.”
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix’s Jae Crowder — whom Tucker replaced as Miami’s starter at that spot — will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
“We always find a way,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “That’s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ’s not with us anymore and we’ve got to learn how to adapt to that.”
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary. 
“I’m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,” Butler said. “That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.” He isn’t sure what hairstyle he’ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it’ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs — in a five-day span — in this preseason; the team’s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s — 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season. 
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: “The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You’re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I’m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.”
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven’t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he’s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA’s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he’ll do what Spoelstra wants. “Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do,” Herro said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday &mdash; Ruby Grace, the couple&rsquo;s first daughter after two sons.
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
&ldquo;PJ&rsquo;s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I&rsquo;m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we&rsquo;ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.&rdquo;
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix&rsquo;s Jae Crowder &mdash; whom Tucker replaced as Miami&rsquo;s starter at that spot &mdash; will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
&ldquo;We always find a way,&rdquo; Heat center Bam Adebayo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ&rsquo;s not with us anymore and we&rsquo;ve got to learn how to adapt to that.&rdquo;
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.&rdquo; He isn&rsquo;t sure what hairstyle he&rsquo;ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it&rsquo;ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs &mdash; in a five-day span &mdash; in this preseason; the team&rsquo;s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s &mdash; 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season.
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: &ldquo;The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You&rsquo;re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I&rsquo;m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.&rdquo;
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven&rsquo;t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he&rsquo;s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA&rsquo;s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he&rsquo;ll do what Spoelstra wants. &ldquo;Whatever they want me to do, I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Herro said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday &mdash; Ruby Grace, the couple&rsquo;s first daughter after two sons.
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
&ldquo;PJ&rsquo;s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I&rsquo;m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we&rsquo;ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.&rdquo;
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix&rsquo;s Jae Crowder &mdash; whom Tucker replaced as Miami&rsquo;s starter at that spot &mdash; will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
&ldquo;We always find a way,&rdquo; Heat center Bam Adebayo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ&rsquo;s not with us anymore and we&rsquo;ve got to learn how to adapt to that.&rdquo;
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.&rdquo; He isn&rsquo;t sure what hairstyle he&rsquo;ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it&rsquo;ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs &mdash; in a five-day span &mdash; in this preseason; the team&rsquo;s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s &mdash; 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season.
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: &ldquo;The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You&rsquo;re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I&rsquo;m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.&rdquo;
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven&rsquo;t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he&rsquo;s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA&rsquo;s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he&rsquo;ll do what Spoelstra wants. &ldquo;Whatever they want me to do, I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Herro said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday &mdash; Ruby Grace, the couple&rsquo;s first daughter after two sons.
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
&ldquo;PJ&rsquo;s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I&rsquo;m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we&rsquo;ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.&rdquo;
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix&rsquo;s Jae Crowder &mdash; whom Tucker replaced as Miami&rsquo;s starter at that spot &mdash; will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
&ldquo;We always find a way,&rdquo; Heat center Bam Adebayo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ&rsquo;s not with us anymore and we&rsquo;ve got to learn how to adapt to that.&rdquo;
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.&rdquo; He isn&rsquo;t sure what hairstyle he&rsquo;ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it&rsquo;ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs &mdash; in a five-day span &mdash; in this preseason; the team&rsquo;s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s &mdash; 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season.
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: &ldquo;The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You&rsquo;re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I&rsquo;m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.&rdquo;
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven&rsquo;t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he&rsquo;s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA&rsquo;s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he&rsquo;ll do what Spoelstra wants. &ldquo;Whatever they want me to do, I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Herro said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday &mdash; Ruby Grace, the couple&rsquo;s first daughter after two sons.
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
&ldquo;PJ&rsquo;s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I&rsquo;m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we&rsquo;ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.&rdquo;
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix&rsquo;s Jae Crowder &mdash; whom Tucker replaced as Miami&rsquo;s starter at that spot &mdash; will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
&ldquo;We always find a way,&rdquo; Heat center Bam Adebayo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ&rsquo;s not with us anymore and we&rsquo;ve got to learn how to adapt to that.&rdquo;
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.&rdquo; He isn&rsquo;t sure what hairstyle he&rsquo;ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it&rsquo;ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs &mdash; in a five-day span &mdash; in this preseason; the team&rsquo;s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s &mdash; 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season.
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: &ldquo;The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You&rsquo;re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I&rsquo;m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.&rdquo;
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven&rsquo;t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he&rsquo;s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA&rsquo;s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he&rsquo;ll do what Spoelstra wants. &ldquo;Whatever they want me to do, I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Herro said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s chair remained vacant at Heat media day on Monday, for the best possible reason.
His family roster is growing.
Spoelstra and his wife Nikki welcomed their third child into the world Monday &mdash; Ruby Grace, the couple&rsquo;s first daughter after two sons.
That's one of the few lineup changes for the Heat in the last few months, with the team having its eight top scorers in terms of total points and all but one of its regular rotation players from a year ago back this season.
The exception: PJ Tucker, who signed a three-year deal with Philadelphia.
&ldquo;PJ&rsquo;s a traitor. I tell him every single day, but I love that guy,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re back at Square One, you know. New season, new year. I&rsquo;m excited. I know the guys are excited. We look around this locker room as we keep in touch over the summer, and we&rsquo;ll find a way to get done what we want to get done.&rdquo;
Finding Tucker's replacement at starting power forward is the primary task for the Heat before opening night. Phoenix&rsquo;s Jae Crowder &mdash; whom Tucker replaced as Miami&rsquo;s starter at that spot &mdash; will not be with the Suns for training camp and wants a trade, so it makes sense to think that the Heat would see if making a move there is possible. Miami also re-signed forward Caleb Martin, who enters camp as perhaps the frontrunner for that job.
Otherwise, camp and preseason will allow the Heat the chance to largely pick up where they left off last season. They claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to Game 7 of the conference finals, falling to Boston at home.
&ldquo;We always find a way,&rdquo; Heat center Bam Adebayo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Miami Heat way. ... No excuses. PJ&rsquo;s not with us anymore and we&rsquo;ve got to learn how to adapt to that.&rdquo;
CAMP TRIP
The first road trip of the season awaits before the first practice. Miami was flying to Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday afternoon to start training camp there Tuesday. Spoelstra is expected to join the team there sometime before Wednesday, though he was expected to miss the first practice session. Miami is planning to practice on the island through Saturday, with the final session being open to invited guests and kids from the Bahamas Youth Basketball Federation.
HAIR TODAY, GONE SOON
Butler has been experimenting with different hairstyles all summer, keeping the world apprised on Instagram while he toured parts of the world while on vacation and doing research for his Big Face Coffee brand. He arrived Monday with long braids, which are temporary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just messing with stuff to make the Internet mad,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;That was my goal this summer. And it worked. Thank you.&rdquo; He isn&rsquo;t sure what hairstyle he&rsquo;ll have when the season starts.
BACK-TO-BACK
Spoelstra has always been a proponent of back-to-back games during the preseason, in part to simulate the routine for when it&rsquo;ll happen during the regular season. Miami technically has two back-to-backs &mdash; in a five-day span &mdash; in this preseason; the team&rsquo;s open scrimmage game is Oct. 3 followed by the preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 4, and then comes a trip to Brooklyn on Oct. 6 and Memphis on Oct. 7.
AGE GAP
The Heat preseason roster has a teenager (Nikola Jovic, 19), 14 players in their 20s, four players in their 30s and one player in his 40s &mdash; 42-year-old Udonis Haslem, back for his 20th and presumably final season.
Butler explained why the Heat still value having Haslem in uniform: &ldquo;The No. 1 thing that he brings is legit, like real, real leadership and what it means to really be Miami in every single way. You&rsquo;re talking from the Miami Dolphins, to the Marlins, to the Heat. He went to Florida but I&rsquo;m pretty sure he likes the Hurricanes too. He just loves Miami through and through.&rdquo;
HERRO EXTENSION
The Heat and guard Tyler Herro haven&rsquo;t agreed yet on an extension; he remains eligible for one, but said he&rsquo;s not thinking about it entering camp. The NBA&rsquo;s reigning sixth man of the year also is hoping to be a starter this season, though insisted he&rsquo;ll do what Spoelstra wants. &ldquo;Whatever they want me to do, I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Herro said.
&nbsp;

The Miami Heat hope to pick up where they left off last season as they start training camp for the 2022-23 NBA season.

Heat gather for training camp, with roster largely intact

CANTON, Mass. (AP) — The Celtics were supposed to enter the preseason as one of the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference on the heels of their surprise run to the NBA Finals under rookie head coach Ime Udoka. 
That was before Udoka was suspended for the upcoming season following a monthslong investigation by an external law firm that found multiple violations of team policies for what sources told The Associated Press involve an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization. 
The task of holding together the team and capitalizing on Boston’s championship window has falls to interim coach Joe Mazzulla, a 34-year-old rising assistant who was a candidate to land the Utah Jazz’s coaching job. 
He’s had barely 72 hours to balance both learning of Udoka’s suspension and being handed a dream opportunity, but Mazzulla said he will take his time giving people time to “feel and heal” as the team prepares to open training camp on Tuesday. 
“You can’t rush trust. You can’t rush healing. You can’t rush any of that,” he said to a packed room at Celtics media day on Monday. “Regardless of what has happened, we have a great roster and we have a great opportunity. That’s what I have to focus on.” 
Mazzulla has been a Celtics assistant for two seasons. As a college player, he led West Virginia to a victory in the 2007 NIT and an upset over ninth-ranked Duke in the next year’s NCAA tournament. His only head coaching experience was a two-year stint from 2017-19 at Division II Fairmont State in West Virginia. 
He will take charge of a Celtics roster that features only one player, 36-year-old Al Horford, his senior. Free agent acquisition Danillo Gallinari is the next closest in age — five weeks younger than Mazzulla. 
But what Mazzulla lacks in time on the bench, he makes up for in endorsements from a roster full of players who beckoned Brad Stevens to keep his former assistant around following Stevens’ promotion to president of basketball operations. 
Those same players remain adamant that Mazzulla can not only lead this team through difficult circumstances but also guide it back to the NBA Finals and another shot at a championship. 
They also acknowledged their emotions remain all over the place, having found out about the Udoka news on social media before getting basic information from the team that didn’t amount to much more than was shared publicly. None of the players who addressed the media Monday said they had spoken with Udoka since his suspension was announced. 
While they understand the privacy constraints that team officials are under, veteran Marcus Smart summed up the past handful of days this way: “It’s been hell for us.” 
Jaylen Brown said he’s trying to remain optimistic as he digests everything. 
“I believe in Joe. Joe believes in me. I’ve had conversations with him. I don’t think he sees a limit," he said. "I think he’s coming in excited. So I’m optimistic.” 
Mazzulla said his plan is to build on the foundation and culture already established and not try to shake things up too much. 
All-Star Jayson Tatum said the fact that Mazzulla was so intricately involved from a basketball standpoint in helping the Celtics make the on-court jump they did under Udoka is key. 
“It’s somebody we’re comfortable with over the past three or four years,” Tatum said. “Same person, just in a different position now. But somebody we’re familiar with and have a lot of respect for.” 
But Brown also acknowledged that the abrupt disclosure of Udoka’s suspension and the minimal details will loom as camp gets underway. 
“It definitely puts your leadership to the test. Not just mine, but all of ours,” Brown said. “We’ll see. Obviously things haven’t gone the way we expected, but that’s life. The best thing you can do is move on.” 
For now, Mazzulla said he will look to foster a spirit of collaboration. 
“I think we have to do this together,” he said. “I don’t think we need to speed up decisions or speed up identity. I think we have to be patient. We have to rely on the foundations that we built as far as relationships. And the foundations and habits that we built on the basketball court, because they’re successful.” 
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CANTON, Mass. (AP) &mdash; The Celtics were supposed to enter the preseason as one of the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference on the heels of their surprise run to the NBA Finals under rookie head coach Ime Udoka.
That was before Udoka was suspended for the upcoming season following a monthslong investigation by an external law firm that found multiple violations of team policies for what sources told The Associated Press involve an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
The task of holding together the team and capitalizing on Boston&rsquo;s championship window has falls to interim coach Joe Mazzulla, a 34-year-old rising assistant who was a candidate to land the Utah Jazz&rsquo;s coaching job.
He&rsquo;s had barely 72 hours to balance both learning of Udoka&rsquo;s suspension and being handed a dream opportunity, but Mazzulla said he will take his time giving people time to &ldquo;feel and heal&rdquo; as the team prepares to open training camp on Tuesday.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t rush trust. You can&rsquo;t rush healing. You can&rsquo;t rush any of that,&rdquo; he said to a packed room at Celtics media day on Monday. &ldquo;Regardless of what has happened, we have a great roster and we have a great opportunity. That&rsquo;s what I have to focus on.&rdquo;
Mazzulla has been a Celtics assistant for two seasons. As a college player, he led West Virginia to a victory in the 2007 NIT and an upset over ninth-ranked Duke in the next year&rsquo;s NCAA tournament. His only head coaching experience was a two-year stint from 2017-19 at Division II Fairmont State in West Virginia.
He will take charge of a Celtics roster that features only one player, 36-year-old Al Horford, his senior. Free agent acquisition Danillo Gallinari is the next closest in age &mdash; five weeks younger than Mazzulla.
But what Mazzulla lacks in time on the bench, he makes up for in endorsements from a roster full of players who beckoned Brad Stevens to keep his former assistant around following Stevens&rsquo; promotion to president of basketball operations.
Those same players remain adamant that Mazzulla can not only lead this team through difficult circumstances but also guide it back to the NBA Finals and another shot at a championship.
They also acknowledged their emotions remain all over the place, having found out about the Udoka news on social media before getting basic information from the team that didn&rsquo;t amount to much more than was shared publicly. None of the players who addressed the media Monday said they had spoken with Udoka since his suspension was announced.
While they understand the privacy constraints that team officials are under, veteran Marcus Smart summed up the past handful of days this way: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been hell for us.&rdquo;
Jaylen Brown said he&rsquo;s trying to remain optimistic as he digests everything.
&ldquo;I believe in Joe. Joe believes in me. I&rsquo;ve had conversations with him. I don&rsquo;t think he sees a limit," he said. "I think he&rsquo;s coming in excited. So I&rsquo;m optimistic.&rdquo;
Mazzulla said his plan is to build on the foundation and culture already established and not try to shake things up too much.
All-Star Jayson Tatum said the fact that Mazzulla was so intricately involved from a basketball standpoint in helping the Celtics make the on-court jump they did under Udoka is key.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s somebody we&rsquo;re comfortable with over the past three or four years,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;Same person, just in a different position now. But somebody we&rsquo;re familiar with and have a lot of respect for.&rdquo;
But Brown also acknowledged that the abrupt disclosure of Udoka&rsquo;s suspension and the minimal details will loom as camp gets underway.
&ldquo;It definitely puts your leadership to the test. Not just mine, but all of ours,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see. Obviously things haven&rsquo;t gone the way we expected, but that&rsquo;s life. The best thing you can do is move on.&rdquo;
For now, Mazzulla said he will look to foster a spirit of collaboration.
&ldquo;I think we have to do this together,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we need to speed up decisions or speed up identity. I think we have to be patient. We have to rely on the foundations that we built as far as relationships. And the foundations and habits that we built on the basketball court, because they&rsquo;re successful.&rdquo;

New Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla hopes to earn trust over time with a team entering the new NBA season as one of the favorites.

Mazzulla: Celtics 'can't rush trust' in wake of Udoka ban

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Every Orlando Magic locker inside the newly built AdventHealth Training Center comes with its own walk-in closet. The facility has nap rooms, floatation pods, an outdoor grilling area, a heated indoor pool, an area that provides players with three meals a day, a game room and so much more.
They’ve built a palace.
And now, the Magic start the process of building a team.
Like most clubs in the NBA, training camp for the Magic starts Tuesday in Orlando — where internal expectations are high despite the reality that external expectations will be considerably different.
“When you have something like this to come into every day, obviously, it puts you in a better place to get your work done,” Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “We’ve spared no expense. We’ve spared no thought to detail. But organizationally, what it really does is communicate the level of excellence we hope to achieve here.”
It’s not just the building, of course, that gives the Magic hope. No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, who was impressive in his two Summer League games at Las Vegas, is the new centerpiece of Orlando’s plans to become a winner again.
“Day One of my career,” Banchero said of Tuesday’s looming first training camp practice. “It’s definitely going to be a memory and I’m definitely excited.”
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley looked around the building Monday — it has been finished for a few weeks, though some final-final touches are getting completed now — and beamed. The main playing area has two full courts side-by-side, with two more baskets along another wall near the massive weight room.
There are also eight banners on the wall — two Eastern Conference title ones, six others for division titles. Tuesday starts the process of trying to add to that collection.
“I think it’s going to be hard to get these guys out of here, which is exactly what you want,” Mosley said. “Now, we won’t have to sit down and have to watch film with them all the time. But they’ll be able to enjoy this and be around each other, which continues to provide that chemistry that this team already has.”
INJURY WATCH
Markelle Fultz (broken toe) will miss the entirety of training camp, as will Gary Harris (torn meniscus). Jonathan Isaac, who has appeared in only two games — out of a possible 198 — since Jan. 1, 2020 because of knee injuries, is participating in some individual work and 1-on-1 but isn’t ready for full-on practicing. He said he has no doubt that he will be ready to play at some point this season, hopefully sooner than later.
BACK TO 5
Banchero wore No. 5 at Duke, and he’s wearing it again with the Magic. Orlando center Mo Bamba happily switched from No. 5 to No. 11 to make that happen, and said no negotiations were necessary. He wanted Banchero to have his customary number.
NO CHANGES
Hurricane Ian is moving toward Florida and is projected to impact the Central Florida area — meaning Orlando — but there are no plans yet for camp to be interrupted or practice plans to be adjusted. Forecasters say the Orlando area may get 4-8 inches of rain in the next few days with some tropical storm-level wind gusts (39 mph to 73 mph). The storm’s projected track suggests that other parts of Florida will experience worse conditions than what is forecast for the Orlando area.
TOBACCO ROAD
Magic guard Cole Anthony played at North Carolina. Banchero played at Duke. This will inevitably lead to trash talking between the two teammates, though Anthony revealed that he has yet to point out to Banchero that the Tar Heels went 2-1 against the Blue Devils last season — with the wins coming in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and then his final game on the Duke sideline after North Carolina prevailed over its rival at the Final Four. “I haven’t said anything, but it feels like an obligation at this point,” Anthony said.
MULTISPORT THREAT
Magic forward Franz Wagner arrived for camp after a great summer of EuroBasket play for his native Germany, where soccer is extremely popular. So when he was posing for photos at Media Day, someone asked him to show some soccer footwork with a basketball. Wagner asked for a soccer ball instead and put on quite a juggling show. “I’m the best soccer player in the building, I’ll tell you right now,” Wagner said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Every Orlando Magic locker inside the newly built AdventHealth Training Center comes with its own walk-in closet. The facility has nap rooms, floatation pods, an outdoor grilling area, a heated indoor pool, an area that provides players with three meals a day, a game room and so much more.
They&rsquo;ve built a palace.
And now, the Magic start the process of building a team.
Like most clubs in the NBA, training camp for the Magic starts Tuesday in Orlando &mdash; where internal expectations are high despite the reality that external expectations will be considerably different.
&ldquo;When you have something like this to come into every day, obviously, it puts you in a better place to get your work done,&rdquo; Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve spared no expense. We&rsquo;ve spared no thought to detail. But organizationally, what it really does is communicate the level of excellence we hope to achieve here.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not just the building, of course, that gives the Magic hope. No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, who was impressive in his two Summer League games at Las Vegas, is the new centerpiece of Orlando&rsquo;s plans to become a winner again.
&ldquo;Day One of my career,&rdquo; Banchero said of Tuesday&rsquo;s looming first training camp practice. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely going to be a memory and I&rsquo;m definitely excited.&rdquo;
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley looked around the building Monday &mdash; it has been finished for a few weeks, though some final-final touches are getting completed now &mdash; and beamed. The main playing area has two full courts side-by-side, with two more baskets along another wall near the massive weight room.
There are also eight banners on the wall &mdash; two Eastern Conference title ones, six others for division titles. Tuesday starts the process of trying to add to that collection.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to be hard to get these guys out of here, which is exactly what you want,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;Now, we won&rsquo;t have to sit down and have to watch film with them all the time. But they&rsquo;ll be able to enjoy this and be around each other, which continues to provide that chemistry that this team already has.&rdquo;
INJURY WATCH
Markelle Fultz (broken toe) will miss the entirety of training camp, as will Gary Harris (torn meniscus). Jonathan Isaac, who has appeared in only two games &mdash; out of a possible 198 &mdash; since Jan. 1, 2020 because of knee injuries, is participating in some individual work and 1-on-1 but isn&rsquo;t ready for full-on practicing. He said he has no doubt that he will be ready to play at some point this season, hopefully sooner than later.
BACK TO 5
Banchero wore No. 5 at Duke, and he&rsquo;s wearing it again with the Magic. Orlando center Mo Bamba happily switched from No. 5 to No. 11 to make that happen, and said no negotiations were necessary. He wanted Banchero to have his customary number.
NO CHANGES
Hurricane Ian is moving toward Florida and is projected to impact the Central Florida area &mdash; meaning Orlando &mdash; but there are no plans yet for camp to be interrupted or practice plans to be adjusted. Forecasters say the Orlando area may get 4-8 inches of rain in the next few days with some tropical storm-level wind gusts (39 mph to 73 mph). The storm&rsquo;s projected track suggests that other parts of Florida will experience worse conditions than what is forecast for the Orlando area.
TOBACCO ROAD
Magic guard Cole Anthony played at North Carolina. Banchero played at Duke. This will inevitably lead to trash talking between the two teammates, though Anthony revealed that he has yet to point out to Banchero that the Tar Heels went 2-1 against the Blue Devils last season &mdash; with the wins coming in Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and then his final game on the Duke sideline after North Carolina prevailed over its rival at the Final Four. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t said anything, but it feels like an obligation at this point,&rdquo; Anthony said.
MULTISPORT THREAT
Magic forward Franz Wagner arrived for camp after a great summer of EuroBasket play for his native Germany, where soccer is extremely popular. So when he was posing for photos at Media Day, someone asked him to show some soccer footwork with a basketball. Wagner asked for a soccer ball instead and put on quite a juggling show. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the best soccer player in the building, I&rsquo;ll tell you right now,&rdquo; Wagner said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Every Orlando Magic locker inside the newly built AdventHealth Training Center comes with its own walk-in closet. The facility has nap rooms, floatation pods, an outdoor grilling area, a heated indoor pool, an area that provides players with three meals a day, a game room and so much more.
They&rsquo;ve built a palace.
And now, the Magic start the process of building a team.
Like most clubs in the NBA, training camp for the Magic starts Tuesday in Orlando &mdash; where internal expectations are high despite the reality that external expectations will be considerably different.
&ldquo;When you have something like this to come into every day, obviously, it puts you in a better place to get your work done,&rdquo; Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve spared no expense. We&rsquo;ve spared no thought to detail. But organizationally, what it really does is communicate the level of excellence we hope to achieve here.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not just the building, of course, that gives the Magic hope. No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, who was impressive in his two Summer League games at Las Vegas, is the new centerpiece of Orlando&rsquo;s plans to become a winner again.
&ldquo;Day One of my career,&rdquo; Banchero said of Tuesday&rsquo;s looming first training camp practice. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely going to be a memory and I&rsquo;m definitely excited.&rdquo;
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley looked around the building Monday &mdash; it has been finished for a few weeks, though some final-final touches are getting completed now &mdash; and beamed. The main playing area has two full courts side-by-side, with two more baskets along another wall near the massive weight room.
There are also eight banners on the wall &mdash; two Eastern Conference title ones, six others for division titles. Tuesday starts the process of trying to add to that collection.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s going to be hard to get these guys out of here, which is exactly what you want,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;Now, we won&rsquo;t have to sit down and have to watch film with them all the time. But they&rsquo;ll be able to enjoy this and be around each other, which continues to provide that chemistry that this team already has.&rdquo;
INJURY WATCH
Markelle Fultz (broken toe) will miss the entirety of training camp, as will Gary Harris (torn meniscus). Jonathan Isaac, who has appeared in only two games &mdash; out of a possible 198 &mdash; since Jan. 1, 2020 because of knee injuries, is participating in some individual work and 1-on-1 but isn&rsquo;t ready for full-on practicing. He said he has no doubt that he will be ready to play at some point this season, hopefully sooner than later.
BACK TO 5
Banchero wore No. 5 at Duke, and he&rsquo;s wearing it again with the Magic. Orlando center Mo Bamba happily switched from No. 5 to No. 11 to make that happen, and said no negotiations were necessary. He wanted Banchero to have his customary number.
NO CHANGES
Hurricane Ian is moving toward Florida and is projected to impact the Central Florida area &mdash; meaning Orlando &mdash; but there are no plans yet for camp to be interrupted or practice plans to be adjusted. Forecasters say the Orlando area may get 4-8 inches of rain in the next few days with some tropical storm-level wind gusts (39 mph to 73 mph). The storm&rsquo;s projected track suggests that other parts of Florida will experience worse conditions than what is forecast for the Orlando area.
TOBACCO ROAD
Magic guard Cole Anthony played at North Carolina. Banchero played at Duke. This will inevitably lead to trash talking between the two teammates, though Anthony revealed that he has yet to point out to Banchero that the Tar Heels went 2-1 against the Blue Devils last season &mdash; with the wins coming in Mike Krzyzewski&rsquo;s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and then his final game on the Duke sideline after North Carolina prevailed over its rival at the Final Four. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t said anything, but it feels like an obligation at this point,&rdquo; Anthony said.
MULTISPORT THREAT
Magic forward Franz Wagner arrived for camp after a great summer of EuroBasket play for his native Germany, where soccer is extremely popular. So when he was posing for photos at Media Day, someone asked him to show some soccer footwork with a basketball. Wagner asked for a soccer ball instead and put on quite a juggling show. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the best soccer player in the building, I&rsquo;ll tell you right now,&rdquo; Wagner said.

With a new training center and a potential superstar in Paolo Banchero, the Orlando Magic are hoping to build something special.

Magic build a new facility, now try to build a winner

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — James Harden leaned into a microphone and deadpanned that he lost 100 pounds over the summer. Joel Embiid’s summer vacation — at least, according to the NBA scoring champion — was spent entirely in bed.
And what of that NBA investigation into the Philadelphia 76ers for possible tampering in offseason free-agency moves?
“The league office does an amazing job,” basketball President Daryl Morey said.
Well, that seems settled.
But for a franchise that has seen a smattering of tumultuous issues and confusing players over the last decade, the 76ers enter the season at peace. The Sixers enter training camp this week at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, without a significant injury or a holdout or a trade demand or any kind of distraction that could derail them from a serious championship run.
Harden has snapped out of the “tough times, lot of dark moments” that plagued him the last couple of seasons as he dealt with injuries. Embiid is recovered from hand injuries that cost him playoff games. 
“I believe this, this is the best talent I’ve had since I’ve been here,” third-year 76ers coach Doc Rivers said at team headquarters in New Jersey.
Harden and Embiid can make a dominant pair. And Tyrese Maxey flashes smiles as wide as his potential, seemingly on the brink of a breakout season. 
After the Sixers were eliminated in the second round by the Heat, Embiid said they needed more tough guys like P.J. Tucker. So Morey signed him away from Miami on a three-year deal. Tucker, though, did say Monday he underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee about six weeks ago but was already cleared to return. 
Harden, officially listed at 220 pounds, does look more in shape and doesn't have the hamstring issues that bothered him for parts of last season. The 33-year-old is starting his first full season with the 76ers, and credits his physique transformation to a healthy diet, proper rest, strengthening his muscles and summer workouts with his teammates in Los Angeles. 
And, yes, Embiid shook out of his so-called summer slumber and joined the pickup sessions.
“We know what we’ve got to do,” Embiid said. “We kind of know what it takes to win, so we’ve got to go out there and do it.”
Harden’s return triggered the only minor hiccup in the offseason. The 10-time All-Star declined his $47.4 million player option, instead agreeing to a new two-year deal that will pay him $32 million in 2022-23. Harden said his decision was meant to give the 76ers the flexibility they needed to go after other players, such as Tucker and Danuel House.
“Thanks to James for what he did. Without him it would not be possible, all these additions,” Embiid said.
So did Harden actually encourage the new teammates to join the 76ers?
“The role he played was nothing because he didn’t really call me,” House said.
The Sixers also added backup center Montrezl Harrell, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-2020. Again, Harrell said he made up his mind to join the Sixers without any input from Harden.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man," Harrell said. "I think that’s called tampering.”
Mum’s the word these days in Philly, including from Harden about his mental state from dealing with injuries.
“You want me to tell you how I was feeling,” Harden asked. “I don’t want to tell you how I was feeling.”
But he was honest about what he wants to achieve in Philly.
“Win as many as championship as I can,” he said.
__
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) &mdash; James Harden leaned into a microphone and deadpanned that he lost 100 pounds over the summer. Joel Embiid&rsquo;s summer vacation &mdash; at least, according to the NBA scoring champion &mdash; was spent entirely in bed.
And what of that NBA investigation into the Philadelphia 76ers for possible tampering in offseason free-agency moves?
&ldquo;The league office does an amazing job,&rdquo; basketball President Daryl Morey said.
Well, that seems settled.
But for a franchise that has seen a smattering of tumultuous issues and confusing players over the last decade, the 76ers enter the season at peace. The Sixers enter training camp this week at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, without a significant injury or a holdout or a trade demand or any kind of distraction that could derail them from a serious championship run.
Harden has snapped out of the &ldquo;tough times, lot of dark moments&rdquo; that plagued him the last couple of seasons as he dealt with injuries. Embiid is recovered from hand injuries that cost him playoff games.
&ldquo;I believe this, this is the best talent I&rsquo;ve had since I&rsquo;ve been here,&rdquo; third-year 76ers coach Doc Rivers said at team headquarters in New Jersey.
Harden and Embiid can make a dominant pair. And Tyrese Maxey flashes smiles as wide as his potential, seemingly on the brink of a breakout season.
After the Sixers were eliminated in the second round by the Heat, Embiid said they needed more tough guys like P.J. Tucker. So Morey signed him away from Miami on a three-year deal. Tucker, though, did say Monday he underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee about six weeks ago but was already cleared to return.
Harden, officially listed at 220 pounds, does look more in shape and doesn't have the hamstring issues that bothered him for parts of last season. The 33-year-old is starting his first full season with the 76ers, and credits his physique transformation to a healthy diet, proper rest, strengthening his muscles and summer workouts with his teammates in Los Angeles.
And, yes, Embiid shook out of his so-called summer slumber and joined the pickup sessions.
&ldquo;We know what we&rsquo;ve got to do,&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;We kind of know what it takes to win, so we&rsquo;ve got to go out there and do it.&rdquo;
Harden&rsquo;s return triggered the only minor hiccup in the offseason. The 10-time All-Star declined his $47.4 million player option, instead agreeing to a new two-year deal that will pay him $32 million in 2022-23. Harden said his decision was meant to give the 76ers the flexibility they needed to go after other players, such as Tucker and Danuel House.
&ldquo;Thanks to James for what he did. Without him it would not be possible, all these additions,&rdquo; Embiid said.
So did Harden actually encourage the new teammates to join the 76ers?
&ldquo;The role he played was nothing because he didn&rsquo;t really call me,&rdquo; House said.
The Sixers also added backup center Montrezl Harrell, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-2020. Again, Harrell said he made up his mind to join the Sixers without any input from Harden.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what you&rsquo;re talking about, man," Harrell said. "I think that&rsquo;s called tampering.&rdquo;
Mum&rsquo;s the word these days in Philly, including from Harden about his mental state from dealing with injuries.
&ldquo;You want me to tell you how I was feeling,&rdquo; Harden asked. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to tell you how I was feeling.&rdquo;
But he was honest about what he wants to achieve in Philly.
&ldquo;Win as many as championship as I can,&rdquo; he said.

Both James Harden and Joel Embiid enter the new NBA season healthy, giving the Philadelphia 76ers hopes for a championship.

76ers' Harden, Embiid healthy, happy and chasing a title

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry's bright-colored “Sour Patch” <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1574160750431461378">sneakers squeaked loudly announcing his media day</a> arrival. He then took his spot, tucked in that iconic No. 30 jersey and posed with all of his championship hardware.
A trophy on either side of him, his elbows propped on the other two.
The two-time MVP is showing that his swagger is as strong as ever heading into his 14th NBA season.
“That championship glow is real,” Curry said with a smile.
The Golden State star and reigning NBA Finals MVP will turn 35 this season and is still at the top of his game, ready to lead another championship run as the Warriors seek to repeat.
He certainly doesn't take any of this success for granted, knowing how hard it is each season to get back to the top — even when Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo calls him “the best player in the world.”
“And embracing it. My 14th year. I feel fresh and prime, ready to go,” Curry said Sunday. “I feel like in my head still getting better, trying to feed off that. Understand it’s a long journey and we are doing some defensive strategy and stuff like that yesterday, and it kind of felt for a second we were still preparing for the Celtics and the finals series because it didn’t feel like that long ago.” 
Except for the fact this season he will have Splash Brother Klay Thompson alongside him from the opening tip for the defending NBA champions, who depart the Bay Area on Tuesday for Tokyo to face the Washington Wizards in a pair of preseason games Friday and Saturday in Saitama, Japan.
Thompson returned Jan. 9 from an absence of more than 2 1/2 years following a pair of devastating injuries. The 32-year-old Thompson hadn’t played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals as Toronto clinched the championship. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.
“I’m hungry as ever still because I still remember those two years I had to watch. I’m eager to play a full season and show people what I’m capable of again,” Thompson said.
Curry cherished another shorter offseason in which a highlight was going back to Davidson College to celebrate his graduation and coach Bob McKillop’s retirement after a 33-year career at the school.
“Obviously you enjoy the offseason and know all the work you’ve put in over the course of your career and especially the last three years,” Curry said. “To get back there was meaningful, and you embrace it and appreciate it. Appreciate the vibe you’ve built with the new-look team built on the core, the guys that have been around the block.
“Very excited about what it means coming into this season trying to defend, knowing there will be new challenges for everybody as a team and everybody individually.”
Draymond Green warned of the “championship hangover” and how he will strive to keep Golden State from becoming complacent. 
One big key in that effort: Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, 38, is expected to sign and arrive Monday ahead of the trip.
“We are all so proud of what we accomplished last year, but that’s in the past,” Thompson said. “The greats stay hungry, and we all have our motivations for why we want to win another one."
Both Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins said they haven't spent added energy worrying about their unsettled contract situations.
“I really haven't been paying attention too often,” Poole said of landing an extension.
Green, who along with Curry, Iguodala and Thompson are the core and have been around for each of the finals runs dating to the 2015 championship, doesn't expect to secure a new deal himself before the season.
“I don’t think it will happen," he said. “And so for me, I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, I know I’m capable of being, and winning another championship and reaching my individual goals.” 
Big man Kevon Looney hopes to play all 82 games again after becoming one of just five to do so last season — if the training staff approves, of course. 
“That's the goal,” he said. “As long as I feel good, make it happen.”
When told of Looney's goal, Thompson could only ponder that in amazement.
“Does he, back-to-back?," Thompson said. "Crazy.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry's bright-colored &ldquo;Sour Patch&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1574160750431461378">sneakers squeaked loudly announcing his media day</a> arrival. He then took his spot, tucked in that iconic No. 30 jersey and posed with all of his championship hardware.
A trophy on either side of him, his elbows propped on the other two.
The two-time MVP is showing that his swagger is as strong as ever heading into his 14th NBA season.
&ldquo;That championship glow is real,&rdquo; Curry said with a smile.
The Golden State star and reigning NBA Finals MVP will turn 35 this season and is still at the top of his game, ready to lead another championship run as the Warriors seek to repeat.
He certainly doesn't take any of this success for granted, knowing how hard it is each season to get back to the top &mdash; even when Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo calls him &ldquo;the best player in the world.&rdquo;
&ldquo;And embracing it. My 14th year. I feel fresh and prime, ready to go,&rdquo; Curry said Sunday. &ldquo;I feel like in my head still getting better, trying to feed off that. Understand it&rsquo;s a long journey and we are doing some defensive strategy and stuff like that yesterday, and it kind of felt for a second we were still preparing for the Celtics and the finals series because it didn&rsquo;t feel like that long ago.&rdquo;
Except for the fact this season he will have Splash Brother Klay Thompson alongside him from the opening tip for the defending NBA champions, who depart the Bay Area on Tuesday for Tokyo to face the Washington Wizards in a pair of preseason games Friday and Saturday in Saitama, Japan.
Thompson returned Jan. 9 from an absence of more than 2 1/2 years following a pair of devastating injuries. The 32-year-old Thompson hadn&rsquo;t played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals as Toronto clinched the championship. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m hungry as ever still because I still remember those two years I had to watch. I&rsquo;m eager to play a full season and show people what I&rsquo;m capable of again,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Curry cherished another shorter offseason in which a highlight was going back to Davidson College to celebrate his graduation and coach Bob McKillop&rsquo;s retirement after a 33-year career at the school.
&ldquo;Obviously you enjoy the offseason and know all the work you&rsquo;ve put in over the course of your career and especially the last three years,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;To get back there was meaningful, and you embrace it and appreciate it. Appreciate the vibe you&rsquo;ve built with the new-look team built on the core, the guys that have been around the block.
&ldquo;Very excited about what it means coming into this season trying to defend, knowing there will be new challenges for everybody as a team and everybody individually.&rdquo;
Draymond Green warned of the &ldquo;championship hangover&rdquo; and how he will strive to keep Golden State from becoming complacent.
One big key in that effort: Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, 38, is expected to sign and arrive Monday ahead of the trip.
&ldquo;We are all so proud of what we accomplished last year, but that&rsquo;s in the past,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;The greats stay hungry, and we all have our motivations for why we want to win another one."
Both Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins said they haven't spent added energy worrying about their unsettled contract situations.
&ldquo;I really haven't been paying attention too often,&rdquo; Poole said of landing an extension.
Green, who along with Curry, Iguodala and Thompson are the core and have been around for each of the finals runs dating to the 2015 championship, doesn't expect to secure a new deal himself before the season.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it will happen," he said. &ldquo;And so for me, I&rsquo;m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, I know I&rsquo;m capable of being, and winning another championship and reaching my individual goals.&rdquo;
Big man Kevon Looney hopes to play all 82 games again after becoming one of just five to do so last season &mdash; if the training staff approves, of course.
&ldquo;That's the goal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As long as I feel good, make it happen.&rdquo;
When told of Looney's goal, Thompson could only ponder that in amazement.
&ldquo;Does he, back-to-back?," Thompson said. "Crazy.&rdquo;

The Golden State Warriors are thinking back-to-back NBA championships coming into 2022-23.

Splash Brothers Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson ready for Warriors' repeat

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton probably won’t be available for the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery on his left wrist this summer.
 “Hopefully soon after that.” the three-time All-Star said Sunday at the Bucks’ Media Day event. 
Middleton said he played through the wrist injury late last season before undergoing surgery. He was wearing a cast for much of the offseason before having it removed two weeks ago.
“Sometime around after the All-Star break, I just felt it during one game and it kind of just never went away,” Middleton said. “It wasn’t too painful, just something that was going to have to be fixed at some point.”
The injury isn’t related to the issue that ended Middleton’s 2021-22 playoff run early. 
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-50054b97e39211a15bf4f2e2f0a90699">Middleton sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee</a> during Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls and didn’t play again, missing the entire <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-travel-7d6fd7328f8ecf8df8dfb59001a9ce22">Eastern Conference semifinal that Milwaukee lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics.</a>
The loss to Boston ended Milwaukee’s bid for a second straight title and has provided plenty of motivation as the Bucks prepare for the upcoming season. 
When he was asked Sunday about his reaction to people calling him the best player in the world, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said that title should go to Stephen Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to the most recent championship.
“Do I believe I’m the best player in the world? No,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last one standing, the person that takes his team to the final, to the finish line and helps them win games and become champion.”
The Bucks return with virtually the same roster they had last year. That roster doesn’t currently include restricted free agent Jordan Nwora, but general manager Jon Horst said Sunday that “Jordan’s going to be with us” while adding that the Bucks are still working out final details with the 2020 second-round draft pick from Louisville.
The only players on Milwaukee’s training camp roster who weren’t part of the team at some point last season are rookies MarJon Beauchamp and AJ Green, Marques Bolden and veteran free-agent acquisition Joe Ingles.
Ingles won’t be ready for the start of the season as he r <a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-nba-sports-joe-ingles-donovan-mitchell-2e4df77a1d9953011a3b9bb65fd258bc">ecovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.</a> Ingles played 45 games in the 2021-22 season before hurting the knee in late January, knocking him out for the rest of that season.
Horst said Ingles could return as early as December but more realistically would make his Bucks' debut in January.
“I’m very confident, but it’s just a bit of a process at the moment of seeing how it goes,” Ingles said.
One player who’s feeling better after an injury-riddled 2021-22 season is reserve guard George Hill, who dealt with neck and abdominal issues that limited him to 54 games. The 36-year-old Hill said he considered retirement but didn’t want to end his career with that kind of season.
“I felt like I let the city of Milwaukee down last year not being able to perform the way I normally perform,” Hill said. “I let my teammates down, being injured. And I thought about (retiring), but as a competitor, I didn’t want to go out like that.”
Milwaukee’s injury list isn’t limited to the players.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer had replacement surgery on his right ankle 4 ½-5 ½ weeks ago and had a scooter next to him as he sat and spoke to reporters. He wasn’t sure how the injury might impact him as the Bucks begin their preseason schedule Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies before heading to Abu Dhabi for exhibition games with the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton probably won&rsquo;t be available for the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery on his left wrist this summer.
&ldquo;Hopefully soon after that.&rdquo; the three-time All-Star said Sunday at the Bucks&rsquo; Media Day event.
Middleton said he played through the wrist injury late last season before undergoing surgery. He was wearing a cast for much of the offseason before having it removed two weeks ago.
&ldquo;Sometime around after the All-Star break, I just felt it during one game and it kind of just never went away,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t too painful, just something that was going to have to be fixed at some point.&rdquo;
The injury isn&rsquo;t related to the issue that ended Middleton&rsquo;s 2021-22 playoff run early.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chicago-bulls-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-nba-sports-50054b97e39211a15bf4f2e2f0a90699">Middleton sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee</a> during Game 2 of the Bucks&rsquo; first-round playoff series with the Chicago Bulls and didn&rsquo;t play again, missing the entire <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-boston-celtics-nba-travel-7d6fd7328f8ecf8df8dfb59001a9ce22">Eastern Conference semifinal that Milwaukee lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics.</a>
The loss to Boston ended Milwaukee&rsquo;s bid for a second straight title and has provided plenty of motivation as the Bucks prepare for the upcoming season.
When he was asked Sunday about his reaction to people calling him the best player in the world, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said that title should go to Stephen Curry, who led the Golden State Warriors to the most recent championship.
&ldquo;Do I believe I&rsquo;m the best player in the world? No,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last one standing, the person that takes his team to the final, to the finish line and helps them win games and become champion.&rdquo;
The Bucks return with virtually the same roster they had last year. That roster doesn&rsquo;t currently include restricted free agent Jordan Nwora, but general manager Jon Horst said Sunday that &ldquo;Jordan&rsquo;s going to be with us&rdquo; while adding that the Bucks are still working out final details with the 2020 second-round draft pick from Louisville.
The only players on Milwaukee&rsquo;s training camp roster who weren&rsquo;t part of the team at some point last season are rookies MarJon Beauchamp and AJ Green, Marques Bolden and veteran free-agent acquisition Joe Ingles.
Ingles won&rsquo;t be ready for the start of the season as he r <a href="https://apnews.com/article/utah-jazz-nba-sports-joe-ingles-donovan-mitchell-2e4df77a1d9953011a3b9bb65fd258bc">ecovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.</a> Ingles played 45 games in the 2021-22 season before hurting the knee in late January, knocking him out for the rest of that season.
Horst said Ingles could return as early as December but more realistically would make his Bucks' debut in January.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very confident, but it&rsquo;s just a bit of a process at the moment of seeing how it goes,&rdquo; Ingles said.
One player who&rsquo;s feeling better after an injury-riddled 2021-22 season is reserve guard George Hill, who dealt with neck and abdominal issues that limited him to 54 games. The 36-year-old Hill said he considered retirement but didn&rsquo;t want to end his career with that kind of season.
&ldquo;I felt like I let the city of Milwaukee down last year not being able to perform the way I normally perform,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;I let my teammates down, being injured. And I thought about (retiring), but as a competitor, I didn&rsquo;t want to go out like that.&rdquo;
Milwaukee&rsquo;s injury list isn&rsquo;t limited to the players.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer had replacement surgery on his right ankle 4 &frac12;-5 &frac12; weeks ago and had a scooter next to him as he sat and spoke to reporters. He wasn&rsquo;t sure how the injury might impact him as the Bucks begin their preseason schedule Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies before heading to Abu Dhabi for exhibition games with the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Khris Middleton probably won’t be available for the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery on his left wrist this summer.

Bucks' Khris Middleton likely to miss beginning of the season

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Greg Lee, who helped UCLA to consecutive national championships in 1972 and &rsquo;73 as a starting guard under coach John Wooden, has died. He was 70.
Lee died at a San Diego hospital on Wednesday from an infection related to an immune disorder, the university said Thursday after being informed by his wife, Lisa.
Lee became a starting guard on the varsity team as a sophomore in 1971-72, alongside Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes. The Bruins had a 30-0 record while winning games by an average margin of over 30 points. They beat Florida State 81-76 in the national title game.
The following season, the Bruins again went 30-0 and won the national championship, 87-66 over Memphis State.
During Lee&rsquo;s senior year in 1973-74, UCLA&rsquo;s 88-game winning streak was snapped in a 71-70 loss to Notre Dame. The Bruins&rsquo; run of national titles also ended at seven when they were beaten by North Carolina State 80-77 in double overtime in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Lee averaged 5.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 88 games with the varsity, which compiled an 86-4 record during his three seasons.
In that era, freshmen weren&rsquo;t allowed to compete, so Lee, Walton and Wilkes helped UCLA&rsquo;s first-year team to a 20-0 record while Lee averaged 17.9 points.&nbsp;
Lee grew up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Reseda. His father, Marvin, played basketball at UCLA under coach Wilbur Johns, who preceded Wooden.
After leaving UCLA, Lee played professionally in the ABA and NBA. He briefly played for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1975-76, reuniting with Walton, before playing in Germany for several seasons.
Throughout the 1970s, Lee competed on the professional beach volleyball circuit. He won 29 titles while appearing in 39 finals during his career.
After his playing days ended, Lee earned a teaching credential from UCLA. He taught math at Clairemont High in San Diego and coached varsity basketball and tennis.
Besides his wife of 48 years, Lee is survived by his son Ethan, daughter Jessamyn Feves, and his brother Jon.

Lee, who helped UCLA to consecutive national championships in 1972 and ’73 as a starter under John Wooden, has died. He was 70.

Greg Lee, UCLA guard under coach John Wooden, dies at 70

Changing the way the so-called “transition take fouls” are officiated this season won’t keep them out of the NBA game.
In fact, the league thinks that sort of play now may make the game better.
The long-awaited rule change — one of the points of education for the NBA going into this season — was a major talking point this week for referees, who gathered for their preseason meetings now that training camps around the league are about to open. There are other emphasis points, but the take-foul changes may be the most significant.
“Some of our best play at the NBA is defensive basketball. We don’t want to discourage that; in fact, we think this rule will encourage that because now we’re asking you to make a legitimate play on the ball,” said Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s Senior Vice President overseeing referees and training. “From that standpoint, we think more exciting basketball is on the horizon and these transition scoring opportunities — both defensively and offensively —can be highlight plays. We’ve lost some of that and we think this rule is going to inject that exciting play back into our game.”
The take foul — in which the defender does not make a play on the ball — is what the league classifies as one that occurs either “during a transition scoring opportunity or immediately following a change of possession and before the offensive team had the opportunity to advance the ball.” The exception is in the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
The new penalty for such a foul is one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offended team in the game at the time the foul was committed, along with continued possession by the offended team.
But the league also hopes that defenders making plays on the ball in those situations leads to exciting plays, whether the gamble leads to the offensive team getting an easy score or results in the defensive team cashing in a turnover.
“Our players and our coaches, they’re good at their jobs,” McCutchen said. “They’re good at their jobs, because they’re committed at their jobs. They absolutely will stop doing this if we’re consistent in our work, which I fully anticipate us being. They’ll then know how to coach it properly. And therein lies the glory of transition basketball being reinjected into our game.”
Other points of education this season are holdovers from recent years, such as players having freedom of moment in both the post and on the perimeter, setting proper screens, avoiding travels and having “respect for the game” — often meaning not being overly demonstrative toward referees or others when a call doesn’t go their way.
Bench conduct will be more closely monitored as well, after an uptick in recent years of players standing in their bench areas during play and often encroaching on the sideline or baseline -- getting perhaps a bit too close to the action.
“That’s going to be a little bit of a change,” McCutchen said. “We want players on the bench to be able to react spontaneously to exciting basketball play. But it’s important that they not stand the whole game, because now you’re getting into game integrity issues, injury possibility for game participants, we want to eliminate all that.”
There’s another change coming, one where some teams won’t like seeing the light come on.
When the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, makes a scoring change during play — typically whether a 3-point shot was really a 3 or a 2, or if a basket beat the 24-second shot clock or not — a blue light will flash at the scorer’s table, indicating that a decision is about to be announced.
And that change will be announced at the first neutral opportunity, meaning a game could be stopped in certain situations to update the score.
It’s designed to eliminate situations like the one in Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference finals, when Miami’s Max Strus made a 3-pointer early in the third quarter for the Heat in their game against the Boston Celtics. About 3 minutes of game time passed before fans in Miami were alerted that those three points were coming off the scoreboard, after the replay center said Strus stepped out of bounds — though the Heat argued that night that they had not seen any definitive angle saying he was clearly on the line.
Miami wound up losing 100-96.
“The new interpretation is going to allow us to exponentially speed that up so everyone has the best information in as close to real-time as they can,” McCutchen said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Changing the way the so-called &ldquo;transition take fouls&rdquo; are officiated this season won&rsquo;t keep them out of the NBA game.
In fact, the league thinks that sort of play now may make the game better.
The long-awaited rule change &mdash; one of the points of education for the NBA going into this season &mdash; was a major talking point this week for referees, who gathered for their preseason meetings now that training camps around the league are about to open. There are other emphasis points, but the take-foul changes may be the most significant.
&ldquo;Some of our best play at the NBA is defensive basketball. We don&rsquo;t want to discourage that; in fact, we think this rule will encourage that because now we&rsquo;re asking you to make a legitimate play on the ball,&rdquo; said Monty McCutchen, the NBA&rsquo;s Senior Vice President overseeing referees and training. &ldquo;From that standpoint, we think more exciting basketball is on the horizon and these transition scoring opportunities &mdash; both defensively and offensively &mdash;can be highlight plays. We&rsquo;ve lost some of that and we think this rule is going to inject that exciting play back into our game.&rdquo;
The take foul &mdash; in which the defender does not make a play on the ball &mdash; is what the league classifies as one that occurs either &ldquo;during a transition scoring opportunity or immediately following a change of possession and before the offensive team had the opportunity to advance the ball.&rdquo; The exception is in the final 2 minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
The new penalty for such a foul is one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offended team in the game at the time the foul was committed, along with continued possession by the offended team.
But the league also hopes that defenders making plays on the ball in those situations leads to exciting plays, whether the gamble leads to the offensive team getting an easy score or results in the defensive team cashing in a turnover.
&ldquo;Our players and our coaches, they&rsquo;re good at their jobs,&rdquo; McCutchen said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re good at their jobs, because they&rsquo;re committed at their jobs. They absolutely will stop doing this if we&rsquo;re consistent in our work, which I fully anticipate us being. They&rsquo;ll then know how to coach it properly. And therein lies the glory of transition basketball being reinjected into our game.&rdquo;
Other points of education this season are holdovers from recent years, such as players having freedom of moment in both the post and on the perimeter, setting proper screens, avoiding travels and having &ldquo;respect for the game&rdquo; &mdash; often meaning not being overly demonstrative toward referees or others when a call doesn&rsquo;t go their way.
Bench conduct will be more closely monitored as well, after an uptick in recent years of players standing in their bench areas during play and often encroaching on the sideline or baseline -- getting perhaps a bit too close to the action.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be a little bit of a change,&rdquo; McCutchen said. &ldquo;We want players on the bench to be able to react spontaneously to exciting basketball play. But it&rsquo;s important that they not stand the whole game, because now you&rsquo;re getting into game integrity issues, injury possibility for game participants, we want to eliminate all that.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s another change coming, one where some teams won&rsquo;t like seeing the light come on.
When the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, makes a scoring change during play &mdash; typically whether a 3-point shot was really a 3 or a 2, or if a basket beat the 24-second shot clock or not &mdash; a blue light will flash at the scorer&rsquo;s table, indicating that a decision is about to be announced.
And that change will be announced at the first neutral opportunity, meaning a game could be stopped in certain situations to update the score.
It&rsquo;s designed to eliminate situations like the one in Game 7 of last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference finals, when Miami&rsquo;s Max Strus made a 3-pointer early in the third quarter for the Heat in their game against the Boston Celtics. About 3 minutes of game time passed before fans in Miami were alerted that those three points were coming off the scoreboard, after the replay center said Strus stepped out of bounds &mdash; though the Heat argued that night that they had not seen any definitive angle saying he was clearly on the line.
Miami wound up losing 100-96.
&ldquo;The new interpretation is going to allow us to exponentially speed that up so everyone has the best information in as close to real-time as they can,&rdquo; McCutchen said.

“Some of our best play at the NBA is defensive basketball. We don’t want to discourage that," said senior VP referee Monty McCutchen.

Take fouls, score changes will be different in NBA this year

BOSTON (AP) — The reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-0f04a614b82c497346a423d9da036521">suspended coach Ime Udoka</a> after a months-long investigation by an outside law firm that found multiple violations of team policies but did not point to a larger cultural problem of sexual misconduct, owner Wyc Grousbeck said Friday.
“We go to great lengths ... to run the organization with the central core value of respect and freedom in the workplace from harassment or any unwelcome attention,” Grousbeck said at a news conference. “This feels very much, to me, like one of a kind. That’s my personal belief. But I’ll have to verify that.”
Neither Grousbeck nor president of basketball operations Brad Stevens would elaborate on the specifics of the violations or the private report that was delivered to the team two days ago. But a person with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details were not made public, told The Associated Press that it involved an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Udoka's multiple violations involved one woman, a Celtics spokesman said Friday. No one else in the organization is facing discipline, Grousbeck said, adding that the team will be vigilant to make sure that Udoka's actions aren't a signal that there is a larger problem. 
“I personally don’t believe that they’re a deeper signal,” Grousbeck said. “But we will be — I will be, personally — talking to members of the organization to make sure that that’s the case.”
A first-year coach who is three months removed from a trip to the NBA Finals, Udoka was suspended less than a week before training camp was to open for a team <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball">considered among the favorites to win it all this season</a>. Assistant Joe Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach through June 30, 2023; the Celtics say they have not decided about Udoka's future beyond then.
Stevens grew emotional when discussing the effect the scandal has had on the team — especially the women who were singled out on social media as possibly being involved. The team reached out to employees to offer support.
“We have a lot of talented women in our organization. I thought yesterday was really hard on them,” Stevens said. “Nobody can control Twitter speculation, rampant (expletive), but I do think that we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we're there to support them now. Because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that."
Grousbeck said the team learned of the problem earlier this summer and immediately brought in an outside law firm to investigate. After receiving the report, Grousbeck met with Udoka and he expressed “acceptance and appreciation for how this has been handled.”
Grousbeck would not say whether the suspension was unpaid but confirmed that it comes with a “significant financial penalty.” A year-long suspension is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-red-sox-mlb-sports-general-new-england-patriots-rob-manfred-71f21c06cfc4affd972e6c29d8c2f3e9">uncommon but not unprecedented</a> for a professional sports coach, but the lack of public detail about Udoka's behavior has <a href="https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/1573037593062612992">led some — including Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce — to question whether it was too severe</a>.
Grousbeck disagreed, and noted that Udoka accepted the punishment and apologized.
“I personally feel that this is well-warranted and appropriate, backed by substantial research and evidence and facts,” the owner said. “It was clear that something substantial needed to be done. And it was."
Mazzulla, 34, led West Virginia to a victory in the 2007 NIT tournament and an upset over ninth-ranked Duke in the next year’s NCAA’s. His only head coaching experience was a two-year stint from 2017-19 at Division II Fairmount State in West Virginia.
“Joe’s going to be in charge. It’s not easy timing for him or the rest of the staff, but he’s an exceptionally sharp and talented person,” said Stevens, who added that he gave no serious thought to stepping back onto the bench himself. “This will be an unbelievable challenge, but I’m really confident in the team and the coaching staff that’s going to take the court on Tuesday. It’s not what we expected to happen, but I’m very confident in them.”
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-0f04a614b82c497346a423d9da036521">suspended coach Ime Udoka</a> after a months-long investigation by an outside law firm that found multiple violations of team policies but did not point to a larger cultural problem of sexual misconduct, owner Wyc Grousbeck said Friday.
&ldquo;We go to great lengths ... to run the organization with the central core value of respect and freedom in the workplace from harassment or any unwelcome attention,&rdquo; Grousbeck said at a news conference. &ldquo;This feels very much, to me, like one of a kind. That&rsquo;s my personal belief. But I&rsquo;ll have to verify that.&rdquo;
Neither Grousbeck nor president of basketball operations Brad Stevens would elaborate on the specifics of the violations or the private report that was delivered to the team two days ago. But a person with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details were not made public, told The Associated Press that it involved an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Udoka's multiple violations involved one woman, a Celtics spokesman said Friday. No one else in the organization is facing discipline, Grousbeck said, adding that the team will be vigilant to make sure that Udoka's actions aren't a signal that there is a larger problem.
&ldquo;I personally don&rsquo;t believe that they&rsquo;re a deeper signal,&rdquo; Grousbeck said. &ldquo;But we will be &mdash; I will be, personally &mdash; talking to members of the organization to make sure that that&rsquo;s the case.&rdquo;
A first-year coach who is three months removed from a trip to the NBA Finals, Udoka was suspended less than a week before training camp was to open for a team <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball">considered among the favorites to win it all this season</a>. Assistant Joe Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach through June 30, 2023; the Celtics say they have not decided about Udoka's future beyond then.
Stevens grew emotional when discussing the effect the scandal has had on the team &mdash; especially the women who were singled out on social media as possibly being involved. The team reached out to employees to offer support.
&ldquo;We have a lot of talented women in our organization. I thought yesterday was really hard on them,&rdquo; Stevens said. &ldquo;Nobody can control Twitter speculation, rampant (expletive), but I do think that we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we're there to support them now. Because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that."
Grousbeck said the team learned of the problem earlier this summer and immediately brought in an outside law firm to investigate. After receiving the report, Grousbeck met with Udoka and he expressed &ldquo;acceptance and appreciation for how this has been handled.&rdquo;
Grousbeck would not say whether the suspension was unpaid but confirmed that it comes with a &ldquo;significant financial penalty.&rdquo; A year-long suspension is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-red-sox-mlb-sports-general-new-england-patriots-rob-manfred-71f21c06cfc4affd972e6c29d8c2f3e9">uncommon but not unprecedented</a> for a professional sports coach, but the lack of public detail about Udoka's behavior has <a href="https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/1573037593062612992">led some &mdash; including Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce &mdash; to question whether it was too severe</a>.
Grousbeck disagreed, and noted that Udoka accepted the punishment and apologized.
&ldquo;I personally feel that this is well-warranted and appropriate, backed by substantial research and evidence and facts,&rdquo; the owner said. &ldquo;It was clear that something substantial needed to be done. And it was."
Mazzulla, 34, led West Virginia to a victory in the 2007 NIT tournament and an upset over ninth-ranked Duke in the next year&rsquo;s NCAA&rsquo;s. His only head coaching experience was a two-year stint from 2017-19 at Division II Fairmount State in West Virginia.
&ldquo;Joe&rsquo;s going to be in charge. It&rsquo;s not easy timing for him or the rest of the staff, but he&rsquo;s an exceptionally sharp and talented person,&rdquo; said Stevens, who added that he gave no serious thought to stepping back onto the bench himself. &ldquo;This will be an unbelievable challenge, but I&rsquo;m really confident in the team and the coaching staff that&rsquo;s going to take the court on Tuesday. It&rsquo;s not what we expected to happen, but I&rsquo;m very confident in them.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; The reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-celtics-nba-sports-basketball-ime-udoka-0f04a614b82c497346a423d9da036521">suspended coach Ime Udoka</a> after a months-long investigation by an outside law firm that found multiple violations of team policies but did not point to a larger cultural problem of sexual misconduct, owner Wyc Grousbeck said Friday.
&ldquo;We go to great lengths ... to run the organization with the central core value of respect and freedom in the workplace from harassment or any unwelcome attention,&rdquo; Grousbeck said at a news conference. &ldquo;This feels very much, to me, like one of a kind. That&rsquo;s my personal belief. But I&rsquo;ll have to verify that.&rdquo;
Neither Grousbeck nor president of basketball operations Brad Stevens would elaborate on the specifics of the violations or the private report that was delivered to the team two days ago. But a person with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details were not made public, told The Associated Press that it involved an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.
Udoka's multiple violations involved one woman, a Celtics spokesman said Friday. No one else in the organization is facing discipline, Grousbeck said, adding that the team will be vigilant to make sure that Udoka's actions aren't a signal that there is a larger problem.
&ldquo;I personally don&rsquo;t believe that they&rsquo;re a deeper signal,&rdquo; Grousbeck said. &ldquo;But we will be &mdash; I will be, personally &mdash; talking to members of the organization to make sure that that&rsquo;s the case.&rdquo;
A first-year coach who is three months removed from a trip to the NBA Finals, Udoka was suspended less than a week before training camp was to open for a team <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball">considered among the favorites to win it all this season</a>. Assistant Joe Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach through June 30, 2023; the Celtics say they have not decided about Udoka's future beyond then.
Stevens grew emotional when discussing the effect the scandal has had on the team &mdash; especially the women who were singled out on social media as possibly being involved. The team reached out to employees to offer support.
&ldquo;We have a lot of talented women in our organization. I thought yesterday was really hard on them,&rdquo; Stevens said. &ldquo;Nobody can control Twitter speculation, rampant (expletive), but I do think that we as an organization have a responsibility to make sure we're there to support them now. Because a lot of people were dragged unfairly into that."
Grousbeck said the team learned of the problem earlier this summer and immediately brought in an outside law firm to investigate. After receiving the report, Grousbeck met with Udoka and he expressed &ldquo;acceptance and appreciation for how this has been handled.&rdquo;
Grousbeck would not say whether the suspension was unpaid but confirmed that it comes with a &ldquo;significant financial penalty.&rdquo; A year-long suspension is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boston-red-sox-mlb-sports-general-new-england-patriots-rob-manfred-71f21c06cfc4affd972e6c29d8c2f3e9">uncommon but not unprecedented</a> for a professional sports coach, but the lack of public detail about Udoka's behavior has <a href="https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/1573037593062612992">led some &mdash; including Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce &mdash; to question whether it was too severe</a>.
Grousbeck disagreed, and noted that Udoka accepted the punishment and apologized.
&ldquo;I personally feel that this is well-warranted and appropriate, backed by substantial research and evidence and facts,&rdquo; the owner said. &ldquo;It was clear that something substantial needed to be done. And it was."
Mazzulla, 34, led West Virginia to a victory in the 2007 NIT tournament and an upset over ninth-ranked Duke in the next year&rsquo;s NCAA&rsquo;s. His only head coaching experience was a two-year stint from 2017-19 at Division II Fairmount State in West Virginia.
&ldquo;Joe&rsquo;s going to be in charge. It&rsquo;s not easy timing for him or the rest of the staff, but he&rsquo;s an exceptionally sharp and talented person,&rdquo; said Stevens, who added that he gave no serious thought to stepping back onto the bench himself. &ldquo;This will be an unbelievable challenge, but I&rsquo;m really confident in the team and the coaching staff that&rsquo;s going to take the court on Tuesday. It&rsquo;s not what we expected to happen, but I&rsquo;m very confident in them.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

Celtics ownder Wyc Grousbeck and president Brad Stevens held a press conference Friday in regards to Ime Udoka's suspension.

Brad Stevens, Wyc Grousbeck discuss Ime Udoka suspension, Joe Mazzulla

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to miss at least two months after undergoing surgery Friday on the left knee that caused him to miss time during Boston's NBA Finals run last season.
The team said the arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling was a success. He is expected to resume basketball activities in 8-12 weeks. 
Williams had surgery in March to repair torn cartridge in the same knee. He missed seven playoff games while rehabbing from that procedure, and after experiencing soreness in the knee and later sustaining a bone bruise. 
The fifth-year big man and defensive stalwart averaged a career-high 10 points and 9.6 rebounds last season. But those numbers dipped to 7.6 points 6.2 rebounds during the playoffs. 
Forward Danilo Gallinari also had surgery on Friday. Gallinari, who signed as a free agent in July, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Italy during a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
Gallinari tore the same ligament in 2013. The Celtics didn’t provide a timeline for his return. But such injuries typically involve a recovery process of up to a year, meaning it would be unlikely for the veteran to play this season. 
___
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BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to miss at least two months after undergoing surgery Friday on the left knee that caused him to miss time during Boston's NBA Finals run last season.
The team said the arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling was a success. He is expected to resume basketball activities in 8-12 weeks.
Williams had surgery in March to repair torn cartridge in the same knee. He missed seven playoff games while rehabbing from that procedure, and after experiencing soreness in the knee and later sustaining a bone bruise.
The fifth-year big man and defensive stalwart averaged a career-high 10 points and 9.6 rebounds last season. But those numbers dipped to 7.6 points 6.2 rebounds during the playoffs.
Forward Danilo Gallinari also had surgery on Friday. Gallinari, who signed as a free agent in July, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Italy during a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
Gallinari tore the same ligament in 2013. The Celtics didn&rsquo;t provide a timeline for his return. But such injuries typically involve a recovery process of up to a year, meaning it would be unlikely for the veteran to play this season.
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BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to miss at least two months after undergoing surgery Friday on the left knee that caused him to miss time during Boston's NBA Finals run last season.
The team said the arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and address swelling was a success. He is expected to resume basketball activities in 8-12 weeks.
Williams had surgery in March to repair torn cartridge in the same knee. He missed seven playoff games while rehabbing from that procedure, and after experiencing soreness in the knee and later sustaining a bone bruise.
The fifth-year big man and defensive stalwart averaged a career-high 10 points and 9.6 rebounds last season. But those numbers dipped to 7.6 points 6.2 rebounds during the playoffs.
Forward Danilo Gallinari also had surgery on Friday. Gallinari, who signed as a free agent in July, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Italy during a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
Gallinari tore the same ligament in 2013. The Celtics didn&rsquo;t provide a timeline for his return. But such injuries typically involve a recovery process of up to a year, meaning it would be unlikely for the veteran to play this season.

The fifth-year big man and defensive stalwart averaged a career-high 10 points and 9.6 rebounds last season.