SB Nation - Dan Dickau

The Evolution of Jared Dudley

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:43:59 -0000

Jared Dudley is only getting better. (Photo by Max Simbron)

Of all the Suns I met at Media Day, Jared Dudley was the easiest one for me to talk to. Nash wasn't really available, Amare had been asked the same questions over and over again, Robin Lopez actually intimidated me, Earl Clark was too soft spoken for me to understand (and his words came from what seemed to be the ceiling of US Airways), Channing Frye was surrounded by everyone, and was talking about his honeymoon, and talking to Dan Dickau was clearly pointless.

Jared Dudley has a very engaging personality. As a young pseudo journalist, it's oftentimes difficult to think of an original question to ask a professional athlete. Of course there was much to ask Dudley. He was really trying to tweet his way to, um, something, and he had shown some serious promise last year in limited minutes for the Suns after he was tossed into the Bobcat deal that sent Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte for Jason Richardson.

Last year in limited minutes Dudley proved to be a bench player the Suns had needed for some time. He was a guy who went to the floor for loose balls, played defense, and took pride in everything he did on the floor with the precious minutes he was allotted. The guy had heart, and all of us Suns faithful that endured a season of pain and confusion last year got a glimpse of the Junkyard Dog. We liked what we saw.

Dudley was intriguing to me, but I didn't have to ask him much, he was willing to talk and talk and talk. By the end of our two minute or so interview, I was struck by one thing he said. The Q &A went something like this:

Me: "So have you been working on your three point shot this off season? You really seemed to thrive in the Suns run and gun system late last season."

Dudley: "Hey, anything to stay in this league. I'm working on everything."

And it struck me at that point that this guy wasn't taking anything for granted. He wasn't satisfied to sit at the end of the pine just picking up an NBA paycheck, he wouldn't be satisfied to play a few years in the NBA and then move in. Jared Dudley wanted to play, make his mark, and stay in the NBA. He knew what he could bring to the table. He knew what it took to get on the floor, and he wasn't intimidated by anyone in the NBA, anyone.

The interesting thing about Jared Dudley when we look at the numbers and what the "experts" have said about him, is that it could be possible that no one, including Dudley knows how good he can be in the NBA. No, he won't be LeBron nor will he be Kobe, but what the numbers suggest is pretty interesting.

Jared Dudley played is college ball in the ACC for Boston College. Recruited from Horizon high school in San Diego, Dudley wasn't considered a blue chip recruit. He was a guy who didn't fit into one category. He wasn't considered a huge scorer or a defensive specialist. Instead, he was chunky-bodied guy with the tools to do a number of things fairly well. He led his high school teams to state championships in the final two years of his high school career. Most importantly, he was soulful winner, he was a team player, a guy you could count on to bring 110% every night. Dudley did the little things his team needed in order for them to win.

What Dudley also brought with him to Boston College was a desire to improve his game and leads his team to victory. He played in every game his freshman year at Boston College, averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds. Playing behind Craig Smith who was 6th in the ACC in scoring, Dudley helped Boston College to a tournament appearance, while finishing 19th in the ACC with 11.9 points per game. While his total body of work in 2003 wasn't incredibly impressive, what is impressive is that as a freshman, Dudley played in ever game, averaging double figures in points per game.

2003-4	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	34	34	11.9	46.5	6.6	1.3	2.8	2.8	31.6

Again in 2004-5, Dudley played in every game. He increased his averages in nearly every important statistical category, finishing 7th in ACC scoring. He lead his team to yet another tournament birth, defeating Pennsylvania before getting knocked out by Milwaukee-Wisconsin in the second round.

2004-5	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	30	36	16.5	48.8	7.5	1.6	.2	3.2	33.3

It was no surprise that Dudley played in every game in the 2005-6 season, once again leading his squad to a tournament birth. His season averages only show slight improvement, nonetheless, improvement. Dudley finished 9th in ACC average points per game.

2005-6	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	36	37.2	16.7	49.4	6.6	1.1	.3	3.2	35.1

Before Jared Dudley's senior season, he was projected as a certain NBA draft pick. He had come far from his freshman season. Every year he had improved at least 2 to 3 facets of his game. On paper this is evident, however what cannot be captured on paper may have been his best qualities. The draft analysts spoke of Dudley's intangibles, all that could not be captured in a box score:
Excellent Competitor
Tremendous heart
High basketball IQ
Intense and emotional, does whatever it takes for his team to win
Fearlessly attacks basket
Excellent court vision and awareness
Work ethic is among the best in the country

That was all well and good, but Dudley wasn't blessed with LeBron like athleticism or Kobe Bryant explosiveness. He didn't really even have an NBA position. He was too small to handle the beasts at power forward, and not quick enough to defend the small forwards. He overpowered his stronger and more athletic foes in college, but that didn't seem possible for him at the NBA level. The best reviews predicted Dudley may make it as a role player in the NBA, and others recommend he try to play in Europe.

In his senior season, Dudley established himself as an NBA 1st round pick. Here we can see the most dramatic increase in his numbers, especially, in points (19.0, 2nd in ACC), field goal percentage, rebounds, and most significantly, three point percentage. I don't know at what point in his college career he picked up the nickname, Junkyard Dog, but if that wasn't his moniker by 2006, he certainly earned it during his final season at BC. He was voted ACC Player of the Year and second team All-American.

2006-7	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	30	38.4	19.0	56.2	8.3	1.4	.3	3.0	44.3

The unheralded, soft-bodied freshman who entered Boston College in 2003 had proven vital to the success of the team. Dudley started over 100 consecutive games for Boston College. During that time he had improved his game in nearly every facet over four years. His teams at Boston College were good, they went to the NCAA Tournament every year he was there, and he had established himself as an excellent player with a high basketball IQ who possessed the intangibles that many other players with natural talent and raw athleticism do not have-heart, pride, and a gritty selflessness that would be a welcomed addition to any NBA squad.

"If you looked at him in high school, you would have never imagined that he would have risen to this level,but no one could measure the size of his heart and his desire, along with his intelligence that allowed him to play."

-Al Skinner, Jared Dudley's coach at Boston College

In 2007, the Charlotte Bobcats used their 22nd pick in the first round to draft Jared Dudley. By draft day, the experts were on to Dudley. They recognized his improvement throughout his college career. Combined with all of his qualities from the years before were some new qualities that shaped Dudley into a player ready to immediately contribute at the NBA level:
Improved perimeter shooting, with legitimate 3-point range
Basketball IQ could be the best of any player in the draft
Reads the ball very well to enable box out of his man on the boards
Body strength enables him to absorb contact and finish at the rim
Uses intensity and aggressiveness to intimidate on defensive end

Jared Dudley played in the first game of the 2007-8 season for the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, coached by Sam Vincent. But by the last game of the season, the rookie had worked hard enough and impressed his coach with his work ethic and results on the floor to become a starter.

Charlotte Bobcats

2007-8	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARE DUDLEY	73	19.0	5.8	47	2.3	.8	.1	1.1	22.0

In that last game of the season, the Bobcats beat another lowly team, the Indiana Pacers, 107-103. Dudley played 42 minutes, dropping in 19 points and 8 rebounds. Just when it appeared that Dudley was ready to establish himself as an NBA regular, Vincent was fired and Larry Brown took over as coach of the Bobcats. Dudley didn't begin the season as a starter and was shuffled in and out of the lineup, as Brown attempted to figure out what combination of players would lead to victories. On December 10, 2008, Dudley was packaged with Jason Richardson and sent to the Phoenix Sunsfor Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean Singletary.
Dudley saw little court time during the Terry Porter regime, however, once Porter was jettisoned in favor of Alvin Gentry, that changed. We shell shocked Suns fans saw in Dudley what the team lacked for many years under the D'Antoni era: a relentless player capable of asserting his will on his opponent on the defensive end, a new and surprising threat from three point range, and a gutsy team player who always brought energy off the bench, consistently, night after night.

Suns/Bobcats

2008-9	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	68	17	5.5	47	3.0	.8	.1	.8	39.2

"He's a coach's dream. He plays so hard and he really is the inspiration for our second team."

-Alvin Gentry on Jared Dudley

So, what's my point? Yeah Dudley's good for the Suns. A solid NBA defender, he always comes to play, he scraps, he claws, he grinds, he grits, he barks like a dog. Thing is, Jared Dudley has improved every year at every level he's played at. If history is any indication of the 25 year-old Jared Dudley's future career path, he's only going to get better. With Grant Hill most likely retiring at the end of the season, Dudley is his likely replacement. It may just be that Dudley will be wearing a Suns uniform for years to come.

Suns

2009-10	GP	MPG	PPG	FG%	RB	STL	BLK	AST	3PT%
JARED DUDLEY	10	22.4	9.7	47.3	3.8	1.3	.2	1.3	47.2

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

Carlos Powell: Working Hard to Reach the NBA

Phoenix Stan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:09:06 -0000

Undrafted free agent forward Carlos Powell is hoping that his hard work and polished skills will land him a job with an NBA team. Photo by Max Simbron

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Phoenix Suns preseason roster addition Carlos Powell was undrafted coming out of South Carolina in 2005 where he played all four years. Since then he's played overseas in both Europe and Asia and spent the 2007/08 season with the NBA D-league's Dakota Wizards where he averaged 22 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 4.8 apg. Powell's known as a physical small forward (6'7", 225lbs) who can shoot the three, has good vision and can still bang a little bit.

Carlos is a prototypical guy "on the bubble" and is trying to make it to the NBA the hard way just as former Suns Matt Barnes and Raja Bell did. From the look of things, this summer has brought Powell much closer to reaching his dream.

In July the Phoenix Suns added Carlos to their Vegas Summer League roster where he played well putting up 9 points in 16 minutes of play and shot 60% from three. That apparently was enough to earn Carlos an invitation to join the Suns training camp and preseason squad where he continues to impress.

Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry said this about Powell, "He's played well at camp. He's a good guy. Real aggressive guy and a real physical guy. He's done some good things. Shot the ball real well."

David Griffin, the Suns Sr. VP of Basketball Operations and the go-to source for Suns player personnel information agreed with Gentry. He feels that Powell is definitely an NBA caliber player and better then some other guys that are currently on NBA rosters with guaranteed contracts. He described Powell as a talented and skilled player who can create shots for himself and his teammates and who's game is very well developed.

Powell had a reputation from some D-league observers as being a guy that was too focused on his own stats and didn't work well within the Dakota Wizards system. Griff wouldn't comment on that specifically but emphasized that Powell was fitting in with the Suns and played well with the team's veterans during his one opportunity to start in place of Grant Hill during a preseason game against Portland. Powell had 12 points in the first quarter of that game and played solid defense throughout.

A few other teams have reportedly shown some interest in Powell and the Suns are frequently asked about him by scouts from around the league but he is still relatively unknown. While he made decent money playing in Korea last season he probably hurt his chances by not getting exposed to NBA scouts which he would have done if he played in Europe or stayed with the D-league.

Powell remains optimistic that the Suns will sign him but that seems unlikely given the roster and financial situation in Phoenix. The Suns already have 13 players under contract and are well over the luxury tax line which makes it a long shot that Carlos will be in a Suns uniform when then season starts in a few weeks.

It is no coincidence, however, that the two non-contract players still with the Suns (Powell and veteran point guard Dan Dickau) play the same position as the Suns two oldest players: Grant Hill and Steve Nash. Both players are experienced and NBA ready and by playing with the Suns this preseason would be obvious options if either Hill or Nash went down for an extended period of time.

Powell said this about his situation and options, "I think I'm doing pretty good..Hopefully something will happen in the next week...I think I've proven that I can play on this level if I can get into the right situation. If I don't make it here...I'm not really feeling Europe right now so my chances of going there are slim."

According to league sources, Powell's rights are not held by any team. If he decides to play in the D-league before the November 5th draft he will be available to whichever team selects him. If he waits until after the draft he goes into an "available player pool" where other teams can make a claim on him.

That seems at this point to be the most likely outcome for Powell but as Griffin said, he is a perfect candidate for an NBA call-up during the season. Last year when the Bobcats Gerald Wallace went down with an injury the Iowa Energy's Cartier Martin got the call and performed well in 33 games. That seems to be the most likely outcome for Powell as well.

Coach Gentry added this about Powell's chances to make it in the NBA, "We'll have to wait and see. There's a lot of guys that are very similar to him in the league. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with that. But we like him and think he's a pretty good player."

The Suns see Powell as more of a polished rotation player who can contribute immediately in the right situation but they don't view him as a 12th or 13th man like a Taylor Griffin who has an "end of bench mentality".

For his part, Carlos thinks the most important thing he can do to help his chances are to prove himself in practice, "Going out in practice and giving everything you got and then it will lead over to the game. I think everything is falling into place like I planned it to. So hopefully I can stick with this team and ride this year out and help the team the best way I can."

A couple of years ago he might have thought the way to make it was to put up big numbers any time he stepped on the floor but at this point he's going about things the right way. He came to Phoenix early to work out with his friend Alando Tucker and other Suns players before camp started and he's impressed his teammates with his effort.

"If you want to have a chance to make it you look at history. He's someone who works extremely hard. He stays after and gets shots. He's someone who has a shot, a legitimate shot at it," said Suns forward Jared Dudley when asked about Powell. Dudley added, "I'm wishing the best for him. I know we play the same position but I'm wishing for him to make this team."

There's a reason that Carlos Powell was on the floor at the end of the Suns preseason game against the 76ers and Taylor Griffin wasn't. Powell is a much more experienced professional player who is a legitimate threat on the offensive end.

Unfortunately, Powell missed a big corner three opportunity that would have sealed the game for Phoenix but despite that miss I don't think we've seen the last of Carlos Powell in an NBA uniform.

Suns Starters Blowout 76ers. Suns Bench Blows Big Lead

Phoenix Stan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:55:37 -0000

Phoenix Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry was not pleased with his team giving up 41 points in the fourth quarter. The Suns held on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Max Simbron

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If you are a glass half full Bright Sider you will focus on the 115-113 win. The come from behind win actually as the Suns were down 1 point with one minute to go before Dan Dickau hit something like 27 free throws to win the game for Phoenix.

Ok, it really was closer to 12 free throws but who's counting at that point anyway.

If you tend to look at the negative parts of life - because that's the only way to get better - then you might notice that the Suns bench which is supposedly going to be known for it's defense, gave up 41 points in the fourth quarter and blew an 18 point lead in the span of 7 minutes.

Pretty impressive stuff right there and you can bet that the Suns Head Coach who generally is known for being a pretty cool customer was not pleased.

Not in the slightest.

Listen for yourself to his post game "press conference". All 50 seconds of it.

Getting back the Bright Side, the building was pretty quiet all night so from my second row vantage point I was able to clearly hear Gentry berate various officials and players. He's pretty funny when he's mad.

At one point after his team gave up an offensive rebound (one of 19 on the night) he yelled, "come on guys, lets go!" which I am fair sure was the loudest noise in the building.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 10/17/09 9:12 AM MST ]

The point here btw, is that I love Gentry getting pissed about his team playing poorly even in a pre-season game. I sense more fight in this team already this season and from Gentry more holding guys accountable and not just being a "player's coach". The locker room was not a happy place. Partly b/c they were not looking forward to the game in Mexico but also b/c they were not happy with blowing the big lead. I like that. That's a good thing. Don't be satisfied.

At least it was until they gave away T-shirts at a time out.

Free T-shirts got the place rocking! Then the Free T-Shirts went away and it was back to our nice cozy and quiet setting to enjoy a leisurely game of basketball.

The ~~good~~ best news is the starters played really great against the 76er's starters who looked like they couldn't wait to get on a plane and go to Mexico for Sunday's game.

What we learned was that Steve Nash can still create open looks (10 assists) and Channing Frye can convert on open looks (7-10 for 17 points). Especially, against a team that's not even going to bother to pretend to try and play any defense. That's good to know. That's a positive right there.

Those bench guys? Not so much tonight.

Dragic was absolutely horrible. 0-7 and back to looking lost. Clark did have some impressive defensive plays including a nice block that ignited a fast break. On the other end however, he was 2 for 7 and was far too impressed with his jump shot. Earl, please just work on playing good defense and getting the occasional layup. Save the jump shot for next season.

I have to say that Richardson did play some solid defense on Iguodala and Amare does look, "engaged" as Gentry describes it. In fact Amare was very engaged on the glass, finishing with 12 boards and saying this, "It's a matter of getting the feel again. Tonight I got the feel out there, I'm slowly starting to get my rhythm, you know, offensively and defensively."

He might be getting his rhythm offensively on his jump shot but he is nowhere near to being back to his old explosive self. At one point he got wide open on a famous Nash/Amare side pick and roll. In the past he would have elevated and thrown down. In this game he had to take an extra dribble or two and had the ball striped by a guard who came over from the weak side. Part of that is timing, but he's definitely not exploding to the rim like we are used to. He also missed an alley ooop from Nash. It will really be sad if that explosiveness doesn't come back. I think it will though but it's going to take some time.

Before the game, Gentry said Stoudemire was 60% back as far as conditioning and "game shape". Amare disagreed with that saying he feels great but the evidence from this game seems to side with the Coach.

The brightest spot in the game was my man JD who had 5 steals (which should be enough to keep him as the NBA spg leader). Dudley also put up 11 points on 3 of 6 and had a wicked finish at the rim after getting hammered and looked impressive driving baseline after pump faking on a corner three.

It was just a pre-season game and (alleged) 15,791 people who (allegedly) attended at least got to cheer for the final couple of minutes thanks to the blown lead.

How you take that will say more about you and your attitude toward this team and life in general than anything I could possible write.

Next up. The Philadelphia 76ers redux only this time in Mexico only a few hundred miles from the birthplace of the Swine Flu. A fact several Suns players mentioned today. Look for a lot of "high fives" to be conducted with forearms, elbows and backs of hands as the team tries to stave off the inevitable zombification long enough for the vaccine to come out.

And that's your sports and medical report. This is Phoenix Stan signing off.

Highlights via NBA.com

Thunder Gameday: Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder

Mr Pappagiorgio — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:56:05 -0000

So the Oklahoma City Thunder will make their 2009-10 home debut tonight in the Ford Center as they take on the Phoenix Suns. Thus far the Thunder are 0-2, with both losses coming last week on the road. All in all the Thunder have been able to take a lot of positives and negatives from each of their first two games. In reality, The Thunder probably should have won both those games as they let 4th quarter leads slip away to big runs. Tonight will be another important step in getting this team ready for the regular season, and being as its the first home game, perhaps head coach Scott Brooks has a plan to get us a win.

The starters have yet to play much more than 25 minutes in either game last week, but perhaps being the first home game, guys like Durant, Green, and Westbrook can get into the 30's (minutes) for the first time this pre-season, in an effort to not only get them a little bit closer to regular season type minutes, but to also re-energize Thunder fans as they make their way back into the Ford Center for the first time since last spring. In the process it could very well give this team a much needed win and a boost as we head closer to the regular season opener. I also apologize for not getting this up sooner and being as late as it is, we'll skip the long winded game preview that usually gets posted, and instead let you take a quick look at the roster as you're probably already about to head down to Bricktown for a little wining and dining before trotting on over to the Ford Center for tonight's game. So make the jump and take a peak. Tipoff is 7pm, and we'll have an OPEN THREAD posting 30 minutes prior as we usually do for commenting and such.

Oklahoma City Thunder Roster

	#	Pos.	DOB	W	H	College
Ryan Bowen	40	F	11.20.75	218	6-9	Iowa
Nick Collison	4	C	10.26.80	255	6-10	Kansas
Kevin Durant	35	F	9.29.88	215	6-9	Texas
Jeff Green	22	F	8.28.86	235	6-9	Georgetown
James Harden	13	G	8.26.87	220	6-5	Arizona State
Mike Harris	-	F	6.15.83	240	6-6	Rice
Serge Ibaka	9	F	9.18.89	220	6-10	None
Tre Kelley	6	G	1.23.85	188	6-0	South Carolina
Nenad Krstic	12	C	7.25.83	240	7-0	None
Shaun Livingston	14	G	9.11.85	185	6-7	Peoria Central HS
Byron Mullens	23	C	2.14.89	260	7-1	Ohio State
Kevin Ollie	7	G	12.27.72	195	6-2	Connecticut
Malik Rose	9	F	11.23.74	255	6-7	Drexel
Michael Ruffin	51	F	1.21.77	248	6-8	Tulsa
Thabo Sefolosha	2	G	5.2.84	215	6-7	None
Etan Thomas	36	C	4.1.78	260	6-10	Syracuse
Kyle Weaver	5	G	2.18.86	201	6-6	Washington State
Russell Westbrook	-	G	11.12.88	187	6-3	U-C-L-A
D.J. White	3	F	8.31.86	251	6-9	Indiana

Phoenix Suns Roster

	#	Pos.	DOB	W	H	College
Louis Amundson	17	F	12.7.82	225	6-9	U-N-L-V
Leandro Barbosa	10	F	11.28.82	202	6-3	None
Earl Clark	55	F	1.17.88	220	6-9	Louisville
Dan Dickau	12	G	9.16.78	180	6-0	Gonzaga
Goran Dragic	2	G	5.6.86	180	6-4	None
Jared Dudley	3	F	7.10.85	225	6-7	Boston College
Channing Frye	8	C	5.17.83	245	6-11	Arizona
Taylor Griffin	32	F	3.16.89	238	6-7	Oklahoma
Grant Hill	33	F	10.5.72	225	6-8	Duke
Robin Lopez	15	C	4.1.88	255	7-0	Stanford
Steve Nash	13	G	2.7.74	178	6-3	Santa Clara
Carlos Powell	11	F	8.29.83	225	6-7	South Carolina
Emir Preldzic	-	G	6.9.87	220	6-8	Bosnia
Jason Richardson	23	G	1.20.81	225	6-6	Michigan State
Amare Stoudemire	1	F	11.16.82	249	6-10	None
Raymond Sykes	4	F	7.3.86	220	6-9	Clemson
Alando Tucker	29	G	2.11.84	205	6-6	Wisconsin

Thoughts, Observations, and Audio (Soon) From Suns Media Day 2009

Wil Cantrell — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:31:28 -0000

Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry and star pupils Jason Richardson, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash are ready to go back to school. Photo by Max Simbron

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Today was certainly the Bright Side of the Sun. Steve Nash called his mood "joyous," Amare was singing and pounding a basketball playfully. J-Rich was all smiles. He even talked about playing defense, and Steve Kerr was, Steve Kerr.

2009 Suns media Day was enough to send me home with a smile on my face. The talk from everyone was positive. Of course it would be, they haven't played a game. But when Steve Nash says he's very comfortable with the Centers on the team, you believe him. Then later you think about it-Frye really? Lopez, really? Then you think, "well maybe we will be ok."

Stan and I picked up some awesome interviews. They will be up tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some tidbits of interviews I remember off the top of my head:

Lou Amundson wants to be called Louis.
Steve Nash is pretty thick in person, not frail and skinny as he looks going up against Chris Paul and Barron Davis
Dan Dickau is indeed a Sun. And unlike Steve Nash, he is very short and with the exception of his arms, very skinny.
Alvin Gentry stated Amare Stoudemire will be playing the 5 even though Mr. Tzu may not know it at the time (SHHHH Don't tell him).
Steve Kerr believes Channing Frye will be shooting "a lot of threes."
Louis Amundson is not relieved his bike is safe now that Shaq is gone. In fact he had nothing negative to say about Shaquille.
Amare Stoudemire likes to be the center of attention, or: Amare is just naturally wired, very vocal and full of joy because he was jumping around, bouncing a ball all over the place, smiling ear to ear talkin' this and that all over the joint.
Jared Dudley is still working the tweet and all over the NBA street rags doing interviews. The man can talk, and his personality is more than cordial.
Leandro Barbosa doesn't care if he's starting or not so we shouldn't care either.
Earl Clark wants a piece of Kobe and Carmello Anthony

Stay tuned, more to follow!

Breaking Down the Udoka Invitation

Dave — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:20:05 -0000

More photos » by Layne Murdoch - NBAE/Getty Images

Blazer fans were abuzz about the possibilities of getting one of the guys in this photo this summer. Which name ended up in Kevin Pritchard's briefcase? (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The mailbox is full of questions regarding the Ime Udoka signing and its significance. The responses range from mystified to excited to concerned. So let's clear it up and break it down.

First of all, this is a training camp invite. The contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the Blazers and Ime can part ways at any time the team chooses. Technically it's not different than any of the other invitations the Blazers have issued. Kevin Pritchard will be visiting a few guys between now and mid-October to let them know he appreciates them, respects them, and could they please clean out their locker now. Ime may well be among those.

Second of all, this is a competition for what ends up being the 15^th roster spot and no higher than the 13^th spot in the rotation. Only 12 guys suit up on a given night. You're not exactly looking for a franchise-altering move here. And this isn't one. Ime averaged a respectable 15.4 minutes per game in 67 games for the Spurs last year but his production slipped significantly from his prior seasons. His shooting, free throw shooting, and most importantly three-point shooting percentages tanked. ~~His defensive rating went down as soon as he left Portland.~~ (Edit: Never mind that. I was BRILLIANTLY going by the wrong data. Aplogies to you and Ime. --Dave) Basically he played half the minutes you remember from his tenure with the Blazers and didn't play them nearly as well. He's wading onto a roster stocked with players at his position, meaning he either really, really loves his hometown and is willing to risk an opportunity to stay in the league and any salary raise he could get playing more minutes elsewhere for a long-shot chance here OR he didn't get any decent offers. This should color expectations somewhat. He really is in the lower roster now if he makes the team and his chances of rising above that are slim.

I can already hear the choruses of, "That's what people said LAST time he signed with the Blazers!!!" so let me cut you off at the pass. This 2009-10 Blazer team is far different than the 2006-07 team that Ime contributed so much to. Outlaw and Webster were younger and even less tempered than they are now. Aldridge and Roy were rookies. The old-timers on the team were Jamaal Magloire, Raef LaFrentz, Juan Dixon, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau and the main guy was Zach Randolph. Udoka played the 4^th most minutes of anybody on the team that year because there existed both opportunity and desperate need for his steadiness, his defense, and his three-point shooting. Nobody was solidly in front of him at small forward. Nobody in the starting lineup or really anywhere in the upper rotation knew how to sell out on defense or how to play hard while being a contributory player instead of a main focus. Half the team was too young and the other half just didn't sport that kind of player. The differences between the names listed above and a mature Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Miller and Steve Blake, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez should be obvious.

Ime is like that really nice pizza you had as a kid. (Mine was the now-defunct Manhattan's Pizza...one in the Hollywood District and one up on Palatine Hill as I recall.) It was delicious and you loved it for good reason. But then you moved to Chicago or New York and started sampling pizza and while none of them held the place in your heart that the childhood favorite did, slowly you got attuned to a different style and quality. Then you return home and you find that while your childhood pizza is still good, maybe your memory or experience gave it a fonder spot than it strictly merited. You loved it as much for what it did for you and meant to you as its inherent quality. The latter made it decent, the former made it special. You still like it, but you wouldn't replace any of your new favorite pizzas with it.

So what does this training camp invitation mean? There are three possibilities. After chewing the fat with some people who usually know what they're talking about I'm going to list them in order from least likely to most.

There's a small, small chance this really is a significant event heralding the next Blazer move which is to trade away a small forward or two. Perhaps Ime did have significant offers elsewhere but somebody telegraphed to him (or he cleverly intuited) that the Blazer offer was the one to take. In this case Ime becomes a lower rotation player and the move makes wonderful, magical, and exciting sense.

There's a somewhat larger chance, but still not huge, that the Blazers don't have complete faith in Martell Webster's foot yet. In that case the choices at backup small forward range from Outlaw to Fernandez to Roy, none of whom are completely suited for the job. Ime would be an acceptable insurance policy in that instance, though one wonders what he gives you (besides experience) that Batum doesn't.

The overwhelmingly likely explanation is that this is just what it appears to be. Ime worked out in Portland this summer. He has positive history with people in this organization. He didn't get any good offers to go elsewhere. There's no harm in the Blazers bringing him into training camp under those circumstances nor is there harm in him accepting. This is the right percentage move for both parties. Udoka probably doesn't make the team but he might attract notice elsewhere. If he does make the team he's waiting for an injury or a trade to play.

We'll have to see how it works out. I have as much fondness for Udoka as the next guy and I'd not be sad to see him make the squad. He's another one of those players that you'd never regret having on your team. But I'm not expecting miraculous, or even steady, contributions even if that happens.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Daily Links 9/24

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:16:24 -0000

Herald Russian billionaire to buy 80 percent of the NBA’s Nets
Elton Brand says this will be his ‘do-over’ season with 76ers
Raymond Felton’s wait nets only one season contract with Bobcats
Globe NBA, players union wrap up second meeting
Yao encouraged by recovery
Phoenix beats LA 103-94 in Game 1
Celtics’ Wallace is making his way in the community
Dickau chooses Suns camp over Celtics

CelticsBlog   Good Lockin' Out?
Camp Questions: Giddens vs. Walker
LOY's Place    In the Books - Let Me Tell You a Story Part 5
Red's Army   Player Projections: Kendrick Perkins
Celtics Circuit   Whose Season Depends More on Age and Health?
Celtics Hub    Win Share Predictions: Celtics Among Elite
Examiner Vote for the Greatest NBA Player of All Time
NBA Season Preview: Q&A with Detroit Pistons Examiner, Dave Ryan
Q&A on the Cs with Bobcats Examiner David Sentendrey
Lex Nihil Novi Eddie House v. Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson
Al Jefferson can Exhale: Blount Not Coming
Does Four Equal One?
Hoops Blink   100 Best Careers in the NBA (3 of 5)
FanHouse How's Everyone Feeling? Who's Ready for Training Camp and Who Isn't
Dimemag    New threads for the Bobcats; new owner/borough for the Nets
Where Are They Now: Darius Rice
CT News    Orlando Magic: An Illusion or a Real Contender?
Celtics Town   Could Kendrick Perkins become an All-Star center?
Yahoo   Nets' pursuit of LeBron: From Russia, with love
Sun Chronicle    Student finds North couple's dog (In case you missed it on Red's Army)
Perkisabeast    Vote Capone
HoopsAddict    Boston’s Pivotal Player: Kevin Garnett
NESN     Teams May Be Willing to Take a Gamble on Antoine Walker
Dan Dickau Declines Invitation To Celtics Camp, Chooses Phoenix Instead
Full Court Press    Plenty of Green on National TV Schedule
ProJo    Dan Dickau snubs Celtics
Rajon Rondo wants to stay in Boston
Paul Pierce launches The Truth on Health Campaign
Celtics begin Training Camp in Newport on Tuesday
Cavalier Attitude   One Week Before Cavaliers Training Camp, Question Marks Surround Upgraded Roster
Ball Don't Lie    The top 10 NBA general managers of the last decade - Ball Don't Lie
Daily Contributor    Top 25 Professional Athletes To Follow On Twitter
Cleveland.com    For a troubled Delonte West, Cavaliers must mix compassion with discipline
ESPN   Minnesota Timberwolves tell Mark Blount's agent he can seek trade
Hoopsworld     NBA PM: Nets Sale Details Revealed
Deseret News    Utah Jazz: Will Jordan face Russell again?
Fox Sports    Preseason is when the 2009-10 story begins

Training Camp Invite Round-Em-Up

Jon L — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:18 -0000

John Lucas will be attending the Miami Heat's upcoming training camp.

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This is something that qualifies as a transactions post as well, but a lot of NBA teams are finalizing their training camp rosters, so I thought it would be worth compiling the news into semi-regular (or maybe it'll just be this one, who knows) posts rather than fanshotting every single story. (And also because I'm trying my best to ignore Brandt Anderon's latest harebrained scheme.) Because this is RU I'm just covering those players who are at the end of the roster, invited on non-guaranteed deals basically as either longshots or "why not" guys. As always, some teams seem to know what they're doing, and some...well...

Phoenix Suns: Dan Dickau

Really, Phoenix? Dan Dickau? Look, I get that you need a third point guard, at least for training camp, and I get that Zabian Dowdell's rehabbing an injury. But there's really no other way to describe Dickau at this point other than "terrible." Several of the better options aren't available either, having signed with other teams or gone off to Europe, but off the top of my head Eddie Gill, Walker russell and Cliff Clinkscales are all still around and would be better options. You say that Goran Dragic and Dan Dickau are currently your backup point guards? And that your starter is 35 years old with semi-serious back problems? Yeah, good luck with that.

Oklahoma City: Michael Ruffin, Ryan Bowen, Tre Kelley, Michael Harris

As much as the Thunder have used their D-League affiliate in Tulsa, I get the sneaking suspicion that they've recently started to lean towards "crusty veterans." Kevin Ollie being exhibit A, Ruffin here being exhibit B. Ruffin never had an offensive game, and in his heyday (if you can call it that) with the Wizards he didn't do much other than rebound. He was decent at it for a few years, and while the per-minute numbers are still there he hasn't been able to stay on the court long enough over the past three seasons or so for it to really matter. He's mostly here, much like Etan Thomas, because he played college ball in the state. How's that working out for the Bobcats? Bowen is known as a "hustle guy," which teams always like to have. I do wonder, though, what these two signings might reveal about Oklahoma City's thoughts about D.J. White and Serge Ibaka. White had some injury trouble last year but looked pretty good in the D-League when he was able to play, while if there's one center in the league who can keep up with Russell Westbrook, it's probably Ibaka. Oddly enough, Kelley was dropped from the Miami Heat's roster last year when they signed Shaun Livingston, who's now with the Thunder. Harris spent 17 games with the Houston Rockets a few years ago and put up some pretty good per-minute rebounding numbers. The season before that he played for Colorado in the D-League, where he made almost 62 percent of his field goals. Kelley and Harris are both unlikely to make the team, I think, since the Thunder have so many players on their roster already.

Cleveland: Rob Kurz

I like this move for Cleveland, as Kurz is a three-point shooting power forward which means that a.) he won't be trying to share space with Shaquille O'Neal or a driving LeBron James, and b.) he's another person for James or whomever to kick out to. It makes even more sense in the wake of Delonte West's recent...thing, and all the uncertainty around his status now. West is a guard, true, but Kurz might help the team replace some of his offense. Kurz not going to Denver (as he had been considering) also means that James White now has a better chance to take Linas Kleiza's old rotation spot.

Philadelphia: Dionte Christmas, Sean Singletary, Brandon Bowman, Jared Reiner (possible)

Christmas isn't a surprise, as he's a local "make-good" story, and he played for that 76ers/Nets combined Summer League team. He had one pretty good game a in Orlando, though from what I remember he struggled in the rest of them. Singletary has been traded a lot, though he's managed to play in 30-some odd NBA games and a few D-League games, but he's probably best served going to play in Europe. He's a point guard who averaged 3.4 assists per 36 minutes in those NBA games, which isn't what you'd call "good." He was more of a scorer in college, anyway, and he remains an alright three-point shooter. Bowman played for Bakersfield for two seasons before spending last year in Germany, but he didn't score very efficiently in the D-League. Reiner played for Philadelphia in last year's pre-season as well, but was cut before the actual season started. He was a second team All D-League player a few seasons ago with Sioux Falls, and he's a decent rebounder. What we have here is a collection of players with notable college careers, but who all have reasons they haven't stuck in the NBA (prove me wrong, Dionte!)

Sacramento: Lanny Smith

This is a good move for the Kings, as Smith is a solid point guard who most recently played on the "NBA Generations" team. If there's one thing Kings fans aren't satisfied with (one thing?) it's the point guard spot, as Beno Udrih had a pretty miserable season last year. The team then drafted Tyreke Evans and traded for Sergio Rodriguez, though, so it'll be tough for Smith to crack that rotation, but he played for new Kings assistant Bryan Gates in Idaho, so maybe that will give him an advantage on Udrih, who doesn't have the best recent history, or Rodriguez, who's still mostly an unknown.

Miami: John Lucas, Andre Brown

I really, really hope that Lucas makes the team, not just because it's nice to see D-League players succeed, and not just because he's a talented player, but because Miami's backup was and is Chris Quinn. Miami has a history of rotating D-League players in and out without really committing to the idea (and also they haven't exactly signed the cream of the D-League crop anyway), but I would certainly hope they give Lucas every chance to beat out Quinn, because he can. Lucas played a fair amount of shooting guard alongside Eddie Gill last season, but he's a point guard who ran the offense well, and while he's not the biggest guy around, he's found a way to fight through screens pretty effectively. Brown has bounced around a few training camps the last few years after playing in the D-League in 2006. He also spent about two dozen games with the Toros last year. His rebounding has held but his shooting percentage, free throw shooting and overall scoring have gone down the last few years.

San Antonio: Curtis Jerrells, Dwayne Jones

I'm assuming Jerrells was signed to push Marcus Williams for the third point guard spot (and also because he both went to Baylor and is from Austin), which is fine and probably good for Williams, but I don't see Jerrells making the roster. He may, as 48 Minutes predicts, end up with the Toros, who will need another point guard with Williams going to the Spurs and Stanley Burrell headed to Europe. I was not optimistic about Jones making the roster until I saw that the team waived Jack McClinton in order to sign him. My overall thoughts on Jones can be found here (short version: I like him a lot). I'm still not sure he'll be with the Spurs coming out of the preseason, but Theo Ratliff's 70-year-old body could break down any day now, and I expect several of their players to see some time in Austin (such as James Gist). It's also about that time for Ian Mahinmi to show the team that he can play, and after recovering from an injury this offseason, he still might be behind development-wise.

Who's Left?

Roy_Hobbs — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:53:42 -0000

For some reason, most of these guys are still available...

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Following up on Jeff's article yesterday about the 15th roster spot, here's a look at some of the remaining unrestricted free agents:

PGs: Carlos Arroyo, Chucky Atkins, Dan Dickau, Tyronn Lue, Stephon Marbury, Mike Taylor, Jamaal Tinsley, Jacque Vaughn

SGs: Juan Dixon, Bobby Jackson, Flip Murray, Rashad McCants

SFs: Gerald Green, Joey Graham, Stephen Graham, Darius Miles, Wally Szczerbiak, Ime Udoka

PFs: Raef LaFrentz, Mark Madsen, Stromile Swift, Antoine Walker

Cs: Mark Blount (pending release), Dwayne Jones, Courtney Sims, Robert Swift

Obviously, none of the names above are spectacular. However, there are a few players who could help teams that are in need of some depth.

For the Celtics' purposes, none of the above is a perfect fit, of course; if they were, they'd probably be here already. I really like Bobby Jackson as a player, but he's a bit long in the tooth, and one wonders if he could play beside Eddie House in the backcourt. Jamaal Tinsley is a mess. Chucky Atkins is ancient, and his game is in decline (although he's another guy I've always liked). Flip Murray can't stick with a team, and has always seemed like a "scoring first, second, and last" type of guy. Wally is... well, he's Wally. He's a good shooter, but he's not going to bring much else to the table, especially on the defensive end (although, in his defense, I will say that he played strong defense on Ray Allen in the playoffs).

So, in the end maybe none of them makes sense, and it's a better strategy to maintain roster flexibility to sign a free agent during the season or to take back players in a 1-for-2 deal.

Update: Dan Dickau has turned down the Celtics invitation to camp and will attend the Suns camp instead (Source: Globe)