The long summer days for ball fans continue as highlights are few and far between and for the most part the news worthy clips are sporadic at best. Our weekly check-in with the Association shows that despite the hot summer days, NBA executives continue to pound out the hours in their year-long quest to improve their respective clubs.
When we last left you, both Al Harrington and Larry Sanders were on the verges of inking new contracts. Harrington did sign with the Washington Wizards on a one-year $1.4 million deal. This marks a solid signing for the Wizards as the contract is low risk and the upside could be significant for their club.
Sanders made his contract official with the Milwaukee Bucks as he agreed to terms on a four-year deal that will see him get paid $44 million over the next four seasons. I definitely like the fact that the Bucks were committed to keeping the young center; however, I can’t help but feel as though they overpaid for the privilege. This is truly a case of a small market team having to overpay slightly for an asset as they know Sanders would be highly coveted on the open market. The organization did the smart thing and Bucked-up the dough to keep this building block in Milwaukee.
News out of Portland has newly acquired Thomas Robinson feeling wanted in the City of Roses. This must have Blazer fans cringing as they harken back to the jail-Blazer days of old. But rest assured Robinson is only feeling wanted and is not actually wanted for any felonies. The Blazers are hoping that Robinson will fit in well with their second unit and if the Summer League was a glimpse of things to come; Robinson has been working on his aggressiveness and his rebounding, both of which will buy him more playing time in Portland.
Reports out of Houston have the Rockets agreeing to terms with Ronnie Brewer on a two-year partially guaranteed contract. Brewer played parts of last season with the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder and while he played on two high-profile teams he was inconspicuous himself all season long. Brewer will be fighting for a roster spot and playing time as the Rockets have a full compliment of players under contract. Even if he does make the roster come opening day, his fantasy impact will be negligible at best as he will likely be used as a defensive stopper and not called upon to score.
A recap of of those rehabbing has Dwyane Wade getting back into basketball related activities for the first time since the Miami Heat’s playoff run. Kobe Bryant treated us all to an instagram of him running on a treadmill; obviously showing that he is working hard to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as possible. Reports out of Boston have Rajon Rondo recovering nicely from his torn ACL injury and while his rehab is not as attention grabbing as Wade or Kobe’s; it is Rondo’s return to the lineup that is the most impactful among the three.
Check back next week as we will once again highlight the newsworthy and pass along the relevant NBA News and Notes. With NBA training camps still over a month away the news cycle has slowed considerably. Mind you so long as LeBron James still commandeers police resources to ensure prompt arrival at a Jay-Z concert, J.R. Smith shows us all just how much car one can buy for $500 thousand and the trash talk continues between Brooklynites and New Yorkers then the NBA news feeds will always have something to fill the void between now and September 28th.