First Cup: Tuesday

• Andrew Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com: "After much waiting and anticipation, there will finally be a rematch between the Los Angeles based Drew League and the Goodman League of Washington D.C. The game will take place on Oct. 9 in Los Angeles at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The time is tentatively set for 5:30 p.m. PT. Longtime Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley confirmed the news and date to ESPNLosAngeles.com. The first meeting on Aug. 21 in D.C. saw the Goodman League squad, fueled by 44 points and a pair of clutch free throws from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, eke out a 135-134 victory. Since then, fans and participants alike have been clamoring to see these squads meet up again. After a series of scheduling conflicts, a mutually agreeable time was finally discovered."
• Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer: "Dan Gilbert spent three straight seasons paying into a revenue-sharing system that following the 2009-10 season was projected to be at $60 million -- or $336 million less than Major League Baseball's redistribution plan. It stands to reason the Cavs and others want the Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, etc., to share more profits from their local revenue streams. The last four NBA champions represent the second (Los Angeles), fifth (Boston) and seventh (Dallas) media markets. If the lockout continues into the season, Gilbert likely will remain an inviting target. But if the past is any guide, that's unlikely to detour his pursuits."
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "Usually when the Celtics gather for their Shamrock Foundation golf outing, they’re taking a break from preparations for a season that is fast approaching. But yesterday when the basketball operations people came together at Weston Golf Club for the annual event, they were taking a break from ... taking a break. ... The Celts, like other clubs, have done what they can to prepare for the time when a new system is in place and they can begin signing free agents, but, as expected, things have been much slower than normal. Asked what he’s been up to, coach Doc Rivers said, 'Golf, family and that’s about it. Decompressing is always good. We’ve all done that pretty much, and we’re antsy again.' Celtics president Danny Ainge knows the free agent market will be like the Wild West once a new CBA is reached, but all he can do is prepare wish lists. 'We’ve done that,' he said, 'but we’ve done that every summer, every draft and every trade deadline. It’s the same as usual. We’ve just had a lot more time to go over things. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’ll be prepared. We’ve just gotten organized in our scouting. We’re just more organized now.' "
• Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times: "The assignment: rank the best current commissioners in sports, factoring in various economic, labor and field-of-play issues. The consensus of several sports business experts was that David Stern is No. 1, though with an asterisk because of the labor dispute that led him to lock players out on July 1. 'At the collegiate level right now, no one's killing it like Larry Scott is. To do what he has done with the Pac-12 is astounding,' said Scott Rosner, associate director of Wharton Sports Business initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. 'Track record, though, I think you have to give it to David. To think about where this sport was when he took over in the early '80s, so many teams losing money — the majority of the teams losing money — the Finals were on tape delay in many markets across the country, and David has brought that league to where it is. That said, if you're grading on the latest semester his grade wouldn't be as strong, obviously, with the lockout. And this is in many respects important to his legacy, but my sense is when all is said and done that the owners will score a pretty major victory.' "
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: "Chris Duhon, the Orlando Magic's representative to the National Basketball Players Association, isn't ready to predict whether the 2011-12 NBA regular season will start on time. 'Obviously, there's a standstill going on, and there's major points that we're not going to give up on, and there's major points that the owners are not going to give up on,' said Duhon, who attended last Thursday's union meeting in Las Vegas and regularly updates his teammates on the status of the ongoing negotiations. 'The good thing is that now we're actually trying to communicate. Now, there's communication. Obviously, the time is getting shorter and shorter, and nobody wants to miss games. So now we're communicating a little bit, but at the same time, at the end, we've got to know that the players, we're prepared. We've been prepared for two years. We've been prepared for two years to sit out a year or maybe two.' The NBA lockout, which completed its 81st full day Monday, shows few signs of letting up."
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "Griz forward Rudy Gay was cleared to resume full-contact basketball activities, seven months after he suffered a partially dislocated left shoulder, Gay's agent confirmed Monday afternoon. Jeff Austin, one of Gay's representatives at Octagon Sports, said his client met with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. Andrews then declared that Gay's surgically repaired shoulder has full strength and range of motion. ... Gay signed a five-year, $84 million contract before the start of the 2010-11 season. He responded by producing a career year in seven statistical categories before the injury. It is believed that Gay will return to Las Vegas to continue working out at Impact Basketball, where more than 40 NBA players are participating in a so-called 'lockout league.' "
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Rockets forward Patrick Patterson underwent ankle surgery last month but is on pace to be ready for the start of training camp should the NBA lockout end in time, Patterson's agent, Odell McCants, said Monday. Patterson had surgery to treat bone spurs in his right ankle. He is rehabilitating the ankle and training at St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis. 'He was playing through it the past couple years,' McCants said. 'He's right on schedule to be ready if training camp does start on time.' Because of the lockout, Rockets officials could not comment on Patterson's condition or be involved in his rehabilitation."
• Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "In the end, Bill Bayno’s departure from the Trail Blazers’ coaching staff came down to one thing: Security. The Minnesota Timberwolves and new coach Rick Adelman offered the former Blazers assistant coach a four-year contract — three more years than the Blazers would offer — and a difficult decision became a no-brainer for Bayno. 'We talk all the time about this being a business when players get traded or coaches get fired and its no different in this situation,' Bayno said in an e-mail to The Oregonian. 'My first choice was to stay and I did everything in my power to do that. But in the end, I had to take this offer. It was too good to pass up.' As a general policy under the current management, the Blazers do not offer assistant coaches more than one-year contracts on a year-to-year basis. Coach Nate McMillan lobbied on Bayno’s behalf when the Timberwolves’ interest surfaced, but the Blazers were unwilling to budge on a multi-year offer."
• Jason Loyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "The Cavaliers are holding open tryouts in both Cleveland and Canton for men interested in trying out for the team’s new Development League team which begins play in Canton this fall. The Cleveland tryout is Saturday, Oct. 8 and continues on Sunday, Oct. 9 at St. Ignatius. ... 'The open tryout process is an important part of our launch and a good way to evaluate additional talent on the court,' Canton General Manager Wes Wilcox said. 'It will be a great opportunity for players to make their case for an invitation to our training camp.' "
• Langston Wertz Jr. of The Charlotte Observer: "Former Wake Forest and Charlotte Hornets point guard Muggsy Bogues is the boys' basketball coach at private United Faith Christian. He will start Tuesday. Bogues, 46, replaces Shaun Wiseman, who led United Faith to three straight appearances in the N.C. 1A Independent Schools championship game. The Falcons won the title in 2009 and 2010. 'My goal is to make sure I do a great job this year and give the kids what they need,' Bogues said. 'I'm looking forward to working with the kids and helping to build the program.' "

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/32042/first-cup-tuesday-173

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