>Clippers interested in Iverson; Sterling more concerned with ticket sales than team’s success

Yahoo! Sports reported earlier in the week that Clippers owner Donald Sterling is interested in signing Allen Iverson to – get this – sell tickets. Win games? Not important. Develop young talent. Who cares?

Sterling is correct that Iverson would help ticket sales. But, if it does not result in a better season, you would have to think that those sales would eventually return to normal at some point next season. If you recall, the Clippers had a small playoff run in the 2005-06 season. It appeared to be a resurgence for the Clippers and their fan base. That soon subsided after the following season reverted to poor business as usual for Los Angeles’ other team.

More importantly though is the young perimeter talent Mike Dunleavy has in LA. Eric Gordon has promise in the league. Plus, veteran guard Baron Davis still plays, though the possibility of him being traded always exists.

John W. McDonough/SI.com

Whoever signs the thirty-four year old guard will get the former NBA MVP at a bargain. I haven’t heard anything higher than $6 million a year and no long term contracts. The Grizzlies and Heat have also shown interest.

>Dahntay Jones signs with Indiana Pacers; Larry Bird silently building an East contender?

Amidst the rampant free agent signings this NBA off-season, lost are the role players being swept up by intelligent GMs. Dahntay Jones signed a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. Jones definitely overachieved for the Denver Nuggets during their run to the Western Conference Finals. He was a solid defender and a great rebounder from the perimeter. Someone who the Nuggets may miss more than many realize.

Though Jones played admirably in the first two rounds, his play became overtly rough and aggressive in trying to stop Kobe Bryant. His style once resulted in four fouls in less than two minutes and a quick trip back to the bench.

If Jones can find an emotional balance in his style of play, he could help the youth-laden Pacers become contenders in the East sooner than later.

Larry Bird has his scorer and go-to guy in Danny Granger, who won the NBA’s Most Improved Player this past season after averaging 25.8 points and five rebounds, and he’s starting to put the rest of the pieces in place.

>Can Phil Jackson make a system player out of Adam Morrison?

Remember Adam Morrison? The former Gonzaga player who once graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and finished second in the NCAA National Player of the Year voting? Plagued as another Michael Jordan draft blunder (selected third overall in 2006), Morrison just won an NBA Championship as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers without logging a single playoff minute.

Morrison suffered an ACL tear in a preseason game and missed the whole 2007-08 season. After being traded to the Lakers this past season, he saw limited playing time on a team with an already established rotation on the wings.

Currently Morrison is playing well in the NBA Summer League. Though his career might not ever reach the lofty expectations once bestowed upon him in college, he looks as though he can still be a key contributor on a team. Who better to find that niche for Morrison than 10-time NBA Champion Phil Jackson?

Jackson is a guru when it comes to finding the right roles for players and getting more out of less. Not saying that Morrison is any less of a player than he was projected to be, but right now he has much working against him. He’s basically looking at a second rookie season with the Lakers.

Morrison seems like an offensive weapon the Lakers could use when Kobe Bryant is not in the game. A viable outside threat, and someone who can use the dribble to attack with a 6’9″ frame. Here’s to Morrison proving the critics wrong next season and Jackson hopefully finding that spot in the rotation for a once deadly shooter.

Here’s a recent interview of Morrison after scoring 22 points in a summer league game. Some good footage of his play included as well:

>More from summer league: Jonny Flynn, Dajuan Blair not skipping a beat

The Big East affiliate Doug Potter got us thinking about the impact Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn would have in the NBA. If the NBA’s summer league in Las Vegas is a measuring stick, Flynn will flourish with the open floor style. He’s showcasing his array of talents quite nicely.

Dajuan Blair keeps showing just how careless it was for those teams with first round picks to pass on him. He’s easily putting up double-doubles this summer, just as he did night in and night out at Pitt. San Antonio, along with recent acquisitions Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, have to be confident in their chances of challenging the Lakers in the West next season.

Check out some game highlights of Flynn and Blair in action from Vegas:

> NBA Question of the Day: Which team has made the best off-season acquisitions?

Here are my favorite three.

1. San Antonio Spurs – Traded for Richard Jefferson. Had Dajuan Blair fall into their lap in the second round. Signed Antonio McDyess to a three-year deal.

2. Los Angeles Lakers – Lost Trevor Ariza but signed Ron Artest. They only keep this spot if they can re-sign Lamar Odom.

3. Atlanta Hawks – Re-signed veteran point guard Mike Bibby. Traded for Jamal Crawford. Gives them plenty of fire-power to go along with Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. The only questions will be if they can play defense and share shot opportunities.

There are still plenty of good free agents available, including David Lee and Lamar Odom. Check out the remainders at ESPN.

Got some NBA news or comments? Take a seat on the bench and let your ‘pickins’ be heard.

By Doug Potter

The purpose of college for High School teens post graduation is intended to prepare them for the grind and rigors of everyday life. Some are still searching for their niche, while others have a good idea what they want to do and college will help them get there. For a lot of NBA-bound basketball players all college does is serve as a nuisance and prolong their arrival to “The League.” For some, however, college is a stepping stone to become a member of the most important lottery in basketball; the “NBA Draft Lottery.” Former Syracuse Orange point guard, Jonny Flynn, is a prime example of why young athletes should go to college.

BACKGROUND: Flynn is used to being the “Big Man on Campus.” He was on Junior Varsity as a seventh grader, Varsity as a Freshman, and was the team’s starting point guard as a Sophomore. That year he led his team to a 28-1 record, a state championship, and a federation championship, and a number one ranking in a couple of polls by year’s end. That team had seven future D-1 players and was one that Flynn will never forget. “That was the best year of high school basketball in Niagara Falls history,” Flynn said. “Nobody can take that away and it was just so much fun.” With all those playmakers and offensive firepower, Flynn was more of a distributor and really improved his passing game. Syracuse teammate, Paul Harris, was the talk of the team and supposed to be the next “Phenom” to come out of Western New York. His set of skills and athleticism dominated the High School level like nobody had seen in quite some time. He decided to attend Syracuse University and play for coach Jim Boeheim. Jonny followed him there two years later after Harris spent a year in prep school to get his grades straight. They both enjoyed a good career at Syracuse, but Flynn did more with his opportunity to play for one of the greats at the college level in Coach Boeheim.

CURRENTLY: Jonny Flynn was ranked as the fourth best PG in his class coming into his college career, and the 23rd best overall player. Oh, how times change! Now, Mr. Flynn is projected to be drafted as high as fourth overall to the Sacramento Kings. Yeah, I would say he has improved his “stock” as we like to call it. They have made it very clear that their number one need is to get a tough point guard with some offensive talent and the ability to push the ball in transition. I know, that is the definition of Flynn. Tough? Check (Who can forget when he played 13245243 minutes in four games in the Big East Tournament this year?) Offensive firepower? Check (Is fourth on the all-time freshman scoring list at Syracuse with 548 points scored and averaged 17.1 PPG for the Orange last season). His athleticism and offensive repertoire is not going to be the problem at the next level. The problems will come at the other end of the floor in the trenches, where no, okay some, NBA players enjoy playing; Defense.

After a workout with the Kings last week, a scout asked Flynn how playing at Syracuse prepared him for the NBA and having to defend tough point guards night in and night out. “It doesn’t prepare you at all,” Flynn said with a laugh. “You sit in a zone all day.” This does not mean that laziness is encouraged by the Orange coaching staff, but a 2-3 zone, run by coach Boeheim, can be considered less strenuous than a Bob Huggins-run man-to-man defense. That, however, did not stop Flynn from earning the respect from his teammates. They know how quick and strong Jonny is on the defensive end. “I don’t really get it when people say Jonny can’t play D,” former Syracuse forward Paul Harris says. “He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s smart. In my opinion, he’s capable of guarding anybody. But people watch us play zone at Syracuse so much, they question our defense.”

PREDICTION: Jonny would be a great fit for the Kings at #4, but I believe he is not the fourth best player in this year’s draft. He will be drafted that high based solely on need. The Kings NEED a point guard (I know what you’re thinking, they need EVERYTHING, but bear with me) and Flynn would be a great start for a franchise looking to rebuild after being in the dumps the last few seasons.

I compare Flynn’s past two seasons to the one season spent at Syracuse by Carmelo Anthony. Anthony did win a National Championship, but coming into Syracuse, he was just a highly recruited swingman from Oak Hill who had offensive ability. That was Flynn, just a highly talented point guard with a lot of potential and offensive ability, but a lot of improvement to do. He has made those improvements (outside shot, free throws, turnovers) and on Thursday it will all come together for Jonny.

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Consider this – from last Thursday forward anyone of us can be walking down the street or be shopping for groceries or doing anything in public when we might hear: ‘and six quarters later…’  

We won’t need to know the folks involved in that conversation, but we will know exactly what they are talking about.  

Maybe this week’s POTW should be a discussion about the Syracuse Orange and their victory over UConn.  

Is it a foregone conclusion that Jonny Flynn gets the POTW?  But does the Niagara Falls native get the POTW for Thursday’s game?  Or is it Friday’s game?  Or the fact that Syracuse – despite back-to-back OT victories on the previous two nights – still managed to have a lead at halftime over Louisville in the Big East championship?

Maybe we could discuss the the tournament in general.  

On the Sports Reporters this morning they talked about the prospect of expanding the field of 65.  To which Bob Ryan replied:  Expand the field?  The NCAA tournament has already been going on for two weeks.  All of these teams(with the excpetion of those in the Ivy League) are competing for an automatic bid.  That is part of the NCAA basketball tournament.

And what a start it has been.

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by Patrick ‘Rey’ Reynell

I loved war history in high school.

The most intriguing would have to be the Revolutionary War. The idea of an underdog defeating its predecessor and claiming its independence had so many sports equivalents to me.

One particular image that sticks in my mind is the “Red Coats.” Those bright, audacious uniforms the British wore as they carelessly marched through fetal America beating drums.

And then – BANG!

Disguised by the land that would soon birth their country, the Americans easily take down the big bad British. How ridiculous. Why didn’t you just adapt, Brits?

This is how I am becoming to envision Jim Boeheim’s Orange.

A few weeks ago, Big East rival Georgetown came for a clash at the Carrier Dome. I was hoping for a better showing than the season’s previous matchup where Georgetown won in convincing fashion.

The Orange kept it close, leading by one at halftime and broke the game open late in the second half.

Syracuse went up 66-50 with 8:11 remaining after a Devendorf three-pointer.

Then I heard it: “The Orange coats are coming! The Orange coats are coming!” As is always the case, if you’re down big against Syracuse with some reasonable time remaining, you can always shoot over their zone.

Down sixteen with the ‘Cuse sitting in their signature 2-3 zone, Georgetown knew they could shoot themselves back in it. And shoot Mr. Wright and Mr. Summers did.

In the final 2:12 of regulation, the Hoyas made four shots from beyond the arc. Christ Wright buried the first two. Then DaJuan Summers went for the dagger and made two of his own, the biggest with only twelve seconds remaining that tied the game at 83.

The Hoyas looked around, saw the bright orange, and knew they still had a shooter’s chance.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

None of the Hoyas three-point attempts were very well contested by the guards playing the top of the zone, Devendorf and Flynn. Every three point attempt came above the free throw line so the bigger guards of Georgetown would not have to worry about the lengthy players who often play the bottom wings for Boeheim.

Pinstriped Orange at WordPress

(Remember Hakim Warrick closing out from that position? Looked more like a frontline volleyball player on more than several occasions as he’d spike a shot into the stands).

Not wanting his heroics to be finished, DaJuan Summers stole the ball on Syracuse’s last possession in regulation and got a shot off that hit the back of the rim as time expired.

Sixteen point lead diminished, but bullet dodged.

Syracuse would go on to win the game by four in overtime. The extra time should have been unnecessary if the Orange would have just gone man-to-man towards the end and made a not-so-fluid Georgetown team beat them through offensive sets.

As the Big East tournament approaches, I beg the Orange to go man just a little more. Every good team has its preferences, and I can’t imagine a Jim Boeheim led Syracuse team not running a 2-3 zone. But every team must be able to man up against their opponent down the stretch of close games.

With the high quality recent play of big man Rick Jackson off the bench, this is as a good a defensive team as anyone else. Plus, poor Onuaku looks lost at times playing the middle of the 2-3.

Flynn as is quick as they come and can apply adequate ball pressure. Devendorf has a knack for playing off the ball and getting in passing lanes, as proven in the zone. And Paul Harris has enough size (6’4″ 230) to defend some of these bigger guards and forwards.

I’ve seen the Orange go man more than ever, but Boeheim has to be comfortable with it late in close games. I’m no expert and I know you shouldn’t stray too far from what you’re accustomed to, but wearing bright red (in this case, orange) coats and beating a drum while fighting a ground war is just asinine.

As Jonny Flynn said after the Georgetown game, “I was so zoned out.” When it comes to Syracuse basketball in the final minutes of a close game – so am I, Jonny. So am I.