Coach Jeff Hornacek and the Phoenix Suns are moving up without any superstars.

Top five keeps rolling as trade season begins

By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Dec 16, 2013 11:23 AM

Dec. 15 has come and gone. Most players who were signed to new contracts last summer are now eligible to be traded. All reports indicate that Omer Asik will be sent packing by Thursday.

So now is when things get interesting. Wannabe contenders are looking to make upgrades. There a lot of good-but-not-great teams in the West and a few desperate teams in the East. At the same time, there are plenty of teams looking to, uh, plan for the future.

It remains to be seen if the Rudy Gay trade makes the Kings better and the Raptors worse, or vice versa. And Toronto could certainly be making more deals to go in one direction or the other. How bad the Eastern Conference is just complicates things.

While all the off-court speculation picks up, there are two huge matchups on the schedule this week. The Pacers visit Miami on Wednesday and the Thunder travel to San Antonio on Saturday. That will certainly tide us over until Christmas.

(c)NBA.com

JUNE Mar Fajardo's stats line at the end of his first game in the PBA reads like this: nine points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, a small cut on his left eyebrow, and countless aches all over his body.

Walking forlornly as he emerged from Petron’s dugout after an 86-102 defeat to Rain or Shine on Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Fajardo admitted getting frustrated by the physical play of the Elasto Painters, especially big men Beau Belga, JR Quinahan and Jervy Cruz.

“Di ko ine-expect na ganito ka physical, malaki talaga ang pagkakaiba,” Fajardo told Spin.ph, pointing to a bandage on his left eyebrow owing to a cut he suffered during a skirmish with Ryan Arana midway through the final period.

With the 6-6 Belga and the 6-5 Quinahan hitting three three-pointers each and Arana, Cruz and just about every player in a Rain or Shine uniform putting a body on the rookie at every opportunity, the Elasto Painters proved a tough proposition for the 6-10 Cebuano.

Fajardo was either late going out to cover Belga and Quinahan in the perimeter - and slow to scramble back inside the shaded lane to stop drives by the likes of Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, and Jireh Ibanes.

“Sa depensa, nahirapan ako dahil ang dami nilang shooters, pati big man tumitira. Okay lang daw na habulin dahil may magro-rotate naman, though medyo nahuhuli lang,” said the former University of Cebu star.

Petron’s own rookie coach Olsen Racela said: “Nahirapan siya (Fajardo) kasi yung malalaki ng Rain or Shine eh nilalabas siya because they shoot. That’s not his comfort zone (Fajardo defending the perimeter). Tapos nagulo defense namin kapag lumalabas si June Mar."

The constant banging also clearly ruffled Fajardo, who ended up flubbing several easy undergoal stabs. In 38 minutes on the floor, the rookie went 2-of-7 from the field and 5-of-11 from the foul line.

Petron coaching consultant Rajko Toroman, however, cautioned against expecting Fajardo to turn into a super center overnight.

"June Mar never really played real basketball all his life. He didn't play a lot in ABL (Asean Basketball League). You see him missing layups. So it's a learning process for him," said the former national coach.

"Maybe in one or two years, he'll dominate. But you don't expect him to explode soon."

Source: Richard Dy, SPIN.ph

History of sport

The history of sport probably extends as far back as the existence of people as purposive sportive and active beings. Sport has been a useful way for people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment. The history of sport can teach us a great deal about social changes and about the nature of sport itself. Sport seems to involve basic human skills being developed and exercised for their own sake, in parallel with being exercised for their usefulness. It also shows how society has changed its beliefs and therefore there are changes in the rules. Of course, as we go further back in history the dwindling evidence makes the theories of the origins and purposes of sport difficult to support. Nonetheless, its importance in human history is undeniable.

Dwight Howard participates in Lakers' 1st practice

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) – Dwight Howard participated in his first practice with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), going through a lengthy workout with no apparent concerns about his surgically repaired back.

Howard worked out with the Lakers' new starting five during much of the afternoon practice at the Lakers' training complex, running offensive drills with Steve Nash and playing a little 1-on-1 against Pau Gasol. After finishing up the workout with drills in the Lakers' new Princeton-inflected offense, he got a few quick pointers from Kobe Bryant.

Howard's performance was encouraging to the Lakers, who are being careful with their new franchise center five months after surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.

''I didn't surprise myself,'' Howard said. ''I've been working hard to get on the court. I want to continue to work hard, (and) we haven't had any setbacks, so I want to continue to do whatever I can to get on the court.''

The six-time All-Star center hasn't committed to any timetable for his debut with the Lakers, who acquired him in a four-team trade in August. The Lakers already have announced Howard won't play in their first preseason game in Fresno against Golden State on Sunday night (Monday morning in Manila), but Howard sounds determined to suit up with his teammates at some point before the regular season opener Oct. 30 against Dallas.

''Hopefully I'll be back for some preseason games,'' Howard said. ''I think we're going to need it for chemistry and all that stuff, but like I said, I'm not going to rush. I'm going to continue to practice. We've had some great practices. Today was really good, so I'm happy.''

The Lakers' second exhibition is in Ontario, Calif., on Oct. 10 against Portland.

Howard has been working out six days a week at the Lakers' training complex to prepare for the season under the watch of the club's medical staff and his own team.

The results are promising to his teammates, who were impressed by Howard's fitness in his first team action. Howard participated in three-on-three, two-on-two and one-on-one drills with the Lakers, who didn't run any drills with serious contact or 5-on-5 scrimmages.

''He worked just as much as anybody else, so that was good,'' Gasol said. ''I didn't expect that to happen today. ... He's a great player, a tremendous force, and it feels good to have him here.''

Howard knows the Lakers have plenty of work to do if they hope to grasp the new offensive concepts being installed by veteran assistant coach Eddie Jordan. Bryant, who already sees Howard picking up the offense, is grateful to see evidence of Howard's work ethic in his first day.

''It was very beneficial,'' Bryant said. ''Even though he can't really do anything that's contact-related, he's still able to go through all the drills offensively, and the schemes we want to do, and kind of work through the Princeton offense, so it was very productive.''

Photo above shows Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard speaking to reporters during their NBA basketball media day at the team's headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Monday (Tuesday in Manila). (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
source:nba.com

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