The weekend is starting early for me. By the time you read this, chances are I'll already be in northern Michigan sucking down an Oberon next to a river full of fish that -- if tradition holds true -- will completely avoid my line. But before I leave, here's some links for you to read while you're pretending to work.
- The Vegas Summer League kicks off on Friday. At least two games a day (including a pair of Pistons games, starting with Friday's opener against the Lakers) will be televised on NBA TV, but NBA.com will also have a live online stream for every game on the schedule. (I'm not sure if those games will be archived, though, so you may want to arrange your schedule accordingly.) (hat-tip: JackDutch)
- One player you won't see playing in Vegas is Alex Acker -- Keith Langlois reports that he's pulled out a knee injury. That shouldn't be a huge surprise -- it's the same injury that nearly scuttled his contract with Barcelona last year.
- From the same Langlois post as above:
Curry said he talked to Rodney Stuckey after the Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs by Boston – Curry was scheduled to coach the Summer League team even before succeeding Flip Saunders as head coach – and made a deal with him. If he brought his teammates to Las Vegas in top-flight condition, the Pistons would hold just one practice a day leading up to the Summer League opener instead of two. "We sort of had an agreement that the guys were going to be in shape," Curry said. "They were (in Auburn Hills) about two to three weeks, getting some work in. They held up their end of the bargain and we’ve had two really good days of practice so far."
I don't know what I like more: that Curry trusted his young players to make the right decision or he considered Stuckey enough of a leader to get on his teammates.
- Kelly Dwyer on the double-standard in which people view the NBA and any other sports league. I'm used to it, but it's still annoying.
- Bill Ingram from HOOPSWORLD says the Pistons are "believed to be close" to offering CJ Miles an offer sheet, but A. Sherrod Blakely says that's only going to happen if the Pistons know the Jazz won't match it.
That's all for now. Knowing my luck, the moment I leave will be the moment The Big Trade will finally happen, but rest assured I've left the site in good hands: long-time DBB reader Mike Payne (who runs a pretty kick-ass blog himself) has the keys. If anything big happens (or if anything small strikes his fancy), he'll keep you updated. Enjoy the weekend, folks.