Ni VT ROMANO
HANDA nang mag-move on si Kevin Durant mula sa dramang nangyari sa Brooklyn Nets nitong offseason.
“Can we move on past that at some point?” tanong na pahayag ni Durant sa mga reporter matapos ang praktis ng team.
“I know it’s an interesting story. I know that it took up most of the offseason and drama sells, I get that. But I didn’t miss any games, I didn’t miss any practices, I’m still here. So hopefully we can move past that,” pakiusap niya.
Papasok si Durant sa first season ng four-year extension. Matatandaan noong Hunyo ay nag-request siya ng trade mula sa Nets, kasunod ng desisyon ni Kyrie Irving na gamitin ang player option para sa 2022-23.
Idagdag pa rito, noong Agosto ay hiniling din ng 12-time All-Star player kay Nets owner Joe Tsai na sibakin sina head coach Steve Nash at general manager Sean Marks o kaya’y hanapan siya ng trade. Subalit hindi nagpatinag si Tsai.
Ayon kay Durant, marami umanong hindi totoo sa mga balita. “There’s a lot of s*** that was inaccurate. But it’s like, I don’t want to go through it right now. We don’t got that much time right now.”
Nang humiling ng trade si Durant, nagkainteres sa kanya ang Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns at Toronto Raptors. Ngunit walang nangyaring trade at nagtapos ang drama nang ihayag ni Marks noong Agosto 23, si Durant at ang Nets ay nagkasundong ipagpatuloy ang kanilang partnership.
Inamin ni Durant: “I was upset. And as a family, they understood that I was upset, some of the stuff they agreed with.
“So we talked about it, and it was over a couple of months, a couple of weeks, toward the end of that where we talked about it. We came out and we voiced all our concerns about how we all can be better. And it just worked out from there, and I’m glad I’m here now.”
NANCE, PELICANS
PA RIN
NAGKASUNDO ang New Orleans, Pelicans at si forward Larry Nance, Jr., sa two-year extension $21.6 million, ayon sa agent nitong si Mark Bartelstein.
”Larry has fallen in love with New Orleans and the entire Pelicans organization, front office, coaching, players,” komento ni Bartelstein. ”He’s really, really excited about what’s ahead for this team and he wanted to be a part of it. So, it was important to run through the 2024-25 season.”
Makatutuwang ni Nance sa team si power forward Zion Williamson, high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram at guard Cj McCollum, nakakontrata sa team nang tatlo pang season.
”The organization is outstanding,” lahad ni Nance matapos ang praktis ng team nitong Sabado habang nakatayo katabi nina Williamson at Ingram. ”I took the chance to extend my stay and I’m very fortunate to be playing alongside these two.”
Lumaro ng college sa Wyoming, ang 29-anyos na si Nance ay huling hinugot sa first-round draft ng Los Angeles Lakers noong 2015.
Naglaro rin siya sa Cleveland Cavaliers at Portland Trail Blazers at may career averages 8.1 points at 6.5 rebounds.
Nakapasok sa playoffs ang Pelicans sa nakaraang season nang wala si Williamson, 2019 top overall frat pick at 2021 All-Star, kinailangang matigil sa ikatlong season sana niya sa liga sanhi ng foot injury.
Ngayon, nakabalik na sa praktis at nakatatakbo na nang maayos si Williamson at handa nang tulungan ang Pelicans sa kampanya sa paparating na season.
”It’s great to see that because I know, especially for me, my first three years … it was always a different cast,” wika ni Williamson. ”To see some vet guys want to stay around and try to build something special, it means a lot.”
SHAQ UMATRAS
SA SUNS
UMUGONG ang balitang interesado umano si NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal bilhin ang share ni Robert Sarver sa Phoenix Suns.
Sa kanyang The Big Podcast with Shaq ngayong linggo, sinabi ng dating Los Angeles Lakers center na inisip talaga niyang bilhin ang Phoenix Suns, na kabilang din sa naghahangad bumili ay sina former Disney CEO Bob Iger, billionaire Elon Musk, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Ngunit nang makita ang pangalan ni Bezos, tuluyan nang tumalikod at kinalimutan ni O’Neal ang ideyang bilhin ang Phoenix Suns. “I was open [to the idea of purchasing the team] until I saw the initials JB. Let me tell you something, you don’t mess with James Brown, you don’t mess with Jeff Bezos,”
Dagdag ni Shaq: “When the boys come on stage, get your a** and go. So, Jeff said he wants it and a couple of other heavy hitters said they want it. I’m not even gonna put my name in the bucket on this one.”
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