Well, the NBA mourns today after the news that missing former NBA player Lorenzen Wright's body was found Wednesday. Wright had been missing for 10 days, when police found his body outside of Memphis. At first, police were not sure of the identity of the body that was found 15 miles south of downtown Memphis, but after investigating, police made the call to Lorenzen's father to let him know that his son was dead. The 34-year-old Wright was last seen July 18 when he was expected to fly out of town. His family filed a missing person report on July 22nd. Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers for 17 games in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers selected him with the No. 7 pick overall. He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games. Former NBA star Penny Hardaway, who played at Memphis two years before Wright, said he cried when he heard of the passing of Wright. Police are currently looking into homicide as a potential cause of death for Wright.
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Police in Collierville, Tennessee are searching for former NBA pro Lorenzen Wright, after he was reported missing on July 22nd. Authorities are investigating the disappearance, saying "there is a high level of concern." The 34-year-old played forward/center in the NBA for 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. He was with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2008-2009 season, which was his last year in the NBA. The 6-11 Wright hasn't been seen or heard from since July 18th when he visited his ex-wife and their kids in Collierville, which is outside of Memphis. Wright's mother reported him missing on July 22nd, and she says it is very unusual for him not to talk to his kids for an extended amount of time. Authorities say there has been no evidence of a crime, but they are continuing to investigate the disappearance. Police are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 901-853-3207.
While basketball season is over for almost everyone in the country, Stephen Curry and the USA National team are still going. Curry, trying to earn a roster spot on the national team, scored 14 points for the White team in the Blue-White scrimmage game in Las Vegas. The White team beat the Blue team 114-96 on Saturday, as Kevin Durant paced the White team and led all scorers with 28 points. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls had 15 points for the White team, and Tyson Chandler added 13 points and nine boards. The roster of 19 players will be trimmed down to 14 or 15 players by Monday, with training camp for the World Championships beginning on August 10th in New York.
One Charlotte Bobcats player's wife had a big scare early Wednesday morning. According to police reports, three armed men broke into the home of Bobcats player Stephen Jackson, locking his wife in a bathroom and stealing multiple items, including a gun and some luxury items. Jackson was in Texas at the time of the break-in working at a basketball camp. His wife Renata, however, was at home. She was not injured in the robbery, but the thieves reportedly made off with a 9mm pistol, a ruby-encrusted wristwatch, a Louis Vuitton wallet and other items after breaking in to the multi-million dollar home. The $1.7 million home, which is in a gated community, has been lived in by the Jackson's since December, when Jackson was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Charlotte Bobcats. The 6,000-square-foot tan stucco home with three garages is actually owned by former Bobcats guard Jason Richardson, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns during the 2008-09 season. Jackson could not be reached for comment, but investigators are still searching for suspects.
Stephen Curry continues to make a name for himself, this time for the USA National team. Curry, the former Davidson College basketball standout, recently joined the USA National team. The man who is almost single-handedly responsible for taking Davidson to the Final Four in 2008, is trying to follow up on a strong rookie campaign in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors. After being drafted last year with the seventh pick in the first round last year, Curry was a runner-up for rookie-of-the-year honors. He averaged 17.5 points-per-game, shot 46% from the floor, 44% from the three-point line, and 89% from the foul line. He will join 21 other players for Team USA at training camp in Las Vegas July 19-24. Curry will be joined on the National team roster by Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets, Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats and Lamar Odom of the champion Los Angeles Lakers. 27 players in all complete the roster, including 11 Olympians.
Well, the rich get richer, if you are following the Miami Heat. Mike Miller signed his long-awaited five-year contract with the Heat on Thursday, becoming the latest player to take less money than he could have made elsewhere to play for Miami. Miller joins LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem, as the Heat continue to build a championship contending team. After Miller talked with Pat Riley about joining the Heat, he fielded offers from four other teams, but ultimately decided he wanted to be a part of the Heat's attempt at a championship run. Miller's contract is believed to be worth around $25 million. It was signed on the same day the Minnesota Timberwolves planned to introduce former Heat forward Michael Beasley to their fan base, which is more than coincidental. By trading Beasley for draft picks, Miami cleared the cap space they needed to sign Miller. Miller, who played with the Washington Wizards last season, shot a career-best 48 percent from 3-point range last year, and sports career averages of 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds. Miami becomes Miller's fifth NBA team, after stints with Orlando, Memphis, Minnesota and Washington. He hasn't appeared in a postseason game since 2006, and has never played in the second round of the playoffs. The last time he was part of a playoff win was with Orlando in 2002. Miller will have to hope that The Big Three will bring him more playoff luck, or he better hope that he doesn't bring his bad luck in the playoffs with him to Miami, as his teams are 0-14 in postseason contests since 2002.
Well, if you didn't hear, Lebron James has made his decision. The "king" announced on a one-hour special that he will join stars and fellow USA basketball teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. James was the last marquee and arguably the biggest name to sign. In signing with the Heat, Miami can now boast three all-stars, but not much of a supporting cast. The only official member of the Miami Heat currently is Mario Chalmers. Bosh, Wade, and James are all suppose to iron out their contracts soon and are expected to sign five-year deals to stay in Miami. In the wake of the signings, Miami shipped forward Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a second-round draft pick in 2011 and a swap of future first-round picks to make room for the "Big 3's" salaries. After the news broke that Lebron was bolting for South Beach, Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert was less than pleased to say the least, saying Lebron would carry Cleveland's sports curse with him wherever he went and promising that Cleveland would win a championship before his "highness" won one. Needless to say, there are plenty divided on whether Lebron made the right decision or not, but what can be said is that three all-stars that won the gold medal with the USA basketball team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, are all on one team, and everyone will want to keep tabs on how the three play together and if they can mesh together and win a championship, or if the egos get in the way and cause the signings to backfire for everyone involved. Should be interesting.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh significantly changed the landscape without Lebron's help. Dwayne Wade announced today that he is staying in Miami with the Heat, and he is taking Chris Bosh with him. That leaves King James and Carlos Boozer as the last two high-profile free agents left in this year's free agent class, after Amare Stoudemire signed with the New York Knicks. The specific agreements and money involved in Bosh and Wade coming to Miami are unknown because no deals can be made official until Thursday, but many believe both bosh and Wade could receive max deals. Now, for Lebron James, he is going to make his worldwide announcement on ESPN on Thursday night during a one-hour narcissistic special. Thursday should be interesting, considering everything will be made official by Thursday night, but Wednesday went a long way in determining how the 2010 free agent class will shake out.
Recognize this guy? Yeah, Coach Capel, amidst hosting camp, beginning the July recruiting period, oh yeah, and just trying to get acclimated to being the head coach, sat down with ESPN's Dana O'Neil. The article, which discusses his first two months on the job as well as his family ties to the coaching business, was posted on ESPN's home page for a while and is a good read. Here's the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=5316101.
After dealing with a boring year of playoff basketball, the NBA finally and its fans finally had what they wanted; two powerhouses, with a bitter past, and of course, a game seven. Well, game seven lived every bit up to the billing, as the LA Lakers came back from down by 13 in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 and win their 16th NBA title. It was a gritty, and at times ugly game because of the lack of offense, but the Lakers made a run at precisely the right time and held off a late Boston rally to secure the win. The final two minutes were everything that could have been asked for as the teams traded baskets with Boston cutting the deficit down to one possession multiple times. But LA had an answer almost every time down the floor, and after some struggles from the line early, the Lakers iced the game at the charity stripe with Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic each knocking down two clutch free throws to give the Lakers the two possession lead. Boston had a good look near the end of the game, but Rajon Rondo's three came up short and Pau Gasol grabbed the rebound who tossed it to Lamar Odom who tossed it to across the court to Kobe Bryant has the clock ran out and the Lakers ran away with the NBA Championship. It was a fitting way to end the season for the Lakers as they are now back-to-back champs. Kobe Bryant, even with a 6-for-24 shooting performance, had 23 points and 15 boards to lead all scorers and capture the Finals MVP, the second of his prestigious career.
