There’s no real point to NBA media days, aside from ensuring players get their headshots for media guides. But I hope they never go away. Ever. Every year, without fail, they provide some of the most memorable moments off the court, primarily with awkward photo shoots and hours upon hours of cliches.
And this year, of course, was as good as all the others. Here are some the best photos, quotes, tales and more from NBA media days, as well as the start of training camp for five of the teams, this year.
Rajon Rondo is expected to miss 10 weeks with a broken hand that he .
“Certain falls happen and you slip,” Rondo said. “I slipped and tried to catch my hand. It wasn’t like a banana [peel] slip. I actually almost caught myself. I landed on my knuckle in the windowsill of my home. That’s what happened.”
But, despite being involved in trade rumors nearly every year, Rondo says he .
The Nets made the playoffs for the first time in six years last season, but let’s face it: They were a total mess. Remember ? Or the fact that last season? Or how about Jason Kidd’s ?
Well, courtesy of Joe Johnson on Friday, here’s what else we learned about the Nets, who are now led by Lionel Hollins:
Derrick Rose in his future:
“I try my hardest to stay away from (the predictions),” Rose said. “But we know we have an opportunity ahead of us. It may not be this year, it may not be the next year or whatever, but I know that we have one (in us). I know I’m going to win a championship soon so I’m not worried about that.”
No one knows what’s happening with LeBron’s hairline. We just hope he didn’t do .
At one point, :
“I just didn’t love basketball anymore,” the nine-year vet says. “I wasn’t happy and I didn’t feel like the teams I was with wanted to win. To me, winning is all that matters and we weren’t even close.”
This is so Houston Rockets. Their media day photo shoot somehow turned into more of a GQ-like shoot. Who does this?
Donatas Motiejunas and Dwight Howard. (Getty Images)
Their new owner is .
Kobe never gets any love.
(Frederic J. Brown, Getty Images)
This is just awkward. It’s unclear if they were instructed to pose like this, or if Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph thought it’d be fun to hold Mike Conley. Either way: awkward.
The loss of Ricky Rubio’s beard warrants a day of mourning.
. Media Day!
— David Sherman (@David_Sherman)
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Also …
Kevin Martin today: “I didn’t know Kevin Love got traded until yesterday.”
— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda)
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Amar’e says he can play this season, Iman Shumpert appears next summer, and first-year coach for the transition from player to coach:
“I thought Jason (Kidd) did a phenomenal job considering that he came in with no experience. So everybody that I’ve spoken to, Jason included, the advice is to be yourself, be consistent in who you are, believe in that, trust it and focus on doing your job. That’s what I’m going to try and do.”
got while Steven Adams grew .
But more importantly, coach Scott Brooks believes he has in the game on his team. And his point guard agrees.
“I believe Russell is the best point guard in basketball,” Brooks said, unprompted. “That’s happened over time. I’ve seen Russell every practice, every game, every film session, and he’s really put a lot of time into being the best point guard in basketball.”
, according to 76ers GM Sam Hinkie:
“I don’t know at this point. Right now, he’s in Philly and visiting with a variety of our medical professionals and going through tests. He’ll get a good baseline and then we’ll put together a rehab plan. He’s still in a boot. He was shooting threes on one leg in our gym (Monday). I don’t know how it will play out …”
… at least is still going strong.
P.J. Tucker, everyone:
(Matt York, The Associated Press)
The Blazers picked up the fourth-year option on and …
Chris Kaman’s game shoes. Nice touch Nike.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman)
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The all-hair team:
Clockwise from top left: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Lucas Nogueira, James Harden, Iman Shumpert, Nerlens Noel, Martell Webster, Elfrid Payton. (The Associated Press; Instagram)
