Landry Fields Contented with Raptors

The Knicks had 18.7 million reasons not to bring back Landry Fields. But Fields had his own reasons for not wanting to return.

Fields, now a Toronto Raptor, said he needed a change and that he lost his confidence and comfort level after Carmelo Anthony was acquired.

“It was a fresh start,” Fields said before Friday night’s Knicks-Raptors preseason game at the Bell Centre. “I think I needed that. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

“It was an accumulation of things. I probably lost some confidence in myself. I couldn’t really adjust as well as I’d like to. Don’t want to put the blame on anybody else. It really was me; just couldn’t get it done.”

Interesting Facts About Wheelchair Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball was invented by World War II veterans in the USA in 1945.

Basketball is open to athletes whose disability may be paraplegia, lower limb amputation, cerebral palsy and polio.

The height of the basket and size of the court are in accordance with International Basketball Federation (FIBA) regulations.

Basketball became a Paralympic sport in Rome in 1960.

The Australian Men’s team is called the Rollers and the Women’s team is the Gliders!

Athletes are classified according to their physical ability and are given a points rating between 1 and 4.5.

One point equates to the most severe disability, 4.5 to the least.

Each team fields five players but may not exceed a total of 14 points at any given time.

Will Derek Fisher Go Back to Lakers?

Kobe Bryant stated this week that he is pretty convinced Derek Fisher, his longtime teammate won;t need to wait for eternity to be taken out from the list of free agents who are still finding work.

“I’m pretty confident he’ll find a team," Kobe says.

And believe it or not, that team may even be the LA Lakers, if more dominoes drop unexpectedly for the team that's already infuriated the rest of the league with its lucky fate during the offseason.

It is not possible for Lakers to get Fisher again as of now, with its payroll of almost 100 million, but some sources say that Lakers cleared it to the rest of the team that Steve Blake and/or Chris Duhon are available through trade to any interested team that's willing to get  their respective contracts.

NBA Plans to Launch a Basketball Facility in China

NBA and its Chinese partner are planning to launch a basketball center somewhere near Beijing.

According to the Yatai Lanhai Investment Group and NBA China, a facility located in Tianjin, a port city in the eastern Chinese capital, is going to include basketball courts with an NBA-style, a restaurant, a fitness center and many other features,

It was announced as the LA Clippers and Miami Heat played the exhibition games in Shanghai and Beijing. 

Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger makes strong first impression

First impressions can be varied when a player joins a team, but Jared Sullinger’s initial work has highlighted one very specific quality for his older teammates to see.

And it’s not his most obvious strength as a rebounder and post player, though those talents certainly stood out in Sullinger’s team-high 16-point, eight-rebound performance during the Celtics [team stats]’ 97-91 loss to Fenerbache Ulker last night in their exhibition opener.

“His IQ is very high,” Kevin Garnett said of the rookie power forward. “I watched him a couple of times while he was (at Ohio State), and we saw a little of what he can do skill-wise. When you play with him you can actually see the IQ.”

Paul Pierce landed on the same spot.

“I think he has a great basketball IQ,” he said.

Dirk Nowitzki expects to play beyond 2 more seasons

Between appearances, interviews and a nighttime workout with his teammates, Dirk Nowitzki had time to fight through the jet lag and drop a noteworthy development into a conversation on one of the many bus rides he made Thursday.

The closer he gets to the end of his current contract in 2014, the more the Mavericks superstar expects to play beyond the upcoming two seasons. This is a bit of a change of heart for him. He’s always said he’ll weigh his options after his deal expires following the 2013-14 season.

Now, he sees extending his career as a more likely option.

“It’s kind of hard to plan longer than two years ahead when you’re 34,” he said. “But I definitely want to finish my contract strong, hopefully have a couple good years. “So if it’s still fun and I feel well, then I’m more than happy to play longer.”

5 Legendary Basketball Players

These famous basketball players have changed the face of basketball playing. They have always had a huge fan following. They have made their nations proud by playing exceptionally well in their careers.

Michael Jordan: When he was in the tenth grade, he was rejected a position in the varsity basketball team for reasons of his height. He did not lose heart. His efforts led him to be the greatest basketball player of all times. His extraordinary leaping abilities won him the title 'Air Jordan'. He is the winner of five MVP awards, six NBA Finals MVP awards and three steals titles. 

Wilt Chamberlain: His height of 7 feet and 1 inch gave him an added advantage. He was known for his physical strength and shot blocking abilities. He was involved in changing many rules of basketball like those of widening the lane, free throws and inbounding the ball. He holds many NBA all-time records. In 1978, he found a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: During the period of 1969 to 1989, when he was in NBA, he scored 38,387 points. This was the highest score made by any player in the league. He is the winner of six Most Valuable Player Awards. He was best known for his Skyhook shot. After retiring from basketball, he was a successful coach and author.

Lisa Leslie: Lisa was a notable female figure in the list of famous basketball players. When she began playing basketball in the seventh grade, she was six feet tall. She was the first WNBA player to score 3,000 points. She won the regular season, WNBA Championship and All-Star Game MVP awards. She was the first one to dunk in a WNBA game.

Larry Bird: He is considered as one of the world-class clutch performers of NBA. He had an exceptional ability to anticipate and react to opponents' strategies. His first coach nicknamed him 'Kodak'. He played in the power forward and small forward positions. He rebounded well and was an excellent defender. 

Chicago Bulls Extends Coach Thibodeau's Contract

The Chicago Bulls has agreed to extend the contract of their head coach, Tom Thibodeau until the 2016-2017 season.

In the last two seasons, Thibodeau led Chicago Bulls to a record of 112-36 (which is the highest winning percentage by a coach in the history of NBA).   During his sidelines in Chicago, he led the Bulls to a remarkable record of 62-20, and a mark of 50-16 in 2011 to 2012.  IN 2011, Thibodeau was commended as NBA Coach of the Year.

Thibodeau is the one and only coach in the entire league history to win the most NBA games in each of his 1st 2 seasons.

Philly 76ers Get Jordan Cohn as Pro Personnel Scout

Jordan Cohn has just been named as Pro Personnel Scout by Philadelphia 76ers. He will start his very first season as a Philadelphia 76ers scout after assuming the same position for the past 8 seasons for the NJ Nets,

Before Cohn joined the Nets, he became the Pro Player Personnel director for the NY Knicks in the 2003-2004 season.  That was after his stint with the Miami HEAT which lasted for 5 seasons.

Cohn is famous for being a co-author of "Pro Basketball Bible by Ricky Barry” a yearly trade paperback published in the '90s and contained important details about every player in the NBA as well as draft pick.  While Cohn was still writing this book, he also started a scouting service involving the opponents' charting tendencies for many NBA teams.  

Mavericks Waives Mbenga and Holloway

    

In their announcement today, Dallas Mavericks waived DJ Mbenga and Tu Holloway. On September 27, both of them were hired as free agents. 

The Congo native Mbenga was initially signed as a rookie free agent by Dallas on July 2004.  During his first stretch with Dallas, he played a total of 79 games with an average of 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds. After that, he played for New Orleans and LA Lakers. So far, in his 234 games, he's holding an average of 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Holloway used to play at Xavier University.  Then, he went undrafted in the NBA Draft 2012. During his time as a Musketeer for 4 years, he played a total of 134 games with an average of 13.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals every game. 

Now, the training camp roster of Mavericks stands at sixteen players.