Suicide Lines: Green Shaq; Powe wanted to stay; Yao news

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August 14, 2009

On typical weekday morning, Ball Don’t Lie serves up a
handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your triscuits and smoked penguin.

Steve
Galluzzo, Palisadian-Post: "’The Big Ethanol,’ he joked after
witnessing the new MicroFueler in action last Thursday in Pacific Palisades. ‘I
heard about this through a friend of a friend and the more I found out about
it, the more I knew I wanted to get involved and learn how it works. I asked
‘If we can take waste and do something good with it–show me!’ And they did.’
Yes, O’Neal has officially gone green as one of the first investors in the
revolutionary in-home micro-refinery system that turns organic waste into a
high-performance ethanol fuel for cars. O’Neal was unable to attend the initial
public introduction July 30 but wanted to appear in person for the ‘encore’ at
Chris Ursitti’s house in the Alphabet streets."

Jerry
Zgoda, Star Tribune:
"This deal, too, is all about cost saving and salary-cap stuff. Both players
have expiring salaries, but the Wolves will save nearly $1.4 million by waiving
Blount and his $7.96 million contract rather than dump Richardson’s $9.35 million contract. By
making this deal, it’s clear Kahn never intended having Richardson, who likely
would have been a runaway gunner in his contract year, on this season’s team.
Kahn still could deal Blount’s contract in another deal, but it seems like
waiving him outright is more likely."

Philadelphia
Daily News: "The 7-1 Brezec, who entered the league with the Indiana
Pacers as a first-round draft choice in 2000 (No. 27 overall), is the fifth big
man on the current roster, joining Dalembert, Elton Brand, Marreese Speights
and Jason Smith. The signing was first reported last week in the Daily News. ‘We feel that
Primoz will provide us with additional size and depth in the front court, but
just as beneficial is the wealth of experience he brings to the team not only
on the NBA level, but internationally as well,’ Sixers president/general
manager Ed Stefanski said in a statement."

Mark
Murphy, Boston Herald: "He last talked with a member of the Celtics organization last month while attending
ex-teammate Kendrick Perkins’ wedding in Houston.
Though his chances of re-signing with the Celtics slimmed the moment the team
didn’t extend a qualifying offer on June 30, Powe still tried to plead his case
with Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca. ‘I talked to him for 45 minutes," said
Powe, ‘but he said they weren’t going to do nothing. It was quite a shock to
me, but he said they didn’t have the extra money to sign me, and (Pagliuca)
said that he would have to pay out of his own pocket for them to wait on me. I
understood what he was saying, because it was the same thing I heard from Danny
(Ainge). I told Danny that I would take the one-year deal, but that was it.
After (talking to Pagliuca), I didn’t call them no more.’"

Mark
Murphy, Boston Herald: "Ainge said yesterday that there was
considerable discussion within the front office about whether to make Powe a
qualifying offer. The executive director of basketball operations also said
that he raised the possibility of signing Powe to a veteran’s minimum two-year
contract with a team option in the second year - the very deal Powe just signed
with Cleveland
- but that the forward rejected the idea."

Fred
Kerber, New York Post: "The Knicks have appeal, especially with the
whole New York
package, Wade claimed. But don’t discount the Nets — at least for other free
agents. ‘It’s a good organization,’ Wade said of New Jersey. ‘It’s a class organization and
when the time is right, they’re going to go get the players they need to get. I
think people around the league see that. They’ve had success, especially when
J. Kidd was here … so everyone knows this organization has the want to be
great. It’s just about if they get the players. They’ve got some now. Devin
Harris is a great, great star. He’s a centerpiece.’"

China
Daily: "Houston Rockets All-star center Yao Ming has resumed light
training for the first time since surgery on his injured left foot, according
to an entry on his Facebook page. Yao
did some upper body exercises but he is still walking with a stick, which he
will require until the end of the month."

Fred
Kerber, New York Post: ‘[Courtney Lee]’s hurting,’ Howard, who spoke
with Lee his ex-teammate on Wednesday, said today at a movie shoot at the IZOD Center.
‘He’s not just upset, he’s hurting.’ Now he knows how Nets fans feel. Howard
claimed that Lee was happy and content as a rookie in Orlando. Why not? He went to the Finals. The
two, who became good friends, spoke just after the Finals about what they
needed to do to get back and win a title. Then Lee got a draft night call. ‘He
was ready to get back in the gym and work on it and he got traded so he’s
hurting,’ said Howard."

Michael Wallace,
Miami Herald: "Raymond Brothers, Tinsley’s agent, said Thursday he is
scheduled to resume negotiations with Riley next week regarding a deal that
could land Tinsley in Miami.
Riley doesn’t seem to be so certain. Brothers said he spoke by phone with Riley
earlier this week, when Riley was in Hawaii,
and the two agreed to resume talks after the weekend. Riley was in Hawaii as late as Wednesday, but was back at his
offseason home in Southern California on
Thursday. But Riley said through a team spokesman Thursday evening that no
formal talks were planned and a Tinsley signing was not imminent. ‘I talked to
Pat when he was out there. There’s still interest on both sides,’ Brothers
said. ‘We’ll see what happens. But we’ll talk again.’"

Robert
J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times. "Two teams of deputies fanned out across Los Angeles County early Thursday morning, hoping to
find a reputed gang member involved in the violence that broke out in June
after the Lakers won the NBA championship. In the end, three alleged gang
members were arrested on suspicion of parole violations unrelated to the
nighttime unrest outside Staples
Center, where crowds
looted several stores, smashed car windows and vandalized police cars and MTA buses, authorities said."

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