Suicide lines: Harangody loves legends; Various camp reports

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your edamame hummus.

Frank Dell'Apa, Boston Globe: Recent rookie experiences indicate that Celtics land is no country for young men. Although inexperienced players will have only bit roles on a team that includes at least four probable Hall of Famers has not discouraged Luke Harangody. In fact, the former Notre Dame star is looking forward to having a chance to perform with Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen et al, even if it is mostly during rehearsal. "KG, Shaq, Paul, Ray, all those guys - it's weird I'm on the court with them now,'' Harangody said. "When I was growing up they were a big deal, so it's kind of cool to play with them. As far as talent on the court, you don't see that very often. I think Doc [Rivers] said this is the most talent he's ever had on a team, so all we have to do now is jell.'' Harangody will be expected to compete for playing time as a backup power forward. He struggled with some drills yesterday but he regained his composure and was among the last players to leave the gym, following a half-court game with other reserves. "You see that happen to me a couple times out there, where you just kind of get caught up in the speed of the game,'' Harangody said. "For a player like me, I just need to slow down. It's only Day 2 of training camp . . . there's a while for me to go and a lot to learn. "It's a learning experience. There's still a lot for me to get used to, the speed of the game, and picking up different formations. It's going to take a little time. You pick a little bit more every day. It's hard to [be thrown] everything at once, but if you want to get out there on the floor you're going to have to be reliable out there and responsible for your position.''

Connor Orr, New Jersey Star-Ledger: Terrence Williams squared up at the free-throw line when Devin Harris started barking. Don't miss it. If he did, Williams' practice team, including Harris, would have to run sprints, baseline to baseline. "I got you," Williams assured, before the shot ricocheted off the right side of the rim and scattered off the court. His teammates flocked down the floor griping. Maybe it was one of those things that would have bothered him a year ago as a volatile rookie. As a player, he admitted that he garnered most of his attention "when I got in trouble.'' But as Williams bolted through the suicide run, pumping ahead of some of the guys who had a head start, there was no eye rolling. No head shaking. In a few months, he feels like he's aged a few seasons. "I'm in my second year and I'm a lot older than I was last year,'' Williams said after practice Tuesday. "It's something that I paid attention to and did on my own.'' And with it, head coach Avery Johnson said, Williams has put himself in a serious conversation to become the starting 2-guard on opening night. Between him and Anthony Morrow, it will depend on who assimilates himself better in the new coach's offense. Johnson will have to decide whether he wants Williams - who spends scrimmages waiting for an opportunity to puncture small openings in the defense, driving to the basket while drawing defenders - or Morrow - who stays after practice for half an hour unloading one-3 pointer after another, bolstering his reputation as a strong spot shooter and complementary 2-guard - on the floor with the first unit. "Morrow does a lot of things I can't do, and I do some things he can't do,'' Williams said. "It's a great matchup, man,'' Morrow said. "He's making me better, I'm making him better.''

Mitch Lawrence, New York Daily News: With the Nets' deal for Carmelo Anthony dead, at least for now, the Toronto Raptors are again trying to land Charlotte forward Boris Diaw, one of the key players in the proposed Anthony blockbuster. The Raptors thought they had finalized a deal for Diaw over the summer, but Charlotte owner Michael Jordan reportedly nixed it at the 11th hour. If Diaw ends up going to Toronto, that means the Nets would have to find another team in a revised multi-team deal for Anthony. The Raptors are strictly opposed to helping the Nets, an Atlantic Division rival, obtain an elite player such as the Nuggets' star forward.

Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News: [Elton] Brand reported to training camp more than 10 pounds lighter than the 265 he carried last season. Now 31 and entering his 12th NBA season, Brand knew after last year's disappointing run that changes were needed. "It was funny, coach [Doug Collins] told me the number [weight of 255] and I'm like, 'I don't know if I could do it,' and I was already under that number. Eating right, that's the first thing," Brand said. "I gave up Twizzlers, gave up fried foods. I like all types of good meals, so yeah, I had to give up a little bit. It was hard at first, but after a while you know you have a goal, so the urges start to dissipate a little bit." And so did the pounds. Last season may have been one of the worst in Brand's career. He and coach Eddie Jordan never seemed to be on the same page, often times not reading from the same book, even. Though Brand said he felt great all season, he was coming off his second straight summer of rehab, this time to correct a shoulder injury. The year before, he was coming off an Achilles' injury. He never could get into a rhythm last year, partly because he never knew his role, partly because his body wouldn't allow it. So, this summer, he took more time away from basketball, and because he didn't have to rehab any injuries, he took up a new hobby - bicycling. "Usually, I start playing basketball early in the summer and play well into the summer," Brand said. "But, this year, I didn't start till late July. I went out and got a Specialized bike, with a 64-inch frame. I never biked before, except with the kiRockets center Yao Ming turned an ankle during Wednesday's practice, but it was not a source of concern. The incident was with his right ankle, not on the surgically repaired left side. And he tested the ankle for a few minutes without problem before the decision was made to hold him out of the remaining scrimmages as a precaution. "It's not bad," Yao said. "I'll be back tomorrow. It happens. I step on people's foot." Yao could practice today, but coach Rick Adelman intends to give him a day off in Austin this week to get him for more time in the next day's workouts.ds, but not for training. I enjoyed it. [...] "But I feel good. I feel the wear and tear but having the time off and not playing definitely helps. I was in tip-top shape and felt great earlier in the summer last year but kind of burnt out with all the rehab. So we decided to start a little later with the on-the-court playing. I feel the effects now. Training camp, I'm not going to say it's easy 'cause if coach reads that in the paper it will never be easy again, but I'm doing pretty well."

Mike McGraw, Daily Herald: Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau didn't need many words to summarize the state of training-camp competition. "We're pretty sure about four starters; we have one position that's up for grabs," he said. "Playing time with our bench will be determined by how well people play." The four obvious starters are Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The open spot is shooting guard. Ronnie Brewer has been the presumed starter at two guard since he signed as a free agent in July. But the Bulls also will want to get 3-point specialist Kyle Korver on the floor. Veterans Keith Bogans and C.J. Watson are candidates to see time at that spot, while late camp addition Kyle Weaver played two seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I think that's the reason you play basketball is for competition," Brewer said following Wednesday's practice. "I think if you don't like going into camp having to compete for a job, you don't like playing basketball. I think we all take it in stride and run with it." Brewer downplayed any competition with Korver, his former Utah Jazz teammate. They both seem to fit specific roles Korver is the outside shooter, while Brewer specializes in defense and slashes to the basket. "I think we complement each other, make each other better players," Brewer said. "I want to be a good shooter, so I work with him on shooting."

Jason Jones, Sacramento Bee: It's not as easy to push around Donté Greene these days. The Kings forward showed up for his third NBA season weighing 251 pounds - 25 more than his listed weight. Now, when he has his post-practice workouts with assistant coach Shareef Abdur- Rahim, Greene has more bulk to use with the post moves he learns from Abdur-Rahim. "I try to (mimic Abdur- Rahim) by watching film, but 'Reef was a beast," Greene said. "I'm just watching film and listening to what he tells me and trying to put it to work." Greene might be the Kings' most athletic player, which could be hindered by too much weight. But at 6-foot-11, Greene says he is comfortable with being bigger. "I'm going to try to keep it on," Greene said. "I feel good. I've just got to get used to it. The running and jumping, it's coming along. I (jumped) well in (Tuesday's) night practice."

Benjamin Hochman, Denver Post: Ty Lawson's jumper wasn't feeling good, so he went to see the doctor. On a summer day, the Nuggets point guard met a mentor, Keith Veney, at the Washington Bible College gym in Maryland. Veney's name might not pop off the page, but this will - he holds the NCAA Division I record for making 15 3-pointers in one game. He did so at Marshall in 1996. The shot doc suggested Lawson cease releasing the ball from near his shoulder; instead, Lawson should shoot with a higher release point, adjacent to his face. And all in one motion. And with full extension. "So I shot hundreds and hundreds of shots," Lawson said. "And then backed up and shot more." The second-year guard hopes his new-look jumper will enhance his arsenal, which already makes him one of the more dynamic backup guards in the league. Carmelo Anthony proudly endorsed Lawson's game after Wednesday's practice. The kid's work is paying off. "I've been working on shooting off the dribble, floaters and standstill 3-pointers - because that's where most of my shots came from last year," said Lawson, who averaged 8.3 points per game as a rookie. "And for me to be a better player, I've got to knock them down. That's the main thing I've been working on, and being more assertive."

Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle: Rockets center Yao Ming turned an ankle during Wednesday's practice, but it was not a source of concern. The incident was with his right ankle, not on the surgically repaired left side. And he tested the ankle for a few minutes without problem before the decision was made to hold him out of the remaining scrimmages as a precaution. "It's not bad," Yao said. "I'll be back tomorrow. It happens. I step on people's foot." Yao could practice today, but coach Rick Adelman intends to give him a day off in Austin this week to get him for more time in the next day's workouts.

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Star: Swingman Mike Dunleavy doesn't have to be reminded about the uncertainty related to his role with the Indiana Pacers. There are eager, young teammates ready to take his minutes. There are questions whether he will get back to being the player who averaged 19.1 points a game three seasons ago. And there's free agency awaiting Dunleavy after the season. He prepared himself all summer, ready to prove the skeptics wrong and let his younger teammates know they will have a fight on their hands if they expect to take his minutes. "I'm ready," Dunleavy said. "I had a good summer. I don't have any predictions or anything like that, but I'm ready to play." The reason Dunleavy is feeling good is he experienced a summer of basketball without any rehabilitation work required on his right knee for the first time since 2007. Dunleavy would rather erase the past two years from his memory. Knee problems, which eventually led to major surgery, limited him to 18 games two seasons ago, and he was never comfortable last season when he averaged 9.9 points, his lowest since his rookie season. He said last season felt similar to his rookie year with Golden State. "Last year, I don't think he had the strength in his legs or the confidence or a combination of both," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We missed a guy with a basketball IQ that's off the charts. I missed his scoring off slashes to the basket and his ability to stretch the court."

Tim Buckley, Deseret News: He is competition, in a sense, the youngster who could some day succeed Andrei Kirilenko as the Jazz's main man on the wing. But first-round rookie Gordon Hayward, No. 9 overall pick in last June's NBA Draft, is more than that to Kirilenko. He's also a teammate now, and Kirilenko fully intends to treat the former Butler University star as such - even though he doesn't exactly know him very well yet. "I think he's a great person, first impression," Kirilenko said. "As a player, we're gonna see in training camp. "He's a young guy," the Jazz veteran added. "He's gonna make the same way that I did it 10 years ago. So, you know, I wish him good luck, and I'll try to help him as much as possible." On the second day of Jazz two-a-day training camp, Kirilenko even conceded that Hayward already has a leg up on him. And it's not just that he came to his first camp already knowing English. "He can shoot the ball well, which has never been my strong side. So, he kind of gets a little advantage (there)," the small forward from Russia joked. "But he needs to keeping working, needs to not be afraid of names in the NBA and other teams - just keep playing basketball." Kirilenko isn't the only one who feels at a disadvantage compared to Utah's 20-year-old addition. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan admitted as much when Hayward's "basketball IQ" was mentioned. "That scares me when I read that, because I'm afraid I better not talk to him," Sloan said. "He's a very smart guy, wonderful person." Still has a ways to go, though. "He's ... a young guy, he's got a lot in his favor," Sloan added. "But the work still has to be done."

Jerry West Lenny Wilkens James Worthy Kareem Abdul Jabbar Nate Archibald