Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite Holidays.  Last year I had my brother and his wife living in St. Louis Park in Minnesota, but this year they took off to germany for a fellowship as he is a doctor.  I'm headed over to Ricky Davis' house for Turkey day and I'm looking forward to it.  I just hope that Ricky isn't the one cooking the Turkey and the stuffing.  He can shoot the three and go to the hole with the best in the world, but I'd never trust him to cook me anything....maybe that's why he has a full time chef!  No, but in seriousness, Ricky is having a lot of us over to his house that don't have family in the area so we are all grateful for his hospitality.  I'll be sure to let you'all know how the food is!

We beat the Knicks last night, and so many guys on the team played well.  Mark Blount had a huge game even though he only played about 18 minutes due to foul trouble.  Blount is one of the true professionals in the NBA.  He is always at practice early working on his shooting and he stays late with KG to shoot some more.  Once again, Craig Smith continues to be a dominant force in the paint.  Tonight he had a monster dunk in the second half that reminded me of Charles Barkley.  I'm still shocked that we got Craig in the second round.  He's going to have a very long and storied career in the NBA because he is a GREAT player but more importantly he is a great human being.

The thing I'm most grateful for today is for the blessing of family.  I've got the two greatest parents in the world and nine siblings and we're all close.  Of my six married siblings, there's sixteen neices and nephews so the things I'm going to miss most today is hanging out with them and messing around playing some games and stuff.  At 6pm I'll be on a flight w/ the rest of the team going down to play against the Oklahoma City Hornets! 

Tonight we broke our losing streak and Ricky Davis was a big part of the reason why.  Ricky had been in a slump for a couple of games and he did what great players do during such a hard time.  Ricky Davis would get to practice extremely early and take jumper after jumper after jumper.  It's nice to see an NBA player like Rick who is so gifted also have such an intense work ethic.

The other day in the locker room, Ricky and I were talking and he told me that he was actually drafted into the NBA when he was 17 years old!!  I was shocked!  Ricky actually attended University of Iowa for part of his freshman year in college and then he declared for the NBA that summer.  Unfortunately, that was the summer of the NBA lockout, so Ricky had to wait for a little while before he was able to showcase his abilities and heady play. 

I'm glad that young players are able to come to the NBA if they are ready.  But, it is amazing how players like Ricky, Kevin Garnett and Kobe are able to make the jump at such a young age.  When I was 17 years old there is no way that I was mentally capable of thinking about going up against people like Shaq, Patrick Ewing, and Karl Malone.  It is a testament to the competitive greatness of high school players who successfully make the jump because the NBA has some TOUGH players!

I just finished watching the Phoenix Suns game vs. the Dallas Mavericks.  They interviewed Jason Terry at the end of the game on TNT and he talked about how he was literally "on his knees praying" for Dallas to get their first win of the season which they finally got tonight.  At the end of the interview Jason talked about how the Arizona Wildcats Men's basketball team (his alma mater) would be #1 in the country by the end of the year!  It was fun to hear that.  Jason and I competed together against each other in college.  One time, in a game at U. of Arizona, (Back when I played college for Stanford) both Jason and I got hurt and needed stitches after the game.  We were both sitting in the training room for about two hours after the game and we really got to know each other.  I remember that my parents were at that game and a lot of Jason's family was there too.  So there were basically two families in the training room at 11pm at night and we've been friends ever since.  Jason is a class act who is really leading the Dallas Mavericks this season and last season.

We practiced today here at the Target Center in MN, and we are all upset with our slow start.  Today's workout session was very heated which is great because it shows how much all of the guys care about winning.  I think we are beginning to see the emergence of Randy Foye.  Randy Foye is one of the few players in the NBA who seems to be able to get to the Free throw line at will.  It helps because he is a 90% free throw shooter also.  Looking forward to seeing you guys at the Target Center soon!

Lastly, a few of the guys on our team have been frustrated with the fact that the NBA has given the refs a mandate to call technical fouls on a "zero tolerance" pollicy.  Because of this, great players are getting thrown out of games all around the league.  From Carmello, to Rasheed, to Mike Bibby, players in the NBA are getting tossed from arenas really fast.  I'm not in favor of berating officials under any circumstances, but players must be allowed to speak to refs in heated moments without fear of getting tossed.  I think in the end, the fans are getting the short end of the stick.  Fans come to games to be able to see passionate basketball played very hard.  Kevin Garnett is an emotional player; Rasheed Wallace is emotional; Sam Cassell is the most emotional player I've ever played with.  I really believe that fans enjoy the passion and emotion that these players have.  I know that when I'm around town here in Minneapolis, fans always talk about how much they love the emotion and passion of KG.....I think that the old system was pretty good.  When a player got out of hand he was ejected.  The new system is that if a player shows any sort of abrupt emotional/angry body language at a call he could be at risk to himself and his team.  But I'm not a fan paying for the seats........if any of you could give me feedback to pass on to the Union and eventually the NBA, please post in the comments section below what your honest thoughts are.  Do you want to see NBA players not to be able to react much after a bad call?  Or do you like it when the emotion is shown?  I do think that the NBA officials are the best in the world, but it would be nice if they had a little bit more leeway from their own set of rules so less technicals are called.

ON Wednesday we are meeting with Billy Hunter (He's with the Players Union) and I'm sure we will be talking about the issue of technical fouls.  We'll also be discussing the new nba ball and the slippery surface when wet.  One reader of this blog sent a link to a published physicist who did a study on the new NBA ball---A PHYSICST-----The physicist's findings were that the ball is more slippery than the old ball when wet---just what all of the NBA players have been saying for months!!!  I am going to contact this scientific authority and see if I can gain permission to use his published work on this blog for the purpose of dialogue.

Even LeBron James (early in the season he said he could play with any ball) came out publicly AGAINST the ball recently.   I mean when Shaq, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, leBron etc. voice concerns over the ball, there might be something to it.  We don't care if it's synthetic.  Just make it so that it's not so slippery when it gets wet.  I'm sure with today's technology this is possible. 

Ultimately, I think some sort of compromise will take place with both issues so that all sides involved will be happy.  If we do get to go back to leather as the NBA has indicated publicly is a possibility, we must ensure that the leather used is only from trusted sources that do not employ harsh or cruel treatment to the animals providing the leather.  In my opinion the only leather that should be used is leather from an approved list of ethical beef producing companies/entities.  Most of those would probably be domestic where stricter policies are in place.   It think this was one of PETA.org's concerns with the old ball and the use of international leather sources where bad treatment of animals is prevalent.  I think we should open a dialogue with PETA also to ensure that we get this right.  

Stay tuned for the article from the Physicist about the NBA ball.  I am going to contact him personally and hopefully link him up with the Player's Union so that we can get his feedback and article dissmenated throughout the NBA players so they can say "Yea, or Nay".  If we're lucky, I might be able to interview him in addition to publishing his scholarly piece here on this blog.  It would be interesting to hear what a real Physicist says about the new NBA ball who has already written a paper on it after exhaustive testing comparisions to the older ball. 

I feel like this has become part of my role as the player rep for my team.  Fans ask me about the new ball in differnet places.  One bagger in a grocery store was asking me all about it.  My neigbor and former President of my homeowner's association in Eden Prairie was asking me why the ball was changed in the first place at a Halloween Party.  ON a flight after a game last month, Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis basically came up with the idea to contact all of the other player reps directly around the league to band together to get some momentum going to give the NBA feedback on the new synthetic ball.  Ricky kind of asked me to spearhead this.  Unfortunately with my knee injury I haven't gotten as much done as I should.  Hopefully we can begin this in the next few days after talking it over with Billy. 

I may get in touch with my alma Mater and see if the Stanford Econ Department has any undergrad or grad students willing to do a statistical analysis on turnovers, shooting percentages this season as compared to last season.  It would be a nice senior project for a thesis that would be passed on to other players.   Shaq felt that turnovers would go up and shooting percentages would go down.  Hey he might be right, he might be wrong......It would be interesting to quantify this mathematically and see if there is any sort of correlation or not.  Maybe Mark CUban has already done it.....have you done it yet Cube?  I actually suspect that shooting percentages might go up b/c the ball has a softer bounce.  BUt unfortunately I predict turnovers to go up due to the slick nature of the ball.  Steve Nash one of the best ballhandlers in the world had 10 turnovers tonight in the game.  I think fans like more scoring but I think they hate turnovers as much as my coach does!  The NBA always does things for a good reason and I do agree the new synthetic balls are more consistent across the entire league when they are new so that is a positive.

Last night against the Chicago Bulls I think that we showed some flashes of what is to come.  First of all, Craig Smith threw down a thunderous dunk in the first have that had people on the bench remembering what Charles Barkley used to do on the court.  Craig Smith has had a phenomenal training camp and pre-season.  Trenton Hassell compared Craig's jump hook to the way Antawn Jamison is able to score on much taller defenders using the same un-blockable shot.  Craig and I have become good friends.  I didn't realize it, but he was in High School at Fairfax High in Los Angeles at the same time that I was in my first few NBA seasons with the Lakers.   I think that Craig is going to be a big time contributor this season as a rookie and it is clear that we got a steal by getting him in the Second round of the draft.  One of the reasons why Craig slipped is because he had a wrist injury around draft time and he wasn't able to workout for teams so they didn't want to take the risk.  The funny thing is that I've had a similar wrist surgery and the only bad thing about it is that it just takes a long time to get better (3-6 months).  Once it's better though, you are as good as new.

We're staying in "The Lodge" hotel close to Moline, IL and on the border of Iowa getting ready for our game tonight.  Every time we get close to Iowa, Fred Hoiberg always sings the same tune:  "Iowa is the best state in the union."  Freddy, I like Iowa too, but I just hope that Iowa State doesn't have to face Stanford in the NCAA tournament!

I think that the NBA did the right thing in taking a more measured approach to the synthetic basketball that is being used in the NBA.  David Stern recently said: 

"Right now our plans are to stay the course, but we will monitor it and if we find there is something to it and it is a serious issue, we will take the appropriate steps because the most important thing to us is the game,"

Earlier this week I got a phone call from Michael Curry who works alongside the executive office of the NBA.  He told me on the call that David Stern was going to order additional testing of the basketball and that the NBA really wanted feedback from the players.  This was great news to hear and I am really glad that the league office is taking feedback from the players so seriously.  I knew from the beginning that the league would listen to the players on this issue.  From all of the reports that I've heard, the main issue with the new basketball is that when it gets wet it gets extremely slippery and can slip out of players' hands causing turnovers, etc.    I'm excited to see how this unfolds.  I think that the additional testing will only confirm what the NBA players feedback has been about how slippery the ball is when it has moisture on it.

Early on, the NBA made the following statement describing the new ball as  "a better ball with a better grip and feel and more consistency from ball-to-ball."  I think that no one would doubt that all of the new balls are almost perfectly identical to a "t".  So there is most certainly "more consistency from ball-to-ball."  But to call the new synthetic ball "better" or that it has a "better grip" I think is premature.  I feel that once all of the feedback gets back to the league from the players, the verdict could be somewhat different.  When  the ball is dry there is no question but that the ball feels much more "tacky" or even sticky to some extent which could make shooting percentages go up.

Perhaps I am wrong though.  On my team there is one huge proponent of the new ball and it is Mike James.  Mike James says that "he loves the new ball."   And he hopes that the media does not go to him, b/c he will tell them he loves it.  Marko Jaric also is comfortable with the new ball, probably because he is used to international competition, where the synthetic ball is the norm.  However, other than Mike and Marko, I've not heard of anyone else loving the ball and I have talked to many many people and players.  And again, they key, prevalent complaint is how slippery the ball gets when it gets a little bit wet.  I think the other MAJOR concern is that all of the players just would like to have a voice in such a major decision.  This has been a common theme on my team inside the locker room.  I think the NBA is doing a great job of getting our feedback now and opening the dialogue by having people like Michael Curry reach out to us personally.

One of the big issues right now in the NBA is the new composite basketball that is now being used.  Let me share a few thoughts about this.

The new ball is a huge issue because it affects the experience that the fans get when they come to games.  On a personal note, it also slips out of my hand in ways that the old one never did.  I am not going to speak about what my teammates' views are about the ball or about how the decision was made to replace the old ball.  The truth is that I haven't gone to each player on the team to ask them, and I have no information on how the "new ball decision" was made. 

Let me just say this.  In my opionion the ball is much more slippery when it gets wet and I can't really control it nearly as well as the old, leather one.  I also understand that when my employer hands down a decision, I am going to embrace it and try to make the best of whatever the decision is.  So that being said, I am going to do everything I can to do my best with the new ball even though I view it as far inferior to the old ball in my opinion.

I also believe that the very best organizations and businesses encourage dialogue from the top to the bottom.  Bad organizations seem to encourage a lot of "yes-men/women."  Great organizations are hungry for feedback.  The NBA is a great league and a great organization.  I truly believe that they will listen to the feedback that the players give. 

I am going to do everything in my power to get the ball changed back to the old one.  As one of two "player representatives" on my team to the NBA players union and ultimately to the NBA, I am going to do everything in my power to determine my team's consensus about the ball and go into action to bring back the old ball.  If all of my teammates love the new ball, then I will drop the issue completely and move on and find a way to love the new ball.   But, based on some informal discussions with teammates I believe there are already some that would like to see the old ball back.

Regardless of the ball, training camp is going phemomenally well here in Mankato.  I look forward to our upcoming scrimmage this saturday night!

We have just finished day #2 of training camp and most of us are exhausted.  The biggest surprise so far to me is just how good our two new rookies are.  Randy Foye is a scoring guard who seems to be able to go around anyone on the perimeter at will.  Craig Smith is a beast.  Craig is about 270 pounds and he is really light on his feet and he scores really well inside with both hands.  It's hard to think of who you might be able to compare Craig Smith to.  Part of me wants to compare him to Charles Barkley, but I think a comparison to Elton Brand could be a good one too.  As far as Randy Foye, I would compare him to Baron Davis or Chauncey Billups.  Both of our rookies are extremely strong and  continue to impress everyone. 

Our first day here in Mankato started with having an awesome dinner at our team owner's house (Glen Taylor) in Mankato.  Glen has really done a lot of interesting things with his life.  The one thing he told us at our meeting was that if we ever wanted to just crash and get away from our hotel in Mankato that we could go over to his house anytime and crash, watch TV, play video games, etc.  I've never heard of a team owner giving an open invitation to his home to his team of NBA players but it was well received by the team.  The only problem is that none of us has been able to take him up on it because we are going two practices a day and we mostly just try to recuperate at the hotel between practices.

During our first team meeting, newcomer, Mike James told the entire team something like, "We're all grown men here....if somebody has a problem go to the person directly and say what's on your mind and let the repurcussions follow."  Mike is a GREAT guy to be around and has been playing really well.

Fred Hoiberg is now assistant GM!

It has been a tumultous past year for Fred Hoiberg.  Ever since he had major heart surgery last summer he has been dying to return to his playing days as one of the best shooters ever to play in the NBA.  A few days ago, the Timberwolves announced that they were formalizing his employment with the team as Assistant General Manager along with our old friend Rob Babcock. 

I think because of Fred's experience along with the tragic death of fellow NBA player and former teammate, Jason Collier, the NBA has made mandatory cardiovascular testing a requirement for all NBA players.  I will have to get on a treadmill with all of the cables attached to my chest next Tuesday in order to determine if I have any heart irregularities along with the rest of the NBA.  Trenton Hassell did his testing yesterday along with a few other of the guys.

Well, I promised I was going to write a little bit more about Randy Foye, but he has been off at "Rookie Transition Camp" so I'm going to wait until he gets back.  Rookie Transition camp was a very interesting experience for me.  Every single incoming rookie in the NBA has to attend or get fined $10,000.00.   When I was there, they brought in accountants, image consultants, financial advisors, and conflict resolution people who try to teach us how to stay calm when things get heated.  Overall it was good.  I remember when David Stern came in to talk to us about the NBA.  He was really cool to all of the guys and actually gave out his email address to all of us and said that if we ever had any concerns, complaints, or questions, to email him directly.  The one area that I have communicated directly with the league on is rules for cheap shots.  During a game, all of us can handle unintentional elbows to the head, throat, back, etc.  What really gets most NBA players mad though is when they get hit with a cheap shot.  I'm going to report back to all of you when they read us the new rules for the coming year, and if I don't like what I hear I am going to protest to the league and through our liason, Billy Hunter. 

Lastly, I wanted to let you all know that Daniel Santiago has been working out with us and he's been looking pretty good.  Daniel is a longtime friend of mine as we played a lot together in LA and we are the same age. Daniel is about 7'1" and he can shoot.  He is from Puerto Rico and has had huge games in international competition against guys like Tim Duncan, and the rest of the US team.   I think Dan brings a very intelligent, and tough big guy to mix.