It's August. One of the top five stories on HoopsHype was about Antoine Wright MAYBE signing with an Israeli team. Not even Antoine Wright signing with an Israeli team!
That said, there is some news, and most of it centers around the fact that Kobe Bryant is a damn freak of nature and terrifies all of us to our very souls. That and more from around the NBA, including Rasheed Wallace!
Kobe Bryant is running on a treadmill
They rebuilt him.
They had the technology. They had the capability to make him better, stronger, faster.
Kobe Bryant will be that man.
Seriously, four months after an Achilles tear, dude is running on a treadmill. As Silver Screen and Roll writes, most Achilles patients don't begin running on a treadmill for six months.
But of course, most Achilles patients aren't Kobe Bryant, a single-minded basketball/winning-obsessed megalomaniac. It's medically surprising that dude is pushing the limits of what he's supposed to be able to do, but it's not basketball surprising to anybody, right?
Bryant is also headed to Dubai to take part in a charity tour, which includes a game between "high-profile household names" and "Real Madrid basketball legends." The celebrities playing in the charity basketball game haven't been announced yet ... except, well, Soulja Boy.
Dwyane Wade thinks the Big Three will stay together next year
The LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh era has already been nearly perfect. Three years, three Finals appearances and two titles. They've made their legacy, and after one more year, all three players can opt out of their contracts.
Wade thinks they won't, that they'll leave their talents on South Beach in hopes of turning a brilliant stretch of basketball into an indisputable dynasty. But each player could have a reason for opting out: Wade might want a longer deal as soon as possible because his knees might not hold out long enough for him to earn another big deal, James has been rumored to want to return triumphantly to Cleveland to reverse the bad blood he made, and Bosh ... well, who knows why Bosh would leave, honestly.
Ronnie Brewer reaches two-year deal with Houston Rockets
Probably the biggest free agent deal Houston has reached this summer. Honestly, though, Brewer does provide some solid wing depth. The Rockets don't need much out of Brewer with James Harden and Francisco Garcia at the two-guard and Chandler Parsons and Omri Casspi at small forward, but that type of reserve role is about what Brewer seems to merit at this point in his career.
He actually started 34 games last year for the Knicks, but mainly as a fluke before J.R. Smith came in off the bench, and they traded him for essentially nothing to Oklahoma City, where he played deep bench minutes. He's still a rangy defender, but his offensive game has really struggled after averaging double-digit points with the Utah Jazz earlier in his career. If he can improve on a dismal 35.4 shooting percentage last season, perhaps he can be of use.
SB Nation's 'top players of 2017' features Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle in top 15
Sure, they have yet to even play in college yet, but some smart basketball people put their heads together and figure that Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle will be All-NBA type players just a few years down the line. LeBron James and Kevin Durant are No. 1 and No. 2, but perhaps not in the order you'd expect, and ... well ... No. 3 is DEFINITELY not who you'd expect. It's an interesting exercise, 1-100, although they tried this two years ago, and ... oh, man, it really, really, really, really did not go well.
Rasheed Wallace schooling Andre Drummond in HORSE
The "Rasheed Wallace as a Pistons coach" era is going to be so fun.
"I played with him the other day - it wasn't fun," Drummond grinned after a Monday workout. What did coach Wallace throw at his prodigy?
"Everything. The little side corner shot with his feet against the out-of-bounds line. The shot from the track line (that runs behind the basket), over the hoop, made it in. And then the two-ball thing. He's a natural. I don't know why I did it to myself. I have no idea why I did it."
Silly Andre. He should know better:
In all seriousness, it's nice to hear about Sheed and Drummond a) having fun and b) working out, as the ultra-grizzled big man gives the youngster tips, since Drummond could really be great one day. Did you check out that Best NBA players in 2017 thing yet?
More from SB Nation NBA:
• Ranking the top 100 NBA players of 2017
• J.R. Smith driving an armored vehicle | #Lookit
• Paul Pierce vouches for Rajon Rondo's leadership