Around the League on Day 1

With lots of noise being made throughout the off-season, media day gave players a chance to clear the air on numerous topics. For the most part, it didn't happen, but there was still alot of action around the NBA. Check out some of the highlights:

• In the most highly anticipated Q&A session, Kobe Bryant got a chance to discuss his trade demands, Team USA, and this upcoming season. Despite not making any significant changes to the roster, Kobe seems to have accepted his current situation, or at least that’s what he’s leading everyone to believe. Kobe probably realizes the Lakers have no plans to trade their superstar regardless of his wishes.
  The entire Kobe Bryant media day session

• Amare Stoudamire will undergo an arthroscopic examination on his right knee Tuesday, instead of heading to training camp with his Suns teammates. The procedure is being significantly downplayed as a “simple” surgery that will only require Amare to be out 2 – 3 weeks. This is not the left knee that required microfracture surgery a few years ago, but anytime a player gets knee surgery it’s certainly not a good sign.

• Shawn Marion still clearly upset about not receiving a contract extension and having his services shopped around the league, maintained his stance about preferring to play elsewhere this season. He got his point across, but also made it known that he no longer wishes to discuss his trade request.

• There was one obvious person missing from the Knicks media day, Isiah Thomas, who is still involved in the Anucha Browne Sanders lawsuit. However, the Knicks still reached a contract buyout of Dan Dickau, and then acquired the rights to former Marist point guard Jared Jordan who was drafted by the LA Clippers. JJ doesn’t have a prayer to make the team, but he’ll probably stick around via the D-league.

• Andrei Kirilenko and Jerry Sloan sat down to talk things over for the first time since Kirilenko asked to be traded or released. Sloan took the high road saying, "I'm going to coexist. That's my job, some people don't always see it the way they'd like to see it, but my job is to try to help a player become a better player. If he has problems, I want to try to work through those problems." Regardless of what is said, I don’t foresee this working out. The bottom line is Kirilenko doesn’t play hard enough to meet the tough demands of Coach Sloan.