The Weekside: Missing Darryl Dawkins

Around the Association

Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan won a $9 million lawsuit against a grocer who used his image in a steak coupon that almost nobody even used. MJ will reportedly donate the cash to charity. No word on if any of that money had Luol Deng’s face on it.

Cleveland Cavaliers

We’ve looked before at how LeBron James has embraced causes. He donated some $3 million to the Boys & Girls Club with proceeds raised by The Decision, was among the first athletes to wear an I Can’t Breathe t-shirt in public, and came out with his teammates wearing hoodies in support of finding justice for Trayvon Martin. Now, he has announced that he will pay for some 1,000 local kids — and maybe up to 2,300 — to go to college. One interesting wrinkle, according to Bloomberg, is that JPMorgan is the unlikely company that is providing tech support.

Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson doesn’t look impressed by his new signature shoe, which he got to see for the first time recently Riley Jones of Complex summed it up best: “Klay’s out here looking like the spoiled kid who got an awesome birthday present but won’t crack a smile because it’s not the exact gift he wanted. He’s really looking at these kicks like a waiter just brought him out the wrong plate of food.” It’s possible this is just a China thing. He struggled with the food, too.

Denver Nuggets

Rocky gonna make All-Pro this year.

Houston Rockets

https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/636671174018117632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

James Harden has birthday parties so boring that people fall asleep.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe has never not been Kobe, and you should listen to Howard Beck and Zach Lowe recount the glory years and feuding days that followed these airballs in Laker Land.

Miami Heat

https://instagram.com/p/61Qda1AuMz/

Draymond Green and Hassan Whiteside were the latest full-grown-adult famous people to get into a social media fight. Fortunately, their back and forth seemed to be more in jest than anything, with the Miami Heat big man questioning the league’s move towards small ball while Draymond mocked Whiteside’s ability to score even against short people. And Green definitely won the battle with his all-too-easy final response touting his championship ring.

New Orleans Pelicans

The question about Anthony Davis seems less about if he’ll win an MVP award and more about how many he’ll win. And now we’re hearing reports that he has been in the weight room all summer, gaining 12 pounds of muscle. He is 22-years-old and already the second- or third-best player in the league. Be afraid.

New York Knicks

Phil Jackson gave all the Knicks players copies of a Michael Jordan book last year, according to Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal. “[Jackson] said he wanted the players, especially Carmelo Anthony, to grasp the level of intensity needed to be a champion.” Mission Accomplished. (via Business Insider)

Sacramento Kings

Who is iller than Jason Williams? If you answered “somebody,” you are incorrect.

Washington Wizards

Otto Porter started to really prove himself last year, and the team sees him increasingly playing the four. He realizes the league is moving in this direction — Paul George is expected to have a similar transition in Indiana — and seems to embrace the move. “Being able to stretch out as a four is going to be key, and that is something with our coaching we might end up doing,” Porter told Sirius radio. “It’s definitely something I’ll be comfortable with.” (via NBC Sports)

Next: Curry 2016