NBA Training Camp Primer: Rounding Up Latest News and Notes from Week 3

Fire extinguishers, beware!

Amar'e Stoudemire is following up a frustrating conclusion to a troubling 2011-12 campaign with yet another setback. A ruptured cyst in his left knee could keep him out of a handful of games to open the season.

Needless to say, that's not how the New York Knicks wanted to kick things off, and it's not how the $20 million man wanted to rebound from the most disappointing of his 10 seasons.

New York has already been dealing with injuries to Iman Shumpert, Ronnie Brewer and J.R. Smith, and can ill afford a protracted absence from Amar'e. Though the front office added some veteran depth to the frontline (Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, Kurt Thomas), Stoudemire remains one of the club's best scorers.

Of course, it wasn't all bad news for the NBA. In typical fashion, NYC's struggles are juxtaposed with the Los Angeles Lakers' good fortune. Dwight Howard made his preseason debut and Metta World Peace looked a lot more like the high-energy marksmen who ended the 2011-12 season than the washed-up stopper he pretended to be at its onset. 

We're keeping track of everything happening in training camps around the league. Here are the biggest stories on the heels of Week 3.

Amar'e Stoudemire Likely to Miss Start of Season

Thanks to a ruptured cyst in his left knee, Amar'e Stoudemire will miss the season opener and potentially another four or five games.

The New York Post's Marc Berman reports that it gets worse:

"

Worse, the injury calls into question Stoudemire’s overall health as he turns 30 next month. Also known as a Baker’s cyst, it is a symptom of an arthritic knee.

“It’s sad right now,’’ Anthony said after yesterday’s practice. “It seems like he can’t catch a break — a knack here, a knack there. Hopefully it’s not too serious. We got his back. We’ll hold down the fort for him.’’

"

Berman goes on to note that Anthony should get some starts at power forward in the meantime, and that could be the lone bright spot to Stoudemire's absence. Carmelo Anthony excelled from the 4-spot late last season, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to get him going early on this time around.

But that will come as little consolation to fans who have watched one of their franchise players descend into a downward spiral of injury, tragedy and distraction.

This was to be something of a comeback year for the (almost) 30-year-old power forward, and he already has an injury to battle back from. 

Dwight Howard Debuts in Mostly Dominant Fashion

OK, so a loss to the Sacramento Kings probably isn't what Dwight Howard had in mind for his first game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The good news is that it was just a preseason game. The weird news is that the all five of the Lakers starters played well over 30 minutes apiece—far more than Sacramento's.

Go figure.

For his part, Howard didn't disappoint. The ever-dominant center proved his back was feeling pretty good, putting up 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. On course, the big man also chipped in five turnovers and a typical 3-for-8 performance from the charity stripe. 

Those are numbers Lakers fans should get used to. 

Hopefully they won't also have to get used to the six points, five assists and four turnovers Steve Nash turned in during 32 minutes of action. Has anyone taken a look at his back lately?

Dirk Nowitzki Could Be Back Sooner Than Expected

The fallout from Dirk Nowitzki's surgery may not be as calamitous as previously expected.

ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon reports that the 34-year-old power forward could be ready to go within the season's first couple of weeks:

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The Dallas Mavericks are optimistic that star power forward Dirk Nowitzki's return from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee will be closer to three weeks than six weeks, multiple sources said.

After Nowitzki underwent the operation Friday, the team conservatively announced that he would resume on-court activities within approximately six weeks.

"

It should go without saying that the Dallas Mavericks need their best player to anchor a rotation filled with new faces. Though this roster is deeper than it was last season, it will still depend on Nowitzki as a stabilizing influence and primary scoring option.

Besides the extent to which Dirk's presence can impact the wins and losses over that span, he'll also make it easier for new guys like O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison and Chris Kaman to get on the same page. Because their jobs will depend so heavily on playing off of Nowitzki, the more time he's on the floor, the easier their transitions will be.

Ryan Anderson Struggling So Far with Hornets

Acquiring Ryan Anderson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Orlando Magic made sense for the New Orleans Hornets.

Though Anthony Davis is still a ways away from proving himself as a player of Dwight Howard's caliber, he's the same kind of assertive interior scorer—one that should occupy enough defensive attention for Anderson to fade to the perimeter and do what he does best.

Or, at least what he usually does best.

HOOPSWORLD's Lang Greene reports that Anderson "has struggled with his shot mightily during the preseason slate," citing his adjustment period with New Orleans as one of the primary culprits:

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I’m trying to figure it out. I mean it’s obviously a completely different system. We’ve put in a lot of plays, a lot of sets and we’re still trying to learn and figure out each other. The big thing is just learning how to play with your new teammates and knowing what their tendencies are.

"

Hornets fans shouldn't be too worried just yet. Though Anderson was awarded Most Improved Player honors last season, he's actually been quite consistent throughout his career. In three of his last four seasons, the only real differences in his output can be attributed to playing time—his shooting efficiency remained fairly constant.

Chances are it will even out once again as the young Hornets build some rapport.

Updates on Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut

Neither Andrew Bogut nor Stephen Curry will play in the Golden State Warriors' two remaining preseason games, but The Mercury News' Marcus Thompson II reports that the news isn't as bad as it looks.

Curry came out of Friday's preseason contest against the Portland Trail Blazers after rolling his ankle on contact with Portland guard Wesley Matthews, but he could have returned to the game if needed. Meanwhile, Bogut may be available to play in the season opener so long as he's completely pain-free.

While we can't be entirely certain both players will be ready to go for opening day, the Warriors are a far cry from the kind of season-long injury woes that sidelined Curry and Bogut last season.

Both were taken out of commission by ankle injuries. Bogut missed all but 12 games—all of which were with the Milwaukee Bucks—and Curry played in just 26 contests. It didn't take a crystal ball to predict that the Warriors would play it safe with both of these guys throughout the preseason.

They're going to need them.

Is Brook Lopez in Store for a Big Season?

Maybe he just needed that vote of confidence from Shaquille O'Neal.

Sure, you can't read too much into preseason stat lines, but the 19 points and nine rebounds Brook Lopez has averaged through four games deserves some recognition for a couple of reasons.

In a starting lineup that includes Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace, you'd really like to see Lopez develop into a consistent third scoring option after guards Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. In fact, if the Brooklyn Nets can run some offense through Lopez inside-out, all the better for those guards.

Lopez played in just five games last season on account of a foot injury, the first time in four years he missed a game (much less 61 games). In 2010-11, Lopez's rebounding average dipped from 8.7 per contest to just 5.9. 

If the seven-footer can bounce back and return to the form he displayed in his sophomore campaign, this club all of the sudden looks a lot more like a contender. 

Cleveland Cavaliers Looking Weak on the Glass

Between a healthy Anderson Varejao and starting Tristan Thompson at his natural power forward position, you'd think the Cleveland Cavaliers would be in pretty good shape when it comes to grabbing rebounds.

According to The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer, that hasn't been the case in the preseason:

"

"It's a big-time concern," Scott admitted.

Ironically, Scott said Varejao's return is partly to blame for the lackadaisical effort on the boards.

"Those guys think he's going to get every rebound," Scott said. "So they don't go as much. Our guards have to rebound the ball, too. It just isn't on the bigs, it's on the whole team."

"

Of course, it could also have something to do with it being the preseason, but that's not the kind of excuse a team like Cleveland gets to make. For a club that's attempting to extricate itself from the draft lottery (at least in theory), there are no holidays from hard work.

For Cavs fans eager to see a turnaround, these are the kind of shortcomings they should expect over the next year or two. The roster is sorely missing veteran leadership, and inconsistent effort will be par for the course as their young talent develops. 

Carlos Boozer Sings Thibodeau's Praises

You won't find many willing to say nice things about Carlos Boozer these days, but that hasn't stopped the Chicago Bulls' power forward from saying some nice things of his own.

At least when it comes to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley reports that the former All-Star understands just how important it is to buy into Coach Thibs' system:

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I get to the gym about two hours before practice, and his car is already in the lot and the light is on in his office. He’s very strategic, and everything he does is calculated. He puts a lot of thought into his practice plans, a lot of thought into his game plan, and he’s been successful that way. One of the reasons we trust him is he puts the time in. When you have a guy that puts as much time in as Thibs, you should trust it.

"

Of course, you really don't have to take Boozer's word for it. That 2011 Coach of the Year award was a pretty strong indication of just how successful Thibodeau's formula had become. So too was the buzz surrounding his work as an assistant with Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics—buzz that ultimately snagged him the job with with Bulls.

Thibodeau's defensive prowess is well-known, but his full-spectrum approach to preparing his guys ranks him among the league's very best when it comes to getting the most out of his roster.