Shortly after the London Olympics, in which Sergio Llull helped lead Spain to a silver medal, we heard that the Rockets' 2009 draft pick was hoping to stay long-term with Real Madrid, who had reportedly offered him a six-year extension. Now, it appears that Llull has agreed to that extension. The translation of this report from Encestando.es is rough, but the outlet suggests that Llull has agreed to a contract to keep him with Real Madrid through 2018. It's not clear whether there would be any NBA outs in the deal, but it certainly seems that Llull won't be playing in Houston anytime soon.
Here are the rest of the morning's notes out of the Southwest Division:
- Jason Friedman of Rockets.com talked to Rockets first-round pick Jeremy Lamb about his expectations for the coming season and what aspects of his game he's working on at the moment.
- While Andray Blatche's deal with the Nets isn't finalized yet, the Spurs are definitely out of the running for the big man. Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News notes that the Spurs' frontcourt is looking "just a wee bit thin" heading into the season.
- The Spurs officially announced the hiring of former Jazz assistant Scott Layden as the club's assistant general manager yesterday. The Jazz, meanwhile, are close to finding a replacement for Layden, according to Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- In a piece for Mavs.com, Earl K. Sneed wonders how high Brandan Wright's ceiling is. Another strong year for Wright could put the former lottery pick in strong position when he hits free agency next summer.