The Bay Area News Group (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Finally, guard Marco Belinelli said he has made it to the NBA. Sure, he has been in the league since the Warriors’ drafted him with the No. 18 overall pick in 2007. And he’s certainly collected more than a third of the nearly $5 million he will earn over his first three seasons. But Belinelli said it wasn’t until now that he felt as if he’d arrived. For the first time in his career, he said he feels as if he is part of the team. He’s getting minutes, providing offense and growing with teammates. There’s no telling how long this will last, as the Warriors’ injured players figure to return and Coach Don Nelson’s whims are likely to change. In the meantime, Belinelli is enjoying the experience.
Month: December 2008
Glen Davis car accident
The Boston Globe (Frank Dell’Apa) reports: Glen Davis missed the game recovering from a concussion and whiplash suffered in an auto accident on the Massachusettts Turnpike on the way to the game. He was released from Brigham & Women’s Hospital last night, according to director of press relations Jeff Twiss. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge was with Davis at the hospital.
Pistons winless on Sundays
The Detroit News (Chris McCosky) reports: By almost every definition, the Pistons are an average team right now. They have the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference (14-11) and have one fewer loss than the Heat. And average teams don’t often overcome 18-point deficits on the road, especially against a Hawks team that right now is younger, bigger and stronger at almost every position. “They were just too much for us,” Allen Iverson said, after the Hawks beat the Pistons, 85-78, at Philips Arena. “They were better than us tonight.” Like the Lions, the Pistons remain perfect on Sunday — perfectly winless, 0-6.
Dec 21: Cavs 102, Thunder 91
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 31 points and Mo Williams provided the kind of scoring punch expected out of him when he was brought in to be LeBron’s sidekick as Cleveland finished a four-game road trip with a 102-91 win Sunday night over the Oklahoma City Thunder… Mo Williams, who was brought in this offseason to reinforce for LeBron in a three-team trade that also involved the Thunder, scored 20 points and Delonte West hit his first five shots and finished with 18 points against his former team. Kevin Durant scored 26 for the Thunder, who were playing for the first time since snapping a franchise-record 11-game home losing streak. Russell Westbrook added 24 points and matched his career-high with 11 assists and Jeff Green scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Dec 21: Celtics 124, Knicks 105
The AP reports: Rajon Rondo scored 18 of his 26 points in the quarter to help the Celtics tie a franchise record with their 18th straight win, beating the New York Knicks 124-105 Sunday night. The win improved Boston’s record to 26-2, matching the NBA mark for the best start by a team with two losses. The Celtics can break the record at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night… He was 12-of-14 from the floor for the game… Ray Allen had 18 points, Paul Pierce 17, Garnett 12 and Kendrick Perkins 12 for the Celtics… Quentin Richardson led the Knicks with 29 points and Nate Robinson had 23. Duhon added 20 with 10 assists… Celtics F Glen Davis was injured Sunday in an automobile accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike around 2:30 as he drove to the Garden.
Dec 21: Mavs 97, Wizards 86
The AP reports: On a night when Jason Kidd took over the game in the fourth quarter, the Wizards again imploded in the fourth. Kidd had 11 assists—six in the game’s final 6:05 as Dallas sent Washington to its sixth straight loss, 97-86 Sunday night… Jason Terry scored 25 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 23. Kidd, who is averaging 9.3 points, missed all seven of his field goals and had just a single point, but as the Wizards languished in the fourth quarter for the fourth straight game, it was Kidd’s game… Antawn Jamison led the Wizards with 22 points—all in the first three periods—Butler had 18 and Mike James 17.
Dec 21: Hawks 85, Pistons 78
The AP reports: Mike Bibby wasn’t with the Hawks for any of those past losses to the Pistons, and the new point guard in the Atlanta lineup made an obvious difference, scoring a season-high 27 points in an 85-78 win against Detroit on Sunday… Bibby made 10 of 13 shots from the field, including each of his six 3-point shots… Joe Johnson had 19 points and seven assists. Al Horford added 11 points and 11 rebounds and Josh Smith also had 11 points for Atlanta… Rodney Stuckey and Wallace each had 20 points for Detroit. Richard Hamilton had 16 points for Detroit before he was ejected with 1:14 remaining and Atlanta leading 83-76.
LeBron James summer extension possible
There have been about 39 million articles written about the free agent summer of 2010, featuring LeBron James and other stars who may be in need of a new contract at the time. For those out there whose current teams are hopeless and must dream of a brighter future, there’s a minor update worth knowing about. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports:
LeBron James said Saturday that he is going to consider signing an extension with the Cavaliers this summer, well before he can become an unrestricted free agent. “You play out this season of course; I will consider it,” James said Saturday before the Cavs practiced at the Pepsi Center. “The direction we are headed is everything I expected and more.” This is the first time James has publicly talked about signing this summer instead of waiting until 2010. It is an indication of how pleased James is with the progress the Cavaliers have made this season as they are off to a 22-4 start, the second-best record in the NBA. In 2006, James signed a three-year, $43 million deal with the Cavs through 2010 and it included a player option for 2010-11 worth $17.4 million. There has been a general assumption that James will forgo his player option, but no one has been paying attention to the other choice, which is to extend his contract with the Cavs early. There is still a good chance James will not sign early and let things play out in 2010. Waiting will give him a chance to evaluate the entire scene before making a decision.
Cavs fans of course want to keep LeBron forever, and the sooner he signs as long a contract as possible, the better. All other fans hope it doesn’t happen, keeping the home he joins their team in the future alive.
Keep hope alive.
Keith Smart to coach Warriors defense
The Bay Area News Group (Marcus Thompson II) reports: The Warriors have a new defensive coordinator. No, Monte Kiffin will not be joining the bench. Warriors Coach Don Nelson announced after Friday’s 115-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks that assistant Keith Smart will be a “defensive coordinator” and that assistant Sidney Moncrief will be Smart’s assistant. Nelson said he is relinquishing the defensive duties because he has grown too lax. “I’ve decided to identify one of my weaknesses at this point in my life, which is I’m not tough enough anymore,” Nelson said. “I’m a little soft as I get older, and I feel like I haven’t done a very good job defensively this year. … They will be handling all of the defensive training, the game plans defensively and, during the game, the switching of situations. They’re in charge of the defense now.” Smart and Moncrief will have to start their upgraded roles without arguably the Warriors’ best man-to-man defender as swingman Stephen Jackson’s sprained left hand has forced him out of action again.
Record-level coach firings
The New York Daily News (Mitch Lawrence) reports: A fifth of the league’s 30 coaches – six – already have been dismissed, a record for this early in the season. If that isn’t insane, three of the choices to take over were nothing short of mind-boggling. In Minnesota, Washington and Philly, head coaches were replaced by members of the team’s front office. In the cases of the Wizards and Sixers, the interim choices, Ed Tapscott and Tony DiLeo, respectively, had only limited time in NBA huddles. This is nothing personal against Tapscott or DiLeo or Kevin McHale, who was forced to move from his GM suite to the bench to take over for Randy Wittman, marking McHale’s second tour of duty on Minnesota’s bench. But they’re no more qualified to coach a team than an equipment man is to run a draft. For many teams, these moves violate the NBA’s version of the separation of church and state. GMs and their subordinates do one thing (procure the talent). Coaches do something else (coach it). And ne’r should the career paths cross (unless, of course, it’s Pat Riley).