Month: April 2009

Allen Iverson out for rest of season

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that guard Allen Iverson will miss the remainder of the season.  The all-star guard missed 16 games between February 27 and March 28 after exiting a game at New Orleans with a sore back on February 25.

“After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time,” said Dumars.  “While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point.”

Iverson returned to action on March 29 versus Philadelphia and scored eight points with two assists and two rebounds in 21 minutes.  In his three games back since the initial injury, he has averaged 7.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 18.7 minutes per game.

Acquired by the Pistons from Denver on November 3, the 6-foot-0 guard has appeared in 54 games this season (50 starts) averaging 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36.5 minutes per game.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Kings at low point

The Sacramento Bee (Sam Amick) reports: With eight games left and the Kings (16-58) on track to be the worst team in the 50-year franchise history, the inability to finish close games has significantly hurt coach Kenny Natt’s chances of returning next season. The Kings have lost 10 consecutive games decided by seven points or fewer, turning the in-house spotlight to matters of coaching creativity and late-game control. Combined with the defensive effort that has continued to worsen after the Dec. 15 decision to fire Reggie Theus and his defensive coach, assistant Chuck Person, Natt’s chances of having his 2009-10 contract option picked up do not appear promising. And according to two sources close to the team, a familiar name from a past Kings coaching search is seriously being considered for the job. John Whisenant, the Monarchs’ general manager, was the front-runner for the Kings’ head-coaching job in 2006 before Eric Musselman was hired. Whisenant now appears to be the unofficial front-runner again if Natt does not return.

Smith leads Nuggets past Jazz for 50th win

The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets reached 50 wins faster than any time in their NBA history Thursday night, when J.R. Smith sank eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points in a 114-104 victory against the Utah Jazz. Smith had 21 points in 15 minutes in the first half, helping turn an 11-point deficit into a 54-43 halftime lead that Denver never surrendered against a team that’s lost six of its last seven road games. Smith’s eight 3-pointers tied a career high, and was one shy of the franchise mark set by Michael Adams in 1991 and tied four years later by Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Carmelo Anthony added 23 points for the Nuggets, who are seeking home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 1988. They won for the 10th time in 11 games and improved to 50-26… C.J. Miles led six Jazz in double figures with 19 points.

Worst beats best: Wizards top Cavaliers 109-101

The AP reports: In the closest thing they’ll have to a playoff game this year, Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards fed off a sellout crowd Thursday night and ended the franchise-record 13-game winning streak of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Washington recovered after blowing a 14-point second-half lead and held on for a 109-101 victory… Brendan Haywood, also playing his second game of the season and making his first start after recovering from a major wrist injury, added 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Wizards also received the usual steady contributions from Caron Butler (25 points) and Antawn Jamison (19) and a surprising 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting from Darius Songaila as they snapped a three-game losing streak. MVP candidate James scored 22 of his 31 points in the second half and finished with six assists and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, but—how’s this for a statistical oddity—he was responsible for all five of his team’s turnovers until Daniel Gibson traveled in the final minute of the third quarter.

Iguodala leads 76ers past Bucks 105-95

The AP reports: Andre Iguodala scored 20 points, Lou Williams had 14 of his 21 in the second half, and Philadelphia rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat Milwaukee 105-95 on Thursday night. Andre Miller contributed 18 points and 11 assists for the Sixers (39-35), who won their second straight and vaulted past Miami into fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Marreese Speights had 14 points, Reggie Evans chipped in 13 and Samuel Dalembert added 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which won its fifth in a row against the Bucks, including all three this season… Ramon Sessions led Milwaukee with his second straight stellar outing, getting 18 points, 10 assists and five rebounds a night after his first career triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers… Richard Jefferson added 17 points and Charlie Bell contributed 14 for the Bucks (32-45), who have lost seven of eight.

24 season 7 review

Note: There are no spoilers here at all. This is an extremely generalized 24 show review.

I’m catching up on the TV show 24 on Fox, Season 7, and with a few episodes to go until I’m up to the current one, it’s just as much fun as previous seasons.

What makes 24 so entertaining is the quickness of the plot developments. Because each season takes place in a day (each episide is an hour of ‘real time’), the action moves so quickly there’s a major twist literally every few minutes.

My only problem with the current season is similar to an issue I’ve had in the past: There are always at least one or two somewhat major characters whose stupidity transcends what is believable. And that’s definitely the case this season. Without spoiling anything, one or two of the dozen or so main characters have a somewhat absurd hangup with star Jack Bauer, in a way that makes you want to yell “Are you retarded?!?” at the TV screen.

Now, in a show like this, it’s common to expect that in order to full enjoy it you need to suspend reality and just let yourself sink into the episodes. That’s par for the course. But even with these few characters, it’s done in a great manner; you still want to tune in, just to see if those people smarten up. I’m sure the writers do it on purpose.

But, just when something annoys you, a minute later something wild and unexpected happens that draws you right back to the edge of your seat.

I consider 24 to be one of the select few must-see action shows on television.

–Jeff

Spurs assign Ian Mahinmi to D-League

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned center Ian Mahinmi to the Austin Toros, the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the Spurs.

Mahinmi is currently recovering from right ankle surgery performed on 1/31.  He has yet to see action for the Spurs this season.   Mahinmi appeared in one game for the Toros this season where he scored 4 points and grabbed 1 rebound in 20:46 minutes.

Knicks sign Courtney Sims to second 10-day contract

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that center Courtney Sims has been signed to a second consecutive 10-day contract. Sims was signed to his first 10-day contract on Mar. 23 and has yet to appear in a game for New York.

In his NBA career, Sims has played in a total of four games (three for the Pacers, one for the Suns). He has not yet scored in the league.

NBA reality TV show in China

The National Basketball Association (NBA), Mengniu and Shandong TV today announced the launch of the NBA’s first-ever reality show, Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple. A preview of the show was screened today at a press conference attended by Vice President of NBA China, Mr. David Yang, Managing Director Television & Digital Media NBA China, Ms. Kathy Sun, Vice President of Mengniu Group, Mr. Bai Ying, Chief Editor of Shandong TV, Ms. Zhu Lihua and NBA Legend Darryl Dawkins.

The reality show will follow a three-month basketball competition that begins filming tomorrow with public tryouts in 64 cities throughout mainland China.  The players will compete in a variety of skills competitions and be awarded points based on performance over the course of four rounds. Following a final All-Star Game in the last round, the player with the most cumulative points will be crowned the Most Valuable Player of the competition and win an all-expenses-paid trip to the United States for a tryout with a team from the NBA Development League, the NBA’s official minor league.

NBA Legends and scouts, along with an NBA coach, will appear throughout the series to run competitions, evaluate players, award points and determine which competitors advance to the next round. An NBA mascot and dance team will be onsite to provide entertainment for NBA fans.

Shandong TV Satellite Channel will air a 50-minute episode every Friday from May 22 to August 21 at 9:30 PM local time. A final 90-minute awards ceremony show will air live on August 28 and feature Chinese celebrities as presenters and performers.

The basketball competition will consist of four rounds:

* Round 1: Public “Open” Tryouts: Aspiring basketball players 18 years and older who are not currently under professional contract in each of the 64 cities are invited to come participate in a basketball skills challenge.  The participants will be awarded points for their performance during dribbling, shooting, layups and defensive drills. The top 50 to 60 participants, based on points, in each city will advance to the second round.

* Round 2: Preliminary Round: A series of one-day elimination events will take place in ten cities attended by an NBA scout in each market.  The scouts will help select two to three players in each city and 24 total participants will advance to the third round.

* Round 3: Training Camp: An NBA assistant coach and NBA legend will host a vigorous three-day NBA-style training camp for the remaining 24 participants. The coach and legend will assign points for different drills including passing and rebounding, offensive concepts and transition, strength and conditioning, shooting, ball handling and defensive concepts. The top 16 participants will advance to the final round – an All-Star Game.

* Round 4: All-Star Game: The eight finalists from southern China compete against the eight finalists from northern China in an All-Star Game.  The player who has accumulated the most points throughout the entire competition, following the All-Star Game, will be named the competition’s Most Valuable Player and win a D-League tryout.

“We hope our fans in China are as excited as we are because the NBA’s first-ever reality show in China will give talented Chinese amateur players the opportunity to play for a D-League tryout,” said Mr. Tim Chen, CEO of NBA China. “Fans can follow the competition up close through coverage on Shandong TV and with the help of our partner, Mengniu, we’ve created a grassroots event and reality series that we hope will appeal to basketball fans and Chinese pop culture on a variety of levels.”

Mengniu, an NBA marketing partner since 2007, will be prominently featured throughout the series via onsite branding, product integration, media and promotion.

“Since our partnership began in 2007, Mengniu has been a strong advocate that sports and nutrition are essential to healthy living,” said Vice President of Mengniu Group Mr. Bai Ying. “Collaborating with the NBA in the creation of this new reality show is a continuation of this mission and we pledge to present a wonderful basketball show to fans in China.”

Shandong TV will promote the reality series with nearly 2,500 promos and Public Service Announcements from April 2 to Aug. 28.

“We are very happy to be the official TV broadcaster of Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple and we believe the show will create a basketball frenzy all over the nation,” said Chief Editor of Shandong TV, Ms. Zhu Lihua “The reality show will give real fans a chance to spread the positive message that healthy living, fitness, hard work and dedication can make your dreams come true.”