Month: November 2009

Andrew Bogut out 2-4 weeks with leg injury

Andrew Bogut out 2-4 weeks

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that Andrew Bogut (7-0, 260) suffered a lower left leg strain and contusion in Wednesday’s 99-85 win against New Jersey that is expected to sideline the fifth-year center for two-to-four weeks.  Bogut scored team-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win and left the game late in the fourth period and did not return to action.

Bogut, 24, was examined by Bucks orthopedic physician Dr. Michael Gordon, M.D., and underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam this morning, which revealed the injury.

In nine games this season (all starts), Bogut has averaged 16.1 points, 9.2 rebounds (19th in NBA), 1.9 assists and 1.44 blocked shots (22nd in the NBA) in 33.6 minutes per game.  Bogut ranks 11th in the NBA in field goal percentage (.565), connecting on 65 of 115 attempts from the floor.

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Pistons shooting guard spot is crowded

Two of the best Detroit Pistons players are shooting guards Ben Gordon and Richard Hamilton. Both are too small to play small forward, and neither one is a true point guard. While they can play together for stretches, it isn’t an ideal, permanent solution.

So far this season, an injury has caused Hamilton to miss all but one game, leaving plenty of two-spot minutes for Gordon. But Rip returns soon. Will there be a rotation issue?

Ian Thompson of Sports Illustrated writes:

Pistons shooting guard spot is crowded

Both Gordon and Hamilton have insisted there will be no friction when Hamilton returns from a badly sprained ankle. Gordon will be willing to come off the bench, which was something his predecessor, Allen Iverson, wasn’t willing to do for Detroit last year.

“It’s about winning,” said Gordon, who was a sixth man in half of his games with Chicago over his five years there. “At the end of the day I know Rip is a winner, and you’re not able to say that about a lot of other guys. I don’t think he sees me as a threat; I think he sees me as someone to help win games.”

At the same time, Gordon’s job, as he sees it, is to continue to push Hamilton for the starting position. “It’s always positive to have some competition out there, and have somebody [who], if you’re not performing well, they can come in and challenge you. Even though we have an understanding that we want to win, we’re also going to challenge each other and that’s going to make both of us better.”

Both players have good attitudes and care about winning, so there’s likely no big problem looming.

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Pooh Jeter signs in Israel

The Hoop, a blog quoting hapoel.co.il, reports: Hapoel Jerusalem signed Pooh Jeter(1.79-PG) until the end of the season and they announced it via their official website.

Jeter started the season with Malaga but they released him and so he found the new step in his career in Hapoel Jerusalem. He has already passed with medical examinations so he is ready to play in the next game of Hapoel.

Elton Brand has breakout game

Tom Moore of The Intelligencer reports:

Elton Brand has breakout game

Welcome back, Elton Brand.

With head coach Eddie Jordan thinking long and hard before deciding against a lineup change that would’ve put Brand on the bench and Rodney Carney in the starting five, Brand responded with his best game of the season in Wednesday’s 86-84 victory over the Bobcats at the Wachovia Center.

Brand was a factor at both ends from the outset en route to season-highs in points (19), rebounds (10), blocks (six), steals (three) and minutes (42) for his first double-double since Dec. 12, 2008.

“Pride was definitely a motivating factor,” Brand said. “I thought I was playing OK enough to play in the fourth quarter. I had good starts before, but still didn’t play in the fourth.”

Brand has been a disappointment so far this short NBA season, averaging just 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game. But he’s coming off injury, so perhaps the adjustment was simply taking longer than expected.

Ideally for the Sixers, Brand continues to recover and look like the All-Star type of talent he truly is.

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Antawn Jamison returns for Wizards

Mike Jones of the Washington Times reports:

After missing the first nine games of the season, Wizards forward Antawn Jamison didn’t show the slightest trace of rust in his season debut against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Verizon Center.

Instead, the two-time All-Star put his struggling team on his back and carried it to a 108-91 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 20,173 fans.

Jamison picked up career double-double No. 263, recording 31 points and 10 rebounds, and helped the Wizards snap a six-game losing streak.

“Me coming back and just trying to stop the bleeding a little bit, we found a way to pull it off,” said Jamison, who made 12 of 22 shots from the field and five of six from the foul line. “Guys did a great job of staying focused for 48 minutes.

The Wizards began the season with great hope. The return of Gilbert Arenas inspired many to believe this team could return to glory of a few seasons ago. But they got off to a rocky start and have won just three of their 10 games.

With Jamison back, keep an eye on them over the next week or so and see if they become more of a force.

Share your Wizards opinions on the InsideHoops Washington Wizards forum.

Atlanta Hawks on fire

The AP reports:

When Joe Johnson is scoring and Josh Smith is doing a little bit of everything, the Atlanta Hawks are awfully hard to beat.

The Miami Heat got a sampling of that 1-2 punch Wednesday night.

Johnson made it two consecutive 30-point games, Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run and the Hawks won their sixth in the row, beating Miami 105-90 to reclaim a share of the NBA’s best record with Phoenix.

“It’s just beautiful basketball right now,” Smith said.

Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday. Smith was all over the stat sheet: 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

It’s still early in the season but Atlanta clearly has to be happy about the way they’re playing.

A big help has been the addition of Jamal Crawford, who is coming off the bench to contribute 16.1 points and 2.8 assists in 29 minutes per game.

The Cavaliers, Magic and Celtics are still considered the best in the East, but the Hawks seem closer to the big three than previously thought.

For now, at least, Hawks basketball is definitely of national interest.

Have Hawks opinions? Share them on the InsideHoops Atlanta Hawks forum.

Rawle Marshall signs in France

Euroleague.net reports: Asvel Basket signed small forward Rawle Marshall to address the club’s need for more scoring punch and athleticism. The contract is through the end of the calendar year with a team option to extend it for the remainder of the season. Marshall (201, 27) arrives from Valencia Basket, where he averaged 7 points on 50% three-point shooting in 19 minutes over four games in the Spanish League this season.

Monta Ellis not looking to increase his leadership role

Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group reports:

After Tuesday’s 114-108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Warriors guard Monta Ellis was faced with the same, obvious question. With Stephen Jackson traded to the Charlotte Bobcats, does he see an opening for him to increase his role?

“I told you all,” Ellis said after totaling 23 points and eight assists, “I’m not putting any more on my back.”

The Warriors are hoping just the opposite. According to team sources, Warriors officials are watching closely to see if Ellis assumes the role as face of the franchise, being the team’s highest-paid, and perhaps best, player. How he responds could determine whether he is around for the long term.

Reports surfaced Tuesday about the Warriors actively shopping Ellis on the trade market, and Ellis’ agent, Jeff Fried, is set to meet with general manager Larry Riley this week, possibly to talk about a trade.

On the one hand, I get what Monta is saying. He’s doing all he can, so he can’t step up and do more, because he’s already doing it. On the other hand, the team needs emotional leaders as well as floor leaders more than ever, and he certainly can have the ball more, create for others more, and raise his star-level even higher. But, he’s apparently not interested in that. Which isn’t really too impressive.

Raptors add Pops Mensah-Bonsu

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have been awarded forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu on a waiver claim. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Mensah-Bonsu, who signed with Houston this past offseason, was waived by the Rockets on Friday. He appeared in four games with Houston, averaging 1.3 points and 3.3 minutes.

Prior to signing with the Rockets, Mensah-Bonsu, 26, averaged 5.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 13.8 minutes in 19 games with the Raptors. He was signed as a free agent by Toronto on March 6, 2009.

Mensah-Bonsu saw action in three contests with the San Antonio Spurs in 2008-09, averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 6.7 minutes. He appeared in 12 games with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006-07 season where he totaled 29 points and 22 rebounds in 72 minutes. He also spent part of that season in the D-League with Fort Worth, averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 30.7 minutes in 26 games. He earned 2007 D-League All-Star Game MVP honours with 30 points and seven rebounds.

The native of London, England spent two seasons overseas, playing with Benetton Treviso in 2007-08 and DKV Joventut in 2008-09. He averaged 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 31 regular season games with Benetton. He saw action in just two games with Jovenut before returning to North America to play in the D-League.

A four-year athlete at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Mensah-Bonsu averaged 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in his senior season leading the Colonials to a 26-1 regular season mark and a Top 10 ranking.