January 2010 – Page 9 – NBA Blog

Rasheed Wallace remembers how to shoot

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports:

Starting again for Kevin Garnett, Wallace made 5-of-7 treys and 9-of-12 overall from the floor on the way to a season-high 29 points in the 114-107 win against the Raptors.

When Wallace is hitting well from long range, the effect is, according to Ray Allen, “big-time, because my guy has to decide whether or not to help. It’s a full rotation out there. It makes teams have to make a decision.”

Wallace shrugged off the hot shooting day.

“Just open shots,” he said. “That’s all, open shots. Just basic basketball, like I’ve always been saying. Just (yesterday) I decided to hit them.”

Chinese shoe company Li Ning moves to Portland

George M. Thomas reports:

Portland is abuzz over Li Ning, a Chinese shoe manufacturer that has moved into Nike’s Oregon backyard. The Oregonian reported the company moved to the region to court workers who may have been displaced because of Nike layoffs last year.

It’s a company that should get a higher profile nationally because Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal is one of its high-profile spokesmen. O’Neal went to the company after leaving Reebok.

O’Neal endorses the shoe in only China right now, but said that he plans to work with the company in America.

The Cavs center said that his Li Ning shoes have sold 10 million pairs in China and 8 million here.

LeBron unleashes monster 41-point game on Trail Blazers

George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

After Friday night’s Denver folly, LeBron James looked like he wanted to set the tone against the Portland Trail Blazers by himself.

The Cavaliers star scored 31 points in the first half Sunday and went on to lead all scorers with 41 points, adding 10 rebounds and eight assists at the Rose Garden. Shaquille O’Neal had 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Mo Williams added 16.

Portland shooting guard Brandon Roy made his presence felt with 19 second half points on the way to finishing with 34.

Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster added some timely 3-pointers. Toward the end of the third quarter, Webster hit on two key 3-pointers to make it a four-point game after the Cavs had led by as much as 17.

Sixers hot on road

Tom Moore of Philly Burbs reports:

The Sixers are 4-12 at home this season, which is the second-worst record in the league – the Nets, at 2-15, are the only team behind them.

And the Sixers have beaten some better teams away from the Wachovia Center (the Trail Blazers and Nuggets) while dropping their most recent home dates to the woeful Wizards and Raptors.

“It’s funny,” said Andre Iguodala after Saturday night’s 104-94 victory over the Pistons in Michigan. “I think we play better on the road than at home.”

With the next three games at home, beginning tonight against the red-hot Hornets, winners of six in a row, that has to change for the 11-25 Sixers. They also host the Knicks on Wednesday night and the Kings on Friday night.

Kobe Bryant shooting bricks lately

Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant is averaging 30.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals on 47.2% shooting (31.7% three-pointers) this season while playing with several hand injuries. Are the lingering finger issues starting to catch up with him?

With Pau Gasol out, Kobe has been in a bit of a mini-slump. Nothing shocking. No reason for alarm just yet. But worth paying attention to.

Right now in the third quarter of a Lakers-Bucks game, he’s shooting 2-of-17.

These are his shooting totals in recent games:

January 8 at Portland: 14-of-37.

January 6 at L.A. Clippers: 10-of-30.

January 5 vs Houston: 9-of-23.

January 3 vs Dallas: 6-of-12.

Obviously 6-of-12 is fine, but 12 field goal attempts suggests he really picked his spots.

Now, Gasol, clearly the best player on the team not named Bryant, has been out injured and hasn’t played since January 3.

So, is Kobe just tossing bricks because that’s just what happens sometimes?

Or because Gasol is out?

Or, are his hand injuries starting to catch up with him?

UPDATE: Jeff Eisenberg of the Press-Enterprise reports:

Bryant said after the game that his recent slump coincides with his decision to remove the hard metallic splint he’d been wearing to protect the fractured index finger on his shooting hand. He put the harder splint back on at halftime, sacrificing flexibility and touch to gain some extra protection.

“The finger felt pretty good so I tried to go without the splint,” Bryant said. “I have more range and movement in the finger without the splint, but I don’t have enough strength to shoot the ball. A lot of shots were going short.”

Keep an eye on Bryant these days, even more than usual.

Warriors sign Cartier Martin to 10-day contract

The Golden State Warriors have signed guard/forward Cartier Martin to a 10-day contract, the team announced today.

Martin, 25, is a call-up from the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy, where he has appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.17 steals in 27.1 minutes per contest. A 6-7, 220-pound swingman who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2007, Martin began last season with the Energy before being called-up by the Charlotte Bobcats, for whom he played 33 games and averaged 2.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 8.1 minutes per contest.

This past summer, Martin was a member of the Warriors Summer League Team in Las Vegas, where he averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1.00 block in 29.3 minutes over three games. With his signing, Martin becomes the fifth player to receive a Gatorade Call-Up from the D-League this season.

Golden State’s roster now stands at 16 players. The Warriors are able to add Martin to the roster under the NBA’s hardship rules, which allow a team the ability to sign an additional player if that team already has 15 players on its Active and Inactive Lists and has four-or-more players unable to perform playing services due to injury or illness for an extended period of time.

Martin will wear uniform #20.

Tyreke Evans hits game-winner to beat Nuggets

Saturday in Sacramento, the Kings beat the Denver Nuggets 102-100. It was a great game, and the win came in dramatic fashion.

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports:

With the score tied 100-100 after Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups buried a three-pointer over Evans with 11 seconds left, Kings coach Paul Westphal called for the isolation play that sparked much debate among fans and media in recent weeks…

With seven seconds left, Evans took an inbound pass behind halfcourt and slowly dribbled toward Kenyon Martin. Evans drove left, then pump-faked Martin and Nene in the lane, and spun 360 degrees before burying a 10-footer.

“Coach told me before the other games that if he had a chance to call one-four flat and put the ball in my hands, he would do it again,” said Evans, who had 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting. “I’m just glad he didn’t give up on me and he gave me that opportunity.”

The Kings not only broke a five-game losing streak, they finished in a fashion that lifted their broken spirits.

Spencer Hawes had a big game off the bench for the Kings, shooting 8-of-10 for 10 points and five rebounds.

Marcus Landry playing ahead of Jordan Hill

So far this season, New York Knicks rookie forward Jordan Hill has helped the Knicks about as much as you have.

Unless you buy the team’s jerseys or tickets to see them play. Then, you’ve helped more.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

It’s bad enough for Jordan Hill that as a lottery pick on a losing team, he can’t pry himself off the Knicks’ bench.

The worst part, however, is that Hill sits while another rookie, an undrafted one at that, plays ahead of him. Marcus Landry, the Knicks’ rags to riches story, has factored into Mike D’Antoni’s plans recently at the expense of Hill, whose claim to fame right now is that the Knicks selected him last June over Brandon Jennings, who is now starring with the Bucks.

“It’s a little frustrating not playing,” Hill said about his limited role. “But I understand where Coach is coming from. There are veterans in front me.”

Hill this season has played in 11 games and averages 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8.4 minutes.

Ben Gordon scores 10 millionth point in NBA regular season history

It’s been over 63 years since New York’s Ossie Schectman scored the first basket in NBA history on Nov. 1, 1946, at Maple Leaf Gardens, and tonight Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons scored the 10 millionth point in NBA regular season history.

It was Gordon’s successful jumpshot at The Palace of Auburn Hills with 3:51 remaining in the second quarter of the Pistons-76ers game that represented the 10,000,000th point in NBA history.

Following is a look at the NBA’s million-point milestones:

Point — Date — Game/Play

* 1,000,000 12/22/1962 Occurred in Detroit-Chicago, New York-Boston or Syracuse-San Francisco game.

* 2,000,000 1/9/1972 Occurred in Baltimore-Phoenix or Detroit-Buffalo game.

* 3,000,000 2/17/1978 Occurred in Indiana-Washington, Buffalo-Kansas City, Detroit-New York, New Jersey-Cleveland, or Philadelphia-San Antonio game.

* 4,000,000 2/18/1983 Scored by Philadelphia’s Moses Malone on a tip-in of own miss at 11:59 of the first quarter against Houston.

* 5,000,000 1/25/1988 Scored by Utah’s Rickey Green on 24-foot three- pointer as buzzer sounded ending third quarter against Cleveland.

* 6,000,000 3/23/1992 Scored by Atlanta’s Stacey Augmon on driving layup at 7:41 of second quarter against Golden State.

* 7,000,000 12/1/1996 Scored by Seattle’s Hersey Hawkins on a running 12-foot jumper at 4:42 of the fourth quarter against Utah.

* 8,000,000 4/15/2001 Scored by New Jersey’s Eddie Gill on a layup with 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter against Boston.

* 9,000,000 12/28/2005 Scored by Portland’s Juan Dixon on a layup with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter against Philadelphia.

* 10,000,000 1/9/2010 Scored by Detroit’s Ben Gordon on a jumpshot with 3:51 remaining in the second quarter against Philadelphia.

Wizards ban gambling on flights

The AP reports:

Four players have been fined $10,000 (U.S.) apiece for making fun of a serious situation. Coach Flip Saunders has banned gambling on the team plane and has told his story to law enforcement officials. Some of his players are doing the same.

The team is doing its best to remove all traces of Gilbert Arenas from the Verizon Center, the place where he infamously brought some guns to work.

It’s no fun being a member of the Washington Wizards.

“It was foolish, stupid, immature,” said guard Randy Foye, one of the four players fined Friday night, “but I’ve got to be a man and accept my penalty and I apologize to the fans and the organization for behaving in that manner.”