November 2010 – Page 2 – NBA Blog

Kings waive Antoine Wright

The Sacramento Kings today announced that they waived guard Antoine Wright.

Wright totaled two points and three rebounds in seven appearances this season.

The Kings roster now stands at 13.

For his NBA career, which began with the New Jersey Nets in the 2005-06 season, Wright has averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 19.2 minutes per game. He’s also played for the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I think another team will sign Wright in the near future, likely for the league minimum. He certainly has lacked staying power, being bounced the league around like a pinball. But I think Wright is good enough to stick around.

McGrady says LeBron, Wade do not mesh

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, forward Chris Bosh and forward LeBron James (L-R) wait at the scorer's table during a timeout in the third quarter of their NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts October 26, 2010. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Can LeBron James and Dwyane Wade learn to play together and make each other and their other teammates better? Maybe, but in the opinion of Tracy McGrady, himself once a superstar, the two don’t mesh well.

Chris Iott of Booth Newspapers reports:

“It’s what I expected,” Tracy McGrady said of the Heat’s struggles Sunday after the Pistons suffered a double-overtime loss to the Knicks. “You’ve got two guys (James and Wade) that really don’t mix. I mean, they’re the same type of player. They just don’t complement each other.”

Some predicted that the Heat would win 70-plus games in the regular season and be the favorites to win the NBA title. But McGrady said he is not surprised they have struggled the way they have early this season.

“Not at all,” he said. “It’s tough to get that chemistry. You can’t just go somewhere and create that type of chemistry. (James) had that in Cleveland. He had everything going for him. Great energy in the building. He created a great atmosphere. I enjoyed going to Cleveland because the atmosphere was just unbelievable.

“The chemistry he had with his teammates was unbelievable,” McGrady continued. “You can’t just go somewhere and create that. You can see it on his face. He’s not having fun. I’m so used to him doing all his antics on the basketball court, and he’s not doing that. You can see that something is just not right.”

Hornets unveil gold Mardi Gras alternate uniforms

The New Orleans Hornets unveiled their new gold alternate uniforms today at an event at the New Orleans Arena prior to the Hornets home game against the San Antonio Spurs that featured five lucky fans who found a golden ticket as part of the Hornets “Hunt for Gold” scavenger hunt. The five winners were given the opportunity to help launch the uniforms by being the first to own and wear the new gold jerseys and debut their photos and comments about the uniforms on their personal social networking sites.

“Our Mardi Gras gold uniforms proudly pay tribute to our hometown of New Orleans by not only displaying NOLA across the chest of the jersey, but also wearing one of our signature colors that represents the culture, heritage and celebration that makes up our great city,” said Hornets President Hugh Weber. “It was important for us to allow our fans to be the first to debut these uniforms because they play such an important role in our team’s success on and off the court.”

The alternate uniforms will be worn for the first time on Friday, Dec. 10 as the Hornets host the Oklahoma City Thunder and again at home on Sunday, Dec. 26 as the Hornets take on the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets will also sport their Mardi Gras gold uniforms for every Saturday game throughout the rest of the season.

The Hornets’ Mardi Gras gold uniforms also feature purple and Creole blue pinstripes and trim on the sides. NOLA is written in Creole blue across the front of the jersey and each player’s name is in purple across the top back. The Fleur de Bee logo adorns the top neck of the jersey and is featured on either side of the shorts.

Share your opinion and read other fan views in this forum topic.

After heart attack, Jim Petersen back behind microphone

Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Timberwolves television broadcaster Jim Petersen returned to work Saturday night, three days after suffering a heart attack he said was nowhere near the “mild” one the team reported he had after Wednesday morning’s shootaround.

Petersen credits a telephone call to team physician Sheldon Burns with saving his life. Burns urged him to call paramedics immediately rather than wait for his wife to arrive home after he went from experiencing slight discomfort in his chest to a crushing pain in a matter of minutes.

Within 50 minutes after calling for help, Petersen rested in the hospital with a stent in his heart to open what he called a 100 percent blockage.

David Lee returns; Dorell Wright hits 9 three-pointers

Toronto Raptors Linas Kleiza goes to the basket against Golden State Warriors David Lee (L) during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Toronto, November 8, 2010. REUTERS/Mark Blinch (CANADA - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

David Lee wasn’t sure how his body would respond in his return from an eight-game layoff because of an infected elbow.

But it was pretty clear how his teammates were going to respond.

Even before Saturday’s game against Minnesota, the Warriors’ locker room had a different buzz than in the past two weeks. It showed on the court to the tune of a 104-94 victory over the Timberwolves at the Target Center.

“I’m no savior,” Lee said. “The biggest thing I’m trying to bring is a positive attitude. Everybody gets down from time to time. Our morale is a little down right now. We need a little pick-me-up. That’s what I’m trying to do.” …

Dorell Wright had a franchise-record nine three-pointers and a career-high 30 points, Ellis and Curry combined for 46 points on 16-for-30 shooting and 17 assists, and Biedrins had 12 rebounds in 24 minutes.

President Obama gets 12 stitches for lip injury while playing basketball

Tahman Bradley and Stephanie Smith of ABC News report:

President Obama needed 12 stitches on his upper lip after he was inadvertently hit this morning while playing basketball with friends and family at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.The president was playing defense when Rey Decerega, an opposing player, turned into him to take a shot and his elbow hit Obama in the mouth.

“I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport,” Decerega, who works for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, said in a written statement. “I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I’m sure he’ll be back out on the court again soon.” …

The injury occurred in the last of the five games Obama was playing with his friends, which included his nephew, Avery Robinson, personal aide Reggie Love and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

InsideHoops.com says: The picture above is old, but the video below is of Obama after the above incident.

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

Bulls sign John Lucas III

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent guard John Lucas III. In accordance with team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Lucas III (5-11, 165) saw action in five preseason games with the Bulls and averaged 2.2 ppg and 0.8 apg in 6.4 mpg.

Undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2005, Lucas spent two seasons with the Houston Rockets (2005-07) and appeared in 60 regular season contests. While with the Rockets he averaged 3.1 ppg, 0.8 apg and 0.7 rpg in 8.2 mpg, and shot .396 from the field, .250 from behind the arc and .789 from the line.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 14 players.

Nets assign Terrence Williams to D-League

The New Jersey Nets have assigned second year guard/forward Terrence Williams to their NBA Development League affiliate, The Springfield Armor, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

“After discussing the situation with Avery over the last several days, I feel the best course of action for Terrence and the team at this time is for him to play in the D-League,” said King. “He is currently on the inactive list and this move will allow him to play until he is once again placed on the active list. There is no timetable on his return to the active list, and Terrence’s future status will be addressed at the appropriate time.”

Williams was selected 11th overall by New Jersey in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft. The Louisville product has appeared in 86 career games for the Nets, averaging 8.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.9 apg. This season, Williams has played in eight contests, with averages of 6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.0 apg.

What’s your opinion? Share it on the New Jersey Nets forum.

Pacers stepping up defensively

The Indianapolis Star reports:

The Pacers, who host Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse, are having their best defensive season under coach Jim O’Brien.

They are sixth in the league in field goal defense at 43.5 percent, which O’Brien feels will be good enough to get them into the playoffs. They are seventh in the league in points allowed at 95.5 a game.

And they are second in blocks at 6.7 a game.

“We’re actually focusing on it now,” forward Danny Granger said. “We’re not scoring like we have in the past as far as points a game, but we’re putting a lot of work in on the defensive end. We’re stepping up, we’re rebounding well and doing things we haven’t done in the past.” …

Center Roy Hibbert has more of an intimidating presence in the paint because he’s quicker and doesn’t foul as much. Hibbert is sixth in the league in blocks at 2.3 a game.

Heat assign Dexter Pittman to D-League

The Miami Heat announced today that Dexter Pittman has been assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. The Skyforce are the Heat’s NBA D-League affiliate.

Pittman was originally drafted by the Heat in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft and has yet to appear in a regular season game. He did appear in three games (all starts) for the Heat during summer league play and averaged 6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.67 blocks and 19.1 minutes.

Pittman will be available for the Skyforce’s home opener tomorrow night vs. the Dakota Wizards at 7PM.