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Teen pop superstar Justin Bieber is loved worldwide. If you listen to the buzz, he invented water. He made gravity. He’s done other stuff too.
Justin Bieber also loves playing basketball. He’ll be in the NBA Celebrity game at 2011 All-Star weekend.
Here’s a video of him flaunting some skills on the court:
Fan discussion of Justin Bieber playing basketball is in this forum topic.
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The following is a medical update on Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur, who has missed the last six Jazz games after suffering a strained lower back during the Jazz’s win over Minnesota on January 28:
Okur was seen by back specialist, Dr. Graham Hill, in Salt Lake City on Monday. Following his examination, which confirmed inflammation of his chronic disc problem, Dr. Hill has decided to place Okur on a back rehabilitation process, consisting of low back rehab and cardiovascular exercise, which will be directed by Jazz team physical therapist, Marlin “Moe” Forsyth.
An update on Okur’s progress will be provided following his re-evaluation in three weeks. No additional updates will be given prior to that point. Okur will not travel with the team during this span.
Now in his ninth NBA season, Okur (6-11, 265, Yalova, Turkey), who missed the first 26 games of the 2010-11 campaign while recovering from an unrelated Achilles’ tendon injury, has appeared in 13 games (no starts) this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. The 2007 NBA All-Star holds career averages of 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists and had played in over 92 percent of all possible regular season games, including at least 71 games per year, over his first eight seasons (94 percent since joining the Jazz in 2004-05). Okur has appeared in all 82 games for the Jazz twice, including a streak of 233 straight games played spanning from 2004-2007.
At the start of the season, many in the basketball world figured that with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade playing on the same team, neither one would have a real shot at winning the 2010-11 NBA MVP award because their stats would be lowered. Chris Bosh being on the Heat as well factors into it as well, of course.
Yet now, in early February, LeBron is steadily emerging as the league favorite to capture the award again.
Chris Perkins of Fox Sports Florida reports:
Miami (38-14) is winning. That’s the biggest requirement for the MVP. The Heat is only a half-game behind Boston (38-13), which is almost the unanimous pick to win the Eastern Conference.
And James is producing. He’s averaging 26.4 points per game (second in the NBA), 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists. For his career he averages 27.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists. So there’s been no big statistical sacrifice by joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form Miami’s Big Three.
Plus, James has already won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month Award twice (actually, he shared it with Wade in January), and he has the NBA’s highest-scoring game of the season with his 51-point outburst at Orlando. James has made the Heat better and he’s made his teammates better.
The other MVP candidates? Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, the league’s leading scorer at 29 ppg, is probably the favorite. Durant also averages 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
If I had to vote today, I’d go with LeBron for sure, especially the way he’s on fire over his last 10 games.
By Jeff Lenchiner
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The participants for the 2011 NBA three-point shootout were announced today, and I was glad to see that Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was included.
Currently the NBA’s leading scorer with a 29.0 points per game average, Durant is hitting just 34.7 percent of his threes. There are plenty of other players with a better percentage. But the vast majority of them are reserves who simply do not spark interest in the event. And many of them only hit threes at such a good rate because stars like Durant are drawing the defensive attention that clears space for them to get open outside looks.
If I have a choice of seeing Durant or a much lesser player who is in a supporting role on a team with a losing record, then give me Durant. I’m sure most fans around the world tuning in for the big weekend would agree.
Jeff Lenchiner is the editor of InsideHoops.com. Fans are discussing the participants in this forum topic.
The AP reports:
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Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy is returning to practice, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll play this weekend.
Portland’s three-time All-Star had arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees just three weeks ago.
He was averaging 16.6 points in 23 games before he was sidelined indefinitely by the team. Roy says now he is nearly pain free, but still needs to practice at full speed.
Reigning champion Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Ray Allen of the Celtics and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Jones of the Miami Heat, and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors. Allen won the contest in 2001.
Pierce bested the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in last year’s contest, scoring 20 points in the final round to capture the title. Jeff Hornacek, Jason Kapono, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic each won two titles; Larry Bird and Craig Hodges captured three straight.
More info on the NBA three-point shootout here.
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The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Steve Novak from the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. Novak is the eighth call-up of the 2010-11 D-League season.
Novak, a 6-10 forward, has appeared in two games with the Bighorns, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes, while shooting .684 (13-19) from the field and .643 (9-14) from three-point range. Prior to joining the Bighorns, Novak appeared in seven games with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 1.6 points in 2.6 minutes.
Originally a second round draft pick (32nd overall) of the Houston Rockets in 2006, Novak played two seasons in Houston before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. In his first season with the Clippers in 2008-09, Novak averaged career-highs of 6.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes while shooting .444 (176-396) from the field, .416 (119-286) from three-point range and .913 (21-23) from the free throw line. In his five-year NBA career, Novak has appeared in 202 games, averaging 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.9 minutes, while shooting .435 (289-664) from the field, .406 (191-471) from three-point range and .868 (33-38) from the free throw line.
Novak played four seasons at Marquette University posting career averages of 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 27.0 minutes, while shooting .456 (485-1064) from the field, .461 (354-768) from three-point range and .931 (243-261) from the free throw line. As a freshman, Novak saw action in 33 games and was a member of the Golden Eagles 2003 Final Four team along with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade. As a senior, Novak was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team after averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game. He ranked third in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (3.9) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.467). Novak holds the Marquette record for three-point field goals made (354) and three-point field goal percentage (.461).
Novak will wear No. 23 for the Silver and Black and will be available for tonight’s game at Detroit.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE reports:
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Kendrick Perkins is still focused on remaining a Boston Celtic after he becomes a free agent this summer.
Just as important, he wants to get a contract that he deems fair market value.
And the preliminary offer made by the Celtics, according to Perkins, won’t cut it.
Perkins told CSNNE.com prior to Boston’s 94-89 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats that the offer made to him was for four years around $22 million.
An earlier report by the Boston Herald cited two unnamed sources that indicated Perkins turned down a contract extension that was for four years and worth slightly less than $30 million.
“That wasn’t it. They offered me four years, but it was closer to like $22 million,” Perkins said. “You talking four years, $30 million! Shoot, that’s different. That’s a big difference.”
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The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent guard Jason Williams, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced Monday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Williams, who played four seasons in Memphis from 2001-05, is the franchise’s all-time assists leader (2,041).
A member of the inaugural Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, Williams played four seasons in the Bluff City (2001-05), where he averaged 11.9 points, 7.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes in 284 games (277 starts) and helped lead the Grizzlies to their first two playoff appearances (2004, 2005). After his time in Memphis, the 6-1, 190-pound floor general won an NBA Championship as a starter for the 2005-06 Miami Heat.
Selected by the Sacramento Kings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft, Williams holds career averages of 10.6 points, 5.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 29.7 minutes in 777 career games (667 starts) over 12 NBA seasons with the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat and Orlando Magic. The 35-year-old, who ranks ninth among active players in assists (4,683), posted 2.1 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes in 16 games this season for Orlando.
Williams also ranks in the top 10 in Grizzlies history in three-pointers made (497, 2nd), steals (369, 4th), points (3,379, 9th), three-pointers attempted (1,528, 2nd), assists per game (7.2, 2nd), games played (284, 10th), games started (267, 7th) and free throw percentage (.817, 5th).
Memphis’ roster now stands at 14 players.
The AP reports:
Three years ago, when he was at UCLA, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sustained a concussion that kept him off the basketball court for eight days, until he completed a series of neurocognitive tests.
That’s why the Milwaukee Bucks forward was so surprised when all he needed to return this season in the NBA following a mild concussion was simply his word to the training staff.
“I didn’t have to do any tests because we were on the road and doctors were here,” Mbah a Moute said. “They just asked me how I was feeling, and I told them I was feeling better. They were like, ‘You’re fine.”’
Mbah a Moute said he knocked heads with a Dallas defender on Jan. 1 and returned three days later, despite some soreness on his left side of his head. The experience has made the Cameroon player think there should be a league-wide policy to handle every concussion.
“There should be standards in the NBA. You need to do these tests and pass these tests before you can come back on the court. Bottom line. We definitely don’t get as bad concussions as (American) football and other sports, but a concussion is a concussion,” Mbah a Moute said. “It’s a serious injury and there should be tests.”