January 2012 – Page 8 – NBA Blog

Metta World Peace having a forgettable season

Friday marked a typical night for Metta World Peace. He missed all four of his shots against Orlando. He was scoreless. And he was benched in the second half.

Typically exuberant and optimistic, he sounded fine.

“I feel good. I feel awesome. Just because my numbers [stink] don’t mean I don’t feel good,” he said. “I can’t control everything. I can’t control not starting. All I can control is going out there and playing hard. I can’t control not being in a rhythm, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel good.”

World Peace, 32, averaged a career-low 8.5 points last season. Through 15 games this season, he’s averaging 5.1 points and 19.8 minutes. He is shooting 32.3% overall and a woeful 12.1% from three-point range, making four of 33 attempts.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

Eric Gordon open to signing Hornets extension

Shooting guard Eric Gordon said he’s willing to sign a long-term contract extension with the Hornets, who have until Wednesday to make that happen. But as the clock ticks away on that deadline, it’s also ticking on the timeline that is keeping Gordon sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee that has limited the Hornets’ leading scorer to just two games this season.

The question begs, therefore: have the Hornets seen enough in two games, one of which Gordon made the winning shot, to offer Gordon an extension that would keep him in New Orleans for another four or five years? Or does the team wait until the season ends, and with a new owner in place, then possibly commit its resources to an extension, or just allow Gordon to test the market as a restricted free agent?

And will the Hornets be open to satisfying Gordon’s financial demands, whatever they may be?

Gordon, who was ruled out for two to three weeks on Jan. 6 because of swelling in the knee after his second game — a 40-minute outing in a loss to the 76ers — says he’d have no problem putting his name on a long-term contract with the Hornets right now.

— Reported by Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

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UNC guard Dexter Strickland out for season

North Carolina junior Dexter Strickland will miss the rest of the season after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in Thursday’s win at Virginia Tech.

Strickland was hurt when his knee buckled on a drive early in the second half. The school said Friday that Strickland’s surgery to repair the injury hasn’t been scheduled yet.

“Positive thinking!” Strickland posted on his Twitter account Friday night. “Everything happens for a reason, God always has a plan! Thanks to everyone who is praying for me! I appreciate it!”

The 6-foot-3 guard had started every game for the eighth-ranked Tar Heels, averaging about eight points and shooting a team-best 57 percent while thriving in transition. He was the team’s top perimeter defender and doubled as the No. 2 ballhandler behind point guard Kendall Marshall.

— Reported by ESPN.com

Chris Paul is buying Avril Lavigne’s mansion

Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul is planning to stay in town a while … ’cause he’s about to drop $8.5 MILLION on a sick Bel Air mansion that he’s buying from Avril Lavigne … TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us … Paul fell in love with the 12,184 square foot place, which Avril originally listed for $9.5 mil and decided he had to make a move.

The mansion — located in a hoity-toity private community called Bel Air Crest — includes 8 bedrooms and 10.5 bathrooms, a wine cellar, 10-car garage, gym, sauna and a covered outdoor living room.

— Reported by TMZ

Detroit Pistons sign guard Walker Russell Jr

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed guard Walker Russell Jr. from the NBA D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Prior to his signing, Russell Jr. led the D-League with 9.9 assists per game and averaged 16.0 points in 16 games for the Mad Ants this season. He recorded seven points/assists double-doubles and dished out a season-high 19 assists to go with 19 points at the Bakersfield Jam (1/9/12). Russell Jr. has recorded 12-plus assists five times and scored 20-plus points four times this season.

Russell Jr. was a member of the Pistons 2011-12 training camp roster before being waived just before the start of the season. He was also a member of the Pistons’ team at the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and was invited to the New York Knicks’ 2007-08 training camp. A local product from Rochester, MI, he’s the son of former Piston Walker D. Russell. In 17 games last season, he averaged 17.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 7.9 assists in 37 games with the Mad Ants.

Bucks suspend Stephen Jackson for unexcused absence

Guard Stephen Jackson has been suspended for an “unexcused absence” and will not play when the Bucks meet the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, according to coach Scott Skiles.

A source said Jackson missed the bus to the team’s morning shootaround.

Skiles said Shaun Livingston will start at the shooting guard position in Jackson’s place.

The Bucks will have nearly a full complement of players – minus Jackson – with the return of guard Mike Dunleavy Jr. and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Dunleavy has missed the last 10 games with a groin injury, while Mbah a Moute has been sidelined for 11 of the team’s 13 games due to right patella tendinitis.

“He (Dunleavy) went the last couple days and got through it fine,” Skiles said after the shootaround at the remodeled Garden. “Luc as well went the last two days, and he’s OK today. Both guys will play.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Blog

Bobcats will use Bismack Biyombo as a center

Rookie Bismack Biyombo is beginning to make quite an impression with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Enough so that he’s moving up the depth chart.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas said starting Saturday night against Chicago, Biyombo will move to center where he’ll backup starter Byron Mullens for the remainder of the season. That’s a good move for Biyombo, who had been buried on the depth chart beneath a glut of power forwards including Tyrus Thomas, D.J. White and, at times, Boris Diaw.

The decision comes after Biyombo’s most impressive game as a professional Tuesday night at Orlando.

Biyombo registered his first double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to the Magic, and played well on defense. Even though Magic center Dwight Howard scored 25 points, Silas likes the job Biyombo did on Orlando’s dominant big man. Biyombo had four blocks and nine defensive rebounds and seemed to frustrate Howard late in the game.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Kwame Brown had his shoulder surgery, still out at least 3 months

Golden State Warriors center Kwame Brown underwent successful surgery yesterday (Wednesday, January 18) to repair his torn right pectoralis major (the large chest muscle that attaches to his right shoulder), the team announced today.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthpaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. Brown will remain in Southern California for a brief time and begin rehabilitation upon his return to the Bay Area sometime next week. He is expected to be out for a minimum of three months.

Brown, 31, suffered the injury at the 6:22 mark of the fourth quarter during the Warriors’ game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, January 10. In nine games this season, he posted averages of 6.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 20.8 minutes.

Greg Ostertag ends NBA comeback attempt

After knee troubles limited him to less than 30 minutes in the Texas Legends’ last three games, Greg Ostertag informed the team Thursday that he is ending his comeback in the D-League.

Ostertag had his best game for the Frisco-based Legends last week at the D-League Showcase in Reno in front of scouts from numerous NBA teams, but the 38-year-old told ESPN.com on Thursday that the pain in his knees since then had become unbearable.

“They’ve been bugging me since I came back (in late December), but I could barely move (after Reno),” Ostertag said. “I felt good there and I played good. I get out there and sometimes I do get loose, but usually the ‘don’ts’ are longer than the ‘dos.’ It sucks, but I knew going into this what could happen.”

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Thunder sign Russell Westbrook to contract extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Russell Westbrook to a multi-year extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Multiple reports say the deal is for five years and $78 million.

“We are thrilled to solidify Russell’s future with the Thunder,” said Presti. “Since we arrived in Oklahoma City, Russell’s work ethic, persistence, character, and involvement in our community have helped us establish the standards that we are committed to on a day-to-day basis. He is a valued member of our organization and we look forward to his continued contributions on and off the floor.”

In three-plus seasons as a member of the Thunder, Westbrook has appeared in 261 games (244 starts) and registered averages of 17.9 points, 7.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33.8 minutes per contest. At the end of the 2010-11 season Westbrook became one of only five players in league history (LeBron James, Chris Paul, Anfernee Hardaway and Oscar Robertson) to record 4,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,000 rebounds through his first three NBA seasons.

Last season, Westbrook was awarded All-NBA Second Team honors after averaging 21.9 points (13th in the NBA), 8.2 assists (9th in the NBA), 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals (4th in NBA) in 34.7 minutes. During the 2010-11 season Westbrook received his first-career All-Star nomination before helping lead the Thunder to a spot in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

During the Thunder’s 2011 postseason match-up versus the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, Westbrook propelled the Thunder past Memphis after becoming just the fifth player in NBA history (Scottie Pippen, James Worthy, Larry Bird and Jerry West) to record a triple-double in a Game 7 of a playoff series.

After being named to the NBA’s All-Rookie team after the 2008-09 season, Westbrook proceeded to increase his scoring and assists totals in each of his next two full seasons with Oklahoma City.

This past week Westbrook was named among the 20 finalists for the 2012 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. During the summer of 2010, Westbrook won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in Istanbul, Turkey, after the United States team posted a perfect 9-0 record.

“We are very excited that Russell will continue to be a part of the Thunder organization,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Clay Bennett. “He has demonstrated high personal character, a strong commitment to his teammates and a remarkable dedication to the development of his performance as a player. We especially value his role in the community as he has consistently represented “Oklahoma City Basketball” with pride and integrity.”

Through 15 games this season, Westbrook has helped lead the Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference (12-3) while recording averages of 20.5 points, 5.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 33.3 minutes. Westbrook joins Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as the only other players in the NBA to average 20-plus points, five-plus assists and five-plus rebounds this season.

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