March 2012 – Page 18 – NBA Blog

Dick Harter, inaugural coach of Charlotte Hornets, dies at 81

Dick Harter, who died Monday at his Hilton Head, S.C. home, was the first coach the Charlotte Hornets hired. Most of us had not experienced the NBA when the Hornets played their first game in 1988. We looked to Harter for guidance.

On the court, he was so rigid he should have been wearing a whistle.

“He was old school, he demanded a lot, and you always knew where you stood,” says Dell Curry, the Charlotte Bobcats’ broadcaster who played for the first Hornets’ teams. “People either wanted to play for him or they didn’t.”

Off the court, Harter was candid and funny and interested in almost everything. I can say with some certainty that he is the only head coach of a major Charlotte team to ride through Myers Park on a two-seat bike with his wife, Mary, in back and their pet rabbit in a basket in front.

— Reported by the Charlotte Observer

Knicks lose 6th straight, fall to Bulls

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose scored 32 points and the Chicago Bulls beat New York 104-99 on Monday night, handing the Knicks their sixth straight loss.

Rose shot 12 of 29 from the floor and had six rebounds and seven assists as the Bulls got their 10th win in 11 games.

Taj Gibson had 15 points and a team-high 13 boards for Chicago, which outrebounded New ork 56-38. The Bulls entered the game leading the league in rebounding margin.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 21 points and Amare Stoudemire added 20, but the two combined for just seven points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls pulled away.

Rudy Gay has a mild concussion

Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports:

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay has a mild concussion and could miss Tuesday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Team doctors confirmed Gay’s condition today after re-evaluating him. Gay left Sunday’s win at Denver with concussion-like symptoms after he received an inadvertent elbow to the head from Denver center Nene.

Under the terms of the NBA’s new protocol for concussions and other head injuries, Gay will have to satisfy a strict set of criteria before being allowed back on the floor.

Anderson Varejao remains out with broken wrist

The AP reports:

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott says center Anderson Varejao’s broken right wrist will not be re-examined by doctors until next week.

Varejao has been out since Feb. 10, when he broke his wrist during a game against Milwaukee. The Cavs expected Varejao to miss from 4 to 6 weeks and were initially optimistic he would return sooner. One of the NBA’s top rebounders, Varejao continues to wear a wrap on his wrist. He has not yet resumed basketball activities and has been limited to working on his stamina.

Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis named NBA Players of Week

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova and the Golden State Warriors’ Monta Ellis today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 5, through Sunday, March 11.

Ilyasova led the Bucks to a 3-1 week, including wins over the 76ers and Knicks. Ilyasova averaged 25.0 points while shooting .638 from the field, .900 from the foul line, and .667 from distance, to go along with 10.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Ilyasova posted three point-rebound double-doubles, including a 31-point, 12-rebound effort to close the week in a 105-99 win over the Raptors on March 11.

Ellis helped the Warriors to a 3-1 week behind averages of 20.5 points, 7.5 assists and 2.0 steals. Ellis knocked down 8-of-12 (.667) three-point field goals on the week, and shot 10-of-16 from the field in his 25-point, eight-assist, five-rebound effort in a 120-100 win over the Wizards on March 5.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Josh Smith, Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Antawn Jamison, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, Memphis’ O.J. Mayo, Miami’s LeBron James, Oklahoma City’s James Harden, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Philadelphia’s Evan Turner, and Phoenix’s Marcin Gortat and Steve Nash.

Clippers recall Travis Leslie from D-League

The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that they have recalled rookie guard Travis Leslie from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.

In his four game stint with the Jam, Leslie tallied 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.0 minutes per game.

The 47th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, Leslie has averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in eight games played for the Clippers this season.

T.J Ford has retired from the NBA

San Antonio Spurs guard T.J. Ford announced that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from basketball activities this season. And then on Twitter today, he announced his retirement from the NBA.

The 28-year-old Texas native suffered a series of neck and spine injuries during his eight-year NBA career, most recently a stinger on March 7 vs. New York.

“While this was a tough decision to make, it is what is best for me and my family at this time,” said Ford. “I have been blessed to play alongside wonderful teammates for great coaches and organizations from high school, to college, to the NBA. Regardless of what the future holds, I will carry the experiences, the friendships and the memories with me forever. The support I’ve received from family, friends and the fans has been humbling and I am looking forward to evaluating my professional options following this season.”

Ford joined the Spurs on Dec. 10, 2011. He appeared in 14 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 3.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes.

“The entire organization has enjoyed having T.J. Ford in San Antonio this season,” said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. “I congratulate him on all that he has achieved as a player and fully support the difficult decision he was forced to make. T.J. has a bright future ahead of him and will always be a member of the Spurs family.”

Prior to signing with San Antonio the 6-0, 165-pound point guard enjoyed stints with Milwaukee, Toronto and Indiana. Ford was selected by the Bucks in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft, with the eighth overall pick, after playing two seasons at the University of Texas. He enjoyed his best NBA season during the 2008-09 campaign, averaging 14.9 points, 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 74 games with the Pacers. In 2004, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, after posting averages of 7.1 points and 6.5 assists. Midway through his rookie season Ford suffered a spinal injury that he would later have surgery on which forced him to miss the entire 2004-05 season. For his career, Ford played in 429 games, averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.16 steals 27.7 minutes per game.

Ford enjoyed an outstanding high school and collegiate career in the state of Texas. In his final two seasons at Willowridge High School, his teams posted a 75-1 record, capturing back-to-back Texas 5A State Championships. In two seasons at the University of Texas, Ford averaged 12.9 points and 8.8 assists. During his sophomore year he was named both the Naismith and Wooden Player of the Year Award winner and earned 2003 First Team All-American honors.

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Report: Melo didn’t want JR Smith on Knicks

After recent success fueled by Linsanity being wiped out by losses and question marks, a juicy story has broken out about the Knicks:

One thing you can’t blame Carmelo Anthony for is the J.R. Smith signing, The Post has learned.

Contrary to popular belief, Anthony was leery of the Knicks bringing in his former Denver teammate three weeks ago and gave a thumbs down to upper management, according to a person close to the Knicks superstar.

Publicly, Anthony said all the right things about Smith, who was fined $25,000 by the NBA Saturday for tweeting a photo of a partially naked woman in his Milwaukee hotel room.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

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Warriors still aggressively seeking deals

The Golden State Warriors aren’t too good. They know it. you know it. The people know it. So they’re looking to deal:

Warriors general manager Larry Riley rejoined the team in Los Angeles after scouting the ACC tournament in Atlanta. He said he’s still aggressively working to find a deal before Thursday’s deadline, but he hasn’t found one that improves the team yet.

“I won’t be surprised if we do something, but I love our team the way it is,” Lee said. “There’s a big difference between doing something that makes sense and doing something just to say you did something.

“We all appreciate that our front office is being active and trying to make us better. It’s nice to feel like they have the same passion that you do.”

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle

Jazz want meeting with their guard, Raja Bell

Before Raja Bell plays another game for the Jazz, a discussion is planned between the veteran shooting guard, coach Tyrone Corbin and team management.

Utah General Manager Kevin O’Connor said Sunday he’ll be involved in the meeting, which is expected to occur prior to the Jazz’s game Monday against Detroit at EnergySolutions Arena.

O’Connor declined to discuss specific details about why a healthy Bell was unexpectedly removed Saturday from Utah’s starting lineup against Chicago. Ruled out less than five hours before tipoff due to an unspecified internal matter, Bell was not with the team during a 111-97 loss to the Bulls.

O’Connor spent the last few days scouting NCAA men’s basketball conference tournaments and was not with the Jazz during the end of a five-game road trip that saw Utah go 2-3. As a result, he wants to have a private conference with Bell and Corbin before moving forward with the situation.

“I want to sit down with Raja, and have a meeting with coach and Raja first,” O’Connor said.

— Reported by Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune