Month: April 2012

Knicks guard Iman Shumpert injury will keep him out 6-8 months

iman shumpert

The Knicks were smoked by the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their first round series, but the loss wasn’t even the worst news of the day for New York.

After losing 100-67 in Miami, the team learned that guard Iman Shumpert, who suffered an injury during the game, has a torn left ACL and torn lateral meniscus. He will need surgery and is expected to miss 6-8 months, which means he will likely not be healthy until perhaps the second half of next season.

An athletic rookie, Shumpert averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Knicks during the regular season. He is also one of the team’s most enthusiastic defenders.

Phoenix Suns face interesting summer

steve nash

The Suns’ six free agents could create about $23 million in salary-cap space on the team payroll, depending on where the NBA salary cap lands in July and what the Suns do about restricted free agent Aaron Brooks, who has a $5 million cap hold. That would be more space than any NBA team has set up.

The most prominent Suns player who will become a free agent, Steve Nash, sees generally what is coming but also is waiting to hear the plan. If he stayed, a new deal would eat up a large portion of that cap space.

“The team and the club need to really analyze what their philosophy is moving forward and put a contingency plan together to build the best team,” Nash said. “It’ll be an interesting period.”

Of the seven players under contract, most have something to do with the current front office. This brass traded for Marcin Gortat. It drafted Markieff Morris. It signed Sebastian Telfair. It extended Jared Dudley. Josh Childress was a former client of President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick also remain under contract.

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Derrick Rose injury update: Torn ACL

derrick rose

The Chicago Bulls played well this season while Derrick Rose was out with injuries, but they’d still rather have their star guard healthy and on the court.

Unfortunately, the team will have to push forward without the player’s services.

The Bulls beat the Philadelphia 76ers 103-91 in Game 1 of their first round playoff series, but during the game, Rose suffered a knee injury. It’s now been confirmed by the team that Rose tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). He’ll miss the rest of the playoffs, and he won’t be able to play for Team USA during the summer Olympics in London.

ACL injuries take a long time to heal. This is bad for the Bulls as well as every fan of good basketball.

Deron Williams wants new deal before Olympics

deron williams

All-Star point guard Deron Williams wants to have a new contract before the Olympics start in late July.

Speaking a day after the New Jersey Nets’ season ended, Williams refused to say whether he will be a Net when the team moves into its new arena in Brooklyn.

”The season just ended yesterday,” Williams said. ”We have time, playoffs. A lot of stuff is going to happen. Just take my time. But I don’t want to take too much time. I want to try to have something done by the Olympics.”

Williams has said all season that he would opt out of his contract and test the free-agent market, and that remains his plan after the Nets (22-44) missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.

Williams, who toured the under-construction Barclays Arena this week, said he can see himself playing in the building, but his desire is to be a member of a championship team.

— Reported by the Associated Press

David Kahn says Love and Rubio are Timberwolves untouchables

Team president David Kahn said Friday he plans to be aggressive this summer in trades and free agency to supplement a promising young core with veterans, and he made it clear that only Rubio and Love are untouchable as he tries to bring an end to a seven-year postseason hiatus.

”They’re cornerstones of what we’re doing here, and my fervent hope is that each of them retires here,” Kahn said of Rubio and Love. ”But after those two, and not that anybody else needs to be on watch, and there are a lot of other players on the team that all of us, coaches, management, front office, everybody likes. We just have to be very aggressive this year to make this team all that it can be and satisfy ourselves that we’ve done everything possible to do that.”

That Kahn did not include center Nikola Pekovic or No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams in that group of untouchables speaks to his openness to consider all options. Pekovic had a breakout season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds to emerge as one of the top offensive centers in the league. Williams showed some promise as a scorer, but wore down as the season dragged on and both players are on the books for an affordable $9.6 million combined next season.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul named Players of Month for April

The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in April.

Anthony led the Knicks to a 9-4 month and helped them secure their second consecutive playoff berth. He led the league in scoring, averaging 29.8 points, connecting on 135-of-273 shots from the floor. Over the month, he compiled seven 30-point and two 40-point performances, to go along with his second career triple-double in an April 17 victory over the Celtics. On April 8, Anthony scored 43 points and connected on both game-tying and game-winning three-pointers to knock off the Bulls 100-99 in overtime.

Paul helped the Clippers to a 9-5 record and steered them to their first playoff berth since 2005-06. He averaged 20.7 points, ranking fourth in West while pacing the league with 3.0 spg and leading the conference with 9.9 apg. He engineered six double-doubles, seven 20-point games and three 30-point games. On April 22, Paul scored 33 points, handed out 13 assists and had a season-high eight steals in a 107-98 win over New Orleans.

Other nominees for NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month were Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Boston’s Avery Bradley, Indiana’s David West, Miami’s LeBron James, Memphis’ Rudy Gay, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Utah’s Al Jefferson.

NBA Players Union under investigation by U.S. Attorney`s office

The National Basketball Players Association, already in turmoil after President Derek Fisher asked for independent reviews of its finances and business practices, is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, the union said in a statement.

Union Executive Director Billy Hunter was notified of the investigation by subpoena for documents on April 25, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. The people were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation.

“The NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation,” the union statement said.

— Reported by Scott Soshnick and Mason Levinson of Bloomberg

Zach Randolph may be back to starting for Grizzlies

Zach Randolph

Zach Randolph got rid of that cumbersome knee brace, and now figures he’s ready to shed something else.

The process of simply fitting in with the Grizzlies is over if Randolph has his way.

“I feel good,” Randolph said. “I’m there.”

Coach Lionel Hollins went into the Grizzlies’ 88-76 win over the Orlando Magic in the teams’ regular-season finale intending to judge Randolph’s effectiveness. Hollins reinserted Randolph into the starting lineup, and the veteran power forward played as though he had something to prove.

The verdict? Randolph looked inspired and lively offensively and on the boards, and a bit challenged defensively. But he expects to start when the Griz host the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for the start of their first-round playoff series.

If that happens — and Hollins remains noncommittal — then the expectation is for Randolph to be the consistent force he was against Orlando.

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Wizards end season on 6-game winning streak

john wall

The Wizards ended the season on a six-game winning streak and recorded their most lopsided win in seven seasons, 104-70, over the Miami Heat at Verizon Center on Thursday night.

“All we’re doing is moving forward and looking to the future and I think the future looks good for us,” said President Ernie Grunfeld, who was rewarded with a contract extension this week.

After two years, the Wizards (20-46) finally recognized the error of investing their future in the careers of Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and Young. Blatche was banished, while McGee and Young were sent packing to playoff teams because neither displayed the maturity or consistency to warrant lucrative long-term contracts when they hit free agency this summer. In return, the Wizards added veteran Brazilian big man Nene, whose arrival brought credibility to the locker room, a commitment to playing team basketball and an 7-4 record with him in uniform.

“You give anything a certain amount of time and options arise,” Wittman said. “It comes a point, with this team that’s so young, to add a guy with [Nene’s] experience and his ability was a good thing to do.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post