Month: May 2012

Bulls confirm they will keep coach Tom Thibodeau

Tom Thibodeau

General manager Gar Forman on Tuesday said the Bulls will pick up Tom Thibodeau’s third-year team option and reiterated the desire to sign the coach to a long-term extension.

“We started having conversations about an extension with him in the fall,” Forman said. “We hope to continue those discussions. Obviously, we value Tom greatly. We value what he brings to the organization and the team. We think he’s one of the finest coaches in the league and hope he’ll be our coach long-term.”

In late March, Thibodeau and management did their best to diffuse an ESPN story that suggested Thibodeau was annoyed he hadn’t had his option picked up. Both sides have said publicly they hope to reach an extension. So while negotiations on years and dollars likely will feature haggling, both sides sound committed to the same goal.

“I’m not worried about that,” Thibodeau said. “Those things all take care of themselves.”

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls do not expect Derrick Rose to play next season

derrick rose

If Derrick Rose returns next season, it’s unlikely he’ll be the player he was before he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee April 28.

That’s if he returns. The doctor who performed the successful surgery to repair Rose’s isolated ACL tear and a meniscus tear Saturday morning at Rush University Medical Center said some athletes take longer to recover for reasons that can be physiological as well as psychological.

“There’s no question that happens,” Dr. Brian Cole said. “People ask why don’t you get back to pre-injury level. In some cases, there’s just a level of confidence that they just don’t get, which is why we emphasize it so much during rehab, to help train an individual that it’s safe to do this.”

The Bulls aren’t counting on Rose returning next season. They aren’t even planning for it. But general manager Gar Forman said he will keep the core of a team that had the league’s best regular-season record in consecutive seasons together with an eye toward the future.

— Reported by Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times

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Spurs beat Clippers in Game 1 of 2nd round, reach 15 straight wins

tim duncan

The San Antonio Spurs had just taken Game 1, and Manu Ginobili didn’t want to hear another word about winning 15 in a row or not losing in more than a month.

”I don’t even want to know about that,” Ginobili said.

On the other side of the AT&T Center, Clippers’ All-Star Chris Paul needed no reminder that his wretched performance contributed to the Spurs’ 108-92 victory over Los Angeles in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night…

Tim Duncan had 26 points and 10 rebounds following an eight-day layoff for the top-seeded Spurs, who wore down Los Angeles in what was the sixth game in 11 day for the Clippers. Game 2 on Thursday night will make it seven in fewer than two weeks…

The Spurs have won 15 in a row, haven’t lost since April 11 and are winning by an average margin of nearly 17 points during that span. It’s the longest winning streak in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs carried 17 straight wins into the second round that season…

Blake Griffin scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling ”80 percent” at best. The All-Star said he became tired quicker than usual, and also turned his left ankle early in the game…

Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn’t make a single basket in the second half. Parker was barely any better, putting together seven points and 11 assists, and didn’t talk to reporters after the game…

— Reported by Paul J. Weber of the Associated Press

One sign the Spurs had their legs: They made 13 of 25 on 3-pointers, tying a franchise playoff record, including three apiece from Kawhi Leonard (16 points), Danny Green (15) and Ginobili.

During the break between the end of the first round and start of the second, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich fretted the extended time off might discombobulate the rhythm his team had gained in the first round.

He paced his team through every-other-day practices, including full-squad scrimmages, trying to keep his players sharp.

“You’ve got to do whatever you think is necessary to try to keep your rhythm, keep your conditioning and not get anybody hurt,” Popovich said.

After some early struggles — such as nine first-half turnovers — the Spurs rounded into form. Up by eight at intermission, the Spurs put together a 26-11 run in the third quarter to build a lead that got as large as 19 points.

— Reported by Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News

Thing is, the Spurs just keep coming after you in waves while pulling player after player out of their deep pool of reserves. Each one of them is effective and makes and not impact in their own right, with some as good or better than the starter they are replacing.

When someone is struggling, as Parker did while scoring just seven points on 1-of-9 shooting, Ginobili can pick up the slack with 22 points and Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green can combine to hit six 3-pointers and score 31 points.

“Everyone else got it going, and they’ve done that before,” Paul said. “And Tony is such a great player he’s still going to get everyone involved.”

When Popovich eventually found the right mix of personnel, the Spurs dropped a 26-15 hammer on the Clippers to build a 19-point third-quarter lead.

Meanwhile, the Clippers were left to look around wondering what the heck just happened.

“We were scrambling around a little bit at that point,” Griffin said. “And you just can’t do that against a good team like the Spurs.”

— Reported by Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News

Pacers beat Heat 78-75, tie series 1-1

david west align=

No Big Three meant one big problem for Miami, and one very big win for Indiana.

David West scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers’ 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger scored 11 points and Paul George added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh’s absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Still unknown is whether Bosh can make it back from his lower-abdominal strain during this series or during the postseason at all.

In his absence, LeBron James against continued with the heavy lifting, with 28 points Tuesday, again playing the entire second half, with Heat guard Dwyane Wade adding 24 in a largely uneven performance. James also had six steals, a personal postseason high, and the most ever by a Heat player in a playoff game.

Beyond that, there was precious little for the Heat, who eventually ran out of gas on a night they shot 20 of 29 from the foul line and 1 of 16 on 3-points.

In the end, the Pacers had greater balance and a few more free throws when needed, led by the 16 points and 10 rebounds of forward David West, on a night the Pacers outrebounded the Bosh-less Heat 50-40.

The game ended with Heat point guard Mario Chalmers off on a 3-pointer.

The third quarter was an exercise in misery for the Heat, opening the second half 1 of 12 from the field, as the Pacers used a 16-3 run to move to a 53-46 lead.

It set up the ugly finish.

— Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Indiana used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to get back into the contest, then a 28-14 advantage in the third to seize control. The Heat would close the gap in the fourth quarter and eventually take a 71-70 lead.

But Indiana, displaying the grit and late game poise that eluded them in Game 1, used a key bucket from David West, a timely block from Paul George and the misses of Wade and Chalmers to finish the job.

James had 28 to lead the Heat, while Wade added 24, but no other Heat player reached double digits.

— Reported by Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star

Chris Bosh expected to miss rest of Heat-Pacers series, maybe more

chris bosh

Miami Heat power forward/center Chris Bosh likely will miss the remainder of the playoff series against the Indiana Pacers and possibly more time after an MRI confirmed he strained an abdominal muscle during Sunday’s Game 1 victory.

“Our team is going to be successful, and whether I’m playing or not I’m still going to be a part of that,” Bosh said Monday, a practice day for the Heat. “I just have to make sure that I support them any kind of way and, you know, this season has to be extended for me to play again.”

The Heat placed no timetable on a return for Bosh, who sustained the injury with a minute left in the first half when he drove the lane and dunked against Pacers center Roy Hibbert. Bosh, who also drew a foul on Hibbert, fell to his knees when he landed and reached for the right side of his lower abdomen.

— Reported by the Miami Herald

Dallas Mavericks re-sign coach Rick Carlisle

rick carlisle

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have re-signed Head Coach Rick Carlisle.

On May 9, 2008, Carlisle became the ninth head coach in franchise history. In his first four seasons with the Mavericks, Carlisle has led the team to a 198-114 (.635) regular season record, three 50+ win seasons and the franchise’s first-ever World Championship.

“We are excited that Rick will be back with the Mavericks for at least the next four years,” Owner Mark Cuban said. “He is a proven winner, a great teacher and a coach that will help the Mavericks improve as a team and as an organization.”

Carlisle led the Mavericks to the postseason in each of his four seasons in Dallas and has been named Western Conference Coach of the Month on two occasions (April, 2010 and Feb., 2011). He holds a career 53-46 (.535) postseason record, including an impressive 16-5 run to the 2011 World Championship. Carlisle is one of only 11 individuals to win the NBA Finals as both a player and head coach.

Carlisle holds a 479-325 (.596) record as a head coach with Detroit, Indiana and Dallas. Before joining Dallas, Carlisle took both Detroit and Indiana to the Eastern Conference Finals and earned 2001-02 NBA Coach of the Year accolades in just his first year as a head coach.

A native of Ogdensburg, N.Y., Carlisle graduated from the University of Virginia where he was co-captain of the Cavaliers’ 1984 Final Four team.

Nikola Pekovic undergoes ankle surgery

Nikola Pekovic

Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic underwent successful surgery today to remove bone spurs in his right ankle. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Pekovic missed eight games during the 2011-12 season due to the bones spurs.

Pekovic appeared in 47 games for the Wolves this past season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was 2nd in the NBA in field goal percentage at .564 and 18th with 181 offensive rebounds. Pekovic set a career-high with 30 points at Houston on Feb. 17 and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds April 22 vs. Golden State. The 6-11 center finished 3rd in the 2011-12 Kia NBA Most Improved Player voting.

Kyrie Irving is winner of 2011-12 NBA Rookie of Year award

kyrie irving

Kyrie Irving is the recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2011-12 NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced today. Irving totaled 592 points and received 117 first-place votes from a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio finished second with 170 points and Denver’s Kenneth Faried finished third with 129 points (one first-place vote). Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Among first-year players, Irving ranked first in scoring (18.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.469) and free throw percentage (.872), while placing second in assists (5.4 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.399). Among all players, Irving ranked tied for fourth in fourth-quarter scoring (6.4 ppg) while shooting .518 from the field, .410 from beyond the arc and .868 from the charity stripe.

The top selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, Irving joins Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson and, LeBron James as the only No. 1 overall draft picks to average at least 18.0 points and 5.0 assists. In addition, he is one of only six rookies in league history to average at least 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting at least .450 from the field, joining Johnson, Jordan, Alvan Adams, Grant Hill, and Tyreke Evans.

Irving was a three-time winner of the NBA’s Rookie of the Month Award, for games played in December/January, February and March. Irving was named MVP of the BVAA Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star 2012 by scoring 34 points, including going 8-for-8 from beyond the three-point line, and dishing a game-high nine assists.

The Eddie Gottlieb Trophy is named in honor of Eddie Gottlieb, one of the NBA’s founders who coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1946-47.

Avery Bradley shoulder problems continue

Avery Bradley

In terms of injuries, the Celtics are now happy if someone can play at 75 percent capacity.

That essentially describes the plight of Avery Bradley, whose painful left shoulder popped out of its socket for the third time in two weeks during the Celtics’ 82-81 Game 2 loss to Philadelphia last night.

The Celtics guard left the game midway through the second quarter, had the shoulder re-set, and returned to play all but 12 seconds of the fourth quarter, in which he made two shots, including a big 3-pointer with 2:22 left.

“I thought he played fine,” said coach Doc Rivers. “He turned the ball over once and I thought that was a shoulder issue. If you see him trying to, he just had nothing on the ball. But, listen, I didn’t think we’d have him. At halftime they said we wouldn’t, and then when I walked out (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) said, ‘Hey, I think he’s going to try to give it a go.’ I mean, this is the third time now in two weeks his shoulder’s come out. That can’t be a good feeling, number one. It has to hurt like heck.

“The good news is, though, it did what it did in the past where it went right back in and he got his feeling. That’s what happens when your shoulder goes out. You lose the feeling in your hand. You can’t go back in until it comes back. Tonight it did.”

— Reported by Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald