Month: October 2012

Stephen Curry`s ankle seems OK for now

Stephen Curry

The Warriors got relatively good news from both of their injured ankles on Saturday. Don’t expect either point guard Stephen Curry or center Andrew Bogut to take the court before the season opener. But each got good reports from their surgeon.

Curry, who re-injured his right ankle on Friday night in Portland, was checked out by Dr. Richard Ferkel at Saturday’s practice. According to general manager Bob Myers, Ferkel — who performed Curry’s arthroscopic surgery in April — wasn’t concerned about Curry’s latest ankle issue.

Coach Mark Jackson said he wasn’t concerned, either. Still, he said he’s going to hold out Curry for the final two preseason games.

“There’s no point in playing him now,” Jackson said. “There is nothing to gain by running him out there. I’m not concerned, but we’re going to be smart about it.”

— Reported by Marcus Thompson via the Contra Costa Times (Blog)

Corey Maggette to have MRI on sore left calf

Corey Maggette to have MRI on sore left calf

Corey Maggette doesn’t know when he will return from a left calf strain.

Pistons strength and conditioning coach Arnie Kander and the 13-year veteran will know more in a couple of days when an MRI is performed after the swelling subsides.

But with 10 days and two exhibition games before the regular-season opener against the Rockets at the Palace, Maggette said he will be patient and isn’t worried about missing the rest of the exhibition season.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Bobcats hope to avoid setting NBA losing streak record

Everyone who played in Charlotte last season is now part of history. They played on the worst team, record-wise, ever in the NBA. Now, unless they win one of their first four regular-season games, they’ll set the record for the longest losing streak this league has seen.

[Gerald] Henderson seemed to take that hardest among Bobcats last season. It’s counter to his nature.

“I’m not a loser. All my life I’ve been on winning teams,” Henderson reflected recently. “When you pretty much lose every game, and you’re trying hard, that’s a tough thing to take. That record, that’s not something I wanted any part of. We’re doing everything we can not to let that happen again.”

Following a 7-59 season there’s been abundant change: The Bobcats have a new coaching staff and five new players who figure to be in the rotation. The holdovers from last season see this as a fresh start.

Still, they’re on a 23-game losing streak, and that didn’t stop with last season. If they fail to win one of their first four regular-season games they’ll break the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record, set the season after LeBron James bolted out of Ohio.

— Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried rebounds with authority

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried rebounds with authority

The 6-foot-8, 228-pound Faried appears to have all the attributes to become one of the NBA’s best overall rebounders. Maybe of his generation. Consider that he set the NCAA career record for rebounds at Morehead State. Then, he didn’t have a summer league or a normal-length training camp due to the lockout a year ago, so he missed weeks of training from Denver’s coaches about the NBA nuances of board-crashing. Oh, and he didn’t play much in the first third of the season as he tried to catch up.

So now, the 22-year old Faried is coming off a productive summer and flourishing during the preseason, soaring and scoring.

“High energy and has a big-time motor, which you can’t teach, and he has skill to go with it,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who watched Faried torch his team for 27 points and 17 boards — in just 24 minutes, last spring. “He’s a weapon that George uses extremely well. He’s definitely a guy who you want to match his motor, or you’re going to have a problem all night long.

— Reported by Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post

NBA already warning players about flopping

Golden State guard Jarrett Jack said the league warned him about flopping in a preseason game. “So I’ve been warned for flopping hahaha,” Jack tweeted.

A league source told Grantland.com that NBA officials warned “about 10” players for flopping, but the league refused to release the names.

“Flops have no place in our game — they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call,” NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said in a statement. “Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the competition committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should — after a warning — be given an automatic penalty.”

Any player guilty of flopping will be subject to a warning, followed by a $5,000 fine for a second violation, $10,000 for the third and $15,000 for the fourth. The fifth flop will result in a $30,000 fine. Six or more violations will lead to an increased fine and/or suspension.

— Reported by John Rohde of the Oklahoman

Lakers waive Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson

The Los Angeles Lakers have waived Ronnie Aguilar and Reeves Nelson, it was announced today.

Aguilar, a 7-1, 250 pound center, played two seasons at Colorado State University before transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he also played two seasons.  Aguilar played in six games for the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League during the 2011-12 season, averaging 2.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.  In four preseason games with the Lakers, Aguilar averaged 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.50 blocks in 7.8 minutes.

Nelson, a 6-8 forward out of UCLA, was also a member of the 2012 Lakers Summer League team, where he averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16.3 minutes. Named to the All-PAC 10 First Team following his sophomore year, Nelson played in 68 games for the Bruins averaging 12.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 27.0 minutes.  In three preseason games with the Lakers, Nelson averaged 1.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 11.0 minutes.

The Lakers training camp roster now stands at 18 players.

Landry Fields happy for fresh start with Raptors

Landry Fields happy for fresh start with Raptors

The Knicks had 18.7 million reasons not to bring back Landry Fields. But Fields had his own reasons for not wanting to return.

Fields, now a Toronto Raptor, said he needed a change and that he lost his confidence and comfort level after Carmelo Anthony was acquired.

“It was a fresh start,” Fields said before Friday night’s Knicks-Raptors preseason game at the Bell Centre. “I think I needed that. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

“It was an accumulation of things. I probably lost some confidence in myself. I couldn’t really adjust as well as I’d like to. Don’t want to put the blame on anybody else. It really was me; just couldn’t get it done.”

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday

Corey Maggette day-to-day after straining calf

corey maggette

Corey Maggette’s availability is day-to-day after he strained his left calf muscle, Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said Friday.

Maggette, the Pistons elder statesman in terms of age (32) and experience (13 seasons), was injured with 2:44 left in the first quarter of Thursday’s 105-78 loss in Miami.

Maggette had played just 2:07 when he landed awkwardly after attempting a shot. He was assisted off the floor and did not return.

“The good thing is he went off the arena on crutches and today there was no crutches,” Frank said. “So that’s a positive. It’s one of those things we’ll evaluate on a day-to-day basis.”

— Reported by Brendan Savage of Michigan Live

Nene remains uncertain when he will return for Wizards

Nene

Nene is trying to stay optimistic but remains uncertain about when he will be able to return because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Sidelined since he aggravated the injury while representing Brazil in the London Olympics last August, Nene visited a foot specialist in Baltimore this week and received electric stimulation treatment for the nagging problem.

“I was a little behind, than I thought,” Nene said, when explaining the reason for the treatment. “It’s still inflamed. I just want to take care of it the right way. But all the exercises, I’ve been doing fine. I’ve been listening. I’ve been obedient.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)