October 2012 – Page 26 – NBA Blog

Coach Thibodeau discusses life without D-Rose

How many different ways can Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau be asked about life without Derrick Rose?

If one week of training camp is any indication, Thibodeau is sure going to find out.

‘‘Obviously, Derrick is a great player, but this is not a new thing for us — he missed half the season [last year],’’ Thibodeau said Sunday. ‘‘We found a way to do it last year, and I expect us to find a way to do it this year. This is about the players we have available. They’re more than capable.

‘‘Rip [Hamilton] has been a big shot-maker his whole career, Carlos [Boozer] has been a big shot-maker his whole career, Luol [Deng] has hit some big shots for us, so we have several guys that are capable.’’ …

Life without Rose until maybe February because of his surgically repaired torn left anterior cruciate ligament is atop that list, but it’s not the only concern. Rose isn’t the only key starter who’s been on the shelf for extended amounts of time.

— Reported by Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times

Bulls hope Nate Robinson can lead second unit

The Bulls will rely on Robinson, who signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal this offseason. With Derrick Rose out of commission until at least the All-Star break, the Bulls re-tooled the point guard position, signing Robinson and Kirk Hinrich and letting C.J. Watson (Brooklyn) and John Lucas III (Toronto) leave via free agency.

Thibodeau said he will rely on the seven-year veteran to lead the team’s second unit and act as a scorer off the bench. Last year Robinson averaged 11.2 points in just 23.4 minutes per game.

“He’s an explosive scorer to come off the bench, knock four, five shots down in a row,” Thibodeau said. “He has to do a good job of leading us. His job as the point guard is to ignite and inspire, and he has to do that in a very positive way. So I think along with his experience, he’s gotten a lot more comfortable running a team.”

— Reported by Mark Strotman of CSN Chicago

Randy Foye says Utah Jazz are great organization

Foye, a 6-foot-4 guard who signed with the Jazz as a free agent in late July, had heard plenty of good things about Utah’s franchise before he came here. And although he’s only been a member of the organization for a couple of months now, the six-year NBA veteran certainly likes what he has seen so far.

“Oh, man, first class, first class, everything is run first class from the top to the bottom,” Foye said Friday morning prior to the fourth day of training camp at Zions Bank Basketball Center. “Everyone is held accountable, no matter who you are. Everyone comes in every day and works hard. This organization is first-class, blue-collar, hard-working guys.

“You know, you hear things about organizations around the league and you always hear ‘Utah Jazz, everything is run first class; everything is done this way.’ And you say, well, they said that about another organization, and I went there and it wasn’t. All those stories that were floating around the league are true here — all the good things.”

— Reported by Randy Hollis of the Deseret News

Swedish national team helps Jonas Jerebko stay versatile

You name it, Jonas Jerebko did it for the Swedish national team this summer.

Point guard, both forward spots, center, fetch Gatorade, sell tickets — whatever was needed, Jerebko did it in leading the Swedes to a 4-4 record in Eurobasket 2013 qualifying.

“All the jokes aside, it was a great experience for me because coach and my teammates let me do a little bit of everything,” Jerebko said Saturday after the Pistons’ open scrimmage at Oakland University.

Entering his fourth season, Jerebko sometimes can be a forgotten man, especially when it comes to media attention given to frontcourt newcomers Andre Drummond and Slava Kravtsov. And his story might not be as compelling as Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye trying to salvage careers.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Nets want D-Will or Joe Johnson on court at all times

“Brooklyn’s Backcourt” is so good, Avery Johnson thinks at least half of it always needs to be on the floor.

The Nets coach made sure his All-Star backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson played together in Friday night’s scrimmage. But he’s also trying to figure out how he’s going to deploy both of them in games this season with the idea of always having at least one of them on the court.

“We’ve made a concerted effort to have them playing together in practice, drills, scrimmages, and then we have to figure out which one of those guys we want to lead our second team — because we’re not going to play a true second team this year,” Johnson said after yesterday’s practice. “We don’t think we can have Deron and Joe out of the game at the same time, so that’s something else we’re trying to develop.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Mavs guard Roddy Beaubois suffers sprained ankle

Mavericks’ guard Roddy Beaubois had to be helped off the court with 1:16 to go in the third quarter Saturday after injuring his left ankle.

Beaubois hit the floor and quickly grabbed his left ankle. He could not put any weight on his left foot as Maverick personnel on each side helped him limp off the court to the locker room.

The injury was diagnosed as a sprain, team officials said.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Grizzlies waive D.J. Kennedy and Jarrid Famous

The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward/center Jarrid Famous and guard/forward D.J. Kennedy, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Neither player appeared last night in Memphis’ first preseason game, a 105-93 victory over Real Madrid.

Famous (6-11, 240) played in Slovakia, the NBA Development League and the Philippines last season following a four-year collegiate career at the University of South Florida. The 24-year-old averaged 13.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 29.4 minutes in 16 D-League games with Iowa and Fort Wayne.

Kennedy (6-6, 215) averaged 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes in two games last season as a rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 22-year-old also posted 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 37.3 minutes in 44 D-League games with Erie last season.

Both players originally signed as free agents on Sept. 29, 2012.

Memphis’ current roster stands at 18.

Clippers waive Courtney Fortson and Chris Johnson

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived guard Courtney Fortson and forward Chris Johnson.

The Clippers roster now stands at 18 players.

NBA preseason began on Friday. The Clippers opened preseason on Saturday with a loss to the Denver Nuggets. Guard Eric Bledsoe led Los Angeles with 12-of-15 shooting for 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals. Clippers guard Chris Paul did not play.

Tyreke Evans working to improve his jumpshot

Evans shot 60 percent (295 of 492) within five feet of the rim last season and 27.7 percent (113 of 408) from beyond. He won the 2010 Rookie of the Year award based on his driving ability.

It looked too easy. Then injuries and collapsing defenses dared Evans to rely on an unreliable jump shot.

“People just started looking at film and started trying to keep me from going to the basket,” he said. “This year, I’m going to have to go to the pull-up (jump shot). I’m still going to go in there, no matter what, but I want to go to the pull-up too.”

Smart believes Evans’ work isn’t motivated by the prospect of a new contract. The deadline for Evans to receive an extension is Oct. 31. The coach says Evans is simply growing up.

— Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Rasheed Wallace is out of shape

As promised, Woodson has been big on conditioning and running in the first few days of camp. The coach is starting to back off and said today’s session will be light. There have been no two-a-days — just one three-hour session.

It is unknown whether Wallace will scrimmage before the Washington game. The 38-year-old has been on the side doing core exercises. The Knicks are treating him like fine china following a two-year absence.

“He’s not ready yet,’’ said Woodson, who hasn’t guaranteed Wallace a roster spot. “It’s conditioning. He’s just not there where you want him to be. He’ll get there eventually. We’re doing things to get him in shape. It’s not always running up and down the floor to get in shape. Other things you can do as well.”

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post