November 2012 – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Devean George proposes affordable apartment project

Former pro basketball player Devean George is proposing a 45-unit affordable apartment project just two blocks from where he grew up in north Minneapolis. Plans for the proposed Commons @ Penn Avenue project call for combining larger units with 4,500 square feet of commercial space for community services at the southwest corner of Penn Avenue North and Golden Valley Road.

“I just want to give back. I believe that I can help. I want to be able to be a resource,” George told Finance & Commerce on Monday. “We’re focusing on families. The majority of the units are two and three bedrooms.”

North Minneapolis remains a challenging environment for developers. According to city of Minneapolis statistics, there are currently 454 vacant lots and 435 vacant buildings in north Minneapolis.

— Reported by Burl Gilyard of Finance-Commerce.com

DeMarcus Cousins says ejection was unfair

DeMarcus Cousins said he tried to be mature Saturday night.

Apparently, the official who ejected him thought differently.

Cousins, who was called for his second technical foul and ejected in the third quarter of the Kings’ win over Utah, said Monday he said nothing inappropriate and it was referee Gary Zielinski who was out of line.

“The referee cursed at me,” Cousins said. “He told me to go (expletive) ask the other referee (about the first technical foul). I was going to say something back, kept my cool and walked away and still end up with a technical. So I still don’t understand.”

Cousins said after Monday’s practice he “didn’t say a word” to Zielinski to warrant the technical foul.

— Reported by Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee

Clippers return home after bad road trip

The Clippers returned Monday night to Staples Center after what Chris Paul described as “a terrible road trip,” one in which they hardly looked like the confident and polished team that rocketed to a 7-2 start to the season.

They were happy to be home again after losing the final three games on their four-game trip to San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Brooklyn and Atlanta. They also were a little edgy, according to coach Vinny Del Negro.

Well, he was feeling that way, anyway.

“I’m always worried,” he said before the Clippers faced the New Orleans Hornets.

After all, after a victory over the Spurs extended their winning streak to six consecutive games, the Clippers struggled to maintain their momentum. Their offense went stagnant, their defense wasn’t sound and their second unit was unproductive.

— Reported by Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News

Marco Belinelli getting few minutes on Bulls

Marco Belinelli barely playing for Bulls

After averaging career highs in scoring (11.8 points) and playing time (29.8 minutes), Marco Belinelli expected big things for his transition from the Hornets to Bulls.

He certainly didn’t expect this: The shooting guard didn’t play against the Bucks on Monday after playing a combined 9 minutes, 42 seconds in the previous two games.

“For sure I want to play more,” Belinelli said.

Belinelli has scored in double figures just twice this season and not since tallying 11 points against the Timberwolves on Nov. 10.

“I’m comfortable with my shot, but I’m not playing much,” he said. “It’s a bummer for me, but the NBA is like this. So I work extra before and after practice and try to be ready when I go to the court. I’m trying to play the best game I can.”

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

Kevin Love hopes to ditch protective glove

Last week, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love sat at his locker after making his surprise season debut and said he expects to wear a padded protective glove on his healing shooting hand probably until January.

Midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 96-85 loss at Golden State — the team’s fifth consecutive loss — he ripped off that fingerless glove and flung it toward the photographers beyond the baseline.

By then, he was well on his way to a 6-for-20 shooting night that included one of five three-point attempts and two of four free throws made.

In his first three games back from that broken hand, Love is shooting 34.7 percent from the field, 18.8 percent from three-point range and 64.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Those percentages aren’t all Love just getting his legs back underneath him.

“It’s very restricting,” Love said of the glove.

— Reported by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jazz guard Mo Williams wearing walking boot

Mo Williams remained in a walking boot Monday, as he missed his second consecutive game with a right foot injury he suffered in Friday’s 104-102 win over Sacramento.

The Jazz point guard, as of Monday, had not resumed basketball activities, but said he targeted Wednesday’s game at New Orleans for his return.

“It’s mostly the twisting and turning aspect of it,” Williams said.

The veteran landed awkwardly on his foot defending a 3-pointer by Sacramento’s Aaron Brooks in the first quarter Friday. He returned to the game in the second quarter but played less than two minutes. He did not dress for the Jazz’s loss at Sacramento on Saturday.

— Reported by Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune

Nets take first Brooklyn matchup with Knicks in overtime

The Nets won the crowd – and the game.

Things sure looked and sounded different for them in their first matchup against the New York Knicks in Brooklyn.

The Nets pulled out a 96-89 overtime victory on Monday night, tying the Knicks for first place on a breakthrough night for their franchise.

With their fans outnumbering and at times outchanting the Knicks’ counterparts for a change, the Nets improved to 7-1 in their new home, sending this new-look rivalry off to a stirring start before a sellout crowd of 17,732…

Jerry Stackhouse, wearing the No. 42 Jackie Robinson made famous in Brooklyn, hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3:31 left in overtime as the Nets controlled the extra period of a playoff-like game that neither team led by more than seven.

Brook Lopez had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 16 points and 14 assists as the Nets tied the Knicks atop the Atlantic Division at 9-4.

Carmelo Anthony had 35 points and 13 rebounds, but was only 10 of 16 at the free throw line. Tyson Chandler finished with 28 points and 10 boards, but no other Knicks player was in double figures.

Raymond Felton was just 3 of 19 from the field, but the Knicks had to stick with him with fellow point guard and former Nets star Jason Kidd out with back spasms.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Kings guard Aaron Brooks fined for throwing mouthpiece into stands

Sacramento Kings guard Aaron Brooks has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands immediately following the Kings 104-102 road loss to the Utah Jazz on Nov. 23. The fine was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Brooks is averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 assists per game for the Kings this season, and has started five of the 13 games he’s played.

Houston Rockets recall guard Scott Machado from D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has recalled guard Scott Machado from Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley.

Machado (6-1, 205, Iona), who was assigned to Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 13, averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in two starts with the Vipers. In Friday’s season opener against Bakersfield (11/23/12), Machado posted 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. In the second meeting with the Jam (11/24/12), he added 12 points, eight assists and a pair of steals.

Knicks play Nets in Brooklyn tonight

From Madison Square Garden to the Garden State, the Knicks cast a shadow the Nets could never escape.

The Knicks were considered first rate and the Nets second class, even in years when the better team was in New Jersey. The Nets would watch fans in orange and blue take over their home games, believing all along things would be different when they finally got their shot at the Knicks in Brooklyn.

Well, here it comes.

The city rivals play the makeup of their postponed season opener on Monday, a matchup the Knicks insist is just another game but one that’s probably much bigger to the Nets.

”I think obviously being on center stage tomorrow night, all eyes on Brooklyn, truly makes this a very special night for us because it’s something that we worked for, for so long,” Nets CEO Brett Yormark said Sunday. ”Even though it’s not opening night, it’s a dramatic night. I mean, the Knicks are playing well, the Nets are playing well, Brooklyn’s certainly embraced this franchise, and I think tomorrow night is hopefully the start of some really special nights between the Nets and the Knicks.

”Yeah, I’d love to win the game, but it’s more than that. It’s about making a statement that this franchise has arrived and we are certainly part of the conversation when people are talking about pro basketball in New York.”

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press