December 2012 – Page 18 – NBA Blog

Trail Blazers assign Victor Claver and Joel Freeland to D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned forwards Victor Claver and Joel Freeland to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey.

The two players will join the Stampede today, Dec. 14, and will be active in advance of the team’s contests against the Santa Cruz Warriors tonight and tomorrow, Dec. 15, in Boise.

Claver played with the Stampede on Dec. 7 and 8, posting averages of 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.00 steal and 33.5 minutes in the two contests. Claver has appeared in six games with Portland this season, and averages 0.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 10.2 minutes per contest. Claver was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 22nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, and signed with Portland on July 11, 2012.

In 12 games this year with the Trail Blazers, Freeland is averaging 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 10.2 minutes per game. Freeland signed with Portland on July 13, 2012, after being selected by the Trail Blazers with the 30th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

Thunder re-assign Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder today re-assigned Daniel Orton and Jeremy Lamb to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignments are the 47th and 48th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while the players are among 33 NBA players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Lamb (6-5, 180, Connecticut) rejoins Tulsa having played in five games for the 66ers on assignment this season, averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 37.8 minutes. In eight games for the Thunder this season, Lamb is averaging 2.1 points and 4.3 minutes.

Orton (6-10, 255, Kentucky) returns to the 66ers having played in seven games for the team on assignment, averaging 11.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 31.0 minutes. The first GATORADE Call-Up of the 2012-13 NBA D-League season, Orton has appeared in one game for the Thunder this season, scoring two points in two minutes.

Lamb and Orton are expected to join Tulsa today and be available to play when the 66ers travel to play the Bakersfield Jam at 9 p.m. ET.

Damian Lillard scores 29, Blazers beat Spurs

Rookie guard Damian Lillard had a career-high 29 points and the Portland Trail Blazers handed the San Antonio Spurs their second straight loss with a 98-90 victory Thursday night.

The Spurs, who have lost only six games this season, trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half but Manu Ginobili’s layup cut the deficit to 89-85. J.J. Hickson answered for the Blazers with a running hook that made it 91-85 with 2:36 left.

Danny Green hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spurs closer again, but Portland clung to the lead and Nicolas Batum—who has been bothered by a sore back— made a 3 that gave Portland a 96-90 advantage with 1:08 left. Batum hit two free throws with 8 seconds to go for the final margin.

It was Lillard’s 13th game this season with 20 or more points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points for the Blazers and Hickson finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Tony Parker had 21 points for the Spurs, who were coming off a 99-96 loss at Utah on Wednesday night that snapped a five-game winning streak…

The Blazers were without starter Wesley Matthews for the second straight game…

— Reported by Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press

Melo scores 30, Knicks beat slumping Lakers

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 of his 30 points in the first quarter, and the New York Knicks held on after he departed with a sprained left ankle to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-107 on Thursday night in coach Mike D’Antoni’s return to Madison Square Garden.

Firing in 3-pointers and moving the ball to open shooters, things they often struggled to do under D’Antoni, the Knicks won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-0 at home for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

Meanwhile, things are starting as poorly for D’Antoni in Los Angeles as they ended in New York. The Lakers, still without Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, were never really in the game while losing their fourth straight and falling to 9-14.

Raymond Felton scored 19 points, and Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith added 18 apiece for the Knicks.

Kobe Bryant had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Metta World Peace finished with 23 points and Dwight Howard had 20.

The Lakers did cut what was a 26-point deficit to 113-107 when World Peace converted a three-point play with 1:27 remaining, but the Knicks took more than a minute off the clock while twice grabbing offensive rebounds on the next possession before Chandler made a free throw with 18 seconds to play…

D’Antoni was loudly booed during pregame introductions, Knicks fans who appreciated the rugged defensive teams of the 1990s never truly embracing his offense-first style. D’Antoni said he enjoyed his time in New York and said earlier Thursday the Knicks, who lead the NBA in 3-pointers per game and fewest turnovers, were playing the way he’d like his team to play.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Devin Harris, Josh Smith lead Hawks past Bobcats 113-90

Kyle Korver thinks the Atlanta Hawks have been too hesitant to beat a struggling opponent decisively.

That wasn’t the case this time.

Devin Harris scored 20 points, Josh Smith added 18 and the surging Hawks beat Charlotte 113-90 on Thursday night to hand the Bobcats their 10th straight defeat.

”I think mentally, in the locker room, we just decided that we were going to do it,” Korver said. ”It’s easy to let up when you’ve got a lead and you’re trying to create some energy, and we’ve done that several times.”

Gerald Henderson finished with 17 points and Ramon Sessions had 16 for Charlotte.

The Hawks are 12-3 since losing three of their first five games this season. Atlanta, which moved into a first-place tie with Miami in the Southeast Division, has won two straight and five of six…

Lou Williams had eight of his nine assists in the first half for Atlanta. Williams, who finished with 13 points, matched his career high in assists, and Ivan Johnson added a season-high 16 points.

Hawks center Al Horford finished with 11 points and three rebounds, ending his streak of seven consecutive double-doubles…

Hawks starting F DeShawn Stevenson scored nine points after missing Wednesday’s win at Orlando with a knee injury.

— Reported by George Henry of the Associated Press

Memphis Grizzlies hire John Hollinger of ESPN

The Memphis Grizzlies announced today the hiring of John Hollinger as Vice President of Basketball Operations and Stu Lash as Director of Player Personnel and Basketball Development. Hollinger and Lash will work with General Manager Chris Wallace on basketball-related matters.

“We are thrilled to have John and Stu join the Grizzlies,” Grizzlies CEO & Managing Partner Jason Levien said. “Both of these individuals will provide innovative and unique perspectives that bolster the organization’s future.”

Hollinger joins the Grizzlies organization by way of ESPN, where he was best known as an NBA Insider columnist on ESPN.com at the forefront of basketball’s analytics movement. He is the inventor of advanced statistics such as Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Offensive Efficiency, Defensive Efficiency and Pace Factor, as well as several other tools that analyze and forecast team and player performance.

Before joining ESPN, Hollinger covered the NBA for SI.com, Oregonlive.com and The New York Sun. He also authored four annual editions of the Pro Basketball Forecast. He first gained notoriety nearly 20 years ago as the creator of Alleyoop.com, a Web site devoted to basketball analytics. Hollinger is a native of New Jersey, where he played on his high school basketball team, and graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in Economics and Environmental Science.

“It is clear to me that this is an organization that is focused on building thoughtful decision-making processes and establishing a forward-thinking culture of sustained success,” Hollinger said. “Working in Memphis and being part of the new vision and leadership was an opportunity I just could not pass up.”

Lash comes to the Grizzlies after serving as Vice President of Basketball for Lagardere Unlimited since 2009. Lash spent five NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets where he worked with the front office and coaching staffs, including serving as the scouting and video coordinator. He was responsible for draft analysis, scouting efforts, scouting schedules and upcoming game preparation. Lash graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

In addition, the Grizzlies announced that longtime Grizzlies’ employee Chantal Hassard will assume the expanded role of Director of Team Operations. Hassard, now in her 18th season, will manage the team’s administration systems and development while working closely with the coaching staff. In addition, Hassard will serve as the team’s player development representative providing Grizzlies players with educational programs and critical support services.

Brandon Roy back to practice, says retirement not on mind

Brandon Roy has returned to practice on a limited, no-contact basis with the Minnesota Timberwolves a month after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee – an accomplishment by itself given the chronic problems he’s had.

The former NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Star decided to revive his career in Minnesota this season. Roy said the latest knee trouble didn’t prompt him to consider retirement, like he did a year ago when he was with Portland.

”I never thought about walking away. It was just, for me, do I want to go through another procedure? Or do I want to play through it?” Roy said Thursday.

Roy said he felt fine in training camp, but he banged knees with another player in an exhibition game against Milwaukee on Oct. 26, and the discomfort worsened after another collision in a game against Indiana on Nov. 9. He had the operation on Nov. 19.

— Reported by Dave Campbell of the Associated Press

Pacers re-assign Miles Plumlee to D-League

The Indiana Pacers today re-assigned rookie Miles Plumlee to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment s the 46 th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while Plumlee is one of 33 NBA players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Plumlee (6-11, 255, Duke) re-joins the Mad Ants having played in two games for Fort Wayne during his previous assignment when he averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 28.0 minutes. He has appeared in four games for the Pacers this season, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in 16 minutes. Selected 26 th overall by the Pacers in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Plumlee was a four-year member of the Blue Devils where he won an NCAA championship in 2010.

Plumlee is expected to join the Mad Ants today and be available on Friday, Dec. 14 when the team hosts the Maine Red Claws in Fort Wayne.

Matt Barnes playing big role for Clippers

These are good times for Clippers forward Matt Barnes.

He’s playing on a winning team and he’s playing a significant role off the bench.

His 25.2 minutes per game is the third highest of his nine-year career. He’s averaging 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

“So far, behind that Golden State season, this is the most fun I’ve had with the collective group of guys like this,” said Barnes, who played with the Warriors in 2006-07 and 2007-08. “And we’re playing good basketball. So that’s a bonus.”

The Clippers really don’t run any plays for Barnes, who tied his season high of 19 points by scoring 11 in the fourth quarter Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.

— Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

OJ Mayo discusses almost becoming a Celtic last season

This past April, Celtics analyst Donny Marshall claimed O.J. Mayo‘s refusal to play for the Celtics led to the collapse of a deal with the Grizzlies that would have brought him to Boston last season in exchange for Ray Allen and a draft pick. “Mayo basically said, ‘I don’t care about banners,’” announced Marshall.

After losing to the Celtics in double overtime on Wednesday, the current Mavericks guard denied that accusation, referencing his lack of veto power without a no-trade clause and affirming he would’ve welcomed the deal to Boston.

“I was in a good situation in Memphis at the time,” said Mayo. “Obviously, Boston is a big-time organization as well. Great players. It would’ve been an honor to play with KG [Kevin Garnett], [Paul] Pierce and [Rajon] Rondo. It would’ve been great to play with those guys and with [Celtics coach] Doc [Rivers].”

Instead, Mayo blamed the deal’s failure on an internal debate between C’s players and the front office over Allen’s future.

— Reported by Ben Rohrbeach of WEEI