March 2013 – Page 12 – NBA Blog

The 2013 WNBA preseason starts May 9

Start date of 2013 WNBA preseason games is May 9

The WNBA will tip off the 2013 campaign with a slate of 14 preseason games in 14 cities, competing against league and international teams, beginning on May 9 when the Tulsa Shock hosts the Atlanta Dream at the BOK Center. For the fourth consecutive year WNBA teams will face international competition during the preseason as both the Brazilian and Japanese Women’s National Teams are scheduled to visit.

The Phoenix Mercury, owner of the first overall selection in the 2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, will host the Japanese National Women’s Basketball Team on May 19, while the Brazilian National Women’s Basketball Team will visit both the Atlanta Dream (May 13) and the Washington Mystics (May 15).

The new-look Shock, who will select third overall in the draft, will take to the court after acquiring a pair of accomplished veterans in a three-team trade this winter – Nicole Powell (from New York) and Candice Wiggins (from Minnesota). In addition to hosting Atlanta, Tulsa will visit the Seattle Storm on May 17 and the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19. The Chicago Sky, owner of the No. 2 overall pick in the Draft, will host the New York Liberty (May 15 at Chicago State University).

The defending WNBA champion Indiana Fever, led by 2012 WNBA Finals MVP Tamika Catchings, will play a home-and-away series against the San Antonio Silver Stars. The All-Star laden Minnesota Lynx, featuring Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, and Rebekkah Brunson, will prepare for a run at a third consecutive WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile appearance by hosting Washington on May 18 in Bismarck, N.D. and closing out the WNBA’s preseason at home vs. Connecticut on May 21.

Los Angeles, which reached the Western Conference Finals last season behind All-Star Candace Parker, WNBA Rookie of the Year Nneka Ogwumike, and WNBA Most Improved Player Kristi Toliver, added veteran free agent Lindsey Harding to the mix and will host a pair of games in Southern California – Seattle (May 12 at Long Beach State) and Tulsa (May 19 at the University of California-Riverside).

The 2013 preseason will also mark the return of a pair of head coaches with WNBA championships to their credit. Bill Laimbeer, head coach and general manager of the Liberty, will lead his new team in a pair of preseason tilts against the Connecticut Sun, who are led by new head coach Anne Donovan. Laimbeer coached the Detroit Shock to WNBA titles in 2003, 2006, and 2008, and Donovan guided the Seattle Storm to the championship in 2004. New York first visits Connecticut on May 11 and the two teams will meet again on May 18 in Newark, N.J.

The WNBA will open its 17th regular season as part of WNBA Tip-Off 2013 presented by Boost Mobile on Friday, May 24, when Catchings leads the Fever into San Antonio to face the Silver Stars. WNBA Tip-Off 2013 presented by Boost Mobile will feature a total of six games including a nationally televised doubleheader on ESPN2 on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, featuring the Mystics at the Shock (3 p.m. ET) followed by the Sky at the Mercury (5 p.m. ET). The Memorial Day games are likely to include the debuts of the top four picks from the highly anticipated 2013 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, widely considered to be one of the most anticipated draft classes ever.

Clippers sign Maalik Wayns to second 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed guard Maalik Wayns to a second 10-day contract.

Wayns appeared in one game for the Clippers, scoring two points and dishing out five assists in a 129-97 win over the Detroit Pistons on March 10.

Wayns, who was the 23rd D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2012-13 season, averaged 12.4 points and 3.0 assists in nine games (three starts) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League this season.

The 6’2” undrafted Villanova product started the season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and appeared in 21 games for the Sixers. In those 21 games (one start), he averaged 2.7 points and 1.0 assist in 7.8 minutes of play.

Chicago Bulls sign forward Malcolm Thomas to 10-day contract

The Chicago Bulls today signed Los Angeles D-Fenders forward Malcolm Thomas to a 10-day contract.

Thomas is one of 122 players on NBA rosters with NBA D-League experience.

Thomas (6-9, 225, San Diego State) returns to the NBA following a 10-day stint with the Golden State Warriors. During that earlier Call-Up, he played in five games for Golden State, scoring three points in 21 minutes and was assigned to the team’s NBA D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, for one game when he scored eight points in 39 minutes. Prior to earning the call from the Warriors, Thomas played in one game for the D-Fenders, a 99-86 victory over the Texas Legends on March 6, when he scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in 41 minutes.

A veteran of 19 regular season games last season with the D-Fenders, Thomas averaged 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 32.3 minutes during that stretch. In seven postseason games for the team during the 2011-12 season, he averaged 17.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 34.6 minutes, as the D-Fenders advanced to the 2012 NBA D-League Finals. He also saw NBA D-League action with the Austin Toros and Rio Grande Valley Vipers on assignment last season.

Today’s “Call-Up” to Chicago marks the fourth of Thomas’ career, including earning the call from Golden State earlier this year and signing with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets from the D-Fenders last season. He has scored four NBA career points in 36 minutes over eight games.

Thomas is expected to join the Bulls today and be available when the team hosts the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, March 21.

Paul George denies accusation from Daniel Gibson

Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George defended himself and dismissed any thought that he was a dirty player before the Pacers’ game against the Cavaliers on Monday.

George involuntarily found himself caught in the fallout of Kobe Bryant’s ankle injury when Cavs guard Daniel Gibson over the weekend accused George of perhaps intentionally trying to hurt him last season.

“I’m not a dirty player,” George said Monday. “A young guy doesn’t come into the league being a dirty player. But whatever he wants to say, he can say.”

George was a second-year guard last season when Gibson landed on his foot during a game. Gibson wound up with a torn tendon that needed to be surgically repaired and ended his season. Gibson said his foot still isn’t 100 percent healthy.

— Reported by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal

Unclear when Rip Hamilton will return for Bulls

After tiptoeing around the question last week, coach Tom Thibodeau on Monday didn’t rule out that Richard Hamilton could be sidelined for the remainder of the season with his back injury.

“There’s an unknown,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a back, so those things are tricky. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Hamilton missed his ninth straight game. The veteran guard was a surprise late scratch before the Feb. 28 home game against the 76ers after scoring six points in 18 minutes on Feb. 26 against the Cavaliers.

Hamilton has missed 59 of 132 games since signing his two-year, $10 million deal, which carries a $1 million buyout for next season’s team option.

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

Dwight Howard leaves business manager after 9 years

Dwight Howard is growing all on his own, single-mindedly focused on who he wants to be, and he has taken another major step forward in his career by leaving the business manager who has been Howard’s primary advisor his entire career, Kevin Samples.

“We had nine great years together,” Howard told me late Monday night. “Just time to go separate ways.”

For all the intangible growth Howard has discovered recently, breaking away from Samples is a concrete gesture that the past is the past – and Howard is confident in calling his own shots in the future.

“I know what I want to accomplish,” Howard said. “I’ve always written down my goals and everything I want, and I want to make sure I get ’em. Everything I’ve lost, everything that’s gone away, I’m going to get it back.”

Samples came to Los Angeles with Howard after the trade to the Lakers, and it was hard to envision him not being around considering they’re actually first cousins – and Howard’s parents dispatched Samples to live with Howard in Orlando right after the 2004 NBA draft as a big brother/guidance counselor/business manager.

— Reported by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register

Suns beat banged-up Lakers 99-76

A worn-out Los Angeles Lakers team without Kobe Bryant fell apart in the fourth quarter in Phoenix.

Luis Scola scored all 14 of his points, including his second 3-pointer of the season, and grabbed eight of his nine rebounds in the fourth quarter Monday night and the Suns pulled away for a 99-76 rout of the Lakers, without Bryant for the second night in a row.

”I thought the game was kind of on the line,” Scola said, ”and I was just trying to be aggressive.”

Steve Nash scored 19 against his former team, but was just 6 of 17 from the field as the Lakers shot 33 percent for the game.

”We just hit the wall,” Nash said, ”our ninth game in 14 days in seven cities and you could just kind of see the wheels fall off. Especially lately, with some guys being injured, we’ve been playing a seven-man rotation and I think it caught up with us a little bit. Our legs just came undone.”

The Suns, blown out at Washington 127-105 two nights earlier, outscored the Lakers 28-10 in the fourth quarter to snap a four-game losing streak…

Dwight Howard had 16 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 6 of 18 from the field for the Lakers, still without injured Pau Gasol.

Wesley Johnson added 14 points for the Suns, who beat the Lakers in Phoenix for the fourth time in a row…

Goran Dragic had 12 points and 10 assists for the Suns, who had six players in double figures. Jared Dudley scored 13, Kendall Marshall 11 and Michael Beasley 10 for Phoenix.

— Reported by Bob Baum of the Associated Press

Bobcats win 119-114, end Wizards 3-game win streak

Although the Charlotte Bobcats have been eliminated from playoff contention, Kemba Walker believes the young team can still take something from the season’s final 16 games.

Most notably learning how to win close games like Monday night.

Gerald Henderson had 27 points and Walker came up with a flurry of big plays in the closing minutes helping the Bobcats overcome a five-point deficit and beat Washington 119-114 to snap the Wizards’ three-game win streak.

Walker scored nine of his 18 points in the final three minutes, sparking a 12-0 Charlotte run…

Walker shot 8 of 14 from the field and had seven assists.

Henderson, who came in averaging 22.5 points over his previous five games, was 8 of 16 from the field and 10 of 11 on free throws. He also tied a career high with eight assists and his 3-pointer with 55 seconds left ultimately sealed the victory.

Ben Gordon had 19 points and Josh McRoberts added 17 for Charlotte.

John Wall scored 25 points and Nene added 21 for the Wizards, who lost three of four games this season to the NBA-worst Bobcats. Emeka Okafor and Garrett Temple each had 17 points.

— Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Andrew Bynum will have surgery on both knees, and not play this season

Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees tomorrow, which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.

“After many months of rehabilitation and consulting with numerous doctors, Andrew and the doctors treating him determined that this is the best course of action at this point,” Sixers General Manager Tony DiLeo said. “We will continue to monitor and evaluate his status moving forward.”

The arthroscopic surgery will be performed by Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York. The primary focus of the procedure is to clean out loose bodies from within the knees in an attempt to alleviate pain and swelling.

Bynum has not yet played a single minute for the 76ers, who are having a rough season. With a 25-40 record, the team is 10th in the East, but nowhere near catching up to the 8th seed.

John Wall, LaMarcus Aldridge named NBA Players of Week through March 17, 2013

Washington Wizards guard John Wall and Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 11 through Sunday, March 17.

Wall led the Wizards to a 3-1 week with averages of 24.0 points (fourth in the conference), 11.0 assists (second in the conference), 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals (third in the conference). Wall posted three point-assist double-doubles and ranked sixth in the East with a field goal percentage of .617. He collected a season-high 14 assists on March 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers (95-90 loss) and a season-high 29 points on March 15 against the New Orleans Hornets (96-87 win).

Aldridge led the Trail Blazers to a 2-1 week behind an NBA-best 27.0 points, 10.7 rebounds (seventh in the conference), 3.0 blocks (third in the conference) and 3.0 assists. Aldridge shot 19-of-19 from the foul line on a week in which he posted a point-rebound double-double in each contest, including a 22-point, 10-rebound, five-block effort on March 14 during a 105-90 win over the New York Knicks.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Al Horford, Denver’s Kosta Koufos, Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan.