Month: April 2013

Sixers may hope coach Doug Collins moves on this summer

Doug Collins

According to multiple league sources, the 76ers organization privately hopes that coach Doug Collins decides not to return for the 2013-14 season and, regardless of his decision, it does not intend to extend his contract – which has one year remaining.

It will be an interesting game of cat-and-mouse when this season ends. Collins is unlikely to quit and leave $4.5 million on the table, but he is just as unlikely to agree to coach the lame-duck year of his contract.

“I’m entirely focused on trying to win the games we have left,” Collins said Wednesday night before the Sixers played Atlanta at the Wells Fargo Center. “I’m not thinking at all about next season. I haven’t gone there.”

Previously, Collins has said he simply doesn’t know yet what he will do. This has been an excruciatingly difficult season for the entire organization, and particularly for Collins, who pours so much passion and energy into coaching that he is always exhausted at the end of a season. This time around, dealing with the crushing disappointment of not having the Andrew Bynum deal work out, and then dealing with a team that is incapable of winning without him, the toll has been even greater.

“I think he’s gone at the end of the year. He’ll be moving on,” said one NBA source with intimate knowledge of the situation. “He’ll decide to leave, and they won’t be upset about it. They would like to see it work out that he decides to move on.”

— Reported by Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Heat clinch home-court advantage for entire 2013 NBA playoffs

lebron james

All the Miami Heat did was set a franchise single-season record for wins with four games left to play, clinch the top overall spot in the NBA and secure home-court advantage for the entirety of the playoffs.

No big deal.

No wild celebration was merited. No celebration at all, really. Just business as usual for the Heat, whose lone goal isn’t being the best team in April – but rather, being the best team in June. Miami wrapped up the No. 1 overall seed with a 103-98 win in Washington on Wednesday, a game where the Heat played without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem, all sidelined by minor injuries or illness.

”We’ve had an amazing year,” Heat forward Shane Battier told reporters in Washington. ”We’ve set a lot of records and we’ve had a lot of story lines the whole year. Hopefully our best story line is still ahead of us. That’s what we’re saving the high-fives for.”

It was Miami’s 62nd win, one more than the Heat club of 1996-97 managed.

And now what has seemed inevitable for the last couple weeks – Miami finishing the regular season atop the league – has become reality.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Chauncey Billups still working to regain health

Chauncey Billups still working to regain health

No one needs to tell Chauncey Billups how important the next eight days are to the Clippers.

With five games to play in that span – including Wednesday’s home game against Minnesota – and the Clippers still in a fight with Memphis and Denver in the Western Conference playoff race they’ve reached a crucial stage of the regular season.

Billups knows that, and he understands the difference he can make when he’s on the floor with the Clippers.

On the other hand, the aggravated right groin strain he suffered March 27 against New Orleans still isn’t quite right, and with the Clippers eyeing a long playoff run he knows he needs to be as healthy as possible when the postseason opens in 10 days.

Which is why he reluctantly didn’t suit up against the Timberwolves on Wednesday and why he still won’t pinpoint a definite return, other than to say he’ll be ready when the Clippers open their first-round playoff series.

“Oh yeah,” Billups said. “I’ll be back before then.”

— Reported by Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News

Greg Monroe sticks up for Pistons coach Lawrence Frank

Greg Monroe

With the media speculating on Pistons coach Lawrence Frank’s future with the organization, one player offered some support this morning.

Greg Monroe, nearing the end of his third season, said after this morning’s shoot-around that Frank has “done a good job” and deserves to return.

“Yeah, I think he’s done a good job here,” Monroe said before tonight’s game against the Cavs. “There are a lot guys that have been in and out and new players here. I think once he gets a group of guys, a core that you know will be here, I think it’ll be easier for him.”

Monroe has spent the past two seasons with Frank. Monroe’s rookie year was a tumultuous one for former Pistons coach John Kuester.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Kevin Love has knee surgery, recovery time is 4-6 weeks

Kevin Love

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that Kevin Love underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left knee today to remove a buildup of scar tissue. The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. A typical recovery time for this type of procedure is 4-6 weeks.

Love has missed the past 47 games after breaking the third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand at Denver on Jan. 3. He underwent surgery on Jan. 15 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Love originally suffered a fracture of his third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand on Oct. 17 while working out, and missed the first nine games of the season.

For the season, Love played in 18 contests and averaged 18.3 points and 14.0 rebounds.

Warriors clinch spot in 2013 NBA playoffs

golden state warriors

Chants of ”Playoffs! Playoffs! Playoffs!” rang out from fans. Confetti flew around the lower bowl of the arena. Finally, the public address announcer told the crowd what they had longed to hear: ”The Golden State Warriors are heading to the 2013 NBA playoffs!”

Believe it.

Klay Thompson scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, Stephen Curry added 24 points and 10 assists and the Warriors clinched their first playoff berth since 2007 by routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 105-89 on Tuesday night.

”We celebrated. Rightfully so,” teary-eyed and red-faced Warriors coach Mark Jackson said after emerging from the locker room. ”People questioned us, and they should have. People doubted us, and they should have. They underestimated the heart, the desire, the work ethic, the determination, the willingness to put in the time.”

At long last, Bay Area basketball fans have reason to cheer again.

David Lee finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds to propel the Warriors to just their second postseason appearance in 19 years. Co-owner Joe Lacob shared hugs and handshakes with fans from his courtside seat, raising his right hand to the 30th straight sellout crowd announced at 19,596.

— Reported by Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press

Rockets clinch spot in 2013 NBA playoffs

Jermaine O’Neal saw James Harden’s last-second 3-pointer bounce off the rim, went up for it and figured Phoenix and Houston were headed to overtime.

Referee David Jones saw goaltending and counted the basket that gave the Rockets a 101-98 victory on Tuesday night.

Harden scored 33 points and Omer Asik tied his career high with 22 rebounds for the Rockets, who earned their first playoff berth since 2009 when the Jazz lost to Oklahoma City.

”It’s a great accomplishment for us,” said Harden, acquired from Oklahoma City in an offseason trade. ”For our first year together, it’s a pretty good thing.”

On the final play, Harden dribbled down the clock with P.J. Tucker guarding him and launched a 3 from the wing. It bounced high off the rim and O’Neal and Houston’s Patrick Beverley jumped for the rebound. O’Neal touched the ball and the rim after the ball came down, just after the buzzer sounded.

The referees huddled on the court, then reviewed the play and ruled it the winning basket, setting off a wild celebration.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Joakim Noah trying to deal with plantar fasciitis

Joakim Noah trying to deal with plantar fasciitis

Add cortisone shot to the list of treatments Joakim Noah has attempted to quell his nagging plantar fasciitis.

The Bulls’ center, who also has tried platelet rich plasma injections, sleeping in a splint and — three seasons ago — shock wave therapy, received the shot Monday night in an attempt to salvage regular-season action. Twice in the last three days, Noah has said he is resigned he will have to play through the painful condition the remainder of the season.

“It’s not great,” Noah said. “It’s frustrating. I felt pretty good to try it on Sunday (against the Pistons) but it swelled up on me pretty bad. But I’m confident I’ll be out there when it gets hot.”

That’s a nod to the playoffs. The reason Noah, who sat for the ninth time in 10 games on Tuesday, wants to play before then is to develop game shape and rhythm. But he admitted he barely can walk some mornings when he awakens.

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

Judge rules DeJuan Blair must pay $53k to jeweler

DeJuan Blair

Spurs center DeJuan Blair is scheduled to be deposed next week after a judge ruled he must pay more than $53,000 to Rivercenter Jewelers for merchandise the store allowed him to take on credit nearly three years ago, according to court documents and the attorney representing the jewelry store.

If Blair fails to show on Wednesday or continues to ignore the lawsuit that was first filed in October, the judge could find him in contempt and issue a warrant for his arrest.

Blair, 23, has filed no responding documents to the lawsuit, hasn’t appeared in court and in February a default judgment was issued in favor of the store.

A Spurs spokesman declined comment Tuesday. The general counsel for the Spurs referred questions to his agent Happy Walters.

Walters didn’t return two messages left at his Los Angeles agency.

Elliott Cappuccio, the attorney representing the store’s owner Zareem Merchant, said he had been in contact with the Spurs’ general counsel and Blair’s agent but never heard anything back.

— Reported by Michelle Mondo of the San Antonio Express-News