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Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat on Friday night after shoving LeBron James to the court.
As James dribbled up the floor early in the second quarter, Mohammed reached in and tried to steal the ball near midcourt. Their arms got tangled and Mohammed fell.
He then got up and shoved James to the court.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that the team has waived guard Brandon Roy.
“We wish Brandon and his family all the best in the future,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders.
During the 2012-13 NBA season, Roy appeared in five games with the Timberwolves, and averaged 5.8 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game. Roy signed with the Timberwolves as a free agent on July 31.
Explaining why the NBA’s relocation committee recommended against moving the Kings to Seattle, one of the league’s most influential owners says Sacramento did everything necessary to keep the team.
Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, in a Twitter exchange with a Seattle fan, suggested the committee’s 7-0 vote amounted to a referendum on Sacramento, not a rejection of Seattle. The private tweets became public Thursday, less than a week before the NBA board of governors is expected to settle the Kings’ situation once and for all.
Arison, a member of the committee, said the April 29 vote boiled down to whether Sacramento has “done all it should to keep the team. The answer is yes.”
He said Seattle never would have lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 if city officials had responded the way Sacramento’s did to the threatened loss of the Kings.
— Reported by Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee
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Atlantic City plans to bring a $75 million development project, including a movie theater and supermarket, to a neighborhood near the Revel and Showboat casinos.
The project would be backed in part by former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and a development company with which he has partnered, both sides said in a news release issued Thursday.
The City Council approved the plan Wednesday night involving Boraie (Bo-RAY’) Development for the south Inlet neighborhood. It will include a Shaq Cityplex movie theater, as well as homes, shops and offices.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that guard Eric Gordon underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure yesterday in his left ankle to alleviate pain caused by particles of scar tissue. The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles, CA.
Gordon is currently recovering from the procedure and will begin rehabilitation immediately while returning to basketball activities later in the summer.
According to the Associated Press, “Gordon missed the first two months of the 2012-13 season while recovering from a right knee injury, but still had the highest scoring average on the team after his return, with 17 points per game in 42 games. Gordon played in only nine games the previous season because of his knee injury, for which he also had arthroscopic surgery in February 2012. Last summer, he signed a four-year, $58 million contract.”
The point guard scored 13 of his 26 points Tuesday night in the fourth quarter, helping the Grizzlies beat Oklahoma City 99-93 and even this Western Conference semifinal at 1-1. He also had 10 rebounds and nine assists to join Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Baron Davis as the only players with such a performance in a road playoff game in the past 25 years.
Conley says it was tough losing (Rudy) Gay but has embraced his former teammate’s role, though Conley’s still getting used to the pressure that comes with both making and missing shots.
— Reported by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press
Kobe Bryant is playing some of his toughest defense yet, demanding his mother keeps her hands off his merchandise.
Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers guard, said in a court filing that he never gave his mother permission to sell mementos from his high school days and early professional basketball career.
Bryant is in a court battle over whether hundreds of items – from high school jerseys to trophies and championship rings – can be auctioned off.
Pamela Bryant said the NBA star told her the memorabilia was hers. She arranged earlier this year to auction it off through Berlin, N.J.-based Goldin Auctions and received a $450,000 advance.
Last week, lawyers for the son wrote to the auction house demanding it cease the June sale. Goldin is suing to assert its right to sell.
— Reported by the Associated Press
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Amare Stoudemire will likely be limited to about 10 to 15 minutes per game if he is able to return during New York’s playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
With Stoudemire nearing a comeback from a two-month absence following right knee surgery, both he and the Knicks are keeping expectations low.
”To be honest with you, I don’t think we or he is expecting to come out and play 20 or 30 minutes and to score 15, 20, 30 points,” forward Carmelo Anthony said Thursday. ”I think he’s just trying to gradually get himself back going. He understands that, we understand that, so if he says he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. I mean, he’s one of our guys. If he can help us, which we know he can, he can do that.”
Not for long, though.
— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press
The NBA Executive of the Year award doesn’t excite fans like the MVP or Rookie of the Year or other such honors, but it’s still an official award, and it counts. And the people voting are other NBA executives, and most of them know what they’re talking about. So, respect it.
Anyway, with George Karl recently being named Coach of the Year, Masai Ujiri, the Nuggets VP of basketball operations, won the executive award.
Complete info on this is here.
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Golden State coach Mark Jackson insisted the Warriors’ historic collapse in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals would only help his team’s growth.
The young Warriors took a big step in their development Wednesday night, withstanding another furious rally by the San Antonio Spurs for a 100-91 victory to even their series at one game apiece and snap a 30-game skid in the Alamo City.
Klay Thompson had a career-high 34 points and 14 rebounds, and Stephen Curry added 22 points for Golden State, which had not won in San Antonio since Feb. 14, 1997. None of the losses was as painful as the one Monday.
”I truly believe the trials and tribulations are transportation for where you’re going,” Jackson said. ”Game 1 made us better. We didn’t panic. We made plays. That’s a heck of a basketball team that’s extremely well-coached and has no quit in them. We don’t have any quit in us, either. The bottom line is we made the plays we needed to make.”
Tim Duncan scored 23 points and Tony Parker added 20 for San Antonio, which had won five straight in the postseason. Manu Ginobili had 12 points and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points and 12 rebounds…
Thompson, who scored 29 points in the first half, finished 8 for 9 on 3-pointers and 13 for 26 overall…
Harrison Barnes had 13 points, Carl Landry added 10 and Andrew Bogut had six points and 11 rebounds.
After scoring 44 points in the opener, Curry’s total was cut in half as he shot 7 for 20 from the field.
— Reported by Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press