The Houston Rockets have assigned rookies Isaiah Canaan and Robert Covington to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The assignments are the first and second of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season and the first for both players.
Month: November 2013
Gerald Wallace still adjusting to life on the Celtics
The Boston Celtics are reconstructing themselves, and there are bound to be some growing pains in the process. Here’s NESN reporting:
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Wins do wonders to smooth frayed nerves.
A couple of hours after expressing exasperation with his role and frustration with being taken out of the starting lineup, Gerald Wallace changed his tune after the Celtics recorded their first win of the season with a 97-87 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The 13-year veteran even joked a little about his 31-year-old body’s adjustment to the rigors of coming off the bench.
“My back tightened up coming in there,” Wallace said. “It’s a lot different coming off the bench, but other than that, it was a fun experience for me.”
Wallace scored nine points — his second-highest scoring total of the season — in 23 minutes as a reserve as the Celtics hung on after letting their 25-point lead get whittled down to six points in the fourth quarter.
Knicks center Tyson Chandler out 4-6 weeks with injury
The New York Knicks are off to a rough start this season. They’ve been without J.R. Smith, but even so, there are some issues. And now things get tougher due to a major injury. Here’s New York Newsday:
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Tyson Chandler had returned this season stronger and looking to make amends for his poor playoff performance last year. But Chandler won’t be helping the Knicks anytime soon.
The Knicks said Chandler will be sidelined four to six weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula in Tuesday night’s loss to the Bobcats. According to the Knicks, Chandler doesn’t have any ligament or nerve damage and won’t require surgery.
But this is a still a huge loss for the Knicks, who have dropped three straight games after winning their opener. Chandler is one of their most indispensible players, and their defensive anchor in the middle.
In Tuesday night’s 102-97 defeat, the Bobcats met little resistance inside and outrebounded the Knicks 51-33. Chandler played just the first 6:35 of the game.
Caron Butler fined $15,000 for obscene gesture
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The NBA has rules about how players can express themselves. There is a code of conduct, and it is not to be broken.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Caron Butler has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture during the Bucks’ 105-98 win over the Boston Celtics on Friday, Nov. 1, at TD Garden in Boston, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
Butler’s actions occurred with 3:54 remaining in the fourth quarter of the game.
LeBron makes it 500 straight games scoring in double digits
Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel, reporting on how LeBron James continues to do some of hte biggest things in the NBA anyone has seen in a long time:
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With his 10th point in Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, Miami Heat forward LeBron James became the fifth player in NBA history to score in double figures in 500 or more consecutive games.
James reached 500 with a first-quarter dunk.
It is the longest active such streak in the NBA.
Mark Jackson wants Warriors bench to step up
Here’s CSN Bay Area on the Golden State Warriors:
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“I’ve been very disappointed in the way that those guys have closed out ballgames,” coach Mark Jackson said after the 110-90 win over Philadelphia on Monday. “They’ve had opportunities to play extended minutes and they haven’t made statements with their play.”
It is conceivable, even likely, that there will be no complete second unit, that one or more starters always will be on the floor. Jackson has on several occasions indicated precisely that. And the backups, though not lacking for effort, have given him no convincing reason to reconsider. They gave back nearly half of the 39-point lead they inherited against the 76ers.
Anthony Bennett shooting 0-for-15 in first four NBA games
Yeah, it’s early. The number one pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is just four games into his career in the league. And he’s only taken 15 shots so far. But still, it’ll be cool when he finally hits one. Here’s the the Akron Beacon Journal:
Anthony Bennett’s scoring drought is reaching historic levels, but coach Mike Brown is sticking with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Bennett is 0 for 15 shooting through the Cavs’ first four games, tying him with Olden Polynice, Terence Morris and Reggie Evans for the second-longest games played streak to begin a career without a basket (since the 1985-86 season), according to STATS, LLC.
Should he fail to score a basket in Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee, he’ll tie Joel Anthony for the longest games played drought to start a career. The Heat’s Anthony, ironically another Canadian who like Bennett also attended UNLV, played five full games his rookie year with the Miami Heat before making his first basket. The difference, of course, is Joel Anthony was an undrafted free agent who attempted just two shots in those five games. Bennett is the reigning No. 1 pick in the draft.
Kevin McHale urges Dwight Howard to get low
When you’re a big man and low-post legend Kevin McHale gives you tips, you’d be smart to listen. Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting:
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Kevin McHale’s low-post lessons for Dwight Howard have only just begun, but the coach started close to home — his home. The dedicated Minnesota Vikings fan cited the play of All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson.
“Just staying low,” Howard said of McHale’s direction. “He always refers to Adrian Peterson and how he runs through different holes in the game. He runs real low. He was saying I have the ability to do the same thing: use my quickness and my speed to get around guys. I have to get low to be able to do it.”
McHale does have more in store.
“We’re just getting started together,” McHale said. “It’s a whole new offense for him. We’ve worked, but not as much as we will work.”
Spencer Hawes hot from beyond the arc
Usually the tall guys on a team aren’t as good as the short guys at hitting outside shots. That’s just how it is. But Philadelphia 76ers big guy Spencer Hawes is an exception. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:
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Spencer Hawes is arguably the 76ers’ best three-point shooter. All 7-foot-1 inches of him.
The center was shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc heading into Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. Thaddeus Young, at 60 percent, was the only teammate with a higher percentage than the seven-year veteran.
But while Young has only attempted five three-pointers, Hawes has made 6 of 12, and was on pace to make 164 of 328 this season. That would shatter his career-best of 40 for 115 he had as a Sacramento King during the 2008-09 season.
Utilizing his perimeter skills is all by design.
Iguodala and Warriors send Sixers to first loss
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a great start. Even with their first loss of the season, basketball has been fun in Philly so far this season. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:
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The 76ers team that people expected to see this season finally surfaced Monday night.
The Sixers struggled from the field and were flat-out overmatched against the Golden State Warriors, who cruised to a 110-90 victory in front of 11,089 at the Wells Fargo Center.
But perhaps the biggest blow for the Sixers (3-1) was the inability to stop Andre Iguodala.
The former Sixer made a career-high seven three-pointers on 11 attempts en route to 32 points. Twenty-seven of his points came before intermission. The 6-foot-6 swingman, who played only 20 seconds of the fourth quarter, also finished with three assists, three rebounds, three steals, and a blocked shot.
Iguodala had scored just 26 points altogether, with three three-pointers, in the Warriors’ first three games.