January 2014 – Page 4 – NBA Blog

Suns recall Archie Goodwin from D-League

The Phoenix Suns have recalled guard Archie Goodwin from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, the team announced today.

Phoenix originally assigned the rookie guard to their D-League affiliate on Jan. 23. Selected with the 29th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Goodwin appeared in two games for the Jam, averaging 29.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 44.0 minutes. The 19-year-old tallied 32 points, shooting 15-of-18 from the free throw line, against Sioux Falls on Friday and scored 27 points against Reno on Saturday.

Goodwin will be with the Suns for their game tonight at the Cleveland Cavaliers. The contest will tip off at 4:00 p.m. (Phoenix time) and will be televised on FOX Sports Arizona with radio broadcast on Arizona Sports 620 (KTAR-AM).

Former NBA player Jim Jackson discusses his time on the Mavericks

Here’s the Dallas Morning News talking to former NBA player Jim Jackson, who discusses why the era of the “Three Js” never flourished:

Jim Jackson: “It’s a couple of things. It’s not as easy to point to one thing, but I try to tell people this all the time that I was the first when I came in in ’92. Jamal came in the following year, so we got a chance to play 82 games together, Jamal and myself. When Jason [Kidd] came in my third year (Jamal’s second) I got hurt 51 games into the season, so we never completed an 82-game season. The following year, Jamal got hurt 20 games into the season, so we never completed an 82-game season. Then the following year, we all got traded. Now, couple that with that during my five years here in Dallas, had three different ownership groups … Then you also have four different coaches … We never really had an honest shot at it really working because of all the moving parts that took place.”

“It’s more so the outside influences that kind of took hold of what was going on. And a lot of it had to do with management that didn’t understand how to really get these three young guys and build around it, and I love Donald Carter to death, but from a management perspective, I think you can see a difference between a Mark Cuban and what the past ownerships were able to do.”

Kevin Durant going extra wild lately

Here’s the Oklahoman reporting on Thunder forward Kevin Durant, who is simply going nuts on the court lately:

Want an idea of how unguardable Kevin Durant has been lately? Just take a look at the postgame quotes from Sixers coach Brett Brown. Durant went off for 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, his fifth career triple-double. And an perplexed Brown had no answers postgame.

Brown: “I thought we did a pretty good job on him. We try, we get small guys chasing him around, denying him and fronting him, and we get everybody scared because he’s Kevin Durant, because he’s so long and scores in such a variety of ways. He is the NBA’s hardest player. He’s always been an incredibly difficult guard. I gameplanned back in my Spur days. How do you guard him? Is it Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, whoever. I thought our guys, I thought James (Anderson) was great and you look down and he’s got a triple double.”

– Durant is now averaging 36.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 13 January games.

– In his last five games, Durant has scored 198 points on 70-of-107 shooting (65 percent).

Terrence Ross puts up 51-point game for Raptors

The Toronto Raptors lost yesterday, but there was still a fun story on their side of things: A ridiculous 51-point game from Terrence Ross. Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting:

Dwane Casey was probably the only person in the building who didn’t enjoy Saturday’s Raptors-Clippers tilt.

Terrence Ross certainly enjoyed it.

In as entertaining a contest as the Air Canada Centre has seen in years, the teams played high-octane, all-out offensive basketball, but the undermanned Raptors came up short 126-118 despite a franchise-record-tying 51 points by Ross.

And, in the end, though frustrated to lose, even the famously defensive-minded Raptors head coach couldn’t help but marvel at what went on.

“For the fans it was a great exhibition of basketball,” Casey said. “The young man, Terrence, picked it up. We lose DeMar (DeRozan) and put on a heck of a display. Not only did he have 51 points, he had nine rebounds which was huge too.”

Ross spearheaded the Toronto attack with his dazzling display, including a club-record seven three-pointers in the first half, in a performance reminiscent of the Vince Carter glory days. Carter scored his 51 back in 2000 against Phoenix, in a game telecast across North America.

Celtics recall Vitor Faverani from D-League

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have recalled center Vitor Faverani from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Faverani, a 6’11” center, appeared in one game for the Red Claws while he was on assignment against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on January 25 and recorded 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block in just under 26 minutes of action.

Utah Jazz claim Malcolm Thomas off waivers

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has claimed third-year forward Malcolm Thomas off waivers.

The 25-year-old Thomas (6-9, 225, San Diego State) was waived by San Antonio on January 23 after appearing in one game this season, scoring two points, grabbing nine rebounds with two blocks in 15 minutes vs. Milwaukee on January 19. He also appeared in 10 games while on assignment with the Spurs’ NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros, where he averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.40 blocks. Thomas was signed by the Spurs on Dec. 3 as a D-League call-up from the Los Angeles D-Fenders, for whom he appeared in two games and was averaging a league-best 33.5 points and 15.5 rebounds.

The former San Diego State Aztec has appeared in a total of 16 career NBA games over three seasons with San Antonio, Golden State and Chicago, averaging 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 5.4 minutes. He previously saw action in three games for the Spurs during the 2011-12 season, and spent time with both the Warriors (five games) and Bulls (seven games) in 2012-13. Thomas also appeared briefly in three games for the Bulls in the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

Following the move, the Jazz roster now stands at 15 players.

Derrick Rose hopes to play for Team USA this summer

Here’s the Chicago Sun-Times reporting on injured Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who despite still working to regain health already may have some firm summer plans:

Derrick Rose issued a statement Thursday that he’d like to be ready to play for USA Basketball in this summer’s FIBA World Cup in Spain, and according to a source close to the situation, because Rose is ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery, he will.

‘‘No doubt he will [play],’’ the source said Friday.

Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22. The Bulls immediately ruled him out for the season.

He started shooting and taking part in two-a-day workouts during the last week, but his status in returning this NBA season hasn’t changed.

This summer will be a different story after he was one of 28 players named for the 2014-16 USA national team pool Thursday.

Mirza Teletovic scores career-high 34 points for Nets

Here’s the New York Daily News reporting on a fun night in Brooklyn that featured a lot of swishes from outside when Mirza Teletovic touched the ball:

Benched and frustrated for most of his short NBA career, Mirza Teletovic said all along that he only needed a chance.

The Bosnian with a sweet jump shot is now taking advantage.

Teletovic erupted in the second quarter of the Nets’ 107-106 victory Friday night over the Mavericks at Barclays Center, scoring 24 of his career-high 34 points while hitting six consecutive three-pointers. His blazing trail from long distance keyed a 27-12 run by the Nets (19-22), who never trailed in the second half (although things got dicey in the final seconds) and won for the seventh straight time at home.

“It speaks a lot about (Teletovic). He was definitely frustrated last (season) with his lack of playing time,” Deron Williams said. “He had been one of the top players in Europe for a long time, and it was little hit to his ego. He felt like he could contribute and help and he didn’t really get that opportunity. Now that he is, he’s making the most of it.”

Detroit Pistons struggling badly at home

NBA teams, even the bad ones, generally play fairly well in their own arena. But here’s Michigan Live on the Detroit Pistons’ home struggles:

Here’s how absurd this Detroit Pistons season has become: Andre Drummond finally got his first 20-20 game, the Pistons went on a 30-4 scoring run, and the New Orleans Pelicans were playing short in the backcourt and without four of their top six scorers.

And the Pistons still lost.

Eric Gordon’s driving basket with 1.9 seconds left for a 103-101 Pelicans win wrapped another blown fourth-quarter lead for the Pistons, who were up by 10 with less than six minutes remaining.

As the game ended, with Maurice Cheeks bellowing for a timeout his team never called, the head coach was left to stare into the crowd at a fan who lobbed a vile curse at him for having rookie guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — arguably the Pistons’ best guard defender — on Gordon for the game-winning isolation play.

“I don’t even know what he said,” Cheeks said. “I was focused in on the play itself.”

Cheeks said he stared into the crowd out of sheer dismay after the Pistons (17-26) slipped to 7-15 at home and lost at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the eighth time in their last nine home games.

Sacramento clerk rejects challenge to new NBA arena

The city clerk rejected a ballot measure Friday that would have let Sacramento voters decide whether public subsidies can help build a $448 million downtown arena intended as the future home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

City Clerk Shirley Concolino cited multiple issues with the petitions that would have put the subsidies on the June ballot.

“I’ve never seen a petition with as many flaws as this one,” she told The Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork and Voters for a Fair Arena Deal collected nearly 23,000 signatures, an effort that was funded in large part by wealthy Seattle hedge fund manager Chris Hansen. He led a coalition that lost its attempt to buy the Kings and move the team to Washington state.

— Associated Press