Month: December 2015

Iman Shumpert set to return for Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 14-7 this season, which through Thursday’s games is the 3rd best record in the league. And they’ve accomplished this without their starting backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert. The squad is about to get healthier, as reported by the Akron Beacon Journal:

Iman Shumpert set to return for Cavs

Iman Shumpert will be active tonight and is likely to make his season debut against the Orlando Magic.

Shumpert still needed to go through the morning shootaround and pregame warm-ups, but all parties (speaking before shootaround) sounded optimistic.

“If we go through shootaround and everything is straight,” Shumpert said, “I’m going to try to give it a go.”

Added coach David Blatt: “We’re hopeful he can get out there.”

NBA legend Dolph Schayes has died

A legend of basketball has passed away. Here’s the New York Times reporting:

Dolph Schayes, the New York University basketball star out of the Bronx who went on to gain acclaim as a Hall of Fame forward and one of the greatest players of his time with the old Syracuse Nationals, died on Thursday in Syracuse. He was 87.

His son Danny, a former N.B.A. center and forward, said the cause was cancer.

Playing for 16 professional seasons, Dolph Schayes was among the N.B.A.’s leading scorers, best known for his two-handed set shots at a time when jump-shooting came into vogue, and was a top rebounder. The NBA Encyclopedia called him “a bridge between the old game and the new one.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s statement regarding the passing of Dolph Schayes

“Dolph Schayes was one of the most influential figures in NBA history. He helped the NBA grow from its earliest days, emerging as one of the game’s first stars and displaying the kind of passion for competition and commitment to excellence that has come to define our league. Dolph was an NBA champion, a Hall of Fame player and a distinguished NBA coach and executive, as well as a proud father who relished the success of his four children, including the NBA career of his son Danny. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schayes family during this difficult time.”

Statement from the Philadelphia 76ers

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dolph Schayes, a pioneer and iconic member of the Philadelphia 76ers organization and one of the greatest players ever to play the game of basketball,” said Sixers Chief Executive Officer Scott O’Neil. “Dolph was an integral part of the foundation on which this franchise was built – first in Syracuse and later in Philadelphia. He will be fondly remembered for the legacy he not only created on the court, but the way he represented the game off the court.

“On behalf of our entire organization, we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the entire Schayes family during this very difficult time.”

Andrew Wiggins drawing more defensive attention

Andrew Wiggins is averaging 21.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves (9-12). Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune reporting that teams have taken notice of Wiggins’ skills and are putting more help defenders around him:

Andrew Wiggins drawing more defensive attention

It happened again to Andrew Wiggins a couple of times Wednesday night.

The Wolves guard got the ball, dribbled into the paint and went to that spin move he has used so effectively this season. But when he turned, there was a wall of Lakers defenders waiting for him.

“I tell our players all the time,” interim coach Sam Mitchell said. “They watch film, too.”

They, in this case, are Wolves opponents. And the film they’ve been watching clearly includes Wiggins, whose game has taken a quantum jump this season.

He has scored in double figures in 18 of his 20 games, scored 20 points or more 11 times, 30 or more three times.

And he is becoming a marked man.

Sixers deny that team is for sale

Here’s CSN Philly with the latest on a report concerning the 76ers owner’s plans:

Sixers deny that team is for sale

A Forbes magazine story claiming that Sixers managing owner Josh Harris was looking to sell the team was rebuked by a team spokesperson on Thursday.

The Forbes story states that Harris and co-owner David Blitzer are “gunning” to own the first NFL team in London and “want to flip the Sixers.”

Prior to the game at the Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets, the team statement was delivered by director of public relations, Michael Preston.

Bulls lose third straight game

The Chicago Bulls are 11-8, and half a game above the Orlando Magic for the 8th seed in the Eastern conference. Wednesday night in Boston they lost to the Celtics 105-100; Chicago’s third loss in a row. Here’s the Bulls.com Blog reporting:

Bulls lose third straight game

Instead, it’s almost a collective shrug now as lineup and rotations have changed all season with Taj Gibson Wednesday getting his first start as Nikola Mirotic went to the bench. Hoiberg said he wanted to change up to help Mirotic get more aggressive and provide some second unit perimeter shooting. It did help produce one of the Bulls’ better starts of late, leading 8-2 and 15-7 before first quarter substitutions led to Boston pulling even at 24 after one quarter.

Gibson finished with eight points and seven rebounds, but played just 35 seconds on the fourth quarter. Tony Snell was scoreless again in 22 minutes while Joakim Noah had a tough minus-18 when he was on the floor. Pau Gasol had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Derrick Rose had 12 points and six assists, though at five of 11 shooting Rose still has not had a 50 percent shooting game this season.

“I wish I could (identify the team’s issue), but I really can’t right now,” said Rose. “This is our first time (with this group) ever really going through it. We’ve been together for a long time and we’re just trying to figure things out. I don’t think it has anything to do with fighting the system or anything. I’m gonna try my hardest to push the ball, even on dead balls just to get up quicker so we have a couple of more seconds for our offense. We’re just trying to figure it out, seeing the lineups, seeing who’s out the there at certain times; just trying to figure it all out.”

Raptors step up and beat Spurs

Wednesday night in Toronto the Raptors defended home court and beat the San Antonio Spurs 97-94. It was only the Spurs’ 5th loss of the season. In the win, DeMar DeRozan shot 10-15 for 28 points and six assists, while Kyle Lowry had 19 points and eight assists. Here’s the Toronto Star reporting:

It’s a dangerous game but a fun one, watching a team rise to the level of good opposition and sink to the level of bad.

It can’t be a lot of fun when they lose to supposedly inferior opposition but when it goes the other way, it can be an awfully good for their souls.

The Raptors, who typify that up-and-down existence like few teams in the NBA, did it again Wednesday, upsetting the San Antonio Spurs 97-94 at the Air Canada Centre, battling injuries and foul trouble with a patchwork rotation for a well-deserved wire-to-wire victory.

It was a gut-check win for the Raptors, now 14-9, against the 18-5 Spurs, who had won nine of 10 coming into the game.

It was sealed with fewer than 10 seconds left when DeMar DeRozan, capping perhaps his best game of the season, scooped up an offensive rebound of a Kyle Lowry miss and Toronto ahead by just three.

Gary Harris back soon for Nuggets

Here’s the Denver Post reporting that the Nuggets (8-14) will soon regain the services of guard Gary Harris (9.8 ppg in 26.6 minutes per game this season):

Amid a host of players who did not practice for the Nuggets on Wednesday was the welcome sight of one who did.

Shooting guard Gary Harris.

Harris went through his first full contact practice since suffering a concussion against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 27. He’s missed every game since then, five in all, and the Nuggets have missed him. He was one of the Nuggets more reliable shooters and is arguably the team’s best defender.

“It was good,” said Harris of the practice. “It was good to finally to get back out there.”

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has ankle surgery

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson undergoes ankle surgery

Brooklyn Nets rookie guard/forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson underwent successful surgery this morning at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan to repair the fractured posterior talus in his right ankle. The procedure was performed by Nets’ team physician Dr. Martin O’Malley, the Nets’ foot and ankle specialist.

Statement from Dr. Martin O’Malley:

“Rondae had surgery this morning to repair a fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle. Two screws were inserted to repair the fracture. There was no other structural damage, and he is expected to make a complete recovery, with a timetable of his return to the court estimated at 8-10 weeks.”

In 19 games (14 starts) this season, Hollis-Jefferson has averaged 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds (fourth among qualifying rookies), 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals (first among qualifying rookies) in 22.1 minutes per game. He’s scored in double figures three times, recorded double digit rebounds five times and is the only rookie in the league to register a five-steal game (he’s posted two such games).

Al Jefferson suspended for violating Anti-Drug Program

Al Jefferson suspended for violating Anti-Drug Program

The NBA announced today that Al Jefferson of the Charlotte Hornets has been suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Jefferson’s suspension will begin with the next NBA regular season game that he is eligible and physically able to play.

In response to this, the Hornets released this statement:

“We are disappointed in Al’s decisions that led to this suspension. As an organization, we do not condone this behavior. We have addressed this with Al. He is regretful and understands that we expect him to learn from this mistake.”

Statement from Al Jefferson:

“I want to apologize to the Hornets organization, our owner, my teammates and my coaches for the poor decision that I made. I know I have let people down, especially the Hornets fans that have been so supportive of me since I arrived in Charlotte two years ago. I am blessed to be able to play the game that I love for a living and I do not take that for granted. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry, and I am committed to making smarter decisions in the future.”