Kevin Love makes surprise season debut for Timberwolves

Kevin Love sure knows how to make an entrance.

His banged-up Minnesota Timberwolves never needing him more, Love made a surprise return to the starting lineup on Wednesday against Denver, nearly two weeks ahead of the rehabilitation schedule set for his broken right hand.

The All-Star and Olympic gold medalist’s injury was announced on Oct. 18, two weeks before the team opened its most promising season in years. The team initially set a return of six to eight weeks. But Love was able to avoid surgery, and he quietly worked to get back at just under five weeks.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Boston Celtics waive Darko Milicic

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived center Darko Milicic.

“Darko has asked us to release him so he could deal with a personal matter,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “The whole Celtics family wishes Darko and his family well.”

Milicic, a 7’0” center, averaged 2.6 points and 4.2 rebounds across 5 preseason and regular season games with the Celtics this year.

Gerald Wallace wanted Kobe to shoot with his eyes closed

Gerald Wallace wanted Kobe to shoot with his eyes closed

Gerald Wallace is rapidly becoming a cult hero amongst Nets fans, and here’s a cool example of why.

With the game on the line Tuesday night and Kobe Bryant at the charity stripe, Wallace began jawing with the Laker great.

What was Wallace talking about?

“I was trying to get him to close his eyes to shoot.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Kings losing, drawing small home crowds

The Kings have won just two of their first 10 games, their worst start in more than 20 years. Their home attendance has approached record lows, and discontent is a theme among fans, some of whom booed the team off the court after a recent loss.

The fans – once described by NBA executives as among the most loyal in the league – are dwindling. The Kings’ average crowd of 12,490 through their first six home games ranks last in the NBA and is their lowest at this point in three seasons.

Still, it remains slightly higher than the arena’s record-low average attendance of 12,050 for the first six games of 2008-09 – the season they went on to draw the fewest fans per game since moving into the building in 1988.

Fans offer a host of reasons for their frustration. They find the play on the floor uninspired, the talent lacking or the pieces mismatched. The Kings have not made the playoffs in six years, and have shown little sign of improvement early this season while stumbling to the worst record in the Western Conference.

— Reported by Matt Kawahara and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee

Spurs recall guard Cory Joseph from D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have recalled guard Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Joseph has seen action in one game for the Spurs this season prior to his assignment to Austin on Nov. 15. For his career, the University of Texas product has appeared in 30 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes.

Joseph will be available tonight when San Antonio plays at Boston at 6:30 p.m.

Spurs sign guard James Anderson

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed James Anderson of the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Anderson is the second NBA D-League call-up of the season.

Anderson participated in training camp with the Atlanta Hawks this past October before signing with the D-League. He appeared in six preseason games in Atlanta and averaged 2.0 points in 10.7 minutes.

The 6-6 guard was drafted by the Spurs with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State University.  In 77 career games in San Antonio from 2010-12, Anderson averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Anderson will be available Wednesday night, Nov. 21, when San Antonio plays at Boston at 6:30 p.m.

Pacers send Miles Plumlee, Orlando Johnson to D-League for two games

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that rookies Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson will join the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for two games this weekend. This is the first time the Pacers have assigned players to their NBA D-League affiliate.

Plumlee, a 6-10, 245-pound center/forward who was the Pacers’ first-round pick last June (26th overall), has played in four games this season, scoring four points and pulling down five rebounds. Johnson, a 6-5 guard who was a second-round pick that the Pacers acquired from Sacramento on draft night, has played in two games, but hasn’t scored.

“We could not be happier to have Miles and Orlando join our team for these first two games,” said Mad Ants head coach Duane Ticknor.  “We think we can provide both players a great opportunity to improve their games, and I am excited for this watershed moment in our partnership with the Pacers.”

Fort Wayne hosts Erie Friday night and Maine Sunday. The two players will re-join the Pacers for their three-game western road trip next week.

Metta World Peace calls the Nets floppers

ron artest

The Lakers forward went on a Twitter rant on Tuesday night about the flopping Nets, referencing two flops by Gerald Wallace and one by Reggie Evans.

Here’s World Peace’s timeline:

“what was the best flop tonight? out of the three?i am so happy the nba charges $5000 per flop……”

“the two gerad wallace flops were crazy..lol i am on the court like”what in the world”!!! it is crazy because i am still strong but quicker.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Blog)

Grinnell guard Jack Taylor scores 138 points

Grinnell’s Jack Taylor didn’t just amend the NCAA’s record books when he scored 138 points — a new collegiate high mark — in his team’s 179-104 victory over Faith Baptist Bible Tuesday night. The Division III star wrote a new chapter.

“There was a point during the second half where I hit a number of threes in a row — maybe seven or eight — I felt like anything I threw up was going in,” Taylor said. “I’ve been in the zone before but I’ve never taken so many shots.”

Bevo Francis of Rio Grande held the NCAA scoring record with 113 points against Hillsdale in 1954. In 1953, Francis had 116 against Ashland Junior College. Frank Selvy is the only other player to reach triple figures, scoring 100 points for Division I Furman against Newberry in 1954…

By the end of the night, Taylor was 52-for-108 (27-for-71 from the 3-point line) and he’d established a new collegiate record.

— Reported by Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com 

Under coach David Arseneault, the Pioneers press and shoot 3s like nobody else in the country in any level. They’ve led the nation in scoring for 17 of the past 19 seasons while ranking first nationally in 3-point shooting for the 15 of those past 19 years. But none of them have had a night quite like Taylor — who never saw this coming.

Taylor recently transferred to Grinnell, located about 50 miles east of Des Moines, after playing one season for Wisconsin-La Crosse. He struggled in his debut at the nearby Wartburg Tournament over the weekend by hitting only 11 of 41 shots — including only 6 of 34 3-point attempts Still, he averaged 23.5 points a game.

But Taylor started Tuesday’s night game off slow — at least according to his standards. His coaches figured the best way to get him on track was for him to keep chucking, so that’s what Taylor did.

— Reported by the Associated Press 

Jack Taylor 138 Points Video Highlights