Day: February 6, 2014

James Harden was an Allen Iverson fan

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting the feelings of a current terrific scoring guard on a former great:

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Wednesday that 11-time All-Star guard Allen Iverson will have his No. 3 jersey retired by the franchise on March 1.

Upon hearing the news, Rockets guard James Harden said Iverson was very deserving of the honor.

“He is one of the best players, one of the best scorers I have ever watched, period,” Harden said. “He is so small but he got it done. He was a warrior.”

Shaq and Barkley discuss the NBA East

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting the opinions of a couple leading TNT NBA analysts:

TNT’s always-entertaining NBA studio team held their always-entertaining pre-All-Star conference call Thursday. It included disagreement between Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal regarding the Heat’s playoff prospects.

“Indiana is the best team in the NBA,” Barkley said. “If they can get a healthy and have a motivated Andrew Bynum, they are going to be very difficult to beat. The wear and tear is starting to take a toll on the Miami Heat and Dwyane [Wade] and LeBron [James]. But it’s still going to be tough to beat LeBron four times in a week.”

O’Neal agreed on that last point.

“Miami has more experience and nobody has beaten them [in the Eastern Conference],” he said. “Indiana has a better record, but just because you have homecourt advantage doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to win. I would lean towards a healthy, more experienced Miami Heat.”

Omer Asik goes through practice, says he will play soon

Good from the Houston Chronicle today on the Rockets. They don’t necessarily need Omer Asik, who was on the trading block, but no matter what, he’s certainly more valuable healthy than hurt:

omer asik

Rockets center Omer Asik, who has missed the majority of the season with thigh and knee injuries, went through Thursday’s practice and said he is feeling much better.

In response to how his knee was feeling, Asik said, “It’s close to 100 percent. I can’t say 100 percent, but it’s much better. Hopefully I will get a little bit more practice then get back on the court.”

Neither coach Kevin McHale or Asik gave an exact date for return, but McHale said it would be “sooner than later.”

Michael Carter-Williams to star in basketball documentary

Any time a new basketball movie or documentary comes out that might be worth watching, I consider it good news. And this qualifies. Here’s the Philadelphia Daily News reporting:

Before he was the front-runner for Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams struggled through Summer League with the Sixers.

Now, thanks to a CBS documentary entitled Summer Dreams, we will have an opportunity to follow Carter-Williams’ journey first-hand.

CBS plans to air Summer Dreams, a two-hour long documentary about NBA rookies and fringe free agents competing for spots in Summer League, on March 15, just in time for March Madness.

“With unprecedented access, we’ll witness hopes dashed and dreams coming true right in front of our eyes,” executive producer Mike Tollin said in a statement about the film.

In addition to Carter-Williams the program features three other rookie prospects – Shane Larkin (of the Dallas Mavericks), Romero Osby, and Dwayne Davis, as well as NBA referee hopeful Lauren Holtkamp and D-League coach Joel Abelson.

Cavaliers reportedly fire their GM

Here’s a report from Yahoo Sports on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are saying goodbye to their general manager:

Hours after a humiliating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has fired general manager Chris Grant, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Gilbert had grown increasingly frustrated with the losing and dysfunction within the Cavaliers and the loss to the Lakers – who finished the game with four eligible players – was the breaking point.

Cleveland is 16-33 and losers of six straight games. They’re 5.5 games out of the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Gilbert had delivered a mandate of making the playoffs for the Cavaliers this season.