Day: March 11, 2014

Gerald Henderson set to return for Bobcats

Here’s the Charlotte Observer blog with some good news about the Bobcats:

Gerald Henderson set to return for Bobcats

Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Gerald Henderson practiced Tuesday after missing the past five games with a strained right calf. He believes he’ll be fine to play Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.

“I feel good,” Henderson said after a post-practice game of one-on-one against Jannero Pargo. “It’s tough having to be out in that stretch. But I wanted to get myself back to 100 percent and not have that calf bother me the rest of the season.

“I feel good and I’m ready to go.”

Celtics sign guard Chris Babb to second 10-day contract

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guard Chris Babb to a second 10-day contract.

Babb, a 6’5” guard, has appeared in four games for the Celtics where he has averaged 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game. He has recorded a high of six points against Brooklyn on March 7 and also recorded five points and five rebounds against Golden State on March 5. Originally signed to a 10-day contract on February 28, Babb had appeared in 33 games for the Celtics’ NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, earlier this season. In his time with the Red Claws Babb averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.18 steals in 37.5 minutes per game.

Thunder assign Reggie Williams to D-League

The Oklahoma City Thunder has assigned forward Reggie Williams to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Williams has appeared in 20 games (16 starts) for the 66ers this season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.55 steals in 37.3 minutes per game.

The forward is expected to be in uniform this morning when the Tulsa 66ers host the Los Angeles D-Fenders at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

He was originally signed by the Thunder on March 6.

Sixers losing streak reaches 17 games

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the woeful 76ers:

Another night, another loss.

It was business as usual Monday for the tanking 76ers. This time, it was a 123-110 setback to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The loss dropped the Sixers to 15-48 and extended their losing streak to 17 games. That puts them three losses away from the franchise-record 20 straight defeats rung up by the infamous 1972-73 squad.

It also marked the Sixers’ ninth straight double-digit loss.

“To be honest with you, I’m trying to not even think about it,” Michael Carter-Williams said of the losing streak. “You know, we lose, it’s on to the next game. I can’t dwell on us losing 17 in a row. That’s not doing anything for me. That’s not doing anything for the team, for the coaching staff. Nobody.”

“Whatever all the talk is about us losing 17 games and people writing about it, that’s fine. We are going to stay focused as a team. And we are going to focus in on a win.”

Knicks might hire Phil Jackson: The latest

Here’s the New York Daily News with the latest on the Knicks and Phil Jackson:

Hiring Phil Jackson could result in Steve Mills losing job with Knicks

Offering Phil Jackson the head coaching job with the Knicks may end up costing Steve Mills his job.

Mills’ meeting with Jackson two weeks ago was a “disaster,” according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. Jackson rejected the chance to replace Mike Woodson on the bench and instead is considering a move into the front office after speaking with Garden chairman James Dolan.

“Phil doesn’t want to work with Steve,” said a person close to Jackson. “Mills doesn’t know what to think now. Dolan is calling the shots on this one.”

Mills would remain in the organization in some capacity if Jackson joins the Knicks but would not be expected to have an active role in the day-to-day operations.

Spurs player rotation rolls deep

Here’s the San Antonio Express-News Blog with some insight on the Spurs rotation and what it could mean in the big picture:

The Spurs boast arguably the deepest roster in the NBA, with nine players getting regular minutes and scoring between 17.8 and 8.4 points per game. Eight have a Player Efficiency Rating above the weighted average of 15.0. The league-leading production differential of their bench is nearly double that of No. 3 Memphis.

That depth saved the Spurs this season, allowing them to stay afloat while missing five of those players for significant chunks in January and February. Healthy once more, they’ve gone 9-1 since the All-Star break to surge atop the league standings at 46-16.

But as critical as it’s been, the Spurs’ emphasis on balance over raw star power doesn’t bode well from a historic perspective. Indeed, according to the NBA’s weekly media newsletter, there hasn’t been an NBA championship with nine eight-point scorers since the Celtics back in 1966.

That’s about as obscure as it gets from a statistical threshold. And while rare, ensemble championships are far from unheard of in the NBA.

Derrick Rose still not close to practicing with Bulls

Here’s ESPN Chicago with an update on injured Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. There’s still no reason to expect to see him playing an NBA game until next season:

Derrick Rose still not close to practicing with Bulls

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau maintains that rehabbing point guard Derrick Rose is “nowhere near ready” to practice, but Rose is starting to do a little more on the court as he recovers from a torn meniscus in his right knee.

“He’s basically about the same,” Thibodeau said. “He’s doing a little bit more, a little bit more running now. But he’s still nowhere near ready to practice. But he’s doing well. His spirit’s strong, body feels good, so just keep concentrating on the rehab, be a great teammate, and that’s what he’s doing.”

Rose is starting to jump more while taking shots, at least in the brief snippet of practice the media has been able to watch.