Anthony Davis is ridiculously talented

Anthony Davis is ridiculously talented

Here’s the New Orleans Times-Picayune reporting on Pelicans star Anthony Davis, who is an amazingly high-level basketball talent:

Right now, just a few days shy of his 22nd birthday, Davis’ skill set represents arguably the perfect package of basketball ability, certainly as complete as the NBA has seen in its nearly 70 year history.

His stat line in last Wednesday night’s win over the Detroit Pistons, having not played in 10 days, was historic though overshadowed by the play of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who notched his fourth consecutive triple-double in an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Davis’ 39 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks represented only the third time in league history a player accumulated numbers such as those.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Dwight Howard were the others.

Hawks handle Cavs in key East battle

Hawks handle Cavs in key East battle

Here’s the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporting on the Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, who appear to be the two best teams in the Eastern conference — especially if key Chicago Bulls keep suffering injuries:

The Atlanta Hawks treated the Cavaliers as if it were postseason time in Friday’s 106-97 home win. They showed their hand defensively, tormenting the visitors with a heavy dose of blitzes and traps in their pick-and-roll coverages.

If there was a time when LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were able to elude the defense and turn the corner, there were a flock of Hawks waiting near the painted area to deter them from finishing around the rim.

It led to contested shots and difficult cross-court passes. Either way, the percentages of securing a defensive stop were in the Hawks’ favor. James was limited to 13 field-goal attempts and he only converted on five. He coughed up the ball a game-high nine times.

Irving was better but not great, coming away with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting while committing five turnovers. Atlanta’s scheme was evident: Get the ball out of hands of the playmakers and make the others beat them.

Clippers sign Nate Robinson to 10-day contract

Clippers sign Nate Robinson to 10-day contract

Clippers sign Nate Robinson to 10-day contract

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today they have signed free agent guard Nate Robinson to a 10-day contract. Robinson, 30, most recently played for the Denver Nuggets where he averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds over 33 games (one start) this season.

A 10-year NBA veteran, the Seattle native has appeared in 607 career games (106 starts) with averages of 11.1 points, 3.0 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes of play with New York, Boston, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Chicago and Denver.

Originally drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns before being traded to New York on draft day, Robinson is a three-time NBA Slam Dunk Champion (2006, 2009, 2010) and was a key contributor in helping Boston reach the 2010 NBA Finals. He spent three years at the University of Washington where he was a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 performer.

Robinson will wear #8 for the Clippers.