Inside Hoops – Page 1134 – NBA Blog

Video: Blake Griffin goes wild vs Suns

Watch Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin go crazy in the first half Monday against the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers won the game, 112-105. Video highlights of Griffin:

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:

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.

Trail Blazers assign Allen Crabbe to D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie guard Allen Crabbe to the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey.

Crabbe, 21, is averaging 2.0 points, 0.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 4.9 minutes in 12 games for the Trail Blazers this season. Acquired by Portland in a draft day trade with Cleveland, Crabbe was the 31st overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft out of California.

Crabbe’s assignment to Idaho is the second of the season for the Trail Blazers, who assigned CJ McCollum to the Stampede from Jan. 1-5.

Idaho plays host to Santa Cruz on Wednesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific). The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network (Comcast channel 725).

Cavs forward Anthony Bennett injured, out around 3 weeks

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie forward Anthony Bennett was examined yesterday by Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. His exam and MRI revealed a left patellar tendon strain.

He will be OUT approximately three weeks while receiving treatment and continued evaluation.

His status will be updated as appropriate.

Bennett hasn’t played much in his first NBA season, averaging just 4.1 points in 12.7 minutes per game for the 24-40 Cavs.

According to the Associated Press, “Bennett has appeared lost at times on the floor, and it hasn’t helped that he’s put added pressure on himself trying to live up to being the top pick. Through it all, Bennett has continued to work hard and there have been flashes of the 6-foot-8, 260-pounder’s immense talent and potential. The Cavs will likely take a cautious approach with Bennett, and unless they move themselves into playoff position, it’s possible his season could be over. Bennett’s averaging only 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13 minutes per game.”

D-League expanding with Knicks-owned team in White Plains, New York

The NBA Development League and The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) today announced that MSG has acquired the right to own and operate an NBA D-League team that will play in White Plains, New York. The new team will be the NBA D-League’s record 18th team and will be the exclusive affiliate of the New York Knicks, playing its home games at the Westchester County Center, approximately 30 miles north of New York City. With the purchase, the Knicks become the seventh NBA team to fully own and operate their own NBA D-League affiliate.

“We are thrilled to work with the New York Knicks and Westchester County to bring NBA D-League basketball to White Plains,” said Dan Reed, NBA D-League president. “The New York area has a rich basketball history and we’re excited to give some of the game’s best fans the opportunity to watch top NBA prospects up close and personal in an intimate, family-friendly and affordable environment.”

Allan Houston, the Knicks’ Assistant General Manager, will serve as the new team’s General Manager, while Bill Boyce joins the MSG family as the vice president of sales and business operations for the club in Westchester, reporting to Dave Howard, president of MSG Sports. Bill joins MSG after four years as the president of the NBA D-League’s Frisco-based Texas Legends.

“We are very excited to bring a New York Knicks NBA Development League franchise to Westchester, a great basketball community that has embraced orange and blue and served as our training home for 25 plus years,” said Houston. “The NBA D-League is thriving, and this opportunity allows us to develop players closer to our training facility, and to provide high level, affordable basketball entertainment to the community.”

The Knicks are inviting fans to help choose the name for the new team. From now until March 24, fans can go to NYKnicksDLeague.com to submit their names online. Following the submission process, fans will go back to the same website to vote for the final team name. In addition, beginning today, fans can enter to win two full season tickets on the website; the sweepstakes will run until April 11.

“Westchester County is proud to be teaming up with three great organizations – the NBA Development League, The Madison Square Garden Company and the New York Knicks,” said Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “What’s exciting is that the partnership works on so many levels. It brings professional basketball to the County Center. It offers fans and families a lot of fun and thrills at an affordable price. And it will generate revenues and new jobs for the county at no cost to taxpayers. It all adds up to a winning combination.”

For the 2013-14 season, the NBA D-League features 17 teams, 14 of which are singly affiliated with their NBA parent clubs. Complete NBA and NBA D-League affiliations for the 2014-15 season will be announced over the summer.

More than 30 percent of current NBA players, including five current Knicks, have NBA D-League experience, while more than 40 percent of players drafted into the NBA over the last five years have spent time in the NBA D-League. To date, 27 NBA D-League players have earned 31 “Call-Ups” to the NBA this season, while 56 NBA players have seen action in the NBA D-League on assignment from their NBA parent clubs during the 2013-14 campaign.

Damion James named D-League Performer of Week

Texas Legends’ forward Damion James was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, March 4 – Sunday, March 9. The award is the first for James, who becomes the second Legends player to be honored as Performer of the Week this season.

James (6-7, 225, Texas) led the Legends to a 3-0 week last week, averaging 24.7 points to go with 14.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks. He recorded a season-high 19 rebounds on March 6, in a 126-119 win over the Iowa Energy, scoring 34 points to tie his season best.

James, who was traded to Texas from the Bakersfield Jam last month, is averaging 24.9 points and 12.0 rebounds in eight games with the Legends. For the season, he is averaging 16.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 35 total games.

Other top performers considered included Canton’s Arinze Onuaku, playing on assignment from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles’ Manny Harris, Maine’s Tyshawn Taylor, Springfield’s Willie Reed and Sioux Falls’ Larry Drew II.

Knicks sign Shannon Brown and Earl Clark to second 10-day contracts

New York Knicks President and General Manager Steve Mills announced today that the team has signed guard Shannon Brown and forward Earl Clark each to second 10-day contracts.

Brown, 6-4, 210-pounds, is averaging 1.4 points and 1.0 rebounds over 8.3 minutes in seven games with New York.

Clark, 6-10, 234-pounds, is averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds over 6.6 minutes in six games with New York.

Andrew Bynum may make Pacers debut soon

Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on center Andrew Bynum, who for now as a member of the Pacers has merely been an observer. But that could soon change:

Andrew Bynum could make his debut with the Indiana Pacers soon.

On Sunday, Bynum said that he hopes to be “cleared to play next week,” believing that he could be on the floor by Friday, March 14 when the Pacers play in Philadelphia. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said the team planned to re-evaluate Bynum after the road trip.

“We’ll see after (Sunday’s) game goes and then we’ll probably meet about it (Monday),” Vogel said, “and try to come up with a firmer plan.”

Through his career, Bynum, a 7-0 center, has shown flashes of dominance but has also been limited with knee problems.

Video: Top 10 NBA dunks of week

Here’s a video of the top 10 NBA dunks of the week, through March 8, 2014: