Inside Hoops – Page 1208 – NBA Blog

Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio must lead Timberwolves to greatness

The Wolves are looking to do big things from now on. With health and continued improvement from young, talented players, they have the potential to rise up. Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The Timberwolves spent $120 million last summer to add pieces around charismatic stars Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio in a league in which, more often than not, you only go as far as your best players take you.

They signed Corey Brewer for his energy and defense, Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger for their shooting and Nikola Pekovic for his muscle and low-post scoring, all in an attempt to finally reach the playoffs after a long decade away.

But if the Wolves indeed are headed that way for the first time since Kevin Garnett wore their uniform, it is Love and Rubio who will lead them with a two-man game — part old-school sensibilities, part new-school invention — that unsolicited teammates and opposing NBA coaches compare to a modern Stockton-Malone combination.

“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Wolves coach Rick Adelman said, taken aback at the mention of the Utah Jazz greats, point guard John Stockton and power forward Karl Malone. “I coached against those guys and those are two Hall of Famers who played together for 18 years. They invented, I guess, the pick-and-roll between the two of them.”

Detroit Pistons boast a powerhouse frontcourt

Here’s Michigan Live on what the Pistons frontcourt brings to the table:

With Andre Drummond at center, Greg Monroe shifting from center to power forward, and [Josh] Smith at small forward, the Pistons have a powerhouse front line.

Their hope is that gains in rebounding and defensive rim protection counteract any issues in offensive spacing caused by playing Smith at small forward.

To the Pistons’ benefit, Smith and Monroe are willing passers who can operate as post hubs, while Drummond is content to rebound and run pick-and-rolls. They all seem capable of playing with any group of teammates.

That was proven to some extent in preseason, when Will Bynum was the only veteran playmaking guard who regularly participated in games. Billups took most of preseason off to preserve his 37-year-old body, Jennings missed most of it after surgery for an impacted wisdom tooth and hairline jaw fracture, and Rodney Stuckey missed most of it after surgery for a broken thumb.

Michael Carter-Williams faces tough initiation into NBA

The point guard position is one of the NBA’s hardest. And it’s even tougher when you are a rookie, and on a rebuilding team, and going against some nasty opponents. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Michael Carter-Williams will not get the opportunity to ease his way into the NBA.

In six of the first seven games, the 76ers’ rookie point guard will introduce himself to a Murderers Row of point guards in the league.

He will be matched up against Washington’s John Wall twice, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, and twice against Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving.

It’s a brutal challenge that the 6-foot-6, 185-pounder says he welcomes.

“It’s a big learning experience for me to see what I can get better on against the best of the best,” Carter-Williams said.

General Manager Gersson Rosas leaves Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Gersson Rosas has resigned as the General Manager.

“I made the personal decision to resign as General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks after determining that the position was not the best fit for me at this point in my career,” said Rosas. “The decision was made solely by me, as I firmly believe this change is in my best interest.”

“Mark Cuban asked me to reconsider my decision, but graciously accepted my decision and we part as friends, Rosas continued. “I would like to thank Mark and the Dallas Mavericks for the opportunity.”

“I was disappointed when Gersson told me of his decision, but I understand and all of us wish him the best,” Cuban said.

Rosas was hired as the team’s General Manager on Aug. 1, 2013.

Utah Jazz exercise contract options on Alec Burks and Enes Kanter

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has elected to exercise its fourth-year team options for guard Alec Burks and center Enes Kanter. The options for both players are through the 2014-15 season.

Burks (6-6, 205, Colorado) is entering his third NBA season after appearing in 64 games (all as a reserve) and averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17.8 minutes during his sophomore season for the Jazz in 2012-13. He scored in double figures on 19 occasions, including a career-high 26 points in 27 minutes at Sacramento on February 9.

The 22-year-old was originally selected by the Jazz with the 12th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Burks averaged 11.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 23.9 minutes in eight preseason games for the Jazz.

The 21-year-old Kanter (6-11, 248, Kentucky) is also entering his third NBA season after appearing in 70 games (two starts) for the Jazz in 2012-13 and improving his averages in every major statistical category over his rookie campaign.

The center from Turkey averaged 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting .544 from the field in 15.4 minutes during his second season, scoring in double figures 22 times and grabbing double-digit rebounds twice, including career highs of 23 points and 22 rebounds vs. Charlotte on March 1.

Originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (third overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft, Kanter averaged 12.1 points and 5.5 rebounds on .513 (41-80) shooting in 23.6 minutes per game during the 2013 preseason.

Suns going to battle with untested big men

It’s going to be a rough year for the Phoenix Suns. There’s no other way to say it. Here are a few of the many reasons why, via Arizona Sports:

The Phoenix Suns are one day away from a new era.

Jeff Hornacek will make his debut as an NBA head coach Wednesday night as the Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2013-14 season opener for both teams at US Airways Center.

The first-year head coach will take the court with one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the league — especially at the center spot.

After last week’s trade of Marcin Gortat to the Washington Wizards, the Suns are left with three post players — Miles Plumlee, Alex Len and Viacheslav Kravtsov — who have a combined 279 minutes of NBA playing experience.

Shaq says Nets could knock off Heat in East

The Miami Heat are still considered the best team in the East — and the league. But on paper, the Brooklyn Nets look able to at least compete with the champs. And Shaquille O’Neal agrees. Here’s the New York Daily News:

The big-name acquisitions made over the summer by GM Billy King have the Nets talking NBA title contention. But the championship rhetoric isn’t contained within the confines of the Barclays Center or the team’s training site in East Rutherford.

Some believe the Nets have what it takes to knock LeBron James and the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat from their perch. Former NBA great and current TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal is one of them. He feels Brooklyn’s title aspirations are legitimate, provided its star players can stay on the court and build chemistry.

“If they can stay healthy, I think they can give Miami a run,” O’Neal said Monday at a TNT luncheon in New York, according to SI’s Richard Deitsch. “If they come together, I think they can take Miami.”

The consensus at Nets practice Monday was they were appreciative of his comments and agree with his qualifier regarding the team’s health.

Dwyane Wade aims to be more efficient on offense

A healthy and even more efficient Dwyane Wade would be a scary thing for anyone playing against the Miami Heat. But if all goes as planned, that’s exactly what the Heat will have as a weapon. Here’s the Miami Herald:

Practice had long since ended last week, but there was Dwyane Wade — the last player on the floor — working with assistant David Fizdale on polishing his post moves.

Indiana coach Tom Crean, his close friend and former coach at Marquette, pointed out this summer that Wade is “one of the most efficient players to ever play the game.”

But even after finishing seventh in last season’s NBA’s efficiency ratings — he was second or third the previous four years — Wade said in no uncertain terms: “I’ve got to be way more efficient than I’ve ever been.”

Wade, off July’s Ossatron knee treatment, has looked very good — “best I’ve seen him since year one,” LeBron James said earlier in camp — and how his game evolves, at 31, will be fascinating.

How many years does Dirk Nowitzki have left?

We all hate to see top NBA stars fade away into the sunset. But as for Dirk Nowitzki, maybe he’ll remain effective longer than some people expect. Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

On paper, forward Dirk Nowitzki might be in the twilight of his career. But owner Mark Cuban is hopeful the 35-year old 11-time All-Star can play until he’s 40 years old.

“Dirk is [serious] about his health — he’s disciplined,” Cuban said. “He won’t eat fried foods during the season, he won’t drink during the season.

“He’s disciplined enough that I think he sees guys like [38-year-old Miami Heat guard] Ray Allen and others who are going later and later and later. So who knows? I won’t put a limit on him.”

Cuban said because Nowitzki is conscious about exercise and watching his caloric intake, his career could extend a few more years.

Boston Celtics suspend Jared Sullinger one game for off-court incident

Here is a statement from the Boston Celtics:

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have suspended forward Jared Sullinger one game for his role in an incident that occurred on August 31, 2013. The suspension will be served during the team’s game at Toronto on October 30, 2013.

“Jared’s case was dismissed yesterday in Waltham District Court,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “While we are satisfied that this was the correct ruling, we are suspending Jared for one game because he failed to meet the high expectations we have for all Celtics employees.”

The team will have no further comment on this matter.