Inside Hoops – Page 1366 – NBA Blog

Order the new Phil Jackson book Eleven Rings

The new Phil Jackson book called “Eleven Rings” comes out soon.

You can pre-order it here:

Brooklyn Nets sign GM Billy King to contract extension

The Brooklyn Nets have signed General Manager Billy King to a contract extension, it was announced today by Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Details will be added to this page later today.

“Billy has been a great asset to the Nets organization over the last three years”, Mr. Prokhorov said on behalf of the entire Nets organization. “He has shown he is not afraid to be bold and take risks, and, as a result, we have a playoff team with a world of potential. We are glad we will have the opportunity to continue our work together and realize that potential.”

“I am anxious to continue working hard for Mikhail Prokhorov and the Brooklyn Nets”, said King.

King, who was named general manager of the Nets on July 14, 2010, presided over a team that posted a 49-33 record in the franchise’s inaugural season in Brooklyn, matching the second best record in Nets’ history, while making their first postseason appearance in six seasons.

In his three seasons as general manager, King overhauled the Nets roster, first by making a mid-season blockbuster trade for Deron Williams in 2011, and then by completing his All-Star backcourt with the July 2012 acquisition of six-time All-Star Joe Johnson. Adding Gerald Wallace via a trade in March 2012, King then spearheaded the re-signings of Williams, Wallace and All-Star center Brook Lopez this past summer.

King joined the Nets after spending 10 years with the Philadelphia 76ers organization, serving as the team’s president from 2003-2007. King joined the 76ers in June, 1997 as vice president of basketball administration, a role in which he served as the point person for basketball operations. Less than a year later, he was promoted to general manager, a position he held until being promoted to team president following the 2002-03 season.

During his 10-year tenure, King guided the team to five consecutive playoff appearances (1999-2003), including the 2000-01 season in which the Sixers captured the Atlantic Division title on the heels of a 56-26 season. The Sixers went on to win their first Eastern Conference Championship since 1983, advancing to the 2001 NBA Finals.

Before joining the 76ers, King served as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers for four seasons under Larry Brown. He joined the professional ranks after spending four seasons as an assistant at Illinois State University under Head Coach Bob Bender. King also spent one year as a color analyst for ESPN’s basketball coverage of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Holding several roles within the USA Basketball program throughout his career, King has served as a member of USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team Program Advisory Panel, on USA Basketball’s Board of Directors, as treasurer of USA Basketball and as an athlete representative on the 1997-2000 executive committee. King also served on the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team Committees for the 1997-2000 and 2001-04 terms.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook to have surgery on right knee

The battle to reach the NBA Finals from the Western conference just got even more wide open today.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook will undergo surgery in the coming days to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announced today.

Westbrook suffered the injury in the second quarter of Game 2 of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs, when he collided with Rockets guard Patrick Beverley. The three-time NBA All-Star averaged 23.2 points (6th in NBA), 7.4 assists (7th), a career-high 5.2 rebounds and 1.77 steals (9th) in 82 games this season.

“Our players’ health is our first and foremost concern. The Thunder’s medical team and several specialists we consulted with determined that Russell undergo a procedure to address the issue,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “We have thoroughly discussed this with Russell. Despite being the competitor and teammate that he is, he respects and understands the decision and is committed to come back even stronger. Certainly Russell is a leader and core player for this team, but we are in the midst of the playoffs and I know other players are determined to step up and contribute. We have a resilient group of players who have always taken pride in playing as a team and that approach will continue.”

There is no timetable set for his return.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your opinion in this basketball forum topic.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry questionable for Game 3

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is questionable for Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

Curry sprained his left ankle during Game 2 of their series on Tuesday and did not practice Thursday.

The injury is not related to his surgically-repaired right ankle.

If he does not play?

“It would kill me,” Curry told reporter Thursday.

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Zach Randolph scores 27, Grizzlies beat Clippers 94-82 in Game 3

Zach Randolph’s fast start helped the Memphis Grizzlies return to their inside dominance.

Randolph had 13 of his 27 points in the first quarter, and he finished with 11 rebounds and the Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-82 on Thursday night to pull within 2-1 in this first-round series.

”Zach was huge,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ”He got started quickly. He had 18 at halftime, and that got us going and everyone else just flowed into that. I thought our defense, for the most part, was solid.”

Randolph hadn’t scored more than 13 in each of the first two games and had only 12 rebounds combined in Los Angeles. He looked much more like the All Star who had 45 double-doubles this season, and he also had six offensive rebounds after leading the NBA with 310 in the regular season…

Marc Gasol accepted his trophy as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year before tipoff, then scored 16 points. Quincy Pondexter and Tony Allen had 13 each. Mike Conley was 1 of 9 but had 10 assists and no turnovers on a night where he was so sick he sipped on soda and didn’t talk much…

Blake Griffin scored 16 points for the Clippers. Matt Barnes had 12, Chauncey Billups 11 and Jamal Crawford and Caron Butler 10. Chris Paul had eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and added six assists…

Memphis outrebounded the Clippers 45-33, including 17-5 on the offensive boards. That gave the Grizzlies a 22-4 edge in second-chance points, which was similar to what the Clippers did to Memphis in Game 1 when they held a 25-5 advantage. The Grizzlies also outscored Los Angeles 40-26 in the paint and led by as much as 16.

— Reported by Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press

Carlos Boozer steps up, Bulls beat Nets to take 2-1 lead

Every play near the basket looked like a traffic accident. There were long scoreless stretches. Shooting from outside was a dicey proposition.

It was ugly for everyone but the Chicago Bulls. This was their type of game.

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Luol Deng added 21 points and 10 boards, and the Bulls held off the Brooklyn Nets 79-76 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night.

”We did what we had to do to win the game,” Boozer said. ”In the playoffs you have to win different ways. Nothing is perfect.”

Chicago had no field goals and two foul shots over the final 5:46 of its second straight win in the series. It will try for a 3-1 lead when the banged-up teams return to the court Saturday afternoon in a quick turnaround.

Brooklyn shot 35 percent for the second straight game. Brook Lopez had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots, and Deron Williams finished with 18 points on 5-for-14 shooting…

Joe Johnson got a cortisone shot for his ailing left foot and finished 15 points for Brooklyn, while Noah’s foul shot was his only point of the game while dealing with his own painful right foot injury. Noah also had eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks…

Brooklyn went 5 for 21 from 3-point range and is 15 for 56 from beyond the arc for the series.

— Reported by Jay Cohen of the Associated Press

Ray Allen scores 23, Heat take 3-0 lead on Bucks

Every game, someone different steps up for the Miami Heat.

Well, someone different and that guy named LeBron.

Ageless Ray Allen scored 23, setting the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers in the process, and LeBron James had seven of his 22 points during a decisive run that closed out the third quarter – and maybe the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat’s 104-91 victory Thursday night gave the defending champions a 3-0 lead, with a chanceto complete the sweep Sunday afternoon at the Bradley Center.

”That’s been our calling card all year, the depth that we have,” said Allen, whose five 3s gave him 322 for his career, two more than Reggie Miller. ”

”As a team, you’ve got to find way to plug in the holes, and every night we find somebody different.”

Chris Bosh added 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who have won 11 straight dating to the regular season and 40 of their last 42. Chris Andersen had another big game, scoring 11 on 5-of-5 shooting and grabbing six rebounds in less than 14 minutes…

Dwyane Wade had just four points, and his 1-of-12 shooting was his worst in a postseason game. But he contributed 11 assists, nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks.

‘Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings had 16 each to lead six Bucks in double figures, and Sanders added 11 rebounds while Jennings contributed eight assists. But the Bucks couldn’t maintain the 10-point lead they took in the first quarter, when they shot 57 percent (12 of 21) and were 5 of 10 from 3-point range. Milwaukee was just 12 of 21 over the final three quarters (41 percent), and made only two more 3s.

— Reported by Nancy Armour of the Associated Press

Rockets head home with some answers, needing more

The Rockets seemed to find some answers in Game 2, starting Patrick Beverley for the first time and using a three-guard lineup for all but a few brief moments. McHale felt the change allowed Houston to penetrate the lane more frequently, with one of his perimeter threats often matched up against one of the two Thunder big men, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.

”They kind of put a tight shell out there, but once you break that shell and get on the inside, a lot of stuff can open up,” McHale said. ”We had a lot of good catch and shoot 3s, open 3s and that’s how we have to play.

”We don’t have a dominant inside presence. A lot of our inside points are finishing on dunks and tipped dunks. It’s our guys going in there and making plays against their bigs and then kicking it out.”

McHale also found success by going with a 2-3 zone after Oklahoma City had built its biggest lead at 89-74 early in the fourth quarter. Houston responded by scoring 21 of the next 23 points, even taking the lead.

— Reported by Jeff Latzke of the Associated Press

Big NBA meeting about the future of the Kings on Monday

Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer, part of the group attempting to purchase the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle, said Thursday he believes ”there will never be a better opportunity” than now to bring back professional basketball to the Puget Sound.

Ballmer, who has been mostly quiet about his basketball pursuit, spoke briefly Thursday before a fundraising luncheon for the A PLUS youth program in Seattle. His brief comment came hours after an NBA spokesman confirmed that the NBA committee deciding whether the Sacramento Kings should be sold and relocated to Seattle will hold a meeting via conference call Monday.

”Today is about A PLUS. I will say that we’ve got our fingers crossed. Chris Hansen has worked really, really hard, really intelligently,” Ballmer said. ”Seattle has got a great bid. We’ve got a great arena plan. I think we’ve got the better arena plan. We’ve got a good offer, it’s been accepted by current owners. We’ve got a great market. It seems like there will never be a better opportunity. But it will be up to the NBA owners.”

— Reported by Tim Booth of the Associated Press

Latest Lakers injury report is not pretty

The Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-2 to the San Antonio Spurs in their first-round NBA playoff series, and things look even tougher for the underdogs after today’s injury report.

Steve Blake had an ultrasound test today which confirmed a moderate strain of his right hamstring. He is out indefinitely.

Steve Nash received two epidural injections in his back today; he also received a cortisone shot in his right hip. His status for tomorrow’s game is doubtful.

Jodie Meeks will have an MRI test this afternoon on his sprained left ankle. His status for tomorrow’s game is doubtful.

The Lakers are already without star Kobe Bryant, who won’t be back in action until next season.