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Jazz will not re-sign Marcus Cousin

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has elected not to re-sign center Marcus Cousin (pronounced koo-ZAHN) to a second 10-day contract.  Following the transaction, the Jazz roster now stands at 14 players.

Cousin was originally signed to a 10-day contract on March 9 and appeared in four games for the Jazz (all as a reserve), averaging 1.0 point and 0.8 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game.  He registered four points, two rebounds and a block in 13 minutes of action at Minnesota on March 11.

Cousin (6-11, 255, Houston) was averaging 14.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.16 blocks through 38 games (all starts) for the NBA Development League’s Austin Toros at the time he was signed by the Jazz.  He became the NBA’s 14th D-League Call-Up and 12th different player promoted to the NBA this season.  He was also the sixth D-League Call-Up in Jazz history, joining Rusty LaRue (2000-01), Mikki Moore (2003-04), Louis Amundson (2006-07), Sundiata Gaines (2010-11) and Othyus Jeffers (2010-11).

Heat need a healthy Udonis Haslem

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN reports:

Udonis Haslem

udonis haslem
Rocks cornrows

Haslem may not be a center, but he usually replaced one when he was healthy. His inside presence allows the Heat to go “small” with him at the four and Bosh at the five. In fact, three of the four most frequent lineups with Haslem on the floor feature Bosh at center. And it’s incredibly effective. The score with those “small” lineups? Heat 203, Opponents 166.

The Heat don’t just suffer on the boards without Haslem. Offensively, the Heat’s floor spacing becomes congested around the rim with the Heat’s big men. On Wednesday night, the Thunder bigs routinely cheated off of Howard, Dampier, Anthony and Jamaal Magloire in the paint without consequence. For a team that depends on open lanes for Wade and LeBron to penetrate, the offensive deficiencies of the Heat big men become exponentially troublesome. It’s no longer a game of five-on-five.

Armed with a silky jumper, Haslem can hit shots inside and out. His presence can help stabilize the Heat’s offense and unclog the paint for his attack-minded teammates.

This is all to say that Haslem offers a specific skill set the Heat woefully lack: a hard-nosed rebounder who commands the attention of opposing defenses. No one else on the Heat roster fills that essential role. On Wednesday against the Thunder, Haslem’s absence was profoundly felt by the Heat’s thin frontline.

Garnett says Rondo is playing hurt

Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com reports:

“Rondo’s playing hurt,” said Kevin Garnett [about Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo]. “He’s giving us everything he has and he’s grinding. I think the nights where he’s playing countless minutes for us, and he’s not playing washed up guys. He’s playing [Indiana’s Darren Collison] and [New Jersey’s Deron Williams] and all these guys and they’re coming at him. He knows that, so he’s just a little focused in. But everybody’s banged up at this point and [Rondo] is no different from that.”

Doc Rivers suggested before Wednesday’s game that Rondo was “just not playing well,” and said he’d work his way out of it. Rivers has praised Rondo’s play in recent games — despite stat lines that are less eye-catching than we’ve been accustomed to this season — and, while making his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio WEEI (850 AM) reiterated that there’s no mystery ailment here.

Warriors reassign Jeremy Lin to D-League

The Golden State Warriors have reassigned guard Jeremy Lin to the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League, the team announced today.

Lin has previously appeared in 16 games over two stints with the Bighorns this season, averaging 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.19 steals in 32.0 minutes per contest.  The 22-year-old has shot 51.8 % (103-199 FG) from the floor, 40.0 % (12-30 3FG) from three-point range and 69.7 % (69-99 FT) from the free throw line in D-League action.

With the Warriors this season, Lin has appeared in 23 games, averaging 1.9 points, 1.1 assists and 1.13 steals in 8.7 minutes per contest.

Wizards sign Othyus Jeffers to 10-day contract

Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed swingman Othyus Jeffers from the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy to a 10-day contract.  Jeffers (6-5, 200), a two-time D-League All-Star (2009, 2011) and the 2009 D-League Rookie of the Year, has averaged 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season through 38 games (18 double-doubles) with Iowa.

Jeffers has also appeared in 15 NBA games over two seasons after being called up by the Utah Jazz in 2009-10 and the San Antonio Spurs this season.  He will wear uniform #12.

Avery Johnson is confident Nets can keep Deron Williams

Al Iannazzone of the Bergen Record reports (via blog):

Deron Williams

Avery Johnson is confident Nets can keep Deron Williams
Puffy yet quick

No doubt was used a lot at Nets practice today, after coach Avery Johnson uttered those two words on ESPN Radio yesterday after being asked about Deron Williams’ future.

Johnson reiterated it today when he was asked about the Nets’ prospects of signing Williams to a new contract/extension when the time is right.

“I have no doubt and I’m really, really confident that we’ll be able to re-sign him,” Johnson said.

Then Johnson went on to say it’s not really a story. We disagree there.

Williams’ future is the main story around the Nets right now. They’re playing great with straight wins and have a big game tomorrow against the Bulls, which should feature a great point guard battle between Williams and Derrick Rose.

Spurs sign Danny Green

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard/forward Danny Green from the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League for the remainder of the season.  Green becomes the 16th call-up of the 2010-11 D-League season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Green (#4, 6’6”, 210, 6/22/87) originally signed with the Spurs on November 17. He appeared in two games, totaling 6 points in 9 minutes, before being released on November 23. Most recently, in 16 games with Reno, he averaged 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.38 steals in 37.4 minutes per game. He shot .451 (114-253) from the field, .434 (36-83) from three-point territory and .795 (58-73) from the free throw line.

He appeared in 20 regular season games last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 2.0 points in 5.8 minutes per game.

Originally selected by Cleveland with the 46th pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, Green played in more games (145) and achieved more wins (123) than any Tar Heel player before him. He is the only player in ACC history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 150 three-pointers, 150 blocks and 150 steals. He had career averages of 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and a .455 shooting percentage from the field.

Tyler Hansbrough on rise for Pacers

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star reports:

Tyler Hansbrough on rise for Pacers

A star is being born in Indiana, Hansbrough going for a career-high 30 points in Tuesday night’s manic 119-117 victory over the New York Knicks. He got on this roll five games ago, and has now scored 26, 21, 20, 29 and 30 points, the most consecutive 20-plus point games by a Pacers player all season.

Two things have happened:

For one, he’s getting playing time. You wonder, if Jim O’Brien had stuck around, would Hansbrough have ever found the floor? Quick answer: No.

Two, he has gotten into NBA shape. Remember, he went more than eight months without working out, without playing basketball or jogging or doing much of anything besides waiting for the dizziness to subside. It wasn’t until roughly three weeks ago that Hansbrough started to feel like he did at North Carolina.

“You go all that time doing nothing, and now you’re playing against the best players in the world, you’re not going to be at your best,” Hansbrough said. “. . . To be honest, I didn’t even know if I was going to be ready for training camp. The doctors gave me the OK, I went from doing nothing to six-hour practices. It was miserable for a while. Then there were stretches when coach O’Brien wasn’t playing me, so I wasn’t getting any experience.”

Andrew Bynum is a big man

Elliot Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News reports:

Andrew Bynum is a big man

Others are taller and some weigh more, but is there a bigger big man than Andrew Bynum in the NBA? Bynum, officially listed at 7-foot and 285 pounds, certainly measured up against the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard, who’s 6-11, 275.

“He’s a big guy, man,” Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson said of Bynum after the Lakers rallied to defeat the Magic 97-84 on Monday night at Staples Center for their 10th victory in 11 games since the All-Star break.

“He’s a handful,” Nelson continued. “It’s like he’s out there and you think you’ve got the ball, and he has it in his hands. You’re jumping for the ball, but he’s just standing there tipping it to himself to get those extra shots.”

Bynum scored 10 points and matched his career high with 18 rebounds Monday, his fourth consecutive game with 10 or more points and his sixth straight with 12 or more rebounds. He’s had a big impact on the Lakers’ winning ways since the All-Star break.

After rounding into form slowly following offseason right knee surgery that sidelined him for the first 24 games of 2010-11, Bynum has become a force in the paint for the Lakers. His season averages have risen to 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds.