The AP reports: Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall have to hope the way they almost flawlessly buried all those open looks earns them a second look at a bigger role in the rotation. Thaddeus Young scored 18 points, Lou Williams had 17 and the 76ers led by as many as 40 points in a 125-91 rout of the winless Sacramento Kings on Monday night… Marshall and Rush went a combined 6-for-7 from 3-point range and each played their season-high in minutes, even though most of their playing time came when the game was put away… Willie Green scored 16 points and Elton Brand had 15 for the Sixers, who were up 20 points at halftime and were able to stretch the lead in the second half instead of blowing it like they did Saturday at Atlanta… Jason Thompson scored 17 points and Spencer Hawes had 15 for the Kings (0-4), who can’t wait to head home after a dreary season-opening road trip.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Iverson officially a Piston
The trade that sends Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons is now official. Click that link.
In return for Iverson, the Denver Nuggets get Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.
Also, hit the insidehoops front page for more opinions on the trade and updated NBA depth charts.
Nuggets waive Juwan Howard
The Denver Nuggets have waived F Juwan Howard, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.
Howard appeared in all three games for the Nuggets this season, averaging 0.7 ppg and 1.3 rpg in 7.3 minutes.
The Nuggets are reportedly about to trade Allen Iverson to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.
Wade not feeling team yet
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said Monday that not only doesn’t he look like himself through the first three games of the season, but he also doesn’t feel like himself. Wade is shooting 41.2 percent from the field through the first week, down from his career 48.1. He is coming off a 5-of-15 performance in Saturday’s 100-87 road loss against the Charlotte Bobcats that dropped the Heat to 1-2. Wade said he still is having trouble finding himself in an offense that features several new players to the rotation, including rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.
Roy Hibbert not getting minutes yet
The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: Pacers rookie Roy Hibbert is averaging just nine minutes in the first two games, which includes a total of 68 seconds in the second half. O’Brien said it’s not because Hibbert, the No. 17 pick last summer, has done anything wrong. It’s due to the fact that he’d rather go with more experienced players in the second half. “I see a guy growing well,” O’Brien said about Hibbert. “When you’re playing against Detroit and Boston, I’m going to go with veterans down the stretch. “I thought Roy did some good things. He needs to maintain his focus. His work ethic is great and I’m very, very pleased with how he’s developing.”
Mike Conley benched for 4th quarters
The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Ronald Tillery) reports on Mike Conley: The second-year point guard, taken fourth overall in the 2007 draft, hasn’t logged a single minute in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies’ past two games. He’s yielded to third-year reserve Kyle Lowry, whose defensive toughness, speedy play and adequate decision-making has earned him a role as the closer at that position. So what’s going on with Conley? He’s not injured. “That question requires reflection,” Griz coach Marc Iavaroni said after benching Conley for the entire fourth quarter of a 96-86 loss Saturday at Chicago. “Right now, Kyle is playing with more energy and physicality so I’m going with him.”
Thunder waive John Lucas
Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has waived point guard John Lucas III.
Lucas averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 assists in three preseason contests. He was inactive for all three of the Thunder regular season games.
The Thunder roster now stands at 14.
Iverson to be traded for Billups
The Denver Nuggets don’t appear to be championship-bound with a core of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. The team is good, but may never be great. With Melo the younger player, the Nuggets are giving up on the combo and sending Iverson to Detroit. In return, the Pistons will send point guard Chauncey Billups and power forward/center Antonio McDyess to Denver.
InsideHoops.com first got wind this deal, which has been reported as a rumor in the past, would actually happen from Marc Spears’ Boston Globe blog.
Looking at the trade for the Pistons: Detroit gets a big-time scorer in Iverson who is a natural shooting guard but can pretend to be a point guard. Chances are, Iverson will start at PG, with Richard Hamilton staying at shooting guard, and young talented point guard Rodney Stuckey continuing to come off the bench. Hamilton is too undersized to play small forward for more than a few minutes. Billups is a better floor general than Iverson, but Iverson’s the quicker player and better scorer. As for Antonio McDyess, he was coming off the bench but still important for Detroit. Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell will have to step up more with Dice gone. And Kwame Brown becomes more important.
Detroit also gets tons of extra salary cap space in the deal.
Looking at the trade for the Nuggets: Gone is Iverson and in comes Billups, who is better than Iverson at running an total team offense. Billups is also a stronger, more physical defender. Billups doesn’t draw defensive attention like Iverson does, but he can do a better job setting up JR Smith, Carmelo Anthony (who can also create his own offense anytime he wants), Kenyon Martin and Nene.
Also, Billups is a Denver guy.
Mo Williams still adjusting to Cavs
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports: The Cavaliers aren’t off to a great start at 1-2 heading into tonight’s game against the Mavericks, but the sky certainly isn’t falling. Yet Mo Williams, touted far and wide as the injection the Cavs needed, seems to be taking the offense’s somewhat shaky start hard. It has only been three games, two of them on the road at juggernauts Boston and New Orleans, and Williams hasn’t played all that poorly, averaging 13.3 points and 4.3 assists. But his body language and comments hint he seems to be putting quite a bit of pressure on himself to perform, an affirmation of his competitive nature. “Personally, I’m just not there yet. I’m still trying to get comfortable,” Williams said. “I’m trying not to lose any sleep over it. Tomorrow is a new day.”
Daequan Cook defending well
The Miami Herald (Michael Wallace) reports: Heat guard Daequan Cook has seen an increase in playing time because of his improved play on defense, not just because he regained his shooting touch. Cook, who had been mired in a preseason slump, has emerged as the first guard off the bench. Cook, who scored 13 points in each of the first two games of the season, has impressed on defense, where he had struggled with poor footwork and bad technique. ”For me, it was being focused, being patient and realizing what’s going to get me out on the floor is defense,” said Cook, who is averaging 25 minutes a game. “On the defensive end you get looked at more.”