Inside Hoops – Page 2483 – NBA Blog

NBA suspends Telfair 3 games

Sebastian Telfair of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been suspended without pay for three games for pleading guilty to criminal possession of a weapon, in violation of the laws of the State of New York, the NBA announced today.

Telfair will be suspended for the first three games of the 2008-09 NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.

The following statement is from Minnesota Timberwolves VP of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale regarding today’s three-game suspension of Sebastian Telfair by the NBA: “I’ve talked to Sebastian about the incident. This is something that happened in the past, and he is looking forward to putting this behind him. Since he has been a member of the Timberwolves, Sebastian has been a great teammate and has been actively involved in the community. I couldn’t be more proud of Sebastian’s continued improvement as a basketball player and as a young man.”

Bobcats waive two players

The Charlotte Bobcats today requested waivers on guards Donell Taylor and Marcus Williams. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.

Taylor appeared in two preseason games with averages of 1.0 point, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 8.0 minutes. Williams averaged 1.0 point and 1.5 rebounds in 5.5 minutes.

The Charlotte Bobcats will host their annual Cool School preseason game presented by Harris Teeter for middle school students at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 16 against the Orlando Magic. Approximately 16,000 students and teachers representing 31 regional cities and 14 counties will take part in this educationally geared event.

Hawks waive two players

The Atlanta Hawks today requested waivers on Marcus Hubbard and Frank Robinson, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Sund. Atlanta’s roster stands at 15 players.

Atlanta hosts Phoenix in preseason play tomorrow at Philips Arena (7 p.m.).

InsideHoops.com editor says: They were ‘training camp’ players with nonguaranteed contracts. It’s standard that most such players wind up getting cut.

Oct 13: Thunder 110, Rockets 104

The AP reports: Kevin Durant shrugged off a late injury and scored 20 of his 26 points in an electrifying final 8 minutes to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Houston Rockets 110-104 on Monday night for their first preseason win… Aaron Brooks scored 20 off the bench to lead the Rockets, D.J. Strawberry added 16 and Yao Ming had 15 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in one half of action— playing the first and third quarters. Nick Collison had 21 points off the bench, Desmond Mason scored 16 and Chris Wilcox added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder.

Oct 13: Grizzlies 103, Pacers 95

The AP reports: Rookie guard O.J. Mayo scored 26 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 103-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night… In addition to Mayo’s contributions, the Grizzlies got production from another rookie. Marc Gasol, brother of former Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol, scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. Rudy Gay finished with 16 points. T.J. Ford had 18 points for Indiana (1-2). Jarrett Jack and Roy Hibbert each added 17.

Oct 13: Hawks 88, Bobcats 87

The AP reports: Acie Law’s basket with 4.5 seconds left lifted the Atlanta Hawks to an 88-87 preseason win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night. Law started at point guard in place of Mike Bibby, who was out with a strained right oblique muscle. The second-year player scored 12 points. Joe Johnson paced the Hawks (3-1) with 17 points, Josh Smith added 16 and Al Horford grabbed nine rebounds. Atlanta also got contributions from its two major offseason acquisitions; Maurice Evans had 12 points and Flip Murray 11… Jason Richardson, the only Charlotte player in double figures until the closing minutes, scored 19 points to lead the Bobcats. D.J. Augustin, the Bobcats’ first-round pick at No. 9 overall, had 11 points, six assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Raymond Felton doled out 11 assists.

Kirilenko used as 6th man

The Salt Lake Tribune (Ross Siler) reports: There’s still 17 days to go until opening night for the Jazz, but the Andrei Kirilenko experiment at sixth man moved a step closer to reality in Sunday’s 93-80 preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan opted to start C.J. Miles and bring Kirilenko off the bench again, even with Carlos Boozer returning from a sore hamstring, and Kirilenko followed through on his pledge to help bring the new role to life. Kirilenko hit a shot 14 seconds after checking in and factored into all five scoring possessions to end the first quarter. He went on to lead the Jazz with 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes.

Kyrylo Fesenko steps up

The Salt Lake Tribune (Ross Siler) reports: Keeping in mind that his first season coaching Kyrylo Fesenko probably felt like a lifetime, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan offered some fitting praise after watching Fesenko finish with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s game. “That’s the best I’ve ever seen him play since he’s been alive,” Sloan said, describing the double-double as “kind of a shock.” Told what Sloan said, Fesenko searched for the right words. “You don’t hear that from Jerry a lot,” he said, “so it means a lot for me. It means a lot and it means that I’m doing the right thing, so I cannot stop. I have to keep on going.”

Around 80 NBA employees to be laid off

Reuters reports: The National Basketball Association is laying off nine percent of its work force over worries about the U.S. economy, but is looking to expand operations in China, Commissioner David Stern said. “We made a decision some months ago that the economy was going to be a bit wobbly, so we began a belt-tightening that will result in a work force reduction of about nine percent domestically,” Stern told reporters on Sunday. This translates into about 80 jobs, he later told Reuters. “There is a season-ticket renewal rate decline, and new sales are also being hit,” he said. “My guess is when (the regular season) kicks off, we will be down modestly in season ticket sales.”

The Associated Press reports: “We made the decision some months ago that the economy was going to be a bit wobbly so we began a belt-tightening,” Stern said in London, where the New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat in a preseason game. The NBA continues to hire in other countries, he said, as it seeks to grow internationally.

Heat still a work in progress

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports (via his blog: “Dwyane Wade needs perimeter help. He has a team-high 13 turnovers, including eight Sunday against the Nets, and again is finding himself forced to create for himself… Marcus Banks can score, but hardly is a playmaker. He makes some sense coming off the bench, especially when Wade is out… Mario Chalmers is a project, and could wind up spending some inactive time when game-night rosters are set during the regular season.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Perhaps I need to lower my expectations for the Heat this season. They’ll be improved from last year (which isn’t hard to do), but perhaps not quite as much as hoped, early on at least.