Inside Hoops – Page 2621 – NBA Blog

Brandon Roy out tonight and Saturday

Brandon Roy did not travel with the Trail Blazers to Detroit and will miss tonight’s game against the Pistons due to a death in the family. Because of the timing of the memorial service, Roy will also miss Saturday’s game with the Indiana Pacers. The Trail Blazers guard is expected to rejoin the team for Monday’s game versus the Houston Rockets.

Roy for the season is averaging 19.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game, on 46.1% shooting from the field. The only thing he needs to improve upon offensively is his three-point shooting.

Sam Cassell suspended 1 game

Los Angeles Clippers guard Sam Cassell has been suspended one game without pay for committing a Flagrant Foul Penalty Two by swinging and making contact with the head of Boston’s Rajon Rondo, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 2:54 remaining in the second quarter of the Clippers 111-100 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Banknorth Garden. Cassell will serve his suspension tonight when the Clippers visit the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre.

Andrei Kirilenko wins FIBA Europe Player of Year

A gold medal and MVP honours at EuroBasket 2007 and another strong showing for club side the Utah Jazz all add up the FIBA Europe Player of the Year Award for Andrei Kirilenko of Russia. The 2.09m forward takes home the prize after winning a vote of both fans and a panel of basketball experts, media and coaches from 25 different countries.

Last year’s winner, Dirk Nowitzki finished second while Jose Calderon of EuroBasket silver medallists Spain came in third.

Kirilenko led the surprise Russian side at EuroBasket 2007; averaging 18 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals to go with nearly two blocks per game. He had 29 points and eight rebounds in a crucial semi-final win over Lithuania and 17 points in the final against Spain.

On club level Kirilenko helped lead the Utah Jazz to the NBA’s Western Conference Finals where they fell to eventual champions the San Antonio Spurs. Kirilenko is currently averaging 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per game for the Jazz.

Bobcats recall Jermareo Davidson from D-League

The Charlotte Bobcats have recalled rookie forward Jermareo Davidson from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Davidson is expected to rejoin the team tonight at 7 p.m., when the Bobcats host New Jersey at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The 6-10, 230-pound forward appeared in six Skyforce games with averages of 18.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in 31.5 minutes. He also connected on .478 from the field and .733 from the free throw line.

Over his last four games in which he led the Skyforce to a 3-1 record, Davidson averaged 21 points and 11.3 rebounds, including three 20-plus points scoring outings and two double-doubles – 22 points, 13 rebounds against Fort Wayne on Feb. 1 and 23 points, 15 rebounds at Iowa on Feb. 7.

No KG Friday results in free Wolves tickets

The Timberwolves are being cool. The Celtics are playing in Minnesota Friday night, but Kevin Garnett is almost definitely still out injured and not able to play. So the Wolves, just for the heck of it, are hooking attending fans up with a free ticket for a future game. Here’s the press release:

In response to the likelihood of former Timberwolves player Kevin Garnett not being able to participate in tomorrow night’s game between Minnesota and Boston, the Timberwolves announced today that all fans in attendance will receive a voucher redeemable for one ticket to an upcoming Wolves game. The gesture is in recognition of the special circumstance of Garnett’s return to Minnesota, the fan sentiment surrounding this game and also serves as a thank you to loyal Wolves fans in attendance.

“While injuries are a part of the game and there is never a guarantee that any player will be in uniform, we recognize that this is a very special circumstance and share our fans’ disappointment at the prospect of Kevin not being able to participate,” Timberwolves President Chris Wright said. “Just as we know our fans are eager to thank Kevin for his immense contributions to this team and this community, we want to thank the fans for their continued loyalty to our franchise.”

Ticket vouchers will be distributed to all fans as they enter Target Center for tomorrow’s game. The vouchers are redeemable for one ticket to one of the following Wolves home games: Sunday, Feb. 10 vs. Toronto, Tuesday, Feb. 19 vs. Philadelphia, or Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. Utah.

Bulls waive Viktor Khryapa

The Chicago Bulls announced today that they have waived forward Viktor Khryapa and came to a settlement on the remaining portion of his contract, should he clear waivers.

In his one-plus seasons with Chicago, Khryapa appeared in 42 games and averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 5.6 mpg.

The Bulls roster now stands at 14.

All-Star weekend Shooting Stars participants announced

Team Detroit will defend its Haier Shooting Stars title against Team Chicago, Team Phoenix and Team San Antonio in this year’s competition, which will be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena.

The Detroit team, which captured the title last year in Las Vegas with a time of 50.5 seconds, consists of All-Star and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, Shock forward and two-time WNBA All-Star Swin Cash, and Shock head coach and four-time NBA All-Star Bill Laimbeer. Cash and Laimbeer were key figures in the Shock capturing the 2003 and 2006 WNBA championships.

Team Chicago, last year’s runner-up, is comprised of Bulls guard and Slidell, La. native Chris Duhon, two-time WNBA All-Star and Sky forward Candice Dupree and three-time NBA champion B.J. Armstrong. Representing Phoenix, the 2005 winner, are All-Star Amaré Stoudemire, two-time WNBA All-Star and 2007 WNBA Finals MVP Cappie Pondexter and Suns great Eddie Johnson. Team San Antonio, which dominated the competition in the 2006 Shooting Stars challenge with a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds, consists of 10-time All-Star and three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, four-time WNBA All-Star and Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon and David Robinson, a two-time NBA champion and One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Team Los Angeles won the inaugural competition in 2004.
The Haier Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

Steve Francis to have season-ending right knee surgery

Rockets guard Steve Francis will undergo season-ending surgery in order to repair a torn quadriceps tendon in his right knee. Francis has been sidelined with the injury since 12/19/07. The surgery will be performed during the week of 2/25 by Dr. Walter Lowe.

After battling through increasing knee discomfort in mid-December, Francis immediately began a rehabilitation program focused on reducing the pain in the joint. An MRI performed on 1/3/08 at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center revealed additional damage. The decision to proceed with a surgical repair of the tendon was reached after consulting with a variety of medical specialists that include: Rockets Team Physician Tom Clanton, Dr. Richard Steadman and Dr. Ben Shaffer.

Shaq meeting with media Thursday morning

New Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, who on Wednesday was traded from the Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, will be meeting with the media Thursday morning, 10 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. ET). So, expect lots of interview quotes shortly after that time.

With Shaq at center, Amare Stoudemire gets to play his natural position of power forward, while Grant Hill and Boris Diaw split time at small forward.

Herbert Hill has left knee surgery, out 8+ weeks

Philadelphia 76ers forward Herbert Hill underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday afternoon. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, NY.

The successful surgery revealed a recurrent lateral meniscus tear and scar tissue in the left knee. Hill will begin a rehabilitation program within 7-10 days and it is expected to last approximately eight weeks.

More information on Hill’s status will be made available as it is received.