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Coach Clifford wants Magic to fight harder for rebounds

Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford wants his squad to stop watching rebounds and to start grabbing a lot more of them. Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting:

The Magic have been out-rebounded in two consecutive games and Clifford wants his squad to be far more physical. The NBA has evolved into a perimeter-shooting league, which means there often are longer rebounds coming off the rim. But far too many times Wednesday, shots caromed off the rim and the Magic did not even have a player in the paint to battle for the ball.

“It’s hitting more, getting more guys in there. I know it sounds silly but if we got five guys in there fighting for the ball and they got three … I just showed them a couple of clips where it happened last night, where [if] we got everybody in there fighting for the ball, then we have a better chance to get it,” Clifford said. “It’s a major challenge for our team and we gotta get better at it.

“Say what you want, Lillard was phenomenal last night (41 points), both [Kevin] Durant (49 points) and [Klay] Thompson (20 points) were great at Golden State and if we rebound better, we win both of those games. We’re doing a lot of good things, but if we don’t get the rebounding stuff down, it may not matter.”

More: Full Article

Nuggets sign guard Brandon Goodwin

Nuggets sign guard Brandon Goodwin

The Denver Nuggets have been granted an injury hardship relief exception from the NBA and will use that exception to sign guard Brandon Goodwin of the G League.

Goodwin, 6-2, 180, has played in nine games with the Memphis Hustle this season, averaging 23.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.67 steals in 33.7 minutes per game.

Goodwin transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University after spending two seasons at the University of Central Florida. In two seasons with Florida Gulf Coast, Goodwin averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.28 steals in 32.5 minutes per game. In 2018, Goodwin was selected as the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, an AP All-American Honorable Mention and to the NABC All-District (3) First Team.

He will wear #6 for the Nuggets.

Report: Pau Gasol suffers stress fracture in foot

 

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The 10-11 Spurs have won just 3 of their last 10 games, and could some good news. Unfortunately, it won’t come in the form of a Pau Gasol health report. Playing just nine games so far, Gasol won’t be returning anytime soon, according to this report from the San Antonio Express-News:

Pau Gasol did not make the Spurs’ four-game road trip that ended Wednesday in Minnesota.

It could be a while before he is back on the court at all.

Further testing has revealed a stress fracture in the troublesome left foot that has already caused Gasol to miss the past 12 games.

The 38-year-old center had recently progressed to some on-court work before getting the disappointing news.

Well past his prime, Gasol plays a supporting role on the Spurs these days, but he’s still important and does a lot in very limited playing time. This season, his minutes per game have been a career-low 17.4, yet in that time he’s still putting up an impressive 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 51.2% FG. But it sounds like he won’t be back in action any time soon.

Andre Iguodala discusses his eventual retirement

 

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Once an NBA player is in his mid 30’s, there is nothing surprising about retirement talk. The only exceptions to that would perhaps be if a player was still at his best yet talking about hanging the sneakers up earlier than expected, or if he was clearly all washed up yet insisting on playing many more years. The extremes. Anything in the middle, there’s no shock. Still, it’s always interesting to keep up with how players feel about their career wrapping up. Here’s NBC Sports Bay Area on Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala, who will turn 35 years old this coming January:

Andre Iguodala is counting down the remaining years of his NBA career. No need to count the days or weeks, because others have been doing that since, oh, about 2015.

“I’m going to be done soon,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area this week. “I could probably play a legit five more years, but I’ll probably max out at three more after this year – maybe three more.

“But if I’m not here, that will weigh heavily on what I will do. I possibly have another year here – if we win. That’s it. I know that. I’m fine with it.”

Possibly? Reminded that he is under contract for the 2019-20 season, at 17.2 million, the final year of the three-year, $48 million deal he signed in July 2017, Iguodala waves it off.

Since joining the Warriors in the 2013-14 season, Iguodala has yet to average double-digit points. But his defense and various intangibles as a veteran leader has definitely been helpful. This season he’s putting up just 4.5 points per game, but also a decent 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22.8 minutes per game of playing time.

Trial date set for those accused of murdering Lorenzen Wright

Here’s the LA Times with an update on the murder of former NBA player Lorenzen Wright:

More than eight years after the bullet-riddled remains of former Clippers player Lorenzen Wright were found in Memphis, Tenn., a trial date has been set for his ex-wife and another man charged with the killing.

During a hearing Thursday, Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Lee Coffee ordered the trial of Sherra Wright and Billy Ray Turner to start on Sept. 16, 2019.

“Unless there is some unavoidable act of God that makes it impossible to try this case, this case will be tried on that date,” Coffee told the defendants.

Lorenzen was a 6-11 center who played in the NBA from 1996-2009, spending real time as a member of the Grizzlies, Hawks and Clippers, while also playing briefly for the Cavs and Kings.

On the Wizards with vs without Dwight Howard

 

 

 

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Here’s NBC Sports Washington with a look at the 8-13 Wizards and center Dwight Howard, who has only played nine games this season, averaging 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game:

With Howard, the Wizards have allowed their opponents to score 112.6 points and grab 43.7 rebounds per game. In their 12 games without him, Wizards opponents have scored 122.5 points and averaged 51.8 rebounds per game.

That means the Wizards are giving up nearly 10 more points per game without Howard than they are with him. That is a huge margin.

With Howard, they have been a mediocre defense and without him they have been historically bad. Their 118.2 points allowed average per game this season is highest in the NBA and already on pace to be the worst since the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets.

So far, the Wizards are only 4-5 with Howard. But they are 4-8 when he’s out of the lineup and they were out-rebounded in all eight of those losses.

The Wizards are off today. Tomorrow they play the Sixers in Philadelphia.

Frank Ntilikina still developing his offensive game

 

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The 7-16 Knicks are 30th in the league in field goal percentage. Considering that there are 30 teams in the league, there’s room for improvement there. They are 25th in three-point shooting percentage, so that’s slightly better. But shooting is an issue. While it’s a team thing, young guard Frank Ntilikina is scoring 5.9 points per game on 33.3% FG and 26% from three-land. For more on him, here’s New York Newsday:

A scoreless night in a one-sided loss on 0-for-5 shooting, which came a night after another scoreless night in Detroit, raised questions again about the progress and development of the second-year guard, a former lottery pick and now a mystery in the Knicks’ rebuilding plans.

A lost rookie season in which he missed summer league, much of preseason and then found himself buried by since-fired coach Jeff Hornacek led to this sophomore season. While new head coach David Fizdale arrived with a mandate to focus on player development, Ntilikina remains a project without a clear direction.

Ntilikina’s defensive skills are nice. His shot and offense are a work in construction.

Cavs, Jazz trade Alec Burks, Kyle Korver

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Alec Burks and two future second round draft picks from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Kyle Korver.

The two draft picks that Cleveland is receiving in the deal are Utah’s own 2020 second round pick and a 2021 second round pick from the Washington Wizards via the Jazz.

“Kyle’s on-court accomplishments are well known,” said Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman. “More importantly, though, Kyle is a great person and teammate. He sets an example in everything he does. His work ethic, character and dependability are all at a very special level and something we will always respect and be thankful for. We wish Kyle and his family the best as he continues his career back in Salt Lake City.”

“Alec is a young vet that’s versatile and talented,” said Altman. “We welcome him to Cleveland and we’re looking forward to him getting started with us soon.”

Burks (6-6, 214) has appeared in 17 games for Utah this season, averaging 8.4 points in 15.8 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures on six occasions in 2018-19, including a season-high 22 points in 27 minutes on Nov. 5 versus Toronto. Playing in his ninth NBA season, Burks holds career averages of 9.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game over 382 career contests (43 starts) with Utah. He also competed in the 2012 and 2018 NBA Playoffs for the Jazz, averaging 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game through 13 contests. The 6-6 guard out of Colorado was originally selected by Utah with the 12th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Currently in his 16th NBA season, Korver (6-7, 212, Creighton) has appeared in 1,120 career games (422 starts) with Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland, owning averages of 9.9 points on 44.4 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest. Named an All-Star during the 2014-15 season, the Pella, Iowa native currently ranks fourth all-time in NBA history for three-point field goals made (2,238). Along with Stephen Curry and Ray Allen, Korver is one of only three players in NBA history to hit over 2000 three-point field goals on better than 40 percent from beyond the arc in their career.

Korver appeared in 180 games during his first stint in Utah (2007-10), totaling 1,570 points, 468 rebounds and 294 assists, 95 steals and 65 blocks, also helping the Jazz to the postseason in each of his seasons as a Jazzman. He ranks second in Jazz history in three-point field goal percentage (.416) and third in free-throw percentage (.879). During the 2009-10 season, he shot 53.6 percent from three, which set an NBA single-season three-point field goal accuracy record.

Originally selected in the second round (51st overall pick) by the Nets, Korver won the 2014-15 NBA Sportsmanship Award, as voted on by fellow NBA players.

John Henson undergoes wrist surgery

John Henson undergoes wrist surgery

Milwaukee Bucks center John Henson had successful surgery Wednesday afternoon to repair his torn left wrist ligament. The surgery was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York under the supervision of Bucks team physician Dr. William Raasch of the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network.

In 14 games this season, Henson is averaging 5.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 13.4 minutes per game while shooting a career-high 35.5 percent from 3-point range.

Henson will be listed as out. There isn’t an estimated return date yet.