Inside Hoops – Page 567 – NBA Blog

Nikola Mirotic accepts apology from Bobby Portis

Teammates often get into it with each other during practices, but rarely are serious punches thrown, and even rarer do those punches actually land. But that’s what went down in Bulls practice earlier this season. Here’s ESPN Chicago with an update:

Nikola Mirotic says he has accepted Bobby Portis’ apology and is hoping both he and the Bulls can move forward after a practice altercation between the pair last month. Speaking for the first time since an Oct. 17 fight with Portis that left Mirotic with multiple facial fractures and a concussion, the veteran forward made it clear that he feels he can coexist with Portis again in the future.

“We are teammates,” Mirotic said after Wednesday’s practice. “We are on the same team. Obviously we are fighting for this team. We both are going to do what we need to do to make it work. Yeah, I did accept his apology.”

Mirotic said he did not want to address events in the past and did not directly answer a question regarding whether the pair has actually sat down and spoken. When asked if Portis knew that he had accepted his apology, Mirotic responded that he would eventually.

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No Hassan Whiteside tonight vs Knicks

The Heat visit the Knicks in New York tonight, and they’ll be without one of their best players. Here’s the Palm Beach Post with the latest:

Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who missed practice Saturday because of soreness and swelling to his left knee, will sit out tonight’s game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden because of the same lingering injury.

Whiteside, who missed five games earlier this season after banging knees with Magic center Nikola Vucevic in the season opener, has played just 40 minutes the last two games, none in the fourth quarter. Coach Erik Spoelstra has said the reduced playing time was not because of the knee but it was clear that Whiteside at times appeared affected by the injury.

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Pontiac Silverdome is being demolished

Any NBA or Detroit Pistons fans who have been around for a while know the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons called the Silverdome home from the late 1970’s through the late 1980’s. Well, that venue will soon be just a memory. Here’s the Detroit News reporting:

Plans are set for the public viewing and farewell for the demolition of the Pontiac Silverdome, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

The implosion at 8:30 a.m. will be the first phase in a yearlong demolition of the 400,000-square-foot former home of the Detroit Lions.

There will be a public parking and viewing area for the demolition at the Oakland County Water Resource Commission site at 155 N. Opdyke. Vehicles must be parked by 8:15 a.m.

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Knicks have logjam at center

The Knicks have roughly 47 centers, give or take. That’s too many. Managing the frontcourt rotation is tricky business. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

With Enes Kanter set to return from a three-game absence, the questions as to what the Knicks will do about their logjam at center continues to loom.

Primary backup Kyle O’Quinn earned three straight starts as Kanter sat with back spasms, while Willy Hernangomez got more than garbage time and Joakim Noah finally made his debut.

The 23-year-old Hernangomez, a member of the All-Rookie first team last season, averaged five points and 6.7 rebounds in 19 minutes during the stint without Kanter.

Noah, who was suspended for the first 12 games and inactive for the ensuing seven, received his first three minutes in a loss Monday to the Trail Blazers, scoring two points, blocking one shot, grabbing one rebound and committing one careless foul.

Jeff Hornacek was vague about how the rotation will take shape.

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Enes Kanter urges teammate to fight opponent

NBA players need to show fight on the court in the form of competitive basketball. Not in the form of actual fighting. With that in mind, here’s the New York Daily News reporting on enthusiastic Knicks center Enes Kanter:

Enes Kanter was warned by the Knicks and may even hear from the league about openly telling a teammate to fight the opponent.

“The front office told me I cannot say stuff like that,” Kanter confessed Tuesday following practice. “It’s a learning process. This is my second language. When I say fight it means compete, play hard, compete. You get a tech; you get a tech. They told me I cannot say stuff like that. I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry NBA, my fault.”

Following Monday’s loss to the Trail Blazers, Kanter said he told an unnamed teammate that he’ll pay his fine if he goes out there and fights with somebody. “It will get the energy up,” he said.

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Ben Gordon reportedly arrested in Los Angeles

Former NBA player Ben Gordon has been going through some things in 2017. There have been several incidents this year. Here’s TMZ Sports reporting the latest:

Ex-NBA player Ben Gordon was arrested in L.A. Monday afternoon — after allegedly roughing up a guy at an apartment building … and leaving with several thousand dollars of his money, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us … the 34-year-old went to the apartment complex where he used to live in an effort to get his security deposit back. We’re told there was a dispute about the money and Gordon allegedly put hands on the guy and threatened him.

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Alex Len on bench for Suns lately

Alex Len is an interesting young prospect in Phoenix. But lately he’s been interesting while sitting on the bench. That’s not as interesting as being interesting on the court. You interested in this? Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting:

This was supposed to be the season Alex Len showed off.

When Len didn’t get the free-agent contract he wanted over the summer and had to sign a one-year, $4.2 million qualifying offer from the Suns, he re-dedicated himself, working on his body to become stronger and, at the suggestion of the front office and coaching staff, trimming the fat in his game.

Forget the low-post moves or jumpers from the elbow. Phoenix wanted Len to do three things: defend, rebound and finish at the rim on pick-and-rolls.

“Simplify things,” Len said.

That’s exactly what Len has done. He’s averaging nine points per game on 48-percent shooting and pulling down a career-best 9.3 rebounds per game. At 36 minutes a game, his averages would jump to 14.1 points and 14.6 rebounds.

But there’s the rub. Len is averaging 22.9 minutes instead of 36. Recently, he’s become the odd man out among the Suns’ three centers. Len has not played in two of Phoenix’s past three games, the 119-108 loss to Minnesota on Sunday and the 113-107 overtime loss to Milwaukee last Wednesday. He sandwiched those games around 19 minutes in a blowout loss to New Orleans.

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Grizzlies fire head coach David Fizdale

Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace today announced that the organization has relieved David Fizdale of his head coaching duties. Grizzlies associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been named interim head coach.

Fizdale was named the 13th head coach in franchise history on May 29, 2016 and compiled a 50-51 record (.495) during his two seasons in Memphis, including a 7-12 record (.368) this season.

“After a thorough evaluation, I decided a change in course was necessary to move forward and provide the team and organization its best chance at success this season and beyond,” Wallace said. “Coach Fizdale represented the Grizzlies and City of Memphis proudly, and we wish him well as he continues his career.”

“Coach Fizdale worked tirelessly to achieve on-court success, and for that, we are grateful. We wish him and his family all the best in the future,” Grizzlies Controlling Owner Robert J. Pera said. “We remain focused on achieving sustainable, long-term success.”

Before joining the Grizzlies as associate head coach in June 2016, Bickerstaff served five seasons (2011-16) with the Houston Rockets, originally as an assistant coach and then as interim head coach, guiding the Rockets to a 37-34 record (.521) to close the 2015-16 season with a berth in the 2016 NBA Playoffs. His previous NBA coaching experience also includes four seasons (2007-11) as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves and three seasons (2004-07) as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats under his father, Bernie Bickerstaff.

Steve ‘Snapper’ Jones has died

Steve “Snapper” Jones, former Portland Trail Blazers player, team announcer and later NBA broadcaster, has passed away in Houston at age 75. Family members and friends confirmed Jones’ death this evening following a lengthy illness. Funeral services will be announced soon by the Jones family.

Jones played 64 games in a Trail Blazers uniform during the 1975-76 season, averaging 6.5 points per game in what would be his final year as a player. He was acquired by the Trail Blazers in October of 1975 for a sixth-round draft pick from the Golden State Warriors. The bulk of his pro career was spent in the American Basketball Association (ABA) where Jones was a three-time ABA All-Star and played for five franchises, including the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Rockets (now Nuggets) – both now teams in the NBA. His nine-year ABA/NBA pro career spanned 704 games, with an impressive 15.2 points per game average.

In more recent years, Jones carved a successful career as an NBA broadcaster, including providing color commentary for CBS Television when the Trail Blazers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to win the 1977 NBA Championship. His broadcasting resume included work for ESPN/ABC, TBS, TNT, Fox Sports Net, USA Network and NBC, where he was an analyst for the “NBA on NBC” for more than a decade. Jones was also part of numerous Trail Blazers broadcasting tandems, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honoree Bill Schonely.

“Steve was as positive and good-natured a broadcasting partner as I could have had,” said Schonely of Jones, who would be a broadcasting fixture with the Trail Blazers for 26 years. “He loved to call me ‘Pops’ as a nickname, and we worked very well together on Trail Blazers games during some of the early years of the franchise. He was a terrific guy.”

In March 2012, Jones was honored at center court of the then Rose Garden arena (now Moda Center) by the Trail Blazers for his years of service to the franchise as a player and broadcaster. Among his Trail Blazers broadcasting partners along with Schonely were Pat Lafferty, Pete Pranica, Mike Rice and Mike Barrett. Jones moved to Houston in 2008 where he resided until his death.

As a collegiate player, Jones played for the University of Oregon from 1961-64, leading the team in scoring during the 1963-64 season. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, but raised in Portland, Jones was a standout player locally at Franklin High School, leading his squad to an Oregon state championship in 1959. His younger brother Nick Jones, also a highly-touted player at Franklin and later Oregon, played for the Golden State Warriors and was a member of the Trail Blazers Community Relations staff for several years.

Al Horford dishes 10 assists, Celtics beat Magic

Celtics basketball is a beautiful thing this season. And the magic continued, err, against the Magic. Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the outcome of Friday’s matchup:

Before Friday’s visit to play the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel offered high praise for Boston big man Al Horford, calling him maybe the “most underrated guy in the league.” Then, his poor Magic team got a reminder of why Horford earned those plaudits.

Horford matched a career high by dishing out 10 assists, seven of which came in the first quarter, as the Celtics bucked their season-long trend of slow starts during a 118-103 triumph over the Magic at TD Garden.

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 30 points over just 25 minutes, and Terry Rozier snapped out of a recent shooting funk to score a career-best 23 points off the bench. But it was Horford who set the tone after Celtics coach Brad Stevens subtly reminded his team that ball movement would be key to Boston’s avoiding the first-half lulls that plagued the Celtics even during their recent 16-game winning streak.

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