Inside Hoops – Page 685 – NBA Blog

Timberwolves defense needs serious improvement

The Timberwolves are off to a 3-7 start this season. Too early to panic, especially with a new coach in charge and changes that will materialize in the weeks to come. But a few things are clear: their offense looks very good, while Wolves defense needs big improvement. Here’s the St Paul Pioneer Press reporting:

Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau has acknowledged Minnesota’s offense is further along than he thought it would be. The Timberwolves are fourth in the NBA in offensive efficiency and shooting a league-best 42 percent from three-point range.

“The issue,” he said, “is our defense — and the commitment to being consistent with it.”

Among 30 NBA teams, the Timberwolves are tied for 28th in defensive efficiency. Opponents are shooting 48.1 percent from the field, the worst mark in the NBA — and that includes a 116-80 victory over Memphis for which the Grizzlies rested its best players. Both of those numbers are worse than where Minnesota finished last season.

None of that lines up with the Tom Thibodeau way. The Wolves coach has churned out top-five defenses at every stop, from his work as an assistant in Houston and Boston to his recent head coaching tenure in Chicago. This offseason, 60 percent of NBA general managers voted Thibodeau as the coach with the best defensive schemes. Defense is his trademark.

Chris Paul had Lasik eye surgery this summer

Chris Paul and the Clippers are off to an incredible start this season. And CP3’s shot has been fantastic. Here’s the LA Times with some insight:

When it comes to Paul’s early season shooting numbers — which, even for him, are standing out — the 31-year-old point guard may have an explanation.

“My brother sent me a text the other day saying my percentage is up because of my Lasik eye surgery,” Paul said at the Clippers’ practice facility on Wednesday. “I was laughing, but my doctor did the surgery, who was amazing by the way, his other clients he said their percentages actually went up the next season.”

Paul, who had the surgery this summer, is fitting that unofficial trend through 11 games. He is shooting 47.3% from three-point range, nearly 11 percentage points higher than his career average. He has been the league’s most efficient pull-up jump shooter. In a 32-point win over the Nets on Monday, he made eight of 11 shots and canned four of six three-point attempts.

Justin Holiday a pleasant surprise for Knicks

Here’s NY Newsday reporting on a Knick who is turning some heads in NYC:

Justin Holiday is proving to be more than just a player who was put in the Derrick Rose trade to make the salaries match up.

Holiday, who scored 16 points and helped spark the Knicks’ win over the Mavericks Monday, has become one of Jeff Hornacek’s most entrusted players on both ends of the floor.

“Guys earn opportunities,” Hornacek said. “What Justin has done is he’s doing everything right. We’re not having to tell him two, three times how to guard something. Tell him once and he does it. He’s got great, especially on the defensive end, concepts of where he should be.”

Wizards assign Danuel House to D-League

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that forward Danuel House has been assigned to the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule.

House has appeared in one game this season for Washington. He was originally signed as a free agent by the Wizards on July 15, 2016.

Nuggets sign Alonzo Gee

The Denver Nuggets have signed forward Alonzo Gee, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Gee, 6-6, 225, is a seven-year NBA veteran who has appeared in 404 career games (213 starts) for Washington, San Antonio, Cleveland, Denver, Portland and New Orleans. He owns career averages of 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.2 minutes per game. He played in 39 games for the Nuggets during the 2014-15 campaign, averaging 4.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13.1 minutes. He most recently played for the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2015-16 season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 73 games (38 starts).

The Nuggets roster stands at 15 players.

Spurs will retire Tim Duncan jersey on December 18

The San Antonio Spurs will retire Tim Duncan’s No. 21 jersey on Sunday, Dec. 18 when the team hosts the New Orleans Pelicans at 6 p.m. CST.

Duncan will become the eighth Spurs player in franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters, joining Bruce Bowen (12), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), Avery Johnson (6), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and James Silas (13).

Originally selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan guided San Antonio to five NBA championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular-season record, giving the team a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over that time. He helped the Spurs reach the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons and became the only player in league history to start and win a title in three different decades. The Silver and Black won at least 50 games in his last 17 seasons, the longest streak in league history, and posted at least a .600 winning percentage in each of Duncan’s 19 seasons, an all-time record for most consecutive seasons with a .600 win percentage in the four major U.S. sports.

In his final season with the Silver and Black, Duncan became just the third player in league history to reach 1,000 career wins, as well as the only player to reach 1,000 wins with one team. He helped the Spurs to a franchise-best 67-15 record and also became one of two players in NBA history to record at least 26,000 points, 15,000 rebounds and 3,000 blocks in his career (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
Duncan totaled 15 All-NBA Team selections (tied for most all-time) and 15 NBA All-Defensive Team honors (most all-time), garnering both honors in the same season 15 times, the most in league history. The 1998 Rookie of the Year was named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005).
In his NBA career, the 15-time All-Star appeared in a total of 1,392 games and averaged 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 blocks in 34.0 minutes. He shot .506 (10,285-20,334) from the floor and .696 (5,896-8,468) from the free throw line.
The Wake Forest graduate is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in total points (26,496), rebounds (15,091), blocked shots (3,020), minutes (47,368) and games played (1,392), as well as third in assists (4,225). In NBA history, Duncan is fifth all-time in double-doubles (841) and blocks, sixth in rebounding and 14th in scoring.
As the only player in NBA history to play over 9,000 career minutes in the playoffs, Duncan ranks first all-time in postseason double-doubles (164) and blocks (568), third in rebounds (2,859) and sixth in points (5,172). For his career, Duncan appeared in 251 postseason contests (second all-time) and averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.3 minutes while shooting .501 (1,975-3,939) from the field.

Along with teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Duncan is part of the NBA record for most wins by a trio in both the regular season (575) and postseason (126). Duncan and Gregg Popovich have the most wins by a player-coach duo in NBA history (1,001) and the Spurs forward finished his career in San Antonio as one of just three players in NBA history, along with John Stockton and Kobe Bryant, to spend 19 seasons with one franchise.

Brandan Wright undergoes ankle surgery

Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright underwent a successful arthroscopic debridement of his left ankle Tuesday afternoon after non-surgical interventions failed to eliminate his posterior tibialis tendinopathy.

Translation: His ankle was messed up, and surgery wound up being the best option.

The procedure was performed at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis and Wright will begin rehabilitation in Memphis immediately.

The 6-10, 230-pound forward/center has been sidelined for all 10 of the team’s regular season games this season and last appeared in the Oct. 6 preseason contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

Al Horford taking a while to recover from concussion

We often hear that about NBA players suffering “concussion-like symptoms,” and perhaps being diagnosed with an actual concussion, and missing a game or two, and then returning to action. But new Celtics big-man Al Horford took a serious hit, and he’s still recovering. Here’s WEEI reporting:

The waiting game continues for Al Horford and the Celtics.

The big man is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and said after practice Tuesday that he’s not sure when he might play again.

Horford suffered the concussion when he was accidentally struck by a teammate at practice on Oct. 31. There was a glimmer of hope when he traveled with the team on the two-game trip through Indiana and New Orleans. But on Tuesday, following a light workout, he told reporters that he’s just not ready.

“I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.”

Nuggets waive Jarnell Stokes

The Denver Nuggets have waived F/C Jarnell Stokes, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Stokes, 6-9, 263, signed with Denver on Sept. 15, 2016, appearing in two games and averaging 1.5 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 3.5 minutes. The third-year big man has appeared in a total of 28 career games (two starts) for Memphis, Miami and Denver, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game. He joined Denver after being named MVP of the D-League and leading the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a championship during the 2015-16 season.

Cory Jefferson now on Austin Spurs in D-League

The Austin Spurs (D-League) have acquired Cory Jefferson. Austin acquired the returning player rights of Jefferson from Northern Arizona in exchange for Austin’s own 2017 NBA D-League first round draft pick. Additional roster moves prior to tomorrow’s home opener include activating Jeff Ledbetter, and moving Danny Stewart and Alexis Wangmene to inactive status.

Jefferson (6-9, 218) was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, and later traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He played in 50 games for the Nets averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes of play. Jefferson’s professional career includes stops in the NBA D-League with the Maine Red Claws (2015) and the Bakersfield Jam (2016), and six games with the Phoenix Suns during the 2015-16 season where he averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds. Collegiately, he played four years for the Baylor Bears averaging 8.9 points and 5.6 assists.

Jefferson will wear jersey no. 40 when Austin opens the season tomorrow afternoon against the Oklahoma City Blue at 3 p.m. at Cedar Park Center.