Inside Hoops – Page 984 – NBA Blog

Pelicans sign Gal Mekel

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Gal Mekel. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mekel, 6-3, 191, appeared in 31 games (one start) last season with the Dallas Mavericks, posting averages of 2.4 points and 2.0 assists. Mekel appeared in all eight of Dallas’ 2014 preseason games (two starts), averaging 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mekel spent five years playing professionally in Israel, winning two Israeli Super League championships with Hapoel Gilboa Galil in 2010 and Maccabi Haifa in 2013, as well as being named the 2009 Israeli Super League Rising Star and winning the league MVP award twice (2011, 2013). Before starting his professional career, the Israeli native played two seasons at Wichita State University from 2006-08.

Mekel will wear #24 and will be available for New Orleans’ game tomorrow night in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

New Orleans’ roster now stands at 15.

Sixers sign Malcolm Lee, waive Drew Gordon

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today the team has signed free agent guard Malcolm Lee from its NBA Development League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers. He is the ninth D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2014-15 NBA Development League season.

Lee has appeared in four games with three starts for the Sevens this season. He also saw action in three games for the Sixers this preseason.

Lee was originally the 43rd overall pick by Chicago in the 2011 NBA Draft following his junior season at UCLA. He spent both of his NBA seasons (2011-12 and 2012-13) with Minnesota.

In a related move, the Sixers waived Drew Gordon.

Jeremy Lin still finding his place in Lakers offense

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin, who like most of his teammates is still adjusting to what should be a tough run all season long:

What label to use for Lin from night to night has pinballed: efficient, inefficient, spotty, reliable, aggressive, facilitator. In Wednesday’s loss to Washington, he was just bad, missing all 10 of his shots, including six 3-pointers, which Coach Byron Scott chalked up to an off night. It was the second time he has been held scoreless this season.

But there are issues, bigger issues. Namely, Lin still isn’t particularly comfortable in the Lakers’ offense.

However, it was not entirely unexpected that this marriage between the offensively minded Lin and the Lakers, whose new offense features a two-guard front, would take some work.

“Houston was the ideal system for me,” Lin said earlier this week, “personally as a player in terms of spreading the floor, running and making plays and having guys with a lot of space, stretch fours. That’s the ideal system, but that’s not what we have here.”

Brandon Jennings says Pistons lack energy

The Detroit Pistons are a miserable 3-16 this season. There’s much work to be done, and while roster changes are needed, there are some talented pieces on this squad. Flawed pieces, that don’t fit too well together. Still, the Pistons as they stand now should be better than this. Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

“It starts with our energy,” Jennings said. “We’ve got to start running up and down the court. If we don’t have no energy, we’re not going to be able to get in our sets and run our sets hard.”

Jennings cited three major problems with the Pistons’ offense: Slow tempo, late screeners, and lack of movement away from pick-and-roll action.

“There’s a lot of times when I’m coming off (a screen) and I just have to throw the pass back to Josh and then we’ll just play like a two-man game or something,” Jennings said. “Nobody’s really cutting. I think we need to be a better cutting team.”

The Pistons (3-16) average 91.9 possessions per 48 minutes, sixth-fewest in the league. They have played six of the seven fastest-paced teams in the league, lost all of those games, and will play the other such team Saturday when they host the Philadelphia 76ers (1-17), who play the league’s second-fastest pace, 97.7 possessions per 48 minutes.

Blazers set some season lows in win over Pacers

A win is a win, right? That’s what they say. Some wins are pretty, others not so much. And the opponent? Can’t fault the winning team for beating the opponent they were required to face. Here’s the Oregonian reporting on Portland’s win Thursday:

The Portland Trail Blazers set season lows in a handful of offensive categories, but still managed to grind out an 88-82 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at the Moda Center.

The Blazers set new seasons lows for points scored (88), field goal percentage (.398) and three point field goal percentage (.190) in an ugly win over the defensive minded Pacers.

Damian Lillard led Portland with 23 points and eight rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards on a night where the Blazers never settled into an offensive rhythm.

The Blazers shooting woes never allowed them to pull away. The Portland defense held the Pacers to 39 percent shooting from the floor and forced Indiana into 17 turnovers, but never Portland largest lead was just 11 points.

Knicks fall to 4-16 for season

The New York Knicks are now 4-16 this season, one of the worst winning percentages in the league. They came close to beating the Cleveland Cavaliers at home in MSG Thursday night on national television, but fell just short. The struggle is real. Here’s the New York Post with more:

Carmelo Anthony had one of his worst nights with the Knicks, and now they are off to their worst start in franchise history.

Despite getting plenty of help from his teammates, Anthony couldn’t close the deal as his miserable evening ended with a missed 3-pointer that rimmed out over LeBron James in the final seconds to seal the Cavaliers 90-87 victory at the Garden.

The Knicks fell to 4-16 — the worst record any Knicks team has had after 20 games. Anthony finished shooting 4-of-19 for nine points, scoring just two points in the second half, shut out in the fourth quarter. He also didn’t take one free throw. Incredibly, the Knicks are just two games ahead of the 1-17 Sixers in the standings.

Jersey City native Kyrie Irving starred over James (19 points, 12 assists) and Anthony. Irving finished with 37 points and hit the game-sealing bucket.

Hornets still aim to make playoffs

Despite their very disappointing start, it’s far too early for the Charlotte Hornets to give up on making the playoffs. Here’s the Charlotte Observer reporting:

In seven of the the past 10 NBA seasons, the eighth and final seed in the East finished the regular season with a losing record. On average in that span, 39 victories got a team in the East into the playoffs.

Certainly it’s plausible the Hornets win 35 of their remaining 63 games. But they have to start closing out victories and Friday’s game, against the similarly struggling New York Knicks would be a good start.

“It’s a very long season. We still have a chance to win a lot of games,” point guard Kemba Walker said. “Things haven’t been going our way, but that happens. Last season we came back and won a lot of games. It’s going to click.

“It’s not insurmountable at all. People might not see it, but we’re getting a lot better as a team. Our chemistry is coming together.”

Kevin Durant shows respect for Sixers

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer blog reporting some positive words about the 76ers from none other than Kevin Durant:

So how does Kevin Durant, the reigning NBA MVP, feel about the 1-17 Sixers?

They avoided the worst start in NBA history by posting their victory of the season, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 85-77, Wednesday night at the Target Center.

“They’ve been playing hard,” said Durant, whose Oklahoma City Thunder face the Sixers Friday night at Wells Fargo Center. “They’re a young team. We’ve been through it where it kind of tough to finish out game.

“But they’ve been in a lot of games. It’s just a matter of them finishing.”

Luol Deng dealing with hand injury

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on Miami Heat small forward Luol Deng:

Luol Deng stressed Thursday that frustration over the Miami Heat’s injury situation should not be mistaken for panic, but the team’s starting small forward indicated his hand injury likely will cause him to miss time.

The team is listing Deng as questionable with a bruised right hand. Deng said he has bone bruises on the thumb and index finger.

X-rays came back negative Wednesday, but because of ongoing swelling, a possible MRI has been delayed, leaving Deng uncertain of his timetable.

“I wish I could tell you,” he said after Thursday’s light practice at AmericanAirlines Arena, before departing with the team for a five-game trip that opens Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Magic forward Kyle O`Quinn fined for hard foul on Blake Griffin

Orlando Magic forward Kyle O’Quinn has been fined $15,000 for making excessive contact above the shoulders with Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The foul on O’Quinn, for which he was assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected, occurred with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter of the Clippers’ 114-86 win over the Magic on Dec. 3, at Staples Center.