Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

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.

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.

Sam Cassell talks Knicks

NY Newsday (Ken Berger) reports Sam Cassell discussing the Knicks: “New York fans are far from fair-weather fans, but if you don’t play hard for them …” Cassell said at his locker after the Clippers wasted the listless Knicks, 103-94. Cassell didn’t finish the sentence. Didn’t have to.
“They want effort,” he said. “They want guys diving on the floor for loose balls like the early ‘90s. They want guys getting at it, making it a tough basketball game. That’s what New York is all about – battling, like the Giants in the playoffs. But when they don’t see that, they tend to get discouraged. Tickets are very expensive in New York. If you’re paying $1,000 a seat, you want to see effort every night.” “They’ve got Isiah over there, their best three guys played, it pays well,” Cassell said. “Damn, what more you want? You’re playing in New York City. Damn, I wish was like eight years younger and had the opportunity to come to New York to play. Shoot, every night to play in the Garden? Damn, there’s no place like it.”

Wizards-Lakers team connections

Wizards forward Caron Butler was a Laker for one season in 2004-05…Butler averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 77 games for Los Angeles, but was dealt to Washington with Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit prior to the 2005-06 season…Butler and Lamar Odom were teammates in Miami and were dealt together from the Heat to the Lakers in the trade that brought Shaquille O’Neal to Miami…Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson and Lakers guard Trevor Ariza were teammates in Orlando in 2005-06…Antonio Daniels and Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic were teammates in Seattle from 2003-05…Lakers forward Luke Walton and Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas were collegiate teammates at the University of Arizona.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan discusses the team

Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan at practice today:

On tomorrow’s game: “I am looking forward to tomorrow’s game to see how disciplined we will be in the first five or six minutes. We need to have a good tempo, manage the game properly, and try to get good looks. We can make adjustments after that.”

On the Utah Jazz: “We have one of the best executing teams in the league coming in. They are very physical and are one of the best coached teams in the league. They are one of the best teams in the West. They may not have the glamour like some of the others, but they get the job done. They are very good.”

On Dominic McGuire: “He is beginning to do what he does best. He isn’t getting out of the realm of his strengths. He comes off the bench and gives us good energy. He is going to get offensive rebounds, run the floor, get deflections and tip-ins, and defend well. He is a good sized athlete that we like to have on this team. Every good team in the league has this sort of guy. He can probably cover three or four positions.”

On Caron Butler: “We are going to see him in shootaround tomorrow. We’ll go about an hour, run the offense and get into a four or five minute segment of live action. We’ll see how he reacts after that.”

On Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison possibly being named All-Stars tonight: “I hope. I don’t know. I would think Caron (Butler) is a shoe-in and Antawn (Jamison) has a very good chance. Anything can happen though. I am hoping they both make it.”

On the team: “It is a combination of both good front office and good coaching. We are picking and developing the players well. Ernie (Grunfeld) has done an excellent job of acquiring guys such as Antawn (Jamison), Gilbert (Arenas) and Caron (Butler). I think our coaching staff has done a good job putting them in situations where they can be highly successful and develop them at the same time. It is a combination of the entire organization doing a good job. That is what this league is all about.”

Canada coach says Steve Nash hasn’t ruled out summer play

Fiba.com reports: Canada coach Leo Rautins revealed on Thursday that NBA superstar Steve Nash has not ruled out playing for the national team this summer. The Phoenix Suns all-star led Canada at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but last played for his country at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2003. Rautins, after learning that Canada had been drawn with Korea and Slovenia in Group C for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, said Nash, a two-time NBA MVP, could still play. “You are always hoping he (Nash) will play but I’m preparing as if he’s not,” Rautins said to FIBA.Com.

Bobcats to sign Earl Boykins

The Charlotte Observer reports: The Charlotte Bobcats have come to terms with a free-agent point guard Earl Boykins and an announcement of his signing is expected later today, the Observer has learned. Boykins, who played for Denver and Milwaukee last season, is somewhat undersized at 5-foot-5 but has been a dynamic scorer.

Discuss this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball forum.

Al Thornton flashes of stardom

NBA.com reports: If pressed to summarize Al Thornton’s rookie season the word to use would probably be inconsistent. But if you were to describe his performance on Wednesday, terms like magnificent, amazing and phenomenal would come to mind. The rookie out of Florida State put together his best night of the season as he notched a career-best 33 points to power the Clippers past the Hawks. With L.A. clinging on to a three-point lead and 14.9 seconds left on the clock, Thornton rejected a driving layup by fellow first-year player Acie Law to seal the deal.

Biedrins is a difference-maker

NBA.com reports: Andris Biedrins may not have had the best numbers on Wednesday, but he certainly made a big difference off the bench in a big win for the Warriors. Biedrins poured in 14 points on a scorching 6-of-7 night from the field to power the Warriors past the Hornets, ending their nine-game winning streak. The defeat snapped two additional streaks for the Hornets. They were previously 20-0 when scoring at least 100 points and 15-0 when Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler had double-doubles in the same game.

Can’t stop the King: LeBron rises when it counts against the Blazers

NBA.com reports: They knew what was coming, but weren’t even close to stopping it. With the Cavs down by one and 4.9 ticks left, Cleveland sent its inbounds pass to LeBron James, who demonstrated why he is truly the king of the clutch. James blasted past the defending Brandon Roy, seeped through LaMarcus Aldridge and went around the extended arms of Travis Outlaw to drain a game-winning last-second layup to give the Cavs a thrilling road triumph over the Blazers. It was the finishing touch to a 17-point fourth quarter for the King, who brought the Cavs back from an 11-point final-period deficit. “We stepped up too late,” Roy said of Portland’s defense on LeBron’s final drive. “Once he got to into the paint we didn’t want to foul him so a couple of guys shied away. We’ve got to force him into a jump shot in that situation.” Cleveland has now won five straight games on the road, its longest streak since April 1998.