Category: General NBA insight

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed forward Jarvis Varnado for the remainder of the season.

Varnado was previously signed by the HEAT to a 10-day contract on January 9 and then was re-signed to a second 10-day contract on January 20. He has appeared in two games with Miami, both victories, totaling two points and two blocks in 12 minutes of action while shooting 1-of-2 from the field.

Varnado was signed earlier this season by Boston on December 14 and appeared in five games with the Celtics totaling six points, three rebounds, one assist and a steal in 18 minutes while shooting 2-of-4 from the field before being waived on January 6. He previously played in 10 games (all starts) earlier this season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League and averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.90 blocks, 1.4 assists and 30.5 minutes while shooting 55.7 percent from the field.

Varnado was originally signed by Miami on September 7 and waived on October 26 after appearing in two games (one start) on the HEAT’s 2012 Summer League team tallying four points, seven rebounds, one steal and a block in 30:07 minutes of action.

Boston Celtics star point guard Rajon Rondo has torn his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the rest of the season.

The team made the announcement during Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat. The Celtics had lost six in a row heading into the nationally televised game despite back-to-back triple-doubles by the point guard who had been elected to start for the East in the Feb. 17 All-Star game in Houston.

Rondo injured his knee in Friday night’s double-overtime loss in Atlanta, a game in which the Celtics blew a 27-point lead. He reported to the TD Garden on Sunday for a pregame shootaround but was taken to a hospital after complaining of knee pain.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kirk Hinrich insisted his shot has felt good all season.

The Chicago Bulls guard was averaging only 6.5 points per game but broke loose for a season-high 25 in a 103-87 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

Hinrich made six of his seven 3-point attempts for the Bulls in their third straight victory. He was scoreless in his previous game Wednesday against the Pistons after he scored a season-high 22 points Monday against the Lakers.

”The guys set me up with some great plays,” Hinrich said. ”I was hitting shots and they just kept finding me.”

Nate Robinson added 22 points off the bench for Chicago.

All-Star forward David Lee scored 23 points and Stephen Curry added 21 for Golden State, which shot 34.6 percent from the field. The Warriors had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Jimmy Butler had 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds while starting in place of Bulls All-Star Luol Deng, who missed his fourth consecutive game due to a right hamstring injury…

Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, the Bulls’ other All-Star selection, also finished with double-doubles. Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Noah had 14 points and 16 rebounds.

— Reported by the Associated Press

The Miami Heat will be in suits and ties when they visit the White House on Monday. Unless, of course, someone invites them to play some ball.

After all, President Barack Obama does enjoy some pickup games.

”Everybody will bring their shoes – just in case,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The basketball-fan-in-chief will be providing his personal congratulations to the Heat on Monday, when the team picks up one of the traditional perks of winning a championship. Miami will fly to Washington after playing in Boston on Sunday night, then remain in the city for parts of two days before heading back north for a game in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

”I’ve never been to the White House,” Heat forward Mike Miller said. ”It’ll definitely be an interesting experience that I’ve always wanted to do.”

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard said on Wednesday that things will be different now, adding that he plans to take more responsibility for the team’s success, according to an ESPNLosAngeles.com report.

“I think this will be the start of a new season for us tonight,” Howard said Wednesday morning, according to the report. “Hopefully our effort and energy is where it needs to be tonight. But, it starts with me. I have to bring it.

“I just think it will be different. Our mentality might be a little bit different.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

The Miami HEAT announced today that center Dexter Pittman has been recalled from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. He was assigned to the HEAT’s D-League affiliate on December 26.

Pittman appeared in 10 games (seven starts) and averaged 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.90 blocks, 1.20 steals and 25.1 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. He posted four double-doubles and was named to the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase Second Team. In his last game on January 15 vs. Santa Cruz, he posted a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double while blocking six shots in the 99-83 win.

Pittman will rejoin the HEAT and be available for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the Rockets bringing a three-game losing streak into Tuesday’s game against the Clipper, forward Patrick Patterson returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 14, his last game before missing seven with a bruised right foot.

He moved back in as a starter in time for a stretch of games against Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki and David West, and was happy with the assignment.

“I’m happy and excited to finally get my starting spot back,” Patterson said. “I’ve been wanting it since I first came back, but we were in a groove with Marcus in the starting lineup. Coach said he would put me back in the starting lineup so I’m definitely happy. Of course I feel better than coming off the bench, but as long as I’m playing I’m happy overall.”

— Reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle Blog

Santa Cruz Warriors guard Travis Leslie has been named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in Nov. and Dec. The honor, the first of the 2012-13 season, is also the first of Leslie’s NBA D-League career.

Leslie (6-4, 205, Georgia) led Santa Cruz to an 8-2 record during Nov. and Dec., averaging 16.4 points while shooting 55 percent from the floor to go with 7.9 rebounds. He scored in double figures in all ten games, including two 20-plus point performances.

Fifteen additional players earned honorable mention accolades, they include: Austin’s Cory Joseph, Bakersfield’s Renaldo Major, Canton’s Arinze Onuaku, Erie’s DJ Kennedy, Fort Wayne’s Tony Mitchell, Idaho’s Justin Holiday, Iowa’s Paul Harris, Los Angeles’ Courtney Fortson, Maine’s Micah Downs, Reno’s Marcus Landry, Rio Grande Valley’s Tim Ohlbrecht, Sioux Falls’ Andrew Goudelock (now playing with the Vipers), Springfield’s James Mays, Texas’ Darius Rice and Tulsa’s Jeremy Lamb.

Here is what the elevators look like at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics arena. Photo taken by InsideHoops.com.

The Boston Celtics have re-assigned rookie forward Kris Joseph to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 95 th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while Joseph is one of a record 46 NBA players to have been assigned this season.

Joseph (6-7, 210, Syracuse) has appeared in six games for Boston this season, averaging 1.2 points and 4.0 minutes. In eight games over four previous assignments to the Red Claws, Joseph averaged 19.5 points and 6.1 rebounds.

Joseph is expected to be in Maine today and available to play when the Red Claws host the Erie BayHawks at 7 p.m. ET.