NBA All-Star blog – Page 18 – NBA Blog

NBA changing All-Star ballot, combining forwards and centers

The NBA is finally doing something about the Duncan Dilemma.

The league will announce Wednesday a change to its All-Star ballot that will, for the first time, allow fans to vote for three undefined “frontcourt” players instead of having to vote for two forwards and a center. With more and more teams playing smaller than in the past, the definition of “center” was becoming increasingly difficult — not to mention finding enough quality big men for whom to vote.

For years, for example, the Spurs have listed Tim Duncan as a power forward, even though everyone on earth knew he was their starting center. And so when it came to All-Star balloting, Duncan would take up a forward spot in a very crowded field of Western Conference stars instead of his logical spot in the middle. This was good for Duncan, who surely would have made his 13 All-Star teams anyway, but it often cost another forward a shot.

— Reported by David Aldridge of TNT/NBA.com

Cavs owner wants NBA All-Star game in Cleveland

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants to bring the NBA All-Star game back to Cleveland.

Gilbert, who opened his new downtown casino Monday, said he plans to approach the league about hosting a future All-Star weekend. He hopes Cleveland would be able to get one “in the next few years.” The city last hosted the mid-season event in 1997, when the league celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Gilbert said Cleveland is again poised to hold such an event because of his casino as well as a downtown convention center under construction.

— Reported by Tom Withers of the Associated Press

2014 NBA All-Star weekend host city will be New Orleans

New Orleans is slated to host the 63rd NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 16, 2014, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner David Stern.

The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at New Orleans Arena, home of the Hornets, pending the completion of arena and hotel agreements. This will mark the second time that NBA All-Star will be hosted in New Orleans, having previously been held in the “Crescent City” in 2008.

“There is no better place to celebrate and showcase the NBA than in New Orleans, a city with a rich tradition of hosting major events that is second-to-none,” said Stern. “Our 2008 NBA All-Star festivities proved a terrific experience for everyone involved, and we anticipate 2014 will be even better.”

A weeklong celebration, NBA All-Star showcases NBA players’ passion for basketball, engagement with fans, commitment to community and respect for the history and tradition of the game.

“I have always taken great pride in our city hosting Super Bowls. I don’t think any city does it better than New Orleans,” said Tom Benson. “With the NBA, we get the unique opportunity from time to time to host the NBA All-Star Game, which has proven to be one of the highlights of the NBA season and will be a highlight for our city in 2014. I thank Commissioner Stern for making this announcement today and once again proving how much he believes in the city of New Orleans. In February 2013, we will host the Super Bowl. In February 2014, we will host the NBA All-Star Game. The city of New Orleans is the place to be. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact will be generated for our region in these back-to-back February events. We could not be more pleased.”

The 2014 All-Star Game will mark the 30th year that Turner Sports will provide NBA All-Star coverage, and the 12th consecutive year the All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT. The All-Star Game will be seen by a worldwide television audience in more than 200 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.

“The addition of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game is part of an unprecedented run of major sporting events for New Orleans. It started with the 2012 BCS Championship, which was followed by the 2012 Final Four just three months later,” said Governor Bobby Jindal. “In 2013, we will host the Super Bowl and the NCAA Women’s Final Four. No city in America has attracted such a string of major sporting events in such a short period of time. This proves that Louisiana continues to be a world class destination for major events. These events will generate millions in economic return for the city and state, provide thousands of jobs for our citizens and provide immeasurable national and international publicity for our great state.”

“We are pleased to add the 2014 NBA All-Star Game to an already unprecedented lineup of international events being hosted in the city,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “Commissioner Stern and the NBA have been unbelievable partners for New Orleans. NBA All-Star 2014 will once again put New Orleans on the world stage and give us an opportunity to showcase our city’s comeback.”

NBA All-Star competitions will get underway on Friday, Feb. 14, as the league’s top rookies and second-year players square off in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. The following day’s festivities will feature NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, an all-inclusive skills showcase comprised of Haier Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, and NBA legends; Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, a longstanding staple of the evening; and the high-flying Sprite Slam Dunk contest. Sunday’s slate of activities will also feature the Sprint Pre-game Concert before the 63rd NBA All-Star Game tips off.

In 2008, more than 2,500 people who attended NBA All-Star rolled up their sleeves and participated in the inaugural All-Star Day of Service. Ten service projects were conducted across New Orleans on Feb. 15, which was at the time the largest single-day effort by the NBA family in its ongoing support in rebuilding the city. The 2008 Day of Service highlighted a weeklong schedule of community events, with NBA All-Stars and participants, former players, NBA business and media partners, and guests coming together to give back to several thousand New Orleans-area residents.

LeBron James captured All-Star MVP honors in a 134-128 victory for the Eastern Conference when New Orleans played host in 2008. James tallied 27 points, including a thunderous drive-and-dunk in the final minute, to secure the award. Ray Allen added 28 points for the East, while the West was paced by 18 points apiece from Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Brandon Roy.

The NBA will continue to celebrate its tradition and commitment to social responsibility during NBA All-Star 2014 with a full schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local nonprofit organizations in New Orleans and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

One of the week’s most popular attractions, NBA All-Star Jam Session, the world’s largest interactive basketball theme park, will be held at The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. At Jam Session, fans can have the once-in-a-lifetime experience of participating in NBA All-Star excitement, with the chance to meet and collect free autographs from NBA players and legends. Jam Session is nonstop basketball action, as fans can shoot, slam, dribble and drive all day; compete against their friends in skills challenges; or get basketball tips from NBA players and legends. Young fans can hang out at Kids Zone, with hoops and interactive activities that are the perfect size for kids’ slam dunks, three-pointers and jump shots. For fans who want NBA entertainment, Jam Session features the NBA’s favorite players, mascots, dance teams and celebrities as they hit Center Court in a variety of basketball competitions, including NBA All-Star Practice and the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Kobe Bryant suffers broken nose in 2012 NBA All-Star game

Kobe Bryant

Competitive.

Kobe Bryant added another milestone to his career Sunday as he passed Michael Jordan to become the all-time-leading NBA All-Star game scorer.

But did it come at a price?

Bryant skipped a postgame media session after his 27-point performance, and was taken for further evaluation after he said he was “experiencing headaches.” The Lakers announced later that Bryant had suffered a nasal fracture and would be reevaluated Monday after he returned to Los Angeles by an ear, nose and throat specialist.

It’s believed Bryant was injured with 8 minutes 48 seconds to play in the third quarter when he received a hard foul from Dwyane Wade. Bryant sank the first free throw then went to the bench to have a trainer look at his bloody nose. He returned and made the second free throw.

About four minutes later he beat Jordan’s mark of 262 points on a breakaway slam off a pass from Kevin Durant. Bryant, who also played more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter, had 271 career points by game’s end.

— Reported by John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times

Read NBA fan reaction and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Kevin Durant says winning All-Star MVP was a childhood dream

Kevin Durant

Makes it rain

Kevin Durant cringes a little whenever he hears his name next to words like elite or superstar.

But after winning his first All-Star MVP award with a scoring display that ranked among the best in the game’s history, even Durant might have to acknowledge his own NBA stardom.

The Oklahoma City Thunder forward scored 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds Sunday night to help the West hold off a late charge from the East in a 152-149 victory.

“It’s just exciting to be named (an) All-Star, but to step it up another level and become MVP, it’s only something as a kid you dream about,” Durant said. “Coming from where I come from, I didn’t think I would be here. Everything is just a blessing to me.”

His performance was a small piece of All-Star redemption for Durant after he came up just short against Minnesota’s Kevin Love in Saturday night’s 3-point Shootout.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Lockout-shortened NBA schedule taking a toll on players

Among the 24 players selected to play in Sunday night’s All-Star Game at the Amway Center, 11 were sidelined with injuries at some point during the first half of the season.

Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson was unable to play Sunday night because of tendinitis in his left knee, replaced by Boston’s Rajon Rondo, who missed eight games earlier this season with a wrist injury.

“Basically, every week there’s four games and that’s a lot of wear and tear, but at the same time you have to be smart with your eating habits and put in the right fluids,’’ Anthony said.

Injuries are not only disrupting the plans of contending teams, but it has impacted rebuilding franchises like the Hornets.

— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune

A few greats missing from 2012 All-Star game

When the 61st annual all-star game is played on Sunday, it’ll have a very unfamiliar feel about it.

For the East, no Kevin Garnett.

Out West, no Tim Duncan.

The future Hall of Famers were not voted in by the fans or the coaches, ending more than a decade in which the two were mainstays during all-star weekend.

If ever there was an indication of how the torch of NBA greats has been passed, this weekend only strengthens that position.

Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant are the only all-stars this weekend having been selected to 10 or more all-star games.

— Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England (Blog)

Dirk Nowitzki discusses this NBA season’s crowded schedule

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowtizki is a member of the 2012 Western conference All-Star team. The NBA champion spoke with reporters in Orlando at NBA All-Star weekend about this season’s crowded schedule:

Question: With all the injuries in the NBA this year, how much do you attribute to the fact that there’s so many games coming so fast?

Dirk Nowitzki: Yeah, we knew that coming in that the schedule was a monster. It was everyone’s fault. It was the players’ fault, it was the NBA’s fault. We knew this was coming for two years and we didn’t do anything about it, so now we have to deal with this shortened season and just play a lot of games. We’ve got nine games in 12 games coming out of the break, which is a ridiculous number of games. But we’ve just got to deal with it and go from there. We’ve just got to fight through it. We knew coming in it was going to be bad, but you’ve just got to deal with it.

Question: Will we see more teams do what the Spurs did the other day and sit Parker and Duncan?

Nowitzki: We have obviously an older team, and we have a tough stretch coming up. We have games back to back to back, so I doubt J Kidd or some of those guys are going to play all nine games in 12 days. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. But we’ve got to fight through it, hopefully get some of our bodies back. I don’t know how Roddy is doing, hopefully get him back soon. I don’t know how long D-West is going to be out, but we’re going to need every healthy body and get through this tough stretch.

Rajon Rondo discusses Jeremy Lin, and being an All-Star

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo is an Orlando right now as a member of the Eastern conference All-Star team. He was just recently named a replacement for injured Hawks guard Joe Johnson. Here are a few quick words from Rondo with reporters at All-Star weekend:

Question: What have been your impressions of Jeremy Lin?

Rajon Rondo: He’s worked hard. A lot of people doubt him. I think he’s a product of hard work, and now it’s paying off. He seems like a pretty humble guy. He seems like a good guy. He’s going to be here for a long time.

Question: Sitting here right now, has this kind of been the craziest three days you’ve had in the league?

Rondo: Yeah, it’s been jam packed, really, my schedule. I’ve changed my schedule completely. I didn’t expect to be here. I actually found out on my birthday. It was a good birthday present. I had to go back home and pack and I had to try to get a ticket situation going and a hotel room, who was coming, who wasn’t coming. But I’m glad I’m here, and this has been the quietest All Star I’ve had as far as people coming in. I’ve usually had about 20 people come in, but now it’s about five or six.

Steve Nash remains committed to Suns

Steve Nash

Likeable

Nash’s eighth All-Star trip at age 38 is remarkable as the oldest All-Star point guard — ever. But with a 14-20 Suns team, the interest in Nash’s career is what comes next in July free agency and speculation about the March 15 trade deadline.

“It’s up to the team,” Nash said. “I’m happy where I am. I’m not happy with our record. I feel like I made a commitment to the fans and my teammates. But at the same time, I’d understand if the team wanted to make a move, so I’m completely open. To be honest, I just occupy myself with trying to prepare to play and play as well as I can.”

The Suns have made it clear that he would not be traded unless he asked for it. That is not in Nash’s nature.

“I feel like it’s a difficult position for me to demand a trade when I’ve been a part of that community for so long,” Nash said in his 10th Suns season. “I really feel like I owe it to my teammates to do the best I can for the group. I don’t feel like I should be demanding anything.”

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic