NBA News Blog – Page 1104 – NBA Blog

Rondo added to East All-Stars, Durant added to 3-point contest

Rajon Rondo

A quick little character.

Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star guard Joe Johnson (injured left knee) of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. This is Rondo’s third All-Star Game selection.

Replacing Johnson in the Three-Point Contest is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, a 2012 NBA All-Star.

A lot of people thought Hawks forward Josh Smith would be named a replacement. Not just because he’s Johnson’s teammate. Smith is this season is averaging 16.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.13 blocks per game. Many people thought he was more worthy an All-Star than Johnson in the first place.

As for Rondo, for the season he’s putting up 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.64 steals per game, while shooting a terrific 48.5% from the field. Fantastic stats. Rondo has missed games due to both injury and suspension. But he is playing on an All-Star level.

Durant is a great addition to the three-point shootout. It’s a more interesting contest when stars are involved.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game, which will air live at 7 p.m. ET on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at Amway Center in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

Kobe Bryant sarcastically praises Shawn Marion’s defense

Kobe Bryant

Not lacking in confidence

Shawn Marion is a good defender, but Kobe Bryant wasn’t about to give the Mavericks’ defensive anchor any credit.

After the Lakers’ shootaround, Bryant held court – pulling about 20 media members away from coach Mike Brown just as Brown was getting going with his interview scrum – and his best line came when he was asked about Marion and the Mavericks’ touting Marion as a defensive player of the year candidate.

“Oh, man, I agree,” Bryant said, sporting a grin. “I think tonight they should not double me at all or zone me. Just play one on one because he’s such a terrific defender, he doesn’t need any help.”

The sarcasm was dripping.

— Reported by Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News

Nets forward Shawne Williams out for remainder of season

New Jersey Nets forward Shawne Williams underwent successful left foot surgery today to repair an old fracture and remove two small bone fragments, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. The surgery, performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan by foot specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley and Nets team orthopedist Dr. Riley Williams III, involved the insertion of three small screws to repair the fracture.

Williams will miss the remainder of the season and should make a full recovery in time for the beginning of training camp.

Williams was signed as a free agent prior to the 2011-12 season. He appeared in 25 games, averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 20.6 minutes of action per contest.

Jeremy Lin now living in swanky NY hotel

Jeremy Lin

They see him rollin’

Breakout Knick star Jeremy Lin is renting an all-inclusive, impeccably furnished pad at the W Hotel in the Financial District, sources told The Post…

[… A vast improvement] over crashing on a couch at his brother’s Lower East Side pad, which was Lin’s living situation just weeks ago.

The two-bedroom W suite comes outfitted with $30,000 to $35,000 worth of Tui Lifestyle furniture.

Rents there range from $3,600 to $8,900 a month, according to Streeteasy.com. The owner of Lin’s unit had put the two-bed, two-bath apartment up for sale for $2.315 million before renting it out.

— Reported by Jennifer Gould Keil of the New York Post

Jeremy Evans replaces Iman Shumpert in 2012 Slam Dunk contest

Jeremy Evans

Has crazy hops

The 2012 NBA Slam Dunk contest just got shaken up a bit, with one of the bright young stars unable to throw down for the weekend.

The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz forward Jeremy Evans has been added to this year’s dunk contest that will be held on Feb. 25 at Amway Center in Orlando (TNT, 6 p.m. MT). Evans joins a group of three other players in the Slam Dunk that features a series of firsts, including four first-time participants, a new single-round format in which the winner will be chosen solely by fan vote, and the introduction of fan voting via Twitter.

A 2010 second-round draft pick (55th overall) out of Western Kentucky, 61 of Evans’ 88 made shots over his first two years have been dunks, 30 of those on alley-oops. His dunk percentage of 69.3 percent is the highest in the NBA over the last two seasons. The 6-9, 194-pound high-riser owns career averages of 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Evans becomes the sixth player in Jazz history selected to participate in the event, joining Darrell Griffith (1984, 1985), Blue Edwards (1990, 1991), David Benoit (1993), Jamie Watson (1995) and DeShawn Stevenson (2001).

In addition to Evans, the three other players who will vie for the Sprite Slam Dunk championship include the Houston Rockets’ Chase Budinger, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Derrick Williams.

A new format will be implemented for the 2012 competition. The contest will consist of only one round and each competitor will execute three dunks. Fan voting will open after all four players have completed their first dunk. Previously, the Sprite Slam Dunk contest consisted of two rounds, with the first round scored by a panel of judges which determined two finalists.

Full coverage of the weekend is on InsideHoops.com.

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

Joe Johnson will miss 2012 All-Star Weekend

Hawks guard Joe Johnson underwent an MRI yesterday in Atlanta, and he was diagnosed with left knee tendinitis. As previously announced, he’ll miss the Hawks’ next two games (tonight in New York, tomorrow vs. Orlando).

In addition, Johnson won’t participate in this weekend’s All-Star game and activities in Orlando. He’ll be re-evaluated prior to Atlanta’s first game after the All-Star break (Wednesday the 29th vs. Golden State).

InsideHoops.com speculates that if the league wants to pick the most deserving East All-Star replacement regardless of position, it just might be Johnson’s teammate on the Hawks, forward Josh Smith. There are also some worthy guards, including Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics — though he’s missed games this season due to both injury and suspension.

Derrick Favors replaces Tiago Splitter in 2012 Rising Stars Challenge

The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors has been added to the 2012 NBA Rising Stars Challenge that will take place on Friday, February 24 in Orlando, during NBA All-Star 2012. Favors will join teammate Gordon Hayward, who was previously selected to the game, on TEAM CHUCK. The two will be Utah’s first participants in the event since Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap played for the sophomore team during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

A 2010 first-round draft pick (third overall) out of Georgia Tech, Favors is currently averaging 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game this season. The 6-10, 246-pound forward has scored in double figures nine times this season, grabbed 10+ rebounds four times, and registered a double-double on three occasions. On December 30, Favors notched a new career-high scoring 20 points while pulling down 11 rebounds vs. Philadelphia.

Favors and Hayward will be the sixth and seventh players in Jazz history to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge (formerly the Rookie Challenge), joining Bryon Russell (1994), Andrei Kirilenko (2002, 2003), Deron Williams (2006, 2007), Paul Millsap (2007, 2008) and Ronnie Brewer (2008).

This year, a new format is being implemented to a game that has historically featured NBA rookies facing off against sophomores. For the first time, rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are serving as the general managers of the two opposing teams – TEAM CHUCK and TEAM SHAQ – having held a draft on Feb. 16.

Magic Johnson to launch TV channel

More than 20 years after he last played pro basketball, former Lakers star Magic Johnson is ready for a whole new game: running his own TV network.

The Hall of Famer, who has become a successful business mogul, is preparing to launch Aspire, a 24-hour channel with a focus on what Johnson called positive, uplifting images of African Americans. The basic cable outlet will join other channels targeting black viewers, such as BET and TV One, and will offer opportunities for blacks who have struggled to find work in mainstream Hollywood.

“This is so exciting for me, I’m pinching myself,” Johnson said in a phone interview. “This is big for myself, for the African American community and the African American creative community. I wanted a vehicle to show positive images and to have stories written, produced and directed by African Americans for our community. Aspire — that’s how I’ve been leading my life.”

Aspire’s mix will include film, TV, music and comedy, with a combination of acquired projects and original programming. “There will some performing arts and shows about faith,” Johnson said.

— Reported by Greg Braxton and Meg James of the Los Angeles Times

Warriors ready to make trades before deadline

DeMarcus Cousins

Wears a headband

As their season of promise (literally) quickly slips away, with their veteran roster unable to consistently win close games and their chance at recovery damaged by the possibility that their 2012 draft pick is ticketed for Utah, the Warriors are pursuing a deal before the March 15 trade deadline, general manager Larry Riley said.

“We’re working day and night and we’re hopeful,” Riley told NBA.com on Monday night. “But what will not happen is, we won’t do something that sets us back just to do a deal. We want to find the right deal, and if we get one of those we’ll do it. I don’t know what the odds of it are right now.”

…

Stephen Curry is the closest to untouchable — plugged-in beat writer Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reported Golden State would not include Curry in a potential Hornets deal without assurance it could keep Paul beyond this season — but the best assets are still in the backcourt. Monta Ellis has long been the focus of trade speculation, and now his backup, rookie Klay Thompson, is playing better by the week and drawing glowing reviews within the organization.

— Reported by Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com

Nets forward Shawne Williams needs foot surgery

New Jersey Nets forward Shawne Williams will undergo surgery on Wednesday, February 22 to remove a bone fragment from his left foot, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today. The surgery will be performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan by foot specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley and Nets team orthopedist Dr. Riley Williams III.

A timetable for his return will be determined following surgery.

Williams was signed as a free agent prior to the 2011-12 season. He appeared in 25 games, averaging 4.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 20.6 minutes of action per contest.