NBA News Blog – Page 1254 – NBA Blog

Bulls center Omer Asik out for remainder of playoffs

Bulls rookie center Omer Asik sustained a fractured left fibula in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Miami on May 22. He was examined by Bulls Head Team Physician, Dr. Brian Cole of Midwest Orthopedics at Rush. The diagnosis was confirmed via MRI and CT scan before Game 4. He attempted to play in Game 4, but had recurrent discomfort and a loss of function. Asik’s injury will not require surgery. He is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an expected recovery of six weeks.

Asik (7-0, 255) appeared in 15 playoff games for the Bulls, and posted 1.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 0.53 bpg in 9.9 mpg. He also saw action in all 82 games during the regular season, where he averaged 2.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.68 bpg, 12.1 mpg and .553 from the field.

Former NBA player John `Hot Rod` Williams arrested

The AP reports:

Police in Louisiana have arrested former NBA player John “Hot Rod” Williams on a misdemeanor count related to gunshots fired during a party at his home.

Gonzales police tell The Advocate of Baton Rouge that Williams and his relatives told officers about eight shots were fired by an unknown person attending Saturday’s party put on for members of Williams’ family.

The 48-year-old Williams was booked Tuesday with “letting a disorderly place” and was given a court date.

Kim Kardashian engaged to Kris Humphries

US Magazine reports:

Sorry, fellas: Kim Kardashian is officially off the market!

The reality superstar and mogul is engaged to basketball beau Kris Humphries, her rep confirms to Us Weekly.

Kim Kardashian engaged to Kris Humphries

Kardashian, 30, and New Jersey Nets forward Humprhies, 26, began dating in December, and the duo quickly became serious.

Indeed, last month, a Kardashian insider told Us that the E! star planned to move to NYC in order to be closer to her man. “This is it for her,” the source said. “I foresee an engagement this summer.”

People magazine reports:

It was a dream come true for Kim Kardashian when she walked into her Beverly Hills home May 18. Her boyfriend of six months, New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries, was waiting in her bedroom on bended knee with four words written in red rose petals: “WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

“I didn’t expect this at all,” Kardashian, 30, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview (out Friday) of the romantic, surprise proposal. “I was in such shock. I never thought it would happen at home, and I never thought now.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: As someone who dates Kim Kardashian lookalikes on a regular basis, I know how Humphries is feeling right now. Good for him!

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

James, Bosh and Wade carry Heat over Bulls 101-93 in Game 4

The Miami Heat now lead the Chicago Bulls 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Here’s what went down in Game 4 Monday in Miami:

The AP reports:

LeBron James scored 35 points, Chris Bosh added 22 and Dwyane Wade perked up to block as many shots—two—as Chicago made in overtime, as the Heat topped the Bulls 101-93 in a scintillating Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the series…

Derrick Rose scored 23 points for the Bulls, who got 20 apiece from Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. Chicago has lost three straight games for the first time this season, and afterward, the league’s reigning MVP pointed the finger of blame at himself.

“It’s not over,” said Rose, who shot 8 of 27 and turned the ball over seven times…

Somehow, it wasn’t a problem. A sleep-deprived Mike Miller—whose wife delivered a baby last week—scored 12 points and made plenty of key defensive plays to help Miami outscore Chicago by a whopping 36 points with him on the floor. Udonis Haslem missed all five of his shots, and he was still a plus-25 in his 33 minutes off the bench…

James was 11 for 26 from the field and 13 for 13—his best playoff showing ever—from the foul line. Bosh was aggressive again, making 10 of his 11 free throws. Miami made its last 24 straight from the stripe, and the defense was again the biggest key of all…

Wade made just 5 of 16 shots from the field, lacking his usual lift at the rim. He made a pair of free throws with 1:50 left in the first half for his seventh and eighth points, and didn’t score again until overtime…

Chicago’s lead was 46-44 at halftime, after some wild emotional swings—a 19-4 run by the Bulls, followed by a 29-9 spurt for the Heat, then capped by an 18-7 rebuttal by the Bulls to close the second quarter.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

“This series is an absolute bloodbath,” coach Erik Spoelstra said when the three-hour marathon was over, “and that game tonight was a total grind. It is very challenging for either team to get into any kind of fluid offensive flow. It is about as competitive and physical as it could be.”

With Miller scoring 12 points on a night Wade was limited to 14 on 5-of-16 shooting, the Heat rode the 35 points of James and 22 more from forward Chris Bosh to a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, with the best-of-seven series continuing Thursday at the United Center.

“If you’re a fan of the game,” Wade said, “this is a great basketball game. This is will, and both teams showed that. We made the plays at the end to eventually pull away.”

The Heat closed out the game by converting their final 24 free throws.

“It was about enduring and stay with it mentally and physically,” Spoelstra said.

The Miami Herald reports:

The Heat won despite shooting 40.3 percent in regulation. Miami made five of eight shots in overtime. James led the Heat with 35 points on 11-of-26 shooting. He was also 11 of 11 at the free-throw line and had half the Heat’s 12 assists.

Bosh finished with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooing. He and James both had six rebounds. Wade had 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting to go along with five rebounds.

The Heat made its final 24 free throws of the game and was 32 of 38 overall. Chicago was 17 of 22 from the free-throw line.

Defensively, Heat center Joel Anthony had five rebounds and four blocks. Mike Miller had 12 points off the bench for the Heat and Mario Chalmers had nine.

MVP Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 23 points but, closely defended by James, missed his chance to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer had 20 points each.So close for Chicago. As with any game that goes overtime, this easily could have gone the other way.

This is a great series for anyone who enjoys watching great defense. For a good time, watch the help defenders on every possession.

Live fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

NBA Players union files claim against owners

The 2010-11 NBA regular season was fantastic, and the ongoing playoffs have been even better. But off basketball courts and in the legal realm, the league owners and players union continue to disagree. An eventual lockout continues to appear likely.

Chris Sheridan of ESPN reports:

The union for NBA players filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board Tuesday, seeking an injunction that would prevent owners from imposing a lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement expires June 30.

The players’ union, less than a month after receiving the latest formal proposal from the owners, is accusing the owners of negotiating in bad faith.

The complaint, in part, alleges the NBA is “making harsh, inflexible, and grossly regressive ‘takeaway’ demands that the NBA knows are not acceptable to the Union.”

The complaint further alleges the NBA is engaging in “classic ‘take it or leave it’ and surface bargaining” with the intent of running out the clock on the CBA, “until the NBA locks out the represented employees in order to coerce them into accepting the NBA’s harsh and regressive demands.”

The NBA issued a statement in response to the complaint.

“There is no merit to the charge filed today by the Players Association with the National Labor Relations Board, as we have complied — and will continue to comply — with all of our obligations under the federal labor laws. It will not distract us from our efforts to negotiate in good faith a new collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association,” the league said in a statement.

I really hope this somehow gets resolved over the next month, though it isn’t looking likely.

Dirk scores 40, Mavs rally from 15 down to stun Thunder 112-105 in OT

The AP reports:

Trailing by 15 points with only 5 minutes to play in one of the NBA’s rowdiest arenas, the Dallas Mavericks were just wishing and hoping for the best.

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd delivered, and the Mavs suddenly find themselves only one win away from the NBA finals.

Nowitzki scored 40 points, Kidd hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime and the Mavericks staged an improbable rally to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals…

Dallas didn’t lead until Nowitzki hit two free throws 16 seconds into overtime, needing to rally from a 99-84 deficit in the final 5 minutes of regulation. The Mavericks never let the Thunder—who were one win shy of tying an NBA record with eight OT wins in the regular season—go ahead in the extra period…

Kevin Durant finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka had 18 points and 10 boards for Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists…

Durant had nine of the Thunder’s 26 turnovers, including the one that led to the big shot by the 38-year-old Kidd…

Kidd scored 17 to go with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals…

Oklahoma City came roaring out of the gates after trailing by as many as 17 points in the first quarter of Game 3. The Thunder hit their first nine shots and took an 18-8 lead after Durant caught a deflected inbounds pass and zoomed in for a right-handed jam.

Live fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

NBA fines Joakim Noah $50,000 for foul language

Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah has been fined $50,000 for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench during the first quarter of the Bulls’ 96-85 loss to the Miami Heat last night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Recently, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for saying almost the same thing, though in Bryant’s case it was directed at an NBA referee, while Noah was engaged in heated discussion with a fan sitting near Chicago’s bench.

Fan reaction and discussion of the entire issue is in this forum topic.

Spirit ends exclusivity on Hawks sale talks

Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The Atlanta Spirit ownership group is on the verge of selling the Thrashers, but it will be holding on to the Hawks at least for a while.

The Spirit and outgoing San Diego Padres owner John Moores agreed Friday to terminate Moores’ exclusive negotiating period on a possible purchase of the Hawks, Spirit partner Michael Gearon Jr. confirmed.

“We no longer have an exclusivity,” Gearon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was ended by mutual agreement after preliminary discussions.”

It is not clear how long Moores’ exclusive period had been in effect. The parties agreed to end the arrangement after the period produced little momentum toward a deal. Ending the exclusivity doesn’t preclude the possibility of subsequent negotiations with Moores about the Hawks, but it reopens the process to other potential bidders.

Trail Blazers part ways with GM Rich Cho

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that they have parted ways with Rich Cho, the team’s general manager of basketball operations.

“The fit between Rich and our team simply wasn’t right,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “This was a tough move because I respect Rich and he’s a good person with many strong skills. But it simply wasn’t a good match.”

Trail Blazers Director of College Scouting Chad Buchanan will serve as acting general manager. Buchanan has been with the team for four years. Buchanan and Head Coach Nate McMillan will report to Miller until a permanent replacement is hired.

Trail Blazers Owner Paul G. Allen said the move is part of the franchise’s commitment to building a championship contending team. “This decision, as difficult as it was to make, reflects our willingness to admit and recognize that things haven’t worked out,” Allen said. “We’re going to be tough on ourselves in assessing what we could have done better, and then go out and find the executive who is the best fit with the needs of our franchise. That chemistry and connection is critically important.”

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Bulls center Omer Asik day-to-day with muscle strain in leg

The Miami Heat lead the Chicago Bulls 2-1 in their Eastern Conference Finals series. And as Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago reports:

Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik is day to day with a muscle strain in his left leg. He suffered the injury in the third quarter of Game 3 Sunday night and did not return. “We’re hopeful,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team’s Monday afternoon film session. “I talked to [athletic trainer] Fred [Tedsechi] earlier and he said he’s day to day. He’ll get treatment [Tuesday]. Fred will take him onto the court to see if he’s having any problems and hopefully he’ll be ready to go.”

Asik is averaging 14.3 minutes per game for the Bulls in the Conference Finals. He mostly acts as a big body, taking up space, defending and boxing out.