NBA News Blog – Page 1279 – NBA Blog

LeBron thinks D-Rose is MVP

Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Derrick Rose

derrick rose

Kid is ballin’

Earlier this season, James backed New York Knicks center Amar’e Stoudemire for league MVP. With a few weeks left before the playoffs, things have changed.

James said Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is his choice. Rose is generally regarded as the top candidate, with the Bulls on pace to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Rose has kept the Bulls afloat despite injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.

“I think Derrick Rose,” James said. “What he’s done for that team, with all the injuries they have and them being first in the Eastern Conference. They’re playing some really good basketball.”

James said he was leaning toward Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki until he was injured. Now, he’s in full support of Rose.

“You’ve got some guys here that have done their job also,” James said. “But Derrick Rose definitely has gotten a lot of the exposure and a lot of the media attention because of the work he’s done. He’s playing some unbelievable basketball.”

Dominique Wilkins attacked after Hawks game

Alexis Stevens of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

The man who allegedly attacked NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins after Wednesday night’s game said Wilkins owed him money, Atlanta police said.

Rashan S. Michel, 36, was arrested and charged with one count of simple battery following the incident, Officer K.Y. Jones with Atlanta police told the AJC.

Michel, who told police he was owed money for suits purchased several years ago, hit Wilkins in the chest and also hit a security guard, Jones said. Michel, of Atlanta, has worked as an NBA and college basketball referee and previously owned his own clothing store.

ESPN.com and the AP report: Wilkins is a vice president with the team and serves as a television analyst. He had just finished working Atlanta’s 85-82 victory Wednesday night from his customary spot on press row when the alleged incident occurred at Philips Arena. Team spokesman Arthur Triche says the attacker was “promptly arrested and taken into custody by the Atlanta police department.” Wilkins was not injured.

Knicks edge Nets in MSG thriller

The AP reports:

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points for the second straight game, including the tiebreaking jumper with 1:08 left, and the New York Knicks rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the New Jersey Nets 120-116 on Wednesday night.

Chauncey Billups added 33 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points for the Knicks, who have won two in a row after a six-game losing streak and trimmed their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to three.

Anthony scored only two points in the fourth quarter after a 20-point third, but it was the basket the Knicks needed in the first meeting since they beat out the Nets in the race to acquire the All-Star forward.

Deron Williams had 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in his return from a six-game absence with an injured wrist, but was short on a potential tying jumper in the final seconds and appeared hurt again after going down trying to chase down his miss.

Anthony Morrow scored a season-high 30 points to lead the Nets. Brook Lopez added 26 points and Kris Humphries finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds, but New Jersey came up short in a game it desperately wanted to win.

Wizards forward Trevor Booker fractures bone in right foot

Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that Trevor Booker has sustained a fractured sesamoid bone in his right foot. Booker will be placed in a walking boot and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. He last appeared in action on March 25th at Denver.

The 23rd overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, Booker finishes his rookie campaign ranked 19th among all rookies in points per game (5.3 ppg), tied for ninth among rookies in rebounds per game (3.9 rpg), and 2nd among all rookies with a .549 field goal percentage.

Booker appeared in 65 games and started 14 contests in 2010-11.

Jazz sign Kyle Weaver to 10-day contract

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has signed guard Kyle Weaver of the NBA Development League’s Austin Toros to a 10-day contract. Weaver becomes the NBA’s 19th D-League Call-Up and 15th different player promoted to the NBA this season. Following the transaction, the Jazz roster now stands at 15 players.

A 6-6 guard from Washington State, Weaver averaged 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting .429 from the field through 21 games (20 starts) for the Iowa Energy this season before being acquired by the Austin Toros. During his nine-game stint with the Toros, Weaver averaged 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 30.8 minutes of play.

Originally selected by the Charlotte in the second round (38th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Weaver was traded by the Bobcats to the Oklahoma City Thunder on August 8, 2008, in exchange for a future second-round pick. During his two seasons with the Thunder (2008-10), Weaver appeared in 68 games (19 starts), averaging 4.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 points in 19.3 minutes of play.

Weaver attended training camp with the Chicago Bulls prior to the 2010-11 season, appearing in three preseason games and averaging 2.3 points and 2.3 assists in 8.7 minutes before being waived on October 21.

The 25-year-old Beloit, Wisconsin, native played four collegiate seasons at Washington State (2004-08), averaging 12.2 points with 4.3 assists during his senior season. Weaver finished his Cougars career as the first player in Pac-10 history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 175 steals and 75 blocked shots.

Weaver becomes the seventh D-League Call-Up in Jazz history, joining Rusty LaRue (2000-01), Mikki Moore (2003-04), Louis Amundson (2006-07), Sundiata Gaines (2009-10), Othyus Jeffers (2009-10) and Marcus Cousin (2010-11).

Los Angeles jury rules in favor of Clippers against Elgin Baylor

The AP reports:

A jury has rejected Elgin Baylor’s claim of age discrimination and harassment, giving the Los Angeles Clippers a major victory against their former general manager.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury on Wednesday declined to award Baylor any damages. He claimed he was forced out of the job he held for 22 years.

The Clippers had contended that Baylor left the team on his own.

InsideHoops.com reports:

The following is a statement from Los Angeles Clippers’ General Counsel Robert H. Platt, concerning today’s legal decision:

Today’s verdict was inevitable and it represents a complete vindication of all of the baseless claims asserted by Mr. Baylor.

For more than two years, Mr. Baylor’s counsel has gone to extraordinary lengths in a fruitless effort to fabricate a case. This was a case of FIRE!, ready, aim. The jury saw through their baseless rhetoric and quickly realized that there were no facts to support any of Mr. Baylor’s allegations.

Mr. Baylor initially sued the NBA, only to dismiss the League on the eve of trial in exchange for the League agreeing not to pursue a malicious prosecution case against Mr. Baylor.

In addition, Mr. Baylor and his lawyers held a loud press conference claiming race discrimination. However, the Court threw out Mr. Baylor’s meritless race claims just one day before the trial was set to begin.

Solely on principle, my clients refused to settle this lawsuit despite having the opportunity to do so. Even when faced with endless, public, malicious attacks, they were resolute in their demand that they be fully exonerated by a jury. That moment has now come.

My clients are to be credited for their willingness to see this through. Personally I am gratified to know that this was a day on which justice was well-served.

Thunder assign Cole Aldrich to D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has assigned center Cole Aldrich to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League for a third time this season.

During his two earlier assignments with the 66ers, Aldrich appeared in 19 games (19 starts) and averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots in 29.2 minutes. Aldrich has recorded four double-doubles with Tulsa and the 66ers own a 15-4 mark this season with him in the lineup.

Aldrich will be in uniform Friday night when the 66ers host the Dakota Wizards at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Anaheim City Council approves funding for Kings

The AP reports:

The Anaheim city council unanimously approved a $75 million bond deal Tuesday night to entice the Sacramento Kings to relocate to Orange County.

The city council twice voted 5-0 for the lease-revenue bond measures, resulting in a round of applause from the audience at its packed City Hall meeting room.

“Anaheim took a giant step closer to bringing an NBA team to Anaheim and the Honda Center,” Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said. “I am thrilled. A better word is stoked.”

Tait repeatedly emphasized the city is borrowing no money and has no financial risk in the deal. According to every Anaheim official at the meeting, the city is merely acting as a conduit for a private investment by Henry Samueli, the billionaire owner of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

“I’d like to recognize this is a historic moment for us,” Council Member Harry Sidhu said. “This is going to be a great economic engine for us. A lot of jobs are going to be created, and I’m fully confident in that.”

Samueli, who also manages the city-owned arena, is financing the deal, which includes $25 million in upgrades to Honda Center, including a practice court and new locker rooms. Another $50 million will be working capital for moving costs that could include relocation fees paid to the NBA’s other owners.

Cavaliers beat Heat 102-90

The AP reports:

Despite blowing a 23-point lead, the Cavs battled back and beat the Miami Heat 102-90 on Tuesday night, getting a dose of revenge against [LeBron] James, who was making his second homecoming visit to Cleveland since leaving the city as a free agent last summer.

J.J. Hickson scored 21 and Anthony Parker scored 20 for the Cavs, who were embarrassed by James and the Heat 118-90 on Dec. 2—a night when Cleveland fans unleashed their hatred on the superstar.

InsideHoops.com notes: LeBron had a triple-double in the loss, putting up 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Dwyane Wade shot just 8-of-20 for 24 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Mike Bibby shot 7-of-11, all three-pointers, for 23 points but just one assist. And no other Heat players stepped up. Chris Bosh was quiet, shooting 5-of-14 for 10 points and little else. The entire Heat bench had six points.

Rockets beat Nets by 25

Kyle Lowry had 16 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds and the Houston Rockets moved within two games of the final playoff berth in the Western Conference with a 112-87 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.

Kevin Martin added 20 points as the Rockets (39-35) posted their sixth win in seven games and inched closer to idle eighth-place Memphis (41-33) with eight games left in the regular season.

InsideHoops.com notes: The Rockets won the rebounding battle 56-42 and the assists category 30-20… For the Nets, Brook Lopez shot 10-of-16 for 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Kris Humprhies shot just 3-of-10 for six points but did grab 13 boards. Jordan Farmar scored 12. Deron Williams did not play.