NBA News Blog – Page 1302 – NBA Blog

Cavs lose 26th straight game

The AP reports:

The Cavaliers’ record-setting losing streak is intact.

Byron Scott finally snapped.

Cleveland’s first-year coach unloaded on his team during and after a listless 103-94 loss on Wednesday night, extending the Cavs’ NBA record skid to 26 and tying them with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers—the longtime national punchline for failure—for the longest stretch of incompetence in major American pro sports.

“I’m mad as hell,” said Scott, who kept the postgame locker room closed for more than 30 minutes. “I can deal with losing, especially when our guys play as hard as they have in the last couple weeks, but I find it very hard to deal with when guys don’t come out ready to play.”

The Pistons were supposedly a beatable opponent for the cellar-dwelling Cavs (8-45), still winless since Dec. 18 and now losers of a hard-to-imagine 36 of 37.

Instead, Cleveland’s season slipped further into shame.

“Everybody’s mad as hell,” guard Daniel Gibson said when told of his coach’s surly mood. “To lose like that and for it to get to this point and still sometimes not see a sense of urgency, I can see why it would push you to that point. What are you going to do? It’s either do it or don’t.

“The guys have to figure that out.”

The Cavs’ next chance to end the slide will be Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. After that comes a home game against the road-winless Washington Wizards on Sunday.

Ricky Rubio is shooting bricks overseas

The AP reports:

The numbers don’t lie—Ricky Rubio is struggling with his shot.

The Spaniard is shooting just 20 percent from beyond the 3-point line in the Euroleague this season, a stat that has concerned fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that used a first-round draft pick in 2009 to claim him.

As for Rubio himself, he’s not sweating it.

“Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t,” Rubio told The Associated Press after a recent 80-56 win over Roma Lottomatica. “I’m not worried. You have to keep shooting and believing in yourself.”

Rubio is averaging only about six points per game, but he is also doing what he does best—finding passing angles few others see and creating offense.

No HORSE event at 2011 All-Star weekend

By Jeff Lenchiner

There will be no H-O-R-S-E shooting competition at 2011 NBA All-Star weekend.

TNT, who organized the event — an unofficial addition to the weekend’s festivities — confirmed to InsideHoops.com that they are not bringing it back this year.

H-O-R-S-E got it’s All-Star weekend start in 2009. Kevin Durant won it both years it existed. The event will be missed, but only a little. The problem is, if the players aren’t hitting their shots (or they’re never missing) then H-O-R-S-E can drag on, and on, and on. Sort of like Chris Andersen in the slam dunk contest when his throw-downs aren’t being thrown down.

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

Mehmet Okur out at least 3 weeks with back injury

The following is a medical update on Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur, who has missed the last six Jazz games after suffering a strained lower back during the Jazz’s win over Minnesota on January 28:

Okur was seen by back specialist, Dr. Graham Hill, in Salt Lake City on Monday. Following his examination, which confirmed inflammation of his chronic disc problem, Dr. Hill has decided to place Okur on a back rehabilitation process, consisting of low back rehab and cardiovascular exercise, which will be directed by Jazz team physical therapist, Marlin “Moe” Forsyth.

An update on Okur’s progress will be provided following his re-evaluation in three weeks. No additional updates will be given prior to that point. Okur will not travel with the team during this span.

Now in his ninth NBA season, Okur (6-11, 265, Yalova, Turkey), who missed the first 26 games of the 2010-11 campaign while recovering from an unrelated Achilles’ tendon injury, has appeared in 13 games (no starts) this season, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. The 2007 NBA All-Star holds career averages of 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists and had played in over 92 percent of all possible regular season games, including at least 71 games per year, over his first eight seasons (94 percent since joining the Jazz in 2004-05). Okur has appeared in all 82 games for the Jazz twice, including a streak of 233 straight games played spanning from 2004-2007.

Brandon Roy almost set to return for Blazers

The AP reports:

Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy is returning to practice, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll play this weekend.

Portland’s three-time All-Star had arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees just three weeks ago.

He was averaging 16.6 points in 23 games before he was sidelined indefinitely by the team. Roy says now he is nearly pain free, but still needs to practice at full speed.

2011 3-Point Shootout participants

Reigning champion Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics will defend his title in this year’s NBA Three-Point Shootout Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Ray Allen of the Celtics and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Jones of the Miami Heat, and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors. Allen won the contest in 2001.

Pierce bested the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry in last year’s contest, scoring 20 points in the final round to capture the title. Jeff Hornacek, Jason Kapono, Mark Price and Peja Stojakovic each won two titles; Larry Bird and Craig Hodges captured three straight.

More info on the NBA three-point shootout here.

Spurs sign Steve Novak to 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Steve Novak from the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. Novak is the eighth call-up of the 2010-11 D-League season.

Novak, a 6-10 forward, has appeared in two games with the Bighorns, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes, while shooting .684 (13-19) from the field and .643 (9-14) from three-point range. Prior to joining the Bighorns, Novak appeared in seven games with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 1.6 points in 2.6 minutes.

Originally a second round draft pick (32nd overall) of the Houston Rockets in 2006, Novak played two seasons in Houston before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. In his first season with the Clippers in 2008-09, Novak averaged career-highs of 6.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 16.4 minutes while shooting .444 (176-396) from the field, .416 (119-286) from three-point range and .913 (21-23) from the free throw line. In his five-year NBA career, Novak has appeared in 202 games, averaging 4.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.9 minutes, while shooting .435 (289-664) from the field, .406 (191-471) from three-point range and .868 (33-38) from the free throw line.

Novak played four seasons at Marquette University posting career averages of 12.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 27.0 minutes, while shooting .456 (485-1064) from the field, .461 (354-768) from three-point range and .931 (243-261) from the free throw line. As a freshman, Novak saw action in 33 games and was a member of the Golden Eagles 2003 Final Four team along with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade. As a senior, Novak was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team after averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game. He ranked third in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (3.9) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.467). Novak holds the Marquette record for three-point field goals made (354) and three-point field goal percentage (.461).

Novak will wear No. 23 for the Silver and Black and will be available for tonight’s game at Detroit.

Kendrick Perkins rejects initial Celtics offer

A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE reports:

Kendrick Perkins is still focused on remaining a Boston Celtic after he becomes a free agent this summer.

Just as important, he wants to get a contract that he deems fair market value.

And the preliminary offer made by the Celtics, according to Perkins, won’t cut it.

Perkins told CSNNE.com prior to Boston’s 94-89 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats that the offer made to him was for four years around $22 million.

An earlier report by the Boston Herald cited two unnamed sources that indicated Perkins turned down a contract extension that was for four years and worth slightly less than $30 million.

“That wasn’t it. They offered me four years, but it was closer to like $22 million,” Perkins said. “You talking four years, $30 million! Shoot, that’s different. That’s a big difference.”

Grizzlies sign Jason Williams

The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent guard Jason Williams, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced Monday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Williams, who played four seasons in Memphis from 2001-05, is the franchise’s all-time assists leader (2,041).

A member of the inaugural Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, Williams played four seasons in the Bluff City (2001-05), where he averaged 11.9 points, 7.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes in 284 games (277 starts) and helped lead the Grizzlies to their first two playoff appearances (2004, 2005). After his time in Memphis, the 6-1, 190-pound floor general won an NBA Championship as a starter for the 2005-06 Miami Heat.

Selected by the Sacramento Kings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft, Williams holds career averages of 10.6 points, 5.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 29.7 minutes in 777 career games (667 starts) over 12 NBA seasons with the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat and Orlando Magic. The 35-year-old, who ranks ninth among active players in assists (4,683), posted 2.1 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes in 16 games this season for Orlando.

Williams also ranks in the top 10 in Grizzlies history in three-pointers made (497, 2nd), steals (369, 4th), points (3,379, 9th), three-pointers attempted (1,528, 2nd), assists per game (7.2, 2nd), games played (284, 10th), games started (267, 7th) and free throw percentage (.817, 5th).

Memphis’ roster now stands at 14 players.

Mbah a Moute thinks NBA needs concussion protocol

The AP reports:

Three years ago, when he was at UCLA, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sustained a concussion that kept him off the basketball court for eight days, until he completed a series of neurocognitive tests.

That’s why the Milwaukee Bucks forward was so surprised when all he needed to return this season in the NBA following a mild concussion was simply his word to the training staff.

“I didn’t have to do any tests because we were on the road and doctors were here,” Mbah a Moute said. “They just asked me how I was feeling, and I told them I was feeling better. They were like, ‘You’re fine.”’

Mbah a Moute said he knocked heads with a Dallas defender on Jan. 1 and returned three days later, despite some soreness on his left side of his head. The experience has made the Cameroon player think there should be a league-wide policy to handle every concussion.

“There should be standards in the NBA. You need to do these tests and pass these tests before you can come back on the court. Bottom line. We definitely don’t get as bad concussions as (American) football and other sports, but a concussion is a concussion,” Mbah a Moute said. “It’s a serious injury and there should be tests.”