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The AP reports:
A Chicago man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing former NBA star Antoine Walker at gunpoint at his home in 2007.
Demorris Hill was tried late last year for the robbery, but the jury wasn’t able to reach a unanimous verdict…
Two other men also have been convicted in the robbery, and a third is awaiting trial.
Hill is also charged in a similar robbery at the suburban Chicago home of New York Knicks Center Eddy Curry.
The AP reports:
Jason Kidd says the Nets will have to finish building their arena in Brooklyn, N.Y. before free agents consider joining them there in 2012.
Kidd, who led the Nets to consecutive NBA finals in 2002 and ’03, says not having a building causes players to wonder whether it will ever be completed.
Kidd made his comments before his Dallas Mavericks played the Nets on Saturday night.
InsideHoops.com editor says: At the very least, free agents would probably want to be one hundred percent convinced that the building will be completed on time and the Brooklyn move is happening as scheduled. So far everything seems to be a go.
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Mustafa Shakur from the NBA Development League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers to a 10-day contract
Shakur (6-4, 195) has averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds this season through 23 games with Rio Grande Valley. He spent time in training camp with the New Orleans Hornets earlier this season and has previously had stints with Oklahoma City, Sacramento and the D-League’s Tulsa Thunder (where he averaged 19.3 points, 6.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the 2009-10 season).
Sometimes, a team is at its worst and puts up a really awful performance. And then you can be even more terrible and play like the Atlanta Hawks yesterday.
The AP reports:
Josh Smith slumped in front of his locker, trying to figure out how a team that played so hard in an overtime win at Miami could return home and get blown out by 41 points.
That’s just what happened Friday night. Coming off a victory over LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the mighty Heat, the Hawks were held to the lowest-scoring game in Atlanta history by Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, who took control late in the first half and cruised to a 100-59 rout…
The Hawks have never had an offensive performance like this, at least since moving to Atlanta in 1968. Previously, their lowest-scoring game was a 73-63 loss to Cleveland in 1996.
Only Jordan Crawford’s 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining kept Hawks from their worst offensive effort ever—a 57-point game in 1955 when the team was in St. Louis…
Paul scored 16 points and dished out eight assists in leading the Hornets to their seventh straight win against a team that shot 29 percent…
David West and Marco Belinelli both scored 15 points and Emeka Okafor pulled down 12 rebounds. The Hornets dominated on the boards, 55-32.
Jamal Crawford led the Hawks with 14 points, and Smith was the only player in double figures with 13. Johnson was 4 of 12 for nine points, less than half his 19.6 average.
Both the Hawks and Hornets are currently the 5th seed in their respective conferences.
The Orlando Magic are better than the Toronto Raptors, but in case there was any confusion on the matter, Dwight Howard left no room for discussion.
The AP reports:
Dwight Howard kept getting easy baskets, so the Orlando Magic kept feeding him the ball.
It was just that simple against the lowly Toronto Raptors.
Howard had 31 points and 19 rebounds, helping the Magic rout the reeling Raptors 112-72 on Friday night…
Howard went 12 for 21 from the field and had nine offensive rebounds, almost as many as Toronto had as a team (14). He outrebounded the Raptors’ starting five (19-18) and dunked almost at will, scoring off what seemed like an endless stream of lobs from the Magic guards…
Ryan Anderson added 21 points for Orlando, which avenged a four-point home loss to the Raptors in November. J.J. Redick scored 12 points and Brandon Bass finished with 10.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 16 points. Andrea Bargnani scored all 11 of his points in the first half as Toronto picked up its sixth consecutive loss.
The Magic are now 28-15, the Raptors 13-30.
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The New Jersey Nets are hosting their first-ever social media night tonight, Friday, January 21 as the Detroit Pistons come to town and play in Newark at the Prudential Center.
Fans part of “Nets Nation” who follow the team on Facebook and/or Twitter have an opportunity to receive 50 percent off of select tickets for the game.
Fans who purchase their tickets through the Nets on Facebook or Twitter will also receive a Nets gift bag that will include a Nets Nation t-shirt, a voucher to a future game, Nets branded items, a 15 percent discount at the team’s merchandise stands, and exclusive access to a post-game autograph session with select Nets players.
As a special offer, two fans which purchase the Social Media Night package will be selected to be upgraded to courtside tickets, and one fan who purchases the package will win a player-autographed item.
It’s cool of the Nets to keep using the web to stay in touch with loyal fans, so check out the offers. The team’s Twitter account name is “NetsBasketball.”
Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
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Just one minute on the court will mean everything to Milwaukee Bucks forward Carlos Delfino.
And that chance could come as soon as Friday night, when the Bucks meet the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Delfino practiced for the first time in more than two months on Thursday, before the Bucks headed to Ohio to face the Cavaliers. He has been sidelined with concussive symptoms since suffering several blows to the head in the first two weeks of the season.
“I’m pretty optimistic that tomorrow I can be at least on the bench,” Delfino said following practice. “I don’t know if I’m going to play, but at least it will be a really good feeling to put the uniform back on and to try to help.
“Every single minute I get to play from now to the end of the season is going to be a present for me. For a couple moments, I was thinking I wasn’t going to be able to play.
“Hopefully I can help. If it’s 1 minute or 48, I don’t care. If I can give a hand, it’s going to be good. Especially when we have a season full of injuries, if we can get more bodies, it’s going to be good.”
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Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas will be sidelined for approximately eight weeks after a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tear of the lateral meniscus of the left knee. Surgery is expected in the coming days.
Thomas was a game-time scratch for tonight’s home game against Philadelphia, after he experienced swelling in the knee earlier today.
In 34 games played this season, Thomas has averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 21.6 minutes off the bench.
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The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have released forward Peja Stojakovic. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.
“We were clear from the beginning that our trade with New Orleans was made with the future in mind, so a buyout or trade of Peja’s contract was a likely option,” said Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. “Although he did not fit into our plan of developing our young core talent, I’m sure that Peja will add significantly to any veteran team that signs him.”
Stojakovic was acquired with Jerryd Bayless from New Orleans on November 20. He appeared in two games with Toronto before being sidelined for the past 26 contests with a sore left knee.
The Raptors roster now stands at 14.
The Raptors continue their five-game road trip Friday at Orlando. Game time is 7 p.m. (TSN/Sportsnet Radio The FAN 590).
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Legendary Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is set to become the first athlete to have a hand and footprint ceremony at the world renowned Grauman’s Chinese Theater on February 19, 2011. The ceremony will take place during the City of Los Angeles’ hosting of the NBA All Star Weekend festivities and will be followed later that evening with a lavish star studded gala event for Bryant, 1,200 VIP guests and select members of the public.
“To be a part of such elite company is a tremendous honor. I’m proud to be the first athlete to be recognized,” stated Bryant.
Jeru Tillman of Southfield Village Entertainment stated, “Today’s athletes are among the best known and most talented entertainers in the world. We are pleased Kobe will be honored for the many years of enjoyment he has given us on the basketball court.”
Mr. Bryant has been named Most Valuable Player of the NBA finals for the past two years, and has won five NBA championships in his career. He has twice been the NBA scoring champion and was part of the gold medal winning U.S.A. Basketball Men’s National Team at the 2008 Olympics.Throughout his 14‐year career, Mr. Bryant has become a pillar in the world wide philanthropic community specifically dealing with children’s charities. He has enjoyed a long relationship with St. Jude’s Hospital, After School All Stars, The Boys & Girls Club of America and has granted more wishes than any other NBA athlete to children with life threatening medical conditions via the Make–A‐Wish Foundation. Through his Kobe Bryant Family Foundation and the Kobe China Fund, he has sponsored Hispanic and African American children with scholarships, leadership grants and cultural exchanges allowing them to learn Mandarin and martial arts as well as donated for the relief efforts of victims of the Schezuan earthquake.
Mr. Bryant will join over 200 stars including Marilyn Monroe, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith, Harrison Ford and John Wayne who have had their hand and footprint ceremonies.