Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Blake Griffin, John Wall named Rookies of Month for January, 2011

The Washington Wizards’ John Wall and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin today were named the Eastern and Western Conference NBA Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played through January.

Wall led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (10.5 apg) and double-doubles in the month.  He also became the first rookie in NBA history to have nine or more assists in 10 straight games.  In addition, Wall’s 168 assists in the month were the most by a rookie since Mark Jackson had 172 assists in 1988.

Griffin led all rookies in scoring (26.0 ppg), rebounding (13.4 rpg) and ranked second in assists (4.4 apg). He became only the fourth rookie over the last 20 seasons to average at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a calendar month.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference  Rookies of the Month were Detroit’s Greg Monroe, New York’s Landry Fields, Philadelphia’s Evan Turner, Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins and San Antonio’s Gary Neal.

Rockets re-assign Ishmael Smith to D-League

Rockets re-assign Ishmael Smith to D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-assigned guard Ishmael Smith to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Smith is the second Rockets player to be assigned to the Vipers and recalled this season. He follows rookie forward Patrick Patterson, who played in nine games for Rio Grande Valley during a month-long assignment (11/9/10-12/13/10).

Smith (6-0, 175, Wake Forest), who was recalled by Houston from Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 24, averaged 12.8 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.75 steals in four games (one start) with the Vipers after his first assignment on Jan. 17. With the Rockets, the undrafted rookie free agent has averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 assists in 26 games (three starts).

Nets sign Orien Greene to 10-day contract

Nets sign Orien Greene

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Orien Greene to a 10-day contract, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

The 28-year old averaged 18.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals in 24 games with the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League this season.  In 2005, he was drafted by the Celtics in the second round, 53rd overall, out of Louisiana-Lafayette.

In 128 career NBA games, including seven starts in three seasons with Boston (2005-06), Indiana (2006-07) and Sacramento (2007-08), Greene holds career averages of 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 12.1 minutes per game.

Emeka Okafor out 1-3 weeks

Emeka Okafor out 1-3 weeks

New Orleans Hornets center Emeka Okafor suffered a Grade 2 left rectus oblique strain an MRI revealed. Okafor is expected to be out one-to-three weeks.

Okafor suffered the injury with 1:59 left in the second quarter of Sunday’s 104-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns, he did not return to the game.

The University of Connecticut product has averages of 11.1 points on .593 percent shooting, 10.1 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 49 games this season. He ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage, seventh in rebounds and 13th in blocks.

Okafor’s streak of 306 consecutive regular games played (currently, the fourth longest streak in the NBA) will come to an end tonight when the Hornets play the Wizards at 7:00 p.m.

Raptors stuck in Indianapolis because of storm

The AP reports:

The Toronto Raptors are staying in Indianapolis after their game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night because a huge winter storm developing in the midwest caused their flight to be canceled.

Team spokesman Jim LaBumbard said the team is checking back into its hotel.

The Raptors, whose 104-93 loss was their 12th straight defeat, are scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Divorce of Tony Parker, Eva Longoria is finalized

Tim Griffin of Spurs Nation reports:

Spurs guard Tony Parker’s divorce with actress Eva Longoria has been finalized.

The web site TMZ.com and my colleague Jeanne Jakle are reporting that Longoria’s lawyer filed paperwork Friday in Texas to dismiss the divorce petition she filed in L.A. County Superior Court.

Instead, it appears that both sides have agreed that Texas is the best place for  the divorce because that’s where Parker and Longoria signed their prenuptual agreement.

TMZ.com reports that there was ultimately no conflict in the divorce between the two sides.

Kevin Durant gets mad at Chris Bosh

Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma City, the Thunder hosted the Miami Heat and came away with a 108-103 loss. After the game, Kevin Durant (7-of-20, 33 points, 10 rebounds and four steals) talked about why he got mad at Heat forward Chris Bosh (8-of-13, 20 points, seven rebounds).

The Chicago Tribune wire services report:

Kevin Durant gets mad at Chris Bosh

Durant says he was upset because Bosh got involved in his conversation with a teammate. Bosh says Durant was telling James Harden that next time, he should dunk on Bosh. Bosh had fouled Harden on the previous play to prevent a fast-break layup.

“I think he was telling Harden to dunk on me, or dunk the next one,” Bosh said before giving a cleaned-up version of the exchange. “I expressed that, ‘No, he’s not going to dunk that.’ And he expressed, ‘Yes, he is.’ It just kind of went back and forth.”

Both Durant and Bosh were called for technical fouls. It was Bosh’s second of the season and the first that will count against Durant, who also had one rescinded earlier this season.

“I’m no punk. I wasn’t even talking to him, first off. He decided to butt in and I’m not going to just let that slide, especially in our house,” Durant said. “Like I said, he’s not one of those guys that I look at and say, ‘Oh, he has a rap for talking back to guys or always getting into it.’

Durant, who while extremely competitive rarely tends to get heated, also said the following about Bosh: “There’s a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he’s one of them.”

Pacers are firing coach Jim O`Brien

The Indiana Pacers have reportedly decided that their time with head coach Jim O’Brien is due to come to an end.

According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, the Pacers on Sunday fired O’Brien and will name Frank Vogel interim coach.

Wells also reported that although Vogel will run the show for the time being, Pacers president Larry Bird will have some say as to which players get time on the court.

The 17-27 Pacers are currently 10th in the Eastern conference and have won just three of their last 10 games.