Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Nazr Mohammed puts up 22/20 in loss

The AP reports:

The Utah Jazz are making a habit of comeback victories.

Deron Williams hit a running hook shot from seven feet out with 0.8 seconds left to cap a fourth-quarter rally and give the Jazz a 96-95 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.

Williams finished with 17 points and nine assists for Utah, which overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to win its fifth consecutive game and fourth straight on the road.

Al Jefferson had 19 points, Paul Millsap 17, C.J. Miles 14 and Andrei Kirilenko 12 for the Jazz, who also had to overcome double-digit deficits in winning its previous four games.

InsideHoops.com reports:

In the loss, Nazr Mohammed in 36 minutes shot 10-of-16 for 22 points, 20 rebounds, two assists, four blocks and no turnovers. For the season, the 6-10, 250-pound Bobcats center is averaging 8.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game.

Hornets release Joe Alexander

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have released forward Joe Alexander.

Alexander did not appear in a regular season game this season. He averaged 1.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in six preseason games (one start) with the Hornets.

The third-year pro has career averages of 4.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 67 regular season games.

The Hornets roster now stands at 14.

Kevin Love gets 31 points, 31 rebounds in Wolves win over Knicks

The AP reports:

kevin love

Kevin Love grabbed a franchise-record 31 rebounds and scored 31 points, the NBA’s first 30-30 game in 28 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to stun the New York Knicks 112-103 on Friday night.

“I just got a good mindset that every single one was mine,” said Love, who had 23 points and 24 rebounds in a loss to the Lakers on Tuesday.

Love grabbed 15 boards in the third quarter alone to will the Timberwolves to victory. Moses Malone was the last player to do it with 38 points and 32 rebounds for Houston against Seattle in 1982.

“It seemed like no matter what anybody did I was going to go and get those rebounds. I don’t know what to tell you,” Love said sheepishly. “I impressed myself. I don’t even know what to say to be honest with you.”

Beasley had 35 points and six rebounds for the Wolves, who were carried to their second victory in a row by the two players who are being advertised as the building blocks of the latest rebuilding project.

InsideHoops.com editor says: What an amazing performance by Love. Who does he think he is, Moses Malone? Thanks to Kevin, I’m going out of my way to watch the next few Wolves games, and I’m sure tons of others will, too.

David Lee to have elbow infection surgery, may miss two weeks

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee did not travel with the team to Milwaukee on Friday, instead returning to the Bay Area for surgery to clean out an infection from the inside of his left elbow.

The Warriors said the surgery will be performed by Dr. Frank Chen, but they were unable to release a timetable for Lee’s return. Early estimations are that Lee will miss about two weeks.

Lee was injured in Wednesday’s victory over the Knicks, when his elbow caught Wilson Chandler’s face on a rebound and knocked out two teeth. Lee completed the game with a three-layered tape job that couldn’t completely restrain the blood from coming to the surface and his best game of the season (28 points, 10 rebounds).

Allen Iverson debut in Turkey likely Tuesday

The AP reports:

Former NBA All-Star Allen Iverson’s debut with Turkish basketball league team Besiktas has been postponed.

Team manager Murat Murtezaoglu told The Associated Press the 11-time NBA All-Star “did not feel ready” to play Friday and instead watched from the stands as his new team beat Oyak Renault 87-81.

Murtezaoglu said he expects Iverson to make his debut at Besiktas’ European Cup home game against Hemofarm Stada on Tuesday.

NBA approves sale of Warriors to Joe Lacob, Peter Guber group

The sale of the Golden State Warriors to an ownership group headed by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber was formally completed today, the team announced. GSW Sports LLC, a group of six board members and multiple investors, headed by Lacob and Guber, have officially assumed full control of the NBA organization.

“This announcement has been much-anticipated,” said Lacob. “Now that the process is officially complete, I am incredibly anxious and excited to take the helm of the Golden State Warriors organization. It’s a great day for me and my family, and a great day for Warriors fans. The unmatched passion of this Bay Area fan base played a huge role in my pursuit of this dream come true, and I’m looking forward to a tremendous ride on our journey to the return to greatness. We will work extremely hard to represent you as the championship organization that you deserve, and the team that you will be proud to be a part of.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for new ownership, the Warriors franchise and its great fans,” Guber said. “I’m convinced that we have formed a passionate and well-diversified group. With the financial and intellectual commitment of the board members and investors, and Warriors fans as the truly key partners in this endeavor, we will not fail.

“We all understand that in sports business, it’s about winning, but we will also strive to make sure that the Warriors are recognized among our industry leaders in innovation and business practices. Joe and I have assembled a group of highly successful and well-respected individuals, each of whom will provide expertise in various aspects of our business. This will be an extremely strong, productive and creative partnership.”

The sale of the Warriors to GSW Sports LLC was unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors earlier today.  Game Plan LLC, a Miami Beach-based investment banking firm, represented GSW Sports LLC on the sale, while Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP served as legal counsel for this record-breaking transaction.

Stan Van Gundy going with Q-Rich as starter

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports:

Stan Van Gundy is doing the right thing — for now.

He has stopped spinning the roulette wheel with the lineup. He said Friday after shootaround that he is going with Quentin Richardson as the starter at small forward.

“It’s good, good to stabilize things,” Richardson said.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Q-Rich has struggled to start the season, shooting just 26.7 percent from the field for 5.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, though doing so in limited minutes. I assume his FG% will improve as he gets more minutes and continues to adjust to his role and the squad.

Timberwolves sign Sundiata Gaines

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent guard Sundiata Gaines. To make room on the roster, the Wolves last night requested waivers on guard Maurice Ager.

Gaines, a 6-1 point guard, appeared in 32 games for the Utah Jazz in 2009-10, averaging 3.3 points and 1.2 assists in 6.8 minutes per game. He is probably best known for hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Jazz a 97-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 14, 2010. It was the first NBA three-pointer of his career. Gaines also appeared in five playoff games with Utah in 2010, averaging 2.2 ppg.

Prior to joining the Jazz, Gaines played in 14 games with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League in 2009-10, averaging 23.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists.

Gaines played for the University of Georgia from 2004-07, averaging 11.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.9 apg in 123 career games. He finished his career as Georgia’s all-time leader in steals (259) and second in assists (476).