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VH1 Basketball Wives: Reality TV Show about being NBA Wife

VH1 these days is packed with shows that often have nothing to do with music. Your own InsideHoops.com editor was one of the main people on one VH1 special episode, “Fabulous Life of Hoop Superstars,” back a few years ago.

The latest on VH1 as well as other stations are reality shows. They’re cheap to produce and, while often embarrassing to admit to watching, quite often entertaining.

This new show sounds right up the alley of what a gossip-loving basketball fan would want.

Vibe.com reports:

Shaq’s soon-to-be ex-wife Shaunie O’ Neal is planning to executive produce and star in an upcoming VH1 reality series about the tumultuous life of being the wife of a basketball star.

The series, Basketball Wives, is set to be began shooting this month, focusing on the “glamorous” and cliquey world of women who date famous (and some infamous) NBA stars– athletes whose world involves being away from home almost six months out the year.

The show is expected to include wives, and ex-wives. VH1 plans to chronicle the women enjoying the luxuries that come as a privilege of being affiliated with a pro baller, but also the paranoia of dealing with their groupies. Other women included in the series are Jennifer Williams (wife of Eric Williams), Evelyn Lozada (ex-fiancé of Antoine Walker), Mesha O’Neal (wife of Jermaine O’Neal), Royce Reed, and Faith Rain (Udonis Haslem’s girlfriend).

I know I’ll be tuning in. As the show actually starts, I’ll remind you of it, on the InsideHoops.com front page, this blog, and/or our rumors page, so keep going Inside Hoops every day.

Maurice Baker suspended for striking Cedric Simmons

Dakota Wizards (D-League) guard Maurice Baker has been suspended one game for striking Idaho Stampede forward Cedric Simmons in the shoulder/face, it was announced today by Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA Development League.

The incident occurred at the 11:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Boise, Idaho.

Baker will serve his suspension tonight when the Wizards play the Utah Flash in Orem, Utah.

Julius Hodge stomps on rival court logo in Australia

The National Basketball League (NBL) will not be proceeding with charges against Melbourne Tigers’ import Julius Hodge for his post-game actions following his team’s match against the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday night.

Hodge drew the ire of the 5,984-strong crowd at the Distinctive Homes Dome in Adelaide after celebrating the Tigers’ 87-84 overtime victory over his former team by twice stamping on the Brett Maher Court logo.

NBL General Manager Chuck Harmison determined that the actions of Hodge, whilst immature, did not constitute a breach of the NBL’s Code of Conduct.

“Whilst it is clear that Julius Hodge’s actions on Saturday night were ill-conceived and juvenile, we do not consider them to be a breach of the NBL’s Code of Conduct,” said Harmison. “With no formal report lodged by either the 36ers or the game officials over the incident, Hodge will therefore face no sanctions from the league.

“It is disappointing that a game which was an absolute thriller, that went to overtime, and which drew the biggest NBL crowd of the season thus far, should be remembered for one player’s distasteful actions rather than the fantastic basketball played. That being said, NBL basketball is always exciting and emotional, and we understand that sometimes our athletes get carried away with their celebrations after a win. Clearly however Hodge went over the top and underestimated the high esteem in which the Adelaide crowd, and indeed the rest of the basketball community, hold Brett Maher.”

Harmison said Hodge’s allegations of racial taunts from the Adelaide crowd would be investigated thoroughly and warned that any fans who were found to have acted inappropriately would face potential bans from future NBL matches.

“Hodge’s allegations of racial taunting following the game are a serious concern and we will work closely with the 36ers and venue security staff to identify any individuals who may have used racial slurs against Hodge,” said Harmison. “There is absolutely no place for that sort of behaviour in the NBL or indeed in our society.”

The NBL will also undertake an overall review of the way the 36ers handled the post-game events on Saturday.

“We will be working closely with the club to undertake a thorough review of Saturday’s game-day operations as well as the actions of both the 36ers staff and venue security personnel on the night to ensure that appropriate procedures were followed,” said Harmison. “Our number one priority must always be the safety of our players, team personnel and fans, so it’s important that the club and the league learn from this incident.”

Have an opinion? Talk world hoops on the InsideHoops international basketball forum.

Nate McMillan has surgery

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan underwent successful surgery Monday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

He is expected to make a full recovery and return to the bench for the Trail Blazers’ Dec. 15 game vs. Sacramento. The injury occurred during a Dec. 4 practice.

Dr. Jay Crary performed the surgery at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash.

Lead Assistant Coach Dean Demopoulos will serve as the team’s head coach in McMillan’s absence, starting tonight at New York.

Suns assign Taylor Griffin to Iowa Energy of D-League

The Phoenix Suns have assigned rookie forward Taylor Griffin to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr.

The 6-7, 238-pound Griffin was selected by the Suns with the 48th overall pick (second round) of the 2009 NBA Draft and has appeared in two games this season for Phoenix. The Oklahoma product is expected to appear in both of the Energy’s home games this Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12 against the Dakota Wizards.

The Suns (15-6) return to action Tuesday night, taking on the Dallas Mavericks (14-7) at American Airlines Center at 6:30 p.m. Phoenix time. The game can be seen locally on My45 and heard on Sports 620 KTAR.

Yi Jianlian suffers busted lip, gets 50 stitches

Nets forward Yi Jianlian suffered an upper lip laceration on Saturday, December 5, as a result of an inadvertent elbow while playing 3 on 3 after practice. The laceration required 50 stitches to close. Yi will be re-evaluated on Monday, December 14, at which time a determination will be made on when he can return to action.

Yi has played in four games this season, averaging 9.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg and has missed the past 15 games with a sprained right MCL.

The 1-18 Nets got their first win of the 2009-10 season in their last game, beating the Charlotte Bobcats in New Jersey. On Sunday the team heads to New York for a matchup with the Knicks.

Have Nets opinions? Share them on the InsideHoops New Jersey Nets forum.

Greg Oden injures left knee, needs surgery, likely out for season

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden injured his left knee early in the first quarter Saturday night as his team hosted the visiting Houston Rockets.

Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks, dribbling from the left side of the court, drove at the basket and Oden jumped to contest the shot. The Blazers big-man came down clutching his left knee.

Oden stayed down on the court for quite a while and was eventually wheeled away on a stretcher.

Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reports (via blog):

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden fractured the patella in his left knee Saturday night against the Houston Rockets and will likely miss the rest of the season.

Oden collapsed to the floor and clutched his left knee, grimacing, with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter after he slid over to provide help defense on a drive by Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks. It did not appear that Brooks made contact with Oden’s left knee on the drive, but that Oden’s knee simply gave out as he planted to elevate.

Blazers trainers and doctors sprinted to Oden from the far side of the court and, after he lay for several minutes, brought out a stretcher and carted him away. Several teammates helped Oden onto the stretcher and offered words of encouragement just before Oden exited from a corridor near the Houston bench.

UPDATE: The AP reports:

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will likely miss the season after fracturing his left patella during a game against Houston on Saturday night.

Oden will undergo surgery, the Trail Blazers said.

UPDATE: The AP reports:

He was almost immediately surrounded by trainers and physicians. The crowd at the Rose Garden stood and chanted “Oden! Oden!”

The game was stopped for some 7 minutes. Finally, Oden was gently moved to a stretcher and wheeled from the court. He underwent an MRI shortly thereafter.

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

Nate McMillan injured in practice

Guard Nate McMillan suffered an injury in practice yesterday.

That would be a normal thing to read if McMillan was still playing in the NBA, but he’s the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jason Quick of the Oregonian reports:

Add coach Nate McMillan to the Trail Blazers’ injury list.

In another twist to an already strange season, McMillan on Friday ruptured his right Achilles tendon while he and assistant coach Monty Williams were filling in as practice players because the team didn’t have enough healthy bodies to play five-on-five.

McMillan will coach tonight’s home game against Houston, but will undergo surgery Monday and miss the Blazers’ four-game trip next week to New York, Indiana, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Lead assistant Dean Demopoulos will coach the team.

McMillan’s injury comes at an especially unsettled time for the Blazers (12-8), who have lost three in a row, all of them decisive defeats. His injury also continues a trend of injuries and sickness that has plagued the Blazers since last summer.

Kidding here: No word if the Blazers will now look to sign guard Clyde Drexler to fill in.

Have Blazers opinions? Share them on the InsideHoops Portland Trail Blazers forum.

Nets get first win of season

Friday night in New Jersey the Nets finally won their first game of the 2009-10 NBA regular season, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 97-91. It was the first game for new Nets interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe.

The game was fairly close from start to finish, with the Bobcats leading by one point after the first quarter, by four at the half, and by one after three quarters. But the Nets stepped up big in the fourth and now have one win and 18 losses.

Nets center Brook Lopez (12-of-22) scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Courtney Lee, starting at shooting guard, shot 11-of-16 (3-of-4 three-pointers) for 27 points, four rebounds and three steals. Point guard Devin Harris, still not completely healthy, shot just 2-of-14 but hit 11-of-13 free throws for 16 points and 8 assists.

As a team, New Jersey shot just 39.1%, but they fought hard and had 87 field goal attempts, while the Bobcats only took 73 shots.

Terrence Williams struggled off the New Jersey bench, shooting 2-of-12. But like his teammates, the rookie hustled hard all game.

Charlotte struggled with ball control with 18 turnovers. The Nets had just seven.

For the Bobcats, point guard Raymond Felton shot 11-of-14 (4-of-4 threes) for 28 points, five rebounds and four assists. Shooting guard Stephen Jackson shot 10-of-23 for 28 points. Gerald Wallace had an amazing stat-line: 13 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. And starting center Tyson Chandler added 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

But, no one else on the Bobcats did much of anything. Boris Diaw was an awful 1-of-6 with six assists, and the Bobcats bench combined to shoot 2-of-13 for just five points and one assist between three reserves who got minutes.

The next Nets win may come sooner than it took to get their first. Sunday the team will visit New York to face the beatable Knicks. Tuesday, they head to Chicago where they’ll meet the inconsistent Bulls. On Wednesday, the Nets host the Golden State Warriors. And Friday, they head to Indiana to play the Pacers. It wouldn’t surprise InsideHoops.com to see the Nets win at least one of those games.

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

Nets hire Del Harris as assistant coach

The New Jersey Nets have named Del Harris as an assistant coach, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today. Harris joins Tom Barrise, John Loyer, Roy Rogers and Doug Overton as a member of Interim Head Coach Kiki Vandeweghe’s staff.

Harris, 72, joins the Nets following one season as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls were he helped first-year coach Vinny Del Negro reach the playoffs.

Prior to his time in Chicago, Harris was an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks from 2000-08. During that time, Harris worked closely with Vandeweghe and Nets point guard Devin Harris. Harris brings 50+ years of coaching experience to the Nets including 30+ seasons in the NBA. As a head coach, Harris amassed a career record of 556-457 (.549) in parts of 14 seasons with the Lakers, Bucks and Rockets, reaching the playoffs 11 times. Harris received the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 1995 after guiding his Lakers to a 48-34 (.585) record, finishing third in the Pacific Division.

Harris also has international coaching experience as he coached Nets forward Yi Jianlian and Team China in the 2004 Olympics, where the team finished eighth out of a field of 12. He also coached seven seasons in Puerto Rico’s National Superior League (1969-75), posting a 176-61 record and winning three national championships (1973-75).

Before entering the NBA ranks, Harris was the head coach of Earlham College from 1965-74 finishing with a 175-70 (.714) record.

The Plainfield, Indiana native attended Milligan College in Tennessee where he played four years of basketball with career averages of 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds.