Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Andrew Bogut out 2-4 weeks with leg injury

Andrew Bogut out 2-4 weeks

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that Andrew Bogut (7-0, 260) suffered a lower left leg strain and contusion in Wednesday’s 99-85 win against New Jersey that is expected to sideline the fifth-year center for two-to-four weeks.  Bogut scored team-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win and left the game late in the fourth period and did not return to action.

Bogut, 24, was examined by Bucks orthopedic physician Dr. Michael Gordon, M.D., and underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam this morning, which revealed the injury.

In nine games this season (all starts), Bogut has averaged 16.1 points, 9.2 rebounds (19th in NBA), 1.9 assists and 1.44 blocked shots (22nd in the NBA) in 33.6 minutes per game.  Bogut ranks 11th in the NBA in field goal percentage (.565), connecting on 65 of 115 attempts from the floor.

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Pooh Jeter signs in Israel

The Hoop, a blog quoting hapoel.co.il, reports: Hapoel Jerusalem signed Pooh Jeter(1.79-PG) until the end of the season and they announced it via their official website.

Jeter started the season with Malaga but they released him and so he found the new step in his career in Hapoel Jerusalem. He has already passed with medical examinations so he is ready to play in the next game of Hapoel.

Elton Brand has breakout game

Tom Moore of The Intelligencer reports:

Elton Brand has breakout game

Welcome back, Elton Brand.

With head coach Eddie Jordan thinking long and hard before deciding against a lineup change that would’ve put Brand on the bench and Rodney Carney in the starting five, Brand responded with his best game of the season in Wednesday’s 86-84 victory over the Bobcats at the Wachovia Center.

Brand was a factor at both ends from the outset en route to season-highs in points (19), rebounds (10), blocks (six), steals (three) and minutes (42) for his first double-double since Dec. 12, 2008.

“Pride was definitely a motivating factor,” Brand said. “I thought I was playing OK enough to play in the fourth quarter. I had good starts before, but still didn’t play in the fourth.”

Brand has been a disappointment so far this short NBA season, averaging just 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game. But he’s coming off injury, so perhaps the adjustment was simply taking longer than expected.

Ideally for the Sixers, Brand continues to recover and look like the All-Star type of talent he truly is.

Have Sixers opinion? Share them on the InsideHoops Philadelphia 76ers forum.

Antawn Jamison returns for Wizards

Mike Jones of the Washington Times reports:

After missing the first nine games of the season, Wizards forward Antawn Jamison didn’t show the slightest trace of rust in his season debut against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Verizon Center.

Instead, the two-time All-Star put his struggling team on his back and carried it to a 108-91 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 20,173 fans.

Jamison picked up career double-double No. 263, recording 31 points and 10 rebounds, and helped the Wizards snap a six-game losing streak.

“Me coming back and just trying to stop the bleeding a little bit, we found a way to pull it off,” said Jamison, who made 12 of 22 shots from the field and five of six from the foul line. “Guys did a great job of staying focused for 48 minutes.

The Wizards began the season with great hope. The return of Gilbert Arenas inspired many to believe this team could return to glory of a few seasons ago. But they got off to a rocky start and have won just three of their 10 games.

With Jamison back, keep an eye on them over the next week or so and see if they become more of a force.

Share your Wizards opinions on the InsideHoops Washington Wizards forum.

Atlanta Hawks on fire

The AP reports:

When Joe Johnson is scoring and Josh Smith is doing a little bit of everything, the Atlanta Hawks are awfully hard to beat.

The Miami Heat got a sampling of that 1-2 punch Wednesday night.

Johnson made it two consecutive 30-point games, Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run and the Hawks won their sixth in the row, beating Miami 105-90 to reclaim a share of the NBA’s best record with Phoenix.

“It’s just beautiful basketball right now,” Smith said.

Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday. Smith was all over the stat sheet: 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

It’s still early in the season but Atlanta clearly has to be happy about the way they’re playing.

A big help has been the addition of Jamal Crawford, who is coming off the bench to contribute 16.1 points and 2.8 assists in 29 minutes per game.

The Cavaliers, Magic and Celtics are still considered the best in the East, but the Hawks seem closer to the big three than previously thought.

For now, at least, Hawks basketball is definitely of national interest.

Have Hawks opinions? Share them on the InsideHoops Atlanta Hawks forum.

Rawle Marshall signs in France

Euroleague.net reports: Asvel Basket signed small forward Rawle Marshall to address the club’s need for more scoring punch and athleticism. The contract is through the end of the calendar year with a team option to extend it for the remainder of the season. Marshall (201, 27) arrives from Valencia Basket, where he averaged 7 points on 50% three-point shooting in 19 minutes over four games in the Spanish League this season.

Raptors add Pops Mensah-Bonsu

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have been awarded forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu on a waiver claim. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Mensah-Bonsu, who signed with Houston this past offseason, was waived by the Rockets on Friday. He appeared in four games with Houston, averaging 1.3 points and 3.3 minutes.

Prior to signing with the Rockets, Mensah-Bonsu, 26, averaged 5.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 13.8 minutes in 19 games with the Raptors. He was signed as a free agent by Toronto on March 6, 2009.

Mensah-Bonsu saw action in three contests with the San Antonio Spurs in 2008-09, averaging 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 6.7 minutes. He appeared in 12 games with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006-07 season where he totaled 29 points and 22 rebounds in 72 minutes. He also spent part of that season in the D-League with Fort Worth, averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 30.7 minutes in 26 games. He earned 2007 D-League All-Star Game MVP honours with 30 points and seven rebounds.

The native of London, England spent two seasons overseas, playing with Benetton Treviso in 2007-08 and DKV Joventut in 2008-09. He averaged 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 31 regular season games with Benetton. He saw action in just two games with Jovenut before returning to North America to play in the D-League.

A four-year athlete at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Mensah-Bonsu averaged 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in his senior season leading the Colonials to a 26-1 regular season mark and a Top 10 ranking.

Raja Bell to have wrist surgery, could miss extended time

Raja Bell is a new member of the Golden State Warriors, acquired in the trade that sent Stephen Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats.

The rugged, defensive-minded shooting guard has been playing hurt and has decided to take care of his bad wrist.

Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (via blog):

Raja Bell to have wrist surgery, could miss extended time

Newly-acquired Raja Bell told The Chronicle on Tuesday that he will have wrist surgery, a decision that adds to the Warriors’ injury woes and could cost the guard the rest of the season.

Bell, who was picked up from Charlotte in the Stephen Jackson trade Monday, will go back east for surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his left wrist. He’ll miss four or five weeks if the wrist is in decent shape and probably the rest of the season if screws are needed for the repair.

“I’m going into it, assuming it will be a big surgery,” Bell said. “If I wake up and it’s not, it’s icing on the cake. I’m prepared for the worst-case scenario, and I’ll go from there.

He’s probably thinking that it makes no sense to play hurt for a team that is sure to lose and not make the playoffs, and might as well lengthen his career by having the surgery done now.

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

Jameer Nelson to have left knee surgery, out 4-6 weeks

Jameer Nelson to have left knee surgery, out 4-6 weeks

Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday morning to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Nelson was injured in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game vs. Charlotte and underwent an MRI Tuesday morning.

It is estimated that Nelson will be out four-to-six weeks following the procedure.

Nelson had started all 11 games for the Magic, averaging 13.7 ppg. and a team-high 5.5 apg.

The Magic (8-3) return to action Wednesday night by hosting Oklahoma City at Amway Arena (tip-off 7 p.m.)

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