The Los Angeles Times (Lisa Dillman) reports: One absent Marcus Camby meant two eye-opening words for the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum. Career night. Or if you want to continue the political theme: Running unopposed. Bynum had 42 points and 15 rebounds in the Lakers’ 108-97 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night at Staples Center in front of a sellout crowd. Bynum’s previous high was 28 points, and he eclipsed that mark early in the third quarter, pounding home a one-handed dunk. Speaking of pounding . . . were those tire tracks on the backs of poor Brian Skinner and DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers? It was the Lakers’ seventh straight victory over the Clippers to put the Lakers (33-8) in a tie with Orlando for the league’s best record. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was asked if this was a breakthrough for Bynum. “Offensively, yeah,” he said. “But there’s two ends to the game still. Don’t forget that, right? That was his career high too.” He was speaking about the 23 points by Clippers rookie Jordan.
Category: NBA News Blog
NBA news blog
Alonzo Mourning retires
The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports: Alonzo Mourning, perhaps the greatest player in Heat history, announced his retirement Thursday afternoon in a news conference at AmericanAirlines Arena. Mourning, 38, is a likely Hall of Fame selection who spent the majority of his career – roughly 11 full years of his 15 seasons – with Miami. The 6-foot-10 center teamed with guard Tim Hardaway and coach Pat Riley to form the basis of Miami’s success of the late 1990s and early this decade. Mourning, who returned to the NBA after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2003, was a key contributor to the Heat’s only championship season in 2006. Mourning, who will be 39 on Feb. 8, sustained a devastating knee injury on Dec. 19, 2007 in Atlanta, tearing his patella tendon and quadriceps muscle in his right leg. “I spent the past year rehabbing and thinking about my basketball future. after 16 years I truly feel it’s best i retire from the game of basketball,” Mourning said Thursday. “If you’ve got something you love and you’re passionate about it’s hard to let that go.”
Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.
Phil Jackson to coach West All-Stars
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson will coach the Western Conference All-Stars for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 15, at US Airways Center in Phoenix.
With the Lakers’ 108-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers tonight, Jackson and the Lakers (33-8, .805) have at least tied for the best winning percentage in the conference through Feb. 1. In the event that the Spurs and the Lakers have the same winning percentage through Feb. 1, Jackson would earn the spot to coach the West All-Stars since Gregg Popovich has coached an All-Star team most recently (2005). This marks the fourth time Jackson will serve as an All-Star head coach (1992, 1996, 2000).
Head coaches for the East and West All-Star teams are based on teams with the best winning percentage in each conference. Last year’s coaches – Boston’s Doc Rivers and New Orleans’ Byron Scott – are not eligible to coach in the 2009 All-Star Game.
This season marks Jackson’s ninth year at the helm of the Lakers and his 18th season as a head coach. Jackson’s 1,009-426 (.703) record gives him the best winning percentage in NBA history, with his win total ranking him sixth all-time. Jackson became the first coach in NBA history to lead a team to three consecutive championships three different times (Chicago, 1991-93 and 1996-98; Los Angeles, 2000-02), while his 193 postseason wins are the most by any head coach in league history. A member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, Jackson has led the Lakers to three NBA Championships and five Western Conference Championships. The Lakers’ 15-1 (.938) run in the 2001 NBA Playoffs marked the highest winning percentage by any team in a single postseason. From 1996 to 2003, Jackson led his teams (Chicago and Los Angeles) to an NBA-best 25 consecutive postseason series wins. With nine NBA championships over the last 18 years, Jackson is tied with Red Auerbach (Boston) for most NBA Championships in league history.
Kris Humphries breaks right leg
The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday that x-rays taken prior to today’s game in Detroit revealed Kris Humphries has a fractured right fibula.
Humphries was kicked in the leg during Sunday’s game against Phoenix and sat out Monday’s contest in Atlanta.
No timetable has been set for his return.
Hornets sign Anthony Tolliver to 10-day contract
The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed free agent Anthony Tolliver from the D-League’s Iowa Energy to a 10-day contract.
Tolliver (6-8, 240) played nine games in the D-League with the Energy and Austin Toros, averaging 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37.1 minutes. He appeared in 19 games for the San Antonio Spurs this season where he averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes. He was cut by the Spurs on Jan. 7.
Tolliver appeared in 25 games with the Energy during the 2007-08 season, averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in 27.4 minutes. He spent the 2007 preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers appearing in three games with averages of 2.0 points in 6.7 minutes.
Tolliver is a native of Springfield, Mo., and was undrafted by an NBA franchise in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Creighton University.
Andrei Kirilenko day-to-day
Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, who left last night’s win over Minnesota with an inflamed right ankle, is doubtful for tonight’s game at Houston. Kirilenko left last night’s 112-107 win over the Timberwolves with 6:43 remaining in the second quarter and did not return. He received a cortisone injection in the ankle following the game and is day-to-day.
Josh Childress having hernia surgery
Euroleague.net reports: Olympiacos Pireaus on Tuesday announced that forward Josh Childress will undergo hernia surgery today and miss most, if not all, of the Top 16. Childress (203, 25) is the third-best scorer (10.7 ppg.) and second-best rebounder (5 rpg.) for the Reds, while leading the team in minutes played (26.3 mpg.). Childress returned to the United States over the weekend for medical attention concerning an inguinal hernia.
Suns sign Courtney Sims to 10-day contract
The Phoenix Suns have signed free-agent center Courtney Sims to a 10-day contract, the club announced today.
The 6-11, 245-pound Sims has spent the last two seasons with the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. The Energy, coached by Nick Nurse, became the Suns’ affiliate this season. Sims, 25, joins Phoenix after starting all 17 of his games in Iowa this season, averaging 22.4 points and 11.6 rebounds, both team-bests. A season ago, Sims averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 15 games with Iowa.
A four-year collegiate performer at the University of Michigan, Sims was an undrafted free agent signee of the Indiana Pacers in 2007-08. The Roslindale, Mass.-native saw action in three regular season games for the Pacers.
The Suns roster now stands at 13.
Richard Hamilton to come off bench
The Detroit Pistons have a problem. A bunch of their best players, Tayshaun Prince, Allen Iverson, Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey are small. They’re little. You can pick them up and toss them in the air. If they’re all on the court at the same time, Prince, who is a skinny bean-pole, is forced to play power forward, which is just silly.
So now, a roster decision has been made. One that could change at any moment. But for now, here’s what’s up, as reported by the Detroit News (Chris McCosky):
Pistons coach Michael Curry announced Tuesday that he will begin using guard Rip Hamilton off the bench, with guard Allen Iverson and forward Amir Johnson starting… Curry said Hamilton, who has never come off the bench as a Piston, will start the second and fourth quarters.
Watch the Pistons, as they try to figure themselves out.
Walker Russell is D-League player of week
Walker Russell, Jr. of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants has been named NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 12, 2009. Russell is the first Mad Ant to earn the honor this season.
Russell averaged 28.5 points and 16.0 assists in two wins over the Sioux Falls Skyforce last week, including on Thursday when he scored a season-high 30 points while adding 18 assists. He returned on Friday to score 17 points and 14 assists in another victory.
A 6-0 guard, Russell is leading the NBA D-League with 11.6 assists per game this season. He also ranks fourth in the league with 2.5 steals, while averaging 16.9 points.
Other top performers last week included Tulsa’s Ronald Dupree, who averaged 30.5 points and 15.5 rebounds in two games for the 66ers; Othyus Jeffers, who averaged 26.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games for the Iowa Energy; Idaho’s Coby Karl who finished the week averaging 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in two games for the Stampede; Antonio Meeking, who averaged 20.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games for the Reno Bighorns; and Anaheim’s James White, who averaged 27.0 points in three games for the Arsenal last week.