Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Kobe Bryant commits to Team USA

The Orange County Register (Kevin Ding) reports: “The best player on the planet,” as Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Kobe Bryant late Wednesday night, can’t wait to make the Earth move some more in 2010 and ’12. Bryant said Wednesday night he is willing to commit to play for USA Basketball in 2010 at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, where Bryant expects to go for the gold again. “The chance to represent your country, that’s not even a thought-process for me,” Bryant said Wednesday. “If they want me to be on it, I’m all game.” Bryant’s words should stabilize the U.S. ship at a time when many of Bryant’s teammates from the 2008 Olympic gold-medal team are choosing to be future international men of mystery.

Jodie Meeks of Kentucky scores 54

The AP reports: Jodie Meeks was just trying to get a victory. He didn’t fathom having a chance at earning a spot among Kentucky’s greatest players. Meeks scored a school-record 54 points to help Kentucky cruise to a 90-72 win over No. 24 Tennessee on Tuesday night. “It means a lot to be in the same sentence as Dan Issel. It’s mind-boggling,” he said. “I was just out there playing to win.” Meeks, who broke Issel’s 39-year-old record of 53 points set at Mississippi, was mobbed by his Kentucky teammates in the middle of the Thompson-Boling Arena court, where the Wildcats (13-4, 2-0 SEC) handed the Volunteers their third loss in January. The Southeastern Conference’s leading scorer surpassed his previous high of 46 points, which he set Dec. 20 against Appalachian State, with 4:50 left as he hit an open 3, one of 10 3-pointers he would make for the night. He set the record with free throws with 1:31 left.

Magic make NBA-record 23 3s in rout of Kings

The AP reports: Seldom-used Jeremy Richardson’s lone basket proved the most memorable Tuesday night, a 3-pointer with 2:20 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Magic an NBA-record 23 3s in a 139-107 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The Magic made 23 of 37 attempts (62 percent) in breaking the old mark of 21, set by Toronto on March 13, 2005, against Philadelphia. Orlando rang up its highest point total since scoring 152 at Milwaukee on Feb. 20, 1995… Jameer Nelson made all five 3-point attempts and had 23 points and 11 assists, Rashard Lewis scored 19 points, Hedo Turkoglu contributed 17 points and eight assists, and J.J. Redick added 15 points… Kevin Martin scored 30 points for the Kings, who allowed a season-high point total. Francisco Garcia scored 15 points, Spencer Hawes had 14 and Bobby Jackson added 13.

Monta Ellis practices

The Contra Costa Times (Marcus Thompson II) reports: Dribbling at the top of the key, Warriors guard Monta Ellis split a double team with a quick spin move, freeing himself for a pull-up jumper at the free-throw line. No, this didn’t go down on the video game NBA Live ’09. This was the real deal. Ellis got over another major hurdle Tuesday — he participated in a full practice for the first time since undergoing left ankle surgery in August. “Monta actually did the whole practice today, which probably I wasn’t supposed to (allow),” coach Don Nelson said. “It kind of ended up that way.” What does this mean? Ellis has only one obstacle remaining: game action.

Etan Thomas tears MCL in left knee

Tests performed today on Washington Wizards Center Etan Thomas revealed that Thomas has a torn MCL in his left knee.  The injury occurred in the first quarter of last night’s game versus Milwaukee.  Thomas will be listed as out indefinitely, and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Thomas this season has played just 11.8 minutes per game, averaging 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds.

With seven wins and 30 losses, the Wizards have been one of the league’s worst teams in 2008-09.

Ron Artest out 7-10 days

A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test conducted on Houston Rockets forward Ron Artest on Sunday at the Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute revealed no stress fractures in his right ankle.  The test confirmed that Artest has a moderate to severe bone bruise in the ankle.  Artest will continue his current rehabilitation treatment schedule for the next seven to 10 days and will be re-evaluated at that time.

This season Artest in 35.6 minutes per game is averaging 16.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.84 steals, shooting just 37.8% from the field – though he’s hitting 41.1% of his three-pointers.

Miami Heat sues seat holders who don’t pay up

The Miami Herald (Patrick Danner) reports:  The Miami Heat is putting a full-court press on premium-seat holders and sponsors it claims haven’t paid up. The Heat or affiliate Basketball Properties, which operates the AmericanAirlines Arena, have filed 16 lawsuits in the past year against companies and people they claim owe about $1.6 million — if not more. At least a few of the cases have been resolved. The Heat has taken the most litigious approach among South Florida sports franchises to force customers and clients to honor agreements. By comparison, the Florida Panthers and affiliate Arena Operating Co., which operates Sunrise’s BankAtlantic Center, filed three suits in 2008 to collect about $100,000.

Male driver sues Eddy Curry for sexual harassment

OK, before I even get into this, remember that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and professional athletes are world famous stars known by tens, sometimes hundreds of millions of people. And, there are a lot of crazy people out there who will do whatever it takes to get money.

As for this lawsuit in particular, the New York Post reports that the guy who is suing Eddy Curry is a convicted criminal who spent three years in prison. So he’s not exactly trustworthy.

Until there’s reason to do otherwise, InsideHoops.com officially supports Eddy Curry.

With that said, here’s what’s up:

New York Newsday (Jim Baumbach and Alan Hahn) reports: The former driver for Eddy Curry is seeking $5 million from the Knicks’ center in an explosive lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and racial discrimination, the driver’s attorney told Newsday last night. After last night’s Knicks game, Curry said he is “just shocked.” His lawyer called it “extortion.” The lawsuit states that Curry approached his driver, David Kuchinsky, in the nude on two separate occasions and “kept asking him to look and to touch him,” said Kuchinsky’s attorney, Matthew Blit. Blit also said the lawsuit alleges that Curry referred to Kuchinsky in racially offensive terms.

The New York Times (Howard Beck) reports: A man who worked for three years as Eddy Curry’s driver is suing Curry, alleging sexual harassment and a failure to pay him tens of thousands of dollars. In a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court, the former driver, Dave Kuchinsky, claimed that Curry, the Knicks’ center, owed him $68,000 in back wages and another $25,000 for charges made on Kuchinsky’s credit card. In the suit, Kuchinsky also described two incidents in which he claimed Curry dropped his pants and made lewd and suggestive remarks. Curry steadfastly denied the allegations Monday. Curry’s lawyer, Kelly Saindon, called the allegations “preposterous” and added, “In my opinion, it’s extortion.”

Newsday continues: “He had approached my friends and me a while back trying to get money and stuff like that,” Curry said. “I just never thought – especially with the past that me and him had – I never thought that it would go past where it did, which is idle threats; ‘I want some money or else’ kind of stuff. I guess it’s just like a prime example of you just got to watch who you have around you. This is a guy who I really thought was my friend up until the last four or five months. I can’t even believe this has happened.”

The New York Daily News (Thomas Zambito) reports: Curry said Kuchinsky has been making idle threats and money demands for several months, since Curry fired him. “I guess this is just a prime example of you just gotta watch who you have around you,” he said. Curry’s attorney, Kelly Saindon, characterized the lawsuit, which also charged Curry made Kuchinsky clean up towels soiled by sex acts, as an extortion try.

Newsday continues: Curry said, “He tried to contact a friend of mine about a month ago, two months ago. He actually tried to contact him on several occasions; every time it was something different. The first time it was to curse me out. ‘Eddy’s not this, Eddy’s not that.’ The second time was to apologize. The third time was to say to tell me if Eddy doesn’t call me or somebody doesn’t call me on his behalf, I’m going to sue him. I didn’t.”

The New York Post (Melissa Jane Kronfeld, Bruce Golding and Marc Berman) reports: Curry, a former Chicago Bull, said last night he was “shocked” at the allegations. “It’s false, and everyone who knows me knows I’m not a racist,” he said after the Knicks beat the Hornets in New Orleans. “I’ve never made a comment like that, playing, or nothing. . . . That’s incredible, man.”

The Post continues: Curry’s lawyer, Kelly Saindon, said Kuchinsky began making a series of claims for unpaid wages several months ago, upping the ante each time. Saindon said Curry took a chance on hiring Kuchinsky despite the driver’s criminal record, which includes a three-year prison sentence for a 1992 burglary in New Jersey. He also got three years’ probation in a 2004 resisting-arrest case in the Garden State, records show. “It’s shocking that Eddy opened his home to a convicted felon out of prison, and gave him a job when he couldn’t find a job, and this is what comes out of it,” Saindon said. Kuchinsky’s lawyer conceded his client’s “troubled past,” but said that was all behind him.