Euroleague.net reports: His team was on the verge of one of the biggest upsets of the season, but when it didn’t happen, Armani Jeans Milano got the consolation prize of seeing Mike Hall earn MVP honors for Week 4 of the regular season. One of the great rivalries in European basketball history lived up to its tradition as Real Madrid won at home against Milano 70-69 on Lou Bullock’s intrepid layup with 3.8 seconds remaining. Hall had helped Milano stay close all game and made his team’s go-ahead free throws just before the final minute started. He would finish the game with a game-high 21 points and team-high 9 rebounds, making 3 of his 4 two-point shots, 3 of 6 from the three-point arc, and all 6 of his free throw opportunities. It all added up to a performance index rating of 28, best of the week among all Euroleague players. Following him was none other than Igor Rakocevic, the Week 3 MVP, who posted a 27 index rating while scoring 21 of his 23 points in the second half of a losing effort against Lottomatica Roma.
Category: NBA News Blog
NBA news blog
3 Jazz stars out tonight
The Deseret Morning News (Tim Buckley) reports: Usual starting point Deron Williams, starting center Mehmet Okur and sixth man Andrei Kirilenko all will not play when the Jazz visit the Charlotte Bobcats tonight. Williams said his sprained left ankle is just too sore to go, and he probably won’t play Saturday night in Cleveland either. “I can’t do anything,” said Williams, who played in two games after missing the start of the season because of the ankle. “I can’t push off of it, I can’t move like I want to. So, there’s no reason to play.”
Barbosa`s mother dies
The East Valley Tribune (Jerry Brown) reports: The Suns won’t have Leandro Barbosa tonight and likely for up to a week after he left the team Thursday bound for his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Early Thursday afternoon, Barbosa received word that his mother Ivete had passed away. The relationship between Barbosa and his mother is a very close one. She visited Arizona every spring for an extended visit and the two talked by phone at least a half-dozen times a day. She survived a bout with cancer a few years ago but had been hospitalized in poor health for months. Barbosa lost his father to cancer in 2005.
Spurs assign Ian Mahinmi to D-League
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned center Ian Mahinmi to the Austin Toros, the NBA Development League team owned and operated by the Spurs.
Mahinmi is currently recovering from a sprained right ankle. He will use this assignment to the Toros as an opportunity to get back into basketball shape and complete his rehabilitation.
The 22-year-old Mahinmi is entering his second season with the Spurs. He split the 2007-08 campaign between San Antonio and Austin. Mahinmi started the season in San Antonio, appearing in six games with the Spurs, averaging 3.5 points in 3.8 minutes, before being assigned to the Toros on 11/21.
Mahinmi was named to the 2008 All-NBA Development League First Team. In 46 games with the Toros, he averaged 16.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.70 blocks in 29.6 minutes while shooting .615 (276-449) from the field and .766 (219-286) from the line. Mahinmi ranked 19th in the D-League in scoring, second in field goal percentage, eighth in rebounding and ninth in blocks. For the season Mahinmi posted 16 double-doubles. In four games in the 2008 D-League Playoffs, Mahinmi averaged 18.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.50 blocks in 38.3 minutes.
Mahinmi was selected by the Spurs in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft with the 28th overall pick. He was signed by the Spurs on 8/23/07 after spending the previous four seasons in the French A League.
Dwight Howard puts up insane triple-double
Orlando magic center Dwight Howard put up an insane triple-double stat-line of 30 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The AP reports: It was the first time a player had at least 30 points and 10 blocks in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks against Dallas on April 13, 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau… “I’m going to try to do this again,” said Howard, who set a goal of leading the NBA in rebounds and blocks this season. “It felt good, trying to block every shot. And I know Coach is very happy.”
The Orlando Sentinel reports: Howard was ridiculously dominant to start the Magic’s three-game road trip. He blocked a career-high 10 shots to pad his NBA shot-block lead, besting his previous regular-season high of seven, to record his first triple-double. He finished with 30 points and 19 rebounds, and worked on his Tim Duncan-esque bank-shot.
Bulls sign Lindsey Hunter
The Chicago Bulls today signed Lindsey Hunter. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Hunter, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, will be with the Bulls tonight when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center at 7:30 p.m.
Hunter, a 15-year NBA veteran, most recently played with the Detroit Pistons during the 2007-08 campaign. Last year, he appeared in 24 games and averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.4 apg in 9.0 mpg.
The Utica, Miss native has enjoyed two stints with the Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-08). He has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), the L.A. Lakers (2001-02) and the Toronto Raptors (2002-03). For his career, he has posted averages of 8.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg and 1.23 spg in 25.5 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .389 from the field, .362 from downtown and .746 from the line.
Originally selected by the Pistons in the first round (10th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft, the 37-year old Hunter has been a member of 11 playoff teams, including the 2002 NBA Champion L.A. Lakers and the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 15.
Barclays stands behind Brooklyn Nets
Barclays, a leading global financial services company and the naming rights partner for the future Barclays Center, today affirmed its commitment to the future arena in Brooklyn and the updated timeline for a 2009 groundbreaking. The Barclays Center, which is designed by Frank Gehry, will be the world-class home of the Nets.
“Barclays is unwavering in its commitment to the Barclays Center and we are very pleased with our long-term alliance with our great partners, the Nets and Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC),” said Gerard LaRocca, Chief Administrative Officer, Americas, at Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays PLC. “We are very excited about being part of the continued renaissance of Brooklyn and we eagerly look forward to opening night at the Barclays Center.”
“Since we announced our 20-year naming rights partnership in January 2007, Barclays has offered nothing but resolute and great support,” Nets Chief Executive Officer Brett Yormark said. “We deeply appreciate our partnership with such a well-respected and distinguished company, which shares our love for Brooklyn and our strong sense of community.”
“We are thrilled to have Barclays as a partner,” said Bruce Ratner, chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., and the chairman of Nets Sports and Entertainment, LLC, which owns the Nets. “The Barclays Center will be one of the most spectacular sports and entertainment arenas in the world. Even more importantly, it is a centerpiece of a development that will bring thousands of jobs and affordable housing units to Brooklyn.” Forest City Enterprises (NYSE: FCEA and FCEB) has an equity interest in Nets Sports and Entertainment.
In addition to its naming rights commitment, Barclays continues to play a major role as the co-lead in the financing of the Barclays Center. Momentum for the Barclays Center continued recently when the Internal Revenue Service issued a new regulation that confirms that tax exempt bonds may be used to finance the arena.
The multifaceted partnership among Barclays, the Nets, and FCRC includes the Barclays/Nets Community Alliance, which invests $1 million per year in local non-profits that work to improve the lives of young people in Brooklyn and surrounding communities through sports and other activities, including education and health care. Last month, the Barclays/Nets Community Alliance unveiled a new playground at Public School 19 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, which marked the first of eight Brooklyn playgrounds that the Alliance will fund with a grant to Out2Play, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to building and refurbishing playgrounds throughout the New York City public school system.
NBA kills pre-draft camp
The NBA pre-draft camp is apparently ceasing to exist, which is a shame because although the quality of play was pretty lacking, it was still a great event to see lots of players and it was also fantastic for networking. Almost everyone who matters in the NBA went there not just to see players but to get face time with others in the business.
But, the Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: I just confirmed a story, originally reported by The Sporting News, that the NBA pre-draft camp is no more as we knew it. There will no longer be games or practices for draft candidates. Mass physicals will still take place, and those physicals will likely move back to Chicago from suburban Orlando, where the camp was held the past two years at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Here’s the deal: The quality of player participating had deteriorated so badly the past few years that it became a sham. Twenty years ago, just sure-bet lottery picks passed on playing in the games. Recently, if two guys who played in Orlando were among the 30 first-round picks, it felt like a small victory for the league.
Greg Oden set to return
The Miami Herald (Michael Wallace) reports: The Miami Heat spent Wednesday’s shootaround preparing for Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden to make his return from a foot injury that has kept him out since the season opener. Oden doesn’t plan to disappoint Miami (4-3) when the Blazers (4-3) arrive for Wednesday night’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena. ”I’m ready. I’m excited,” Oden said after Portland’s shootaround Wednesday. “I’ll hopefully play the full game. It was my decision and it depends on how I feel. And I feel good.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, hasn’t played since he sustained a right mid-foot sprain after playing just 13 minutes in the Blazers’ Oct. 28 loss to the Lakers. He was initially expected to miss as much as a month. It has been another disappointing start to the season for Oden, who missed all of last season after knee surgery.
Jason Richardson day-to-day after minor knee surgery
Charlotte Bobcats guard Jason Richardson this morning underwent an exploratory arthroscopic procedure after suffering from right knee inflammation. The test revealed no structural damage to Richardson’s knee.
Richardson will not play in Charlotte’s game against the Utah Jazz on Friday and is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic.