Euroleague.net reports: The best individual performance until now in the 2008-09 Euroleague came at the perfect time for his team and crowned forward Lior Eliyahu of Maccabi Electra the MVP for Week 6 of the regular season. Maccabi Electra needed nothing less than Eliyahu’s best in order to outlast Cibona for a crucial 88-83 home victory in Group A, the team’s first since head coach Pini Gershon returned. Eliyahu was a one-man wrecking crew all game long, piling up 24 points on 10-for-14 two-point shooting and pulling 17 rebounds. Eliyahu added 6 assists and 8 fouls drawn for a performance index rating of 42, the highest in the Euroleague so far this season. He was followed in second place by Paulius Jankunas of Zalgiris, who shined despite his team’s home loss to Panathinaikos.
Category: NBA News Blog
NBA news blog
Sun Yue makes debut
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Sun Yue, also known as “the Chinese Magic Johnson” because he happens to be a tall point guard (and Chinese), got his first NBA regular season minutes late Sunday night in garbage-time as the Lakers were blowing out the Milwaukee Bucks.
He’s committing foul after foul. But then, daylight.
With around 90 seconds left in the game, Sun Yue passed the basketball to Chris Mihm at the right corner, just inside the three-point line. Mihm caught the pass, handed the ball back to a cutting Yue and set a pick. Yue then pulled up for a contested, high-arc jumper over Bucks center Francisco Elson. The shot hit nothing but net, exciting the fans still remaining in the stands.
A play later, Sasha Vujacic fired a nice long bounce-pass to a cutting Yue for an open layup.
Next play, Yue got a bit carried away, and drove into a pair of defenders, getting called for an offensive foul.
Mihm, meanwhile, got to get some aggression out with a hard slam dunk.
That’ll due it. The Lakers win 105-92. Yue played over 5 minutes, finishing 2-for-3 for 4 points, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers.
Magic waive Jeremy Richardson
The Orlando Magic have waived Jeremy Richardson, General Manager Otis Smith announced today.
Richardson appeared in just one game this season for the Magic and did not score in two minutes. He played in three preseason contests, averaging 4.0 ppg. in 8.0 minpg.
Orlando’s roster now stands at 14 players. The Magic begin a five-game, eight-day road trip on Monday, December 8 @ L.A. Clippers. Orlando’s next home game is Thursday, December 18 vs. San Antonio. Game time is 8 pm ET.
New Raptors coach debut tonight
The Globe and Mail (Michael Grange) report: One of the most accomplished players in Canadian basketball history, Jay Triano, 50, will make his debut as the Toronto Raptors’ bench boss tonight in Salt Lake against the Utah Jazz, becoming the first Canadian-born head coach in the NBA. Those in the NBA and elsewhere in the basketball community are optimistic about his chance to succeed. “I think he’ll be fantastic,” NBA star and fellow Canadian Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns said. “He absolutely loves the game of basketball. He’s passionate, a workaholic, and the kind of coach guys love to be around. He’s got all the ingredients to be an NBA coach.” “He’s got extreme confidence, extreme knowledge of the game,” said Tony Ronzone, the Detroit Pistons’ director of basketball operations. “He can adjust to different styles of play. I’d think he’s going to be terrific.”
Sean May gets first double-double
The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Charlotte Bobcats forward Sean May assembled a double-double, his first in 21 injury-filled months. That was the foremost of many surprises in a 103-97 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. May’s conditioning was such a disappointment that after starting the opener he was shelved for several games. He’s worked his way back into the lineup, and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. May’s contribution wasn’t the biggest factor, but it was surely the most unexpected. “When I came out, Mike asked if I needed an oxygen mask,” May said of Jordan’s needling next to the team bench. “I said, ‘No, just give me a minute.’”
Elton Brand day-to-day
Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand will miss Friday night’s game at Detroit due to a right hamstring strain. An MRI taken this morning confirmed the injury.
Brand did not travel with the team. He is listed as day-to-day.
Brandon Jennings doing little overseas
The Washington Times (Barker Davis) reports: The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard has all but vanished from basketball’s collective conscious. Jennings is the fourth member of Lottomatica Roma’s backcourt rotation. Buried in the depth chart behind guards like former All-Big East performer Allan Ray (Villanova) and former Ivy League player of the year Ibrahim Jaaber (Penn), Jennings exited the team’s first eight games averaging 4.9 points and 3.0 assists in 17.3 minutes. Jennings is being well-compensated for his spot duty. Contracts with the Rome-based club and UnderArmour are reportedly earning him in excess of $3 million this season. But the long-term wisdom of his career choice remains questionable.
Cuttino Mobley may retire
The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Cuttino Mobley is strongly mulling a medical retirement because of an enlarged heart condition and could make the announcement tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the situation. Mobley, 33, still has one more heart test left today in Minnesota. It had been reported that Mobley had signed a waiver with the Clippers to release them of liability if he had heart problems. If Mobley, obtained in the Zach Randolph trade from the Clippers, retires, it would free open a roster spot and save the Knicks about 75 percent of the $18. 9 million left on his pact because of insurance.
Wolves starting Kevin Ollie tonight
The St. Paul Pioneer Press (Don Seeholzer) reports: The Timberwolves will make some changes to their starting lineup for tonight’s game at Orlando, inserting Kevin Ollie at point guard, with Randy Foye moving to shooting guard and Mike Miller going to small forward. “I thought Kevin came in and really gave us some good energy,” coach Randy Wittman said, referring to Monday night’s 100-90 loss at Charlotte.
Raptors fire Sam Mitchell
Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo announced Wednesday that Sam Mitchell has been relieved of his duties as the team’s head coach. Assistant coach Jay Triano will assume the position of interim head coach. The remainder of the coaching staff will continue in the organization.
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“This is a difficult but necessary step the franchise must take,” said Colangelo. “We appreciate all that Sam has done for the organization, applaud him for his successes and wish him nothing but the best with his future in basketball.”
Mitchell was named the sixth head coach in Raptors history June 29, 2004. He posted a 156-189 (.452) record in his four-plus seasons at the helm of the Raptors. He garnered the Red Auerbach Trophy as the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2006-07 season. He also captured The Sporting News 2007 NBA Coach of the Year honours in a vote among his head coaching peers. In January 2007, Mitchell became only the second coach in Raptors history to earn Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honours.
Jay Triano is in his seventh season as a member of the Raptors’ coaching staff. He became the first Canadian born and Canadian trained coach in the NBA when he served as an assistant coach to Lenny Wilkens during the 2002-03 season.
A native of Niagara Falls, Triano was the head coach of the Canadian men’s national team from 1998-2004 posting a 52-42 (.553) record. He led Canada to a semifinal berth in the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and to a 5-2 record, second best to the United States, in the 2000 Olympics. He has also served as an assistant coach of the USAB Select Team (2007 and 2008), the head coach of the NIKE Skills Academy in Vancouver (2006) and Toronto (2007), and for the past six years as a coach at the prestigious EURO CAMP in Treviso, Italy.
Triano served as interim head coach for one game last season when Mitchell was away for a personal family matter. The Raptors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 105-82, on February 10 at Air Canada Centre.
Triano’s first game as interim head coach will be Friday when the Raptors visit the Utah Jazz. Game time is 10:30 ET. The game will be broadcast live TSN and The FAN 590.