Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Hornets rookie PJ Washington injured, out with broken finger

Charlotte Hornets rookie forward PJ Washington has suffered a fractured fifth finger on his right hand. The injury occurred during the fourth quarter of last night’s 83-73 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Washington will officially miss tomorrow’s game against the Indiana Pacers, and according to a report from ESPN.com today “is expected to be sidelined through Christmas… the Hornets play five games in that stretch.”

Washington was selected 12th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. In his first season with the Hornets, the rookie forward has averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game over the course of 28 appearances (all starts). The Kentucky product ranks fifth among all rookies in points (343), seventh in three-pointers made (39), first in rebounds (147) and first in blocks (26) this season.

According to the Charlotte Observer, “after a relatively healthy first six weeks of the season, the Hornets have seen injuries pile up lately. Marvin Williams and Nic Batum, the two most experienced players on the second unit, both missed the past two games. Williams is out again Sunday with a sore right knee. Batum is listed as questionable with a sore left hand; he suffered a broken middle finger on that hand in the season opener against the Bulls.”

 

 

 

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Carl Scheer, the first Hornets president and GM, passes away

The Charlotte Hornets today released the following statement on the passing of Carl Scheer.

“The Hornets organization mourns the loss of Carl Scheer. As our first president and general manager, he built the franchise from the ground up and laid the foundation for our city’s love affair with the Hornets. Carl was a true pioneer whose innovative ideas such as the slam dunk contest changed the NBA. His contributions to professional basketball in the state of North Carolina are unmatched, having led not only the Hornets but also the ABA’s Carolina Cougars, and his knowledge and love of the game will be missed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Marsha, son Bob, daughter Lauren, and his entire family.”

From the Charlotte Observer:

Carl Scheer, the first general manager in Charlotte Hornets history and the inventor of the slam-dunk contest, died Friday in Charlotte. He was 82.

Bob Scheer said his father passed away one day short of what would have been his 83rd birthday.

Scheer was one of the primary authors of the Hornets’ inaugural season in 1988-89, a spectacular success still remembered nostalgically among the team’s longtime fans.

During a sports-centric career that spanned 50 years, Scheer also served as director of two minor-league hockey teams in the Carolinas — the Charlotte Checkers and the Greenville (S.C.) Growl. He also worked as GM of the ABA’s Carolina Cougars and shepherded the construction of a 14,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Greenville, S.C.

Andre Drummond hit by allergic reaction to avocados

Yesterday in Mexico City as part of the NBA’s Mexico City Games 2019 mini-trip, the Pistons lost to the Mavericks, 122-111. Detroit center Andre Drummond put up nice numbers, shooting 10 of 14 for 23 points, 15 rebounds and three steals. But he almost didn’t play, due to an allergic reaction to avocados, served at a restaurant that needs to review its ability to act as a responsible establishment. Here’s the Detroit News reporting:

“I went to a restaurant and asked for some ceviche and I know people put avocadoes in ceviche. I asked the lady four times and my friend knows Spanish and I had him ask her too,” Drummond told The Detroit News. “She said there wasn’t any avocado in there. I said, ‘Are you sure?’ before she brought out the food.

“The food comes out and my plate is green. I asked my friend: ‘Ask her again if there’s avocado in there because my plate is green.’ I wasn’t trying to eat it if there’s avocado in there. She said no.

“I started devouring it and I get to almost the bottom of the plate and I see a big strip of avocado in there. Three or four minutes later, my throat starts to close, everything starts to itch, and my eyes start watering.”

I wouldn’t mind learning the name of that restaurant. To avoid ever eating there.

It’s fortunate that Drummond quickly overcame the allergy.

 

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In Bulls news, Otto Porter Jr. will miss at least four more weeks

Chicago Bulls small forward Otto Porter Jr. hasn’t played since November 6, and the team today confirmed he is not close to returning to action.

Porter Jr, the team says, underwent an examination yesterday which confirmed the bone injury and healing response in Porter’s left foot to be consistent with a small fracture that has become more clearly defined in recent weeks.

Porter will continue his current period of immobilization and progress as tolerated over the next four weeks, and then re-evaluated.

Porter is listed at 6-foot-8, 198 pounds. He is 26 years old, played college ball at Georgetown, was drafted third overall by the Wizards in 2013, and played multiple seasons for Washington before his time with the Bulls. His NBA career average is 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

The Bulls are 8-17 this season, which is the East’s 11th best team record.

Malcolm Brogdon back quickly for Pacers

The Pacers have a big game tonight, and they reportedly will have point guard Malcolm Brodgon active for the event. Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting:

Malcolm Brogdon is set to return to the Pacers just in time for the team’s toughest two-game stretch to this point in the season.

Brogdon sat out the Pacers’ 104-103 victory over the Knicks due to an injury to his right pinkie finger. The Pacers’ point guard said he dislocated the finger and tore a ligament in it after hitting it off the shoe of Pistons guard Langston Galloway. Brogdon finished that game with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists.

However, Brogdon said he is confident that he will be able to play Monday night against the Clippers. His time off in New York was a product of “pain balance.”

Brogdon has been a big part of the Pacers (15-8) success this season. He leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game and in assists at 7.7 per game.

Anthony Davis scores 50 points in Lakers win vs Timberwolves

On Sunday, the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 142-125. The star of the night was big-man Anthony Davis, who is having as good a season as almost any players in the league.

Shooting 20 for 29, Davis put up 50 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, one block and just one turnover in 39 minutes of action.

LeBron James also had himself a game: 32 points and 13 assists. And off the Lakers bench, Alex Caruso earned himself a mention: 6 of 11, 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

But Davis, who has gotten attention all season for his defense just as much as his offense, had as good a game as anyone has put up in the league so far this season.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the following: “Davis became the third player to post 50 points on the Wolves this season while James was no slouch either with 32 points and 13 assists. Davis was an especially efficient 20 of 29 shooting and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. He did a lot of work around the basket, and the Wolves had no answer for him defensively. ”

From the OC Register: “Davis’ prolific, proficient output — combined with James’ 32 points in 28 minutes — mitigated a productive night offensively by the Timberwolves, who shot 51.8 percent, had eight players score in double-digits and needed only until the start of the fourth quarter to exceed opponents’ 103.7 points-per-game scoring average against the Lakers.”

 

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Gordon Hayward returning soon for Celtics

 

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Gordon Hayward’s return date for the Boston Celtics is soon. Very soon. Possibly even tomorrow.

Here’s Boston.com reporting:

Celtics forward Gordon Hayward says he could return from his left fractured hand as early as Monday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Tomorrow is a possibility,” a smiling Hayward said Sunday at the Auerbach Center. “We’ll see how I feel when I wake up and go through shootaround.”

Hayward returned to practice Sunday for the first time since suffering the injury in the second quarter of a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 9.

And here’s the Boston Herald:

And once he takes the court again, Hayward can do it with the knowledge that unless the screws in his hand start to bother him, he won’t have to have them removed. Instead, the greatest challenge now, beyond tolerance to pain whenever someone whacks him on the hand, is getting back into basketball shape.

The Celtics are 16-5 this season, which through Saturday’s games places them third best in the entire league.

Bucks winning streak reaches 14 games

 

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The Milwaukee Bucks are on a 14-game winning streak. They’ve won 18 of their last 19 games, with the only loss in that stretch coming on the road in Utah against the Jazz.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the following: “On Friday night at Fiserv Forum, those philosophies met head-to-head as the Bucks and Clippers squared off. Yes, they played a month prior in Los Angeles, but Leonard and George sat out that night. This matchup, then, was understandably hyped as a clash between two teams in the upper echelon of the NBA at full strength for the first time. By the time the final buzzer sounded, a clear and emphatic statement had been made that will be heard league-wide. The Bucks, with contributions from up and down their roster, had orchestrated a devastating masterpiece, trouncing the Clippers, 119-91, for their league-leading 14th win in a row.”

Through Friday’s games, the Bucks have the NBA’s second best offensive rating and the best defensive rating. This is serious.

If the regular season ended today, I’d have to give the league MVP award to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

This squad is must-watch right now.

Next up, a home game on Monday against the Orlando Magic who are a respectable 11-11 so far this season but like everyone else in the league faces an uphill battle slowing this Milwaukee squad down.

After NBA career, Enes Kanter could become WWE wrestler

Very few athletes are tough enough to become WWE wrestlers. But NBA players aren’t like most athletes.

TMZ.com reports the following:

Enes Kanter already has a sick retirement plan in place when his NBA career comes to an end … telling TMZ Sports he’s already in talks to join WWE full time!!!

Of course, the Boston Celtics star is no stranger to the squared circle — he VERY briefly held the 24/7 Championship at Monday Night Raw back in September, but then lost it moments later to R-Truth.

Kanter is listed at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, which by wrestler standards places him on the lighter side when taking his height into account. But it’s still easy to visualize him as a future wrestler. And almost as importantly, it seems like he’d have a lot of fun and would put his heart into it. So here’s hoping it happens.

But for now, the Celtics center, still just 27 years old, has many NBA years left to play.

Showtime Lakers TV show coming to HBO

A basketball TV show is reportedly coming to HBO that will focus on the 1980’s “Showtime” Lakers.

Deadline.com reports the following: “HBO has given a series order to The Untitled Lakers Project, a one-hour limited series drama based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, produced by Oscar winner Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries. The project marks the first limited series under Hyperobject Industries’ recently announced five-year, first-look television deal with HBO, to develop content for both HBO and HBO Max.”

I don’t actually have HBO, but we’ll see if that changes between now and the time the show comes out. But of course, we’ll tell you more about it as the show begins taping and eventually does materialize.