Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

NBA Players of Week: Nikola Vucevic and Anthony Davis

 

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Magic center Nikola Vucevic has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, and Pelicans forward-center Anthony Davis the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played between November 11-18, 2018.

It marks the second time that Vucevic has won the award during his career and the first time a Magic player has won the award since Vucevic earned it for the period ending Mar. 30, 2014.

During four games last week, Vucevic averaged 27.8 ppg., 10.5 rpg., 4.0 apg. and 1.25 stlpg., while shooting .581 (43-74) from the floor and .471 (8-17) from three-point range. He led Orlando to a 3-1 record with wins over Philadelphia, the L.A. Lakers and New York. Vucevic tallied three double-doubles and scored 28-or-more points in three consecutive games, becoming the first Magic player since Dwight Howard accomplished the feat Mar. 1-5, 2012.

Vucevic has played and started in all 17 games this season, averaging a team-high 20.4 ppg., a team-high 10.8 rpg., 3.6 apg., 1.12 stlpg. and 1.12 blkpg. in 30.5 minpg., while shooting a team-best .556 (144-259) from the floor, .452 (19-42) from three-point range and .813 (39-48) from the free throw line. He has led (or tied) the Magic in scoring seven times, in rebounding 13 times and in assists twice.

Davis led the Pelicans to a 3-1 week behind averages of 34.3 points (ranked 2nd in the NBA), 14.0 rebounds (4th in the NBA) and 2.0 blocks (T-5th in the NBA). Davis helped lead the Pelicans to a win at Toronto – handing the Raptors just their second loss of the season, and their first loss at home, behind 25 points and a season-high 20 rebounds – a 19-point comeback victory against New York on Nov. 16, registering a season-high 43 points to go with 17 rebounds and five assists, and capped off the week with 40 points, eight rebounds and a career-high-tying eight assists, while shooting 20-of-21 at the free throw line, Nov. 17 vs. Denver. Davis finished the week as one of just five players (at least 50 field goal attempts) to shoot at least .500 from the floor, .400 from three-point range and .850 from the free throw line.

This marks the fifth time Davis has earned Player of the Week honors during his career, and the first time during the 2018-19 season, becoming the first player in franchise history to earn multiple Player of the Week honors in the same season since Chris Paul in 2008-09.

Davis is currently averaging 27.5 points (ranked fifth in the NBA), 12.7 rebounds (ranked tied for sixth in the NBA) and 2.8 blocks (ranked second in the NBA) on the season for the Pelicans.

 

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Josh Richardson fined for shoe toss

Josh Richardson fined for throwing shoe into stands

Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for throwing his shoe into the stands, according to Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe

The incident resulted in Richardson receiving a technical foul and an ejection from the game. It happened with 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter during Miami’s game against Los Angeles Lakers on November 18 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat lost the game, 113-97.

According to ESPN.com, Richardson had this to say after the game: “I don’t want to talk about it. It was a series of events… I got caught up.”

Denzel Valentine to undergo surgery, out 4-6 months

Denzel Valentine to undergo surgery, out 4-6 months

Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine has been diagnosed with ongoing ankle instability. After being evaluated by Dr. Bob Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Valentine will undergo a surgical reconstruction by Dr. Anderson the week of Nov. 26 with an anticipated recovery time of four-to-six months.

The team says that Valentine is expected to make a full recovery and have a normal summer of offseason training leading into training camp for the 2019-20 season.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “it’s the second ankle surgery in three seasons for Valentine, a critical reserve floor spacer, and playmaker and leader.”

Denver Nuggets hire Sue Bird

The Denver Nuggets have added current WNBA Champion Sue Bird to their front office staff as a Basketball Operations Associate.

“We are very excited to have Sue join our organization,” said Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly. “Her resume certainly speaks for itself and as a still active player she will offer an extremely unique perspective.”

Bird recently wrapped up her 16th season in the WNBA which saw her earn her 11th All-Star bid and third WNBA Championship, all with the Seattle Storm. The New York native attended the University of Connecticut where she won two National Championships before being selected first overall by Seattle in the 2002 WNBA Draft. Bird was named to the WNBA All-Decade team in 2006, has been All-WNBA First Team five times and All-WNBA Second Team three times and currently ranks first in the WNBA in career games (508), first in career minutes played (16,173), first in assists (2,831), third in points (6,154), third in made three-pointers (855) and fifth in steals (652).

“I’m really excited to join the Denver Nuggets organization. I’m thankful for the opportunity and look forward to learning from some of the best,” said Bird.

Billy King seeks return to NBA front office

Former Nets GM Billy King, an experienced basketball executive who also traded years and years of Nets first round draft picks away in a deal that never should have happened, reportedly seeks a return to an NBA front office. Here’s the New York Post with details:

Billy King knows he’ll always have to answer for The Trade, but the ex-Nets general manager would to answer for it if another NBA franchise will give him the chance.

King, now president of a startup television network, occasionally appears as a guest on NBATV but remains infamous for mortgaging the Nets’ future in what is considered the worst trade in NBA history. By some measures, it is the worst trade in sports history…

King was the GM who spearheaded the disastrous 2013 deal that brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. In return, the Celtics received everything but the lighting fixtures.

Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans and Kris Joseph were sent to Boston, along with, most damagingly, first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018, as well as swap rights in 2017.

King will have to work hard to overcome this, presumably by pointing to his other work spanning many years, and perhaps by sharing more about the mindset behind that big Nets deal, which even as it happened was obviously a very risky, massive gamble that came up craps. He certainly has the personality to win people over if given a shot.

He is a good guy. And has been fun to listen to as an analyst on TV.

But man… that trade.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey issues statement on Carmelo Anthony

Rockets GM Daryl Morey issues statement on Carmelo Anthony

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey today issued a statement on forward Carmelo Anthony’s future with the team.

“After much internal discussion, the Rockets will be parting ways with Carmelo Anthony and we are working toward a resolution,” said Morey. “Carmelo had a tremendous approach during his time with the Rockets and accepted every role head coach Mike D’Antoni gave him. The fit we envisioned when Carmelo chose to sign with the Rockets has not materialized, therefore we thought it was best to move on as any other outcome would have been unfair to him.”

Anthony was originally the third overall pick by Denver in the 2003 NBA Draft and is a 10-time All-Star. He is one of 11 players in NBA history with career averages of at least 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Anthony is also a three-time Olympic gold medalist and is USA Basketball’s all-time leading Olympic scorer and rebounder.

Timberwolves will reportedly trade Jimmy Butler to Sixers

Philadelphia Inquirer: The 76ers got their third star. The team will acquire All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick.

More from the Inquirer: Butler can opt out of the final year — 2019-20 — of his contract next summer to become a free agent. He and the Sixers expect to reach a deal on a long-term contract then, according to ESPN. That makes sense, because the Sixers will have his Bird rights once the trade goes through. The Sixers can offer him a five-year, $190 million max contract next summer. Teams that don’t have his rights would be able to offer Butler only a four-year, $141 million max contract in free agency.

PhillyNews.com: If you were to design the ideal player to star alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, there are a lot of ways in which he would differ from Jimmy Butler. From his volume-dependent point production to his mediocre three-point shot to his habit of clashing with younger players, the 29-year-old star is hardly the perfect fit for a Sixers team that has less than a year to put the finishing touches on the core it will rely upon for the next half decade. But the one overriding takeaway from the organization’s decision to acquire the disgruntled veteran from the Timberwolves, while parting ways with two beloved starters is this: Not only does Butler makes the Sixers better right now, in the midst of a sputtering 8-5 start, but he has the potential to make them a whole lot better come April, by which time the Sixers will need to have experienced a radical transformation to compete in an Eastern Conference playoff field that includes powerhouses in Boston and Toronto and an upstart Bucks squad in Milwaukee.

Wizards keep struggling, fall to 2-9

The Wizards lost to the Magic 117-108 on Friday and are now 2-9 for the season, which is the second-worst record in the Eastern conference, ahead only of the 1-10 Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwight Howard made his Wizards debut on November 2, but the team has lost three of the four games he’s played in. It’s tough to say what the short-term answer is. Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting:

The Washington Wizards are far from tapping out on the young season even though Friday’s 117-108 loss to the Magic dropped their record to a shocking 2-9. When it comes to talking about all that’s wrong during this rough start to the season, they’ve run out of explanations.

Sure, there are general responses about sticking together despite the trying times, and playing with the intensity displayed during a second-half rally that cut a 25-point deficit to one with 2:30 remaining. The mistakes on both ends of the court remain. If the players knew an obvious fix, they would execute or at least explain. The situation is beyond that for a team last league-wide in points allowed and tied with the Phoenix Suns for the NBA’s second-worst record.

“It’s the definition of insanity, I guess,” Bradley Beal said postgame when asked what can be said about consistent defensive lapses. “Just have to do it. Just have to get it done. There’s nothing else to say, nothing else to even talk about. Just go get the damn job done, and do whatever it takes to get it done, win games. That’s what we’re going to do.”

— Full Article

Knicks reveal City Edition uniform design

The New York Knicks today unveiled their City Edition alternate jersey, which features the New York City Skyline as the central design element and a symbol of the diverse cultures united across New York City.

The Knicks will debut these uniforms on Sunday, November 11 when the team takes on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden and will continue to wear the jerseys at various theme nights throughout the 2018-19 season.

According to the team, “the City Edition design was inspired by what it means to be a New Yorker and utilizes one of the City’s most iconic and defining attributes – its skyline—as a representation of the many cultures that make up New York and their shared ambitions and dreams. To unveil the uniforms to the team, six Junior Knicks members were invited to the Knicks practice facility where they read letters describing how the Knicks inspire them as New Yorkers.”