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NBA denies Hawks protest of Dec. 30 loss to Cavaliers

The National Basketball Association announced today that Commissioner David Stern has denied the Atlanta Hawks’ protest of their 106-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 30, 2009.

In the protest, the Hawks argued that the failure of the shot clock operator to reset the shot clock following a defensive rebound by Atlanta with 1:57 remaining in the game warranted a replay of the game from that point forward.

Commissioner Stern determined that the shot clock error did not have a clear impact on the game’s outcome and therefore did not justify the extraordinary remedy of granting the protest and overturning the game’s result.

Hawks sign Mario West to 10-day contract

The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard Mario West to a 10-day contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund.

West, who attended Douglas County High School in Douglasville before a four-year career at Georgia Tech, has appeared in 117 regular season games (five starts) with the Hawks over the last two years, averaging 0.9 ppg and 0.9 rpg in 4.6 mpg (.422 FG%, .554 FT%). He’s also seen action in 17 playoff contests with the Hawks, putting up 0.4 ppg (.231 FG%) in 3.1 mpg.

Last regular season, he played in 53 games, and averaged 0.8 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 5.1 mpg (.412 FG%, .467 FT%). In 11 postseason contests, West compiled 0.5 ppg and 0.5 rpg in 4.2 mpg.

This season, West attended training camp with the Hawks, and saw action in five preseason games, compiling 2.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.0 spg (.417 FG%, 1-1 3FGs). He was waived by the Hawks on October 21, and has played in 11 games (six starts) with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League, where he recorded 13.7 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.9 rpg and 1.3 spg (.490 FG%, .250 3FG%, .672 FT%) in 29.7 mpg.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound guard will once again wear uniform no. 6.

Hawks waive Othello Hunter

The Atlanta Hawks today requested waivers on forward Othello Hunter, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund.

Hunter appeared in seven games this season, and averaged 1.6 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 4.7 mpg (.333 FG%, .750 FT%). He played in 16 games with Atlanta last season as a rookie, and had four playoff appearances.

Overall, in 23 career regular season games with the Hawks, Hunter compiled 1.4 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 5.4 mpg (.469 FG%, .333 FT%). Hunter, who was undrafted, played collegiately at Ohio State.

Nate Robinson scores 41 in return for Knicks

Nate Robinson finally back on court for Knicks

After not receiving even a minute of court time since December 1, New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson returned to action in dramatic fashion Friday, scoring 41 points in a 112-108 overtime road win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Entering the game in the first quarter, Robinson quickly became hot and never cooled off. He played over 38 minutes and shot 18-of-24 (3-of-5 three-pointers) for 41 points, six rebounds and eight assists (four turnovers).

Also for the Knicks, Wilson Chandler had 24 points and played big with 17 rebounds, plus four assists. Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington (just 5-of-16) each scored 13 points. David Lee (just 4-of-14) had a quiet night with 11 points and only seven rebounds.

For the Hawks, Joe Johnson (just 12-of-30) had 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Josh Smith had 24 points and 10 rebounds, with two blocks. Al Horford dominated the middle, shooting 11-of-14 for 22 points and 19 rebounds.

With a season average of 10.9 points and 3.2 assists in 22.0 minutes coming into this game, Robinson has been healthy, but coach D’Antoni simply didn’t want to use him.

Robinson was recently fined by the NBA for comments his agent made, who wanted the player traded if Nate wasn’t going to be used on the court. The penalty is being appealed.

Nate’s always been able to score. The problem D’Antoni has had with him is Nate’s defense and general decision-making on the court.

This was quite a statement in his return.

Speaking to MSG network after the game, Robinson thanked God, Allan Houston and Malik Rose for keeping him ready. He also shouted out Twitter and various friends and family.

“I’m here to stay. I want to play. I want to help this team win. Everything is in the past. 2010, it’s a fresh start,” said Robinson.

LeBron unleashes 48-point massacre on Hawks

Wednesday in Cleveland the Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 106-101. In the win, Cavs forward LeBron James, who turned 25 years old today, shot 15-of-23 (4-of-6 three-pointers) and hit 14-of-16 free throws for 48 points. He also had 10 rebounds, six assists (three turnovers), two steals and two blocks in 43 minutes.

The AP reports:

With the score tied at 101 and the shot clock down to its final tick, Mo Williams passed the ball to Anderson Varejao on the left wing. The 6-foot-11 forward, who missed his first 18 career 3-pointers, stepped up and drilled his long shot just before the horn sounded.

When he ran to the other end of the floor, James rushed into his arms.

“I saw that Mo got kind of tied up and I just tried to get open,” Varejao said. “I just shot it.”

A birthday swish for James.

“That’s what I told him,” Varejao said. “Happy birthday.”

After a not-so-impressive start to the season, Cleveland has steadily come along and winning nonstop lately.

Father of Josh Childress dies

The AP reports:

Veteran guard Theodoros Papaloukas scored 20 points to lead Olympiakos to an 87-76 victory over archrival Panathinaikos on Sunday.

The win left Olympiakos alone on top of the Greek league standings, the only undefeated team after six rounds.

Olympiakos forward Josh Childress, who played despite his father’s death on Friday, had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and his contribution to the win was decisive. Childress will fly to the United States Monday to attend his father’s funeral. His father died following a car accident he had over a month ago.

Charlie Villanueva suffers broken nose

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports:

Villanueva suffered a broken nose with 9:30 left when he was fouled by the Hawks’ Zaza Pachulia on a drive to the basket. As he was falling his face appeared to hit near the hip of teammate Ben Wallace.

His nose started bleeding profusely and a time-out was taken. Pistons personnel was able to slow the bleeding just enough so Villanueva could make the two free throws. He then went to the locker room and never returned.

Atlanta Hawks on fire

The AP reports:

When Joe Johnson is scoring and Josh Smith is doing a little bit of everything, the Atlanta Hawks are awfully hard to beat.

The Miami Heat got a sampling of that 1-2 punch Wednesday night.

Johnson made it two consecutive 30-point games, Smith dominated during a decisive first-half run and the Hawks won their sixth in the row, beating Miami 105-90 to reclaim a share of the NBA’s best record with Phoenix.

“It’s just beautiful basketball right now,” Smith said.

Johnson scored 30 points on the heels of a 35-point effort against Portland on Monday. Smith was all over the stat sheet: 16 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.

It’s still early in the season but Atlanta clearly has to be happy about the way they’re playing.

A big help has been the addition of Jamal Crawford, who is coming off the bench to contribute 16.1 points and 2.8 assists in 29 minutes per game.

The Cavaliers, Magic and Celtics are still considered the best in the East, but the Hawks seem closer to the big three than previously thought.

For now, at least, Hawks basketball is definitely of national interest.

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Josh Childress has swine flu in Greece

The AFP reports: Greek basketball club Olympiakos announced on Tuesday that their former NBA star Josh Childress has come down with the H1N1 flu and will be out of action for more than a week. “Our player Josh Childress has been diagnosed with the H1N1 flu. He is currently being treated and doctors are completely satisfied with his condition,” an announcement by Olympiakos said.

According to Euroleague.net, “Olympiacos announced Wednesday that star forward Josh Childress would miss Thursday’s game against Efes Pilsen after being diagnosed with the H1NI virus. He is the third player on the Reds to come down with the virus. Both Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Kostas Papanikolaou missed the team’s Euroleague season opener with H1NI.”

InsideHoops.com adds: The NBA recently had its first (publically confirmed) player with swine flu, guard/forward Chris Douglas-Roberts of the New Jersey Nets.

Atlanta Dream of WNBA have new owners

Kathy Betty, a prominent Atlanta businesswoman and sports advocate, will become the new managing partner of the Atlanta Dream pending WNBA Board of Governors approval, league President Donna Orender announced today. The team will be owned by Dream Too, LLC, an investment group led by Betty.

“I am confident Kathy’s passion for the game and the Atlanta community, as well as her vision for the Dream, will ensure that the team continues to build on its strong start,” said Orender. “Atlanta has been a great market, and Lisa Borders has been a constant ambassador. We look forward to building upon the success the team enjoyed both on and off the court this past season. At the same time, on behalf of the league, I want to extend our thanks to Ron Terwilliger for helping bring the WNBA to Atlanta in 2007.”

In addition to serving as the CEO of the Garry Betty Foundation, established by her late husband Garry Betty, former Earthlink CEO, to fund cancer research, Betty is a former partner with Ernst & Young and previously served as the Executive Vice President of Scott Madden, Inc., an Atlanta-based management consulting firm. Betty has compiled a lengthy track record of business success and community involvement. She also is a major contributor to Georgia Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball programs.

“The opportunity to own the Dream, which is all about providing accessible and affordable world-class entertainment for the families of Atlanta, is what excites me,” said Betty. “In addition, the fact that these women serve as role models for youth, and especially young girls, is something I feel strongly about.

“I want to personally thank Lisa Borders for her diligent work in saving the Dream. The Dream belongs in Atlanta. Lisa understands that and so do I. In the midst of a tough political campaign, she carved out time to bring sponsorships to the table and find investors who will make the Dream a continued reality for the staff, players and, of course, our fans.”

In 2009, the Dream recorded the second-largest one-year turnaround in WNBA history, finishing with an 18-16 record after going 4-30 in its inaugural campaign in 2008 to earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference and their first-ever WNBA Playoff berth. Forward Angel McCoughtry, the top pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft quickly emerged as a star and earned adidas Rookie of the Year honors, while Marynell Meadors was named WNBA Coach of the Year this past season.

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