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Brandon Jennings to conduct basketball events in India May 13-18

National Basketball Association (NBA) rising star Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks will travel to India from May 13-18 to conduct a series of events to grow the game of basketball in Mumbai and Pune.

Jennings became the youngest player to score 55 points in a game on November 14, 2009 and is the 16th NBA or WNBA player or legend to travel to India in last three years as part of the league’s continued commitment to grow the game.

“Having played in Italy, I have seen first-hand how the sport is growing globally and I am excited to visit India with the NBA to help continue the growth of the game,” said Jennings. “The NBA has the best basketball players from around the world and it is amazing to think that one of the kids I teach in India could one day play against me in the NBA.”

Jennings will attend the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals on May 15 in Mumbai. The event is the culmination of the largest school-based initiative ever conducted by the NBA in India. Since March, the NBA and HP have taught basketball and life skills to youth in 500 schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. Additionally, 500 coaches attended two-day clinics in each city where they learned coaching techniques and received a “Basketball in a Box” coaching kit, which will provide them with a resource to grow basketball in their community. HP Dream Screens were used at all coaching clinics to provide video demonstrations to help illustrate certain coaching techniques.

Fifty youth from across India have advanced to the National Skills Challenge Finals by qualifying at City Championships. Jennings will crown the boys and girls National Champions, and conduct a basketball clinic for participants.

On May 16, NBA Cares will partner with Magic Bus, a not-for-profit organization in India to conduct a basketball clinic in Mumbai. Magic Bus works towards creating equal opportunities for children and youth from vulnerable communities. Over the past 12 years, Magic Bus has used its unique “sport for development” approach to empower children and youth to make positive life choices in areas of gender, education, livelihood and health. Jennings will work with youth from two communities, using basketball to illustrate the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle.

Jennings will then travel to Pune where he will become the first NBA player to host an event in the city. He will conduct a clinic for children and coaches who participated in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program on May 17 and will host an NBA Cares basketball clinic for disadvantaged youth on May 18.

Bucks will keep Carlos Delfino next season

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed Tuesday that forward Carlos Delfino will be returning for a third season with the team.

The Bucks have a $3.5 million team option on Delfino for the 2011-’12 season. The Argentine forward averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 49 games with the Bucks last season and made 40 starts.

Delfino suffered a concussion in the first week of the season and eventually missed 32 games due to symptoms from a series of hits to the head.

He was able to return to the lineup in late January and had back-to-back 30-point games in March against New York and Sacramento. That established a career high for points.

Coach Scott Skiles says Bucks lacked leadership this season

Tom Enlund of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

By now, we all now that the Bucks were a solid defensive team this season but one that was offensively challenged.

And, we’re well aware of the rash of injuries that hampered the team all season.

But it’s also the intangibles that contribute greatly to the success or failure of a team. Things like having a strong leadership presence among the players and a cohesive team chemistry. Those were two key areas in which the Bucks came up short this season.

“It’s fair to say we did not have good leadership on our team this year,” said coach Scott Skiles. “But that’s something you can’t manufacture. You can’t just say that guy is a leader.

“I guarantee you’d be shocked in all pro sports, when you’re on the inside of something like this and you know the league and players and coaches, and somebody in the media will say, ‘That guy’s the leader of that team’. Often times, it’s so far from the truth that it’s ridiculous.

“You can’t manufacture that. It just naturally happens. Some people are just natural leaders. Other people can cultivate it some themselves. And then you need both. If you have good leadership on the team you also need guys that will follow the leader. Chemistry and all those things are very fragile things.”

Bucks center Andrew Bogut has right elbow surgery

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that center Andrew Bogut (7-0, 260) had successful arthroscopic surgery today to remove loose particles and scar tissue in his right elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews at the Andrews Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Gulf Breeze, FL.

In 65 games this season (all starts) Bogut averaged 12.8 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds and a league-leading and career-best 2.6 blocks per game. His 168 blocks this season are the seventh-highest single-season total in team history, just behind his sixth-place total of 175 set last year. In 396 career games (388 starts), Bogut has averaged 12.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. He is among the franchise leaders in points (5,043, 18th), rebounds (3,710, fifth) and blocks (618, third).

Bucks center Andrew Bogut will have right elbow surgery

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that center Andrew Bogut will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose particles and scar tissue in his right elbow on Tuesday, April 12. The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews at the Andrews Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Gulf Breeze, FL.

The team announced on Friday that Bogut would miss the remaining four games of the 2010-11 season due to right elbow pain.

Pacers score 136, clinch playoff spot

The AP reports:

Granger helps Pacers clinch playoff berth

Danny Granger scored 25 points, and the Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006 with a 136-112 victory against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

The Pacers needed a win and a Charlotte loss to Orlando to clinch a spot in the postseason. As the Pacers’ game ended, the Orlando-Charlotte game was in overtime, and the Conseco Fieldhouse staff put the game on the Jumbotron. Many fans stayed to cheer to the Magic on to a 111-102 win.

Paul George scored a career-high 23 points and Darren Collison added 15 points and 11 assists for the Pacers, who posted their second-highest point total of the season.

Jordan Crawford scored 29 points and Andray Blatche added 23 for Washington.

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Bucks sign Earl Barron to second 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Earl Barron (7-0, 245) to a second 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Barron was signed to his initial 10-day contract on March 1.

Barron has appeared in three games with the Bucks and has averaged 4.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 11.0 minutes. In his Bucks debut, Barron contributed four points and a season-high nine rebounds on March 1 in a win over Detroit.

Barron, 29, appeared in 12 games (six starts) earlier this season with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes.

The Bucks roster remains at 15 players.

Bucks sign Earl Barron to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Earl Barron (7-0, 245) to a 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Barron, 29, appeared in 12 games (six starts) earlier this season with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes.

Undrafted out of Memphis, Barron has appeared in 101 NBA games (27 starts) with Miami, New York and Phoenix. He holds career averages of 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.4 minutes. In addition to his NBA experience, Barron has also appeared in 121 NBA Development League (D-League) games dating back to 2003.

The Bucks roster is now at 15 players.

Bucks assign Larry Sanders to D-League

The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned rookie forward Larry Sanders to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Indiana) of the NBA Development League (D-League), General Manager John Hammond announced today. Fort Wayne is led by Head Coach Joey Meyer, who previously coached the Bucks D-League affiliate in Tulsa. Sanders will meet with the team today in Fort Wayne and his first game with the Mad Ants will be Tuesday against Springfield.

“This is an opportunity for Larry to receive regular minutes and continue his skill development,” Hammond said. “We’re looking forward to seeing his progress as he works with Coach Meyer and his Fort Wayne teammates.”

Sanders, 22, was drafted by the Bucks with the 15th overall selection out of Virginia Commonwealth University in the 2010 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 36 games this season (eight starts) and averaged 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He is tied for the NBA single-game high of eight blocks this season and his 44 blocks leads all first-year players.

Michael Redd returning to action for Bucks

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Michael Redd has experienced the agony of an anterior cruciate ligament tear not once but twice in a 12-month period.

And now, 13 months after tearing up his left knee for a second time, the Milwaukee Bucks guard is ready to return.

Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed Tuesday that Redd would be back with the team Monday for the team’s first practice after the NBA all-star break.

The Bucks are not expecting Redd, who ranks fourth on the team’s all-time scoring list, to make a startling impact in the final two months of the season. But they are glad to have him back.

“Just as he did last off-season, he has worked so very hard to get himself in a position where he can return,” Hammond said. “When he arrives Monday he’ll go through the next step in the process.

“He will continue to do his rehab. He will be on the floor with some individual skill work. From that point, then how soon can he progress to doing more basketball-related movements? And from that point, how soon can he progress to actually being able to practice?”