NBA Teams – Page 1124 – NBA Blog

Bucks may lose Carlos Delfino for season

The Milwaukee Bucks are rebuilding and need all the help they can get from the talent on their roster. But an injury may remove a key player from the rotation. Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Bucks forward Carlos Delfino posted on his personal website Sunday that his foot injury will require additional surgery and it is likely he will miss the entire 2013-’14 season.

Delfino injured his right foot in the playoffs last season when he was with the Houston Rockets and he underwent surgery in May. He was in a walking boot when the Bucks opened training camp and said he had suffered a setback in his recovery.

Delfino and Bucks team physician Michael Gordon traveled to North Carolina last week to consult with specialists about the injury. And it was determined Delfino will need another surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot, with recovery time estimated at four to six months.

Brett Brown coaching against his former team

Just as it’s always big when a player goes against his former team, the same goes for coaches. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Brett Brown spent the last 11 seasons as a San Antonio Spurs assistant before taking the 76ers head coaching job in August.

“That’s my benchmark,” Brown said of the Spurs. “That’s my background.”

The rookie head coach’s past and present will meet at 7 Monday night when his Sixers (4-3) host the Spurs (6-1) at the Wells Fargo Center.

One can only imagine what the pregame conversation between Brown and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will be like. Popovich has to be proud of his former assistant and close friend’s accomplishment.

Steve Nash frustrated by persistent injuries

Point guard Steve Nash has had an amazing NBA career. But he’s now consistently hurting, and a shade of his former self. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog:

The stoic demeanor masked Steve Nash’s frustration. His graceful movement walking down a Staples Center hallway also camouflaged his pain.

But as he’s realized through a full offseason, a complete training camp and only two weeks into the regular season, no amount of work Nash has done thus far can cover up the persisting injuries that’s emerged all over his 39-year-old body.

He sat out the entire second half of the Lakers’ 113-80 loss Sunday to the Minnesota Timberwolve because of persisting back issues. Nash will then see back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins on Monday before deciding what to do next.

As he stood in a Staples Center hallway shortly after the Lakers’ loss, however, the early returns don’t sound pretty.

“You can call it the back. You can call it the nerves,” Nash said, referring to the feeling he still has in his surgically repaired left leg. “The pain in the hamstring. They’re all the same things. It gets a lot of convoluted. It’s basically the same thing.”

Phoenix Suns continue their fine start

The NBA season isn’t two weeks old yet, but so far the Phoenix Suns have been fun and successful. Here’s Arizona Sports:

Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Suns they aren’t supposed to be any good this season.

They win their second straight and at 5-2 are three games over .500 for the first time since April 19, 2012 (33-30) after beating the New Orleans Pelicans by a final of 101-94 in front of 13,154 at US Airways Center.

Eric Bledsoe scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Markieff Morris added 23 to record his third straight game of 20 or more points. He’s shooting 78.9 percent (30-of-38) during this stretch.

Playing for the first time in a week and coming off the bench, Goran Dragic finished with 12 points. He had missed the past three games due to a sprained left ankle. The Suns have won five straight home games dating to last season.

Nets recall Tornike Shengelia from D-League

The Brooklyn Nets have recalled forward Tornike Shengelia from the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.

Shengelia, who was assigned to the Armor on November 7, will rejoin the Nets in advance of tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

Phoenix Suns pulling off early-season wins

Here’s Arizona Sports on the Suns pulling off some early-season wins, but while still looking for consistency:

The Phoenix Suns continued to defy expectations by grabbing their fourth win Friday in their first six games of the season, but there was a moment of panic during the team’s 114-103 win over the Denver Nuggets at US Airways Center.

The Suns went into halftime with a comfortable 64-47 lead, but the team’s starters soon saw that lead evaporate to a feisty Nuggets squad. With 4:30 left in the period, Denver took the lead at 74-72 with point guard Ty Lawson’s three-point play. Denver built an 84-74 lead just over two minutes later, having outscored the Suns 37-10 at that point in the quarter.

After a timeout, the Suns’ bench got the team back in the game. Ish Smith and Marcus and Markieff Morris helped Phoenix close out the quarter on a 10-3 run, putting the team in position to eventually win the contest.

Even though Phoenix won by double digits, head coach Jeff Hornacek was concerned after the game about his squad’s third-quarter meltdown.

“We turned it on again (after Denver re-gained the lead), but it’s almost a dangerous thing to think that you can just turn it on at any time. Sometimes you can; sometimes you can’t,” the coach said.

Miami Heat analysis: Dwyane Wade fine playing a supporting role

Aging NBA veteran Dwyane Wade is still a terrific basketball player, but for the most part the Miami Heat are LeBron James’ team to lead. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

Wade scored a season-high 29 points in Thursday’s victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, but knows moments as such are a rarity because of the Heat’s offensive game plan. The system is set up for LeBron James to shoulder to scoring load while receiving contributions from Wade, center Chris Bosh and the rest of the supporting cast.

“You’ve got to keep other guys happy,” Wade said. “Years ago, if I had it going, I would have tried to keep it going. Just understanding on this team, there’s so many other guys who are capable and you’ve got to keep your teammates happy. A night like [Thursday] night, you feel like when things are going in, this is a 40-point night. But on this team, it’s not about that.”

Wade no longer makes a fuss when critics say he is on the downside of his career. Instead, he focuses on his previous resume while still proving he is still one of the top players in the league.

LeBron James to play through back issues

I know many of you don’t believe it, but LeBron James is human. He is. He has to eat and sleep like everybody else. And even LeBron can suffer some health issues once in a while. Here’s ESPN Miami reporting:

LeBron James has been dealing with back spasms since midway through the Miami Heat’s training camp.

So what took him so long to divulge his discomfort?

“It just never came up,” James said of his back after Friday’s practice. “If it doesn’t come up, I don’t talk about it. For me, I don’t really talk about injuries much, and I’ve had my fair share. That’s just the way it is. If I’m OK to play and I’m out on the court, then I don’t have an excuse.”

James said he plans to continue playing through the back soreness, and expects to be in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Boston Celtics. But if the pain gets much worse, he’ll reluctantly consider sitting out to rest.

Mario Chalmers fined $15,000 for hitting Blake Griffin

Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers has been fined $15,000 for hitting Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin in the throat with a forearm, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.

The foul on Chalmers, which was called a common foul on the floor, has been upgraded by the league office to a Flagrant Foul 2. The incident occurred with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter of the Heat’s 102-97 win over the Clippers on Thursday, Nov. 7, at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Pistons coach wants Greg Monroe to improve his midrange jumper

The Detroit Pistons are lucky to have a talent like Greg Monroe. He’s good. But can be better. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting:

Add Detroit Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks to the chorus.

For power forward Greg Monroe to take the next step in his development, he must become proficient at knocking down midrange jumpers.

That has been known for some time, but Cheeks said he mentioned it again to Monroe during Wednesday’s practice.

“I just told him today that if I was him, I’d practice that jump shot right at that left and right elbow,” Cheeks said.