The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Gary Washburn) reports: Without question Jeff Green entered the league with an NBA body, lofty résumé from Georgetown University and the tag of the Sonics’ small forward of the future. Just recently has Green lived up to those high expectations, and the pinnacle occurred Sunday night when he dropped 35 points on the defenseless Denver Nuggets in a 151-147 double-overtime win. Green’s numbers have improved exponentially since the All-Star Break. He is averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and nearly 39 percent 3-point shooting in the past 26 games compared with 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 15 percent shooting from the 3-point line in the first 49.
Category: NBA Teams
NBA teams blog
Avery Johnson wants Kidd to penetrate more
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Jeff Caplan) reports: Avery Johnson continues to emphasize the importance for Jason Kidd using dribble penetration to break down defenses. “He’s not programmed necessarily to do those things,” Johnson said. “But we keep prodding him, and we keep talking to him.” After Kidd failed to get off a shot in the second half of Friday’s 112-108 loss to the Lakers, he continued to attack in the decisive fourth quarter against the Suns. Twice he drove past Steve Nash, missing the first layup, but he finished a critical driving layup with 2:51 to play to put the Mavs up by six. Kidd, who Dirk Nowitzki called too unselfish at times, said Kidd’s getting more comfortable with creating for himself.
Isiah Thomas delivers funny Ewing comments
On Sunday, after the Knicks, playing at home in New York, upset the Orlando Magic, Isiah Thomas was pretty funny in the post-game press conference.
Not during regular game and team discussion, but at the very end of the conference. A reporter asked about Isiah’s memories of playing against Patrick Ewing, a Magic assistant coach and soon-to-be member of the Hall of Fame.
Isiah thought about it, and with a big grin revealed that the prominent thought that comes to mind when reflecting on Ewing’s basketball career is sweat. Reporters were amused.
I was tempted to ask if Isiah ever remembered slipping and falling due to pools of Ewing’s sweat on the floor, but held back.
Shaun Livingston medical update
Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston had his left knee re-examined on Monday, April 7 by Dr. James Andrews of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Andrews examination revealed that Livingston still has some tendinitis that is showing improvement. He will be allowed to pick up the intensity of his on-court workouts by the end of the season. Livingston will continue to maintain strength work and progress with his workouts.
Livingston was originally injured during the first quarter of the Clippers win over the Charlotte Bobcats on February 26, 2007 at STAPLES Center, when he suffered tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral meniscus. Livingston also suffered a patella dislocation, in addition to a tibia/femoral dislocation. Andrews performed the surgery to repair the injuries on March 13, 2007 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.
Player of week are Kobe Bryant and Joe Johnson
The Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 31, through Sunday, April 6.
Johnson led the Hawks to a 3-1 week, which included wins over two playoff-bound Eastern Conference foes, Philadelphia and Toronto. Johnson averaged 25.3 points on .556 shooting from the field, 8.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds. Johnson also shot .455 from distance. For the season, Johnson is Atlanta’s leader in scoring, assists, free-throw percentage, three-point percentage and three-point field goals made.
Bryant helped the Lakers to a 3-0 week, which included wins over the Trail Blazers, Mavericks and Kings. For the week, Bryant averaged 30.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting a scorching .688 from three-point range (11-of-17). The Lakers are tied with San Antonio for the second best record in the Western Conference (53-24).
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, New Orleans’ Chris Paul, Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala, Sacramento’s Kevin Martin, Toronto’s Rasho Nesterovic and Utah’s Deron Williams.
Blazers recall Josh McRoberts from D-League
The Portland Trail Blazers recalled rookie forward Josh McRoberts from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced Monday by Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard.
McRoberts, who was assigned to the Stampede for the second time this season on March 17, averaged 7.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.43 blocked shots and 27.0 minutes in seven games, while shooting 43.1% (22-for-51) from the floor during his second stint there.
In 15 total games with Idaho this season, McRoberts posted averages of 7.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 26.8 minutes.
The Duke product is averaging 2.0 points, 0.8 rebounds and 4.4 minutes in five games with the Trail Blazers after being selected by Portland with the 37th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Jazz re-assign Morris Almond to D-League
Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has re-assigned rookie guard Morris Almond to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League).
Almond, a 6-6, 225-pound guard out of Rice was selected by the Jazz in the first round (25th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft. He has appeared in nine games for the Jazz this season, averaging 1.4 points and 0.3 assists in 4.3 minutes per game. He appeared in three games for the Jazz since being recalled on March 29, totaling 10 points (3-6 FG), 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 13 minutes of action.
Almond has appeared in a total of 31 games for the Flash during two previous stints (Dec. 6 – Jan. 8 and Jan. 25 – March 29), averaging a D-League leading 25.0 points, along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 36.8 minutes per game. He was named D-League Player of the Week (Dec. 17-23) after averaging 43.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 32-of-68 (.471) from the field. During that week, Almond scored a D-League record-tying 51 points in a win over the Austin Toros on December 21. He later broke the D-League scoring record, posting 53 points in a win at the Bakersfield Jam on January 30.
Almond will join the Flash for tonight’s home game vs. Idaho.
Suns recall Alando Tucker from D-League
The Phoenix Suns recalled rookie swingman Alando Tucker from the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr.
In his third and final stint with the Thunderbirds after being assigned on March 14, Tucker averaged 28.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 37.4 minutes in 10 games. Tucker shot 57.7 percent from the field, including 44.2 percent from three-point range, in his most recent stretch with Albuquerque, helping to lead the team to a 6-4 record. In 21 total games (19 starts) in Albuquerque this season, the Wisconsin product owns averages of 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Tucker was selected by Phoenix with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft and has appeared in five games with the Suns, averaging 2.4 points and 0.6 rebound in 4.6 minutes.
Praise the Hornets
Fox Sports (Mike Kahn) writes: With 10 days left in the NBA regular season, it’s time we recognized the Hornets for what they’ve been all season – the most consistently effective team in the Western Conference. Their 12-point win over the Warriors Sunday afternoon told us everything we need to know. MVP candidate Chris Paul had the fourth triple-double of his career — 16 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds, plus 5 steals — and hit a 3-pointer with just less than eight minutes left that broke a tie and allowed the Hornets to end the game with an 18-6 run. To better reflect what Paul was about Sunday (and the entire season for that matter), consider that he fired an airball that turned into an assist and a lob pass that actually went through the hoop. Consequently, the 54-22 Hornets have equaled the most wins in franchise history, have a two-game lead in the loss column over the Spurs and the Lakers for the top seed in the conference, and their 17-10 mark against the other eight playoff contenders in the West is also the high-water mark in the West. The 54 wins also mark the most ever for coach Byron Scott, now in his eighth season overall as a head coach and fourth with the Hornets. He never won that many coaching the Nets to the NBA Finals twice.
Apr. 6: Rockets 105, Clippers 79
The AP reports: Rookie Aaron Brooks came off the bench to score 18 points, and five teammates reached double figures in Houston’s lopsided victory over the short-handed Clippers… Rookie Luis Scola scored 16 points, Luther Head added 15, McGrady had 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Bobby Jackson had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Battier scored 11 for the Rockets, who shot 48.1 percent and outrebounded the Clippers 51-33… Houston’s Rafer Alston, averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 assists, missed his third game due to a sore left hamstring… Josh Powell had a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers (23-54), who have lost 21 of their last 25 games. Elton Brand, playing just his third game of the season, had 19 points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes, and Cuttino Mobley added 11 points for Los Angeles.