Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

C.Butler, A.Jamison stepping up

Washington looks to snap a seven-game losing streak at San Antonio tonight.  The last time Washington won in San Antonio was Dec. 11, 1999 — during the 1999-00 NBA season.  San Antonio’s Tim Duncan is the lone holdover on either team’s roster from that game; a 99-89 Wizards’ win.

After averaging a combined 63.0 points per game in Washington’s last four games, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are now averaging a combined 45.9 points per game this season.  Butler and Jamison currently rank as the NBA’s sixth highest scoring duo…behind Anthony-Iverson (DEN), McGrady-Ming (HOU), Davis-Jackson (GSW), James-Gooden (CLE) and James-Ilgauskas (CLE).

Antawn Jamison has averaged 29.0 points per game in Washington’s last six games, after averaging 17.8 points per game in the Wizards’ first eight.  Jamison is not the only Wizard to have picked up his scoring in the last six games in the absence of Gilbert Arenas.

After connecting on a career-high five three-pointers in Washington’s last game, Caron Butler has now hit 14 three-pointers through 14 games this season.  Last season, Butler connected on 18 three-pointers in 63 games.  He hit a career-high 41 three-point field goals in 75 games in 2005-06.

Players of week are L.James, T.Parker

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 25.

James led the Cavaliers to a 3-1 week averaging 36.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. He became the first player since Bob Sura (April 9-10, 2004) to post triple-doubles on consecutive nights when he recorded 37 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Toronto on Nov. 24, and 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win at Indiana on Nov. 25. In each of the team’s four games this week, James scored 30-plus points, including a season-high-tying 45 points on Nov. 21 at Minnesota.

Parker led San Antonio to a 4-0 week by averaging 26.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He set his season high with 32 points on Nov. 21 in a win over Orlando and twice tied his season high in assists after tallying nine on Nov. 20 at Atlanta and against Orlando on Nov 21.

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Dallas’ Devin Harris, Golden State’s Baron Davis, Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley, Milwaukee’s Michael Redd, New Jersey’s Richard Jefferson, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire, Toronto’s Chris Bosh, and Washington’s Antawn Jamison.

Jaric dating supermodel A.Lima

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jaric may be one of the luckiest men alive. Word is, he’s dating Victoria’s Secrets Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports: Wolves point guard Marko Jaric recently began dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. She is one of the highest paid models in the world, most famous for her work with Victoria’s Secret. Years ago, she was engaged to rock star Lenny Kravitz, but the relationship didn’t survive. She was once even falsely linked to Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. Lima is supportive of Jaric. She flew to Denver on Thanksgiving and attended the Wolves’ game there the next day… Teammate Antoine Walker didn’t know Jaric is dating a supermodel but quipped: “He’s overachieving.”

Jorge Garbajosa will have additional left leg and ankle surgery

The Toronto Raptors medical staff has determined that Jorge Garbajosa requires further surgery on his left leg and ankle.

Garbajosa also met with Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore today for a consultation. We are awaiting Dr. Myerson’s written report.

No surgery date has been determined and no timing has been established for a return to basketball activity.

Garbajosa will remain on the Inactive List indefinitely.

D-Wade won’t become PG

With the Heat looking like they have no idea how to play basketball, could Dwyane Wade eventually switch from shooting guard to the point?

Apparently not.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Even as Jason Williams struggles at point guard, Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade said Monday they could not envision Wade making a fulltime shift to the position. “Absolutely not,” Wade said. “I’m not trying to go back there. My team is better when I’m able to play more than one position. “If I’m stuck to just playing the point guard, then it takes something away from my game. Then it feels like I’ve got to make all the plays. I don’t want to get back to that point-guard mentality, where I feel I’ve got to set everybody up every time down.”

Brendan Haywood having career year

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: Center Brendan Haywood is having a career year and is averaging career highs in points (9.5), rebounds (8.9) and blocks (1.8). In year’s past, Haywood’s biggest competition at center was Etan Thomas. Thomas recently had open-heart surgery and his career might be over. This has opened up more minutes for Haywood and he has responded accordingly. Behind Jamison and Butler, Thomas is the best player you’ll likely see on the floor tomorrow. Third-year power forward Andray Blatche has also been stepping up his game lately and is scoring and rebounding well. Point guard Antonio Daniels has also been filling in well with Arenas out and has averaged 11.6 points and 7.8 assists since Arenas played his last game.

Discuss this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.

Ryan Bowen sprains left knee, out 3+ weeks

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: “The Hornets announced Monday that forward Ryan Bowen will miss at least three weeks after spraining his left knee in a loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday. Bowen said Monday morning at the team’s shoot-around that the injury occurred while he was going for a loose ball and that an MRI revealed a second-degree MCL sprain with no torn ligaments. “It feels pretty good right now,” Bowen said Monday morning. “It’s loose, it’s wobbly, so I just have to wait for that to tighten up.”

‘Plastic Man’ now a Nuggets player development coach

The Denver Nuggets have hired Stacey Augmon as a player development coach, team Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Warkentien announced today.

Augmon played 15 seasons in the NBA with Atlanta, Portland, Charlotte/New Orleans and Orlando. In 1,001 career NBA games, he averaged 8.0 ppg and 3.2 rpg.

Discuss this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.

Brad Miller calls Beno Udrih a ‘metrosexual’

The Sacramento Bee reports: “What Beno calls style, Brad calls something else. Kings center Brad Miller has been giving Udrih a hard time about his fashion, and his ridiculing became public on Sunday. “He’s a typical, goofy European with tight pants, tight clothes – pretty standard,” Miller said with a laugh. A metrosexual, one might say? “Definitely a metrosexual,” Miller said. “He has the nice accent. He’s telling us, ‘This team was loaded with lots of Europeans before (in the days of Peja Stojakovic, Hedo Turkoglu etc.), so everybody knows what’s going on.”