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John Wall returns in Wizards Game 5 loss to Hawks

John Wall returns in Wizards Game 5 loss to Hawks

Nobody expected injured Washington Wizards guard John Wall to return during these playoffs. But yesterday it happened, and he gave it his all, though the Wizards fell slightly short to the Atlanta Hawks. Here’s CSN Washington reporting:

John Wall threw himself on the floor with 32.6 seconds left, and the score tied at 78, for a loose ball, corralled it and called a timeout. He slapped the floor repeatedly with his good hand, the right one, as he sensed a Game 5 victory was near Wednesday.

But a 3-2 series lead for the Wizards is oh-so-far away. Wall blocked Dennis Schroder’s shot on the final play as he drove to the basket, but Al Horford darted in like a bowling ball to send bodies scattering to grab the loose ball for the putback with two seconds left and an 82-81 victory for the Atlanta Hawks at Phillips Arena.

“It felt great. I didn’t have any problems with my hand,” Wall said after having 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. “I was able to play aggressive and make plays so I was fine.”

Queens gym being named after Anthony Mason

Queens gym being named in honor of Anthony Mason

The late Anthony Mason was an awesome NBA player, and is dearly missed. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Springfield Gardens Education Complex in Queens will honor the memory of its most-decorated basketball player on Thursday when it names its gymnasium for former Knick Anthony Mason in an afternoon ceremony.

Mason, one of the signature players on Pat Reilly’s mid-1990’s Knicks teams, died at age 48 on Feb. 28, less than a month after suffering a heart attack.

“It’s a wonderful way of honoring my pops,” said Anthony Mason Jr., the former St. John’s star. “He really cared about his school.”

Andrew Bogut remains healthy

No, Andrew Bogut isn’t injured. He’s still good to go.

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting good news on the Warriors front:

Andrew Bogut banged up, but still healthy

Andrew Bogut said his ribs are fine. In fact, his post-Game 4 X-ray was on his left knee, and that checked out OK, too.

“Everything is good,” the Warriors’ center said after Wednesday’s shootaround. “No problems.”

Bogut did grab at his right ribs a couple of times during the second half of the Warriors’ Game 4 victory over Memphis, and it was reported by multiple outlets that he had X-rays on his ribs. But the big man said the bigger concern was a tweak he felt in his left knee, and that’s what he had checked after the game.

Pau Gasol plans to play Cavs-Bulls Game 6

Pau Gasol plans to play Cavs-Bulls Game 6

Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting on Bulls power forward Pau Gasol, a key member of the squad who could certainly be the difference between a tied series or the Cavs advancing and leaving Chicago in the dust. The Cavs lead the series 3 games to 2, so Thursday is must-win for the Bulls:

Pau Gasol says he’s going to try and play in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Gasol missed the past two games because of a strained left hamstring.

“I made some good progress today,” Gasol said after the Bulls’ workout on Wednesday. “No residual pain from [Tuesday] also works. We’re making progress. At the end of the day, [Thursday] is the game and I’ll do everything I can to help the team. … I’ll be out there. Whichever way I can be, I will be.”

Gasol initially hurt his hamstring in Game 2 and played only 22 minutes in Game 3 after being taken out in the second half.

Alan Anderson had ankle surgery today

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Alan Anderson underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today, May 12, to remove bone spurs from his left ankle, General Manager Billy King announced. The procedure was performed by Nets’ foot and ankle specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Anderson is expected to resume basketball-related activities in July.

Anderson played in 74 games (19 starts) for Brooklyn this past season, with averages of 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. In six postseason contests, Anderson posted averages of 11.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a team-best .610 from the field and .625 from three-point range.

Bucks hire Suki Hobson for training staff

The Milwaukee Bucks today announced that Suki Hobson has been added to the team’s training staff as Senior Strength and Rehabilitation Specialist. Hobson brings over 15 years of experience working with elite athletes in the fields of strength, power and injury rehabilitation to the Bucks organization.

Hobson joins the Bucks full-time after previously running her own interdisciplinary athletic performance and sports consultancy company, Athlete Revolution International, which is based in Melbourne, Australia, and operated around the world. Regarded for her innovative, athlete-centered, goal-driven and scientific approach to training, Hobson is a leader in the fields of strength training and athlete rehabilitation, with a particular emphasis in rehabilitation from ACL injuries. She has previously worked with multiple Australian Football League teams as well as the Queensland Academy of Sport, where she trained Olympic athletes during two summer and one winter Olympic cycles.

Monty Williams fired

Monty Williams fired by Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams has been fired. The team qualified for the playoffs, and although they were swept 4-0 in the first round by the Golden State Warriors, they played pretty well and were competitive for large parts of each game. This has been looming for a while now, though.

More info here: Pelicans fire coach Monty Williams.

New Philadelphia 76ers team logo

The Philadelphia 76ers today unveiled an updated brand identity, which includes a redesigned primary logo and a series of partial and secondary logo variations in advance of the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 19 and the introduction of new uniforms on Thursday, June 18.

The logo set is effective immediately and updates the iconic Sixers design through the incorporation of new and traditionally significant elements:

The team’s new primary logo is a modern interpretation of the classic Sixers insignia, stylistically redeveloped to include a patriotic blue border with six white stars and “PHILADELPHIA” adorned across the heading. The familiar white basketball has been visually updated with a positional rotation of the seams. The emblematic ring of 13 stars present in the primary, partial and secondary logos continues to represent the original American Colonies.

Fan discussion here: New Sixers logo

NBA fines Dwight Howard $15K

Dwight Howard fined for hard foul on Matt Barnes

The NBA announced today that they have fined Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard $15,000 for making contact above the shoulders with Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes in Rockets-Clippers Game 4 on May 10.

Howard’s actions occurred with 9:21 remaining in the first quarter of the Clippers’ 128-95 win over the Rockets on May 10 at Staples Center.

The Clippers currently lead their second round series with the Rockets three games to one.

Paul Pierce plans to stay in basketball after playing days end

Hopefully people can handle the truth

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on Paul Pierce, who as a member of the Washington Wizards is currently making life difficult for the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs:

Paul Pierce plans to stay in basketball after playing days end

Someday, Pierce may have to deal with deals of his own. He won’t be through with basketball when he’s through playing, and, yes, he’d very much be interested in returning to the Celtics to work and learn under Ainge when he’s done bedeviling younger opponents.

“Truthfully, I love the game,” he said. “I want to have my hands on some aspect of the game, whether it be management, ownership. I don’t know right now about coaching. I’m not sure yet. But I definitely want to be involved with the game in some form or fashion.

“It’s definitely a tough business,” he added. “It’s definitely hard work that Danny has to do. He has to think about so many things that come into play when you’re a GM. It’s the relationship you have with the players, it’s the future, it’s about the money and the salary cap. You’ve got to make difficult decisions all the time. And as bad as he wants to win, he understands it’s a building process also, until you can make your move.

“It’s like playing chess. You know, sometimes you’ve got to play your pawns, like he did in ’07, until he made his big move to make the trades. . . . Sometimes it works, and sometimes it don’t.”

Asked if he could see himself in that job, Pierce grins. “I think I’m a fairly good chess player.”