Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Budenholzer, Hawks enjoying amazing success

Budenholzer, Hawks enjoying amazing success

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution reporting on the Hawks, whose success has been a terrific season-long story:

With general manager Danny Ferry on a leave of absence the entire season, the Hawks submitted head coach Mike Budenholzer for consideration in voting for the NBA’s Executive of the Year Award, a person familiar with the situation told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Budenholzer has been serving as the head of basketball operations since September when Ferry took the leave following the discovery of racially insensitive remarks about free-agent target Luol Deng during a June conference call with team ownership and management. At that time, CEO Steve Koonin elevated Budenholzer to lead the basketball operations and make final decisions.

The Hawks clinched the Southeast Division title and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last month as part of a record-breaking season. The team extended its franchise record for wins in a season with its 60th victory Friday night. The Hawks have also had a franchise record 19-game win streak, which included an NBA record 17-0 mark in January. The win streak is the longest in Atlanta professional sports history.

Crucial game for Miami Heat tonight

Crucial game for Miami Heat tonight

Here’s the Miami Herald blog with some insight on the Heat, whose time is running out if they hope to grab a spot in the postseason:

With three games left in the regular season, the Heat desperately needs a victory on Saturday night. The Heat has three games left in the regular season and now trails the Nets and Celtics by two games in the loss column after both teams won in convincing fashion on Friday night. The Pacers are earned an important victory, which further complicated the Eastern Conference playoff race. It’s not a true must-win scenario for the Heat, but another loss could doom the Heat’s playoff chances all the same.

While the Nets and Celtics enjoyed games on Friday against teams resting players or preparing for the playoffs, the Heat has no such luck on Saturday against the Raptors. Toronto can secure home-court advantage in the playoffs with a victory against the Heat.

Brett Brown thinks Joel Embiid will play in 2015 summer league

Brett Brown thinks Joel Embiid will play in 2015 summer league

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the Sixers, who are hoping to eventually get big things from center Joel Embiid once he’s healthy enough to begin his pro basketball career. But first, summer league action would be a nice start:

Brett Brown thinks Joel Embiid will play in 2015 summer league

Brett Brown said he “personally” would be disappointed if Joel Embiid didn’t play in the summer league.

“Personally, I expect him to play in the summer league,” Brown said. “But if I guessed any of this wrong, I want to make sure that the club is on record not being definitive. We are not in the position to say that now.”

Brown raised a few eyebrows Wednesday when he would not commit on whether the 7-foot rookie center would play this summer.

Jeremy Lin sits out practice with knee soreness

The season ends Wednesday. It’ll all be over soon

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog reporting on Lakers guard Jeremy Lin, who is probably thankful that the season ends Wednesday:

Jeremy Lin sits out practice with knee soreness

Lakers guard Jeremy Lin missed Saturday’s practice so he could receive treatment to heal persistent soreness in his left knee. Lin has missed the past two games because of his latest injury, and a recent MRI confirmed an abnormality in his meniscus that has existed since having surgery in 2012.

The Lakers (21-58) have not ruled out Lin playing for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks (48-31) at Staples Center.

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Aaron Craft named D-League Defensive Player of Year

Santa Cruz Warriors guard Aaron Craft has been selected as the 2015 NBA Development League’s Defensive Player of the year by a vote of the league’s 18 head coaches. Craft will be honored with a trophy for his efforts by NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner prior to tonight’s playoff game against the Oklahoma City Blue, which will be broadcast live on ESPNNEWS at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Craft (6-2, 192, Ohio State) played in all 50 regular season games for Santa Cruz, anchoring a Warriors defense that held opponents to league-lows 42 percent shooting from the field and 99.6 points per 100 possessions. Santa Cruz’ opponents averaged 102.2 points, good for third-lowest in the NBA D-League. Individually, Craft averaged an NBA D-League best 2.5 steals while topping the league with a 1.4 steal-to-turnover ratio. Additionally, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 36.1 minutes.

“Aaron has shown his aptitude, intensity and desire on the defensive end all season long,” said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA D-League. “His ability as a lock-down defender has been a tremendous asset for coach Casey Hill and the Warriors this season. We congratulate Aaron on an impressive rookie campaign and this well-deserved award.”

Craft helped lead the Warriors to the West Division Championship and a 35-15 record, tied for the best in the league. The team earned the top overall seed in the Western Conference and currently owns a 1-0 lead over the Blue in the first round of the 2015 NBA D-League Playoffs.

“Aaron is one of the soundest defenders I’ve ever been around and without a doubt he deserves this award,” said head coach Hill. “He has been phenomenal for our team all year long and it has been amazing to coach him.”

A four-year contributor at Ohio State, Craft was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014) and was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2014. Undrafted last season, Craft earned an invitation to the Golden State Warriors training camp in September 2014.

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident outside NYC nightclub

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident outside NYC nightclub

Thabo Sefolosha suffers major injuries from incident with NYC police

Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha suffered injuries during yesterday’s early morning incident where he was arrested near the 1OAK nightclub in New York City after Pacers forward Chris Copeland had been stabbed. But did these injuries occur due to the arrest from police, or did something else happen with Thabo beforehand that we don’t know about? We do not know this.

An examination of Sefolosha’s right leg, including an X-ray at Barclays Center yesterday and an MRI today at Peachtree Orthopaedics revealed a fractured fibula and ligament damage that will require surgery. He is out for the remainder of the season, including the entire postseason, and a timeline for his return will be updated at a later date.

“This is a very difficult situation for Thabo and our thoughts and support will be with him during his recovery. We know that his approach and dedication will serve him well in his rehabilitation,” Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Our team remains focused and will be prepared as we head into the postseason.”

  Thabo Sefolosha — Video of Brutal Clash with Cops … Headlocked & Taken Down
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Dwight Howard hopes to play 20 NBA seasons

Dwight Howard hopes to play 20 NBA seasons

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting on center Dwight Howard, who hope to put two decades of NBA work in before he hangs up his sneakers and Superman cape.

Dwight Howard hopes to play 20 NBA seasons

Dwight Howard said he hopes he can have a career as long as the one his Wednesday night opponent — Tim Duncan — has had in San Antonio.

Duncan, 38, has played 17 years in the NBA and is still starting for the Spurs and is considered to be one of the best big men in the league.

“That’s always been my goal- to play 20 years in the league so I think it can be done,” said Howard, who is in his 11th NBA season. “It would be great. Tim (Duncan) is still playing great basketball. He has migrated to different spots on the floor instead of just the post.”

James Harden not focused on NBA scoring title

James Harden not focused on NBA scoring title

James Harden not focused on scoring title

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting on Rockets guard James Harden, with stats through Tuesday’s games and not including Wednesday’s results:

With Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook scoring just 17 points on Tuesday, Rockets guard James Harden’s lead for the NBA scoring title grew to two-tenths of a point, the largest margin since Harden regained the scoring lead last week.

Harden is averaging 27.7 going into tonight’s game vs. San Antonio. Westbrook is at 27.5.

Harden did not know. He did not want to know, and his friends, family and teammates know not to tell him.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Harden said. “I don’t want to hear. I think the most important thing right now is winning. I’ve said it plenty of times, just winning and getting in a rhythm going into the postseason.

Flashback to Fat Lever

Here’s the Denver Post reporting on a versatile, highly-skilled former NBA guard with a great name and even better game:

Arguably one of the most underrated players in NBA history, Lever had 46 triple-doubles in his career with the Nuggets, more than two-thirds of the total triple-doubles in franchise history.

He was a triple-double threat every night. In six seasons with the Nuggets, Lever averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.He was named to the second-team all-defense in 1988 and is among the Nuggets’ top 10 all time in steals (1,167), assists (3,566), field goals made (3,304) and rebounds (3,621).

“When you’re playing, you really don’t pay attention to it that much,” Lever said. “As I look back now, and every time someone throws a stat at me that I wasn’t aware of now sticks out. The triple-doubles come up more now because of (Oklahoma City guard) Russell Westbrook. If I had that kind of athleticism I’d still be playing. But at the same time it’s one of those things where you remember it, you enjoy it and then you move on. And then you try to share some of those experiences with someone else — your family, your kids, people that I run across.

“I enjoy it.”

Mavs hope Chandler Parsons will return before playoffs

Mavs hope Chandler Parsons will return before playoffs

Here’s ESPN Dallas reporting on the Mavericks, who recently clinched a Western conference playoff spot. Seven spots are now claimed. The team hopes there will be good news on the Chandler Parsons front soon.

Mavs hope Chandler Parsons will return before playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks hope that small forward Chandler Parsons, who will miss his second consecutive game Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns due to swelling and soreness in his right knee, will get some playing time before the playoffs begin.

However, there is no firm timetable for Parsons’ return.

“He’s doing better. He’s just not there yet,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after Wednesday’s shootaround. “We’d like to get him back to play a game or two before the playoffs, if it’s possible. But nothing is for sure.”