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Draymond Green feels sorry for teams that have to guard smaller Warriors lineup

Draymond Green recognizes that the other team is in trouble

Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle with a fun Warriors item on the challenge of going against them:

Draymond Green feels sorry for teams that have to guard smaller Warriors lineup

Draymond Green feels sorry for opposing defenses when the Warriors go small.

Would they try to switch to a bigger defender when Golden State runs a pick and roll for Stephen Curry?

“Good luck with that,” Green said, chuckling, after practice Thursday.

Keep two guys on Curry?

“That opens me up to make plays with three other shooters around,” Green said. “That’s three-on-two. It’s tough for teams to defend.”

While Green is having a breakthrough season offensively, it’s the 6-foot-7 forward’s ability to defend from the center position when the Warriors go small that has everybody excited. Golden State has gone with the smaller lineup more often recently, and it worked again in Wednesday night’s comeback win over the Bucks.

Timberwolves add Justin Hamilton, waive Glenn Robinson III

Timberwolves add Justin Hamilton, waive Glenn Robinson III

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has claimed center Justin Hamilton off waivers. He’s bench material and adds a bit of frontcourt depth, especially while Nikola Pekovic isn’t at 100% health.

Hamilton, 24, has played in 24 games (five starts) this season with the Miami Heat, averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game. In his second year out of Louisiana State University, the 7-0 center played in eight games last season for Miami and the Charlotte Bobcats, averaging 3.3 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. Hamilton was originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 45th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Hamilton was traded from the Heat to the New Orleans Pelicans on February 19, 2015. He did not appear in a game with the Pelicans before being waived on March 3, 2015.

Robinson III appeared in 25 games this season with Minnesota, averaging 1.2 points in 4.3 minutes per contest. The Wolves drafted the 6-7 forward with the 40th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft.

In a subsequent move, the team has waived forward Glenn Robinson III.

The Wolves roster stands at 15 players.

Bradley Beal still working his way back to form

Bradley Beal still working his way back to form

Here’s CSN Washington reporting on Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal:

Two games into his return, Bradley Beal is shooting just 8-for-28, or 28.5%, and his legs aren’t all the way there. He was off for three weeks while he was recovering from a stress injury in his lower right leg and hasn’t quite been himself yet.

The Wizards (34-27) are 1-1 with him back in the lineup and might’ve been able to steal Tuesday’s game at the Chicago Bulls, a 97-92 loss, if Beal shot better than 2-for-8 in the third quarter.

Beal had a wide-open look with 56 seconds left that could’ve tied the score at 94 with a three-pointer, but he misfired. Most of his shots came up short which is an indication of heavy legs.

Gregg Popovich does not want a stretched-out NBA schedule

Gregg Popovich does not want a stretched-out NBA schedule

Here’s the San Antonio Express-News blog reporting what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thinks of an NBA schedule that goes deeper into the summer:

One would imaging that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would lead the drum beat for any NBA schedule change that would lessen the amount of back-to-back games, and especially the dreaded four-in-five nights.

If it comes at the expense of a longer season, however, he’s not a fan.

“I think the season is long enough,” Popovich said. “I will not come to work in July. If there’s a game in July, count me out.”

Even a championship game?

“Count me out. Count me out. Life is too short.”

Popovich was joking — we think — but his point remains: The NBA season already stretches over nine full months, from the start of training camp in October until finishing up with the Finals in June.

Blazers play small-ball down stretch vs Clippers

Blazers play small-ball down stretch vs Clippers

Here’s the Oregonian with some insight on the Trail Blazers:

Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts turned to a small-ball lineup down the stretch and in overtime of the Portland’s comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge shifted to center, Nicolas Batum played de facto power forward along with Arron Afflalo, Wesley Matthews and Damian Lillard in the backcourt. It was the second time in the last three games Stotts has turned to that group to close out a game, after employing the same unit in a win over Oklahoma City last week.

“You’ve got four very good three point shooters, you’ve got a couple guys who can penetrate, you’ve got a couple perimeter guys who can post up and obviously (Aldridge) is a matchup problem in a lot of different ways,” Stotts explained.

“Offensively it can be very effective and you kind of have to pick your poison if you’re the opponent. The key to that is being able to defend.”

Hawks sign Jarell Eddie to 10-day contract

Atlanta Hawks sign Jarell Eddie to 10-day contract

The Atlanta Hawks have signed rookie guard Jarell Eddie (first name is pronounced “jur-RELL”) to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by Head Coach Mike Budenholzer.

Eddie has appeared in 37 games this season with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League, averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 25.6 minutes (his .422 3FG% ranks ninth in the D-League). During the 2015 All-Star Weekend, Eddie won the D-League Three-Point Contest.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “the 6-foot-7 Eddie passed his physical with the Hawks and was officially signed Thursday. He practiced with the team and will be available for Friday’s game against the Cavaliers at Philips Arena. The 10-day contract will expire March 15. The Hawks can sign him to a second 10-day contract. After that, the team would have to sign him for the remainder of the season.”

Eddie participated in the Hawks’ 2014 training camp, and played in three preseason contests. He saw action in the 2014 Las Vegas NBA Summer League with the Washington Wizards.

He played four seasons at Virginia Tech, and as a senior in 2013-14, averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 32.6 minutes.

Eddie will wear uniform no. 3.

Heat assign Zoran Dragic to D-League

Miami Heat assign Zoran Dragic to D-League

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have assigned guard Zoran Dragic to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Zoran has appeared in eight NBA games this season, including two with the HEAT since being acquired in a three-team trade on February 19, totaling six points, three rebounds and an assist in eight minutes of action. He spent last season with Unicaja Malaga in Spain, appearing in 22 Euroleague games and averaged 10.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 22.5 minutes while shooting 41.3 percent from the field.

Ray Allen will not play in NBA this season

Ray Allen will not play in NBA this season

Fewer three-point shots will be made this season, as very-veteran sharpshooter Ray Allen has announced he won’t be playing in the 2014-15 season. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

Ray Allen’s NBA end game, at least for now, remains his appearance as a starter in Game 5 of last season’s NBA Finals with the Miami Heat.

The 10-time All-Star guard announced Wednesday through his agency that he will not play this season and then reassess his plans for 2015-16.

“Over the past several months, I have taken a lot of time to deliberate what is best for me,” Allen said. “I’ve ultimately decided that I will not play this NBA season. I’m going to take the remainder of this season, as well as the upcoming off-season, to reassess my situation, spend time with my family and determine if I will play in the 2015-16 season.”

Pelicans sign Elliot Williams to 10-day contract

Pelicans sign Elliot Williams to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has signed guard Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract.

Williams won’t be expected to do much more than provide some backcourt depth while playing very limited minutes. Generally the same situation for most players on a 10-day deal.

Williams, 6-5,180 has most recently played for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Appearing in 25 games for Santa Cruz, Williams has averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game while being named a NBA D-League All-Star. Previously this season, Williams has signed 10-day contracts with Utah and Charlotte. Williams appeared in five games for Utah, averaging 3.6 points in 8.4 minutes per contest.

Selected by Portland with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Williams has appeared in 96 career games with Portland and Philadelphia in addition to Utah, averaging 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game.

Williams will be available for tonight’s game against Detroit at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14.

Blake Griffin may return fairly soon for Clippers

Blake Griffin may return fairly soon for Clippers

Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting on Clippers forward Blake Griffin:

Blake Griffin could return fairly soon for Clippers

Blake Griffin has intensified his workouts since undergoing elbow surgery and could return as soon as Sunday, which would qualify as perfect timing for the Clippers and the NBA.

The Clippers play the Golden State Warriors, the team with the best record in the Western Conference, that day in a nationally televised game at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

“I guess it’s possible, yeah,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said Monday when asked whether Griffin could play against the Warriors exactly four weeks after learning he would need surgery to remove a staph infection from his right elbow.

Rivers described Griffin as going “full-tilt” in his workouts but cautioned that team doctors would ultimately need to clear the All-Star forward before he was allowed to play again.