Derrick Rose not thinking about returning this season

Here’s ESPN Chicago with quotes from Bulls guard Derrick Rose confirming what was already assumed to be the case, which is that nobody should expect to see him in action this season:

Derrick Rose not thinking about returning this season

Derrick Rose says he isn’t thinking about a possible return this season and is just focusing on his rehab as he makes his way back from a torn medial meniscus in his right knee suffered on Nov. 22.

Speaking to reporters for the first time in about two months at a Bulls’ charity event, Rose acknowledged that he hasn’t started running yet, but is staying in good spirits.

“I haven’t even had a chance to think about it, to tell you the truth,” Rose said of a possible return this season. “I’m just worrying about my next stage in this process and that’s running right now. I’m on the Alter-G right now running on that and hopefully be running without it pretty soon.”

After having surgery in late November, Rose was ruled out for the rest of the season by the Bulls. In his initial news conference after the injury he said he wouldn’t rule out a possible return for the playoffs, but he seemed to back off those comments Tuesday night. When asked why he was keeping the door open on a return if the organization already ruled him out, Rose hinted that he was still a long way from playing in games.

Blake Griffin not officially retired from Slam Dunk contest

Blake Griffin remains one of the world’s most exciting dunkers. Good news for NBA fans is he has not “officially” retired from participating in the NBA Slam Dunk contest again, someday. We advise you to not hold your breath waiting, though. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Blake on comparisons with fellow All-Star Weekend participant Karl Malone

“I’m humbled by that. That’s a honor. He was one of the best power forwards to ever do it, so obviously I have a lot of work to do to get to where [I can approach] what he accomplished. That’s not a bad person to be compared to … I’ve watched a lot of tape of him. I’ve watched mostly [from] his later years after he had really developed and had really become a force scoring the basketball. And the thing I love about him is everyone I’ve talked to about him talks about his work ethic and how hard he worked. And then on top of that just how he put together a complete game and used his strength to his advantage but also could step out and knock down shots.”

Blake on his future in the dunk contest
“I haven’t retired officially. It isn’t something I’ll never, ever do again. But for right now, I try to take my rest when I can. And this year I really wanted that Saturday night rest. So not this year.”

Suns hope to get Eric Bledsoe back in somewhat near future

Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting on Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, who has been out of action for a long time now. The team has done fine without him, but is still stronger with him healthy and on the floor:

eric bledsoe

The Suns players and staff get a pick-me-up at every practice and when they walk through the training room.

They have been seeing rehabilitating point guard Eric Bledsoe taking shots on the court and running on a treadmill.

Friday will mark five weeks since Bledsoe’s right-knee surgery. No timetable for a recovery or return was shared, but many believed he could return not long after the All-Star break.

“He’s making good progress on his rehab,” Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said. “He’s progressing as expected. We’re still optimistic that he’ll return some time after the All-Star break.

“He’s been working diligently with our training staff and the reports are encouraging.”

No ads on NBA game jerseys just yet

Here’s ESPN.com reporting on the possibility of seeing ads right on NBA game jerseys. Sounds like we shouldn’t expect it anytime soon. But the possibility certainly still exists for the future:

Floated as a possible revenue stream five years ago, the NBA appears to be no closer to putting ads on its jerseys.

The league had even mapped out the dimensions — a 2½-inch by 2½-inch space on the front of the jerseys — but a simple idea turned into something more complex the more it was considered, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

In 2011, Silver said selling the space to advertisers conservatively would be worth $100 million.

“The sense was that we were a little premature on the program and we needed to think it through systematically a little bit more,” Silver told ESPN.com.

One of the problems was that teams would be competing for advertising clients. Another issue was how the ads would potentially compromise the league’s television partners, ESPN and Turner.

Should Taj Gibson start ahead of Carlos Boozer for Bulls?

Here’s the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reporting on the Bulls frontcourt rotation. It’s assumed Carlos Boozer will continue to start ahead of Taj Gibson. But for fun, ponder another possibility:

Should Taj Gibson start ahead of Carlos Boozer for Bulls?

Carlos Boozer said Wednesday he expects to play against Brooklyn, the Bulls’ last game before the all-star break. He’s missed the past three contests with a left calf strain.

“I think I will (play),” Boozer said before the “Evening with the Bulls” fundraiser at the United Center. “The break will be good for it. (But) if I’m healthy, I want to play.”

A better question is will he be the starter when he’s healthy again. Taj Gibson averaged 22.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4 assists during the past three games, while the Bulls had two of their highest-scoring first quarters of the season in the past two outings against Atlanta and L.A. Lakers.

Asked if Boozer is still the starter, coach Tom Thibodeau gave a straight answer, with a qualifier.

“Yeah. Again I have to know what the minutes restrictions are,” Thibodeau said.

Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive involved in NBA All-Star tech summit

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the tech summit at upcoming 2014 All-Star Weekend:

The list of other notables scheduled to attend the four-hour session include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, Yahoo CEO Melissa Mayer and Brian Kopp of Sports Solutions. The annual gathering, which is invitation-only and continues to gain significance with the increasing importance of analytics within the industry, isn’t strictly for stats experts, though. Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley will be seated within elbow distance of the tech industry heavyweights. Other NBA owners and business experts also routinely attend.

LeBron James, an immortal basketball great?

Here’s the Washington Post reporting on NBA star LeBron James, who still feels like a king:

lebron james

By the time his NBA career ends, LeBron James is confident he won’t be remembered as merely King James, he’ll be an immortal great worthy of the hoops version of Mt. Rushmore.

“I’m going to be one of the top four that’s ever played this game, for sure,” LeBron James said in an NBA TV interview to be shown Monday. “And if they don’t want me to have one of those top four spots, they’d better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody’s gotta get bumped, but that’s not for me to decide. That’s for the architects.”

Who is the best teammate Dirk Nowitzki has ever had?

Here’s one take from ESPN Dallas on Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and the type of help he’s had:

steve nash

The hodgepodge of players such as Michael Finley, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Josh Howard, O.J. Mayo, Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler leaves a very mixed bag to select from. It also shines a light on the fact Nowitzki has had to carry the load in Dallas without legitimate, surefire star support. It comes down to Steve Nash, before the point guard hit his MVP stride, and Jason Kidd, returning after he had passed his prime. Nash was the perfect teammate for Nowitzki earlier in his career, and Kidd was just as perfect later in Nowitzki’s career. I’m going to go with Kidd. While Nash could shoot the lights out, Kidd had the better all-around game out of the two point guards. As Nash helped Nowitzki grow as a player, Kidd helped guide him to immortality as a champion.

2014 NBA All-Star data

NBA All-Star 2014 will bring together the league’s most talented players for a global celebration, transforming New Orleans into the center of the basketball universe. Three days of live game action will culminate with the 63rd NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center on Sunday, Feb. 16.TNT will televise the All-Star Game for a 12th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 29th season of All-Star coverage. Fans in 215 countries and territories and in 47 languages will be able to experience a weeklong celebration of the game through an array of digital technologies offered by NBA Digital, TNT and ESPN. The following is a look at NBA All-Star 2014 by the numbers:

NBA All-Star in New Orleans

2 — New Orleans has hosted two NBA All-Star Games (2008, 2014).
3 — NBA All-Star 2014 marks only the second time that the Sprite Slam Dunk will feature three All-Star Game participants – John Wall (WAS), Damian Lillard (POR) and Paul George (IND). (M. Jordan, D. Wilkins, C. Drexler – 1988).
5 — Portland’s Damian Lillard, first player to participate in five All-Star events.
77 — NBA All-Star 2014 performers have received a combined 77 Grammy nominations (Pharrell – 25; Earth, Wind and Fire – 20; Dr. John – 15; Janelle Monae – 6; Kendrick Lamar – 7; Gary Clark Jr. – 2; Trombone Shorty – 1, Mack Wilds – 1).

All-Star Global Reach

· 1,800 — More than 1,800 media will cover events, including 265 international reporters.

· 90 — More than 90 international television and radio outlets and websites will be onsite, with 16 doing live courtside commentary including in Arabic, French, Greek, Hungarian, Mandarin, and Polish.

NBA on TNT

12 and 29 — This is the 12th consecutive year the All-Star Game will be shown in prime time on TNT, and 29th season Turner Sports has provided All-Star coverage.

· 360 — For the first time, TNT will utilize the innovative freeD™ – free dimensional video – technology providing fans a 360-degree defining replay view of the action.

NBA Digital

· 140 — NBA TV, NBA.com and NBA Mobile will present more than 140 hours of All-Star coverage.

NBA Social Media

500M — Over 500 million followers and likes combined across all league, team, and player pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Sina, and Tencent that will have access to All-Star.

NBA Cares

· 3,000 – The NBA Cares All-Star Community Caravan, led by more than 3,000 NBA family members, partners and volunteers, will include four days of hands-on community service, featuring more than 35 projects.

NBA All-Star Jam Session

· 500,000 — Jam Session boasts over 500,000 square feet and more than 40 attractions.

80,000 — More than 80,000 fans will attend Jam Session over the course of four days.

NBA Players and Legends

1,416,419 and 10 — The Heat’s LeBron James was the leading vote-getter in the NBA All-Star Balloting program presented by Sprint, with 1,416,419 votes. James will be making his 10th All-Star appearance.

Lakers fail to sell out another game at Staples Center

Here’s the Los Angeles Times blog reporting on the Lakers, who usually sell out their games. But this isn’t your average Laker season.

The most compelling number to watch in the Lakers’ box scores the rest of the season could be home attendance.

The Lakers failed to sell out a game Tuesday for the second time this season when they drew a season-low 18,209 against the Utah Jazz, ending a 17-game sellout streak dating to November. The previous non-sellout against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 12 ended a far more impressive streak of 270 consecutive regular-season games (and 320 including the playoffs) going back to December 2006.

The Lakers rank eighth in the NBA in home attendance, averaging 18,937 fans per game. The Clippers have sold out every game this season and rank seventh in league attendance, averaging 19,196 fans. The Chicago Bulls lead the league with an average of 21,639 fans.