Roy Hibbert lost weight, now wants it back

Usually, losing weight is a good thing. Especially in today’s world of fattening, unhealthy foods. General advice for the average person is, if you manage to be thin, do what you can to stay that way.

For pro athletes, though, things aren’t always so simple.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

roy hibbert

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert spent the summer cutting all “bad foods” out of his diet and living in the gym so that he could get in the best shape of his life.

Now Hibbert, who has struggled for almost two months, is about to bring back some of those “bad foods” so that he can put on weight.

“I talked to (strength and conditioning coach) Shawn Windle, and he said I need to start drinking a lot of protein shakes and eat more throughout the day,” Hibbert said. “I had been trying to eat healthy the whole year, but he said I can mix in some bad food sometimes, too, just to put some more weight on.” …

Hibbert said he weighs about 248 pounds and would like to get back to about 260.

Hibbert this season is averaging 12.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game for the 16-26 Pacers.

Coach Monty Williams doing great job for Hornets

John DeShazier of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

Entering this season, the Hornets looked like a lottery team. More, the franchise looked as if it had taken the economical route when selecting its coach, a first-timer who never had served as a lead assistant in San Antonio or Portland.

Yes, he came highly recommended, but for all anyone knew, those were nothing more than courtesy platitudes.

So far, Williams has made the recommendations appear to be more than professional courtesies spouted by friends. So far, Williams has been about the best salesman — and he and his staff have been about the best teachers — in the league.

Simply, the Hornets have been transformed under Williams, from a team that periodically defended to one that prides itself on making stop after stop after stop. New Orleans is the stingiest team in the league, allowing 90.9 points per game, and the brakes are being applied by players who aren’t great individual defenders, but collectively have learned to lock down.

Hornets match club record with 10th straight win

The AP reports:

Hornets match club record with 10th straight win

Chris Paul had 18 points and 17 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets matched a franchise record with their 10th consecutive victory, beating the Golden State Warriors 112-103 on Wednesday night.

David West added 22 points as New Orleans kicked off a three-game West Coast trip by equaling the club’s longest unbeaten run, also produced from Feb. 21-March 13, 1998. The Hornets also avenged a disappointing seven-point home loss to the Warriors back on Jan. 5 with their fifth straight road victory.

New Orleans, owner of the NBA’s longest active winning streak, also got 19 points from Trevor Ariza and 11 from former Warrior Marco Belinelli.

Monta Ellis scored 26 points in another big night for his bid to become Golden State’s first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. Stephen Curry added 20 points and six assists a day after spraining his troublesome right ankle during practice and the Warriors shot 50.7 percent.

Spurs sign Larry Owens to second 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Larry Owens to a second 10-day contract. Owens signed his first 10-day contract with the Spurs on January 16 becoming the second call-up of the 2010-11 NBA Development League season.

Owens, a 6-7, 210-pound forward, has appeared in five games for the Spurs, averaging 1.8 points in 5.2 minutes per game. He is shooting .600 (3-5) from the field and .333 (1-3) from three-point territory.

Owens spent the past two seasons with the Tulsa 66ers.  This year he started in all 23 games for Tulsa, averaging 12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.1 minutes while shooting .462 (108-234) from the field, .373 (25-67) from three-point range and .743 (52-70) from the foul line.  He scored in double figures 18 times, including a season-high 22 points vs. Iowa on November 26.  Owens recorded a double-double in the season opener with 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds at Bakersfield on November 19.

Magic waive Jason Williams

Magic waive Jason Williams

Jason Williams, also known as “White Chocolate” for his old flashy days when he could run around and play basketball and stuff, hasn’t been much of a factor on the Orlando Magic this season. And now the team has  waived guard Williams, President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith announced today.  The Magic’s roster stands at 13.

Originally selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, Williams played in 777 career NBA regular season games with Sacramento, Memphis, Miami and Orlando, averaging 10.6 ppg., 5.9 apg., 2.3 rpg. and 1.20 stlpg. in 29.7 minpg.  He has also played in 67 career playoff contests, averaging 8.3 ppg., 3.3 apg. and 1.9 rpg. in 25.9 minpg.  Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1998-99, currently stands as Memphis’ all-time leader in assists (2,041) and helped Miami capture the 2005-06 NBA Championship.

John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reports:

Orlando reserve point guard Jason Williams, who has been upset for weeks over his lack of playing time, was released by the Magic on Wednesday prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers.

Williams has been vocal this season about his displeasure over his lack of playing time and did not accompany the team on the trip to Indianapolis. The 12-year NBA veteran appeared in just 16 games all season with the Magic, mostly in mop-up roles as the Magic’s third or fourth point guard.

Williams was signed late in the summer as the Magic’s third point guard, but said back in December he’s had a difficult time dealing with not being a part of the regular rotation. Magic President of Basketball Operations/GM Otis Smith said originally that the team would decide Williams’ fate upon getting back to Orlando after Friday’s game in Chicago, but instead decided to waive Williams Wednesday afternoon.

Williams (#44, 6’1”, 190, 11/18/75) played in 16 games this season for Orlando, averaging 2.1 ppg., 1.5 apg. and 1.4 rpg. in 10.7 minpg.

This could be the last we see of him in the NBA.

Raptors sign Trey Johnson to 10-day contract, release Sundiata Gaines

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed guard Trey Johnson to a 10-day contract. He is the sixth Call-Up of the 2010-11 NBA Development League season. To make room on the roster the Raptors released Sundiata Gaines early from his 10-day contract.

Johnson, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds is the leading scorer in the D-League this season averaging 25.8 points for the Bakersfield Jam. He has scored in double-digits in each of his 26 games, posting 20 or more points on 22 occasions and 30 or more in five games and a season-best 43 on December 15 at Austin. Johnson is also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting .510 percent from the field.

Johnson is in his fourth season with the Jam. He owns career D-League averages of 20.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 36.2 minutes. His head coach during the 2007-08 season was current Raptors assistant coach Scott Roth.

A product of Jackson State in Mississippi, Johnson played four games with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008-09 campaign totaling four points and one rebound. In October he went to training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Gaines was signed to a second 10-day contract Monday. He appeared in six contests with the Raptors averaging 5.8 points, 1.8 assists and 15.0 minutes.

Toronto’s roster stands at 15 players.

Spurs assign James Anderson to D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have assigned rookie James Anderson to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Anderson, a 6-6, 215-pound guard, has been out since November 11 when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. Before the injury, he appeared in six games for the Spurs, averaging 7.0 points and 1.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. He is shooting .424 (14-33) from the field and .500 (10-20) from three-point land.

Anderson is the first player the Spurs have assigned to the Toros this season. The Toros host the Reno Bighorns today at 11:00 a.m. at the Cedar Park Center.

Eric Gordon out 3-4 weeks with wrist injury

Eric Gordon out 3-4 weeks with wrist injury

Los Angeles Clippers’ guard Eric Gordon did not travel with the team to Dallas for tonight’s game against the Maverick’s so he could remain in Los Angeles for further examination on his right wrist, injured in a fall this past Saturday in a game versus the Golden State Warriors.

Gordon was examined today by Dr. Steve Chin at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. He was examined previously by Clippers’ team physician/orthopedist Dr. Steven Shimoyama and Dr. Roy A. Meals, a orthopedist specializing in hand-related injuries.

Their joint diagnosis is that Gordon is suffering from a sprained right wrist combined with a small bone chip fracture. He is expected to return to action in three to four weeks.

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Kevin Love no lock to make All-Star team

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports:

Kevin Love no lock to make All-Star team

This season, the Wolves have a player — Kevin Love — worthy of selection for the Feb. 20 game in Los Angeles, where Love played collegiately for UCLA.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Love, who is just 22 years old, leads the NBA with 39 double-doubles while averaging 15.6 rebounds and 21.4 points. His streak of 30 straight double-doubles is the league’s longest since Garnett’s 37 straight over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

It will be unjust if coaches don’t select him as a reserve next week for the Western Conference team.

But Love doesn’t sound confident of selection.

“It’s going to be really tough (to make it),” Love said following Monday night’s loss to Houston at Target Center. “But it would be a tremendous honor, being out there in L.A., where except for my immediate family I have basically all my family and friends.

“If I’m not chosen, I won’t be too bitter because wins come at a premium in this league and a lot of coaches look at that and want to choose guys on winning teams.”

The Wolves have just 10 victories in 44 games this season. Love speculates chances of his selection at less than 50-50.

Jazz move CJ Miles into starting lineup

The Utah Jazz are struggling lately. Deron Williams is frustrated. People aren’t happy. Minor changes are being made.

Jody Genessy of the Deseret News reports:

Jazz move CJ Miles into starting lineup

For the third consecutive game, the Utah Jazz will have a different lineup when they take to the Staples Center court tonight.

The Jazz’s starting small forward spot now belongs to C.J. Miles.

The sixth-year pro will replace Gordon Hayward in the opening lineup after the rookie replaced usual starter

Andrei Kirilenko at the 3 spot for one game (a 96-85 loss at Philadelphia).

This latest change comes on the heels of a four-game losing streak back East and just in time for a brutal back-to-back that includes tonight’s game against the two-time-defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers and Wednesday night’s home game against the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs.

“The biggest thing I want to see is how our team responds,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. “We’ve lost the last eight quarters we’ve played. We need to see if we can get some life and get back into this thing.”

The Jazz are still a winning team at 27-17, sitting at 6th in the Western conference.