Josh Childress fitting in early with Suns

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Partizan Belgrade's Jan Vesely (L) tries to stop Olympiacos Piraeus's Josh Childress during their Euroleague Basketball Final Four semifinal game in Paris May 7, 2010. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (FRANCE - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

It figured that Childress would need time to find his niche on a team loaded with wing players, but he already fits.

In an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday at University of California-San Diego, Childress’ 28 points and fellow newcomer Hedo Turkoglu’s 22 points led a team with Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to a 101-80 rout of a team with Grant Hill, Robin Lopez, Goran Dragic and Channing Frye.

Turkoglu stuck to perimeter scoring on 7-of-11 shooting, but Childress was all over the floor, like he had been all training camp.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Childress said. “I’m dragging.”

It was hard to tell with how often Childress beat teammates upcourt on fast breaks, cut in half-court offense, got steals and deflections and crashed the boards.

He had five rebounds Saturday, when he scored almost exclusively by moving without the ball.

“He has an unbelievable feel for the ball,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “He’s athletic enough that he’s going to get out and run. He’s going to be able to get out in front of the pack enough that he can come up with easy plays.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Childress’ European basketball experience probably gives him a court IQ advantage over a lot of other NBA players. Keep an eye on the away-from-ball things he does this season, like cutting, creating passing lanes, setting effective screens, etc.

What’s your take on Childress? Discuss it on the Phoenix Suns forum.

Cavaliers center options are limited

Anderson Varejao should start at center for the Cavs this season. But overall, the team is pretty weak at the spot.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

After having a wealth of depth at the position last season with Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Varejao as options, right now the team looks a little thin there.

The Cavs have taken a look at some experienced big men who are currently free agents such as Earl Barron, Josh Boone and D.J. Mbenga but went into camp without a proven third center.

There are some other options, including sneaking power forwards over; both J.J. Hickson and Leon Powe played center at times last season. But at the moment, Hickson is playing more on the wing than inside, and Powe is not even taking part in all of practice as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I look forward to seeing Hickson break out offensively this season. If he becomes a bit of a force, Varejao’s lack of scoring ability won’t be as much of an issue.

Have an opinion? Discuss it on the Cleveland Cavs forum.

Craig Smith says Blake Griffin is awesome

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times reports:

March 5, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Clippers' Blake Griffin, who is out for the season with a knee injury after becoming the 2009 first overall pick of the NBA Draft, participates in the pregame shoot around before the NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Oklahoma City defeated the Clippers, 104-87.

Smith was asked if Griffin was 98.9% back after having missed all of last season because of a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

“159.7531 percent,” he said, smiling. “Blake’s looking real good. He’s determined. I’m happy for him. Happy he’s back on the court. You know he’s going to do some special things this year.”

A few minutes later, he got much more specific about Griffin’s considerable talents.

“I can say this. I never played against Karl Malone,” Smith said. “But he has the strength of Karl Malone but can run and jump like LeBron James.

“He can definitely make LeBron plays, defensively. Out in the open, he can make something special happen. He’s kind of like a specialist. He has the best of both worlds. The physical strength, the power and he can run like a deer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was running a 40-yard dash with a car in the way, if he wouldn’t hurt the car versus hurting himself.”

Smith, who had off-season knee surgery, came out near the end of practice because of a tight back, Coach Vinny Del Negro said.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Don’t be surprised to see Griffin average around 17 points and eight or nine rebounds this season. And that may be a conservative estimate.

Have stuff to say? Share your thoughts on the Los Angeles Clippers forum.

Derrick Rose working to develop outside game

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose brings the ball up the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter of game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the United Center in Chicago on April 22, 2010. The Bulls won 108-106 and trail the Cavliers 2-1 in the best of seven series. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

Rose said after practice Friday he hasn’t shot one layup all training camp. While that might be hyperbole, the point remains he has worked hard to further develop his outside shot to broaden his offensive game.

“He’s shooting with a lot of confidence,” [Bulls coach] Thibodeau said. “I don’t see any hesitation at all, which is a good sign. And he’s making good decisions. He’s putting pressure on the defense by getting the ball up the floor quickly. And he’s running the team great. If you sag off him, he’s not afraid to shoot. That’s what I want him to do. Most teams in this league fear him off the dribble.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Rose is already in the league’s best point guard discussion. Right now, popular perception says Chris Paul and Deron Williams are a notch above the rest, but Rose is right there, and it’ll be fun watching him get even better.

Have something to say? Share your thoughts on the Chicago Bulls forum.

Drew Gooden says big Bucks contract was deserved

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

March 30, 2010 Milwaukee, WI. Bradley Center..Los Angeles Clipper Drew Gooden had a double-double scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Bucks..Milwaukee Bucks won over Los Angeles Clippers 107-89. Mike McGinnis/CSM.

Some observers around the NBA thought the Bucks overpaid for the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Gooden, and he took notice.

“I felt I had to go to hell and back to get what I deserved and I worked hard,” Gooden said. “I did everything I was supposed to.

“I heard, ‘He got overpaid.’ But a lot of guys I talked to were like, ‘He deserved that,’ so I’ll take that.

“They don’t know what I’ve been through. My career numbers are just as good as some of those guys who got 80 (million) this year.”

Gooden spent the first half of last season in Dallas and contributed primarily at the center position while playing with all-star power forward Dirk Nowitzki.

But he was traded to Washington at the February deadline as the Mavericks picked up center Brendan Haywood and forward Caron Butler. Gooden never played for the Wizards but was released in a cost-cutting move and ended the season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I had to reinvent my game, and I have to credit Coach Carlisle,” Gooden said of Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “I had to learn how to be a guy to come off the bench and give you 18 or 20 minutes and be a force defensively rather than offensively.

Have thoughts on the Bucks? Share them on the Milwaukee Bucks forum.

Ron Artest says European leagues should allow more American players

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles reports:

ron artest

“They need to let more Americans play in the European leagues,” Artest said. “There are only like two [Americans] to a team while Europeans can come to America [and play in the NBA] like the whole San Antonio Spurs team — a whole American team can be full of Europeans. Europe has to be a little more fair to the American players.

“You see a lot of foreign players come over to America to play in the NBA. It’s not fair that a lot of American players can’t come to China or can’t come to Europe to play with as many players as they want, so there’s no balance … They should just make it more even.” …

Some countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria have no limits on the number of non-European players allowed on each team, but the major leagues in Spain and Greece allow a maximum of two non-Europeans per squad. In the United Kingdom, the maximum is three.

A recent trend has shown American-born players who are able to acquire dual citizenship because of their ancestry — such as former Florida Gators guard and 2009 Timberwolves second-round draft pick Nick Calathes — becoming more valuable to executives looking to fill out a European roster because they do not count against the non-European player limit. Calathes plays for Panathinaikos Athens, a perennial Euroleague champion, and has a Greek passport.

Magic exercise option on Ryan Anderson

Magic exercise option on Ryan Anderson

The Orlando Magic have exercised their fourth-year team option on forward Ryan Anderson, President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Otis Smith announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.  Anderson is now under contract through the 2011-12 season.

Anderson (#33, 6’10”, 240, 5/6/88) played in 63 games last season for the Magic, averaging 7.7 ppg. and 3.2 rpg. in 14.5 minpg., while shooting .370 (78-211) from three-point range.  He started in six outings, averaging 15.0 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. in 25.6 minpg. during that span.  Anderson also appeared in nine playoff games, averaging 2.6 ppg. and 3.4 rpg. in 9.9 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (21st overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft by New Jersey, Anderson was acquired by the Magic from the Nets, along with Vince Carter, in exchange for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee on June 25, 2009.  He has played in 129 career NBA regular season games with New Jersey and Orlando, averaging 7.6 ppg. and 4.0 rpg. in 17.2 minpg, while shooting .368 (147-400) from three-point range.

Hornets sign DJ Strawberry

The NBA Development League New Mexico Thunderbirds have announced today that former guard, D.J. Strawberry, has signed a contract with the New Orleans Hornets.

In five games with the Thunderbirds during the 2007-08 season, Strawberry averaged 31.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 52.8% from the field.  He was named D-League performer of the week.  Last season, Strawberry played for the Reno Bighorns and averaged 13.1 points and 5.6 assists per game.

Strawberry was originally drafted in the second round (59th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns out of the University of Maryland.  He played in 33 NBA games for the Suns in the 2007-08 season.

“We are thrilled and excited for D.J. as he continues his career with our NBA affiliate team, the New Orleans Hornets.  As more and more of our former players get their chance to shine in the NBA, we are proud that the Development League was able to provide a great training ground for these up-and-coming players to improve along the way,” Thunderbirds co-owner Sam Bregman said.

Fan poll results: Six East locks to make playoffs

An InsideHoops.com front page poll asking fans to predict the eight Eastern conference teams that will qualify for the 2010-11 NBA playoffs had the following results:

Celtics     2,046 votes
Heat     2,045 votes
Magic     2,011 votes
Bulls     1,985 votes
Hawks     1,886 vote
Bucks     1,658 votes
Bobcats     1,011 votes
Knicks     1,074 votes
Wizards     637 votes
Sixers     481 votes
Pistons     336 votes
Nets     333 votes
Cavaliers 333 votes
Pacers     229 votes
Raptors     173 votes

Fans felt that the six teams — the Magic, Celtics, Heat, Bulls, Hawks and Bucks — are strong locks to make the playoffs.

After those teams, the Bobcats and Knicks came in next, with the 7th and 8th highest votes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: These are some pretty fantastic results. Look at the top eight teams, in order. That’s pretty close to what an East power ranking list should look like.

Missing the playoffs but getting good support were the Wizards, receiving the 9th highest votes.


Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard (12) is congratulated by teammates Rashard Lewis (L), Jameer Nelson (14) and Vince Carter (15) during overtime in Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Massachusetts May 24, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

Raptors exercise DeMar DeRozan option

April 12, 2010: Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan (10) during the NBA basketball game between the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Piston at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have exercised the third year team option on the Rookie Scale Contract of guard-forward DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is now guaranteed through the 2011-12 season. In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the Raptors had until October 31 to exercise their option on DeRozan. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

DeRozan, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, was the ninth overall pick by Toronto in the 2009 NBA Draft out of the University of Southern California. He averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 77 appearances in the 2009-10 season. DeRozan became the fourth rookie to start on opening night for the Raptors, joining Damon Stoudamire (1995), Vince Carter (1998) and Joey Graham (2005). He finished third in franchise history with 65 starts during a rookie campaign.

DeRozan set career highs in points (24), field goals (9), rebounds (14) and minutes (38) during the season finale April 14 versus New York. He won the inaugural NBA All-Star Dunk-In by defeating Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon during halftime of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam at All-Star Weekend in Dallas.

DeRozan helped lead the Raptors to a 5-0 mark at the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 21.0 points, third in the League, and 4.5 rebounds en route to All-Tournament Team honours.

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