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Warriors have no chemistry

Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports:

The Warriors have used 27 starting lineups in 49 games. They’ve lost 280 games due to injury. They have five players currently on the roster who didn’t take part in the team’s training camp.

So when forward Corey Maggette says the team has “no chemistry whatsoever,” it’s easy to understand why the Warriors are in such a predicament though the season is more than half done.

“It’s pretty hard when you don’t have a consistent group that’s playing together,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “Chemistry is just a good balance of players who play off of each other well. That’s what we’re talking about.”

As tonight’s opponent — the Dallas Mavericks — can attest, Golden State once had a special chemistry on the court and off. It helped the Warriors upset the Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs.

Bucks competing for playoff spot

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

The Bucks (23-26) have used their recent surge to put some pressure on the teams above them in the playoff chase. On Saturday they climbed into a virtual tie with eighth-place Miami (24-27), which lost in Chicago to suffer its fifth straight defeat.

And Milwaukee also stayed within one game of sixth-place Chicago (24-25) and gained ground on seventh-place Charlotte (24-25) in the conference standings.

The team’s only losses during this stretch were a five-point decision at Toronto, a one-pointer at Dallas and a 17-point defeat at Orlando.

The Bucks have benefited from solid play by center Andrew Bogut and point guard Brandon Jennings.

And the entire starting five has clicked since Carlos Delfino moved in at small forward, with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute switching to the power spot and Charlie Bell taking the shooting guard role vacated by the injured Michael Redd.

Milwaukee’s bench also has contributed, bolstered by the play of Ersan Ilyasova and the mid-January signing of free agent Jerry Stackhouse, who had not been in the league this season.

Dallas Mavericks struggling

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:

The Mavericks have lost four of their last five games. They’re in desperate need of a wake-up call and can’t afford to limp into the All-Star break on a 1-6 free fall.

“Right now, I don’t want to jump the gun,” Mavericks forward Shawn Marion said, “but we have to get this one.”

Dallas’ low point of the season came Friday in a head-scratching 117-108 home loss to the woeful Timberwolves. Afterward, coach Rick Carlisle questioned his team’s effort.

“We’re not going to be good until we play hard,” Carlisle said.

The Mavericks climbed near the top of the Western Conference early in the season because of great defense. But that’s a distant memory. Their last six opponents have shot at least 49 percent from the field.

Caron Butler is popular

Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports (via blog):

Caron Butler’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors for almost a year, and the talk has only intensified with the Feb. 18 trade deadline less than two weeks away. He’s been rumored to be headed to Dallas, to Houston, to the Los Angeles Clippers, to New Jersey, to Portland, to Phoenix.

“I’m popular,” Butler said with a smile after scoring a season-high 31 points, including the game-winning jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining, against the Orlando Magic on Friday. “I’ve always been a popular kid, since middle school, I’ve been bigger than everybody. I’m very popular right now.”

Butler has had a disappointing season, with him struggling to develop chemistry with Gilbert Arenas, looking uncomfortable in Flip Saunders’s offense and upset over his role within it. Throw in Arenas’s season-ending suspension and his continued troubles to adjust and it was easy to see that he was unhappy and this season couldn’t end soon enough for him. He never complained publicly, but the worn expression on his face said it all.

Brandon Roy to miss 2010 All-Star game

Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will miss Portland’s next three games and the NBA All-Star Game with a right hamstring strain, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.

“Unfortunately, I’m not where I was hoping I would be physically at this point,” said Roy. “It’s a setback and I’m obviously disappointed, but my entire focus is getting back on the court, contributing and helping our team down the stretch.”

Roy initially injured his hamstring January 13 vs. Milwaukee and re-aggravated it January 20 at Philadelphia. He has missed 11 of Portland’s last 12 games heading into tonight’s game with the L.A. Lakers.

“This was not a decision that any of us wanted to make, but in the end we had to do what was best for Brandon,” said Pritchard. “We’re hopeful that this extended rest will put Brandon in the best possible position to return to the line-up shortly after the All-Star break.”

Roy will undergo Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy with Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles on Monday.

Roy leads the team in scoring (23.1), free throws made (213) and minutes (38.3), and ranks second on the squad in assists (5.0) and steals (1.03). In just 40 games this season, he has led the team in scoring 25 times and assists on 15 occasions (including ties).

Bulls suspend Tyrus Thomas

Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas has been suspended for one game by the team for conduct detrimental to the team. Thomas will serve his one-game suspension this evening, when the Bulls host the Miami Heat.

On the year, the fourth-year forward has appeared in 25 games (three starts) and averaged 8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.68 bpg, 1.28 spg and 1.0 apg in 22.5 mpg. He has shot .457 from the floor and .642 from the stripe.

On February 8, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported:

“You don’t lose your starting job to injury” is one of the older clichés in sports, which, sadly, “a Tyrus Thomas team-imposed suspension” is becoming too.

Following Thomas’ verbal tirade at coach Vinny Del Negro on Friday in Atlanta, that’s three disciplinary actions taken by management in four seasons for Thomas, the soon-to-be former Bull.

Whether the Bulls find a taker for the forward by the Feb. 18 trade deadline or simply renounce his rights this summer, Thomas either will or won’t reach his tantalizing potential elsewhere.

The Bulls will say the steady play of rookie Taj Gibson is why Thomas is no longer the starting power forward after missing seven weeks with a fractured radius in his left forearm.

It’s been a rocky road for the Bulls and Thomas. Maybe things will smooth out.

February 6 Hawks at Wizards game postponed

The National Basketball Association game scheduled for this evening between the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center has been postponed due to severe weather conditions in the Washington, D.C. area.

As a result of those conditions, neither the Hawks nor Wizards were able to fly to Washington after their respective games last night. The date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.

FEB. 8 UPDATE: THE GAME IS RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 11

The National Basketball Association announced today the rescheduling of the Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards game that was postponed on Saturday, Feb. 6. The Hawks and Wizards will make up that game on Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

WIZARDS TICKET EXCHANGE PROCEDURE:

Patrons holding tickets for tonight’s postponed game vs. the Hawks can hold onto those tickets and use them for the rescheduled game, which has yet to be scheduled by the NBA. Details of that game will be announced at a later date.

Patrons can also take their tickets for the Wizards vs. Atlanta game (2/6/10) to the Verizon Center Box Office and redeem their ticket for a ticket to the Wizards vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game on Wednesday, February 17th at 7:00 pm. There will be no service charges added.

Wizards planholders can also exchange their tickets at the Verizon Center Box Office for the Minnesota game on February 17th, or redeem their tickets for one of the pre-selected planholder exchange games listed in their planholder on-line guide. No service charges will be added.

Patrons still holding unused tickets for the game vs. the New York Knicks that was played on January 30th, who were unable to attend that game due to the inclement weather, can also turn in their unused tickets for the game vs. Minnesota on February 17th. No service charges will be added.

Bulls sign Chris Richard to 10-day contract

The Chicago Bulls today signed forward Chris Richard to a 10-day contract. Richard, a 6-9, 256-pound forward, will be in uniform tonight in Atlanta when the Bulls take on the Hawks at Philips Arena at 7:00 p.m. (CT).

Richard, 25, appeared in six preseason games with Chicago this year and averaged 3.5 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 19.7 mpg, before he was waived on Oct. 22, 2009. Richard joins the Bulls by way of the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. In nine games (all starts) with the 66ers, he averaged 10.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.22 spg, 1.11 bpg, 0.9 apg and 30.6 mpg. He shot .623 from the field and .600 from the line while in Tulsa.

A product of the University of Florida, Richard was originally selected in the second round (41st overall) of NBA Draft 2007 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. While with the T-Wolves, Richard played in 52 games (three starts) and recorded 1.9 ppg and 2.6 rpg in 10.7 mpg, and shot .471 from the field and .593 from the line.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.

Hornets sign Jason Hart to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed free agent guard Jason Hart to a 10-day contract.

“Jason is a solid veteran basketball player that will add depth to our backcourt,” said Hornets General Manager and Head Coach Jeff Bower.

Hart (6-3, 180) has career averages of 4.8 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 steals over 337 games with eight different NBA teams (Milwaukee, San Antonio, Charlotte, Sacramento, L.A. Clippers, Utah, Denver, Minnesota).

The Syracuse alum was recently traded from the Timberwolves to the Suns on December 29, 2009 for Alando Tucker, a second-round pick in 2010 and cash before being waived by the Suns.

Chris Paul out 4-6 weeks after knee surgery

New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Thursday afternoon for a meniscal repair. Paul is expected to be out approximately four-to-six weeks. Paul underwent the surgery in Pensacola, Florida by Dr. James Andrews. He will be on crutches for the next two-to-three weeks and will begin rehabilitation immediately.

“Obviously this is a tough thing for me,” said Paul. “I have been fortunate through my career as a basketball player to not have suffered many injuries. The main thing is for me to get back healthy and to help this team however I can. Everything happens for a reason and I know I will come back stronger than ever. I have the utmost confidence in Darren Collison to step up in my absence.”

Paul tweaked the knee against the Golden State Warriors last Wednesday night, and then suffered the injury to the knee while chasing down a loose ball in the final seconds of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

“You never want to be in this position to replace a guard like Chris Paul in the middle of the season,” said general manager and head coach Jeff Bower. “We want to continue to take advantage of the talent and skills that Darren and Marcus have shown over the course of this season.”

Paul has averaged 20.4 points, 11.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 38 games this season, ranking 1st in assists, 2nd in steals and 16th in scoring in the NBA. Yesterday, he was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for January after leading the Hornets to a Western Conference-high 12 wins during the month with averages of 20.8 points, 11.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

Collison, a rookie out of UCLA, has averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 assists as a starter this season in Paul’s absence (5-6 record), including a 17-point, 18-assist effort in the Hornets overtime win in Memphis on Saturday. Paul missed eight games this season due to sprained left ankle.

Paul, a three-time All-Star, will not participate in the All-Star game, but will be on hand to support the Western Conference.