Marquis Daniels has left thumb surgery

Marquis Daniels has left thumb surgery

The Boston Celtics announced today that guard Marquis Daniels underwent successful surgery this morning at New England Baptist Hospital to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.  The procedure was performed by Celtics Team Physician, Dr. Brian McKeon and Dr. Drew Terrono.  No time table has been set for his return.

The Boston Herald reports Daniels will be out 6-8 weeks.

Daniels has appeared in 19 games for the Celtics averaging 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The former Auburn Tiger posted a season-high 10 points against Utah on November 11.

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Rudy Fernandez out 4-6 weeks

Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Rudy Fernandez underwent a successful microdiscectomy Tuesday to alleviate pain in his right leg, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today.

Fernandez, 24, will miss 4-6 weeks as a result of the procedure, which relieved pressure from a nerve root in his lower back that caused pain in his right leg.

“The procedure was successful and we can now turn our attention to getting Rudy healthy and back on the court,” said Pritchard. “He’s been under a lot of pain and we look forward to Rudy returning healthier than ever.”

Dr. George Shanno performed the procedure at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash.

Fernandez appeared in Portland’s first 20 games this season, averaging 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.3 minutes. He leads the Trail Blazers and ranks among NBA leaders with 1.55 steals per game.

The Palma de Mallorca, Spain, native leads team qualifiers with a 38.8 percent (31-for-80) mark from three-point range. Fernandez’s 159 three-pointers last season set an NBA rookie record.

Danny Granger out 4-6 weeks

Danny Granger out 4-6 weeks

Danny Granger will miss a minimum of four to six weeks with a torn right plantar fascia.  No surgery will be required and rehabilitation begins immediately.  Granger sustained the injury during the third quarter of Saturday night’s game at the L.A. Clippers.

Granger has played in 17 games and is the Pacers leading scorer at 24.4 points per game. He also averages 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.59 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

This is a huge blow to an Indiana team that has a 6-12 record and relies heavily on Granger.  Their next leading scorer is Dahntay Jones (15.3 ppg, followed by Mike Dunleavy (12.2 ppg).

It’ll be tough to make up Granger’s scoring. There aren’t a lot of offensive weapons on the roster.

Read fan reaction and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

VH1 Basketball Wives: Reality TV Show about being NBA Wife

VH1 these days is packed with shows that often have nothing to do with music. Your own InsideHoops.com editor was one of the main people on one VH1 special episode, “Fabulous Life of Hoop Superstars,” back a few years ago.

The latest on VH1 as well as other stations are reality shows. They’re cheap to produce and, while often embarrassing to admit to watching, quite often entertaining.

This new show sounds right up the alley of what a gossip-loving basketball fan would want.

Vibe.com reports:

Shaq’s soon-to-be ex-wife Shaunie O’ Neal is planning to executive produce and star in an upcoming VH1 reality series about the tumultuous life of being the wife of a basketball star.

The series, Basketball Wives, is set to be began shooting this month, focusing on the “glamorous” and cliquey world of women who date famous (and some infamous) NBA stars– athletes whose world involves being away from home almost six months out the year.

The show is expected to include wives, and ex-wives. VH1 plans to chronicle the women enjoying the luxuries that come as a privilege of being affiliated with a pro baller, but also the paranoia of dealing with their groupies. Other women included in the series are Jennifer Williams (wife of Eric Williams), Evelyn Lozada (ex-fiancé of Antoine Walker), Mesha O’Neal (wife of Jermaine O’Neal), Royce Reed, and Faith Rain (Udonis Haslem’s girlfriend).

I know I’ll be tuning in. As the show actually starts, I’ll remind you of it, on the InsideHoops.com front page, this blog, and/or our rumors page, so keep going Inside Hoops every day.

Maurice Baker suspended for striking Cedric Simmons

Dakota Wizards (D-League) guard Maurice Baker has been suspended one game for striking Idaho Stampede forward Cedric Simmons in the shoulder/face, it was announced today by Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel for the NBA Development League.

The incident occurred at the 11:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Boise, Idaho.

Baker will serve his suspension tonight when the Wizards play the Utah Flash in Orem, Utah.

Julius Hodge stomps on rival court logo in Australia

Julius Hodge stomps on rival court logo in Australia

The National Basketball League (NBL) will not be proceeding with charges against Melbourne Tigers’ import Julius Hodge for his post-game actions following his team’s match against the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday night.

Hodge drew the ire of the 5,984-strong crowd at the Distinctive Homes Dome in Adelaide after celebrating the Tigers’ 87-84 overtime victory over his former team by twice stamping on the Brett Maher Court logo.

NBL General Manager Chuck Harmison determined that the actions of Hodge, whilst immature, did not constitute a breach of the NBL’s Code of Conduct.

“Whilst it is clear that Julius Hodge’s actions on Saturday night were ill-conceived and juvenile, we do not consider them to be a breach of the NBL’s Code of Conduct,” said Harmison.  “With no formal report lodged by either the 36ers or the game officials over the incident, Hodge will therefore face no sanctions from the league.

“It is disappointing that a game which was an absolute thriller, that went to overtime, and which drew the biggest NBL crowd of the season thus far, should be remembered for one player’s distasteful actions rather than the fantastic basketball played.  That being said, NBL basketball is always exciting and emotional, and we understand that sometimes our athletes get carried away with their celebrations after a win.  Clearly however Hodge went over the top and underestimated the high esteem in which the Adelaide crowd, and indeed the rest of the basketball community, hold Brett Maher.”

Harmison said Hodge’s allegations of racial taunts from the Adelaide crowd would be investigated thoroughly and warned that any fans who were found to have acted inappropriately would face potential bans from future NBL matches.

“Hodge’s allegations of racial taunting following the game are a serious concern and we will work closely with the 36ers and venue security staff to identify any individuals who may have used racial slurs against Hodge,” said Harmison.  “There is absolutely no place for that sort of behaviour in the NBL or indeed in our society.”

The NBL will also undertake an overall review of the way the 36ers handled the post-game events on Saturday.

“We will be working closely with the club to undertake a thorough review of Saturday’s game-day operations as well as the actions of both the 36ers staff and venue security personnel on the night to ensure that appropriate procedures were followed,” said Harmison.  “Our number one priority must always be the safety of our players, team personnel and fans, so it’s important that the club and the league learn from this incident.”

Have an opinion? Talk world hoops on the InsideHoops international basketball forum.

Nate McMillan has surgery

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan underwent successful surgery Monday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

He is expected to make a full recovery and return to the bench for the Trail Blazers’ Dec. 15 game vs. Sacramento. The injury occurred during a Dec. 4 practice.

Dr. Jay Crary performed the surgery at Southwest Washington Regional Surgery Center in Vancouver, Wash.

Lead Assistant Coach Dean Demopoulos will serve as the team’s head coach in McMillan’s absence, starting tonight at New York.

Suns assign Taylor Griffin to Iowa Energy of D-League

The Phoenix Suns have assigned rookie forward Taylor Griffin to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr.

The 6-7, 238-pound Griffin was selected by the Suns with the 48th overall pick (second round) of the 2009 NBA Draft and has appeared in two games this season for Phoenix.  The Oklahoma product is expected to appear in both of the Energy’s home games this Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12 against the Dakota Wizards.

The Suns (15-6) return to action Tuesday night, taking on the Dallas Mavericks (14-7) at American Airlines Center at 6:30 p.m. Phoenix time.  The game can be seen locally on My45 and heard on Sports 620 KTAR.

Pacers still finding their rotation

With 6-12 record, the Indiana Pacers aren’t off to the best of starts. Star Danny Granger is having a very good season, though he needs to raise his 40.1% field goal percentage. But he simply doesn’t have much help. And head coach Jim O’Brien is still searching for the best player combinations to help turn things around.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

Jim O’Brien has used many starting combinations. Dahntay Jones replaced Brandon Rush at shooting guard and O’Brien has used both Roy Hibbert and Jeff Foster at center.

O’Brien may also want to take a look at point guard. T.J. Ford didn’t do anything to earn the confidence of teammates during the trip.

Ford had a total of 10 assists and 11 turnovers in four games. O’Brien went with Earl Watson in Ford’s place for most of the second half against Sacramento and the Los Angeles Clippers last week.

The Pacers must have stability at point guard if they expect to win.

O’Brien hopes to eventually settle on a nine-man rotation.

Considering the limited roster, Mike Dunleavy being hurt until just five games ago, Troy Murphy missing some games, etc., I’d say the Pacers are doing about as well as expected.

Bulls offense is struggling

The Chicago Bulls, whose super-scoring guard Ben Gordon is now with the Detroit Pistons, are struggling to put points on the board.

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

The Bulls’ offense is so bad that the notoriously long-winded Hubie Brown, who was the color analyst forFriday’s game in Cleveland, ran out of talking points.

The Bulls’ offense is so bad that it rivals the above lame attempts at one-liners. Rim shot, please, indeed. Anything better than the boring, predictable high screen-and-roll and slow ball reversal that, lately, has resulted in air balls.

Let’s get the ugly numbers out of the way first:

The Bulls score 90.4 points per game, 28th in the league. They shoot 43.2 percent, 27th in the league. They rank 24th in 3-point shooting at 31.1 percent and only Utah and Memphis take fewer 3-pointers than the Bulls’ 11.8 per game.

The Bulls have surpassed 100 points and shot 50 percent just once in 18 games.

On the bright side, the Bulls (unofficially) lead the league in heavily contested long 2-pointers jacked from just inside the 3-point line.

Chicago has lost seven of their last eight games, and many of the losses haven’t even been close. A shakeup could take place soon if this continues.

Have an opinion? Share it on the InsideHoops Chicago Bulls forum.