The Los Angeles Times (Lisa Dillman) reports: Danny Manning, Michael Olowokandi . . . and now Blake Griffin. The Clippers have twice had the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, and will get it again for a third time, having won the league’s draft lottery Tuesday night at Secaucus, N.J. “Clearly, we’re taking Blake Griffin,” Clippers General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said in a telephone interview from Barcelona, Spain. “This guy is the No. 1 pick. We’re extremely excited. He’s the guy.” There wasn’t much of a question the Clippers would do anything other than take the dynamic, explosive forward from Oklahoma. Dunleavy, though, wasn’t about to be coy in the wee morning hours in Spain and erased any shred of doubt about the team’s intention in the draft June 25 in New York.
Bryant scores 40, Lakers beat Nuggets 105-103
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant proved a steadying presence for his wildly inconsistent teammates, taking over in the fourth quarter and delivering a come-from-behind victory. Bryant scored 40 points, including six free throws in the final 30 seconds, to lift Los Angeles to a 105-103 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals opener on Tuesday night after the Lakers trailed most of the game… Pau Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who faced a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Gasol’s two free throws tied the game for the last time at 99 before Bryant started his closing streak at the line, offsetting a 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups and a free throw by J.R. Smith. Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and Billups added 18 for the Nuggets, who hadn’t played since taking care of Dallas in five games last Wednesday… J.R. Smith sprained his right knee and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
J.R. Smith sprains knee, Renaldo Balkman sprains ankle
Nuggets G JR Smith suffered a sprained right knee at the end of tonight’s game against the Lakers. His status for Thursday’s game will be updated tomorrow.
Renaldo Balkman suffered a sprained right ankle in pregame workouts. He is questionable for Thursday’s game.
Kyle Korver has minor wrist surgery
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Utah Jazz guard/forward Kyle Korver underwent successful minor surgery Monday to remove scar tissue from his right wrist, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Andrew Weiland in New York City.
Korver’s wrist will be re-examined by Weiland in two weeks at which point a timeframe for his recovery will be provided.
Originally acquired by the Jazz from Philadelphia on December 29, 2007, the six-year NBA veteran appeared in 128 regular season games with the Jazz over the past two seasons, averaging 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. Korver averaged 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 78 games during the 2008-09 season.
Trail Blazers promote Tom Penn to VP of Basketball Operations
Tom Penn, the Trail Blazers assistant general manager for the past two seasons, has been promoted to Vice President of Basketball Operations, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today.
Penn joined the Trail Blazers in 2007 after a seven-year stint with the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, where he served as assistant general manager/legal counsel.
“I am absolutely thrilled and grateful to have the opportunity to continue to work with Mr. Allen, Kevin Pritchard, Larry Miller and the entire Trail Blazers organization,” Penn said. “We are blessed with a dynamic, talented team, terrific basketball and coaching staffs and a first-class organization. We will do all that we can to improve our team and build toward our ultimate goal of an NBA championship.”
Penn, tapped by the Trail Blazers for his extensive knowledge of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and salary cap, will continue to work with Pritchard on managing day-to-day aspects of the team’s basketball operations, including contract negotiations, talent evaluation, personnel acquisition and player/agent relations.
“When we talk about team chemistry, it extends to our staff and the role everyone plays in creating a winning culture here,” Pritchard said. “Tom has had a huge hand in our success, and I’m pleased that he will remain and continue to help us build this franchise.”
Penn, 41, worked as a criminal defense attorney after completing studies at the University of Notre Dame and University of Illinois law school. He later worked as a player agent, gathering his first NBA experience as a member of the acquisition team during Michael Heisley’s pursuit of the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Mark Cuban, Kenyon Martin feud
Yeah, so as you know, during the NBA playoffs an angry Mark Cuban, who was engaging with some fans, let Kenyon Martin’s mom know that her son was a thug.
Obviously Martin wasn’t too pleased about it. And since then, Cuban apoligized, on his blog, BlogMaverick.com.
Cuban had also reportedly attempted to say sorry to Martin in person, though for whatever reason it didn’t happen.
Anyway, the latest reports are that Martin doesn’t really accept the apology.
And, really, that’s about it. So Martin isn’t a Cuban fan. And probably never will be. But maybe someday the two will meet and chat for a second. And then maybe the two will like each other more. It’s really not a particularly fascinating story. The world will still revolve around the sun, even if these two never fully resolve their differences.
If additional stuff develops in the near future, I’ll address it here in this blog, or quote it on the InsideHoops.com NBA rumors page.
I see little reason to care a lot about the latest developments of this story. It makes sense to care that an owner is saying some things he shouldn’t say. That’s worth discussing. But that the player who was being talked about, and the owner, don’t like each other, shouldn’t really be such a surprise. Cuban, on his blog, at least, took the high road and said he was sorry. Martin is apparently still pissed off. And there doesn’t appear to be more to it than that.
Pau Gasol ready for Kenyon Martin
The Los Angeles Times (Broderick Turner) reports: As Pau Gasol walked down the Staples Center hallway Sunday, stopping every so often to sign autographs, to take pictures, to accept congratulations on his 21-point, 18-rebound effort against the Rockets, he answered every question about Kenyon Martin’s behavior like a man not going to be intimidated at all. “You play through it,” Gasol said. “You raise your aggressiveness level. You’ve got to try to be smart. At the same time, you’ve got to play through it.” Many remember last season’s NBA Finals, when the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett seemed to back Gasol down, when all the Lakers seemed to wilt. Martin tries to be as hard-edged as Garnett is. Martin is a good defender, Gasol acknowledged. But Gasol didn’t sound like someone who would back down against Martin in the best-of-seven series. “He’s kind of like their post-up stopper,” Gasol said. “You’ve got to play hard. Don’t back down. Don’t expect any calls. Try to play through it and be aggressive.”
Magic beat Celtics 101-82 to eliminate the champs
The AP reports: Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu helped dethrone the defending champion Boston Celtics on Sunday night and gave Orlando a chance to bring a crown to the Magic Kingdom. Howard had 12 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Turkoglu had 25 points with 12 assists in Game 7 on Sunday night, leading Orlando into the Eastern Conference finals, 101-82. Orlando trailed for just 36 seconds and built a lead it couldn’t squander to earn the right to play LeBron James and the Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA finals. Game 1 is Wednesday in Cleveland; Orlando won the season series 2-1… Ray Allen scored 23 points for Boston, and Paul Pierce had 16 before they were taken out of the game for a courtesy cheer with 2:30 left and the Magic up 99-78. The other member of the new Big Three, Kevin Garnett, awaited them on the bench, where he watched the whole series in street clothes with a right knee strain.
Lakers rout Rockets 89-70 in Game 7
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers emphatically silenced the doubters and the Houston Rockets, winning Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals 89-70 on Sunday. With Gasol scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, the Lakers looked like the conference’s top-seeded team, not the maddeningly inconsistent one that was pushed to the decisive final game by the undermanned Rockets. The Lakers dominated the paint on both ends, forcing the Rockets into turnovers and bad shots, and owning the backboards. They had an 8-0 lead a few minutes in and widened it to 25 points on Gasol’s jump hook shortly before halftime… Trevor Ariza scored 15 points while Bryant and Andrew Bynum 14 apiece. Bryant added five assists and seven rebounds. Aaron Brooks scored 13 and Luis Scola 11 for Houston. Ron Artest (seven points) and Shane Battier (three) were non-factors.
J.J. Redick shooting bricks
The Boston Globe (Tim Povtak) reports: Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick is mired in one of the worst shooting slumps of his life – making three of his last 25 shots – so the advice he received from coach Stan Van Gundy during his off day was a little surprising. Van Gundy told Redick not to come near the practice floor Friday. “He told me not to touch the ball,” Redick said after a light practice yesterday. “Usually, throughout the playoffs, I’ve been taking extra shooting practice. This time I did nothing but watch some film. Maybe that will work.”