Rockets freeze ticket prices

The Houston Chronicle reports: Rockets season-ticket prices will be frozen or reduced for 98 percent of tickets for the 2009-10 season, CEO Tad Brown said on Thursday, a day before renewal forms will be mailed to current season-ticket holders. Citing the impact of the recession, Brown said that prices for more than 20 percent of tickets currently selling for between $22 and $200, with most in the $40 to $200 range, will be reduced, with some prices cut by roughly 20 percent.

Melo scores 38, Nuggets beat Blazers 106-90

The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 38 points in his return from a one-game suspension for refusing to come out of a game last weekend, and he led the Denver Nuggets past the Portland Trail Blazers 106-90 Thursday night… Brandon Roy scored 22 points for the Trail Blazers, who were trying to ascend to the top of the division this late in the season for the first time since 2001. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points despite an upset stomach… The Nuggets had Anthony back in uniform, but were without another starter, Kenyon Martin (lower back), and also backup point guard Anthony Carter (hip), both of whom are day to day.

C.Paul 27p 15a, Hornets beat Mavs 104-88

The AP reports: Tyson Chandler wanted to keep up with Chris Paul on a fast break, but could only stop and watch in amazement when he saw Paul dribble the ball through Jason Terry’s legs at full speed before tossing a pass back to Rasual Butler for a dunk… It was perhaps the best of numerous highlights in the latest dominant performance by Paul, whose 27 points and 15 assists helped the Hornets increase their season-best winning streak to six with a 104-88 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night… David West scored 19 and Butler 18 for the Hornets, who haven’t lost since Chandler returned to the lineup last week from a left ankle injury—and rescinded trade… Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points and Jason Kidd added 13 and Terry 10, but the Mavericks faded during the last 10 minutes as the game turned into a blowout.

Stats LLC is buying PA SportsTicker

STATS LLC, a global sports information provider, announced today the acquisition of PA SportsTicker from UK-based PA Sport. Terms were undisclosed. The transaction also sees PA Sport becoming the exclusive distributor of STATS’ content into the UK and signals a mutual desire to work together on varying projects around the globe.

PA SportsTicker has a rich heritage in real-time sports news and information, covering all major sports for the US and Canadian sports fan. The company is a natural successor to Western Union’s original Baseball Ticker, established in 1909. PA SportsTicker’s sports news is honored in a permanent exhibit at Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

STATS CEO Gary Walrath commented: “We’re eager to deliver to our new clients the best blend of content and services available from SportsTicker and STATS. We also recognize PA Sport’s world-class capabilities, and anticipate the creation of many new and compelling products for our clients and league partnerships, globally, as a result of our collaboration.”

PA Sport Managing Director Ian Campbell added: “This agreement is great news for both STATS and PA Sport. It allows each business to play to its considerable strengths and paves the way for a formidable partnership that will be capable of providing world-class sports information to customers around the world.”

Free throw shooting unchanged over the years

Over time, things tend to change.

For example, in my early years running InsideHoops.com I was usually only able to juggle two, maybe three supermodel girlsfriends at the same time.

But now, with more experience, I have a regular rotation of 28 supermodels competing for my free time.

As for reality, one thing that hasn’t changed is the ability of basketball players to successfully hit free throws. Which makes sense. But it’s still interesting to consider.

The New York Times (John Branch) reports:

Since the mid-1960s, college men’s players have made about 69 percent of free throws, the unguarded 15-foot, 1-point shot awarded after a foul. In 1965, the rate was 69 percent. This season, as teams scramble for bids to the N.C.A.A. tournament, it was 68.8. It has dropped as low as 67.1 but never topped 70. In the National Basketball Association, the average has been roughly 75 percent for more than 50 years. Players in college women’s basketball and the W.N.B.A. reached similar plateaus — about equal to the men — and stuck there. The general expectation in sports is that performance improves over time. Future athletes will surely be faster, throw farther, jump higher. But free-throw shooting represents a stubbornly peculiar athletic endeavor. As a group, players have not gotten better. Nor have they become worse.

This could continue forever.

Spurs sign Drew Gooden

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed forward/center Drew Gooden for the remainder of the season.  Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Gooden, 6-10, 250 pounds, was waived by the Sacramento Kings on March 1 after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls in a trade on Feb. 18.  This season he has appeared in 32 games, averaging 13.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 29.5 minutes while shooting .460 (166-361) from the field and .869 (86-99) from the foul line.  Gooden has posted 11 double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 22 games, including seven contests with 20 or more.  In 31 games with Bulls, he averaged 13.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes, and in his only game with the Kings he posted 12 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Originally selected out of the University of Kansas with the fourth overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Gooden has played for five NBA teams (Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago and Sacramento).  For his career he has appeared in 491 games, averaging 12.1 points (.470 FG%, .730 FT%), 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 28.5 minutes. Gooden enjoyed his best season in 2004-05 with the Cavaliers when he averaged a career-high 14.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.8 minutes while appearing in all 82 games.

Gooden, 27, has made three trips to NBA playoffs, including the 2007 NBA Finals where the Spurs defeated the Cavaliers.  In 40 career playoff games, he has averaged 10.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in 28.0 minutes.

Gooden enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Kansas.  In three seasons with the Jayhawks he averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.10 blocks and 1.10 steals in 98 games becoming just the second player in school history (Danny Manning) to record at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals.  As a junior, Gooden helped lead Jayhawks to the 2002 NCAA Final Four.  Along the way he was named First Team All-America in 2002 by the Associated Press, Sporting News and Basketball News.  He also was named the 2002 Big 12 Player of the Year and a 2002 Wooden Award First-Team All-American.

Read basketball fan analysis and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Allen Iverson OK with bench role

The Detroit Pistons released the following statement from Allen Iverson following today’s practice.

“I’m disappointed that the soreness I’m feeling in my back is going to force me to miss two weeks of action.  After talking with the doctors at Georgetown yesterday they have told me that treatment and rest is the best course of action right now.  Hopefully my back with heal and I’ll be ready to go following this two-week period.

“My goal is to help this team win a championship and I’ve said that from the first day I arrived here in Detroit.  I’m going to do whatever it takes to help us achieve our goals as a team regardless if I’m starting or coming off the bench.”

Read fan discussion and share your own opinions in this forum topic.

Cavaliers sign Joe Smith

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed free agent forward/center Joe Smith to a contract, Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per league rules, terms of the contract were not released.

Smith, 33, played in 36 games (three starts) this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and averaged 6.6 points on .454 shooting and 4.5 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game before being waived on March 1. He is eligible to be on the Cavaliers’ postseason roster.

The 6-foot-10, 225-pounder has played 13 years in the NBA, including spending part of last season with Cleveland after being acquired on Feb. 21, 2008 in a three-team trade in which the Cavs also acquired Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace and Delonte West. In 27 regular season games (one start) with Cleveland, Smith averaged 8.1 points on .512 shooting and 5.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. He also played in all 13 postseason games during the 2008 Playoffs and averaged 6.6 points on .486 shooting and 4.6 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.

Read NBA fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum thread.

Yao Ming angry at NBA refs

The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports (via blog): “You know what, I had two offensive fouls tonight, three last night, two at the Minnesota game … and you can go on,” Yao Ming said. “Every time a defender player is on the ground, even if he just wants to sit down and have a rest, it’s my offensive foul. That’s unfair. “Why? If I’m on the defensive side and I’m in the same position, the foul is on us. They can’t call it two ways. When I try to post up and they have a head on my shoulder and lean on me and lean on my elbow and try to push me out and have the knee and have the two hands, and no call. I know I have 300 pounds. But the same way people push me, maybe it doesn’t affect much, but I have to really, really limit my strength to push back. “I guess I don’t need to worry about a flopper the next game. I don’t think Shaq is that type of player.”