The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: As expected, free agent Antonio McDyess has decided to return back to the Detroit Pistons, according to his agent Andy Miller tonight… The Celtics were among 18 teams that were interested in the 2001 NBA All-Star and president Danny Ainge made calls to Miller and McDyess. Indications from the beginning, however, were that McDyess would return to Detroit although he can’t officially sign until Dec. 7.
24 is on tonight
For all you fans of the Fox show 24, there’s a two-hour 24 “event” called “Redemption” on tonight at 8 p.m.
When I first heard about it, I assumed that the new season was finally starting. It’s been what, two years now? But it appears that “Redemption” is just a special and not the start of anything.
I have no idea if 24 is actually having a new season or not anytime soon, or ever. It’s one of the only shows I kept up with over these last few years. If anyone knows the deal, email me at editor at insidehoops dot com.
Zach Randolph OK with trade
Former Knick Zach Randolph is now with the Clippers. Although Randolph was mentioned in NBA trade rumors fairly regularly, it’s still often a shock when a deal actually happens. But he seems cool with it. The Newark Star-Ledger (Dave D’Alessandro) reports:
Zach Randolph was upbeat about the trade and understood the Knicks did it to clear salary-cap space for the 2010 free-agent class. But he said that, even before he was traded, the Knicks players had the sense that the team is more focused on the future than the present. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “They’re looking for 2010. That’s why they did it, that was their goal. I wish the best of luck for them. The organization has been great, Donnie (Walsh) and coach (Mike) D’Antoni have been great and all the players have been great.” Randolph, who was the Knicks’ leading scorer and rebounder with 20.5 points and 12.5 boards per game, didn’t want to comment on the conflict between Stephon Marbury and D’Antoni on Friday night, when the guard allegedly refused to play.
This deal also means it’s worth watching the next few Clippers games, to see how Baron Davis continues to adjust to his new teammates, and how the Clippers handle having Randolph, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby on the roster together. Who starts, who sits? Randolph absolutely can’t pretend to be a small forward, because whoever he guards at the position would go right past him. It’ll be an interesting frontcourt to watch, at least for the next few days as they sort things out.
Nov 22: Jazz 103, Grizzlies 94
The AP reports: Mehmet Okur had a season-high 23 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 103-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Okur was 9-of-15 from the field, including missing only one of his five shots from 3-point range, as the Jazz won the sixth straight game in the series. Ronnie Brewer, who was 10-of-14 from the floor, added 21 points, Morris Almond had 11, and Ronnie Price 10. O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 23 points, and Rudy Gay added 21. Darrell Arthur had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Mike Conley finished with 14 points and eight assists. The Jazz were short-handed. Guard Deron Williams missed his 12th game because of a sprained ankle, Carlos Boozer sat out with a strained left quadriceps, and Kyle Korver was sidelined by an inflamed right wrist.
Nov 22: Suns 102, Blazers 92
The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points and 17 rebounds to power the Phoenix Suns to a 102-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Amare Stoudemire added 17 points, Steve Nash had 16 on 6-for-7 shooting, and Grant Hill scored 15 for the Suns, who beat the Blazers for the second time in Phoenix this season. The Suns’ Raja Bell scored all 14 of his points in the second half. O’Neal’s performance included a head-first dive over the first two rows of seats trying to save a loose ball with 2:55 to play. Brandon Roy scored 26 points for Portland. Steve Blake added 22, 14 in the third quarter. Greg Oden, in his first matchup against the massive O’Neal, had five points, one rebound and five fouls in 14 minutes off the bench.
Nov 22: Hornets 109, Thunder 97
The AP reports: David West scored a season-high 33 points and Chris Paul had a triple-double to help New Orleans beat Oklahoma City 109-97 on Saturday night, handing the Thunder their 11th straight loss and first under Scott Brooks… Paul and West each had four points as the Hornets finished of the Thunder with an 8-2 run to make it 100-89. West capped off the spurt with a layup after Paul came up with a steal. Paul finished with 29 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting, keeping the Thunder close with 24 points through three quarters. Jeff Green added 17 points, and Chris Wilcox scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Nov 22: Nets 112, Clippers 95
The AP reports: Yi Jianlian had a season-high 27 points, and Vince Carter added 26 to help the New Jersey Nets beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 112-95 on Saturday night. Devin Harris had 18 points and 10 assists, and Brook Lopez finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bobby Simmons had 11 points as every Nets starter hit for double figures and New Jersey got its fourth win in the last five games. It was an odd shooting night for the Nets, who went 11-for-19 from 3-point range but were only 25-for-39 from the free-throw line. Baron Davis had 30 points and 10 assists for the Clippers (2-11). Marcus Camby added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Al Thornton had 18 points.
Nov 22: Knicks 122, Wizards 117
The AP reports: Quentin Richardson had 34 points and 12 rebounds in one of his best games since coming to New York, and the short-handed Knicks held on to beat the Washington Wizards 122-117 on Saturday night. Richardson made seven 3-pointers, two shy of the franchise record, and fell a point shy of his highest-scoring game since the Knicks acquired him from Phoenix in June 2005. He scored 35 points against the Wizards on Jan. 17, 2007. Nate Robinson had a season-high 27 points, Wilson Chandler added 23, and David Lee had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Knicks snap a three-game losing streak. Antawn Jamison had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who dropped their fifth straight and fell to 1-10, their worst since the 1966 Baltimore Bullets also opened 1-10. Caron Butler finished with 23 points, 19 in the second half.
Nov 22: Heat 109, Pacers 100
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade shook off flu-like symptoms to score 38 points, and the Heat outscored Indiana by 21 after halftime to beat the Pacers 109-100 on Saturday night… Shawn Marion had 18 points, nine rebounds and six steals, while Michael Beasley scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half for Miami. Udonis Haslem added 16 points for the Heat, who limited Indiana to 37 percent shooting in the second half on the way to outscoring the Pacers 61-40 in the final 24 minutes… Marquis Daniels scored 25 points, and Danny Granger added 23 for the Pacers, who fell to 1-4 on the road. Rasho Nesterovic scored 13 points, T.J. Ford added 11 and Brandon Rush had 10 for Indiana… Daniels scored 10 points in the first quarter, helping stake Indiana to a quick 31-20 edge. The Pacers opened the lead up to as many as 15 in the second, before settling for a 60-48 edge at the break—matching the most points Miami has allowed in any half this season.
Nov 22: Cavs 110, Hawks 96
The AP reports: LeBron James, who came in as the NBA’s top scorer averaging 29.5 points, finished with 24—19 in the second half—on 8-of-19 shooting. He added eight assists, seven rebounds and a few more highlight-package dunks as the Cavaliers improved to 10-3 to match their best start since the 1988-89 season… James got plenty of help as Mo Williams scored 23 points, Delonte West 19 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 17 for Cleveland. The Cavs have won 15 of their last 18 games against the Hawks. Maurice Evans scored 21 points, Acie Law had 20 and Joe Johnson, who came in averaging 25.7, scored just four for the Hawks, who have lost five of seven after starting 6-0… Driving down the lane, James got a step on Al Horford, rose to the basket and dunked left handed over both Horford and Solomon Jones, making the pair of 6-foot-10, 245-pounders look like high schoolers.