Too many pump-fakes from Nikola Mirotic

Here’s ESPN Chicago reporting on a key member of the Bulls; a talented, well-bearded player who loves to pump-fake perhaps a tad too much:

Nikola Mirotic needs to cool it with the pump-fakes

As he made his way through an up-and-down rookie season a year ago, one piece of advice seemed to stick with Nikola Mirotic more than most. Tired of seeing the talented big man pump-fake his way out of shots, his teammates continued to pepper him with the same message.

“Niko, don’t think,” Mirotic said in April, recounting the advice. “Just shoot the ball because you’re wide open. Don’t pump fake.”

Six months later, Mirotic is trying to keep that same mentality in mind as he finds his way in coach Fred Hoiberg’s new system. When the topic of playing the 3 or playing the 4 came up recently, Mirotic responded with the most straightforward answer he could.

“The most important [thing] for me is to play,” he said.

Lamar Odom update

Here’s the Orange County Register reporting on Lamar Odom, who is fighting for his life in a hospital right now:

Lamar Odom update

Lamar Odom used cocaine and took up to 10 doses of an herbal sexual enhancement over the course of three days at a Nevada brothel before employees found him unconscious, according to the man who called 911.

The alleged drug use by the former NBA star was revealed in dramatic 911 recordings, played by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office during a news conference Wednesday.

Odom remained at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The hospital has not released any information on his condition.

Dispatchers received three calls from Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch in Crystal, Nev., on Tuesday afternoon. The first came from an employee identified by authorities as Mitsie John, and the subsequent two were from Richard Hunter, the media director for the ranch.

A panicked John told the dispatcher, “All I know is that he’s close to not breathing.”

Jarrett Jack ejected after foul on Jonas Jerebko

Here’s the New York Post reporting on Nets point guard Jarrett Jack, who needs to remember that it’s just preseason right now and in preseason everyone can just stretch and relax and just loosen up for the regular season and there’s no need to hard-foul anybody:

Jarrett Jack ejected after foul on Jonas Jerebko

Not only did the Nets lose a game Wednesday night, but they may have lost their starting point guard for the regular-season opener, as well.

Jarrett Jack picked up a flagrant foul penalty 2 when he clobbered Boston forward Jonas Jerebko on a fast break with 9:56 to go in the second quarter of the 109-105 loss to the Celtics at Barclays Center, earning an automatic ejection and possible further discipline from the league office.

“I hope not,” Jack said, when asked if he was worried about getting hit with a suspension. “But I didn’t mean to do that, actually.”

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe will review the play and has the authority to hand down additional penalties — including a fine and/or a suspension.

Mavs rookie Justin Anderson puts up good preseason game

Here’s the Fort Worth Star-Telegram blog reporting on Dallas Mavericks rookie Justin Anderson and his preseason play, which hadn’t been good yet, until:

Mavs rookie Justin Anderson puts up a good game

But during Tuesday’s 100-88 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Bank Of Oklahoma Center, Anderson made some significant strides. The 6-6 swingman finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist in 24 minutes, and drew high praise form coach Rick Carlisle.

“For me he’s getting better each game,’’ Carlisle said, after his team dropped to 0-3 in preseason. “He’s learned a lot playing against an improved Denver team (in the preseason opener), and then going to Houston, and then playing these guys.

“These guys had all their guys.’’

Anderson has been going through what most rookies encounter. In essence, he’s discovering that the transition from the college to the pro game is no easy task.

Alan Anderson undergoes ankle surgery

The Washington Wizards announced that forward Alan Anderson had successful surgery today to remove a small bony fragment in his left ankle. Anderson underwent left ankle surgery in May to remove bone spurs and was still experiencing pain caused by irritation from the fragment.

The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Anderson will begin the rehab process immediately, but a timeframe for his return has yet to be determined.

The Wizards signed Anderson on July 12 after he spent the 2014-15 season with Brooklyn. In 74 games (19 starts) with the Nets, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting .443 from the field and .348 from three-point range.

Utah Jazz waive Jack Cooley and JJ O`Brien

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived forwards Jack Cooley and JJ O’Brien. Following the moves, Utah’s roster now stands at 18 players.

Cooley (6-9, 260, Notre Dame) appeared in two preseason games for Utah, averaging 1.5 rebounds in 3.3 minutes of action. He saw action in 16 games for the Jazz last season after being called up from the team’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede.

O’Brien (6-7, 228, San Diego State) appeared in one preseason game for the Jazz. He was signed as a free agent on Aug. 28 after competing for the Jazz entries in both the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Lakers player cuts coming soon

Like all NBA teams, the Lakers must soon say goodbye to players they won’t be keeping for their regular season roster. Here’s the OC Register reporting:

[Lakers head coach Byron] Scott said this week he’ll soon begin trimming the Lakers roster to eventually get down to the league’s 15-player maximum.

That means Tuesday’s game against the Kings could be the last night for some members of the 19-man roster.

The team’s decisions could offer some insight into whether the organization truly views this season as a development year, or if it believes it still has a slim chance at the postseason.

Players such as World Peace, Ryan Kelly, Tarik Black and Robert Sacre offer more immediate help on the court. But would the Lakers be better off investing in Robert Upshaw and Jabari Brown to see what they become?

“I’m looking for the 15 guys that best fit the team,” Scott said.

Kyle Lowry scores 40 points in preseason game

Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting on Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who is going wild lately. It’s just preseason, but this is still a good sign:

Kyle Lowry continued his torrid pre-season play, bettering his previous two outings, which were quite impressive themselves with a ridiculous 40-point performance in 28 minutes in Toronto’s 112-107 victory.

“He was hot as a firecracker. We aren’t running a lot of plays for him, but the ball is finding him,” Casey said.

Only Vince Carter (38 points) had ever topped 35 in a pre-season contest, but Lowry caught fire in the third quarter, adding 18 points, to his first-half total of 22. Lowry 6-of-7 three-point attempts, before missing a couple of heat checks later on.

Not that he was impressed.

“Not a damn thing,” was Lowry’s response after he was informed about the accomplishment.

“It’s only pre-season … for me, it’s about maintaining. Start off well, finish well.”