Originally Posted by ExtRaOrDinaRy SwAg
at Vince Carter
Refresh my memory but didn't Vince hit a game winner in his first game back in Toronto?
Originally Posted by AIRJORDAN JB23
It wasn't his 1st game back, but the next game after. He hit a 3 with like .1 seconds left.
Then on another return he hit the 3 near half court to send it to OT then in OT had a game winning alley oop from out of bounds.
...
I expected a lot more from the Clev. game. I mean the boo's were there (sort of), but it could've been better.
Originally Posted by AIRJORDAN JB23
It wasn't his 1st game back, but the next game after. He hit a 3 with like .1 seconds left.
Then on another return he hit the 3 near half court to send it to OT then in OT had a game winning alley oop from out of bounds.
...
I expected a lot more from the Clev. game. I mean the boo's were there (sort of), but it could've been better.
[/h3][h3]Tampering case may not bring much[/h3]
11:19AM ET
[h5]LeBron James | Heat [/h5]
UPDATE: According to a legal community source speaking to Rick Noland of the Chronicle-Telegram, "not much is expected to come" of the investigation.
"The source said the fact the Cavs conducted a last-minute sign-and-trade with the Heat after James announced on July 8 that he was taking his talents to South Beach - Cleveland received a $14.5 million trade exception - would likely be viewed as 'a form of consent,'" he wrote.
----
There was some scuttlebutt this summer that the Cavs and Raptors could go to the league with accusations that Miami tampered in bringing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the Heat. Essentially, since there were rumblings the Big Three had their union planned out before free agency began, any representative from the Heat -- including Dwyane Wade -- making contact with Bosh or James before July 1 and the start of free agency could be subject to breaking league tampering rules.
That scuttlebutt died quickly. Until Wednesday.
According to league sources speaking to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a law firm that's investigating "their suspicions that the Miami Heat broke NBA tampering rules while pursuing James, and owner Dan Gilbert has privately vowed he won't relent until he has a thick binder of findings to drop on the desk of the NBA commissioner."
Wojnarowski later adds in his report that some potential penalties for the Heat could include fines, loss of draft picks or front-office suspension, but that many teams are "suspicious" of the league going after this because of potential embarrassment to the NBA.
So while Cleveland may indeed be trying its hardest to mount a case, the likelihood of the NBA throwing the book at the Heat may not be all that high right now.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Magic to keep Allen?[/h3]
10:17AM ET
[h5]Malik Allen | Magic [/h5]
Malik Allen signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with the Magic. The contract becomes fully guaranteed on Dec. 15, if he's not waived by that date. Allen is hoping to stay with the club.
"I love the team and the direction they're going in," Allen told the Orlando Sentinel.
When pressed for an answer about Allen's future, Magic general manager Otis Smith said "probably the likelihood is pretty good" that he won't be waived and the contract will be guaranteed for the season.
Allen is third on the depth chart at center and fourth at power forward.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]McMillan and the Vulcans[/h3]
9:57AM ET
[h5]Nate McMillan | Trail Blazers [/h5]
The Blazers are 8-10 and currently on a five-game losing streak. John Canzano of The Oregonian wonders if head coach Nate McMillan could be fired at some and if the orders will come from the Vulcans in Seattle.
Blazers owner Paul Allen has a company called Vulcan Inc. and people in Portland refer to the upper management as Vulcans.
Canzano doesn't think McMillan deserves to be fired: "At 8-10, we've arrived at the point of the season in which the Vulcans will surely start rolling their eyes and declaring that the issue here must be coaching. Remember, this is a bunch that dispatched a security team once to search computer hard drives at the team practice facility because it feared a leak. So McMillan should prepare himself, if he hasn't already. ... They get some right. They get some wrong. But there's not a plan in sight, ever. The hiring of McMillan was a nice get five years ago, and his firing now would be a disaster."
Canzano is right that it's not McMillan's fault that the team is losing. Who could win with a team that is constantly missing players due to injuries? Not many.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]The plan for Yao[/h3]
9:31AM ET
[h5]Yao Ming | Rockets [/h5]
Yao Ming thinks he'll be ready to return to the active roster next Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons. He did admit Thursday that his injury is not completely healed.
"I can't say my ankle is 100 percent, but it's getting close," Yao told the Houston Chronicle.
The team only allows Yao to play 24 minutes a game and according to the newspaper, head coach Rick Adelman may have him come off the bench.
Yao will stay in Houston over the weekend and continue his rehab with the training staff.
"We're just trying to get him on the court where he's moving around and see how he feels afterwards," Adelman said. "The big key is going to be the more he gets on the court, the more things he does, does he have soreness, doesn't he have soreness. That's the thing I want to wait and see."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Chris Paul's future[/h3]
9:12AM ET
[h5]Chris Paul | Hornets [/h5]
The Knicks play the Hornets on Friday, which of course means all the New York media wanted to discuss Thursday was the possibility of Chris Paul becoming a free agent in the summer of 2012 and signing with the team.
While attending the wedding of Carmelo Anthony in the summer, Paul made a toast and reportedly said he'd like to form "our own big three" in New York with Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.
Paul was asked if he regrets the toast.
"I don't regret anything during the summer," he told the New York Post. "Everything that happens makes you stronger. Now I'm just happy to be on a great team that's playing really well."
"That's over and done with, it's all about the next game. The summer is over," Paul told The Times-Picayune. "That's why I'm so happy it's the season now.
"I haven't talked to Carmelo, to tell you the truth. I have no clue, all I can do is worry about Chris Paul's future and right now my future is to shower and go pick up my son from school, that's about it."
Paul is a big fan of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, which will lead to more speculation about the point guard coming to New York in two years.
For now, he is happy with the Hornets because they're winning and doesn't want to leave the Big Easy.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Perkins remaining patient[/h3]
8:15AM ET
[h5]Kendrick Perkins | Celtics [/h5]
Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has talked about coming back in January, but he realizes it is prudent to make sure his right knee is 100 percent healthy and that's why there won't be an early return to the active roster.
"It can be real (about playing in January)," Perkins told the Boston Herald. "But I think if I play it smart I'll wait to come back until after All-Star break. That will give me more time. I think, what's one more month, right?"
Perkins says the time off has allowed him to work on his game.
"I'm just working on my touch," he said. "There ain't nothing wrong with my arms. I'm trying to get better. Hopefully my field goal percentage will go up from 60 to 70 this year."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Smart seeking a backup PG[/h3]
7:59AM ET
[h5]Golden State Warriors [/h5]
The Warriors are OK when starting point guard Stephen Curry is in the game, but when he leaves the team struggles. Charlie Bell, Jeremy Lin and Reggie Williams have all had their shot as Curry's backup and none of them have proven to be a good option.
Head coach Keith Smart has spoken to general manager Larry Riley about bringing in another point guard. For now he'll just have to make do with what he has on the roster.
"We're going to keep going with what we have right now," Smart told The Oakland Tribune. "I'll stay out of that part of it as far as the backup guy. I'll leave that to the other side of the office, and I'll just keep developing what I have at the moment. And whatever takes place takes place."
The Warriors may sign a veteran point guard or look to make a deal when over 100 players, who signed contracts from July 1 to Sept. 15 -- can be traded starting on Dec. 15.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Kaman ready to play?[/h3]
7:28AM ET
[h5]Chris Kaman | Clippers [/h5]
Clippers center Chris Kaman has been out since Nov. 9 when he sprained his left ankle against New Orleans. The initial timeline had him retuning in about three weeks. Kaman had talked on a couple of occasions about coming back early, but the team decided he needed more time to heal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kaman is hoping he can convince trainer Jasen Powell that he's well enough to play against Denver on Friday.
"It's getting there," Kaman said. "I felt good today."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Gasol's sore hamstring[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Pau Gasol | Lakers [/h5]
UPDATE: Gasol said he will test the hamstring during Friday's shootaround and then decide whether he can play against Sacramento.
"We're short-handed already," Gasol told the Los Angeles Times. "So I just try to be out there as much as I can and do as much as I can without obviously wanting anything to happen that would put you out. I've got to toughen up right now."
If Gasol can't play, there's the chance head coach Phil Jackson will have to look at rookie Derrick Caracter.
"(We) might have to start (Caracter) and play him the whole game. That's always an option where something may happen with that," Jackson told Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
-- Nick Borges
----
Pau Gasol had to leave near the end of the third quarter on Wednesday against the Rockets because of a sore left hamstring. He returned later in the fourth quarter, but went 0-2 from the floor and grabbed two rebounds.
"It's a little sore," Gasol told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "It bothered me out there. Today it didn't get loose at all so I couldn't play the way I wanted to. ... I'll take it day-by-day and see how it feels [Thursday]. Hopefully I will give it a rest tomorrow and recover. As you all know, I've been playing quite a bit."
Gasol has been playing too many minutes this season and that could be the reason for the hamstring issue. Last season he missed the first 17 games due to strains to both his hamstrings.
"Hopefully it's just tight from fatigue," said Gasol, who played 40-plus minutes in each of L.A.'s past four games coming into Wednesday and seven of their past 10. "My concern is that it doesn't get better or gets worse and becomes a problem. ... Then we'll really have a problem."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Why Barron is the starting center[/h3]
6:51AM ET
[h5]Earl Barron | Suns [/h5]
Alvin Gentry started Hakim Warrick for the game against Denver, but decided he was best with the second unit. The Suns head coach moved him back to the bench on Thursday against Golden State and started Earl Barron because Warrick and Channing Frye are not good rebounders.
"We're just trying to see if it can give us better rebounding with two 7-foot guys," Gentry told The Arizona Republic. "We'll stick it out there and see what happens. We'll make changes like we normally would, anyway. We just need to find out what degree of help we can get from him (Barron)."
Barron, if he rebounds, could remain in the starting lineup until Robin Lopez returns later in December.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Webster returns[/h3]
6:13AM ET
[h5]Martell Webster | Timberwolves [/h5]
Martell Webster, who had back surgery five weeks ago, practiced for the first time on Thursday and said he can actually stand up straight now. He hasn't been able to that since high school.
"My posture was bad, always had a little hunch in my back," Webster told the Star Tribune. "Everybody asked, 'Why you walk like that?' I don't know, that's the way I walked. I didn't feel anything then. It just was one of those wear-and-tear things that progressed and slowly got worse."
Webster isn't sure when he'll be activated, but said he feels great.
"With this one, I'm 100 percent confident just because I know how my body feels," Webster said. "I can judge it against my foot surgery and it's night and day. I feel great. My back feels fine. I don't have any soreness or stiffness, no pain."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bogut back Saturday?[/h3]
5:53AM ET
[h5]Andrew Bogut | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE No. 2: According to the Journal Sentinel, Bogut practiced for 45 minutes on Thursday. It was the first basketball activity since Nov. 20 when the back spasms flared up.
The time off has also given his right elbow more time to heal.
"It already has (helped)," Bogut said. "I shot the ball well today, and the silver lining is my elbow got a rest.
"There is going to be some scar tissue, but it felt the best it has since I started shooting the ball (in the summer). I was able to go with no tape or brace."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, "there's a very good chance Bogut will return to action Saturday night against the Magic."
If Bogut returns then, expect Sanders to head back to the bench to occupy a reserve role.
-- Ryan Corazza
----
Andrew Bogut is still being hampered by back spasms and he did not travel with the Bucks on their road trip. He missed Monday's game in Utah and it's unlikely he'll play Wednesday in Denver.
"He's not on the trip, so probably not," head coach Scott Skiles told the Journal Sentinel.
Rookie Larry Sanders will continue to start until Bogut returns to the lineup.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hobson out; Skinner in[/h3]
5:45AM ET
[h5]Darington Hobson | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE: The Bucks did waive Hobson on Thursday and then later in the day signed Skinner.
Skinner's deal is a non-guaranteed rest-of-season contract. It will become guaranteed if he's still part of the Bucks' roster on Jan. 10.
-- Nick Borges
----
Bucks rookie Darington Hobson is out for the season due to surgery he had to undergo on his hip.
And according to Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD, the Bucks are now expected to cut Hobson to open up a roster spot.
"Sources believe that the team will sign center Brian Skinner shortly after releasing Hobson," he wrote. "Skinner was released in Milwaukee's final round of training camp cuts, but will be re-signed to give the team frontcourt depth."
Kennedy also reports that the team will likely look to re-sign Hobson next summer when he's again healthy because they like his game.
Andrew Bogut's health hasn't been 100 percent this season -- he's missed six games -- and Drew Gooden has recently missed two games as well.
Having Skinner around will provide some insurance if these two continue to be in and out of the lineup.
[/h3][h3]Tampering case may not bring much[/h3]
11:19AM ET
[h5]LeBron James | Heat [/h5]
UPDATE: According to a legal community source speaking to Rick Noland of the Chronicle-Telegram, "not much is expected to come" of the investigation.
"The source said the fact the Cavs conducted a last-minute sign-and-trade with the Heat after James announced on July 8 that he was taking his talents to South Beach - Cleveland received a $14.5 million trade exception - would likely be viewed as 'a form of consent,'" he wrote.
----
There was some scuttlebutt this summer that the Cavs and Raptors could go to the league with accusations that Miami tampered in bringing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the Heat. Essentially, since there were rumblings the Big Three had their union planned out before free agency began, any representative from the Heat -- including Dwyane Wade -- making contact with Bosh or James before July 1 and the start of free agency could be subject to breaking league tampering rules.
That scuttlebutt died quickly. Until Wednesday.
According to league sources speaking to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a law firm that's investigating "their suspicions that the Miami Heat broke NBA tampering rules while pursuing James, and owner Dan Gilbert has privately vowed he won't relent until he has a thick binder of findings to drop on the desk of the NBA commissioner."
Wojnarowski later adds in his report that some potential penalties for the Heat could include fines, loss of draft picks or front-office suspension, but that many teams are "suspicious" of the league going after this because of potential embarrassment to the NBA.
So while Cleveland may indeed be trying its hardest to mount a case, the likelihood of the NBA throwing the book at the Heat may not be all that high right now.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Magic to keep Allen?[/h3]
10:17AM ET
[h5]Malik Allen | Magic [/h5]
Malik Allen signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with the Magic. The contract becomes fully guaranteed on Dec. 15, if he's not waived by that date. Allen is hoping to stay with the club.
"I love the team and the direction they're going in," Allen told the Orlando Sentinel.
When pressed for an answer about Allen's future, Magic general manager Otis Smith said "probably the likelihood is pretty good" that he won't be waived and the contract will be guaranteed for the season.
Allen is third on the depth chart at center and fourth at power forward.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]McMillan and the Vulcans[/h3]
9:57AM ET
[h5]Nate McMillan | Trail Blazers [/h5]
The Blazers are 8-10 and currently on a five-game losing streak. John Canzano of The Oregonian wonders if head coach Nate McMillan could be fired at some and if the orders will come from the Vulcans in Seattle.
Blazers owner Paul Allen has a company called Vulcan Inc. and people in Portland refer to the upper management as Vulcans.
Canzano doesn't think McMillan deserves to be fired: "At 8-10, we've arrived at the point of the season in which the Vulcans will surely start rolling their eyes and declaring that the issue here must be coaching. Remember, this is a bunch that dispatched a security team once to search computer hard drives at the team practice facility because it feared a leak. So McMillan should prepare himself, if he hasn't already. ... They get some right. They get some wrong. But there's not a plan in sight, ever. The hiring of McMillan was a nice get five years ago, and his firing now would be a disaster."
Canzano is right that it's not McMillan's fault that the team is losing. Who could win with a team that is constantly missing players due to injuries? Not many.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]The plan for Yao[/h3]
9:31AM ET
[h5]Yao Ming | Rockets [/h5]
Yao Ming thinks he'll be ready to return to the active roster next Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons. He did admit Thursday that his injury is not completely healed.
"I can't say my ankle is 100 percent, but it's getting close," Yao told the Houston Chronicle.
The team only allows Yao to play 24 minutes a game and according to the newspaper, head coach Rick Adelman may have him come off the bench.
Yao will stay in Houston over the weekend and continue his rehab with the training staff.
"We're just trying to get him on the court where he's moving around and see how he feels afterwards," Adelman said. "The big key is going to be the more he gets on the court, the more things he does, does he have soreness, doesn't he have soreness. That's the thing I want to wait and see."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Chris Paul's future[/h3]
9:12AM ET
[h5]Chris Paul | Hornets [/h5]
The Knicks play the Hornets on Friday, which of course means all the New York media wanted to discuss Thursday was the possibility of Chris Paul becoming a free agent in the summer of 2012 and signing with the team.
While attending the wedding of Carmelo Anthony in the summer, Paul made a toast and reportedly said he'd like to form "our own big three" in New York with Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.
Paul was asked if he regrets the toast.
"I don't regret anything during the summer," he told the New York Post. "Everything that happens makes you stronger. Now I'm just happy to be on a great team that's playing really well."
"That's over and done with, it's all about the next game. The summer is over," Paul told The Times-Picayune. "That's why I'm so happy it's the season now.
"I haven't talked to Carmelo, to tell you the truth. I have no clue, all I can do is worry about Chris Paul's future and right now my future is to shower and go pick up my son from school, that's about it."
Paul is a big fan of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni, which will lead to more speculation about the point guard coming to New York in two years.
For now, he is happy with the Hornets because they're winning and doesn't want to leave the Big Easy.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Perkins remaining patient[/h3]
8:15AM ET
[h5]Kendrick Perkins | Celtics [/h5]
Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has talked about coming back in January, but he realizes it is prudent to make sure his right knee is 100 percent healthy and that's why there won't be an early return to the active roster.
"It can be real (about playing in January)," Perkins told the Boston Herald. "But I think if I play it smart I'll wait to come back until after All-Star break. That will give me more time. I think, what's one more month, right?"
Perkins says the time off has allowed him to work on his game.
"I'm just working on my touch," he said. "There ain't nothing wrong with my arms. I'm trying to get better. Hopefully my field goal percentage will go up from 60 to 70 this year."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Smart seeking a backup PG[/h3]
7:59AM ET
[h5]Golden State Warriors [/h5]
The Warriors are OK when starting point guard Stephen Curry is in the game, but when he leaves the team struggles. Charlie Bell, Jeremy Lin and Reggie Williams have all had their shot as Curry's backup and none of them have proven to be a good option.
Head coach Keith Smart has spoken to general manager Larry Riley about bringing in another point guard. For now he'll just have to make do with what he has on the roster.
"We're going to keep going with what we have right now," Smart told The Oakland Tribune. "I'll stay out of that part of it as far as the backup guy. I'll leave that to the other side of the office, and I'll just keep developing what I have at the moment. And whatever takes place takes place."
The Warriors may sign a veteran point guard or look to make a deal when over 100 players, who signed contracts from July 1 to Sept. 15 -- can be traded starting on Dec. 15.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Kaman ready to play?[/h3]
7:28AM ET
[h5]Chris Kaman | Clippers [/h5]
Clippers center Chris Kaman has been out since Nov. 9 when he sprained his left ankle against New Orleans. The initial timeline had him retuning in about three weeks. Kaman had talked on a couple of occasions about coming back early, but the team decided he needed more time to heal.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Kaman is hoping he can convince trainer Jasen Powell that he's well enough to play against Denver on Friday.
"It's getting there," Kaman said. "I felt good today."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Gasol's sore hamstring[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Pau Gasol | Lakers [/h5]
UPDATE: Gasol said he will test the hamstring during Friday's shootaround and then decide whether he can play against Sacramento.
"We're short-handed already," Gasol told the Los Angeles Times. "So I just try to be out there as much as I can and do as much as I can without obviously wanting anything to happen that would put you out. I've got to toughen up right now."
If Gasol can't play, there's the chance head coach Phil Jackson will have to look at rookie Derrick Caracter.
"(We) might have to start (Caracter) and play him the whole game. That's always an option where something may happen with that," Jackson told Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
-- Nick Borges
----
Pau Gasol had to leave near the end of the third quarter on Wednesday against the Rockets because of a sore left hamstring. He returned later in the fourth quarter, but went 0-2 from the floor and grabbed two rebounds.
"It's a little sore," Gasol told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "It bothered me out there. Today it didn't get loose at all so I couldn't play the way I wanted to. ... I'll take it day-by-day and see how it feels [Thursday]. Hopefully I will give it a rest tomorrow and recover. As you all know, I've been playing quite a bit."
Gasol has been playing too many minutes this season and that could be the reason for the hamstring issue. Last season he missed the first 17 games due to strains to both his hamstrings.
"Hopefully it's just tight from fatigue," said Gasol, who played 40-plus minutes in each of L.A.'s past four games coming into Wednesday and seven of their past 10. "My concern is that it doesn't get better or gets worse and becomes a problem. ... Then we'll really have a problem."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Why Barron is the starting center[/h3]
6:51AM ET
[h5]Earl Barron | Suns [/h5]
Alvin Gentry started Hakim Warrick for the game against Denver, but decided he was best with the second unit. The Suns head coach moved him back to the bench on Thursday against Golden State and started Earl Barron because Warrick and Channing Frye are not good rebounders.
"We're just trying to see if it can give us better rebounding with two 7-foot guys," Gentry told The Arizona Republic. "We'll stick it out there and see what happens. We'll make changes like we normally would, anyway. We just need to find out what degree of help we can get from him (Barron)."
Barron, if he rebounds, could remain in the starting lineup until Robin Lopez returns later in December.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Webster returns[/h3]
6:13AM ET
[h5]Martell Webster | Timberwolves [/h5]
Martell Webster, who had back surgery five weeks ago, practiced for the first time on Thursday and said he can actually stand up straight now. He hasn't been able to that since high school.
"My posture was bad, always had a little hunch in my back," Webster told the Star Tribune. "Everybody asked, 'Why you walk like that?' I don't know, that's the way I walked. I didn't feel anything then. It just was one of those wear-and-tear things that progressed and slowly got worse."
Webster isn't sure when he'll be activated, but said he feels great.
"With this one, I'm 100 percent confident just because I know how my body feels," Webster said. "I can judge it against my foot surgery and it's night and day. I feel great. My back feels fine. I don't have any soreness or stiffness, no pain."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bogut back Saturday?[/h3]
5:53AM ET
[h5]Andrew Bogut | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE No. 2: According to the Journal Sentinel, Bogut practiced for 45 minutes on Thursday. It was the first basketball activity since Nov. 20 when the back spasms flared up.
The time off has also given his right elbow more time to heal.
"It already has (helped)," Bogut said. "I shot the ball well today, and the silver lining is my elbow got a rest.
"There is going to be some scar tissue, but it felt the best it has since I started shooting the ball (in the summer). I was able to go with no tape or brace."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, "there's a very good chance Bogut will return to action Saturday night against the Magic."
If Bogut returns then, expect Sanders to head back to the bench to occupy a reserve role.
-- Ryan Corazza
----
Andrew Bogut is still being hampered by back spasms and he did not travel with the Bucks on their road trip. He missed Monday's game in Utah and it's unlikely he'll play Wednesday in Denver.
"He's not on the trip, so probably not," head coach Scott Skiles told the Journal Sentinel.
Rookie Larry Sanders will continue to start until Bogut returns to the lineup.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hobson out; Skinner in[/h3]
5:45AM ET
[h5]Darington Hobson | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE: The Bucks did waive Hobson on Thursday and then later in the day signed Skinner.
Skinner's deal is a non-guaranteed rest-of-season contract. It will become guaranteed if he's still part of the Bucks' roster on Jan. 10.
-- Nick Borges
----
Bucks rookie Darington Hobson is out for the season due to surgery he had to undergo on his hip.
And according to Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD, the Bucks are now expected to cut Hobson to open up a roster spot.
"Sources believe that the team will sign center Brian Skinner shortly after releasing Hobson," he wrote. "Skinner was released in Milwaukee's final round of training camp cuts, but will be re-signed to give the team frontcourt depth."
Kennedy also reports that the team will likely look to re-sign Hobson next summer when he's again healthy because they like his game.
Andrew Bogut's health hasn't been 100 percent this season -- he's missed six games -- and Drew Gooden has recently missed two games as well.
Having Skinner around will provide some insurance if these two continue to be in and out of the lineup.
Is this because the Suns are salty about Amar'e and Fields?Originally Posted by Proshares
http://[h3][/h3][h3]Why Barron is the starting center[/h3]
6:51AM ET
[h5]Earl Barron | Suns [/h5]
Alvin Gentry started Hakim Warrick for the game against Denver, but decided he was best with the second unit. The Suns head coach moved him back to the bench on Thursday against Golden State and started Earl Barron because Warrick and Channing Frye are not good rebounders.
"We're just trying to see if it can give us better rebounding with two 7-foot guys," Gentry told The Arizona Republic. "We'll stick it out there and see what happens. We'll make changes like we normally would, anyway. We just need to find out what degree of help we can get from him (Barron)."
Barron, if he rebounds, could remain in the starting lineup until Robin Lopez returns later in December.
-- Nick Borges
Is this because the Suns are salty about Amar'e and Fields?Originally Posted by Proshares
http://[h3][/h3][h3]Why Barron is the starting center[/h3]
6:51AM ET
[h5]Earl Barron | Suns [/h5]
Alvin Gentry started Hakim Warrick for the game against Denver, but decided he was best with the second unit. The Suns head coach moved him back to the bench on Thursday against Golden State and started Earl Barron because Warrick and Channing Frye are not good rebounders.
"We're just trying to see if it can give us better rebounding with two 7-foot guys," Gentry told The Arizona Republic. "We'll stick it out there and see what happens. We'll make changes like we normally would, anyway. We just need to find out what degree of help we can get from him (Barron)."
Barron, if he rebounds, could remain in the starting lineup until Robin Lopez returns later in December.
-- Nick Borges
what does this mean
what does this mean
I may be forgetting, but didn't he run one of those crazy fastbreak teams in Denver or Phoenix or somewhere where they ran and ran and ran no matter what? Getting like 130-140 a game.Originally Posted by CP1708
what does this mean
I may be forgetting, but didn't he run one of those crazy fastbreak teams in Denver or Phoenix or somewhere where they ran and ran and ran no matter what? Getting like 130-140 a game.Originally Posted by CP1708
what does this mean
Let me unite Thursday night's TV viewing with Friday night's thusly:
(A) LeBron James scored 38 points in three quarters, preened in front of the other team's bench as he did it, and never landed on his back once.
(B) That would never, ever, ever happen in Utah.
Suffice it to say the Jazz play with a bit more of an edge than the Cavs showed against Miami, something we can see for ourselves when Utah takes on Dallas in Friday's late national-TV game (ESPN/ESPN3.com, 10:30 ET). Surprisingly, the battle matches the teams with the second- and third-best records in the Western Conference.
More generally, between the rise of Utah, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans, and the Lakers' recent vulnerability, we've been left with a far more interesting chase in the Western Conference than we anticipated. While L.A. remains a heavy favorite, the strong starts by those other four squads have left the Lakers tied for just the fifth-best record in the conference, despite a very favorable early schedule for L.A.
Utah's emergence, in particular, seemed far from a sure thing at the start of the season. With Carlos Boozer gone in free agency and Mehmet Okur rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered in the first round of the playoffs last season, concerns about Utah's frontcourt loomed large. And remember, this was the same team whose front line was absolutely bludgeoned by L.A.'s in a four-game sweep in the second round last season.
Doubts mushroomed when the Jazz were hammered in their first two games. Deron Williams seemed unhappy, angrily firing a ball at rookie Gordon Hayward and questioning the team's lack of film work. They scored only 78 points against Golden State, a feat previously thought impossible, and trailed at home by 18 to the lowly Clippers the next game. With a four-game road swing against Eastern playoff teams looming, a 2-8 start didn't seem out of the question.
But the Jazz came back to beat the Clips, setting off an amazing streak of comeback wins: seven times in the first 20 games they've rallied from 10 points or more behind to win. A full third of the league -- 10 teams -- hasn't won seven times in any fashion, let alone with theatrics like this.
Don't look now, but Utah is 12-2 in its past 14 games; the only losses were to the Spurs and Thunder. The list of victims is impressive, too: Already, the Jazz have beaten the defending champion Lakers, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Atlanta and Oklahoma City. If they beat Dallas on Friday night they'll have beaten three of the other top four teams in each conference, and they a have a good excuse for not beating Boston -- they don't play the Celtics until January.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty ImagesJerry Sloan continues to get the most out of his squad. Will he finally win Coach of the Year?
The question remains, however: How exactly are they doing this? Minus Boozer, Okur, Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews, Utah figured to lack the depth and size to hang with the West's upper crust, even after trading for Al Jefferson.
Here's the funny part: They actually don't have the size. The Jazz are just 28th in the NBA in defensive rebound rate, pulling down a meager 69.8 percent of opponent missed shots. This is even worse than it sounds, given how often the Jazz send opponents to the free throw line -- missed foul shots are generally easier for the defense to rebound than missed field goals.
The fouling, of course, is a long-term staple of coach Jerry Sloan's teams. They annually either lead the league in fouls and opponent free throws or come very close, so the fact they've surrendered .297 free throw attempts per field goal attempt -- tied for 28th -- comes as no surprise. Unless, that is, you're surprised that their mark is slightly less awful than usual.
Before we go further, look at those last two items again. If I told you about an undersized team that can't control the boards and fouls with abandon, you'd presume that this team was horrid defensively. Bottom five, for sure.
Amazingly, Utah has been good despite those shortcomings. The Jazz rank 10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, almost entirely because nobody can make a shot against them.
Utah ranks first in both opponent field goal percentage and opponent 3-point percentage, with the latter mark being particularly notable given that the Jazz allow more 3-point attempts than the average team.
Even if one assumes the law of averages will even out the 3-point shooting (it's hard to imagine Jazz opponents making just 30.7 percent all season), the 42.5 percent opponent shooting mark overall is harder to dismiss so breezily. We have a sample of 1,585 shots saying the Jazz, despite their short frontcourt and rampant fouling, are really difficult to convert against.
In particular, Utah has enjoyed tremendous defensive success with a bench that looked very weak on paper entering the season. Earl Watson and Ronnie Price won't contend for the scoring title, but they have been absolute pests as a small, quick backcourt tandem. Meanwhile, Francisco Elson has proved surprisingly competent at backup center, Kyrylo Fesenko impacts games with his sheer size and C.J. Miles has given the group enough scoring to survive.
While Williams' exploits, and to a lesser extent those of Paul Millsap, get all the attention, it's the bench that has been the real catalyst. Each member has a shockingly good plus-minus (a team-leading plus-19.5 points per 40 minutes for Watson, plus-16.3 for Miles, plus-15.1 for Fesenko, plus-13.0 for Price and plus-9.2 for Elson; all numbers from basketballvalue.com), and the second unit has sparked most of Utah's comeback wins. Statistically, Utah has played better with the bench on the floor than the starters.
Of course, with any successful team, health is an unstated factor, too. Utah's rotation players have missed just one game to injury (Watson also had two early DNP-CDs), helping keep the groove going and keeping the offensively limited bench players in roles they can handle.
Nonetheless, the biggest factor here is likely the one I mentioned at the top of the story. Utah is overachieving on defense because Sloan demands nothing less, particularly from the subs who aren't expected to contribute heavily on offense. Essentially, the overt physicality on D is a means to an end: The Jazz will give up lots of free throws, but you'll never see what we saw in Cleveland on Thursday night.
The Jazz's second unit scores less than the starters, but their defensive numbers are phenomenal; despite sky-high foul rates for all except Elson, Utah gives up less than a point per possession (league-leading caliber) with any of those five on the court.
As long as Sloan can get elite-level D from a bench made up of castoffs and second-round draft picks, he'll get enough first-rate offense from Williams and Millsap to stay near the top of the West's upper crust ... and in doing so, may finally end his inexplicable Coach of the Year drought. In the wake of the total surrender we, um, Witnessed on Thursday night, watching his squad should provide a refreshing counter-example.
Let me unite Thursday night's TV viewing with Friday night's thusly:
(A) LeBron James scored 38 points in three quarters, preened in front of the other team's bench as he did it, and never landed on his back once.
(B) That would never, ever, ever happen in Utah.
Suffice it to say the Jazz play with a bit more of an edge than the Cavs showed against Miami, something we can see for ourselves when Utah takes on Dallas in Friday's late national-TV game (ESPN/ESPN3.com, 10:30 ET). Surprisingly, the battle matches the teams with the second- and third-best records in the Western Conference.
More generally, between the rise of Utah, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans, and the Lakers' recent vulnerability, we've been left with a far more interesting chase in the Western Conference than we anticipated. While L.A. remains a heavy favorite, the strong starts by those other four squads have left the Lakers tied for just the fifth-best record in the conference, despite a very favorable early schedule for L.A.
Utah's emergence, in particular, seemed far from a sure thing at the start of the season. With Carlos Boozer gone in free agency and Mehmet Okur rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered in the first round of the playoffs last season, concerns about Utah's frontcourt loomed large. And remember, this was the same team whose front line was absolutely bludgeoned by L.A.'s in a four-game sweep in the second round last season.
Doubts mushroomed when the Jazz were hammered in their first two games. Deron Williams seemed unhappy, angrily firing a ball at rookie Gordon Hayward and questioning the team's lack of film work. They scored only 78 points against Golden State, a feat previously thought impossible, and trailed at home by 18 to the lowly Clippers the next game. With a four-game road swing against Eastern playoff teams looming, a 2-8 start didn't seem out of the question.
But the Jazz came back to beat the Clips, setting off an amazing streak of comeback wins: seven times in the first 20 games they've rallied from 10 points or more behind to win. A full third of the league -- 10 teams -- hasn't won seven times in any fashion, let alone with theatrics like this.
Don't look now, but Utah is 12-2 in its past 14 games; the only losses were to the Spurs and Thunder. The list of victims is impressive, too: Already, the Jazz have beaten the defending champion Lakers, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Atlanta and Oklahoma City. If they beat Dallas on Friday night they'll have beaten three of the other top four teams in each conference, and they a have a good excuse for not beating Boston -- they don't play the Celtics until January.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty ImagesJerry Sloan continues to get the most out of his squad. Will he finally win Coach of the Year?
The question remains, however: How exactly are they doing this? Minus Boozer, Okur, Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews, Utah figured to lack the depth and size to hang with the West's upper crust, even after trading for Al Jefferson.
Here's the funny part: They actually don't have the size. The Jazz are just 28th in the NBA in defensive rebound rate, pulling down a meager 69.8 percent of opponent missed shots. This is even worse than it sounds, given how often the Jazz send opponents to the free throw line -- missed foul shots are generally easier for the defense to rebound than missed field goals.
The fouling, of course, is a long-term staple of coach Jerry Sloan's teams. They annually either lead the league in fouls and opponent free throws or come very close, so the fact they've surrendered .297 free throw attempts per field goal attempt -- tied for 28th -- comes as no surprise. Unless, that is, you're surprised that their mark is slightly less awful than usual.
Before we go further, look at those last two items again. If I told you about an undersized team that can't control the boards and fouls with abandon, you'd presume that this team was horrid defensively. Bottom five, for sure.
Amazingly, Utah has been good despite those shortcomings. The Jazz rank 10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, almost entirely because nobody can make a shot against them.
Utah ranks first in both opponent field goal percentage and opponent 3-point percentage, with the latter mark being particularly notable given that the Jazz allow more 3-point attempts than the average team.
Even if one assumes the law of averages will even out the 3-point shooting (it's hard to imagine Jazz opponents making just 30.7 percent all season), the 42.5 percent opponent shooting mark overall is harder to dismiss so breezily. We have a sample of 1,585 shots saying the Jazz, despite their short frontcourt and rampant fouling, are really difficult to convert against.
In particular, Utah has enjoyed tremendous defensive success with a bench that looked very weak on paper entering the season. Earl Watson and Ronnie Price won't contend for the scoring title, but they have been absolute pests as a small, quick backcourt tandem. Meanwhile, Francisco Elson has proved surprisingly competent at backup center, Kyrylo Fesenko impacts games with his sheer size and C.J. Miles has given the group enough scoring to survive.
While Williams' exploits, and to a lesser extent those of Paul Millsap, get all the attention, it's the bench that has been the real catalyst. Each member has a shockingly good plus-minus (a team-leading plus-19.5 points per 40 minutes for Watson, plus-16.3 for Miles, plus-15.1 for Fesenko, plus-13.0 for Price and plus-9.2 for Elson; all numbers from basketballvalue.com), and the second unit has sparked most of Utah's comeback wins. Statistically, Utah has played better with the bench on the floor than the starters.
Of course, with any successful team, health is an unstated factor, too. Utah's rotation players have missed just one game to injury (Watson also had two early DNP-CDs), helping keep the groove going and keeping the offensively limited bench players in roles they can handle.
Nonetheless, the biggest factor here is likely the one I mentioned at the top of the story. Utah is overachieving on defense because Sloan demands nothing less, particularly from the subs who aren't expected to contribute heavily on offense. Essentially, the overt physicality on D is a means to an end: The Jazz will give up lots of free throws, but you'll never see what we saw in Cleveland on Thursday night.
The Jazz's second unit scores less than the starters, but their defensive numbers are phenomenal; despite sky-high foul rates for all except Elson, Utah gives up less than a point per possession (league-leading caliber) with any of those five on the court.
As long as Sloan can get elite-level D from a bench made up of castoffs and second-round draft picks, he'll get enough first-rate offense from Williams and Millsap to stay near the top of the West's upper crust ... and in doing so, may finally end his inexplicable Coach of the Year drought. In the wake of the total surrender we, um, Witnessed on Thursday night, watching his squad should provide a refreshing counter-example.
Originally Posted by CP1708
He did? Was I alive?
Save it. All of you, save it. Save the mikan jokes, the Russell/Wilt wars, all of it, save it. I beat you too it. Leave it alone, move on. Get the hell outta here.
Originally Posted by CP1708
He did? Was I alive?
Save it. All of you, save it. Save the mikan jokes, the Russell/Wilt wars, all of it, save it. I beat you too it. Leave it alone, move on. Get the hell outta here.
