TheBasketballJunkie.com

Are you Kidd-ing me?

2010-02-27T17:18:15Z

Against the Atlanta Hawks last night, Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd posted a triple double (19 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds) in their overtime win.

Kidd became only the third player in NBA history to post two triple-doubles with 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 15+ assists in a career. The other two players to do so are Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

In addition to the triple double, Kidd collided with Hawks coach Mike Woodson in order to draw a technical foul on the coach.

"I saw him on the court; we needed a point somehow," Kidd said. "I had to make the officials make something happen there. The coach is not supposed to be on the floor. The NBA has so many rules and there is a coaching box and some of the coaches do stretch that box. Any time a coach is on the floor, that's gotta be a T. The officials got it right."

"Ask Joe Johnson or any of their players, if they had a chance to do the same thing, they would," he said. "If they thought of it."

Despite confronting Kidd on the court, Woodson acknowledged that Kidd made a heady play.

“He made a heck of a play,” Woodson said. “Jason Kidd is an All-Star, a Hall of Fame guard, and he’s had a hell of a career. He did what he had to do. I’ve got to take the hit on that. I shouldn’t have been on the floor.”

The Mavs, who currently have a six-game winning streak, will face the Hornets on Sunday at home.

TMac drops 26 in Knicks' debut

2010-02-21T15:55:30Z

The New York Knicks were the only team that seemed interested in Tracy McGrady for more than his expiring contract.

Before his debut with the Knicks last night, McGrady had played in only six games with the Houston Rockets this season, during which he scored a combined 19 points. And he hadn't played eight minutes (or more) in any of those six games.

In the starting lineup against the Thunder, McGrady scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting and played more than 32 minutes. He also had four rebounds and five assists.

MVP candidate Kevin Durant said, "It's just a matter of minutes. If he got the time, he was going to be productive. He played phenomenal. He's back."

Considering how little TMac has played in the past year and a half, sustainability is a big question.

"Physically, I feel good but then again I haven't played in a year and half," McGrady said before the game, per Frank Isola of the NY Daily News. "I don't know how long I can play. But I'm ready to go."

So, what does last night's performance mean for the rest of the season?

"If he's healthy," [Former Knicks coach Jeff] Van Gundy said Saturday. "Believe me; if Tracy is healthy over the last 29 games you can put him in the conversation with the rest of the top free agents in 2010. That's how good he is."

From 2000 to 2007, McGrady averaged more than 20 points per game every season including the 2002-2003 season, in which he averaged 32.1 points per game. He led the NBA in scoring that season and the next.

Provided McGrady stays healthy, he should get enough minutes for him to average close to 20 points per game in the Knicks' offense. While someone has likely snatched up TMac from your fantasy league's free-agent pool. If nobody has yet, do so NOW.

CP3 to miss 1-2 months

2010-02-01T04:09:49Z

Hornets point guard Chris Paul is going to miss the next one to two months as he has arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Paul, who missed last night's game against the Thunder, initially hurt the knee against the Warriors on Wednesday.

On the season, CP3 leads the NBA in assists (11.2 per game) and is second in steals (2.3 per game) behind Boston's Rajon Rondo. He also leads the Hornets in scoring (20.4 per game).

Last night, Darren Collison started in Paul's place and finished with 17 points and 18 assists in 47 minutes.

Collison is definitely no Chris Paul, but he makes for a solid waiver-wire pickup in fantasy basketball leagues while Paul is out of the lineup.

Nowitzki drops 29 in 4th quarter

2009-11-04T12:07:06Z

Through three quarters, the Dallas Mavericks shot only 32 percent from the field and scored only 52 points against the Utah Jazz last night.

Then in leading the Mavs to a come-from-behind victory, forward Dirk Nowitzki went off in the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki, who finished the game with 40 points, set a franchise record with 29 fourth-quarter points. The previous record was held by Mark Aguirre, who had scored 24 points in the first quarter of a 1984 game against the Nuggets.

"We really couldn't get anything going for three quarters, and it was just ugly – there was a lid on the basket," Nowitzki said, per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "Defensively we were actually decent, but offensively we just couldn't get going, and then in the fourth quarter we just left it all out there and see what happens and it worked out for us."

With the exception of one three-point attempt, Nowitzki didn't miss a shot in the fourth quarter. He was 7 of 8 from the field including 1 of 2 from three-point range and 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.

Celtics, Rondo agree to 5-year extension

2009-11-03T12:01:46Z

The Boston Celtics and point guard Rajon Rondo agreed to a five-year extension worth $55 million, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

“Sure you go into the free agent market and maybe he could have earned more money,’’ [Rondo's agent Bill] Duffy said yesterday. “The grass is always greener on the other side. But I also look at this as his second contract and he’ll be in his prime when this contract expires, so there’s still more ahead. If we were shortsighted, maybe we go to a better situation, perhaps more money. But if it’s not the right fit, you’ll suffer later.’’

“When I first saw him on film, [president of basketball operations Danny Ainge] brought in a highlight tape and there were no highlights,’’ [coach Doc] Rivers said. “A lot of rebounding and pushing the ball up the floor but I haven’t seen a shot made. We were almost laughing at it. Early on in practice, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope Danny saw something [I didn’t]’. But as it went on, you can see it more and more. He does so many little things. And you knew for him to be great, you had to get better players around him.’’

Rondo was drafted with the 21st overall pick (by the Phoenix Suns) in the 2006 NBA Draft.

With an increase in minutes every year, Rondo has increased his assists per game averages every year: 3.8 (rookie season), 5.1 (2007-08), 8.2 (last year) and 11.8 early this year.

He's currently second in the league in assists (11.8) and tied for third in steals (2.5) per game through four games. Tonight the Celtics play the Sixers in Philadelphia.

Top pick Griffin could miss up to six weeks

2009-10-27T11:58:44Z

Per Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times, Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, the top overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, has a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

Griffin broke his kneecap on this dunk against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday:

Coach Mike Dunleavy said: "There's some swelling. It just depends on the swelling going down, the comfort level, as far as him being able to play or not."

Clippers center Chris Kaman said: "I hope he plays. It gives us added depth in the post. Craig [Smith] really hurt them [the Lakers] in the last game, and DJ [DeAndre Jordan] did a good job. There's me, Marcus [Camby], DJ and Craig, if Blake doesn't play. We could put Al [Thornton] at the four spot. We have a great bench."

Despite Dunleavy's and Kaman's comments, Griffin is expected to miss up to six weeks with the injury.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, Griffin averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game last year.

In the pre-season, Griffin was averaging 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in 28 minutes per game.

Kevin Love to miss 6-8 weeks

2009-10-18T03:36:47Z

No rookie had more double-doubles than Timberwolves forward Kevin Love had (29) last season.

And in the months of January through April, Love averaged a double-double every month except March when he averaged only 9.6 rebounds per game.

Less than two weeks away from the start of the NBA regular season, Love broke his hand while grabbing a rebound in the Wolves' pre-season game against the Bulls last night. The injury will keep Love out of action for 6-8 weeks, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

"It's one of those things you're upset about, but you can't be mad about it," Love said, per Zgoda. "That's part of the game. You hope it doesn't happen to you, but sometimes things don't go your way."

Last season, Love averaged 11.1 points and 9.1 rebound per game in only 25:18 minutes per game.

Love was/is likely to see an increase in minutes in 2009-10 with an expanded role on the team and Love could average in the range of 15 points and 10 rebounds this year.

We'll just have to wait another month or two to see that happen.

Stephen Jackson suspended two games

2009-10-11T19:34:47Z

The Golden State Warriors have suspended Stephen Jackson for two games for conduct detrimental to the team (which I refer to as the T.O. Rule), per the Associated Press.

Against the Lakers on Friday, Jackson picked up five personal fouls and a technical foul in 10 minutes. He left the bench for the locker room and never returned.

"In my 30-some odd years in coaching, I never suspended a player before. Maybe I should have a couple of times, but I never have," Nelson said (via AP). "I try to stay away from doing anything costing players a lot of money. I may have taken $5,000 or $10,000, but I've tried to stay away from that."

Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle believes that the Warriors shouldn't waste any time in moving Jackson, who was fined $25,000 this summer for publicly requesting a trade, even if it means that the Warriors don't (and likely won't) get comparable value in return.

As ESPN's Marc Stein points out, the challenge will be unloading Jackson's contract, which runs through 2013.

And as Hoops World points out, Jackson's behavior makes it more difficult to find a suitor (Cleveland or otherwise) willing to accept the 31-year-old swingman's personality and tantrums.

In an injury-shortened season, Jackson averaged 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game last year. Only three other players (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul) averaged 20-5-5 last year.

Joe Johnson to test free-agent market in 2010

2009-10-07T01:56:12Z

Add another superstar to the loaded free-agent class of 2010.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson has turned down an extension offer of four years and $60 million, per the Associated Press, and he will test the free-agency market after the 2009-2010 season.

Other NBA superstars, such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, are due to become free agents next season.

But Johnson has big expectations this season even if it turns out to be his last in a Hawks' uniform.

"I think we've grown a lot over the years," he said. "I think we've grown a great amount. I look forward to us being a different team. A lot of immature things we did on the court the last few years, even last year, I think we're ready to put that behind us and move forward and start being that team that can win our division."

The Hawks finished with a 47-35 record last year and second-place finish in the Southeast.

Last year's per-game average of 39.5 minutes was Johnson's lowest while in Atlanta. However, he might see considerably fewer minutes this upcoming season.

In his four seasons with Atlanta, Johnson has averaged 20+ points, 4+ assists and 4+ rebounds per game every season.

Brandan Wright to have MRI Monday

2009-10-05T03:13:14Z

Golden State Warriors forward Brandan Wright is going to have an MRI Monday on his injured shoulder, per Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

If Wright needs surgery on the shoulder, he could miss up to six months. Wright played in only 39 games last year missing more than two months due to a partially dislocated shoulder.

"We were going to start Anthony Randolph, but I can't tell you that Wright wasn't the better player in camp," [Warriors coach Don] Nelson said. "We thought he was really going to be a factor this year, so it's quite a loss for us. It's just a real kick in the teeth."

Wright, who was the eighth overall pick in 2007, averaged 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in less than 18 minutes per game last year.

According to Nelson (via Simmons), Corey Maggette will be the team's back-up power forward.

Top 5 NBA moves of the 2009 off-season

2009-08-24T01:07:34Z

1. Spurs attain Richard Jefferson for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.

The Spurs always find a way to improve their team seemingly every off-season, but this move was San Antonio's biggest off-season splash of the Duncan era. They typically get good role players to fill the spots around the drafted Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. This time they went and got a bonafide scorer who's still very young and athletic. On top of that, the players they gave up were on their last legs as professional basketball players. Who knows how much they would have contributed? Now we don't have to find out. Instead we get to see an already solid Spurs team add a tremendous player. I wouldn't be surprised if we see San Antonio as the site of game 1 of the NBA finals.

2. Celtics sign Rasheed Wallace.

The Celtics' biggest problem last year was their lack of depth up front. Once Kevin Garnett went down, that lack of depth really became glaring. Boston put together a patchwork frontcourt, and once Leon Powe tore his ACL in the playoffs, Doc Rivers actually had to put Mikki Moore in the games for meaningful minutes. The horror. Enter "Sheed." Rasheed Wallace is not quite as good of a basketball player as he once was, and he still can be a loud mouth, but he still has talent and he still has a good basketball mind. You also can't deny his heart and drive to win. He'll be the best backup big man in the league, and he'll allow the Celtics to do different things like spread the floor at the end of games if they decide to have him in there instead of Kendrick Perkins. As long as Kevin Garnett stays healthy, this Celtics team suddenly looks very stacked and poised for banner number 18.

3. Clippers trade away Zach Randolph.

Zach Randolph is an enigma. If one were to simply look at his stats quickly they'd see "20-10" and think he was a good player. He's not, not by any means. Good players make those around him better. Randolph doesn't do that, as his other stats are always much lower than a good power forward should be. He also has documented attitude issues and anyone who watches him play can see that he's out of shape. I don't understand why the Clippers trade for him in the first place, unless it was to make them so bad that they'd get the first pick, which would then make the trade genius because it worked. In any case, the Clippers are trying to build a good young core around veterans such as Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, and Randolph's presence would have hindered number one pick Blake Griffin's on and off court development.

4. Wizards trade the number 5 pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

Washington has a very significant question mark in Gilbert Arenas and his knee. He's barely played the last two seasons. However, he looks to be back and ready to earn the large contract he received before last off-season. But thanks to his and Brandon Haywood's "injury-prone" status, along with Antawn Jamison's age and Caron Butler being in his prime, the team wants to go for it now. So instead of getting a project at number 5, they turned it into the dynamic Foye and the underrated long-range shooter Mike Miller. Foye can play either back court position and will be a great compliment to Arenas. Miller will be a tremendous asset off the bench, as the Wizards didn't have much in terms of consistent (or any) three-point shooting on the team in previous years. The Wizards are suddenly a very deep team, as long as they stay healthy, and could make a run in the playoffs.

5. Trail Blazers sign Andre Miller.

The Blazers needed a point guard, badly. Steve Blake was just a place holder for whomever that was going to be. Miller is getting older, but he's still a very good point guard. The one problem is his inability to score from beyond the three point line, and that seems to be an overall issue for the Blazers. However, his ability to run a team and distribute is the important thing to focus on, and he should definitely be able to make the Blazers a better team this year.

Worst Off-season Move: Raptors sign Hedo Turkoglu and the Magic trade for Vince Carter.

These two moves need to go together here. The biggest reason the Magic were so good last year was because of their ability to create matchup problems due to their size. No one could match up with this team well because the Magic were just bigger than everyone else. The 6'10" Turkoglu was the best example of this, as he could simply shoot over the other team's small forward or work him in the post. He was a perfect player for the way Orlando played and was much more valuable to the Magic than to any other team. The Raptors don't play like the Magic and they have a seemingly disgruntled superstar who seems already ready to leave in 2010. Throw in the fact that Turkoglu is already 30 years old and his signing with Toronto will not help them get anywhere further than they are now, and it is simply a bad signing by the Raptors.

Now if the Magic had re-signed Turkoglu, it would have made more sense because of his fit with that system. Instead they traded for Vince Carter (while giving up the talented and very young Courtney Lee) and now have a team that looks like many others in the league. The matchup problems that they used to be able to give other teams are no more and although Vince Carter has the talent, he's not exactly the most reliable player with regards to injuries or attitude.

Iverson to Bobcats?

2009-08-23T16:52:13Z

Dime Magazine reported Friday night that the Charlotte Bobcats and Allen Iverson had agreed to terms that would be announced next week.

According to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, however, the Iverson-to-Bobcats deal is not a done deal.

As Bonnell points out, the Bobcats are close to the luxury tax, but the main challenge of bringing in Iverson would be his willingness to accept his role. The Bobcats currently have Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, D.J. Augustin and rookie Gerald Henderson who will all get significant minutes in the backcourt.

"He's done a lot for me, and if we could work it out -- the money, the opportunity to play -- I'd be all for it,'' Brown said [earlier in the week, per Bonnell]. "He's always been good, always been there.''

Iverson didn't respond favorably to coming off the bench in Detroit. So, why would he be willing to come off the bench for the Bobcats and Larry Brown despite his preference to play for Brown?

Wafer following Kleiza to Greece

2009-08-15T04:00:44Z

Earlier in the week, Linas Kleiza, who played for the Nuggets last year, signed a two-year deal with Olimpiakos of Greece.

Now Von Wafer, who played for the Rockets last year, is taking his game and his mohawk to Europe. Wafer signed a two-year deal with Olimpiakos worth $10 million and he can opt out after one year to return to the NBA.

"Financially, he wasn't going to get that type of an offer in the NBA," [Wafer's international agent Giovanni] Funiciello said. "As far as I knew, he really didn't have anything concrete as far as the NBA was concerned."

Last year, Wafer averaged 9.7 points per game and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

Rashard Lewis suspended 10 games

2009-08-07T04:56:40Z

The NBA has suspended Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis for ten games without pay after he tested positive for an elevated level of testosterone, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"First and foremost I take full responsibility for the situation and accept the corresponding penalty," Lewis said. "I apologize to Magic fans, my teammates and this organization for not doing the research that should come with good judgment."

The Magic open their season against the Philadelphia 76ers, their first-round opponent in the playoffs last year. They also play New Jersey (twice), Toronto, Detroit (twice), Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Cleveland, who they beat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

"He’s one of the best people in this league and has been a model citizen and a great team guy and simply made a very innocent mistake," Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday. "I think it’s unfortunate. I feel badly for him. I just wanted to make sure that he knew that he has the full support of the coaching staff and everybody in the organization, including, I’m sure, his teammates.”

Players who violate the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs face a 10-game suspension for the first offense. It's a 25-game suspension for second offenses and one-year suspensions for third offense.

Last year, Lewis averaged 17.7 points and 5.7 rebounds while knocking down 2.8 threes per game.

Odom, Lakers agree on four-year deal

2009-07-31T01:16:59Z

Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a four-year deal worth $33 million, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers have an option in the fourth season.

"L.A. was the first place that came to my mind, that's where my heart was at," Odom told the Times today. "I was going to fight for what I wanted."

Initially, the Lakers pulled their first two offers made to Odom, who also talked to the Miami Heat.

Before re-signing Odom, the Lakers lost Trevor Ariza to Houston and signed Ron Artest from Houston.

Without Odom (and Ariza but with Artest), the Lakers would have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference. With Odom and Artest, they are clearly the team to beat as they make a run to repeat.

Last year, Odom averaged 12.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs. During the season, Odom averaged 11.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.