Daily Basketball
NBA and NCAA blogging on an occasionally daily basis
Archive for February, 2007
February 28, 2007 at 6:32 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
Shaun Livingston is done for this season, and doubtful for most of next, after spraining his ACL, MCL, and PCL in his left knee. Livingston also dislocated his patella, so his value has greatly diminished on any fantasy league — keeper or not. The Los Angeles Clippers won’t be handing the reins over to Livingston as soon as hoped, so Daniel Ewing could see an increase in minutes helping out aging vet Sam Cassell.
Wally Szczerbiak is also done for this season with the lowly Boston Celtics. His ankle, which has kept him out of 24 games (and counting), requires surgery that will take place March 8.
Jamal Crawford of the New York Knicks is also done for the season for surgery on his right ankle.
Though head coach Avery Johnson dismissed the rumors and nothing will likely take place, Dallas Mavericks‘ owner Mark Cuban brought up Reggie Miller as an option for the team’s open roster spot. Miller, who retired after the 2004-2005 season, fits the team’s needs but likely doesn’t have serious interest.
LeBron James has Ohio State as the NCAA champs in his tourney bracket. The Akron Beacon-Journal says the Buckeyes will all wear King James’ signatures shoes as well as a ‘LJ23′ logo next to the Nike swoosh.
James has yet to decide whether he will join Team USA for this summer’s FIBA Americas tournament. James participated with the team last summer, and with the possibility of another deep run into the playoffs, James may prefer to rest.
February 26, 2007 at 6:16 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, video has surfaced of Dwight Howard practicing for the dunk contest. Many viewers were expecting to see Howard do his kiss-the-rim dunk. Sure enough, Howard practiced the dunk and planned to use it, but Michael Jordan and friends kept Howard from advancing to the next round. The video has a rehearsal of the sticker dunk as well as Howard accidentally hitting his head on the rim.
Steve Francis and the New York Knicks may discuss a contract buyout. Francis has been missing-in-action, playing in only half of the team’s games while providing a minimally positive impact on the court.
Dwyane Wade’s shoulder injury appears more and more likely to be season-ending. While Shaquille O’Neal will try to keep the defending champion Miami Heat in playoff position, anything but a Washington Wizards collapse will result in the Heat earning an opening matchup against the Detroit Pistons or Wizards.
Amare Stoudemire and Vince Carter were named the NBA’s Players of the Week. After a slow start to the season, Stoudemire has had a 20/10 game in all but two games in February where he only grabbed nine rebounds or scored 18 points.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have moved into the #1 spot in the AP Top 25. Forty-five years ago was the most recent season where the Buckeyes held the distinction, when they were led by John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas.
The Buckeyes clinched the Big 10 conference championship in an extremely close game versus former #1 Wisconsin. The game matched #1 vs. #2 in a 49-48 defensive battle.
February 23, 2007 at 5:11 pm · Filed under NBA, Other
Thanks to an dislocated shoulder injury to Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat must now fight to stay into the eighth and final playoff spot. Head coach Pat Riley has challenged Shaquille O’Neal to step up and lead the team, but O’Neal likely can’t make a big enough difference if Wade sits out for an extended period of time. Some reports have said Wade could need season-ending surgery, others think the NBA Finals MVP will return in the next week or two…
The NBA trade deadline typically disappoints the fans of most teams, but Thursday’s lack of activity just about sets the record for futility. Three trades occurred on the day of the deadline, involving four players — none of whom will have an impact on their new team.
The Los Angeles Lakers have provided Phil Jackson with a record six-game losing streak. While that’s not quite a Boston Celtics-like slump, neither team has recently lived up to their titles as previously being dynasty franchises.
There’s been a lot of rumors and trade talk (though not a lot of action) around the NBA since this past All-Star weekend, but many bloggers have said RIP to former Boston Celtic Dennis Johnson. To make the Celtics’ dismal season even worse, Johnson died of cardiac arrest at age 52 while coaching his D-league team.
One year ago from yesterday, the Daily Basketball (then CenterCourt Hoops) blog was created. Consider this new, free basketball theme we’ve installed the gift from Daily Basketball to its readers…In the past year, we’ve posted approximately 150 times. Not quite as daily as True Hoop, but nevertheless…
February 21, 2007 at 5:58 pm · Filed under NBA
Whether the New Jersey Nets trade Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, both, or neither, you can expect to hear of the team’s involvement in trade talks. Bloggers may just need something to write about, but a Jason Kidd trade seems to be more and more likely. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are the two most likely suitors, though Kidd only wants the trade if it puts him in a better situation.
According to the New York Post, “one exec” says there’s a 50-50 chance that Vince Carter gets traded. Of course, that 50-50 chance could be a worthless guess that there are two options: he does get traded, or he doesn’t. 50-50.
Meanwhile, Jeff Van Gundy and the Houston Rockets seem to think that they’d prefer keeping team chemistry instead of making a major acquisition. “Sometimes, not doing anything is the best move.”
Isiah Thomas says the New York Knicks definitely won’t have a trade coming up in the next 24 hours, though Channing Frye has found himself on the trade block. Nate Robinson’s name has also been brought up in rumors.
Apparently, Mike Bibby could be done with the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers both want an experienced point guard, and local newspapers seem to agree that Bibby is on the market.
The Dallas Mavericks would like to re-acquire forward Eduardo Najera, and have made the offer of Anthony Johnson.
The trade deadline is tomorrow at 3 PM EST. Official statement on trades should come throughout the morning and through the afternoon.
Several NBA teams likely to make a trade (not necessarily in order):
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Sacramento Kings
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Dallas Mavericks
5. New Jersey Nets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Denver Nuggets
February 19, 2007 at 2:00 pm · Filed under NBA, Other
After being named a participant in the dunk contest, most people chose Gerald Green as the favorite to win the competition. While Nate Robinson may also have gathered in some high scores, the real contest was between Green and Dwight Howard.
Not only did Nate Robinson still take several attempts to complete some dunks, the general consensus about Robinson is that the dunks are only impressive because of his lack of size, which provided him with an unfair advantage against Howard. The sticker dunk at 12′ 6″ by the aid of Jameer Nelson may have been the most impressive dunk, making up for the NBA’s disapproval to raising the rim with hydraulics, while Gerald Green opened up the contest with a decent dunk off a side-of-the-backboard oop from Paul Pierce.
Unsurprisingly, Tyrus Thomas had a short lived night in the dunk contest.
Mehmet Okur may have made the only solid defensive play in last night’s All-Star game. Shaquille O’Neal brought the ball upcourt with several crossover dribbles (loosely termed). After it became apparent that Okur didn’t plan on budging, O’Neal launched an ugly jumper that was lucky to hit rim.
The NBA named Kobe Bryant the All-Star game MVP, pleasing many of the southern Californian fans in attendance. The MVP award is the second for Bryant, who also earned the award and received boos in his hometown Philadelphia.
Four days away from the NBA trade deadline, but no big deals seem close to completion. The New Jersey Nets seem to flip-flop between trading Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, with the Los Angeles Lakers continuing to push to acquire Kidd. The Portland Trailblazers are rumored to be a possible partner in a three-way deal.
The Seattle Sonics could send off both Rashard Lewis and Luke Ridnour in separate deals this week. One rumored deal sends Lewis to the New York Knicks for Nate Robinson and Channing Frye, which could give the Sonics a further logjam of developing options at center. The Atlanta Hawks hope to acquire Ridnour to help Speedy Claxton at the point guard position.
This weekend, Daily Basketball received a visual makeover, which hopefully provides an improvement to that old WordPress template. Feel free to leave us your feedback on the new look.
February 17, 2007 at 4:17 pm · Filed under NBA
Scottie Pippen has become one of the primary focuses at this weekend’s All-Star game, after announcing that he’d like to sign with a championship contender later in the season. Pippen says he’s at the lowest body fat in his life, but his primary value while playing point forward would be veteran leadership. If Pippen does make a return and win the championship, he’d have seven (one more than Michael Jordan) — may that means Air Jordan and Charles Barkley will make returns? While they’re at it, bring back John Stockton and Karl Malone…
“Something like the last two months of the season, somewhere I can come back and play limited minutes to start, play point forward for someone and build toward the playoffs. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the last three months.”
Vince Carter will be the odd man out for the New Jersey Nets, if Rod Thorn gets his wish. The Nets no longer see Carter as a max-salary player and they expect him to opt of his contract. The Orlando Magic have a great chance of signing Carter this off-season, but Thorn hopes to trade Carter for draft picks, expiring contracts, and some young talent.
Meanwhile, Jason Kidd also see himself as potentially leaving the Nets. Kidd told reporters, “There are people who have contacted the Nets, so we’ll see.” The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to show strong interest in Kidd, which would allow the Nets to trade Kidd to the Western Conference.
David Lee enjoyed the Rookie-Sophomore game Friday night. On perfect 14/14 shooting from the field, Lee scored 30 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished 4 assists on his way to the MVP award. Chris Paul flirted with a triple-double by earning 17 assists, but fell one steal short. Yes, that’s nine steals. Final score: 155-114, a record pounding.
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