NBA Thread

[Jon]

BREAKING NEWS: NBA IS NOT AS FUN TO WATCH AS IT USE TO BE

Watching the entire All-Star weekend in a couple of sittings confirmed this to me. Bring back the 90s when the NBA was cool.

QFT

I've gradually over the years stopped watching it.

[GM Franchise]

BREAKING NEWS: NBA IS NOT AS FUN TO WATCH AS IT USE TO BE

Watching the entire All-Star weekend in a couple of sittings confirmed this to me. Bring back the 90s when the NBA was cool.

Agreed. The only thing keeping my interest at this point is the rise of the Clippers since they've rarely been good since I've been a fan, lol.

[GM Franchise]

Sources: Wizards land Andre Miller



http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10489628/washington-wizards-acquire-andre-miller-three-team-trade

The Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers completed a three-team trade Thursday that will send disgruntled point guard Andre Miller to the Wizards, sources told ESPN.

The Wizards acquired veteran point guard Andre Miller as part of a three-team trade, sources said.
The Wizards, who are looking to solidify their playoff position, will send big man Jan Vesely to the Nuggets and point guard Eric Maynor to the 76ers, who also will acquire two second-round draft picks.

Miller hasn't played since he was suspended by the Nuggets on Jan. 2 after an altercation with coach Brian Shaw. He's been away from the team and on the trade block since.

The Wizards, who have come on strong after a slow start to the season, have been looking for a veteran backup to John Wall. Miller is earning $5 million this season, and his $4.6 million contract for next year is guaranteed for just $2 million. The 16-year veteran averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists in 30 games for the Nuggets.

Washington (26-28) is fifth in the Eastern Conference, 2½ games out of the fourth spot.

Vesely, the No. 6 pick in the 2011 draft, has mostly been a disappointment and averaged just three points and three rebounds in 33 games for the Wizards. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Maynor, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason by the Wizards, has fallen out of the rotation. He has a player option for $2.1 million next season that the 76ers will assume

[GM Franchise]

Sources: Gary Neal dealt to Bobcats

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10489607/charlotte-bobcats-land-gary-neal-four-player-deal

The Charlotte Bobcats have acquired two guards from the Milwaukee Bucks to fortify their playoff drive.

NBA teams were active before on Thursday's trade deadline. Kevin Pelton examines the deals and offers up his grades. Grades 

ESPN has learned that the Bobcats have agreed to take on point guard Luke Ridnour in addition to top trade target Gary Neal. They also persuaded the Bucks to absorb the salary of Ramon Sessions.

The final form of the deal, sources said, will send Neal and Ridnour to Charlotte for Sessions and Jeff Adrien.

The Bobcats (who at 25-30 are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference) have been chasing the disgruntled Neal for some time, but Milwaukee balked at a pure Neal-for-Sessions swap because Sessions is making $5 million this season, compared to Neal's $3.25 million. Adding Ridnour to the trade puts the financial onus back on Charlotte.

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Sources: Nuggets get Aaron Brooks

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10490434/houston-rockets-trade-aaron-brooks-denver-nuggets-jordan-hamilton

The Houston Rockets traded point guard Aaron Brooks to the Denver Nuggets for forward Jordan Hamilton in a swap of backups, sources told ESPN.com.

NBA teams were active before on Thursday's trade deadline. Kevin Pelton examines the deals and offers up his grades. Grades 

Because of his contract status Brooks had to approve the trade but he will get increased playing time with the Nuggets as he heads into free agency. Brooks, who had fallen behind Patrick Beverley and Jeremy Lin in the Rockets' rotation, averaged 7.0 points and 1.9 assists in 43 games for Houston.

Hamilton, a versatile wing scorer, was involved in trade talks with several teams, including the New York Knicks. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 38 games for the Nuggets. The 2011 first-round pick will be a free agent at the end of the season.

It was the seventh consecutive year the Rockets and general manager Daryl Morey have made a deal on trade deadline day.

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Heat free up roster spot with trade

http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/10488913/miami-heat-trade-roger-mason-jr-cash-sacramento-kings

The Miami Heat opened a roster spot Thursday by trading backup guard Roger Mason Jr. and cash to the Sacramento Kings for a highly protected second-round draft pick.

NBA teams were active before on Thursday's trade deadline. Kevin Pelton examines the deals and offers up his grades. Grades 

The Heat announced the deal about two hours prior to Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Mason will be waived by the Kings and become a free agent, and the pick the Kings are trading to the Heat likely will never convey.

The Heat were interested in having a roster spot open so they can add a free agent that may become available in the next week. They are looking for a veteran wing player.

Mason averaged 3.0 points in 25 games for the Heat this season.

[GM Franchise]

Sources: Evan Turner dealt to Pacers

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10491189/indiana-pacers-trade-danny-granger-philadelphia-76ers-evan-turner-lavoy-allen

The Indiana Pacers made the biggest move of NBA trade deadline day by shipping their longest-tenured player, forward Danny Granger, in a package to the Philadelphia 76ers that landed them forward Evan Turner, sources told ESPN.com Thursday.

As part of the deal, the Pacers sent a 2015 second-round pick to Philadelphia and also received center Lavoy Allen. It was part of a roster-gutting day for the 76ers, who traded starting center Spencer Hawes in a separate deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Yahoo! Sports earlier reported the Granger-Turner deal.

The Pacers achieved several things with the move, but the biggest is adding the multidimensional Turner, who likely will be an offensive boost off the bench. The trade also lowers the Pacers' payroll by several million dollars.

Turner was averaging a career-high 17.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the struggling 76ers. He has been a bit of a volume scorer, however, shooting just 43 percent overall and 29 percent on 3-pointers. He still should be an upgrade for the Pacers, who currently rank 19th in offensive efficiency.

Turner will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and the Sixers, who did not plan to re-sign him, were dangling him for weeks and hoping to land a first-round pick. By waiting until the very end of the trade window, the Pacers were able to swoop in and make the deal for Granger's expiring $13 million contract and the lesser draft pick.

Granger has played his entire nine-year career in Indiana and made the All-Star team in 2009. But he's been hampered by knee and leg injuries the past two seasons, causing him to miss more than 100 games. He has struggled after returning from injury this season, averaging just 8.3 points and shooting 36 percent from the field in 29 games.

Granger was a fixture in the locker room and mentored many of the team's young players, especially young star Paul George.

The Pacers, though, have lost three of their past five games and their offense has been inconsistent. Their lead over the Miami Heat for the top spot in the Eastern Conference is down to just one game entering Thursday night.

Allen was mostly a backup center for the 76ers, averaging 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 51 games, two of them starts.

The 76ers made three trades on Thursday, sending out starters Hawes and Turner along with Allen and getting back Earl Clark and Henry Sims from the Cavs, Byron Mullens from the Los Angeles Clippers and Granger, along with a total of five second-round draft picks.

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Sources: Antawn Jamison to Hawks

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10490556/atlanta-hawks-trade-veteran-antawn-jamison

The Los Angeles Clippers have traded veteran forward Antawn Jamison to the Atlanta Hawks, sources told ESPN.com.

The Hawks, who are ravaged by injuries and are on a seven-game losing streak, made the deal using a disabled player exception they got when they lost Al Horford for the season because of a shoulder injury.

Jamison is likely to work out a buyout with the Hawks, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs both expressed interest in the veteran forward over the summer as he looked for a contender to chase a first NBA title with. He's also held in high regard by his former team, the Washington Wizards.

The move will save the Clippers more than $2 million in salary and luxury-tax savings and open a roster spot.

Jamison, a 15-year veteran, averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds for the Clippers this season.

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Source: Spurs trade for Austin Daye

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10491090/san-antonio-spurs-trade-nando-de-colo-austin-daye-toronto-raptors

The San Antonio Spurs have traded guard Nando de Colo to the Toronto Raptors for forward Austin Daye, a source confirmed to ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.

De Colo, 26, has played in 26 games this season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds.

The 6-foot-11 Daye, the No. 15 pick in 2009 out of Gonzaga, has only played in eight games for Toronto this season.

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Sources: 76ers land Byron Mullens

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10491040/los-angeles-clippers-trade-byron-mullens-philadelphia-76ers

The Los Angeles Clippers traded center Byron Mullens to the Philadelphia 76ers before Thursday's trade deadline, sources told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne.

The Clippers received a conditional future second-round pick in return.

The 7-foot Mullens has averaged just 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 27 games this season with the Clippers.

Mullens, 25, averaged career highs in points (10.6) and rebounds (6.4) last season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

[GM Franchise]

LeBron James leads win over Thunder with 33, leaves bloodied

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400489686

OKLAHOMA CITY -- LeBron James sat silently in front of his locker with a towel draped over his head, not wanting to reveal the effects of a hit to his nose that prematurely ended his night.

His Miami Heat teammates finished off a 103-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder without him on Thursday night.

Miami's star forward went down with 5:50 remaining after he was struck by Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka on a drive to the basket. James finished the dunk, but he was bloodied and he left the court with a towel over his face.

"I'm like everybody else, you're used to seeing him like Superman, get up and sprint back even after tough hits and tough falls," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "So we knew something was up."

Miami's star forward had landed the hardest blow long before that. He scored 16 of his 33 points in the first quarter to put the Thunder in a bind, and the Heat rolled to a lopsided win.

James passed a concussion test, but some damage was done.

"He has a swollen nose right now. It's bleeding," Spoelstra said. "We'll evaluate him when we get back to Miami, but it's sore."

The Thunder were the ones shaken up after James made his first five shots and scored 12 points in the first 4:11.

"It was flawless," Wade said. "He was aggressive defensively, he was able to play passing lanes and be who he is. That was a great start on the road by our leader. It was something that we needed."

Wade had 24 points and 10 assists, and Chris Bosh added 24 points for Miami, which won its fourth straight and avenged an earlier loss to Oklahoma City. It was a good step for the Heat, who are trying to catch Indiana for the top record in the Eastern Conference.

"You can see the resolve," Wade said. "You can see the chemistry. You can see a team that's gearing up for the second half of the season."

Kevin Durant scored 28 points for Oklahoma City, which lost at home for the first time since Jan. 5.

Durant has been the popular favorite to win the NBA MVP award, but Wade said James is still in the hunt.

"It's not decided," Wade said. "I don't think that was a message. That was LeBron James being LeBron James. He loves the matchup, just like KD loves the matchup. The MVP is long, long from over."

Russell Westbrook, who had missed the previous 27 games after having surgery on his right knee, started and scored 16 points in 24 minutes. He made 4 of 12 shots.

"I'm just going to keep getting him better, and as the season goes along, as he gets more comfortable in game shape, we're going to see a better Russell every night," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

The Thunder overcame an early 18-point deficit on Jan. 29 to roll past the Heat 112-95 in Miami, and the home fans hoped for a regular-season sweep against the team that beat Oklahoma City in the 2012 finals.

Instead, they saw a rare inefficient game from the Thunder.

"When you don't have good rhythm, normally the three-ball can get you back into the game," Brooks said. "We didn't have shot makers tonight. We've had them for a while now. We didn't have them tonight."

The crowd erupted as Westbrook was introduced as a starter. His first minute of action was furious and had the fans on their feet. His first basket was a two-handed, fast-break dunk 37 seconds into the game, and he got a steal 17 seconds later.

The excitement quickly evaporated. James scored 10 points in the first 3:11 and Miami made 13 of its first 14 shots to take a 28-13 lead. The Heat were ahead 34-17 at the end of the first quarter.

They extended their lead to 19 points in the second quarter before the Thunder rallied behind Westbrook. He scored nine points in the final 1:55 of the first half, including a dunk in the closing seconds, to trim Miami's lead to 54-47 at the break.

Miami took control early in the third quarter. James scored six points during a 10-0 run that helped the Heat take a 64-49 lead. The advantage grew to 75-53 on a 3-pointer by James with just over five minutes left in the frame.

Durant scored seven points in the final 2:46 of the quarter to trim Miami's edge to 76-65 heading into the fourth.

Miami reasserted itself in the opening minutes of the final period. Bosh hit a 3-pointer to bump the Heat's lead to 19 with just under 10 minutes to go.

The Heat won for the fifth time during their six-game road trip. Miami beat the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix, Golden State and Dallas before closing with a win against the team with the league's best record.

"It's good to finish it this way," Spoelstra said.


Game notes

Thunder G Reggie Jackson, who started while Westbrook was out, entered the game in the first quarter. ... Durant scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first quarter. ... Miami shot 76 percent in the first quarter but made just 7 of 17 shots in the second and was outscored 30-20. ... Oklahoma State's Kendrick Perkins left the game in the third quarter with a left groin strain and didn't return.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

---

LeBron James bloodied, leaves win



http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/10493810/lebron-james-miami-heat-bloodied-drive-basket-exits-game

LeBron James left the Miami Heat's 103-81 win Thursday night at Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter after he was struck by Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka on a drive to the basket, leaving him face-down on the court, bleeding from the face.

James, who had 33 points before his exit, drove to the basket with under six minutes to play and, after being caught in the face by Ibaka's wrist as he went up for a dunk -- which he finished -- fell to the floor with a steady stream of blood pouring from his nose.

LeBron James was struck in the face by Serge Ibaka in the fourth quarter as he went up for a dunk -- which he finished -- before falling to the floor with a steady stream of blood pouring from his nose.
James, who the Heat said would not speak to the media after the game, passed a concussion test and was set to have an X-ray on his injured nose, according to the Turner Sports broadcast.

He sat in his locker with a white towel covering his entire head and face until most of the media left the room, when he still appeared to be woozy.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, talking to reporters after the game, said James' nose was sore and would be evaluated when the team returns to Miami. There was no indication James has a serious injury, the coach said.

"He got hit pretty good down there," Spoelstra said.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade, in a postgame interview with TNT, said he didn't think James would be out long.

"Biggest thing he said was, 'Is it broke?' " Wade said. "But hopefully it's not and he'll be back."

James, averaging 26.8 points for the second-place Heat, has scored 30 or more points in seven of his past 10 games, including a season-high 42 in Miami's last game Tuesday, a 117-106 win over Dallas.

[GM Franchise]

Brian Shaw torches players after blowout to Bulls



http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24452793/brian-shaw-torches-players-after-blowout-to-bulls

The Nuggets' new front office came in with a handicap. New GM Tim Connelly didn't get settled until really August, his new coach Brian Shaw came in late as well. And the roster was tailor fit to George Karl's run and gun style, which Shaw has repeatedly denigrated in interviews since the season began, calling it "cute" at one point. The short-term additions like Nate Robinson and J.J. Hickson were stop gaps, low-risk investments with the hope of payoff.

Then there are the injuries. Danilo Gallinari, out for the season. JaVale McGee, out for the season. Nate Robinson, out for the season. Ty Lawson, missed significant time.

Then there's the Andre Miller situation, which was the first indication that there was conflict between the roster and Shaw. After Miller's blow up and subsequent suspension (which was immediately lifted), the Nuggets had a three-hour series of individual meetings between the players and Shaw. Things improved, the team went on a run.

Things have fallen apart again.

And in the last week, Shaw's comments have gone from frustrated to full-on blister after the Nuggets' beatdown by the Bulls Friday night. First, here are Shaw's comments from earlier this week:

"There's a part of me that's like 'People out there think that we're incompetent, that we're not teaching them the right things to do.' We are," Shaw said. "Executing them is a whole another thing. That's why you have to have film study and you have to show the guys and make the teaching points and hopefully at some point you stop making the same mistakes over and over again. We show them positive examples of when we do it right it usually ends up in a good result, and when we don't do it right or we go off on our own and they do what they want to do it usually ends up in a poor result."

"That's the difference between the teams who win those types of games. They consistently follow their assignments and their instructions and they execute it. When we're inconsistent in our execution of it, we're going to be inconsistent in terms of winning games."

How does Shaw go about fixing it? By impacting playing time, which he can do to a large extent given the depth on the basketball team.

"When we show them film and we go over and come out on the floor and walk through it, you want that to kind of be the lesson – you go burned the last time you didn't blitz a screen this way or didn't help the helper and it cost us, so let's not do it again," Shaw said. "You just have to keep on reinforcing it, keep on showing it. It's still relatively early in the season; hopefully you get better and better at it as the season goes on. But that's where, as a coach, if it's the same guys making the same mistakes over and over again...when I talk about shuffling some things around and changing things up, that's where you get to that point. When a guy isn't getting it, when he's continuing to make the same mistakes over and over again."

via Nuggets coach Brian Shaw frustrated at some players lack of focus.

So that seems a little tough, but that's not... oh, no. Ohhhhh no. From the Denver Post, which just let Shaw's comments speak for themselves:

"As a coach and coaching staff, it's our job to try to find five players that want to go out and play and want to have some pride and not decide night-to-night that 'I'm going to play this game and I'm not going to play this game.' I felt like tonight we had some guys that just decided they weren't going to play tonight, they weren't going to put forth any effort to try to get the job done. It's unfortunate. It's a nationally televised game that we're professionals and as a staff we have to beg guys to give effort when they play.

"I told our team I wish paychecks were predicated on night-to-night performance. So if you play like a star on a given night then you get paid like a star. If you play like an uninspired player, then either you don't get paid or you get paid like an uninspired player. And you can't just pick and choose when you want. Last night we played Milwaukee, who is obviously down players, they have injuries, they've been struggling all season long and we act like the big bad wolf against Milwaukee. And then we come in tonight...and we tuck our tails and we hide basically. We don't defend at all, from the onset of the game until the end. And thus another 30-point loss for us on the road.

Asked how he can get the message through to his players, Shaw said "I finished most of the fourth quarter with our two new players, Vesely and Aaron Brooks, with our young guys. So they're going to be hungry, they're going to want to play. They're going to go out and make a lot of mistakes. But if they want to play, and the other guys don't want to play, then I'm going to play the guys who want to put forth the effort and want to play like professionals and go out and earn their paychecks."

via Fuming Nuggets coach Brian Shaw takes team to task after loss.

"We come in tonight... and we tuck our tails and we hide basically."

Ouch.

This situation has gotten bad in a hurry. It's difficult to argue that a team losing this consistently by such a margin isn't at some sort of breaking point with its coach. Even teams with injuries can compete night by night with coaching and chemsitry. And blistering the players like this in the media can have one of two reactions. It'll either get the players to respond the way Shaw needs to or further alienate them from him.

Either way, after a 57-win season last year, it's incredible how different the Nuggets look now.

[GM Franchise]

Nets sign Jason Collins



http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10506550/jason-collins-sign-brooklyn-nets

Jason Collins became the first openly gay athlete in North America's four major professional sports Sunday, signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

He is expected to play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday evening at Staples Center, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.

"The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision," Nets general manager Billy King said in a statement. " We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract."

The Nets tweeted out a picture of Collins signing his contract.

The Nets moved quickly to make the historic signing of the 35-year-old free agent center to have another big body available against the Lakers. Brooklyn had been contemplating signing Collins for the past week and the need for Collins became greater after the Nets dealt rebounding specialist Reggie Evans to the Sacramento Kings last week.

ESPN.com reported that the Nets quietly auditioned Collins last week in Los Angeles, paving the way from him to rejoin the franchise he spent his first six-plus seasons in the league.

The Nets were in the running to land Glen Davis but Davis opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and informed teams of his decision. Davis is set to officially become an unrestricted free agent Sunday at 5 p.m. ET if, as expected, he is not claimed off waivers by another team.

Collins hasn't played in an NBA game since April 2013 with the Washington Wizards. He's been working out on his own for months in the L.A. area after failing to earn an invite to training camp from any of the league's 30 teams in the wake of revealing his sexual orientation to Sports Illustrated in April of last year.

The Nets are an organization filled with Collins supporters and experienced players less likely to be fazed by the likely media blitz that the signing will inevitably spark. Over the last couple of days, several Nets players have publicly voiced their support for signing Collins.

Collins is reunited with Nets coach Jason Kidd, who played with the defensive-minded big man in New Jersey from 2001-08, making two trips together to the NBA Finals. Collins also played with Nets guard Joe Johnson for three seasons in Atlanta and spent half of the 2012-13 season in Boston alongside Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett before being traded to the Washington Wizards. Collins also is friends with injured Nets center Brook Lopez, who like Collins played alongside his twin brother at Stanford.

"Great competitor, plays team basketball, is for the team, great guy, great character," Garnett told reporters on Saturday morning about Collins.

Garnett also scoffed at the notion that Collins' orientation with the Nets would be any sort of issue with the team.

"I think it's important that anybody who has the capabilities and skill level [gets] a chance to [do] something he's great at," Garnett said. "I think it would be bias, and in a sense, racist, if you [were] to keep that opportunity from a person."

The Nets' signing of Collins comes not long after University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam announced he is gay earlier this month in an ESPN "Outside The Lines" interview. Sam, though, can't make his official NFL debut until the fall. Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a U.S. professional sports league when he made his Major League Soccer debut in May 2013, just three months after coming out. And John Amaechi, who spent five seasons in the NBA with Orlando, Utah and Cleveland, disclosed his sexuality three years after his playing career ended in a 2007 book entitled "Man In The Middle."

Athlete Ally, a non-profit group that works closely with the NBA and other professional sports leagues on LGBT inclusion, applauded the Nets' decision.

"Today, Jason Collins tore open the last remaining closet in America, and became the first openly gay player to be signed by a team in one of the big four sports. We are especially excited that Jason will be playing in Brooklyn, just like Jackie Robinson, and in a marriage equality state. This is a piece of history, an important point on the continuum toward justice and a moment to celebrate," Brian Ellner, a member of the Athlete Ally board of directors said in a statement.

In an interview with ESPN's LZ Granderson in January, Collins said he has been training hard while waiting for an opportunity.

"I try to control what I can control and that's how hard I train right now," Collins said. "I know that I'm in great shape and that if I get an opportunity ... if an owner, coach, GM calls my agent ... I'll be ready to play."

Asked if being gay has harmed his ability to get a call, he said: "I have no idea. For me, again, it goes back to what I can control, and that's my training."

Asked what has changed for him since he came out, Collins said: "I get to be who I am. I don't have to walk around with a censor button. I don't have to walk around with 'don't say this, don't do this.'"

[Purostyle]

Raymond Felton could be done with the gun charges, poor NY fans, I feel your pain.

[GM Franchise]

Raymond Felton could be done with the gun charges, poor NY fans, I feel your pain.

No team wanted to trade for him. Can't imagine why...

[Cory]

http://beta.thescore.com/nba/news/439560

NBA considering adding a 4 point shot

[GM Franchise]

http://beta.thescore.com/nba/news/439560

NBA considering adding a 4 point shot

Also considering a bigger court as well.

NBA discussed new court, 4-pointer

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10517078/nba-discussed-bigger-court-4-point-shot

NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn and vice president Kiki Vandeweghe acknowledged in a recent interview with ESPN.com that the league office, at least in an exploratory fashion, has weighed expanding the dimensions of the court and the introduction of a 4-point shot.

In a sitdown interview with ESPN's TrueHoop TV, conducted during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans earlier this month, Thorn and Vandeweghe spoke of both concepts mostly from a hypothetical standpoint, but did concede that the ideas have been presented for discussion at a league level.

On Tuesday, NBA spokesman Tim Frank downplayed the chances of either idea gaining traction.

"No one at the NBA, nor the competition committee, has had any serious conversations about increasing the size of the floor or adding a 4-point line," Frank said in a statement. "Rod Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe were entertaining a line of questioning about out-of-the-box ideas and ESPN.com chose to make a story that doesn't exist."

The NBA has employed a 94-foot-by-50-foot court since the 1940s. But Vandeweghe -- who went to two All-Star Games as a player and most recently served as an executive and head coach with the Nets before joining the league office in 2013 -- confirmed that the growing size and ever-increasing athleticism of players today prompted discussion about expanding the playing surface.

"Making the court bigger -- it's an interesting idea and we've actually looked at it," Vandeweghe said. "We keep a list of ideas on what we should do and how we can make the game better, of course. But arenas are obviously built in a certain way and that would take a lot of adjusting to actually make the court bigger. But does it mean we shouldn't look at it? No, of course not. We're looking at all sorts of things."

Added Thorn: "Those seats that are very close to the court are obviously very expensive seats to start out with. And most of them come right up to the floor. So when you start extending the floor, sideways or length -- you could probably extend it lengthwise easier than you can sideways. So there are a lot of things you have to look at there."

The NBA adopted the 3-point shot from the old ABA starting in the 1979-80 season. As for the prospect of a 4-point shot, Thorn said that, too, is "something that's come up" as an informal proposal.

The mere notion of the NBA someday adopting a 4-pointer is believed to be an offshoot of a famed quote from then-Boston Celtics star Antoine Walker, who reportedly answered a question about why he took so many 3-point shots by saying: "Because there are no 4s."

[GM Franchise]

Report: Police investigate TNT's Shaquille O'Neal for alleged 'attack' of co-worker



http://nba.si.com/2014/03/25/shaquille-oneal-tnt-police-report-assault-allegations-atlanta/

Did the Shaq Fu get a little out of hand?


Atlanta Police are investigating basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal after Robert Williams, a co-worker, alleged that he was "physically attack[ed]" by the TNT commentator, according to a WSB-TV report. Through a lawyer, Williams alleges that he sustained "permanent injuries" as a result of the incident.


WSB-TV reports further details about the alleged incident, which occurred in May 2013.

"(The co-worker) alleged Shaquille O'Neal tackled him to the ground causing injury to his back while they were at work at Turner Studios," said Sgt. Greg Lyon with the Atlanta Police Department.
Robert Williams went to the Atlanta Police Department and said that Shaq tackle-punched him, knocking him down and falling on top of him.
"I don't know the extent of his injury, but I have heard that [they were serious] as well, that his injuries were severe to his back," Lyon said.
The 42-year-old O'Neal, who retired in 2011 after a 19-year NBA career, has not been charged with any crime. His lawyer released a statement referring to the incident as "horseplay."

Listed at 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds during his playing days, O'Neal has long been known for his jovial personality and love for pranks and stunts. Shortly after he announced his retirement, the LSU product signed on with Turner Sports and joined the popular "Inside the NBA" program, alongside host Ernie Johnson and fellow commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

O'Neal's stepfather, Phillip Harrison, was an Army sergeant, and O'Neal has long cultivated relationships with law enforcement agencies.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer won four titles and was selected to 15 All-Star Games during his career.

[GM Franchise]

Coach has Glen Davis sent off bench

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10696441/glen-davis-los-angeles-clippers-escorted-team-bench

HOUSTON -- Los Angeles Clippers forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis was sent back to the team's locker room by coach Doc Rivers with 10:21 left in the second quarter and will miss the rest of the game for disciplinary issues.

Davis was visibly upset as he walked toward the team bench after being taken out of the game for Ryan Hollins in Saturday night's showdown against the Houston Rockets.

Davis exchanged words with Rivers and was told to sit down. Clippers assistant coach Alvin Gentry attempted to talk to Davis, but Rivers apparently had seen and heard enough and told team security to escort Davis back to the locker room.

Davis joined Blake Griffin in the locker room after Griffin left the game with 5:49 left in the first quarter with back spasms and did not return.

After Davis was sent to the locker room, the Clippers went on a 34-18 run and took a 61-58 halftime lead after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second quarter.

Davis signed with the Clippers on Feb. 24 after negotiating a buyout with the Orlando Magic. Davis played for Rivers with the Boston Celtics from 2007 to '11, winning a championship in 2008.

[Reya Serra]

Well, he's called Big Baby for a reason...I've never thought it was because of his size.