NBA Thread

[Domingo]

I don't see how Chicago hasn't told Rose he needs to sit his happy butt down.

[GM Franchise]

Paul George suffers serious injury

http://espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/11298573/paul-george-suffers-apparent-serious-leg-injury-team-usa-showcase-game

LAS VEGAS -- Indiana Pacers star Paul George suffered a gruesome lower right leg fracture during the U.S. national team's intrasquad scrimmage at UNLV on Friday and underwent successful surgery later that night.

In a statement released after surgery was completed, USA Basketball confirmed George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture and is expected to remain hospitalized for about three days. Dr. Riley Williams, a Team USA orthopedist who also works with the Brooklyn Nets, was with George.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN that while there was no additional damage besides the fractures, doctors believe George likely will miss all of next season, though no official prognosis has been given.

George's leg landed and then buckled at the base of the basket stanchion after he fouled James Harden on a drive to the basket just 27 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Nearby teammates immediately reacted, with Harden doubling over as George recoiled on the baseline.

Medics, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and members of George's family who were at the game rushed to his side.

His right leg was put in an air cast, and he was taken to a Las Vegas hospital after being treated for about 15 minutes on the court. His family members accompanied him there.

George later took to Twitter:


The Pacers issued a statement Saturday about George's injury and prognosis.

"It is way too early to speculate on his return as the No. 1 priority for everyone will be his recovery. Our initial discussions with our doctors and the doctors in Las Vegas have us very optimistic," president of basketball operations Larry Bird said. "There is no question about the impact on our team but our goal is to be as strong-willed and determined as Paul will be in coming back. ... Any discussion regarding the future of our team would be inappropriate at this time. Our focus is solely on Paul and doing whatever we can to help."

After George left in an ambulance Friday night, the rest of the game -- a showcase scrimmage between players in camp for the U.S. as it looks to trim its roster ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain that begins Aug. 30 -- was canceled.

The White team led George's Blue team 81-71 at the time. The game took place at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, and a source said the league is investigating the placement of the basket stanchion there. The league standard is for the stanchion and any photographers to be four feet from the baseline, according to a league official. The stanchion appeared to be closer than a normal NBA arena, but very close to the four-foot standard.

"This is a tough blow, not only for USA basketball but for the Indiana Pacers," Colangelo said. "And so as an organization we're just going to let a little time go by here before we address rosters. ... It seems so unimportant in the scheme of things. When you have something like this, it puts things in perspective."

George was considered a lock to make the final 12-man roster for the World Cup.

The Americans planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players Saturday but put off those plans after George's injury.

"Everything's on hold, and it should be," Krzyzewski said. "It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when there is an injury like this."

No Team USA players were made available afterward. They walked out of the locker room and straight to the team bus.

Reaction to George's injury among his NBA colleagues was immediate, with fellow All-Stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade among those taking to Twitter to express their concern:


Fellow U.S. teammates Harden and Kevin Durant also addressed the injury on Twitter:



George, 24, had emerged as one of the top all-around players in the NBA. The two-time All-Star averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season.

"It was difficult to watch the injury that Paul George sustained tonight while representing his country," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the NBA are with Paul and his family."

Earlier this week, while with the U.S. team for camp, George acknowledged that a big NBA season for him awaited, especially after the Pacers' second-half fade in 2013-14.

"The eyes are on me this year," George said. "I've got a lot of pressure and I'm coming into this year ready to live up to that pressure."

George signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Pacers last fall that was set to kick in this season.

The defending champion U.S. team, meanwhile, already had been weakened by player losses.

Forwards Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard all had pulled out in recent weeks.

George would have been a candidate to start for the Americans alongside Durant. The two, along with Harden, spent the week playing in one-on-one competitions after practice, pushing each other while building chemistry leading up to Friday night's game.

The U.S. is scheduled to take the next week off before reconvening in Chicago for its next practice Aug. 14.

Some NBA executives have long been concerned about injuries to players during summer competitions.

Pau Gasol, then playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, broke his foot while leading Spain to the 2006 world title, and Manu Ginobili injured his ankle while playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics. He is sitting out the World Cup while recovering from a stress fracture in his right leg.

"Anything can happen anywhere, a lot of things happen,'' said Krzyzewski, who was coaching Duke against Louisville when the Cardinals' Kevin Ware broke his leg during the 2013 NCAA tournament. "Tonight it happened during a basketball game. We need to take care of that. It doesn't mean it'll happen again and again and again; it means that it happened right now. And we need to take care of right now appropriately and then move on.''

Bird echoed that sentiment in his statement Saturday.

"We still support USA Basketball and believe in the NBA's goals of exposing our game, our teams and players worldwide," Bird said. "This is an extremely unfortunate injury that occurred on a highly visible stage, but could also have occurred anytime, anywhere."

[GM Franchise]

San Antonio Dpurs have hired Becky Hammon as the first female assistant coach in NBA history.

[GM Franchise]

Wolves, Cavs agree to Love trade

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11320537/kevin-love-trade-cleveland-cavaliers-minnesota-timberwolves-agreement-place

The Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement in principle to trade Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, 2013 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.

According to Yahoo! Sports, which initially reported the agreement, Love has committed to opt out of his contract in 2015 and re-sign with Cleveland next summer for five years and $120 million-plus.

The trade cannot be finalized until Aug. 23 because players cannot be traded until 30 days after signing a new contract. Wiggins signed a rookie contract on July 24.

Sources have told ESPN.com that Love has been highly intrigued by the idea of playing alongside Olympic teammate LeBron James on a full-time basis and is not put off by the fact that James' contract with the Cavs spans only two seasons and includes a player option to return to free agency next summer.

NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas reacted to news of the trade agreement on Twitter by crediting James for his influence in getting Love to Cleveland.


Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told the St. Paul Pioneer Press last weekend that a trade of Love was likely by Aug. 23 or Aug. 24, coinciding with the first day Wiggins can be traded.

Wiggins, when asked Sunday about the uncertainty over his future, told ESPN that he wants to play where he's wanted. The Cavs signed Wiggins to his rookie contract, which averages about $5.5 million annually.

"I just want to play for a team that wants me. So whichever team wants me I'll play for," he told ESPN's "SportsCenter" from Tarrytown, New York, where he was taking part in a photo shoot for Panini trading cards.

Although the Cavs would prefer to keep Wiggins, their interest in Love is understandable given how well the big man's combination of elite rebounding, passing and long-range shooting ability could complement James' game. With Love in addition to James and point guard Kyrie Irving, Cleveland would rank as an undeniable favorite to win the Eastern Conference, something the Cavs managed only once in James' initial seven-season stint with his home-state franchise.

[Cory]

Looks like the Minnesota Canadawolves is gonna be my new neutral team.

[GM Franchise]

I like the Wolves. They got Pekovic, Dieng, Shabazz Mohammed, Shved, Ricky Rubio, Budinger, Kevin Martin, Mo Williams, and Dante Cunningham. There's some good talent there.

[¿PapaPancho?]

I like the Wolves. They got Pekovic, Dieng, Shabazz Mohammed, Shved, Ricky Rubio, Budinger, Kevin Martin, Mo Williams, and Dante Cunningham. There's some good talent there.

Wiggins is automatically their best player.  Has Rubio even figured out how to shoot a jumper correctly?

[GM Franchise]

Wiggins is automatically their best player.  Has Rubio even figured out how to shoot a jumper correctly?

I disagree. I think Dieng is the one that will emerge into a star. As for Rubio probably not.

[Doug E Fresh]

CLEVELAND

[Gates]

The bonus...for any Raptors fan hoping Wiggins comes to Toronto, there's a very real chance he might once his deal is up, to get out of Minnesota.

Or at least that's the hope lol

[GM Franchise]

Everybody wants out of Minnesota, lol.

[Justin]

Wiggins is automatically their best player.  Has Rubio even figured out how to shoot a jumper correctly?

Rubio is not there to score.  He's there to facilitate the offense and feed the scorers (not that they had any outside of Love).  With Wiggins, Martin, and Bennett he has a few more options to work with.

[The TeeJ of Philly]

Rubio is not there to score.  He's there to facilitate the offense and feed the scorers (not that they had any outside of Love).  With Wiggins, Martin, and Bennett he has a few more options to work with.

Except for three things:

1) The knock on Wiggins is that his offense still need work, unlike Parker who will be putting up 18-21 a night Wiggins is going to struggle on offense.

2) Kevin Martin is the next to go, along with JJ Barea.

3) Bennett sucked last year and played well in the summer league where a #1 pick played against guys who probably won't make rosters.

Rubio isn't there to score, but he may be forced too, and that will be a problem.

[¿PapaPancho?]

Rubio is not there to score.  He's there to facilitate the offense and feed the scorers (not that they had any outside of Love).  With Wiggins, Martin, and Bennett he has a few more options to work with.

I know you love the natural PG role ... but when your not even a threat on the perimeter to shoot the open J and the team can cheat off you on defense.  It's what teams used to do to Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo ... he has to step his game up.

[GM Franchise]

CHAMP SPURS, LEBRON, BIG ALL-STAR BREAK HIGHLIGHT NBA'S 2014-15 SCHEDULE



http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/08/13/champ-spurs-lebron-big-all-star-break-highlight-nbas-2014-15-schedule/?cid=nba_12_facebook_L

After a familiar in-state Texas wrestling match to tip things off, the champion San Antonio Spurs will be living out of their suitcases for much of the first couple of weeks of the new NBA season. That's just one of the wrinkles in the  2014-15 schedule, released Wednesday.
The 1,230-game marathon includes, for the first time in history, an extended All-Star break.  The last games before the break are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 12, and the first ones after the hiatus won't tip until Thursday, Feb. 19. The 64th NBA All-Star Game will be held Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and a Spurs cast that includes 10 international players will celebrate their title with the traditional banner raising and ring ceremony on Opening Night, Oct. 28, when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center.  Also on the schedule that night will be Orlando at New Orleans and Houston at the L.A. Lakers.  The Spurs-Mavs and Lakers-Rockets  — with the likely return of Kobe Bryant — will be nationally televised by TNT.

Opening Night
October 28, 2014, Orlando at New Orleans, 8 p.m., League Pass
October 28, 2014, Dallas at San Antonio, 8 p.m., TNT
October 28, 2014, Houston at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m., TNT

Once they get through Opening Night, though, the Spurs — who finished with the league's best road record last season — will be on the road for eight of their next 11 games.  Included in that is a four-game blitz through all four California teams, consisting of  a pair of back-to-back sets of Clippers-Warrior and Lakers-Kings.

Cleveland fans, ecstatic over the homecoming of LeBron James, will have to contain their excitement for a few days until the Cavaliers make their debut on Oct. 30 at Quicken Loans Arena against the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers will play the next night, too, at Chicago in Derrick Rose's first home game after missing all but 10 games in the last two seasons because of knee injuries.  Rose will be joined in the Bulls lineup by Pau Gasol, who left the Lakers as a free agent over the summer.

The Spurs and Cavaliers will both be headline attractions in the NBA's annual Christmas Day spectacular that features five different matchups, coast-to-coast.  San Antonio will be at home to face last season's Western Conference finals opponent, Oklahoma City (2 p.m. ET, ABC). James will make his first trip back to Miami, where he won two titles in four years with the Heat, for an afternoon game (5 p.m. ET, ABC) against friends Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat.

Christmas Day (All times listed are ET)
December 25, 2014, Washington at New York, 12 p.m., ESPN
December 25, 2014, Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 2 p.m., ABC
December 25, 2014, Cleveland at Miami, 5 p.m., ABC
December 25, 2014, L.A. Lakers at Chicago, 8 p.m., TNT
December 25, 2014, Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT

San Antonio once again will face its annual Rodeo Trip, so named because the Spurs must vacate their arena for an extended stretch for the San Antonio Livestock Show & Rodeo.  It's a nine-game stretch that will keep the Spurs off their home court from Feb. 6 until March 4. It is broken into two legs before and after the All-Star break. But the Spurs aren't the only team who face long stretches away from home.

The Brooklyn Nets, under new coach Lionel Hollins, will also straddle the break with eight consecutive games away from the Barclays Center. And the longest single road trip of the season belongs to the Clippers, who'll have an eight-game excursion Jan. 29-Feb. 9 through three different times zones that includes three sets of back-to-backs and ends up  against potential playoff challengers at OKC and Dallas.  The Clippers will also have to endure a seven-game trip starting Nov. 19 at Orlando that includes three back-to-backs.  The Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings also have seven-game road trips.

As part of the NBA's annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, four games will be nationally televised.  The Detroit Pistons will play at Atlanta (2:30 ET, ESPN), followed by the Bulls at Cleveland (8 ET, TNT) and Lakers at Phoenix (10:30 ET, TNT).  The Mavericks at Memphis (5 ET) will be shown on NBA TV.

Martin Luther King Day (All times listed are ET)
January 19, 2015, Minnesota at Charlotte, 2 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Philadelphia at Washington, 2 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Detroit at Atlanta, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
January 19, 2015, Boston at L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Denver at Golden State, 4 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Dallas at Memphis, 5 p.m., NBA TV
January 19, 2015, Indiana at Houston, 5:30 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, New Orleans at New York, 5:30 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Toronto at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, Chicago at Cleveland, 8 p.m., TNT
January 19, 2015, Sacramento at Portland, 10 p.m., League Pass
January 19, 2015, L.A. Lakers at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m., TNT

The NBA Global Game schedule will again include two regular-season games played at international sites.  The Timberwolves will face the Rockets at Mexico City Arena on Nov. 12 and the Bucks and Knicks will meet at London's O2 Arena on Jan. 15.

The teams with the toughest finishes to the season would seem to be Portland, Toronto and Washington. The Blazers wrap up their schedule with three of their last four on the road, including stops at potential playoff contenders Golden State, OKC and Dallas.  The Raptors play six of their last eight on the road. The Wizards have five of their last six away, with a finale at Cleveland.

The regular season concludes on April 15. The 2015 NBA playoffs will begin Apr. 18.

The Bulls, Cavaliers and Thunder lead with 25 appearances on TNT, ESPN and ABC national telecasts, followed by the Clippers with 23, the Lakers with 20 and the Spurs and Warriors with 19 apiece.

NBA TV will show every team as part of a 97-game schedule that includes 22 Fan Night Games.  Fans will vote on NBA.com  each week to determine which games will appear on NBA TV for the Tuesday Fan Night Games.