Tyreke Evans will miss Pelicans training camp with hamstring injury.
On Saturday afternoon, the New Orleans Pelicans announcedthat guard Tyreke Evans will be sidelined for 3-5 weeks with a strained right hamstring, which will force him to miss training camp which begins this week. Pelicans general manager Dell Demps released a statement regarding Evans’ injury.
Tyreke injured his hamstring playing pickup basketball out-of-town last week. He is back in New Orleans rehabbing with our medical staff. Hopefully, he will be cleared to play before the season-opener.
Evans and New Orleans have to be cautious going forward, as hamstring injuries can be tricky. If not treated properly, hamstring injuries can continue to harass a player throughout the season. The Pelicans want to avoid any badgering maladies this year as they look to make the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Tyreke Evans appeared in 72 games last year for the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
The Boston Celtics announced on Friday night that point guard Rajon Rondo has a broken left hand and will miss the start of the regular season. Rondo is expected to be out of action for at least six to eight weeks. He underwent surgery on Friday morning at a New England hospital after reportedly falling out of the shower.
The Celtics have guards Avery Bradley and Phil Pressey, not to mention their first-round draft pick Marcus Smart on hand to fill the point guard duties in Rondo’s absence.
Trade speculations followed Rondo through the summer and Celtics GM Danny Ainge has given his straightforward thoughts on Rondo’s future in Boston thus far. Rondo suffered an ACL tear in January 2013 contributing to him missing 95 games in the last two seasons (52 in 13-14). He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
According to USAToday, Phil Jackson said on Friday that he thinks the Knicks can make the playoffs this season.
On Friday, Phil Jackson talked about the fans in New York always asking him how the team will be this year. So, he was asked by the press what he thought this season has in store. Jackson went on to say, “We believe we’re going to be a playoff team. And then we don’t know how far we’ll be able to go, but we’re hoping for the best.”
This is obviously an optimistic view on the Knicks’ season, but they very well could sneak into the eighth or seventh seed in the East. They may have changed around a good bit of the roster, but they have added pieces that look to be improvements from last year. Carmelo Anthony looks to be back in much better shape than last year, and they added some good pieces through trades and the draft. Derek Fisher as the new coach with new schemes should give this Knicks team a whole new look on the court.
However, Phil Jackson realized the Knicks never followed a solid rebuilding plan. So, he ended his interview with his thoughts on how the team compares to the Chicago and Los Angeles teams he coached.
Usually teams come into the playoffs and learn from being in the playoffs, and gradually assume the capabilities of carrying out the championship,” Jackson said. “I was fortunate to have a situation in L.A. where a team had gone into the playoffs. They had been swept a couple of times in the playoff run, but they had been in the midst of the playoffs and were able to win the very first year that I coached that team there, which was a ready-made team basically with tremendous talent. Very similar situation in Chicago. This team does not got a personality. It’s got over 35 percent of this team has changed, so we still have to kind of come together in a bonding way that creates trust, teamwork, identity, some things like that.
Kevin Garnett was asked about what his plans are after this season, and he stayed noncommittal.
Kevin Garnett, who is set to make $12 million this season, was noncommittal with his answers about his final season at the Nets’ media day. Garnett went on to say:
I like to come in each year and assess it. I’ve always said the days when I’m not feeling basketball again, which is absurd, or when I don’t have the motivation to come in here, it’s time to move on. But that’s not the case. I’m very much motivated. I’m looking to have a better year than last year and I’m looking to enjoy this year.
Garnett said he has thought about retirement, especially after losing in the playoffs and coming up short of another title. Ultimately he did decide to come back and now he may even go beyond this coming season. He struggled last season, averaging career lows in every category and he had nagging injuries throughout the year. When asked about how he felt, Garnett said:
Right now, I feel great. Right now, without the bumps and bruises, I feel great. Give me about three days, I’ll tell you I’m feeling much different from right now. But I’ve been working out since June, since we stopped. Obviously, I take care of myself. I take care of my body. So we’ll see. Eighty-two-plus games beats you up a little bit, so we’ll see.
Based on what kind of role Kevin Garnett plays this year we may be able to see him after this season. One would have to wonder what will discourage Garnett from returning if this past season didn’t make him stay away. If he continues to be a shell of himself, things could turn ugly very quickly. However, he will be back on the court this year and he joins just three other players in the 20-season club.
LeBron James Would Have Likely Stayed In Miami If They Won The Finals
The NBA landscape was shifted drastically once again by LeBron James this summer when he decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James led the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA titles but fell short of a three-peat when they brutally fell to the San Antonio Spurs in five games this past June in the NBA Finals.
I mean, it’s a greater chance, for sure. I mean, it’s — it would be hard to — to leave — back-to-back-to-back — championships, you know, and try to go for four. But obviously, you really can’t live — and think of what may have happened. You just kind of — for me, I’ve always been a person kind of live in the moment.
This comes as no surprise to me and my ongoing position that LeBron would have had to stay and pursue his “not 3, not 4, not 5” charade if the Miami Heat completed a three-peat last season. In any scenario, I was one of the people who never foresaw an actual return to Cleveland. It’s hard not to think that not just losing, but the way the Heat lost to the Spurs in the Finals contributed to how things turned out for LeBron.
Nichols’ interview with James will air on CNN tonight at 10:30 PM EST.
The Timberwolves have made it official, with training camp now just five days away: they have hired L.A.-based Mike Penberthy as a shooting coach to work with a team, particularly Ricky Rubio, who has struggled in that area in recent years.
Now that Kevin Love has been shipped to Cleveland, Rubio is going to have to step up and take over this team. He’s the veteran point guard who has to be the face of the franchise now and he still has a lot to work on. Hiring a shooting coach could do wonders for Rubio who is known for his lack of a jumpshot. Add a better scoring game to Rubio’s already great passing game and his offensive lethality could skyrocket. If the defense had to respect Rubio’s shot more, then that could mean open looks for Andrew Wiggins, Zach Lavine, Thad Young, and company.
Mike Penberthy played 56 games for the Lakers in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He may have had a short stint in the league, but he had shooting averages of 41.5(FG) and 39.6(3PT) percent. He’s no Ray Allen, but he still had better much better percentages than Rubio has so far. After some 1-on-1 shooting work however, Rubio’s mechanics could improve and we all could see a much improved Timberwolves team.
Phil Jackson Speaks On Carmelo, Kobe, And MJ In Q&A
The New York Knicks have plenty to prove this season with new management, new head coaching, and a new culture. Retaining superstar Carmelo Anthony this summer was a huge priority and win for new Knicks president Phil Jackson, who recently did an extensive Q&A with The New York Post’s Steve Serby to talk about Carmelo Anthony, the triangle, group-think, “The Wizard of Oz”, and the superstars he once coached,
Q: Is Kobe Bryant the model for Carmelo Anthony? A: No. No one can approach that. I don’t expect anybody to be able to model their behavior after that, although Kobe modeled his behavior a lot about Michael Jordan, but he went beyond Michael in his attitude towards training, and I know Mike would probably question me saying that, but he did.
Jackson clearly has a special affinity towards Kobe Bryant and what they accomplished together. Obviously Jackson won’t be coaching Carmelo Anthony in New York, but his principles and influence will trickle through head coach Derek Fisher.
Q: How and why will the triangle offense make Carmelo a better player? A: It’ll give him opportunity to be a passer, a rebounder, and probably easier spots to score from than he’s had before. I think. I hope that’s true for a lot of the players.
Q: Is Carmelo on board with this? A: All we talked about in our negotiation was, “I’d like not to have to feel like I have to carry the load to score every night.” He wants some help.
Carmelo Anthony is a natural scorer, meaning scoring in any system won’t be hard for him. The adjustment within the post-oriented triangle will be working with his teammates on cutting harder and having the right spacing. It should create simpler opportunities for Anthony and make offense less stagnant.
That’s where Carmelo’s gonna move forward this year in that situation — the ball can’t stop. The ball has to continually move. It moves, or goes to the hoop on a shot or a drive or something like that. In our offense, that’s part of the process of getting players to play in that rhythm.
The Knicks are always a microscope team, despite their success or lack thereof. That will experience continued magnification as the Phil Jackson era takes turn in New York.
Sam Presti Sees Reggie Jackson As “Core Member” Of OKC
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke with reporters on Thursday with updates and initial thoughts going into training camp. He reported Kendrick Perkins’ quad injury and also spoke on Thunder guard Reggie Jackson’s future with the team.
Via ESPN’s Royce Young:
Presti says he sees Reggie Jackson as a “core member” and the franchise will give it their “maximum, best chance” to get it done.
Presti was in similar waters two years ago with his former coveted sixth man James Harden. While Jackson won’t be garnering max contract attention as Harden was at the time, you never know how his value may rise and bring forth an unexpectedly lucrative deal. Jackson has been an intricate source of the Thunder’s bench scoring and back court attack, and gave OKC a miraculous 32-point effort in a crucial Game 4 against Memphis in the playoffs last season.
Presti cited Jeremy Lamb as “setting a standard for time spent in the gym” (via Royce Young), and added,
Presti on starting shooting guard: “We need to have a defensive disposition, no matter who’s starting in that position.”
Oklahoma City lost their best defender Thabo Sefolosha in free agency, so the shooting guard slot is an important fill-in this season. Newcomer Anthony Morrow has a chance to earn some of those minutes, but if Reggie Jackson is indeed safe in Presti’s long term plans, it will be interesting to see how more two-guard or even three-guard line ups might become part of head coach Scott Brooks’ plans.
When thinking about what rookies can play above the rim, everyone tends to think about Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon, and Zach Lavine. Well, one rookie that went undrafted can make a case for himself when he steps onto the floor once the season is here. Ronald Roberts Jr., St. Joseph’s graduate, has a vertical of 45+ inches. Yes, you read that correctly, 45 inches!
Obviously, a player who goes undrafted is normally overlooked, but this is one guy who could make some noise by playing above the rim this year. Now that he’s on a young Philadelphia 76ers team, he could have many more chances to throw down many different dunks. A young team like this will want to get out on the break, and a dunker’s best friend is a pass-first point guard. Michael Carter-Williams and Roberts Jr. could be a match made in heaven, but we’ll have to wait and see the highlights on the sportscenter top ten.
Watch the video below for some Ronald Roberts Jr. dunks and jumps.
During an interview with Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer said that big man Al Horford will be limited in training camp because he has yet to be cleared for contact. Horford tore his pectoral muscle in December during a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Q. How is Al Horford?
A. He has made good progress. I think we are excited about having him back and healthy. I still think he’s got some hurdles to clear. He is not at 100 percent right now but I think we anticipate by opening night and through camp him getting to where he is totally cleared and ready to go. He’s had a heck of a summer. Al is diligent and works hard and takes care of himself so I think that will all be in a good place.
Q. Is he cleared for contact?
A. He’ll be held out of contact early in training camp. He’ll progress through and get to where he’s got full clearance in everything but at the start of camp there will be some limitations.
When Horford was healthy, the Hawks were 16-13, and in third place in the Eastern Conference. Once Horford went down with his injury, the Hawks became a mediocre team that went on to command everyone’s attention with their near first round upset of the top seeded Indiana Pacers.
Al Horford appeared in 29 games last year for Atlanta, averaging 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
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Tyreke Evans will miss Pelicans training camp with hamstring injury.
