NBA FanHouse

Brandon Jennings Revives the Bucks

Chris Tomasson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks

MILWAUKEE -- Three guys in the stands have their shirts off and are jumping up and down at a Wisconsin sports event. One has their favorite player's number painted onto his chest and the other two are adorned with the initials of the player.

So what is this, a Green Bay Packers game and it's 25 degrees outside?

Nope. It's 72 degrees indoors, and it's a Milwaukee Bucks game.

The player is rookie sensation Brandon Jennings. In a matter of weeks, the point guard has made the Bucks relevant again.

"He's phenomenal as a rookie just stepping in and just bringing the excitement to the state of Wisconsin for basketball,'' said Greg Ermaginger, 18, the guy who had Jennings' No. 3 painted on his chest at a recent game at the Bradley Center while his buddies wore "B'' and "J.'' "There's been a lull in Bucks basketball the last couple of years. He's single-handedly brought the excitement back to the team.''

Fan Steve Gall, 37, puts it bluntly about what it used to be like for the Bucks, who haven't had a winning season since 2002-03 and haven't won a playoff series since 2001.

"This place had been a library,'' said Gall, 37, who was seated next to Ermaginger but was not bare-chested, instead wearing a Jennings jersey.

Gall said he tried to give away two tickets to Milwaukee's home opener and found no takers. But for a game last Wednesday against lowly New Jersey, he again tried to give away a pair, and Gall said "four people in seven minutes'' asked for them.

A 55-point game by a rookie will do that.

On Nov. 14, Jennings wowed Bucks fans with a double nickel against Golden State. That broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's team record of 51 for most points by a rookie set in Feb. 1970, was the most scored by any NBA rookie since Baltimore's Earl Monroe got 56 in Feb. 1968 and made Jennings, at 20 years and 52 days, the youngest NBA player to have a 50-point game.

"I played in the game when Kareem scored 51,'' said former Milwaukee star Jon McGlocklin, a Bucks television analyst who was behind the mike for Jennings' outburst. "This was even more excitement (with Jennings) because it's a 6-foot-1 guy doing it. Kareem was (7-2) and so smooth. But this was more spectacular. It's been explosive to this city.''

Through it all, Jennings has remained level headed. After a home recent game, he walked out of the locker room alone and across the court to leave.

There was no entourage in tow. A maintenance man yelled, "Way to go, rook.''

Jennings drives to games in a Ford Edge, which sells for about $30,000. The SUV can hold its own on the interstate but is a pauper's vehicle in an NBA parking lot.

"It's my first car,'' Jennings said. "It's something to get me from A to B. I don't need anything really flashy right now, especially with the snow coming in. I don't want to mess up my nice ride.''

It's been quite a ride so far for the left-handed Jennings, who has led the Bucks to a surprising 8-3 start despite star guard Michael Redd having missed the past nine games because of a knee injury and center Andrew Bogut having sat out the past two because of a lower leg problem. He's averaging 25.3 points, eighth in the NBA, and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.1 percent from three-point range.

Not bad for a guy who slid all the way to the No. 10 pick in the draft. And not bad for one who averaged a meager 5.5 points and 17.0 minutes last season for Lottomatica, a team in Rome.

That's Italy, not Georgia or New York.

After being the top high school player in the country for Oak Hill Academy (Va.) in 2007-08, Jennings signed with Arizona. But he had trouble with getting his SAT scores accepted in order to become eligible.

Rather than wait around, Jennings surprisingly bolted to Italy, signing a one-year, $1.65 million deal. Since the 2006 Draft, when the NBA stopped allowing players to arrive directly from high school, he became the first player to bypass college to go overseas for a season.

Jennings said he would have gone to Arizona had he not had the difficulties with his test scores. He said he didn't really try his first time taking the SAT, which he said resulted in his second and third attempts being "red-flagged,'' throwing his eligibility into question.

"If you'd never been away from home, I don't think it's a good idea to jump and leave and go somewhere far away, but I think it helped me out mentally having gone to Oak Hill and having been away from home for two years,'' said Jennings, who left Dominquez High School in his native Compton, Calif., following his sophomore year. "That made it easier for me to adjust going overseas.''

With the team electing to use more experienced players, Jennings surprisingly didn't play much for Lottomatica. That has prompted Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley to quip NBA general managers should sign the guys who were playing ahead of him.

"Like any player, things are going to be frustrating when things aren't going your way,'' Jennings said of his lack of minutes in Europe. "But I kept working on my game. And I think that kind of environment helped me a lot. I played with grown men every day, and they were physical. They'd grab and hold you and that kind of stuff.''

Jennings' less-than-breathtaking stats didn't help come draft night, with four point guards being taken ahead of him. Jennings also believes statements he made about being better than Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, who would go No. 5 to Minnesota before electing to stay overseas another two years, didn't help his cause.

"Some of the comments I said (before) the draft about Ricky Rubio, a lot of people were kind of like, 'I don't know about this kid. Maybe he's a little cocky, a little arrogant,''' Jennings said. "Basically, it was just some trash talking. But the timing wasn't right.''

But that's just the way Jennings is. He has plenty of confidence in his game.

All of the questions surrounding Jennings benefited the Bucks as he dropped into their laps. They certainly needed some good fortune after using the No. 8 pick in 2008 on forward Joe Alexander, who didn't even have his contract option for 2010-11 picked up.

"I think it would be dishonest to say we expected something like this."
-- Milwaukee general manager John Hammond "I think it would be dishonest to say we expected something like this,'' Milwaukee general manager John Hammond said of Jennings' quick NBA start while calling it "surreal'' watching his 55-point game. "We're very pleased at what he's done. Obviously, he's surpassed expectations. We hope we're not putting undue pressure on him, and that he can continue to grow.''

Jennings, who can slither to the hoop and hit the outside jumper with equal efficiency, has shown no signs of slippage. After the Golden State outburst, teams began to hone in on him even more. All he has done is average 24.8 points the past four games.

"I didn't think I would be ready this fast,'' Jennings admits. "It was me just putting in the extra time and working on my shot and coming in early every day and leaving late.''

Jennings sure didn't see the 55-point game coming, especially after he had a scoreless first period against the Warriors. He ended up 21-of-34 from the field, including 7-of-8 on three-pointers.

"It was just one of those nights when you're on and you just can't miss,'' Jennings said. "The most important thing is we won. It's a pretty good accomplishment.''

If Jennings needed any reminding about that, he received congratulatory text messages after the game from the likes of Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Kevin Durant and Tyson Chandler.

Plenty of NBA players watched the feat. Nuggets All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, who three days earlier had been outscored 32-19 by Jennings in a 108-102 Milwaukee win, said he was riveted to his television.

"That was impressive,'' Billups said. "I was like, 'Wow.' He reminds me of a young (Allen) Iverson. When A.I. was young and he was scoring all those points.''

Comparisons between the two have been making the rounds considering Iverson is 6-foot, 165 pounds and Jennings 169 pounds. Jennings is honored by the comparison since Iverson is his idol, but he believes they are different types of players, with Iverson having been more of a scorer and Jennings more a true point guard.

Charlotte coach Larry Brown, who coached Iverson with Philadelphia from 1997-2003, agrees with Jennings. What impresses Brown is how Jennings, despite his gaudy scoring numbers, remains a pass-first point guard.

"He's a gym rat,'' said Brown, who said he didn't realize Jennings was such a good shooter. "He loves to play. He's got a passion for the game... If he can get to 55 and still be unselfish, (that) puts (Milwaukee) in a good situation.''

Most observers believe Jennings' scoring average will dip once the Bucks get back both Redd, who returned Monday at San Antonio, and Bogut, due back in early December. But Redd, who has averaged more than 21 points in each of the previous six seasons, seems content to watch Jennings have some big scoring games, if that's what it takes.

"I just want to win, man,'' said Redd, who holds the Milwaukee single-game scoring record with 57 points but said he wouldn't have minded had Jennings broke it. "I don't need the 40-point and 30-point games. I've had those and lost so it's all about winning right now.

"It's been great seeing (Jennings) grow, and just seeing him develop and get better.''

Of course, Redd would like to see Jennings develop in another way.

"I tell him to get in the weight room every day,'' Redd said. "Your body goes through so much and right now, it's early in the season. But when January comes around, you don't want to be feeling those aches and pains in the morning.

"If you take care of your body and eat right and stay in the weight room, you'll last long in this league.''

Redd has lasted 10 years, but has seen mostly lean times since Milwaukee's 2001 run to the Eastern Conference finals. Guard Charlie Bell is in his fifth Bucks season, and has seen nothing before close to what Jennings has brought.

"He brings an excitement to the team and to the city of Milwaukee I don't think we've had for a long time,'' Bell said. "There's no doubt in my mind he can be Rookie of the Year.''

There's just one problem. Jennings, who is well ahead of Sacramento's Tyreke Evans' 18.2 average in the rookie scoring race, said that's not the type of hardware he's seeking.

"That's not what I'm playing for,'' Jennings said of trying to become the second Milwaukee player named Rookie of the Year following Abdul-Jabbar, easily the 1969-70 winner when he averaged 28.8 points. "I don't really care if I don't get it. Somebody else can have it. The main thing is just to get to the playoffs.''

Seems Jennings, despite his all of his confidence, is quite happy to let others talk about his recent play. It's not hard to find those willing to offer a sound bite.

"I'd be hard-pressed to find a rookie whose first 10 games were better than (Jennings'),'' said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles, who first entered the NBA as a point guard in 1986. "I'm not aware of anybody in my 20-plus years in the league.''

There was a guy who had a pretty good NBA start shortly before Skiles' arrival. That would be Charlotte executive Michael Jordan, a hotshot rookie in 1984-85 who intently watched Jennings play last Friday in Milwaukee against his Bobcats while declining to offer a comment on the rookie.

But, just in case you're wondering, Jordan's top scoring game as a rookie was 49.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson.

Brandon Jennings Revives the Bucks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Redd Wants to Remain with Bucks

Chris Tomasson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, USA Basketball

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee is cutting costs. With that being no secret, guard Michael Redd doesn't deny there is a possibility he could be traded before his contract expires in the summer of 2011.

But that's not what Redd wants.

"Oh yeah, absolutely,'' Redd said Thursday in an interview with FanHouse about wanting to remain with the Bucks through the life of his deal. "I've been here for 10 years. So I've enjoyed my time here, man, and the team keeps getting better.''

Redd, 30, is making $17.04 million this season and has an $18.3 million early-termination option for next season. It would be a shock if Redd, who has played his entire career with the Bucks since entering the NBA in 2000, opted out.

"Anything is possible,'' Redd said of rumblings he could be dealt. "It's a business. We all know that. So I don't worry about it. I don't concern myself with it. All I can do is keep playing basketball and enjoy where I'm at, enjoy my teammates. Whatever happens, happens.''

The cost-cutting Bucks since June have traded Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for next to nothing, renounced the rights to restricted free agent Charlie Villanueva, making him unrestricted, not matched a Minnesota offer sheet on restricted free agent Ramon Sessions and not picked up the 2010-11 contract option on Joe Alexander.

See Also: Joe Alexander Wants to Be Traded

Redd's big contract and recent health problems could make him difficult to move. But at least the star guard is close to returning to the court after missing 42 of Milwaukee's past 44 regular season games.

Redd sat out the final 35 games last season after suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. After averaging 13.0 points in the first two games this season, Redd has missed the past seven due to left patella strain.

There had been a possibility of Redd returning as soon as Friday against Charlotte. But that was pushed back to a Monday return at San Antonio.

Redd took part in a non-contact practice Thursday. But he said he wants to have a practice with contact before returning, and the next one is expected to be next Tuesday.

"Let me get hit a few times by Andrew (Bogut) and Danny (Gadzuric) and (Francisco Elson), and then we'll be ready to play,'' said Redd, although the Bucks announced late Thursday that Bogut will be out two-to-four weeks with a lower leg injury suffered Wednesday.

Redd, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Beijing, said his health will be play a role on whether he will look to play for Team USA at next summer's World Championships in Turkey.

"If they ask me, I definitely would consider it, man, absolutely,'' Redd said. "I want to be healthy first and to be productive for this team. And then, when I get to that point, if they ask me, we'll definitely talk to them about it. ... I'm definitely open to it. They just haven't talked to me about it.''

A conversation with USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo could be coming soon. Colangelo told FanHouse in September he anticipates by late fall having talked to holdovers from the 2008 Olympic team and assembling a list of 25 candidates for next summer's 12-man roster.

However, it's no guarantee Redd, who averaged just 3.1 points and 9.1 minutes during the Olympics, will get an invitation. Colangelo has acknowledged that "Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer ... and Michael Redd. Those guys will have competition (for a roster spot for Turkey).''

Health permitting and if he's selected, Redd has an interest in remaining with USA Basketball through the 2012 Olympics in London.

"We'll see what happens, but it definitely would be an honor,'' he said. "To experience what we experienced last year winning the gold medal. ... We can all say we would love to play together again.''

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Redd Wants to Remain with Bucks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bucks' Alexander Wants to Be Traded

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:10:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, FanHouse Exclusive

MILWAUKEE -- Two weeks after the third-year option on his rookie contract wasn't picked up, Milwaukee forward Joe Alexander says he wants to be traded.

Alexander's 2010-11 option for $2.76 million was not picked up by the Nov. 2 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. In an interview with FanHouse before Tuesday's win over the Nets at the Bradley Center, Alexander was asked if he believes that means the Bucks could deal him as the February trade deadline approaches.

"They made it pretty clear that they don't see me having a future here,'' said Alexander, the No. 8 pick in the 2008 draft who averaged 4.7 points last season as a rookie. "So I'm assuming a trade would definitely be one of the options.''

Alexander then was asked if he would welcome a trade.

"I mean, yeah,'' he said. "If they don't want me, if they don't see a future with me here, that really is the only other option.''

Alexander missed all of training camp and has sat out the first three weeks of the regular season due to a right hamstring problem. He expects to return in three to four weeks, and anticipates some time after that to have a talk with Bucks brass about wanting to be moved.

"When the time comes, that conversation is going to happen,'' Alexander said. "Exactly what it's going to entail and all the details, I can't say for sure right now. But it'll probably happen.''

Asked by FanHouse about Alexander's desire to be traded, Bucks general manager John Hammond declined comment. Asked if there's a chance he could be dealt before the February deadline, Hammond said, "I don't discuss trades with players on our team.''

The Bucks had high hopes for the 6-foot-8 Alexander when they took him out of West Virginia, selecting him ahead of players such as Brook Lopez, Jason Thompson and Anthony Randolph. Instead, Alexander became the highest first-round pick ever to have his rookie contract option declined after his first season.

"We're hoping that once he becomes healthy he can help our team. His job is to help us win games. And we hope he is capable of doing that."
- John Hammond,
Bucks GM "I was a little surprised,'' said Alexander, making $2.58 million this season. "I didn't think they really had enough time to evaluate me. But, even though I was surprised initially, I just had to move on right away and just look in the future.''

Interestingly, the reason Hammond said Alexander's option wasn't picked up was due to the Bucks not having enough time to evaluate him.

"I just didn't feel like we had a fair evaluation period to make a complete, full evaluation on Joe,'' Hammond said. "The fact that he missed a chunk of training camp last year, didn't play quite as many minutes as we were hoping last season (an average of 12.1 over 59 games) and then, of course, he's missed the entire season to date. It was because of those reasons we made that decision.''

Hammond, though, denied that Alexander isn't considered part of the team's future. He said "absolutely'' there's a chance he could be re-signed for next season.

"We're hoping that once he becomes healthy he can help our team,'' Hammond said of this season. "His job is to help us win games. And we hope he is capable of doing that.''

However, Alexander said Bucks officials "haven't really told me anything'' about any possible future he has with the team.

Despite the tough start to his career, Alexander remains confident he eventually can become an effective NBA player.

"I think it was a combination of myself having a lot to learn and learning very slowly,'' Alexander said of his career getting off to a disappointing start. "When you combine those things, it's a dangerous combination.

"Every career has it ups and downs. Unfortunately, mine hit a low point very early. But I think things are going to pick up.''

Alexander wouldn't mind if they pick up for him with a different team.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

Bucks' Alexander Wants to Be Traded originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NBA HouseCast: Celtics and Lakers Struggle, Brandon Jennings Does Not

Brett Pollakoff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Celtics, Lakers

Welcome to the NBA FanHouse podcast, where our writers get together a few times a week to talk about everything going on in the world of hoops. Want to participate? Leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter @NBAFanHouse.

In a Monday edition of the HouseCast, Matt Moore joined me to break down the reasons for the recent struggles of the Celtics and the Lakers. We also touched on some of the other action from the weekend, including, of course, the incredible 55-point performance from rookie Brandon Jennings on Saturday.

Download MP3

NBA HouseCast: Celtics and Lakers Struggle, Brandon Jennings Does Not originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Brandon Jennings Drops 55 on Warriors

Tom Ziller — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:36:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Warriors

Bucks rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, he of the European diversion, created enough hype to fill up the Bradley Center twice during his first six games, with a 20-point per game average earning Rookie of the Year chatter coast to coast. Suffice it to say Jennings's 55-point outburst Saturday night against (yes) the Warriors will ratchet up to volume of those calls to unbelievable levels.

Jennings dropped 29 points in the third quarter against Golden State, and 45 in the second half for a come-from-behind 129-125 win for Milwaukee. He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Bucks rookie record for points in a game (KAJ, then Lew Alcindor, had 51) and came within a bucket of teammate Michael Redd's single-game franchise record (57). He was three points away from Wilt Chamberlain's NBA rookie record for points in a game.

And of course, Jennings drew rave reviews from his coach Scott Skiles, a former point guard.

Skiles told reporters that Bucks coaches unleashed Jennings at halftime. BJ had only 10 points at halftime, all of them coming in the second quarter.

"We just simplified it. We gave the ball to Brandon and let him go to work. He doesn't force it normally, especially considering he's a rookie.

"It's hard to say this, especially when he gets 29 points in a quarter. But he's not greedy. He's still playing basketball out there; he's not searching for his own. He's trying to help us win the game."

The Warriors passed on Jennings to select guard Stephen Curry with the No. 7 pick last June. Curry scored 14 points in 26 minutes of play against Milwaukee.

Brandon Jennings Drops 55 on Warriors originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Could Las Vegas Be the Next NBA City?

Tim Povtak — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Bucks, Grizzlies, NBA Gambling

You have to give Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman an "A" for persistence. Neither the bad economy, nor the bad publicity from the All-Star Game in 2007 -- or even the stepped-up anti-gambling push after the snake-like Tim Donaghy raised his head -- has deterred Goodman from continuing his push for an NBA franchise.

He does make a lot of sense. Las Vegas really would be NBA heaven.

Goodman at his weekly press conference Thursday brought up the issue again of moving forward with plans for a new downtown arena in hopes of luring an NBA franchise to his city.

Considering Las Vegas has successfully hosted NBA exhibition games for many years, and it has been hosting the NBA-sanctioned Summer League, Vegas really would be a great place for the league to put a franchise.

Many NBA players spend time and money in town there during the off-season. Owners in Vegas would have no trouble luring free agents. And it sure beats Milwaukee or Toronto in January.

"I believe as soon as we have an arena -- this is my belief, I have nothing that is signed in blood, there's no contract -- but I believe we'll have a team,'' Goodman told reporters at his press conference Thursday.

Goodman wants his Las Vegas city council next week to give exclusive contract for the development of a downtown arena project to the Cordish Company, a Baltimore-based real estate developer.

The NBA has long been intrigued by the prospect of adding Las Vegas to its club, but there currently are no plans for expansion beyond the 30 teams it already has and the league keeps discouraging the movement of existing franchises.

Kansas City has been trying for years to get into the NBA mix and it already has a new arena waiting for a tenant. Seattle, which just lost its team to Oklahoma City, has made noise about wanting another team, and possibly building a new arena. Yet Las Vegas -- with a new arena -- would blow everyone else out of the water.

Teams all over the league are looking for ways to cuts costs now. Even commissioner David Stern has said he expects a significant drop in league revenues this season.

Yet Vegas wants to move forward in a bad economy, which really accentuates its desire for a team. Current teams in Charlotte and Memphis are struggling badly to sell tickets, and they likely would welcome a pitch from an arena-ready Las Vegas.

The 2007 All-Star Weekend in Vegas was filled with problems when fans went overboard in their enthusiasm, and the city police weren't ready to handle it. There were fights, shootings and other lawlessness from fans that flooded the city and caught everyone off guard. Yet those were easily correctable problems.

Goodman thinks the NBA would thrive in Las Vegas.

And he's ready to prove it with a new arena.

Could Las Vegas Be the Next NBA City? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

More Suspensions: Austin Daye, Carlos Delfino Will Miss Season Openers

Tom Ziller — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:55:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Pistons

The Pistons have four rookies on the roster. Two of them have been suspended by the league for the season opener because of preseason scuffles. (You are on high alert, DaJuan Summers and Deron Washington!) The league announced today that Austin Daye, Detroit's No. 15 pick in the June draft, will be suspended for the first game of the season due to a fight with Bucks forward Carlos Delfino on Wednesday. Delfino will also miss the opener.

Earlier this week, fellow Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko was suspended one game for a Tuesday altercation with Heat center Jamaal Magloire. Magloire was docked two games. If nothing else, Jerebko and Daye are showing that while the roster has turned over, the ol' Detroit Bad Boys attitude still exists in Motor City.

(While we're on the subject, by the transitive property: Omri Casspi beats up Austin Daye, Austin Daye beats up Carlos Delfino ... therefore Omri Casspi could beat up Carlos Delfino. Can't wait to see that.)

More Suspensions: Austin Daye, Carlos Delfino Will Miss Season Openers originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Replacement Refs Struggle in Detroit

Matt Watson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Heat, Pistons, NBA Referees

For the second game in a row, replacement officials have completely botched routine free-throw procedures in Detroit.

During Monday's game between the Pistons and the Heat, the referees failed to whistle a dead ball after Ben Wallace tossed up an air ball on a free-throw attempt in the first half. Worse yet, in the fourth quarter, the officials allowed Will Bynum, a career 77.8% shooter from the stripe, to shoot free throws for Maceo Baston, only realizing their mistake after Miami's bench complained when Bynum drained them both. After conferring, the officials took the points off the board and sent Baston to the line, where he missed both attempts.

Bynum pleaded innocence after Monday's game, telling FanHouse he heard a referee tell him to take the line. From the officials' perspective, I'm not sure what's worse: Bynum telling a fib, which shows how easily they were fooled; or Bynum telling the truth, which proves that all three refs weren't on the same page. Either way, it looks bad ... but not as bad as what happened Wednesday.

From the recap:

Ersan Ilyasova was fouled while shooting a jumper and awarded two free throws. During the next timeout, more than 90 seconds later, the officials decided he had been taking a 3-pointer, and gave him another shot.

He made it, but [Tayshaun] Prince pointed out that the error was only correctable within 24 seconds, so the point was taken away from Milwaukee.

``I told him that they couldn't change it after five minutes or whatever it was, and he said 'yeah, you're right,''' Prince said. ``Then I had to remind him to tell the scorer's table to take it back off the board.''

So the refs not only blew the initial call, but they didn't know how to fix their mistake, needing a player to set them straight. For some reason, I'm thinking Steve Javie or Dan Crawford gets that right the first time.

Will embarrassing miscues like these force the NBA into a corner and lead to a new deal being struck with the regular referees? Perhaps, but even if a new contract is signed before the start of the regular season, it may be a coincidence.

One popular theory among NBA folk is that the league isn't as concerned about forcing the referees' union into making concessions so much as proving to the players' union that they're willing to play hardball once it comes time to negotiate their deal. It's a risky maneuver from a public relations standpoint, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it's possible.

Consider this: if I didn't tell you about the mistakes made by the replacement crews, would you have heard about them? Hardly anyone attends these games -- arenas are generally half full, regardless of reported attendance figures -- and most teams only have two or three preseason games televised. TV highlights are distilled to a handful of key plays, and sports talk radio is dominated by football and MLB playoffs.

In other words, your average fan won't have a clue how awful the stand-in officials are until the regular season, and even then there's a grace period of at least a month before casual fans really start paying attention, meaning David Stern can make his stand now without massive public outcry. If the interim weren't so abysmal for those of us paying attention, I'd almost say the strategy is genius.

Replacement Refs Struggle in Detroit originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Player to Watch: L.R. Mbah a Moute

Matt Moore — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is not going to set the world on fire. But he's the type of player that can provide the gasoline.

To say Mbah a Moute was under the radar last season is to vastly overestimate the strength of radar systems. Coming out of UCLA, Mbah a Moute was considered a project like so many rookies. He didn't possess the wowzer tangibles (standing only 6-8 and being listed as a power forward will do that to you), didn't stir the senses with playmaking, and was considered a good college player that he might make it with some time.

And then Mbah A Moute actually hit the floor.

Mbah a Moute is the classic tweener. Too small to play power forward, lacking range to play true small forward. But whereas most tweeners tend to slip into the cracks and vanish forever, Mbah a Moute seemed to flourish. He particularly seemed to respond to Scott Skiles' coaching, and his approach as a hard-nosed, never complain, never miss a game (played all 82 last year) player earned him Skiles' favor, with Mbah a Moute starting for 52 games last year. And while he's neither a true power forward nor true small forward (who is these days?), he's able to play both positions and create a few matchup problems in the process.

To say that Mbah a Moute doesn't have any tangibles is an overstatement, since his wingspan was measured at seven feet, even though his height without shoes was only 6'5" and three quarters. His arms give him the ability to be constantly active in passing lanes and around the basket, while his basketball IQ fills in the rest. His per-36 numbers aren't the stuff of legend (10.1 points, 8.3 boards, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, .8 blocks), but they're also nothing to sneeze at. You have a player who was splitting time with Charlie Villanueva and Joe Alexander plugging in a considerable contribution. Again, the objective when evaluating Mbah a Moute is not to look at him as an All-Star, but part of a foundation for the Bucks.

The Bucks are kind of a mess right now. They let their two best players from last season (with Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut on the shelf for almost all of it) walk in free agency. They added Hakim Warrick and Brandon Jennings, but those are hardly the kind of players that can turn a franchise around (though Jennings at least holds the possibility). The Bucks are looking to the future, to putting together a contending team when the superstar does walk through that door (or Jennings emerges as such a player), and having a player like Mbah a Moute is one less question mark. You know what you're getting with him, and that's not something to be undervalued in today's league. He provides consistent effort, on both sides of the floor, something you rarely see in rookies. Throw in his rise as a fan favorite and the possibility of extended growth in the box score as his range and fundamentals develop, and you have a player who could be the swing vote in some games for the Bucks this season. Besides, doesn't a fast break with Jennings, Warrick and Mbah a Moute inspire the slightest of a rise in pulse?

Mbah a Moute doesn't have the position on lockdown, with Carlos Delfino in the mix along with the bevy of featureless forwards the Bucks employ. But if he maintains the work ethic he had last season and continues his development, he could cement himself as a pivotal cog on a team that hopes to be on the rise.

Player to Watch: L.R. Mbah a Moute originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse Preview: Bucks

Matt Watson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, NBA Preseason, NBA Previews

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The Bucks were awful last year, but at least they had an excuse: Michael Redd, the team's leading scorer six years and counting, and Andrew Bogut, the franchise center who signed a $72 million extension before last season, each missed more than half of the season with injury.

The good news? Both players are healthy entering camp and should be primed to make up for lost time. The bad news? GM John Hammond has rebooted the supporting cast in their absence, trading Richard Jefferson to the Spurs in a cost-cutting maneuver while losing Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions to free agency.

When a fifth-place team loses three of its top four scorers and doesn't even receive a legitimate starter to show for it, you know it's going to be a long year.

That's not to say Hammond doesn't have a plan; even if last year's core stayed healthy, the most they could have looked forward to was a first-round exit in the playoffs. Instead, they missed the postseason and earned the right to draft Brandon Jennings, who matured beyond his 20 years when he played professionally in Europe last season.

Jennings won't be handed the starting job on a silver platter -- Scott Skiles has preferred safe veterans over flashy youngsters his entire coaching career -- but this season is clearly dedicated to rebuilding and Jennings has the talent to develop into a franchise cornerstone.

The Bucks aren't so sure about last year's lottery pick, Joe Alexander, drafted eighth overall. While it's certainly not too late for Alexander to salvage his career, he's struggled to stay healthy long enough to compete with Luc Mbah a Moute, the 37th overall pick in 2008 who started 52 games as a rookie.

With Alexander not even practicing because of a strained hamstring, Mbah a Moute started the preseason opener alongside 22-year-old Ersan Ilyasova, who returned to Milwaukee on a three-year contract after spending the last two years polishing his game with FC Barcelona.

While Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova and, yes, even Alexander, represent Milwaukee's youth movement, veterans Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson are still lurking in the shadows, looking to soak up whatever frontcourt minutes are available. You'd like to see the youngsters given every chance to fail, but Skiles is too competitive to think beyond what will help him win the next game, which helps explain his affinity for safe point guards and creaky big men.

With a 34-48 record, the Bucks finished 2008-09 a mere five games out of the playoffs -- but it may as well have been 50. The East will be even more competitive this year, especially with the Raptors and Wizards, who finished with 33 and 19 wins, respectively, leapfrogging the Bucks back the playoff picture after productive offseasons. Even if the Bucks finally stay healthy, they're at least a season or two away from returning to relevance.

Last Season By the Numbers

Record: 34-48 under Scott Skiles. Finished 5th in the Central Division, tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Offense: 106.7 points per 100 possessions, 23rd in the NBA. 25th in shooting, 15th in turnover rate, 9th in offensive rebounding, 11th in free throw rate.

Defense: 107.9 points per 100 possessions, 15th in the NBA. 17th in shooting defense, 1st in opponent turnover rate, 12th in defensive rebounding, 30th in opponent free throw rate.

Top Performers: Michael Redd led the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game, but only played 33 games because of injury. Richard Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game, and Charlie Villanueva averaged 16.2 points per game. Neither will wear a Bucks uniform this season. Ramon Sessions averaged 5.7 assists per game (he is now a Wolf) and Luke Ridnour averaged 5.1 assists. Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut averaged 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, but played only 36 games because of injury.

All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.

Player to Watch

FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Moore's post on Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

To say Mbah a Moute was under the radar last season is to vastly overestimate the strength of radar systems. Coming out of UCLA, Mbah a Moute was considered a project like so many rookies. He didn't possess the wowzer tangibles (standing only 6-8 and being listed as a power forward will do that to you), didn't stir the senses with playmaking, and was considered a good college player that he might make it with some time.

And then Mbah A Moute actually hit the floor.

See Moore's full post on Mbah a Moute.

Offseason Tracker

IN: Brandon Jennings (draft), Kurt Thomas (trade), Ersan Ilyasova (free agency), Jodie Meeks (draft), Roko Ukic (trade), Carlos Delfino (sign-and-trade), Hakim Warrick (free agency)

OUT: Richard Jefferson (trade), Charlie Villanueva (free agency), Ramon Sessions (free agency).

FanHouse Preview: Bucks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Tip-Off Timer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and His Skyhook Own the Record Book

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Lakers

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Saturday, there are 38 days remaining.

Before Jerry Rice made shambles of NFL marks and before Wayne Gretzky was done tearing up the NHL, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was doing a skyhook on the NBA record book.

The big fellow scored an NBA-record 38,387 points in a 20-year career that spanned from 1969-89.

The number 38 figures prominently in a few other Abdul-Jabbar accomplishments. It was 38 years ago he won his first of six NBA titles, and the 7-foot-2 center was 38 when he won his second of two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards.

But the 38,000-plus points Abdul-Jabbar scored remains the most mind-numbing statistic from his amazing
career. When he retired, he had scored nearly 7,000 more points than Wilt Chamberlain, whose record he broke in 1984, and his total remains more than 1,400 ahead of Karl Malone, now runner-up on the list.

"Nobody's going to break that record,'' said Hall of Fame forward and two-time scoring champion Adrian Dantley, who was Abdul-Jabbar's teammate with the Lakers from 1977-79 and played against him often.

Then Dantley paused.

"Maybe LeBron,'' he said.

Indeed the Cleveland sensation has a shot at toppling that record in a dozen or so years. But Dantley believes LeBron James breaking it would come with a bit of an asterisk.

"He entered the NBA right out of high school,'' Dantley said. "He'd have four years (on Abdul-Jabbar who played four years at UCLA), coming in at 18 rather than 22.''

Still, it would take some pretty impressive longevity by James to get there. If James, who has 12,993 points in six seasons, continues at that pace, he would break Abdul-Jabbar's mark late in his 18th season of 2020-21 when he's 36.

But James, who has a career average of 27.5, might slow down with his scoring in his mid-30s. There could be injuries or even another NBA lockout. So perhaps it will take a 19th or 20th season to get there.

Yet will James, who is now heading to Hollywood to do a movie and should have more money in his 30s than the gross national product of some small countries, want to play that many seasons?

"If I continue to get better and stay healthy, that's the main thing,'' James said last season when asked that question. "If you continue to stay healthy in this league, you can play for a long time.''"He was great. He was the greatest scorer ever."
-- Adrian Dantley

Abdul-Jabbar sure proved that. He won his first NBA title in 1971 with Milwaukee and added five more with the Lakers in the 1980s, the last one in 1988 when he was 41. He won a record six MVP trophies.

One of Abdul-Jabbar's most memorable performances came in 1985 when he was 38 and many thought he was getting near the end of the line. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, host Boston crushed the Lakers 148-114 in the "Memorial Day Massacre,'' and Abdul-Jabbar looked ancient as he was held to 12 points and three rebounds.

But Abdul-Jabbar must have found the Fountain of Youth somewhere near the Charles River. He averaged 28.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in the final five games as the Lakers won the series 4-2, and Abdul-Jabbar became the oldest man ever named Finals MVP.

Abdul-Jabbar didn't stop there. He averaged 23.4 points the next season, when he would turn 39. In 1988, when he was 41, he hit two key last-second free throws to beat Detroit in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and the Lakers won the series in seven games.

"He was great,'' said Dantley, who remembers the 1988 Finals only too well since he was on the losing end, and is now an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets. "He was the greatest scorer ever, and he shot the skyhook. That's why I always try to teach people the hook.''

Teaching the type of longevity Abdul-Jabbar had is an entirely different story.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Tip-Off Timer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and His Skyhook Own the Record Book originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bucks Won't Match Sessions' Offer Sheet

Matt Steinmetz — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Timberwolves

It's official: Ramon Sessions is heading to Minnesota.

Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed to the Journal Sentinel earlier that he will not match the Minnesota Timberwolves' four-year, $16.4 million offer sheet for Sessions.

The Timberwolves signed Sessions to an offer sheet after they failed to lure point guard Ricky Rubio, whom they selected with the No. 5 pick in the June draft, over to the NBA from Europe.

What it came down to for the Bucks was an unwillingness to go over the luxury tax, which is what would have happened had they matched the offer for Sessions. Earlier this week, Hammond told FanHouse that he was exploring ways to shed payroll in an effort to match Sessions' offer -- another report indicated the Bucks were in talks with the Mavs -- but obviously a deal couldn't be struck.

Matching for Sessions also would have made for a full-fledged glut at the point guard position. The Bucks are already sitting with Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Roko Ukic.

Flashback: Talking With Ramon Sessions

Sessions would seem to be a nice fit for the Timberwolves because of his ability to play both guard spots. At 6-foot-3, Sessions has the size to defend two-guards, which will likely come in handy considering he'll be paired in the backcourt for long stretches with 6-foot-0 rookie Jonny Flynn.

Sessions averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists last year for the Bucks and as a restricted free agent had drawn interest from a variety of teams.

Bucks Won't Match Sessions' Offer Sheet originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Could Mavs Swap Lead Bucks to Match Offer for Sessions?

Tom Ziller — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Mavericks, Timberwolves, NBA Rumors

The agent for Ramon Sessions has told FanHouse he does not expect Milwaukee to match Minnesota's four-year, $16 million offer sheet for the point guard. But a new trade rumor leaves open the possibility that Milwaukee is trying to cut enough salary to fit Sessions back into the equation.

DallasBasketball.com reports that the Mavericks are discussing a deal to send Greg Buckner to Milwaukee. Buckner is a great little asset right now: he's on the books for $8.2 million over two seasons. But only $2 million of that is guaranteed. If his team waives him by November 30, Buckner is only owed $1 million this season -- and that applies to the cap space he takes up.

DB.com proposes Buckner to Milwaukee for veteran big Kurt Thomas, who could certainly help the Mavs. The trade (and a waiving of Buckner by the Bucks) would allow Milwaukee to match the Sessions offer without exceeding the luxury tax thresold. The Bucks have until the end of Friday to make a decision on Sessions.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Buckner trade has to get consummated Friday -- teams have until the trade deadline, effectively, to sneak under the tax threshold. Provided Bucks GM John Hammond feels comfortable that he can make a deal to get under the tax, using Buckner or one of the three teams currently under the salary cap, he can match Sessions and worry about the rest later.

Hammond may not be in such a position of faith, though. Earlier this week he told FanHouse's Chris Tomasson that the Bucks will absolutely not pay the tax this season.

Thomas has still proven to be a valuable defender, despite his advanced age. (He'll turn 37 during the preseason.) He was arguably the Spurs' second best defender last season; San Antonio desperately needed offensive help, and swapped away Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto in exchange for Richard Jefferson. The Mavericks' frontline currently features Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier, Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas (seriously) and Nathan Jawai.

Could Mavs Swap Lead Bucks to Match Offer for Sessions? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ramon Sessions' Agent Doesn't Expect Bucks to Match Minnesota Offer Sheet

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:15:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Timberwolves, NBA Rumors, FanHouse Exclusive

Barring an unexpected 11th-hour move by Milwaukee, guard Ramon Sessions soon will be a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Sessions, a restricted free agent, last Friday signed a four-year, $16-million offer sheet with the Timberwolves that the Bucks have until the close of the business day Friday to match. Sessions' agent, James "Chubby'' Wells, doesn't believe they will.

"We don't think they're going to match,'' Wells told FanHouse on Wednesday. "That would put them in luxury-tax territory. I feel pretty confident that they're not going to match."

Wells said he has been in regular contact with Bucks general manager John Hammond. While Hammond said no final decision has been on Sessions, he did say the Bucks do not plan to exceed the luxury-tax threshold of $69.92 million this season, meaning they would need to make a deal to shed salary in order to match the offer sheet.

"That's been our stance since July 1. We've made a couple of moves to avoid going into the tax, and we're not going to consider that,'' Hammond said in an interview with FanHouse about not matching the offer on Sessions if the Bucks can't be sure they would remain under the tax line.

But Hammond didn't rule out the Bucks swinging a late deal to shed additional dollars.

"We're going to explore all our options until Friday,'' Hammond said. "We've had discussions with other teams about scenarios.''

Those close to the situation, though, said the Bucks believe the Timberwolves, in today's economy, overpaid a bit for Sessions. He will make $3.8 million next season, and can opt out of the fourth year of the contract.

The 6-foot-3 Sessions, who can play both guard spots, averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists in his second season. The Bucks believe he is expendable as their future point guard due to having taken Brandon Jennings with the No. 10 pick in June's draft.

Minnesota is looking at having Sessions at times play shooting guard alongside rookie point guard Jonny Flynn. The Timberwolves further beefed up their guard corps Wednesday when they acquired combo guard Antonio Daniels from New Orleans and a 2014 second-round pick for guard Bobby Brown and forward Darius Songaila.

With rookie shooting guard Wayne Ellington still adjusting to the NBA, new Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis could go with a three-guard rotation of Flynn, Sessions and Daniels.

"He's a competitor,'' Wells said of how he expects Sessions to fit into Minnesota's backcourt. "He's going to work hard. They've got a good young team there, and (Sessions) is enthusiastic.''

His enthusiasm on joining the Timberwolves should become official Friday.

Ramon Sessions' Agent Doesn't Expect Bucks to Match Minnesota Offer Sheet originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sessions, Minnesota Agree to Offer Sheet

Matt Steinmetz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:50:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Timberwolves

Come 2011 or 2012, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to have a hell of a rotation at point guard.

Everybody's favorite new maverick GM, David Kahn, got over Ricky Rubio's rebuff in a hurry and went out and signed restricted free agent Ramon Sessions to a four-year, $16 million offer sheet, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Sessions, who played in Milwaukee last season, has been hanging out there all summer, drawing interest from a number of teams but never quite receiving that elusive offer. Until, that is, Rubio did his number on the Timberwolves.

The Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks had been making overtures to Sessions much of the offseason. But after Kahn failed in his bid to lure Rubio over from Europe, he turned his attention to Sessions and turned it there with urgency.

"It came up kind of fast," Sessions' agent, Chubby Wells, said. "We were working on a couple of other things, but we weren't going to wait around."

The Bucks are not expecting to match the offer; if they do, they're looking at luxury tax implications. The Bucks are also sitting with rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Roko Ukic.

Sessions has a player option on the fourth year of the deal, which could be right around the time Rubio decides to come over. Rubio is certain to not play in the NBA for at least two years, but there also seems to be significant financial incentive for him to wait three years.

That kind of uncertainy forced Kahn to seek out Sessions, who will take much of the point guard pressure off rookie Jonny Flynn.

Kahn took a lot of heat for drafting two point guards -- Rubio and Flynn -- with the No. 5 and No. 6 picks, respectively, in the June draft, but has maintained all along that those two players could play together.

Maybe so. But the next question might be: Can Flynn, Rubio and Sessions play together in a three-guard rotation?

Sessions, Minnesota Agree to Offer Sheet originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Timberwolves Become New Rumored Bidder for Ramon Sessions

Tom Ziller — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:46:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Clippers, Knicks, Timberwolves, NBA Rumors

At what point does Jonny Flynn become insulted?

Sure, Timberwolves capo David Kahn made fierce Flynn the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft, higher than Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday or Ty Lawson. But that pick came after Kahn already took a point guard, Mr. Ricky Rubio. Kahn proceeded to spend all summer trying to get Ricky to actually come play for the Wolves. (It didn't work.)

Now, as Rubio's rejection has seemingly made Flynn's path to the starting lineup clear, there's one more potential roadblock. Gerry Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times reports that Kahn may soon be presenting restricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions with an offer sheet.

Of course, Minnesota clearly needs another point guard: Flynn is a rookie, Bobby Brown might as well be one (he played sparingly and poorly as a rookie for Sacramento and 'Sota last season) and Kahn has already implied Chucky Atkins will never suit up in a Wolves kit. The issue is that massive point guard depth right now -- beyond Flynn, the team has no one for this season.

The issue is pecking order, depth chart. Rubio Plus Flynn was a problem because neither can play two-guard (Flynn is 5'10, Rubio currently shoots deep jumpers as well as Mark Madsen). Flynn Plus Sessions is a problem because Sessions is a starrish young point guard, and Flynn is -- again -- a point guard only. Sure, the Wolves need more two-guards too. But are you really going to flip cash for Sessions to play him off the ball? He has made nine three-pointers in his NBA career, and he's a rather inefficient and infrequent scorer for a ball-dominant playmaker. He's a point guard.

If the idea is to let Flynn mature, great. Point guards don't need to start from Day 1. But at some point, when they are ready, they need to take over. Deron Williams wasn't ready for Jerry Sloan's pick-and-roll offense on Day 1 ... but he figured it out, and Brevin Knight had to clear the way. Can you really clear a young and potentially pricey stud like Sessions out of the way for a budding Flynn? And how long do you wait before making the change? And what do you in two years if, as Flynn finally takes over, Rubio decides he's really ready this time to come to the NBA?

Having extra talent is no bad idea, and the Wolves backcourt is, on the whole, anemic. At this point, Sessions isn't going to be getting a massive offer sheet from Kahn -- in all likelihood, Sessions will be paid fairly for his potential, if not his production. Kahn hasn't been a complete disaster, as some insist -- his entry in the Quentin Richardson Experiment actually saved the team some payroll, which isn't always easy in the summer.

But the toying around with Flynn's status is mind-melting. Human spirits matter, and I can't imagine Flynn's Very Important Head is filled with good thoughts given the travails of this Timberwolf summer.

Timberwolves Become New Rumored Bidder for Ramon Sessions originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bucks' Mbah a Moute Proves NBA Outreach Really Does Matter

Tom Ziller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Kings, NBA Fans

When Luc Richard Mbah a Moute meets Africa's top youth players in Johannesburg Wednesday, he'll understand their anxiety and their hopes. Just six years ago, Mbah a Moute was in their shoes.

The Bucks forward is with an NBA contingent in South Africa this week as part of the Basketball Without Borders program. Cameroon native Mbah a Moute has joined Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki and others on the sojourn to lead a group of 60 top African youth players in five days of basketball clinics and life-skills seminars.

In the summer of 2003, a 17-year-old Mbah a Moute was one of those campers. He credits the program with helping him get to the NBA.

Mbah a Moute said while he had watched Michael Jordan rule basketball in the 1990s, the Africa 100 program (which became Basketball Without Borders) brought the NBA into his immediate consciousness.

"It meant so much to us, to see and touch NBA players," Mbah a Moute told FanHouse before departing for Johannesburg. Among the NBA players appearing at the 2003 camp were Senegal's DeSagana Diop, Cameroon's Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and, of course, Congolese legend Dikembe Mutombo.

Though Mbah a Moute didn't play organized basketball until age 15, the sport was a part of his life from a young age. He'd get up early to watch Chicago Bulls games; like so many children of the '90s (myself included), Luc was enamored with MJ. The soaring leaps, the smooth shot, the ferocious energy.

But the success of Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon made the NBA dreams of youngsters from all corners of Africa seem a bit more tangible. That's what Mbah a Moute hopes to offer in Johannesburg this week.

"I just want to bring hope, that if a kid like me can do it, so can they," he said.

Further east, some 48 youth players in Indonesia were recently given the same sort of pep talk, albeit from a non-native player. Indonesia has never produced an NBA player. But that didn't stop the players at the Indonesia Development Camp, put on by the DetEksi Basketball League and NBA Asia, from embracing Kings star Kevin Martin as one of their own.

Martin arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia, in time for the championship game of the DBL, which is Indonesia's top student league. DBL commissioner Azrul Ananda said the 5,000 fans in attendance greeted Martin by chanting his name.

For his part, Martin returned the love. The King, who brought his 75-year-old grandmother Maxine on the trip, ended the development camp by donating his $15,000 NBA stipend back to the DBL to help pay for the students' trip to a competition in Perth, Australia.

These events may not register on fans' radars -- sure, we see the NBA Cares promos and we watch stars hand charities oversized checks during All-Star weekend. I'm sure most of us roll our eyes. "With all that money, you're supposed to give back."

But this outreach really does amazing things for kids all over the world. Ask Mbah a Moute. Ask the kids of the DBL.

Bucks' Mbah a Moute Proves NBA Outreach Really Does Matter originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Brandon Jennings Talks About Playing in Italy, His Jersey Number and More

Elie Seckbach — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, NBA Draft, NBA Videos, Interviews

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Brandon Jennings, drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, is poised to make a splash in the NBA. His numbers in high school were very impressive, but he made headlines last summer when he skipped college and signed with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian league. In this exclusive video, we talk to Brandon about his upcoming season, why he decided to go play in Italy and more.

Check out the video after the jump.

Brandon Jennings Talks About Playing in Italy, His Jersey Number and More originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Tip-Off Timer: How '69 Coin Flip Cursed The Phoenix Suns

Tim Povtak — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:05:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Suns, NBA Draft

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Wednesday, there are 69 days remaining.

It's been 40 years since Phoenix Suns executive Jerry Colangelo last called "heads" in a coin flip. And it still haunts the franchise today.

When that Kennedy half-dollar landed on "tails" in the NBA office that spring day, it meant that the Milwaukee Bucks - and not the Suns - would get the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NBA Draft.

The Bucks selected celebrated UCLA center Lew Alcindor, who won a championship in his second season, changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and won five more titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer and won six Most Valuable Player Awards before his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Suns got the No. 2 pick, which became center Neal Walk of Florida.

It was the most costly lost coin flip in sports history. Some say it produced the curse that has dogged the Suns ever since.

Under Colangelo's leadership, Phoenix became a very successful, well-run franchise -- winning at least 50 games 19 times, including three seasons of more than 60 wins -- but it never has won a championship.

"We were shell-shocked,'' Colangelo said earlier this year when reflecting back on losing the coin flip. "I just felt like we were going to win the flip. We had taken a group of young guys in the expansion draft who would have fit perfectly with him (Alcindor). We would have been in prime position to have a good long run.''

Instead the Suns got Walk, who became the symbol of the franchise's frustration - often referred to as a booby prize -- although he didn't deserve that tag. He became a reliable and better-than-average NBA center. In five seasons with the Suns, he missed only two games combined. In his fourth season, he averaged 20.2 points and 12.4 rebounds. The Suns reached the playoffs only once with him at center.

Lost in the loss of the '69 coin flip for Alcindor was the fact that the Suns won another coin flip two months later with Seattle when they were awarded the rights to Connie Hawkins, who had sued the league to gain entry after being banned. Hawkins, the New York City playground legend, became a four-time All-Star with the Suns.

Walk was traded to New Orleans in 1974, then played three more seasons with the Jazz and the New York Knicks before finishing his basketball career unceremoniously in Europe.

Walk today works in the Suns community relations department. He has been a paraplegic since 1988 after surgery to remove a tumor surrounding his spine. He went on to play wheelchair basketball and in 1990 was honored by President George H.W. Bush as the Wheelchair Athlete of the Year.

Abdul-Jabbar works today in player development with the Lakers, still hoping to become a head coach in the NBA.

Tip-Off Timer: How '69 Coin Flip Cursed The Phoenix Suns originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Sports Greats Past and Present Get Together for a Great Cause

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Celtics, Clippers, Hornets, Lakers, Suns, NBA Awards, NBA Draft, NBA Videos, Interviews, NBA Twitter, FanHouse Exclusive, NBA Coaches

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

For the past nine years the Harold Pump Foundation, created by David and Dana Pump (known as the gurus of high school and college basketball) has raised over $3.5 million dollars to fight cancer. The foundation's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Major stars such as Magic Johnson, Paul Pierce, Sugar Ray Leonard, Pete Sampras and Denzel Washington have all joined the Pump brothers. In this report we also hear from young NBA stars like Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, and Blake Griffin.

Check out the video after the jump.

Sports Greats Past and Present Get Together for a Great Cause originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments