Atlantic Notes: Shumpert, Sixers, Celtics
The latest news and notes from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks could use Iman Shumpert and Amare Stoudemire in their lineup, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Jrue Holiday, who signed a four-year extension last month, is so far rewarding the confidence the Sixers showed in him, observes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- John Rohde of the Oklahoman catches up with former Thunder guard Royal Ivey, now with the Sixers.
- Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes that Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger is motivated by his slide out of the draft lottery.
- The Boston Herald also catches up with Glen Davis, who finds Magic coach Jacque Vaughn a nice change of pace from the Celtics' Doc Rivers.
Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Stoudemire, Wallace, Brooks
The main motivation the Celtics had for signing veteran guard Leandro Barbosa was his ability to score. According to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, they may be getting more than they bargained for.
- As Damian Lillard makes his first trip to Brooklyn, the Nets are left to wonder what could have been had they not traded for Gerald Wallace, writes the New York Times' Benjamin Hoffman.
- Again from the New York Times, Beckley Mason talks about the Knicks fortune without Amare Stoudemire.
- Nets second year guard MarShon Brooks is getting inconsistent playing time so far this season, and the New York Post's Tim Bontemps tries to figure out why.
Injury Notes: Stoudemire, Wizards, Lowry
In the early goings of the 2012/13 season, several high-profile players have sustained injuries. Here are the latest updates on some of these players:
- Mike Woodson told ESPNNewYork.com that Amar'e Stoudemire is still expected to return to the Knicks in mid-December. Woodson would not say whether Stoudemire will start.
- Nene said last week that he was roughly three weeks away from returning to the Wizards, but it's possible he makes his season debut at some point this week, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Lee notes that John Wall is making progress as well.
- Kyle Lowry returned to the Raptors Tuesday night following an ankle injury, although Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes that he looked rusty.
- Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's a week away from returning from a foot injury.
Atlantic Notes: Woodson, Bynum, Celtics
Knicks coach Mike Woodson has the team off to its first 4-0 start since the 1993-94 season, but their promising start hasn't been without some sacrifices from the players. J.R. Smith, who originally wanted to be a starter at the beginning of training camp, had to concede to accepting a sixth man role. Kurt Thomas, who started three of the team's pre-season games, recorded his first DNP-CD last night against the Mavericks. Al Iannazonne of Newsday explores how Woodson resiliency has meshed with his players' desire to win and thus given them early success.
Here's the rest of what we're hearing out of the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Near the end of this article, Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News mentions that the 76ersare becoming a little "panicky" about when Andrew Bynum will finally be able to make his debut for the team.
- In a separate article, Lawrence provides an update on the injured Amare Stoudemire, saying that the Knicks forward may not be ready until late December.
- Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe examines the struggles of the Celtics when Kevin Garnett is on the bench and the need for other players to shoulder the load.
- Kristie Ackert of the NY Daily News writes about Joe Johnson's "inconsistent" transition with the Nets and how he feels that the players still need some time to become acclimated with each other.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York describes some key factors behind the Knicks' efficiency, particularly with Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton as their starting back court.
- Eric Koreen of the National Post details the ripple effect that Kyle Lowry's ankle injury has had on the Raptors thus far.
Atlantic Buzz: Lopez, Camby, Amare, Green
No teams in the Atlantic division play on this quiet Thursday night, but the 2-2 76ers will visit the 2-2 Celtics tomorrow night in Boston. If the Knicks are anywhere as good as they've looked through two games, both of these teams will need every win they can get if they want to keep pace. After a grueling seven-game series last spring, Dei Lynam of CSN Philly says that the Sixers are excited to renew the historic rivalry in 2012. Here is what else is going on in the Atlantic:
- The Nets' Brook Lopez said he didn't let the possibility of going to Orlando for Dwight Howard distract him in the offseason, tweets Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports. Said Lopez, "It is what it is. I don't pay attention to sports media every day and watch TV and go on ESPN.com or anything like that. If my name was out there, I didn't really know it too much. I obviously knew of the situation. I didn't let it both me that much."
- Marcus Camby, one of several veterans additions to the Knicks, will make his season debut on Friday, writes Ian Begley of ESPN New York. Like many of the older Knicks, expect Mike Woodson to monitor Camby's minutes closely.
- According to Keith Schlosser of the Knicks Journal, Woodson hinted on a recent radio appearance that once $100MM man Amare Stoudemire is healthy, he will need to be eased back into the Knicks lineup, especially considering the team's early success. Schlosser opines that this could mean coming off the bench while he acclimates to Carmelo Anthony's new role as a post presence.
- Doc Rivers wants more out of Jeff Green, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston. Green is a bit more introverted than many of his teammates, but nevertheless Rivers says he needs to be better and the team needs to figure out a way to unlock his abilities.
Eastern Notes: Stoudemire, Fesenko, DeRozan
Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire will miss at least the first six weeks of the season with a previously diagnosed knee injury, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
On the eve of opening day, here are a few bits of other news from around the league.
- Recently waived by the Bulls, center Kyrylo Fesenko will work out for the Hawks on Tuesday, according to a tweet from RealGM.com's Shams Charania.
- DeMar DeRozan won't be receiving a contract extension before tomorrow's deadline, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to continue his career with the Raptors, writes The Toronto Star's Doug Smith.
- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers went on Boston's Sports Hub radio station to say that he did in fact reach out to current Heat guard Ray Allen when free agency started in July, but that the future Hall of Famer didn't return his calls.
Odds & Ends: Varejao, Harden, Chandler, Stoudemire
Here are a few bits of news on this Friday evening:
- Hoopsworld.com's Stephen Brotherston wonders if Anderson Varejao will play center for the Cavaliers this season.
- The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry tweets that he believes the chances of James Harden signing an extension with the Thunder are 0.2%.
- According to the New York Daily News' Frank Isola, Amare Stoudemire is seeking a second opinion on his knee injury, and could miss as much as a month of the season.
- On the other end of the spectrum, Knicks center Tyson Chandler is convinced he'll play on opening night after suffering a leg injury this week, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- Hornets guard Eric Gordon has spent his brief career on the sidelines with myriad of injuries. This season he looks forward to hopefully playing a full 82 games, writes Hoopsworld.com's Bill Ingram.
- The Thunder have one open position left on their opening day roster, and four players—Andy Rautins, Daniel Orton, DeAndre Liggins, and Hollis Thompson—are fighting for it, reports The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
Knicks Notes: Amare, Copeland, Point, Prigioni
Carmelo Anthony makes his return to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse tomorrow night when they take on the Sixers in their fifth preseason game. The Knicks currently stand at 2-2, but announced today that Amare Stoudemire will miss two to three weeks with a ruptured cyst behind his left knee. While the time period isn't devastating, it is another medical issue for the oft-injured Stoudemire. Here are some other notes from the Knicks preseason:
- Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York posts his reaction to the Stoudemire news, reiterating that it is not a serious injury and the time off may help a knee that was still recovering from a bone bruise on October 10. Zwerling also says to expect Kurt Thomas to start and Chris Copeland to make the team.
- Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com mentions Copeland and Steve Novak as two candidates to step up in Stoudemire's absence. On Saturday night, Copeland exploded for 34 points in Boston on 11-for-18 shooting and has impressed throughout the preseason.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld takes a look at the Knicks point guard situation, where the team has replaced Jeremy Lin with a trio of veteran guards that have 42 combined years of pro hoops experience in Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.
- Speaking of Prigioni, Nate Taylor from the New York Times writes that Suns big man and fellow Argentinian Luis Scola gave him the final push that he needed to come over from the Euroleague and join the Knicks. Prigioni, at 35, is the oldest rookie to enter the NBA in the last 40 years.
Injury Notes: Lowry, Clark, Deng, Stoudemire
Earlier we discussed Andrew Bynum's knee, which has lingered as a legitimate news item longer than Sixers fans would like. Now, here's a look towards other injury situations throughout the league as we head into the regular season, just a short two weeks away.
- New Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry looks to make his debut with the team on Wednesday night, reports Jay Satur from Raptors.com. Lowry has been battling a groin injury this offseason.
- Lakers forward Earl Clark is out indefintely with a groin injury, reports ESPNLA.com's Andy Kamenetzky. Clark came over from Orlando in the Dwight Howard trade earlier this summer.
- Recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee, Amare Stoudemire plans to make his preseason debut on Friday, reports Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
- After sitting out last Friday night's preseason game with a sore groin, Bulls forward Luol Deng will play Tuesday night against the Bucks, reports ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell.
- Still recovering from a platelet-rich plasma injection he received in September, Pacers forward Danny Granger is aiming to make a return for the last two games of the preseason, reports Pacers.com writer Mark Montieth.
Knicks Notes: Brewer, Novak, Chandler
In less than two months, the Knicks will travel across town to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to face the Nets in the 2012/13 season opener. It'll be the start of what the NBA is hoping will be a renewed rivalry, and former Knicks president Donnie Walsh is fascinated to see how it plays out.
"I think it’s going to be an unbelievable rivalry," Walsh told Fred Kerber of the New York Post. "The Knicks still will have their fans but the Nets now have an entire borough. And Manhattan and Brooklyn have always been rivals…. Even when New Jersey was really good, the rivalry wasn’t there. This is fantastic for the city, great for Brooklyn. Knick fans are loyal but there are enough people in Brooklyn to support a second team."
Here are a few more of today's Knicks-related items:
- Howard Beck of the New York Times reports that Ronnie Brewer will miss six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee (Twitter link).
- Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld writes that the Knicks will certainly be an older team this season, but it remains to be seen whether or not they'll be a better team.
Earlier updates:
- Walsh also told Kerber that he likes the Knicks' roster, and doesn't buy the popular theory that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire can't play together.
- In a Q&A with Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, Steve Novak discusses his role, his goals for the season, and the challenge of playing in what could be the NBA's toughest division.
- The Knicks have new attitudes to go along with their new uniforms, according to Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post. Within the piece, Tyson Chandler praises his teammates for being willing to give up a month of their summers to participate in a "pre-training camp" starting next week. Chandler also noted that not having to deal with a lockout this summer should put him in far better position heading into his second season with the Knicks.