Weekly Report: Awards and Injury Updates
Paul and Love Return in Match-up
Chris Paul returned to action and Kevin Love saw his first action of the 09-10 season last night. Love played well in limited minutes as a reserve. He pitched in 11 rebounds to go along with his 11 points. Perhaps most impressive of the big man was his ability to step out and knockdown the long ball as he went two out of three from distance last night. Chris Paul looked great with no real signs of being anything less than 100%. The Hornets looked like a whole different team out there with their floor general back leading the charge. Albeit against an extremely weak Minnesota squad, the Hornets looked very crisp getting contributions from several players—something that has been lacking since Paul went down.
Bogut’s Back
Andrew Bogut came back from his injury earlier than expected when he returned to the hardwood earlier this week. Bogut had a terrific comeback game against the Chicago Bulls with 22 points and 15 boards to go along with 3 assists, 3 steals, and four blocks. This was by far Andrew’s best performance of the season so far. He has had more pedestrian numbers the past couple of games since but the Bucks are optimistic that he still can be the franchise big man they had hoped he’d turn into when they drafted him first overall in ’05.
Harpring Hanging it Up?
The Georgia Tech Alum has announced that he will be out for the remainder of the season. Given his age, it would not surprise me one bit to see him announce his retirement in the very near future. The interesting quality about Harpring is that he has an expiring contract that not only would give a team some cap relief but also because of his injury, the majority of his salary would be covered by insurance. That being said, Harpring would allow the Jazz to absorb a contract while allowing the other team to get under the luxury tax and have the salary paid off by insurance—a heck of a deal if you ask me. Don’t be surprised to hear Harpring’s name come up in trade talks especially as the deadline approaches come February.
LA Day-to-Day
On Tuesday the Blazers were without big man LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge sat the game out with a knee contusion. His injury is not believed to be serious or even to the point where he would miss anything beyond a couple of games. Nevertheless, this injury couldn’t have come at a worse time as the Blazers have been in a rut lately and are struggling to find their identity and a niche for PG Andre Miller. With LA down, the 6-8 rookie out of Villanova Dante Cunningham started in his place. Aldridge is currently listed day-to-day and will be a game-time decision for tonight’s game against the Rockets.
This Past Week:
Individual Stat of the Week: 89.5% FG.
The Dallas Mavericks shot an incredible 89.5% (17/19) from the floor in the second quarter of their contest Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets.
Game of the Week: Charlotte Bobcats vs. New Jersey Nets (Friday)
Congratulations to the Nets for finally getting that monkey off their back.
Individual Performance of the Week: Atlanta Hawks vs. Toronto Raptors
The Hawks completely dismantled the Toronto Raptors on their way to a 149-115 throttling. The sad part is, that the final score doesn’t even give it justice. The Hawks had 9 players reach double figures in the victory.
Statline of the Week: Chris Paul vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Friday)
16 points, 15 assists, 6 rebounds, 8 steals and 1 block in his first game back from injury.
Best Video of the Week:
The Week Ahead:
Best Game No One is Talking About: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets (Monday)
The Nuggets have been playing inconsistently lately and could have a hiccup in Philly. The Sixers will be pumped and motivated to win with Iverson debuting in his Philly homecoming. Iverson has everything to prove and what better stage to prove it on than an underdog match-up against his former team.
One-on-one Match-up of the Week: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Dwyane Wade (Friday)
The Mavericks and Heat faceoff against each other on Friday and two of the league’s most dynamic scorers will be playing in an ’05 Finals rematch.
Upset Alert: Portland Trailblazers vs. New York Knicks (Monday)
The Knicks are awful but they’ve beaten some quality teams as of late in Phoenix and Atlanta. The Blazers are fumbling and may be without LaMarcus Aldridge if his knee is still giving him issues.
Offensive Struggle: Charlotte Bobcat vs. San Antonio Spurs (Friday)
Two defensive-minded coaches will faceoff in a teacher vs. pupil showdown on Friday night. Both Larry Brown and Gregg Popovich stress defense and this game will likely reflect those sentiments.
Offensive Horse Race: Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns (Saturday)
The Kings have held their own (even without Kevin Martin). Their length and athleticism matches up fairly well with the style that Alvin Gentry is utilizing in Phoenix. This game could potentially be extremely high-scoring.
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