Around The World: April 20

04/20/12

Written by: DHawes22

April 20

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Trail Blazers Open Practice

Oregon Live: Trail Blazers have not reached out to Mitch Kupchak for GM vacancy, but are they interested? 'Maybe'
"ESPN reported Thursday that the longtime Los Angeles Lakers' executive has emerged as one of the Blazers' top targets to fill a position that has featured three people -- Kevin Pritchard, Rich Cho and current interim GM Chad Buchanan -- over the last three seasons. ESPN cited unnamed sources in its report and, when contacted by The Oregonian, Miller said the Blazers have not reached out to the Lakers to get permission to speak with Kupchak."

Columbian: Wesley Matthews Receives Second Annual Maurice Lucas Award
“That was my first one,” said Babbitt of winning a 3-point title. “We have them in practice all the time, but never officially. I think I should get a trophy.”

Ball Don't Lie: The Sacramento Kings’ owners are still acting as if their fans don’t know what’s going on (VIDEO)
"It's been a week since we learned that the Maloof Brothers, owners of the Sacramento Kings, weaseled their way out of a handshake agreement to commit to the city of Sacramento's plan for a new stadium. And if you're not on the up and up regarding what Sactown Royalty's Tom Ziller referred to as the pair's latest "insane attempt at spin," perhaps you can agree with Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears when he details the exact way that the Maloofs are messing with Kings fans."

Ball Don't Lie: Bucks, Pacers scuffle: Bad blood boils over after flagrant fouls, ejection (VIDEO)
"The beef between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks has been broiling for the past month, according to Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings. Back on March 24, Bucks reserve Mike Dunleavy Jr. laid a hard foul on Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough, busting the former Tar Heel's nose and cheekbone. "Ever since then, it's been little cheap shots back and forth," Jennings told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner."

Ball Don't Lie: Lost season nearly over, the New Orleans Hornets can begin the rebuilding process
"And with the way the NBA's rookie salary structure is set up, teams aren't allowed the ability to hire a series of youngsters in the free agent market. If the Hornets want to make life interesting for Brook Lopez or Nic Batum (whom Williams worked with for two years while he was an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers) this offseason, fine. But building around two likely lottery picks while filling up your cap with players that are a few years older and cost three times as much? I'm not saying you slough off the idea and give up on the 2012 market, but you do attempt to think on your feet."

Ball Don't Lie: Dwight Howard, regrettably, will miss the rest of the season
"Stan Van Gundy will play out the string in Orlando, just along for the ride as the Magic put together a series of impressive wins and close losses inspired by the thought of a stricken Howard cheering the team on from behind the scenes. Don't be fooled, though. This is no reason to keep Van Gundy around. The Magic organization needs to learn from Howard's transparency, candid tone, thoughtful articulation, and balanced takes on what the Orlando franchise needs to do to move forward. And hopefully Howard (under contract for next season, and apparently unable to sign a contract extension beyond that because the Magic just refuse to tender him one) will find a doppelganger to help run the team from the sidelines in 2012-13."

The Basketball Jones: Mustachioed Kevin Love says hello
"Kevin Love hasn’t played a basketball game for nearly two weeks, so you can understand that he might be getting bored. And when people get bored, they do some crazy things, like I don’t know, shave their beard in to a mustache. That’s what Kevin Love did at least, posting the results to Twitter because no one loves a good mustache more than the internet."

DIME: Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 4.20
"Danny Granger notched 29 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and four three-pointers last night. He shot 35 percent (7-20) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. For the season, Granger has pretty much fulfilled expectations by putting up top 30 numbers. So far in April, he’s averaging 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.9 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 96 percent from the free-throw line."

DIME: Video: Robin Lopez Destroys Blake Griffin With A Hard Foul
"Blake Griffin complained recently about all of the cheap shots he’s been taking. Does this count? Robin Lopez nearly put the headlock on the NBA’s best dunker, and the results were a double-edged sword. He got tossed for it, but the Suns gained momentum and ended up beating the Clippers."

DIME: Video: Someone Farts On Miami’s Bench
"Miami hasn’t done anything recently to suggest they’ve been stinking up the court outside of actually farting on it. In the first quarter last night against the Bulls, judging by the reactions of the players on the bench, someone definitely should’ve watched what they ate in the pregame."

SLAM: Post Up: The Countdown
"More skirmishes in this game, too, as Jared Dudley got all “What’s up” in Blake Griffin’s face, then Robin Lopez earned an ejection midway through the fourth quarter for a flagrant foul on Griffin as he headed toward a fast break throwdown. At that point, with the game still hanging in the balance—along with the Suns’ Playoff hopes—Steve Nash re-entered the game after his normal fourth-quarter rest and promptly put his imprint on the game. Nash (13 points, 6 assists) blew past BG and went glass to tie the game at 88 with just over a minute to play, then hit a pair of free throws to put Phoenix in front 91-90 with 25 ticks left. Chris Paul (19 points, 10 assists) got the call on Lob City’s final possession, but his driving layup was swatted away from behind by Sebastian Telfair, who played great defense all night, finished with 13 points and 3 assists in 16 minutes and was on the floor with Nash for much of crunch time. Phoenix is currently the 8-seed out West, holding the tiebreaker over Utah."

ESPN: Fact or Fiction: The Celtics are title contenders.
"Fact. The Celtics have an elite defense, a core with a championship pedigree and a great head coach. In the playoffs, those are ingredients that can carry a team to the Finals. Getting past the Heat and/or Bulls may not be likely, but it wouldn't surprise me either."