Around The World: April 24

04/24/12

Written by: DHawes22

April 24

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Trail Blazers 89, Spurs 124

CSNNW: Sources: Spurs eyeing F Nicolas Batum
"The number I'm hearing Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum will command this offseason is $10-11 million per, according to a few league executives when Batum becomes a restricted free agent. And, I'm being told by multiple sources that the San Antonio Spurs will make a hard push to attain the promising small forward."

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers Fall To Spurs In San Antonio
"I think that team was really that good," Hickson said of the Spurs. "It’s not just us, they play great defense and they share the ball. Every time you make a mistake on defense they capitalize on it and they score. They make you pay."

Oregon Live: Trail Blazers' draft lottery spot all but set for own pick at No. 11; Nets' pick still in flux
"If Nets finish with the sixth-worst record, the highest pick the Blazers could get from them is No. 6. If the Nets stay in the No. 6 spot for the lottery, the Blazers would have a 43.9 percent chance of getting the sixth pick."

Blazersedge: Trail Blazers Spurs Recap: San Antonio Captures Top Seed in West, Leaving a Blazer-Colored Stain on the Floor
"The Spurs were all over J.J. Hickson and Luke Babbitt tonight, no doubt knowing that those two were surprising scoring sources for the Blazers lately. Once again we saw the perils of believing too much in these late-season numbers. Players have to go through a progression: the initial coming out, defenses keying on you, overcoming that, defenses adjusting again, then overcoming that to earn your spot on the floor. When faced with pressure Babbitt looks like a turtle on his back and Hickson has trouble getting his accustomed looks. Luke went 2-6 in 30 minutes for 5 points. J.J. had 10 rebounds in 32 minutes but shot 5-15 for 14 points. "

NBA: Post-Season Awards
"As a coach asked me this week, if you don't vote, say, Derrick Rose first-team all-NBA because he missed half of the season with his various back and groin injuries, how can you vote him second team? Or third team, for that matter? How is that any fairer to guys who've played most of the games this season? But if you don't do that, you'll be subject to those on the other side, who'd question how in the world you could leave Derrick Rose off of three all-NBA teams. He's Derrick Rose, for Norm Van Lier's sake!"

Ball Don't Lie: Tyrus Thomas elbows James Singleton in the face, earns NBA’s first post-Metta World Peace ejection (VIDEO)
"After the game, Singleton angrily responded to skeptics in comments to Michael Lee of the Washington Post: "Anyone who thought he didn't connect, come see me. We can reenact it." So if we've got any doubting Thomases in the BDL readership — or just anyone who'd like to be elbowed in the jaw by a 6-foot-8, 215-pound professional athlete, I guess — we can make that happen."

Ball Don't Lie: Tony Allen fakes football pass after kicking ball, fools no one, gains no real advantage (VIDEO)
"It didn't, strictly speaking, do anything — there weren't any Grizzlies streaking down the floor for him to pass to anyway, so the fake fooled no Cav, and the fact that Memphis eventually got two points out of the possession had nothing to do with Allen playing make-believe. It was just a blithe, nonsensical bit of fun. Which is to say, it was a very Tony Allen play."

DIME: Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 4.24
"Paul George posted 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two three-pointers in a win over the Pistons. He shot 40 percent (6-15) from the floor and 87 percent (13-15) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. Though George has been a bit unsteady this month, for the season he’s been a top 40 fantasy basketball asset. He should be viewed as that, if not a bit more, heading into next season’s drafts."

DIME: The NBA's Top 20 Dunkers
"Was there any way we couldn’t put Shawn Kemp 2.0 at No. 1? He has the hops, the creativity and the power, and now with so many players taking cheap shots at him, we might start seeing some really angry dunks from Griffin. "

SLAM via Oklahoman: James Harden Has a Concussion from Metta World Peace’s Elbow
"A team spokesman said Harden passed league-mandated testing at halftime, and Harden originally was set to return to the game. But the team’s medical staff prevented Harden from returning because of concern with his condition, the spokesman said. Harden later was diagnosed with a concussion. He was not made available to the media following the game and was unresponsive to multiple attempts to gauge his health when seen outside of the locker room. Harden did fly back to Oklahoma City with the team. But concussions can be puzzling, making the timeline for Harden’s return a mystery to all."

SLAM: Post Up: Hello, Goodbye
"San Antonio clinched the No. 1 seed in the West in blowout fashion, tying its biggest winning margin of the season. Tony Parker scored 18 points, as did Danny Green—who shot a perfect 6-6 from the field (and 4-4 from three-point range), and the Spurs have now won 8 straight. San Antonio shot 59 percent, the Blazers just 39. Tim Duncan, who turns 36 tomorrow, scored 18 points and had 8 rebounds, but sat out the fourth quarter with his fellow members of the Texas Big Three. How much you wanna bet Coach Pop sits the trio for the last 2 (and now meaningless) games of the year, too? Meanwhile for Portland, Wesley Matthews scored a game-high 24 points as the Blazers lost their sixth straight."