NBA to change All-Star ballot, eliminating center

The NBA is finally doing something about the Duncan Dilemma.

The league will announce Wednesday a change to its All-Star ballot that will, for the first time, allow fans to vote for three undefined "frontcourt" players instead of having to vote for two forwards and a center. With more and more teams playing smaller than in the past, the definition of "center" was becoming increasingly difficult -- not to mention finding enough quality big men for whom to vote.

For years, for example, the Spurs have listed Tim Duncan as a power forward, even though everyone on earth knew he was their starting center. And so when it came to All-Star balloting, Duncan would take up a forward spot in a very crowded field of Western Conference stars instead of his logical spot in the middle. This was good for Duncan, who surely would have made his 13 All-Star teams anyway, but it often cost another forward a shot.

The league decided to make the change after the NBA's Competition Committee agreed to the move at its meeting last month, VP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson said Tuesday evening.

"It makes sense," Jackson said. "It made sense to our Competition Committee. Having a center is the only specific position that was singled out on the ballot. It just seemed a little outdated and didn't represent the way our game has evolved. By the same token, it also affords the same opportunity, if you have two good centers in a given year, pick 'em both. They both can be selected. Which is impossible right now." That would be good news for players like Boston's Kevin Garnett and Miami's Chris Bosh, nominal forwards who are now playing center for their respective teams. Under the old rules, Garnett and Bosh would have been in the center category with the likes of Philadelphia's Andrew Bynum, Atlanta's Al Horford and Indiana's Roy Hibbert. Now, any of them can be selected as a "frontcourt" player.

"It was something that we originally thought made some sense, but we didn't want to make a decision in a vacuum, of course," Jackson said. "We ran it by the Competition Committee and they thought the idea made some sense ... it gives the fans some flexibility while keeping competitive balance."

The league will debut the 2013 All-Star ballot on Nov. 13. Players are selected for the ballot by a committee of national media who cover the NBA on a regular basis. The 2013 All-Star Game will be Feb. 17 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

For the original post visit http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/23/all-star-centers-ballot/index.html

Mavs' Nowitzki still experiencing knee swelling

DALLAS (AP) -- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hopes to avoid surgery after experiencing more swelling in his troublesome right knee.

Nowitzki missed his second straight preseason game as Dallas beat Houston 123-104 Monday night. The 11-time All-Star said after the game he is going to reduce his workload over the next week and see if the swelling goes down in his knee, which has been drained twice over the past month.

The 2011 NBA Finals MVP said if there is no improvement over the next few days, he may have no choice other than to have surgery, which would probably sideline him into the regular season.

"I guess that it's obvious that I don't want (surgery) done," Nowitzki said. "If it's going to keep swelling up on me, that's not a way to go through an 82-game season and hopefully a long playoff run."

Nowitzki said the swelling wasn't as bad as it had been when he had problems before a preseason game In Spain last Tuesday. He practiced once the team returned to Texas and experienced more swelling afterwards.

It is the same knee and same issue Nowitzki dealt with early last season. The Mavericks held their perennial All-Star out for a four-game stretch in January to improve his game conditioning and give him time to strengthen his right knee.

Nowitzki said he is going to avoid practices and scrimmages, limiting his workouts to time in the pool and on the elliptical machine.

"It makes no sense to play in the preseason on a swollen knee," Nowitzki said. "So we'll see what's going to happen in the next couple of days."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/15/mavs-nowitzki-rests-against-rockets.ap/index.html

NBA Notes: Can OKC extend Harden?

The Sixers’ 2012-13 rotations are far from set after the team underwent a huge offseason makeover. Where does Lavoy Allen fit in after the additions of Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown and Arnett Moultrie? Dei Lynam has the answer (see story).

Here’s a look at some other news from around the league on Monday:

Can OKC keep Harden?

The Thunder have quickly become a powerhouse in the Western Conference since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City, improving in each of the last four seasons in both winning percentage and postseason progress.

Naturally, the franchise would like to keep its core group of young players together, but that might not be totally possible according to NBA.com’s David Aldridge.

After recently handing an extension to Serge Ibaka, the Thunder have secured Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins and Ibaka for the long-term. But that could leave Sixth Man of the Year James Harden on the outside looking in.

To keep Harden, who could demand a maximum contract, the Thunder would have to go over the luxury tax, and that’s something the ownership has yet to do since its move to the NBA’s third-smallest market.

“James is somebody we value,” Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti told The Oklahoman last week. “We think he’s an important part to what we’re trying to do. “… By the same token, we’ve been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement.”

Rivers to C’s: Focus on Heat

In June, the Celtics came within one game of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, and even though the already-old squad is another season more mature, they’ll enter 2012-13 with a chance to go far again.

So when the Lakers — the Celtics’ long-time rival — added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to instantly put themselves back into the fold in the West, the conversation naturally went the way of the two teams possibly meeting in the Finals. But that’s not what Boston coach Doc Rivers wants his players focused on, he told Boston sports columnist Bob Ryan, via the Celtics Blog.

“Honestly, I don’t care about the Lakers,” Rivers said. “I have my eye squarely on Miami. I come up to my players during the year … I bring up Miami every single day to them. I want them to hate them. I want them to beat them. That’s gotta be our focus.”

As ProBasketballTalk points out, Rivers quipped a few lines that could get Miami’s attention.

“I’m smart enough to know that if we get in a track meet with Miami, they’re probably going to win,” Rivers said. “But if we get in a thinking meet, we will win that game.”

Source: http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-sixers/sixers-talk/NBA-Notes-Can-OKC-extend-Harden?blockID=774827&feedID=694

Clippers' Griffin says knee is good to go

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- All-Star Blake Griffin said Tuesday his left knee is healed after last month's surgery that forced him to miss the London Olympics, when he worked on his shot and free throws while his U.S. teammates were winning a gold medal.

Griffin is doing drills and running this week as he continues rehabbing from the July 16 surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear of his knee that he suffered during practice with the U.S. national team in Las Vegas.

"I'm doing all my normal movements," he said. "I feel like I'm at 100 percent."

The latest knee injury had nothing to do with the stress fracture of his left patella and surgery that forced him to miss the 2009-10 season.

It's been a busy summer for Griffin. In addition to being with the national team until his injury and then his surgery, he signed a five-year contract extension in July that could be worth up to $95 million.

After he got hurt, Griffin didn't watch any of the team's exhibition games, calling it "a little too fresh and a little too painful."

But once the Olympics began, he watched his former U.S. teammates during their run to the gold medal.

"It was just good to see those guys get what they deserved and see how hard everybody worked from the time we got together to the end," he said.

Griffin used his downtime "trying to become a more complete player, working on my shot and working on free throws," he said. "Those are two things that I was able to work on a lot even if it was stationary."

The Clippers kept busy this summer, re-signing Chauncey Billups and bringing Lamar Odom back to the franchise in a deal with Dallas. They also landed free agents Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, Willie Green, Ronny Turiaf and Ryan Hollins.

"This is a great place to play and guys want to come here," Griffin said. "The fact that we've had guys toward the end of their careers, guys like Grant Hill, that chose to play here, I think that says a lot about our team and the direction we're heading in. It's great to be a part of something that has kind of turned the corner."

Last season the Clippers got swept by San Antonio in four games in the second round of the playoffs after having the best regular-season winning percentage in franchise history.

"We laid the foundation," Griffin said. "This year we want to take a step forward and I think the pieces that we've added, the guys we have returning and the work guys have put in this offseason has been tremendous. We look to take that next step as a franchise."

The Clippers' co-tenant at Staples Center pulled off its own big deals, adding Steve Nash from Phoenix and Dwight Howard from Orlando.

"It's great for LA, it's great for basketball," Griffin said. "It's going to bring a lot of excitement, but they still have to play just like everybody else."

Griffin said he spoke on Monday to gold medal-winning teammate Chris Paul, who plans to return to Los Angeles next week to recuperate from the surgery he had last week to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Griffin endorsed Gary Sacks, the Clippers' director of player personnel, to replace Neil Olshey as the team's general manager. Olshey left to take on the same role in Portland.

"If he doesn't get the GM job I'll be shocked and definitely a little disappointed because he deserves it and I think everybody else thinks he deserves it," Griffin said. "I hope that it's going to be him."

Griffin interacted with fans during an appearance at a West Los Angeles Subway restaurant, where he assembled a turkey sandwich and helped give away prizes to mark the chain's 47th anniversary.

Source: NBA.com

Dwight Howard trade: Lakers show more commitment to winning

The moment he hung up the phone Thursday, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak stared across the room at Coach Mike Brown.

Kupchak had just ended a conference call with officials of the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers, the final chapter of what Kupchak described as a "frustrating" process in pursuing Dwight Howard.

After all, the Magic spent over a year weighing every trade proposal imaginable, while Howard gave mixed signals on his intentions. Once that phone conversation ended, though, Howard became a Laker. Kupchak recalled the conversation with Brown:

"We have a deal," Kupchak said.

"Who are we getting?" Brown asked.

"Dwight Howard," Kupchak answered.

"Who's going out?" Brown asked.

"Andrew," Kupchak answered, referring to center Andrew Bynum, who will now play with the 76ers.

"That's all?" Brown asked.

"That's all," said Kupchak, though the trade also involved sending reserve forwards Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga and protected first-round and second-round picks to Orlando for forward Earl Clark and guard Chris Duhon.

Brown still struggled processing the news.

"No Pau?" Brown asked, in reference to Lakers forward Pau Gasol. After all, reports first indicated these talks would also include Gasol going to the Magic, and he had been the subject of endless trade speculation ever since the NBA nixed the Chris Paul deal, which would've sent Gasol to the Houston Rockets.

"No Pau," Kupchak said.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-la-dwight-howard-trade-lakers-value-winning-over-money-20120811,0,5648693.story

Bucks add another piece to frontcourt, sign Przybilla

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks have signed free-agent center Joel Przybilla, maintaining an offseason push to beef up their frontcourt.

The 7-foot-1 Przybilla returns to Milwaukee for his second stint with the Bucks after beginning his career with the franchise.

The ninth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft by Houston, Przybilla was dealt to Milwaukee in a draft-night deal in exchange for Jason Collier and a future first-round pick.

The 32-year-old Przybilla has averaged 4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 580 career games split between Milwaukee, Atlanta, Portland and Charlotte.

Earlier this offseason, the Bucks added center Samuel Dalembert in a trade and drafted North Carolina power forward John Henson in the first round.

Source: NBA.com

Bulls sign first-round pick Teague for backup at guard

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls say they have signed first-round draft pick Marquis Teague.

Teague was taken with the 29th selection out of Kentucky and is expected to fill a backup role at point guard. The Bulls signed Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson in an effort to get by while Derrick Rose recovers from a major knee injury.

Teague averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 assists to help Kentucky win a national title in his lone season. Older brother Jeff plays for Atlanta.

The Bulls announced the deal Wednesday.

Source: NBA.com