Archives › Kurt Helin
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John Wall’s season turned around after Emeka Okafor got in his face
Apr 10, 2013, 5:54 PM EDT
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Once John Wall returned to the Wizards lineup following knee surgery during training camp, you knew it would take a little while for him to find his groove. But it took a little more than that — it took a veteran getting in his face. Wall told the story to the Wall Street Journal. It…
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And the hits keep coming of guys declaring for the draft. Michael Carter-Williams, the 6’5” point guard from Syracuse, is declaring for the NBA Draft after helping lead the Orangemen to the Final Four. This was not a surprise, he was expected to come out and he’s expected to go in the lottery. For teams…
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There are games you watch Evan Turner play and you can see why he went No. 2 in the draft — he dropped 24 and 11 on Atlanta last Friday and looked like the kind of building block Philadelphia hoped he would be when they took him ahead of Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul…
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J.J. Hickson made a leap this year and with it made a statement — he is a quality NBA big man. He’s averaged 12.9 points a game on 56.7 percent shooting with 10 rebounds a game on top of that. He’s got a PER of 19.9. The problem is, the Blazers use him as a…
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What Wednesday’s games mean: Heat can lock up best record; Lakers need win
Apr 10, 2013, 2:17 PM EDT
There is one week of NBA regular-season basketball left — next Wednesday, April 17 is the final day of games, then we get to focus on the playoffs. Right now teams are jockeying for playoff position — or in the case of the Lakers and Jazz a spot in the playoffs. Which means a lot…
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One more game. One more time on the court. Brandon Roy — the former All-Star whose career has fallen apart because of knee issues — played the first five games of the season for the Timberwolves in a comeback attempt, but those troublesome knees have had him sidelined ever since. Now he wants back on…
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When Rick Adelman reached the milestone of 1,000 wins as an NBA coach recently, his wife, Mary Kay, was there by his side on the court as he spoke. He wanted her there, part of the celebration because she had sacrificed for it, too. But she is also battling health issues — remember Adelman took…
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You really need to cut off Russell Westbrook‘s path to the basket. Or this happens. Westbrook went left off a high pick in the first quarter of the Thunder’s win Tuesday, turned the corner, saw nobody in his way and attacked the rim. He does that really, really well. The Jazz bigs were slow with…
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Utah’s Enes Kanter has been dealing with a dislocated left shoulder. As anyone who has had a dislocated shoulder can tell you, after you dislocate it once it is more susceptible to happening again. And again. And… you get the idea. So Kanter will be out the rest of the season as he will have…
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This is another case where the decision shouldn’t be a surprise to even the most diehard fan in Bloomington. Indiana’s star center Cody Zeller will declare for the NBA draft at a press conference Wednesday afternoon, reports Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star. DraftExpress currently has Zeller going No. 6 in the upcoming draft. He…
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In recent weeks, the Raptors have seen a lot of progress out of young center Jonas Valanciunas — he came into this season in Toronto with a lot of hype but proved to be a work in progress. But last month he was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the month with a double-double in 12…
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Metta World Peace on why he came back: “I’m too sexy for my cat”
Apr 10, 2013, 8:42 AM EDT
“I’m too sexy for my cat. My cat. I’m just too sexy for my cat. If I wasn’t as sexy for my cat, I probably wouldn’t have came back. I’m so sexy, I came back.” That is vintage Metta World Peace. Playing off some Right Said Fred. Interviewing him can be a complete non sequitur.…
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Welcome to PBT’s roundup of yesterday’s NBA games. Or, what you missed while wondering what to do with five tons of Nutella… Lakers 104, Hornets 96 ; & Thunder 90, Jazz 80: We combine these two because together they put the Lakers in as the eight seed in the West and in control of their…
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Kobe lifts Lakers to win, back into playoff picture (with help of Utah loss)
Apr 10, 2013, 2:43 AM EDT
To say the Lakers had to beat the Hornets on Tuesday is to state the obvious — they need to win just about every game from here on out to get the eight seed and make the playoffs. But the one they really have to have now is Wednesday night in Portland. The Lakers stumbled…
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Rockets win, make playoffs on Harden three, ridiculous Jermaine O’Neal goaltend (VIDEO)
Apr 10, 2013, 12:50 AM EDT
This may be the most ridiculous ending to a game this season. Not what the Rockets did — with seven seconds left in a 98-98 game they went to the old “isolate your best player out high” and James Harden dribbled it out then pulled up for a three. Which was short and bounced high.…
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LeBron James got the ball on this fast break and was thinking pass — but Monta Ellis plays it well and steps in to take the pass away. Of course, that means LeBron is going to take the shot. So he passes it to himself off the backboard to himself for the one-hand slam. The…
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LeBron James is going to win his fourth MVP going away. It’s a sure thing. But if you think we in the media are clearly missing how great Tyler Hansbrough has been this season and think there should be a vote for him, now you can do it yourself on twitter. The NBA is taking…
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LeBron doesn’t want Tuesday’s Heat/Bucks match called playoff preview
Apr 9, 2013, 7:18 PM EDT
It’s a fact that goes against your first instinct but nonetheless has proven true over the years — regular season NBA games are not good predictors of postseason series. Every year a team that dominates a team during the regular season gets whitewashed in the playoffs. The intensity level is different, games are slower paced,…
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The Nuggets are going to miss Danilo Gallinari in the playoffs, but Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer can fill in some of his production and points. But they aren’t going anywhere in the postseason without Ty Lawson. Andre Miller is a great point guard off the bench but Lawson is the engine that makes the…
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Jay-Z selling shares of Nets, getting into player agent business
Apr 9, 2013, 5:40 PM EDT
Jay-Z has 99 problems but soon the Nets won’t be one. It was rumored a few weeks ago that athletes from baseball and football — Robinson Cano of the Yankees, for one — were about to jump agents to Roc Nation Sports, a Jay-Z headed representation agency that is partnered with powerhouse Creative Artists Agency.…
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Maybe there were a few Kansas Jayhawk diehards holding out hope, but this was a given. Ben McLemore announced Tuesday he is leaving Kansas for the NBA Draft, reports the Kansas City Star. There he will likely be a top 3 pick, which means he is making the right call. In a draft where there…
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Quote of the Day: Dwight Howard says Lakers could still win title
Apr 9, 2013, 3:38 PM EDT
“If we get into the playoffs, there’s no doubt in my mind and in any of our minds, that we can win a championship. It would be stupid of me to sit here and say to you [media] guys that if we make it to the playoffs, we’ll be out in the first round. I…
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If you’ve watched any NCAA Tournament basketball, or really any NBA games, over the past month, you have seen plenty of the AT&T “bigger is better/faster is better” ads, including the one with four Hall of Famers — Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell. Here are the outtakes, courtesy AT&T. I don’t…
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DeMare Carroll shows off the rim he broke on dunk at fitness center
Apr 9, 2013, 2:54 PM EDT
I was a little ticked when the basketball court at my gym was down for 10 days or so because somebody broke the rim out of the backboard with a dunk. That said, I also wanted to shake that guy’s hand. At one gym in Utah, members can be ticked at/shake the hand of DeMarre…
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Metta World Peace to play, come off bench; Kobe’s minutes to be decreased
Apr 9, 2013, 2:35 PM EDT
Metta World Peace is a warrior. Or maybe not human. Because this is pretty insane. As we told you Monday, twelve days after surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus World Peace will be back on the court for the Lakers Tuesday against New Orleans, Mike D’Antoni confirmed to reporters including Mike…
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Video: Grizzlies ready for 'running' Spurs
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Video: Durant won't 'compromise himself' like other stars
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Video: Knicks avoid elimination
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Video: Heat finish off Bulls, James 'has no energy left'
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Video: Health woes make Heat vulnerable
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Video: Good news for Sacramento, Kings stay
