Archives › Kurt Helin
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It’s a myth that LeBron James never got the ball in the post in Cleveland — last season 6.3 percent of his possessions came on a post up, according to Synergy Sports. And he shot 52 percent when he got the ball there. But the perception that James didn’t go into the post enough is…
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Ron Artest opens raffle for Championship ring, traffic volume crashes site
Oct 28, 2010, 11:47 AM EDT
We know what you were doing last night, the same thing you do every night — watching Larry King Live. Celebrities and softball questions from a guy older than your dad? Sign me up. So we’re sure you saw Artest on the show last night launching the raffle to get his ring. Really the best…
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Rambis says defense reason Kevin Love got benched. But Beasley and Darko stayed in?
Oct 28, 2010, 10:54 AM EDT
Kevin Love played just under nine minutes in the second half of the Timberwolves season opener. He came out at the 8:38 mark of the fourth quarter never to return. Love, the one guy on the Timberwolves part of USA Basketball this summer, the guy considered the face of the franchise and the future by…
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Minnesota asks league to investigate if Portland knowingly traded injured player
Oct 28, 2010, 9:50 AM EDT
Martell Webster will be out the next six weeks, give or take, after having undergone surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back this week. If you recall, Webster was moved out of Portland to Minnesota this summer in a trade for the draft rights to No. 16 pick Luke Babbitt. Now Minnesota is…
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In case you thought Carmelo Anthony might change his mind… nope.
Oct 28, 2010, 9:21 AM EDT
There were some in the Denver front office that held out hope once Carmelo Anthony got to Denver, once he got around George Karl and his teammates things would be different. If he just sat down with management things would change. He would smile, remember how much he loves it here and decide to sign…
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Baseline to Baseline (your game recaps): Where the Clippers are fun to watch
Oct 28, 2010, 4:27 AM EDT
Our game of the night was Kevin Durant doing Durant like things all over the Bulls in the closing minutes. Which was a great choice because after the slog of ugly basketball that was much of Heat/Celtics opening night we needed new energy. But that wasn’t the only good show Wednesday night. Blake Griffin’s first…
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Game of the Night: Bulls get reminder Kevin Durant and friends are good
Oct 28, 2010, 2:22 AM EDT
Damn. This was so much more fun to watch than the slog that was Miami and Boston the night before. Wednesday night in Oklahoma City wasn’t perfect — it looked like an opener with some poor decisions because players are not used to the speed of the game — but it was exciting and athletic.…
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Even in down years in a slow market, there are certain teams that just sell out NBA buildings. When the Lakers come to your city, the building is full. Same with the Celtics. The Heat are supposed to be one of those teams. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh together? A guaranteed sell out,…
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Marc Gasol out for Grizzlies home opener, Darrell Arthur got the start
Oct 27, 2010, 9:04 PM EDT
Tough start for the Memphis Grizzlies — starting center Marc Gasol missed the start due to a sprained ankle. The good news is that an MRI of the ankle showed no serious damage, he should be back soon. That sounded like trouble because it meant Darrell Arthur had to start against Al Horford and the…
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Antawn Jamison came off the bench for Cleveland, and he didn’t like it
Oct 27, 2010, 8:45 PM EDT
Byron Scott made the smart move — he started J.J. Hickson at power forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night. It’s smart because the Cavaliers are building for the future, and Hickson is young and needs the experience. It’s smart because the Cavaliers want to run and Hickson is maybe the best athlete on the…
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UPDATE 7:44 pm: It’s official, the NBA Draft next summer — the one fun things fans get to experience before the lockout — will be in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center. David Stern made the announcement in New Jersey before the Nets home opener. Why? Because of renovations to the Madison Square Garden…
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The Cavaliers tip-off the post-LeBron James era tonight, coincidentally the same way LeBron kicked off his post-Cleveland era last night — against the Celtics. It will probably end about the same way for both of them. Tied into the season opener, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert had a lengthy interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where…
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What we learned about Houston — it’s all about the guards right now
Oct 27, 2010, 5:45 PM EDT
Yao Ming looked rusty — which makes sense after 15 months away from the game at this level. He rushed shots and missed things that by Thanksgiving will fall. Luis Scola scored 18 but took 18 shots to do it, including going 2-for-7 on midrange jumpers he can hit. He didn’t look like the player…
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Wilson Chandler denies improper workouts, League investigating Knicks anyway
Oct 27, 2010, 4:14 PM EDT
In the wake of a report yesterday claiming a Knicks scout has conducted improper predraft workouts for several years, the league is now investigating the situation. That’s not a surprise, but the New York Post has confirmed it. Meanwhile, Wilson Chandler — one of the players the Knicks allegedly worked out improperly back in 2007,…
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Gilbert Arenas’ sprained ankle is not getting better — he was walking around in a protective boot Wednesday — and he will miss the first two Wizards games. At least. That according to a tweet from Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Arenas is going to see a doctor to see if anything more serious…
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On Nov. 6 last season the Memphis Grizzlies were in Los Angeles, falling to the Lakers. But what stands out in my notes from that game is just how awkward the Grizzlies locker room felt. Media were huddled around Allen Iverson, who had scored 8 points off the bench, dominating a corner of the locker…
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Phil Jackson sums up Lakers championship ring: They are “unwearable” and “terrific”
Oct 27, 2010, 12:45 PM EDT
Nobody knows more about NBA championship rings than Phil Jackson. He’s got 11 of them, he even designed one (the last title of the Shaq/Kobe three-peat). And he’s not a huge fan. Except when he is. “They’re unwearable. And I always think they’re something that should be able to be worn. “But seeing as Dr.…
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Tracy McGrady on 15-minute time limit. Was he playing more than that anyway?
Oct 27, 2010, 12:08 PM EDT
Tracy McGrady has had a couple of knee surgeries and played a limited amount of basketball in the last few years. It looked it in the preseason — he played in one of the team’s eight games, and just eight minutes in that. He missed practices due to “tired legs.” So it shouldn’t be a…
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Portland looks pretty good, Phoenix… they should get better. Right?
Oct 27, 2010, 11:43 AM EDT
The Phoenix Suns scored just one point in the final 5:43 of this game. That’s why the Blazers won 106-92 and the final score belies how close this game was for three-and-a-half quarters. What happened? Well, for the last half decade, when the game got tight and the defenses serious, Phoenix had one of the…
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Last season the Minnesota Timberwolves were Jonny Flynn’s team. Right now they are Luke Ridnour’s. Well, they should be Kevin Love’s but as Ridnour brings the ball up the court, it is he who decides who gets the rock. Ergo, his team. For now. Flynn has hip surgery this summer but was back on the…
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What was LeBron listening to in his LeBron Power Beats by Dre on the bus back to the hotel after an opening night loss? A little Wiz Khalifa, some J. Cole, some Jazmine Sullivan. His playlist right now is just one of the tidbits on LeBronJames.com, which relaunched officially this week — not so coincidentally…
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Leandro Barbosa trying to play through pain, put off surgery
Oct 27, 2010, 9:34 AM EDT
Leandro Barbosa wanted Toronto to be a new start for him. And on the court it kind of has been, he has been one of the bright spots for Toronto this preseason. But the past keeps haunting him. Last season he missed a couple months with a wrist surgery. Doctors took another look at that…
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Ring ceremonies are usually tedious affairs. Any event where everyone has to shake the commissioner’s hand is rarely exciting to watch. But the Lakers put a nice twist on their’s Tuesday, having the players introduce one another. It felt genuine. Take a look for yourself.
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Game of the night II: Lakers take trip down memory lane, including sloppy win
Oct 27, 2010, 3:14 AM EDT
Laker fans filled Staples Center to relive the glory of last year, to see the rings handed out and banner number 16 unveiled. They got that and more. They got the full Lakers treatment from last season (the regular season). They got the good and the bad. There was a half of sloppy defense, a…
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Not one technical was called on a player in the Celtics and Heat season opener. Two teams with guys known for lighting into officials. In the Lakers game Lamar Odom got called for an early offensive foul said, something to the referee but you could see him pause, and just think better of it and…
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Video: Metta World Peace the weatherman
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Video: Eastern Conference finals preview
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Video: Heat gearing for another physical battle
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Video: Phil Jackson compares MJ and Kobe
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Video: Grizzlies ready for 'running' Spurs
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Video: Durant won't 'compromise himself' like other stars
