Bulls' Derrick Rose, who was diagnosed with torn meniscus, underwent surgery on Monday:
Derrick Rose hurt his knee during the third quarter of Friday night's loss against the Portland Trailblazers; the Bulls have said that Rose will miss the remainder of the season. The former NBA MVP had the medial meniscus in his right knee repaired. This is the second season ending knee injury Rose has sustained, having torn his ACL in his left knee during the 2011-2012 NBA playoffs and having missed all of the 2012-2013 NBA regular season because of it.
Rose was having an awful season, being worth a total of -0.1 Wins on the season, and having a PER of 10.5. Obviously, this doesn't bode well for Rose's career, as it may have a negative effect on his style of play, one which predicates on sharp, quick and awkward cuts and jumps. Including this season, Rose will have only played 49 games in the past three seasons.
The Charlotte Bobcats will change their name to the Charlotte Hornets next season.
The Bobcats have confirmed the name change last week and will also be changing the color scheme of their jerseys to purple and teal, which are the same colors the original Hornets wore during their time in Charlotte from 1988-2002, before relocating the franchise to New Orleans. Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said that it was important for them to acknowledge the heritage of the Charlotte Hornets when bringing the name back into the market.
The purple and teal color scheme is instantly recognizable to the average NBA fan as Hornets colors, and I am glad Charlotte was able to reclaim the name.
Grizzlies' Marc Gasol out indefinitely with a left knee sprain.
Unfortunate news for Memphis, but still better than initially anticipated, as Marc Gasol was diagnosed with a grade-2 MCL sprain this past weekend; it was initially reported as an MCL tear. Luckily for him and the Grizzlies, he will not require surgery. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was having an impressive season, averaging a career high in points (16.0), posting up a career high PER (20.5) and was second on the team in points, rebounds and assists before getting hurt during Friday night's game vs. the San Antonio Spurs. Gasol will be on crutches for at least 3-4 weeks before he is able to begin the rehab process.
Warriors' Andre Iguodala out indefinitely with strained hamstring.
Andre Iguodala, as you might recall, was injured during the 3rd quarter of Friday's game against the Lakers. Iguodala grabbed his left hamstring and limped towards his bench near the end of the 3rd, and hasn't played since, missing Saturday's contest vs. the Portland Trailblazers, in which the Warriors took their 6th loss of the year and were dropped to 8-6. The Warriors have yet to set a potential timetable for his return, but Iguodala has said his return will likely be sooner than everyone thinks.
Dirk Nowitzki passed Kevin Garnett for 14th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Dirk Nowitzki (in his 16th season) has passed Kevin Garnett (in his 19th season) on the NBA's all-time scoring list, having added 18 in Monday night's loss to the Denver Nuggets. He currently has 25,361 points and could swap places once again with Garnett, as the Brooklyn Nets will head north for a road game against the Toronto Raptors tonight; Nowitzki's Mavericks don't play until Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, though it is extremely unlikely seeing as how Nowitzki is averaging 20.7 points per game while Garnett is averaging a career-low 6.5 points per game. When you consider that the only active player ahead of both of them is the Lakers' Kobe Bryant (4th all-time with 31,617 points), it becomes an even more impressive accomplishment for both of them.
John Wall and LaMarcus Aldridge named Players of the Week.
Huge numbers put up by the Wizard's John Wall and the Blazers LaMarcus Aldridge. Wall led the Wizards to a 3-1 weekly record and put up some monster numbers; he averaged 24.3 points per game, 8.5 assists per game and 2.8 steals per game, posting up back-to-back double-doubles to start the week, before closing strong with two straight 30+ point performances against the Raptors and the New York Knicks. Aldridge led the surprisingly good Blazers to a 4-0 week, which included a 21 point come back win against the Chicago Bulls, behind 22.5 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. Aldridge set a season high in points (30) rebounds (21) and blocks (three) and tied his season high for steals (three).
Kobe Bryant re-signs with the Lakers.
There is a lot to like and dislike about this deal (more on that later). Kobe Bryant resigned on Monday to a two year, 48.5 million dollar deal. Bryant is 35 and is coming off of a season ending (and potential career ending) injury, has yet to officially play in a game this year and yet, he will still be the highest paid player in the league for the next two years, including this year, which is the final year of his current contract. He is set to make 30.4 million this season. The 2008 NBA MVP and five time champion will receive 23.5 million for the first year and 25 million for the second year.
With this signing, the only two players under salary for the Lakers next year are Bryant and Steve Nash.
Standings:
Eastern Conference Standings
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Western Conference Standings
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|---|---|
1. Indiana Pacers (13-1)
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1. San Antonio Spurs (13-1)
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2. Miami Heat (11-3)
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2. Portland Trailblazers (13-2)
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3. Atlanta Hawks (8-6)
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3. Oklahoma City Thunder (9-3)
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4. Toronto Raptors (6-7)
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4. Los Angeles Clippers (10-5)
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5. Charlotte Bobcats (7-8)
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5. Houston Rockets (10-5)
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6. Chicago Bulls (6-7)
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6. Dallas Mavericks (9-6)
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7. Detroit Pistons (6-8)
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7. Golden State Warriors (8-6)
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8. Philadelphia 76ers (6-9)
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8. Denver Nuggets (7-6)
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9. Washington Wizards (5-8)
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9. Phoenix Suns (7-7)
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10. Boston Celtics (6-10)
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10. Los Angeles Lakers (7-7)
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11. Orlando Magic (4-9)
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11. Memphis Grizzlies (7-7)
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12. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-10)
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12. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-8)
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13. New York Knicks (3-10)
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13. New Orleans Pelicans (6-7)
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14. Brooklyn Nets (3-10)
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14. Sacramento Kings (4-9)
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15. Milwaukee Bucks (2-10)
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15. Utah Jazz (2-14)
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The Western Conference is simply insane right now. Any of the top 13 teams have the talent to make the playoffs and potentially win the West. In the East, it's largely a two team race between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, though if the Knicks or the Nets ever get their act together, they could make a serious run. With Derrick Rose gone for the rest of the year, the Bulls don't really have enough fire power to beat the Heat or the Pacers in a seven game series. Atlanta has the inside presence to be a pesky opponent, but they don't have the elite perimeter player needed to topple either of the top two Eastern Conference teams.
NBA Stats Leaders:
| Points per Game | Rebounds per Game | Assists per Game | Player Efficiency Rating | Win Shares | Win Shares per 48 minutes | True Shooting Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kevin Durant - OKC: 28.6 | 1. Kevin Love-MIN : 13.8 | 1. Chris Paul- LAC: 12.6 | 1.LeBron James -MIA: 30.6 | 1.Chris Paul- LAC: 3.2 | 1. LeBron James - MIA: .300 | 1. Kyle Korver-ATL : 71.7% |
| 2.Carmelo Anthony -NYK: 26.5 | 2. Dwight Howard -HOU: 13.2 | 2. John Wall - WAS: 8.9 | 2. Anthony Davis - NOH : 28.6 | 2. Kevin Love - MIN: 3.1 | 2. Tiago Splitter - SAS : .297 | 2. Wesley Matthews-POR : 70.2% |
| 3. LeBron James - MIA: 26.0 | 3. DeAndre Jordan-LAC: 12.7 | 3. Stephen Curry - GSW: 8.9 | 3. Chris Paul- LAC: 27.6 | 3.LeBron James - MIA : 3.1 | 3. Chris Paul- LAC: .286 | 3. LeBron James -MIA: 70.0% |
| 4. Kevin Love - MIN: 24.6 | 4. Andre Drummond-DET: 11.9 | 4. Jeff Teague - ATL: 8.8 | 4. Kevin Durant - OKC: 27.2 | 4. Paul George - IND : 2.8 | 4. Kevin Durant - OKC: .283 | 4. Jodie Meeks -LAL: 66.5% |
| 5. Paul George - IND: 24.3 | 5. Blake Griffin - ORL: 10.8 | 5. Ty Lawson - DEN: 8.7 | 5. Kevin Love - MIN: 26.9 | 5. Kevin Durant - OKC: 2.7 | 5. Paul George - IND : .263 | 5.Andre Iguodala-GSW: 65.6% |
