Thaddeus Young out Indefinitely

17 Mar 2010 by Nathan in NBA 2010 News

Thaddeus YoungThaddeus Young has a fractured right thumb and is out indefinitely. So much for Thadd just having a cracked thumbnail. His thumb will be placed in a removable cast and he’s been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The only good news is that the injury is to Young’s non-shooting hand, but there is no timetable for his return. This means Lou Williams’ spot in the starting five should be safe going forward.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Indiana: Danny Granger exited with under a minute remaining in Tuesday’s game after being elbowed in the face. Granger appeared woozy on his way to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. He scored 26 points with three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and five turnovers before leaving.

New Jersey: Nets big man Josh Boone swooped in for a season-high 20 rebounds in Tuesday’s game, adding 13 points on 5-of-7 FGs and 3-of-5 FTs. Clearly Boone was doing something right tonight, but the eventual return of Yi Jianlian is one reason for skepticism, as is Boone’s career 45% free throw shooting.

New Jersey: Terrence Williams made just 5-of-16 shots in Tuesday’s loss, but added 5-of-6 free throws to finish with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

San Antonio: Manu Ginobili led the San Antonio Spurs with 22 points on Tuesday, making 7-of-14 FGs, 2-of-5 threes, and 6-of-6 FTs. Manu played nearly 36 minutes after playing just 18 in an easy win on Saturday.

Miami: Michael Beasley returned from his bruised thigh on Tuesday with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and zero assists. The Miami Heat were dead in the water for most of this game (interrupted only by a brief, bench-led surge in the second half) and it’s hard how much of Beasley’s struggles were caused by his recent injury.

Atlanta: Playing SG on Tuesday, veteran Mike Bibby (back) had 10 points, two 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford made 11-of-18 field goals for 25 points on Tuesday, adding two 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. It didn’t hurt that Joe Johnson was out, but when Crawford gets hot he tends to score 20+ regardless of the circumstances.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson was very active with Gerald Wallace out on Tuesday — he piled up 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers in over 47 minutes.


Josh Smith Records Triple-Double

06 Feb 2010 by Nathan in NBA 2010 News

Josh Smith hit 7-of-14 shots to record his second career triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and added two steals and a block in Friday’s tough win over the Bulls. Smoove is feeling it again and should be primed for a big second half now that he has officially abandoned the 3-point shot.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Minnesota: Jonny Flynn hit 6-of-16 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 19 points and seven assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Mavericks to snap a 13-game losing streak against Dallas. They’ve also won three straight for the first time all season. All five Wolves starters hit double figures in scoring, while Kevin Love double-doubled off the bench. Flynn surprisingly only had one turnover tonight, and was basically dominated by Jason Kidd and Rodrigue Beaubois, but still got it done for the Wolves.

Charlotte: Peja Stojakovic hit 8-of-14 shots and four 3-pointers for 23 points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in Friday’s loss. He’s averaging 16 points in his last five games and has hit either three or four 3-pointers in four of those.

Philadelphia: Samuel Dalembert, playing through a back injury, had seven points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in Friday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Don’t look now, but the Sixers have won three straight games. Rodney Carney, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young all hit double digits in scoring off the bench, while Andre Iguodala filled the stat sheet in the win. Dalembert isn’t a reliable scorer, but doesn’t miss games and is playing for a contract.

New York: Nate Robinson started at point guard Friday and hit just 3-of-12 shots (zero 3-pointers) for 13 points, four boards, seven assists and a steal in Friday’s loss to the Bucks. Larry Hughes had two points in 20 minutes, while Chris Duhon had six points and three assists in 15 minutes tonight. Robinson will get more chances to start at point guard, so don’t give up on him after tonight’s struggles.

Washington: Caron Butler returned from a knee injury and exploded for a season-high 31 points, including the game-winning 19-footer with 0.5 seconds left on the clock in Friday’s win over the Orlando Magic.

Oakland: Anthony Randolph will remain in a walking boot for another month, according to the Warriors, which means he’s not likely to play again this season. With three torn ligaments in his ankle, Randolph was always a longshot to have an impact again this season. Now it sounds like he’s had a setback and/or the ankle is not healing was originally expected. Once he gets out of the boot, he’ll have a long way to go in terms of rehab and getting back in shape, and we’d be surprised to see him play again this year.