NBA News 2012: Andre Iguodala hits 76ers’ series-winning free throws: ‘I thought of my son’

Andre Iguodala on November 23, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
After Omer Asik missed the second of two potential game-icing free throws with Chicago up 78-77 and seven seconds left in the fourth quarter, Iguodala grabbed the rebound and barreled down the center of the floor, an arrow pointing straight at both Asik and the rim. Asik fouled Iguodala on his layup attempt, putting him on the foul line with 2.2 seconds left and a chance to win the game and the series. He hit 'em both, Philadelphia celebrated its first trip to the second round since 2003, and he got to have a postgame chat with NBA TV's Cheryl Miller.

After telling Miller about his thought process as the Bulls big man stepped to the line ("Well, Asik's a bad shooter; I knew I'd have a chance to get the rebound") and on his end-to-end push, Iguodala — a 73.7 percent career free-throw shooter who has seen his stroke fall off over the past two years and posted a career-low 61.7 percent from the stripe this year — talked about stepping to the line himself with a chance to win it, and how a teammate's words stuck in his head.

"On the free throws, Tony Battie gave me some advice," Iguodala said. "He said, 'Think of something that you love when you're shooting free throws,' because I've been struggling all year. I thought of my son, and it was easy after that."

Last month, Iguodala and his 76ers teammates were the subject of a great feature by Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, a story that delved into the difficult position in which Iguodala has found himself in his time in Philly. He's a perfect complimentary player — an elite athlete and defender, a tireless worker, good leader and solid citizen, just a monstrous collection of gifts — whose greatest crimes in the eyes of many fans have been saying yes to an $80 million contract and "not being a max player" ... which is to say, not being a 30-point-per-game scorer. (Or, more to the point, not being Allen Iverson.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/andre-iguodala-hits-76ers-series-winning-free-throws-041054760.html;_ylt=AtpuqNBaZFFCK3255kamosI5nYcB

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NBA News 2011: Pippen says Jordan is the greatest

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Scottie Pippen made it clear he thinks Michael Jordan is the best player ever - not LeBron James.

Speaking to reporters at a youth camp in suburban Lisle on Friday, Pippen says he was simply giving "LeBron some props as a player" when he suggested to ESPN radio last month that James could be better than Jordan.

Pippen says "all know that (Jordan's) the greatest player that ever played the game" and that his comments were taken "a little bit out of context."

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/06/24/pippen-jordan.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

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NBA News 2011: 2011 NBA postseason

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It made us laugh, it made us cry. But most of all, the 2011 NBA playoffs left us with some memories that will last a lifetime.

Which teams left the biggest impact? Which players came out of nowhere to make their impression felt?

Dirk Nowitzki in the Finals. From Dirk hurting his finger, to fighting through his cold, to establishing himself as the best player in the postseason, to rushing off the court to reflect by himself immediately after winning Game 6 and the title -- what I'll remember most about the Finals is that the best European scorer ever to play in the league finally got his title.

Without question, LeBron James' NBA Finals performance. I'm not saying this because I wish failure upon him. He's arguably the best basketball player in the world, and I want to see the best he has to offer every time out. In these Finals, we didn't see that LeBron once. The clock is ticking.

The new kids (Chicago, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Miami) demanding their seats at the table. And the stern parent (Dallas) who told them dinner wouldn't be ready for at least another 12 months.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/news/story?page=5-on-5-110615

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NBA News 2010: D-Rose Just Can't Shoot Enough

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Through two (and in many cases three) games, Derrick Rose is leading the league in the league in scoring at 33.5ppg, but that's not surprising when one considers the fact that he's also leading the league in field goal attempts, blowing even Kevin Durant (24 FGA per game) out of the water in that particular category. 

 

In fact, only four other players in the entire league—Durant included—are shooting the ball 20+ times a night, and nobody is even close to Derrick's attempts. 

 

So what gives? Why is Rose, who averaged 17.6 attempts per game last season, hoisting up 29 per game so far this year? 

 

"I think he recognizes where we are and what we need, and right now we need more scoring from him," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Chicago's come-from-behind win at home against the Pistons on Saturday.

 

"If I'm open, I'm going to shoot," Rose said about his shooting barrage early in the season, which even he admits has a little something to do with Carlos Boozer being out. "I'm not passing up any shots because we are missing a key factor to our team that would help us score the ball."

 

On the one hand, it's viable to expect Rose's attempts to decrease when Boozer gets back, but on the other hand, the recent offensive outburst seems like more a change in aggressiveness than compensation for a missing player.

 

"I'm just attacking," Rose admitted, adding, "I'm going to try and attack it every time."

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17767

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NBA News 2010: Andre Iguodala or Carmelo Anthony to the Chicago Bulls?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The now-prized possession Carmelo Anthony continues to create a multitude of swirling winds in the NBA's central with continuous rumors.

According to ESPN's NBA analyst Chris Broussard, the Philadelphia 76ers wingman Andre Iguodala has asked the Sixers management for a trade.

Deng, a former seventh overall pick in 2004, has spent six years in Chicago with stints of brilliance that has been overridden with injury. This year was intended to be a breakout year for the 25-year-old small forward, as the Sudan native fulfills a third-option spot.

Iguodala, on the other hand, has only sat out four games throughout his six years of service.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/505287-nba-rumors-2010-andre-iguodala-or-carmelo-anthony-to-the-chicago-bulls

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NBA News 2010: LeBron James, Move Over: Cavs Fans Should Embrace Mo Williams With Open Arms

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If the Cavaliers are looking for a new face for the franchise, they should look no further than to their veteran guard.

The Cavs’ second-leading scorer for the last two seasons bumped into James at Hopkins International Airport over the weekend. It was their first face-to-face encounter since James left behind his former teammates, home turf, and fans in a slickly marketed, highly publicized, personal pursuit of trophies in Miami.

When trade rumors about the seven-year veteran hit their zenith in June, Williams posted an impassioned plea on his Twitter account:

“Pls don't trade me,” he tweeted on June 23. “I'm not ready to go. I'm begging. My work ain't done yet. I'm on both knees....pls. I'm serious.”

Then came the airport encounter with James.

“Part of me is still sour,” he told the Akron Beacon Journal this week, “but I wish him the best.”

Then Williams put the capstone on an ongoing series of comments that should endear him to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio for years to come.

“I want to look back at my legacy and say, ‘I had a great career in Cleveland.’ I don't want to say I had a great career in Cleveland, Portland, Chicago and Dallas. You can't have a legacy that way.”

“I love the city. I love the fans. They welcomed me and my family and I respect that.”

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/448152-move-over-lebron-cleveland-cavaliers-fans-should-embrace-mo-williams

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NBA News 2010: Bobcats Keep Tyrus Thomas

Image via WikipediaBuilding off their investment of a first round pick sent to Chicago to acquire him, the Bobcats signed Tyrus Thomas to a five-year, $40 million contract.
Thomas was a restricted free agent who I thought would benefit from the unique nature of the 2010 summer. This is a great deal for him financially, though it isn't the type of obscene money I once thought might be possible.
The trajectory of his career has always been one that I compare with Rudy Gay. They were both members of the 2006 Draft class and some of Gay's flaws were exposed in his sophomore season at UConn, while Thomas had a meteoric rise during his one and done run at LSU.
The numbers Thomas posted for the Bulls were never horrific by any means, typically averaging 13 points and about nine boards and at least two blocks per 36 minutes.
With the Bobcats, he played just 25 games and a total of 542 minutes, but his PER, usage and total rebound percentage were career highs.
He needs to be a finisher at the rim in order to be effective offensively, but he also needs lobs and dishes to get those, so they happen with not nearly enough frequency for how much he likes to take shots. His jumper isn't awful by any stretch, but it would be better utilized as something to offset the dunk instead of vice versa.
Defensively, Thomas is a special shotblocker and he is a top-10 player in terms of block percentage. He is typically committed to doing the non-glamorous aspects of defending and does a good job of it. He also is capable of defending both power forwards and small forwards.
He is an ideal player to bring off the bench because of his energy and the probability that he will be better than his counterpart also coming off the bench. Most teams would prefer, however, to have a player of Thomas' level of ability be on a rookie contract instead of making high seven-figures in each of the next five seasons.
Grade for Bobcats: B-
The Suns were looking for more affordable replacements to Amar'e Stoudemire this summer and I thought he would be a good fit for the team. Given the possibility of receiving one more decent sized contract when this new one is up before phasing into veteran minimum status, taking a little less money to showcase himself with an elite passing point guard might have been a prudent gamble.
Ultimately, $40 million over five seasons is a good deal for a player who was traded away because his former team preferred cap space over the risk of him taking the qualifying offer. The fact that Chicago was able to receive a future first for him, despite being so close to restricted free agency did reveal how much Charlotte liked him and the good possibility that he would be retained.
Grade for Thomas: A-
http://bobcats.realgm.com/articles/44/20100714/grading_the_deal_bobcats_keep_tyrus_thomas/

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