Around the NBA: Calderon pockets parting gift from Warriors . . . Wiggins flashes roll of 20s
It’s been an up-and-down week for ex-Raptor Jose Calderon, who had his best chance at an NBA title snatched from his grasp. After engineering a buyout from the Los Angeles Lakers, Calderon had a commitment to sign with the Golden State Warriors, hoping to add an NBA championship to a career list of accomplishments that includes two Olympic silver medals and a world championship. That dream died when Golden State’s Kevin Durant hurt his knee and the Warriors needed to sign forward Matt Barnes for the rest of the season instead. The Warriors did keep their word and signed Calderon, but waived him a few hours later (he
made a bit of money on the transaction — about $400,000) and now he’s been linked to the Atlanta Hawks.
DISSING COUSINS: DeMarcus Cousins isn’t quite lighting it up in New Orleans after his trade from Sacramento. He’s putting up good numbers — 23.3 points, 12 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game — but the Pelicans lost all three games he’s played. Oh, and he’s picked up two more technical fouls, which got him to 18 on the season and a one-game suspension served Wednesday. The tech that got him the night off came just 32 seconds into a game Sunday, the fastest he’s ever been T’d up.
SNAKEBITTEN SIXERS: It’s been another tumultuous week for the Philadelphia 76ers, who announced that rookie Ben Simmons would miss the entire season and that Joel Embiid is being shut down for the final quarter of the schedule because of a meniscus tear in his left knee. Simmons makes it five first-round picks in the so-called modern NBA era (since the arrival of the shot clock) who’ve missed their entire first season. Three have played for Philadelphia: Simmons, Nerlens Noel and Embiid. The other two were Portland’s Greg Oden and Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers.
JOKIC’S WILD: Denver’s emerging star centre, Nikola Jokic, hung 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists on the Chicago Bulls during the Nuggets’ win on Tuesday night, and followed that up with 13 points, 14 boards and 10 assists in Milwaukee the next night, giving the second-year player four triple-doubles this season. The last NBA sophomore to have four? LeBron James in 2004-05.
HOLIDAY HELPS:. With parts of the city damaged extensively by February tornadoes, New Orleans guard Jrue Holiday will donate $1,000 to relief efforts for every point and assist he gets during a Friday home game against the San Antonio Spurs. Holiday averages 16 points and 7.3 assists per game, so he could be on the hook for a substantial sum.
BANK ON WIGGINS: The young Minnesota Timberwolves remain on the periphery of the Western Conference playoff race, just three games out of eighth place going into Thursday night. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best young big men in the game and that’s a huge part of it, but Andrew Wiggins is more than carrying his load. When Wiggins had 20 points in a rout of the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, it gave him a franchise-record 19 straight games with at least 20 points. Wiggins’ scoring streak is the longest current one in the league, as well.