Mario Chalmers makes All-Star Three-Point Contest; Brandon Rush snubbed
Mario Chalmers shoots over Alonzo Gee during the second quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat game at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Feb. 7, 2012.
Mario Chalmers shoots over Alonzo Gee during the second quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat game at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami on Feb. 7, 2012.
The NBA announced Wednesday that one more Jayhawk will join Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) and Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns) in Orlando for 2012 All-Star Weekend festivities.
It could have been two more.
Mario Chalmers (Miami Heat) was selected as one of the six players in the All-Star Three-Point Contest. Brandon Rush (Golden State Warriors) was not.
Chalmers’ honor is well-deserved. He’s had the best shooting season of his four-year career and has hit 57 of 123 triples for a more-than-solid 46.3 percent average. In fact, Chalmers is ranked sixth in the NBA in shooting percentage, and he has the best average of players with 120 attempts or more.
Rush’s snub is bizarre for the same reasons. Rush, with his insane 54.8 percent average (40 of 73 treys), is the most efficient shooter in the NBA this season. But percentages didn’t seem to factor into the selection criteria, as Chalmers is the only top-20 shooter to make the contest. The other four honorees (not counting reigning champion James Jones, also of the Miami Heat) rank 1, 3, 13 and 28 in total three-point makes. Chalmers is tied for 7th in the NBA using that metric. Again, not counting Jones, just two of the other four contestants have a top-50 (!) three-point average.
After his selection, Chalmers tweeted:
Thanks you to the NBA and all my fans for selecting me for the 3 point shoot out. A dream come true
Rush took to Twitter with his disappointment, but was gracious in congratulating his former teammate, Chalmers, tweeting a simple “congrats on making it bro.”
The San Jose Mercury News Warriors blog “Fast Break” summed up the disappointment surrounding Rush’s snub in one tweet:
Feel bad for Brandon Rush. He’s done a great job rebuilding his rep in Oakland. Would have been a nice acknowledgment to be part of weekend.
But a little perspective helps ease the sting. From Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports:
… It’s a silly exhibition. It’s meant to offer a litany of storylines to showcase on basic cable on a Saturday night in February. Hemming and hawing over this list — even if it features two All-Stars in (Kevin) Love and (Joe) Johnson who are shooting at the league average from behind the three-point line — is a bit much at this point. As it stands, the NBA has put together a well-rounded list of participants planned to check all the respective boxes, all with a good chance to win.
Wednesday recap
Atanta Hawks' Josh Smith (5) shoots over Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, in Phoenix.
• Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns) fouled out for the second game in a row Wednesday, but not before he posted an efficient eight-point, five-rebound performance against the Atlanta Hawks. Markieff made most of the few shots he took (2-for-3 overall, 1-for-1 from three, 3-for-4 from the foul line) and added a steal and a block in 20 minutes (full stats here). Several of Markieff’s six fouls (including the one that DQ-ed him with 10 seconds left in the fourth) were drawn by relentless Hawks big man Josh Smith, who had a monster line of 30 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three blocks in 44 minutes.
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce drives with the ball against Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, left, and center Ben Wallace (6) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. The Pistons won 98-88.
• Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) had an ugly outing on Wednesday, hitting just 3 of 11 shots for 10 points as the Detroit Pistons took down the Celtics, 98-88. Pierce missed his only three-point attempt and grabbed just one rebound in 37 minutes. He chipped in five assists, sank 4 of 4 from the free-throw line and blocked two shots (full stats here).
• Drew Gooden (Milwaukee Bucks) bounced back from a 2-for-14 dud on Monday by making 5 of 13 baskets on Wednesday against the New Orleans Hornets. Gooden only finished with 11 points, however, and didn’t make it to the free-throw line for the first time in almost a month. The Bucks lost, 92-89. Gooden hit the only three-pointer he attempted and added five rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 26 minutes (full stats here). Gooden and three other Bucks starters did not play at all in the fourth quarter, despite it being a 72-65 game after three.
As always, Alex Boeder of BrewHoop.com had the court-side perspective:
First, Gooden, who tossed two straight airballs, delivered a particularly bad outlet pass, and suffered from a questionable shot selection and defensive stance. But he continues to work hard in spite of a sprained wrist and probably some other nagging aches and injuries that he shied away from specifying after the game (instead saying everyone has injuries). He never makes excuses, and keeps plugging away at a position that he is very obviously not suited to play. Gooden is a reasonably capable power forward, but instead starts at center, often guarding real centers, and not only that, but is tasked with supplying a good portion of the offense every night. When you see the player after the game, feet soaking in water, icebag on wrist, drained, you see another side.
Quirky? Yes. Efficient? Not always. Trying? Yeah.
• Xavier Henry (New Orleans Hornets) made all three of his shots and finished with six points and four rebounds in a 92-89 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Henry also turned the ball over twice in his 13 minutes on the court (full stats here).
• Nick Collison (Oklahoma City Thunder) played his second-most minutes of the season and scored eight points, but the Thunder lost to the Houston Rockets, 96-95. Collison’s 29 minutes were the most since he spent 30 minutes on the floor back on Jan. 7. Against the Rockets on Wednesday, Collison grabbed five rebounds and had two assists, two steals and a block as he played the entire fourth quarter in place of starting power forward Serge Ibaka (full stats here).
• Cole Aldrich (Oklahoma City Thunder) did not play (coach’s decision) on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. The Thunder lost the close contest, 96-95 (game stats here).
• Kirk Hinrich (Atlanta Hawks) had five points and three assists in 24 minutes on Wednesday as the Hawks edged out the Phoenix Suns, 101-99. Hinrich also had a rebound, a steal and zero turnovers, but he hit just 2 of 8 shots from the field (full stats here).
During the game, ValleyoftheSuns.com’s Michael Schwartz commented on Hinrich’s impact on the defensive end:
Nash checked out when Hinrich came in and returned when Hinrich left. He always defends Nash well.
• Brandon Rush (Golden State Warriors) took just three shots and made just one basket for two points as the Warriors lost to the Portland Trailblazers, 93-91 on Wednesday. Rush, who was passed over for a spot in the All-Star Three-Point Shootout, missed his only registered three-point attempt of the night. Rush also misfired on a potentially game-wining three-pointer at the buzzer, but he didn’t get it off in time because the Warriors had to go the length of the floor with six seconds left after they bungled a timeout sequence. Rush finished with three rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block in 24 minutes (full stats here).
Brady Morningstar talks about D-League experience
Brady Morningstar (NBA D-League – Tulsa 66ers) spoke to the Journal-World’s Tom Keegan about his experience in the developmental league:
“Every night I know there is going to be another guy coming at me because he thinks he has an advantage on me,” Morningstar said. “I don’t blame them for thinking that. If I looked at me out there, I’d think that, too. It’s kind of fun. Our coach always says, ‘If you can’t defend a guy in the D League, you can’t defend a guy in the NBA.'”
Jayhawks in upcoming NBA games
• 7 p.m., TNT, Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics vs. the Chicago Bulls
• 6 p.m., Drew Gooden and the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the Orlando Magic
• 6:30 p.m., Mario Chalmers and the Miami Heat vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers
• 7 p.m., Xavier Henry and the New Orleans Hornets vs. the New York Knicks
• 7 p.m., Nick Collison, Cole Aldrich and the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Brandon Rush and the Golden State Warriors
• 9:30 p.m., ESPN, Markieff Morris and the Phoenix Suns vs. the Los Angeles Lakers