Posts tagged MauriceEvans at FanHouse

There's a reason that preseason games are played in every major professional sport. Players need the time to work themselves back into game shape after a few months off, and usually need to learn how to play with new players or in a new system. The players aren't the only ones that benefit though. Referees use these games to shake out the cobwebs too, and there were a couple examples of this in last night's preseason opener between the Hawks and the Suns.

Late in the first quarter, the Hawks' Solomon Jones came barreling into the Suns' Louis Amundson (I know. It's pre-season people, work with me here.). It was your typical block/charge situation; it could have gone either way. The initial call was an offensive foul on Jones, but then the lead official called one of those NFL-style conferences, and they all discussed the play for a good minute and a half -- an eternity for the fans in the arena.

Apparently no consensus could be reached, so the official came to the scorer's table and announced the following: "We have a difference of opinion, we're going to jump it up. Personal fouls for both 44 blue and 17 white, no team fouls." I thought this was a pretty odd decision, and one that you would almost never see in a game that counted.

There was one other quirky play of note in the second half, and on this one, I think the officials got it right.

Thanks to the good folks in the Phoenix Suns' communications department, I was courtside for the team's pre-season opener against the Hawks. Being the first game of the pre-season, it was mostly just local media in attendance, who apparently had no interest in Hawks' coach Mike Woodson's post-game remarks. When he came out of the locker room, it was just me, esteemed writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sekou Smith, and a media rep for the Suns that were waiting for him. Needless to say, it was the perfect opportunity to ask the coach a few questions about the game (and frankly, it would have been weird if I didn't.) Here are coach Woodson's (very brief) post-game comments:

Brett Edwards: You left Marvin [Williams] out there longer than usual, were you just trying to get him more work?

Mike Woodson: I was trying to get him more work, and I knew I wasn't going to play Joe [Johnson] and [Mike] Bibby many minutes, so, you gotta have one of those guys on the floor, Marvin, or Josh Smith to go along with the new guys. But Mo [Maurice Evans], Mo would have taken up seven or eight minute that Marvin got coming down the stretch probably, if he hadn't gotten hurt.

BE: What happened to Mo?

MW: He got an elbow (points to above his eye), he needed to get some stitches.

BE: The first half it seemed like you guys took a lot of outside shots, which maybe lead to the low field goal percentage?

MW: Which I don't like.

BE: Yeah, did you talk to them about that at halftime?

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

At just 20 years old, Lakers star Andrew Bynum is already one of most talented centers in the NBA, and he may even be a future Hall of Famer. But one of his close friends tells us that away from the court, "Drew" takes on another identity: that of being the biggest tech-nerd you can imagine. In this video we hang out at Maurice Evans' home, where Bynum's former Lakers teammate tells us all about his good friend. Mo also reveals why he will never play himself when he's playing an NBA video game.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video after the jump.

Just two days before a big game with Oregon State, Joe Paterno announced tonight that three Penn State football players have been suspended for this weekend's game (he didn't say why, but you can connect the dots yourself), while another has been kicked off the team for that all too familiar "undisclosed violation of team rules." I'm pretty sure this makes Penn State your early season Fulmer Cup leader, in case you're keeping track at home.

Backup DB Willie Harriott is now an ex-Lion. While no official reason was given, his departure may be related to a November arrest for DUI and speeding. No team wants to lose depth at any position, but the overall impact of Harriott's departure should be minimal.

Of far more concern, at least for this week, is the suspension of defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma, both key contributors to the Lions defense, as well as tight end Andrew Quarless (pictured above right). All three are significant contributors to the team, though only Evans and Koroma are starters. But how much will the Nits miss these three guys?

Remember how we reported that Maurice Evans signed with the Warriors? Yeah, scratch that, it never happened. He considered Golden State's three-year, $6.4 million offer but ultimately passed, which is one reason why the Warriors proceeded to keep Kelenna Azubuike from jumping ship to the Clippers.

As it turns out, it was a wise move for Evans: he just agreed to a three-year, $7.5 million deal with the Hawks, who are looking to plug a Josh Childress-sized hole on their bench.

Evans isn't a flashy player, and as a starter he was one of the weakest links in Orlando's lineup last year, but as a likely sixth- or seventh-man for the Hawks, he's not horrible. He's not nearly as versatile as Childress, who could play the two as well as both forward positions in a pinch, but he's a viable swingman capable of hitting the open three and manning up on defense.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons epic game this afternoon.

1. Insert Kryptonite Reference Here: The one thing the Magic had to count on in this series was Dwight Howard. They can probably hang if Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis have off games and are kept out of the penetration. They can manage if the three pointers aren't falling, though it would be hard. But Howard having a bad game? Disaster. Utter disaster. The scheme, the offense, the energy, the soul of this Magic team is centered around Howard. I know it, you know it, and the Pistons sure know it. They harassed and knocked Howard into 12 points and 8 boards. That just won't cut it in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If Howard doesn't respond in a big way tonight, the Magic are going home in a hole.

2. Excuse Me, Do You Have Any Tape? 'Cause I'm Ripped: Rip Hamilton is matched up with Maurice Evans. That is good for the Pistons, bad for the Magic. Hamilton's ability to constrain the perimeter shooting and get hot on his own is of vital use to the Pistons in this series. Chauncey Billups or Rasheed Wallace will have a bad game, but rarely at the same time. The Pistons need Hamilton to anchor the scoring with his versatility. Granted, the Pistons don't have to score that much with their defense as good as it is, but the Pistons can't afford a dry spell to give the Magic life. The Pistons want to finish this one quick and brutal. Hamilton leading all scorers can do that.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons game tonight.

1. Superman Vs. The Automatons: Chris Webber said on Inside the NBA after the Magic eliminated the Raptors that the Pistons would not choose to double Dwight Howard. That's a matter of some debate in the Pistons camp, and it looks like they have decided to bring the double. The thinking here is pretty clear. We shut down Dwight Howard, and this team is without competent weaponry. Howard has to be on his game for every single game in this series. He needs to take advantage when he gets a step, an opening, or a mismatch. He needs to control the boards at both ends of the floor. But most importantly, he needs to make the pass to the open shooter on the perimeter. From there the question gets a little more dicey for the Magic ...

2. .Better Be Good: If the Magic perimeter shooters aren't on target in this series, it could get out of hand very fast. They are going to get open shots. The Pistons are willing to accept shots from Jameer Nelson, from Maurice Evans, from Keith Bogans. As long as it's not Howard dunking on them or Turkoglu slicing to the basket, they'll take their chances with their ability to closeout and put pressure on shooters. Keith Bogans was 12 of 14 against the Pistons this season, and he has to keep up that kind of accuracy to force the Pistons out of the double-team.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Raptors Game 4 tonight.

1. As Go The Backcourts: So goes this series. In Games 1 and 2, Jameer Nelson, Keyon Dooling, and Maurice Evans were lights out, leading a three point barrage on the Raptors. In Game 3, the Raptors responded to the home cooking, and T.J. Ford scored 21, while Jose Calderon had 18 points. Calderon is also averaging 8.3 assists per game. Coach Stan Van Gundy is particularly worried about Calderon, stating after Game 3 that Calderon was playing the pick and roll as anyone in the league "this side of Steve Nash." If the Magic are going to retake momentum and deliver a deathblow to the Raps, Keyon Dooling is going to need to knock down three pointers and Jameer Nelson needs to have his back spasms better stay away. Or it could be another long day for the Magic in Toronto.

2. Howard Gets His: The tactics by Sam Mitchell suggest that the Raptors plan is to let Dwight Howard get his, and try and contain his teammates' ability to get Howard involved. Howard had a down night in Game 3, scoring "only" 19 points with 12 rebounds while picking up 5 fouls. The odds are not likely that they'll be able to keep Howard down again, but if they can keep Hedo Tukoglu and Rashard Lewis under 20 points and 5 assists each, it will allow them to more effectively bring the double team.

Sorry, that was both mean and stupid. Anyway: The Lakers sent underwhelming forward Brian Cook and underrated but kind-of redundant guard Maurice Evans to the Magic for underrated but inconsistent forward Trevor Ariza, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Most will shrug, and that's fine. But this is a good deal for the Lakers.

Ariza's a quality young fellow. He played well over the course of last season and is a vicious rebounder for his position. He can't shoot, so he doesn't; this is an underrated asset in a young (he's 22) player. And he's quite cheap -- cheaper than the older and less-good Cook -- at about $5.6 million over the next two years (with 2008-09 being a player option). Cook, on the other hand, makes $10 million over the next three years. (Evans' $1.5 million contract comes off the books this summer.)

While it's an obvious victory for the Lakers -- getting the best player in the swap while cutting salary -- it also makes sense for Orlando. Ariza was essentially locked behind Hedo Turkoglu in the already tight Magic rotation. If the strategy is to surround slashing/gunning Rashard Lewis and muscly beast Dwight Howard with shooters, both Turkoglu and Cook make more sense than Ariza. Meanwhile, Evans provides another Keith Bogans for your backcourt -- he can defend, score a bit and bring the ball up. And he's not saddling your strained cap number. Right now, it looks like we have a win-win... though I'm not this will placate Kobe Bryant.