Butler's 28 points leads Bulls past Wolves, 96-89.

It's one thing to play without Derrick Rose. It's harder to play without the All-Star forward Pau Gasol out due to illness, and Taj Gibson who left the game with an ankle injury in the 1st quarter.

The Bulls had their hands full against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, who've only won 5 games on the road this season. Minnesota (13-44) had newly acquired Kevin Garnett on the bench in the second game of a back to back. Garnett played in Wednesday's win in Minnesota.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and had 12 rebounds in 42+ minutes. He shot 11 of 19 and was the best Bulls player on offense.  Center Joakim Noah had another solid game with Gasol out, scoring 11 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.  Mike Dunleavy fired 5 trey's on a 21 point night. Tony Snell added 12 points for Chicago.

Honestly, if the Bulls (37-22) had played a better team, they might have lost the game. But Chicago pulled ahead in the closing minutes to secure the victory. Even though Rose was out of the game, Gasol's absence proved almost too much.  Gasol averages 18.4 ppg and 12.1 rebounds a game. Chicago only shot 38.5% from the floor, a low figure for a team for a winning squad.

Kevin Martin scored 18 points to lead the Timberwolves. Ricky Rubio added 15 for the visitors.

This trend of losing to inferior teams may do the Bulls in.  Around this time, losses mount up and wins are hard to come by.

Rose's latest injury underscores the fragility of losing your team leader and point guard.
He does make the Bulls a better team. It is said that this injury will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. That is better than expected news for Bulls fans. It was feared he'd miss the regular season and playoffs. Rose was seen after the outpatient surgery, able to stand and  put full weight on his knee, a positive sign.  Now he begins another period of rehabbing a surgically repaired knee.

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Prospect Examination: Tyler Ennis

"I'd like to thank Coach [Jim] Boeheim, the coaching staff, my teammates and the amazing fans of Syracuse for the opportunity to play at a great university like Syracuse," Ennis said in a statement as he declared for the draft. "I feel this experience has helped prepare me to fulfill my lifelong dream – to play in the NBA."

Tyler Ennis entered this years college basketball season as a nobody since he's wasn't talked about in comparison to the other freshmen. At the start of the season Ennis wasn't thought of as a potential lottery pick and as he improved throughout the season it became more obvious to the oblivious that he would declare for the NBA Draft after his strong but surprising freshmen season ended. The Canadian product wasn't known or hyped up coming out of High School and didn't receive great ranks from respected High School athlete ranking sites (I.e. scouts.com, maxpreps.com, 247sports.com and rivals.com). Actually 247 Sports had him as a five-star athlete. But his high school rankings mean nothing now as he was clutch this season showing calmness in the court the entire 40 minutes.

This season with the Syracuse Orange he was a semi-finalist for the Naismith College Player of the Year and was named to the Second Team All-ACC (2014), All-ACC Freshmen Team (2014), All-ACC Defensive Team (2014). In 34 games he averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 41.1% (FG%), 35.3% (3P%) and 76.5% (FT%) in 35.7 minutes.

Ennis is expected to be a mid-late first rounder as he is believed to have more weaknesses than strengths, he is believed to be the third-best Point Guard in this years crop behind Dante Exum (Australia) and Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State). 

"If you were to ask me right now whether I'd take Ennis over Kyrie Irving, I think it's Ennis," an NBA GM said. "He does all the things that help a basketball team win basketball games. You can pick him apart on individual flaws, but I would take this kid right now and trust him to run my team. I think there's very few freshmen you could ever say that about."

Watching Ennis throughout the season it can be seen that he is very mature as a 19-year old and with that maturity he was given a bigger role and opportunity by long time Syracuse Head Coach, Jim Boeheim. Boeheim doesn't show if any admiration for freshmen but to him Ennis is different.

"Tyler, for us, he’s so valuable," Boeheim said on Ennis' importance. "He plays 40 minutes in the [ACC games]. We can’t win a game without him. Literally. If you talk about the best pro prospect (in the ACC), it’s Jabari Parker, but who’s the most valuable to his team? We don’t have a point guard, I don’t know where we would be without Tyler Ennis."

Scouts are impressed with Ennis' poise when he plays the game and it's obvious that he has a feel for the game that some players are missing which sets him apart from his other with a tremendous IQ and smooth operator like attitude. He has great handles as he only averaged 1.7 turnovers per game. On the court he has showcased leadership and great communication skills as he got his teammates into the right spots on the floor to make the offense flow like a waterfall which was a main reason as to why Syracuse started the season 25-0. Ennis will attempt to follow in the footsteps of former Orangemen guards Michael Carter-Williams and Dion Waiters into the NBA but the question is, Where will he get drafted? Most if not all NBA teams have a franchise Point Guard at this point in time and Ennis isn't good enough to become a franchise player but will be a backup in this golden age of Point Guards, the acculturation of the position is tremendous and it will be interesting to see how Ennis adjusts. 

Ennis' pick-and-roll game will translate perfectly to the NBA if he is teamed up with a good finishing big-man. If you compare Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday to their respective college careers you would notice a difference in their points averaged from college to the NBA. The reason for that difference is because most colleges especially big schools have a offense they they refuse to change regardless of the players and players from smaller schools as in Damian Lillard and Jimmer Fredette who had to be scorers for their respective schools. 

Ennis is a mixture a pass-first guard and a scoring-guard; typically he's a traditional Point Guard in the first half but in the second half he's what most of this generations point guards do and that is score and if needed he will takeover. Some believe he's to unselfish, but there's no such thing of that at the point guard position since his job is to do what's best for the team and go with what  the defense gives him. He's an All-Around great Point Guard as he averaged a 3.24 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio along with having a 5.38 Pure Point Rating which was good enough for 18th in the nation. 

When in the NBA he'll need to improve his jumpshot as it is very inconsistent. This past season he averaged 4.4 made shots per game on 10.6 attempts. As the season progressed Ennis gained more confidence to take that shot and would sometimes catch fire with it when his defender least expected it; sometimes on the fast-break when you think he's going to do something else he pulls-up for the shot, his shot wasn't as deadly as his driving ability to the rim. When needed he can score in bunches in a variety of ways if it's with hit shot, driving ability, runners, floaters etc.

At 6'2" and 180-pounds he isn't the biggest defender on the court and his lack of mass is quite evident. Despite his lack of size, he did average 2.1 steals, 3.9 steal percentage and 2.2 defensive win shares all show how IQ on that side of the court but he doesn't have the potential to become a good defender and could just be average on that end; possibly a liability. 

"I think he’s a great college player," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "I think physically he probably could’ve used another year. A little bit different than Dion Waiters who I had a couple of years ago who left. I think Dion was physically better, more physically ready."

When in the NBA Ennis' might not be selected to the All-Star team but will be a solid contributor to any team he's on. He contains things not can't be taught but only born with. As a team leader he brings positivity to the court as he never seems down in any situation and seems very positive. It'll be great to see how he performs during the combine and pre-draft workouts.

"He’s a tremendous player and a very, very smart point guard," Jim Boeheim said. "And I think the one thing I think is point guard is probably the hardest position to break into in the NBA, it’s a very difficult position, but he’s got the skill set to do that. It’s just a question of him landing in the right place."

NBA Comparisons: Chauncey Billups, Ray McCallum, George Hill, Austin Rivers

Best fits: Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks & Toronto Raptors.

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Pierce Leads Nets to 13th Straight Home Win

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 31st, 2014

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Timberwolves 99 Nets 114

The Brooklyn Nets were once again able to win at the Barclays Center, as with their 114-99 victory over the Timberwolves they have made it 13 straight at the home. The win moves the Nets to (39-33), which is 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

For the second straight game Nets Forward Paul Pierce had a great game, and got off to a hot start once again. Pierce lit it up in the first quarter scoring 16 points, helping the Nets get off to a good start. Pierce finished with a game-high 22 points on eight for 11 shooting, which included him, going five of eight from three-point range. The only downside for Pierce in the game was that he got into foul trouble in third quarter.

philly.com

Positives:

In the third quarter when the Nets got into foul trouble, Joe Johnson stepped up to help the Nets weather the storm from the Timberwolves. Johnson scored eight points in the third without Deron Williams and Pierce on the court. Johnson finished with 19 points on eight for 13 shooting, and he also became the 15th active player to reach 17,000 career points.

Brooklyn on defense did an excellent job against one of the better players in the league in Kevin Love, who is averaging a double-double on the season, but on Sunday the Nets held him in check. Love finished with just 14 points on five for 14 shooting, and maybe more impressive for the Nets is that they were able to keep in under 10 rebounds, as he finished with nine. As a team the Nets out-rebounded the Timberwolves by one, and even had more offensive rebounds than them.

The second unit for Brooklyn was very good in the win on Sunday, as it got big games from Andray Blatche and Alan Anderson. Blatche finished with 14 points, which led all bench scorers on seven for 11 shooting with six rebounds. Anderson was right behind Blatche with 13 points on five for 10 shooting, and Anderson also added five rebounds.

Negatives:

In what was a good win for the Nets there were few negatives, but Brooklyn was sloppy with the ball, as they turned it over 20 times. The high turnover amount played into the Timberwolves style of play. Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin were able to take advantage of opportunities in the open court, as they both played well in the loss. They each finished with 21 points, as for Brewer he did it on nine for 13 shooting, and for Martin he shot nine for 16 from the field.

Next up for the Nets will be a big test at home on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

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W2W4: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Brooklyn Nets March 30th, 2014

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 30th, 2014

W2W4: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Brooklyn Nets will be at home on Sunday evening hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the Nets look gain ground on the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division. The Nets are (38-33) on the season, and still trail the Raptors by 2.5 games.

Match-Up of the Game: Kevin Love vs. Paul Pierce

Nets Forward Paul Pierce is going to have his hands full on Sunday night against one of the most dynamic players in the NBA in Kevin Love. Love is having a monster season for the Timberwolves, as the walking double-double is averaging 26.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Pierce is going to have to worry about chasing Love at the three-point line, and then also box him out on the glass. Love isn’t the greatest defender however, so Pierce should be able to succeed on the offensive end of the court.

- Lucky 13

On Sunday the Nets will be looking to be victorious for the 13th straight time at the Barclays Center, as with the home winning streak it has allowed the Nets to have one of the better home records in basketball. The Timberwolves are one game above .500, but on the road they aren’t the same team, as they are just (15-21) this season. A bad road team heading in the Timberwolves heading to the Barclays Center seems like a good recipe for the Nets.

sportspyder.com

- Clincher

Brooklyn can lock up a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference tonight if they are able to defeat the Timberwolves, and if their rivals the New York Knicks lose to the Golden State Warriors. The Nets will definitely be a playoff team whether they clinch it tonight or not, but with their great play at home they certainly want to either win the Atlantic or hop the Chicago Bulls in the standings.

- Still Out

Once again the Nets will be without Center Kevin Garnett, who will be missing his 16th straight game with back spasms, and Forward Andrei Kirilenko will be out yet again with a sprained ankle, which will be his fourth game missed in a row.

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Knicks Snap Losing Streak With Win Over Timberwolves

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, March 5^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to get a much needed victory and snap their seven-game losing streak Wednesday Night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves 118-106. It was a great team effort put forth by the team tonight as they got going right from the start, never trailing in the game and being engaged from the opening tip through the final whistle. The victory moves the Knicks record to 22-40 on the season and moves them to within six games of the Atlanta Hawks, who play at the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday, for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will look to keep the positive play going Friday night against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden.

Player of the Game: Raymond Felton

 

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Felton had his best game in a long time and arguably this season as he scored 18 points to go along with eight assists, three rebounds, four steals and one block. Felton played with supreme confidence and energy tonight as he attacked the basket and created easy opportunities for himself and his teammates. Felton’s aggressiveness makes things immensely easier for the Knicks as easy baskets and open jump shots become more readily available. As Felton goes the Knicks go and if they are to make a final push for the playoffs to close the season Felton needs to continue playing close to what he did tonight.

-Positives

Mike Woodson looks to have finally hit the right buttons for the starting lineup. For the second consecutive game Felton, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler started and for the second consecutive game the Knicks started the game on fire. Tonight they opened on a 9-0 run and scored a season-high tying 38 points in a quarter to start the game. The last two games the Knicks have been the team to get off to a fast start and put the opposition in an early hole, tonight they were just able to sustain the improved player.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

No matter what the Timberwolves did to slow down Anthony it did not work tonight. Anthony didn’t have his jump shot clicking, going 3-10 from the three point line and he didn’t get to the foul line as much as he usually does, taking only four attempts and making two, yet he still poured in 33 points. Anthony had it going from the mid-range, knocking down 11-17 shots from inside the three point line. He also added five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler had a strong night on both ends of the court. The two of them were handed the responsibility of slowing down double-double machine Kevin Love and they combined to do as well as anyone has this season. Love shot only 6-19 from the field for 19 points and managed to grab only eight rebounds. Offensively Stoudemire scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. Chandler added 15 points and 14 rebounds to go along with stellar defense against Love.

Overall, the defense tonight for the Knicks was solid. The perimeter defense was much improved, as Ricky Rubio was forced into six turnovers and Kevin Martin was able to knock down only three of his 10 attempts from the field. On the night the Timberwolves shot only 39-90 (43.4 percent) and 7-26 (26.9 percent) from the three point line.

The Knicks showed some real heart and resiliency tonight. The game was going much like Monday against the Pistons did; a great start that was ruined by progressively worse play every quarter after that. Tonight the Knicks had poor second and third quarters once again, but they never allowed the Timberwolves to take the lead, knocking down timely baskets to keep them at bay. They did not wilt under the pressure once the Timberwolves made their run, instead coming back with a run of their own to put the game away in the fourth quarter and take home the win.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

-Negatives

The only real negative to the game tonight and what looks like the biggest problem they will face the remainder of the season is the bench production. Tonight the bench managed to score only 20 points, four of which came in garbage time from Jeremy Tyler. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 11, Pablo Prigioni scored three and Iman Shumpert added two. With performances like that from the bench the pressure will be squarely on the starting unit to carry the team offensively. The bench unit needs to find ways to impact the game in more ways than scoring.

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Brandon Roy: The Career That Never Was

Written By Clevis Murray

Brandon Roy was one of the best young Shooting Guards in the NBA and was thought of to give Kobe Bryant a run for his money as the best in the West with his sky high potential but Roy would never live up to those expectations due to injuries which derailed his career which lasted seven seasons.

Roy was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and started to take the game of basketball more serious when he started playing in AAU tournaments. Roy attended Garfield High School and was thought of by many to be the best basketball player in Seattle and at that time Roy considered entering the 2002 NBA Draft. Roy would eventually withdraw his name from the player pool which he explained by stating the following that he "wasn't prepared mentally or physically to play in the NBA, so I decided to pull my name out and go to college" Roy eventually decide to attend the University of Washington and team up with another Seattle native in Nate Robinson.  Before becoming the first person in his family to attend a four-year college, Roy struggled taking the SAT and needed to take it four times before he eventually met the NCAA requirements.

He would go on to attend Washington for four years but did consider entering the 2005 draft but seeing Nate Robinson leave and recent UW signee Martell Webster un-commit to the University helped change his mind as he knew that being "The Guy" on the team would improve his draft stock which it did. Each season Roy increased his stats and certainly increased his standing among others. Roy would go and lead the Huskies to back-to-back sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Individually the guard was tremendous especially during his senior season when he averaged 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists and would be named Pac-10 player of the year, honored as an All-American and a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, Oscar Robertson, and Adolph Rupp awards. On January 22, 2009 the Huskies would retire Roy's #3 jersey.

Brandon was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the sixth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft but was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Randy Foye. Interestingly enough, he had pre-draft workouts with both teams. Fast forward to opening night and Roy made his pro debut against his hometown Seattle SuperSonics and finished the game with 20 points. Early into his rookie year he would miss over 20 games due to impingement in his left heel but would comeback and become the fourth Blazer to be selected to the Rookie-Sophomore game which made him the first Blazer at All-Star weekend since Rasheed Wallace in 2001 as an All-Star reserve. Roy would eventually win Rookie of the Year earning 127 out of 128 votes and playing 57 games which is the second least amount for a recipient of the award. 

The 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons were the healthiest seasons for Roy in which he was named an All-Star both seasons but did have ankle injuries in both years which didn't effect his play too much but Roy would have have a a piece of cartilage removed from his left knee in 2008 which was causing irritation. That surgery was a preview as to what Roy's career would become. That season though he had a game with 52 points and another game with 10 steals and was named to the All-NBA Second Team becoming the 1st Blazer since 91-92 to receive that honor. 

As the 2009-2010 season started it would become the beginning of the end for the career of Brandon Roy, he started the season by signing a 5-Year extension with the Blazers. Brandon was selected to the All-Star game but couldn't play due to a hamstring injury and the injuries would start piling on as he also suffered a partially torn Meniscus which should've kept him out for the entire first round against the Phoenix Suns but he would return to action eight days later and in sports returning early from a injury is never the right thing to do but in Roy's case it seemed fine since no damage was done.... At the moment. 

The 2010-2011 season started and Roy would miss a few games of the early season due to soreness in his knee because of the lack of cartilage in both of them. On January 17, 2011, Roy would undergo yet another knee surgery this time it was arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees, when he came back he was a bench player and it was evident that he wouldn't be able to return to the All-Star level he once enjoyed. As the 2011 NBA Playoffs began Roy was still a bench player and his team had a first round date with the eventual NBA champions in the Dallas Mavericks. Roy struggled the first two games of the series but picked up his play when the series shifted to Portland but Game 4 he showed why he was a All-Star in past years and that performance would be the last great one for his career.

In Game 4 the Blazers trailed by as many as 23 points but Brandon Roy would shine last one time by scoring 18 points in the 4th quarter along with four assists and was responsible for 33 of the team's final 43 points which included a 4-point play and a clutch bank shot. Roy would go on to comment on his big night by saying "I've been in some pretty good zones before, but nothing like tonight." Roy couldn't believe what he had single handily done and in disbelief he said 

"It still just doesn't feel real yet, It was just an unbelievable game and comeback. With everything I've been through this season, they just all came into that moment there on the court when guys were grabbing and cheering me on. It was real special." 

That performance by Brandon Roy is the reason why we love sports because a young mature man like him who has been through so much in a short period of time had an out of body experience an dominated the game. That game would hopefully be the turning point for his career in which many thought and hoped.

After the 2011 NBA lockout ended Brandon Roy would surprisingly announce his retirement from Basketball due his knees degenerating so much that he had a lack of cartilage between his bones and knees. Due to his announcement the Blazers would amnesty him. In his retirement speech he said 

"I love the game, I love the Portland Trail Blazers and I love our fans, but after consulting with my doctors, I will seek a determination that I've suffered a career ending injury, This has just been a tough year, my most difficult as a Blazer, I tried to make the most of things. I can definitely say I honestly tried. I've given this team my best." 

Marcus Camby would comment on Roy's retirement and wanted his jersey to be retired "His number belongs up there." Former Team President Larry Miller had some encouraging words for Roy

"Brandon Roy will always be a Trail Blazer in our hearts and minds, He was an All-Star and a warrior every night that he stepped on the court and gave everything he had to help us win. He was a role model on and off the court, and through his leadership he turned us into a winning franchise once again."

The basketball loving guard's retirement from the NBA would only last for one season and after undergoing the same knee procedure Kobe Bryant underwent called platelet-rich plasma, Roy thought his knees would be healthy enough for a comeback. He would go on to sign a 2-year deal with the team that drafted him back in '06, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sadly his comeback would only last five games before he needed season-ending surgery on his right knee and was waived by Minnesota on May 10, 2013. Roy would go on to say "Any time you walk away from the game, you have what ifs. I feel like I was able to answer those questions last year by going out there and giving it a try." Roy knew his career was coming to a end and had no problem with it "My basketball days are numbered, that’s no secret, If I never play another game, I’ll still be completely happy with my career." For every Paul George whose career continues to rise by the day, there are the sad endings to the careers of the Brandon Roy's. 

After retiring from the NBA Brandon Roy has been living his life with family and friends but has commented on why college is important for young Ballers 

"College helps develop guys, both mentally and physically. There are kids who are physically ready, but they're not mentally ready or mature enough to deal with the NBA. And I think it's good for kids to look to go to college because it can help them in the long run. Instead of rushing to the NBA, take your time and prepare yourself for your future, which goes well beyond basketball."

The modern day Brandon Roy could be Chicago Bulls Point Guard Derrick Rose. Rose doesn't get in any trouble off the court and is very soft spoken and quiet but is going through something similar like Roy with various injuries including his hamstring, Torn ACL in 2012 and a Torn Meniscus in 2013.   With that being said, Brandon Roy could've been a very great NBA player but his was derailed, not by drugs, alcohol, or lack of work ethic nor attitude.  Sadly, his career ended due to debilitating injuries. Brandon was loved by everyone and those who were a fan of him felt for him because he was really a great person who did nothing wrong but love the game and was different in a good way more so than anyone else. Someone like him didn't deserve to have the multitude of injuries that he did but everyone's path in life goes in different directions and whatever his is he will be impactful.

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