Points in the Paint

» October 6, 2009 4:07 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Allen Iverson will miss tonight’s preseason game versus the Wizards because of a strained left hamstring. No word on whether he’s headed to Georgetown Medical Center for a second opinion.

Doc Rivers was interviewed at some length on Dennis & Callahan. Rivers on Rajon Rondo’s shooting range: “When you look at his shot this year, he’s made some dramatic changes to it, it looks good, it’s going to go in, and it’s going to keep getting better. The thing I love about Rondo is, he’s going to put in the time. That kid works on his game. He traveled all summer back and forth to Atlanta, working with Mark Price. I think he’s done some great work and you can see it in his game. I don’t think anyone can go from an average to a great shooter, but they can become a pretty good shooter. And that’s all Rondo needs. If he can develop that mid-range jump shot and make the occasional 3, then he’s going to be tough to deal with.”

Ken Berger, with the help of Synergy Sports’ sortable, searchable video clips of every NBA game, compares Artest to Trevor Ariza: “According to Synergy Sports Technology, which logs and categorizes every play during the NBA season, Artest and Ariza exerted their influence in very different ways. Based on 36-minute averages in 2008-09, Artest provided more 3-point field goals (6.8 vs. Ariza’s 3.4), more assists (3.4 vs. 2.7), and more blocks (0.98 vs. 0.54). Ariza was good for more offensive rebounds (2.06 vs. 0.97) and steals (2.53 vs. 1.57), plus fewer turnovers (1.62 vs. 2.13). In terms of how they were used, Artest was more versatile, producing more field goals off screens (29-8), in isolation (108-20), as the pick-and-roll ball handler (74-17), and on post-ups (38-7). Ariza had more field goals on offensive rebounds (35-22), as a cutter (46-13), and in transition (92-53). Their shooting percentages were comparable in every category in which each player had at least 25 attempts.”

Berger also writes that Paul Pierce is down to 233 pounds, 12 less than his best statistical season.

John Brennan of The Record: “Attorneys for the Nets’ planned Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn have a key road trip of their own coming up — an Oct. 14 visit to Albany for oral arguments before the New York Court of Appeals about whether the use of eminent domain at the site is permissible. The Nets are expected to remain at the Izod Center there at least through the start of the 2011-12 season. The franchise is trying to break ground on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn by the end of this year. That relocation hinges on both the court case and approval of a proposal by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov to acquire an 80 percent interest in the Nets. NBA Commissioner David Stern told The Times of London on the eve of Tuesday’s preseason game in London between Chicago and Utah that his office would conduct a background check of Prokhorov that was ‘full and intrusive.’ ‘It’s very strenuous regarding financial ability, character and business dealings,’ Stern said.”

The Orange County Register’s Kevin Ding on Andrew Bynum’s injury history: “To put it broadly, Bynum’s knees have been and remain ticking time bombs, at least with regard to impact. Specifically, he suffers from ligamentous laxity (or looseness), which is the reason his doctor said it was ‘a must’ for him to wear the right-knee brace. Maybe Bynum should’ve been wearing braces even before, because the Lakers noticed the loose ligaments, knock-kneed frame and oversized upper body vs. undersized lower body long before Bynum suffered his January 2008 left-knee patella subluxation (another common injury for those with ligamentous laxity) or his January 2009 right-knee torn medial collateral ligament.”

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