Jazz: Kyrylo Fesenko (Mar 6 12:58 ET ) Fesenko left in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win over Sacramento with back spasms and missed Monday's game in New York.
The Scoop: Fesenko averages 2.1 points and has no fantasy value.
We linked to this particular bit of wonderful on Friday , but upon further review this story deserves its own post. Indiana Pacers center Kyrylo Fesenko has been regarded as a lovable goofball since his entry into the NBA in 2007, and he again warmed the cold hearts of the Internet last week by re-telling the story of the first time he met Shaquille O'Neal (Fes, then an overseas prospect, asked for a picture and autograph in 2005), and then the first time he played against big Shaq — by then a member of the Miami Heat , in 2007.
SB Nation's Michael Katz , writing for The Classical, talked to Fesenko recently about his less than ideal matchup :
"I played against him first time for, I spent 50 seconds on the court, actually 50 seconds against Shaq," he said. "So, at one point he was posting me up and I was thinking 'Oh, I got him. I got him.' And I pictured myself, you know, blocking him. You know, I pictured myself being on the front page of all newspapers and everything. I was already so hyped, like I was thinking how I'm going to tell it to my friends. And then he dunked on me."
The Indiana Pacers smartly decided not to add much to their slimmed-down payroll during the trade deadline, despite having the cap space needed to make a run at a player making an eight-figure salary, and the group is better off for it. The team added double-figure scorer Leandro Barbosa for a song, smartly signed free-agent center Kyrylo Fesenko this week , and appear ready to fully commit to the East's fifth seed, with most of its regular-season schedule to be played at home.
And now, amidst a series of deft moves, the New York Post is reporting that team president Larry Bird won't be back next season . Ah, horsefeathers.
Bird has been with the squad since 2003, and officially running the show for the last few years, mostly presiding over middling seasons that did culminate in his team's first playoff berth in five years during 2010-11. Of course, the Post's Peter Vecsey has long had quite the clear (some would say "transparent," even) pipeline to Pacer news, so it wouldn't be a shock at all if this turned out. Here's Vecsey :
The Indiana Pacers smartly decided not to add much to their slimmed-down payroll during the trade deadline, despite having the cap space needed to make a run at a player making an eight-figure salary, and the group is better off for it. The team added double-figure scorer Leandro Barbosa for a song, smartly signed free-agent center Kyrylo Fesenko this week , and appear ready to fully commit to the East's fifth seed, with most of its regular-season schedule to be played at home.
And now, amidst a series of deft moves, the New York Post is reporting that team president Larry Bird won't be back next season . Ah, horsefeathers.
Bird has been with the squad since 2003, and officially running the show for the last few years, mostly presiding over middling seasons that did culminate in his team's first playoff berth in five years during 2010-11. Of course, the Post's Peter Vecsey has long had quite the clear (some would say "transparent," even) pipeline to Pacer news, so it wouldn't be a shock at all if this turned out. Here's Vecsey :
Ukrainian big man Kyrylo Fesenko tore the meniscus in his left knee last September while representing his home country in the Eurobasket tournament. Now his agent, Stu Lash, is saying that the four-year NBA veteran is ready to return , and four teams are interested.
The Journal Times reports that the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Chicago Bulls are all expressing interest in adding Fesenko, who spent his first four seasons in the league as the backup center for the Utah Jazz. There, he averaged 8:18 minutes, 2.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game.
The Bucks aim to meet with Fesenko next week in Denver, where he has been living, the Journal Times reports.
In other Bucks news, the paper reports that forward Drew Gooden, who is averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, "has been having issues with his right wrist for much of the season" and "the injury hasn't gotten better." The paper notes that he was "expected to see a hand specialist Thursday."
Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook .
There are a lot of goofy characters in the NBA, from Kyrylo Fesenko to Metta World Peace to that Nuggets mascot who throws cakes at people. They make the league more fun, even if their ideas or gags don't make … Continue reading ?
As they look to defend their NBA championship the Dallas Mavericks apparently can't have enough centers. Despite signing Sean Williams as a third center earlier in the week, ESPN.com is reporting the Mavs have also offered a one-year deal to Kyrylo Fesenko.
The Scoop: None.
Dec 25 1:35 ET
News (various sources)
Nate Robinson unlikely to return to Bulls next season (NBC Sports) (1 Day Ago | courtesy: NBC Sports) Nate Robinson wasn’t only the Bulls’ main scoring punch during the playoffs, he symbolized the team’s heart, as well. Robinson put in many memorable performances during his injury-ravaged team’s run into the second round, including leading Chicago to a thrilling triple-overtime win over the Nets in the fourth game of that series, and helping to… More...
NBA DRAFT LOTTERY SIM
MADNESS!
