Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden was initially said to be "day-to-day" after leaving Friday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter. Harden banged knees with Grizzlies forward Quincy Pondexter after shooting a three pointer, took his time getting up and then walked gingerly off the court after making a free throw.
NBA news roundup: Harden downplays bruised knee, J.R. Smith’s brother Chris says he earned spot
James Harden won’t miss time with his bruised knee, Chris Smith has been getting mean tweets and Michael Beasley cut his hair.
Thomas B. Shea
But following the game, Harden and Houston head coach Kevin McHale downplayed the severity of his bruised right knee, via the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen:
“He’ll be fine,” McHale said. “I asked him. He said, ‘he hit my knee.‘ I said, ‘bumped?’ He said ‘yeah.’ I think that’s all it is.”
Harden said he was never concerned the injury could be serious.
“It was painful, but ... it’s better now,” Harden said.
Harden said he did not consider Pondexter’s play to be reckless, just poor defense.
“You’re taught not to foul jump shooters,” Harden said. “He just got too close and we bumped knees. It’s still basketball.”
All indications are that Harden will be in uniform when the Rockets start their season against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, ready to continue dominating defenses alongside Dwight Howard. Houston went 6-1 in the preseason, with Harden averaging 20.8 points while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 50 percent behind the three-point line excluding his seven-minute stint on Friday.
Smith: ‘I earned my position on the team’
Guard Chris Smith survived the New York Knicks' cuts yesterday despite playing only 20 total minutes in the preseason. Smith, the brother of the Knicks' J.R. Smith, addressed the idea that he only made the team because of his last name, via Newsday's Al Iannazzone.
"I can't even have a social media because people are coming at me because they think my situation is something different," Chris Smith said. "I feel like I earned my position on the team and I'm going to keep on earning my way here.
"I think people don't really look at my talent, they just look at J.R. is here . . . Has it helped me? Of course. That's my big brother. He has helped me a lot."
…
Earlier this week, when Mike Woodson was asked if Chris' relationship to J.R. would affect the younger Smith's status, he said, "Sure it does."
The New York Daily News’ Frank Isola wrote that Smith’s roster spot was guaranteed as soon as J.R. signed his contract extension in July, calling it “the worst-kept secret in the NBA.”
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Beasley loses locks
You can say goodbye to Michael Beasley's preseason hairstyle. Before the Miami Heat's preseason finale against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Beasley decided to go to with a more serious look. His thoughts?
BEASLEY on his haircut: "I had the most obnoxious hair in the league."
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) October 26, 2013
Michael Beasley on cutting his braids, "I'm trying to use simplicity to fuel my fire."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 26, 2013
In Beasley’s first three preseason games, he averaged 11 points on 47 percent shooting in 16 minutes per game. Against Brooklyn, he scored 11 points on just 4-13 shooting in 21 minutes. Hope he hasn’t made a huge mistake.
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