NBA Notebook: Tale of Two Guards

One of them made history....

...and the other made some new 'friends.'

Ryan Fox

It's been one week since the NBA trade deadline has passed and things have started to 'settle
 down.' there were still some worth while moments that happened with two of the league's best point guards. One you would can from a mile a way happening while the other made you scratch your head (hopefully it wasn't from any sort of bug bite)

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Bed Bug Fright

​You know the old wives’ tale of ‘Don’t Let the bed bugs bite.’ Well this past weekend proved what will happen when they do bite. Just ask Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. In a 115-92 Sunday win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Irving only played just a little over nine minutes (9 minutes and 16 seconds to be exact). Most people thought that Irving had a bug in his systems. Well it turns out he did have a bug problem, just not a flu one.
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It was revealed this past Monday that the room he was staying at in the Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City had bed bugs. And like anybody else, Irving was not too pleased with his little roommates. 

"Just imagine how freaked out you'd be if you saw friggin' five, big bed bugs just sitting on your pillow. I woke up itching and I'm just looking around and I'm like, `Are you serious right now? It was 3 a.m. and I was so tired at that point."

Needless to say, the Cleveland point guard didn’t get enough rest that night. Come game time, he was completely exhausted and feeling nauseous. Hence why people thought he had a flu bug in him.

The Skirvin Hilton hotel then released a statement this past Tuesday, openly apologizing to Irving about his room’s pest problem. The rooms adjacent to Irving’s room were inspected by a professional pest company as they found no signs of bed bugs in those rooms.

The Trade that Wasn't

​Last Thursday was the NBA trade deadline as many teams swapped no-so big names around with one another. At the time, it seemed like all the trades went through without hitting a snag. All except one.

This past Monday, it was announced that a trade between Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons would be rescinded. The original trade between the two teams was that the Rockets would send F/C Donatas Motiejunas and G Marcus Thorton over to the Pistons in exchange for C Joel Anthony and a protected 2016 first round pick. However it turns out that Motiejunas was not physically cleared to play (back issues) and thus the trade was made null. Because of that, the trade that the Rockets had with the Philadelphia 76ers that sent Anthony and a 2017 second-round pick in exchange for the rights to PF Chukwudiebere Maduabum was also made null.

Pistons GM Jeff Bower spoke with the media after it was announced that the deal was being negated. Quote,

 "Standard with all trades, medical clearance on all players involved is required for completion. Medical clearance was not given on all players and the trade is being rescinded. In view of privacy considerations relating to medical information, we will have no further comment.

Like that famous Rolling Stones, these three teams didn't not get what they wanted.

Curry’s Record Breaking Shot

Back on June 25, 2009, the Golden State Warriors were on the clock with the 7th overall pick in the draft. They then selected point guard Stephen Curry out of the small time college of Davidson, who recently went on one of those ‘Semi-Cinderella’ runs in the NCAA tournament the past March. There were many who questioned the Warriors about why they selected Curry, some even thought it was going to be a bust. Now after 7 years, it seems like not only did the Warriors strike it rich but rather they selected perhaps the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history.

Already Curry is in the record books for the most three-point shots in a regular season (286 from last season) but surprisingly enough, he was the leader for the most consecutive games with a three-point shot. That is until this past Thursday night in a match up with the Orlando Magic. 
With 5:45 left in the opening quarter, Stephen Curry banked in a 26-foot shot to push his consecutive streak of hitting a three-point shot to 128 games, a new record. The previous record was 127 games by Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver back during the 2013-14 season. Curry would finish the game with 9 more three-point shots (finished 10-for-15 from downtown) as the Warriors won 130-114. What’s astounding about this monumental feat is that Curry’s three-point shooting percentage during this streak is .456. Essentially, he’s hitting nearly half of his three-point shot attempts so it’s safe to say that he’ll continue with this streak for just a few more games.

Already on pace to shatter his record for most three-point shots made in a single season (has 276 through 57 games), it seems that the three-point landscape has a new king. A king whose rule has yet to reach the pinnacle of his full potential.