Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report

Feb. 11, 2016

THE FLATS –

Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game won’t be anything out of the ordinary for 11-time selection Chris Bosh. Saturday night’s three-point contest, however, presents a brand new challenge. The power forward is the contest’s tallest participant and will go head-to-head against some of the league’s best sharpshooters… Derrick Favors has lifted Utah to an even 26-26 record and an eighth place position in the Western Conference. Winners of seven of their last eight, the Jazz are primed for the first playoff appearance since 2012… All of that and more can be found in this week’s edition of Nissan #ProJackets Basketball Report.

Chris Bosh – The NBA All-Star Game may be old hat for Chris Bosh, an 11-time selection, but this year he will do something he has never done before. The 6-foot-11 power forward will be the tallest player in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest after being formally selected last week. With shooting greats like James Harden, Klay Thompson and defending champion Stephen Curry, Bosh is an overwhelming underdog. But that hasn’t stopped the veteran from embracing the role and secretly stocking a few tricks up his sleeve. The contest begins at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night with the All-Star game following in the same time slot on Sunday night. Both events will be carried live on TNT.

Although Saturday night will showcase Bosh’s talents from long range, the all-star proved he can still take it to the hole against the best defense in the league.

Derrick Favors – While media and fans alike salivate over sensational scorers like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Derrick Favors and his Utah Jazz have taken a different approach. The Jazz may only be a .500 ball club at the all-star break but Utah is getting healthy and heating up at just the right time. Since Favors returned from a nagging back injury, the Jazz are 7-2 and sit eighth in the West. Individually Favors turned in his best performance of the season in Wednesday night’s loss to New Orleans with 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

Jarrett Jack – Jarrett Jack underwent season-ending knee surgery last month in Manhattan. Officially diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the point guard anticipates a full recovery and plans to return for the 2016-17 season. Jack’s season averages in 32 games as the Brooklyn Nets starting point guard were 12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg and a team-high 7.4 apg.

Anthony Morrow – The Oklahoma City Thunder’s high-powered offense continues to embarrass opposing defenses scoring 100+ points in 11 straight and 22 of their last 23. Although Anthony Morrow averages just 14.4 minutes per game, the wingman is shooting over 40 percent from three-point land this year. Oklahoma City hosts the New Orleans Pelicans at 8 p.m. Thursday night in their final contest before the All-Star break.

Admittedly Morrow hasn’t had the on-court success he’s grown accustomed to this season, but that didn’t stop the Charlotte, N.C. native from enjoying the Carolina Panthers Super Bowl appearance in person last week.

Iman Shumpert – Shumpert has never been a top-tier scoring threat at the NBA level, but the guard has found plenty of other ways to contribute. Shumpert added a season-high five steals in Friday’s loss to Boston and then added a season-high 11 rebounds in Monday’s win over Sacramento. Cleveland carries a moderately comfortable three-game lead in the Eastern Conference entering the All-Star break and will not play again until next Thursday.

Away from the hardwood Shumpert recently spent his free time assisting the local Cleveland community through the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.

Thaddeus Young – The trade deadline is officially one week and some odd hours away and one of the league’s most discussed commodities is Brooklyn’s Thaddeus Young. The Toronto Raptors have been linked closest to the power forward according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. Toronto trails East-leading Cleveland by just three games with the power forward position as their biggest weakness. Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov, however, is “absolutely opposed” trading Young according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck despite a 14-40 record.