NBA
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Raptors want Phil Jackson as Prez
ESPN.com
Apr 30
The Toronto Raptors, emboldened by the news that the Sacramento Kings apparently won’t be moving to Seattle, have ramped up their pursuit of Phil Jackson to be their new team president, according to sources close to the situation.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Raptors — now being run by former Los Angeles-based sports mogul Tim Leiweke — regarded the Seattle group that was trying to buy the Kings as the biggest threat to preventing Jackson from seriously considering their pitch.
But now that the Kings appear poised to stay in Sacramento instead of being sold to the consortium led by Jackson fan Chris Hansen, sources say that the Raptors will be pursuing Jackson aggressively this week, believing that they rank as Jackson’s most attractive current option for a new career in management now that he can reunite with Leiweke.
One source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Hansen and Jackson have “hit it off,” sparking league-wide speculation that Jackson would be offered the chance to run the new Sonics in Seattle in the Pat Riley-style role he craves. But with a 12-owner committee recommending Monday that the Kings’ move to Seattle be blocked, Toronto’s seemingly long-shot odds of winning the Jackson sweepstakes would figure to have received a boost.
That’s largely because of Jackson’s longstanding friendship with Leiweke, who was introduced Friday as the new CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which oversees the NBA’s Raptors, NHL’s Maple Leafs and Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.
One source said that Leiweke’s “vision and energy” and history of shared success at Staples Center with the 11-time championship coach ensures that Jackson will give the pitch strong consideration despite skepticism around the league about his willingness to relocate to Canada.
Amid its pursuit of Jackson in the wake of Leiweke’s arrival, Raptors president Bryan Colangelo is scheduled to meet with the MLSE board next week in hopes of convincing his bosses to pick up the option year on his contract. The 2013-14 option in coach Dwane Casey’s contract was picked up by Colangelo before this season, but Leiweke’s arrival has thrown both of their futures into some immediate doubt.
In an interview last week with the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackson said “three or four teams” have already expressed interest and that “none of it involves coaching.”
“There are some interesting situations that are presenting themselves, but I really haven’t made up my mind yet what I’m going to do,” Jackson told the Chronicle.
Steve Nash: Dwight Howard needs to stay in L.A.
L.A. Daily News
Apr 30
Whenever an NBA team doesn’t win a championship, Steve Nash believes it’s inevitable changes will happen in the offseason. But the Lakers guard stated in strong terms that he hopes that doesn’t involve Dwight Howard.
“I’m very hopeful that Dwight will be back,” Nash said. “I think this is the place for him. He’s in the prime of his career. He’s got his best years ahead of him. He can play for one of the greatest franchises in sports and an amazing city. This has got to be the place for him, and I’m hopeful that he sees it that way.”
Howard hasn’t publicly stated his intentions. He would earn $117.9 ” million with a five-year deal if he signed with the Lakers. He would earn $87.9 million over four years if he went somewhere else. Yet, plenty of Lakers, including Jodie Meeks, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark, all sounded confident Howard would return.
“I know he loves this city. I know he loves the team,” Meeks said. “We got pretty closethis year as friends – from the same hometown (Atlanta). I can’t really say exactly what he’s going to do, but I know he likes the city.”
Plenty of things plagued Howard, though. He played through the entire season plagued by back surgery and a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Howard averaged 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds, his lowest numbers since the 2006-07 season. Howard went through adjustments playing with Kobe Bryant, adapting to his domineering personality and handling the heightened media scrutiny.
Former Knicks star Larry Johnson says he’d be ‘uncomfortable’ playing with gay player
New York Post
Apr 30
Knicks executive Larry Johnson wrote on his twitter account he might be “uncomfortable’’ playing with a known gay player.
Johnson, whose title is basketball and business operations representative and played five seasons with the Knicks, responded to ex-Net Jason Collins saying in Sports Illustrated he was gay.
Johnson’s tweet read: “don’t know Jason Collins personally but he seems like a great guy. Me personally gay men in the locked (sic) room would make me uncomfortable.”
Johnson later retweeted a fans’ response suggesting the “over-under on Knicks public relations department forcing him to take the tweet down. LJ was hired last April and occasionally attends practice and works closely on player development and also in community relations.
Jason Collins mostly gets support from NBA community after coming out as gay
L.A. Daily News
Apr 30
This involved more pressure than taking a game-winning shot. It also bore far greater implications than any outcome on the basketball court.
Yet, NBA veteran and former Harvard-Westlake standout Jason Collins shattered one significant barrier in professional sports in a move few could draw up on a clipboard.
“I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black and I’m gay,” Collins wrote in this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated. The magazine published the article on its website Monday morning. “I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. “Several around the NBA sounded more than eager to reply. “Proud of @jasoncollins34,” Lakers guard Kobe Bryant tweeted. “Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others.” Bryant then added the hashtags for courage and support.
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and New York’s Jason Kidd followed suit in separate Twitter posts. Several teams sent out statements reiterating the same thing. Within minutes of Collins’ announcement, NBA commissioner David Stern lauded him for going public.
“Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career,” Stern said in a statement, “and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue. “Collins didn’t just become the first openly gay male athlete who remains active in a major American team sport. It also revealed a league’s progressive attitude that largely welcomed his announcement. In a sort of argument that highlights Metta World Peace’s unique personality, the eccentric Lakers forward made an interesting analogy regarding Collins’ announcement. “Whether it’s a free country or not, you should be free to act and do as you want to do, as long as it’s not violent. I came here in a Cookie Monster shirt because I wanted to,” said World Peace after having an exit meeting Monday with coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Mitch Kupchak at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “I was going to wear the pants but I thought you (media) guys were going to judge me. And I was going to wear the hat, too, but I figured you guys would judge me. … I should have wore it. You should be free to do and act how you want to act. “World Peace has helped mental health charities, raising over $600,000 by raffling off his 2010 NBA championship ring and earning the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2011. World Peace hopes such efforts removes the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Likewise, World Peace believes Collins’ announcement will knock down the stigma surrounding homosexuality.
ESPN.comKobe Bryant will have surgery Saturday afternoon to repair the torn Achilles tendon in his left leg and his recovery timetable is expected to take 6-9 months, according to longtime Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti.
“When something like this happens, everybody wants to know why and there’s not always a reason why. If you look at our season, it’s been a nightmare,” Vitti said following Lakers practice Saturday. “We had a player come in with a surgery, which was Dwight Howard. Then we had Steve Nash break his leg. Then we had Steve Blake have an abdominal surgery. Then we had Jordan Hill with a hip surgery. Then we had Metta (World Peace) with a knee surgery. We also had Dwight with a (torn) labrum in his shoulder. Antawn Jamison will have surgery after the season is over on his wrist. So, when you try to look at the whys, it’s bad luck.”
Vitti said Bryant would be immobilized up to a month or more following surgery. If Bryant were to recover on the short end of the timetable Vitti provided, he could be able to play for the start of the 2013-14 season.
“That’s the plan,” Vitti said.
Bryant’s injury was described as a “complete rupture” by Vitti.
“It’s gone,” said Vitti. “So, it has to be sewn back together.”
Bryant fell to the floor with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter while being guarded by the Warriors’ Harrison Barnes. Bryant had played every minute of the game up to that point, scoring 32 points in the process — including back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game with 3:45 remaining.
Kobe suffers likely torn Achilles tendon
Kobe Bryant suffered a probable torn Achilles’ late in Friday’s game, a potentially season-ending injury for both the Lakers and their star.
The Lakers said he probably had a torn Achilles’ tendon and would have an MRI exam Saturday.
“MRI, surgery, then recovery,” Kobe said, teary-eyed and emotional.
Bryant scored 34 points while playing much of the second half in obvious pain from his injured left leg, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied in the final minutes without him to stay in the playoff picture with a 118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Knicks officially waive Kurt Thomas, oldest player in NBA
In a release, New York general manager Glen Grunwald said the team let Thomas go “due to a rash of injuries to our big men, we felt that it was important for us to free up a spot on our roster.”
The Knicks filled the roster opening by signing free agent Solomon Jones, who previously played for Woodson with the Atlanta Hawks. The 6-10 center had been playing in China.
Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, after twice contemplating quitting this season, may resign in the summer if his wife continues to have health issues, he told NBA.com on Thursday.
Adelman left the team for three weeks — 11 games — January. “They’ve been terrific with everything,” he said of management, as wife Mary Kay was hospitalized and doctors tried to determine the cause of seizures. Now, clearly worn down by difficult months on the personal front and a challenging season on the court as the Timberwolves drown in a flurry of injuries, he admitted, “there’s a couple times I really struggled whether I should come back.” He later added: “I’m sure I’ll be thinking more about it as we move on here (through the season).”
The eighth-winningest coach in NBA history, and second among active coaches behind only Denver’s George Karl, said Mary Kay is “doing better” and “maintaining right now. She’s just on a lot of medicine. We’ll just have to wait and see. We go back to the doctor in April and see what they have to say.” When asked about the possibility of not returning in 2013-14, Adelman told NBA.com, “I think it’s something I’m just going to have to sit down with my wife and family and just talk about and see where we’re going with this. The most important thing is where we’re going with her health. Whatever happens will happen naturally.”
The Charlotte Bobcats have lost center Brendan Haywood for the rest of the season to a stress reaction in his left foot.
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging confirmed the injury Thursday. Haywood missed three of the past four games with ankle soreness. He left Time Warner Cable Arena Wednesday on crutches, his left foot wrapped in a protective boot.
The Bobcats project his recovery time at two months.
Haywood came to the Bobcats in July, after the Dallas Mavericks waived him under the amnesty clause. He is under contract to the Bobcats the next two seasons.
Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers might have been the Kings’ best home victory of the season, considering the opponent.
But it also was a game the NBA deemed to have had too much acting.
Kings guard Tyreke Evans and Clippers guard Chris Paul both received warnings for flopping during the game.
The league defines flopping “as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player.”
“The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.”
Evans was ruled to have flopped in the third quarter when Clippers forward Matt Barnes ran into his back.
Evans slid in front of Barnes to initiate the contact and threw his head back. It was enough to draw a foul call on Barnes.
Paul’s acting attempt drew no foul call and involved no contact with another player.
Paul flailed his arms and threw his head back in an attempt to make it appear as though Kings center DeMarcus Cousins had fouled him.
Cousins said it was “crazy” how bad Paul’s acting was.
Rose said that he can feel the explosion coming back into his game.
Carmelo Anthony returned to the court Monday night against Golden State, still not knowing exactly what’s wrong with his right knee and unable to unequivocally state that he is back to stay.
That was the sobering news as the Knicks opened a treacherous five-game trip by getting blitzed, 92-63, at Oracle Arena.
Before this team-wide offensive abomination unfolded, Anthony was in good spirits, talking about using this week to get his legs back. Clearly, he needs to do that. Against the Warriors, he couldn’t get his shot to fall and had the usual conditioning problems you’d expect after he missed the last three games.
But he also dropped a little bombshell beforehand when asked what the team doctors had finally determined was causing fluid to build up on the knee, resulting in stiffness in the leg.
“Nobody can really give me an exact answer,’’ he said.
Uh-oh. When a player admits that, he needs a second opinion, post haste. Why Anthony hasn’t gone that route is a mystery.
Not knowing what’s wrong with the knee has to be pretty alarming. It also follows that he really can’t say, at this juncture, that he’s home free. Which, he did.
“No surgery,’’ he said, defiantly. “None of that.’’
The game of basketball can be so merciless, and perhaps there’s no greater example than Brandon Knight.
The Pistons guard writhed in pain underneath the basket less than five minutes into Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, after he was fouled by Randy Foye on a fast break. He re-injured his left ankle, spraining it and will not return for the rest of the evening.
One night after becoming a household name for all the wrong reasons — when the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan made a poster of Knight with a dunk in Sunday’s embarrassing loss, Knight was intent on making amends, for himself and his teammates.
He didn’t get much of a chance, as he was helped by Arnie Kander and teammate Corey Maggette to the locker room, unable to put any weight on the ankle. Due to league rules, since he was unable to shoot the subsequent free throws he was prohibited from re-entering the game anyway.
Andrew Bynum is still visiting doctors and considering how to best attempt to resolve his knee troubles, according to a Philadelphia 76ers team spokesperson, who said there was no official update on the one-time All-Star center’s condition.
The 7-foot, 300-pound Bynum has been sidelined by bone bruises and damaged cartilage in his knees since September. The Sixers acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team trade in August.
On March 3, Sixers general manager Tony DiLeo said that Bynum was considering arthroscopic surgery on his ailing knees. Bynum met with doctors, including longtime personal orthopedist David Altchek, early last week.
The last time Bynum spoke to the media, on March 1, he said that his right knee continued to swell a week after taking part in his first practice of the season and that he’s no longer confident he’ll play for the Sixers this season.
Bynum has said there’s no surgical procedure available guaranteed to repair.
All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will miss three to four weeks with a sprained left shoulder after Cavaliers practice on Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Irving suffered a sprained AC (acromioclavicular) when he took a hip check from rookie Jonas Valanciunas with 2:04 left in the third quarter on Sunday in Toronto. X-rays taken in Toronto were negative, but Irving, who had to have help putting a sweatshirt over his head in Toronto after the game, was to have more tests today in Cleveland.
Irving, who broke a bone in his right hand during summer league, has missed 14 games this season, 11 with a fractured left index finger from Nov. 21 to Dec. 8 and three with a sore/hyperextended right knee from Feb. 26 to March 1. He did play through a fractured in his jaw bone in mid-December. He missed 14 games with injuries last season, 10 with a sprained right shoulder, 3 with a concussion and 1 when he was ill. He also sat out the last game of the season.
Jerry Buss, the longtime owner of the Lakers whose penchant for showmanship helped turn the game of basketball into “Showtime” and who led the team to 10 NBA championships, died Monday. He was 79.
A self-made millionaire who built his fortune in real estate, Buss bought the Lakers in 1979. He charted his successful course with marquee players Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, celebrities sitting courtside and Laker Girls dancing during timeouts.
“I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity,” Buss said. “I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood.”
It was a remarkable winning streak for a man who dug his way out of a hardscrabble youth.
A Depression-era baby, Jerry Hatten Buss was born Jan. 27, 1933, in Salt Lake City. His parents divorced when he was an infant.
His mother struggled to make ends meet as a waitress in tiny Evanston, Wyo., and Buss remembered standing in food lines in the bitter cold.
Later, Buss earned a science scholarship to the University of Wyoming. At 19 he married a coed named JoAnn Mueller, and they would eventually have four children: John, Jim, Jeanie and Janie.
By the mid-1950s, the couple had moved to Southern California, where Buss earned a doctorate in chemistry at USC. He worked briefly in the aerospace industry, and in the late 1950s, he and a colleague, Frank Mariani, tried their hand at real estate.
They scraped together a few thousand dollars to buy a 14-unit apartment house in West Los Angeles and, to save money, did all the repairs themselves. Their real estate company kept growing as they invested in residential properties, hotels and office buildings.
In 1979, Buss and his partners bought the Lakers (along with the Forum in Inglewood), the NHL’s Kings and a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County for $67 million from Jack Kent Cooke.
At the time, the NBA had fallen by the wayside and several teams stood on the brink of bankruptcy
One thing to take from the expletive-filled rant that Lil Wayne recently provided is that he might not be the biggest of Miami Heat fans.
Oh, and he has some beef with Chris Bosh, and he claims to have slept with the All-Star forward’s wife.
Big Lead spotted this video of Weezy throwing out a bunch of “F-bombs” after being reportedly banned from NBA events, including Sunday’s 2013 NBA All Star Game. Be warned, it contains a bunch of NSFW language.
Lil Wayne Blasts Miami Heat and Chris Bosh’s Wife over NBA All-Star Game Ban
BY GABE ZALDIVAR (POP CULTURE LEAD WRITER) ON FEBRUARY 18, 2013 26,950 reads 98
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One thing to take from the expletive-filled rant that Lil Wayne recently provided is that he might not be the biggest of Miami Heat fans.
Oh, and he has some beef with Chris Bosh, and he claims to have slept with the All-Star forward’s wife.
Big Lead spotted this video of Weezy throwing out a bunch of “F-bombs” after being reportedly banned from NBA events, including Sunday’s 2013 NBA All Star Game. Be warned, it contains a bunch of NSFW language.
The Smoking Section breaks down what is going down at what is reportedly the “birthday celebration for YMCMB head honcho Birdman.”
Here are some tweets from MTV’s Shaheem Reid and Karen Civil, who were both at the celebration and collected some of the better parts of this rant.
My word, the mouth on this guy.
We can’t say with certainty that Lil Wayne has what he claims to be a universal ban from NBA functions. However, it’s highly possible, because the man seems to love blasting NBA teams more than he does actually enjoying the games.
Like in most two-team cities, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are building a not-so-friendly rivalry, and the flare is only sure to intensify with the news from CBS that the two franchises could be in direct competition for the 2015 All-Star event.
The former New Jersey Nets became a much bigger draw when minority owner Jay Z began bringing some culture to the franchise, and Russian majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov gave the Nets an owner whose mind (and pocketbook) was fully committed to bringing a winning culture to Brooklyn.
To top it off, the Nets built the Barclays Center. Having $1 billion new facility always increases a team’s chances of winning the bid to host an All-Star event.
But Madison Square Garden is as close to rebuilt as a facility like that could be. It’s in the third and final phase of a renovation which should be completed in the 2013-14 season. MSG has always been a mecca of not just hoops but of great events.
Then, beyond the Brooklyn venue and the fabled house of hoops in Manhattan, there is the budding rivalry between the teams.
In the past, the Knicks were the big draw in New York City, with little competition. With another NBA franchise, there is the added element of which team the people of the city will choose to support.
But Bleacher Report’s Josh Martin wrote that the rivalry developing between the teams and the fanbases themselves is the NBA’s best inner-city rivalry. Martin unabashedly wrote, “New York is still a Knicks town and will remain so for quite some time.”
Who says there’s no defense in All-Star games?
In the play that sealed the West’s 143-138 victory over the East on Sunday at Toyota Center in Houston, Kobe Bryant blocked LeBron James’ jump shot late in the fourth quarter, leading to a breakaway one-handed dunk for Kevin Durant.
As if to prove it wasn’t a fluke, Bryant blocked another shot by James, part of his all-around excellence on a night the Lakers guard finished with nine points, eight assists, four rebounds and the two blocks.
Chris Paul was even more spectacular for the West, finishing with 20 points, 15 assists and four steals on the way to being selected the game’s most valuable player.
Paul edged out teammate Durant, who scored 30 points to become the first player in All-Star history to score at least that many points in three consecutive games.
Carmelo Anthony had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the East.
They might want to rebrand this one the NBA Missed Dunk contest.
But when it counted, Terrence Ross did enough to win it.
In a final round that included a dunk that paid homage to both Vince Carter and DeMar DeRozan and one that used a small child as a prop, the 22-year-old Raptors swingman beat defending champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz in the six-player competition.
Ross wore Carter’s old-style black-and-purple jersey for his first dunk of the final, taking a pass off the side of the backboard and doing a 360, two-handed slam, a dunk eerily similar to one DeRozan did in one of his dunk contest appearances.
And to win — with 58 per cent of the electronic votes cast — Ross leapt over a ballboy, went between his legs and dunked on his second attempt.
“When I first grabbed him, he was like, ‘You’re not going to hit me, are you?’” joked Ross. “I calmed his nerves and we went out to do it.”
Ross said his agent thought up the possibility of using a human prop and the Carter jersey dunk was just a way to pay tribute to the Raptors’ past.
Kyrie Irving conceded he has amazed even himself with the type of impact he has already made on the NBA. He is amazing the rest of the league, too.
Irving won the 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday night, scoring 23 points in the final round to fall two points shy of the event’s record. Irving surpassed his best practice round at Cleveland Clinic Courts when the best round he could muster was a 22.
Irving made 14 of his first 15 shots in the final round, which even brought LeBron James out of his chair with a fist pump and yell when Irving’s remarkable round was over.
Irving considered himself a darkhorse in the event and said last week he thought he could surprise some people. Then he went out and missed just five shots in the final round to defeat the San Antonio Spurs’ Matt Bonner and continue his remarkable run.
Irving has only played 93 games in the NBA and has surprised even himself.
Sidelined superstar Derrick Rose spoke to the media Wednesday night after the Bulls’ 71-69 loss to the Celtics.“I really don’t know,” Rose said when asked about his return to the court. “I’m feeling good, but like I said, if it’s where it’s taking a long time and I’m still not feeling right, I don’t mind missing this year.”
“Right now I’m feeling pretty good, man. I’m slowly getting back in the mix. The other day, we played a three-on-three, one-on-one and I felt good out there. I’m not trying to rush myself, just still trying to be patient and just trying to take my rehab very seriously right now,” he continued, surrounded by a small contingent of local reporters in the visiting locker room at TD BankNorth Garden. “It’s both [mental and physical] still. My leg still isn’t feeling right. Mentally, I think I’m fine. Every week, just try to do something different. Every day, stay on my rehab, do a little bit more, lift a little bit more, squat a little bit more and taking it very serious.
“I would love to [play this season]. That’s why I approach my rehab and workouts so hard. I’m trying to get back on the court as quickly as possible, but if I have anything lingering on, it’s no point.”
When asked about what would signal to him personally that he was ready to play again, Rose responded, “Being able to dunk. I can’t dunk. I know that if I can dunk off stride, I know I’ll be out there playing, but I can’t.”
While Rose will ultimately make the decision about when to come back, he did cite a number of people, including his agent, former Bulls guard B.J. Armstrong, as well as members of the Bulls organization, as key in the decision-making process.
“B.J., of course. People from the organization: Gar, Pax, all those people, trainers. Just people that I’m normally around every day, but it’s really on me to make that decision of when I’m going to play again, so that’s cool that they left it up to me,” he said, before being asked if he felt pressure to return. “Not at all. That’s the last thing I’m thinking about is coming back too soon. I know that it’s all on me, so I’ve just got to make the decision when I’m ready.”
“No setbacks right now, so that’s a good thing right now, to go in every day knowing that you’re just getting better,” Rose continued, prior to delving into whether he had taken any contact on his injured knee yet. “I’m not afraid of that, though. I know that’s going to happen. That’s the way that I play. I’m not scared of taking a hit, though. At all.”
And when the former No. 1 pick makes himself available, people stand up and take notice — scrambled eggs for knees or not.
Especially when that player is Oden, a 7-footer who once dominated the college game in his lone season at Ohio State.
Oden showed some serious flashes in the NBA, too. Portland selected him with the top draft pick in 2007, and in the rare moments of good health, he made an instant impact defensively. Also, in his final game with the Trail Blazers (Dec. 1, 2009), Oden snared 20 rebounds.
But, as you probably know, Oden has undergone three microfracture knee surgeries. He played in just a total of 82 games with Portland — or the equivalent of one season.
He’s now back at Ohio State, taking classes and vowing to return to the NBA. His agent, Mike Conley Sr., has promised that Oden is now 100 percent. Conley has even predicted Oden will become an All-Star.
That would be quite a comeback, and while some teams may feel differently after having worked out Oden, several are ready to take at least take a flyer on him, as reported by FOX Sports Ohio in early January.
Both Cleveland and Charlotte are said to be prepared to make Oden an offer following the Feb. 21 trading deadline. Boston also remains interested, although it’s believed Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge won’t get into any sort of bidding war.
The Cavaliers, however, are under the cap and can afford to take a low-risk-high-reward chance on a player like Oden. Their proposal reportedly will be for two years (the rest of this season and next), with a team option for a third.
In yet another blow to the Orlando Magic during a largely dismal season for the franchise, the NBA suspended small forward Hedo Turkoglu on Wednesday for 20 games without pay for testing positive for methenolone, an anabolic steroid.Turkoglu said the drug test stemmed from a medication he took over the summer when he was in Turkey. He said he received the medication from his personal trainer to treat a shoulder injury and didn’t check with Magic medical staff to make sure the medication was safe.
“I’m sorry,” Turkoglu said. “I want to apologize [to] the DeVos family, the Magic organization, my teammates and, most important, all my fans here and all around the world and back home. This is a situation I never wanted to be in.”
Turkoglu said the league tested him in December, and Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said team officials were told by Turkoglu about the positive test a week ago.
Hennigan said he believed Turkoglu “unknowingly” took the substance.
“Clearly, Hedo made a mistake,” Hennigan added. “He knows he made a mistake. He’s owning it. It’s certainly a disappointing circumstance for us, but I personally feel very confident in the amount of diligence we use to inform our players as to what can and cannot be taken.”
Turkoglu became the second Magic player since 2009 to be suspended by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
During the 2009 postseason, Rashard Lewis twice tested positive for an elevated testosterone level and was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2009-10 regular season.
Lewis said he took an over-the-counter supplement that he didn’t realize contained a banned substance called dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA.
In the league’s anti-drug policy, DHEA and methenolone each fall under a list of banned substances classified as “steroids, performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents” (or SPEDs).
Turkoglu, who will turn 34 years old in March, did not provide details about the substance he took — whether it was injected or whether he took it orally — or how many times he took it, even though he was asked those specific questions during a news conference at Amway Center.
NBA players are subject to four random tests each season and to two random tests each offseason. Anyone who tests positive for SPEDs for the first time receives an automatic 20-game suspension and is required to enter the league’s SPEDs program.
Turkoglu has missed most of this season because he fractured his left hand in the Magic’s season-opener.
The San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the NBA and the Charlotte Bobcats have the worst. But they have something in common.
Mike Conley, the agent for often-injured free-agent center Greg Oden, said Wednesday they’re both teams that interest his client.
“I definitely can see both of those teams (as possibilities),’’ Conley said in a telephone interview with FOX Sports Florida. “San Antonio has an aging front line with (Tim) Duncan, and with Duncan and the Admiral (retired David Robinson, who still lives in San Antonio), he would have some great mentors.
“Charlotte, they are rebuilding. They would be in a better position (than many teams) to take more of a risk.’’
It would be a risk signing Oden, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since December 2009. He has had five knee surgeries since being the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2007, but he wants to resume his career next season.
Conley, who continues to talk with Heat team president Pat Riley, said Miami remains in the picture for Oden and that he still anticipates his client will visit with the Heat. Conley said it likely won’t be before the Feb. 15-17 Al Star break, but he’s trying get Oden to Miami in the latter part of the month to meet with team officials.
“That’s our goal,’’ Conley said. “But we’re not in a rush to do things.’’
Conley said the chances are becoming less that Oden will sign with a team before the end of this season simply for rehabilitation purposes. If not, Oden, who definitely won’t play this season, will choose a team in the summer.
“A few weeks ago, I’d probably have said it was 80 percent,’’ Conley said of Oden signing with a team this season. “Now, I’d say it’s 50-50.’’
Conley said he wouldn’t be surprised if the chances of Oden signing this season.
Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, recovering from surgery on his right hand, was at Target Center Wednesday night, Feb. 6, to work out before the Wolves’ game against San Antonio.
Love returned to the team for the first time since undergoing surgery Jan. 15 in New York to repair the third and fourth metacarpal bones on his right hand. Love was not available to speak to reporters but is scheduled to meet the media after Thursday’s practice.
Love was projected to miss eight to 10 weeks after the surgery, which is expected to keep him out of the lineup until at least mid-March. The two-time all-star apparently is resuming his rehab work in the Twin Cities.
Love needed surgery after re-fracturing the two bones in his hand Jan. 3 at Denver. He broke the bones in October while doing knuckle push-ups at his home.
Pau Gasol’s worst fears became reality.
The forward will be out indefinitely after suffering a tear of the plantar fascia of his right foot in Tuesday’s win in Brooklyn.
“I’m hoping to recover asap so I can be back with the team and keep fighting until the end of the season,” tweeted Gasol, who won’t be in Boston tonight when the Lakers (23-26) face the Celtics (24-23).
Gasol had an MRI Wednesday, but will fly today to Los Angeles for more evaluation from Lakers team doctor Steve Lombardo and foot specialist Dr. Kenneth Jung. The Lakers will then provide a timetable for Gasol’s return.
Plantar fasciitis involves painful swelling on the soft tissue under the arch of the foot. It can also extend from heel to toe.
“If it’s a one-third tear, within four to six weeks he should be OK,” said Dr. Robert Khorramian, a Santa Monica foot and ankle specialist. “If it’s a two-third tear, it would go much higher, possibly eight to 10 weeks. When there’s over a two-third or a complete tear, we advise surgery. That takes 12 to 14 weeks.”
To make matters worse, the Lakers could remain without Dwight Howard for a while. He’s missed the past three games because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder and hasn’t indicated when he’ll return.
How do the Lakers adjust?
Sixers guard Jason Richardson will have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and will not play again this season, a league source confirmed. However, the Sixers announced that Richardson will seek a fourth opinion on his ailing knee as early as Thursday.
The Sixers say there has been no decision on whether Richardson will have surgery.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the news of Richardson’s surgery.
“He’s going to be out for a while,” Sixers head coach Doug Collins said after Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers.
Richardson, the 12-year veteran, was in New York City on Wednesday where he received a third opinion on his ailing left knee from specialist Dr. Jonathan Grashow. Late last week, Richardson went to Vail, Colo. for a second opinion from renowned orthopedist, Dr. Richard Steadman.
Acquired in the four-team blockbuster trade in which Andrew Bynum came to the Sixers and sent Andre Iguadalia to Denver and Nik Vucevic and Maurice Harkless to Orlando, Richardson had battled several injuries this season. He twice sprained his ankle and missed the last eight games because of his left knee.
In 33 games this season, Richardson averaged 10.5 points per game with 3.8 rebounds. He also shot a career-worst 40.2 percent from the floor and just 34.1 percent from three-point range.
Richardson has two years and $12.8 million remaining on his contract.
January 30
“Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson still wants to play in the NBA, but whenever he officially retires from the game, he would like to return to the team in a consultant role.
Iverson’s manager Gary Moore was just in Philadelphia visiting with Sixers owner Josh Harris and CEO Adam Aron about getting the 37-year-old involved with the organization once he steps away from the game for good:
“Once he does do that, I want to ensure that Josh Harris and Adam Aron know how much Allen appreciates what Philadelphia has meant to him, what the NBA has meant to him,” Moore said, “and to someday come back and be a consultant to them, to help them do certain things.”
Iverson just turned down an offer to join Dallas Mavericks D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. The guard took to Twitter to express his gratitude for the offer, but said the D-League was not the right route for him. The guard said he would like to make one last NBA comeback, but understands that his questionable behavior in year’s past may prohibit him from getting that chance.”
January 30
“The final hurdle for the salary dump of Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors hinges on finding a third team to absorb the expiring contract of Raptors guard Jose Colderon, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Grizzlies have inquired with multiple teams over the past several days, searching for a willing partner to facilitate a three-team deal, sources said.
Despite organizational proclamations to the contrary, new Memphis ownership and management is determined to unload Gay and the $37 million owed him as soon as possible, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Calderon has a $10.5 million expiring contract.
“With so many quality point guards, they’re struggling to find a spot for Calderon,” one league general manager told Yahoo! Sports.”
January 30
“Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo will get a second opinion within days on his torn right ACL injury.
And that second opinion may come from arguably the best in the business – famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
“He (Dr. Andrews) is one that we’re definitely considering,” Rondo’s agent Bill Duffy, told CSNNE.com. “If he’s No. 1, there’s a couple 1As and 1Bs we’re looking at as well.”
Duffy said the second opinion on Rondo’s knee will not be made for at least another four or five days in order to allow the swelling to go down.”
January 30
“Former Ohio State star Greg Oden is confident he will return to the NBA after his many knee injuries, but he would not venture a guess about whether he’ll wind up in Cleveland.
“I’m worried about the knee,” he told The Plain Dealer when asked if the Cavs could be a destination for him. “That’s it.”
Oden was in Columbus to take in the Buckeyes’ 58-49 victory over Wisconsin. He has been living in Columbus and taking classes, but he said now that he’s working out in his hometown of Indianapolis and splitting time between the cities.
Asked if he was playing at all, Oden said, “I’m just getting my knee ready so when things do happen I’ll be ready to play next year.
“I’m still in the rehab process, but I’m it taking slow. I could possibly be playing at this point, but I’ve done that before and I got injured before, so I’d rather take everything I am doing slow. Right now I’m just doing strength stuff with my knees.”"
“Luol Deng missed his second straight game Monday with a strained right hamstring, but the injury news isn’t all bad for the Bulls.
In town all week with practices scheduled Tuesday and Thursday, coach Tom Thibodeau said Derrick Rose is “very close” to being cleared for full contact. Thibodeau said “it could” happen this week, another step in Rose’s recovery from last May’s left knee surgery.
Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL the same April 28 day as Rose, made his season debut on Jan. 17, nine days after he was cleared for full contact. It’s unlikely Rose’s timeline to game action will be that fast.
“It’s not going to be one or two days of contact and he’s going to be out there,” Thibodeau said. “That’s not going to happen. He’s showing great patience. Everybody else has to. He has to continue to focus on his rehab. When he’s ready, whenever that is, that’s when he comes back. Our doctors have been on top of it since day one. And Derrick’s done great.”
Deng, replaced again by Jimmy Butler, wouldn’t speculate when he would return.
“I’m all right,” he said. “I’m trying to do more each day.”
Thibodeau praised Butler’s readiness to play.
“What I really like about him is it doesn’t take him long to warm up,” Thibodeau said. “Usually we ride Luol into the second quarter. Some guys need five minutes to warm up. Jimmy is ready to go from the moment he goes in. He’s not afraid of the moment. And oftentimes you can finish a game with him.”
Huge honor: The Bulls entered with a 9-11 record on Martin Luther King Day, an event marked by Taj Gibson’s eloquent pregame speech.
“Not a day goes by that you don’t think about all the struggles that he and people before us went through,” Gibson said. “The whole day is real special.”"
“When in doubt, Mike D’Antoni’s reflex is to go small.
The Lakers’ coach is finally listening to that reflex, no matter the hurt feelings of the player whose arrival lifted the Lakers to NBA titles in 2009 and ’10.
Pau Gasol is being removed as Lakers’ starting power forward in favor of Earl Clark, and not on a temporary basis, D’Antoni said before the 17-23 Lakers played in Chicago on Monday night.
“We just have to do that,” D’Antoni said.
Clark was the Lakers’ best player Sunday in Toronto — plus-14 in point differential while he was on the court when no teammate was better than zero — and his energy and athleticism was noticeable even amid some breakdowns in team concepts.
D’Antoni said Clark, 6-foot-10 but more of a combo forward than a power player, can provide “a little bit more bounce to our step.” Gasol will become the primary backup center to Dwight Howard, and D’Antoni said: “It also puts Pau in his natural position. He’s one of the best centers in the league.”
At $19 million, Gasol is the No. 9 highest-paid player in the NBA this season — though only No. 3 on the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard ahead of him. Having all that salary in the starting lineup hasn’t been successful this season, although Gasol has been limited by tendinitis in both knees.
“We’re better when we’re small,” said D’Antoni, whose system is based in having four players on the perimeter and only one center in the post. Given Howard’s limitations as a face-up player, Gasol has largely moved out of the paint and has been trying to adjust into a role at the elbow or farther out. It has hurt the Lakers’ transition defense and frustrated Gasol, who bristled at the idea that he wouldn’t regain his starting job since a five-game concussion layoff.
D’Antoni did not indicate he will play Gasol and Howard together in late-game minutes, though. It should be noted that former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Mike Brown and D’Antoni all have struggled to win when playing Gasol with another center at winning time.”
“Tayshaun Prince smiled when asked about Lindsey Hunter.
The former Piston was named interim coach of the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and Prince recalled the vital role Hunter played in 2004 when the Pistons won their last NBA title.
The move was surprising because Hunter has no coaching experience. He was promoted from the team’s player development area. But Prince said Hunter, whom he called a “player-coach” when he played, has what it takes to succeed.
“Obviously taking over a team that’s been struggling is going to be difficult,” Prince said after the Pistons’ victory over the Celtics Sunday. “I’m definitely anxious and excited to see it because I know what type of guy Lindsey is, so I want to see how his plan (works).”
Hunter takes over a team that has lost 13 of 15 games and is 13-28 overall. He replaces former Pistons coach Alvin Gentry.
Hunter impressed the Orlando Magic this summer when he interviewed for the head coaching job there, and the Pistons hold him in high regard.
Prince recalled Hunter’s vocal leadership during the title season when coach Larry Brown would seek his counsel.
“He always spoke his mind, especially when Larry Brown was our coach,” Prince said. “Coach would always ask Lindsey … whether Coach Brown thought it was the right idea or the wrong idea, he just wanted to hear it from his perspective because Lindsey got so much knowledge. He played the game that long and had been through so many things.”"
January 3
“Too bad the Knicks and Lakers are done playing for this season . . . unless they meet in the Finals.
Amar’e Stoudemire added some fuel to the New York-L.A. rivalry when he heaped praise on Mike Woodson on Wednesday while also indirectly criticizing Mike D’Antoni for his failure to teach defense in New York.
Stoudemire had made allusions in the past to D’Antoni’s failure to make the Knicks a good defensive team. But a day after making his season debut in the Knicks’ loss to the Blazers, he unleashed his most damning comments toward the ex-Knicks coach who now is with the Lakers, when asked why he thought he could become a factor at that end of the floor.
“I think having a defensive coach for the first time in my career is going to help,” Stoudemire said after practice in Greenburgh. “I’ve never been taught defense in my whole career. So to now have a coach who actually teaches defense and teaches strategies and knows positioning and posture and how to guard different plays, it’s going to be helpful.”
Stoudemire has always been regarded as a poor defender, dating back to when he played for D’Antoni in Phoenix from 2004-2008. That didn’t change in his past two seasons as a Knick. The Knicks didn’t start to make significant strides in that area until last season, with the arrival of Tyson Chandler, who won Defensive Player of the Year. Woodson was also added to the D’Antoni staff as a defensive assistant in what ultimately turned out to be a head-coach-in-waiting post.
“Apparently Latrell Sprewell likes his music loud and his jump suits orange.
The ex-Knick was arrested at his Milwaukee home on New Year’s Eve afternoon and charged with disorderly conduct after police received repeated complaints about loud music coming from the house.
Sprewell, 42, played for the Knicks from 1998-2003 and also for the Warriors and Timberwolves during a 13-year career which ended in 2005. He helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals during the truncated 1998-99 season when he averaged 16.4 points per game.
But Sprewell is best known for a 1997 incident while with Golden State, when he choked P.J. Carlesimo, then the Warriors’ coach and now the Nets’ interim coach, during practice.
After commissioner David Stern suspended Sprewell for a full 82-game season, an arbitrator reduced the penalty to the balance of the 1997-98 season (68 games). Once reinstated, Sprewell was traded to the Knicks in time for the start of the lockout shortened 1998-99 season in the deal that sent John Starks and others to Golden State.
The Knicks lost the NBA Finals to San Antonio in five games that season and haven’t won a playoff series since.
According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, police would not release details of Monday’s incident other than to report they had received two complaints within one hour Monday afternoon and had received several complaints of loud music from the residence in recent months. Sprewell was booked around 4:15 p.m.”
“Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva was fined $25,000 today for his Flagrant Foul 2 on the Sacramento Kings’ Isaiah Thomas Tuesday night at The Palace.
Villanueva was ejected after referees reviewed the incident, which took place with four seconds left in the second quarter of the Pistons 103-97 victory.
Villanueva’s forearm made contact with Thomas’ head as he was trying to block a shot by the Kings guard.
Villanueva had scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point range when the foul occurred. Thomas attempted to go after Villanueva when he got off the floor but several players stepped between them.
The fine was announced by Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations.”
Healing Amar’e ‘totally open’ to coming off bench for Knicks
December 19
“The $100 million man is willing to become a sixth man if necessary.
Amar’e Stoudemire, with $65 million and three years left on his $100 million contract, said yesterday he will do “whatever it takes,” including accepting a role off the Knicks’ bench, to win and avoid disrupting team chemistry once he returns following left knee surgery.
The date of that return remains undetermined. No one ruled out or designated any specific time frame, but Stoudemire sounded doubtful about playing this weekend. What he sounded absolutely certain about after working out with the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, his first scrimmage in nearly two months, was his resolve to be part of the big picture, whether as a starter or reserve.
“Whatever it takes to win,” Stoudemire said, a refrain he used more than once. “You guys [media] know me. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been all about winning and been a total team player. So whatever it takes to win, that’s the goal.”
Even if it takes coming off the bench.
“I’m totally open to it,” he said. “I’ve been here for three years now. You should know how much of a team player I am. In Phoenix … it was a team-oriented game and the same applies here in New York.”
To get Stoudemire some work, the Knicks assigned him, Chris Copeland and James White to the Erie team for yesterday’s practice at the team’s facility in Greenburgh. Copeland and White will be recalled in time for tonight’s game against the Nets at the Garden.
“My conditioning is good, my timing is almost there,” said Stoudemire, noting his belief that “without a doubt” he can co-exist with Carmelo Anthony. “I’m still a little bit sore within the knee. I still want to improve and get 100 percent. I’m not totally there yet. … I just wanted to get out there and compete.”"
Hornets rookie forward Anthony Davis returning to starting lineup
December 19
” New Orleans Hornets rookie power forward Anthony Davis will return to the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors after coming off the bench the previous four games since his return from a left ankle injury.
Hornets Coach Monty Williams made the announcement before Tuesday’s game and also said Lance Thomas will start ahead of struggling Al Farouq Aminu at small forward. Williams didn’t rule out that he could put forth a lineup in future games that could include both Davis and Ryan Anderson, who is the Hornets’ leading scorer with a 18.6 scoring average. Anderson had remained the starter at power forward when Davis returned after missing 11 consecutive games with a stress reaction in his left ankle.
“Whether or not it’s time, it’s where he is going to be,” Williams said of Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the June NBA draft. “Ryan, the way he scores, gives us an option off the bench. When I talked to Ryan about coming (this summer) this was going to be the lineup. I wanted to do it before the Portland game and maybe I should have. But I thought why wait any longer.”
In four games since his return, Davis had averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Anderson
“I’m just out here to play ball, that’s it,” Davis said after the team’s shootaround Tuesday morning. “You just go game by game. Some games you just don’t have it, some games you do. I feel myself getting back, though.”
Thomas, meanwhile, becomes the third different player to start at small forward since a Dec. 7 game against the Memphis Grizzlies when Xavier Henry earned his first start of the season.”
Derek Fisher’s knee injury not believed serious, Carlisle says
December 19
“Derek Fisher left the game with just under seven minutes to go in the first quarter and did not return.
Fisher was diagnosed with a strained right knee, which happened when he had a shot blocked by Evan Turner.
Because of flu-like symptoms, Fisher was not expected to play, but he started at point guard. He was able to walk off the court gingerly without help after the injury. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
“I believe it to be, based on what the doc [Mavericks physician Dr. T.O. Souryal] said, a strained or sprained patellar tendon,” coach Rick Carlisle said.
“He’ll have an MRI [on Wednesday] to determine the severity of it. He’s walking and stuff, so at this point, it doesn’t look like a serious situation. I hope it’s day to day, but it’s yet to be determined. The next day, sometimes it’ll feel a lot worse. And sometimes it won’t.”"
Fitting in Stoudemire a key for Knicks
December 9
” As the Knicks finished up their morning shootaround Saturday at the United Center, Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert remained on the floor doing their own work, a combination of rehab from the knee surgeries each went through and a refining of their skills on the floor.
And as you scanned the players scattered around the floor it’s hard not think that, though the Knicks have emerged as one of the best NBA teams, just how deep they might be when all of the pieces are in place.
While the hand-wringing has begun on how the Knicks will blend all of these pieces together, the other side of it is that with an aging roster, there are really almost too many pieces.
If you stick with the starting five of Carmelo Anthony, Ronnie Brewer, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler — and why wouldn’t you with a 14-4 start to the season before Saturday night’s meeting with the Bulls? — the possibilities are almost endless.”
Lakers may bring Gasol off the bench when he returns from injury
December 9
“Pau Gasol has missed the Lakers last three games, two of which were losses, due to tendinitis in his knees.
It’s been evident watching him in the young part of this season that he doesn’t have the energy or the explosiveness necessary to give his team what is expected, so maybe the injury is the true reason behind his slow start.
But what if it isn’t, and Gasol simply can’t find his way for the second straight season in the Lakers offense?
Besides the possibility of being traded at some point, L.A. may look to mix up its lineups, and bring Gasol off the bench whenever he is ready to return to action.”
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