[h3]Batum to start?[/h3]
10:05AM ET
[h5]Nicolas Batum |
Trail Blazers [/h5]
Blazers head coach
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2679Nate McMillan may shake up the rotation and that could mean
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3416Nicolas Batum returns to the starting lineup.
"I thought about starting Nic against
Kobe Bryant," McMillan told
The Oregonian. "I'm looking at all of our guys. It's not any demotion or anything like that. It's what do we need?"
"I may start versus
Kevin Durant," Batum said after practice Monday. "We don't know yet. I don't care. I just want to do what Nate asks me to do."
http://[h3]Trio available?[/h3]
9:50AM ET
[h5]Milwaukee Bucks [/h5]
From today's edition of
The Journal Times:
"Some people in the know claim the
Milwaukee Bucks are dangling veteran point guard
Luke Ridnour, who is having a stellar season, along with veteran forward
Hakim Warrick and young forward
Joe Alexander, whom the Bucks chose with the eighth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft but have since soured on."
All three players will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.
http://[h3]Melo 50-50[/h3]
9:50AM ET
[h5]Carmelo Anthony |
Nuggets [/h5]
The Nuggets host the Mavericks tonight and
Carmelo Anthony is listed as probable. Anthony says he is 50-50 that his sprained left ankle will be healed enough to return to the floor.
"Probable is like a 50-50 chance," Anthony jokingly told
The Denver Post. "A 50 percent chance that I can be out there or a 50 percent chance that I can take another day off."
Anthony has missed 13 of the Nuggets last 19 games.
http://[h3]Sund doesn't expect to make a trade[/h3]
9:49AM ET
[h5]Atlanta Hawks [/h5]
Atlanta Hawks general manager Rick Sund says he expects the core of the team to remain intact after the Feb. 18 trade deadline.
"People are talking about us as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and that's what we strive for," Sund told
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday. "If there is something out there that will make us better, we'll look at it. Do I anticipate [a trade]? No, I don't."
http://[h3]Stoudemire to Pistons?[/h3]
9:48AM ET
[h5]Amare Stoudemire |
Suns [/h5]
Amare Stoudemire is on the trade block, but no deal is imminent. Cleveland and Philadelphia are two teams that may have enough to entice the Suns to do a deal, although he could land in Detroit.
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic has a three-team scenario in today's paper which would include the Suns, 76ers and Pistons.
Coro writes: "Possibilities with Philadelphia could be stronger with two fronts, a deal between bringing in swingman
Andre Iguodala for Stoudemire with perhaps young power forward
Marreese Speights or a three-way deal involving Detroit with Pistons guard
Ben Gordon winding up in Philadelphia and the Suns getting Iguodala and Detroit power forward
Chris Wilcox."
Stoudemire would end up in Detroit in that deal.
http://[h3]Gordon downplays trade rumors[/h3]
9:48AM ET
[h5]Ben Gordon |
Pistons [/h5]
Ben Gordon is part of three team scenario written by
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic last night. Gordon was asked Monday after practice about the possibility of getting traded and he said he's focused on helping the Pistons improve.
"My name hasn't been in the talks as much this year, so I haven't had to really think about that or concentrate on that," Gordon told
MLive.com. "I wouldn't say I'm at ease. I'm just more focused on what's going to happen and how I can help us get better."
Gordon also said trades and trade rumors are "part of our everyday lives."
http://[h3]Karl let go[/h3]
9:47AM ET
[h5]Coby Karl |
Warriors [/h5]
The
San Francisco Chronicle reports the Warriors didn't offer a second 10-day contract to
Coby Karl. He is now a free agent.
Karl could be brought back after All-Star Weekend is over or when the trade deadline passes on the 18th.
http://[h3]Beaubois untouchable[/h3]
9:35AM ET
[h5]Rodrigue Beaubois |
Mavericks [/h5]
The
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=dalDallas Mavericks may make a trade before next week's trade deadline, however one player that won't be moved is rookie guard
Rodrigue Beaubois.
"I'm not going to trade him," owner Mark Cuban told
ESPNDallas.com last night.
"There's maybe one or two guys in the league that I would trade him for," Cuban conceded. "That's it. Other than that, he's pretty much untouchable."
http://[h3]Bynum out until next week?[/h3]
9:08AM ET
[h5]Andrew Bynum |
Lakers [/h5]
Andrew Bynum missed the game against the Spurs last night due to bruising and swelling in his right hip. The
Los Angeles Daily News reports he could be out until next week.
The time off will also allow his left knee time to heal as well.
"That's better now," Bynum said. "The swelling is out of there."
"Actually, I landed right on it," he added. "It swelled up right after the game. I tried to go, but I was running kind of crazy. The muscle whenever I try to walk or run is inflamed. It's painful. It's just going to take a little bit of time, like, a week. ... So it's good the All-Star break is (almost) here. I don't know if I'm going on the trip (to Utah), but I don't think I'm playing."
http://[h3]Big mistake to trade Jefferson?[/h3]
8:58AM ET
[h5]Al Jefferson |
Timberwolves [/h5]
The Wolves have received a lot of calls about the availability of
Al Jefferson, but team president David Kahn says there are no plans to trade him or to "do something dramatic" before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.
"I'm firm as firm can be. We will not move one of the big people," Kahn told the
Pioneer Press. "It would be a mistake ... of epic proportions."
http://[h3]Wade and Spoelstra on same page[/h3]
8:58AM ET
[h5]Dwyane Wade |
Heat [/h5]
Dwyane Wade made some critical remarks about the Heat after their loss to Chicago on Saturday. He said the Heat offense is too predictable, however it wasn't meant as a dig at head coach Erik Spoelstra, which some thought.
"I don't have a problem with coach at all," Wade told the
South Florida Sun-Sentinel after Monday's practice. "Me and him are on one page with each other."
"It's not about Spo," Wade added. "Of course when you're losing someone is going to find a way to say, 'Hell is starting in Miami.' "
"When me and him looked at each other [Monday], we just laughed, because he knows I'm not that guy," Wade told
The Miami Herald. "And we know our relationship. If I had to say something to him, I would say it to him. After the game, I felt that [way] mostly as a team."
http://[h3]Rumors don't bother Haywood[/h3]
8:57AM ET
[h5]Brendan Haywood |
Wizards [/h5]
Brendan Haywood has been mentioned in trade rumors with Houston and Portland, but he hasn't thought that much about getting moved by next week.
"Every year, there are a thousand different trades that are supposed to happen, and then you look at the end of the day and the 12th man for the Nets gets traded for the 10th man on the Raptors and that's the only deal done," Haywood told
The Washington Post with a laugh. "There are a lot of trade rumors and most of them will not happen. A lot of teams are scared to make moves during the course of the season. So the trade rumors? Doesn't bother me."
http://[h3]Will Chandler start?[/h3]
8:16AM ET
[h5]Tyson Chandler |
Bobcats [/h5]
Tyson Chandler has missed 22 games since he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot. Normally, when a starter returns from an injury he gets his spot back, but that might not happen for Chandler.
"Under normal circumstances, you'd always start" the guy who lost his spot to injury, coach Larry Brown told
The Charlotte Observer. "But these aren't normal circumstances -- he hasn't had a lot of time on the floor."
Brown said he'll wait until Tuesday's shootaround to decide whether to activate Chandler for tonight's game.
http://[h3]Thomas behind Richard?[/h3]
7:49AM ET
[h5]Tyrus Thomas |
Bulls [/h5]
Tyrus Thomas was back at practice Monday after being suspended for Saturday's game. Bulls head coach
Vinny Del Negro wants to move on from the incident, but would not guarantee Thomas would play ahead
Chris Richard, who signed a 10-day contract last week.
"It depends on matchups and what we need out there," Del Negro told the
Chicago Tribune. "Chris gave us a nice boost (Saturday). He's physical inside. He's a big, strong body. He's pretty familiar with our stuff. He got us some offensive rebounds and we converted on them, which was nice."
"We have to move on," Del Negro added. "What happened, happened. It's over with. Hopefully, Tyrus learns from it and gets better. It's not the first thing that's happened with Tyrus. He has to be smarter. He has to be committed to the team."
http://[h3]Players and owners will come together[/h3]
7:21AM ET
[h5]Jason Maxiell |
Pistons [/h5]
On Sunday
Adonal Foyle said players were
mobilized and united after receiving the initial proposal from the NBA owners.
Forward
Jason Maxiell is the player rep for the Pistons and said Monday that he has faith the union and owners will make compromises and come to an agreement to avert a lockout in 2011.
"That may be the way it is now, but toward the end, we'll be on the same page," Maxiell told the
Detroit Free Press.
http://[h3]Brown disagrees with Kuester[/h3]
7:01AM ET
[h5]Kwame Brown |
Pistons [/h5]
The Pistons signed
Kwame Brown last season because of his defense. Ironically, head coach John Kuester says Brown isn't playing because he's not defending well in the Pistons' schemes. Brown obviously disagrees with Kuester.
"Listen, man, I don't want something to be flared up on what I say," Brown told
The Detroit News. "I will do what the coach says in order to get better, although that is a first because there is one thing I do bring to the table and that is defense. That's the first time I heard that. It's the first time a coach said I don't play defense. But like I said, I will learn to play the defense he wants me to play."
Ben Wallace says Brown needs more hunger.
"Without a doubt he can contribute," Wallace said. "But he got to want it. He's got to be hungry, man. For me to say you got to do this and do, that's pointless. You got to want it. Look, man, when you go out there, you got to do what you got to do. If you go out there and are making the same mistakes the starters are making, then you don't need to be out there."
http://[h3]Arthur to play tonight[/h3]
5:58AM ET
[h5]Darrell Arthur |
Grizzlies [/h5]
Darrell Arthur will return to the active roster tonight after missing four months following surgery to repair a partially torn right pectoralis muscle. Arthur wants fans of the Grizzlies to remain cautiously optimistic about his immediate impact.
"I'm a little rusty, so I'm not sure how much I'll play at first," Arthur told
The Commercial-Appeal. "But my goal is to give Z-Bo (
Zach Randolph) some rest and bring some energy off the bench."
"I don't know what he's going to do," head coach Lionel Hollins said of Arthur. "He had a great summer. But I have no expectations. If he comes and defends, rebounds and runs the court, then he will have done what he did last year. If he consistently makes his jump shot, then that'll be even better. He was showing that in the summer."
http://[h3]Stern likes Kamilos proposal[/h3]
5:40AM ET
[h5]Sacramento Kings [/h5]
NBA commissioner David Stern says he is closely watching the arena situation in Sacramento. There are several proposals on the table at this time, however a few stand out from the others.
"The development of the Kamilos proposal was a pleasant surprise to me," Stern told
The Sacramento Bee Monday. "The idea that was brought to us by the mayor (
Kevin Johnson), that we used to call Plan B, was so inclusive in what it was doing, I had my doubts that it could even come to fruition as an idea put to paper. But I'm cautiously optimistic it will be something that everyone will be able to rally around."
http://[h3]Foster finished for 2009-10[/h3]
4:30AM ET
[h5]Jeff Foster |
Pacers [/h5]
Pacers center
Jeff Foster will have season-ending surgery next week on his back and will miss the rest of the season.
"I've never really been away from the team for an extended period of time," Foster told
The Indianapolis Star. "It's been two months, it's been hard. It's something I'm learning to cope with. It's tough seeing these guys struggle."
Foster's contract expires after the 2010-11 season in which he'll make $6.65 million.
