Bill
Bill
This guy has repeatedly had his teams quit on him. This move doesn't surprise me at all.
This guy has repeatedly had his teams quit on him. This move doesn't surprise me at all.
[h3]Randolph a key to getting Melo?[/h3]
12:18PM ET
[h5]Anthony Randolph | Knicks[/h5]
The Knicks are hoping to put together a package that will entice the Denver Nuggets to trade Carmelo Anthony to New York.
The Knicks are lacking the ability to send first round picks to the Nuggets due to a trade with Houston last season. Since the Knicks first round picks in the near future are owned by the Rockets, or are encumbered by rules that don't allow a team to trade picks in consecutive years, New York must obtain picks by making other deals.
The Knicks may be in luck because the New York Daily News reports the team is taking calls regarding Anthony Randolph. In fact the Rockets and Knicks have talked about trading Randolph to Houston for New York's own pick that was part of the Tracy McGrady deal last season.
This would be a great deal for the Knicks because Randolph is not part of Mike D'Antoni's rotation and it would allow the Knicks to offer another asset to Denver for Anthony.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Kaman out at least three weeks[/h3]
12:11PM ET
[h5]Chris Kaman | Clippers[/h5]
Chris Kaman aggravated the bone bruise and ligament sprain of his left ankle and will be out at three weeks.
"I'm frustrated and disappointed that I have to wait longer," Kaman told the Los Angeles Times. "I was hoping to play sooner, but injuries are a part of basketball."
"Kaman needs to stay off (the ankle) for a couple weeks, and then train for a week and see how it reacts," said head coach Vinny Del Negro.
DeAndre Jordan will assume the starting center position, again, until Kaman is healthy.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Miller and Pittman updates[/h3]
9:16AM ET
[h5]Miami Heat[/h5]
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Friday regarding the status of Mike Miller, who is recovering from thumb surgery, and rookie Dexter Pittman, who is playing in the D-League.
"Whenever Miller is cleared for contact, he'll need to get into game condition and speed and tempo of the competition," Spoelstra said. "So I think he's still a ways away before he could actually take some contact on it. But if you saw him working out, you would think, and he would tell you, that he's ready to go. But he's not yet."
The team is projecting a return in January for Miller, even though he hopes to play this month.
Pittman is expected to spend about another 10 days with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
"Dexter is getting quality time down there," Spoelstra said. "I just exchanged texts with him yesterday. He finished up with another 36-minute game, with 15 (points) and 10 (rebounds). That's the first thing I look at is minutes, that speaks to his conditioning, the fact that he's actually staying out on the court and not fouling."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Heat given an injury exception[/h3]
9:01AM ET
[h5]Udonis Haslem | Heat[/h5]
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Friday that the NBA has granted Miami a $1.75 million disabled player exception for Udonis Haslem.
The Heat have until Jan. 6 to use it to acquire a player via free agency, or a trade.
Miami's roster is at the limit of 15 already, so a move would have to be made before the Heat could bring in another player.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]NBA grants Blazers an injury exception[/h3]
8:48AM ET
[h5]Greg Oden | Trail Blazers[/h5]
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Friday that the NBA has granted Portland a $3.38 million disabled player exception for Greg Oden.
The Blazers have until Dec. 30 to use it to acquire a player via free agency, or a trade.
"It's good news," general manager Rich Cho told The Oregonian. "It can help us facilitate trades. But it's not like it was a surprise. It just gives us another avenue to help facilitate a trade."
Portland's roster is at the limit of 15 already, so a move would have to be made before the Blazers could bring in another player.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Roy now playing with an attitude[/h3]
8:37AM ET
[h5]Brandon Roy | Trail Blazers[/h5]
Brandon Roy has two bad knees for a 26-year old and that has caused a lot of trepidation for the player and team this season. There has been talk of reducing his minutes and even bringing him off the bench after halftime, but Roy says he's not having any of that. Instead of being passive, Roy has decided to just go all out and play his game instead of re-inventing it.
"I think I decide my outcomes," Roy told The Oregonian.
Roy says he is now playing with an "attitude" and that he won't let his legacy be tarnished.
"I'm not that kind of player," said Roy "Maybe when I'm older, but right now, I'm fine, so I just want to play."
And as far as the idea of limiting his minutes?
"I'm not worrying about it anymore. If I'm going to be hurt, I'm going to be hurt. If I'm going to play, I'm going to play," Roy said.
Roy played 41 minutes against Phoenix on Friday and scored 26 points, including a clutch basket late in the game.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bell's adductor issues[/h3]
8:16AM ET
[h5]Raja Bell | Jazz[/h5]
Raja Bell was forced to sit out Friday's game against Orlando due to a sore right adductor muscle in the groin area. Earlier this season, Bell had an issue with his left adductor muscle. Bell is perplexed as to why he is having problems on both sides.
"I'm looking for some answers on how I can strengthen them," Bell told the Deseret News. "I haven't really had a groin issue before, but it seems like it's going from one side to the other."
Bells is confident the straining staff will find a solution and in the meantime he'll rest until the soreness goes away.
"I don't think it's anything that we won't be able to fix with some religious exercises and stuff like that," Bell said. "It's now just about getting this one healthy and then trying to strengthen them up."
Bell is questionable for Saturday's game at Dallas.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Webster's return pushed back[/h3]
6:48AM ET
[h5]Martell Webster | Timberwolves[/h5]
UPDATE No. 3: According to the Star Tribune, Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis and Webster decided to push back his return to next week, potentially at Golden State on Tuesday. Rambis feels Webster needs a few more practice sessions.
"He's got to feel comfortable out there," Rambis said. "It's just a mutual decision to give him a couple more days, get some real pounding in. We haven't had the sort of practice and time to get him those game-like situations he needs. You can just tell he's not in a kind of game rhythm yet."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE No. 2: Webster was inactive for the Oklahoma game on Wednesday. He expects to play on Friday against the Pistons. Webster won't do too much too early when he finally gets on the court.
"I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself," Webster told the Star Tribune. "I don't want to rush into it too fast."
"My movement and my explosiveness already are 100 percent; now it's just getting my wind up," Webster added.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: Webster met with the Wolves doctors and medical staff on Tuesday and according to the Pioneer Press, he was cleared to play for the first time this season.
He should activated against Oklahoma City on Wednesday or Detroit on Friday.
----
Martell Webster, who had back surgery five weeks ago, practiced for the first time on Thursday and said he can actually stand up straight now. He hasn't been able to that since high school.
"My posture was bad, always had a little hunch in my back," Webster told the Star Tribune. "Everybody asked, 'Why you walk like that?' I don't know, that's the way I walked. I didn't feel anything then. It just was one of those wear-and-tear things that progressed and slowly got worse."
Webster isn't sure when he'll be activated, but said he feels great.
"With this one, I'm 100 percent confident just because I know how my body feels," Webster said. "I can judge it against my foot surgery and it's night and day. I feel great. My back feels fine. I don't have any soreness or stiffness, no pain."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hickson not happy with reserve role[/h3]
6:30AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hickson | Cavaliers[/h5]
J.J. Hickson is not playing up to Bryon Scott's expectations and was moved from starter to backup this week. Hickson let it be known on Friday that he is not happy with his new role on the team.
"I'm not adjusting very good," he told The Plain Dealer. "I don't think it's any secret. Coach [Byron Scott] knows I'm not happy. My teammates know I'm not happy. But as a professional basketball player, you deal with it as a pro."
Hickson's biggest beef is the way he was informed of Scott's decision to replace him in the starting lineup.
"The night I didn't start I didn't know I wasn't going to start until 30 seconds before we went out to go warm up," he said. "[Scott] said, 'Play with energy,' which I think I do, and that was about it."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Grant won't rush to make a deal[/h3]
6:21AM ET
[h5]Cleveland Cavaliers[/h5]
The Cavaliers have a 7-15 record and are in the midst of a six game losing streak. General manager Chris Grant says everyone is disappointed with the record, but he's not looking to make drastic changes to the roster.
"I think all of us, at some level, are frustrated," he told The Plain Dealer. "Whenever you go on a losing streak, it's not fun for anybody."
Grant still believes the team has talent to win and he won't make a deal now because it is still early in the season and he wants to remain flexible with future decisions.
"We're in a really good position," Grant told the Akron Beacon-Journal. "We're going to maintain our flexibility' we're going to stay strategic; and we're going to look at every opportunity that comes along. You just don't know what your next opportunity is."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Mayo still believes in Hollins[/h3]
5:47AM ET
[h5]O.J. Mayo | Grizzlies[/h5]
The Memphis Grizzlies are 9-14, which is one game worse than last season at the same time. The biggest issues for the team are poor defense, late game execution and the lack of production from O.J. Mayo.
All of Mayo's stats are down this season and he has even been relegated to backing up rookie Xavier Henry at the shooting guard position.
Mayo is not blaming Lionel Hollins for his lack of production and insists he still believes in his head coach.
"That's our man," Mayo tells The Commercial-Appeal. "We've let the owner, we let everyone know this is the guy we want to play for. We've been in a lot of winnable games. We've just got to start winning. Whatever our role is, whatever the dynamic of the team is, we've got to accept it and go hard. We feel like we're a good team. We've just got to stick to the script."
There is a chance the team could look to trade Mayo if he continues to struggle this season.
[h3]Randolph a key to getting Melo?[/h3]
12:18PM ET
[h5]Anthony Randolph | Knicks[/h5]
The Knicks are hoping to put together a package that will entice the Denver Nuggets to trade Carmelo Anthony to New York.
The Knicks are lacking the ability to send first round picks to the Nuggets due to a trade with Houston last season. Since the Knicks first round picks in the near future are owned by the Rockets, or are encumbered by rules that don't allow a team to trade picks in consecutive years, New York must obtain picks by making other deals.
The Knicks may be in luck because the New York Daily News reports the team is taking calls regarding Anthony Randolph. In fact the Rockets and Knicks have talked about trading Randolph to Houston for New York's own pick that was part of the Tracy McGrady deal last season.
This would be a great deal for the Knicks because Randolph is not part of Mike D'Antoni's rotation and it would allow the Knicks to offer another asset to Denver for Anthony.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Kaman out at least three weeks[/h3]
12:11PM ET
[h5]Chris Kaman | Clippers[/h5]
Chris Kaman aggravated the bone bruise and ligament sprain of his left ankle and will be out at three weeks.
"I'm frustrated and disappointed that I have to wait longer," Kaman told the Los Angeles Times. "I was hoping to play sooner, but injuries are a part of basketball."
"Kaman needs to stay off (the ankle) for a couple weeks, and then train for a week and see how it reacts," said head coach Vinny Del Negro.
DeAndre Jordan will assume the starting center position, again, until Kaman is healthy.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Miller and Pittman updates[/h3]
9:16AM ET
[h5]Miami Heat[/h5]
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Friday regarding the status of Mike Miller, who is recovering from thumb surgery, and rookie Dexter Pittman, who is playing in the D-League.
"Whenever Miller is cleared for contact, he'll need to get into game condition and speed and tempo of the competition," Spoelstra said. "So I think he's still a ways away before he could actually take some contact on it. But if you saw him working out, you would think, and he would tell you, that he's ready to go. But he's not yet."
The team is projecting a return in January for Miller, even though he hopes to play this month.
Pittman is expected to spend about another 10 days with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
"Dexter is getting quality time down there," Spoelstra said. "I just exchanged texts with him yesterday. He finished up with another 36-minute game, with 15 (points) and 10 (rebounds). That's the first thing I look at is minutes, that speaks to his conditioning, the fact that he's actually staying out on the court and not fouling."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Heat given an injury exception[/h3]
9:01AM ET
[h5]Udonis Haslem | Heat[/h5]
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Friday that the NBA has granted Miami a $1.75 million disabled player exception for Udonis Haslem.
The Heat have until Jan. 6 to use it to acquire a player via free agency, or a trade.
Miami's roster is at the limit of 15 already, so a move would have to be made before the Heat could bring in another player.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]NBA grants Blazers an injury exception[/h3]
8:48AM ET
[h5]Greg Oden | Trail Blazers[/h5]
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Friday that the NBA has granted Portland a $3.38 million disabled player exception for Greg Oden.
The Blazers have until Dec. 30 to use it to acquire a player via free agency, or a trade.
"It's good news," general manager Rich Cho told The Oregonian. "It can help us facilitate trades. But it's not like it was a surprise. It just gives us another avenue to help facilitate a trade."
Portland's roster is at the limit of 15 already, so a move would have to be made before the Blazers could bring in another player.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Roy now playing with an attitude[/h3]
8:37AM ET
[h5]Brandon Roy | Trail Blazers[/h5]
Brandon Roy has two bad knees for a 26-year old and that has caused a lot of trepidation for the player and team this season. There has been talk of reducing his minutes and even bringing him off the bench after halftime, but Roy says he's not having any of that. Instead of being passive, Roy has decided to just go all out and play his game instead of re-inventing it.
"I think I decide my outcomes," Roy told The Oregonian.
Roy says he is now playing with an "attitude" and that he won't let his legacy be tarnished.
"I'm not that kind of player," said Roy "Maybe when I'm older, but right now, I'm fine, so I just want to play."
And as far as the idea of limiting his minutes?
"I'm not worrying about it anymore. If I'm going to be hurt, I'm going to be hurt. If I'm going to play, I'm going to play," Roy said.
Roy played 41 minutes against Phoenix on Friday and scored 26 points, including a clutch basket late in the game.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bell's adductor issues[/h3]
8:16AM ET
[h5]Raja Bell | Jazz[/h5]
Raja Bell was forced to sit out Friday's game against Orlando due to a sore right adductor muscle in the groin area. Earlier this season, Bell had an issue with his left adductor muscle. Bell is perplexed as to why he is having problems on both sides.
"I'm looking for some answers on how I can strengthen them," Bell told the Deseret News. "I haven't really had a groin issue before, but it seems like it's going from one side to the other."
Bells is confident the straining staff will find a solution and in the meantime he'll rest until the soreness goes away.
"I don't think it's anything that we won't be able to fix with some religious exercises and stuff like that," Bell said. "It's now just about getting this one healthy and then trying to strengthen them up."
Bell is questionable for Saturday's game at Dallas.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Webster's return pushed back[/h3]
6:48AM ET
[h5]Martell Webster | Timberwolves[/h5]
UPDATE No. 3: According to the Star Tribune, Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis and Webster decided to push back his return to next week, potentially at Golden State on Tuesday. Rambis feels Webster needs a few more practice sessions.
"He's got to feel comfortable out there," Rambis said. "It's just a mutual decision to give him a couple more days, get some real pounding in. We haven't had the sort of practice and time to get him those game-like situations he needs. You can just tell he's not in a kind of game rhythm yet."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE No. 2: Webster was inactive for the Oklahoma game on Wednesday. He expects to play on Friday against the Pistons. Webster won't do too much too early when he finally gets on the court.
"I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself," Webster told the Star Tribune. "I don't want to rush into it too fast."
"My movement and my explosiveness already are 100 percent; now it's just getting my wind up," Webster added.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: Webster met with the Wolves doctors and medical staff on Tuesday and according to the Pioneer Press, he was cleared to play for the first time this season.
He should activated against Oklahoma City on Wednesday or Detroit on Friday.
----
Martell Webster, who had back surgery five weeks ago, practiced for the first time on Thursday and said he can actually stand up straight now. He hasn't been able to that since high school.
"My posture was bad, always had a little hunch in my back," Webster told the Star Tribune. "Everybody asked, 'Why you walk like that?' I don't know, that's the way I walked. I didn't feel anything then. It just was one of those wear-and-tear things that progressed and slowly got worse."
Webster isn't sure when he'll be activated, but said he feels great.
"With this one, I'm 100 percent confident just because I know how my body feels," Webster said. "I can judge it against my foot surgery and it's night and day. I feel great. My back feels fine. I don't have any soreness or stiffness, no pain."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hickson not happy with reserve role[/h3]
6:30AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hickson | Cavaliers[/h5]
J.J. Hickson is not playing up to Bryon Scott's expectations and was moved from starter to backup this week. Hickson let it be known on Friday that he is not happy with his new role on the team.
"I'm not adjusting very good," he told The Plain Dealer. "I don't think it's any secret. Coach [Byron Scott] knows I'm not happy. My teammates know I'm not happy. But as a professional basketball player, you deal with it as a pro."
Hickson's biggest beef is the way he was informed of Scott's decision to replace him in the starting lineup.
"The night I didn't start I didn't know I wasn't going to start until 30 seconds before we went out to go warm up," he said. "[Scott] said, 'Play with energy,' which I think I do, and that was about it."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Grant won't rush to make a deal[/h3]
6:21AM ET
[h5]Cleveland Cavaliers[/h5]
The Cavaliers have a 7-15 record and are in the midst of a six game losing streak. General manager Chris Grant says everyone is disappointed with the record, but he's not looking to make drastic changes to the roster.
"I think all of us, at some level, are frustrated," he told The Plain Dealer. "Whenever you go on a losing streak, it's not fun for anybody."
Grant still believes the team has talent to win and he won't make a deal now because it is still early in the season and he wants to remain flexible with future decisions.
"We're in a really good position," Grant told the Akron Beacon-Journal. "We're going to maintain our flexibility' we're going to stay strategic; and we're going to look at every opportunity that comes along. You just don't know what your next opportunity is."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Mayo still believes in Hollins[/h3]
5:47AM ET
[h5]O.J. Mayo | Grizzlies[/h5]
The Memphis Grizzlies are 9-14, which is one game worse than last season at the same time. The biggest issues for the team are poor defense, late game execution and the lack of production from O.J. Mayo.
All of Mayo's stats are down this season and he has even been relegated to backing up rookie Xavier Henry at the shooting guard position.
Mayo is not blaming Lionel Hollins for his lack of production and insists he still believes in his head coach.
"That's our man," Mayo tells The Commercial-Appeal. "We've let the owner, we let everyone know this is the guy we want to play for. We've been in a lot of winnable games. We've just got to start winning. Whatever our role is, whatever the dynamic of the team is, we've got to accept it and go hard. We feel like we're a good team. We've just got to stick to the script."
There is a chance the team could look to trade Mayo if he continues to struggle this season.
