What?Originally Posted by Dragon
if lakers win and pau doesnt get final mvp, I'll be very mad.
What?Originally Posted by Dragon
if lakers win and pau doesnt get final mvp, I'll be very mad.
What about Bynum and Odom?
What about Bynum and Odom?
Definitely a foul.Originally Posted by dyyhard
clearly a foul. wiz still blew it.
Definitely a foul.Originally Posted by dyyhard
clearly a foul. wiz still blew it.
damn i thought Kirk just threw up some crap there. Clearly a foulOriginally Posted by dyyhard
clearly a foul. wiz still blew it.
damn i thought Kirk just threw up some crap there. Clearly a foulOriginally Posted by dyyhard
clearly a foul. wiz still blew it.
[/h3][h3]Magic not done dealing[/h3]
9:21AM ET
[h5]Orlando Magic [/h5]
The Magic are extremely thin in the frontcourt after the two trades on Saturday and the team is expected to make another deal at some point for a big man, or two.
"We'll still find ways to get better in some spots," Magic president of basketball operations Otis Smith told the Orlando Sentinel. "Losing the backup center is big. So, you need a little size for about probably five teams. That's really what it comes down to, so we'll probably address that over the next month or so."
Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, J.J. Redick, Quentin Richardson and Jason Richardson, just acquired from Phoenix, could all be used to help land a backup center.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Nash won't demand a trade[/h3]
9:07AM ET
[h5]Steve Nash | Suns [/h5]
The Suns were quick to quash any speculation that the team would look to deal veteran point guard Steve Nash after the mega-trade with Orlando on Saturday.
For his part, Nash says he is not going to ask management to trade him.
"I could be in a city that maybe doesn't have the guys we have," Nash told The Arizona Republic. "I want to be positive and make this a great opportunity and a great season. I know a lot of people are telling me to demand a trade. If I demand one, does that mean I get to pick my team? No. It's not that simple. Maybe somebody could explain to me the reasoning. You can't just go in and tell management where you want to go. I signed to play here and I want to make this team a really good one."
Nash's current contract with the Suns expires after the 2011-12 season.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Early return for Curry?[/h3]
8:03AM ET
[h5]Stephen Curry | Warriors [/h5]
The target for Stephen Curry to return from his sprained right ankle has been Christmas night against Portland, but that might change.
"I probably won't play (tonight), but I'm not ruling out Tuesday (at Sacramento)," Curry told The Oakland Tribune. "Knowing that we have three days between Tuesday and Saturday, where I can be 100 percent sure that it's ready to play, I probably would take that option. But don't rule out Tuesday."
Curry is not feeling any pain in the ankle, but it has been sprained multiple times this season and that's why it's probably best he waits until Saturday to come back.
"It's just that I would have another week to make sure my ankle is strong," Curry said. "I am very enticed. As a competitor, when you don't feel any pain, you're like 'why am I sitting here.' But there is more to it than just the actual soreness of the ankle. It's making sure all the ligaments are fully healed and working 100 percent."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bynum feels pain in the knee[/h3]
7:49AM ET
[h5]Andrew Bynum | Lakers [/h5]
Lakers center Andrew Bynum said he felt pain in his right knee after he missed a layup in the fourth quarter on Sunday in Toronto. It is the same knee that kept him out for the first part of the season.
"I have to live with it," Bynum told the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Lakers just finished a six-game, 10-day road trip, which didn't allow Bynum to practice. He should get back to training this week.
"It's not going to change. It's nothing to be nervous about. I have to expect that that's going to happen. I can't wait to start working with my trainer (Sean Zarzana) again, so I can get some explosion back. I feel like I can't really jump right now."
Bynum doesn't think he'll miss any games because of the pain he felt on Sunday.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Wizards in the market for a PG[/h3]
7:11AM ET
[h5]Washington Wizards [/h5]
The Wizards are down to one solid ballhandler -- Kirk Hinrich -- due to John Wall's absence (bone bruise in his knee) and the trade of Gilbert Arenas to Orlando on Saturday. Wizards' general manager Ernie Grunfeld says a point guard may be added to the team.
"We'll probably look to bring in someone to back him up," Grunfeld told The Washington Post. "Because of John's injury situation and the trade, we'll probably have to bring in somebody else. There's nothing structural (with Wall). But until the pain subsides, we're not going to rush him back, that's for sure."
The newspaper lists Lester Hudson, Jannero Pargo, Patrick Beverley and Mustafa Shakur as potential free agents that could be signed.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Wall's lingering knee problem[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]John Wall | Wizards [/h5]
UPDATE: John Wall got checked out by a doctor on Friday and it was determined that the rookie isn't suffering from tendinitis, but a bone bruise under his right kneecap.
"I had a feeling it wasn't just tendinitis," Wall told The Washington Post. "I was like, 'If it's tendinitis, I would've played through it.' Tendinitis is very painful, but I played through it summer league, I play through it now. I couldn't do no squats or I couldn't really run or I couldn't cut, so I knew it had to be something more than that."
Wall has missed three games so far and it's unlikely that he'll play this week.
"It's not really a timetable. It might be day by day and it might end up being a week or two. I really don't know right now. It's pretty tough," Wall said.
-- Nick Borges
----
Rookie John Wall has already missed eight out of 23 games this season and Tuesday it was due to tendinitis in his right knee.
Head coach Flip Saunders says Wall has been struggling with tendinitis since summer league. Saunders also said the problem may not go away.
"If every guy in our league sat out a week because of tendinitis, we might have to forfeit some games, because everybody has some kind of tendinitis, just the way they are," Saunders told The Washington Post. "I don't think, with his situation, that he's ever going to be pain-free from that, so what we're going to do is monitor him."
Wall is listed as day-to-day.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hill's big toe[/h3]
6:21AM ET
[h5]George Hill | Spurs [/h5]
George Hill is now wearing a protective boot on his right foot to stabilize a sprained big toe and he is expected to miss the next couple of games. He originally hurt the foot on Dec. 12 against Portland.
"He was trying to be a hero," head coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "Finally, we stopped believing him. He's on a little medication and in the boot, just trying to stay off it and see if the inflammation can be reduced. If that happens, he will be able to play. I don't think this is a long-term thing, like James Anderson, but we're going to make sure that it doesn't hurt him for later in the year."
Chris Quinn will now be the backup point guard behind starter Tony Parker.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Brooks returns; comes off the bench[/h3]
6:06AM ET
[h5]Aaron Brooks | Rockets [/h5]
Aaron Brooks finally made it back to the lineup on Sunday. He had been out since Nov. 6 with an ankle injury.
"I felt pretty good the first half, the second half a little different," Brooks told the Houston Chronicle. "For a first game, it wasn't too bad. After that first half, my foot got stiff. I was laughing because I was happy to be playing again. I got my first win of the season, so I can't complain."
Brooks came off the bench and scored nine points in 15 minutes of action. Head coach Rick Ademan will bring Brooks along slowly and use him as a backup for the next few games.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Jennings to miss first game[/h3]
5:33AM ET
[h5]Brandon Jennings | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE: Jennings has played in 107 consecutive games, but that will come to an end on Monday against the Blazers in Portland. Jennings had an MRI Sunday on the foot and ankle area and was left behind as the rest of the team traveled to the Northwest.
"It's really tough for me right now, just the fact I can't be on the court playing," Jennings told the Journal Sentinel. "When you're not injured, you're not really thinking about it."
"I never want to get hurt; I never want to be the one that has to miss games," Jennings said. "I tried to get the Brett Favre streak going. I tried to play as long as I can without missing a game. Unfortunately, it's got to come to an end."
Head coach Scott Skiles did say that Dooling will start until Jennings returns to the lineup.
The Bucks should announce the results of the MRI on Monday.
-- Nick Borges
----
Brandon Jennings injured his left foot on Wednesday night against San Antonio, and according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, "Jennings tried to play through the pain Saturday night but didn't have his usual burst."
Gardner also reported that Jennings is set to have test on the foot.
If he misses any time due to this injury, Keyon Dooling will likely assume the starting PG role.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Should Love be an All-Star?[/h3]
5:23AM ET
[h5]Kevin Love | Timberwolves [/h5]
Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard are the only players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points and 12 rebounds a game this season. Love scored a career-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds on Saturday and the question has to be asked -- should he be on the All-Star team?
Normally players on bad teams don't get voted in, but Love's numbers this season are so good that he might get the votes.
Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis says it should be an "easy" decision.
"The way he's playing and the kind of player that he is -- and the fact that coaches don't have to run anything for him -- I think it should be an easy decision," Rambis told the Star Tribune. "The publicity is not there because you're not winning, but that shouldn't be a part of the coaches' decision. They should see what a player does and what he does against quality opponents, too. It's not like he's putting up those numbers against lesser teams.
"He's putting those numbers up against really good teams and still getting good numbers."
Love also had that remarkable game on Nov. 12 against the Knicks when he scored 31 points and hauled down 31 rebounds.
Love, so far this season, is averaging 21.1 points and 15.7 rebounds.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]O'Neal wants to retire as a Pacer[/h3]
5:01AM ET
[h5]Jermaine O'Neal | Celtics [/h5]
Jermaine O'Neal played eight seasons for Indiana and the Celtics center says he would like to retire as a Pacer when his career ends.
"Just because I'm not there anymore doesn't mean all the memories are forgotten," O'Neal told The Indianapolis Star. "If it wasn't for the Pacers, the organization and the community nobody would have probably known who I was. Anywhere in the world I go, they know me because of my Pacers days."
O'Neal averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds and played in five All-Star games while he was a member of the Pacers.
O'Neal also told the newspaper he would think about retiring if the Celtics win the NBA championship this season.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Crawford hopes to play Monday[/h3]
4:47AM ET
[h5]Jamal Crawford | Hawks [/h5]
Hawks sixth-man Jamal Crawford has missed three consecutive games due to a sore back. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Crawford said he hopes to play on Monday.
That's good news for the Hawks. Their bench has been not contributed that much while Crawford has been out. During Sunday's 89-82 loss the Nets, the Hawks' bench only scored 11 points and just two after halftime.
[/h3][h3]Magic not done dealing[/h3]
9:21AM ET
[h5]Orlando Magic [/h5]
The Magic are extremely thin in the frontcourt after the two trades on Saturday and the team is expected to make another deal at some point for a big man, or two.
"We'll still find ways to get better in some spots," Magic president of basketball operations Otis Smith told the Orlando Sentinel. "Losing the backup center is big. So, you need a little size for about probably five teams. That's really what it comes down to, so we'll probably address that over the next month or so."
Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass, J.J. Redick, Quentin Richardson and Jason Richardson, just acquired from Phoenix, could all be used to help land a backup center.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Nash won't demand a trade[/h3]
9:07AM ET
[h5]Steve Nash | Suns [/h5]
The Suns were quick to quash any speculation that the team would look to deal veteran point guard Steve Nash after the mega-trade with Orlando on Saturday.
For his part, Nash says he is not going to ask management to trade him.
"I could be in a city that maybe doesn't have the guys we have," Nash told The Arizona Republic. "I want to be positive and make this a great opportunity and a great season. I know a lot of people are telling me to demand a trade. If I demand one, does that mean I get to pick my team? No. It's not that simple. Maybe somebody could explain to me the reasoning. You can't just go in and tell management where you want to go. I signed to play here and I want to make this team a really good one."
Nash's current contract with the Suns expires after the 2011-12 season.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Early return for Curry?[/h3]
8:03AM ET
[h5]Stephen Curry | Warriors [/h5]
The target for Stephen Curry to return from his sprained right ankle has been Christmas night against Portland, but that might change.
"I probably won't play (tonight), but I'm not ruling out Tuesday (at Sacramento)," Curry told The Oakland Tribune. "Knowing that we have three days between Tuesday and Saturday, where I can be 100 percent sure that it's ready to play, I probably would take that option. But don't rule out Tuesday."
Curry is not feeling any pain in the ankle, but it has been sprained multiple times this season and that's why it's probably best he waits until Saturday to come back.
"It's just that I would have another week to make sure my ankle is strong," Curry said. "I am very enticed. As a competitor, when you don't feel any pain, you're like 'why am I sitting here.' But there is more to it than just the actual soreness of the ankle. It's making sure all the ligaments are fully healed and working 100 percent."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bynum feels pain in the knee[/h3]
7:49AM ET
[h5]Andrew Bynum | Lakers [/h5]
Lakers center Andrew Bynum said he felt pain in his right knee after he missed a layup in the fourth quarter on Sunday in Toronto. It is the same knee that kept him out for the first part of the season.
"I have to live with it," Bynum told the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Lakers just finished a six-game, 10-day road trip, which didn't allow Bynum to practice. He should get back to training this week.
"It's not going to change. It's nothing to be nervous about. I have to expect that that's going to happen. I can't wait to start working with my trainer (Sean Zarzana) again, so I can get some explosion back. I feel like I can't really jump right now."
Bynum doesn't think he'll miss any games because of the pain he felt on Sunday.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Wizards in the market for a PG[/h3]
7:11AM ET
[h5]Washington Wizards [/h5]
The Wizards are down to one solid ballhandler -- Kirk Hinrich -- due to John Wall's absence (bone bruise in his knee) and the trade of Gilbert Arenas to Orlando on Saturday. Wizards' general manager Ernie Grunfeld says a point guard may be added to the team.
"We'll probably look to bring in someone to back him up," Grunfeld told The Washington Post. "Because of John's injury situation and the trade, we'll probably have to bring in somebody else. There's nothing structural (with Wall). But until the pain subsides, we're not going to rush him back, that's for sure."
The newspaper lists Lester Hudson, Jannero Pargo, Patrick Beverley and Mustafa Shakur as potential free agents that could be signed.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Wall's lingering knee problem[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]John Wall | Wizards [/h5]
UPDATE: John Wall got checked out by a doctor on Friday and it was determined that the rookie isn't suffering from tendinitis, but a bone bruise under his right kneecap.
"I had a feeling it wasn't just tendinitis," Wall told The Washington Post. "I was like, 'If it's tendinitis, I would've played through it.' Tendinitis is very painful, but I played through it summer league, I play through it now. I couldn't do no squats or I couldn't really run or I couldn't cut, so I knew it had to be something more than that."
Wall has missed three games so far and it's unlikely that he'll play this week.
"It's not really a timetable. It might be day by day and it might end up being a week or two. I really don't know right now. It's pretty tough," Wall said.
-- Nick Borges
----
Rookie John Wall has already missed eight out of 23 games this season and Tuesday it was due to tendinitis in his right knee.
Head coach Flip Saunders says Wall has been struggling with tendinitis since summer league. Saunders also said the problem may not go away.
"If every guy in our league sat out a week because of tendinitis, we might have to forfeit some games, because everybody has some kind of tendinitis, just the way they are," Saunders told The Washington Post. "I don't think, with his situation, that he's ever going to be pain-free from that, so what we're going to do is monitor him."
Wall is listed as day-to-day.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Hill's big toe[/h3]
6:21AM ET
[h5]George Hill | Spurs [/h5]
George Hill is now wearing a protective boot on his right foot to stabilize a sprained big toe and he is expected to miss the next couple of games. He originally hurt the foot on Dec. 12 against Portland.
"He was trying to be a hero," head coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News. "Finally, we stopped believing him. He's on a little medication and in the boot, just trying to stay off it and see if the inflammation can be reduced. If that happens, he will be able to play. I don't think this is a long-term thing, like James Anderson, but we're going to make sure that it doesn't hurt him for later in the year."
Chris Quinn will now be the backup point guard behind starter Tony Parker.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Brooks returns; comes off the bench[/h3]
6:06AM ET
[h5]Aaron Brooks | Rockets [/h5]
Aaron Brooks finally made it back to the lineup on Sunday. He had been out since Nov. 6 with an ankle injury.
"I felt pretty good the first half, the second half a little different," Brooks told the Houston Chronicle. "For a first game, it wasn't too bad. After that first half, my foot got stiff. I was laughing because I was happy to be playing again. I got my first win of the season, so I can't complain."
Brooks came off the bench and scored nine points in 15 minutes of action. Head coach Rick Ademan will bring Brooks along slowly and use him as a backup for the next few games.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Jennings to miss first game[/h3]
5:33AM ET
[h5]Brandon Jennings | Bucks [/h5]
UPDATE: Jennings has played in 107 consecutive games, but that will come to an end on Monday against the Blazers in Portland. Jennings had an MRI Sunday on the foot and ankle area and was left behind as the rest of the team traveled to the Northwest.
"It's really tough for me right now, just the fact I can't be on the court playing," Jennings told the Journal Sentinel. "When you're not injured, you're not really thinking about it."
"I never want to get hurt; I never want to be the one that has to miss games," Jennings said. "I tried to get the Brett Favre streak going. I tried to play as long as I can without missing a game. Unfortunately, it's got to come to an end."
Head coach Scott Skiles did say that Dooling will start until Jennings returns to the lineup.
The Bucks should announce the results of the MRI on Monday.
-- Nick Borges
----
Brandon Jennings injured his left foot on Wednesday night against San Antonio, and according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, "Jennings tried to play through the pain Saturday night but didn't have his usual burst."
Gardner also reported that Jennings is set to have test on the foot.
If he misses any time due to this injury, Keyon Dooling will likely assume the starting PG role.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Should Love be an All-Star?[/h3]
5:23AM ET
[h5]Kevin Love | Timberwolves [/h5]
Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard are the only players in the NBA averaging at least 20 points and 12 rebounds a game this season. Love scored a career-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds on Saturday and the question has to be asked -- should he be on the All-Star team?
Normally players on bad teams don't get voted in, but Love's numbers this season are so good that he might get the votes.
Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis says it should be an "easy" decision.
"The way he's playing and the kind of player that he is -- and the fact that coaches don't have to run anything for him -- I think it should be an easy decision," Rambis told the Star Tribune. "The publicity is not there because you're not winning, but that shouldn't be a part of the coaches' decision. They should see what a player does and what he does against quality opponents, too. It's not like he's putting up those numbers against lesser teams.
"He's putting those numbers up against really good teams and still getting good numbers."
Love also had that remarkable game on Nov. 12 against the Knicks when he scored 31 points and hauled down 31 rebounds.
Love, so far this season, is averaging 21.1 points and 15.7 rebounds.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]O'Neal wants to retire as a Pacer[/h3]
5:01AM ET
[h5]Jermaine O'Neal | Celtics [/h5]
Jermaine O'Neal played eight seasons for Indiana and the Celtics center says he would like to retire as a Pacer when his career ends.
"Just because I'm not there anymore doesn't mean all the memories are forgotten," O'Neal told The Indianapolis Star. "If it wasn't for the Pacers, the organization and the community nobody would have probably known who I was. Anywhere in the world I go, they know me because of my Pacers days."
O'Neal averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds and played in five All-Star games while he was a member of the Pacers.
O'Neal also told the newspaper he would think about retiring if the Celtics win the NBA championship this season.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Crawford hopes to play Monday[/h3]
4:47AM ET
[h5]Jamal Crawford | Hawks [/h5]
Hawks sixth-man Jamal Crawford has missed three consecutive games due to a sore back. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Crawford said he hopes to play on Monday.
That's good news for the Hawks. Their bench has been not contributed that much while Crawford has been out. During Sunday's 89-82 loss the Nets, the Hawks' bench only scored 11 points and just two after halftime.
