Exactly. So, what's the point in getting him? They not going to improve that much in terms of going deep into the playoffs with him. Just be patient and get something better.
Exactly. So, what's the point in getting him? They not going to improve that much in terms of going deep into the playoffs with him. Just be patient and get something better.
wow another miami heat bandwagon fan? lol bynum aint been healthy in 3 years. how many finals appearances have the lakers made in those 3 years? even a bandwagon fan like you can answer that
wow another miami heat bandwagon fan? lol bynum aint been healthy in 3 years. how many finals appearances have the lakers made in those 3 years? even a bandwagon fan like you can answer that
That's how I see it.
That's how I see it.
| 1 (2) | Mavericks | 23-5 | Very aware that the Mavs lost on a Monday last time we had them No. 1, and that they're playing Monday night at OKC after a rust-building five days off. None of that can matter when this is where they deserve to be. |
| 2 (1) | Celtics | 23-5 | I knew the Celts had been good before Christmas in the KG era, but I didn't know they were this good until Elias informed us that Boston's 94-14 mark is the best pre-Christmas over any four-season span in NBA history. |
| 3 (3) | Spurs | 26-4 | It's spotlight time at last for the team that only sports the league's best record: Lakers at home Tuesday, Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday, Thunder at home Saturday with a trip to Boston looming for the Spurs on Jan. 5. |
| 4 (4) | Heat | 23-9 | How do you go 14-1 after starting 9-8? A softer schedule certainly helps, but so does this: Miami is allowing nearly eight fewer points per game (from 94.5 ppg to 86.7 ppg) and grabbing nearly six more boards nightly. |
| 5 (6) | Bulls | 19-10 | If they had to lose Noah, this was the time. Four of Chicago's first five games without their chairman of the boards came against teams with losing records, as will nine of the next 10. Quite a gift for the holiday season. |
6 (
| Magic | 18-12 | Rondo wasn't out there, true, but 15 of the final 16 points in any crunch time against the Celts is, well, something. Way bigger, on this scorecard, than the new guys routing the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. |
| 7 (5) | Lakers | 21-9 | Imagine trying to three-peat without home-court advantage in the second round, conference finals or Finals. That's how L.A.'s playoff road looked Monday morning without having played any of our top three teams yet. |
| 8 (7) | Jazz | 21-9 | They've lost every big game this month apart from a home date with the pre-trade Magic -- who were in full-on free fall at the time -- but the Jazz are bound to look back fondly on December now that Mehmet Okur is back. |
| 9 (9) | Thunder | 21-10 | Durant's majestic 44 points against the Melo-less Nuggets, making him the second-youngest ever (behind T-Mac) to score at least 40 on Christmas, can't mask the concern that won't go away: OKC's defense still ain't right. |
| 10 (12) | Hornets | 18-12 | They're not exactly back to their 11-1 form, but the wins over New Jersey and Atlanta were significant steps for the Hornets after the pain of their back-to-back road losses at Detroit (OT) and Indy (Dunleavy's tip at the buzzer). |
| 11 (13) | Hawks | 19-13 | This month's wins over Orlando can't change the Hawks' plight. They're the East's fifth-best team at best, fortunate to see the Magic when they were a mess before the big trades and then right after they went down. |
| 12 (15) | Knicks | 18-12 | The Knicks might have impressed us more with the bounce-back wins over the Thunder and Bulls -- remembering what happened against Boston, Miami and Cleveland -- than they did with the 13-1 run against patsies. |
| 13 (10) | Nuggets | 16-13 | The Nuggets are the only team in the league that hasn't lost four straight games in any of the past four seasons. That changes Tuesday with a home L to Portland ... with Melo still likely to be on compassionate leave. |
14 (1 | Rockets | 14-15 | All-Star long shots with sick stats? Make room in your club, Kevin Love and Monta Ellis, for Kevin Martin, whom Elias says is on pace to become the first player to lead the league in total FTs and 3s made in a season. Ever. |
| 15 (11) | Suns | 13-16 | One thing that hasn't changed amid all the new faces and probably won't no matter who the Suns put around Steve Nash: They've got to get to 100 points to have a chance to win. When they don't? It's an 0-9 team. |
| 16 (14) | Trail Blazers | 15-15 | We're getting in a mention of Portland's 5-2 record without B-Roy while we can because it won't look that good next Monday if he continues to sit. Four of the Blazers' next six games are on the road, and all six are toughies. |
| 17 (16) | 76ers | 12-18 | An eight-game road trip actually starts to sound pretty good when you go to Orlando right after it trades away half the team ... and when you go to Denver and Melo doesn't play ... and when a blizzard strikes back home. |
| 18 (17) | Bucks | 12-16 | Makes perfect sense that the Bucks, as inconsistent as they've been, manufacture a couple of road wins in Cali over the Lakers and Kings to tote into Christmas immediately after losing our man B-Jennings. Doesn't it? |
| 19 (20) | Grizzlies | 13-17 | What troubles you more, Grizz fans? The 1-13 record when allowing 100 points or more? Or the fact that the Grizz, Wolves and Bobcats are the only three teams that have never been asked to play on Christmas Day? |
| 20 (21) | Clippers | 9-22 | With a hat tip to LA Times sage Mark Heisler: It's getting to the point, with or without this little 4-1 uptick, that we have to start seriously asking how many players on the planet are more exciting than Blake Griffin, if any? |
| 21 (19) | Pacers | 13-15 | The idea that beating the Hornets on Dunleavy's buzzer tip would be some sort of turning point discounted the fact that they didn't play again for six days. The momentum-less Pacers then got pounded at home by the Grizz. |
| 22 (23) | Warriors | 11-18 | The Dubs, remember, haven't had an All-Star since Spree in '97, but the skeptic in me still says Monta's recent eruptions (44, 36 and 39 points) in his best-ever season can't halt that drought. Not in the guard-heavy West. |
| 23 (22) | Pistons | 10-20 | Would prefer to be telling you precisely when Tayshaun or Rip might finally be traded. The only predictions we can comfortably make, though, involve the Pistons' Sunday home games: Four already have gone to OT. |
| 24 (24) | Nets | 9-21 | Nine wins by Christmas doesn't sound so bad when you remember last season's Nets didn't get that many until March 26. Nothing's changed, though. Hard to think of anything else in Jersey beyond the Melo Sweepstakes. |
| 25 (26) | Raptors | 10-19 | Are we already down to nine teams for the East's eight playoff spots? Don't enjoy hitting our Canadian pals with such cold truths, but we see no one -- starting with the Raps at No. 10 -- who can realistically make a move. |
| 26 (27) | Timberwolves | 7-24 | The Metrodome's roof caves in. Then LeBron James publicly ponders an dispersal draft headlined by Kevin Love. Then Kobe Bryant slams the Wolves even harder with his ''Yeah, I said it'' shot. Some winter in Sota. |
| 27 (25) | Bobcats | 9-19 | Have to believe the following Stephen Jackson gem, so soon after Barkley's unforgettable ''He's the engine that stirs the drink'' scouting report on Rondo, clinched Larry Brown's ouster: ''We're just terrible on all cylinders.'' |
| 28 (2 | Wizards | 7-21 | December 2009: Arenas versus Crittenton. December 2010: McGee versus Blatche. December 2011: The Wiz obviously don't want to see a lockout, but that might be the only way to guarantee an incident-free Christmas. |
| 29 (29) | Cavaliers | 8-22 | The nightmare collapse that began with a home L to Boston in the game before LeBron's homecoming just reached 1-13 thanks to a home L inflicted by a team (Minnesota) that LeBron just nominated for contraction. |
| 30 (30) | Kings | 5-22 | Kings co-owner Joe Maloof insists both Westphal and Petrie will survive the season. Yet it says here, if you're keeping score, that the GM is in greater peril than the coach thanks to a 17-65 nosedive since last season's 13-14 start. |
Contraction is a very popular topic in NBA circles.
Obviously, the fact the league has raised the issue has helped bring it to the forefront, but even before David Stern decided it would be a useful negotiating ploy for the collective bargaining agreement discussions, casual NBA conversation talked about contracting teams in a way nobody does in other sports. I don't think you'll ever find Drew Brees discussing the merits of removing the Jacksonville Jaguars from the NFL, for instance.
But for some reason LeBron James felt free to expound on the merits of eliminating the Timberwolves and Nets.
"Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is [now]."
Romanticizing the 1980s, in particular, has become the go-to move for anybody making the pro-contraction argument, because "everyone" had three or four All-Stars back then. And by "everyone," I mean "the Lakers and the Celtics."
Never mind that Indiana didn't have an All-Star the entire decade, or that the Kings had one -- the two teams we saw on TV almost every weekend had stars, and for 90 percent of fans in the 1980s, that was the league.
This is a good starting point for the contraction debate, because the whole discussion always been more about perception than reality, and certainly more about romance than reality
The idea that we could recreate the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 1980s if we just had fewer teams is silly on multiple levels.
For starters, please note that a pretty great Lakers-Celtics rivalry already exists. Not sure if anyone's noticed, but those two teams met in the Finals last year and in 2008, splitting two series and 13 games almost evenly and setting some pretty high marks for TV ratings and Internet traffic. Also, some might note that Boston has five starters and a reserve with All-Star appearances on their résumés, just like in the good ol' days. In fact, in terms of All-Star appearances, the current Celtics are the single most decorated team in NBA history.
Moreover, this idea misplaces the debate entirely. What grabbed us about Lakers vs. Celtics in the '80s wasn't the quality of the games but the heat of the rivalry. As humans, we actually have a very limited capacity to grasp subtle differences in quality with the naked eye, which is something that 98 percent of people don't realize or won't admit. This becomes very obvious in the rabid appreciation most show for college football and basketball -- sports, incidentally, which are vastly more driven by rivalry and intensity than quality of play per se.
Adding to the irony is LeBron himself saying the league would better if "it was like the '80s when three for four superstars were on one team." Dude, there are three superstars on YOUR team.
So that's my subjective take. But there are also several important points of math and logic that illustrate the silliness of the contraction debate.
Wins and losses are a zero-sum game.
In other words, there are always as many losses as wins, no matter how many teams there are.
One bizarre piece of doublethink from the pro-contraction crowd is to presume that if we got rid of the three or four worst teams, there would be no bad teams.
Remember, the unchangeable fact of sports is that every game has one winner and one loser. You can't turn a 40-win team into a 60-win team without adding 20 losses someplace else. Removing the four worst teams would subtract seven to 10 easy wins from every other team, and the ones that would feel the most pain would be the four teams who were nearly as bad.
There still would teams with roughly 15-to-30 wins at the bottom of the standings. For instance, in the glorious 1986-87 season, with the Lakers beating the defending-champion Celtics in the Finals and Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson leading the league in points, rebounds and assists per game, respectively, we had the Clippers at 12-70, the Knicks and Nets each at 24-58, the Spurs at 28-54, the Kings at 29-53 and the Cavaliers at 31-51. (Sound kind of familiar?)
Even those these teams had shown previously they weren't the worst in the league, their new status at the bottom of the standings would cause us to lament their awfulness and submit them as a future contraction candidate, to follow the current contraction logic to its natural conclusion -- and this would be exacerbated by our inability to perceive such subtle distinctions in quality, as noted earlier.
One can no more prevent a league from having a doormat (or several doormats) than from having a champion. I'm not sure why this isn't more obvious to people.
[h3]Cavs waive Williams[/h3]
1:46PM ET
[h5]Jawad Williams | Cavaliers[/h5]
UPDATE: The Cavs have indeed waived Williams, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
But Amico doesn't expect the team to call up Eyenga from the D-League yet.
---
According to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald, the Cavs will likely waive Jawad Williams before Jan. 10, which is a day the majority of non-guaranteed deals are guaranteed for the rest of the season.
"They could always sign him to a 10-day contract," he added.
The waiving of Williams would bring the Cavs' roster to 14, so they wouldn't need to add a new player to reach the minimum league roster size of 12.
Williams has been getting some decent playing time -- an average of 14.7 minutes a game -- but is shooting poorly (31.7 percent) and the Cavs have a host of players who can play small forward (Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Joey Graham and Christian Eyenga) if they waive Williams.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Harrington's thumb[/h3]
1:26PM ET
[h5]Al Harrington | Nuggets[/h5]
Al Harrington left Denver's Sunday night loss to the Sixers in the first half due to a dislocated right thumb.
But according to Chris Demsey of the Denver Post, Harrington's X-rays came back negative, and he's just listed at day to day.
The Nuggets play Portland on Tuesday and Minnesota on Wednesday.
If Harrington has to miss one or both of these back-to-back games due to his thumb, it's possible Kenyon Martin will be called upon to log more minutes at PF after recently coming back from injury.
Shelden Williams may also see an increase in playing time.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Griffin still waiting on dunk contest[/h3]
12:24PM ET
[h5]Blake Griffin | Clippers[/h5]
UPDATE: From Chris Tomasson of FanHouse on Twitter: "Griffin said he still hasn't heard anything from NBA for inclusion in dunk contest in L.A. He's said he would participate."
The league announced last season's participants in mid-January, so it may be another few weeks before there's official word on Griffin -- one way or the other.
---
When asked about the dunk contest by Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Blake Griffin responded as such: "That would be cool. If it's something that the league wants me to do, I'll probably try to do it."
Considering the rookie is throwing down jaw-dropping dunks nearly every Clippers game this season, it's reasonable the league may reach out to Griffin. Last season, the league invited Shannon Brown after he garnered a lot of buzz for some impressive dunks before the All-Star break.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Richardson's worth to Orlando[/h3]
12:16PM ET
[h5]Jason Richardson | Magic[/h5]
The Magic are currently exploring the possibility of bringing in a quality backup center behind Dwight Howard now that Marcin Gortat is a member of the Suns.
There's been some suggestions in reports on the matter that newly-acquired Jason Richardson could be used as a trade piece to acquire such a center.
The logic here seems a little flimsy. Yes, Richardson is on an expiring contract, but he also was seen as a key part of their deal with Phoenix, and is currently the Magic's starting shooting guard.
Enter Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD to add a little clarity to this matter.
"Sources close to the situation say unless Richardson returns an elite level big the odds the Magic would entertain a trade for him are slim, noting that he was one of the core players the Magic coveted in making the changes they have made this month," he wrote.
So unless the Magic are able to land a very good big in return for him, it looks like Richardson will remain on the team for at least the remainder of the season.
One name that could entice the Magic is Boris Diaw, something we dipped into Sunday.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Why Yao could be on the move[/h3]
11:59AM ET
[h5]Yao Ming | Rockets[/h5]
Yao Ming is out for the season due to a stress fracture. There's also been speculation that due to his history of long-standing injuries, this latest one could threaten his career.
As such, despite what he's meant to Houston's franchise, his expiring contract has been listed as a possible trade asset for the team.
And according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports, the team is indeed exploring trade options.
"With lure of insurance offering $8 million discount on his expiring $17 million salary, Houston exploring Ming trade on several fronts, sources tell Yahoo! Sports," he tweeted. "Some teams exploring trade for Yao to re-sign him on short deal, or just get cap relief on his expiring deal, sources say."
The Rockets have been listed as a team that have some parts that'll help facilitate a multi-team Carmelo Anthony trade, so it's possible Yao's contract could figure into such a deal -- even if the Rockets don't receive Melo in return.
-- Ryan Corazza
[h5]ESPN's Chad Ford[/h5]
Will Rockets part with Yao?
http://[h3]New York's interest in Telfair[/h3]
11:07AM ET
[h5]Sebastian Telfair | Timberwolves[/h5]
It's been widely reported the Knicks are after a quality, affordable backup PG behind Raymond Felton.
One name that's popped up is Brooklyn native Sebastian Telfair. Telfair is on an expiring contract, and has fallen down the depth chart for the Timberwolves due to Jonny Flynn coming back off injury.
But while Telfair is on the team's radar, it doesn't appear like New York is hard after him.
"The Knicks and Timberwolves have had talks regarding Telfair, but Knick sources say while Bassy would be serviceable he won't solve their problem and the Knicks are in no hurry to deal for him," reported Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD.
A few other point guards on expiring contracts the Knicks could possibly target are Earl Boykins, Ronnie Price or Earl Watson.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]McRoberts wants to dunk[/h3]
10:10AM ET
[h5]Josh McRoberts | Pacers[/h5]
Pacers power forward Josh McRoberts is desperate to be a participant in the slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend in February. The Indianapolis Star reports McRoberts and teammate Brandon Rush plan on releasing a video, which shows them acting out a scene from "White Men Can't Jump."
"I grew up watching the dunk contest. Now I want my part in it," McRoberts said. "It'll be fun being in it if it happens."
"We're trying to get our man Josh into the contest," Rush said. "It was fun taking part in it. Everybody should like it."
McRoberts plays the part of Woody Harrelson's character, Billy Hoyle, in the skit and Rush plays Wesley Snipes' character, Sidney Deane.
McRoberts and Rush bought the clothes worn in the movie on eBay.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Davis wants to stay with the Clippers[/h3]
9:31AM ET
[h5]Baron Davis | Clippers[/h5]
The Clippers would like to trade Baron Davis and the $28.8 million remaining on his contract, but aren't finding any takers so far the oft-injured point guard. Davis has heard the rumors and says he'd prefer to remain with the Clippers.
"It's tough because it's the nature of the business," Davis tells FanHouse. "But it's tough because I don't want to leave. I'm here. I came here for a reason. If I were to be traded, I just think that I just never really got a chance to do what I was signed here to do."
Head coach Vinny Del Negro admits Davis would be traded if it helped the team.
"There's always going to be trade rumors. Just be happy you're wanted. You only can play for one team. So, if there's a situation out there that we feel can better our team, obviously we're going to look at it. ... Baron's been through this. He's a veteran guy. He's been traded a few times. So he knows what the deal is, and I'm sure he'll handle it the right way" said Del Negro.
Davis says he has struggled since signing with the Clippers because management is always changing the roster.
"It's hard to play when you don't know who's going to be in the locker room, if you're getting traded, if they're getting traded and you're playing with different people every 20 games. Or every 30 games. It's a different team so you never really establish yourself."
There was some talk last week about Charlotte taking a run at Davis now that Paul Silas has been named the interim head coach of the Bobcats. Silas was the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets when Davis was selected by team with the No. 4 pick in the 1999 NBA draft.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Silas looking forward to first game[/h3]
9:01AM ET
[h5]Paul Silas | Bobcats[/h5]
Interim head coach Paul Silas ran the Bobcats though a couple of practices since Michael Jordan fired Larry Brown and Silas says he can't wait for his first game on Monday against Detroit.
"It's been a while since I've had to sit there and go through all the problems that are going to occur, the players and the turnovers," Silas told The Charlotte Observer. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Silas said he will keep the same starting lineup that Brown was using.
"I like what's going on in practice now and I think the players are getting a sense of what I'm about," he said. "I'm getting a sense of what they're about. It think it's going to be fun."
Silas' coaching staff will include Ralph Lewis, Charles Oakley and Stephen Silas.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]J-Will's career in jeopardy?[/h3]
8:11AM ET
[h5]Jason Williams | Magic[/h5]
Magic point guard Jason Williams is suffering from arthritis in his left foot and will not travel with the team on their road trip. While the team is gone he will undergo extensive testing on the foot.
"It's not getting any better," head coach Stan Van Gundy tells the Orlando Sentinel. "J-Will gets on it and he has a hard time pushing off that foot. He's staying behind. He wants to know what's going on. I think he's a little nervous about it right now."
According to the newspaper, Williams might be contemplating retiring, although he has not asked for a buyout from the team.
Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD reports Williams is unhappy with his role on the Magic and "wants a trade or his release."
Williams, because of the injury, is fourth on the depth at point guard behind starter Jameer Nelson and backups Gilbert Arenas and Chris Duhon.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Carter may play next week[/h3]
7:51AM ET
[h5]Vince Carter | Suns[/h5]
UPDATE No. 3: Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said Sunday that Carter might be activated "within a week."
Carter has not played since he was traded to the Suns.
"He's just not feeling quite there. But a lot closer than he was," Gentry said. "Within the next week we'll probably get him."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE No. 2: Carter has decided to rest his left knee instead if having surgery. Carter has a strained quadriceps tendon that is causing the swelling to the knee.
According to The Arizona Republic, Carter says doesn't know when he'll debut for the Suns, but he doesn't think it will be too long of a wait.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: Vince Carter says he hurt the knee on Nov. 22 and recently swelling returned. He was planning to see the doctor on Tuesday.
"It still bothered me," Carter told The Arizona Republic. "I just tried to keep playing, being hard-headed and not listening to your body. There's been some swelling. The day of the trade is when I told them (Orlando) I wanted to get a MRI."
Carter probably won't play Thursday against Miami.
-- Nick Borges
----
The Suns just acquired Vince Carter as part of a six-player trade with Orlando, but they may not be able to play him for a month.
According to The Arizona Republic, Carter is having issues with his left knee and may need to have arthroscopic surgery to fix the problem.
The surgery would sideline him for about four weeks.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]McMillan an option for Charlotte[/h3]
7:42AM ET
[h5]Nate McMillan | Trail Blazers[/h5]
Paul Silas was hired as the interim head coach of the Bobcats when Larry Brown was fired last week.
The team may wait until the summer to hire a head coach for the long-term and that could be Portland's Nate McMillan, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
McMillan's contract with the Blazers expires in June and he is a native of North Carolina. Bobcats president Fred Whitfield is also a fan of McMillan's.
McMillan has said he will not negotiate a new contract with the Blazers until after the season is over.
[h5]Marc Stein[/h5]
McMillan could interest Jordan
http://[h3]Morrow out two to three weeks[/h3]
7:05AM ET
[h5]Anthony Morrow | Nets[/h5]
UPDATE NO. 2: According to The Record, Morrow will not play this week as he rehabs the hamstring.
The earliest Morrow may return to game action is Jan. 5 against the Bulls.
The initial timeline had him coming back around the Chicago game, but that could be pushed back.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: According to Al Iannazzone of The Record, Morrow's MRI confirmed he strained the hamstring and he's expected to miss two to three weeks.
Jordan Farmar is slated to start in place of Morrow. Recently acquired Sasha Vujacic could also see time in Morrow's absence.
-- Ryan Corazza
----
Nets starting shooting guard Anthony Morrow is scheduled to have an MRI Wednesday, after feeling his hamstring "pop" twice Tuesday night. It happened during his pregame workout and after visiting with the team trainer.
"I came back out, made a move on the other end and it popped again," Morrow told The Record. "So it's pretty much like a strain. I don't know how bad it is.
"I'll get an MRI tomorrow. So I hope and pray it's not too bad. They said it didn't feel like it was a tear or anything. That's good news."
Nets head coach Avery Johnson replaced Morrow with Stephen Graham in the starting lineup.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Johnson needs more from Favors[/h3]
6:56AM ET
[h5]Derrick Favors | Nets[/h5]
Nets head coach Avery Johnson mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he planned to move Derrick Favors into the starting lineup since the team has such a poor record. Favors has not started yet and Johnson says the rookie has done nothing to prove he deserves the position over Kris Humphries.
"What we told him today -- he's got to give us a reason to start him," Johnson told The Star-Ledger on Sunday. "We need to see more consistency. He needs to dunk on three people in a night."
"We need to see the light bulb go on," Johnson added. "We know he's a quiet kid, (but) we need to see something. We know he's young, and when guys are young they're all over the place,"
Johnson said he doesn't think all the rumors about Denver's Carmelo Anthony are affecting Favors. The rookie is the centerpiece in the proposed deal for the Nuggets small forward.
"I think it's more of a personality trait," Johnson said.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]The Kings' new lineup[/h3]
6:07AM ET
[h5]Paul Westphal | Kings[/h5]
The Kings have the worst record in the NBA (5-22) and have lost seven consecutive games. Head coach Paul Westphal is changing his starting lineup once again, with the hope the older players can begin the game on a good note and finish strong.
Westphal will start Beno Udrih (point guard), Tyreke Evans (shooting guard), Francisco Garcia (small forward), Carl Landry (power forward) and Samuel Dalembert (center).
"I'm trying to get our most experienced players out there as much possible," Westphal told The Sacramento Bee. "At the same time I think that it's important to put our most experienced players out there and try developing our young players through a little bit more of the apprentice method than the sink-or-swim method."
There has been some speculation that Westphal might be fired if the team doesn't start winning, so this could be his last move to save his job.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Carlisle to miss OKC game[/h3]
5:32AM ET
[h5]Rick Carlisle | Mavericks[/h5]
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will miss Monday's game in Oklahoma City on the advice of his doctor. Carlisle had minor arthroscopic knee surgery last Wednesday and was told not to travel.
Assistant coach Dwane Casey will fill in for Carlisle against the Thunder.
"It is no different. [Assistant coach] Terry [Stotts] and I both have been through this before," Casey told ESPNDallas.com on Sunday. "We have veteran players and we just have to continue what we have [been doing]. What we have to do is regroup and re-energize our edge, the edge that we had before the break, especially against a team like Oklahoma City."
Carlisle will coach the Mavericks at home on Tuesday against Toronto.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Slow and steady for Brooks[/h3]
5:24AM ET
[h5]Aaron Brooks | Rockets[/h5]
Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks has been a reserve since he returned last Sunday from a six-week layoff. Head coach Rick Adelman plans to ease him back into the lineup until Brooks' ankle is 100 percent.
"We're not going to work him in quickly," Adelman told the Houston Chronicle. "His timing has to get there. Right now, he's just kind of a little uncomfortable."
Brooks practiced on Sunday and said his ankle is improving.
"It's getting better every game," he said.
Kyle Lowry will continue to start until Brooks' ankle is back to full strength.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Sy heading to Utah[/h3]
4:50AM ET
[h5]Pape Sy | Hawks[/h5]
UPDATE: According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks will send Pape Sy to the D-League for some game action.
The newspaper did not report when he'll be assigned to the Utah Flash or how long Sy will be with them.
Utah's next game is on Jan. 1 against Bakersfield and the Flash will play seven games during the first 14 days of 2011.
-- Nick Borges
----
Rookie Pape Sy is not getting any time with the Hawks so the team is considering sending him to the D-League for some game action at the beginning of the new year.
"I think it would suit him better to play than to sit around and practice all the time," head coach Larry Drew told the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He needs some playing experience."
Atlanta's D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash, don't play again until Jan. 1 and the Hawks will make a final decision regarding Sy around that time.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Conley needs six stitches[/h3]
4:37AM ET
[h5]Mike Conley | Grizzlies[/h5]
Memphis point guard Mike Conley had his right hand stepped on with just 34 seconds left in the game on Sunday against Indiana. The hand was split open between the pinky and ring finger and it required six stitches to close the wound.
"It's the worst pain in the world," Conley told The Commercial-Appeal after Sunday's game. "I thought I broke my finger."
Conley is hoping to play Monday against the Toronto Raptors. If he can't, rookie Greivis Vasquez will probably take his spot in the starting lineup.
"If I can put something over it, I'm playing," Conley said. "I just don't want it to split again."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Raptors sign Dupree[/h3]
4:21AM ET
[h5]Ronald Dupree[/h5]
The Raptors have a bunch of injuries on the team -- Jose Calderon (foot), Sonny Weems (back) and Amir Johnson (back) -- and the decision was made to bring in a player.
The Toronto Star reports the team signed small forward Ronald Dupree on Sunday to a non-guaranteed, rest-of-season contract.
Dupree had been with the team during training camp and played in five games during the preseason. He was waived on Oct. 19.
Toronto's roster is now at the 15-man limit.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bargnani to miss road trip[/h3]
4:07AM ET
[h5]Andrea Bargnani | Raptors[/h5]
Raptors starting center Andrea Bargnani suffered a strained left calf last Wednesday against Detroit. The Toronto Star reports the injury is bad enough that it will force him to miss their three-game road trip to Memphis on Monday, Dallas on Tuesday and Houston on Friday.
It is not known who will take Bargnani's starting spot. The most likely candidates are Joey Dorsey and Ed Davis.
The Raptors are hoping Bargnani can return to the lineup on Jan. 2 against Boston.
| 1 (2) | Mavericks | 23-5 | Very aware that the Mavs lost on a Monday last time we had them No. 1, and that they're playing Monday night at OKC after a rust-building five days off. None of that can matter when this is where they deserve to be. |
| 2 (1) | Celtics | 23-5 | I knew the Celts had been good before Christmas in the KG era, but I didn't know they were this good until Elias informed us that Boston's 94-14 mark is the best pre-Christmas over any four-season span in NBA history. |
| 3 (3) | Spurs | 26-4 | It's spotlight time at last for the team that only sports the league's best record: Lakers at home Tuesday, Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday, Thunder at home Saturday with a trip to Boston looming for the Spurs on Jan. 5. |
| 4 (4) | Heat | 23-9 | How do you go 14-1 after starting 9-8? A softer schedule certainly helps, but so does this: Miami is allowing nearly eight fewer points per game (from 94.5 ppg to 86.7 ppg) and grabbing nearly six more boards nightly. |
| 5 (6) | Bulls | 19-10 | If they had to lose Noah, this was the time. Four of Chicago's first five games without their chairman of the boards came against teams with losing records, as will nine of the next 10. Quite a gift for the holiday season. |
| 6 (
| Magic | 18-12 | Rondo wasn't out there, true, but 15 of the final 16 points in any crunch time against the Celts is, well, something. Way bigger, on this scorecard, than the new guys routing the Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back. |
| 7 (5) | Lakers | 21-9 | Imagine trying to three-peat without home-court advantage in the second round, conference finals or Finals. That's how L.A.'s playoff road looked Monday morning without having played any of our top three teams yet. |
| 8 (7) | Jazz | 21-9 | They've lost every big game this month apart from a home date with the pre-trade Magic -- who were in full-on free fall at the time -- but the Jazz are bound to look back fondly on December now that Mehmet Okur is back. |
| 9 (9) | Thunder | 21-10 | Durant's majestic 44 points against the Melo-less Nuggets, making him the second-youngest ever (behind T-Mac) to score at least 40 on Christmas, can't mask the concern that won't go away: OKC's defense still ain't right. |
| 10 (12) | Hornets | 18-12 | They're not exactly back to their 11-1 form, but the wins over New Jersey and Atlanta were significant steps for the Hornets after the pain of their back-to-back road losses at Detroit (OT) and Indy (Dunleavy's tip at the buzzer). |
| 11 (13) | Hawks | 19-13 | This month's wins over Orlando can't change the Hawks' plight. They're the East's fifth-best team at best, fortunate to see the Magic when they were a mess before the big trades and then right after they went down. |
| 12 (15) | Knicks | 18-12 | The Knicks might have impressed us more with the bounce-back wins over the Thunder and Bulls -- remembering what happened against Boston, Miami and Cleveland -- than they did with the 13-1 run against patsies. |
| 13 (10) | Nuggets | 16-13 | The Nuggets are the only team in the league that hasn't lost four straight games in any of the past four seasons. That changes Tuesday with a home L to Portland ... with Melo still likely to be on compassionate leave. |
| 14 (1 | Rockets | 14-15 | All-Star long shots with sick stats? Make room in your club, Kevin Love and Monta Ellis, for Kevin Martin, whom Elias says is on pace to become the first player to lead the league in total FTs and 3s made in a season. Ever. |
| 15 (11) | Suns | 13-16 | One thing that hasn't changed amid all the new faces and probably won't no matter who the Suns put around Steve Nash: They've got to get to 100 points to have a chance to win. When they don't? It's an 0-9 team. |
| 16 (14) | Trail Blazers | 15-15 | We're getting in a mention of Portland's 5-2 record without B-Roy while we can because it won't look that good next Monday if he continues to sit. Four of the Blazers' next six games are on the road, and all six are toughies. |
| 17 (16) | 76ers | 12-18 | An eight-game road trip actually starts to sound pretty good when you go to Orlando right after it trades away half the team ... and when you go to Denver and Melo doesn't play ... and when a blizzard strikes back home. |
| 18 (17) | Bucks | 12-16 | Makes perfect sense that the Bucks, as inconsistent as they've been, manufacture a couple of road wins in Cali over the Lakers and Kings to tote into Christmas immediately after losing our man B-Jennings. Doesn't it? |
| 19 (20) | Grizzlies | 13-17 | What troubles you more, Grizz fans? The 1-13 record when allowing 100 points or more? Or the fact that the Grizz, Wolves and Bobcats are the only three teams that have never been asked to play on Christmas Day? |
| 20 (21) | Clippers | 9-22 | With a hat tip to LA Times sage Mark Heisler: It's getting to the point, with or without this little 4-1 uptick, that we have to start seriously asking how many players on the planet are more exciting than Blake Griffin, if any? |
| 21 (19) | Pacers | 13-15 | The idea that beating the Hornets on Dunleavy's buzzer tip would be some sort of turning point discounted the fact that they didn't play again for six days. The momentum-less Pacers then got pounded at home by the Grizz. |
| 22 (23) | Warriors | 11-18 | The Dubs, remember, haven't had an All-Star since Spree in '97, but the skeptic in me still says Monta's recent eruptions (44, 36 and 39 points) in his best-ever season can't halt that drought. Not in the guard-heavy West. |
| 23 (22) | Pistons | 10-20 | Would prefer to be telling you precisely when Tayshaun or Rip might finally be traded. The only predictions we can comfortably make, though, involve the Pistons' Sunday home games: Four already have gone to OT. |
| 24 (24) | Nets | 9-21 | Nine wins by Christmas doesn't sound so bad when you remember last season's Nets didn't get that many until March 26. Nothing's changed, though. Hard to think of anything else in Jersey beyond the Melo Sweepstakes. |
| 25 (26) | Raptors | 10-19 | Are we already down to nine teams for the East's eight playoff spots? Don't enjoy hitting our Canadian pals with such cold truths, but we see no one -- starting with the Raps at No. 10 -- who can realistically make a move. |
| 26 (27) | Timberwolves | 7-24 | The Metrodome's roof caves in. Then LeBron James publicly ponders an dispersal draft headlined by Kevin Love. Then Kobe Bryant slams the Wolves even harder with his ''Yeah, I said it'' shot. Some winter in Sota. |
| 27 (25) | Bobcats | 9-19 | Have to believe the following Stephen Jackson gem, so soon after Barkley's unforgettable ''He's the engine that stirs the drink'' scouting report on Rondo, clinched Larry Brown's ouster: ''We're just terrible on all cylinders.'' |
| 28 (2 | Wizards | 7-21 | December 2009: Arenas versus Crittenton. December 2010: McGee versus Blatche. December 2011: The Wiz obviously don't want to see a lockout, but that might be the only way to guarantee an incident-free Christmas. |
| 29 (29) | Cavaliers | 8-22 | The nightmare collapse that began with a home L to Boston in the game before LeBron's homecoming just reached 1-13 thanks to a home L inflicted by a team (Minnesota) that LeBron just nominated for contraction. |
| 30 (30) | Kings | 5-22 | Kings co-owner Joe Maloof insists both Westphal and Petrie will survive the season. Yet it says here, if you're keeping score, that the GM is in greater peril than the coach thanks to a 17-65 nosedive since last season's 13-14 start. |
Contraction is a very popular topic in NBA circles.
Obviously, the fact the league has raised the issue has helped bring it to the forefront, but even before David Stern decided it would be a useful negotiating ploy for the collective bargaining agreement discussions, casual NBA conversation talked about contracting teams in a way nobody does in other sports. I don't think you'll ever find Drew Brees discussing the merits of removing the Jacksonville Jaguars from the NFL, for instance.
But for some reason LeBron James felt free to expound on the merits of eliminating the Timberwolves and Nets.
"Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is [now]."
Romanticizing the 1980s, in particular, has become the go-to move for anybody making the pro-contraction argument, because "everyone" had three or four All-Stars back then. And by "everyone," I mean "the Lakers and the Celtics."
Never mind that Indiana didn't have an All-Star the entire decade, or that the Kings had one -- the two teams we saw on TV almost every weekend had stars, and for 90 percent of fans in the 1980s, that was the league.
This is a good starting point for the contraction debate, because the whole discussion always been more about perception than reality, and certainly more about romance than reality
The idea that we could recreate the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 1980s if we just had fewer teams is silly on multiple levels.
For starters, please note that a pretty great Lakers-Celtics rivalry already exists. Not sure if anyone's noticed, but those two teams met in the Finals last year and in 2008, splitting two series and 13 games almost evenly and setting some pretty high marks for TV ratings and Internet traffic. Also, some might note that Boston has five starters and a reserve with All-Star appearances on their résumés, just like in the good ol' days. In fact, in terms of All-Star appearances, the current Celtics are the single most decorated team in NBA history.
Moreover, this idea misplaces the debate entirely. What grabbed us about Lakers vs. Celtics in the '80s wasn't the quality of the games but the heat of the rivalry. As humans, we actually have a very limited capacity to grasp subtle differences in quality with the naked eye, which is something that 98 percent of people don't realize or won't admit. This becomes very obvious in the rabid appreciation most show for college football and basketball -- sports, incidentally, which are vastly more driven by rivalry and intensity than quality of play per se.
Adding to the irony is LeBron himself saying the league would better if "it was like the '80s when three for four superstars were on one team." Dude, there are three superstars on YOUR team.
So that's my subjective take. But there are also several important points of math and logic that illustrate the silliness of the contraction debate.
Wins and losses are a zero-sum game.
In other words, there are always as many losses as wins, no matter how many teams there are.
One bizarre piece of doublethink from the pro-contraction crowd is to presume that if we got rid of the three or four worst teams, there would be no bad teams.
Remember, the unchangeable fact of sports is that every game has one winner and one loser. You can't turn a 40-win team into a 60-win team without adding 20 losses someplace else. Removing the four worst teams would subtract seven to 10 easy wins from every other team, and the ones that would feel the most pain would be the four teams who were nearly as bad.
There still would teams with roughly 15-to-30 wins at the bottom of the standings. For instance, in the glorious 1986-87 season, with the Lakers beating the defending-champion Celtics in the Finals and Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson leading the league in points, rebounds and assists per game, respectively, we had the Clippers at 12-70, the Knicks and Nets each at 24-58, the Spurs at 28-54, the Kings at 29-53 and the Cavaliers at 31-51. (Sound kind of familiar?)
Even those these teams had shown previously they weren't the worst in the league, their new status at the bottom of the standings would cause us to lament their awfulness and submit them as a future contraction candidate, to follow the current contraction logic to its natural conclusion -- and this would be exacerbated by our inability to perceive such subtle distinctions in quality, as noted earlier.
One can no more prevent a league from having a doormat (or several doormats) than from having a champion. I'm not sure why this isn't more obvious to people.
[h3]Cavs waive Williams[/h3]
1:46PM ET
[h5]Jawad Williams | Cavaliers[/h5]
UPDATE: The Cavs have indeed waived Williams, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
But Amico doesn't expect the team to call up Eyenga from the D-League yet.
---
According to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald, the Cavs will likely waive Jawad Williams before Jan. 10, which is a day the majority of non-guaranteed deals are guaranteed for the rest of the season.
"They could always sign him to a 10-day contract," he added.
The waiving of Williams would bring the Cavs' roster to 14, so they wouldn't need to add a new player to reach the minimum league roster size of 12.
Williams has been getting some decent playing time -- an average of 14.7 minutes a game -- but is shooting poorly (31.7 percent) and the Cavs have a host of players who can play small forward (Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Joey Graham and Christian Eyenga) if they waive Williams.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Harrington's thumb[/h3]
1:26PM ET
[h5]Al Harrington | Nuggets[/h5]
Al Harrington left Denver's Sunday night loss to the Sixers in the first half due to a dislocated right thumb.
But according to Chris Demsey of the Denver Post, Harrington's X-rays came back negative, and he's just listed at day to day.
The Nuggets play Portland on Tuesday and Minnesota on Wednesday.
If Harrington has to miss one or both of these back-to-back games due to his thumb, it's possible Kenyon Martin will be called upon to log more minutes at PF after recently coming back from injury.
Shelden Williams may also see an increase in playing time.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Griffin still waiting on dunk contest[/h3]
12:24PM ET
[h5]Blake Griffin | Clippers[/h5]
UPDATE: From Chris Tomasson of FanHouse on Twitter: "Griffin said he still hasn't heard anything from NBA for inclusion in dunk contest in L.A. He's said he would participate."
The league announced last season's participants in mid-January, so it may be another few weeks before there's official word on Griffin -- one way or the other.
---
When asked about the dunk contest by Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Blake Griffin responded as such: "That would be cool. If it's something that the league wants me to do, I'll probably try to do it."
Considering the rookie is throwing down jaw-dropping dunks nearly every Clippers game this season, it's reasonable the league may reach out to Griffin. Last season, the league invited Shannon Brown after he garnered a lot of buzz for some impressive dunks before the All-Star break.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Richardson's worth to Orlando[/h3]
12:16PM ET
[h5]Jason Richardson | Magic[/h5]
The Magic are currently exploring the possibility of bringing in a quality backup center behind Dwight Howard now that Marcin Gortat is a member of the Suns.
There's been some suggestions in reports on the matter that newly-acquired Jason Richardson could be used as a trade piece to acquire such a center.
The logic here seems a little flimsy. Yes, Richardson is on an expiring contract, but he also was seen as a key part of their deal with Phoenix, and is currently the Magic's starting shooting guard.
Enter Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD to add a little clarity to this matter.
"Sources close to the situation say unless Richardson returns an elite level big the odds the Magic would entertain a trade for him are slim, noting that he was one of the core players the Magic coveted in making the changes they have made this month," he wrote.
So unless the Magic are able to land a very good big in return for him, it looks like Richardson will remain on the team for at least the remainder of the season.
One name that could entice the Magic is Boris Diaw, something we dipped into Sunday.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]Why Yao could be on the move[/h3]
11:59AM ET
[h5]Yao Ming | Rockets[/h5]
Yao Ming is out for the season due to a stress fracture. There's also been speculation that due to his history of long-standing injuries, this latest one could threaten his career.
As such, despite what he's meant to Houston's franchise, his expiring contract has been listed as a possible trade asset for the team.
And according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports, the team is indeed exploring trade options.
"With lure of insurance offering $8 million discount on his expiring $17 million salary, Houston exploring Ming trade on several fronts, sources tell Yahoo! Sports," he tweeted. "Some teams exploring trade for Yao to re-sign him on short deal, or just get cap relief on his expiring deal, sources say."
The Rockets have been listed as a team that have some parts that'll help facilitate a multi-team Carmelo Anthony trade, so it's possible Yao's contract could figure into such a deal -- even if the Rockets don't receive Melo in return.
-- Ryan Corazza
[h5]ESPN's Chad Ford[/h5]
Will Rockets part with Yao?
http://[h3]New York's interest in Telfair[/h3]
11:07AM ET
[h5]Sebastian Telfair | Timberwolves[/h5]
It's been widely reported the Knicks are after a quality, affordable backup PG behind Raymond Felton.
One name that's popped up is Brooklyn native Sebastian Telfair. Telfair is on an expiring contract, and has fallen down the depth chart for the Timberwolves due to Jonny Flynn coming back off injury.
But while Telfair is on the team's radar, it doesn't appear like New York is hard after him.
"The Knicks and Timberwolves have had talks regarding Telfair, but Knick sources say while Bassy would be serviceable he won't solve their problem and the Knicks are in no hurry to deal for him," reported Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD.
A few other point guards on expiring contracts the Knicks could possibly target are Earl Boykins, Ronnie Price or Earl Watson.
-- Ryan Corazza
http://[h3]McRoberts wants to dunk[/h3]
10:10AM ET
[h5]Josh McRoberts | Pacers[/h5]
Pacers power forward Josh McRoberts is desperate to be a participant in the slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend in February. The Indianapolis Star reports McRoberts and teammate Brandon Rush plan on releasing a video, which shows them acting out a scene from "White Men Can't Jump."
"I grew up watching the dunk contest. Now I want my part in it," McRoberts said. "It'll be fun being in it if it happens."
"We're trying to get our man Josh into the contest," Rush said. "It was fun taking part in it. Everybody should like it."
McRoberts plays the part of Woody Harrelson's character, Billy Hoyle, in the skit and Rush plays Wesley Snipes' character, Sidney Deane.
McRoberts and Rush bought the clothes worn in the movie on eBay.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Davis wants to stay with the Clippers[/h3]
9:31AM ET
[h5]Baron Davis | Clippers[/h5]
The Clippers would like to trade Baron Davis and the $28.8 million remaining on his contract, but aren't finding any takers so far the oft-injured point guard. Davis has heard the rumors and says he'd prefer to remain with the Clippers.
"It's tough because it's the nature of the business," Davis tells FanHouse. "But it's tough because I don't want to leave. I'm here. I came here for a reason. If I were to be traded, I just think that I just never really got a chance to do what I was signed here to do."
Head coach Vinny Del Negro admits Davis would be traded if it helped the team.
"There's always going to be trade rumors. Just be happy you're wanted. You only can play for one team. So, if there's a situation out there that we feel can better our team, obviously we're going to look at it. ... Baron's been through this. He's a veteran guy. He's been traded a few times. So he knows what the deal is, and I'm sure he'll handle it the right way" said Del Negro.
Davis says he has struggled since signing with the Clippers because management is always changing the roster.
"It's hard to play when you don't know who's going to be in the locker room, if you're getting traded, if they're getting traded and you're playing with different people every 20 games. Or every 30 games. It's a different team so you never really establish yourself."
There was some talk last week about Charlotte taking a run at Davis now that Paul Silas has been named the interim head coach of the Bobcats. Silas was the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets when Davis was selected by team with the No. 4 pick in the 1999 NBA draft.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Silas looking forward to first game[/h3]
9:01AM ET
[h5]Paul Silas | Bobcats[/h5]
Interim head coach Paul Silas ran the Bobcats though a couple of practices since Michael Jordan fired Larry Brown and Silas says he can't wait for his first game on Monday against Detroit.
"It's been a while since I've had to sit there and go through all the problems that are going to occur, the players and the turnovers," Silas told The Charlotte Observer. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Silas said he will keep the same starting lineup that Brown was using.
"I like what's going on in practice now and I think the players are getting a sense of what I'm about," he said. "I'm getting a sense of what they're about. It think it's going to be fun."
Silas' coaching staff will include Ralph Lewis, Charles Oakley and Stephen Silas.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]J-Will's career in jeopardy?[/h3]
8:11AM ET
[h5]Jason Williams | Magic[/h5]
Magic point guard Jason Williams is suffering from arthritis in his left foot and will not travel with the team on their road trip. While the team is gone he will undergo extensive testing on the foot.
"It's not getting any better," head coach Stan Van Gundy tells the Orlando Sentinel. "J-Will gets on it and he has a hard time pushing off that foot. He's staying behind. He wants to know what's going on. I think he's a little nervous about it right now."
According to the newspaper, Williams might be contemplating retiring, although he has not asked for a buyout from the team.
Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD reports Williams is unhappy with his role on the Magic and "wants a trade or his release."
Williams, because of the injury, is fourth on the depth at point guard behind starter Jameer Nelson and backups Gilbert Arenas and Chris Duhon.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Carter may play next week[/h3]
7:51AM ET
[h5]Vince Carter | Suns[/h5]
UPDATE No. 3: Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said Sunday that Carter might be activated "within a week."
Carter has not played since he was traded to the Suns.
"He's just not feeling quite there. But a lot closer than he was," Gentry said. "Within the next week we'll probably get him."
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE No. 2: Carter has decided to rest his left knee instead if having surgery. Carter has a strained quadriceps tendon that is causing the swelling to the knee.
According to The Arizona Republic, Carter says doesn't know when he'll debut for the Suns, but he doesn't think it will be too long of a wait.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: Vince Carter says he hurt the knee on Nov. 22 and recently swelling returned. He was planning to see the doctor on Tuesday.
"It still bothered me," Carter told The Arizona Republic. "I just tried to keep playing, being hard-headed and not listening to your body. There's been some swelling. The day of the trade is when I told them (Orlando) I wanted to get a MRI."
Carter probably won't play Thursday against Miami.
-- Nick Borges
----
The Suns just acquired Vince Carter as part of a six-player trade with Orlando, but they may not be able to play him for a month.
According to The Arizona Republic, Carter is having issues with his left knee and may need to have arthroscopic surgery to fix the problem.
The surgery would sideline him for about four weeks.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]McMillan an option for Charlotte[/h3]
7:42AM ET
[h5]Nate McMillan | Trail Blazers[/h5]
Paul Silas was hired as the interim head coach of the Bobcats when Larry Brown was fired last week.
The team may wait until the summer to hire a head coach for the long-term and that could be Portland's Nate McMillan, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
McMillan's contract with the Blazers expires in June and he is a native of North Carolina. Bobcats president Fred Whitfield is also a fan of McMillan's.
McMillan has said he will not negotiate a new contract with the Blazers until after the season is over.
[h5]Marc Stein[/h5]
McMillan could interest Jordan
http://[h3]Morrow out two to three weeks[/h3]
7:05AM ET
[h5]Anthony Morrow | Nets[/h5]
UPDATE NO. 2: According to The Record, Morrow will not play this week as he rehabs the hamstring.
The earliest Morrow may return to game action is Jan. 5 against the Bulls.
The initial timeline had him coming back around the Chicago game, but that could be pushed back.
-- Nick Borges
----
UPDATE: According to Al Iannazzone of The Record, Morrow's MRI confirmed he strained the hamstring and he's expected to miss two to three weeks.
Jordan Farmar is slated to start in place of Morrow. Recently acquired Sasha Vujacic could also see time in Morrow's absence.
-- Ryan Corazza
----
Nets starting shooting guard Anthony Morrow is scheduled to have an MRI Wednesday, after feeling his hamstring "pop" twice Tuesday night. It happened during his pregame workout and after visiting with the team trainer.
"I came back out, made a move on the other end and it popped again," Morrow told The Record. "So it's pretty much like a strain. I don't know how bad it is.
"I'll get an MRI tomorrow. So I hope and pray it's not too bad. They said it didn't feel like it was a tear or anything. That's good news."
Nets head coach Avery Johnson replaced Morrow with Stephen Graham in the starting lineup.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Johnson needs more from Favors[/h3]
6:56AM ET
[h5]Derrick Favors | Nets[/h5]
Nets head coach Avery Johnson mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he planned to move Derrick Favors into the starting lineup since the team has such a poor record. Favors has not started yet and Johnson says the rookie has done nothing to prove he deserves the position over Kris Humphries.
"What we told him today -- he's got to give us a reason to start him," Johnson told The Star-Ledger on Sunday. "We need to see more consistency. He needs to dunk on three people in a night."
"We need to see the light bulb go on," Johnson added. "We know he's a quiet kid, (but) we need to see something. We know he's young, and when guys are young they're all over the place,"
Johnson said he doesn't think all the rumors about Denver's Carmelo Anthony are affecting Favors. The rookie is the centerpiece in the proposed deal for the Nuggets small forward.
"I think it's more of a personality trait," Johnson said.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]The Kings' new lineup[/h3]
6:07AM ET
[h5]Paul Westphal | Kings[/h5]
The Kings have the worst record in the NBA (5-22) and have lost seven consecutive games. Head coach Paul Westphal is changing his starting lineup once again, with the hope the older players can begin the game on a good note and finish strong.
Westphal will start Beno Udrih (point guard), Tyreke Evans (shooting guard), Francisco Garcia (small forward), Carl Landry (power forward) and Samuel Dalembert (center).
"I'm trying to get our most experienced players out there as much possible," Westphal told The Sacramento Bee. "At the same time I think that it's important to put our most experienced players out there and try developing our young players through a little bit more of the apprentice method than the sink-or-swim method."
There has been some speculation that Westphal might be fired if the team doesn't start winning, so this could be his last move to save his job.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Carlisle to miss OKC game[/h3]
5:32AM ET
[h5]Rick Carlisle | Mavericks[/h5]
Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle will miss Monday's game in Oklahoma City on the advice of his doctor. Carlisle had minor arthroscopic knee surgery last Wednesday and was told not to travel.
Assistant coach Dwane Casey will fill in for Carlisle against the Thunder.
"It is no different. [Assistant coach] Terry [Stotts] and I both have been through this before," Casey told ESPNDallas.com on Sunday. "We have veteran players and we just have to continue what we have [been doing]. What we have to do is regroup and re-energize our edge, the edge that we had before the break, especially against a team like Oklahoma City."
Carlisle will coach the Mavericks at home on Tuesday against Toronto.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Slow and steady for Brooks[/h3]
5:24AM ET
[h5]Aaron Brooks | Rockets[/h5]
Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks has been a reserve since he returned last Sunday from a six-week layoff. Head coach Rick Adelman plans to ease him back into the lineup until Brooks' ankle is 100 percent.
"We're not going to work him in quickly," Adelman told the Houston Chronicle. "His timing has to get there. Right now, he's just kind of a little uncomfortable."
Brooks practiced on Sunday and said his ankle is improving.
"It's getting better every game," he said.
Kyle Lowry will continue to start until Brooks' ankle is back to full strength.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Sy heading to Utah[/h3]
4:50AM ET
[h5]Pape Sy | Hawks[/h5]
UPDATE: According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks will send Pape Sy to the D-League for some game action.
The newspaper did not report when he'll be assigned to the Utah Flash or how long Sy will be with them.
Utah's next game is on Jan. 1 against Bakersfield and the Flash will play seven games during the first 14 days of 2011.
-- Nick Borges
----
Rookie Pape Sy is not getting any time with the Hawks so the team is considering sending him to the D-League for some game action at the beginning of the new year.
"I think it would suit him better to play than to sit around and practice all the time," head coach Larry Drew told the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He needs some playing experience."
Atlanta's D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash, don't play again until Jan. 1 and the Hawks will make a final decision regarding Sy around that time.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Conley needs six stitches[/h3]
4:37AM ET
[h5]Mike Conley | Grizzlies[/h5]
Memphis point guard Mike Conley had his right hand stepped on with just 34 seconds left in the game on Sunday against Indiana. The hand was split open between the pinky and ring finger and it required six stitches to close the wound.
"It's the worst pain in the world," Conley told The Commercial-Appeal after Sunday's game. "I thought I broke my finger."
Conley is hoping to play Monday against the Toronto Raptors. If he can't, rookie Greivis Vasquez will probably take his spot in the starting lineup.
"If I can put something over it, I'm playing," Conley said. "I just don't want it to split again."
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Raptors sign Dupree[/h3]
4:21AM ET
[h5]Ronald Dupree[/h5]
The Raptors have a bunch of injuries on the team -- Jose Calderon (foot), Sonny Weems (back) and Amir Johnson (back) -- and the decision was made to bring in a player.
The Toronto Star reports the team signed small forward Ronald Dupree on Sunday to a non-guaranteed, rest-of-season contract.
Dupree had been with the team during training camp and played in five games during the preseason. He was waived on Oct. 19.
Toronto's roster is now at the 15-man limit.
-- Nick Borges
http://[h3]Bargnani to miss road trip[/h3]
4:07AM ET
[h5]Andrea Bargnani | Raptors[/h5]
Raptors starting center Andrea Bargnani suffered a strained left calf last Wednesday against Detroit. The Toronto Star reports the injury is bad enough that it will force him to miss their three-game road trip to Memphis on Monday, Dallas on Tuesday and Houston on Friday.
It is not known who will take Bargnani's starting spot. The most likely candidates are Joey Dorsey and Ed Davis.
The Raptors are hoping Bargnani can return to the lineup on Jan. 2 against Boston.
