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[T-Snell]

Sources: Lakers out of Chris Paul talks

The Los Angeles Lakers abruptly withdrew from the Chris Paul sweepstakes Saturday night after more than 24 hours of unsuccessful attempts to restructure a three-team deal with the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets that would meet with the approval of NBA commissioner David Stern, according to sources close to the process.


The Lakers informed the league-owned Hornets and the Rockets they were pulling out of the stonewalled deal, sources said, and instead trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is able to accommodate Odom's $8.9 million salary without surrendering any prized assets thanks to a new trade exception created through the Mavericks' three-team deal with New York and Washington earlier Saturday that landed Tyson Chandler with the Knicks.

Sources said the Lakers, in return for shedding the unhappy Odom's salary and sending him to a team one source close to the situation said he's "excited" to join, will receive Dallas' 2012 first-round pick and possibly additional draft considerations.



The shellshocked Hornets will try to recover swiftly from the collapsed trade and remain determined to trade Paul as soon as possible. Sources told ESPN.com the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged as the "early front-runner" to land Paul.


The Golden State Warriors are also expected to stay in the bidding, with the Warriors' Stephen Curry and the Clippers' Eric Gordon known to be the two players coveted most by the Hornets' basketball people throughout their aggressive search for a Paul deal.


The Lakers, meanwhile, will now focus on trying to outduel the New Jersey Nets in trade talks for Dwight Howard. The Orlando Magic center publicly confirmed Saturday that he has asked to be traded, with the Nets, Lakers and Mavs on his wish list. Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that the Magic will ask for both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for Howard; ESPN.com reported last week that the Nets are prepared to send center Brook Lopez and two future first-round picks to the Magic as well as offer to take back the cap-clogging contract of Hedo Turkoglu to facilitate the deal.


ESPN.com reported earlier Saturday that the Hornets, Lakers and Rockets had presented a new framework of the deal that Stern vetoed Thursday. Sources say the teams kept trying to tweak the deal throughout, only to be met by ongoing resistance from the league office, which wanted the Hornets to come away with more youth and/or draft picks in exchange for the face of the franchise.


The original three-team trade construction called for Gasol to land in Houston and the Hornets to acquire Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Odom to move into their starting lineup in addition to guard Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round pick. Yet sources say frustration boiled over Saturday as the various tweaks proposed by the teams -- who tried to bring additional teams into the deal in search of more assets to meet Stern's requirements -- were consistently knocked back.


As one source close to the talks said late Saturday: "We were all sick of it" by the time that the Lakers decided to walk away.


The Hornets remain under pressure to find a palatable deal for Paul, who can become a free agent in July 2012 and has already told the franchise that he does not intend to sign an extension. In addition to New Orleans' natural desire to find a new home for Paul as quickly as possible to avoid the sort of soap opera that engulfed the Denver Nuggets last season until they traded Carmelo Anthony in February, league officials now technically in charge of the Hornets also know that the National Basketball Player's Association has hinted at soon pursuing legal action on Paul's behalf if a new trade is not hashed out.


Paul spoke extensively with the union on Thursday, after Stern squashed the original three-team trade, about what legal options were available. It remains to be seen how the Players Association will react to Saturday's events, but sources told Broussard that union representatives told Stern on Friday they would pursue litigation if a deal is not consummated by Monday.


The Clippers, at least, present a plausible trade partner for Paul, given all the young assets possessed by the Lakers' Staples Center co-tenants. Sources say that Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe and the expiring contract of Chris Kaman are among the pieces that have been made available to New Orleans this week, but it's believed the Clippers can clinch a trade for Paul if they include either Gordon or Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick in the deal.


The Clippers, to date, have been unwilling to offer either Gordon or the Minnesota pick without an assurance from Paul that he's willing to stay to with Blake Griffin's team beyond this season.


Recovering from the collapsed deal might be hardest for the Rockets, who so badly coveted Gasol and, according to sources, believed that acquiring the Spaniard would give them a strong chance of signing Denver Nuggets free agent Nene to play center. Houston is now expected try to sign Nene or Samuel Dalembert as its replacement for the retired Yao Ming, albeit without Gasol as a frontcourt partner, while also trying to mend fences with Martin and Scola, who were held out of practice Saturday and thought they were on the verge of being sent to New Orleans.


As for Dallas, Odom's arrival is an intriguing and fast response to owner Mark Cuban's decision to let Chandler go in free agency, which was met with much disappointment locally given the 7-footer's role as a culture-changer defensively in the Mavericks' first championship season in franchise history.


Determined to have a significant amount of salary-cap space for the summer of 2012 and the pursuit of players like Howard, Paul and Dallas-area native Deron Williams, Cuban decided the Mavericks couldn't afford to match the offers Chandler was getting on the open market without hampering the Mavericks' future ability to find a younger cornerstone player to flank star forward Dirk Nowitzki.


But because Odom can be bought out of his contract next season for just under $3 million, and thanks to the trade exception spawned by Chandler's move to the Knicks, Dallas had the ability to snag the versatile left-hander from the Lakers without affecting Cuban's plan to have major cap space in the summer of 2012. As a bonus, L.A.'s decision to make Howard its focus and pull out of the three-team talks means that the rest of the Western Conference must no longer fear the prospect of Howard and Paul winding up on the same Lakers team with Kobe Bryant.


http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...ording-sources

[Ljuba90]

Report: Clippers 'close' to deal for Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Times reports that the L.A. Clippers are "close" to a deal for Chris Paul, just days after talks with the Lakers fell apart and less than a week after the league rejected an offer from the Lakers agreed to in a three-way with New Orleans and Houston.
The Clippers and the New Orleans Hornets were working vigorously Sunday night to consummate a blockbuster deal that would send All-Star point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers' cross-town rivals, said two people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak on the matter.

The deal hasn't been completed, but both sides were in the closing stages of the negotiations.

The Clippers would send the Hornets center Chris Kaman, backup second-year guard Eric Bledsoe, second-year forward Al-Farouq Aminu and the No. 1 draft pick they got from the Minnesota Timberwolves that is unprotected in the 2012 draft, considered to be one of the best in recent years.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling and the NBA have to sign off on the deal.
via Clippers are close to deal for Chris Paul with Hornets - latimes.com.

SI.com notes that Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe told associates that he was headed to New Orleans.

A huge element here is that Eric Gordon is not included in the deal as constructed, which leads to two questions:

A. Is that enough for the league not to block the trade?

B. How good would that team be?

In reverse, you'd be looking at the best pure point guard in the league teamed with the most devastating pick and roll power forward in the conference and a near-All-Star perimeter scorer. In, short, it's terrifying how instantly good that team gets, with DeAndre Jordan (should the Clippers match the $44 million offer sheet from Golden State) and Caron Butler (even criminally overpaid). The Clippers would shake off their reputation for once.

But is it enough? The absence of Gordon might be a deal breaker. He's a young star. Great. Excellent. Near All-Star. But not an All-Star, and not worth CP3. His absence isn't justified by his talent, but his talent might necessitate his involvement.

The deal would have huge ramifications across the league, particularly for teams like Boston and Los Angeles, both vying for the All-Star point guard. The Hornets would get the kind of package they actually need, versus the veteran platter of above-average-but-not-great, aging players they were picking up in the Lakers-Rockets tree-way. Al Farouq-Amnu is a hyper-athletic freak with polish, Bledsoe showed great flashes last year, and Kaman would serve as an excellent expiring contract at the deadline. The picks they would pick up would be in one of the best draft classes in the past decade, and they could very well end up with two top-five picks in a stellar class. A combination of Anthony Davis and Bradley Beal or Harrison Barnes, for example, could put New Orleans on the path to recovery very quickly.

In short, both teams would win here, even if the package doesn't "seem" better.

The only question now is if they can cross the finish line and shock the world. The Clippers are on the verge of changing the culture of the NBA with three little characters: CP3.

[T-Snell]

The Hornets have agreed to send Chris Paul to the Los Angeles … Clippers


Credit New Orleans Hornets general manager Dell Demps. The man had no leverage and no support from his bosses in the NBA's front office. He could have taken his time following the league's dismissal of Demps' three-way trade with the Los Angeles Lakers last week, pretending that he had some sort of advantage when it came to trading superstar guard Chris Paul, but instead the Hornets deputy personnel chief (second only to David Stern, of course) has apparently pulled the trigger on a quick deal that will deliver something sound to his team.

As first reported by the Los Angeles Times, Demps and the Hornets have apparently agreed to send Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers for Chris Kaman, Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu, and ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves' first pick in the 2012 draft. That pick is unprotected, and clearly the top motive for New Orleans in making this deal.

(Minnesota's top motive for sending the pick, back in 2005? Marko Jaric.)

Los Angeles' top motive? They get an All-NBA talent for a season, and a chance to woo and sign that All-NBA talent to a bigger deal than anyone else can next July. Paul will dominate the ball for a team that needs someone, in the wake of Baron Davis' stint with the Clippers, to dominate the ball the right way. And assuming Los Angeles matches Golden State's offer to restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers have a starting lineup and bench worth preparing the postseason for.

Of course, there are worries.


Again, this could be a rental. Paul could leave Los Angeles to go to any team that will take him on next July when his contract is up. He could chafe at playing for the decided step-sister in the Staples Center after nearly being traded twice to the Los Angeles Lakers, and his knee (which has been a concern for years) could hinder his abilities to dominate as he once did.

That's a knee on Chris Paul, though. Not on Mo Williams or even Bledsoe (who is out for two months with knee concerns, as reported before the trade was announced). The Clippers are taking a chance on it in exchange for what could be a top pick in next June's draft -- a tantalizing asset, no doubt, but one they'd have to wait on not only to draft but to develop.

Paul? He's done developed, ask any point guard in the league, and this was well worth the haul. Especially because the Clippers didn't have to depart with shooting guard Eric Gordon in the deal.

We can't blame Demps for failing to secure Gordon in the exchange, partially because the Minnesota pick is comparable, but mostly because Demps had absolutely no leverage. David Stern, in a misguided attempt to aid the team that the NBA owns, put the kibosh on a Paul deal last week that would have secured Demps several prime trading chips along with a young 20-point scorer in Kevin Martin; thus blowing to bits any chance New Orleans had at dangling Paul in the typical NBA manner.

The Hornets won't grab any 20-point scorers this time around (though a beefy frontline of Kaman and Emeka Okafor intrigues), but scoring that Minnesota pick is huge. By all accounts, the 2012 NBA draft is loaded, and it is arguable that Demps should have gone after this deal (as opposed to the Laker grab, which would have necessitated more deals from Demps to rid his team of older players) all along.

Credit Demps, in this regard. He may have threatened to retire on Thursday, when word came down from the NBA's office that Demps wasn't actually in charge of his own team, but he didn't bat an eye in securing what appears to be the best possible deal for New Orleans.

Now it's up to David Stern and the NBA to get their head out of the sand and realize as much.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/bal...medium=twitter

[T-Snell]

Nets assembling blockbuster Howard trade offer

Talks between the Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets for a Dwight Howard blockbuster trade have gathered momentum over the past several days, and the framework of a possible four-team deal has taken shape, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Front office sources say Nets general manager Billy King has aggressively pursued the necessary players and picks to try and satisfy Orlando’s demands for Howard, one of the league’s most dominating and popular players.

The biggest hurdle for the Nets to acquire Howard will still ultimately be the Magic’s willingness to give up their future with him and concede that re-signing him is a lost cause. Orlando could also decide to keep Howard until the trade deadline in March and re-evaluate the market for him. There’s still a belief within the Magic a successful season could help them keep Howard for the long-term.

No deal was imminent, but several league sources said talks were entering a crucial time, and the Nets were trying to get the proposal’s complex framework completed in the near future. Magic GM Otis Smith has been working with King on the possible deal. The Los Angeles Times reported the Magic also are involved in trade discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers.

New Jersey and Orlando are working toward a core deal that would send center Brook Lopez and another significant player obtained elsewhere to the Magic for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said.

The Magic are listening, but there is still real doubt about their willingness to completely give up hope on convincing Howard to re-sign with them after he opts out of his contract in July. Howard has been willing to sign extensions with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, but the Nets’ future in Brooklyn has been most intriguing to him.

Howard has been sold on the idea of pairing with Deron Williams in a new Brooklyn arena beginning in 2012-13, and informed Magic officials he wants a trade to New Jersey. Howard hasn’t rescinded his trade request to the Nets, but as one source close to him says: “He runs hot and cold. …He just doesn’t always know what he wants.”

While the Magic have engaged with the Nets, it’s still unclear if they’re motivated at all to trade Howard now. After all, the Nets deal for Lopez will always be there, so why rush into it? The Magic still believe with some team success this season, Howard can be swayed.

The Nets had been in the bidding for Nene, who agreed to re-sign with the Denver Nuggets on a five-year, $65 million deal with incentive bonuses.

The Nets are waiting on the Howard deal before trying to sign free agents. If they miss out on Howard, they’ll likely try to re-sign free-agent forward Kris Humphries to a one-year contract worth $8 million-$9 million, sources said. The Nets will likely try to limit any players they add in free agency to one-year deals if they don’t acquire Howard to preserve salary-cap space for Howard’s expected free agency this summer.

As the Nets hustle to try and cut a deal for Howard, the Dallas Mavericks continue to clear salary-cap space for the summer when they assuredly hope to make a play for Williams and Howard. Williams is a Dallas native, and the worst case for the Nets would be to watch him join Howard in signing with the Mavericks.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...ets_nba_121311

[T-Snell]

BUCKS BEAT: Jackson isn't happy with current contract

ST. FRANCIS - Another Milwaukee Bucks' practice, another Stephen Jackson absence.

For the last several days, Jackson, whom the Bucks acquired in a blockbuster three-team trade last June, has been virtually a spectator during team workouts.

Bucks officials said Jackson is experiencing back spasms and weren't sure when he would return to practice.

That may indeed be the case, but there are growing whispers that the 33-year-old Jackson isn't content with his current contract.

Jackson is the second-highest paid player on the Bucks this season at $9.26 million. Andrew Bogut is the highest paid Buck at $12.1M. Jackson is also guaranteed $10 million for next season.

League sources said Jackson sought a contract extension last season from the Charlotte Bobcats and that was one of the primary reasons they shipped him to Milwaukee.

Jackson made his feelings about a contract extension abundantly clear last June. After a formal press conference at the Bradley Center, Jackson said he fully intended to discuss a contract extension with Bucks officials, sooner rather than later.

When asked how important a contract extension was for him, Jackson responded, "It's mandatory.''

Jackson, who hasn't had an agent for several years, hasn't uttered a word about his contact status since the start of training camp. He was unavailable for interviews Thursday.

There is growing speculation, though, that Jackson is upset the Bucks haven't approached him about reconstructing his contract and that he was now going to approach them.

Jackson, the Bucks' projected starting shooting guard who averaged 18.5 points in 67 games last season, apparently wants another two years be tacked on to his current deal.

If the Bucks obliged, that would mean Jackson would be under contract through the 2014-2015 season. He would then be 36.

- Jon Leuer made a good, first impression.

The Bucks rookie forward from Wisconsin practiced with the team for the first time Thursday.

Leuer, who had played in Germany before the lockout ended, had been prohibited from practicing until receiving clearance from FIBA, which governs international basketball.

"He played well,'' Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of Leuer, the team's 2011 second-round draft pick. "It was good to get another guy out there (on the court); it was good to get another big guy. He was good today.''

And what did Leuer think his indoctrination to NBA basketball?

"The first 10 minutes, I was a little nervous,'' Leuer said. "It was the NBA wow factor.''

- When the Bucks acquired Jackson over the summer, there were some observers who perceived Shaun Livingston as a "throw-in.''

Not Skiles.

Asked if the 26-year-old Livingston, a natural point guard who can also play the two and three spots, could help his team, Skiles didn't hesitate in responding: "No question. Absolutely. he will definitely help this team.''

- The Indiana Pacers appear to be the front-runners for Michael Redd.

Redd, the former Bucks standout shooting guard who is an unrestricted free agent, visited with Pacers officials Thursday. Redd also has drawn keen interest from Washington, New York and Boston.


http://www.journaltimes.com/sports/b...9bb2963f4.html

[T-Snell]

Nuggets' newcomer Fernandez a long-range opportunist


Danilo Gallinari didn't jump so much as he catapulted, as if some crazy combination of acceleration, force, torque and luck would make his desperate lunge Dikembe-like.

Alas, without swatting the shot, Gallo hit the ground just about when the 3-pointer hit the bottom of the net. With the Nuggets down five points in Portland with 18 seconds left, Rudy Fernandez's 3-pointer cut the margin to two in a game last February.

"We had it won," Nuggets coach George Karl sighed on Thursday.

Sure enough, the Trail Blazers tied the game and won in overtime, thanks to the timely dagger from the pride of Palma de Mallorca.

Fernandez is now on Denver — acquired in a trade this week with Dallas — and the 6-foot-6 Spanish shooting guard is thrilled about coming off the bench and launching 3s — sort of a J.R. Smith 2.0 ... or, well, dos punto cero.

"I want to play free and comfortably and with this system of George Karl," Fernandez said Thursday, his first day in Nuggets camp. "Run and fast break — I think it's the best for me. I'm ready."

The Nuggets remain "very optimistic" they will re-sign Arron Afflalo, team executive Masai Ujiri said Thursday. But whether last year's starting shooting guard returns or not, Fernandez will be a key to their fortunes with his 3 and "D."

Fernandez and Smith are not clones, but Rudy does have some traits of the former Nugget. Fernandez is as fuego-frio as Smith is hot-cold. The Spaniard is streaky, and he can change a game in a heartbeat. In arguably the biggest game of his career, Fernandez scored 22 points in 18 minutes during the 2008 Olympic gold-medal game in Beijing, which Team USA won by holding on down the stretch. He kept Spain afloat with five 3-pointers, while his future NBA coach, Portland's Nate McMillan, sat stunned on the U.S. bench, where he was an assistant coach.

"I'm sitting there with a straight face, trying not to smile," McMillan told The Oregonian. " (The Spanish) are the guys we have to beat, but I'm caught. That's my player ..."

Like Smith, Fernandez can not only shoot but fly. Seriously. Take that same gold-medal game. Fernandez soared over Dwight Howard. The dunk was delicious and vicious, a YouTube all-timer. In fact, both Fernandez and Smith participated in the 2009 dunk contest during the All-Star Weekend. Fernandez has deceptive hops, which could benefit Denver in the fast break.

"The way we play, the spacing of the court is extremely important," Karl said. "My thing is, if we get Arron in the fold, that I'm looking at using (Fernandez) as an explosive scorer off the bench. Giving him minutes to lift the team. I don't know between Arron and Ty (Lawson) and Andre and Rudy which combinations play better together, but it's going to be fun to figure out who plays with who. And maybe competitively. I think there's plenty of minutes to make everybody happy."

Born Rodolfo Fernández y Farrés, Rudy has played three seasons in the league, averaging 9.1 points. He's only 26.

"Rudy has had good seasons here (in the NBA), but I don't think he's had that over-the-hump season," Karl said. "I think he's going to have an opportunity here to be more of the personality of our team."

During the lockout, Fernandez played professionally in Spain for Real Madrid, a team that, coincidentally, Karl coached years ago. Portland traded Fernandez to Dallas on draft night in a deal that sort of involved Denver. Fernandez was traded for two picks, one of the picks being Jordan Hamilton, who was dealt to Denver, along with point guard Andre Miller, with guard Raymond Felton being sent to Portland.

And now Fernandez is teammates with Hamilton and Miller here in the Mile High. He actually never stepped foot in Dallas. He was playing in Spain during the lockout and didn't get his visa issues figured out until this week, by which time he was a Nugget.

"He came up last minute," said Ujiri, who nabbed Fernandez and Brewer from Dallas in exchange for a future second-round selection. "We were kind of inquiring on wings and trying to see how we could fill in (a void). I've known Rudy for years with international scouting. He fits our system. Runs, shoots. One of our questions has always been, with guys like J.R. in China, how do will fill our scoring punch."


http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci...=Google+Reader

[T-Snell]

Rockets in Negotiations With Dalembert


HOUSTON - Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey acknowledged Thursday he is in negotiations with free agent center Samuel Dalembert.

The Rockets have been working the free agent market to add an impact big man to their roster.

Dalembert is 6-11 and 250 pounds.

"We have interest in Sam," Morey said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "If it makes sense for him and us, we would love to have him.

"It's in negotiations. Between the two of us looking for a fit. He's got a lot of options and we'll see if it makes sense here."

Dalembert spent last season with the Sacramento Kings after playing with the Philadelphia 76ers for eight years.

During his career he has averaged 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

"I think he's somebody who could add presence in the middle, rebounding, shot blocking that could help us out," Morey said.

"That said I think our young guys are some guys that could develop and give us that as well."

Last season with the Kings Dalembert averaged 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots.

Meanwhile the Rockets are in the process of signing free agent forward Jeff Adrien, who was playing with BenettonTreviso in Italy.

Adrien played in 23 games last season for the Golden State Warriors, where he averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Adrien, former star at UCONN, also played last season for the Rockets D-league team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.


http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/spor...with-dalembert

[Fanta]

Sad već bivši košarkaš Washingtona Josh Howard (201cm 31god) novi je član Utah Jazza.

Howard u Jazzere dolazi kao zamjena za Andrei Kirilenka koji još nije odlučio da li će se vratiti u NBA ligu, mada je gotovo sigurno da iako se vrati neće doći u svoj stari tim.

31-godišnje krilo sedam sezona svoje NBA karijere proveo je u Dallasu, a prošle dvije sezone je proveo u Washingtonu, gdje je međutim odigrao samo 22 utakmice zbog problema sa povredama.

Nastupio je jednom na All-Star utakmici 2007. godine, a u karijeri je prosječno bilježio preko 15 poena

....

[T-Snell]

Grizzlies lose Darrell Arthur for the season?

Darrell Arthur played in 80 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last year, his third season in the NBA. The 6-9 backup to power forward Zach Randolph averaged 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and slightly more than 20 minutes per game.

It looks like the Griz are going to need to find those points from another source this season. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that Arthur "left practice Sunday morning with what was believed to be a torn right Achilles" that may have him out for the entire 66-game season. "A preliminary evaluation indicated that Arthur's condition is serious," sources told the paper.

In his second season in the league, back in 2009-10, Arthur sat our four moths after having surgery on a partially torn right pectoral muscle.

If the season kicked off today, Memphis would only have one power forward on the roster and no backup center to Marc Gasol since Hamed Haddadi is still trying to get a visa to leave Iran.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/p...?urn=nba-wp393

[T-Snell]

Peja Stojakovic to retire after 13 years


After cementing his reputation as one of the finest shooters in NBA history by helping the Dallas Mavericks win their first championship, Peja Stojakovic has decided to retire after 13 seasons.


Stojakovic


Stojakovic told ESPN.com on Monday that the physical toll caused by a string of back and neck troubles, at 34, convinced the three-time All-Star that "it's time" to step away from the game despite interest from a handful of contenders in signing the sharpshooter away from the Mavericks.


"When you start competing against your body more than you're preparing for the actual game," Stojakovic said, "it's a wakeup call."


Stojakovic does have the privilege of leaving the sport on an unquestioned high after some standout moments during the maiden title run in Mavericks history.

He scored 15 points and 21 points in back-to-back home victories over the Los Angeles Lakers that sealed a second-round sweep over the then-reigning champions, including a 6-for-6 performance from 3-point range in the Game 4 rout that eliminated L.A.


But Stojakovic had to grit through persistent neck trouble in March -- believed to be connected to his longstanding back woes -- just to work his way back into coach Rick Carlisle's playoff rotation.

He leaves the NBA with career averages of 17 points and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range, ranking fourth all-time with 1,760 careers 3-pointers made after establishing himself as an All-Star with the Sacramento Kings and later playing with the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets and Mavericks.


After breaking into the pro game at 14 with Red Star Belgrade, Stojakovic went on to star in Greece and also helped the Serbian national team, then playing as Yugoslavia, win championships at the 2001 Eurobasket tournament and the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.


Stojakovic quickly grew close with Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki in their short time as teammates. Reflecting on the January rival of his longtime former Kings rival, Nowitzki said: "The first time I saw him at practice shooting, I knew his stroke was still sick."


http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/73...ampionship-run

[T-Snell]

Lakers’ Radio Host Predicts Dwight Howard to Nets Tuesday

According to Lakers play by play announcer John Ireland it appears the New Jersey Nets are going to land Dwight Howard as soon as tomorrow.

On 710 ESPN Radio Ireland stated that he heard a rumor from a source that Howard to the Nets would go down as early as Tuesday.

This is the same source that correctly predicted LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining Dwyane Wade in Miami last summer.

Theoretically the Lakers still have the best offer on the table if they’re willing to part with both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but that is a lot to give up for one player.

It seems that unless Los Angeles is willing to part with both their big men Howard will end up in New Jersey to play with Deron Williams and the Nets.



http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-r...ay/2011/12/19/

[LBJmvpFORlife]

Kobe Bryant expects to play Sunday


As you can see from that video, it was a quiet night in the NBA as the final two exhibition games were played, Denver defeating Phoenix by 25 points despite playing without Nene, Ty Lawson, Al Harrington and Rudy Fernandez, and Atlanta defeating Charlotte by 17 despite a combined 0-for-7 performance off the bench by Tracy McGrady (0-for-4) and Jerry Stackhouse (0-for-3).
So, ready or not, the 66-game NBA season is about to begin.
And when then quintupleheader happens Sunday, Kobe Bryant expects to play.
Torn ligament in the wrist? No problem. At least that is what Bryant was saying after he did not participate in practice Thursday for the second-most hyped team in Los Angeles.
From Dave McMenamim of ESPNLosAngeles: “I should be fine,” Bryant said. “… It’s always been in my nature to try to figure out a way to play. The injuries that I’ve had, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to play through them because I haven’t had injuries where they could get worse the more I played on them.” … Bryant underwent an MRI exam Wednesday that showed he has a torn lunotriquetral ligament. The lunotriquetral ligament is a band of tissue that connects bones in the wrist. Bryant, who was wearing a bulky ice pack/compression device on the wrist when speaking to reporters, described the injury as “swollen and painful.” However, he said his condition is improving. ”It feels OK,” Bryant said. “It feels a little better today than it did yesterday.” Bryant said he will not risk any further damage to his wrist by playing through the injury. ”It’s not really going to heal. I mean, it’s gone,” Bryant said. “The ligament is gone. So there’s nothing I can do about it. But I’ve dealt with so many hand injuries. It should be all right.”
No such optimism was coming from New Jersey, where the Nets learned that center Brook Lopez had a stress fracture in his right foot that will require surgery today. But rather than weep over the consequences (not the least of which is how this injury could impact their chances of swinging a deal for Dwight Howard), Nets general manager Billy King went out and did something about it, acquiring Mehmet Okur from Utah for a second-round draft pick and then agreeing to terms with free agent guard DeShawn Stevenson.
Okur, an All-Star in 2007, missed most of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon but had been playing for Turk Telecom during the lockout. NetsDaily points out that he averaged 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in 30 minutes per game for Turkish Telecom. He shot 46.4 percent from two point range and 38.2 percent from deep. In a head-to-head matchup with Deron Williams and Besiktas, Okur had 18 points and 13 boards while his once and future teammate had 23 points and 8 assists. Besiktas won the game.
Okur spent seven seasons with the Jazz and was a popular player. His departure frees up minutes for Derick Favors and rookie Enes Kanter, and it gives Utah a $9.9 million trade exception since all the Jazz received in return was a 2015 second-round draft pick.
From Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake City Tribune: “The Jazz are rebuilding and evolving lately, to a degree that’s both intriguing and frightening. This is the team’s 33rd season in Utah, and the Jazz have produced nine NBA All-Stars in that era. In the past 18 months, four of them have departed: Carlos Boozer, (Deron) Williams, (Andrei) Kirilenko and Okur. Okur is a unique player in Jazz history, as an unconventional center whose shooting skills made him an ideal complementary player in the team’s inside-oriented offense. As an outside threat, he created space for Boozer and others down low, while giving Williams a bail-out option as the shot clock was running down and defenses were packing the paint. As the Jazz became a rising team in the Western Conference, Okur averaged 17-plus points during three of four seasons, joining Boozer and Williams to give them a well-rounded offense. Beyond that, so many of his 3-pointers seemed to come at just the right times, creating huge momentum swings and deciding outcomes. That never was more true than May 5, 2007: Game 7, Jazz at Houston. That remains the franchise’s most significant moment since the 1998 NBA Finals, considering it ultimately helped propel the Jazz to the Western Conference finals, and Okur was right in the thick of it all. In a 103-99 victory, his 3-pointer gave the Jazz the lead for good, followed by another 3-pointer that extended their lead to four in the final minute. I’ll never forget the key sequence. Okur lined up a shot from the right angle, and I said out loud, “That’s not his spot.” He missed, but Boozer kept the rebound alive and Okur eventually got a another try from the left angle. “That’s his spot,” I said, and sure enough, he delivered. That’s how I’ll remember Memo, as opposed to the horror of watching him lying on the Pepsi Center court in Denver in Game 1 of the 2010 playoffs, having popped his Achilles tendon.”
In other news yesterday, the Sacramento Kings reached another agreement with free agent center Chuck Hayes after his first one was voided when he failed a physical because of a suspected heart ailment.
From Jason Jones and Grace Rubenstein of the Sacramento Bee: “The deal is worth $22.4 million over four years. That is $1 million more than Hayes signed for Dec. 9, the first day free agents were allowed to sign with teams following the 149-day NBA lockout. … The tests that Hayes underwent at the Cleveland Clinic reportedly included CT scans, an MRI, an EKG and another echo stress test. Steven Nissen, the head of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, led the team that evaluated Hayes. He said doctors in Sacramento were right to send the six-year veteran to Ohio for further testing but emphasized that Hayes is completely fit to play. “There was legitimate concern. It was appropriate that he be sent to us,” Nissen said. “We did what was as exhaustive an evaluation as we could have done, and we concluded that he was fine to play.” Hayes does have an unusual heart structure, Nissen said. He has a little bit of what doctors call “outpouching,” or a bulge in the wall, in his left ventricle. But while that’s out of the ordinary, the doctor underlined that it’s not dangerous. ”We don’t think he has a heart disease that is going to limit him, and we recommend that he be allowed to play basketball at a professional level,” Nissen said. “I told him I encouraged him to play and that I was going to watch him on TV. If we had felt he was at risk, we would have told him that.”
Finally, Thursday was the last day for teams to waive players without their salaries counting against the cap for this season.
Among those waived since Wednesday were Manny Harris by Cleveland, Michael Sweetney (Boston), Gerald Green (Lakers), Stephen Graham (New Jersey), Chris Hunter (Knicks), Mickael Pietrus (Phoenix), Jake Voskuhl (Pistons) and Keith McLeod (Utah).
Media outlets in Boston said the Celtics were interested in signing Pietrus if he clears waivers.
In one other piece of news, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison revealed that he voted “no” on the ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement.
From Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press: “Arison is the second owner to publicly disclose that he voted against the CBA, joining Dallas’ Mark Cuban. The NBA’s Board of Governors approved passage 25-5, and Arison’s “no” vote came after it was already assured that the deal would go through and the league would be back in business. In an interview with six Heat beat writers, Arison would say that he would vote the same way if the outcome was hanging in the balance. “While I did everything I could behind the scenes, and some not so behind the scenes, to get playing by Christmas, when you come down to it, financially … it’s a tough financial deal for us,” Arison said. “Particularly the revenue-sharing piece of it, the way it’s structured. For us to have to pay revenue sharing to larger-market teams was disturbing. And we will. So that was a kind of protest vote.” … The Heat made money last season for the first time in at least a decade, riding the boost that came from the first year of having LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the same team. But the new deal will eventually have a punitive salary cap and revenue sharing designed to help the so-called “small market” teams. In short, revenue sharing figures to hit Miami hard, even though Arison said he believes his “big market” club actually has a smaller market than Minnesota. “While the original intent of the owners was to have a hard cap, which would have basically leveled the playing field, instead because of players’ refusal to accept that they just made it extremely expensive,” Arison said. “So now you have to financially deal with how expensive that is.”


http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2011/12...o-play-sunday/

[T-Snell]

Pietrus leaning 'heavily' towards signing with Celtics


Mickael Pietrus, recently released by the Phoenix Suns, is leaning "heavily" towards signing with the Boston Celtics, according to a league source.

Pietrus must first clear waivers -- that won't happen until 6 p.m. Saturday -- but it's highly unlikely that any team will want to pick up the $5.3 million he is owed this season.

The 6-foot-6 wing forward has been a player that Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, has expressed interest in acquiring in the past.

In addition, Pietrus is a player who one league executive said would be "a great fit" for the Celtics.

"Without Jeff Green, they really don't have an athletic wing player," said an NBA scout. "Sasha (Pavlovic) has some athleticism, but he's not in the same class as Pietrus. And Marquis (Daniels), he's a solid player, but you wouldn't consider him as an athletic wing guy."

Pietrus was supposed to be traded to the Toronto Raptors, but a swollen knee resulted in the Raptors rescinding the trade. The knee appears to be not an issue at this time.

An eight-year veteran, Pietrus has played for Golden State, Orlando and Phoenix.

His agent, Bill McCandless, would not say whether Pietrus would sign with the C's.

However, he did tell CSNNE.com that the C's would be on his short list of teams if he cleared waivers.

"He's only 29, so he's not like Charles Barkley or some other older players running around, chasing a championship," McCandless said. "But he wants to be with a playoff team, and have a chance to contribute."

With Green out for the entire 2011-2012 season, there will be an opportunity for Pietrus to play his way into the regular rotation.

And with the shortened training camp, the learning curve won't be nearly as steep for him as it would in a typical NBA season.


http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-ta...6&feedID=10424

[T-Snell]

Kenyon, we hardly knew ye


BEIJING - His vow to end the Xinjiang Flying Tigers' championship draught still lingers, but the man himself won't.

Kenyon Martin, the Chinese Basketball Association's (CBA) most expensive import, has ended his China sojourn prematurely.

Saying he needs to "take care of family affairs", the former Denver Nugget secured a buyout of his one-year $2.7 million contract and the club released him on Thursday, team manager Guo Jian confirmed.

"We have reached an agreement to let him go, but are still discussing some detail issues," Guo said on Friday before the squad's road game against the defending champion Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Those details apparently refer to CBA regulations on foreign players, and how much money Martin will pack home.

League rules state Martin must play the entire season before being able to opt out and join another league. Otherwise, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) won't approve a clearance letter for any league under its supervision.

Although the NBA is not under FIBA jurisdiction, it will respect the CBA-FIBA agreement and won't allow Martin to ink a deal before his Chinese team ends its season in March, said Bai Xilin, director of the CBA's competition department

"We negotiated with the NBA side before the season tip-off. They have clearly agreed with us on this issue and promised not to use anyone who jumped out prematurely," Bai said.

Bai said Martin signed a notarized commitment with the team, promising not to play in the NBA until the Flying Tigers finish the playoffs.

Martin agreed to give up "a large portion" of his salary in exchange for leaving, said Guo, though he refused to specify how much.

The breakup appears to have been a chance to end a partnership between Martin and Xinjiang that hadn't been productive. Martin, who turns 34 next Friday, failed to be the dominant force the team hoped for, averaging 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds in a league with few NBA-level big men.

Claiming he would help deliver the three-time runner-up a title, Martin instead performed below expectations on a team - which lost only one regular-season game last season - that is mired in fifth with an 8-4 record.

Martin's agent, Andy Miller, said the No 1 pick in the 2000 draft will fly back to the US for Christmas with his family, then begin workouts in hopes of landing an NBA deal once his Xinjiang contract has expired.

According to an ESPN report, the New York Knicks have shown interest in landing him with their $2.5 million exception. But a source close to Martin said it is too early to speculate on where he will land.

China Daily



http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/20...t_14319738.htm

[T-Snell]

Nachbar or Moon as Charlotte Bobcat?


One of two NBA veteran small forwards -- Bostjan Nachbar or Jamario Moon -- could fill out the Charlotte Bobcats' regular-season roster.

Bobcats player-personnel chief Rod Higgins plans to bring in Nachbar and Moon for workouts Saturday.

The Bobcats chose not to match a Memphis Grizzlies offer sheet on restricted free-agent forward Dante Cunningham. Doing so would have obligated the Bobcats to about $4 million in total guarantees this season and next.

With long-range shooter Reggie Williams recovering from surgery to repair knee cartilage, Higgins would like another scoring option.

A 6-9 Slovenian, Nachbar was the 15th overall pick of the 2002 draft, chosen by the Houston Rockets. He also played for the New Orleans Hornets and New Jersey Nets before signing a three-year contract with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian league. His NBA average is 9.8 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Moon, a 6-8 forward who was not drafted, has played portions of four NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers. His NBA average is 6.4 ppg., and 4.3 rpg.


http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_th...te-bobcat.html