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[Ammare]

Bondy: Kris Humphries told he's 'out of the rotation'

It comes as little surprise, really, but according to Stefan Bondy, Kris Humphries was told this morning that he is "out of the rotation."

With P.J. Carlesimo saying that he's trimming the rotation down to 10 men, it only seemed like a matter of time before Humphries would "officially" get word of his exclusion from the rotation. With Reggie Evans starting and Mirza Teletovic in line for getting more minutes, presumably, Hump simply became the odd man out.

One does wonder, however, how this helps his "stock" this summer as the Nets most certainly will look to move him. It's one thing to try and trade a guy who is playing limited minutes and earning $12 million, while it's another thing for them to move a guy with that kind of price tag playing zero minutes.

Then again, that's a problem for another day. Right now it's on Carlesimo to get this team -- and, more importantly the rotation -- in sorts as they head into the final month-plus of the regular season.

http://www.netsdaily.com/2013/3/6/40...-nets-rotation

[Monta Ellis #11]

Source: Derrick Rose cleared to play

Derrick Rose's doctor has cleared the Chicago Bulls' star to play, a team source said, but his long-awaited return to the lineup won't occur until he can confidently dunk off his left foot, Rose has told the team.

Rose, who had surgery to repair a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on May 12, has been videotaped dunking off each foot, but more casually than he would during a game. A source said that although he has been practicing and scrimmaging hard, he told the Bulls that until he feels "in his mind" he can confidently dunk off his left foot in a game situation, he is not 100 percent mentally ready to return to competition.

The team is not pressuring Rose, the source said, but the Bulls are confident he will return this season and are still hoping for a mid-March return, which would mark 10 months after his surgery. The Bulls play at Golden State on March 15.

The source said the team has been assured by Rose's doctor that there is no more chance of the former MVP getting injured upon his return than anyone else and that the doctor told the Bulls that physically "he can play now." Rose is now dealing with the psychological side of trusting his body.

Rose, 24, raised the possibility that he wouldn't return at all this season during an interview on Feb. 13 after the Bulls lost to the Celtics in Boston, which was the last time Rose spoke publicly.

"I'm feeling good, but like I said, if it's where it's taking me a long time and I'm still not feeling right, I don't mind missing this year," he said. "I would love to [return]. I would love to. That's why I approached my rehab and my workout so hard. I'm trying to get back on the court as quickly as possible, but if I have anything lingering on, it's no point."

Since that interview, Rose has taken part in 5-on-5 scrimmages, beginning on Feb. 18.

He began sitting on the bench with the team on March 3.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after practice Friday that there are no new developments with Rose, and that the clearance for Rose to play in a game "hasn't been finalized yet."

"He's doing everything there is to do in practice so he's been cleared from that standpoint," Thibodeau said.

When asked if Rose would be able to play in a game if he says he is able to, Thibodeau said: "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We're just going day by day. Just keep improving."

Thibodeau said the decision for Rose to play will be made by several people.

"There's a lot of people that got to sign (off)," Thibodeau said. "Obviously, he's the most important piece. But from Jerry (Reinsdorf) on down everyone has to sign off on it."

As far as what Rose is doing in practice, Thibodeau said: "He's doing everything. He's participating in every part of practice."

Thibodeau also said the Bulls are prepared to move on with or without Rose. "We'll see what happens," he said.

The perception that Rose wouldn't return this season was enhanced on Feb. 22, when his brother Reggie Rose told ESPNChicago.com that the Bulls' lack of activity before the trade deadline would be a "big factor" in whether his brother would return.

"It's frustrating to see my brother play his heart and soul out for the team and them not put anything around him," Reggie Rose said at the time.

Derrick Rose assured the Bulls, the source said, that he did not share his brother's sentiment and issued the following statement: "I have always felt that the Bulls organization's goals have been the same as mine and that is to bring another championship to this city."

Bulls officials from coach Tom Thibodeau to general manager Gar Forman, vice president John Paxson and all the way up to Reinsdorf have said they won't rush Rose back. Reinsdorf told ESPN Chicago in August 2012 that he didn't want to make the same mistake he made with Michael Jordan after Jordan broke a bone in his foot during his second season in 1985. Jordan returned and didn't suffer another injury, but Reinsdorf has said that it was a risk he didn't want to take with Rose.

The Bulls have told Rose that while they will support whatever decision he makes, they would prefer he return this season, the source said, "and get it under his belt, rather than wonder all summer if he could."

Rose is considered the franchise cornerstone and signed a five-year contract extension worth more than $94 million in December 2011.

The Bulls enter action Friday in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

http://www.prosportsdaily.com/Headli...ticleId=237243

[Monta Ellis #11]

By Adrian Wojnarowski

After trade talks to send Paul Pierce to Dallas fell through, Celtics make another spring run

According to Yahoo, the Celtics were close to trading Paul Pierce in a three-team trade at the deadline.

Before the trade deadline passed, the Boston Celtics had one final choice to make on the franchise's future: In a three-way deal that would've secured Josh Smith and surrendered Paul Pierce to Dallas, Atlanta wanted Boston's first-round draft pick, too.

As much as any of the proposed deals discussed in February, perhaps this had been the closest Pierce had come to parting with the Celtics, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Dallas had constructed a package that included Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright and Dahntay Jones to Atlanta, with the Mavericks and Hawks exchanging positions in the 2013 NBA draft.

Nevertheless, Boston wouldn't relent on the pick and the deal died on meeting-room grease boards in three cities. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has always understood that general manager Danny Ainge's reshaping of the roster is inevitable, but he's never been in a hurry to lord over a rebuild.

As the Hawks meet the Celtics on Friday night in Boston, the Celtics have won 13 of 17 games since they lost point guard Rajon Rondo for the season. The bench has been reconstructed, Pierce and Kevin Garnett are remarkably rejuvenated and Avery Bradley has been spectacular in his development. At 33-27 and holding the seventh seed, Boston is within 1½ games of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

"We've definitely found who we are, but it's been a search," Rivers told Yahoo! Sports. "Here's why I love coaching this team: We're flawed and we know it. We know that we're not deep. We know that we're not big. We know that we don't have great ball handlers.

"But the guys, they know who are now."

To watch Rivers leave the floor on Wednesday night in Indianapolis – pumping his fist over and over, screaming, "Yes … YES! … YES!" on his way into the tunnel – is to understand the joy he's found coaching these Celtics. Somehow, the Celtics hung around and hung around with the powerful Pacers, distilled the game to a final possession and executed brilliantly for a layup that left Indiana less than a second on the clock.

Pierce tied up two Pacers with a screen, Kevin Garnett stayed patient for Jeff Green to free himself and hit him with the pass under the rim. Rivers had an idea to call a different play, but listened to one of his assistants, Armond Hill, talk him into something that they successfully run in the first half. History and trust and belief can still carry the day.

For these Celtics, it's useless sitting around and discussing themselves as championship contenders. With Rondo, it was farfetched. Without him, they'll feel his loss even more in the playoffs. For now, they're thrilled they're still together, still making trouble for everyone.

"What I've told our guys is simply let's put our head down and keep playing," Rivers said. "Let's do the best we can do, and see where it takes us. And I think we're going to be surprised how far it can take us."

Every year, the Celtics go through this now: Do they make it together to the trade deadline, the draft-day deals and July free agency? Every year, it feels like the end and yet the core mostly stays together. Ray Allen is gone now, and Pierce and Garnett could've been moved at the deadline.

Only, they're still here, still chasing the springtime. These Celtics aren't championship contenders, but somehow they're pushing on fourth place in the Eastern Conference, pushing themselves back from the brink.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--af...203043279.html

[Rondo9]

Hamstrings limiting Derrick Rose

LOS ANGELES -- A new development may help explain why Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is still hesitant to return to the court.

ESPN's Doris Burke spoke with the former MVP before Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and reported that although Rose has been taking full contact in practice for well over a month, his hamstrings are "on fire" after those workouts. Rose added that he won't return to the court until he's past those issues.

A team source told ESPNChicago.com on Friday that one reason why Rose has been hesitant to play despite being medically cleared is because he still is struggling to dunk the same way off his surgically repaired left knee.

For his part, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday repeated the same line he's used for several weeks now when asked about Rose's possible return this season.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Thibodeau said before the game. "For us right now the guys that are playing have to concentrate on their improvement and our next opponent. Derrick has to concentrate on his rehab. And until that changes that's the way it has to be and that's the way we're approaching it."

Rose did not sit on the bench during the first half of Sunday's game. He again went through his usual pregame routine of jump shots and cardio Sunday.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story...-chicago-bulls

[Monta Ellis #11]

Dwyane Wade getting defensive-minded

Dwyane Wade’s wardrobe change at halftime wasn’t about fashion — believe it or not.

Wade is one of the most fashion-centric players in the NBA and, yes, he’s trying to sell his new shoes at all times, but Wade said he changed his footwear for the second half of the Heat’s 105-91 victory over the Pacers because he burned through the first pair playing defense.

“I went through them in the first half,” Wade said. “I was moving. I wanted some stiff shoes.”

Wade finished the game with six steals; Miami had 10 steals as a team. As healthy as he has been all season, Wade said after the game that defensively he’s playing “as good as I have played in a while.”

“I’ve just been trying to be active and not make too many mistakes,” Wade said. “Everyone has to do their job and sometimes it’s my job to make big plays. Because I’m healthy, I’m able to move. I think it’s as good defensively as I’ve played since 08-09.”

In somewhat of a surprise strategic move, Wade started the game on defense covering Paul George, the Pacers’ young All-Star. George finished the game with 10 points in 42 minutes.

Wade was originally supposed to guard George Hill and said after the game that it was teammate LeBron James’ idea for a defensive switch.

James, who would normally guard George, defended Lance Stephenson.

“LeBron said he wanted me to guard him and I said fine,” Wade said. “It was just between players. I think the biggest thing is [James] wanted me engaged in the game early for the start and very aggressive.”

On fire

Wade is just getting it done defensively.

After going 9 of 16 from the field against the Pacers, Wade is shooting 60.8 percent (104 of 171) over his past nine games.

Wade currently has scored in double-figures in 48 consecutive games, which is the fifth longest streak of his career.

Wade scored 23 points Sunday against the Pacers.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/1...efensive.html#

[Monta Ellis #11]

Surgery to sideline Knicks' Amar’e for remainder of regular season

Call it a $100 million blow to the head.

The Knicks’ season got rocked again last night as Amar’e Stoudemire will have his second knee debridement surgery in four months, putting him out six weeks, ending his regular season and putting him out until the first round of the playoffs at the very earliest.

This surgery will be on the right knee — not the left — and should occur by tomorrow. It may be no coincidence it comes after a week in which Stoudemire twice surpassed the 30-minute cap set by the Knicks medical staff to protect his knees.

It was a stunning turn of events, potentially threatening their lofty playoff hopes, threatening their chances of holding off the Nets for the Atlantic Division title and coming when their other max star player, Carmelo Anthony, is also battling a mysterious knee injury.

Anthony missed his third straight game last night versus the Jazz with fluid in his right knee but without their two most expensive players, the Knicks destroyed Utah, 113-84, at the Garden.

“It’s a major loss to what we’re trying to do,’’ coach Mike Woodson said. “We’re going to have to wait on him and continue on. We can’t sit and sulk and feel sad. Guys got to step up and play.’’

Stoudemire missed the morning shootaround and requested an MRI exam yesterday afternoon.

“He had some swelling and some soreness and he asked for an MRI,’’ Woodson said.

Stoudemire had knee debridement surgery on his left knee on Nov. 1 after a Baker’s cyst ruptured. It is not believed he had another cyst in his right knee, but it may be no coincidence this occurred after Stoudemire slightly went over the 30-minute cap in both games of the Rust Belt road trip. Stoudemire’s contract is uninsured for a career-ending injury.

Stoudemire will finish the regular season having played just 29 games as the $100 million man’s starcrossed Knicks career rages on. His playoffs were damaged by injuries in his first two Knicks seasons — first by a bulging disk, then by punching a fire extinguisher’s glass case. Stoudemire had talked about regenerating new red blood cells by going on a vegan diet after his surgery.

He averaged 14.2 points on 57.7 percent shooting in 23.5 minutes. He established a low-post game for the first time in his career and was effective. The knee woes to Anthony and Stoudemire come at a rotten time as the Knicks embark on a five-game West Coast trip starting tomorrow in Golden State. Woodson said it’s too early to talk about Anthony also having a procedure to drain his knee, hoping treatment works.

“I feel for Amar’e as a young man,’’ Woodson said. “He put a lot of work in this summer to get back on the court this summer. then what he went through at the start of training camp. Now he’s got to go back in again. I feel for him. But we have to go on. The whole beauty of our team is depth but you don’t expect a key guy like that to continue to go down because he’s a big piece to the puzzle.’’

Stoudemire returned Jan. 1 and was placed on the 30-minute cap for the season.

Stoudemire’s minutes jumped noticeably once Anthony went down with a sore/stiff right knee in Cleveland on Monday. Stoudemire played 32 minutes in Cleveland and 30:55 in Detroit. After the 32-minute outing, Woodson acknowledged he had gone over, saying “Oops,” with a sheepish grin.

Stoudemire stayed under the cap versus Oklahoma City Friday, logging 28:55. But even that amount was more than the 24-25 minutes he was getting before Anthony went down.

The Knicks also are missing reserve defensive power forward Rasheed Wallace, who had foot surgery 10 days ago and seems a longshot to get back. By the eight-week timetable, Wallace could be back for the second round. However, Woodson said he’s not sure if they will waive Wallace to bring in a live body. However, the Knicks can’t sign a player who has been waived after March 1 because he would be ineligible for the playoff roster. Recently signed Kenyon Martin is now a Knicks godsend.

Stoudemire stuck his head into the locker room for a moment last night, wearing a leather jacket and jeans with a hat. But he left when he saw reporters.

Anthony didn’t participate in the shootaround as he stayed back in the trainer’s room — perhaps wanting to be extra fit for his Denver “homecoming’’ Wednesday.

“We talked a little bit today and said it was so-so,’’ Woodson said.

Before Woodson knew Stoudemire would need surgery, he was asked if Stoudemire’s sore knees affirms the 30-minute cap. “Absolutely,” Woodson said.

“It’s got to be that way. If we’re in a seven-game series, then it’s different. Then it’s time to play because all the marbles are on the table. But right now we got 23 games left. A lot of basketball to be played. We got to be careful with all our older guys that we’re not trying to burn them all in one game.’’

Too damn late.

http://www.prosportsdaily.com/Headli...ticleId=237587

[Rondo9]

Pau Gasol (foot) to be re-examined

Pau Gasol experienced soreness in his injured right foot Saturday after participating in a workout at the Lakers training facility, according to a Lakers spokesman. He will be examined Sunday by Dr. Kenneth Jung, a foot specialist, and a further update will be given Sunday before the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center.

Gasol, who has been out with torn plantar fascia in his foot since February 5, had been hoping to return at some point this week, possibly even as soon as Sunday.

Kobe Bryant, who played only 12 scoreless minutes on a badly sprained ankle Friday night in Indiana, received treatment on his ankle Saturday and is listed by the Lakers as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Kings.

Bryant initially injured his ankle on the final play of a loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night. He spent two days trying to fight his way back after landing on the foot of Atlanta's Dahntay Jones.

Bryant also tweeted Saturday night that he has the flu.

[Rondo9]

Derrick Rose unsure of return

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose said Thursday he still doesn't have a return date in mind, despite the fact less than a month remains in the regular season.

"It could be tomorrow and I feel like I could play the next game," said Rose, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during the playoffs last year. "Nobody knows but God."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose was most likely out for Thursday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Rose said in a February interview with USA Today that he was in the "high 80s" as far as being back to 100 percent healthy, but he did not want to put a percentage on his health after Thursday's shootaround.

"I really don't know right now," Rose said. "I don't want to place no percentage on it, but I just know that I'm close and I'm taking every day serious and just becoming a professional."

Rose, 24, reiterated that he had no date in mind after which he would consider it too late to come back this season. He tore his left ACL on April 28 and underwent surgery on May 12.

"Not at all," he said. "I feel like when I'm ready to come back I'll be ready no matter what it is. ... Whenever I'm ready, I'm going to be out there."

Rose said that he can feel the explosion coming back into his game.

"It's coming," he said. "I'm not panicking or anything. If anything, I think I'm going to be a better player.

"I'm just taking my time. I'm just being patient, doing all the right things and really eating right and getting rest."

Rose does believe that he has gotten stronger with the constant rehab he has been doing over the past 10 months since his surgery.

"I'm way stronger," Rose said. "Way stronger. I'm just seeing how I'm going to put that in my game. I don't know yet. But when we're playing 5-on-5, just trying to pick the right spots and really just trying to find out how strong I am."

Rose also acknowledged that he is still fighting through the same general soreness and pain that he has been dealing with throughout the process.

"It's still about the same," he said. "Where when you warm up a little bit [the knee] will be loose then the activity will pick up then it will get back sore. [I'm] just fighting through that."

Rose said his support staff, including his teammates, has played a huge role in overcoming the mental obstacles.

"It's tough, definitely challenging, but having my teammates behind me and my team behind me, with [agent] B.J. [Armstrong], my brother [Reggie] and my family, they made everything smooth," Rose said. "I'm just trying to ride this wave, and hopefully I'll be out there.

"It's big, man. When I've got my teammates behind me and they see how hard I'm pushing in practice and I'm seeing how hard their fighting for me on the court, it makes me want to go harder. It makes me want to be out there more, but you've got to look at the big picture."

He said he wants to return, but he framed it in a larger context.

"[I want to return] bad," he said. "But knowing my health is the biggest key, where I'm only 24 years old, I've got the whole future in front of me. I'm just trying to take my time."

Although some point to other athletes who have returned from ACL surgery in a shorter amount of time and wonder if Rose has suffered a setback, Rose said that's not the case.

"Not at all," he said. "It's just getting used to -- my activity picked up a little bit, so just getting used to running, playing 5-on-5. Just doing everything like how I used to do it."

The Bulls entered action Thursday sixth in the Eastern Conference.

[Monta Ellis #11]

Jerry West: Heat breaking Lakers' streak would be 'great for the league'

The Logo approves

Jerry West can recall games after which he was overcome with dejection, even as his Los Angeles Lakers were in the midst of a streak that would become an NBA-record 33 consecutive wins.
Obviously, the source of West’s angst did not stem from a Lakers loss. He was upset because the eventual 1971-72 champions had failed to win by enough, in his estimation.
“If you didn’t win by 15, you were disappointed,” West said Thursday during a teleconference with reporters.

Therein lies the difference between the streak West helped build and the Miami Heat’s current run, which reached 24 games Wednesday after they clawed back from down 27 points for a 98-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

West’s Lakers—which included Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor and, yes, Heat president Pat Riley—navigated the 17-team NBA with ease, going 69-13 while averaging 121.0 points per game and outscoring opponents by an average of more than 12 points. Further indication of their dominance: During their winning streak, only eight of the 33 games ended in single-digit wins, including a seven-point defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks team that later ended the Lakers' run.

On the other hand, during this season’s streak, the Heat have maintained a winning margin of only 10 points against non-playoff teams and faced five double-digit deficits. Miami's mid-game struggles managed to add new lows to LeBron James' career, with the 27-point Cavaliers lead equaling the most points he has trailed at any time since entering the NBA. Of course, that advantage was met with a thrilling Heat comeback.

“They’ve played some close games this year,” West said of the Heat, “but our games really weren’t close.”

While close wins mean more exertion from key players, West doesn’t see a problem. He’s impressed by it, in fact. West watched Miami turn it on against Cleveland and saw a team capable of eclipsing the Lakers’ record. And when he looks at the schedule, West figures few remaining teams are capable of defeating the Heat, whether the games dictate close finishes or not.

“Honestly, I think they’ve got an incredible chance to do it,” West said. “I really do. And people say to me, ‘Does it bother you?’ Absolutely not. I think it’s great for the league, and I’m delighted obviously for my friend Pat Riley to be able to maybe replicate this not only as an executive but as a player. It’s pretty special.

“If they would break it, my gosh, I think it would be a wonderful story. I have no problem with that.”

One possible roadblock is a game March 31 against the San Antonio Spurs, at which point Miami would have reached 29 wins.

“That would be a game that I would be concerned about,” West said. “Certainly playing in San Antonio, and they’re going to have Tony Parker back by then."

When the Lakers’ streak ended Jan. 9, 1972, at Milwaukee in a 120-104 defeat, the Bucks made 14 more field goals (49 to 35) and got 39 points from future Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“I think all of us went in the locker room and felt like we had lost our best friend,” West said.

If a Heat loss does come, West expects a similar formula to be behind their first defeat since Feb. 1.

“I think it’s going to take a combination of a team that’s shooting the ball well that also has the capability to defend, to beat them,” West said. “And obviously a poor shooting night on Miami’s part.”

Assuming it were to avoid any potential traps, Miami could break the Lakers’ record April 9 against Milwaukee.

“A lot of people don’t think those things are possible,” West said. “Well, they are possible. And I think particularly in basketball you can get a unique team, and Miami has a unique team. They have great three-point shooting and they’re never out of a game because of that, and then they have the best player in the game who does all the little things.

“I never thought this streak would live forever, no. … I just think it’s a streak that could very easily be broken this year.”

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/stor...y-west-33-game

[Урош94]

Miami Heat sign Juwan Howard for rest of season



The Miami Heat re-signed Juwan Howard for the rest of the season after inking him to the maximum of two 10-day contracts.

In those 20 days, Howard played a grand total of zero minutes, which says all you need to know about how the Heat view him. They clearly value his veteran presence, and he’ll surely appreciate a chance to win another ring. There’s definitely a mutual respect here.

By waiting so long to sign him, the Heat saved Howard from some wear and tear on his 74-year-old body. They probably won’t need to play him much, if it all, this season – they’ve won 25 straight without using him – but if they do, he should be fresh.

Извор: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...medium=twitter

[Rondo9]

Mayor: Sacramento has preliminary arena deal

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento city officials reached a preliminary agreement Saturday night for a new downtown arena with an investment group that hopes to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson first announced the deal on his Twitter account. A few hours later, the city released the details of the non-binding term sheet.

The group includes Silicon Valley software tycoon Vivek Ranadive, 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov and billionaire Ron Burkle. The City Council is planning to vote on the agreement Tuesday.

"Once again, we're proving the strength of our market -- both as host to an NBA team, but as an emerging region with global potential," Johnson said.

The city of Sacramento plans to contribute $258 million to the $447 million project, mostly by leasing out parking garages and land. The other $189 million will come from the investment group.

Johnson said the deal will avoid new taxes and ensure a net impact to the city's general fund.

"This is a monumental project that will redefine the Downtown Plaza and revitalize our urban core," City Manager John Shirey said in a statement. "This project is about providing a regional attraction and creating economic development opportunities that will retain and create thousands of jobs, bring people downtown, increase property and sales tax -- all of which will contribute to our city's vitality."

Sacramento is hoping to block a bid by group that has a pending purchase agreement to buy the Kings from the Maloof family, move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name. That group, led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, has had a deal to acquire a 65 percent stake in the team for $341 million since January.

The NBA Board of Governors is expected to make a decision by mid-April. If league blocks the Seattle deal, the Maloofs would still have to agree to sell to any other group.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/90...n-johnson-says

[Branislav]

TIME TO SHUT DOWN DERRICK ROSE

CHICAGO – Derrick Rose wants to do what’s best for Derrick Rose. He has been clear about that from the start of his long, painstaking rehab from knee surgery last spring, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Chicago Bulls are going to do what’s best for Derrick Rose. That has been their default position whenever the topic has come up, which only has been every day, repeatedly, for the past 10 months.
Fans of the team should want all parties involved to do what’s best for Derrick Rose. They have been bystanders, cheerleaders and skeptics through this process, investing both money and emotions into the lengthy wait, constantly weighing the short-term against the long-term and mostly coming up stumped.
So let’s make it easy for them here and now:
The Bulls should shut down Derrick Rose till October.
Enough already. The networks and affiliates have more footage of Rose working out and shooting jump shots before Bulls games, locked in eternal preparation, than they ever will be able to use. Fans who arrive early see him out on the United Center court looking so much like the guy they remember, save for the practice gear, and then – poof! – he’s gone. They and everyone else spend much of each evening there bandying about his fate, and then some of them call talk shows or post comments on Web sites and vent as if Rose has changed his name to LeBron or something.
Where Rose’s brother Reggie once laid blame on Bulls general manager Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson for somehow contributing to this limbo with their roster management, the player himself recently thrust the timeline of his return into the hands of his deity, whose “honey-do” list already was a little long.
Sorry, but this decision – should he or shouldn’t he? – has to stay between Rose, his doctors, his coaches and the team, erring always on the side of caution.
They’re there now. Shut him down.
The Bulls have only 14 games left on their regular-season schedule. One comes tonight in Minnesota, the tail end of a back-to-back. The next comes Wednesday against the barreling locomotive that is the Miami Heat. After that, it’s down to a dozen, a small window – more of a transom, actually – for Rose to work his way into NBA game shape and pace, for his teammates to adapt, for head coach Tom Thibodeau to fight his orneriest instincts and manage Rose’s minutes for the player’s benefit rather than the team’s.
Three weeks from next weekend, the playoffs begin. Chicago is mired in that pack of five East wannabes-to-also-rans (some would say seven) who are neither good enough to seriously challenge Miami nor, with No. 9 Philadelphia sputtering at 16 games under .500, bad enough to fall out of the seedings. The Bulls look like a one-and-done team without Rose; with him, still rusty and maybe on a slightly longer minutes leash, they could push it to the second round.
That is not worth it. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and the Bulls’ other owners don’t need and shouldn’t want two or three extra home gates that badly. Fans in Chicago, who have deferred their gratification this long, surely can wait a little longer – they’re good in this town at the wait-till-next-year mantra. And Rose, when he does come back, needs to be on the floor as a recovering knee-surgery patient in the final stage of his rehab, not as a savior or a leading scorer or as the hero of a slick campaign of sneaker commercials.
Look, it was one thing when doctors’ pegged Rose’s return, on a purely physical timeline, at late February or early March. That left 20 or more games to adjust, assimilate, navigate some lows along with some highs.
It was different, too, when the Bulls were a team in waiting, all pieces in place, ready for Rose’s return to chase the same prize they’d have been eyeing had he never gotten hurt at all. But that team doesn’t exist anymore. Several of his teammates are broken down physically, most recently center Joakim Noah missing this weekend with a flare-up of some persistent plantar fasciitis. Kirk Hinrich and Richard Hamilton have been eternally banged-up. Rose himself, like others who undergo ACL procedures, always figured to need a full year or more to regain all or most of his powers.
Meanwhile, some of those not hurting physically beyond the NBA norm for March have been wrung out by the heavier load they’ve lugged in Rose’s absence. And frankly, by the moving goal posts of his return. Luol Deng wouldn’t be making any All-Star teams off his low-ebb performances this month.
Bottom line: The team he would come back to isn’t worthy of what Rose would be expected, or would try himself, to do if he returned this late. Does anyone want to see the Heat’s Dobermans set loose on Rose in his uncertain state for anywhere from four to seven games? Even a feisty George Hill, a rejuvenated Deron Williams or a tenacious Avery Bradley might be too much in a playoff situation and put Rose in harm’s way.
Compared to that, the opportunity to work his way back through eight meaningless games in October when his teammates are fresh and everyone is coming off a layoff of his own (three months if not 15) holds great appeal and all the common sense.
Shut Derrick Rose down. Now.

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/0...-derrick-rose/

[stefan12]

After leaving without permission recently, No. 1 draft pick Royce White will return to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the National Basketball Developmental League, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
White, who has an anxiety disorder, stated a team doctor told him that it would be healthier for him to leave the team a week ago, but multiple sources told Yahoo! Sports that no organizational permission had been granted to White.
At the risk of earning his second suspension without pay this season, White, the 16th pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, planned to return to be in uniform for the Vipers game Tuesday night against Tulsa.
White has clashed with the organization over his inability to constantly make himself available for practices, workouts and team commitments. After a three-week suspension in January, White finally agreed to the team's plan to send him to the D-League. Despite bloating in weight to nearly 300 pounds, White averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 12 games for Rio Grande.
Part of White's anxiety disorder centers on plane travel, and White had taken two long bus trips as part of Rio Grande's road schedule.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--tr...184518676.html

[Rondo9]

Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash hobbling

MILWAUKEE -- As if losing four of their past five games wasn't making the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff chances hard enough, the team has a pair of injuries to its Hall of Fame backcourt of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.

Bryant has a bone spur in his left foot and will be evaluated by a foot specialist when the team travels to Sacramento on Friday. Bryant's foot had been "bothering him for a while," according to a team spokesman. The injury is not related to the sprained left ankle he suffered earlier this month against the Atlanta Hawks.

"Inflamed on me," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports while leaving the BMO Harris Bradley Center with the use of a crutch after Thursday night's 113-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. "I'll be all right."

Bryant scored a game-high 30 points but shot just 6-of-17 from the field and had six turnovers against the Bucks.

Nash, meanwhile, had 16 points and six assists but left the game with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter and did not return because of a right hip spasm.

Nash said he suffered the injury Monday in the Lakers' loss to the Golden State Warriors. He played through it Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves and still experienced discomfort.

"It actually happened at Golden State and my hamstrings really tightened up, and then in Minnesota I was compensating for the hamstrings and got my hip spasming," Nash said.

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti wanted to hold Nash out of the lineup against the Bucks, but the 17-year veteran decided to play.

"Obviously, I was suffering a little bit in the second half, but I wanted to keep playing," said Nash, who went to the locker room to receive treatment from Vitti and Lakers physical therapist Dr. Judy Seto after turning the ball over three times in seven minutes in the third quarter.

"I wanted to keep playing, but I think Mike (D'Antoni) and Gary just thought, 'Let's not risk doing something that could cause long-term damage,'" Nash said.

The Lakers finish their four-game road trip in Sacramento on Saturday with a chance to salvage a 2-2 record. Nash is hopeful he can play.

"He toughed it out at first. I could tell he was hurting," D'Antoni said. "I just didn't have the heart to put him back in. He wanted to go back in, but it wasn't fair to him. He was hurting."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...rsing-injuries

[Rondo9]

Kyrie Irving won't talk coach's future

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers All-Star guard Kyrie Irving isn't addressing questions regarding the future of Cleveland coach Byron Scott.

The Cavaliers had dropped 12-of-14 games going into Sunday's game against Orlando. The recent slide has led to speculation that Scott, who is 63-160 in three seasons, may not be back for a fourth.

Irving, who has spoken about his close relationship with Scott several times during his two seasons with the team, said Sunday he's thinking more about the final seven games of the Cavaliers' season rather than the coaching situation.

"Until that time comes, I'm not really worried about it," Irving said. "To even imagine that, I'm not going down that road. I'm focused on finishing the season with him and that's all that matters right now."

The Cavaliers have been plagued by injuries to several key players, including Irving, who has missed 23 games due to a broken finger, a sore knee and a bruised shoulder. Center Anderson Varejao hasn't played since December because of a split leg muscle and a blood clot that developed following surgery. Guard Dion Waiters missed his ninth straight game Sunday with a sore knee and could be out the rest of the season.

The losing streak included a home loss to Miami when the Cavs blew a 27-point lead in the third quarter, a 38-point loss at Houston and three other losses by at least 18 points.

Following a home loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday -- a game in which Cleveland trailed by 30 points at halftime -- Scott said he wasn't worried about losing his job. He's under contract for next year after the club picked up his option for 2013-14 in October.

Forward Tristan Thompson, another second-year player, defended Scott last week, saying, "All the rumors about coach Scott and hot seat and all that ... that's bogus."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/91...n-scott-future