'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 26

[nasty daddy]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/135306

Call Drew Gooden an optimist. In one breath, the veteran big man talked excitedly about visiting a specialist Tuesday and getting "nothing but good news" about the abdominal and groin strains that have sidelined him for 11 straight games.

In the next, he confirmed he would be out through the All-Star break and that if the injury didn't respond in the first few games afterward, season-ending surgery is a possibility. "Keep my fingers crossed when I come back," Gooden said. "They said if it's a real sports hernia, I won't be able to play longer than two or three games without it coming back."

Gooden said he felt good after practicing so hard Monday that he even dived for a loose ball. He added that he passed all of the specialist's physical exams. "He's going to be fine," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He just needs more rest and another week will do him well as he continues with the therapy and conditioning."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.twincities.com/ci_11675700?nclick_check=1

More injury news: McHale said guard Kevin Ollie (dislocated elbow) still cannot straighten his left arm and likely is two weeks away from returning.

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/0 ... hri_3.html

Forward David West returns after a one-game suspension served during Monday night's 85-80 loss at Memphis, leaving Scott to wonder whether the Hornets will be bolstered further by the addition of Paul and Chandler.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3404

The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: The NBA’s Players Association took the first step in trying to resolve point guard Jamaal Tinsley’s situation when it filed a grievance on his behalf Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers. Tinsley’s agent, Raymond Brothers, said last week they planned to file the grievance because he wants the Pacers to trade, release or buy out his client. Tinsley was barred from the team before training camp. He will make more than $14 million in the final two years of his contract, which expires in 2010-11. Pacers president Larry Bird said they have no intention of buying out Tinsley’s contract.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 7833a.html

No timetable for Terry: Terry was not at the arena Tuesday night and watched the game from his home.

The Mavericks' sixth man had surgery on his left hand Monday. Pins were inserted to stabilize the fractured fourth metacarpal in his non-shooting hand. No timetable has been set for his return, but those in the organization who have spoken to Terry said he's optimistic he will be able to return in mid-March.

Injuries of this nature usually take anywhere from three to six weeks to heal.

[nasty daddy]

http://wdfn.com/pages/DETROITPISTONS.html

Pistons Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory . . . Again
Ben Gordon converted the go-ahead four-point play, Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas made strong contributions late, and the Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 107-102 on Tuesday night.

Playing their first home game since Jan. 23, the Bulls trailed 100-90 with about 3½ minutes. But with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen watching, they showed some of their old mettle and finished on a 17-2 run. The Pistons were without the Allen Iverson, who had the flu. Even so, they appeared to be in good shape.Then, the Bulls scored nine straight to make it a one-point game before Rasheed Wallace buried two free throws with a minute left, making it 102-99. But Chicago scored the final eight points.

Rose drove for a layup to pull the Bulls back within one with 46 seconds left. After Wallace had to force a wild corner jumper to beat the shot clock, the Bulls grabbed the lead. The Pistons blocked a drive by Rose, but Gordon wound up with the ball in the corner and buried the go-ahead 3-pointer as Rodney Stuckey fouled him. Both players got knocked to the court. While Gordon popped up and buried the free throw to make it 105-102 with 16.7 seconds left, Stuckey left the game. The Pistons' Richard Hamilton then drove along the right side and tried to dish off to Antonio McDyess underneath, but he couldn't handle the pass, resulting in a turnover. Andres Nocioni then hit two free throws for Chicago with 9.9 seconds left for the final score.

[nasty daddy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=24955

brian (ma): worst draft pick - kwame brown or greg oden?

David Thorpe: (12:50 PM ET ) Brown, Borwn, Brown.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11524

Reserve Box Score of the Night: Rip Hamilton, Detroit Pistons – 30 points, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/allstar20 ... id=3898100

Denver Nuggets swingman J.R. Smith will replace Memphis forward Rudy Gay in the slam dunk contest.

Gay was forced to pull out Tuesday because of a strained left hip. Smith also competed in the 2005 event. "I have a few things under my sleeve," Smith said Tuesday after the Nuggets won in Miami. "I can't really talk about it. It's top secret, man."

Defending champion Dwight Howard of Orlando, 2006 winner Nate Robinson of New York, and Portland rookie Rudy Fernandez round out the field. The dunk contest is the final event of All-Star Saturday night.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Chat.asp?CHAT_TOPICS_ID=149

Marcus in Richmond VA: Do you think the Pistons are the front runner for Amar'?

Steve Kyler: I am not sold there is a front runner... there are some interesting deals on the table... if Portland put Aldridge on the table as some are saying today - we are trying to confirm that... thats a whopper of a deal... Bayless and Aldridge for Amar'e...

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

The Mavericks' sixth man had surgery on his left hand Monday. Pins were inserted to stabilize the fractured fourth metacarpal in his non-shooting hand.

No timetable has been set for his return, but those in the organization who have spoken to Terry said he's optimistic he will be able to return in mid-March.

Injuries of this nature usually take anywhere from three to six weeks to heal.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Kevin McHale said guard Kevin Ollie (dislocated elbow) still cannot straighten his left arm and likely is two weeks away from returning.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Scott said he'd like nothing better than to have his team close to full strength tonight. But more likely than not, center Tyson Chandler, who has missed the past 11 games with a sprained left ankle, will not return until after this weekend's All-Star break. And reserve guard Morris Peterson, who has a sprained foot that has kept him out for seven games, is out until next week or beyond.

Forward David West returns after a one-game suspension served during Monday night's 85-80 loss at Memphis, leaving Scott to wonder whether the Hornets will be bolstered further by the addition of Paul and Chandler. "It would be nice," Scott said. "I'm looking forward to those guys coming back as soon as possible. But as I said, I'm not going to jeopardize them for one game. If they're healthy and ready to go, then they'll go. "If they're not, we'll go into the game with what we've got and try to play the best we can."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

With 1:42 left in the first half, backup center Chris Andersen was driving in for an uncontested fast- break basket and was hit hard by Miami forward Shawn Marion, who was called for a flagrant foul 1.

Andersen went down in a heap, although he made the layup and the free throw that followed. But Andersen was taken out of the game for good because of a sprained left wrist and left hip contusion. X-rays were negative.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16547

Atlanta (30-21) at Detroit (27-23) 7:30 p.m. EST
It has been a long time since the Detroit Pistons were looking up at the Atlanta Hawks in the standings at the All-Star break. The Pistons will look to save some face with a win when the teams square off on Wednesday.

Detroit has enjoyed a spot at the top of the Eastern Conference for the better part of the last decade while the Hawks have struggled through one rebuilding plan after another. An aging roster for the Pistons and a solid core in Atlanta has shifted the balance. Known for its defense throughout the last several years, Detroit has seen itself slip recently, allowing over 111 points over the past three games. The Pistons were outscored, 17-2, over the last 3:33 of the game on Tuesday, squandering a lead and falling to the Chicago Bulls, 107-102. Instead of being sharp and closing the contest out, Rasheed Wallace rushed a 3-point attempt with under a minute left and Richard Hamilton committed a turnover on their last possession.

Meanwhile, Atlanta has won three of four and is coming off a strong performance in a 111-90 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Joe Johnson scored 22 points and eight assists as seven players reached double figures. The Hawks are beginning a six-game road trip at Detroit, though the remaining five contests are all on the West Coast after the All-Star break.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2 ... eat-99-82/

But there was one disturbing moment for the Nuggets. With 1:42 left in the first half, backup center Chris Andersen was driving in for an uncontested fast- break basket and was hit hard by Miami forward Shawn Marion, who was called for a flagrant foul 1.

Andersen went down in a heap, although he made the layup and the free throw that followed. But Andersen was taken out of the game for good because of a sprained left wrist and left hip contusion. X-rays were negative.

Spoelstra argued Marion was going for the ball, but the officials didn't buy it. "Both of them are high-rise guys," said Karl, who said Ander- sen is questionable for tonight's game at Orlando, the final one before the All-Star break. "They jump awfully high. The collision that occurred was above the shoulders, and then the height of the fall. Whatever you want to label it, it might not have been intentionally flagrant, but I think it was flagrant."

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3900094

It has been nearly three weeks since Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend was murdered in Chicago. The Knicks told him to take his time in dealing with the tragedy, which included the slaying of his ex-girlfriend's 9-month-old daughter.

Curry rejoined the team last week, and has been working on his conditioning and rehabilitating his sore left knee, with the hope of getting into the Knicks' lineup at some point.

The 6-11 center has had conditioning issues ever since preseason camp, and the development of his sore knee only added to his issues. Coach Mike D'Antoni chose not to implement a game plan that included Curry, but that went by the wayside after an early season trade and a spate of injuries depleted the bench. "This is the time where I'm really looking forward to it," Curry said. "I wish I could take a magic pill or something and make my legs feel better and make me able to go out there and do what I need to do."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16552

Kentucky sophomore forward Patrick Patterson will be listed as day-to-day with a sprained right ankle, the school announced Wednesday.

Patterson injured his ankle with 9:06 remaining in the second half of Tuesday night's 68-65 victory over Florida when he landed awkwardly coming down for a rebound. X-rays were negative, a major positive for Kentucky, which could ill afford losing its second-leading scorer (17.8 ppg) and top rebounder (9.1).

Patterson's freshman season ended prematurely last season when he suffered a stress fracture of the left ankle in late February.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... etime.html

Suns guard Steve Nash will be a game-time decision for tonight's final pre-All-Star break tilt at Cleveland.

Nash was 1 for 8 from the field in Monday's loss at Philadelphia when he was pulled earlier than usual in the third quarter and never returned to the game. Nash said that his back, shoulder and hamstring had bothered him so much that he could have risked furtherinjury had he re-entered that game.

Leandro Barbosa would start tonight if Nash is not able to play. The team had Tuesday in Cleveland off. Nash walked through Wednesday morning's shootaround but told Terry Porter he was still hurting. The Suns are 2-2 this season when Nash does not play but the two wins came against losing teams (Memphis and Sacramento) while the losses came to winning teams (New Orleans and Miami).

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/20 ... _lift.html

Forbes' criteria for raking America's most miserable cities has changed, and that left Detroit ranked #7 instead of the top overall spot it occupied last year.

Detroit relinquished its 2007 crown of most miserable city despite a memorable 2008 that included a jailed mayor, the further deterioration of the auto industry and the NFL's first zero-win, 16-loss season. The Motor City benefited from our revised criteria this year (we added sales tax and sports teams in addition to corruption). Its 6% sales tax is one of the lowest in the country. The success of Detroit's winter sports teams more than offset the ineptitude of the Lions. The Red Wings and Pistons won two-thirds of their games, including a Stanley Cup title for the Wings.

The Piston's recent decline may play a part in Detroit sinking back to the top spot next season. Although with a winless NFL team and a jailed mayor, one has to wonder how a decent sales tax and a couple of good sporting teams outweigh all the bad news the Detroit Metro area has had in 2008.