'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 27

[nasty daddy]

http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/0 ... the-night/

J.O. Tells Heat that Tonight’s the Night
Time to show and prove for Mr. O’Neal: ‘You don’t get traded 52 games into the season and not expect it to be difficult,” the six-time All-Star said. ‘But as a player, if you think it’s too difficult a task, you tell your agent, or you tell whatever team you need to tell that you can’t make that transition.’ O’Neal believes he’ll make the transition sooner than later, and he’s targeting tonight’s 7:30 game against Detroit at AmericanAirlines Arena, his fourth with the Heat. ‘I’ve always been a player who has really responded,” he said, “and I will respond come Tuesday.’”

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http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/a ... _bake.html

Finally, the Knicks are in the development mode again. They're going to sign that 7-1 Senegal center Cheikh Samb to a 10-day to see if it's a raw talent worthy of trying to develop - the successor to Jerome JamesJerome James

[nasty daddy]

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... re_to.html

Moore signs, Scalabrine out
Mikki Moore, the free-agent center who has been pursued by a handful of teams since he was waived by the Sacramento Kings Thursday, has signed with the Celtics, team president Danny Ainge has confirmed.

Contract terms were undisclosed, but he is expected to remain with the team for the rest of the season. "He just provides energy and length, has really good hands, and played well in the playoffs in the past," Ainge said. "He was very excited to come to Boston. He was recruited by every contending playoff team. He really wanted to come [here]."

The Celtics, who have just 10 healthy bodies on the roster, could use the reinforcement at the moment. Further, Brian Scalabrine, who injured his neck during the Celtics' victory over the Nuggets last night, has been sent back to Boston for precautionary reasons. Ainge said he does not have a concussion but is suffering from concussion-like symptoms. Scalabrine was sidelined with a concussion earlier this season.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baske ... 18142.html

O'Neal, who said he apologized to teammates after a subpar outing in Sunday's loss at Orlando, vowed to atone Tuesday against Detroit.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3574

Carlos Boozer returns
The Deseret News reports: They hit 70.7 percent from the field in the first half, their best opening-half shooting success 10-plus years. They led by as many as 26, and rolled in the second half. They had five scorers in double figures, two with double-doubles. They beat Atlanta 108-89 Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena, extended their winning streak to five, improved to 8-1 in February — and did it with all of their 15-man roster intact and healthy for the first time this season, including even starting power forward Carlos Boozer. The Jazz, in other words, had it together — and, accordingly, have head coach Jerry Sloan fretting over a new problem altogether. “Just trying to decide who to play and how to play ‘em — that’s going to be the toughest thing,” said Sloan, who got 58 points from his suddenly deep bench, including 16 apiece from Paul Millsap (who also had a game-high 12 rebounds) and Kyle Korver and 15 from Matt Harpring.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Boozer, meanwhile, had two points and five rebounds in 21 minutes, going 1 for 5 and missing two free throws. He was originally injured Nov. 19, underwent surgery Jan. 9 and missed 44 games in all, with the Jazz going 25-19 in his three-month absence. Boozer said his knee felt great, estimated it would two weeks to get back in rhythm and was encouraged by the victory. “When we get to the playoffs, if we’re hitting our stride at the right moment, we could be a dangerous team,” he said. The Jazz took a 31-24 lead into the second quarter, then outscored the Hawks 17-8 with Williams on the bench to build a 19-point lead. Such is the strength of their second team with Boozer back, anchored by Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko and Harpring.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=3930190

Divac to preside over Olympic effort
Former NBA star Vlade Divac was elected president of Serbia's Olympic Committee on Tuesday.

The former Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings center won the post after current president Ivan Curkovic withdrew his candidacy. Divac said he wants to help "create better conditions for our sportsmen." "Basketball has taught me not only how to compete, but also to be a team leader," Divac said.

The 41-year-old Divac worked as an adviser on sports for the Serbian government. His candidacy for the Olympic committee was put forward by the Serbian Basketball Association. After retiring from basketball, Divac moved to his native Serbia, where he has a business and runs a humanitarian organization.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11716

Divisional Races: Four of the six NBA's divisional races aren't races at all, while two of them look to be very tight and could come down to the wire. The L.A. Lakers own the Pacific Division (14.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns), the Orlando Magic the Southeast (nine games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks), the Cleveland Cavaliers the Central (16 games ahead of the Detroit Pistons), and the Boston Celtics the Atlantic (16.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers).

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11716

Oden and Surgery: Portland Trail Blazers center will have to have surgery, it's just a matter of when. His prognosis has changed from being out three games to now at least five as the team embarks on a three-game road trip through Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota.

What is normally done in these kinds of cases is doctors wait for the swelling in the knee from the initial impact that caused the chip to recede. At that time the patient has to determine if they can deal with it or if they can't. If they can't, they have surgery. If they can, they can put off surgery indefinitely. However, when the patient is a professional athlete the discussion becomes whether or not to have the surgery now or if it can be pushed off until after the season.As mentioned in this space earlier it's a minor arthroscopic surgery. As with any surgery other things can be found once it has begun, but just cleaning out a bone chip is a straightforward process and the recovery time is generally 2-3 weeks.

It's quite clear the Blazers are being extremely careful about Oden, but they also are being very quiet. It's clear they are hoping they can push it off until after the season, but it's also true that just because Oden feels he can play with it on one day doesn't mean he will be able to the next. It's possible he could play a few games, then as the chip shifts around in his knee force him to sit. If that happens in April it could affect playoff games, and no one really wants that. If Oden had successful surgery soon he could be back by the end of March, even being pessimistic. That would give him a couple weeks to get back in game shape before the playoffs started - playoffs where Portland hopes to have homecourt advantage.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11716

Howard, Gasol Players of the Week: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol were named the Eastern and Western Conference players of the week on Monday.

Howard averaged 25.5 points, a league-best 15.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in leading the Magic to a 3-1 week. Howard led Orlando in scoring twice and in rebounding in all four games. His 45-point, 19-rebound, eight-block effort in a 107-102 win over Charlotte on Feb. 17 marked the first time a player tallied 40-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks in a game since Shaquille O'Neal on March 23, 2001 as a member of the Lakers. The 45 points also marked a career high for Howard. Gasol won his second straight Player of the Week Award after guiding the Lakers to a perfect 4-0 mark. Gasol averaged 20.3 points on .635 shooting from the field, 10.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.0 blocks. In a 96-83 win over Atlanta on Feb. 17, Gasol recorded his third career triple-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. The next night, Gasol tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the Lakers' 129-121 win at Golden State

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland's LeBron James, Houston's Yao Ming, Indiana's Troy Murphy, Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom, Miami's Dwyane Wade, Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva, New York's Nate Robinson, Portland's Brandon Roy and Utah's Deron Williams.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... nba,143543

19. Detroit Pistons — "Veteran' teams don’t treat their home arena like the last place on earth that they want to be that particular night.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11713

The Cap To Fall: The NBA circulated a memo to its teams just prior to the NBA trade deadline suggesting that mid-season revenue projections would likely see a decrease in the NBA's salary cap figure for the 2009-2010 season. In the memo, according to sources, the NBA is projecting a 2009 salary cap figure of $57.3 million, which is a sizable drop from this year's $58.68 million cap figure, it's also believed that the Luxury tax threshold for next season will be much closer to $70 million (61% of basketball related revenue) which will be down from this year's $71.15 million. It's also believed that based on expected declines next year the cap could fall even more in the much celebrated summer of 2010. Some cap experts believe the cap in 2010 could be closer to $55 million, possibly even $54 million when it's all said and done. This would be a far cry from the $61 million some media outlets have reported when talking about how much possible cap space teams like New York and New Jersey may have to throw at free agents like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. This will also impact the value of the so-called MAX deals which are based on fixed percentages of the salary cap. The bigger impact on salary cap declines for teams is the decline of the luxury tax number as well. There are an estimated 10 NBA teams with salary cap numbers in excess of $71.15 million and are looking at luxury tax payments this season – New York ($95.9 million), Dallas ($93.2 million), Cleveland ($90.8 million), Portland ($79.1 million), Boston ($78.7 million), Lakers ($78.2 million), Phoenix ($75.1 million), Sacramento ($75.4 million), Toronto ($72.5 million) and Miami ($72.1 million). Based on 2009 salary cap obligations as many as 14 NBA teams could be facing tax next season, and that's before any free agent business is done. This could turn out to be a very tough summer to be a free agent, and 2010 could be even worse if declines go as expected. Huge drops in the salary cap could motivate the upper echelon free agents to take contract extensions and extend the terms of their current deals rather than hit free agency and smaller possible deals.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11713

Signing Mikki?: Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is reporting that Mikki Moore has remained on the west coast after being released by the Kings and could join the Boston Celtics for tomorrow's game in L.A. Sources close to Moore label that report as a bit premature, but said unless a better offer surfaced last night he was likely going to ink the deal with the Celtics. Moore's agent Mark Bartlestein told the Herald yesterday he hoped to have a decision soon. "They have interest in Mikki, and he has interest in the Celtics," said Bartelstein. "We hope to have this settled. We'll see what happens. There are a number of teams interested in him."

Sources close to this situation said yesterday that Moore did like the Celtics' offer, but that his camp was holding the line for an offer that might have a better long-term future. The appeal of playing for the Celtics and a possible championship was intriguing to Mikki, but the reality that he may have a limited role, especially in the post season, is playing into the decision making process.

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http://elizaret.blogspot.com/2009/02/to ... ition.html

A tough (but necessary) transition
Sitting here in Miami awaiting tonight’s game with the Heat is a strange feeling. Six game losing streaks are as uncharacteristic as being down over 30 at the half was on Sunday. One thing you learn in sports and life though, is that no condition or state of affairs is permanent. Things always go up and down, even the stock market, which like the Pistons, seems unidirectional these days. Both entities will trend back up, but when? After getting blown out in Cleveland Sunday, the word “Strangers” kept on coming up. I asked Michael Curry if in his worst nightmares he ever thought he’d see a first half where his team feel back over 30 points. “No,” he said. “Didn’t anticipate starting trip off like that. I’m disappointed. We talk about trust, helping each other out defensively. But we’re out on the court playing like we don’t like each other. Like we’re strangers, and that was disappointing.” The players echoed that, with Rip Hamilton hearkening back to all the changes, from his being made sixth man to Antonio McDyess returning to the starting lineup. Iverson said, “We stunk the gym out. Teams are playing harder than us.”

Nobody wants to lose or tries to lose. But to twist an NBA marketing phrase for our benefit, “Losing happens.” The important flip side to that is, “Yes, it does, but to what end?”Tonight’s opponent, the Heat, went from a championship in 2006, to 44 wins and then last year tumbled to an abominable 15. That’s a classic Pat Riley style transition. His philosophy is, “Win now, pay later.” It’s his gambling nature and he’s good at it. But that’s not Joe Dumars way of doing things. Dumars style is to take a longer view, not wanting to force a 15-win season on his constituents. Still, he knew that the remarkable run of six straight Eastern Conference Finals was already longer than anyone could have hoped for. You have to make a transition. You hope it isn’t terribly painful, but if it is, then that’s simply the law of the NBA jungle. The same thing can’t work indefinitely. The good news is that although this transition is looking a lot tougher than everyone hoped, it still comes as no surprise. Rip was right when he said that everything is changing -- because it had to. Rodney Stuckey had to play. And acquiring Allen Iverson was a viable gamble that at worst, if it came to that, would provide the league’s best expiring contract to fast forward the transition,.

The other good news is that the league’s economic woes are hurting many teams more than they are hurting the Pistons. Joe will be loaded with cap space and this summer and there are outstanding players that will come available and will be coming here. Nobody likes losing or finds it pleasing in any way. But the big picture still remains bright for the Pistons. And if this inevitable transition that NBA teams must suffer through lasts just this one year, then the Pistons are still way ahead in the pain department. That’s why as I sit here in Miami, wondering if the six game losing streak will end; wondering if they can stop playing like strangers and also wondering if they can at least finish in the top five in the east to avoid a real difficult first round series. Beyond that I also know that next year will bring a few dynamic new players and make this season look like what it is: a necessary step in building a better future.

[nasty daddy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=25192

James (detroit): Any chance the Pistons can sign Millsap and trade for Chandler this summer? They'll be roughly 22M under the cap, so they could sign Millsap to a 5 year/45M deal and take on Chandlers contract right?

Chad Ford: Yes, they could. However, Millsap will be a restricted free agent. So the Jazz can match. But you are thinking in the right direction. The Pistons will be looking for bigs this summer and both players are really good fits.

[nasty daddy]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=25192

Brad (SLC): You hope Boozer opts out? Can Millsap really replace him?

Chad Ford: If Boozer is staying, it will be tough for the Jazz to afford Millsap. One of the teams with cap space (Detroit and Memphis come to mind) would come at him hard. They can't afford to pay Boozer $13 million a year, Millsap $8 million to $9 million a year and Okur $9 million a year.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16964

Rockets G McGrady to have surgery Tuesday
Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady will have season-ending microfracture knee surgery on Tuesday. The Rockets announced the decision on Monday, three days after the two-time scoring champion told fans via his personal web site that he needed surgery.

Dr. Brian Cole will perform the procedure in Chicago. McGrady, who has missed 21 games this season due to the injury, had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has not been healthy in the wake of the procedure. He missed most of January for conditioning. McGrady had played in seven of eight games since returning from those two weeks on the sideline. He missed one game with a sprained ankle.

McGrady, who has yet to make it past the first round of the playoffs in his career, has averaged just 15.6 points this season while shooting a career-low 38.8 percent from the field. The seven-time All-Star has yet to play a full campaign with Houston thanks to a myriad of injuries. He came the closest in his first season with the team, when he appeared in 78 contests. The Rockets are 15-6 without McGrady this season.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16970

Marbury arbitration hearing set for Tuesday
The New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury will go before an arbitrator Tuesday over a $400,000 fine the enigmatic guard incurred for insubordination in late November."We're going to the hearing. We didn't initiate it, but we're going to go," Knicks president Donnie Walsh told reporters prior to Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers. Marbury, 31, has not played this season and was banished by the Knicks on December 1 after the mercurial guard and Walsh failed to resolve their ongoing feud. Marbury was fined for refusing to enter a game against the Detroit Pistons on November 26. "It's not a great situation for anybody," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who will miss Tuesday's practice to testify. "I hate it for Steph. I hate it for the Knicks. I hate it for everybody. But it's just something we're doing and we'll deal with it and get it over with. There's a lot worse things in the world going on, so we'll just deal with the problem and do the best we can."

The crux of the situation is this: the Knicks won't play him, and Marbury wants out.Marbury has offered to give back $1 million of the remaining $21 million on his contract, which runs out this summer, and drop the appeal of the fine if the team releases him. Marbury said last month he has a verbal agreement to join the defending world champion Boston Celtics, but that the Knicks will not agree on a buyout because they do not want him to win a championship. The Celtics have not commented on the situation. When asked if he would workout a buyout at the hearing Walsh responded: "No, no, no." Marbury will take the offer off the table on March 1, when he would no longer be eligible to be on a playoff roster. Walsh was asked about the possibility of resolving the situation before then. "We'll see," he said. "I haven't an answer for that."

The ugly feud began when Marbury was benched by coach Mike D'Antoni for the first three weeks of the season. The Brooklyn native then was fined after refusing to play when the Knicks' roster was severely shortened by injuries and trades. A lifelong Knicks fan, Marbury has been one of the central figures for a franchise that deteriorated under former coach Isiah Thomas into one the biggest laughingstocks in American professional sports.In the summer of 2007, Marbury testified in court when former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders filed an $11.6 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Thomas and Madison Square Garden.During his testimony, Marbury admitted to making derogatory comments about Sanders while revealing that he had sex with an MSG intern in a truck outside a strip club in 2005. Widely considered a selfish player, Marbury has failed to mesh with numerous star teammates throughout his career, including Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Keith Van Horn, Allan Houston and Steve Francis.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16992

Nuggets F Nene out two weeks
Denver Nuggets center Nene is expected to miss at least two weeks with a right knee contusion.The news was announced after Monday's 114-76 loss to Boston - the Nuggets' second-worst home loss in 33 years.

An MRI did not reveal any structural damage and confirmed the team's original diagnosis of a bone bruise. The Brazilian suffered the injury in the final minute of Sunday's contest in Milwaukee when he banged knees with Bucks forward Richard Jefferson. Nene, who had 17 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes before leaving. Nene is Denver's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 14.9 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds in 55 games this season.

Johan Petro started in place of Nene on Monday, registering nine points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. "The one big plus is he shows he has the skills to be on an NBA court," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

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

ESPN's Great State Debate: Michigan versus Pennsylvania
ESPN is running a competition asking fans which State is the best at producing basketball players. Michigan is a #5 seed and will be up against #4 seed Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia and Detroit both have storied hoops histories. So who's better? That's what we here at ESPN RISE wanted to know, as we pitted the Great Lake and Keystone states in the first round of the Great State Debate. If voters look at it strictly as a Philadelphia versus Detroit matchup, then Michigan would be in big trouble. While Detroit does have a strong basketball tradition, Philly has the clear edge in that comparison. In the Great State Debate, however, the entire spectrum of a state's basketball resume should be considered. Does the rest of Michigan make up the difference and then some? We'll find out in this No. 4 (Pennsylvania) versus No. 5 (Michigan) battle. The winner will go up against No. 1 seed New York in the semifinals next week.

It's hard to go against a State that has both Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, but Michigan does have Magic Johnson and Dave DeBusschere. You can go vote at the ESPN site.

[nasty daddy]

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

With Antonio McDyess coming out and proclaiming the Pistons have no leader on their team, and Ben Wallace saying the same thing but directing the blame towards the current Piston coach, the finger pointing has begun in Detroit. Drew Sharp writes that everyone is culpable.

"Going to work" once stood for something, but now it's nothing more than mindless marketing blather. These Pistons aren't worthy of their hard hats and sledge hammers. They didn't just quit Sunday in Cleveland. They didn't even try.

If that's the Pistons' battle plan for the final seven weeks of the regular season, then they should let everyone know as soon as possible so everybody can stop investing their money and their even more fiercely protected passion on this flaming, crashing Hindenburg of a season. Firing Michael Curry right now solves nothing. The Pistons were long ago unmasked as an NBA championship contending imposter. Giving him the ax right now only further perpetuates that public charade. And the last thing this organization requires right now is another readily available coaching scapegoat.