'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12

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The Toronto Raptors signed free agent forward Jamal Sampson, a cousin of Ralph Sampson. He is expected to give the team frontcourt depth after the loss of Nathan Jawai, who will be held out of practice because of concerns from a routine cardiac screening.

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The West still is the best conference in the NBA and not even the most ardent fan of the East would debate that. But the gap doesn't seem as wide this season compared to past seasons. It makes you wonder if the end of the West's reign is near? • The Spurs looked tired late last season. • Shaquille O'Neal and Steve Nash are probably making their last run with the Suns. • The Jazz could conceivably lose two of their stars after this season. • The Mavericks are going to make one more stand with Jason Kidd. • The Nuggets and Warriors, once considered up-and-coming contenders, have taken major steps backwards. Still, with the Lakers and Hornets looking strong, the star power of Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Deron Williams, Tim Duncan, and talented young blood like Kevin Durant, O.J. Mayo, Greg Oden and others, maybe it's best not bury the West just yet. Last week, I revealed my preseason rankings in the East. Here is the West: Contenders:• 1. Lakers: Having Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum together for a full season takes them up a notch, and if Lamar Odom can adapt to playing small forward, that's a pretty formidable frontcourt. • 2. Mavericks: I think Rick Carlisle is going to get them back on track. He'll let Jason Kidd run the offense, making life easier for Dirk Nowitzki , Jerry Stackhouse and the crew. • 3. Hornets: Love Chris Paul and David West , but the worry still is the lack of depth. James Posey and Mike James are their two best reserves, but the frontcourt behind Tyson Chandler and West is paper thin. • 4. Rockets: Adding Ron Artest will either help or kill them, depending on which way his mood swings. But the main worry always is the health of both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming . • 5. Jazz: The concern is Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur could both opt out and leave after this season. That could be a motivator or chemistry-killing distraction. • 6. Trail Blazers: All eyes will be on Greg Oden , who finally makes his NBA debut. If Nate McMillan can fit all his talented pieces together and find the right pace and style of play (can they run with Oden?), the Blazers will be a serious force. • 7. Spurs: They looked by the end of last season like a former champion who'd taken their final punch. Do Tim Duncan , Manu Ginobili , Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen have one more run in them? They do win every other year. • 8. Suns: Speaking of aging teams, new coach Terry Porter will try to squeeze one more run out of Shaquille O'Neal , Steve Nash and Grant Hill . Having a seemingly healthy Amare Stoudemire will help.

Pretenders:• 9. Nuggets: With Marcus Camby gone, the league's worst defense got worse. What's left is a trio of gunslingers (Allen Iverson , Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith ). By the trade deadline, George Karl could be fired and Iverson or Anthony (maybe both) could be traded. • 10. Clippers: A lineup featuring Baron Davis , Al Thornton , Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman is intriguing. If Davis stays healthy and focused, this team may surprise. • 11. Warriors: Losing Monta Ellis to injury was a killing blow, leaving them with an undisciplined group (Corey Maggette , Al Harrington , Stephen Jackson ) led by an unproven point guard, Marcus Williams . Lottery lane:• 12. Timberwolves: Al Jefferson is a 20-point, 10-rebound talent, and now, with the additions of Mike Miller and rookie Kevin Love , not to mention Randy Foye , they finally have a foundation. • 13. Grizzlies: This team, this franchise has been so bland, so boring, you wonder if even a dynamic talent like O.J. Mayo can give it life. • 14. Kings: How far can you go if your go-to guy is Kevin Martin ? Martin might well average 25 points a game, but then what? John Salmons , Brad Miller and Mikki Moore ? • 15. Thunder: OKC wanted a pro team and got one -- the worst team in the league. At least fans can watch Kevin Durant .

By the numbers:
$8M Amount the Pistons paid Kwame Brown, who has averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds.$33M : Amount the Mavericks paid to DeSagana Diop, who has averaged 2.1 points and 3.9 rebounds.20-25: Games Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is expected to miss at the start of the season after offseason ankle surgery. 154 : Hours Thunder center Robert Swift spent covering his body with tattoos.

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Oden said he "tweaked" the ankle while pushing center Joel Przybilla out of the lane while fighting for rebounding position. Oden, who missed all of last season while recovering from surgery on his right knee, walked with a pronounced limp after the incident, but said he was just being cautious. "I was just not trying to put pressure on it until I could get in the pool and get some ice on it,'' Oden said. "There was no reason to try and do something to make it worse, so I just stayed out (of drills) and rode the bike.''

Accompanied by athletic trainer Jay Jensen, Oden rode a courtside exercise bike after the injury. Prior to that, Oden did enough during his 90 minutes of practice that his jersey was soaked with sweat. "He looked really good out there, guys,'' general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "I mean, he is a force once he gets the ball down low. You have to know where he is both on the offensive and defensive ends. He makes an impact on both ends. It was a great practice.''

Pritchard said he has little to no concerns about the ankle. "It's just a little tweak; it wasn't like it was a major turn,'' Pritchard said. "It was Grade One, and that means he could have probably gone back in there. So, that happens. We can't be over-sensitive to everything he does.'' Oden said he planned to take part in the team's evening practice session. "It's just a little rollover,'' Oden said. "I'll be all right.''

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Caron Butler sat out of practice to rest. Butler, who was limited to 58 games last season because of a series of injuries, said taking care of his body will be a priority this season.

"I'm just taking a cautious approach to it," Butler said. "We've had two-a-days and I've been coming over early every day for extra work so I don't want to bang my body up too much. I'm trying to rest my body as much as possible so I don't have to go through the same reoccurring thing again this season."

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Injured swingman Mike Dunleavy spent his (first day of training camp) watching from the sideline as his teammates sprinted and worked on about "75 percent" of their defensive schemes.

Dunleavy developed tendinitis in his right knee after playing pick-up games this summer in California. He isn't sure when he will make his camp debut.

"It started getting worse and worse and it never went away," he said. "I haven't been able to get it calmed down."

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Bucks guard Charlie Bell underwent ankle surgery in May and said he had made good progress during the summer months.

"It's been a slow process," Bell said. "That on top of the knee injury I had last year, and it's kind of just been a rehabbing summer. I've been trying to get my legs right, knowing that this is going to be a long year with Scott Skiles. It's going to be a little more physical season, and I'm just trying to get ready for that."

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Cavs guard Eric Snow took his physical the other day, but will not be in training camp. The Cavs will need to keep him on the 15-man roster for the time being. They've filed a disability claim with the insurance company, which hasn't been resolved yet.

Also, they can't earn an injured player exception until the one-year anniversary of the last game in which he played (Feb. 22).

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Eddy Curry missed yesterday's first two practices of training camp and could be out for the weeklong training camp here after being felled by a bacterial infection Monday night in the team hotel, Knicks officials said.

Using his trademark gallows humor, D'Antoni said: "It might've been lucky for him [missing practice]. He might've died otherwise. He was throwing up and everything. It's a great way to lose weight."

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Forward/center Malick Badiane joined training camp Tuesday, increasing the roster to 16 players.

Memphis acquired Badiane's draft rights Feb. 21 in a three-way trade involving Houston and New Orleans. The 24-year-old Senegal native was originally selected by Houston in the second round of the 2003 draft.

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Clippers rookie guard Eric Gordon sprained his right ankle at practice tonight and will sit out of practice on Wednesday. He's considered day-to-day.

We'll know more tommorrow morning just how serious the injury is, but even if it's minor, it's disappointing to see Gordon miss any practice time. Everyone in the Clippers camp seems enamored with Gordon and his potential to contribute immediately. One veteran player even used the word ``star'' when describing how good Gordon can be. And it seems like Gordon has taken the expectations on him seriously. He said after Tuesday morning's practice that he'd lost about seven or eight pounds over the summer (he now weighs around 215 pounds), because he wanted to be prepared for extended runs and the long NBA season. That's a good sign for a player who had to shut it down after just two summer league games, due to injury.

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The first name out of Warriors coach Don Nelson's mouth — after the first session of the first day of training camp Saturday — may be surprising. It wasn't newly acquired swingman Corey Maggette or new point guard Marcus Williams. It wasn't one of his old faithfuls, swingman Stephen Jackson or center Andris Biedrins.

The first player Nelson offered praise to was guard Anthony Morrow. Heard of him? He's the rookie out of Georgia Tech whom the Warriors signed after he lit up the summer leagues in Las Vegas and Utah. "I just take it as a blessing," said Morrow, who turned 23 this past weekend. "Every day I wake up, I thank God for it. I just want to come in here and work hard. Guys like Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette, I want to learn from their example." It seems as if every year some lesser known in training camp comes out of nowhere to impress the coaching staff. This year for the Warriors, Morrow is that guy. At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, he brings welcomed size to the perimeter. Having gone undrafted out of Georgia Tech, he boasts the hunger and appreciation for the opportunity that stands out in the training camp drag.

Most important, he has an outside stroke the Warriors can desperately use. "I think he's probably the best shooter in camp, including me," Jackson said. "He's shooting the daylights out of the ball." Nelson said Morrow is the best shooter on the team and would be on many teams around the league. Though their style of play leans heavily on outside shots, the Warriors are short on pure shooters. They shot 34.8 percent from 3-point range last season, which ranked 23rd in the NBA.

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Rookie guard Sun Yue continued to feel fatigued because of mononucleosis and was not expected to appear at training camp this week. . . . Forward Luke Walton did not take part in Tuesday's scrimmages while continuing to recover from off-season ankle surgery. Walton can run in a straight line and took part in some drills Tuesday, but he is having trouble moving laterally.

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Jason Thompson relaxed into a seat inside the Kings' practice facility after the first workout of training camp. "The first part of the first day went well," the rookie said after the morning non-contact session ended and players scattered into different directions.

With a swollen left eye, Thompson appeared to have taken a hit during the action."Oh, no," he explained. "It's a sty. I look like a pirate right now. I'm trying to not let it affect me."

Thompson said the toughest part of his job right now is learning all the plays, although he said he is a fast learner. "But I have to learn more than one position, like I did in college," Thompson said. "So I'm going to have to learn the three, the four and the five. It's going to be tough, but I'm going to get my playbook out and since I don't have schoolwork, that will be my schoolwork."

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The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have signed forward Charles Gaines. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The 6-9, 223-lb Gaines has spent the previous four seasons playing in Europe. Last season he played with Galatasaray Cafecrown in the Turkish TBL League. Gaines appeared in 28 games and averaged 12.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.86 steals in 25.5 minutes. He also saw action in 17 ULEB Cup games, averaging 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.12 steals in 27.3 minutes. Over his career, Gaines has made stops in Spain (DKV Jovent), France (Adecco ASVEL), Italy (Eurofiditalia Reggio Calabria) and the Continental Basketball Association (Michigan Mayhem).

At the same time the Spurs announced they have waived guard Brian Morrison. San Antonio’s roster stands at 20.

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Portland center Greg Oden is OK after rolling his right ankle during the first day of training camp. "He's fine,'' Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said Wednesday. "Everybody, he's fine. He's OK.''

Oden, who missed all of his rookie season because of knee surgery, was injured Tuesday during a drill while pushing fellow center Joel Przybilla for rebounding position.

After walking with a slight limp, he finished practice by riding a stationary bike.

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The Sacramento Kings today added Shareef Abdur-Rahim to their coaching staff as an assistant coach, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Abdur-Rahim, a 12-year NBA veteran, recently retired his playing career due a reoccurring knee injury.

Abdur-Rahim enjoyed 12 seasons in the NBA with four different teams (Vancouver 1996-97 to 2000-01, Atlanta 2001-02 to 2003-04, Portland 2003-04 to 2004-05 and Sacramento 2005-06 to 2007-08), amassing career averages of 18.1 points (.452 FGs, .297 3FGs, .810 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game through 830 outings. His most productive season, statistically, occurred during the 1998-99 campaign in Vancouver when he averaged 23.0 points (.432 FGs, .306 3FGs, .841 FTs), 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game through 50 contests (NBA Lockout season). The following season (1999-00), Abdur-Rahim averaged double figures in both points (20.3) and rebounds (10.1) per game, in which he played in all 82 contests for the Grizzlies. Abdur-Rahim was a member of the gold-medal winning United States Olympic team in 2000 while still with the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was selected to the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team where he scored nine points in 21 minutes as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in 2002.

On December 28, 2002, Abdur-Rahim became the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point plateau when he scored 18 points at Washington at age 26, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with that distinction. He scored a career-high 50 points (including a career-high 21 field goals made) versus Detroit on November 23, 2001, becoming the first Hawks player to hit that mark since Dominique Wilkins poured in 52 points in 1991. Selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis) as an undergraduate out of California with the third pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Abdur-Rahim has a long-standing history of community service involvement. He was named by The Sporting News as the NBA’s Number 1 Good Guy for 2004 after funding the Reef House in Atlanta through his Atlanta-based Future Foundation with the purpose of assisting at-risk and underprivileged youth.

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Trail Blazers center Greg Oden is OK after rolling his right ankle during the first day of training camp. "He's fine," Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said Wednesday. "Everybody, he's fine. He's OK."

Oden, who missed all of his rookie season because of knee surgery, was injured Tuesday during a drill while pushing fellow center Joel Przybilla for rebounding position.

After walking with a slight limp, he finished practice by riding a stationary bike.

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The Nuggets signed guards Mateen Cleaves and William “Smush” Parker and forwards Nick Fazekas, James Mays and Ruben Patterson to their training camp roster Tuesday.

Cleaves, a Flint, Mich., native who starred on Michigan State’s 2000 national championship team, has averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 assists in 167 games with Detroit, Sacramento, Cleveland and Seattle. Parker is averaging 9 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 274 games with Cleveland, Detroit, Phoenix, the L.A. Lakers, Miami and the L.A. Clippers.

Fazekas averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 26 games with Dallas and the Clippers last year, his rookie season. Patterson has averaged 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 649 NBA games with the Lakers, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Milwaukee and the Clippers. Mays played four years at Clemson.

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It was shooting guard Rip Hamilton’s turn this afternoon to let everyone know that he approved of the new coach Michael Curry. And by doing so he added his name to the list of those critical of former coach Flip Saunders, who was fired shortly after the Pistons lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Shortly after the first practice of the day, Hamilton was asked about his happiness last season and he was quick to say: “I had a son and that was one of the greatest times of my life so I was never actually mad or disappointed,” he said. “I was disappointed sometimes with the way Flip did things. That was the most frustrating thing about it. My personal life and everything I did off the court were the greatest things; but more than anything I was frustrated with how Flip ran things.”

And that’s when he gave a ringing endorsement to Curry. “It’s a new season and I’m just happy M.C.’s coaching and hopefully we can get off to a good start,” Hamilton said. “You can’t look to the past. You got to move on and you got to look at the situation ahead of us.”

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For most of last season, Richard Hamilton was not his usual self. He was moody off the court -- at least with the media -- and at times couldn't contain his frustration on it, which was evidenced by his career-high 15 technical fouls. There was speculation he was distracted by the birth of his son, which happened right before the season-opener. That, he says, wasn't it. "I had a son, which was one of the greatest times of my life," Hamilton said Wednesday. "That was not a disappointment. Nothing off the court was a disappointment."

So, what was? "I was disappointed at the way Flip (Saunders) did things, that was the frustrating thing about it," he said. Hamilton wouldn't get into specifics, but his major point of contention with Saunders was that he didn't hold all players accountable for their actions. "Players like to be challenged and they want discipline, even when they fight at times," coach Michael Curry said. "Rip was frustrated because he didn't feel that everybody was being held accountable. Our goal as a coaching staff this year is to do a better job holding everybody accountable every day."

Hamilton has been a happy camper thus far and is eager to turn the page on last season. "I don't want to talk about (Saunders), either," he said. "It's a new season and I am glad MC is the coach. You can't look to the past. I am glad to move on and focus on the season ahead of us."