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

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http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/40357372.html

Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt arrested in Hollywood for investigation of drunken driving
Boston Celtics guard Gabe Pruitt apologized Thursday after he was stopped on a Hollywood street and arrested for investigation of misdemeanor drunken driving.

Pruitt was pulled over around 3 a.m., hours after playing five minutes in the Celtics' 93-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He failed a field sobriety test, police said. He was released at 8:30 a.m. on $5,000 bail, police Officer April Harding said.

Pruitt is from the Los Angeles area and played college basketball for Southern California. "I sincerely apologize for my actions which have caused unnecessary embarrassment to my family, my team, and the Celtics organization," the 22-year-old Pruitt said in a statement issued by the team. "I used poor judgment and I am really disappointed in myself." "I made a mistake and I have learned a valuable lesson," he said. Pruitt was detained for stopping at a green light and because his Mercedes S550 had dark tinted windows that are illegal in California, Harding said.

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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2 ... -possible/

NENE'S PROGRESS

Nene, who suffered a right knee bone bruise Sunday at Milwaukee, is walking without a limp. "I feel much better," said Nene, who missed his second straight game Wednesday.

While Nene wouldn't speculate on a return date, Karl is "staying positive" with hopes it will be sooner than two weeks from the injury. "We're feeling better about earlier than later now," said Karl, saying Nene will travel to games Sunday at Indiana and Tuesday at Detroit.

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http://need4sheed.com/2009/02/rasheed-w ... ended.html

Rasheed Wallace - Tossed (Towel) and Suspended
Game on the line, Sheed having a great game, blows his top after a foul call and trows two towels. One into the stands which led to his 16th technical foul of the year and then another on the court.

No Sheed in Orlando against the Magic - SUSPENDED UPDATE 2 of Sheed’s Techs have been rescinded by the NBA...he could play in Orlando but will he? I’m Joe I make a statement after Sheed’s latest BLOWUP!

Terry Foster thinks SHEED should be waived. The hits just keep on coming. 8 in a row……

[nasty daddy]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009 ... riday.html

Oden officially out for Friday's game at Minnesota
Greg Oden is listed as out for Friday's game at Minnesota. Oden worked out with the team today and did some light running.

This will be Oden's sixth-consecutive game missed.

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

Pistons Lose to Hornets
David West scored 30 points and grabbed two key offensive rebounds on New Orleans' final possession, helping the Hornets hold off the Detroit Pistons 90-87 on Wednesday night.

With the Hornets protecting an 88-87 lead, Chris Paul missed two runners in the lane, but West tipped the first rebound to himself and grabbed the second one cleanly, hitting two free throws after being fouled with 6.7 seconds left.

West and Paul, who finished with 20 points and 13 assists, combined for all but two of the Hornets' 25 fourth-quarter points. Walter Hermann missed a 3-pointer that would have forced overtime as the Pistons lost for the eighth consecutive time, their longest skid in 14 seasons. Richard Hamilton scored a team-high 24 points for Detroit.

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

Sheed Will Play
Rasheed Wallace has not been suspended for Friday's game against the Magic after the league rescinded two of his technical fouls.

He picked up what were thought to be technicals number 15 and 16 on Wednesday, and 16 is the magic number for a one-game suspension. However, NBA vice president of basketball communications Tim Frank said in an e-mail on Thursday morning that the techs Wallace received on Dec. 23 and Feb. 7 have been rescinded. Therefore he still can receive one more T free of charge. Go ahead and get him back in your lineup if you had benched him. That leaves Wallace with 14 for the season.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3613

Raptors assign Nathan Jawai to D-League
The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday they have assigned rookie forward-centre Nathan Jawai to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. Jawai will continue to be included on the Raptors’ roster and will be placed on the team’s inactive list.

Jawai, 22, has appeared in five games totaling two points and two rebounds in 18 minutes. He was cleared December 17 to begin physical activity after being sidelined since training camp for precautionary reasons as a result of an abnormality detected during normal procedural pre-season cardiac screening. The club acquired the draft rights to Jawai from the Indiana Pacers on July 9. He was the 41st overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft. He is the first indigenous player from Australia to be drafted by an NBA team.

Jawai is the third Raptor to be assigned to the D-League. P.J. Tucker was assigned twice to Colorado during the 2006-07 season and Pape Sow was assigned to the Arkansas Rimrockers in the 2005-06 campaign. Idaho, who is led by head coach Bryan Gates, has been designated as Toronto’s D-League affiliate for the 2008-09 season. In addition to the Stampede, the 16-team NBA D-League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Erie BayHawks (Penn.), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Ind.), Iowa Energy (Des Moines), Los Angeles D-Fenders, Reno Bighorns (Nev.), Rio Grande Valley Vipers (McAllen, Tex.), Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.), Tulsa 66ers (Okla.) and Utah Flash (Provo).

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http://www.detroitbadboys.com/

John Schuhmann of NBA.com: “No team has fallen off more offensively or defensively since last season than the Pistons. They’re a worse offensive team than the Timberwolves and a worse defensive team than the Bobcats. Their defensive rating over the last 21 games (112.4) is at the level the Clippers have been this season.” Ugh. The rest of the article is chock full of more depressing stats.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3611

Norm Van Lier dies
The Chicago Sun-Times reports: Former Bulls great and broadcaster Norm Van Lier has died at the age of 61. The Bulls drafted Van Lier in the third round in 1969. He played for the Bulls from 1971-72 until 1978 and was a three-time All-Star.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3610

Kevin Durant’s college jersey retired
The Oklahoman (Darnell Mayberry) reports (via blog): Kevin Durant had his No. 35 jersey retired last night at the University of Texas and called it an “unbelievable” experience… “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry,” Durant said. ”But once they played a video of highlights from when I was there and then unveiled the jersey I got real emotional. It was one of the best days of my life. I’ve come a long way. A lot of people doubted me when I was growing up. A lot of people doubted me and said I wasn’t going to be anything when I went to Texas. So it feels good to prove all those people wrong and shine some light on the university and also Oklahoma City. So I was excited and it was a great time for me and my family.”

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3609

No suspension for Rasheed Wallace, yet
Detroit Pistons veteran forward Rasheed Wallace was set to be suspended due to the NBA’s rule about the number of technical fouls a player is allowed to receive.

But, it won’t happen. Yet. Michican Live (A. Sherrod Blakely ) reports: Although Wallace picked up his 15th and 16th technical fouls of the season last night — which should have earned him a one-game suspension — a team official learned this morning that two of Wallace’s technicals from earlier this season (Dec. 23 and Feb. 7) have been rescinded.

Both teams played hard.

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3608

Bulls to visit President Obama
The White House has announced that the Chicago Bulls team will be visiting with President Barack Obama at approximately 2:45 p.m. CT in the Blue Room of the White House this afternoon.

“The opportunity to visit President Obama at the White House is a great honor for the Chicago Bulls organization,” stated Steve Schanwald, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the team. “The President has been a fan of the Bulls for many years and we are very appreciative of this opportunity to say hello to him and pay our respects.”

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http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3602

West 30 and 10, Hornets beat Pistons 90-87
David West had 30 points, Chris Paul scored 20 and added 13 assists and the duo combined for 23 of the Hornets’ 25 points in the fourth quarter of a 90-87 victory Wednesday night… Walter Hermann missed a 3-pointer from the wing that would have forced overtime as the Pistons lost for the eighth consecutive time, their longest skid in 14 seasons. Richard Hamilton scored a team-high 24 points… Detroit ended the game without Allen Iverson or Rasheed Wallace.

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http://newsok.com//article/3348820

Oklahoma Sooners still uncertain of Blake Griffin's status for Saturday
University of Oklahoma basketball player Blake Griffin has returned to the practice court, but is not participating in full-speed drills.

Griffin participated in shoot-arounds on Wednesday and Thursday but his status for Saturday's game at Texas Tech is still uncertain.

OU coach Jeff Capel said Griffin would have to pass a variety of tests before doctors allow him to play and that they should know more about his status on Friday.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11736

Celtics Confirm Marbury Signing: The Boston Celtics have confirmed that Stephon Marbury will be joining the team as soon as tomorrow. The Celtic players and coaches all chose to comment yesterday about Marbury's pending arrival telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that the team did sit down and consult with the core leaders on the team including the Big Three of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce before agreeing to bring Marbury on.

"We voiced our opinions, and with the way the team was and with the way our second unit is built, we felt like adding him could help," Pierce said. "We put so much responsibility in the second unit. Tony (Allen) and Eddie (House), those guys are a better fit off the ball, especially when you've got a ballhandler like Stephon Marbury. Now they're able to play their more natural positions."

Sources close to the situation say that several members of the team had contacted Marbury to gauge his mindset before giving their blessing on a deal, it's also believed that some of those same players lobbied Marbury to concede to the Knicks financial demands so he could be waived and join the team before the playoff eligibility deadline of March 1st. Marbury is expected to ink a deal for the prorated NBA minimum worth $1.3 million for a player with his years of service, in all the deal will be worth just under $400,000 for the balance of the season.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11736

Arenas Damage Control: The Washington Wizards have been taking a little heat from their fans and their traveling media regarding Gilbert Arenas' announcement this week that he had been practicing with the team since mid-February, and that he was taking things slow with regards to a possible return this season. Arenas missed all but 13 games of the season last year due to complications with his surgically repaired knee, and has yet to play this season. The always controversial Arenas let it slip earlier in the season that given the woeful state of the team in the win/loss column that he didn't see any reason to rush a return, now it seems the message is a little different.

"Given the circumstances, I can understand not wanting to build up expectations that can't be fulfilled," Wizards head coach Ed Tapscott said to Ivan Carter of the Washington Post. "He's in a tough position having been out and trying to work through this the right way. He's been in that situation in the past and had setbacks. We want to make sure this time that we handle this absolutely correctly in terms of his health and welfare. That has to be a priority for us." "We're tying to do a little more each day," Tapscott said. "We put him into just about everything for a limited period and now we'll judge how he responds. This is sort of the ramp-up plan. . . . Obviously conditioning is a question: He's got to get better at that and then we have to see what the doctors say about how his knee responds. That's where we are."

The Wizards are 13-44 on the season, which is the second-worst record in the league. If the season ended tomorrow the Wizards would look to be favorites for the 2nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. The Wizards have 25 games remaining on their schedule.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11736

The End Is Never Pretty: Let's face it, the Detroit Pistons threw in the towel when they traded away Chauncey Billups. It was inevitable that the Pistons would struggle; sure, you can blame the inexperienced head coach Michael Curry, you can blame Allen Iverson, you can blame the ball boys, but at the end of the day the blame for the self-destruction going on in the Motor City falls squarely on Joe Dumars. The Pistons lost their eighth straight game last night, and now the second guessing is starting and it's coming from a normally quiet reserved player. Richard Hamilton was sent to the bench weeks ago after agreeing to a new contract extension with the team, a move that at the time he agreed to, but last night made it clear it was likely time to revisit that situation.

"I said I would come off the bench as long as we win," Hamilton said to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. "But we've been losing. We are 4-12 with me coming off the bench. Something's got to give. Something's got to change. I am on board with doing whatever for the team but coming off the bench and we're not winning, that's something totally different."

The Pistons have been playing the game of rebuilding, and look to have as much as $23 million available under the projected $57 million 2009 salary cap. Given the state of the team now, it looks like Joe Dumars will have his work cut out for him this summer, a summer in which he may have no choice but to replace his coach, and the bulk of his team.

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

Nene Seeking a Return Against the Lakers
After spending Wednesday afternoon in a swimsuit and Wednesday night in a business suit, Nene said he will try to suit up in his No. 31 jersey on Friday.

The Nuggets center said he will try to return against the Los Angeles Lakers. Nene suffered a right knee bone bruise in Sunday's game and sat out Monday and Wednesday, though he did do swimming exercises and looked pretty spiffy on the Denver bench. "I'm hoping (for Friday). I'll do the therapy, do the exercise and try to feel comfortable," said Nene, who leads the NBA in shooting percentage (.609). "There's been a lot of pro- gress. Day by day it's getting better."

Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said Nene could return to court workouts today. "He's doing real well," Gillen said. "I figured he would."

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

Duncan Doesn't Need Surgery
The good news from the doctors who examined Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan's sore right knee Wednesday morning: no initials. No ACL, MCL, PTL, or any other combination of letters typically used to describe a torn ligament or damaged cartilage. Rather, Duncan has tendonosis in his right quadriceps tendon, a degenerative condition. Technically, the injury could be described as a minor problem with Duncan's RQT, but the diagnosis requires rest, not surgery. For that, the Spurs are grateful. “It's none of those letter things,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He's got (tendonosis), so we'll see how he feels on Friday.”

Asked if Duncan would have been able to suit up had Tuesday's and Wednesday's games been playoff games, Popovich guessed that Duncan would have threatened him with physical harm in an effort to play.

Nothing would have changed Popovich's resolve to prevent it. “I don't think he would (have played),” Popovich said. “(Tuesday) night, he had no strength in the leg. It didn't loosen up at all, and he wouldn't have been able to do a damn thing, so it would have been detrimental. “He would have wanted to play. He would have tried to beat me up to play, probably, but it wouldn't have done any good. “It's not quite as bad (Wednesday). Hopefully, by Friday he'll be in better shape.”

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=17068

Pistons F Wallace won't have to serve suspension
Rasheed Wallace has avoided a one-game suspension and will be in the lineup when the Detroit Pistons visit the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Wallace picked up two technical fouls in Wednesday's 90-87 loss to the New Orleans Hornets, which gave him 16 for the season. NBA rules dictate that any player reaching 16 technicals must serve an automatic one-game suspension. According to the Detroit Free Press, however, NBA vice president of basketball communications Tim Frank said in an e-mail Thursday that the technicals Wallace received on December 23 and February 7 have been rescinded.

That leaves Wallace with 14 for the season and will allow him to continue playing.