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Spurs waive Marcus Haislip
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have waived forward Marcus Haislip to allow him to pursue opportunities outside of the NBA.
The 6-10, 230-lb Haislip appeared in 10 games for San Antonio and averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in 4.4 minutes.
The Spurs roster stands at 14.
Clippers waive Kareem Rush, sign JamesOn Curry to 10-Day contract
The Los Angeles Clippers today signed guard JamesOn Curry to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
A member of the NBA Development League’s Springfield Armor, Curry becomes the eighth Gatorade Call-Up of the 2009-10 season. The Clippers also announced that they have waived forward Kareem Rush.
Brandon Roy out four games with right hamstring injury
The AP reports: Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will miss four games because of a right hamstring injury, the team said Friday.
Roy re-injured the hamstring late in the first half of Portland’s 98-90 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday night. He left the team for treatment in Seattle.
The two-time All-Star was originally hurt during the third quarter of the Blazers’ 120-108 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 13.
Hawks sign Mario West to second 10-day contract
The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard Mario West to a second 10-day contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund.
In four games with Atlanta this season, West has averaged 1.3 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 7.8 mpg (.667 FG%, 1-1 FTs). The Georgia Tech product is in his third year with the Hawks.
COOK SITS OUT
Heat reserve guard Daequan Cook sat out Friday's game with a sprained left ankle that he sustained during the team's shootaround Friday morning. Cook said he landed awkwardly on a teammate's foot after attempting a layup. Cook hopes to play Saturday against Sacramento.
He said it
"Untrue. There's no trade possibility for Rudy (Gay). Rudy is a Memphis Grizzly, and for as long as he wants to be, he will be." Hollins, responding to a question about a recent ESPN.com report that suggested the Griz are willing to trade Gay.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Detroit Pistons: The injury situation the Portland Trail Blazers are going through is just plain ridiculous, but the Detroit Pistons aren't going to have any sympathy for them. Half of their team is day-to-day and there appears to be turmoil with John Keuster and some of the players, specifically Tayshaun Prince. The Blazers have come together during this tough time, but they have their limitations with barely anyone healthy.
Injury updates: Right as the Boston Celtics get Kevin Garnett back they lose another member of their frontline as Brian Scalabrine dislocated his shoulder. WEEI's Jessica Camerato reports that Scalabrine, who originally injured the shoulder back on January 6th against the HEAT, expects to miss a week.
In the Golden State Warriors' 111-79 victory over the New Jersey Nets Monta Ellis suffered a sprained ankle. X-Rays were negative but he's not travelling with the team to Phoenix to take on the Suns.
The Los Angeles Clippers suffered another injury, this time to backup point guard Sebastian Telfair. Telfair strained his right groin and tore his adductor longus tendon, located in the thigh. Telfair will miss four-to-six weeks at a minimum.
Nate Robinson strained his hamstring last night against the Los Angeles Lakers, his status for tonight's game against the Mavericks is unknown.
Devin Harris struggles with his wrist continued last night. He was forced to miss the second half after falling hard and aggravating his right wrist. X-rays were negative, but he's doubtful against the Jazz tonight.
Friday night was not good to the Charlotte Bobcats as they saw both Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace go down with ankle sprains. They're both questionable for tonight's contest against the Magic.
David West did not play in the entire second half of New Orleans' come from behind victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's questionable tonight.
Joining the sprained ankle club as well last night was Jerryd Bayless, who did not return after leaving in the third quarter of last night's contest. He's questionable for tonight as well.
Source: Cavs to Sign DL's Cedric Jackson
For the first time since establishing it as their affiliate, the Cavaliers are going to pluck a player from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League.
According to a source, the team will sign Cleveland State product Cedric Jackson to a 10-day contract on Saturday.
Jackson, a 6-3 rookie guard, will give the Cavs instant point guard help following injuries to Mo Williams and Delonte West. Jackson is averaging 14.7 points and 7.6 assists with the BayHawks. He's coming off a game in which he scored 34 points.
Ellis Sidelined with Sprained Ankle
Monta Ellis became the latest Warriors player to miss time because of injury as he left Friday's game against New Jersey in the second half with a sprained right ankle that will sideline him tonight.
X-rays on Ellis' ankle were negative, but he did not make the trip to Phoenix for tonight's game against the Suns. He was not in the locker room after the game for comment. "He's been playing a lot of minutes, taking a lot of the grunt work of what we have to do out on the court," (Stephen) Curry said of Ellis. "... (It'll be) our first experience playing without him, so we'll see how it goes."
Ellis' ankle had been bothering him, and the injury was exacerbated when he stepped on another player's foot, according to Warriors coach Don Nelson. Ellis, who has played in every game this season, was 2-of-9 from the floor with four points — a season-low — and five assists and two turnovers in 25 minutes.
Felton, Wallace Suffer Ankle Injuries
It's possible the Charlotte Bobcats will play the Orlando Magic Saturday minus starters Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace.
Felton sprained his right ankle in the first quarter of Friday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and Wallace aggravated a left ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the week. Felton appears to be the more severe injury.
Scalabrine to Miss One Week
Brian Scalabrine expects to miss nearly a week with a separated right shoulder, he told WEEI.com following the Celtics – Trail Blazers game. He did not play on Friday night and aims to return next Thursday against the Magic in Orlando.
Scalabrine initially suffered the injury on January 6 against the Heat while trailing Michael Beasley on a pick. However, he wanted to maximize his opportunity in Kevin Garnett’s absence and played the next seven games with the injury.
“The only thing that was hard was when I play defense, I used my forearms to create space so the guy can’t feel my body. I couldn’t do it with this side so it was just a minor disadvantage,” he explained. “You have to learn to play with your feet a little more instead of using your body, your spacing, stuff like that. But I think hopefully these next couple of days it’ll get better.”
Harris Injures Wrist; X-Rays Negative
Devin Harris, who had landed hard and sprained his right wrist just three seconds before halftime, stood in the Nets' locker room making the act of putting on his shirt something as difficult as, well, the Nets' winning.
Here's the difference. Harris eventually got his shirt on. And buttoned. Who knows if, when the Nets will win again? "In the first half, I thought we had momentum," interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said. "Devin gets hurt and we just collapse."
Need good news? Harris' X-rays were negative. That's about it. But even he doubts he will be ready for tonight's road trip-ending expected loss in Utah. "I'll say no," Harris (four points, three assists, 20 minutes) said of his availability for the Jazz game, giving the positive spin as "It's not broken. . . . I fell on it right before the half. I put my hand out to kind of brace the fall and I think that's when it happened. It's just a sprain right now. Hopefully it will not get worse. . . . Everything heals with time."
Robinson Leaves Game with Injury
Nate Robinson was unavailable for the second half of Friday night's game against the Lakers after suffering a strained right hamstring, and was replaced by Larry Hughes.
Robinson played 10 minutes in the first half, and although he made just one of five shots, he did record four assists and three rebounds. His status for tomorrow's matinee against Dallas is unknown - Robinson said after the game he was hopeful he can play - and if the injury persists there is a possibility he won't be able to defend his Slam Dunk contest title at All-Star Weekend Feb.12-14.
David West Sprains Ankle; Status Unknown
New Orleans forward David West suffered a left ankle sprain in Friday's 96-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
West sustained the injury in the second quarter and did not return. He finished with 14 points in a little under 12 minutes.
The Hornets play again Saturday, at Denver, but West's status for that game is not known.
Hollins: Gay Not on Trading Block
"Untrue. There's no trade possibility for Rudy (Gay). Rudy is a Memphis Grizzly, and for as long as he wants to be, he will be." Hollins, responding to a question about a recent ESPN.com report that suggested the Griz are willing to trade Gay.
Trail Blazers-Pistons Preview
Without leading scorer Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers lost their last game. Now they have to be concerned about the health of Roy's backup. The injury-plagued Trail Blazers hope to have Jerryd Bayless available Saturday night when they close a four-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons. Roy missed Portland's 98-95 overtime loss to Boston on Friday, the first of four games he's expected to sit out because of a right hamstring injury. The Trail Blazers (26-18) said the two-time All-Star will be re-evaluated on Thursday. Roy, who leads Portland with 23.1 points per game, originally suffered the injury in a home win over Milwaukee on Jan. 13. After missing the next two games, he returned Wednesday in a 98-90 win over Philadelphia, scoring only 10 points in 18-plus minutes. Bayless started for Roy against the Celtics, but left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, finishing with 12 points. It's not immediately known if the former Arizona star will play versus the Pistons. The Blazers, already without centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden (season-ending knee injuries) among others, have still remained competitive. Without Roy, though, Portland shot just 38.2 percent in Boston, and trailed most of the way.
Looking for a split on their road trip, the Blazers have alternated wins and losses in their last seven visits to The Palace of Auburn Hills. Roy had 19 points in Portland's last game there, a 96-85 victory on Nov. 30, 2008. Portland dropped to 2-2 this season minus their offensive sparkplug. After the Celtics took a 96-95 lead, LaMarcus Aldridge missed a 3-pointer before the Celtics put the game away on a late breakaway dunk. Aldridge finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Miller, who came in averaging 12.9 points, scored a season-high 28. While Portland is struggling, the Pistons appear to be having deeper issues. Detroit (15-27) trailed by 12 at the end of the first quarter, and fell 105-93 to Indiana on Friday. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 27 points.
Tayshaun Prince returned after missing the previous six games with a knee injury. However, he finished with just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, and got into a heated exchange with first-year coach John Kuester during a fourth-quarter timeout. "Don't even ask me about that. Y'all will just change my words anyway," said Prince, who missed 26 games in November and December with a back injury. He had started all 82 games each of the last five seasons. The Pistons have won four of six following a 13-game skid from Dec. 15-Jan. 11, but Kuester appeared to take Friday's loss personally. "I'm very disappointed," he said in a post-game press conference that lasted less than 60 seconds. "We talked about this before the game, and it shouldn't have happened." The Blazers beat Detroit 87-81 on Nov. 18 in Portland. Roy and Aldridge each scored 20 points in the win, while Rodney Stuckey had 21 for the Pistons, who were without Hamilton and Prince.
Pistons face injury-riddled Trail Blazers tonight
The Detroit Pistons might have finally found a team with more injury problems than they have.
The Portland Trail Blazers knew Friday that they would be playing tonight without starting guard and leading scorer Brandon Roy, who has an injured hamstring. But backup guard Jerryd Bayless, who started in Roy's place Friday against Boston, injured his left ankle against the Celtics. He is questionable for tonight's game.
Other players on the injured list for the Blazers are Greg Oden (left knee), Travis Outlaw (left foot), Nicolas Batum (right shoulder) and Joel Przybilla (right knee). All those players are listed as out. For the Pistons, Ben Gordon (right groin) is listed as a game-time decision. Will Bynum (left ankle sprain) is out.
Video in the link above^.Plays of the Week - January 17
Check out the MetroPCS Pistons Weekly plays of the week for January 17, then vote for the favorite at Pistons.com.
Coming off a high, Pistons crash back down with a thud
When I was given the opportunity to choose a game to re-cap I naturally chose this game against the Pacers, at home, to write about. Imagine my happiness in ultimately choosing this game, as it was also the first game after beating the hated Celtics (and Sheed!) just 2 nights earlier. This game had it all: No names like Luther Head getting into Richard Hamilton’s head, Danny Granger talking trash and chest bumping rookie (Sweed!) Jonas Jerebko, and a shouting match between co-captain Tayshaun Prince and coach John Kuester. Let’s look at the recap