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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... 7&cxcat=46

Heat first-round draft pick Michael Beasley missed most of Monday's first practice session after suffering a mild left groin strain. "Just a little sore," coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Beasley's injury. "Really precautionary. He started practice, did dummy offense and moved around a little."

Beasley was hurt during a five-on-five drill. He watched from the sideline along with fellow forward Udonis Haslem, who is recovering from a foot injury. "From what I noticed he's got a pretty good basketball IQ," Haslem said. "Most of the stuff they went over today he's already done in summer league. He should know that stuff."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index. ... ichigannba

The Detroit Pistons have signed free agent guard Alex Acker to a contract. The team did not disclose terms of the deal, which was announced on Monday.

Detroit selected Acker in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft as the 60th overall pick. He played five games with the Pistons during the 2005-06 season, averaging 1.8 points and 1 rebound a game.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Acker has played overseas for two seasons. He averaged 6.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1 assist in 30 games for FC Barcelona last season. He previously played for Olympiakos in Greece. Acker ended his college career as the 20th all-time leading scorer in Pepperdine history with 1,273 points in 88 games.

[nasty daddy]

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... to_roster/

The Oklahoma City Thunder signed center Chris Alexander, guard Derrick Byars and guard John Lucas III to the training camp roster it was announced Monday by Thunder General Manager Sam Presti.

Alexander (7-1, 240) most recently played for the Barangay Ginebra Kings of the Philippine Basketball Association where he averaged 18.8 points, 20.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. The former Iowa State Cyclone played the 2007-08 NBA Development League season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce where he averaged 11.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 40 games.Derrick Byars (6-3, 230) played for Chorale Roanne Basket of the French Pro-A league during the 2007-08 season and averaged 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds with the club. Byars played the 2006-07 season at Vanderbilt University where he averaged 17.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a senior.

John Lucas III (5-11, 165) played last season with Benetton Treviso of the Italian League where he averaged 6.9 points and 1.1 assists in 7 games. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy played 60 NBA regular season games with the Houston Rockets averaging 3.1 points per game during from 2005-2007. The Thunder roster now stands at 17.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index. ... basketball

The Houston Rockets, buzzing about the arrival of Ron Artest, already have injury concerns with Tracy McGrady.

Houston's leading scorer said Monday that his left shoulder is arthritic and will require surgery after this season. He also said his left knee is healing slower than expected from surgery in the spring. McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24, and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season. He had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his shoulder and knee. He said his knee is "probably 75-80 percent" healthy and will take another two months to fully heal.

McGrady said an MRI revealed the arthritis in his shoulder. "That's something I've got to deal with again this season," said McGrady, who averaged 21.6 points last season and was selected third-team all-NBA. "My knee should be ready to go by opening night."McGrady said the shoulder injury was not going to keep him out of practices or games, but added that, "it's going to bother me."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index. ... basketball

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson says he's "feeling wonderful" just a couple weeks after spraining his right knee during a workout with teammates.

Jefferson was moving around fine during the team's media day on Monday and says he plans to do plenty of running and some light work when the team gathers in Mankato for training camp on Tuesday. But he probably won't be doing any contact drills for another week or two.

Jefferson was injured when point guard Blake Ahearn fell into his knee. Jefferson says he heard a pop and "thought it was all over." But it turned out to be just a sprain, and Jefferson says he can't wait to join his teammates in practice. Mankato is the hometown of owner Glen Taylor.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index. ... basketball

Matt Harpring's knees are fine. It's complications from ankle surgery this summer that are keeping him from joining his teammates at Utah Jazz training camp.

Harpring said Monday at Jazz media day that he developed a strep infection after the surgery to remove a bone spur in his right ankle in June. He spent several days at a hospital in Atlanta, then as he was recovering the antibiotics that had been pumped into his body made him painfully sick for another week.

Harpring was worried that his ankle could have developed a staph infection, but was relieved when doctors told him it was strep and that after a few weeks of intravenous antibiotics he should be OK. But after the infection cleared up, Harpring said he had severe digestive problems that kept him off his feet for another week. "I was fortunate it wasn't one of the killer bugs," Harpring said.

[nasty daddy]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... ons/1.html

Detroit Pistons
Key question: When is the shakeup coming?

Joe Dumars was one peeved dude at the end of the Pistons' postseason run. He fired coach Flip Saunders and vowed an overhaul of the roster, ostensibly for Detroit's failure once again to advance beyond the conference finals. Well, the nucleus -- Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess -- is intact. What's that, the Pistons signed Kwame Brown? Right. As we were saying ... Scuttling a roster is easier said (and daydreamed about in malevolent moments) than done in pro sports, and the most notable change has been Michael Curry's hiring as coach. Maybe the Pistons' proud vets have one more run in them. Or maybe they'll be no more coachable than they have been for three years and the veterans will chafe at yielding even more to youngsters such as Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerrank ... 09&week=-1

1: Boston Celtics
2: Los Angeles Lakers
3: New Orleans Hornets
4: Houston Rockets
5: San Antonio Spurs
6: Cleveland Cavaliers
7: Detroit Pistons
8: Philadelphia 76ers
9: Utah Jazz
10: Toronto Raptors

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3617083

The Houston Rockets, buzzing about the arrival of Ron Artest, already have injury concerns with Tracy McGrady.

Houston's leading scorer said Monday that his left shoulder is arthritic and will require surgery after this season. He also said his left knee is healing slower than expected from surgery in the spring. McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24, and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season. He had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his shoulder and knee. He said his knee is "probably 75-80 percent" healthy and will take another two months to fully heal.

McGrady said an MRI revealed the arthritis in his shoulder. "That's something I've got to deal with again this season," said McGrady, who averaged 21.6 points last season and was selected third-team all-NBA. "My knee should be ready to go by opening night."

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3617140

There was no noticeable limp when Manu Ginobili walked into the San Antonio Spurs training facility Monday.

Ginobili, who had surgery on his left ankle in early September, could miss at least two months of the season. Though off crutches and out of a protective boot, he's still got plenty of rehab. "It could be a blessing he's gotten operated on, and [surgeons] went in there and cleaned things out," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Had he not hurt it in the Olympics, he probably would have done it 15, 25, 35 games into the season. "His ankle probably would be in better shape now than it's been in years."

Popovich had advised the 31-year-old Ginobili not to play for Argentina in China after he hurt the ankle during the Western Conference semifinals against New Orleans, then aggravated the injury in the Western finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs have delayed contract extension talks until Ginobili recovers from surgery. The sixth-year guard has two seasons remaining on his contract. "They told me eight to 12 weeks, so I'm looking for eight," he said. "I would like to make it for the beginning of the season, but I know they are going to be very cautious."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/war ... y_id=30886

I'm told that Ellis has indeed arrived in Oakland, but he won't be answering any questions about his moped mishap until after his agent meets with the Warriors next Wednesday.

Not sure if that means he won't be addressing the media at all, but we'll find out in an hour or so after practice lets out. Will update if anything comes up ...

[nasty daddy]

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700262758,00.html

Veteran swingman Matt Harpring revealed that he is still recuperating from a infection that spread in his right ankle after he underwent a surgery to remove bone spurs this summer.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3616841

Backup point guard Sam Cassell is back to help the Boston Celtics try to repeat as NBA champions.

Cassell had been in touch with Doc Rivers during the summer, but the Celtics coach didn't know if Cassell had decided to come back for another season with the team. The 38-year-old Cassell, who joined the team in March for the playoff run, showed up for media day Monday to sign a contract for his 16th NBA season.

Cassell averaged 7.6 points and two assists during the regular season in helping Boston win its NBA-record 17th title.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3617031

When point guard Blake Ahearn fell into Al Jefferson's knee almost two weeks ago, the star forward collapsed to the floor after hearing a pop, never a good noise on a basketball court. "The biggest injury I ever had in my life was an ankle injury. So when I heard my knee pop, I just said, 'Oh Lord.' I thought it was over," Jefferson said Monday at the team's media day, his first comments about the injury. "But, knock on wood, it was just a little minor setback."

He was diagnosed with a minor sprain and plans to do conditioning work and some individual drills when training camp opens in Mankato on Tuesday. Contact drills will likely begin in another week or two. "I'm feeling wonderful," Jefferson said. "The knee was a minor setback. It's recovering real fast."

After being acquired with four players from the Celtics for Kevin Garnett, Jefferson flourished in his first season as a go-to player. He averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds, one of only four players in the league to average at least 20 points and 10 boards a game.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3617066

Miami Heat general manager Randy Pfund, who helped Miami win the 2006 NBA championship as the highlight of his 13 years with the franchise, resigned Monday.

Pfund has chosen to pursue "other business opportunities," the Heat said in a release, without detailing any specifics of what that meant. Team president Pat Riley -- who already had final say on virtually all personnel moves -- will assume at least some of Pfund's duties, which included overseeing draft preparation, scouting, salary cap management and player personnel decisions. "Randy Pfund has done a tremendous job for the Heat, helping to build this team into a champion," Riley said in a statement. "His work ethic and contributions to the organization have been invaluable. I've known Randy for over 20 years and in addition to our great working relationship he has been a wonderful friend."

With Riley stepping down as head coach after last season and settling into a full-time front office role, it wasn't clear how much room Pfund still had in the Heat decision-making process.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/spo ... 28409.html

The Rockets completed one last piece of off-season business on Sunday, reaching agreement on a contract with rookie center/forward Joey Dorsey on the eve of players’ reporting for Tuesday’s start of training camp.

Dorsey is expected to sign a four-year, $3.5 million contract, with each of the last two seasons at the team’s option.

The deal, using a portion of the mid-level exception money left available after the signing of Carl Landry, will avoid a repeat of the protracted restricted free agent negotiations with Landry.

[nasty daddy]

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700262758,00.html

Britton Johnsen will also not travel with the Jazz in Idaho.

The small forward, a former standout for Utah and Murray High, signed a professional contract to play in the Ukraine, so he'll return to Europe instead of giving the NBA another shot for now.

Gabe Muoneke, a 6-7 forward from Texas, replaced Johnsen on the training camp roster.

[nasty daddy]

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/sierra ... sign-mays/

Free agent forward James Mays will sign a contract with the Denver Nuggets on Monday, according to agent Justin Zanik. Mays averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg with Clemson in his senior year and went undrafted last June.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2 ... r-nuggets/

Forward Michael Ruffin was hoping to stick around his hometown in the hope his parents could see him play regularly.

Ruffin didn't feel good about his chances of making the roster with a nonguaranteed contract on the cost-cutting Nuggets, who have 13 players with guaranteed deals and aren't certain if anybody else will be kept."It just didn't work out," said the eight-year veteran, who will sign a nonguaranteed minimum deal with the Bulls in time for camp Tuesday. "I wasn't sure about the opportunity of being (in Denver) all year."

The Nuggets will start camp with at least two players with NBA experience on nonguaranteed contracts who will vie for a possible 14th spot. They are forward Nick Fazekas, a 2003 Ralston Valley High School graduate, and point guard Mateen Cleaves, who could come in handy with Chucky Atkins out until mid-November because of knee surgery.

[nasty daddy]

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/han ... ba-for-now

To fill out its training camp roster, the Charlotte Bobcats have signed ex-Arizona Wildcats swing man Marcus Williams, which may not necessarily be good news for him.

The Bobcats have 17 players on their roster entering Tuesday’s start to training camp. Williams, who has had difficulty exhibiting maturity and productivity, will be coached by the ageless Larry Brown, whose stock-in-trade is, gulp, a preference for experienced, productive players. Williams played a bit part for the L.A. Clippers at the end of the ’07-08 season after leaving college following two modestly successful seasons.

In training camp, Williams will be opposed on the wing by former Gonzaga gunner Adam Morrison, superstar Jason Richardson and 11-year veteran Derek Anderson of Kentucky.