Month: March 2012

Lakers, Celtics discussed a Rajon Rondo trade

Rajon Rondo

The teams talked last week about a trade for Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, though nothing was close to accomplished and discussions dried up.

The Lakers are unwilling to trade Pau Gasol for Rondo, making a deal with Boston unlikely before the trade deadline Thursday.

“Unless they give up Gasol, they’re not going to get a top-level point guard,” said a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists in the Lakers’ 97-94 victory Sunday over Boston at Staples Center. Gasol had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times

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Dwight Howard may be resisting a trade to Bulls

Dwight Howard

The Orlando Magic would like to seriously engage the Bulls in trade talks for Dwight Howard, but the All-Star center’s apparent reluctance to make a long-term commitment to Chicago has all but killed the discussions, league sources told CBSSports.com.

The feeling among rival executives remains that the Magic seem intent on rolling the dice and keeping Howard for the rest of the season, hoping a long playoff run, emotional ties to Orlando and an extra year and $29 million they could offer would persuade him to stay beyond this season. But the move would be highly risky, given that Howard has refused to publicly commit to the Magic — a stance that sources view as a strong sign that he’d leave as a free agent if he isn’t traded.

“He’s telling everyone he’s leaving,” one league source said Sunday.

Magic executives are said to be unimpressed with the assets Howard’s three preferred teams could provide in a trade, prompting them to engage in a calculated campaign to expand the field of potential suitors beyond the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers. But the team that can make the strongest case for Orlando to depart from its risky strategy of holding onto Howard are the Bulls, who could offer 7-footer Omer Asik, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said. The Bulls also could offer a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte — top-14 protected in this year’s draft but but unprotected by 2016.

— Reported by Ken Berger of CBS Sports

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Rockets guard Kyle Lowry out 2-4 weeks

Kyle Lowry

The Houston Rockets will be without their star point guard for the near future.

Rockets guard Kyle Lowry has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection. Lowry is scheduled to be released from a New York-area hospital on Tuesday and return to Houston.

He will be out 2-4 weeks while completing a full course of antibiotic treatments.

Lowry this season is averaging 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.82 steals per game. It’s been the best season of his career so far, in the opinion of InsideHoops.com.

The Rockets are currently 22-20 and are 8th in the Western conference.

Kris Humphries reportedly wants $7 million from Kim Kardashian

Kris Humphries

Kris Humphries is secretly demanding $7 MILLION from Kim Kardashian to walk away from their marriage … TMZ has learned.

Sources directly connected to Kris tell TMZ … the bballer — through his Minnesota lawyer — has given Kim an ultimatum … either pay up, or endure an ugly, public trial.

Our sources say Kris and his lawyer have been told to pound sand, and with good reason.

For starters, even if there wasn’t a prenup, the marriage lasted a grand total of 72 days, so the community property wouldn’t be in the universe of $7 mil.

Second, there was an iron-clad prenup, which provided that Kim owes Kris zilch.

— Reported by TMZ

Lakers regroup with team meeting

Kobe Bryant

The Los Angeles Lakers play their longtime rival Boston Celtics on Sunday, but all anybody wanted to talk about following the team’s light practice Saturday was what was talked about at the team’s meeting between players and coaches Thursday in Minnesota.

The Lakers canceled practice Thursday following back-to-back losses to Detroit and Washington on their three-game road trip that ended with a 105-102 win over the Timberwolves on Friday.

In place of practice, Lakers coach Mike Brown scheduled a film review at the team hotel and invited players and his coaching staff to speak their minds.

Part of the assistant coaches’ message was urging the players to curtail any “external chatter,” according to a source.

“It wasn’t an airing out session,” Brown said Saturday, downplaying its significance. “It was a film session.”

The session was mostly X’s and O’s based and run by Brown until he handed over the floor to his assistant coaches.

“I utilized my assistants a lot because I don’t like the players hearing my voice a lot,” Brown said. “I talked a lot. I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to have someone else talk.’ After two losses like that everybody’s feeling kind of down. So, I wanted to hear other guys’ voices.”

— Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles

Pistons assign Vernon Macklin to D-League

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has assigned rookie forward Vernon Macklin to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League.

Macklin has appeared in 19 games this season with the Pistons averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 4.2 minutes per game.  He scored a season-high five points vs. Dallas (1/10) and collected a season-high four rebounds at Oklahoma City (1/23).

Drafted 52nd overall in  the 2011 NBA Draft from the University of Florida, he started 69 of 71 career games during his two seasons with the Gators.  He played his first two years at Georgetown University prior to transferring to Florida in 2008.

Ricky Rubio injury: Torn ACL, out for season

Ricky Rubio
ricky rubio
Super-fun passer

Due to the following unfortunate news, NBA assist highlights just got a lot less fun to watch.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) taken this morning revealed that Wolves guard Ricky Rubio has a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in his left knee. Rubio, who will have surgery scheduled at a to-be-determined date, will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 NBA season. The injury occurred with 16.4 seconds remaining in last night’s game vs. the L.A. Lakers.

“Obviously, Ricky’s injury is an unfortunate turn of events for him and our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “I feel bad for Ricky having to miss the rest of this season. But Ricky is a competitor, and I am confident that he will work hard to get back on the court next year and continue his progression as one of the top point guards in our league. We have 25 games left this season, and I look for our team to continue to play hard and fight for a playoff spot.”

In 41 games, 31 starts, Rubio averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 assists (5th in the NBA), 4.2 rebounds and 2.22 steals (3rd in the NBA) in 34.2 minutes per game. Rubio led all NBA rookies in assists, minutes and steals while recording 12 point-assist double-doubles, ranking him third in the NBA. Rubio was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January.

Luol Deng still dealing with hurt wrist

Luol Deng

Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he held Luol Deng out of Saturday’s morning shootaround but that the forward is a game-time decision for Saturday night’s game against the Utah Jazz.

Deng said after Thursday’s loss to the Orlando Magic that he might sit for one or two games to rest his injured left wrist, which has a torn ligament.

“You look at it medically first,” Thibodeau said. “The one thing about Lu is he has a lot of toughness. He’s going to play through pain. Medically, if it makes more sense for him not to play, he won’t.”

— Reported by K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune

Andrew Bogut may be on trading block

Andrew Bogut
andrew bogut
Taller than you

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut could be a candidate to be dealt before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Bogut’s agent, David Bauman, said Friday there was interest around the league regarding the 7-foot center.

“There’s a lot of teams interested in calling John,” Bauman said of Bucks general manager John Hammond. “I don’t know what they (the Bucks) will end up doing.”

The 27-year-old Bogut is currently out of the lineup after fracturing his left ankle Jan. 25 in Houston. It’s uncertain whether he will be able to play again this season.

“It is a business and everyone is looking to get better; teams are looking to get better,” Bogut said in the locker room before the Bucks played the New York Knicks on Friday. “I can’t control that. I can’t even comment on it, really.

“If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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