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The Oklahoma City Thunder waived guard Walker Russell, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Russell appeared in one preseason contest for the Thunder and recorded five points and one assist in six minutes of action.
Oklahoma City’s roster now stands at 18.
Tamika Catchings finally won her long-awaited WNBA championship.
She scored 25 points to help the Indiana Fever win their first title with an 87-78 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night.
Catchings, who was the MVP of the Finals, averaged 24.8 points in the series, which the Fever won 3-1 over the defending WNBA champions.
Erin Phillips added 18 points and eight rebounds while Shavonte Zellous and Briann January each had 15 points.
The Fever won even though No. 2 scorer Katie Douglas missed most of the series with a severely sprained left knee. Douglas checked in with 3.2 seconds left to a loud ovation…
Seimone Augustus, Minnesota’s leading scorer in the playoffs, was held to eight points on 3-for-21 shooting. Lindsay Whalen scored 22 points and Moore added 16 points for the Lynx, who were vying to become the first team to win consecutive titles since Los Angeles in 2001 and 2002.
— Reported by Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press
Dwight Howard is set to make his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game against Sacramento on Sunday night.
Coach Mike Brown says Howard is in the Lakers’ starting lineup with no restrictions on his playing time. Howard finally will hit the Staples Center court in his gold No. 12 jersey just more than six months after the six-time All-Star center had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.
Howard didn’t play in the first five preseason games for the Lakers (0-5), who acquired him from Orlando in August through a four-team trade that sent All-Star center Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia.
— Reported by Greg Beacham of the Associated Press
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The Timberwolves are hoping veteran guard Luke Ridnour, the team’s oldest player at 31, does not become the latest injury concern.
Ridnour said Sunday, Oct. 21, that he has a herniated disc in his lower back, an ailment that has sidelined him for three of the Wolves’ five exhibition games. Ridnour did not practice Sunday but said his back is “feeling much better” after getting a cortisone shot on Friday.
“By taking care of it now, I’ll be able to nip it in the bud and move forward from here and be pain free,” Ridnour said after practice. “I just want to make the necessary steps, so I can be ready for November. I’ll be ready to go.”
Ridnour is a vital player in the Wolves’ attempts to adjust without Kevin Love (broken hand) and Ricky Rubio (knee).
— Reported by Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press
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Through three weeks into the preseason, New Orleans Hornets rookie Anthony Davis has progressed so rapidly that Coach Monty Williams has used him at multiple positions and has run set plays designed to take advantage of his mid-range shooting.
If he continues to develop as a scoring threat in the post and perimeter, Davis could eventually cause match up problems much the same way Dallas Mavericks 7-foot forward Dirk Nowitzki imposes on teams because of his shooting ability.
Already, Davis has developed a high release on his jump shot similar to Nowitzki that makes it difficult for defenders to block.
“I’m just trying to get better each and every practice and not get comfortable,’’ said Davis, who has played limited minutes at small forward. “I’m just doing what Coach Monty wants – nothing more; nothing less.’’
— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Carmelo Anthony said he had to prepare himself mentally for his return to the Carrier Dome, but it didn’t stop a flurry of emotions Sunday.
“A lot of memories come back into play,” he said. “Walking out the tunnel, walking into the arena, just being on the court, seeing all the banners and just seeing that orange and blue brings back a lot of memories.”
Melo-palooza began with Knicks practice at the dome Anthony called home and continued with a visit to Syracuse’s practice facility, which bears his name. Anthony, who led Syracuse to the 2003 national championship, donated $3 million to the university to help build the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.
On Monday night, the Knicks face Philadelphia in the Carrier Dome. It’s considered a home game for the 76ers, who started their basketball lives as the Syracuse Nationals, but Anthony will be feted like a conquering hero.
— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday
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“That’s my calling,” Green said of his defense. “I have to be a guy who can go out there and guard the best player on the opposite team. Whether it’s Carmelo (Anthony of the New York Knicks), LeBron (James of the Miami Heat), Kevin Durant (of Oklahoma City), Kobe Bryant (of the Los Angeles Lakers), whether it’s a big, doesn’t matter. I see myself as being one of the top defensive players in this league. I just have to go out there and prove it.”
Green’s versatility as a defender was on display Saturday night, as he took turns guarding smaller players like Mychel Thompson or bigs such as Chris Copeland.
“Jeff is so talented athletically, explosive,” said Boston’s Rajon Rondo. “We expect a lot out of Jeff, and he’s accepted the challenge.”
— Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE
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Despite missing all of training camp with a sore right knee, New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams had hopes of guard Eric Gordon being ready to play in a couple of preseason games before the regular season begins.
But Williams said Sunday that Gordon could miss the final three preseason games because he is not in appropriate conditioning due to the missed time caused by his sore knee. Williams also there’s also a chance power forward Jason Smith could miss the remainder of the preseason after injuring his shoulder in a practice last week. Gordon has missed all five preseason games, while Smith has played in only the preseason opener against the Orlando Magic.
— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Miami HEAT announced today that they have waived forward Robert Dozier and center Mickell Gladness.
Dozier appeared in four preseason games with the HEAT, averaging 1.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game. He originally signed with the HEAT on September 27, 2012.
Gladness also appeared in four preseason games this season, averaging 1.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. He originally signed with the HEAT on September 7, 2012.
The HEAT’s roster now stands at 18.
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Amar’e Stoudemire left the Knicks on Sunday to get an MRI that revealed a ruptured cyst on the back of his left knee. The affliction is known as a Baker’s cyst or popiteal.
Stoudemire will be out two to three weeks and miss the season opener in Brooklyn on Nov. 1.
Stoudemire made his preseason debut Friday in Montreal, scoring 18 points against the Raptors after missing the first two games with a bruised knee.
— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post (Blog)
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