With 2009-10 averages of 2.4 points on 38.5% shooting in 8.3 minutes per game, Los Angeles Lakers small forward Luke Walton isn’t doing much this season. And now it appears he’ll be doing even less.

Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports (via blog):

The Lakers knew when they rested Luke Walton earlier this season that his back problems were complex enough that they might return — and they have, to the point that Walton realistically is not going to give the Lakers much contribution the rest of this season.

Phil Jackson suggested it remains possible that Walton’s pinched nerve could improve to the point that he could “help us in the playoffs,” but the Lakers don’t have much reason to believe improvement is coming.

This makes Adam Morrison a bit more important to the Lakers.

The Chicago Bulls announced today they have re-signed forward Chris Richard to a second 10-day contract.  Richard, a 6-9, 256-pound forward, originally signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls on February 5, 2010.

In three appearances with Chicago, Richard has averaged 2.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg in 17.3 mpg.

The 25-26 Bulls are currently the no.8 seed in the Eastern conference, with the same record as the Miami Heat and just ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports:

Rod Thorn’s demise has been greatly exaggerated — if not invented entirely, by some NBA executives with vivid imaginations and agendas that remain hard to discern.

That much was made clear by the Nets president’s meeting in Dallas on Sunday with two Onexim executives, who represented the only obstacle between Thorn heading north to Vancouver to meet with Mikhail Prokhorov for a series of appointments Monday and Tuesday.

And the Russian businessman, whose purchase of the Nets is pending league approval, “is not bringing the guy all the way to British Columbia just to fire him,” according to one person familiar with content and tone of the meeting, who required anonymity to speak candidly. “They love Rod.”

The meeting was held by Onexim CEO Dmitry Razumov and deputy CEO Christophe Charlier, who spoke enthusiastically with Thorn and Nets CEO Brett Yormark at length about the team’s future.