Day: February 9, 2014

Steve Nash now dealing with nerve irritation in his left leg

The story of the Lakers season has been injuries, injuries, and some more injuries. At this point, it’s safe to assume that some part of veteran point guard Steve Nash will be bumped or bruised. Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News blog with more:

Steve Nash left the Lakers’ game Sunday against the Chicago Bulls mid-way through the third quarter because of nerve irritation in his left leg, according to the team.

Nash suffered the same damage last season when he fractured his left leg Oct. 31, 2012 against the Portland, an injury that sidelined him for 24 games. The subsequent nerve damage eventually affected his back and hamstrings, sidelining him for eight games, including two playoff appearances. He had just played in the past two games following a three-month rehab surrounding the nerve irritation in his back, which kept him out for all but six games. The Lakers plan to reevaluate Nash on Monday.

Metta World Peace getting little playing time on Knicks

With a 20-31 record, the New York Knicks are having a rough season, and they’re doing so while Metta World Peace mostly watches from the bench. Could he help? Tough to say, but here’s ESPN New York with more:

Metta World Peace getting little playing time on Knicks

Clearly, World Peace isn’t going to turn the Knicks’ season around. But he may have put up some resistance against Kevin Durant on Sunday. Durant put up 41 points and none of the Knicks called on to guard him — Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith — could do much to stop him.

Maybe Metta could have helped?

Either way, World Peace continues to take his benching in stride. A recent report suggested that he’s “open” to a trade (of course he’s “open” to being traded; he wants to play). But World Peace responded to the report on Twitter by writing that he’d never talked about wanting a trade and that he’s happy with any amount of playing time that he gets with the Knicks.

Al Harrington should return in not-so-distant future for Wizards

Here’s the Washington Post blog with a status update on veteran forward Al Harrington:

Al Harrington

After the Wizards lost in double-overtime the San Antonio Spurs last week, Al Harrington was probably the only player in the locker room with a smile on his face. His teammates were dejected about losing a game that was in their grasp but Harrington — while sharing in the disappointment– was upbeat about moving a step closer to helping on the floor.

Harrington has recently been cleared to participate in some contract work and realized that he would be freed up to play in four-on-four scrimmage on Thursday with some of the Wizards’ backups. He wanted them to know that he was coming after spending the past two months recovering from surgery to remove loose particles in his right knee.

“Y’all gon’ get it,” Harrington warned as he walked out of the locker room, high-fiving his teammates.

Kevin Durant drops monster game on Knicks

As dominant a force as Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has already proven to be, he’s still capable of raising the bar even higher. The latest example came today vs the Knicks. Here’s New York Newsday reporting:

The NBA’s two best scorers squared off Sunday. Carmelo Anthony struggled putting the ball in the basket, and Kevin Durant showed he can do that and so much more.

He controlled the game on the offensive end and played smothering defense on Anthony. Durant had 41 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as he led the Thunder to a 112-100 victory over the Knicks at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

“He makes it look easy,” Anthony said. “When he gets it going like that, he’s hard to stop.”

Durant has emerged as the MVP front-runner and has the Thunder atop the Western Conference with a 41-12 record. He’s always been a dominant scorer, but his playmaking and defense have improved.

“In order for us to be a good team,” Durant said, “I have to be a two-way player, and I’ve realized that these past few years.”

Cavaliers struggling to rebuild as hoped

The Cleveland Cavaliers need talent. They have Kyrie Irving, and if he sticks around long-term is an excellent building block. But the rest of the roster is largely a question mark. Here’s the Boston Globe with more:

With the good luck he has brought the Cleveland Cavaliers at the NBA draft lottery, maybe team owner Dan Gilbert should appoint his son as the team’s next general manager because everything following the lottery has been an abject failure.

The Cavaliers were given a plethora of draft resources, including two No. 1 overall picks with Nick Gilbert present, to rebuild following the departure of LeBron James. But so far the results have been abysmal.

Cleveland was tabbed as a cinch playoff team this season, expected to attract James to perhaps return as a free agent. The Cavaliers were the vogue pick to rise in the Eastern Conference, led by their charismatic star point guard, Kyrie Irving, and a talented and youthful supporting cast.

Yet the product has been painfully disappointing. Irving has taken a step back, apparently caught up with stardom and his next destination, according to those close to the team. Fellow lottery picks Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters have been average at best, while last spring’s No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Bennett, has registered a Ryan Leaf-bust type of first season.

No Timberwolves trade expected, for now

Here’s the St. Paul Pioneer Press reporting on the Timberwolves, who for now aren’t expected to make any trades. Of course, most teams don’t exactly admit it in advance. Still, here:

Don’t expect the Timberwolves to make a trade before the deadline February 20.

Flip Saunders, the Wolves president of basketball operations, told Wolves Now that he has talked with representatives of teams to gauge interest, “but I’m not hearing anything imminent.”

Saunders said there is a reluctance to deal around the league because of the perception that this year’s draft class is strong. Buzz has centered on possible top picks being Kansas’ Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins, Duke’s Jabari Parker, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, Kentucky’s Julius Randle and Dante Exum of Australia.