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Orlando Magic waive Gilbert Arenas via NBA amnesty clause

The Orlando Magic have waived guard Gilbert Arenas and designated him as the team’s amnesty player, President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Otis Smith announced today.

Arenas (6’4”, 215, 1/6/82) played in 70 games with both Washington and Orlando last season, averaging 10.8 ppg., 3.9 apg., 2.7 rpg. and 1.06 stlpg. in 25.7 minpg. He was acquired by the Magic on December 28, 2010 from Washington in exchange for Rashard Lewis. In 49 games with Orlando, Arenas averaged 8.0 ppg., 3.2 apg. and 2.4 rpg. in 21.8 minpg.

Arenas has appeared in 535 career NBA regular season games with Golden State, Washington and Orlando, averaging 21.2 ppg., 5.4 apg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.63 stlpg. in 35.8 minpg.

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Girlfriend of Jazz center Al Jefferson arrested for bite attack

Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson’s girlfriend has been arrested on suspicion of domestic assault after authorities say she bit him during an evening attack at their home.

Cottonwood Heights police say Shirley Lewis was arrested Thursday and booked into the Salt Lake County jail. She was later released.

Authorities say Jefferson’s 38-year-old live-in girlfriend faces a charge of domestic violence in the presence of a child.

— Reported by the Associated Press

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Odom late for first day of Lakers training camp

Pau Gasol reported for the first day of training camp but fellow Lakers forward Lamar Odom did not, according to a team official Friday.

Odom hinted he would not appear at camp in an interview Thursday with The Times, saying, “Maybe I’ll see you there, but I doubt it. You don’t want to go to no place you’re not wanted.”

Odom and Gasol were involved in a trade Thursday for New Orleans guard Chris Paul that was blocked by the NBA. It is unknown how long Odom will be away from the team.

— Reported by Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times Blog

UPDATE: Reports say Odom did wind up going to camp, about 1.5 hours late, and only stayed around 15 minutes.

Charlie Bell shows up drunk at court for a drunk driving hearing

Warriors reserve guard Charlie Bell spent hours in custody Thursday after showing up to court legally drunk for a hearing on his drunken driving case, according to the ABC affiliate in Flint, Mich.

Bell was held, in a district court holding cell, on a bond violation until he sobered up. He’s expected back in court Friday, which marks the start of Warriors training camp for the rest of his teammates.

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle Blog

David Stern statement on the Chris Paul to Lakers trade that will not happen

In response to inquiries, NBA Commissioner David Stern released the following statement:

“Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner’s Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”

Hornets reportedly turned down Knicks offer of Amar`e Stoudemire for Chris Paul

If you’re Amar’e Stoudemire, it’s great to hear Tyson Chandler is coming to the Knicks to relieve him of the responsibility of guarding centers for much of the time.

The disturbing news is that the team’s once treasured asset was nearly relieved of the New York City limelight he loves basking in. A Hornets’ source disclosed they swiftly rejected a Stoudemire-for-Chris Paul offer.

There was no interest whatsoever, maybe because Stoudemire’s remaining 4-year, $84 million contract is uninsurable.

— Reported by Peter Vecsey of the New York Post

Lamar Odom in stunned disbelief over almost being traded

Lamar Odom is still a Laker, but he doesn’t sound completely thrilled about it.

Odom admitted that he was “shocked” and “surprised” when told Thursday afternoon that the Lakers agreed to trade him to the New Orleans Hornets as part of a deal for point guard Chris Paul. But this evening when he heard that the NBA had killed the trade, Odom said he was in “total disbelief” over these new developments…

“Maybe I’ll see you there tomorrow [at practice],” Odom said. “But I doubt it. You don’t want to go to no place you’re not wanted. I’ll try to give them what they want as much as possible.”

Odom also felt bad for Gasol.

“Imagine how Pau feels,” Odom said. “Pau came to the Lakers and played here for four years, went to the Finals and lost, won two NBA championships and then got swept [by the Dallas Mavericks this year]. Wow! Imagine how he must feel.

“Man, I’m just in total disbelief about all of this,” Odom continued. “They don’t want my services, for whatever reason. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I was proud to be a Laker, so I’ll try to help them in the process as much as possible.”

— Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Blog)

David Stern cancels Chris Paul trade to Lakers

On the eve of the sport’s formal re-opening for business after a five-month lockout, NBA commissioner David Stern sent shockwaves throughout the league Thursday night by nixing the league-owned New Orleans Hornets’ plans to trade guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Within an hour of the Hornets striking an agreement in principle with the Lakers and Houston Rockets on a three-team trade that would have landed Paul in the same backcourt as Kobe Bryant, Stern informed the Hornets that they couldn’t make the trade, stunning team officials who had been working around-the-clock for days in hopes of bringing an end to the Paul saga before the season officially started.

Amid a stream of reports that angry owners were demanding the trade be vetoed, on the same day those owners had gathered in New York to ratify a new labor pact purportedly designed to foster competitive balance and prevent small-market teams from being raided for their stars, league officials tried to dispute claims of a revolt by insisting that the decision was Stern’s.

“It’s not true that the owners killed the deal,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “The deal was never discussed at the Board of Governors meeting and the league office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons.”

Yet in an email to Stern obtained by Yahoo! Sports and The New York Times, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert called the proposed deal “a travesty” and urged Stern to put the deal to a vote of “the 29 owners of the Hornets,” referring to the rest of the league’s teams.

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

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Dwight Howard reportedly favors joining Nets

Dwight Howard is preparing to ask the Orlando Magic to trade him to the New Jersey Nets, according to sources close to the situation.

Howard’s representatives have told the Nets that they are his preferred destination.

Howard has yet to tell the Magic he will not re-sign with them after this season, but the sources said he will within the next few days, perhaps as early as Friday. There is also a chance that Howard will not attend the opening of training camp Friday, according to a source.

As ESPN.com reported last week, the Nets are ready to offer the Magic a package built around center Brook Lopez and two first-round draft picks, New Jersey’s own and one the Nets acquired from Houston in a previous trade, according to sources.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

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Thunder will attempt to part ways with Nate Robinson

STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF SAM PRESTI REGARDING NATE ROBINSON

“In collaboration with Nate Robinson and his representatives, we have mutually agreed to continue working toward clarifying his future status with the Thunder. Nate is an accomplished player, but with the current composition of our roster, it will be unlikely he will have an opportunity to contribute on a nightly basis. Given the compressed period of time that we have been given to work through the current situation, it has been decided that Nate will not attend training camp while we work with his representatives to resolve the situation. We will not be commenting on this subject further but will provide notification when a resolution is reached.”