Robert Horry wants to play for Spurs or Celtics

Robert Horry is tall, old, good at three-point shooting and making clutch shots, and if you only see him from the neck on up you can pretend you’re talking to Will Smith, which would be neat and stuff.  The Sacramento Bee (Scott Howard-Cooper) reports (via blog):

Robert Horry wants to play again this season. That much is obvious after talking with him in advance of the Kings arriving in his adopted hometown of Houston and in the aftermath of the Sam Amick report that the Spurs weighed a bid for Brad Miller or John Salmons and could use Horry in a sign-and-trade for salary-cap purposes. The important league-wide development is that Horry rates the Spurs and Celtics as his most-likely landing spots. Both understandable. San Antonio is a contender and familiar from the past five seasons there and close to Houston, an important consideration to stay near his family. Boston is the defending champion and has kept him on the radar all along as a potential stretch-drive signing.

I’m not sure how much game he has left. At this point Horry should probably only be considered useful as a bench contributor to come in, play five minutes per half, fire three three-pointers, hit one or two of them, and sit down.

Players union files grievance regarding Tinsley

The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: The NBA’s Players Association took the first step in trying to resolve point guard Jamaal Tinsley’s situation when it filed a grievance on his behalf Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers. Tinsley’s agent, Raymond Brothers, said last week they planned to file the grievance because he wants the Pacers to trade, release or buy out his client. Tinsley was barred from the team before training camp. He will make more than $14 million in the final two years of his contract, which expires in 2010-11. Pacers president Larry Bird said they have no intention of buying out Tinsley’s contract.

No Charles Barkley in Phoenix All-Star

The East Valley Tribune (with wire reports) reports: Charles Barkley will sit out TNT’s coverage of All-Star weekend in Phoenix after his arrest in Scottsdale on suspicion of drunken driving. Barkley was expected to return to the air sometime in the second half of the season. Barkley took a leave of absence from his TV responsibilities last month, the day tests showed that his blood-alcohol level was at .149, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 in Arizona.

Kobe Bryant hits 23,000 points

The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliot Teaford) reports (via blog): When Kobe Bryant made a free throw with 3:21 remaining in the first half, he reached 23,000 points for his career. He hit the milestone faster than any other player in NBA history at 30 years, 171 days. Wilt Chamberlain did it in 30 years, 176 days.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I’m a better player than both guys mentioned above. It just doesn’t show on the stat-sheet.

JR Smith replaces Rudy Gay in dunk contest

Denver Nuggets G J.R. Smith has been chosen to replace the injured Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Ariz. on Feb. 14, the league announced today.

Smith, in his third season with Denver, is averaging career-highs of 13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.7 apg in a career-best 27.7 minutes per contest through 50 games this season.

The Nuggets’ high-flyer will be making his second appearance in the annual Slam Dunk Contest. As a member of the New Orleans Hornets, he finished third in the 2005 Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. Smith will become the fifth Nuggets player to appear in an official NBA Slam Dunk Contest, joining Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (sixth place in 1993), Robert Pack (second in 1994), Darvin Ham (fourth in 1997) and Chris Andersen (third in 2004).

Frederic Weis signs in Spain

The Hoop (a trusted fan blog which quotes official sources) reports: Menorca announced the signing of french center, Frederic Weis (2.18-C) who was recently released by Bilbao, until the end of the season. Weiss will add power and height to the frontcourt of Menorca and he also has 8 seasons of experience in the ACB as a player of Malaga and Bilbao.

Jason Terry has hand surgery

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Mavericks guard Jason Terry had successful surgery to stabilize the fourth metacarpal fracture in his left hand.  The surgery was performed by Dr. Scott Oishi and Dr. T.O. Souryal at Texas Sports Medicine.  No timetable has been set for his return.

Terry (6-2, 180) has played in all 50 Mavericks games this season and has averages of 19.9 points, 3.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.38 steals.

Al Jefferson tears ACL in right knee

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that center Al Jefferson will be out indefinitely after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study done this morning revealed the extent of the injury, which occurred in Minnesota’s game last night at New Orleans. The date for surgery has yet to be determined.

“This is an unfortunate situation for Al and we wish him a quick recovery,” said Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale. “Al has been playing at an all-star level all season and has been our go-to-guy on the court. Knowing Al, he will work hard in his rehab efforts to get back on the court as soon as possible. In the interim, I’m confident that the other players on our roster will step up and meet this challenge.”

Jefferson has appeared in all 50 games for the Timberwolves this season with averages of 23.1 ppg (7th in NBA), 11.0 rpg (6th in NBA), and 1.7 bpg. The fifth-year center is one of just three players in the NBA (Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan) to post at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. Jefferson also ranks fifth in the NBA with 30 double-doubles in 2008-09 and is shooting 49.7% from the field while averaging a career-best 73.8% from the free-throw line. In his five-year NBA career, Jefferson has posted averages of 14.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

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