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Lakers guard Steve Nash was examined this evening by Lakers team doctor Steve Lombardo. Nash will be out at least another week and will be reexamined next weekend.
Nash was originally injured in the second quarter of the Lakers October 31st game at Portland. Results of an MRI performed on November 3rd showed a small non-displaced fracture in the head of his fibula (left leg).
New Orleans Hornets general manager Dell Demps has agreed to a new multiyear contract extension to remain with the club and see through the roster overhaul that he and coach Monty Williams have conducted in tandem during the past two seasons.
”We have a plan, working with coach Williams,” Demps said before Friday night’s tip-off against Oklahoma City. ”We want to achieve sustained success. We’ve got a young core right now. We want to see those guys grow and play together and we want to compete at the highest level.”
The Hornets announced the deal Friday but did not release terms of the contract. Hornets executive vice president Mickey Loomis says Demps ”has a bright future,” and that he and first-year owner Tom Benson ”couldn’t be more impressed” with the direction of the team.
Williams, who received a four-year extension running through 2015-16 last August, said it was important to him to have a GM in place with whom he felt he could work closely.
— Reported by Brett Martel of the Associated Press
Houston Rockets rookie Royce White says he is prepared to walk away from the NBA.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez, White said he was going to meet with general manager Daryl Morey on Monday to discuss his situation with the team.
The Rockets have said they intend to fine White for every day he remains away from the team or does not attend sessions with a therapist arranged by the team. The Houston Chronicle has reported the Rockets have no plans to trade or release White.
— Reported by ESPN.com
InsideHoops.com Note: Royce White today tweeted this: “I’m not PLANNING to quit, but if its between my HEALTH and BASKETBALL, health takes precedence. You should never choose ANYTHING over it. NBA might be a dream come true, but being UNHEALTHY isn’t, people will know I stood up for myself and what’s right.”
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The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Kawhi Leonard is suffering from quadriceps tendinitis in his left knee.
The diagnosis was confirmed in an MRI which was performed earlier today.
Leonard is expected to be out of action for 10-14 days. He is not scheduled to travel with the Spurs on the team’s upcoming six-game road trip that begins on Wednesday, Nov. 21 in Boston.
The Chicago Bulls will build their new basketball practice facility on a site next to the United Center, the team announced today, releasing a preliminary architectural rendering of the planned facility.
“I am pleased that the Bulls are moving their practice facilities into the City of Chicago and continuing the great work revitalizing the entire neighborhood around the United Center,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The Bulls are an iconic championship team and a source of pride for our city. Their future, and the future of the West Side, is bright.”
The location planned for the new facility is Parking Lot J, which sits east of the United Center across South Wood Street between Monroe and Madison Streets. Plans for the new facility remain in development and the project, which will be funded completely by the Bulls, is scheduled for completion in time for the 2014-2015 season.
The facility is anticipated to be approximately 55,000-square-feet in size. The firm, 360 Architects, has been selected as the lead project architect, and McHugh Construction has been named the General Contractor. The Bulls are committed to providing opportunities for Chicago-based companies, including women/minorities owned businesses, to be selected as part of the construction project.
“Today’s announcement is the latest example of our longstanding commitment to the City of Chicago and to our fans,” said Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “Investing in a modern facility for our players and coaches will help us to achieve our team’s number one goal – winning championships – while also playing an important role in the city’s ongoing redevelopment efforts in our West Side neighborhood.”
When the team announced the practice facility relocation earlier this year, Reinsdorf credited the Mayor with the idea to move the facility.
“Mayor Emanuel has done a tremendous job promoting investment in the City of Chicago. The Mayor stressed that the Bulls brand is important to the city, nationally and internationally, and that the Bulls represent the spirit and competitive grit of Chicago. He thought centralizing our team assets inside the city limits would be a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to Chicago. We had been contemplating how to address the growing demands on our current practice facility for awhile, so the Mayor’s timing and ours made sense.”
The Bulls have practiced at the Sheri L. Berto Center in Deerfield, IL, since 1992. The team intends to sell the current practice facility.
“We share Mayor Emanuel’s vision for the West Side and are proud that this new facility will be a major part of that vision,” said President and COO Michael Reinsdorf. “Our current practice facility presented some limitations for us and as we looked to invest in the team’s future, we recognized the importance of also investing in our community.”
“I am pleased that the Bulls are planning to build this new facility in the shadow of the United Center, and I commend the team for their continued work to bring economic opportunity on the West Side of Chicago,” said Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th Ward. “I look forward to working with the team and the Mayor’s office as we go through a community process to make sure this proposed facility integrates seamlessly and productively into the surrounding neighborhood.”
The Bulls plan to share with fans and the public additional information on the new practice facility, including updated renderings and other building details, as the project moves forward.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed unrestricted free-agent forward/guard Josh Howard.
The versatile swingman has had a solid NBA career, but in recent seasons has not had a big impact. At this point, Howard is currently considered NBA bench depth. Though, with all the Timberwolves injuries the team has suffered, there is an opportunity for Howard to rise up and really contribute, if he still has it in him to do so.
Howard’s signing brings the Wolves’ roster to 15 players.
“We’re pleased to add a proven veteran in Josh Howard to our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “Josh has been a productive player in our league for nine years and will add to our depth at the wing position.”
Howard, 32, joins the Wolves with career averages of 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in parts of nine NBA seasons with three different teams (Dallas, Washington and Utah). Most recently he spent the 2011-12 season with Utah where he averaged 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 43 games, 18 starts. His best season came in 2007-08 when he averaged 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game en route to making his lone All-Star Game appearance.
Howard will wear No. 5 and is expected to be in uniform tonight when the Wolves take on the Golden State Warriors at Target Center.
Here is the latest Cleveland Cavaliers injury report:
Cavaliers forward/center Tyler Zeller has been cleared to resume play with a protective mask. (fractured left orbital bone and concussion)
Cavaliers forward Luke Harangody had a successful arthroscopic procedure on his right knee this morning at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health after experiencing a continued period of soreness and swelling. Harangody is expected to be OUT for approximately six weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate.
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As is the NBA’s standard procedure, the league is investigating Wednesday night’s confrontation between Thunder center Kendrick Perkins and Memphis power forward Zach Randolph at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Both players were ejected with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies’ 107-97 victory and had an altercation in a hallway near the Thunder locker room after leaving the court. The players were separated by Oklahoma City police officers patrolling the area.
Security officials later said there was no altercation and there would be no investigation, but the league office confirmed Thursday it was looking into the incident to potentially levy fines and/or suspensions for both players…
The game was nationally televised on ESPN and a courtside microphone picked up what was said.
Perkins: “I’ll meet you by the bus.”
Randolph: “I’ll beat your (expletive).”
— Reported by John Rohde of the Oklahoman
Rajon Rondo didn’t arrive until an hour until game time in his sweats tonight, and said he was uncertain if he was going to play on his sprained right ankle.
But in these cases the decision goes to Doc Rivers, who in turn defers to trainer Ed Lacerte. From that perspective, the choice was simple – no Rondo.
The point guard, who sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s win over Utah, was thus placed by Leandro Barbosa in the starting lineup.
— Reported by the Boston Herald (Blog)
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have assigned guard Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.
Joseph, who has appeared in one game for the Spurs this season, had three stints with the Toros in 2011-12. In 14 games in Austin, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.29 steals in 32.9 minutes, helping lead the team to the 2012 NBA D-League championship.
The Spurs selected Joseph with the 29th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of the University of Texas. For his career he has appeared in 30 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes.