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Indiana Pacers guard A.J. Price injured his left knee in a charity basketball game Saturday night in New York.
The extent of the injury has not been determined and Price will be examined by Pacers team doctors Monday afternoon in Indianapolis.
The Pacers finished the 2009-10 regular season with a 32-50 record, which was 10th best in the Eastern conference.
For the season, Price played 15.4 minutes per game, averaging 7.3 points and 1.9 assists.
The National Basketball Association announced tonight that the Washington Wizards received the first overall pick in the 2010 Draft during tonight’s Draft Lottery in Secaucus, NJ.
“This is a great night for our franchise and particularly for our fans,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. “They have shown great support and passion during what has been a difficult stretch over the last two seasons, but they can celebrate tonight knowing that we’ve taken a big step towards building the team that they deserve.”
The Wizards, who had a 10.3% chance of landing the first pick in tonight’s Draft Lottery, have held the number one overall pick twice before in franchise history. They chose Walt Bellamy number one in 1961 and Kwame Brown with the top pick in 2001.
In addition to the number one pick, the Wizards own Cleveland’s first round selection (30th overall) as a result of a three-team deal on Feb. 17 and hold their own second round pick (35th overall).
Washington is totally rebuilding, and chances are they’ll go make John Wall the first overall selection.
The Philadelphia 76ers are likely to take Evan Turner second, playing him alongside Andre Iguodala.
At third, the Nets will probably go for a power forward. There are several good candidates worthy of going that high up.
Complete 2010 NBA Draft Lottery results are here.
Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:
Mark Jackson, who seemed to be in the final stages of scheduling an interview with the 76ers for their coaching vacancy, has removed his name from consideration, according to his agent, Steve Kauffman.
Kauffman said Jackson “doesn’t feel it’s the right opportunity for him at this time.”
In the last week, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski met with two candidates, Doug Collins and Avery Johnson, but has yet to formally meet with a third.
Before stepping out of the race, Jackson seemed poised to become Stefanski’s next official interview. According to an NBA source, Stefanski will formally meet with Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams on Monday.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports (via blog):
The Pacers showed that the roster isn’t the only thing they want to change this offseason when they fired Sam Perkins as their vice president of player relations after two years on Friday.
General manager David Morway didn’t divulge why Perkins was fired, but he thanked him for his services.
Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports:
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Ron Artest is still trying to pick up an offense that took Scottie Pippen a year and a half to learn in Chicago. How intricate is the triangle? Tex Winter once wrote a 320-page book about it.
Artest has been a problem spot in the Lakers’ offense, making only three of 19 from three-point range heading into Game 4.
On Saturday, he had five points and made two of nine shots in the Lakers’ 110-89 loss. He was 0 for 4 from three-point range.
Phil Jackson told Artest beforehand to pass more often, but the Lakers’ coach isn’t frustrated with him yet.
“He’s a naïve, innocent lamb,” Jackson said. “I think he’s mistaken in a lot of ways, put in the same category as Dennis Rodman. There couldn’t be a bigger disparity between people.”
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:
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Jones’ impact on the court has been at a minimum the past few weeks.
The reason?
He’s a poor 3-point shooter.
For Jones to be a regular in the rotation next season, he’ll likely have to improve his outside shooting stroke.
“Let me answer it this way: I like to space the court,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “I think if we were to get a point guard that can really space the court, shoot the 3, I think you can get away with having a wing that doesn’t space the court.”
The Pacers knew Jones was not a 3-point specialist when they made him their prized free agent acquisition last summer. They signed him to a four-year contract with a player option on the fourth year.
David Woods of the Indianapolis Star reports:
Stevens, 33, who took Butler on a surprising run to the NCAA championship game, was awarded a new 12-year contract by the university Thursday.
Terms of the contract, which extends through the 2021-22 seasons, were not divulged.
It is widely speculated that Stevens’ total package is at least $1 million annually. The Board of Trustees was discussing that amount, perhaps even before Butler reached the Final Four. Stevens’ base salary two years ago was $395,000, and the total package has been estimated at $750,000.
By comparison, Purdue coach Matt Painter recently agreed to a contract worth $1.3 million a year and incentives that could add another $1 million a year. Indiana coach Tom Crean, the state’s highest-paid employee, makes $2.3 million annually.
InsideHoops.com Joke: Stevens will be 24 years old when the new 12-year deal ends in 2022.
The AP reports:
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With victory assured, Danny Granger’s next goal was to score 50 points.
The versatile forward didn’t quite get there, but he scored 18 of his career-high 44 points in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 122-106 on Friday night.
“I was trying to get 50, but I just ran out of gas at the end,” he said, laughing. “I missed some free throws, too. Overall, I’m glad we won.”
It was the fourth straight game in which Granger has scored at least 30 points. He made 14 of 23 attempts from the floor, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range…
Troy Murphy added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who set a franchise record with 17 3-pointers. Indiana overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half to win its fifth straight overall and seventh in a row at home…
Mehmet Okur had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 21 points and 12 assists for Utah, which allowed its highest point total of the season.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:
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It took nearly the entire season, but Pacers forward Danny Granger is averaging 31 points and shooting 54 percent from the field in the past four games. He has had 13 games of at least 30 points, including three straight, this season.
Granger missed more than a month with a torn right plantar fascia and has had a difficult time adjusting to his new teammates.
“I think he’s found a comfort level,” O’Brien said. “He’s taking what’s there. He’s not forcing the issue, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is up. . . . This is the Danny Granger we became accustomed to seeing last year.”
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:
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The Indiana Pacers found another way to have a player go down with an injury.
Swingman Mike Dunleavy was a last-minute scratch from the lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks after he suffered a right eye contusion when he was hit by a ball during pregame warm-ups Sunday.
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“I went in for a layup and somebody shot the ball and it came off the rim right into my eye,” said Dunleavy, who looked like he had been in a fight after the game.
The Pacers say they’re not sure of the severity of the injury.
“He saw (Milwaukee’s) ophthalmologist and we’re hoping it’s nothing serious,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “He was seeing a black spot out of his eye, so he was told he couldn’t play.”