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Warriors center Jermaine O’Neal will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow (12/13) to address a torn ligament in his right wrist. A timetable for his return will be determined following the procedure.
O’Neal, who did not play in last night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained right wrist, has appeared in 17 games this season (one start), averaging 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per contest.
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Lakers guard Steve Blake had an MRI and was examined today by team doctor Steve Lombardo and Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Blake was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks.
Blake suffered the injury in the second half of the Lakers @ Washington game on November 26. In 21 games this season (21 starts), Blake is averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 31.8 minutes.
Here’s ESPN New York with an update on New York Knicks PG Raymond Felton:
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Knicks starting point guard Raymond Felton missed Wednesday night’s 83-78 win over the Chicago Bulls due to a hamstring ailment, and coach Mike Woodson said he could be out for “a little while.”
Felton aggravated a pre-existing left hamstring injury in the third quarter against Cleveland while driving to the basket on Tuesday. He was removed from the game shortly thereafter and never returned.
“I don’t think we’re at a day to day right now. He’s going to probably be a little while,” Woodson said before tipoff against the Bulls on Wednesday.
Felton has been playing with hamstring and hip soreness for much of the season.
Here’s the Boston Herald on Doc Rivers, who returns to Boston as a visiting head coach tonight:
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Nothing will be normal for Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers today in his return to the Garden to face the Celtics, and that unfamiliarity started when he walked into the building this morning.
“It will be strange. I’m used to going in the other doors and through the other side,” joked Rivers, who met with the media for about 15 minutes before the Pacific Division-leading Clippers prepared for their one and only trip to Boston this year. “I’m not used to having shootaround. (It’s) maybe my first shootaround ever at the Garden in the last 10 years. This is strange already.”
Rivers arrived in Boston yesterday and met with some friends for dinner before sitting down and watching the Brooklyn Nets and the Celtics kick off what is being dubbed “Reunion Week” for the Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and now Rivers all in different situations.
“It’s going to be a hard night,” Rivers said.
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Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed free agent guard/forward Chris Douglas-Roberts and waived forward James Southerland.
Douglas-Roberts, who was playing with the NBA D-League Texas Legends, becomes the fifth D-League Gatorade Call-Up of the 2013-14 season.
A four-year NBA veteran, the 6-7 Douglas-Roberts has played in 161 career games for the Nets, Bucks and Mavericks. He has career averages of 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.3 minutes, while shooting .442 from the field (458-1036) and .833 from the free-throw line (265-318). Douglas-Roberts was selected by the Nets with the 40th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Douglas-Roberts has also played in 17 career NBA D-League games with the Legends, with averages of 21.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 36.9 minutes. He is shooting .487 from the field (113-232), .407 from beyond the three-point line (22-54) and .889 from the free-throw line (112-126) in D-League action.
In six games for the Legends this season, Douglas-Roberts has averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34.0 minutes, while shooting .472 from the field (34-72), .438 from beyond the three-point line (7-16) and .860 from the free-throw line (37-43).
Southerland signed with the Bobcats on September 5, 2013, after not being selected in the 2013 NBA Draft. He saw action in one regular-season game, playing three minutes.
Yeah, by now you’re probably bored of hearing “Danny Granger set to return!” stories. But this time it’s happening. Probably. At 19-3, the Indiana Pacers don’t seem to need any additional help, but they’ll soon receive it. Here’s ESPN.com on it:
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Danny Granger has played in only five games over the past two seasons for the Indiana Pacers, but he’s hoping to make his return this week.
Granger said he won’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat and instead is targeting Friday’s home game with the Charlotte Bobcats as he recovers from a calf injury that’s kept him out of the team’s first 21 games. He was limited to five games last season because of a knee injury.
“There’s a very good chance, hopefully on Friday,” Granger said. “I’m conditioning my legs, getting my wind. The knee is not an issue at all. The calf is pretty good now.”
After Granger experienced several setbacks over the past year, the Pacers aren’t committing themselves as strongly to the return.
This season, the Chicago Bulls have been good defense and getting injured. With Derrick Rose out for the season, some help in the backcourt would be useful. Here’s the Chicago Tribune with more:
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The Bulls have expressed interest in signing D.J. Augustin if the point guard clears waivers Wednesday, a league source confirmed. Yahoo Sports first reported the Bulls’ interest.
Augustin would be signed for a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum. The Bulls are carrying 13 players and could add one without making a move. However, it’s unlikely they will keep four point guards in Kirk Hinrich, Marquis Teague, James and the possible addition of Augustin.
Deep into luxury tax territory, they certainly will pare one such guard by season’s end, when tax penalties are assessed.
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The Los Angeles Clippers announced Tuesday that they have signed free agent forward Stephen Jackson.
Jackson, 35, joins the Clippers after spending the 2012-13 season with San Antonio, where he averaged 6.2 points 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.5 minutes per game in 55 games for the Spurs.
A veteran of 13 NBA seasons with New Jersey, San Antonio, Atlanta, Indiana, Golden State, Charlotte and Milwaukee, Jackson has appeared in 849 career games (676 starts) and brings career averages of 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 32.1 minutes per game to the Clippers.
Jackson was a member of the 2003 NBA Champion Spurs and has appeared in 72 career playoff games, averaging 13.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33.6 minutes per game.
Originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft, he made his NBA debut during the 2000-01 season with the New Jersey Nets where he appeared in 77 games (40 starts) and averaged 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.6 minutes per game.
A native of Port Arthur, TX, Jackson has been named NBA Player of the Week twice and was a recipient of the NBA’s Community Assist Award for the month of March.
Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer with an update on a key Sixer that remains unavailable:
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Injured 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams said Monday night that he’s not sure exactly when he’ll return the court.
The rookie missed his third straight game because of soreness and a skin infection on the front of his right knee. Carter-Williams spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at University of Pennsylvania hospital because of the ailment.
Carter-Williams said he would play “when everyone says it will be OK for me to come back.”
The 22-year-old rookie is on antibiotics and is waiting for the soreness to go away before he takes the court. The Sixers hope he’ll make the two-game trip to Minnesota on Wednesday and Toronto on Friday.
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The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that Tyreke Evans has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. The injury occurred during the third quarter of the December 6 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Evans is expected to miss 1-2 weeks.
In 19 games this season, Evans is averaging 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals in 24.9 minutes per game.