Emeka Okafor out until around All-Star break

Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor
Fairly solid.

The New Orleans Hornets are a bit beaten up right now. Here’s their latest injury report:

Center Emeka Okafor (sore left knee), who missed Monday night’s game against Utah, is out tonight against Milwaukee. In addition, he will miss the remaining four games on the current road trip prior to the All-Star break.

Forward Carl Landry (second degree MCL sprain) and center Jason Smith (concussion) also did not travel with the team and will miss the five game road swing before the All-Star break.

Guard Jarrett Jack (bruised left knee) is out tonight against Milwaukke and is listed as questionable for Friday night’s game in New York.

Spencer Hawes may be out until after All-Star weekend

Spencer Hawes

Sixers president Rod Thorn and coach Doug Collins said that starting center Spencer Hawes is seeking a second opinion on his strained left Achilles’ and will probably remain out of the lineup until after the February 26th All-Star game. The Sixers first game after that will be on Tuesday, February 28th in Detroit.

Hawes will miss his 15th of 17 games tonight when the Sixers play at the Orlando Magic. Sitting courtside while the players warmed up, Thorn said: “We haven’t made that determination for sure yet, but the odds are that he probably will (sit out until after All-Star break). He’s not ready to play yet and we certainly don’t want him to go back out there until he is ready to play. I think the chances are that he won’t play until after All-Star.”

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Blog)

Lakers assign Devin Ebanks to D-League

Devin Ebanks
Devin Ebanks
Very lanky

The 17-12 Los Angeles Lakers have decided they don’t need Devin Ebanks and might as well provide him with some game minutes down in the D-League.

The team today assigned the second-year forward to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers’ NBA Development League affiliate.  The assignment marks the 37th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second assignment for Ebanks of his career.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News blog, “The moves comes a week after the Lakers waived backup power forward Derrick Caracter in a move to open a roster spot and also save the on payroll. Caracter’s contract of roughly $750,000 would have become guaranteed had he been on the roster as of last Friday.

Ebanks (6-9, 215, West Virginia) has appeared in 12 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.6 minutes.

Originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (43rd overall) in the 2010 NBA Draft, Ebanks appeared in 20 games for L.A. last season, averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.9 minutes.

Ebanks returns to the NBA D-League following a six-game assignment to the Bakersfield Jam last season when he averaged 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.7 minutes.

Chauncey Billups undergoes surgery on left Achilles tendon

Chauncey Billups
chauncey billups
No retirement plans at this time

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn left Achilles tendon.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Thomas Clanton at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. Billups is expected to remain in Colorado for approximately four weeks following the surgery before returning to Los Angeles to begin the rehabilitation process.

The injury occurred with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter in the Clippers’ 107-102 win in Orlando on February 6th and will sideline Billups for the remainder of the 2011-12 NBA season. In 20 games played this season (20 starts), Billups has tallied 14.9 points, 4.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 30.4 minutes per game.

He won’t play again during the 2011-12 NBA season. According to several reports, Billups does not plan on retiring and hopes to resume his pro career once he heals.

LaMarcus Aldridge suffers ankle injury

LaMarcus Aldridge

Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge sprained his left ankle early in Portland’s loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Aldridge let out a yell and fell to the floor after landing on Trevor Booker’s foot less than two minutes into the first quarter.

The Blazers said X-rays on the ankle were negative, but he did not return and will not travel with the team to Golden State on Wednesday.

“I’m going to get back as soon as I can!” Aldridge wrote on his Twitter account after the game.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Tom Thibodeau earns spot as East All-Star coach

Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau
Defensive-minded

Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Amway Center in Orlando.

The Bulls (24-7, .774) clinched the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 15 with their 121-115 win over the Sacramento Kings tonight at the United Center.

Thibodeau, the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, is in his second season on the sidelines in Chicago. Last season, he guided the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 (.756) record and earned the top seed in the NBA Playoffs. Chicago advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Thibodeau earned Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors for games played in December/January. He owns a career record of 86-27 (.761).

Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks will coach the Western Conference All-Stars.

Boston’s Doc Rivers coached the East All-Stars last season, and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich coached the West All-Stars.

The 2012 NBA All-Star Game will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

Shaq says Dwight Howard leaving Orlando would be a travesty

Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Never leaves teams or pushes for trades

Shaquille O’Neal says it would be a “travesty” if Dwight Howard leaves the Orlando Magic.

O’Neal also says Howard’s situation is not like his was when he left for the Lakers in 1996, because he says he wanted to stay with the Magic but had a better option.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Chicago Bulls sign Mike James to 10-day contract

The Chicago Bulls today signed guard Mike James to a 10-day contract. Per team policy,terms of the contract were not disclosed. James,(6-2,190),will be in uniform tonight when the Bulls take on the Sacramento Kings at the United Center at 7:00 p.m. (CT).James,36,appeared in three games with Chicago earlier this year and averaged 4.0 ppg,3.7 apg and 1.0 rpg in 8.4 mpg,before he was waived on Jan. 28,2012. James joins the Bulls by way of the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League. In seven games with the Bayhawks,he averaged 21.1 ppg,4.6 apg,3.7 rpg,1.14 spg in 37.7 mpg. He shot .457 from the field,.405 from downtown and .771 from the line while in Erie. He is the 25 th GATORADE Call-up of the 2011-12 NBA D-League season.Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.

Caron Butler gets his Mavs championship ring

Caron Butler

The pregame ceremony was brief but heartfelt for Caron Butler , as well as for his former team, the Mavericks.

Butler received his NBA championship ring prior to Monday night’s game between the Mavericks and his current team, the Clippers.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle took the public address microphone and reminded the American Airlines Center crowd of the “gruesome” patellar tendon injury in Milwaukee that sidelined Butler last January. Carlisle described how Butler pushed his kneecap back into place and hobbled off the court.

“At that moment, the guy was a legend for life, for me,” Carlisle told the crowd.

Carlisle then introduced Butler as “a Maverick for life” and handed him his ring. Butler was clearly emotional as he stared at the ring, kissed it and acknowledged the cheering crowd. Butler then hugged Carlisle and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

— Reported by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News

Mark Cuban rips league over Chris Paul trade

Chris Paul
Chris Paul
Was almost Kobe’s teammate

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who was vocal in his opposition to the proposed trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, still doesn’t think the NBA-owned New Orleans Hornets ended up with a decent deal.

The right deal, in Cuban’s opinion, would have been none at all, even if that meant losing Paul for nothing at the end of the season.

“You’re better off just taking the cap room, or whatever,” Cuban said.

Paul ended up being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, who visited the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Monday night.

“I don’t think it was about the Lakers, per se,” Cuban said before the game. “I think it was just the way they did the deal, which was ridiculous. I don’t think it was about which team. I think it was the fact that, even with the Clippers, we just went through this whole (collective bargaining agreement) and said the incumbent team still has the advantage and then the team the league owns (wimps) out. And look how it’s worked out for them.

“Bad management gets you bad results.”

— Reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas

Read NBA fan reaction and share your views in this basketball forum topic.