C.J. Miles ruptures left thumb ligament

Utah Jazz guard/forward C.J. Miles suffered a ruptured left thumb ligament during practice today at London’s O2 Arena and will require surgery to repair the ligament, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today.  Miles was examined by team orthopedist Dr. Lyle Mason and is expected to return to Salt Lake City to have the procedure performed.

A report on the surgery and an estimated timeline for recovery will be provided following the procedure.

Selected by the Jazz in the second round (34th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft, Miles (6-6, 220, Skyline H.S.) has appeared in 192 games (98 starts) with Utah, owning career averages of 5.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 15.0 minutes per game. Starting in all 72 games played last season, the Dallas native enjoyed a career year in 2008-09, averaging 9.1 points, 1.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game.

Oct 4: Warriors 108, Clippers 101

The AP reports: Anthony Morrow scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 on Sunday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Kelenna Azubuike added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Corey Maggette had 18 for the Warriors. Stephen Jackson scored 11 and Anthony Rudolph added 10. DeAndre Jordan recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers. He made all eight of his shots. Eric Gordon added 19 points and Chris Kaman had 13.

Oct 4: Wolves 117, Bucks 103

The AP reports: Kevin Love had 17 points and Minnesota made a whopping 50 of 56 free throws to beat Milwaukee 117-103 on Sunday night, making a winner out of coach Kurt Rambis in his preseason debut… The game was played with replacement officials, who called 73 fouls that resulted in 94 free throws total. The Bucks were 26 of 38… Love had six points and four rebounds in the first three minutes as the Timberwolves, who never trailed, jumped ahead 12-2. He finished with 13 rebounds in 21 minutes… Hakim Warrick led Milwaukee with 24 points, and rookie Brandon Jennings added 14 points.

Oct 4: Knicks 115, Nets 107

The AP reports: Al Harrington scored 23 points and Wilson Chandler had 21 to help the New York Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets 115-107 on Sunday in the preseason opener for both teams. David Lee added 20 points and nine rebounds, and New York made 13 of 31 3-pointers. Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Nets with 21 points, and Brook Lopez had 19, and Bobby Simmons added 16… Newcomer Darko Milicic was 1 of 4 from the field in limited action for the Knicks. Danilo Gallinari had nine points in 26 minutes after playing only 28 games last season in an injury-plagued rookie year.

Tracy McGrady returns to practice

tracy mcgrady

You remember Tracy McGrady, right? He was pretty awesome for quite a while, but has recently been written off as an afterthought.

T-Mac faces a long road back, and it’s not likely he’ll ever be as good as he once was, but the first step in recovering is actually being out on the court. So, yeah. He’s out there. Playing basketball and stuff.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports:

The court was dropped down in the middle of the McAllen Convention Center, a make-shift training camp venue far removed in so many ways from the arenas and tests of the NBA to come. It was, however, a start.

Perhaps the setting was fitting, a reminder of how far Tracy McGrady still must go. But for the first time since microfracture surgery last spring, McGrady practiced with the Rockets on Sunday. He went through a few stints of the scrimmage, moving well and without pain in a small, but significant step in his comeback bid.

His first participation in training camp did not alter his schedule. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said it was “part of the process.” The Rockets still expect McGrady to be out at least until an MRI scheduled for Nov. 23. Still, he played and all reports were that he played well.

Without Yao Ming this season, Houston isn’t expected to accomplish much. And it’s not realistic to expect T-Mac to be a one-man wrecking crew. But under coach Rick Adelman the Rockets play great total team basketball, so always expect them to do a bit better than predicted.

Brandan Wright to have left shoulder surgery

Golden State Warriors forward Brandan Wright underwent an MRI today, which did confirm damage to the capsule of his left shoulder, the team announced.  Surgery is required, but no timetable has been set.  A timetable for his rehabilitation and recovery will be established following the surgery.

Wright, who turns 22-years-old tomorrow (October 5), suffered the injury during practice on the evening of Friday, October 2.  A 6-9 forward, Wright appeared in 39 games last season, averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per contest.  He missed 41 games due to injury or illness in 2008-09, including 37 games due to injury or pain in his left shoulder.  Overall in two NBA seasons, the University of North Carolina product has appeared in 77 games, averaging 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes per contest.

Javaris Crittenton out 2+ weeks

Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports: Javaris Crittenton didn’t know what to expect when he had an MRI on Friday, but he knew that the pain in his left foot had become so unbearable that he couldn’t push through any longer. After arguably his best practice this week, Crittenton was shut down for the final minutes of practice. And, after the MRI revealed what he already knew — that he had a double bone bruise and a strained tendon — Crittenton had to accept that he would be out of action for at least two weeks.

The Post continues: “It’s frustrating,” said Crittenton, who originally hurt himself playing in the Atlanta Pro Am league in late July. “I wanted to come out because it’s training camp and we got a lot of guards. We got to compete. But it’s one of those injuries, you’ve got to give it time and let it heal, because if you keep playing on it, it could be a potential surgery or it keeps nagging you throughout the season, then I can’t play. I decided to sit it out and let it heal.”

Michael Redd returns to the hardwood

michael redd

Remember Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd? He’s fallen off the map recently but looks to remind everyone that he still exists.

The team has not accomplished much recently and in 2009-10 could take another step backward — unless Redd is his old shooting star self again.

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

Michael Redd stepped back on the Bradley Center floor Saturday for the first time since Jan. 24, when he crumpled to the court after tearing ligaments in his left knee.

The occasion was only an intrasquad scrimmage for the Milwaukee Bucks, not a real game.

But it still was a huge step for Redd, who scored 18 points while showing little rust as the Bucks players performed for an enthusiastic crowd of 5,864.

“I was a little nervous, to be honest with you,” Redd said. “I felt comfortable and just played. I’m a little sore right now, which is natural, but I felt good playing again.”

Aside from watching rookie point guard Brandon Jennings, it’s worth keeping an eye on Redd to see if he looks up to carrying a team.

Brandan Wright hurts shoulder

Brandan Wright hurts shoulder

The AP reports: Golden State Warriors forward Brandan Wright injured his shooting shoulder during practice Friday and could miss extended time. The team says Wright will undergo an MRI exam Monday to further determine the severity of the injury.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Wright played just 38 games as a rookie in 2007-08. And 39 games last season, though in 17.6 minutes he put up a respectable 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds. His injury issues are almost getting scary, though.

Oct 2: Bulls 104, Pacers 95

The AP reports: Rookie Taj Gibson had 19 points and nine rebounds to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 104-95 on Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams. Derrick Rose added 17 points, and Luol Deng and John Salmons had 15 each for the Bulls. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 27 points in 26 minutes. Luther Head scored 14 points, and Brandon Rush scored all 13 of his points in the second half for Indiana. Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas left the game in the third quarter because of a concussion.