Caron Butler interview on being hurt

Here’s what Caron Butler said to local media today:

Caron Butler on his state of mind after missing his sixth straight game with a left hip flexor strain: “I’ve just been thinking about yesterday’s game, and thinking about the games coming up on Friday and Saturday, and I’m just trying to remain optimistic about getting out there. I just have to see how I feel. It’s a day-to-day thing, and hopefully I’ll feel physically up to it.”

Caron Butler on what it will take for him to return from this injury: “I need to feel good in practice. Pain free. I’m not going to go through a situation in which I step back on the court and the same thing occurs like it did in Philadelphia (on February 5th). Then I will be of no use to the team. I want to come back at 100% so that we can make a push.”

Caron Butler on watching his teammates in his absence: “I just want to get back out there on the court. Yesterday was a game that I felt we could have got, but we fell a little short. The guys really worked their tails off, but something was missing. I felt that if I was out there, we probably would have gotten over the hump. But that’s all speculation, and I still tip my hat off to the guys for working so hard. I’m just frustrated. I want to be out there more than anybody.”

Caron Butler on what he can offer from the sideline: “I’m trying to stay in everyone’s ear as much as possible, but it is different coming from the sideline. That’s why the coaches always emphasize the point that they need a voice on the court. They can be the voice off the court on the sidelines, but you need a voice on the court. Right now, I can’t do that. I can give encouraging words, but it hurts not to be out there.”

Devin Harris out 1-2 more weeks

The AP reports: The New Jersey Nets will probably have to wait at least two weeks before they can begin to gauge how well they made out in Tuesday’s eight-player deal with Dallas. Point guard Devin Harris, who will take Jason Kidd’s place in the Nets’ lineup, said Wednesday the ankle injury that has kept him out for the last three weeks will sideline him for up to two weeks more.

Shaq to play tonight

The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Suns center Shaquille O’Neal proclaimed tonight’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers a new chapter in his career. “The fourth and final chapter,” O’Neal said after this morning’s shootaround. The plan still is to start O’Neal and have him play short spans of time, totaling 20 to 25 minutes. O’Neal has been limited to four games over the past eight weeks by a hip injury that is no longer painful.

Sixers, Mo Cheeks agree to contract extension

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has agreed in principle to a contract extension with Head Coach Maurice Cheeks.  Per team policy, terms of the agreement are not disclosed.

“Since my arrival, I have been evaluating every aspect of the organization and I believe that Coach Cheeks deserves a great deal of credit for developing our players, putting them in a position to succeed and showing improvement every day,” Stefanski said. “Coach Cheeks has done a very good job of installing an up-tempo brand of basketball that puts this team in a position to succeed on a nightly basis and we are excited about the future under his direction.”

Cheeks was named the 21st head coach in franchise history on May 23, 2005 and has posted a 96-122 (.440) mark during that span and has a career record of 258-261 (.497).  Prior to joining Philadelphia, he posted a mark of 162-139 (.538) in three-plus seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, helping them reaching the playoffs in each of his first two seasons there.  Cheeks spent seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Sixers, working under head coaches John Lucas (1994-96), Johnny Davis (1996-97) and Larry Brown (1997-2001), with whom he helped guide the Sixers to a 56-26 (.683) record and an Eastern Conference title.

Bobcats shoot 28.2 percent vs Spurs

The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: One bad foot and 11 bad shooters. That sums up the Charlotte Bobcats Tuesday. Their marksmanship was off by record proportions. They shot an all-time low 28.2 percent, leading to an 85-65 loss to the reigning-champion San Antonio Spurs. Forward Gerald Wallace was worst of the worst, missing all nine of his shots, but at least there were circumstances; Wallace was just back from missing five of the previous six games with a strained right foot. He said the injury didn’t affect him physically, but it clearly infested his head.

Ilgauskas to play in Olympics

The Akron Beacon Journal (Brian Windhorst) reports: For years, Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ head and his feet said no. Now he’s able to give the answer he always has had in his heart: Yes. After a few months of thinking about it, Ilgauskas has told the Lithuanian National Team that he will play for it this summer at the Beijing Olympics, a move that has created a lot of excitement among his countrymen. ”I’ve always wanted to do it before I get too old,” said Ilgauskas, who will turn 33 in June. ”I feel like I have a lot of basketball left in me and I can help, and this is probably my last chance.”

Lakers recall Coby Karl from D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers have recalled guard Coby Karl from the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, it was announced today.

Karl, who became the 11th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate earlier this season on November 28, was re-assigned to the D-Fenders February 14.

During his first assignment, Karl played in 10 games with the D-Fenders from November 29 – December 22, averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 38.4 minutes while shooting .435 from three-point range and .492 from the field.

In three games during his second stint with the D-Fenders from February 14 – February 19, Karl averaged 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 37.2 minutes.

In 13 total games with the D-Fenders this season, Karl is averaging 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 38.1 minutes.

Should Karl play in tonight’s game versus Atlanta, he would join Lakers second-year guard Jordan Famar as the only other player in league history to see action in same-day D-League and NBA games.  Farmar, who first did so on April 1, 2007 by playing in the D-Fender’s 2:30 pm contest versus Anaheim and then logging time in the Lakers 7:30 pm game versus Sacramento, also played in D-League/NBA double-headers April 3 and April 12, 2007.

Signed by the Lakers as an undrafted rookie free agent on July 30, 2007, Karl has appeared in 11 games this season, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in 3.7 minutes.

Last season, the 6’5” guard averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior at Boise State and was named First Team All-WAC.  Karl, who left Boise State as the all-time leader in games played (127) and three-point field goals made (266), ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,698 career points.

Nuggets 2008-09 ticket prices

The Denver Nuggets today announced ticket prices for the 2008-09 season.    The Nuggets will continue to be near the middle of the NBA in average ticket price ($61.50), despite playing in a privately-funded arena with a capacity in the bottom half of the league.  This is just the 10th time the Nuggets have adjusted ticket prices since 1988 and over 500 seats remain unchanged.

“This price adjustment is needed to continue to provide a competitive product at a fair price in the ultra-tough Western Conference,” said Paul Andrews, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Kroenke Sports Enterprises.  “We will remain near the middle of the pack in the NBA and this will help us as we strive towards our goal of winning an NBA championship.”

The Nuggets are one of only six teams in the NBA to qualify for the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and have a roster featuring two NBA All-Star starters (Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson) and the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year (Marcus Camby).

One third of seats in the Pepsi Center will be priced at $22 or less, including the $10 seats which remained flat.  The Nuggets will also continue to offer popular ticket promotions such as Denver Post Family Nights (4 tickets, 4 Pepsis, 4 Digiorno’s Pizzas and a $10 ESPN Zone card for $59), Coors Light Guys Night Out (2 tickets, 2 Coors Light beers, 2 guys night out t-shirts) and Pepsi Youth Nights (kids 14-and-under free with a paid adult on select games) and Rocky’s Den (day of game seats for only $5 in this area).

Season ticket holders who renew will receive a price lock on their seats for the 2008 NBA Playoffs, from the First Round to the Conference Finals.  New season ticket buyers who purchase before April 1, 2008 will receive a great seat location and the price lock for the playoffs as well.

Suns, Nuggets to play NBA game outdoors

The NBA’s first outdoor game of the modern era will take place when the Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game on Saturday, October 11 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA.  The 16,000-seat stadium is an NBA-style arena with no roof located in a spectacular desert setting.  The venue annually plays host to one of the world’s major tennis tournaments, the Pacific Life Open.

Full story is here.

Mavericks waive Nick Fazekas

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have waived forward Nick Fazekas.

Fazekas (6-11, 235) was selected by Dallas with the 34th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. He saw action in four games with the Mavericks this season averaging 1.0 point in 2.3 minutes.  He spent 28 games (24 starts) with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League and averaged 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 30.5 minutes per game. He was selected as a D-League All-Star but did not play in the game.