Rondo Out Indefinitely

ERIK S. LESSER/EPA

Rajon Rondo missed Sunday's game against the Miami Heat after hyper extending his right knee Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Rondo is now listed as day to day after undergoing a MRI yesterday. Coach Doc Rivers is now experimenting with the starting line up after the Celtics loss six games in a row stating the following:

"We're going to start Jared, more just because Jared'a playing well. Honestly I don't love it because I worry about our bench. Our bench has been off the chats and that may affect them. But we're doing it because he's playing so well. I just thought the starters needed to shake up the lineup, even though I really and doing it cautiously because I just think at some point our starters will find themselves."

UPDATE: After undergoing a MRI, it has been determined that Rondo has a torn ACL and will be out the remainder of the season.

Hornets to Change Name to Pelicans

The New Orleans Hornets announced Thursday that they will be going ahead with the name change to the New Orleans Pelicans.  The change has to be approved by the NBA although commissioner David Stern has stated before that he would not object to any name change Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Hornets and Saints, chose for the team.  The Hornets will also change to team colors to blue, gold and red.

Kings being moved to Seattle?

The owners of the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof family, reached an agreement with a Seattle group to sell its controlling interest of the Kings.  The Seattle group has the intention of moving the Kings to Seattle in time for next season.  NBA teams were informed Sunday night that the Kings were valued at $525 million, which included the value of the team as well as the relocation fees, and that a purchase and sale agreement had been executed by the Maloofs and a group led by hedge fund manager Chris Hansen.

"The proposed transaction is subject to the approval of the NBA Board of Governors and has been referred to the Board's committee process for review." -The NBA announced Monday

For more on the story visit espn.com

Suns and Gentry Part Ways

(Photo: Patrick Breen/azcentral sports)

After having the worst record in the west, 13-28, the Phoenix Suns and Coach Alvin Gentry have agreed to go their separate ways.  An interim coach is said to be announced within the next 24-48 hours.

UPDATE (1/20/13): The Suns have named Lindsey Hunter, the player development director, as it's interim coach.

NBA All Star 2013 Starters

The NBA All Star Starts for this year's All Star game from Houston, TX have been announced.

Photo: www.nbaallstar.com

East
Lebron James, Miami Heat
Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

West
Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder
Dwight Howard, LA Lakers
Blake Griffin, LA Clippers
Chris Paul, LA Clippers

Hawks Suspend Smith

Why does it seem that the athletes in Atlanta don't know how to act?

Kevin Love Out With Broken Hand

Photo: Jim Mone, AP

Kevin Love broke his right hand during workout on Wednesday morning.  Love is expected to miss six to eight weeks with injury.  Love broke the third and fourth metacarpals on his shooting hand.  Besides Love, the Timberwolves have also lost point guard Ricky Rubio who tore the ACL in his left knee.

Delonte West Suspended by Mavericks

Another year, more Delonte West drama. 

West has been suspended by the Dallas Mavericks for conduct detrimental to the team.  According to sources, the suspension stems from an outburst by West in the locker room following a Mavericks victory on Monday.  No timetable has been given to how long West will be suspended.

"Hopefully, we can get it resolved quickly.  Until we talk to him and hash through it I won't know for sure." -Coach Carlisle
 

 UPDATE OCTOBER 30TH: West was waived by the Mavericks Monday to trim roster to the mandated 15-player limit.  After being suspended twice in a month, according to sources the Mavs were concerned that West negatively influencing younger players on the team.

NBA Looking to Penalize Floppers

We all have gotten tired of the players that flop in the NBA and it looks like the league has gotten fed up with it as well.  NBA Commissioner David Stern made the following statement during last season's Finals:

"If you continue to do this, you may have to suffer some consequences.  What those exactly should be and what the progression is, is to be decided. We just want to put a stake in the ground that says this is not something we want to be a part of our game, without coming down with a sledgehammer but just doing it in a minimalist way to begin stamping it out.  And I think there are ways we can do that and we'll have to wait and see exactly what we come up with."

For those that don't know what flopping is, it's when a player flops to the ground dramatically when there is little or no contact between the player and the opponent.

Well it look like we won't have to wait that much longer.  Spokesman Tim Frank stated on Wednesday that the league is finalizing procedures to deal with flopping.   Stern believes that there are too many players are deceiving referees by flopping.  The procedures are likely to include postgame reviews by the league office rather than an official calling an infraction during the game.  The players when then likely be fined if the play is determined a flop.

Team USA Basketball Point Proven

Photo Credit: AP

Well the world has been so caught up in comparing the current Team USA basketball team to the '92 Dream Team that they haven't really paid attention to their play until this game.  If Team USA was trying to prove a point to the world, it was proven against Nigeria today.  The United States team beat Nigeria by more points than the Nigeria team even scored in the entire game.  Team USA broke the record for the most points scored in an Olympic contest, which was formerly held by the 1988 Brazil team with 138 points, scoring 156 points.  Not only did the team break a record, Carmelo Anthony broke a Team USA individual record for most points scored by a player in an Olympic game with 37 points in only 14 minutes.

To say that Team USA went off on Nigeria is an understatement.  Carmelo and company beat Nigeria by 83 points with the final score being 156-73.  The team went on a shooting rampage from the tip off of the game going a 13-0 run in the first three minutes of the game and scoring 49 points, which included 11 3-pointers, in the first quarter alone.  The team ended of the game shooting 71.1% from the floor and shooting 63% from 3 point range making 29 of 46 3 pointers.  Doc Rivers stated after the game that it this game may have been the best shooting performance in history.  Lebron James only had 6 points in the entire game and Kobe Bryant scored only 16 points in only 11 minutes of play.  Russell Westbrook had an exciting game as well exploding to add 21 points.  Sad thing is though is without Camelo's 37 points and Westbrook's 21 points the United States still would have beat Nigeria by 25 points.

I don't know what point Team USA Basketball was trying to make but point proven and the world heard you loud and clear.

President Obama Picks Dream Team

Kobe Bryant has once again placed his arrogance out there for the world that has led to an open debate on whether the '92 Dream Team is better than this year's Team USA.  Michael Jordan fired back with a statement saying "I just laughed" and literally laughed out loud.  Well President Obama has come out and stated that he feels that the Dream Team would beat this year's team.  President Obama stated "This is a generational thing.  I was around in '92, I was a Bulls fan, so I've got to go with the original Dream Team.  You know Kobe's a competitor so you expect him to do a little trash talking when the opportunity arises.

The '92 Dream Team consisted of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Christian Laettner, Clyde Drexler, and John Stockton.

While this year's 2012 Team USA consist of Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, and Anthony Davis (who replaced Blake Griffin who suffered a knee injury.

President Obama wasn't able to escape the debate during Monday's exhibition game against Brazil and was interviewed during halftime.  President Obama went on to say "Obviously the talent that we've got at this point is unbelievable, so there's no reason that we shouldn't bring home the gold.  We just have to stay focused."

President Obama and First Lady Michelle court side during
Monday night's exhibition USA vs. Brazil Basketball game

Kyrie Irving Breaks Right Hand

Being in the NBA definitely does not make you mature faster and this incident with Kyrie Irving proves that.  Irving broke his right had slapping a padded wall during practice on Saturday.  The young Cavs star was upset after making a turnover and slapped the padded wall in a high school gymnasium.  Irving traveled back to Cleveland Sunday to be examined by team doctors on Monday and is expected to miss two months.  The young star is scheduled to have surgery on his broken hand this Wednesday.

This incident came just days after it had hit the net that Irving had challenged Kobe Bryant to a one on one game, in which the winner would receive a cash sum from his opponent to be donated to the charity of their choice.

Blake Griffin Injures Left Knee

The USA Basketball team hasn't been together a week and already someone is hurt.  Blake Griffin injured his left knee during a scrimmage at team USA training camp according to ESPN.  Griffin returned to Los Angeles to have his knee examined by Clippers' physicians.  USA Basketball released a statement saying that Griffin would miss the scrimmage today against the Dominican Republic after complaining about discomfort in his left knee.  Griffin is expected to undergo a MRI exam and be evaluated on Sunday.  USA Basketball announced that the 2012 number 1 draft pick, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets was asked to report to Team USA training camp and will dress out in place of Griffin in tonight's scrimmage game.  Davis is one of six alternates for Team USA after not making the 12 man team due to a sore ankle he suffered from during try outs.  Whether Griffin is able to return to Team USA or not I'm sure that they will be able to bring home the gold.

UPDATE: Griffin has been diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear in left knee and will miss the Olympics according to the LA Times and will likely have arthroscopic surgery next week. Anthony Davis was named to replace Griffin in the 12 man roster for Team USA. Griffin is expected to miss at least 8 weeks but should be ready to go by the time training camps begin in October.

Rashard Lewis to the Heat

Rashard Lewis is headed back to Florida, only this time he is headed to Miami not Orlando. Lewis has agreed to a two year $2.8 million deal with the Miami Heat. Lewis agreed to a &13.7 million buyout from the New Orleans Hornets after they traded with the Washington Wizards for Lewis last month thus making him a free agent. Lewis had interest in other teams, including the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, but was sold on the Heat after meeting with Pat Riley. Lewis has become the second veteran the Heat has agreed to a deal with after his former Supersonic teammate Ray Allen agreed to a deal with Miami this past Friday. Lewis is expected to sign his contract Wednesday along with Allen.

Lou Williams to Hawks

Looks like Lou Williams is headed back home to Atlanta. According to sources the Gwinnett County native has agreed to a multiyear contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Williams finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year category, behind guard James Harden, after averaging a career high 14.9 points and 3.5 assists. Williams announced last week that he would not be returning to Philadelphia after talks broke down between the two parties. Williams opted out of the final year of his contract worth $5.3 million. Lou Williams took to twitter to announce the news to his fans.

USA Basketball

The USA Olympic basketball team has been announced and consist of the following 12 players:

Lebron James
Kobe Bryant
Chris Paul
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook
James Harden
Tyson Chandler
Kevin Love
Blake Griffin
Deron Williams
Andre Iguodala

Chris Bosh Will Sit Out Olympics

(Getty Images)

Coming just a few days after Wade announced that he would miss the Olympics, Heat teammate Chris Bosh announced that he would miss the Olympics as well.

Bosh decided to sit out the Olympics so he can still heal from the abdominal strain suffered during the playoffs. Bosh told USA basketball on Friday that he is withdrawing from consideration for the London games. Chris Bosh made the decision after consulting with Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick and others. With Bosh and Wade out, there are sixteen players left for twelve spots on the US Olympic team and the roster is scheduled to be announced July 7th. Bosh agent released the following statement:

"This injury was a pretty serious one. He was able to comeback and play under the circumstances because he was trying to contribute to them winning a championship. There's still pain. There's still discomfort. And the real concern is if he doesn't rest and do the rehab associated with the injury, this could become sort of a chronic thing for him." -Henry Thomas, Bosh agent

Lamar Odom Traded to Clippers

Well we all know how Lamar Odom felt about being in Dallas and it showed in his play. Well look like Dallas is fed up with his acting out and Odom is headed to back to LA, only this time he won't be with his beloved Lakers. Lamar Odom is headed back to where his career began as the Mavericks traded Odom to the Clippers Friday as part of a four team trade. The Clippers sent Mo Williams to the Utah Jazz who will use the trade exception it created in the Mehmet Okur deal with the Nets this past season to take on Williams contact. Mavericks will create their own trade exception worth $8.9 million by shedding Odom's contract without taking any salary back. The mavericks received the draft rights to Forward Tadija Dragicevic from Utah and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets. The Clippers sent draft rights to second round pick Furkan Aldemir to Houston in the trade. Jazz also received draft rights to Shan Foster from the mavericks.

Dallas originally had until Friday to either pay $2.4 million to buyout Odom's $8.2 million salary for next season or have him on the books for the 2012-2023 season. Mavericks and Odom agreed to extend the buyout deadline in Odom's contract to Saturday while Williams decided on whether to pick up his $8.5 million option for next season.

Kevin Garnett Decides to Return

AP

According to sources Garnett will not be retiring and has decided to return to the Boston Celtics. Garnett will receive a 3-year $34 million deal going into next season. Garnett just finished his fifth season with the Celtics after playing twelve years with this Minnesota Timberwolves. A source close to the situation states that the decision came down to whether Garnett still wanted to play and when he decided he did it was going to be with Boston, that he wasn't going to leave Doc and those guys to play with anyone else.

Wade to Miss Olympics

Wade has decided to sit out the Olympics due to the need of surgery on left knee. Wade informed USA basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski early Thursday.

"I've decided to listen to my doctors and get the procedure I need on my knee. USA basketball said I had to do what was best for me. They want me to be obviously healthy as possible so I can continue to play this game at a high level. They were very supportive and told me if I ever wanted to come around the team, I'm welcome and that I'm a part of the family." -Wade told the Associated Press

Wade's surgery is currently not set but the surgery will be done on the same knee he had surgery on in 2008. Throughout the past season Wade has had his knee drained on several occasions including the day of game 3 in the Heat-Pacers series. The surgery is needed to alleviate fluid building around Wade's knee. Wade made it known that making sure he's ready for the rest of his career with the Heat was his top priority and he should be good to go by training camp.