Sources close to Brandon tell HOOPSWORLD that the twenty-four year old is unhappy with the current situation in Orlando. He wants an increased role and feels that he deserves more minutes. According to the source, Bass isn't sure about his relationship with head coach Stan Van Gundy since the two speak to one another very rarely. - HoopsWorld.com
The Lakers have just announced they will hold a press conference this afternoon to announce a three-year contract extension for power forward/center Pau Gasol. The money is in the neighborhood of $64 million over the three seasons. The exact figures won't be locked in until after the salary cap is set for the first year of his deal. Gasol still has two seasons left, including 2009-10, on his present contract. The next item of business for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is completing a similiar three-year extension for Kobe Bryant. - Los Angeles Daily News
McGrady said he would "of course" choose a team based on seeking his best chance to win. "I’m excited about becoming a free agent, very excited about that," McGrady said. "It’s a time in my career it’s all about winning. Stats and all that stuff don’t really matter to me. I’m all about trying to get a chance to win a championship. My first option is definitely Houston over any team. Houston is where I want to be. My wife and kids love it there. It’s home for us. But you can’t ever rule out coming back." - Houston Chronicle
The Rockets on Wednesday signed former Rockets and Rice forward Mike Harris to fill the vacant roster spot and provide depth with guard Chase Budinger out for several weeks with a sprained right ankle. Harris had been averaging 25.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League. He signed after the Rockets reached agreement with former Rockets guard Von Wafer, but Wafer was unable to pass his physical Tuesday evening. - Houston Chronicle
Kevin Love on the Timberwolves choosing Ricky Rubio over Stephen Curry: “No, I will tell you why that is a good pick too, Steph Curry, because we are towards the last spot in three-point percentage in the league. So he would have just been great in the triangle. He would have been dynamite coming off screens and shooting that three ball. I mean just like he did at Davidson. I love his game.” - Sports Radio Interviews
Not the shock and disappointment at the moment when the newest injury strikes. Not the preparation and recovery from the latest round of surgery. Not the long, lonely nights away from his teammates out on the basketball court or the difficult days going through another round of rehab. "Here I am back at the beginning again and telling myself that it is a long process and there is no rushing," Yao said. "It is the most difficult part, the mental part. You have to find a way not to look too far into the future. Just wake up and do the work the next day." - NBA.com
Charlotte Bobcats center Tyson Chandler will miss at least the next week, while recovering from a stress reaction in his left foot. A magnetic resonance imaging revealed the stress reaction to the fourth metatarsal. That's the bone that supports the toe second from the outside of the foot. Chandler left the second half of Tuesday's victory over the Detroit Pistons with a sore left foot. He was originally diagnosed with a foot sprain, after an X-ray revealed no fracture. The MRI Wednesday revealed the stress reaction. - Charlotte Observer
After carrying the offense down the stretch of Tuesday night’s win over Indiana, the last thing anyone imagined was that Paul Pierce would wake up later with an infection in one of his knees. But that’s exactly what happened to the Celtics captain, resulting in a procedure to drain the knee this morning. Pierce, who thus missed the team flight to Orlando for Friday’s Christmas Day game against Orlando, and will miss all of the upcoming four-city road trip. Estimates for his absence range anywhere from one week to two weeks, though Danny Ainge today called those time frames, “a guess.” - Boston Herald
Despite informing reporters that the team would not practice again until Thursday during a three-day break before the next game, some players were on the practice floor Wednesday afternoon, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. And guess who was running the practice? Vinny Del Negro. At the time those basketballs were bouncing, no decision on Del Negro's fate had been made. But don't read too much into that; the writing is on the wall for an imminent end to Del Negro's tenure as the latest Bulls coach who flamed out around Christmastime. "It's not a matter of if they fire Vinny," a second person familiar with the Bulls' thinking said, "but when they do it." - CBSSports.com
Walton has been sidelined for a month because of a pinched nerve in his lower back pain and underwent a procedure in November that helped alleviate the pain. He is expected to be re-evaluated at the end of this week and at that time a timetable for his return could be set, according to team spokesman John Black. - Orange County Register
A massive proposed complex including a new arena for the New Jersey Nets is ending the year with momentum, though opponents say they'll keep trying to stop the massive project. The developer planning the proposed $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards development signed key documents Wednesday letting the project proceed as a state agency filed papers to force the sale of part of the 22-acre property through condemnation. Last week, developer Forest City Ratner Cos. sold more than $500 million in bonds to finance the arena and completed a plan to sell 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of the arena to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. - AP
He was asked if the situation was frustrating, and Battier said it wasn't. “It's the life we choose,” he said. “I'm not complaining about it. I love my life. It's a different era than the Bird-Magic era of the ‘80s when you just played basketball and went home at the end of the night.” And then there was Carl Landry's perspective. “I really don't have a comment,” he said. “TMZ is TMZ, so I don't have any comment at all. It's going to be funny – hopefully I don't end up on (the site). - Houston Chronicle
Indications are Karl and the Nuggets are a few million dollars apart on the total value of the deal. And there also are questions regarding how much of the third year might be guaranteed. Bret Adams, Karl's attorney, would not comment on any specifics regarding negotiations. All Adams would say is that the sides are talking. "Both parties are working hard and trying to use the end of the year as a point of a soft deadline," Adams said. - FanHouse
There are also questions about whether Boozer will seek a maximum-value contract comparable with some of the league's superstars such as LeBron James and Wade. "I don't know," Boozer said. "I let [agent] Rob [Pelinka] take care of all that. I just go out there and do what I do every night on the court, give it everything I have, and Rob will tell me what it is." - Salt Lake Tribune
Griz general manager Chris Wallace had a couple of items on his managerial plate Tuesday as the team is close to finalizing a buyout agreement with swingman Marko Jaric. The 6-7 veteran is seeking a release so that he can play for Real Madrid in Spain.Jaric and the Griz mutually agreed that he would not join the team this season. Jaric, 31, is under contract through 2010-11 but is willing to give back about $1.3 million for his freedom. Jaric will be reunited with coach Ettore Messina nine years after they guided Kinder Bologna to Euroleague and Italian league titles. - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Jerry Stackhouse used his weekly radio show to rip Mike D'Antoni for being "a control freak" and "an extremist" for benching Nate Robinson. And D'Antoni fired back by dismissing the point of view as "nonsense radio." "For him to even comment, I mean, come on," D'Antoni said before last night's game against the Bulls. "How does he know the inner workings of the Knicks?" - Newsday
The Utah Jazz had to part with promising rookie point guard Eric Maynor to make it happen, but keeping Carlos Boozer for the rest of the season just got more affordable for the Jazz. A lot more affordable. Sending retirement-bound Matt Harpring and Maynor to Oklahoma City for the rights to a 2002 second-rounder who will never play in the NBA -- German forward Peter Fehse -- sliced Utah's luxury-tax bill this season from $12.6 million to a much more manageable $4.8 million. - ESPN.com
Here's how it works after some additional money crunching was done by FanHouse. By sending injured Matt Harpring's expiring $6.5 million contract to Oklahoma City along with Maynor, who makes $1.32 million, for the draft rights to Peter Fehse (who likely never will play in the NBA), the Jazz saved $7.82 million in luxury tax for the season. Had the Jazz not made the deal, the team would have paid a total of about $13 million for the salaries and luxury tax for Harpring and Maynor, which includes getting back about $2.6 million insurance on Harpring, out for the rest of the season. - FanHouse
Van Gundy conceded he was "draining" his team's "enthusiasm" and vowed to change, from the bench on game-nights to his post-game news conferences. Howard told the Sentinel that Van Gundy has been more positive and his turnaround has helped the team. "It has," Howard said. "Early in the season, we'd miss shots or something and you'd look over at Stan and see him kicking water bottles and punching stuff. Now he's fine with it. He understands that nobody's perfect. "He's been doing a good job at it. Me and Stan talk a lot, text a lot, whatever. One thing we just asked him is that, 'Coach, when you have a positive energy about yourself, it makes our team better.' We flow better. We play better." - Orlando Sentinel
Dominic McGuire didn't know what was going on until Flip Saunders walked down the bench and pointed at McGuire, Earl Boykins, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Fabricio Oberto telling them all to get in and replace his lethargic starting five, which was trailing by four points at the time. Saunders sent the message that has patience had run out for lackluster efforts and made an example of the group that wasn't getting it done. "I was surprised and shocked," McGuire said of Saunders' move, which lead to a loud applause from the fans at Verizon Center. - Washington Post
With Wade struggling with his shot and playing through soreness in his back and wrist, the Heat carries a 13-12 record and an 8-8 mark at home into Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz to close out a six-game homestand. ``I read a Charles Barkley quote when he said we were a team full of Tito Jacksons,'' Beasley said after Tuesday's practice. ``I do not think that at all. Udonis Haslem is one of the best shooters [and] hardest-working rebounders in the league. And I think I can score with anybody in the NBA. It's not about saying it anymore. It's about doing it.'' - Miami Herald
Chris Andersen admits he let the pressure affect his game early this season. Lately, however, Ander-sen appears closer to where he was last season, playing better basketball with more energy and more efficiency. "Maybe the pressure is off a little bit of the summer," Andersen said. "The whole shenanigans of the contract and the 'Birdman' phenomenon . . . Everything is kind of calming down." - Denver Post
West's legs are indeed back and so is his overall fitness. After reporting to training camp having lost weight and looking gaunt, West is looking and feeling strong again. He had 12 points, six assists and three steals against the Suns. It included not just that dunk, but a series of aggressive drives to the basket and fierce defensive intensity that helped slow down the powerful Phoenix offense. "He's getting back to himself each game," LeBron James said. "He's so tough, he's talented and gifted and we're so happy to have him." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
What was Phil Jackson thinking when he watched Kobe Bryant's left knee buckle midway through the fourth quarter after stepping on an opposing player's foot fighting for an offensive rebound? "We're fortunate he didn't do something disasterous," Jackson said. "It was shades of Karl Malone." After crumpling to the floor, flexing his knee and then hobbling toward the bench, Bryant returned without missing any action, symbolically wiping his brow and mouthing "That was a close one." - Riverside Press-Enterprise
In the first quarter of their game against the Dallas Mavericks, Joel Przybilla landed awkwardly and violently on his right leg beneath the basket and had to be helped away from the American Airlines Center court by two teammates. Shortly after halftime, the team announced that Pryzbilla had suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation. He is out indefinitely. - Oregonian
In the postgame locker room, Roy could not lift his left arm over his shoulder after dinging it in the fourth quarter. After missing a layup, he got tangled with a Dallas player while wrestling for the ball and "tweaked" it. Roy said he was told it was "loose," and he was in noticeable pain down the stretch and after the game, but said he would try to play versus the Spurs. He planned to take some anti-inflammatory medication to help his shoulder in the short-term and expects to undergo an MRI when the team returns to Portland on Thursday. - Oregonian
After Monday's game against the Suns, LeBron James had a meeting with USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo to talk about next summer, when Team USA is going to play in the World Championships in Turkey. James has been undecided about whether he will play because he's scheduled to be a free agent and is also tenatively planning on shooting a movie in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The World Championships take place in early September. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
D’Antoni can call the bluff of his boss today, but he’d better be careful tomorrow. The Knicks are a mess, and league friends of D’Antoni believe he has deep regret for passing on Chicago for New York. He let his ego and agent push him out of Phoenix, and let his desire for money over winning pass on Chicago. Make no mistake, though: That was two months ago and this is now. New York has a Garden winning streak of six games, and New York isn’t on his case for the holidays. - Yahoo! Sports
The Bulls salvaged some shred of credibility at the Garden, when all alone Rose made a frantic comeback in the final minutes on the Knicks. Chicago lost 88-81, with a paltry 31 halftime points. One NBA scout courtside insisted that, “Vinny ran three [different] plays the whole half and barely made any [play] calls. We don’t even know what to write down. They had a lot more variety last year, a lot more ball movement. It was almost like Vinny said, ‘Screw it, you guys figure it out.’ ” - Yahoo! Sports
Four years later, Lucas is fighting his own challenge: cancer. Known as “The Enforcer” — a 6-9, 215-pound All-Star power forward — on Portland’s 1977 NBA Championship team, Lucas underwent surgery in April after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. He suffered weight loss and fatigue but still returned to the team in September. Seven weeks later, the cancer returned. Today, Lucas, 57, remains hospitalized at Providence St. Vincent Hospital, where he’s currently undergoing treatment. “Someti
mes you can hear when he’s a little tired,” McMillan said of their weekly phone calls. - Portland Sentinel
I had an interesting talk with Jerry West the other day, when he mentioned--in the first time I ever heard it, that he was almost traded to the Phoenix Suns.... "If I had wanted to go, I would have gone." West said. "I would have made a lot more money.... But in the end, I just couldn’t do it. Because they would have traded me to Phoenix for Charlie Scott. But I’m glad I finished my career in Los Angeles..." - Los Angeles Times
The Lakers have just announced they will hold a press conference this afternoon to announce a three-year contract extension for power forward/center Pau Gasol. The money is in the neighborhood of $64 million over the three seasons. The exact figures won't be locked in until after the salary cap is set for the first year of his deal. Gasol still has two seasons left, including 2009-10, on his present contract. The next item of business for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is completing a similiar three-year extension for Kobe Bryant. - Los Angeles Daily News
McGrady said he would "of course" choose a team based on seeking his best chance to win. "I’m excited about becoming a free agent, very excited about that," McGrady said. "It’s a time in my career it’s all about winning. Stats and all that stuff don’t really matter to me. I’m all about trying to get a chance to win a championship. My first option is definitely Houston over any team. Houston is where I want to be. My wife and kids love it there. It’s home for us. But you can’t ever rule out coming back." - Houston Chronicle
The Rockets on Wednesday signed former Rockets and Rice forward Mike Harris to fill the vacant roster spot and provide depth with guard Chase Budinger out for several weeks with a sprained right ankle. Harris had been averaging 25.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League. He signed after the Rockets reached agreement with former Rockets guard Von Wafer, but Wafer was unable to pass his physical Tuesday evening. - Houston Chronicle
Kevin Love on the Timberwolves choosing Ricky Rubio over Stephen Curry: “No, I will tell you why that is a good pick too, Steph Curry, because we are towards the last spot in three-point percentage in the league. So he would have just been great in the triangle. He would have been dynamite coming off screens and shooting that three ball. I mean just like he did at Davidson. I love his game.” - Sports Radio Interviews
Not the shock and disappointment at the moment when the newest injury strikes. Not the preparation and recovery from the latest round of surgery. Not the long, lonely nights away from his teammates out on the basketball court or the difficult days going through another round of rehab. "Here I am back at the beginning again and telling myself that it is a long process and there is no rushing," Yao said. "It is the most difficult part, the mental part. You have to find a way not to look too far into the future. Just wake up and do the work the next day." - NBA.com
Charlotte Bobcats center Tyson Chandler will miss at least the next week, while recovering from a stress reaction in his left foot. A magnetic resonance imaging revealed the stress reaction to the fourth metatarsal. That's the bone that supports the toe second from the outside of the foot. Chandler left the second half of Tuesday's victory over the Detroit Pistons with a sore left foot. He was originally diagnosed with a foot sprain, after an X-ray revealed no fracture. The MRI Wednesday revealed the stress reaction. - Charlotte Observer
After carrying the offense down the stretch of Tuesday night’s win over Indiana, the last thing anyone imagined was that Paul Pierce would wake up later with an infection in one of his knees. But that’s exactly what happened to the Celtics captain, resulting in a procedure to drain the knee this morning. Pierce, who thus missed the team flight to Orlando for Friday’s Christmas Day game against Orlando, and will miss all of the upcoming four-city road trip. Estimates for his absence range anywhere from one week to two weeks, though Danny Ainge today called those time frames, “a guess.” - Boston Herald
Despite informing reporters that the team would not practice again until Thursday during a three-day break before the next game, some players were on the practice floor Wednesday afternoon, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. And guess who was running the practice? Vinny Del Negro. At the time those basketballs were bouncing, no decision on Del Negro's fate had been made. But don't read too much into that; the writing is on the wall for an imminent end to Del Negro's tenure as the latest Bulls coach who flamed out around Christmastime. "It's not a matter of if they fire Vinny," a second person familiar with the Bulls' thinking said, "but when they do it." - CBSSports.com
Walton has been sidelined for a month because of a pinched nerve in his lower back pain and underwent a procedure in November that helped alleviate the pain. He is expected to be re-evaluated at the end of this week and at that time a timetable for his return could be set, according to team spokesman John Black. - Orange County Register
A massive proposed complex including a new arena for the New Jersey Nets is ending the year with momentum, though opponents say they'll keep trying to stop the massive project. The developer planning the proposed $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards development signed key documents Wednesday letting the project proceed as a state agency filed papers to force the sale of part of the 22-acre property through condemnation. Last week, developer Forest City Ratner Cos. sold more than $500 million in bonds to finance the arena and completed a plan to sell 80 percent of the team and 45 percent of the arena to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. - AP
He was asked if the situation was frustrating, and Battier said it wasn't. “It's the life we choose,” he said. “I'm not complaining about it. I love my life. It's a different era than the Bird-Magic era of the ‘80s when you just played basketball and went home at the end of the night.” And then there was Carl Landry's perspective. “I really don't have a comment,” he said. “TMZ is TMZ, so I don't have any comment at all. It's going to be funny – hopefully I don't end up on (the site). - Houston Chronicle
Indications are Karl and the Nuggets are a few million dollars apart on the total value of the deal. And there also are questions regarding how much of the third year might be guaranteed. Bret Adams, Karl's attorney, would not comment on any specifics regarding negotiations. All Adams would say is that the sides are talking. "Both parties are working hard and trying to use the end of the year as a point of a soft deadline," Adams said. - FanHouse
There are also questions about whether Boozer will seek a maximum-value contract comparable with some of the league's superstars such as LeBron James and Wade. "I don't know," Boozer said. "I let [agent] Rob [Pelinka] take care of all that. I just go out there and do what I do every night on the court, give it everything I have, and Rob will tell me what it is." - Salt Lake Tribune
Griz general manager Chris Wallace had a couple of items on his managerial plate Tuesday as the team is close to finalizing a buyout agreement with swingman Marko Jaric. The 6-7 veteran is seeking a release so that he can play for Real Madrid in Spain.Jaric and the Griz mutually agreed that he would not join the team this season. Jaric, 31, is under contract through 2010-11 but is willing to give back about $1.3 million for his freedom. Jaric will be reunited with coach Ettore Messina nine years after they guided Kinder Bologna to Euroleague and Italian league titles. - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Jerry Stackhouse used his weekly radio show to rip Mike D'Antoni for being "a control freak" and "an extremist" for benching Nate Robinson. And D'Antoni fired back by dismissing the point of view as "nonsense radio." "For him to even comment, I mean, come on," D'Antoni said before last night's game against the Bulls. "How does he know the inner workings of the Knicks?" - Newsday
The Utah Jazz had to part with promising rookie point guard Eric Maynor to make it happen, but keeping Carlos Boozer for the rest of the season just got more affordable for the Jazz. A lot more affordable. Sending retirement-bound Matt Harpring and Maynor to Oklahoma City for the rights to a 2002 second-rounder who will never play in the NBA -- German forward Peter Fehse -- sliced Utah's luxury-tax bill this season from $12.6 million to a much more manageable $4.8 million. - ESPN.com
Here's how it works after some additional money crunching was done by FanHouse. By sending injured Matt Harpring's expiring $6.5 million contract to Oklahoma City along with Maynor, who makes $1.32 million, for the draft rights to Peter Fehse (who likely never will play in the NBA), the Jazz saved $7.82 million in luxury tax for the season. Had the Jazz not made the deal, the team would have paid a total of about $13 million for the salaries and luxury tax for Harpring and Maynor, which includes getting back about $2.6 million insurance on Harpring, out for the rest of the season. - FanHouse
Van Gundy conceded he was "draining" his team's "enthusiasm" and vowed to change, from the bench on game-nights to his post-game news conferences. Howard told the Sentinel that Van Gundy has been more positive and his turnaround has helped the team. "It has," Howard said. "Early in the season, we'd miss shots or something and you'd look over at Stan and see him kicking water bottles and punching stuff. Now he's fine with it. He understands that nobody's perfect. "He's been doing a good job at it. Me and Stan talk a lot, text a lot, whatever. One thing we just asked him is that, 'Coach, when you have a positive energy about yourself, it makes our team better.' We flow better. We play better." - Orlando Sentinel
Dominic McGuire didn't know what was going on until Flip Saunders walked down the bench and pointed at McGuire, Earl Boykins, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Fabricio Oberto telling them all to get in and replace his lethargic starting five, which was trailing by four points at the time. Saunders sent the message that has patience had run out for lackluster efforts and made an example of the group that wasn't getting it done. "I was surprised and shocked," McGuire said of Saunders' move, which lead to a loud applause from the fans at Verizon Center. - Washington Post
With Wade struggling with his shot and playing through soreness in his back and wrist, the Heat carries a 13-12 record and an 8-8 mark at home into Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz to close out a six-game homestand. ``I read a Charles Barkley quote when he said we were a team full of Tito Jacksons,'' Beasley said after Tuesday's practice. ``I do not think that at all. Udonis Haslem is one of the best shooters [and] hardest-working rebounders in the league. And I think I can score with anybody in the NBA. It's not about saying it anymore. It's about doing it.'' - Miami Herald
Chris Andersen admits he let the pressure affect his game early this season. Lately, however, Ander-sen appears closer to where he was last season, playing better basketball with more energy and more efficiency. "Maybe the pressure is off a little bit of the summer," Andersen said. "The whole shenanigans of the contract and the 'Birdman' phenomenon . . . Everything is kind of calming down." - Denver Post
West's legs are indeed back and so is his overall fitness. After reporting to training camp having lost weight and looking gaunt, West is looking and feeling strong again. He had 12 points, six assists and three steals against the Suns. It included not just that dunk, but a series of aggressive drives to the basket and fierce defensive intensity that helped slow down the powerful Phoenix offense. "He's getting back to himself each game," LeBron James said. "He's so tough, he's talented and gifted and we're so happy to have him." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
What was Phil Jackson thinking when he watched Kobe Bryant's left knee buckle midway through the fourth quarter after stepping on an opposing player's foot fighting for an offensive rebound? "We're fortunate he didn't do something disasterous," Jackson said. "It was shades of Karl Malone." After crumpling to the floor, flexing his knee and then hobbling toward the bench, Bryant returned without missing any action, symbolically wiping his brow and mouthing "That was a close one." - Riverside Press-Enterprise
In the first quarter of their game against the Dallas Mavericks, Joel Przybilla landed awkwardly and violently on his right leg beneath the basket and had to be helped away from the American Airlines Center court by two teammates. Shortly after halftime, the team announced that Pryzbilla had suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation. He is out indefinitely. - Oregonian
In the postgame locker room, Roy could not lift his left arm over his shoulder after dinging it in the fourth quarter. After missing a layup, he got tangled with a Dallas player while wrestling for the ball and "tweaked" it. Roy said he was told it was "loose," and he was in noticeable pain down the stretch and after the game, but said he would try to play versus the Spurs. He planned to take some anti-inflammatory medication to help his shoulder in the short-term and expects to undergo an MRI when the team returns to Portland on Thursday. - Oregonian
After Monday's game against the Suns, LeBron James had a meeting with USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo to talk about next summer, when Team USA is going to play in the World Championships in Turkey. James has been undecided about whether he will play because he's scheduled to be a free agent and is also tenatively planning on shooting a movie in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The World Championships take place in early September. - Cleveland Plain Dealer
D’Antoni can call the bluff of his boss today, but he’d better be careful tomorrow. The Knicks are a mess, and league friends of D’Antoni believe he has deep regret for passing on Chicago for New York. He let his ego and agent push him out of Phoenix, and let his desire for money over winning pass on Chicago. Make no mistake, though: That was two months ago and this is now. New York has a Garden winning streak of six games, and New York isn’t on his case for the holidays. - Yahoo! Sports
The Bulls salvaged some shred of credibility at the Garden, when all alone Rose made a frantic comeback in the final minutes on the Knicks. Chicago lost 88-81, with a paltry 31 halftime points. One NBA scout courtside insisted that, “Vinny ran three [different] plays the whole half and barely made any [play] calls. We don’t even know what to write down. They had a lot more variety last year, a lot more ball movement. It was almost like Vinny said, ‘Screw it, you guys figure it out.’ ” - Yahoo! Sports
Four years later, Lucas is fighting his own challenge: cancer. Known as “The Enforcer” — a 6-9, 215-pound All-Star power forward — on Portland’s 1977 NBA Championship team, Lucas underwent surgery in April after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. He suffered weight loss and fatigue but still returned to the team in September. Seven weeks later, the cancer returned. Today, Lucas, 57, remains hospitalized at Providence St. Vincent Hospital, where he’s currently undergoing treatment. “Someti
mes you can hear when he’s a little tired,” McMillan said of their weekly phone calls. - Portland Sentinel
I had an interesting talk with Jerry West the other day, when he mentioned--in the first time I ever heard it, that he was almost traded to the Phoenix Suns.... "If I had wanted to go, I would have gone." West said. "I would have made a lot more money.... But in the end, I just couldn’t do it. Because they would have traded me to Phoenix for Charlie Scott. But I’m glad I finished my career in Los Angeles..." - Los Angeles Times
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