Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas was charged Thursday with felony gun possession, a crime that carries a maximum five years in jail and a fine, authorities said. The charge was filed Thursday afternoon by the U.S. Attorney's office for the District. - Washington Post
Gordon Gund, then the principal owner and now a Cavaliers' minority owner, denied the team was tanking during that 17-65 season to get James, who would go to Cleveland with the No. 1 pick after it won the 2003 draft lottery. Gund also denied the team then was for sale, a move that wouldn't happen until 2005. - FanHouse
Unless Superman is planning a surprise appearance out of another phone booth, don't expect to hear Dwight Howard's name called when the NBA announces its All-Star dunk participants on Monday. Howard also said not to count on LeBron James participating. - FanHouse
Wallace's contract with the Grizzlies is set to expire following this season. But barring a dramatic turn of events, he'll remain the team's general manager and vice president of basketball operations for years to come. "He works hard and he's done a fantastic job," Griz owner Michael Heisley said. "He's someone I work with well. We have great chemistry. I'd like for Chris to stay and I think he'll be with us for a good period of time." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy left the Rose Garden on Wednesday night saying he was "concerned" about the condition of his right hamstring, which kept him out of the fourth quarter of the Blazers' runaway 120-108 victory over Milwaukee - The Oregonian
The NBA fined the Boston Celtics coach $25,000 on Wednesday for an argument with officials that led to two quick technicals and an ejection. ``They admit that the ... call was wrong,'' Rivers said before the Celtics' game against the New Jersey Nets. ``Of all the fines I've ever had, this is by far the most disappointing. I just don't get this one. I watched a couple of coaches last week run out on the floor and no fine. I get fined for being right.'' - AP
Magic center Dwight Howard admitted that he’s turned to a higher power to help him deal better with the NBA’s referees. Howard has already been whistled for nine technical fouls this season, and he says he’s working hard not to get so frustrated with the many hard hits he takes in the post. ``I don’t need any more techs. I’ve got to do what’s best for my team because they need me on the floor,’’ Howard said. - NBA.com
The Magic's current skid of six losses in 10 games has not put coach Stan Van Gundy's job in jeopardy. League sources said Van Gundy is on solid ground. The same cannot be said about most of the roster. An NBA source described Orlando GM Otis Smith as "active" in trade talks and said the Magic could look to reshape their roster before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. - SI.com
Sources said it will take a lot more than a player like Jefferson, who is averaging just below 18 points per game so far this season, to get Bird to part with Granger. Jefferson has three years and $42 million left on his contract after this season. Granger isn’t the only Pacers player getting interest as the trade deadline approaches. - Indianapolis Business Journal
And while the roster is bad -- OK, really bad -- it doesn't require plastic surgery to be molded into a winner. Harris and Lopez already occupy the two toughest positions to fill, and Thorn installed Kiki Vandeweghe as Frank's temporary successor with a mandate to see if any of the young talent (specifically Yi) is good enough to be part of the team's future. Factor in a high draft pick like Kentucky's John Wall -- who could either team with Harris in the backcourt or turn the 26-year-old Harris into a trade chip -- and another first-rounder (the Nets have Dallas' pick from the Kidd deal), and answer this: How many payroll-slashing teams look that much better? - SI.com
As I've mentioned many times, the Bulls' dream is to sign James, Wade or Johnson, and trade for Bosh, Boozer or another power forward. “I haven’t the slightest idea (if the Bulls will get anyone) because we don’t tamper, we follow the rules,” Reinsdorf said. “So you don’t know. We’re not talking to anybody’s agent surreptitiously. We’re not talking to any of the players surreptitiously, so I don’t know what any of these players think about us." - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
"We will not be averse to being active before the trading deadline,'' Dumars said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. "But we're definitely not going to be active just to be active. At this stage, it has to make sense for us going forward. We're not looking for a short-term fix.'' One player could not cure all the Pistons' problems, even if he was a desperately needed point guard or a low-post scorer. "We are not a finished product,'' Dumars said. "We have some holes to fill and we will go about doing that.'' - AP
Many rival team executives are predicting that Bosh will move to Miami or another contender because the Raptors are a game under .500 with a capped-out roster. But it's also fair to speculate that the ever-aggressive Colangelo may seek to balance his rotation after overhauling it last summer. One potential move would be to trade point guard Jose Calderon (making a reasonable $8.2 million with three years remaining) in order to put the ball in the hands of Hedo Turkoglu, which would make better sense of Toronto's $53 million offseason investment in him. Could that kind of deadline deal improve the Raptors over the second half and persuade Bosh to stay? - SI.com
Allen Iverson on how close he was calling it quits on his basketball career: “Oh I was there. I was at that point and I was kind of frustrated. It didn’t have so much to do with me, as far as my wife and my kids, not knowing where we were going to be living. Not knowing where they were going to be going to school and I think it was harder on them than it was on me. I was kind of used to the situation that I was getting accustomed to waking up every morning and not knowing but it was frustrating me because my family was going through it. Once I decided to retire, I actually felt good. I was working on trying to get fat. I was able to be around my wife and kids whenever I wanted to. I was a 24/7 Dad.” - Sports Radio Interviews
Midway through his first season in Toronto, Hedo Turkoglu hasn’t really been lights out in terms of numbers or his comfort level. In fact, his average points is at its lowest it has been since the 03-04 season at 13.1. Turkoglu says through the second half of the season, perhaps having more of an aggressive state of mind might go a long way. “All I have to is keep myself ready and try to be more aggressive and try to get myself more out from the get-go” says Turkoglu. “Hopefully they will stretch me out throughout the game and hopefully I will feel much better.” - The Rap
After a breakout November and his epic 55-point game against the Warriors, Jennings followed with a December where he shot 37 percent, and a January where, so far, he's shooting 25 percent and averaging 10 points. This is to be expected. After all, he's barely out of his teens. He's not strong physically. He's still learning how to use his right hand (he's left-handed). He's learning. It's probably unfair to lean on him too heavily, but at least for scoring, the Bucks really don't have any choice. Ricky Pierce is not coming off that bench. - NBA.com
Whether it works is another matter. Two or three years ago, coach Mike Woodson developed what the team calls "the Nash rule" to dictate how it would defend the two-time MVP on the pick-and-roll. "He dissected people off the pick-and-roll," Woodson said Thursday. "Nobody knew how to play him, and people still don't know how to play him. We struggle to play him because he's so good at it." Woodson wouldn't divulge the specifics of it, but said that the team now uses the Nash rule against "anybody that's a pick-and-roll player." It hasn't worked so well against Nash. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Billups on the impact of Ty Lawson: “I knew it early. I knew it early in the preseason. Cause he has a gear that nobody else on the team has. And really there are not very many players in the league that have the gear that he has. When you have the ability to do that and you can play with the poise that he has, it’s a difference maker. I think that when guys are out there playing with him they should be trying to get down the court as fast as possible because he’s going to get the ball and push it." - Sports Radio Interviews
After the Celtics beating, you said they have a "better system." What did you mean? Chris Douglas-Roberts: "The Celtics are a veteran team. They have a great coach and he’s been coaching. We have a fairly new coach, a fairly new system. So it doesn’t even compare. The Celtics and the Nets, we just don’t compare, in all honesty." - New York Daily News
In fact, Vandeweghe seemed annoyed earlier when told of some of CDR's comments. Just a hunch. When told that Douglas-Roberts has been hinting that certain players are being developed more than others - like Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez, but especially Yi - Vandeweghe had this to say: "Let me just say this: There has to be more of a commitment to develop defensively. We’ll leave it at that." Kiki went on to say more. But whenever a guy includes a "We'll leave it at that," you can usually assume there's more there than he's letting on. - New York Daily News
Because Gasol and the team’s primary goal is to have everyone healthy from a big picture perspective going forward in the season, they proceeded cautiously with his hamstring, which has allowed him to heal fully instead of risking further injury by jumping the gun with a too-early return. “I trust that I can be out there playing at my best right now without any danger,” Gasol explained - Lakers.com
Jackson said Wednesday that as long as Bryant isn't hurting the team and isn't hurting himself to the point that "it could affect him for five-to-10 games later on," there's no way he'd consider sitting Bryant. If there can be less way than no way, that's where Bryant stands on sitting out. He has not missed a game with injury or illness in more than three years. - Orange County Register
"This has been a possibility in the back of my mind that it might have to happen," he said of surgery, "so it made it a little bit easier to process and transition to actually having to make this decision. It’s frustrating but at the same time this is the best choice for me.” Griffin, the NBA's No. 1 draft pick, said he began noticing that the knee was aggravated during drills toward the end of last week. "It's not nearly the pain that I had when it first happened," he said. But it was "one of those things where I wouldn’t be able to have full strength, I’d be playing at 75% for the rest of the season," Griffin said. "I’d much rather get this done now and be able to play 100% at the beginning of next season." - Los Angeles Times
“I’m actually hoping, and saying my prayers, that I can come back before the end of this season,” says Oden, who underwent surgery on Dec. 7 to repair a fractured left patella. What do the Blazers’ medical experts, including team doctor Don Roberts and trainer Jay Jensen, have to say about that? “They haven’t dismissed the idea,” Oden says. General Manager Kevin Pritchard confirms Oden’s version. “It’s possible, but you know, we’ll play this by ear, and we’ll be very cautious,” Pritchard says. - Portland Tribune
Trail Blazers All-Star Brandon Roy underwent an magnetic resonance imaging test on his balky right hamstring Thursday morning and has been diagnosed with a strain. Roy, who aggravated his hamstring during the Blazers' 120-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night, skipped Thursday's practice and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Orlando Magic at the Rose Garden. "It's a little sore, a little tight," McMillan said of Roy's hamstring. "We'll look at that tomorrow." - Oregonian
Celtics guard Marquis Daniels says he was told by team trainer Ed Lacerte today that he can expect the cast on his left hand to be removed in about a week. The Celtics still don't ecpect Daniels to return to game action until after the All-Star break (Feb. 14). "You never know, maybe it could get better [sooner]," said Daniels. - Boston Globe
When asked if he wants to return to Denver, Karl replied: "Yes, very much so." The feeling is mutual. Multiple sources close to the team were emphatic in saying they want Karl back. The question is whether or not the two sides can close the financial gap. This is a question no one has an answer to as of this writing. The reality of the situation is that George Karl is as close to becoming a free agent as he ever has been since he became the head coach of the Nuggets back in early 2005. - HoopsWorld
Even if Detroit fails to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001, don't expect one of Dumars' changes to involve Kuester after firing Michael Curry following only one season. "I think John has done a good job, given all the adjustments he's had to make with an unprecedented amount of injuries,'' Dumars said. "He's incorporated rookies and free agents in what we knew was going to be a transition year. "We were so easily identifiable for so long, but that only after we built our core up at the beginning of the great run we just finished. When you're building, it's hard to have an identity.'' - AP
During an interview on Comcast SportsNet, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf suggested the Bulls should be in the playoffs this year. “I think we have built a roster where the core is pretty good,” Reinsdorf said. “I really think this team certainly ought to be in the playoffs this year and if you add one really outstanding player to it, I think we can go all the way.” - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
In the last two days, Boozer has been connected to trades scenarios involving Detroit and Dallas. "It doesn't matter to me," he said before practice Wednesday. "If you play in the NBA, there are going to be very few times throughout the course of a season where you aren't going to be [mentioned] in a trade rumor, especially with the deadline coming up." - Salt Lake Tribune
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is invigorated. He is no longer talking of retiring. A 13-year veteran, Ilgauskas said he feels better than he usually does at this point in the season and plans to play another year. He's quick to point out that he never said he would retire, just that the thought had crossed his mind. He has been the subject of trade rumors because he has an expiring contract that teams covet and his role has changed significantly, but he feels good. - Akron Beacon Journal
Gordon Gund, then the principal owner and now a Cavaliers' minority owner, denied the team was tanking during that 17-65 season to get James, who would go to Cleveland with the No. 1 pick after it won the 2003 draft lottery. Gund also denied the team then was for sale, a move that wouldn't happen until 2005. - FanHouse
Unless Superman is planning a surprise appearance out of another phone booth, don't expect to hear Dwight Howard's name called when the NBA announces its All-Star dunk participants on Monday. Howard also said not to count on LeBron James participating. - FanHouse
Wallace's contract with the Grizzlies is set to expire following this season. But barring a dramatic turn of events, he'll remain the team's general manager and vice president of basketball operations for years to come. "He works hard and he's done a fantastic job," Griz owner Michael Heisley said. "He's someone I work with well. We have great chemistry. I'd like for Chris to stay and I think he'll be with us for a good period of time." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy left the Rose Garden on Wednesday night saying he was "concerned" about the condition of his right hamstring, which kept him out of the fourth quarter of the Blazers' runaway 120-108 victory over Milwaukee - The Oregonian
The NBA fined the Boston Celtics coach $25,000 on Wednesday for an argument with officials that led to two quick technicals and an ejection. ``They admit that the ... call was wrong,'' Rivers said before the Celtics' game against the New Jersey Nets. ``Of all the fines I've ever had, this is by far the most disappointing. I just don't get this one. I watched a couple of coaches last week run out on the floor and no fine. I get fined for being right.'' - AP
Magic center Dwight Howard admitted that he’s turned to a higher power to help him deal better with the NBA’s referees. Howard has already been whistled for nine technical fouls this season, and he says he’s working hard not to get so frustrated with the many hard hits he takes in the post. ``I don’t need any more techs. I’ve got to do what’s best for my team because they need me on the floor,’’ Howard said. - NBA.com
The Magic's current skid of six losses in 10 games has not put coach Stan Van Gundy's job in jeopardy. League sources said Van Gundy is on solid ground. The same cannot be said about most of the roster. An NBA source described Orlando GM Otis Smith as "active" in trade talks and said the Magic could look to reshape their roster before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. - SI.com
Sources said it will take a lot more than a player like Jefferson, who is averaging just below 18 points per game so far this season, to get Bird to part with Granger. Jefferson has three years and $42 million left on his contract after this season. Granger isn’t the only Pacers player getting interest as the trade deadline approaches. - Indianapolis Business Journal
And while the roster is bad -- OK, really bad -- it doesn't require plastic surgery to be molded into a winner. Harris and Lopez already occupy the two toughest positions to fill, and Thorn installed Kiki Vandeweghe as Frank's temporary successor with a mandate to see if any of the young talent (specifically Yi) is good enough to be part of the team's future. Factor in a high draft pick like Kentucky's John Wall -- who could either team with Harris in the backcourt or turn the 26-year-old Harris into a trade chip -- and another first-rounder (the Nets have Dallas' pick from the Kidd deal), and answer this: How many payroll-slashing teams look that much better? - SI.com
As I've mentioned many times, the Bulls' dream is to sign James, Wade or Johnson, and trade for Bosh, Boozer or another power forward. “I haven’t the slightest idea (if the Bulls will get anyone) because we don’t tamper, we follow the rules,” Reinsdorf said. “So you don’t know. We’re not talking to anybody’s agent surreptitiously. We’re not talking to any of the players surreptitiously, so I don’t know what any of these players think about us." - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
"We will not be averse to being active before the trading deadline,'' Dumars said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. "But we're definitely not going to be active just to be active. At this stage, it has to make sense for us going forward. We're not looking for a short-term fix.'' One player could not cure all the Pistons' problems, even if he was a desperately needed point guard or a low-post scorer. "We are not a finished product,'' Dumars said. "We have some holes to fill and we will go about doing that.'' - AP
Many rival team executives are predicting that Bosh will move to Miami or another contender because the Raptors are a game under .500 with a capped-out roster. But it's also fair to speculate that the ever-aggressive Colangelo may seek to balance his rotation after overhauling it last summer. One potential move would be to trade point guard Jose Calderon (making a reasonable $8.2 million with three years remaining) in order to put the ball in the hands of Hedo Turkoglu, which would make better sense of Toronto's $53 million offseason investment in him. Could that kind of deadline deal improve the Raptors over the second half and persuade Bosh to stay? - SI.com
Allen Iverson on how close he was calling it quits on his basketball career: “Oh I was there. I was at that point and I was kind of frustrated. It didn’t have so much to do with me, as far as my wife and my kids, not knowing where we were going to be living. Not knowing where they were going to be going to school and I think it was harder on them than it was on me. I was kind of used to the situation that I was getting accustomed to waking up every morning and not knowing but it was frustrating me because my family was going through it. Once I decided to retire, I actually felt good. I was working on trying to get fat. I was able to be around my wife and kids whenever I wanted to. I was a 24/7 Dad.” - Sports Radio Interviews
Midway through his first season in Toronto, Hedo Turkoglu hasn’t really been lights out in terms of numbers or his comfort level. In fact, his average points is at its lowest it has been since the 03-04 season at 13.1. Turkoglu says through the second half of the season, perhaps having more of an aggressive state of mind might go a long way. “All I have to is keep myself ready and try to be more aggressive and try to get myself more out from the get-go” says Turkoglu. “Hopefully they will stretch me out throughout the game and hopefully I will feel much better.” - The Rap
After a breakout November and his epic 55-point game against the Warriors, Jennings followed with a December where he shot 37 percent, and a January where, so far, he's shooting 25 percent and averaging 10 points. This is to be expected. After all, he's barely out of his teens. He's not strong physically. He's still learning how to use his right hand (he's left-handed). He's learning. It's probably unfair to lean on him too heavily, but at least for scoring, the Bucks really don't have any choice. Ricky Pierce is not coming off that bench. - NBA.com
Whether it works is another matter. Two or three years ago, coach Mike Woodson developed what the team calls "the Nash rule" to dictate how it would defend the two-time MVP on the pick-and-roll. "He dissected people off the pick-and-roll," Woodson said Thursday. "Nobody knew how to play him, and people still don't know how to play him. We struggle to play him because he's so good at it." Woodson wouldn't divulge the specifics of it, but said that the team now uses the Nash rule against "anybody that's a pick-and-roll player." It hasn't worked so well against Nash. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Billups on the impact of Ty Lawson: “I knew it early. I knew it early in the preseason. Cause he has a gear that nobody else on the team has. And really there are not very many players in the league that have the gear that he has. When you have the ability to do that and you can play with the poise that he has, it’s a difference maker. I think that when guys are out there playing with him they should be trying to get down the court as fast as possible because he’s going to get the ball and push it." - Sports Radio Interviews
After the Celtics beating, you said they have a "better system." What did you mean? Chris Douglas-Roberts: "The Celtics are a veteran team. They have a great coach and he’s been coaching. We have a fairly new coach, a fairly new system. So it doesn’t even compare. The Celtics and the Nets, we just don’t compare, in all honesty." - New York Daily News
In fact, Vandeweghe seemed annoyed earlier when told of some of CDR's comments. Just a hunch. When told that Douglas-Roberts has been hinting that certain players are being developed more than others - like Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez, but especially Yi - Vandeweghe had this to say: "Let me just say this: There has to be more of a commitment to develop defensively. We’ll leave it at that." Kiki went on to say more. But whenever a guy includes a "We'll leave it at that," you can usually assume there's more there than he's letting on. - New York Daily News
Because Gasol and the team’s primary goal is to have everyone healthy from a big picture perspective going forward in the season, they proceeded cautiously with his hamstring, which has allowed him to heal fully instead of risking further injury by jumping the gun with a too-early return. “I trust that I can be out there playing at my best right now without any danger,” Gasol explained - Lakers.com
Jackson said Wednesday that as long as Bryant isn't hurting the team and isn't hurting himself to the point that "it could affect him for five-to-10 games later on," there's no way he'd consider sitting Bryant. If there can be less way than no way, that's where Bryant stands on sitting out. He has not missed a game with injury or illness in more than three years. - Orange County Register
"This has been a possibility in the back of my mind that it might have to happen," he said of surgery, "so it made it a little bit easier to process and transition to actually having to make this decision. It’s frustrating but at the same time this is the best choice for me.” Griffin, the NBA's No. 1 draft pick, said he began noticing that the knee was aggravated during drills toward the end of last week. "It's not nearly the pain that I had when it first happened," he said. But it was "one of those things where I wouldn’t be able to have full strength, I’d be playing at 75% for the rest of the season," Griffin said. "I’d much rather get this done now and be able to play 100% at the beginning of next season." - Los Angeles Times
“I’m actually hoping, and saying my prayers, that I can come back before the end of this season,” says Oden, who underwent surgery on Dec. 7 to repair a fractured left patella. What do the Blazers’ medical experts, including team doctor Don Roberts and trainer Jay Jensen, have to say about that? “They haven’t dismissed the idea,” Oden says. General Manager Kevin Pritchard confirms Oden’s version. “It’s possible, but you know, we’ll play this by ear, and we’ll be very cautious,” Pritchard says. - Portland Tribune
Trail Blazers All-Star Brandon Roy underwent an magnetic resonance imaging test on his balky right hamstring Thursday morning and has been diagnosed with a strain. Roy, who aggravated his hamstring during the Blazers' 120-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night, skipped Thursday's practice and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Orlando Magic at the Rose Garden. "It's a little sore, a little tight," McMillan said of Roy's hamstring. "We'll look at that tomorrow." - Oregonian
Celtics guard Marquis Daniels says he was told by team trainer Ed Lacerte today that he can expect the cast on his left hand to be removed in about a week. The Celtics still don't ecpect Daniels to return to game action until after the All-Star break (Feb. 14). "You never know, maybe it could get better [sooner]," said Daniels. - Boston Globe
When asked if he wants to return to Denver, Karl replied: "Yes, very much so." The feeling is mutual. Multiple sources close to the team were emphatic in saying they want Karl back. The question is whether or not the two sides can close the financial gap. This is a question no one has an answer to as of this writing. The reality of the situation is that George Karl is as close to becoming a free agent as he ever has been since he became the head coach of the Nuggets back in early 2005. - HoopsWorld
Even if Detroit fails to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001, don't expect one of Dumars' changes to involve Kuester after firing Michael Curry following only one season. "I think John has done a good job, given all the adjustments he's had to make with an unprecedented amount of injuries,'' Dumars said. "He's incorporated rookies and free agents in what we knew was going to be a transition year. "We were so easily identifiable for so long, but that only after we built our core up at the beginning of the great run we just finished. When you're building, it's hard to have an identity.'' - AP
During an interview on Comcast SportsNet, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf suggested the Bulls should be in the playoffs this year. “I think we have built a roster where the core is pretty good,” Reinsdorf said. “I really think this team certainly ought to be in the playoffs this year and if you add one really outstanding player to it, I think we can go all the way.” - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
In the last two days, Boozer has been connected to trades scenarios involving Detroit and Dallas. "It doesn't matter to me," he said before practice Wednesday. "If you play in the NBA, there are going to be very few times throughout the course of a season where you aren't going to be [mentioned] in a trade rumor, especially with the deadline coming up." - Salt Lake Tribune
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is invigorated. He is no longer talking of retiring. A 13-year veteran, Ilgauskas said he feels better than he usually does at this point in the season and plans to play another year. He's quick to point out that he never said he would retire, just that the thought had crossed his mind. He has been the subject of trade rumors because he has an expiring contract that teams covet and his role has changed significantly, but he feels good. - Akron Beacon Journal
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