The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose will defend his title in the 2010 Taco Bell Skills Challenge against Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns and Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 13, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The 2010 field features three of the event’s six previous winners. - NBA
Charlotte Bobcats center Alexis Ajinca will have surgery on Friday, February 5, to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Paul Perlik at Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital in Charlotte. - NBA
Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton has elected not to appeal the season-long suspension he received from NBA commissioner David Stern, according to sources close to the situation. Gilbert Arenas and Crittenton both received suspensions without pay for the rest of the regular season last Wednesday in the wake of the December gun incident in the Wizards' locker room that rocked the entire league. - ESPN
Golden State Warriors guard Anthony Morrow will replace Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose on the sophomore roster for the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, to be played Friday, February 12 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Rose was excused from the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam in consideration of being named to the Eastern Conference roster for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and his participation as defending champion in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday Night. - NBA
Jeff Foster is expected to fly to Los Angeles later this week to get another opinion on his sore left back. Foster, who hasn't played since the middle of December, will likely need surgery at some point, it's just a matter of when he decides to do it. Don't expect to see Foster play again this season. - Indianapolis Star
Stojakovic, whose two missed games this season were due to personal reasons, said his health recently has been "pretty good.'' But he was asked if there's a chance next season could be the final one for the three-time All-Star. "I don't know,'' he said. "It's a tough thing to accept for a player like, 'OK, is this the last year or not?' I don't know. When you're a player you always think that it lasts forever. But you have to understand when you're at certain age what can you do to be helpful for that team?'' - FanHouse
The Pacers have work to do if they expect to be able to trade forward Troy Murphy before the Feb. 18 deadline. The Pacers have already tried to send him to Cleveland, but those talks didn't last long because they were asking for too much, according to a source. The Pacers wanted the Cavaliers to give up forward J.J. Hickson, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and multiple draft picks for Murphy, the source said. - Indianapolis Star
Larry Hughes' thick beard isn't so much a fashion statement as it is a sign of frustration. Apparently, the veteran guard has no plans of trimming his facial hair until he is traded, released or is playing regularly again for the Knicks, the latter of which Hughes is convinced will never happen. "I'm not going to play," he said in a whisper. "I know that." - New York Daily News
Lopez said he is refining moves but also concentrating on post position, making sure he is on a line between the passer and the hoop so he can move either way with the ball. "Coaches and my teammates have done a very good job of making me feel acclimated," Lopez said. "It's always good to have a go-to move and then the counter. When the defense figures that out, you've got to get better at that and start adding to your arsenal." - Arizona Republic
New Orleans Hornets Coach Jeff Bower said they are in the process of gathering further evalations to determine if knee surgery is the best course of action for injured All-Star point guard Chris Paul. Bower said an MRI test was performed Sunday and those results will be reviewed by several top orthropedist specialists from around the country before a decision is made, but Paul is sidelined indefinitely. - New Orleans Times-Picayune
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce(notes) has a left midfoot sprain and could be back playing as early as Wednesday, team sources told Yahoo! Sports. The news thrilled Celtics officials and capped a nervous afternoon that included an NBA.com report that stated Pierce might have broken his foot during Monday’s victory over the Washington Wizards. - Yahoo! Sports
With the NBA’s All-Star Weekend headed to Dallas on Feb.12-14, let’s hope the Mavericks and the NBA have a better handle on security than they did Saturday when the Trail Blazers were in town. During a timeout with 41 seconds left in regulation, two women walked onto the court and into the Trail Blazers huddle. One woman wrapped her arms around the waist of Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez from behind. Fernandez, who was not in the game but focused on the plays being diagrammed by coach Nate McMillan, was stunned. “I was surprised,’’ Fernandez said. “I was listening to the coach on the bench and behind me, she touches me and says, ‘Rudy, I love you. Nice to meet you. Good game.’ - Oregonian Blog
The Knicks are showcasing Jared Jeffries and Nate Robinson. Two officials with knowledge of the situation say that the Knicks are hoping to move the nearly $7 million on Jeffries contract for next year to further help their salary cap situation. - ESPN
The musical star wattage will be high during the NBA All-Star Game on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Basketball fans will be treated to performances by Alicia Keys, Shakira and Usher. Keys headlines the half-time show with three songs - "No One" from 2007's As I Am, as well as "Empire State of Mind" and "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," both from her latest CD, The Element of Freedom. - Dallas Morning News
For what it’s worth, Danny Ainge seemed genuinely perplexed yesterday at further reports the Celtics are trying to trade Ray Allen. The general manager laughed at a couple of the rumors and was trying to understand how some that have been knocked down from both sides continue to get play. Ainge repeatedly has put off questions about the coming offseason and how much change there could be in the C’s roster, but he was pointed with regard to the current campaign. - Boston Herald
The Bulls don't want to trade Kirk Hinrich, as evidenced by their decision not to aggressively explore the market for him last summer and instead let Ben Gordon walk in free agency. But if the Bulls can't move John Salmons' contract — or make another cost-cutting transaction — before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, interest in Hinrich is legitimate. - Chicago Tribune
Gilbert Arenas Sr. on the endless criticisms of his son and what it’s like for people to label his son a ‘thug’: “Well let me just say this. I for one, don’t own a gun. I don’t believe in owning a gun but these are young players, young athletes who walk around with plenty of money in their pockets. And I think the best thing they do is they grab hold of something to feel comfortable. You know, you go around the league and ask how many guys own guns, I’m sure it’s 85% of these guys that own guns. What they do with these guns? I have no idea.” - Sports Radio Interviews
Because New Orleans guard Chris Paul will likely undergo knee surgery and likely miss the All-Star Game, the Nuggets are hoping Billups is selected by commissioner David Stern as the reserve's replacement. An announcement is expected soon, but there's no timetable. Many, notably Karl, felt Billups deserved to be a reserve to begin with. "I don't think I need to do any more campaigning," Karl said. "Sunday afternoon (at San Antonio) was probably good enough." In Sunday's win, Billups had 25 points and 11 assists. - Denver Post
Having fallen to a season-worst seven games under .500 in the wake of a four-game losing streak, Dunleavy acknowledged Monday that the Clippers had reached a low point. Point guard Baron Davis called a players-only meeting on Friday, but Dunleavy said he wasn't about to start giving out books to each player like a certain Lakers coach does before a long trip. "How do you monitor if somebody reads your books?" Dunleavy said, smiling. "I don't think there are any quizzes at the end." - LA Times
Bear in mind that Phil Jackson was a little miffed at Bryant on his historic night, too. Jackson told the team at halftime, when Bryant had 23 of the Lakers’ 50 points, that Bryant was “forcing the action.” Jackson also said in the halftime locker room, alluding to the 29 points Bryant needed in the game to pass Jerry West: “Let’s get him over the hump, so we can play team ball again.” That’s a lot like what Gasol said after the game, when Gasol also said “I totally agree” with Jackson’s assessment of it being a mediocre 5-3 trip. - Orange County Register
Evans: By Monday morning, a new problem arose: his right ankle was sore. "I put too much pressure on my right ankle because I was favoring my hip the last game," Evans said. "I woke up and it was swollen a little bit and sore. I was limping." Evans, whose offensive game is predicated on driving to the basket aggressively and often spinning in the process, said he would rather play it safe now than let the ailments linger and possible worsen. - Sacramento Bee
"The first half of the season we felt like we looked bad," said power forward Paul Millsap, who with Carlos Boozer (strained calf) out for a second straight game led the Jazz in scoring for a second consecutive time. "We felt like we weren't playing the basketball that we're used to playing. And we just had to turn it around." - Deseret News
Team officials expect Tony Parker, who has missed the past two games with his latest left ankle sprain, to play at some point on the trip, an eight-game trek that straddles the All-Star break and concludes Feb. 21 at Detroit. There is no specific game targeted for Parker's return, but the prevailing belief is he will be back sooner than later. The Spurs are 1-1 during Parker's most recent absence and 3-3 overall. Parker, a three-time All-Star and an All-NBA selection last season, has been struggling with injuries this season, including a bout of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. - San Antonio Express News
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