Patriots Crush KL Dragons

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The Philippine Patriots stormed to an early double-digit lead and never looked back, posting a 77-43 rout of the Kuala Lumpur Dragons in Game 1 of their ASEAN Basketball League semifinal duel Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

A 16-2 scoring binge in the first seven minutes of play got the Patriots going as the locals complemented the inside dominance of imports Jason Dixon and Gabe Freeman with their outside shooting.

The Patriots can finish off the Dragons in Game 2 in the Malaysian capital this Wednesday.

Coach Louie Alas credited the defense of the Patriots, who took Kuala Lumpur’s Filipino imports out of the equation early.

“Gabe showed good leadership,” said Alas after the Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. “The team also displayed great defensive intensity. We took it possession by possession. They made my job easy.”

T-Mac for Butler and Haywood? Iguodala to Cavs?

Raptors forward Hedo Turkoglu Reggie sustained a small, non-displaced fracture of the orbital bone under his right eye in Sunday's contest versus Indiana. The injury resulted from a collision with Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy at the 10:59 mark of the first quarter. Turkoglu did not return to the contest. Turkoglu will undergo further evaluation Monday, and options will be explored for a protective face mask. - NBA

With a 91-86 road victory tonight over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Magic (32-16, .667) have clinched the second best record in the Eastern Conference through Jan. 31. The Cleveland Cavaliers' Mike Brown coached the East in last year's game and is not eligible for the honor this season. - NBA

Sources told ESPN.com that the Rockets have indeed expressed an interest in Wizards forward Caron Butler and center Brendan Haywood. But for a Wizards-Rockets deal to go through, Washington would almost certainly try to hold out for at least one of Houston's rotation players, such as Luis Scola, in addition to McGrady. - ESPN

Former Houston Rockets guard Von Wafer said on Saturday that the back issue that caused him to fail his physical with Houston in December is much better and he is hopeful of another shot at returning to the NBA this season. "I had a disc problem that is no longer an issue and my doctors tell me I will be cleared to play in a couple of days," Wafer said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "I am going through two full-blown workouts every day." - MyFoxHouston

From what I’m told, Al Jefferson is ticked. “He’s tired of losing,” e-mailed a confidant of the Timberwolves’ portable center. “It’s all he’s ever known in Minnesota and it’s all he’s ever known in the NBA.” T’wolf GM David Kahn was asked if Jefferson is requesting a trade and if there’s any truth to the Danny Granger tales being spun. - New York Post

League sources polled this week said Philadelphia and New York are the most active. The 76ers are shopping the likes of small forward Andre Iguodala (four seasons and combined $56.5 million beyond this season) and center Samuel Dalembert ($12.9 million next season), with the Kings having shown some interest in Dalembert. - Sacramento Bee

First come the facts. According to several league sources, the Cavs and Sixers have been in talks about Iguodala. The talks remain open and it is still possible the Cavs could trade for him, contrary to other reports at the end of the last week. At this point, however, the two sides are just in discussion and have not progressed to the serious stage. - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Amityville's point guard Mike James told The Post he is hoping the Wizards can find a new home for him at Feb. 18's trading deadline and he is the expiring contract the Knicks would be willing to take on as they look for backcourt help. The sharpshooter has played just three games this season and was showcased in a game last week. But he was back in a suit during the Wizards' 106-96 victory over the Knicks last night, even with guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton suspended for the season. - New York Post

After watching a weekend round-robin of Boston-Atlanta-Orlando -- three of the four Eastern Conference contenders -- one thing has become increasingly clear in this race: These guys are all just playing for second. That Cavaliers-Lakers NBA Finals that everyone wanted -- but didn't get -- last June is coming this time. Even with more than 30 regular season games and six weeks of playoffs remaining, it's hard now to imagine 2010 turning out any other way. - FanHouse

Though Rockets coach Rick Adelman said guard Kyle Lowry's value has not been seen just in statistics, one stat seems to do a good job. Lowry, who is out at least a week with a sprained left knee, is by far the Rockets' leader in plus/minus scoring, with the Rockets' second team a key to many games. - Houston Chronicle

In the last few weeks, Elton Brand has become the power forward Stefanski promised when he was signed in July 2008. But will this monthlong resurgence be enough to persuade another franchise to take on his contract? Not likely. Many sources have confirmed that Brand's contract, by itself, is untradeable. Stefanski has pledged to make only basketball decisions. Trading Brand's contract would require pairing him with more desirable players and contracts, lowering the possibility of receiving equal basketball value. - Philadelphia Inquirer

But there is obvious risk pursuing the likes of Amar'e (sees "potential" in the Nets) Stoudemire or Carlos (shoot me rather than make me a Net) Boozer or Chris (No way I'll play there) Bosh. Any team taking them on would need to be virtually certain they will stay. The price tag would be high – but then the Nets could always offer the most to keep them in free agency. - NY Post Blog