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
From the Suns’ standpoint, it’s clear why they’re entertaining Eastern Conference offers for Stoudemire. It’s senseless, it says here, to keep him, regardless if he’s agreeable to extending long term at a relatively rational annual salary, say $10 million to 12 million. - NY Post
Charlotte – which sources say would be very motivated by any trade involving Kings second-year forward Jason Thompson – has a logjam of centers whom the Kings may inquire about: Nazr Mohammed (6-foot-10), DeSagana Diop (7-0), Alexis Ajinca (7-0) and oft-injured Tyson Chandler (7-1). The Bobcats may also have interest in the expiring contract of Kenny Thomas ($8.7 million this season), as he has been highly regarded by Charlotte coach Larry Brown since they were together in Philadelphia. - Sacramento Bee
The Nets have worked up a short list of coaching candidates and Jeff Van Gundy has made it, which comes as no surprise. Team president Rod Thorn has long admired the ex-Knick coach, who likes his TV gig very much. There's speculation that Mark Jackson, Van Gundy's TV partner who was convinced he was going to get the Knicks job until it went to Mike D'Antoni, is also on the list. As long as Devin Harris is a Net, Avery Johnson isn't making any list - short, long or in-between. - NY Daily News
If the Cavs are truly looking for that ''stretch four,'' as the athletic power forwards are called in the NBA, several come to mind. At the top of the list is Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards. What makes that scenario problematic is the history the two teams have. There's not a lot of love between the two, courtesy of contentious playoff battles that the Wizards lost and the animosity carrying over to the regular season. - Akron Beacon Journal
Why doesn't anyone hate anyone anymore? Remember Detroit's Bad Boys, so hated that Boston priests probably pondered using the Lord's name in vain? Remember the Celtics' Kevin McHale clotheslining the Lakers' Kurt Rambis hard to the hardwood? Remember when players hated their rivals as much as their fans did? "I think it's different now," Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said. In today's NBA, more than ever before, players slam bodies in the low post and then slam shots together at the bar that night. Some players invite visiting players to stay at their homes when in town. And they even send congrats via Twitter after one guy buries another guy's team (could you imagine @BadBoyRickMahorn tweeting "nice shot larry legend, y'all are good" and @BostonBird replying "U guys play hard! C ya in the conference finals!!"). - Denver Post
Dwight Howard has been elected an Eastern Conference starter and said he’d get a kick out of seeing Stan Van Gundy coach fellow all-stars such as LeBron James. “”I can’t wait to see that,” Howard said. “So, we’re going to do our job on the court to see him be a all-star coach. That’d be hilarious. Wow. I could imagine it now.” Then Howard launched into a Van Gundy imitation complete with a raspy voice — kinda like how Van Gundy talks from the sidelines during games. Here’s Howard’s imitation: “LeBron! You’ve got to get Kobe! Get back!” - Orlando Sentinel Blog
Team USA: Jerry Colangelo's next charge comes with a whole new set of challenges. While he has received verbal agreements from the team's eight-man core, three of those players – Cleveland's LeBron James, Toronto's Chris Bosh and Miami's Dwyane Wade – will have to resolve their own free agency future before training with Team USA this summer. Free agency begins July 1, and the team's mini-camp in Las Vegas is scheduled for mid-July. - Sacramento Bee
With both the Heat and the U.S. national team awaiting a decision regarding his immediate future plans, star guard Dwyane Wade confirmed his first summer commitment. He is headed back to school. Wade plans to enroll in online courses at Marquette to work toward an undergraduate communications degree. Wade, 28, discussed his intentions in advance of Saturday's game against the Bucks at the Bradley Center. Wade played his college games at the same arena, where Marquette retired his No. 3 jersey in 2007. Part of the agreement to honor Wade at that time was that he would eventually try to complete his degree. - Miami Herald
Even if the name was the idea of Kyle Korver's father, the vision behind Seer Clothing was entirely that of the Jazz guard, who saw the launching of a T-shirt line as the way to leave a legacy from his NBA career. After two years of work, Kyle and his brother Klayton took Seer online last month. Through the sale of T-shirts that Kyle helped design, the hope is to expand the reach of his foundation and enhance its mission. "We're not sure where it's going to go, but we think that we're doing the right thing, so hopefully it takes off," Klayton said. - Salt Lake Tribune
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