Suspended Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas was ordered Friday to spend 30 days in a halfway house for his conviction on gun charges stemming from a locker-room confrontation with a teammate. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin also sentenced Arenas to 400 hours of community service, which cannot be conducted at basketball clinics, and a $5,000 fine. Arenas apologized in court, saying, "Every day, I wake up wishing it did not happen." - ESPN
The Wizards were mostly relieved to hear that Gilbert Arenas avoided jail time, but that didn't mean that the drama ceased for the team. The franchise that has dealt with major injuries over the years but the Wizards had an unexpected casualty on Friday - head athletic trainer Eric Waters, who came down with appendicitis and had to be rushed to hospital. "We've always got something going down with our team. It's just one thing after another," Coach Flip Saunders said. - Washington Post
And when news came down Friday that Arenas would be spared jail time for his gun-possession charge, Stevenson was nearly as relieved as Arenas. "Obviously, he did something wrong and he's paying the price being suspended all year,'' Stevenson said after Friday's practice. "And for him to get 30 days in a halfway house is awesome. I hope he can take this experience and understand that as a professional you have a target on your back and I'm just happy because they were trying to take everything away from him that he worked so hard for.'' - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Phil Jackson hopes to return next season as Lakers coach and does not anticipate that his return will be sidetracked by health issues or negotiations on a new lucrative contract, he told NBA.com Friday. Jackson stopped short of saying an extension to remain in Los Angeles is a certainty, wanting to keep open his options until he talks with doctors after the season. And he conceded there is a lure to retiring. But the most-decorated coach in NBA history, with a record 10 championships, is clearly feeling better than a year ago and has been in good spirits all season. - NBA
Suns owner Robert Sarver sat nearby, and it wasn’t a stretch to wonder whether the vicious dunk also contained a message for Stoudemire’s employer. As Stoudemire later told Yahoo! Sports, “I’m getting more expensive by the game.” - Yahoo! Sports
Miami Heat training-camp prospect Alade Aminu, a power forward who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech last June, said he will sign a 10-day contract with the Heat. Aminu has been playing for the Bakersfield (Calif.) Jam of the NBA Development League. Aminu was released by the Heat after its second exhibition game, appearing in neither contest. He could have a longer-term future with the Heat should the Heat lose incumbent power forward Udonis Haslem in free agency this summer. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
While Rolling Stone recently declared Kevin Durant better than Kobe Bryant, Warriors guard Monta Ellis has his own opinion on who should be ranked as the NBA’s three best players. “I’m going to say LeBron James(notes) [third],” Ellis said recently. “He can do it all, pass, score, defend, block shots. No. 2, I would have to say, me. I can do a whole lot of things: defend, score, make passes, do whatever I need to do. “No. 1, I’d say Kobe Bryant. There isn’t one player that can stop Kobe one-on-one. He has a lot of stuff. He can defend. And of course, he won four championships.” - Yahoo! Sports
Granger can recall so many times when he might have been done in for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "When I was 12 or 13, I was with one of my friends at the corner store," said Granger, who grew up in Metairie outside New Orleans. "I didn't know it at the time, but he was going on a drug deal. And I showed up with him. After awhile, I kind of knew what was going on but I was like, OK, whatever. So one of the older ladies in the neighborhood saw us, and she told my daddy. Oh, I caught hell for that one." - SI
"I wish I get moved," Nocioni told ESPNdeportes.com. "I believe they have proved that I'm not part of this group. So I don't have any problem. I just accept it. I think that not being part of a group or not being in coach's plans is not so bad." ESPN
Based on what he has seen so far, Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown said O'Neal is capable of playing a few more seasons. However, the Cavaliers have not expressed interest yet beyond this season. "My thinking is that he could play a couple of years with the intelligence he has and knowing how to take care of his body, '' Brown said. Apparently on a strict diet, O'Neal looks to be in shape, though his listed weight is 325 pounds. "At his age, you have to feel that you have only two or three seasons left, '' said former Cleveland guard Austin Carr, now a color analyst on Cavaliers' telecasts. "At 38, it's just a natural thing. I know he wants his fifth ring.'' - New Orleans Times-Picayune
Rudoy called reports that Spanish power Real Madrid was prepared to offer Ginobili 10 million euros -- or roughly $13.5 million -- to play next season "flattering," but reiterated that Ginobili has no desire to play overseas. "I expect we are going to hear from two or three of the biggest European teams," Rudoy told the Express-News on Thursday, "but we are not interested, in the near term, in negotiating with them. Manu's intent is to stay in the NBA." - San Antonio Express-News
Stackhouse, 35, joined the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the season after receiving no offers previously for a guaranteed contract. Stackhouse is averaging 8.1 points for a team that is 23-8 since he first suited up Jan. 20. It's gone so well Stackhouse is thinking he'd like to continue with this job of being a temporary NBA player. - FanHouse
Portland Trail Blazers forward Juwan Howard said Wednesday he will not retire after this season. The 16-year NBA veteran was adamant that he will log a 17th season in the league, and added that his body feels fine. - Columbian
Said one Western Conference general manager: "Samsonite." Yet Woods has also won a few admirers around the league for his willingness to go to Poland and keep refining his game after his own unsuccessful stint with Olympiacos and a stop in Italy with Fortitudo Bologna. "He's been playing great for Prokom," one veteran personnel man said. "He's been solid overseas. I think someone will take a chance on him." Said another GM out West: "He's an NBA talent for sure. And he's grown by leaps and bounds as a person." - ESPN
Joe Dumars said in an interview with Eli Zaret that aired during tonight’s telecast he plans to use the mid-level exception this summer to acquire a quality player. I was worried with the economy down in the area, coupled with his desire to sign Will Bynum, that Dumars wouldn’t use the MLE this year. Thankfully, it’s in the cards. Dumars also said he plans to acquire a quality player through the draft and another via trade (which indicates he’s not looking to dump Richard Hamilton for an expiring contract – at least not as the only deal of the summer). - PistonPowered
After the Wizards completed practice on Thursday, which is rare following back-to-back games, Blatche took a slightly different tone when asked what he's learned over the past few days. Blatche was apologetic and remorseful after clashing with Saunders during what he called a "winnable game" that the Wizards lost in overtime. "It was petty on my behalf," he said. "I heard him talking to me and I didn't stop. I regret doing that. I could've dodged the whole situation between me and him. It took some time, but I was wrong, I see that now. It could've easily been defused and I just want everything to be back how it was." - Washington Post
Saunders also disputed Wojnarowski's report that stated: "Pistons players tell the story of Rasheed Wallace calling Saunders the "worst [bleeping] coward I've ever seen" after a loss in the 2008 Eastern Conference playoffs. Everyone was there. Everyone heard it. And nothing. Saunders took it, and watched his credibility and command of that team die a little more." "I've never been in a situation where something was said to me like that by Rasheed," he said, "but don't let the facts get in the way of a good story." - Washington Post
Matt Barnes wasn't happy that Van Gundy didn't use him much in the last five minutes of the game against the Hawks --- and said so afterward. He was lifted with five minutes, 38 seconds left for Rashard Lewis, with Orlando trailing by 10 at 77-67. The Magic, however, went on a 17-6 run to finish the game. Van Gundy played offense-defense, switching out the defensive-minded Barnes and 3-point threat J.J. Redick twice in the final 23 seconds. Van Gundy said later he wanted to get more shooting on the floor. But Barnes felt he was playing well overall to stay on the court after finishing with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting – including 2-of-4 from the 3-point line. - Orlando Sentinel
Bosh is certainly not the only Raptor whose priorities don't appear to lie in the win-loss record. As forward Antoine Wright was inferring after Wednesday's loss, selfish concerns are waylaying the club. "It's not about, `Coach took me out.' It's not about, `I'm not getting my shot' at this point in the season," said Wright and, even if it shouldn't be, it apparently is. There will be time to debate Colangelo's assertion that this season's wild swings in performance have had nothing to do with talent or coaching. But clearly what drives players, what drags them down, is never as simple as what we see on the floor. On Thursday, a guarded Colangelo chalked up his team's struggles to, among many things, "the wrong mental approach" and "too many outside influences." He wouldn't go further. He's not much for public call-outs. He positions himself as a friend to all, from the agents to his all-star. The problem for the GM is this: He'll take the brunt of the blame if the outside influences steer Toronto clear out of the playoffs. - Toronto Star
The team has constantly protected West, who has declined all interviews since media day in September. There is little or no talk of his ongoing battle with a mood disorder, which West has said is bi-polar disorder. There is no mention of West's pending court case in Maryland on gun charges. Just a quiet but diligent following of a process that West's teammates, West's doctors and West himself follow on a daily basis. "It humbles him, it has humbled everyone," LeBron James said. "You are always entitled to a second chance and he's gotten that and he's taken advantage of it." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
There are the draft picks that, barring trade, will bring three of the top 34 college players. There is the money to entice free agents. There are a lot of elements providing reasons to like the Nets' future. But there is one that eventually may stand above all. Brook Lopez. "I don't think there is a limit for him," said teammate Jarvis Hayes. "You can't see a ceiling right now." - New York Post
"He didn't look too well," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "He got dizzy again, and we pulled him out of practice." Evans will be re-evaluated Monday. The Kings play at Indiana on Tuesday before concluding their five-game trip Wednesday against Minnesota. Evans practiced for the first time since being accidentally elbowed in the mouth by Milwaukee forward Ersan Ilyasova. The hit and subsequent fall to the court caused the injury. - Sacramento Bee
The Wizards were mostly relieved to hear that Gilbert Arenas avoided jail time, but that didn't mean that the drama ceased for the team. The franchise that has dealt with major injuries over the years but the Wizards had an unexpected casualty on Friday - head athletic trainer Eric Waters, who came down with appendicitis and had to be rushed to hospital. "We've always got something going down with our team. It's just one thing after another," Coach Flip Saunders said. - Washington Post
And when news came down Friday that Arenas would be spared jail time for his gun-possession charge, Stevenson was nearly as relieved as Arenas. "Obviously, he did something wrong and he's paying the price being suspended all year,'' Stevenson said after Friday's practice. "And for him to get 30 days in a halfway house is awesome. I hope he can take this experience and understand that as a professional you have a target on your back and I'm just happy because they were trying to take everything away from him that he worked so hard for.'' - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Phil Jackson hopes to return next season as Lakers coach and does not anticipate that his return will be sidetracked by health issues or negotiations on a new lucrative contract, he told NBA.com Friday. Jackson stopped short of saying an extension to remain in Los Angeles is a certainty, wanting to keep open his options until he talks with doctors after the season. And he conceded there is a lure to retiring. But the most-decorated coach in NBA history, with a record 10 championships, is clearly feeling better than a year ago and has been in good spirits all season. - NBA
Suns owner Robert Sarver sat nearby, and it wasn’t a stretch to wonder whether the vicious dunk also contained a message for Stoudemire’s employer. As Stoudemire later told Yahoo! Sports, “I’m getting more expensive by the game.” - Yahoo! Sports
Miami Heat training-camp prospect Alade Aminu, a power forward who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech last June, said he will sign a 10-day contract with the Heat. Aminu has been playing for the Bakersfield (Calif.) Jam of the NBA Development League. Aminu was released by the Heat after its second exhibition game, appearing in neither contest. He could have a longer-term future with the Heat should the Heat lose incumbent power forward Udonis Haslem in free agency this summer. - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
While Rolling Stone recently declared Kevin Durant better than Kobe Bryant, Warriors guard Monta Ellis has his own opinion on who should be ranked as the NBA’s three best players. “I’m going to say LeBron James(notes) [third],” Ellis said recently. “He can do it all, pass, score, defend, block shots. No. 2, I would have to say, me. I can do a whole lot of things: defend, score, make passes, do whatever I need to do. “No. 1, I’d say Kobe Bryant. There isn’t one player that can stop Kobe one-on-one. He has a lot of stuff. He can defend. And of course, he won four championships.” - Yahoo! Sports
Granger can recall so many times when he might have been done in for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "When I was 12 or 13, I was with one of my friends at the corner store," said Granger, who grew up in Metairie outside New Orleans. "I didn't know it at the time, but he was going on a drug deal. And I showed up with him. After awhile, I kind of knew what was going on but I was like, OK, whatever. So one of the older ladies in the neighborhood saw us, and she told my daddy. Oh, I caught hell for that one." - SI
"I wish I get moved," Nocioni told ESPNdeportes.com. "I believe they have proved that I'm not part of this group. So I don't have any problem. I just accept it. I think that not being part of a group or not being in coach's plans is not so bad." ESPN
Based on what he has seen so far, Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown said O'Neal is capable of playing a few more seasons. However, the Cavaliers have not expressed interest yet beyond this season. "My thinking is that he could play a couple of years with the intelligence he has and knowing how to take care of his body, '' Brown said. Apparently on a strict diet, O'Neal looks to be in shape, though his listed weight is 325 pounds. "At his age, you have to feel that you have only two or three seasons left, '' said former Cleveland guard Austin Carr, now a color analyst on Cavaliers' telecasts. "At 38, it's just a natural thing. I know he wants his fifth ring.'' - New Orleans Times-Picayune
Rudoy called reports that Spanish power Real Madrid was prepared to offer Ginobili 10 million euros -- or roughly $13.5 million -- to play next season "flattering," but reiterated that Ginobili has no desire to play overseas. "I expect we are going to hear from two or three of the biggest European teams," Rudoy told the Express-News on Thursday, "but we are not interested, in the near term, in negotiating with them. Manu's intent is to stay in the NBA." - San Antonio Express-News
Stackhouse, 35, joined the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the season after receiving no offers previously for a guaranteed contract. Stackhouse is averaging 8.1 points for a team that is 23-8 since he first suited up Jan. 20. It's gone so well Stackhouse is thinking he'd like to continue with this job of being a temporary NBA player. - FanHouse
Portland Trail Blazers forward Juwan Howard said Wednesday he will not retire after this season. The 16-year NBA veteran was adamant that he will log a 17th season in the league, and added that his body feels fine. - Columbian
Said one Western Conference general manager: "Samsonite." Yet Woods has also won a few admirers around the league for his willingness to go to Poland and keep refining his game after his own unsuccessful stint with Olympiacos and a stop in Italy with Fortitudo Bologna. "He's been playing great for Prokom," one veteran personnel man said. "He's been solid overseas. I think someone will take a chance on him." Said another GM out West: "He's an NBA talent for sure. And he's grown by leaps and bounds as a person." - ESPN
Joe Dumars said in an interview with Eli Zaret that aired during tonight’s telecast he plans to use the mid-level exception this summer to acquire a quality player. I was worried with the economy down in the area, coupled with his desire to sign Will Bynum, that Dumars wouldn’t use the MLE this year. Thankfully, it’s in the cards. Dumars also said he plans to acquire a quality player through the draft and another via trade (which indicates he’s not looking to dump Richard Hamilton for an expiring contract – at least not as the only deal of the summer). - PistonPowered
After the Wizards completed practice on Thursday, which is rare following back-to-back games, Blatche took a slightly different tone when asked what he's learned over the past few days. Blatche was apologetic and remorseful after clashing with Saunders during what he called a "winnable game" that the Wizards lost in overtime. "It was petty on my behalf," he said. "I heard him talking to me and I didn't stop. I regret doing that. I could've dodged the whole situation between me and him. It took some time, but I was wrong, I see that now. It could've easily been defused and I just want everything to be back how it was." - Washington Post
Saunders also disputed Wojnarowski's report that stated: "Pistons players tell the story of Rasheed Wallace calling Saunders the "worst [bleeping] coward I've ever seen" after a loss in the 2008 Eastern Conference playoffs. Everyone was there. Everyone heard it. And nothing. Saunders took it, and watched his credibility and command of that team die a little more." "I've never been in a situation where something was said to me like that by Rasheed," he said, "but don't let the facts get in the way of a good story." - Washington Post
Matt Barnes wasn't happy that Van Gundy didn't use him much in the last five minutes of the game against the Hawks --- and said so afterward. He was lifted with five minutes, 38 seconds left for Rashard Lewis, with Orlando trailing by 10 at 77-67. The Magic, however, went on a 17-6 run to finish the game. Van Gundy played offense-defense, switching out the defensive-minded Barnes and 3-point threat J.J. Redick twice in the final 23 seconds. Van Gundy said later he wanted to get more shooting on the floor. But Barnes felt he was playing well overall to stay on the court after finishing with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting – including 2-of-4 from the 3-point line. - Orlando Sentinel
Bosh is certainly not the only Raptor whose priorities don't appear to lie in the win-loss record. As forward Antoine Wright was inferring after Wednesday's loss, selfish concerns are waylaying the club. "It's not about, `Coach took me out.' It's not about, `I'm not getting my shot' at this point in the season," said Wright and, even if it shouldn't be, it apparently is. There will be time to debate Colangelo's assertion that this season's wild swings in performance have had nothing to do with talent or coaching. But clearly what drives players, what drags them down, is never as simple as what we see on the floor. On Thursday, a guarded Colangelo chalked up his team's struggles to, among many things, "the wrong mental approach" and "too many outside influences." He wouldn't go further. He's not much for public call-outs. He positions himself as a friend to all, from the agents to his all-star. The problem for the GM is this: He'll take the brunt of the blame if the outside influences steer Toronto clear out of the playoffs. - Toronto Star
The team has constantly protected West, who has declined all interviews since media day in September. There is little or no talk of his ongoing battle with a mood disorder, which West has said is bi-polar disorder. There is no mention of West's pending court case in Maryland on gun charges. Just a quiet but diligent following of a process that West's teammates, West's doctors and West himself follow on a daily basis. "It humbles him, it has humbled everyone," LeBron James said. "You are always entitled to a second chance and he's gotten that and he's taken advantage of it." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
There are the draft picks that, barring trade, will bring three of the top 34 college players. There is the money to entice free agents. There are a lot of elements providing reasons to like the Nets' future. But there is one that eventually may stand above all. Brook Lopez. "I don't think there is a limit for him," said teammate Jarvis Hayes. "You can't see a ceiling right now." - New York Post
"He didn't look too well," Kings coach Paul Westphal said. "He got dizzy again, and we pulled him out of practice." Evans will be re-evaluated Monday. The Kings play at Indiana on Tuesday before concluding their five-game trip Wednesday against Minnesota. Evans practiced for the first time since being accidentally elbowed in the mouth by Milwaukee forward Ersan Ilyasova. The hit and subsequent fall to the court caused the injury. - Sacramento Bee
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