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Monday, November 16

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Allen Iverson is on the Knicks' radar. Donnie Walsh confirmed tonight that the club will explore signing the former MVP, who parted ways with the Memphis Grizzlies. New York Daily News

Griz and Iverson agree to end contract. Iverson will be waived, sources tell The Commercial Appeal. Twitter.com

The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have agreed to terminate the contract he signed with the team. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace released a statement that said: “The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters. “As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Marc J. Spears: Cavaliers and Bobcats not interested in AI, sources tell Y! Sports. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: Forget New Orleans creating a roster spot for Allen Iverson as a stopgap until Chris Paul returns from ankle injury, source tells Y! Sports. Twitter.com

Team president Ed Stefanski said last week that the Sixers wouldn't try to sign Allen Iverson, who became a free agent Monday after the Grizzlies waived him. Iverson spent his first 10 1/2 seasons in the NBA with the Sixers, leading them to a 56-26 record and the Finals in 2000-01. Phillyburbs.com

Iverson is expected to be placed on waivers by 6 p.m. ET Monday, a league source told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan. ESPN.com

Under the agreement, Iverson will receive only a fraction of the $3 million he was scheduled to earn. If he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday night. "The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on Nov. 7, Allen will step away from the game at this time, allowing him to focus on those matters," Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace said in a statement. "As a result, we will be ending our contractual agreement with Allen, which will allow both parties to move forward. We wish Allen the best." ESPN.com

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley says Allen Iverson’s time is up. Heisley told Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, that his client must decide soon whether he’ll play or retire because the Grizzlies won’t deal with the uncertainty beyond this week. Iverson, 34, has been away from the Grizzlies for the past 10 days on a personal leave of absence. “I’ve treated this like Allen told me it was – a personal leave,” Heisley said. “But either he’s retiring or coming back to play. I’m not upset with Allen. We’ll be happy to accommodate Allen. If he retires, then he retires. If he wants to come back, we’ll gladly accept him back. But I have personally made it clear that there’s going to have to be a decision made. We’re expecting an answer in a couple of days.” Memphis Commercial Appeal

Heisley is disappointed that he hasn’t spoken to Iverson. He said if Iverson needs more time to deal with his personal matters, he needs to come to Memphis to request it. No one in the organization has talked to Iverson directly. The Commercial Appeal’s attempt to reach Rose this morning was unsuccessful. Memphis Commercial Appeal

A person close to Iverson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is doubtful that the All-Star, former MVP and scoring champ will play again. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Heisley said he’d be willing to waive Iverson or trade him in a reasonable deal if that’s the request. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Iverson acknowledged before leaving the Griz that he’d become a distraction. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Brown says he coached Iverson some 600 games in Philadelphia and substituted him twice a game. "And," says Brown, "he (cursed) me 1,200 times." Memphis Commercial Appeal

In a deal that NBA front-office sources said came together quickly Sunday night and received the needed league approval Monday morning, Golden State sent Jackson and guard Acie Law to the Bobcats in exchange for veteran swingmen Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic. ESPN.com

"He's happy about the trade, delighted about the trade," Jackson's agent, Mark Stevens, told ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan. "This is what he wanted, a new start, and this gives him a chance to compete. Plus, he's a huge fan of that team's president, Michael Jordan." Stevens also said Jackson was expected to be in uniform for the Bobcats Monday night against Orlando. ESPN.com

Ric Bucher: Update on Jackson-to-Cha trade: He's good w/it. Headed to Orlando and hopes to play in tonight's game. Twitter.com

Marc Stein: Deal quietly came together SUN night. Bobcats wanted Jack but not if they had to part w/Diaw. Dubs just wanted to move on w/payroll relief. Twitter.com

The Warriors save about $5 million next year, more than $21 million overall. Raja Bell has one year left on his deal (this year) for $5.25 million, so the Warriors gain $3 million in expiring contracts (as Law has one year left for $2.2 million). Vladimir Radmanovic has this year for $6.5 million and a player option for next year at $6.83 million. So next year, when Jax was slated to make $8.45 million, the Warriors will be paying $2.4 million less than originally planned. Not to mention, the Warriors are completely free of the $19.32 million Jackson was set to earn in 2011-12, 2012-13. Contra Costa Times

The Cavaliers found out how serious Charlotte was over the weekend, sources said, when the Warriors chose Charlotte's offer over a Cleveland pitch that involved the signing-and-trading of ex-Cavaliers forward Wally Szczerbiak packaged with troubled guard Delonte West. Szczerbiak is a free agent after the Cavs elected not to re-sign him and recently underwent minor knee surgery. But the 32-year-old has not ruled out trying to make a comeback this season and is fully eligible -- as long as he reports to the team that trades for him -- to be plugged into a deal by the Cavs in a manner similar to Dallas' signing-and-trading of Keith Van Horn in February 2008 in the Mavericks' complicated trade to re-acquire Jason Kidd. ESPN.com

Yet sources said Golden State decided that the Bobcats' offer provided sufficient payroll relief as well as short-term help at the wing positions combined with Bell's proven leadership skills. The Warriors are counting on all that to help them weather Jackson's departure and the potential season-ending knee injury suffered Saturday in Milwaukee by swingman Kelenna Azubuike. One source close to the situation, though, told ESPN.com that Bell will re-consider undergoing surgery to address a nagging wrist injury upon joining the Warriors. ESPN.com

The arrangement with Charlotte put a crimp in the Cavaliers' plans to add more scoring punch to their lineup via Jackson; several members of the Cavs organization have a history with S-Jax and believe that could've tamed his wild side. It also avoids what would've been a circus-like atmosphere Tuesday night, when the Warriors pay a visit to the Cavs. CBSSports.com

According to some league sources the Cavs indeed had an offer into the Warriors for Jackson. The two sides, I am told, talked about Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West and even a sign-and-trade for Wally Szczerbiak among other things. Cleveland Plain Dealer

You consider Stephen Jackson a high-maintenance player? Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown knows high-maintenance, and it doesn't rattle him. “I can deal with (high-maintenance) kids. All you have to do is be straight with them,'' Brown told the Observer Monday in the lobby of the team hotel. “After six years with Allen (Iverson in Philadelphia), I don't look at anybody as a challenge. (Jackson) wants to play and he's a competitor. Guys like that you can make work in your locker room.'' Charlotte Observer

Brown is enthusiastic about this deal, telling the Observer Jackson might start at shooting guard against the Magic tonight if he arrives early enough to clear trade-related physicals. Jackson brings two qualities the Bobcats need – proven scoring ability and the versatility to play multiple positions. But he also brings a history of bad behavior that seems to conflict with majority owner Bob Johnson's promise at the franchise's outset. Charlotte Observer

Brian Windhorst: Sources: Warriors told Cavs they wanted significant talent in return for SJax. Cavs offer was straight money dump. Choice made. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: Cavs were furiously trying to get deal done for Jax in last 24 hours and had a package officials believed would get it done, sources say. Twitter.com

Brian Windhorst: Also, Cavs team leaders had been consulted and given OK for SJax. LeBron had been in touch with him. Twitter.com

I’m getting the sense that the Raptors are going to make a waiver claim on Pops Mensah-Bonsu who was released last week by the Houston Rockets. With Reggie Evans still struggling to have his foot heal, the talk around the arena yesterday was of the wistful variety: wouldn’t it be nice to have an energizing; rebounding game-changer off the bench. The release of Quincy Douby opened up the roster spot; Pops deal isn’t guaranteed. Don’t be shocked if the Raptors pick him up. Toronto Globe and Mail

Nash thinks his organization "gave in" to the pressure from national media and fans in Phoenix to win a championship now when it traded for Shaquille O'Neal and brought Terry Porter in to coach half-court basketball. "Looking back, maybe we should have taken our time and seen what players or opportunities we had to add to our team, instead of having to win it that season," Nash said. "Logically, we looked at it as, 'If we are going to win a championship this season, and give in to that pressure, we are too small.' The Lakers had (Pau) Gasol, (Andrew) Bynum and (Lamar) Odom in the starting lineup, and we started Shawn (Marion) and Amar'e (Stoudemire), who were smaller than all three of them. It was a decision we made, but it was the giving in, I think, to that pressure that maybe we all look back on and maybe regret." NBA.com

"No," Nash said "The fans and the media wanted a championship now, instead of saying 'Hey, we've got a great thing here; let's let these guys ride it out and see what happens.' A few of those series, you can say it wasn't basketball that cost us the series. I'm not necessarily saying it was the suspensions (in the 2007 Western semifinals against the Spurs) or refereeing. We had injuries -- Joe Johnson (who fractured the orbital bone around his left eye in the '05 semis against Dallas), Raja Bell (torn left calf during the 2006 Western finals against the Mavericks). We had a lot of factors ... but people wanted us to win now, and that team wasn't going to win that year. So instead of waiting a year or two and seeing what happened, we kind of pushed the jump-off-the-cliff button and gave into that pressure. And maybe that was rash." NBA.com

Kate Fagan: From Brand, "Today, [Jordan] was talking about me working with the second group, getting some more center touches and stuff like that rather than playing with the fast-paced tempo of the first group, so definitely something is going to happen." Twitter.com

"He's a pleasure to have out there," Caron Butler said. "Earl Boykins is amazing," Brendan Haywood said. "Five-three or whatever he is, what he's able to do out there on the court is amazing to me." "Me and Earl played together our second year [in Golden State]," Gilbert Arenas said. "We went from 19 wins to 40 wins and the only addition was me and him, so we play well together. I think he's gonna help us this season." (I believe it was 21 wins to 38 wins, but close enough.) Washington Post

Marc Stein: Media horde asked LeBron to reveal name of his child. His response: Brian Windhorst James. Twitter.com

Pau Gasol, out with a strained right hamstring, practiced today and said that if all goes well the next couple of days, "hopefully I can play on Thursday." Kobe Bryant, who has a strained right groin that limited him during Sunday night's game, practiced today. Bryant said he will play Tuesday night against the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center. "It was tight and stuff like that, but it wasn't enough to keep me out of there," Bryant said after practice. Gasol, who has been out for almost five weeks with the injury, did some full-court action at practice, saying afterward that it was "a very positive day." Gasol said he hopes to practice again Wednesday, to see where his hamstring stands then. Luke Walton didn't practice today because of a sore back and probably won't play Tuesday night. Los Angeles Times

Despite Tracy McGrady's e-mails to the contrary, the Rockets are still of the belief that they won't even consider clearing McGrady to play again until at least a week from now. Houston wants to see McGrady get through a full practice before evaluating his status, and the next one of those isn't until Nov. 23. There's no evidence to think otherwise, even though there's always the possibility that McGrady could wow the team between now and then. The Rockets are taking it day-by-day until there's doctor clearance, but right now even Rick Adelman, I'm told, doesn't think McGrady is far enough along to get back on the court. NBA.com

Marc J. Spears: Warriors' Kelenna Azubuike, who suffered a left patellar tendon injury @ Milw on Sat, could be out for season, an NBA source tells Y! Sports. Twitter.com

Aaron Gray is in the hospital with an infection in his leg. He’s been out since the first days of training camp with a stress fracture in his left fibula, but was getting close to being able to return to practice. This isn’t expected to be a serious issue. A few antibiotics and he should be fine. Coach Vinny Del Negro suggested Monday that Gray might join the team for the end of the 10-day road trip. The trek began Monday with the Bulls departing for Sacramento. Del Negro said Tyrus Thomas (broken arm) will not make the trip, which is a little surprising, even though he’s not expected to play until early December. Thomas and Jerome James will stay behind for conditioning. Arlington Heights Daily Herald

New Orleans hands the team to GM Jeff Bower, a good and decent man who wants no part of the spotlight; color me skeptical in the extreme of team president Hugh Weber's story that Bower volunteered to come down and coach, putting his own career on the line in the process. NBA.com

"I'd like to get back to work. I'm anxious," Knight says. "I'm waiting for a call to put my plan back into action ... I look forward to getting the opportunity to work with another organization. You move full time into that city. You live there full time. I always move my family with me. You immerse yourself into that team. You spend 24 hours a day, every day, doing that. I've got a team of people in mind to bring with me." NBA.com

I wondered where Billy Knight was, and if he was watching. As it turned out, he only saw part of Friday's game, because Friday night is Date Night in the Knight household (been there), and he had been out with his wife, Danita. By the time I caught up with Saturday afternoon, he had a chainsaw in his hands, outside his Atlanta home. Not what you may be thinking. "I've remodeled my basement," he said. "Now I'm working on landscaping for my wife, taking down trees. That's not my forte. I'm gonna have that chainsaw and I might chip off part of the house." NBA.com

It was good to catch up, but not good, because, at 57, Billy Knight shouldn't have all this free time. With a lot of horrible teams bringing down the quality of play in the Association, Billy Knight should be someone's general manager this season, doing the same thing that he did in Atlanta and the same thing he started with Memphis: finding young talent that is NBA-worthy and allowing it to grow and mature. But he's clearing trees instead, waiting for a call from somebody 18 months after stepping down as the Hawks' GM in May, 2008. At the time, Knight probably jumped before he was pushed, a victim of the infighting in what had to be the most dysfunctional front office in the league. The Hawks' ownership group, Atlanta Spirit, is a collection of massive egos living in Atlanta and in the Washington, D.C. suburbs that has spent much of the past decade fighting with one another, plotting one coup or another to replace this minority owner with that one, with the ultimate goal of controlling the NBA's Hawks and the NHL's Thrashers, as well as Philips Arena. NBA.com

"I'm proud of those guys," Knight said. "I'm very proud of the way they played this year, and all the way through. I was proud of them that first year ... each year has been a progression when they were getting better and better, and that's what we were trying to do. You know the constraints that were put on us in Atlanta, where we had to do it with a smaller budget ... but a lot of teams are. A lot of teams are doing that. And I didn't have a problem doing it that way." NBA.com

Knight says today that Marvin Williams hasn't come close to reaching his potential. As for Paul and Deron Williams? "I don't really think about that," he says. "That's not how you look at it when you're building a team. When you look back ... the fact is, that's the team you had and you're happy with the guys you have, and you keep building the team and you go forward. Sure, if you had taken one of those guys, there could have been a whole domino effect of things that happened. But that's not what happened. And it's still a good team." NBA.com

Adriana Lima now has a little angel of her own: the Victoria's Secret model and her husband, NBA star Marko Jaric, welcomed a daughter on Sunday in New York City. "Adriana and Marko are thrilled to announce they had a baby girl, Valentina Lima Jaric," a rep for Lima tells PEOPLE. "Mother, father and baby are all doing well." People

Friends say Nocioni was devastated by the DUI arrest in Sacramento and the potential damage to his reputation, and some suggest, though without any proof, he may have been victim of local law enforcement which some around the NBA believe targets athletes. I'm no chaperone or pay that much attention to the players' off the court activities. But when I've been around the Bulls on the road I've mostly seen Nocioni with the trainers and staff who have the least money to be hanging out at clubs. Bulls.com

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was temporarily detained in Germany for allegedly skipping out on a hotel bill for a postgame party worth $5,100, a prosecution official said Monday. Senior prosecutor Juergen Bauer said Monday that Rodman had played in a "USA Legends of Basketball" exhibition game in the western town of Trier and threw a party afterward at his hotel. The prosecutor said the organizers of the game had agreed to pick up the tab for Rodman's overnight stay at the hotel, but not an additional expense for beverages consumed at the party. AP

Meanwhile, a report on the Sacramento Bee's Web site said the Kings and Hornets are discussing a trade for Hornets center Emeka Okafor, the team's biggest offseason acquisition. But a Hornets source, said the team has not been involved in any trade discussions concerning Okafor. New Orleans Times-Picayune

"There's really nothing (Chris Paul) can do," one Eastern Conference executive said. "I guess he could demand that they trade him. But he's not made like that. And $14 million (Paul's salary) is a lot for somebody to take on. Where they really get killed is with guys like Okafor, Posey and Peja [Stojakovic]. They're paying all those guys big money and they're not producing at a level that allows that team to compete with the best in the Western Conference. So really, there's nothing Chris can do. He's basically stuck in that mess." NBA.com

West didn't exactly hide his disdain for Scott after his former coach was fired, further inflaming an already combustible relationship with his equally head strong point guard (contrary to previous suggestions, one Hornets' source confirmed that they are not and have never been the best of friends). "Chris is a team guy, so he's not going to make this thing any uglier than it already is," the source said. "But he's furious at the way this was handled." NBA.com

League insiders maintain that dealing Jackson is Golden State's focus much more than Ellis, namely due to the latter's prohibitive contract. Jackson, though, isn't getting much action with three years and $28 million left after this season, despite the Warriors pushing the former Captain Jack hard. "They're not turning anything down," a league general manager said. NBA.com

"We put in a lot of time, money and resources to help him rebuild his reputation," Rowell said. "I have a lot of respect for the work he put into it, on and off the court. I did take a vested interest in signing him to an extension. We told him we'd look to make this team better, but we never talked about trading the pick or acquiring a big. He knew the landscape. He sat there and told everybody this is where he wanted to be and was up to the challenge. In the end, we were duped." ESPN.com

The team is committed to fulfilling Jackson's request but Rowell said they will not negotiate a buyout. "No need to do that," Rowell said. "I don't want anybody here who doesn't want to be here. We just want to make a deal so the team gets better and doesn't go backward." ESPN.com

"Can you imagine calling a press conference saying we used up our cap space on Stephen Jackson," the GM said. "Nobody is calling that press conference." NBA.com

Manu Ginobili: I think I can play at this level till I'm 36, 37 or 38. La Nacion

But now the team must move forward without the second-year player from Florida. "We're looking at lists of potential players and options," Stefanski added. "I wouldn't see us making a quick move. We'll see how it goes. You never want to see a kid get hurt, but this presents an opportunity for someone to step up or someone to get extra time." Philadelphia Daily News

In July 2004, Turkoglu was a 25-year-old free agent who had been a part-time starter in San Antonio. The Suns, after deciding Kobe Bryant could not be wooed, struck fast in free agency by landing Nash. They wanted to pair him with Mehmet Okur. When Okur received a $50 million deal from Utah, Phoenix turned its focus to Turkoglu. Turkoglu was in Phoenix nearing an agreement with the Suns when they decided to break. "It was very close," said Colangelo, who returned to his hometown Sunday. "We had him in the conference room. We more or less agreed on a number that we were zeroing in." Arizona Republic

Turkoglu signed the Magic contract, which had a sixth-year player option that he declined this past summer, making him a free agent again. He agreed to a $50 million contract with Portland but wound up in Toronto for $53 million. This time, it was more about location than money. "At the time, it was the right decision, but it turned out to be the wrong decision," Colangelo said. "For the longer term in retrospect, it would've been a better fit because Hedo's got the right feel for the game and the system." Arizona Republic

Arash Markazi: Kobe waved me off as I tried to talk to Artest about tossing Ariza's shoe. "Ask me those questions," he said. So I did. He had no comment. Twitter.com

Then Ariza walked onto the Staples Center court Sunday night with his 19-month-old son Tajh in his arms and was greeted by former teammates Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, who presented Ariza with his championship ring. As Bryant and Fisher hugged and rubbed heads with Ariza, the Houston Rockets guard became emotional. "There's no crying in basketball," Ariza said. "But I almost gave it up a little bit." Los Angeles Times

Arash Markazi: Talked to Trevor Ariza's mom, Lolita, just before Trevor got his ring. She couldn't be prouder but is still heartbroken that he's not in LA. Twitter.com

"They're going to take [away] some of things that we may surprise teams with the first time we play them," Adelman said. "Now our guys have to understand that. We have to go back to our half-court offense. They have to execute. They have to find out what can we do to combat what they're doing. ESPN.com

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Gilbert Arenas said he didn't want to be an entertainer anymore. Then he decided to reenlist his Agent Zero and Hibachi identities during the Washington Wizards' 106-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday -- complete with his familiar palms up, hands-waving motion after a made basket. "Everyone wants the fun guy back," Arenas said after the loss. "They feel with the fun guy, everyone gets to be looser." Washington Post

"I find myself doing more thinking than I am just reacting, off my instincts. Players in this league, they react," Arenas said. "I was a reactor. Now I find myself being a thinker. I'm sitting there concentrating on getting assists -- averaging eight assists, averaging nine assists -- because I want to be labeled a 'point guard.' You see the players out there, Chris Paul averaging 20 [points] and 10 [assists], and you know they consider him the best point guard. So you put that in your mind, like, 'Man, in this system I can average 20 and 10. Let me go average 20 and 10.' And then I catch myself trying to force it." Washington Post

DeShawn Stevenson had to complain to Arenas about taking just three shots in the final period. "He said: 'Before, this wouldn't have happened. You would have taken over the fourth quarter, even if you had to take every shot,' " said Arenas, who has played nine consecutive games for the first time in three seasons. "It's frustrating for me because I know I can take over in fourth quarters. But I don't want to take away from the team." Washington Post

Obviously it hasn't been the kind of start to the season you'd like after having spent so much time injured the last couple of seasons. What are doing to get yourself back on track? "I'm just trying to keep plugging away. All I can do is just go out there and play like I know how to play." HoopsWorld

Have you been able to pin down what the problem has been? "My minutes are definitely down, but once I'm out there I've got to perform. I just know that if I do that, I'll be able to play in the fourth quarters more sooner than later." HoopsWorld

Derrick Rose wore No. 23 in college at Memphis. But that wouldn't have been his choice for an NBA number, even if a team other than the Bulls had won the draft lottery. "Probably not. I really wanted the No. 1," Rose said before Saturday's game. "I'm superstitious, so I really wanted No. 1 pretty bad. That was my original number, so why not wear it my whole career? "At Memphis, (No. 23) was to remind people not to forget about Chicago." Arlington Heights Daily Herald

The Clippers' owner of No. 23, Camby, spoke about LeBron James' suggestion that players wearing that number give it up, in honor of Michael Jordan. "I know, he [James] is not the league," Camby said. "Just because he says it, it doesn't mean it is set in stone. I hear where he's coming from. "If everybody is into it, then I'm into it. Everybody is on board and then I'm on board. I had the number for 12 years, so I'm kind of accustomed to it." Los Angeles Times

There are 13 No. 23s in the NBA, though James is the only big name. Oklahoma City rookie Byron Mullens got the number after finding his preferred No. 32 had been retired by the organization for Seattle SuperSonics great Fred Brown. "It's Jordan, man," Mullens said. "His number should be retired from the NBA." Memphis Commercial Appeal

Ty Lawson, however, is playing himself into any conversation there may be going forward in the race for NBA Rookie of the Year. And yes, the small-in-stature, large-in-heart Nuggets’ point guard has thought about it some. “I’m a rookie, of course I want to be rookie of the year,” Lawson said. “But right now I’m focused on the team. We’ve got big things we can do right now, so I’m focused on the team.” Denver Post

Nuggets guard Anthony Carter is not in a talking mood these days, refusing interviews more often. Who can blame him? He’s injured, with the same hip problem that has plagued him in the past. And when he has been healthy, the veteran has seen his minutes melt away because of the spectacular play of rookie Ty Lawson. In the summer, Carter said he was told by Nuggets coach George Karl that his minutes would not be reduced even though the organization acquired Lawson, the 18th pick in the draft, from Minnesota to be the Nuggets point guard of the future. Things have changed. Lawson changed them. Denver Post

“You can’t turn shots down,” Gordon said after Sunday’s game. “They didn't feel good and they didn't look good, either. You'll have games like that every once in awhile. I've just got to bounce back.” Despite Gordon’s rough night, he got the ball when the Pistons had a chance in the final seconds trailing by 3, but his 3-pointer missed the mark with 1.9 seconds left. “I wanted him to have the last shot,” Detroit coach John Kuester said. “I have the utmost respect and confidence in Ben Gordon.” Arlington Heights Daily Herald

"I think we can do something special," said forward Joe Smith, the 14-year veteran who has contributed key minutes off the bench. "We have to continue to get better as a group and continue to understand where we can go. The sky's pretty much the limit for us if we believe in each other and believe in what we bring to the table." Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Hawks are taking the right approach on Twitter: They don't allow their players to Tweet in the locker room before or after games and practices, on team buses or charter flights, or at team functions and on team property. The no-nonsense policy was adopted so that players take an all-business approach to the season. Among the logical reasons for the ban is that they don't want players venting publicly immediately after losses, preferring to let emotions cool. Anyone caught Tweeting on the team's time or in its facilities will be fined, no exceptions. New York Daily News

Even Eddy Curry knows he's not the answer. "Selfishly, you always want to say, 'Yeah, I could be that piece.' But it's hard to say. You never really know," he said. Though optimistic about the progress he's made since tearing a right calf muscle on opening day of training camp, the 7-foot center showed Sunday, in his first real practice of the season, that he still needs some time before he's in game-ready form. Newsday

The coach also said he isn't worried about Curry keeping up with his up-tempo system. "He's light on his feet. He'll be good," D'Antoni said. "We will post him up and we'll find ways for him to score. You know, Kurt Thomas played and he wasn't the fastest guy in the world . . . You don't have to be fast, you just have to run." Newsday

According to the NBA, at last count 137 players use Twitter (as if half have anything interesting to say). They're subject to fines if they post something that the league objects to, including criticisms of officials. It's a different issue, but in the same vein, Orlando's Dwight Howard was fined $15,000 this past week for comments he posted on his blog about the refs after a Nov. 3 loss in Detroit. New York Daily News

After careful consideration, a close examination of the rules and consulting with his family, Owens and his agent Tony Dutt, Williams made the choice to be a trailblazer by entering the D-League Draft. Dutt, who was originally contacted to provide advice to the youngster on his options, initially pushed for Williams to spend a year at Memphis before trying his hand at the pro game. But after spending time with the forward and seeing his determination to develop his skills, the agent quickly realized the NBDL was the perfect learning environment. SLAM

“I thought the D-League was the place he could get the most coaching and publicity,” Dutt says. “I had him go to one tryout session with an NBDL team and the feedback was that they felt he was the best player in the entire camp.” “This is what the D-League is supposed to be, a minor league system for kids coming out of high school who have that option. There’s still a long way to go, but I think the table is set for him to have an opportunity to get better and get professional coaching. He is in a position where hopefully he can become a lottery pick in the NBA. That’s the bottom line for where this is going.” SLAM

“Everyone is going to see as much of him as they want by the time the draft comes around,” Dutt says. “He is going to be highly exposed in either a good or a bad way when it’s all said and done.” “I think when the NBDL was put together, one of the concepts was to make this a developmental process for kids like Latavious and this is going to be the first time we see that in action. It’s going to be important that he develops to the level that he can and show a high level of success because a lot of kids are going to be looking at this. They are going to look and say, well Brandon Jennings went to Europe and was a top pick and Latavious Williams stayed here and was a top pick too. Or, you have the downside of, well he stayed here and they didn’t really develop him. So I think there is a high level of interest to see what the NBA does to help kids develop. It’s going to be a case study of how can they get kids better in the long run as opposed to the current mindset of what can you do for me today.” SLAM

A fractured right hand, illness and back spasms kept him out of many games last season. Now he’s focusing on a new start — with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League. “My knee is finally back to 100 percent,” Swift said from the bedroom he’s using at his aunt’s home near Liberty High School. “It’s the first time in four years I’ve been completely healthy.” The Bakersfield Californian

“I just want to play — hopefully just play and have fun again,” he said. “Get back to the way it was supposed to be. Get that experience of actually being in games. And not having to worry about anything else.” The Bakersfield Californian

The D-League signs players to contracts and assigns them to the different franchises. The Jam requested Swift as an allocation player, a designation of a player who has geographic ties to a community. “I got two offers for training camps, but I thought this was the best thing for me,” Swift said. “I wanted to be able to play here again and have a winning season. I have always had winning seasons here. Hopefully I’ll keep that tradition going.” The Bakersfield Californian

Hornets General Manager/Coach Jeff Bower is expected to provide details today on how long Chris Paul could be sidelined and discuss the MRI test that was performed Saturday on Paul's severely sprained left ankle. Paul, who had to be helped off the floor after suffering the injury in Friday's loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, did not travel with the team to Atlanta for Saturday night's game and underwent medical tests and evaluations in New Orleans. "You are obviously concerned when any of your players get hurt," Bower said. "Chris' absence changes things quite a bit as far the contributions of everyone on the floor. But we got to look to make up the difference in a number of different ways, so we have to fill the gap." New Orleans Times-Picayune

After Kobe Bryant missed 15 of 20 shots and came out with two minutes remaining in the Los Angeles Lakers' 101-91 loss to the Houston Rockets Sunday night, Lakers coach Phil Jackson revealed that Bryant has a groin injury. Officially the Lakers are calling it a strained right groin muscle and list him as day-to-day. The best treatment for groin injuries is rest, but when I asked Bryant if he would sit out any games to speed the recovery he said, "Absolutely not." Well, he used some more colorful language before that, but the point was made clear. "Not an option," he said, despite wincing as he pulled on a pair of workout shorts. ESPN.com

Phil Jackson said Pau Gasol might join team practice this week in the ongoing saga of when Gasol can come back from his strained right hamstring. Jackson said Gasol has gone five days without any “pain” … and then Jackson checked himself and swapped out the word “pain” for the word “soreness.” Maybe Jackson was trying to use the same word relayed to him; maybe he wanted to make a point that Gasol hasn’t been in any “pain” with this supposedly healed injury for some time. Orange County Register

Adrian Wojnarowski: Mavs' Erick Dampier expected to be released from Detroit-area hospital on Monday to return to Dallas, league source says. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: Dampier felt ill prior to game vs. Pistons and Mavs trainer took 7-footer to hospital. "Nothing serious", source says. Twitter.com

Philadelphia 76ers forward Marreese Speights will miss six to eight weeks with a left knee injury. Speights was injured in the fourth quarter of a 94-88 loss at Chicago on Saturday night. An MRI on Sunday revealed he has a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. ESPN.com

With two Detroit Pistons starters already out of the lineup, fans likely held their breath Sunday when guard Rodney Stuckey limped off the court in the fourth quarter of a loss to Dallas. No worries, Stuckey said after the game. “Just cramping,” he said. “I’ll be good to go.” That is good news for the Pistons, who start a four-game West Coast swing Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. Stuckey scored a game-high 28 points before leaving the game. “When I jumped in the air for that jump shot, both of my calves just cramped up,” Stuckey said. “Arnie (Kander) is a good trainer, so he just told me to take it easy. We have a lot of games coming up, so I’ve just got to get my rest and drink a lot of water.” Booth Newspapers

Warriors guard C.J. Watson on Sunday morning informed his "tweeps" that he might have contracted the swine flu. He was examined by a doctor at the Bradley Center following the Warriors' 129-125 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday. He had five points and three assists against the Bucks, one night after a season-best 19-point effort against New York. "Just came back from the doctor. Suspected H1N1," Watson tweeted. "I have to wear this mask when I'm around people like I have SARS or something. LOL. I don't like it at all." San Francisco Chronicle

Center Al Jefferson is expected to return to Minnesota today after spending the weekend in Florida, grieving the death of his grandmother with family. St. Paul Pioneer Press

He took the detour heard around the world, and he's been hearing since from a growing global chorus that he's on the wrong track. But despite three turbulent months in Israel, Jeremy Tyler says he's undeterred in his quest for the promised land of the first round of the 2011 NBA draft. "There's never a day that I regret my decision," Tyler, 18, said this week. ESPN.com

As for the schoolboy superstar's early opinion of himself, Hasin said, "I cannot say we knocked it down from 10 to 0, but I think from 10 to 7." After an up-and-down preseason and highly publicized struggles adjusting to life on his own 7,500 miles from home, Tyler's early regular season has been a virtual bust. Through three league games, he has played a total of only 20 minutes and scored just two points, both on free throws. ESPN.com

Makhtar Ndiaye, an agent with the company that represents Tyler, has been in Israel for more than two weeks and has a different perspective. "I don't think he realized how hard it would be," Ndiaye says. "We did." Ndiaye, the first player from Senegal to reach the NBA, says he can identify with the pressures Tyler is experiencing as a pioneer in his own right. "It's an honor and a burden, and you're under the microscope." "Sometimes Jeremy doesn't realize the effect of what he's saying," Ndiaye says. "He's a kid finding his way. He's a kid who needs guidance, and all parties need to step up [to support him]." ESPN.com

With a little more than three minutes left in a blowout loss Saturday, Tyler and 6-9 Moti Moscovitz of Gilboa Galil exchanged shoves. Then, according to Tyler, "He [Moscovitz] grabbed my jersey, and I accidentally head-butted him when he pulled me closer to him." Tyler was ejected, which also meant an automatic suspension for the next game. Moscovitz received two free throws and no penalty. Teammate Davon Jefferson, who played a year at Southern California and is Tyler's longtime friend, corroborated his account. "I don't think he did anything wrong, and the refs were real ridiculous," Jefferson said. "The other guy faked it with a flop, and Jeremy's a foreigner and a rookie." ESPN.com

After transferring this summer from a tiny team competing in a small league in his local first division to Italian based Benetton Treviso, we’re witnessing the first steps taken by top Lithuanian prospect Donatas Motiejunas. So far, the transition hasn’t been easy, which is to be expected considering the immense jump in the level of competition he's facing, but he has been making progress from week to week, something we’ll have to continue to track as the season moves on. Motiejunas is coming off the bench for Benetton, playing most of the frontcourt minutes (16.4 on average at the moment) left over by power forward Judson Wallace and center Sandro Nicevic. In contrast to last season, he’s not a focal point for his team offensively in the least bit, mostly living off scraps in the form of pick and roll finishes, weak-side cuts, spot-up jumpers, easy finishes recieving the ball in transition, and the occasional post-up play. Considering his rookie status and the stage of development he’s currently at, this is not a surprise in the least bit. This season has been a learning experience for Motiejunas thus far, one that will very likely be very beneficial as he makes the transition to first round draft pick and eventually, NBA player. DraftExpress.com

One of the best NBA draft oriented storylines developing in the always-interesting Adriatic league revolves around 19-year old Serbian wing player Andreja Milutinovic. Despite coming off a lackluster spring and summer at the junior level, when he played very uninspired basketball, Milutinovic has bounced back in a major way, emerging as the go-to guy of his very young FMP Zeleznik squad, and leading them in scoring thus far with nearly 14 points per game. DraftExpress.com

"Our attention is totally on our personnel," Golden State general manager Larry Riley told NBA.com on Sunday. "And as far as Nellie is concerned, we expect him to continue to be the coach of the Warriors." NBA.com

Golden State Warriors president Robert Rowell addressed several topics of contention surrounding the franchise Sunday night, including the removal of coach Don Nelson as head coach. "I haven't had one discussion about that at all," said Rowell. "It hasn't even crossed my mind. He just signed a two-year extension and I expect him to be our coach for the next two years." ESPN.com

Those close to Nelson insist he isn't looking for a way out. One confidant said, "It wears on you. You'd have to be un-human for it not to." But they also insist it isn't anything he hasn't been through before and it's been worse along some stops in an NBA life spanning five decades. Sadly, that's true. NBA.com

There are perceptions that Nellie is hanging around for the money and to reach the all-time record for wins by a coach. (He trailed Lenny Wilkens by 21 heading into last night.) He denies that the record is that important to him. “No, never has been,’’ he said. “It’s important to some of my friends, but individual goals have never been real important to me. I said a long time ago, I hope I never get it, because Lenny deserves it, to keep it forever.’’ Boston Globe

Abdul-Jabbar said he still plans to work for the Lakers, but will not pursue employment with the Memphis Grizzlies, who had shown interest in hiring him. He said he's also producing a documentary. Los Angeles Times

Nate Jones serves as Howard's right-hand man on all matters related to social media. A third-year student at UCLA School of Law, Jones also works for Goodwin Sports Management, the Seattle-based agency that represents Howard. "There's days where I might need help with putting a big video on Twitter or on the Internet," Howard said. "He's always available to do that kind of stuff. We just talk back and forth about different ideas. Usually, I tell him the idea, and we just run with it and see what we can do. So, it's just like we're a team." Orlando Sentinel

"I think you've seen times change," Jones said. " Michael Jordan had this manufactured corporate view of what he is. "Well," Jones continued, "with Twitter and in this social-media age . . . people see who you are. It's kind of hard not to be yourself on these social networks. I think people can see what's authentic and what isn't. Otherwise people wouldn't want to follow you." Orlando Sentinel

Cedric Maxwell has been trying to mind his business and dedicate himself to his job as Celtics radio analyst, but his name continues to come up in connection with recent comments by Larry Bird. Bird has said Maxwell was unprepared following the Celtics’ 1983-84 title season and contributed little in 1984-85, when Boston was eliminated by the Lakers in six games in the Finals. Maxwell explained why he has not shot back at Bird. “In the court of public opinion, whatever Larry said about me, I can’t win that battle,’’ he said. “It’s like when I left here and Red Auerbach was saying things about me. I couldn’t win that battle. The only thing I can say is that I won two championships with [Bird] and he was a great teammate. “He said we lost it because I didn’t play well? They had the Big Three. It wasn’t the Big 3 1/2. My numbers were real good numbers, and the fact was, I was just injured.’’ Boston Globe

Barely a decade later, he has proved that prediction true: He is the Sports Guy on ESPN.com, where his column has an estimated 1.4 million page views a month; his weekly podcasts have been downloaded 21 million times this year via iTunes; and his new book, at 700-plus pages, “The Book of Basketball,” reached No. 1 on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list last week. That Mr. Simmons is perhaps America’s most famous sports columnist, with a salary said to put him among a tiny elite of sports commentators, is a tribute to his undeniable work ethic and fascination with his subjects: sports, popular culture, lists, himself, basketball, his friends and family, and his readers. New York Times

And he has done it without the benefit of the print apparatus — no newspaper column, no contract with Sports Illustrated. Indeed, Mr. Simmons, who voluntarily stopped his column in ESPN The Magazine this summer, seems at times to run away from print. His ascendance also speaks to the changing role of writers — sports and otherwise — in today’s news landscape. No longer are they crusty skeptics of the game who follow a local team on the road and master the punchy lead paragraph and 800-word color article to accompany the game article that dutifully describes what happened on the court. New York Times

U.S. President Barack Obama and NBA superstar Yao Ming really seem to like each other. At his town hall meeting in Shanghai today, the president spoke warmly of China’s most famous celebrity. “Yao Ming is just one signal of our shared love of basketball -- I'm only sorry that I won't be able to see a Shanghai Sharks game while I'm visiting,” Obama said, referring to the basketball team that Yao purchased earlier this year. Examiner.com

On Sunday, Yao Ming posted a message to his Twitter and Facebook pages for the president. “I hear Obama is in Shanghai, my hometown. Welcome to China. Hope you enjoy. Like NYC, the best food is sold on streets (I know u r busy tho)” the seven-foot, six-inch star of the Houston Rockets basketball team wrote. Examiner.com

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is glad he went public about being treated for a rare form of leukemia because it's given him a chance to reconnect with people. The NBA's all-time leading scorer said Sunday that since his recent announcement he's been stopped by people in public who wish him well and encourage him about his condition. Their reaction has taken the 62-year-old six-time NBA MVP by surprise. Abdul-Jabbar said he's in good spirits about his future because the chronic myeloid leukemia is in remission since he was diagnosed last December. USA Today

Just last Monday, Abdul-Jabbar announced he had leukemia and described how scared he was when he learned last December that he had the disease. After coming to grips with it, he said he has taken a positive approach. "I'm in good spirits because I feel good about my future," Abdul-Jabbar said. "I'm not dealing with a death sentence and that's one thing that was very important for me to communicate with everyone, that this condition can be managed and that it does not have to be a death sentence. Too many people don't understand that. "When you hear the word leukemia, it's a shock to you. It's scary. It takes away their will to do what they need to do. So I reiterate to everyone, you can manage the situation." Los Angeles Times

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