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Saturday, January 23

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Gilbert Arenas will know his fate -- at least in terms of how long he'll be suspended from the NBA -- by the end of next week, ESPN.com learned Friday. Multiples sources said the wheels were already in motion for the Arenas case to take its next turn, although the question of whether the Wizards will subsequently attempt to void Arenas' contract may remain unanswered. ESPN.com

One source said Javaris Crittenton, the other player involved in the now infamous handgun incident in the Wizards locker room last month, will have closure in his case, too. Crittenton has been under investigation by authorities after he allegedly chambered a round in his handgun during the standoff with Arenas. ESPN.com

"I don't know if there is a magic number of a certain amount of time, but I do think it's something we have to keep an eye on, because I don't know if it's about fair or unfair, but if it sets the right precedent to indefinitely suspend someone and just kind of keep it hanging without putting a name or title or number on it and moving on from there," Fisher told ESPN.com prior to the Lakers' game against the Knicks. ESPN.com

O'Neal, who trained last summer with Gilbert Arenas, said the suspended Wizards guard and the team would be better off parting ways. Arenas is awaiting sentencing on a felony weapons charge for bringing guns into the locker room last month. O'Neal was a member of the Pacers during their 2004 brawl with the Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. O'Neal's Pacers also endured two gun-related incidents. ``It knocked the floor from under us,'' O'Neal said. ``You actually never recover, really. As a player, you have to understand that you might have to get away so everyone can move on. So why not transition to something the city can be proud of again?'' Miami Herald

Chris Tomasson: A source close to the situation doesn't expect Wizards to trade Brendan Haywood before Feb. 18 trade deadline. He's a free agent this summer. Twitter.com

Now, halfway through the regular season, James sits in his locker, shoulders slumped to the ground. He's appeared in one game all season, and that was against the Indiana Pacers in a blowout loss in early November. The team's starting point guard and third-string point guard have been suspended, and a journeyman formerly of the Italian League is the team's backup point guard. The frustration was palpable on James' face. "This is the toughest situation of my career," James says. "I've never been treated like this." Bullets Forever

James is upset that he hasn't even received a chance to play. He figured that he would get his chance after an impressive training camp, but that chance hasn't come. Now, he's frustrated and he says he hasn't been given an explanation. "I was one of the best guards in training camp," James says, later adding that "[the Wizards] haven't given me a reason why I don't play." Bullets Forever

Alan Hahn: Before the game I asked Artest bout LeBron 2010. He replies, "No disrespect to Cleveland, but, we need some star power here in New York." Twitter.com

Asked before the Lakers played the Knicks Friday night if the Cavs would be a playoff team without LeBron, Artest didn’t hesitate. “Actually I thought about that [Thursday],” Artest said. “If you take LeBron off that team, no. They’re not. They’re nothing. Not that they’re nothing, they’re still human beings. But you take him off that team, no. I guess that’s why they got me, to take him out of the game. [Thursday] it didn’t work. They got us this year, so all we can do is move on from that and see what happens in the playoffs.” CBSSports.com

If the losses start accumulating, Marcus Camby might want to start accumulating his belongings for a possible move. Indications are the Los Angeles Clippers will more strongly consider dealing the coveted big man if the team is not in good position to make the playoffs as the Feb. 18 trade deadline approaches. If the Clippers (19-23), who are five games out of the No. 8 spot in the West, are in contention then, there is a better chance of Camby staying. FanHouse

Dunleavy had spoken before about being eager to see how Camby looked playing alongside Griffin, although he denied Thursday that Griffin being lost for the season would affect the decision whether to trade Camby. But not having Griffin could affect the Clippers' record. Camby didn't disagree his chances could be enhanced of being dealt if the Clippers are not in good position to make the playoffs by the trade deadline. "Probably,'' said Camby, who is averaging 8.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.98 blocks and would be extremely attractive to a contending team due to his defensive skills and expiring contract. FanHouse

"I want to be here, but I said the same thing when I was in Denver,'' said Camby, traded by the Nuggets to the Clippers in July 2008. "So it remains to be seen ... The NBA is a business. You can get your hopes up and then you get your hopes and dreams crushed.'' FanHouse

Camby had told FanHouse last month the Clippers are his top priority when it comes to picking a team next summer, and that has yet to change. But it remains to be seen if the Clippers, who have much younger big men Griffin, Chris Kaman and DeAndre Jordan as long-term pieces, would want to commit much to Camby. "I like our team,'' Camby said. "We've got a bunch of great guys who are very talented... So it's a situation that can be promising.'' FanHouse

Talking to FanHouse before Thursday's 105-85 loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center, Dunleavy did not offer as strong of a declaration. "Committed at that time,'' Dunleavy said in reference to the previous interview. "But yet I said about all our guys, if a deal comes up that makes sense for us we don't have anybody that's not tradeable ... None of us know what's out there. So I can't say somebody is untradeable, and it won't happen.'' FanHouse

Anthony recently told reporters he'd love to see Camby, who has salary-cap number of $9.15 million, return to Denver this season but acknowledged that's a long shot. A source close to the situation on Thursday didn't expect the Nuggets, who have their rotation set and don't want to spend much money to add to their luxury-tax bill, would make any deal of significance by the trade deadline. FanHouse

Four years ago, Cedric Jackson was a frustrated player playing in the Big East for St. John's. He probably had no idea that fate would bring him Cleveland and reunite him with Gary Waters who had been close to signing him to play for Rutgers just a few years ago. At the end of the Cleveland State season last year, he said it was a blessing in disguise and his fortunes got even better today signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 10 game stint. He said about his first venture into the NBA: “It’s a dream come true,” Jackson said. “I never thought it was gonna happen this quick I am excited it came when I found out I was gonna be part of the team earlier today. (Cavs GM) Danny Ferry called me about four to five hours ago.” Cleveland Leader

The Los Angeles Clippers signed former Bulls guard JamesOn Curry to a 10-day contract on Friday. Curry was a second-round pick of the Bulls in 2007 out of Oklahoma State, but he never suited up for a game before being released the following summer. Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Jonathan Givony: Sometimes you wonder if NBA teams are actually paying attention to what goes on in the D-League w/these callups. Mario West? JamesOn Curry? Twitter.com

The Spurs made a move Friday that enabled forward Marcus Haislip to make more money and the franchise to save some. After negotiating a buyout of his contract, the Spurs waived a player who had appeared in only 10 games this season. A league source said the move saved $800,000 for the team. Haislip now is free to sign a lucrative deal with the Greek League's Panathinaikos. San Antonio Express-News

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Now, the Suns pride themselves on having a great group of guys, and chemistry as good as or better than any other team in the league, which might explain Gentry's passionate response when asked to address this alleged "locker room tension." "It's the biggest crock of s*** I've ever heard," Gentry said. Twice. "Because there's nothing going on in our locker room," Gentry continued. "Not one thing. Our locker room has been great, and that pisses me off, to be honest with you. Because there's not one thing going on in our locker room. There really isn't. FanHouse

"For somebody to make a statement that there's tension in our locker room, when it comes from a guy who's living in Hawaii? I could understand if he'd been at our practices or been in our locker room, but he hasn't. So that's very disappointing for someone to say that when they have not a clue about what's going on in our locker room." FanHouse

Gentry went on to say that Stoudemire has been great in handling it all, and that the team as a unit is as focused as ever. "[Amar'e]'s been absolutely wonderful in that department," Gentry said. "He hasn't talked about trades or contracts or anything like that, he's been terrific. As far as he's concerned, he wants to have a great year. He wants us to win games, and he wants us to be able to get into the playoffs. "That's what every guy in that locker room talked about. And I don't think they've ever lost focus on that." FanHouse

"I think Chicago did the unexpected and hit shots," Amare Stoudemire in a show of respect for his opponent's statistical history. "They're not known as a great shooting team and came out tonight hitting shots. We had to make an adjustment and try to run off their shots in the second half, but once they got it going it was tough to turn them off." Bright Side of The Sun

"I had nothing tonight physically," Nash said. "I came to shootaround and felt great. I came down to shoot before the game and I felt like I had arthritis in every joint in my body. It just happens like that sometimes. I just had no pop in my legs and everything was sore tonight. It's frustrating but I've got to feel pretty lucky it's happened very rarely this year. It happens fairly regularly whether it's every five games or 10 games or 20 games or whatever. When you get into your 30s, it happens. I've had very few nights like that. Tonight, I just couldn't physically do it. It was frustrating because I felt like I let my guys down." Arizona Republic

Tayshaun Prince, playing in his first game since returning from a knee injury, was in no mood to talk about a heated verbal exchange he had with Kuester. The two exchanged words in the fourth quarter as Prince made his way to the bench after Kuester made wholesale lineup changes. “Don’t ask me that question,” Prince said when asked about the incident. “Because if I speak on it, you all are going to do nothing but change my words on it, so I’m not going to answer that.” Booth Newspapers

Prince cut a follow-up question short. “Did you just hear what I said?” Prince said. “OK.” Booth Newspapers

Prince answered several questions about his return to the lineup as well as the loss to the Pacers, but his post-game comments ended abruptly when a media member revisited the incident with Kuester. “Can you say you and Kuester are cool going forward?” Prince was asked. “Of course,” Prince said firmly, then quickly walked away from media members and out of the locker room. Booth Newspapers

Glen Davis spoke to ESPN The Magazine's Louise K. Cornetta Friday night about his obscene comment directed at a fan during the Celtics' loss Wednesday to the Detroit Pistons. "I shouldn't say those kind of words," Davis said. "Even though a fan says anything to me, I shouldn't say that. I've got to understand who's watching out there for the kids and the parents. It's just a bad thing to say. You're frustrated. You're mad. That's not what you're suppose to say. You're just supposed to play the game of basketball and don't worry about the fans; that's what they are there for. When a fan talks personal about you in an emotional game, you know, it kind of gets to you, but you can't let it get to you. That's what [fans are] there for, to get you unfocused and frustrated." ESPN.com

"You know, Ray is one of the great shooters of all time, he's right behind me," Paul Pierce joked. "I told him that in the huddle, he had the looks but the one we needed he was able to knock it down and that's how much we believe in Ray." Celtics Blog

"It's very difficult sitting there watching," Garnett admitted. "I don't sit on the bench for a reason and I try not to say anything until after the game. You're almost helpless, that's the word I'm going to use here. Sitting there watching your guys and knowing that you can't be out there. The impact that I think I can give this team is tremendous. I bring a lot of energy when it comes to defense. I look for guys, I get guys open, some of the small things I think we've been lacking the last couple of games." Celtics Blog

Gasol finished fourth in the fan voting among Western Conference forwards, while Bynum was second among centers behind only converted power forward Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix. "(Kaman) has a right to feel that way because I guess he's the highest points-scoring center for right now in the NBA," Bynum said. "I could say the same thing because I'm the leading vote-getter among centers but I would never say anything like that. I'm just going to let it play out. Whoever gets it gets it." Riverside Press-Enterprise

"I've been out a few games, but I think I've been producing at a very high level when I have been playing," Gasol said. "I'm going to continue to do that and it will be up to the coaches." Riverside Press-Enterprise

Granted it came against the finesse-oriented Knicks and not a fellow contender, but Gasol's 20 points and 8 rebounds still qualified as a bounce-back effort, especially after his blunders in the paint and at the foul line against Cleveland the previous night. "In the fourth quarter, I think Pau got to it," Bryant said. "He was kind of in a funk a little bit, especially after those missed free throws, but in the fourth quarter he just kind of put his head down and went to work." Riverside Press-Enterprise

Haunted by the memory of a handful of blown scoring chances in the final minute against Cleveland, Gasol said his 10-point fourth-quarter was an important psychological boost. "I'm glad I was able to finish the game like that because I couldn't find much going on during the first three quarters," Gasol said. "I'm glad I got going in the fourth quarter and finished off the game well. I can build on this and move on from the mess that happened yesterday." Riverside Press-Enterprise

“We haven’t played good basketball this whole year and I don’t even know how we’re in first place,” Artest said. “We don’t even know. We’re out there sometimes trying to figure out how we’re still in first place. … You can play against a couple of teams that have some star players or whatever, coast through the whole game, and win by 20 – real easy. And that’s how it’s been for us this whole season. A lot of wins just came from it really just being too easy for us. Sometimes it’s not fair. We’re up 20 in the first quarter. What else are you gonna do but win by 100 points? I guess that’s what we have to start doing.” CBSSports.com

Kevin Durant denied having any knowledge about his selection as an All-Star reserve despite teammate James Harden posting a message of congratulations on his Twitter feed. When asked whether he’s been contacted by the NBA, Durant said no. Harden was unavailable for comment. All-Star reserves for both conferences will be announced Thursday. Oklahoman

Jared Dudley: Kobe vs Lebron last night.. Great game, I think lebron now feels mentally he's the best.. will see in June if that translates to a Ring. Twitter.com

Martin Frank: Iverson on playing in A-S game: "Should I worry about what those people say? Or concentrate on the million-plus people who voted for me?" Twitter.com

Trail Blazers guard Andre Miller's standout game Friday night in Boston (28 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) came with added significance: He passed legend Jerry West and moved into 24th all-time in NBA assists. The assist that moved him past West was a fourth quarter zip pass through traffic that Steve Blake caught for a layin with 9:48 left, drawing the Blazers within 76-72. Miller now has 6,240 career assists. "I don't think about that too much,'' Miller said before the game about the impending mini-milestone. "But I will probably look back at it after my career and see where I fall.'' Oregonian

When asked to name is top three point guards of all time, Miller didn't hesitate with his top two: Magic Johnson and John Stockton. He paused for his third choice before choosing Jason Kidd. "But do you consider Oscar Robertson a point guard,'' Miller asked. I said yes. "Well, then Oscar No. 1. Magic two and Stockton three,'' Miller said. Oregonian

Shawn Marion: Tough loss ripped my finger to the bone but still gotta play. Twitter.com

Los Angeles Clippers guard Sebastian Telfair suffered a right groin strain and torn right adductor longus tendon in the Clippers victory over Chicago on Jan. 20. Telfair is expected to miss a minimum of four to six weeks. NBA.com

Eric Pincus: oddity - Telfair's doctor's name is Craig Smith - not teammate Craig Smith - as far as I know :) Twitter.com

Brian Scalabrine expects to miss nearly a week with a separated right shoulder, he told WEEI.com following the Celtics – Trail Blazers game. He did not play on Friday night and aims to return next Thursday against the Magic in Orlando. Scalabrine initially suffered the injury on January 6 against the Heat while trailing Michael Beasley on a pick. However, he wanted to maximize his opportunity in Kevin Garnett’s absence and played the next seven games with the injury. “The only thing that was hard was when I play defense, I used my forearms to create space so the guy can’t feel my body. I couldn’t do it with this side so it was just a minor disadvantage,” he explained. “You have to learn to play with your feet a little more instead of using your body, your spacing, stuff like that. But I think hopefully these next couple of days it’ll get better.” WEEI

Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr made an appearance on WMVP’s “Waddle and Silvy Show” and was asked about second-year Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. Before joining the Bulls with no previous coaching experience, Del Negro worked as a college scout for the Suns. “Vinny's a great guy. He works his butt off,” Kerr said. “He knows the game, but this is a very, very difficult job, coaching in the league, especially when you haven't done it before and you have a team that's kind of a borderline playoff team. “It's not like he's stepping in and there's Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen). He's got some good, young talent, but it's going to take some time for those guys to develop and come together. … I hope he can sustain his career there and have a lot of success, because he deserves it. He's a good man.” Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Dave McMenamin: Felipe Lopez is in the Lakers locker room wearing an NBA.com credential. Awesome. Twitter.com

Adonal Foyle: Yesterday the Supreme Court delivered a terrible blow to our democracy by ruling in the case of Citizens United vs. FEC that corporations have First Amendment protected rights to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. For the first time in our history the Supreme Court has decided that corporations can use their huge treasuries to advocate for political outcomes. What we can expect to see is corporations doing even more of what they have done best over the last few years -spending millions of dollars to dominate the political agenda, advocate on behalf of their interests rather than the interests of the people, and “buy” their way to political control of our democracy. Orlando Sentinel

Yesterday, Sixers center Samuel Dalembert confirmed that he would make another trip to Haiti over the upcoming all-star break. Dalembert returned to his native country earlier this week. "Everybody's scratching their head and trying to find a way to help out," Dalembert said before last night's game. Philadelphia Inquirer

The Wasserman Media Group’s 47 NBA players donated either personal contributions or a designated sum per point they scored. Thunder center Etan Thomas, who is also represented by Wasserman Media Group, did not play Friday but donated $30,000 to Haiti relief efforts. Oklahoman

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