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Tuesday, February 2

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Paul Pierce had a feeling his sore left foot wasn't in nearly as bad a shape as it looked at the time Washington's Caron Butler, all 228 pounds of him, came crashing down on it. It turns out Pierce was wrong. The Boston Celtics just announced that the Captain suffered a left mid-foot injury during the first quarter of Boston's 99-88 win at Washington on Monday. Team officials are listing Pierce as day-to-day. CSSNE.com

Already reeling from a spate of injuries to key players, the Boston Celtics may have lost All-Star forward Paul Pierce for a significant period of time to a broken left foot, according to a league source. NBA.com

The team does not know for sure if Pierce's foot is broken after X-rays taken Tuesday; more tests are scheduled. But it "looks that way," the league source said. The Celtics are hopeful that even if the foot is broken that Pierce won't be out of the lineup for long. But they are not yet certain of that. Pierce suffered the injury in the first half of Boston's 99-88 victory over Washington Monday night when he got tangled up with the Wizards' Caron Butler going for a loose ball. He said after the game that he thought he sprained the ankle but didn't believe the injury was serious. NBA.com

The Boston Celtics remain optimistic Paul Pierce hasn’t broken his left foot, but he could be sidelined through the All-Star break, team sources told Yahoo! Sports. Team officials called an NBA.com report that Pierce could have broken his foot in Monday’s victory over the Washington Wizards “premature” and said the All-Star forward was continuing to be evaluated by medical staff on Tuesday night. The Celtics are cautiously optimistic Pierce suffered a strain. Yahoo! Sports

SportsCenter5: Sources tell SportsCenter 5 final diagnosis on Paul Pierce's ankle injury has not yet been made, but it's "nothing serious" (cont) #celtics. Twitter.com

SportsCenter5: (cont) Still a chance Pierce could miss a game or two @MDowling5 still working the phones #celtics. Twitter.com

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told Comcast SportsNet's Gary Tanguay this afternoon that the team is still determining the diagnosis and Pierce's status. "We just don't know," he said. "We basically don't know the extent of the injury. The doctors don't have all the information to make the decision. We expect to make an announcement tomorrow." A team source confirmed a similar outlook to the Globe's Tony Massarotti, saying the team would know more tomorrow morning and that tests were inconclusive. Boston Globe

“That would be a big loss,” Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said. “He’s our bread and butter. We just got K.G. back, but it always seems to be something with us. “That’s the NBA, though. It’s the story of our season.” Yahoo! Sports

The Knicks are showcasing Jared Jeffries and Nate Robinson. Two officials with knowledge of the situation say that the Knicks are hoping to move the nearly $7 million on Jeffries contract for next year to further help their salary cap situation. The Knicks are also actively looking to deal Robinson. Robinson can veto any deal, because he was signed as a restricted. ESPN.com

With Delonte West's return from a fractured finger still in doubt, the Cavaliers decided to sign former Cleveland State star Cedric Jackson to a second 10-day contract this morning. Jackson played in four of the five games that covered his first 10 contract, playing seven total minutes with one point and one rebound. Cleveland Plain Dealer

New Orleans has made several deals netting little or nothing in return, including last summer's trade of Rasual Butler for a conditional second-round pick and moving starter Devin Brown last week for little-used center Aaron Gray. The Hornets also got back nothing more than conditional second-rounders for Hilton Armstrong and Bobby Brown. Bower explained that those former Hornets weren't part of the team's future, so the Hornets felt no need to include them in the present. On the other hand, Collison and Thornton are keys to what lies ahead. "Those guys know we expect a lot out of them, and they come in and work hard every day," Paul said before being injured. "We've got confidence in them to do their job." NBA.com

Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton has elected not to appeal the season-long suspension he received from NBA commissioner David Stern, according to sources close to the situation. Gilbert Arenas and Crittenton both received suspensions without pay for the rest of the regular season last Wednesday in the wake of the December gun incident in the Wizards' locker room that rocked the entire league. ESPN.com

Bulls guard Derrick Rose will be replaced by Golden State's Anthony Morrow on the sophomore roster for the Rookie Challenge game to be played Friday, Feb. 12, in advance of the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas. chicagobreakingsports.com

Chris Douglas-Roberts broke the news via Twitter last night. He's no longer starting for the Nets. It was confirmed earlier today in person. Jarvis Hayes will start at small forward against the Pistons tonight and CDR will come off the bench. Douglas-Roberts had been the team's regular starter since the beginning, missing only a few games because of the swine flu and injuries. But Kiki Vandeweghe has decided that now is the time to make what really is the first major lineup change of the season. "We're getting a little bit more from other people," Kiki said. New York Daily News

Douglas-Roberts is averaging 13.1 points but has reached double digits just once in his last nine games. Tonight will be Hayes' 15th game of the season and he's averaging 6.2 points. But he's coming off his best outing of the season - 18 points against the 76ers on Sunday - and plays defense. He's also a savvy veteran who can help the team pick up the six more wins it needs to avoid further shame. "Kiki just just said he wanted to make a change and I said, 'Okay. I'm all for it,'" Hayes said. "I just hope it translates to more wins." New York Daily News

Douglas-Roberts’ playing time has been cut lately and his production has dropped off markedly – just one double-digit scoring night in his last nine games. So coach Kiki Vandeweghe is moving Douglas-Roberts to the bench starting tonight and replacing him with Jarvis Hayes in the starting lineup. “He said I haven’t been myself in the past month or however long and he wants me to get back to that,” Douglas-Roberts said after shootaround. “He said he feels coming off the bench would be better suited.” “I wasn’t surprised. I just…I wasn’t surprised.” Bergen Record

Douglas-Roberts seemed all right with the decision. He probably was hiding his true feelings, but he could flourish in this role. He wasn’t getting as many touches or opportunities with the first team lately. If he has the right mindset this could be good for him. We asked if he could turn this into a positive. “I’m going to try,” Douglas-Roberts said. “But I don’t know how I’m going to be playing and what role I’m going to be in. This is new to me. So I’m going to see how this game goes and then I’ll be able to judge everything else.” Bergen Record

The easy smile Dirk brought back after his first adult summer away from basketball is gone, just like the long, golden locks he grew while relaxing on a Greek beach. This has not been an enjoyable season for Nowitzki. "It seems like it's been a frustrating year, and we're still right there," Nowitzki said Monday morning at Energy Solutions Arena. "We're third in the West now and still have a decent record. I don't know why it is, but it's been a frustrating year. "Hopefully, we can just keep on working and work through the kinks and be all right. It feels like a weird year. I don't know why. Probably because we've been losing so many games at home, which you should never do as a good team. That adds to the frustration." ESPN.com

"He's one of those superstars that would do anything for the team," said Carlisle, who doesn't consider Nowitzki's exhibits of frustration a concern. "He would make any sacrifice to win a game, to put us in position to win a championship." ESPN.com

"I'm more of a negative person in general," Nowitzki said. "I always see the glass as half empty. I've got to go a good job of, even when things aren't going well in a game, staying more upbeat and just keep coming." ESPN.com

Trevor Ariza won't be deterred — not by ghastly statistics nor the objections of Rockets fans. Sure, he's only making 37.8 percent of all of his attempts and just 30 percent of his threes, and his average has dwindled to 15.5 points. It doesn't matter, the first-year Rocket forward said. “I'm going to shoot it,” Ariza said. “If it's not there, I'm going to try to do something else. But if I get left open, I'm going to shoot it — definitely.” Houston Chronicle

Sam Mitchell, one of Bosh's former coaches, cut to the chase: "You can take him home to momma. He'll never be in the news for something that's happened off the court, and that's a good thing." Scratch a little beneath that placid, non-controversial surface, however, and you encounter some of the fiery pride that has already been more evident in Bosh's game this season, as he displayed against the Pacers. "I don't think I am considered one of best forwards in the league, and I want to be considered the best," he said. Later, asked to respond to the most frequent criticism of his game -- that he isn't a lockdown defender -- he said, "Who is a lockdown defender and at the same time the No. 1 [offensive] option on their team? Just Jordan, and Kobe maybe. I feel I am a good defensive player; if people want to challenge that, I will gladly prove it every night. If a guy scores on me at will, I will gladly take the blame. But they have to do it first." SI.com

After all, English scored more than 25,000 points in a Hall of Fame NBA career and if the 22-year-old Johnson is going to learn offensive moves from someone, why not someone like English. "He just gives me different counters," said Johnson. "Every time I go to the basket, I can take a dribble or a pullup or one dribble and take that jump hook. "Alex English was a great, great scorer and I know he knows his stuff, so I just listen to him all the time." Toronto Star

Mason played for the Thunder last season — started much of the year — and was a popular member of the squad. Sort of a big brother on a team loaded with young players. Mason’s contract ended after last season, he signed with Sacramento and eventually was cut. Now he’s contemplating retirement and back living in Portland, Ore. But Mason’s visit showed the light-hearted nature of the Thunder locker room, which can get a little stale when the media is allowed in from 5:30-6:15 p.m. each night before tipoff and in post-game. We know the Boomers have a lot of fun — their youtube hijinks prove it, if nothing else — clowning around on the road, and Mason loosened up his old pals Sunday night. Oklahoman

The camaraderie in the locker room seems legit. This team has its factions (I don’t mean that in a bad way), primarily the young crowd hangs out together. For instance, Kevin Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, James Harden, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White all attended the OSU-Texas game Monday night. The oldest of those six players is 23. But the veterans seem to mesh well. Kevin Ollie, 37 years young, lockers next to Westbrook. The fact that Mason, on the verge of ending his basketball career, is interested in dropping by and seeing old (young) friends is a sign that the Thunder locker room was a good place to be. Oklahoman

Aggrey Sam: Overheard at shootaround: "Every day!"--Joakim Noah, on his self-proclaimed daily FT contest victories vs. Jerome James. Twitter.com

Nuggets coach George Karl was confident today that all-star Carmelo Anthony would play in Wednesday's 8:30 p.m. matchup against Phoenix at Pepsi Center. Anthony has a left ankle sprain that has kept him out the past five games, but the small forward came to Pepsi Center Tuesday for treatment and a court workout. The Nuggets didn't have an official practice. "If we can continue to play with a rhythm and team-ness and bring him back to the mold quickly, it gives you anther weapon that they have to cover," Karl said. "I don't know if he can play 35-40 minutes. We'll have to evaluate that as the game goes on." Denver Post

Perhaps this qualifies as paranoid speculation, but on a day when Celtics forward Paul Pierce underwent X-rays on the foot he injured in last night's victory over the Wizards, it is at least curious that his teammate, backup forward Shelden Williams, would cryptically tweet the following at 3:20 this afternoon: @SheldenWilliams: Man when it rains it pours!!! Yall will find out what I mean soon!!!! Boston Globe

I just got off the phone with Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins; 7-footer Alexis Ajinca needs thumb surgery. It's not yet clear how long this will keep him out. Charlotte Observer

Dallas Mavericks rookie Rodrigue Beaubois' playing status is in question after the guard suffered a bruised back during a hard fall against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. ESPN.com

Chris Tomasson: Denver's George Karl refutes continued talk he'll definitely be free agent in summer. "Nothing has been cut off,'' he said of contract talks. Twitter.com

The buyer could want to bring in his own guy to run basketball operations, as much as Charlotte is heading in a positive direction and having Michael Jordan on the payroll has cache. The new personnel boss may want a different coach. Seems unlikely at the moment, but once the dominoes start falling, there's no telling where the action stops. The thought has crossed Brown's mind. Knowing him, it probably didn't zip to a quick exit either. Enter. Nest. Maybe stay long enough to qualify for in-state tuition. Then leave. "I don't want to think about that," he said of the potential impact of an ownership change. "As long as Michael's involved." Doesn't want to think about it. But he does. "I think about it," Brown conceded. "But, again, if Michael's involved, it's not going to make one bit of difference. If he's not involved, that's a whole new issue." NBA.com

"It's only on the surface," Higgins said of speculation of a sale. "I think when you get into the core of our team and the core of that locker room, you can't let it affect your day-to-day responsibilities. We all realize it's kind of like the rumors of the trading season. You hear 'em, but you can't let that affect what you do. I have to give the guys credit." NBA.com

On Tuesday, Falk denied that he has any interest in working in the front office of any NBA team, calling the article "absolutely baseless." "I've had many opportunities in my career to run teams when I was much younger. The idea of running a team at this age has zero interest to me," Falk said in a telephone interview. "It's just something that never really caught my fancy. I've given some thought to owning a team at some point, but I really don't have any interest to work for anybody. I've done that. The idea of being the president of a team, I wouldn't look at that as a promotion from what I'm doing now. I'm in control of my own time and destiny. It's just something that doesn't interest me. Washington Post

After Jordan left Washington, Falk swore that he would never set foot in Verizon Center for as long as Pollin owned the team. A few weeks after Pollin's death, Falk finally ended his boycott when he went to watch Hibbert play for the Indiana Pacers. He has attended several games since. While Falk said he has no interest in working for the Wizards, he sounded optimistic about Ted Leonsis eventually taking over the franchise. "When Ted takes over the team, it will be like turning on a light in a dark room," he said. Washington Post

The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard has renewed a multi-year agreement with McDonald’s, extending a relationship that dates back to 2008. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed, but Howard will star in a remake of the iconic 1993 Super Bowl commercial “The Showdown” along with Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. The commercial will air just before Super Bowl XLIV kicks off on Feb. 7. Orlando Business Journals

Stromile Swift has listed for sale a two-bedroom, two-bath condo at 450 Alton Road in Miami Beach for $765,000. BlockShopper.com

Rashad McCants: Got called for the new trey video. Big things poppin. Twitter.com

The Pacers have work to do if they expect to be able to trade forward Troy Murphy before the Feb. 18 deadline. The Pacers have already tried to send him to Cleveland, but those talks didn't last long because they were asking for too much, according to a source. The Pacers wanted the Cavaliers to give up forward J.J. Hickson, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and multiple draft picks for Murphy, the source said. Indianapolis Star

I will throw this tidbit out there for Wizards fans to chew on, because I checked it out: There is no rule, repeat: no rule, preventing them from trading a suspended player. ESPN.com

Gilbert Arenas Sr. on if he and his son have talked about what the Wizards might try to do with his contract in the future: “Well there’s no question. We’ve talked about it but it’s nothing much more. Everything’s out of his hands. Everything’s controlled by the Washington Wizards at this point. If that’s the direction they have to go, it’s a business move. I understand the organization, I’m not downing them, they gave Gil his job. Hopefully everybody can just move forward from this and learn from these mistakes. It’s funny, Gil’s taking blame for the losses they’re losing right now too. Gil’s taking the blame for the reason why these guys are not where they should be at. Just in light…just look at the situation - you go back a couple of years when Brendon Haywood and Etan Thomas had that altercation. Sports Radio Interviews

Also, if Crittenton's suspended contract isn't moved in a trade, I could see the wizards waiving him as part of an agreement to avoid an arbitration hearing grieving his suspension. If Crittenton clears waivers, he can sign in Europe. ESPN.com

The general manager laughed at a couple of the rumors and was trying to understand how some that have been knocked down from both sides continue to get play. Ainge repeatedly has put off questions about the coming offseason and how much change there could be in the C’s roster, but he was pointed with regard to the current campaign. “Let me just put it this way: We’re doing everything we can to win a championship now,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to do anything that might hurt our chances of winning. “There’s no question we need to play better, but we’re not going to panic.” Boston Herald

According to one opposing general manager who has spoken with the Celts recently, “I’m pretty sure they’re going to be looking at a lot of things in the summer, but for now Danny doesn’t want to do anything that doesn’t make them better right away.” Boston Herald

Teams are calling about J.J. Redick but he has been playing so well lately. He has really made Vince Carter's struggles easier for the Magic because he can come in a contribute off of the bench. His play has attract suitors but Orlando may not want to move him since he's done so well as an insurance policy to Carter. HoopsWorld

I've heard that Chicago is interested in Redick and could offer John Salmons and his expiring contract for Redick and a filler (probably Bass or Johnson). If Orlando makes a move, it's going to be something smaller like this that doesn't change the face of the team but could still make an impact. HoopsWorld

Hope I don't lose too many readers by staying with the Nets, but I was stunned to read they supposedly had interest in Amar'e Stoudemire. Think how traumatized I was to discover the reports weren't counterfeit. As it turns out, Stoudemire's name was momentarily mentioned a few weeks ago as an off-season free-agent option. "But it does not appear even remotely possible because of the reasons you wrote about and his asking price," e-mailed a team envoy. "Pre-op [knee], he would've been worth taking a chance on despite his defensive flaws and other bad habits," said someone else in the know. "Not now, though. His best days are behind him." New York Post

SI.com recently reported the Celtics inquired about Hinrich, which team sources confirmed. Kobe Bryant is practically demanding the Lakers upgrade their backcourt as well. Hinrich said he's aware the Bulls need to shed a contract to fully guarantee the ability to offer a maximum contract in free agency this summer. But Hinrich's desire is simple. "I would prefer to stay here," he said. "It's a good situation. We have good guys. We're playing well. It's fun right now." Chicago Tribune

In an interview with FanHouse, the New Orleans forward with one year left on his contract, didn't rule any out as options. Stojakovic, who hasn't been the same player since undergoing back surgery in 2006, said it's too early to contemplate his future, but, when he leaves the game, wants it to be on his own terms. "I am going to be 34 after this contract,'' said Stojakovic, 32, who has 13,108 career NBA points, putting him in line in March to break the Serbian NBA record of 13,398 set by Vlade Divac, his former Sacramento teammate. "I want to make sure I play out (the current contract) on my own terms as far as being healthy and not being forced to stop playing because of injury. "I love to play. I still enjoy playing. But also sometimes it's (tough) to be out there if you're in pain and just to take the pain medicine to get on the court.'' FanHouse

Stojakovic, whose two missed games this season were due to personal reasons, said his health recently has been "pretty good.'' But he was asked if there's a chance next season could be the final one for the three-time All-Star. "I don't know,'' he said. "It's a tough thing to accept for a player like, 'OK, is this the last year or not?' I don't know. When you're a player you always think that it lasts forever. But you have to understand when you're at certain age what can you do to be helpful for that team?'' FanHouse

Stojakovic, making $13.92 million this season and $14.26 million next season, would like to finish out his contract with the Hornets. But he knows his expiring deal makes him a more attractive trade piece starting next summer. "Exactly,'' said Stojakovic, whose contract contains a 10 percent trade kicker. "I've been reading about other guys so I figure I'll be answering the same questions (after this season). That's part of the business... It's up to the front office... But I have no problem (staying in New Orleans). I really like the guys on the team. I'm having a good time. My family loves living in New Orleans.'' FanHouse

As the Knicks look for potential improvements to the roster before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, one of their unused veterans, Larry Hughes, also considers it an important date. "I'm looking at it," said Hughes, who added that he has been in contact with his agent, Jeff Wechsler, about his situation with the Knicks and what possible options he could have via trade or, as a last resort, a buyout. Newsday

Sunday night was one of the tougher losses for Hughes to sit through. The bench was putrid, with Jonathan Bender, Nate Robinson and Jordan Hill combining to shoot 2 of 17. The club was missing Al Harrington, who could miss tomorrow's game against the Wizards because of a sore knee, but D'Antoni still did not look toward the 6-foot-5 Hughes. "It's not any more frustrating," Hughes said. "It's as high as it's going to get. It's already there. I can't get any more frustrated than I already am." New York Post

Apparently, the veteran guard has no plans of trimming his facial hair until he is traded, released or is playing regularly again for the Knicks, the latter of which Hughes is convinced will never happen. "I'm not going to play," he said in a whisper. "I know that." New York Daily News

The chances guard Delonte West will return to duty against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight are nil, with Cavs officials not saying when he'll return. Because of that, it looks as if Cleveland State alum Cedric Jackson will get another 10-day contract. Akron Beacon Journal

Marbury is yearning to return to the NBA next season and has not crossed the Knicks off his list for the future, believing he once had "a great relationship" with owner James Dolan. "I wish them well," Marbury said. "No one there on the team loves the Knicks like I do. I still love the Knicks no matter what. That's real love, no matter what anyone says about me. All of what I went through in New York took the air out of the ball." New York Post

Former Memphis coach Mike Fratello, who is now a TNT analyst, said the trade was initially "one-sided" but the gap had closed with the evolution of Marc's game. "I don't think anybody in the local [Memphis] community knew how good Marc was going to be," Fratello said. "That Marc Gasol was a totally different Marc Gasol than the one we're seeing right now. He's 25 to 30 pounds lighter than he was. He made that commitment. They have a great interior combination right now." Los Angeles Times

Gibson said he signed with agent Andy Miller last month. He had been without representation for more than a year. News-Herald

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Suspended Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said Monday in a story he wrote on the opinion page of The Washington Post that he'll try to rebuild his relationship with D.C. youth following his guilty plea on a felony gun charge. ESPN.com

"I understand the importance of teaching nonviolence to kids in today's world," Arenas wrote. "Guns and violence are serious problems, not joking matters -- a lesson that's been brought home to me over the past few weeks. I thought about this when I pleaded guilty as charged in court and when I accepted my NBA suspension without challenge. "That message of nonviolence will be front and center as I try to rebuild my relationship with young people in the D.C. area. I know that won't happen overnight, and that it will happen only if I show through my actions that I am truly sorry and have learned from my mistakes. If I do that, then hopefully youngsters will learn from the serious mistakes I made with guns and not make any of their own." ESPN.com

"I said that I lost sight of the lesson I learned from Abe Pollin about how the responsibility to be a good role model comes along with the opportunity he gave me," Arenas wrote. "I reiterate now the pledge I made to those students: that this is a responsibility I am not going to walk away from, that I will choose more wisely in the future and do my best to help guide children into brighter futures." ESPN.com

Gilbert Arenas Sr. on the endless criticisms of his son and what it’s like for people to label his son a ‘thug’: “Well let me just say this. I for one, don’t own a gun. I don’t believe in owning a gun but these are young players, young athletes who walk around with plenty of money in their pockets. And I think the best thing they do is they grab hold of something to feel comfortable. You know, you go around the league and ask how many guys own guns, I’m sure it’s 85% of these guys that own guns. What they do with these guns? I have no idea.” Sports Radio Interviews

After the game, Foye sat in front of his locker room stall trying to explain why he received limited minutes. "Early on, I felt good. I came out, I got three assists right away. I came out the game and that was about it," Foye said. When asked if Saunders explained why he pulled him, Foye said, "He didn't say nothing. He didn't say nothing." Was he confused? "I'm not confused. I want to go out there and help contribute," Foye said. "Earl did a great job, he scored and got the team in sets to win it, but we couldn't pull it out toward the end. I was just trying to get my teammates the ball. if you watch me, I just take what the defense gives me. I was coming off. I was showing hard. I found Mike [Miller]. I found Brendan. After that I was taken out." Washington Post

The simple pass led to a simple, yet, record-breaking dunk. Lakers guards Jordan Farmar and Kobe Bryant were on an uncontested break in the third quarter, with Farmar dishing to Bryant for what would be his 25,193rd career point, surpassing former Lakers great and general manager Jerry West as the Lakers' all-time leading scorer. Bryant's record-breaking score provided little theatrics at the 4:37 mark, likely because he didn't want to further hurt his seven-week-long avulsion fracture to his right index finger. The dunk also appeared simple in true form with an easy uncontested basket. Fitting perhaps since many Bryant scored many of his points with the same fluidity against tight defenses. Los Angeles Times

Mike Trudell: Jerry West's quote: "I think (Kobe Bryant has) probably been the greatest all-around player that the Lakers have ever had." Twitter.com

In fact, Jackson wrote the Lakers' final five games before the All-Star break on the whiteboard -- home against Charlotte and Denver, at Portland, home against San Antonio, at Utah -- before writing simply, "Then we breathe." "We can't be really happy," Pau Gasol said. "I think we should have had a better record on this road trip." Los Angeles Times

Gasol was asked about Bryant’s new record and offered politically correct – and believably authentic – commentary (“I’m proud of him; I congratulate him”) before adding the kicker: “Now we can focus on winning games again.” Orange County Register

"I don't know," Gasol said, shaking his head. "Obviously, we're not making a conscious effort on pounding the ball inside. So we settled a little bit too much. It's not like they were double-teaming or anything. It is what it is. It happens often." Los Angeles Times

Are the Lakers a better team when they go inside? "One hundred percent," Gasol said. Does everybody know that? "I'm not sure," he said. Los Angeles Times

Garnett’s 19 points led six Celtics in double figures, and Boston limited Washington to 2-for-18 shooting in the fourth quarter en route to a 99-88 victory over the Wizards on Monday night. “You’re playing against the Boston Celtics, so you’re not going to get a lot of calls. KG’s going to set illegal screens; they’re not going to be called. That’s just part of the game,” Wizards center Brendan Haywood said. “You’re going to go to the basket, and if it’s not basically just a straight-up WWF body slam, you’re not getting the call.” Yahoo! Sports

The Dallas Mavericks are fresh off allowing a decent point guard to light them up for 52 points. If Andre Miller can torch the Dallas defense like that, just imagine the possibilities for an All-Star like Deron Williams. "Actually, to me, he’s probably the best point guard in the league right now," Dirk Nowitzki said of the Jazz star. "I’d actually take him over [Chris] Paul and the rest of them because he’s a big guard who can do it all." ESPN.com

Sometimes, things work out the way nature intended. Deron Williams thought he'd reached this level a time or two before, like when he helped the Utah Jazz reach the Western Conference finals in 2007. "There definitely was a little frustration, because I felt like I had been an All-Star a couple years," the point guard from The Colony said. Dallas Morning News

Charlie Bell: This D-Wade stopper stuff is crazy. I just try to play the best Defense I can. Twitter.com

Hansbrough is averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 29 games. His high-octane motor hasn't gone unnoticed by other players around the league. Former Pacer Stephen Jackson said in an SI.com article earlier this season that Hansbrough "needs to be playing rugby or something." Indianapolis Star

Now he's mostly insurance if one of the Bulls guards gets hurt or traded. Brown has been in uniform twice since the trade, but has not yet seen game action. "I am anxious to get out there, just because of the history of the Bulls' organization and things like that," Brown said Monday at the Berto Center. "Whenever my time comes, I'll be ready to go. "I talked to coach and he said be patient and my time will come. Obviously, I'm new here, so I've got to learn the system a little bit. Other than that, it's not that big a deal." Arlington Heights Daily Herald

When he stepped to the line for two free throws in the waning seconds of Sunday night’s win, hearing fans chant: "M-V-P!, M-V-P!” Kevin Durant broke into an ear-to-ear smile. "I couldn’t hold it in,” Durant said. "This last week has been crazy for me. Being an All-Star and hearing M-V-P chants. It doesn’t get any better than that. It felt good, especially us winning that game. The fans have been great to us.” Oklahoman

Before the game, the Bobcats made a big, funny scene of paying tribute to their former teammate Juwan Howard. In Art Garcia's NBA.com piece recently it was noted that Howard is one of the most universally respected players in the league. The Bobcats certainly hold him in the highest regard. "What's up, old school?" point guard DJ Augustin shouted at Howard from across the court. "What's up, Pretty Boy?" Howard shouted back as the two came together for a pre-game hug. Blazers Edge

Because New Orleans guard Chris Paul will likely undergo knee surgery and likely miss the All-Star Game, the Nuggets are hoping Billups is selected by commissioner David Stern as the reserve's replacement. An announcement is expected soon, but there's no timetable. Many, notably Karl, felt Billups deserved to be a reserve to begin with. "I don't think I need to do any more campaigning," Karl said. "Sunday afternoon (at San Antonio) was probably good enough." In Sunday's win, Billups had 25 points and 11 assists. Denver Post

Danilo Gallinari, who leads the league in 3-pointers made, is expected to be named today to the roster for the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star Weekend. New York Post

Gibson continues to lead the NBA in 3-point accuracy at 47.9 percent (56 of 117). But despite that lofty figure, he doesn't expect to be included in the 3-point shootout field when it's announced this week. "My phone is on," he said. "If the NBA decides it wants me in, I'll be glad to do it." But he said he thinks his chances are slim. "I've heard a couple things here and there," he said. "Nothing has been set in stone, but I don't think this year is my year. "I'm up there. Why not?" News-Herald

Team officials expect Parker, who has missed the past two games with his latest left ankle sprain, to play at some point on the trip, an eight-game trek that straddles the All-Star break and concludes Feb. 21 at Detroit. There is no specific game targeted for Parker's return, but the prevailing belief is he will be back sooner than later. San Antonio Express-News

General Manager Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy said Monday that the possibility of benching Carter — even for a while — has not been broached. "I don't know if (benching Carter) would help or hurt, but I don't see that being the case at all," Smith said. "It isn't an issue with us." Van Gundy said he can't sit Carter if the team intends to meet their stated goal of winning a title. "I have not even thought about that," Van Gundy said. "I never say never, but I think that for us to be serious contenders, we need Vince to be at a high level and we don't get there by sitting him down. Orlando Sentinel

Here's a stunning statistic: Carter, acquired from the New Jersey Nets to be the go-to guy, has played just one minute and twenty-five seconds in the fourth quarters of the last three games. That's 85 seconds. Sunday night, against the Pistons, Carter didn't play in the fourth period, period. He was replaced by J.J. Redick with 7:49 remaining in the third — and didn't return. In two of the Magic's biggest games last week, against Eastern Conference rivals Atlanta and Boston, he played 18 seconds of the final period against the Hawks (to be fair, it was a blow-out) and only 1:07 of the fourth in a comeback against the Celtics. "For me, it's been rather simple," Van Gundy said. "We're playing better with the other people on the floor if you think about the last three fourth quarters." Orlando Sentinel

Paul Pierce briefly left Monday's game with 2:01 left in the first period after being landed on by Caron Butler during a scramble for the ball. Pierce bruised his left foot and will receive X-rays Wednesday in Boston. Boston Globe

Marbury scored 15 points and had eight assists as his new team, Shanxi lost 102-101 to Dongguan Marco Polo. He had four steals and four rebounds, but shot 0 for 6 from 3-point range, according to China Daily. "The time difference is a big problem," Marbury told The Post via Skype yesterday. "I wake up early, in the middle of the night, and stay up most of the day. It stinks. I have not played since the last game against the Magic [in the second round of the playoffs last May]. So I was tired. I played 28 minutes, all of the fourth quarter. Talk about being tired. Wow. It was fun being out there though." New York Post

Marbury, who failed to get a free-agent deal this past summer after finishing last season with the Celtics, was in good spirits, even though The Post awoke him from his rare slumber at 2 a.m. China time. China is 13 hours ahead of New York. "It was great to be back on the court," Marbury said. "Basketball is my job, and I was excited about being able to be back out on the court and do what I love to do. It's a great experience. The fans are great. They show real love." New York Post

Is it John Wall or bust for the Nets? Should they fail to land the No. 1 pick (and the chance to draft the Kentucky superfreshman), league sources expect New Jersey to explore trading its choice-which, barring a miraculous turnaround, can be no worse than fourth. One option could be Ricky Rubio. The Timberwolves hold the rights to the Spanish point guard, who signed a six-year deal with Regal Barcelona last summer that does not have a buyout clause until 2011. However if the Nets—who are high on Rubio’s wish list—were to acquire his rights, he would try to negotiate a buyout after this season…. Nets Daily

Jonathan Givony: Stansbury lowering expectations on Renardo Sidney (if he ever gets cleared).Says conditioning is "zero" & he's "a body" Twitter.com

One NBA team official familiar with his organization's scouting said he had heard little buzz about Fredette. However, a scout who watched BYU play Nevada in Las Vegas in December said of Fredette, "we like him." Last year, BYU's Jonathan Tavernari entered his name in the NBA Draft, but withdrew it before the deadline. Fredette knows that's an option. "After the season, I will have a good talk with the coaches and with my family, obviously, and everybody that is close to me, and make a decision of what to do.....So it could be an option, but obviously right now I am not thinking about it too much," he said. Salt Lake Tribune

What advice do you have college kids who are on their way to the draft this June? Courney Lee: "I'd tell them not to look at any of the mock drafts. Just go and workout and work as hard as you can. If you look at the mock draft, they list your strengths and weaknesses. Work on your weaknesses the most. As a player you should know your weaknesses as much as possible and be in the best shape as possible. HoopsWorld

Travis Heath: Little birdie currently employed by a NBA team just whispered in my ear that he expects Byron Scott to eventually be head coach of 76ers. Twitter.com

Mike D'Antoni on whether or not he has any regrets about taking the Knicks job: “No. Because it kills you when you win 62 and don’t win a championship. As a coach, that’s part of the job description; how you can deal with losses because they’re going to come and only one team end with a win. At some point, you’re gonna be bitterly disappointed. The only thing that the coach can ask for is having guys that are learning and that are getting better. We’re going in the right direction and an organization that is going to get this done. I came in here knowing that the first two years were going to be tough. I hoped better, but I knew it was going to be really tough. Just because we had to make some trades for money purposes and when you do that it’s not always great. We had to do some things to clean the roster up and we had to do things that I just had to bite my lip and plow through it. We’re still doing that but at the same time, I’m really encouraged. Sports Radio Interviews

Since he underwent surgery on Dec. 7 to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon, McMillan has coached from the Blazers’ bench as assistant coach Monty Williams walked up and down the sideline. But after 28 games of sitting — including the four-game trip he missed because of surgery — McMillan was able to roam, calling plays, timeouts and communicating with players as he normally would. “The doctors have kind of given me the OK to move around,” McMillan said. “I’ve been moving around, going up and down stairs of the airplane ... and just really been active for the last few weeks. So I figured tonight was the night that I was going to try and stand on the sidelines.” McMillan still wore a protective boot ­­— that likely won’t be removed until sometime near the All-Star break ­— but he was able to return to his old style of coaching. With one slight adjustment, that is. “Sitting down is not bad,” McMillan said, smiling. “I want to do that more. Even though I stood a little bit tonight, I sat probably more.” Oregonian

The all-star coach from each conference is allowed to bring three assistants to the game, but Western Conference coach George Karl, who moonlights as the Nuggets coach, said he will try to find a way to get all of his assistants to Dallas. "As of now, that's the goal, to figure it out financially," Karl said Monday, "but three on the bench. There's some rules we've got to follow." Denver Post

The Nets will have the cash and the assets to rebuild their team. Now all they need is a new place to play, and it appears they are close to getting it. While they are still on schedule to move to Brooklyn at some point in 2012, the Nets likely will be playing in Newark the next two seasons after reaching a preliminary lease agreement with the Devils to play their home games at the Prudential Center, according to a source familiar with the team's situation. According to the source, the Nets and Devils reached a new agreement last week and are expected to sign it this week. It should reach Gov. Chris Christie's desk soon after and it is expected to be approved. "It's going to happen," said a source familiar with the negotiations. New York Daily News

The Nets have been playing at the Meadowlands since it opened in 1981, but recently finalized plans to move to Brooklyn. Playing at the ultra-modern Rock may help the Nets sign free agents over the summer, when they will have upwards of $26 million to spend on contracts. "Ultimately, we're going to be moving to Brooklyn, so that would just be a temporary thing to play in Newark," Nets guard Keyon Dooling said after practice yesterday. "But the building in Newark is very nice and it's more NBA-suitable (than the Meadowlands). This is more about the building itself. The facility is nicer in Newark." New York Daily News

Joachim de Posada came to meet with the team before Sunday night's game with the Sixers and sat there stunned when de Posada put a needle into his face to prove that success is simply a byproduct of putting mind over matter. He planned to jab himself with a few more needles, but members of the team stepped in to stop him. Whether it was because they were sickened by the display or confident that nothing could help the lost cause that is the Nets is unclear. "The whole thing was about confidence," Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "He's really into hypnosis. He strongly believes in hypnotizing people and stuff like that. He was an interesting guy." FanHouse

Dwight Howard has found another outlet for his outgoing personality. The Orlando Magic center will serve as a color commentator for TNT when the network broadcasts the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on at 9 p.m. on Feb. 12 from American Airlines Center in Dallas. A TNT spokesman said Howard will join play-by-play man Kevin Harlan and commentator Kevin McHale and help call the latter stages of the first half of the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. Orlando Sentinel

For the first time, the NBA officially will honor him -- the guy who once sued the league -- during All-Star Weekend in Dallas. "It's been a long time coming,'' Haywood told FanHouse recently. "For so many years, people were afraid to say thank you for what I did. It's why so many of these young guys today don't even know who I am.'' FanHouse

Contrary to popular belief, it was not Darryl Dawkins or Moses Malone -- two of the earliest who came directly from high school -- who paved the way. It was Haywood, who spent two years in college and one season in the ABA, blazing the trail. He was the NBA's original early-entry player. He didn't just set an example. He set legal precedence, like Curt Flood did for Major League Baseball free agency. "For the most part, Spencer has just been taken for granted by many of us,'' said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who came into the NBA as a player after his junior season at Marquette in 1983. "But what he did was huge for everyone. We should all be thanking him.'' FanHouse

Among the many celebrity faces in the crowd Friday night when the Pacers hosted the Cavs was Freddie Lewis, who was in town to attend the annual ABA Pacers old-timers banquet Saturday night. Mark Montieth attended the banquet and blogged about it at 1070thefan.com, suggesting Lewis was "the most-overlooked Pacers" and should be the next to have his jersey hoisted to the rafters. "I believe the Pacers have gotten it right in their decisions to retire jerseys," Montieth wrote. "(Mel) Daniels and (George) McGinnis were league MVPs and Roger Brown was MVP of the ABA Finals in 1970 and a great clutch player. Reggie Miller was … well, Reggie Miller, and the most obvious choice of all. NBA.com

Vlade Divac, the renowned Serbian basketball player, is one of the actors in the film “Jednom braca” (“Once Brothers”) which is about the last basketball national team of Yugoslavia. On this occasion he visited the grave of the former team-mate Drazen Petrovic in Zagreb. The vice-president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia accompanied with “NBA Entertainement” also paid honor to the deceased basketball expert Krešimir Cosic. Blic

A 30-year-old Lake Mary woman has filed suit against NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, accusing him of harassing and cyberstalking her after she broke off their five-year extra-marital affair. The suit, filed in state circuit court in Orlando, alleges that after Vanessa Lopez dumped O'Neal last summer, he called her at all hours of the day and night, had his 6-foot-6 sister call and threaten her, and spied on her by having someone hack into her cell phone and get access to voice mail and text messages. "O'Neal's conduct was outrageous; his conduct was beyond all bounds of decency, atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society," according to the suit, filed Jan. 12. Orlando Sentinel

According to the suit, Lopez, a model, was Shaq's lover from 2004 until September. He arranged for hotel rendevous, but the couple also had sex in his bedroom at home when his wife was away, it says. In late September, Lopez told O'Neal she feared she was pregnant, according to the suit. He insulted her, suggesting the father was someone else, the suit alleges. Orlando Sentinel

We want to correct a report we aired on Friday concerning the Lake Mary woman who last month filed a civil lawsuit against basketball star, Shaquille O’Neal. In that suit, Vanessa Lopez claims O’Neal harassed her. During our report, we discussed claims Lopez made against the brother of Orlando Magic player JJ Redick. MyFox Orlando

We want to make it clear that she did not make any claims against JJ Redick. In fact, police reported that Lopez said she had no problems with her ex-boyfriend, JJ Redick. Police investigated Lopez’s claims, but did not file any charges against Redick's brother. MyFox Orlando

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