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Saturday, March 6

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Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin has a partial tear of his left patella tendon, and surgery is among the treatment options being considered, NBA sources told Yahoo! Sports. Martin was scratched from Friday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers and the Nuggets will use the next 48 hours to decide on a treatment plan. Rest, therapeutic injections and surgery are among the options that could be used to treat an injury commonly referred to as “jumper’s knee.” Yahoo! Sports

If a report is accurate that Denver Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin has a partial tear of his left patella tendon, he said he hasn't been given that information about his knee. Regardless, the Nuggets, who had previously been looking for a big man, will spend this weekend discussing what they might do. FanHouse

"I don't know where Marc Spears got that from, man,'' Martin said in an interview with FanHouse after Friday's game, referring to the writer of the story. "It's a little more than tendinitis, but I don't know if it's torn. I had an MRI (on Thursday). They looked at it. There's a lot of speculation going on. ... It's more serious than tendinitis but I don't know yet.'' FanHouse

"The doctors, they're just now getting to the results so how does anybody else know?'' Martin said. "It's just a report. I'm going on what the doctors say. I'm waiting on Dr. (Richard) Steadman (an outside doctor Martin is seeing in Vail, Colo.) to look at it and give me a synopsis, and then we'll go to the team doctor and everything else.'' FanHouse

Chris Bosh will have a similar decision to make this summer, and McGrady - who like Bosh began his career in Canada - can see the All-Star forward skipping town. "He's been here for quite some time now," McGrady said. "He personally has been successful. The team really hasn't done that much. Maybe he wants to start off fresh with another franchise. Or maybe he's doing it for tax reasons. "I'm not speaking (for) Chris Bosh. I'm just saying, the individual that wants to move on . . . there are different reasons why a guy wouldn't want to play (in Toronto)." New York Daily News

According to a league source, the Raptors believe that if Bosh doesn't return they would consider using him in a sign-and-trade. In fact, any deal with the Knicks would likely have to include free-agent-to-be David Lee. New York Daily News

"Our intention is to keep him long term," Colangelo said. "We've made changes to our team with him in mind, and knowing there would be flexibility on his part, with the intention to retain him and have him re-sign here." New York Post

"The [trade] rumors were conjured up by people thinking we would panic and make a deal because of speculation he was leaving," Colangelo added. Asked if he felt very strongly Bosh is going nowhere, Colangelo backed off slightly, "I'm not going to predict anything. I don't know if Chris knows what he's going to do right now. There's a few other key free agents I think don't know what they're doing right now." New York Post

The Thunder's first-time All-Star forward already has gone on record as saying he thinks his team has a chance to win a championship if they stay together. Of course, that will hinge on whether Durant stays or bolts for a maximum contract offer elsewhere. "That's the last thing I'm thinking about right now," Durant said before Friday night's game against the Clippers. "It's too early to talk about that. If I worry about that, it will take the focus off the team. I just want to continue to get better. The guys here have faith that I'll be here for as long as possible." ESPN.com

"When I was growing up, I said I wanted to be in the NBA. I never said I wanted to go to the NBA and play for L.A. or New York or D.C. or a big market. I just wanted to play in this league. It's a privilege. I can't be picky about who I want to go to just because it's a bigger city. "I want to have an opportunity to win, and I think we have that here. So it's not about the market and it's not about me getting more money because we're all blessed to be playing in this league and to be getting the money we're getting. I don't want to be greedy, basically. I love being here. It's a perfect place for me. Trying to get to a bigger market is the last thing I'm worried about." Oklahoman

Durant who becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2011, has made it clear that if the Thunder give him a maximum contract offer -- somewhere in the vicinity of five years and $80 million perhaps -- then he'll sign it. But negotiations with general manager Sam Presti can't begin until July 1. "I haven't talked to Sam or anybody about that. It would be taking away from our team. That's not how we are here," Durant said. "The offseason is when you talk about things like that." ESPN.com

Coach Mike Woodson was disappointed, but not surprised, by the news that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas intends to re-sign with Cleveland. The Hawks pursued Ilgauskas after Cleveland traded him to Washington and he reached a buyout agreement to become a free agent. "He was a guy that I wanted desperately and [team owners] listened and they pursued, but he decided to go back to Cleveland, which we thought he would," Woodson said. "We've just got to continue with what we have and see what happens with our ballclub." Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Regardless, the Nuggets, who had previously been looking for a big man, will spend this weekend discussing what they might do. Agent Mark Bartelstein told FanHouse the Nuggets have inquired about five of his free-agent big men: Mark Blount, Mikki Moore, Brian Cook, Jake Voskuhl and Rob Kurz. FanHouse

Karl told FanHouse before Friday's game the Nuggets are "having that discussion now'' about possibly signing a big man. He confirmed Blount and Moore as being candidates, although noted it must be taken into consideration Moore is out "another 10 days'' while still recovering from right heel surgery last December to remove a bone spur. "I talked to the Nuggets (on Friday), and they're meeting over the weekend to decide (about a possible signing of a big man),'' Bartelstein said. "They want to see what George might like.'' FanHouse

From everything I’ve heard, Nelson has little say in personnel decisions, despite many believing otherwise. As far as trades go, or what deals the Warriors may have had on the table before the trading deadline, my understanding is that Nelson was out of the loop. Nelson said he didn’t know about the Monta Ellis-for-O.J. Mayo-Hasheem Thabeet proposal and that seems very believable. Nelson does have some input when it comes to what to do with the D-League call-ups. He’s involved in the discussions about which players to waive, which players to sign to second 10-day contracts and which players to possibly sign for the remainder of the season. CSN Bay Area

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Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles spoke to Brandon Jennings about the slumping rookie guard's recent lament that he doesn't "even know if I want to shoot the ball." "We're not fond of that kind of statement," Skiles said before the Bucks played at the Washington Wizards on Friday night. "He's too important to our team and our franchise to have any sort of defeatest-type mind-set right now. And he doesn't, really." Skiles chalked up Jennings' words to coming in the "heat of the moment" after a game -- and to Jennings' being only 20 years old. "We know where his heart lies. He's a really good person, he's hardworking, and he loves the game," Skiles said. ESPN.com

Kobe Bryant, who somehow found the energy to score 26 points and grab five rebounds and almost single-handedly keeping L.A. within striking distance for most of the game, said he would "probably say something" to his teammates but was not about to dwell on the loss. "You have those periods during the season when you hit stretches where you're kind of stagnant," Bryant said. "The important thing is when you hit those stretches that you don't go back. You kind of weather the storm and then come out of it a better ballclub." ESPN.com

In October the Lakers called for a players-only, closed-door meeting less than 24 hours after losing an exhibition game by 19 points to Golden State. Farmar said it will probably happen again but focused on the good things coming from it rather than the bad. "We'll just sit down and look each other in the eyes and find out how bad we want it as a team and discuss some of the things we have to do to get better," Farmar said. ESPN.com

Gasol, who averages 17.0 points and 11.1 rebounds on the season, averaged just 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two losses while playing his relatively normal amount of minutes (33.5 minutes in the two games as opposed to his season average of 36.6). "I really don't like to talk about that aspect of a person's game & other than the fact that he's been weak and sickly," head coach Phil Jackson said before the Lakers played the Bobcats on Friday, setting up the delivery of the jab with a pregnant pause. When asked to clarify, Jackson said that Gasol has been feeling "under the weather" and that he will have to monitor his 7-foot power forward's playing time. ESPN.com

Team sources told Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski that Stuckey didn’t have a seizure, as some initial reports suggested. “He was lightheaded and couldn’t get his bearings, but he never lost consciousness,” one source said. Yahoo! Sports

After a somewhat similar episode in the Pistons’ locker room at halftime of a game last season, Stuckey underwent a battery of tests on his heart. No irregularities were found. At the time, team officials thought Stuckey was simply dehydrated. Yahoo! Sports

During a third-quarter timeout, Stuckey collapsed near the Pistons' bench and had to be rushed to Cleveland Clinic. Immediate speculation was that Stuckey had a seizure. Booth Newspapers

According to a team spokesman, Stuckey became unconscious after falling into a coach's arms after sitting on the bench following a timeout. He was shaky uncontrollably for several moments as the arena went silent and doctors and paramedics rushed to his side on the floor. Cleveland Plain Dealer

"As the coaches were coming off the bench (during the timeout), I walked over to say something to Jonas but Rodney said, 'Coach, I already got him,'" explained Pistons coach John Kuester. "All of a sudden, I saw him sort of leaning over and before I knew it, he was on the ground." Kuester had a hard time explaining what was going through his mind at the time. "I had a number of thoughts," he said. "And the reason being is that I have been involved with a number of situations that were very similar. It's not pleasant to talk about. All that matters is he's going to be OK." NBA.com

Needless to say, that incident changed the perspective of everyone in the building. Players from both teams huddled together near the bench and prayed. The sellout crowd was muted and cheered when Stuckey was taken from the floor by stretcher. The teams also had a group prayer after the game. Cleveland Plain Dealer

What's most important is Stuckey is okay. Two days ago marked the 20-year anniversary of Hank Gathers' death. Whenever something like this happens, we have to be thankful that it wasn't worse. Booth Newspapers

Billups, a former teammate of Rodney Stuckey's in Detroit, said he heard at halftime from Martin that Stuckey had collapsed at a game in Cleveland and was taken off on a stretcher. "I'm praying for him,'' Billups said of Stuckey. "We talk a lot. We text. He just told me he's going to come out for the playoffs (in Denver)... I just hope everything turns out OK.'' FanHouse

Charlie Villanueva: Our prayers & hearts are with Rodney Stuckey. We hope the situation wasn't as serious as it looked. Make sure you guys keep your prayers up. Twitter.com

Dwight Howard: Hey will yall pls pray for Rodney stuckey. Pls he plays for the pistons. He fell out during a timeout. Twitter.com

Whenever Jason Terry returns from his facial surgery, look for him to wear a shield as added protection, like Detroit's Richard Hamilton. "It'd be hard to believe that he wouldn't wear something," coach Rick Carlisle said, "but I didn't do the surgery, so I'm not really the right guy to ask." Dallas Morning News

Dwight Howard, arguably the NBA’s best center, is on Stan Van Gundy’s team. But the Magic coach believes Brook Lopez is in the conversation of top centers. "I voted for him for the All-Star team," Van Gundy said. "I think the guy is a hell of a player. I think he’s one of the top three or four centers in the NBA. There are not a lot of true low-post centers in the league." Bergen Record

Lopez likely will be the first Net since Derrick Coleman in 1994 to lead the team in scoring and rebounding. But the losing has worn on Lopez. "It’s got to be frustrating being the best player on a bad team," said former Net forward Ryan Anderson, who had dinner with Lopez on Thursday. "From what he’s told me, it’s hard. He’s counting the games until the end." Bergen Record

The entire Thunder team, including the coaching staff, made the three-block walk from the Santa Monica High School gym to its hotel. The team bus traveled the short distance with only a few members of the training staff on board. It was a sight you certainly don't see every day, an NBA team taking a stroll in broad daylight. "We're not too big to walk down the street," said Kevin Durant. "But a lot of people don't know who we are. We're a new organization so a lot of people don't know us. They probably just thought we were a college team." Oklahoman

When asked about if he is being realistic about returning for the playoffs - if the Blazers reach the playoffs - Greg Oden didn't hesitate. "I would like to hope so. I do think so," Oden said. "That’s just me being anxious to get out there and play again." Oregonian

Oden said even if he doesn't play again this year, he'll be able to use his recovery as a springboard to the 2010-11 season. "I know next year is going to be right around the corner (after the playoffs)," Oden said. "If I can definitely get close to playing (this season), that means I can go into this summer with a good head _ that I’m ready." Oregonian

Two games, a practice and a night’s sleep later, Elton Brand pronounced both his spirit and his achilles healthy Friday, then reappeared in the starting lineup as the Sixers faced the Celtics. “I feel a lot better,” Brand said, after a lengthy pregame warmup and a thorough session in the trainer’s room. “I’ve been stretching and getting treatment. These guys —- with (head trainer) Kevin Johnson —- did a great job. So I am excited to play.” Delco Times

T.J. said Jimmer will definitely put his name into the NBA Draft this spring (just as Jonathan Tavernari and Lee Cummard did after their junior years) so he can go through workouts for teams, etc. “If there is not something real concrete on the table, he will pull out and come back for his senior year,” T.J. Fredette said. “So that is probably what is going to happen. But he will keep his options open, just in case.” T.J., seven years older than Jimmer, said the NBA has always been Jimmer’s dream and that the brothers talk about it a lot. Salt Lake Tribune

“He definitely is leaning towards coming back,” T.J. said. “He wants to come back for his senior year. He really likes it here. He has had a great experience, so it would be tough for him to leave. There would have to be something really concrete on the table for him to leave, because he really likes it here. Chances are he is going to be back for next year.” Salt Lake Tribune

NBA teams are very interested in Rautins. I don’t think he’s a first-round pick. I think he’s more likely a second-rounder. Both Rautins and Onuaku received invitations to the NBA’s Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational. That’s a positive sign that the NBA has interest. It’s not definite that Rautins and Onuaku will play in Portsmouth, especially if Rautins’ stock continues to rise. Onuaku’s history of knee problems will hurt his chances of being drafted. There are only two rounds and picks are valuable. However, I am hearing that NBA teams have interest, so it’s likely that Onuaku will get a chance to play for a summer-league team and then go to camp with an NBA team. Post-Standard

William Wesley, the Detroit native whose connections throughout all levels of basketball have earned him the nickname "World Wide Wes," is close to formalizing an agreement with Creative Artists Agency to work for the company as an agent who will represent NBA and college basketball coaches, SI.com has learned. According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, Wesley, 45, has been in conversations for several months with CAA, the multinational conglomerate whose expansive client list includes two of the basketball figures who are most often linked to Wesley, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Kentucky coach John Calipari. One source with direct knowledge of the conversations indicated that the deal was "imminent" and would probably be signed in early June. SI.com

Wesley will focus mainly on representing NBA coaches but will also represent some college coaches as well. His decision to become an agent marks an uncharacteristic shift into a public role for a man who has long been content to operate behind the scenes. His profile has burgeoned in recent years as multiple media outlets have chronicled his story, connecting the dots between the young players he befriends and coaches with whom he is known to be particularly close. Wesley is also close friends with James's agent, Leon Rose, who like Wesley grew up in southern New Jersey. Rose heads up CAA's basketball division and has acknowledged being Wesley's attorney for more than two decades. SI.com

Mike Krzyzewski said today he laughed off the possibility of coaching the Nets because no one ever approached him about it. "That's why I made light of it," Krzyzewski said on the "Dan Patrick Show." "But before making light of it, I said no one had reached out, because if someone had reached out I would never make light of it. I would handle that ... " New York Post

"The guy's Russian, right? You think he'd hire a Polish guy?" Krzyzewski said then. "No one's contacted me, and if they do, I think 'nyet' would be easy for me to say." New York Post

Krzyzewski said he strongly considered leaving for the Lakers at one time, but now, "I would never leave for the pros now." New York Post

When asked if Karl's life-or-death battle has helped soothe some of the rough edges in his relationship with Smith, Karl responded: "I think in some ways it has. I would like to answer that question maybe two weeks from now when it's kind of settled down and calmed down a little bit rather than observe it. I think in general, anything that makes people think the same way, believe the same way, pray the same way, have the same spirit, is usually a positive." HoopsWorld

Before details of the transaction and the immediate direction of the franchise are revealed, industry experts say the biggest question of all is how Jordan will handle his new role as the principal owner. “I don’t think it’s been resolved with anyone whether this was a spur-of-the-moment, impulsive decision or whether Michael is ready to spend more time in Charlotte working on marketing and taking meetings with prospective sponsors,” says Marc Ganis, principal at Chicago-based SportsCorp. “There is no substitute for the owner. If the owner is not personally committed, it will show in all aspects of the franchise, including financially.” Charlotte Business Journals

Longtime NBA executives point to Jordan as a possible savior for Charlotte’s basketball fortunes. The Hornets established the city as a hoops hotbed, selling the most tickets in the league for the better part of a decade before a range of controversies led the franchise to relocate to New Orleans. Johnson followed as the Bobcats owner. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it got off to a good start,” says Jerry Colaneglo, former owner of the Phoenix Suns and current director of USA Basketball. “And then (it went) from bad to worse. Hopefully, this is a rebirth for the franchise with Michael’s presence.” Charlotte Business Journals

At a press conference to officially announce the Nets' temporary move to the Prudential Center after this season, Newark Mayor Cory Booker said Friday he intends to at least try to bring NBA basketball back to the city once the Nets take up full-time residence in Brooklyn. "I have an audacious and impossible dream . . . that we will show that NBA basketball is so exciting, is so explosive and is so successful in the city of Newark, that even as the Nets make their way across a couple of rivers to play in Brooklyn, that the NBA can (thrive here)," Booker said. "This is a city that should have basketball in it." New York Daily News

After this season, their 29th at the Meadowlands, the Nets will move into the Prudential Center while a new arena is built in downtown Brooklyn. The team is currently scheduled to play at the Rock through the 2011-2012 season but there is speculation it could stay there for one season beyond that since construction on the Brooklyn project has yet to begin. A team source denied a rumor that the Nets will play their final two home games of this season at the Rock. New York Daily News

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is expected to take formal control of the Nets next month, an NBA official said Friday. Prokhorov, who purchased the team in September, awaits approval by the NBA Board of Governors, which is seen as a mere formality at this point. NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver said yesterday the approval is expected "probably sometime in early-to- mid-April." New York Post

Less than a year into his professional career, Pendergraph has become the Blazers' NBA player representative, meaning he is the acting liaison between his teammates and the NBA Players Union. Oregonian

Pendergraph said the player's union is poised to make concessions, but has not settled on what those might be. Board members and union lawyers are collaborating to prioritize their wants and the player's union is scheduled to meet again in August. Even though a work stoppage has entered second-hand conversations, Pendergraph said avoiding that is one thing owners and players agree on. "There was some urgency; this is serious," Pendergraph said about the player's union meeting over All-Star weekend. Oregonian

While you probably won't see any limited edition shoes drop anytime soon in the NBA D-League, you may see some players customizing their kicks in the locker rooms before games. No, we're not talking about donning colorful laces, or even letting their imagination run wild on some of adidas' Gilbert Arenas whiteboard shoes. Here's what's going on: adidas is the official outfitter of the NBDL and provides teams and players with all the jerseys and apparel used in games. "Under the agreement with the league, players are also required to wear adidas footwear -- and we provide teams with sufficient footwear for the players," according to a statement from adidas issued to FanHouse. "They have to cover the logo if it is a non-adidas shoe." FanHouse

The number of players wearing non-adidas is small, since there are only two ways they can get exemption from the policy. "Players can file for medical exemption with the league to wear a specific type of shoe based on a medical condition submitted by a doctor to the league for approval," the statement says. FanHouse

The other option is to sign an endorsement with another brand, though most outfitters aren't breaking down doors to sign deals with D-League players. A source with Nike confirmed there are D-League players wearing the swoosh, yet was unable to confirm if Nike has any official sponsorships in the NBDL. FanHouse

The Clippers were skewered on a few Internet sites this week over a racially insensitive headline that briefly appeared on the official team website after the site apparently was altered by a hacker. The headline read "Clippers Trade Steven Esparza to Mexican League for Three Tacos" and was posted above a story about Phoenix's comeback victory over Denver on Monday. Esparza is media services coordinator in the Clippers' communications department. The Clippers declined to comment on the headline. Los Angeles Times

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