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Tuesday, December 4

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» 08:03 PM ET Update » 07:13 PM ET Update » 06:36 PM ET Update » 12:57 PM ET Update » 10:10 AM ET Update

» Update: 08:03 PM ET

New Orleans Hornets spokesman Greg Bensel denied a Yahoo! Sports report that owner Tom Benson has finalized plans to change the nickname of his NBA franchise from the Hornets to Pelicans. "We’re not confirming that is the name,’’ Bensel said. "This is a process that’s ongoing and still in discussions. And it will be eventually decided by the NBA.’’ New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans 

Rajon Rondo offers no apologies after two-game suspension Rajon Rondo spoke with media for the first time since serving his two-game suspension for fighting with Brooklyn's Kris Humphries and he offered little remorse but did say he's ready to return to the court. "I wanted to be out there with my teammates but obviously a 2-game suspension, like I said I was glued in front of the TV," said Rondo, who told reporters he went to Mexico during the break. "Hopefully I don't feel too winded tomorrow. I think I've been off for about a week now. We'll see tomorrow." Sulia

Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, Rajon Rondo, New Orleans Pelicans 

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is still not ready to practice - and coach Randy Wittman says he has no idea when his best player will return. Wall hasn't played at all this season for Washington, which was an NBA-worst 1-13 heading into its game against the Miami Heat on Monday night. When the Wizards announced on Sept. 28 that Wall was diagnosed with the early stages of a stress injury to his left knee cap, they said he didn't need surgery and probably would be sidelined for about two months. SI.com

Washington Wizards, John Wall, Injuries 

Paul Coro: After a workout, Jermaine O'Neal said he'll play tonight for the #Suns after missing Sunday at NY (quad strain). Tony Allen is out for Griz. Twitter @paulcoro

Phoenix Suns, Jermaine O'Neal, Injuries 

Tim Bontemps: Several big-name agents in the house today, including Jeff Schwartz, who represents about half the Nets roster including Deron Williams. Twitter @TimBontemps

Agents 
 

» Update: 07:13 PM ET

The New Orleans Hornets are expected to change their nickname to the Pelicans as early as the 2013-14 season, numerous sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Hornets planned to change their nickname since Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints, purchased the team on April 14. Benson also owns the rights to the nickname Pelicans. Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets, Tom Benson, New Orleans Pelicans 

With All-Stars Paul and Blake Griffin surrounded by a deep and talented supporting cast, the Clippers sit atop the Pacific Division at 11-6. They are in the very real position of turning three decades of failure and embarrassment into a bright, new era bubbling with possibility if… “If Sterling sold the team,” Kaman quipped, “they might be able to.” NBA.com

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Kaman 

Virginia Beach’s economic development director says if an NBA team relocates to Virginia Beach it could temporarily play in Richmond. The city is mulling whether to build an 18,500 seat at the oceanfront in order to bring an unidentified pro sports franchise to town. A likely target for relocation would be the Sacramento Kings. Virginia Beach officials anticipate a new $300 million arena could be ready in 2015, but a team that relocates would need to play in smaller venues for the next two seasons. CBS Washington

Sacramento Kings 

For five years, Kevin Love has spent his holiday season trying to help the less fortunate citizens of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area by collecting and donating winter coats. It's an important issue is in his professional home, where temperatures can dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Apart from rooting for global warming, this bit of charity is one of the better options available. Love's a smart guy and realizes that simply holding a coat drive isn't enough. So, in order to bring some attention, he records funny videos in which he and his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates act like goofballs. Two years ago, they posed like actors in an early '90s ad for a knockoff fur outlet. This year, Love decided to get his Kenny G on by playing the saxophone while Wolves like Jose Juan Barea and Derrick Williams blow kisses to the vaseline-smeared camera. Oh, and Love wears a totally ridiculous wig and trenchcoat. I guess costumes are his thing now. Yahoo! Sports

Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Love 
 

» Update: 06:36 PM ET

Gasol is sitting not because a trade involving the former four-time All-Star is in the works, according to multiple league sources. However, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has recently spoken to Gasol's representatives and the gist of the conversation was that if Gasol is unable to adjust to D'Antoni's system, the team will have no choice but to search for possible trade scenarios. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Pau Gasol 

Eddy Curry has signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to sources close to the situation. Curry’s flight to China left this evening and he will play with Zhejiang for the remainder of the CBA season. When he returns from China, he’ll be a playoff-eligible and will try to sign with an NBA team. HoopsWorld

Eddy Curry, China 

Turkish big man Semih Erden talked about his future plans and stated that his main goal is a return to the NBA. 26 year-old player said that repetitive injuries prevented him to show his best performance in the NBA . “I’m back in Turkey because i failed to perform at my best in the NBA” Erden said. “I will recover from my injuries here and reach my top form again. I will be back in the NBA better than before.” TrendBasket

Semih Erden, Turkey 

What made Dwight Howard change his mind last summer after he said in March he wanted to stay with the team? Pat Williams: “Dwight is a pleaser at heart. Deep down he really is a good guy. He had a lot invested here in eight years out of Central Florida and I think the pressure got to him. It was building and building and building. It was trade, trade and trade. As we got to the trade deadline, I think Dwight was just panic-stricken. Where was this all going to lead? The simplest way was just going to be sign this extension. I don’t think his agent had anything to do with it. I don’t think anyone would have advised him that because it was just a few months from free agency, and I just think the pressure was so great that the safest way to break it was just to sign the one-year extension and take the pressure off, and he made a little press conference and a little speech saying, ‘I love Orlando.’ Then, the next thing you know, this back injury takes place and then he disappears and we never saw him or hear from him again until the middle of the summer. We did meet with him and went out to see him and tried to convince him to stay. … It made no headway. It was not on his agenda and it turned out Brooklyn was his first choice. That all didn’t work, and finally the L.A. trade. Now he’s still a free agent after this year, so who knows what’s going to happen or where he is headed next?” Sports Radio Interviews

Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Free Agency, Trade, Dwight Howard, Pat Williams 

A day after choosing not to address the media on the subject of the suspension — the third of his short career — Rondo talked about getting back on the court and improving on the Celts’ 9-8 start. “I want to get better,” Rondo said. “I want to run off eight or nine games straight. It starts in practice and it starts with staying in the game. I just want to go out there and give it all for my teammates and try to get some wins. We’ve got to get this show on the road and we’ve got to have a great December. November is behind us and we didn’t play well, I think we are 9-8. But it’s a new month and I’m ready to go.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo 

Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol will not play Tuesday against the Houston Rockets because of tendinitis in both knees. "The biggest thing with him was that he was playing hurt and in this league you just can't do that," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I just didn't think he was running fluidly." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Injuries 

Chicago-born NBA champ Juwan Howard recently put his sky-high pad in Trump Tower up for sale to the tune of $2.9 million. Listed roughly two weeks ago, according to Estately, the mini palace in the sky boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a half bath and three fireplaces. If sitting on a primo piece of downtown real estate weren't enough of a status symbol, there are few views that can match the one from Howard's condo, which overlooks part of the Loop, River North and Lake Michigan. Huffington Post

Juwan Howard 
 

» Update: 12:57 PM ET

Derrick Caracter signed a contract in Israel with Bnei Herzliya, David Pick reports. Former Lakers already landed in Israel to join his new team. Caracter spent last season in D-League with D-Fenders, Vipers and Stampede. Sportando

Derrick Caracter, Israel 

However, Mullens disregarded Aldridge's presence and took off, extended his body and flushed the one-handed jam knocking Aldridge down to the floor in the process. There was no call and all Aldridge could do was smile as he got up. If you play long enough in this league, you're going to get posterized. Still, nobody likes to go through something like that. After the game, Aldridge said it should have been a charge, but he also acknowledges that Mullens got him. “It was a charge, but he dunked on me,” Aldridge said. “He dunked on me, but I think I had 25, 13, five, and three,” Aldridge said. “So, you want to dunk on somebody or you want that?” CSNNW.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Portland Trail Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge, BJ Mullens 

Ex-NBA star Stephon Marbury blasted the Chinese Basketball Association’s (CBA) strict sponsorship rules after he was fined for failing to cover up the logo on his own-brand shoes, state media reported yesterday. Marbury, whose Starbury line of basketball shoes is proving a hit in China, said it was "not right" that players were forced to wear footwear made by league sponsor Li Ning, or conceal the logo when wearing another brand. "Every player has his right to wear what shoes are right for his feet to protect his body and wellbeing while playing on the court," Marbury told the China Daily. BusinessWorld Online Edition

Stephon Marbury, China 

China Basketball Association (CBA) superstar Tracy McGrady, or “T-Mac,” who plays for the Qingdao Eagles has criticized a CBA rules test for players and coaches as “nonsense,” Newspaper.lndaily.com.cn reported Tuesday… McGrady said there is no need for the test as the content is so basic and every CBA player knows how to deal with the questions both on and off the court. …In response to McGrady, [Bai Xilin, head of the league's competition department] said the CBA has some rules that are different than the National Basketball Association and the International Basketball Federation. He said McGrady should set an example for other players to learn the rules well and it would be helpful for him to play better in the CBA. CRI.cn

Tracy McGrady, China 
 

» Update: 10:10 AM ET

It now looks like it was no coincidence that Adidas showed the final episode of Derrick Rose’s ‘‘The Return’’ ad campaign last week. According to an NBA source, while ‘‘The Return’’ to the court for NBA games is still up in the air for Rose, the all-everything point guard could be just weeks away from practicing with the Bulls again after surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament last May. Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Injuries 

‘‘That’s the belief that a couple of [the Bulls’] players are under,’’ the source said. Rose has been expected to be able to play in games by February, but that has been inferred more than actually stated. Even if the Bulls receive the ultimate Christmas present of getting him back on the practice court just before Dec. 25, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily ahead of that February schedule — or behind it. Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Injuries 

Ryan Anderson is the No. 1 target of the Los Angeles Lakers if they decide to trade Pau Gasol, an NBA source tells SheridanHoops.com. But there are complications, and they begin in the Lakers front office. General manager Mitch Kupchak is opposed to moving Gasol, who has been benched in several fourth quarters ever since Mike D’Antoni took over as head coach. SheridanHoops

Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Trade, Pau Gasol, Ryan Anderson 

There have been dozens of rumors and reports linking the Lakers to players like New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, Toronto’s Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, and New York’s Amar’e Stoudemire; but, league sources say there just isn’t any substance to these rumors and reports and that the Lakers are not engaged in anything. HoopsWorld

Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Trade, Amare Stoudemire, Pau Gasol, Andrea Bargnani, Ryan Anderson 

Through spokesmen, the league and the Spurs declined to comment on the photo Monday, which first surfaced via the popular website Deadspin.com over the weekend and has gone viral. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was genuinely perplexed when asked about the snapshot after practice Monday afternoon, saying he was not aware of it. Duncan and Parker did not address the media. It is unclear whether the picture might draw further disciplinary action from NBA commissioner David Stern, who last week fined the Spurs $250,000 for Popovich’s decision to send four key players — including Duncan and Parker — home early from a six-game road trip to rest. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, David Stern, Tim Duncan, Referees, Joey Crawford 

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who attended the Halloween party in question dressed as Zorro, said he hoped the photo would be taken for what it was — a portrayal of a light-hearted moment in the middle of a private event. “It was Halloween,” Ginobili said. “If somebody dressed like Pop was there, I probably would have done the same thing with my little sword. I think it was a joke. It was very innocent.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Gregg Popovich, David Stern, Tim Duncan, Referees, Joey Crawford 

D’Antoni didn’t discount sitting struggling power forward Pau Gasol for a few games in order to give his achy knees a rest. Gasol looked a step slow during the Lakers’ loss Sunday to Orlando. He had only 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting plus seven rebounds. Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol 

And so, less than 29 months after he sat on a stage at a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn., and incurred a nation's wrath, LeBron James is the Sportsman of the Year. He is not the Sportsman of 2010, when he announced his decision to leave Cleveland in a misguided television special, or 2011, when he paid dearly for his lapse in judgment. He is the Sportsman of 2012. "Did I think an award like this was possible two years ago?" James says. "No, I did not. I thought I would be helping a lot of kids and raise $3 million by going on TV and saying, 'Hey, I want to play for the Miami Heat.' But it affected far more people than I imagined. I know it wasn't on the level of an injury or an addiction, but it was something I had to recover from. I had to become a better person, a better player, a better father, a better friend, a better mentor and a better leader. I've changed, and I think people have started to understand who I really am." SI.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James 

But in the summer of 2011, Spoelstra and his staff designed an attack as unique as the megastar it features. "Whether LeBron is inside or outside, everything revolves around him," says Heat assistant coach David Fizdale. "He can be the power big or the power guard. It doesn't matter. He's positionless." James is the sun, with sharpshooters spread around him like planets, providing space to post up or drive and dish. Spoelstra rarely has to call a play. In close games James brings the ball up the floor, hands it off, races to the block and gets it right back, simultaneously the point guard and the power forward. He could probably score 50 points a night, but he still can't bring himself to shoot over double teams, so he feeds whoever has been left alone. Fizdale sighs as he discusses the 2011 Finals, when the Heat clogged the paint with two traditional big men, forcing James to the perimeter. "All those jumpers he missed were as much our fault as his," Fizdale says. "He had to be great in spite of what we were doing. Now he has an avenue to be great because of what we're doing." SI.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James 

The standard scouting report given to Heat players before games is two pages. The one James receives is four, filled with the kind of advanced stats reserved for coaches, bloggers and Shane Battier. "I want to know that this guy drives left 70% of the time, or pulls up when he drives right, or likes to cross over after two dribbles," James says. Even when he is with friends, he'll geek out in the middle of casual conversation: "Remember when I drove and kicked to Ray at the four-minute mark in the second quarter. If he'd have drifted into the corner, we'd have had a better shot." Then, after a pause: "So what are you guys getting into tonight?" "He'll be talking about a player and tell you, 'If you post up on the left side and drive middle, he'll foul you every time,'" Carter says. "Everybody sees the dunks and the 35 points, but it's no accident. Carmelo Anthony is the same size. J.R. Smith can jump just as high. Dwight Howard is as good an athlete. It's his thought process that separates him." SI.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James 

James is a sucker for underdogs -- "I love Arian Foster, from the Houston Texans," he says, "because he didn't get drafted, he played on the practice squad, and now he's probably the best running back in the NFL" -- knowing full well he will never be one himself. He will never win in an upset, never know what it feels like to overachieve. He assumes the most unsustainable position in sports, the eternal front-runner, and he kept coming up short at the finish. But after each colossal disappointment, while the talking heads returned their attention to Tim Tebow or whatever topic du jour gooses the ratings, James wiped the beer from his chin and resumed his discovery. "In every adversity there is a seed of equivalent benefit," Riley says, and the Boat finds it. When James lost in the Finals in 2007, with the Cavaliers, he remade his jump shot. When he fell again in 2011, with the Heat, he built a post game. James was born with supernatural ability, but he lets none of it lie dormant. He extracts every ounce, through a distillation process created and refined by failure. SI.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James, NFL, Arian Foster 

If James is impressed by a player, no matter the level, he fires off a tweet. "The next thing you know," says Mims, "we'll go into the city where the kid lives, and he'll be there. LeBron just took care of it." James never had an NBA mentor, so he is counseling a generation. He holds annual basketball camps, and four years ago at the LeBron James King's Academy in Akron, he was struck by a fourth-grader with a wicked crossover named Amelia Motz. "I think it's because I was a pretty good white girl," Motz says, "and I didn't ask him for anything." She kept returning to the camp, and two summers ago James told her to keep in touch. She texted him when she received her first college letter, from Pitt, and he showed up last season to one of her games at Canton's Jackson Middle School. At the time, Motz was deciding whether to stay at Jackson for high school or go to St. Vincent-St. Mary, LeBron's alma mater, and James shot with her the next day. "People were pulling me in a thousand directions, and he just told me to do what felt best for me," Motz says. "It's not about who he is but what he has to offer as a friend. He's like a big brother." When she turned 14 in July, James took her and her mother to Red Lobster for dinner. Motz is now a freshman guard at St. Vincent-St. Mary, 5'9" with a long brown ponytail, and feeling guilty because she recently won a starting spot after the regular point guard tore her ACL. "Last week I talked to LeBron about it," Motz says. "I want to earn everything I get, and I was worried I didn't deserve it. He told me someone had to step in, and I put myself in position to do that." SI.com

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Amelia Motz 

Shved, averaging 10.4 points and 3.7 assists, might be asked to think more about his own shot selection in the coming weeks. The Wolves learned last season that teammates get good looks at the basket when Rubio is on the floor, and Adelman wants Shved to benefit from that sharp court vision. "Right now, he's concentrating more on trying to find people instead of looking for his shot," Adelman said of Shved. "As time moves on, he'll get into more of a comfortable zone on when to take shots and when to pass. He's a much better shooter than he's shown at this point." St. Paul Pioneer Press

Minnesota Timberwolves, Alexey Shved 

Shved's future there is being overlooked by some Wolves followers who have clamored in recent years for the team to obtain a bona fide shooting guard. That guy is Shved, whom the team signed to a three-year, $10 million contract last summer. "I think he will be," Adelman said when asked if Shved is the long-term answer at the shooting-guard spot. "I think he's a much better shooter than he has shown to this point. If he plays with Ricky, he'll get open shots and he'll knock those down. We've seen it time after time in practice: He makes shots. I think he'll become more of a solid shooter. "What's good about him is you've seen his playmaking ability, too. He gives you both things." Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio, Alexey Shved 

The New Orleans Hornets gave forward Ryan Anderson a four-year, $36 million contract this summer, earning him some $9 million per season. The last person who thought he could or would earn that kind of money in the NBA was Anderson himself, who now finds himself as the veteran leader of an upstart New Orleans Hornets team. “For me I’ve always kind of been the underdog, an underdog guy,” Anderson told HOPSWORLD. “I’ve never really put too much on myself because I’ve always just felt blessed to do the next step. Blessed to get a college degree and play college basketball. Blessed to get drafted, and once that came, it was like, “I made it to the NBA!” it’s never like “I deserve this.” So I just feel really blessed, and God has opened a lot of great doors for me, and put me in the right positions and the right situations. It’s crazy to blink and see myself here now and with this role, and being a young veteran on this team. It’s fun; it’s a trip.” HoopsWorld

New Orleans Hornets, Ryan Anderson 

“We have the family atmosphere down,” explained Anderson. “I think that we can gel as a group really well. Obviously it’s just that experience. I think it’s coming out every night knowing how hard you have to play against these guys; the best players in the world. Continue to learn how each other plays, and that will come in time. Everybody is getting better. I just want to progress as we go with this team. It is a different situation than coming into Orlando which was already established; here we are working up to get established. I think it’s exciting to be a part of. We have the core values that really are needed for a winning team.” HoopsWorld

New Orleans Hornets, Ryan Anderson 

Rookie point guard Damian Lillard is at the center of the Trail Blazers' rebuilding/reloading plan. As one NBA scout recently said, "He's only been in the league for a month but he's already figured out how to control the game." Lillard already is Portland's third-best player, and he's quickly emerging as its go-to guy. On Monday night, he scored the Trail Blazers' first bucket with a sneaky hesitation move, a baseline drive and then a beautiful reverse finish to elude Brendan Haywood. With his outside shot off the mark all night, Lillard continued to attack the rim both in the half court and in transition. It wasn't Lillard's finest night of the season, but he clearly can be entrusted with the controls in the cockpit. ESPN.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard 

Guard Steve Blake will have laproscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, the team announced Monday. He is expected to miss a minimum of six to eight weeks, pushing his comeback to sometime in February. “It’s a big concern for me,” Kobe Bryant said. “Steve and I have always played extremely well together. He’s a clutch shooter and a tough competitor. That’s one of the things I like about him, is his toughness. “We’re going to miss him a lot. I’m not sure he’s going to be out, but it could be a while. … Hopefully he can keep his head in it and come back ready to go.” Orange County Register

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake, Injuries 

Hamilton declined to address reporters, but Thibodeau said the veteran was in good spirits and rode a stationary bicycle during practice. "He has some soreness, but he'll be fine," Thibodeau said. "He's had a number of different injuries, so he understands what he has to go through to get back. It could be a week. It could be two weeks. It could be longer. Once he feels good enough to play, he'll be back." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Richard Hamilton, Injuries 

Raymond Felton made it clear he wants to play through the pain in his injured left hand. The fact that the next two games are at Charlotte and Miami probably will make Felton push the Knicks' medical staff even harder to let him. Starting Wednesday, the Knicks play four games in five nights, so their doctors and trainers might be cautious. But the Knicks and Felton hope he won't have to sit after an MRI revealed a contusion and bone bruise and not a break from jamming his hand in Sunday's 106-99 win over the Suns. "Thanks to everyone for checking on me and yes I will be OK," Felton said on Twitter. "Just a bone bruise and I'm going to take it one day at a time." Newsday

New York Knicks, Raymond Felton, Injuries 

Dirk Nowitzki said that he will likely miss Eurobasket 2013 next September. The German forward did not play last summer to with German National Team. Nowitzki, who is still out after the knee surgery, thinks that Mark Cuban won't allow him to play Eurobasket. "It will be very hard for me to be in Slovenia" said Nowitzki to Sport1.de. Sportando

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Germany, Eurobasket 

The Charlotte Bobcats want Wednesdays to be the new day to party. The team is spending $18,000 advertising on the city’s light-rail trains and forming partnerships with several EpiCentre restaurants and nightclubs. The hope? That young people will turn a mid-week basketball game into a full night out. Senior Vice President for Marketing Seth Bennett said the team hopes it will be a stimulus to the whole uptown corridor. The Bobcats also hope it will boost attendance on a day when it is generally much more difficult to fill seats. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats 

You’ll buy a ticket online, starting at $10. You can use that as your ticket to get on the light rail to uptown for free, hopping off at the stop between Time Warner Cable Arena and the EpiCentre. Maybe you’ll stop in at BlackFinn, Whisky River or Vida for dinner, all of which are offering free appetizers with your meal if you have a ticket. Once you’re done, you’ll wander past a live radio broadcast of WFNZ on your way into the arena. Some nights, retired NBA greats like David Thompson, Robert Parish and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd might be out to meet fans. Inside, you can buy bottomless popcorn, $4 beers and a $10 T-shirt. After the game, you can get into the Suite nightclub without a cover, or get free bowling shoes with a game at Strike City. The light rail then takes you home. CATS staff will be trained to look for the right ticket, which will be good all day. “They can ride to work, go to the game, and then go home,” said Olaf Kinard, Charlotte Area Transit System’s marketing and communication director. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats 

The practice court where the departed Vancouver Grizzlies worked out during their ill-fated time in Vancouver has been put up for sale on Craigslist. For $13,000, or much less, according to the owner, someone just needs to come and haul it away. It’s a big haul, mind you, with the NBA regulation-size court 94 feet long by 50 feet wide. Since the company Extreme Air Park, which now owns the space, placed the ad last Friday, owner Michael Marti has received nearly 60 calls, some of them from Memphis. Coincidentally, the Memphis Grizzlies just had a new $200,000 court installed at FedExForum in September, replacing one that was 10 years old. Toronto Star

Memphis Grizzlies, Vancouver Grizzlies 

Former NBA star Allen Iverson is digging himself into a giant financial hole -- with monthly bills that largely outweigh his monthly income -- but the good news is ... he's still got his fancy-schmancy Maybach. Allen recently filed docs in GA court as part of his nasty divorce battle with his ex Tawanna Iverson which outline his dire financial situation. According to docs, Allen brings in $62,500 in monthly income, but his expenses are FAR, FAR, greater ... costing him a cool $358,376.66 PER MONTH!!!! TMZ.com

Allen Iverson 

So where does all his money go? A large chunk -- $125,749.33 to be exact -- is spent paying off various creditors (like his jeweler) ... and some goes to his mortgages (but not for long, since his ATL crib is about to be auctioned off). But Allen says he blows a lot on OTHER expenses too ... like $10,000/month on clothes, $10,000/month on grocery/house items, $1,000/month on dry cleaning, $5,000/month on entertainment, $5,000/month on restaurants ... and so on. TMZ.com

Allen Iverson 
 

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