The five most interesting stories, rumors and notes in the NBA:1. Big blow for Grizzlies: The language coming out of Memphis yesterday seemed designed to keep Grizzlies fans calm, with such words as precautionary, bruise, relief and dodges a bullet.
But the language surely turned bluer today.
The Grizzlies learned that forward Zach Randolph, their leading scorer and rebounder last season, will miss about eight weeks with a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his right knee, the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery reports.
Randolph suffered the injury in the first half of Memphis' game against Chicago on Sunday. With Randolph out, the Bulls routed the Grizzlies 104-64.
Eight weeks takes the Grizzlies past the All-Star break, a major blow for a franchise that seemed on the cusp of contending in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies have already made a move help make up for the loss. Tillery reports that they have agreed to a three-team deal that would land them big man Marresse Speights from the 76ers. Memphis would send guard Xavier Henry to New Orleans, and the Hornets would ship two second-round picks to Philadelphia.
Randolph's injury was initially portrayed as being minor. On Monday, he had an MRI and his agent, Raymond Brothers, told USA Today that the results showed a bone bruise. Sounds innocuous, right? On Tuesday, the Grizzlies had no further updates on the injury, and with another former Blazer, Dante Cunningham, starting in Randolph's place, Memphis handled visiting Sacramento 113-96 to improve to 2-3.
But the bad news came down today. Randolph, Tillery reports, won't need surgery, but you have to wonder about the long-term ramifications. Randolph, remember, had microfracture surgery on the same knee in 2005, when he was with the Blazers.
Randolph, who turned 30 this year, signed a four-year, $71 million extension with Memphis in April.
Memphis has shown an ability to play through injuries, making a strong playoff run last season without forward Rudy Gay, who missed the stretch drive and postseason after shoulder surgery. Gay led Memphis with 23 points and eight rebounds last night.
But with reserve power forward Darrell Arthur out for the season with an Achilles' tendon injury, Memphis is starting to run out of quality big bodies. The extended absence by Randolph figures to put a lot on the shoulders of Cunningham, who, as Blazers fans are aware, should know that feeling well.
2. A King again: From the Sacramento side, Tuesday's game was notable for the return of DeMarcus Cousins, the volatile second-year center who was sent home from the Kings' home game against New Orleans on Sunday after he apparently demanded to be traded.
That was followed by reports about which teams might make a run at him, then by news that Cousins would rejoin the team for its two-game road trip that started last night in Memphis and concludes tonight in Denver.
There also was some bizarre he-said-he-said stuff between Cousins and coach Paul Westphal, as reported by the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones. Cousins issued a statement in which he claimed he never asked to be traded. Westphal revealed there had been multiple incidents with Cousins, and that the team would provide
"less protection" from incidents becoming public.Jones adds that Cousins played 22 minutes off the bench last night and had four points and eight rebounds and shot 1 for 5 from the field. After the game, Westphal said Cousins handled himself "in a professional way, and that's always a good thing," and Cousins said it "felt weird" to come off the bench.
3. Veteran presence: If you want to see the opposite of an immature-but-talented big guy having a negative effect on his team, see the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers are off to a 4-1 start, and much of the credit goes to veteran power forward David West, who signed with them as a free agent. West is averaging 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, and he brings much more in experience and professionalism, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski writes.
West, 31, has been a huge asset for young coach Frank Vogel, who has a young, talented roster to mold.
"He does a lot of one-on-one mentoring, and does it every day," Vogel tells Wojnarowski. "Just his presence ? guys are going to think twice before they handle themselves the wrong way. Big brother is there. He?s a good observer; he knows what the right chemistry feels like. He knows when guys need hugs, when guys need a kick in the butt."
West was pursued hard by Boston, which offered a three-year, $24.5 million deal,? but he chose to take the Pacers' two-year, $20 million offer instead. He explains the choice:
"This was a decision that was thought out. I examined it from top to bottom. People who know me know that I?m not going to just say, ?Well, they offered me more money, so I?m going to sign there.? That?s not how I operate. This group has such good young pieces, I really think this is going to be one of the better teams over the next two years.?
4. Learning from a vet: The Celtics did add a different veteran, and he seems to be having a positive impact on the key player for the Celtics as they start to transition out of the Big Three era.
Point guard Rajon Rondo is in his sixth NBA season and has been in two All-Star Games, but he's not too high and mighty to learn from a player who's been in the league longer.
Comcast Sportsnet Northeast's Jessica Camerato reports that Rondo moved spots in the Celtics' locker room and is now next to veteran point guard Keyon Dooling, who joined the Celtics via a trade from Milwaukee. And while Dooling has never been a star player, he is in his 12th season in the league, and Rondo is using the proximity to pick the veteran's brain.
"I think it?s big because he?s a veteran point guard," Rondo tells Camerato. "He has a lot of great information for me. I can learn a lot from him."
Dooling is a true pro and has things to teach Rondo beyond basketball.
"
"Stuff off the court, family issues, growing and being a businessman -- there?s a lot of different venues and different outlets he?s trying to teach me, which is also a good thing for me," Rondo said.
5. Patty-cakes talk: There was a little burst on Twitter in the last day after Yahoo's Wojnarowski reported via that medium that former Blazers point guard Patty Mills had been released by Xinjiang of the Chinese Basketball Association.
There have been some weird reports that the team accused Mills of faking a hamstring injury, and Mills firing back. But here in Portland, the focus for some has been on: can the Blazers get Mills back?
Mills is a popular guy in Portland, but it seems unlikely the Blazers are in a rush to re-sign him. For one thing, they already have 15 players on their roster and would have to waive someone to get Mills. While center Chris Johnson is only conditionally guaranteed, it's doubtful the Blazers would cut him loose to make room for Mills.
This morning, the Blazers sent second-year players Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson to their Idaho D-League affiliate, a move predicted by Wendell Maxey in a story for Ridiculousupside.com that also offers good perspective from the Blazers' director of NBA scouting, Michael Born.
You don't do that unless you are comfortable with your roster. Mills does not fill an immediate need for Portland, which needs to be the main motivation for any personnel move at this point in the season. The Blazers already got a point guard rotation in starter Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford off the bench and an occasional appearance by rookie Nolan Smith, a player the coaches like.
There's also the FIBA hurdle. As Wojnarowski writes, even though Xinjiang released him, Mills' contract binds him to the Chinese Basketball Association until the end of the Chinese season in late February or March.
The NBA generally follows FIBA rulings, so Mills would have to obtain a letter of clearance from basketball's ruling body, something NBA veteran Kenyon Martin -- who also was released by a Chinese team -- has been unable to get.
Sorry, Patty-cakes fans. Does not look likely.
-- Mike Tokito
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2012/01/nba_high-5_135.html
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