Celtics Fear Rajon Rondo Has Torn ACL
Celtics officials fear Rajon Rondo has torn the ACL in his right knee, according to David Baumann of Bright House Sports Network (Twitter link). Rondo is sitting out today's game against the Heat with what the team is calling a hyperextended right knee, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes. Rondo, who hurt himself in Friday's loss to the Hawks, will undergo a precautionary MRI.
An ACL for Rondo, which would surely knock him out for the rest of the season, could be a knockout blow to the Celtics, who sit at 20-23, just two games in front of the Sixers for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The deadline to apply for a disabled player exception came and went earlier this month, but such an exception, worth half of Rondo's $11MM salary, wouldn't have been much use to the Celtics, who are less than $3MM beneath their hard cap.
Rondo, who had recently been elected an All-Star starter, is in the third season of a team-friendly five-year, $55MM deal. He's shown durability throughout his career, never missing more than 14 games in any of his six seasons prior to this year.
Atlantic Notes: Vucevic, Sixers, Shumpert, Lopez
It was a night of missed oppotunities Saturday in the Atlantic, where the Nets could have crept to within a half game of the division-leading Knicks with a win over the Rockets. The Raptors would have stood three and a half out of the last playoff spot if Kyrie Irving hadn't drained a clutch trey for the Cavs. The only team to make hay was the Sixers, who blew out the Knicks and pulled two games behind the Celtics for eighth place in the East. Here's more from the Atlantic Division:
- Nikola Vucevic is paying dividends as he develops for the Magic, but even he wouldn't have hesitated to make the deal that sent him away from the Sixers, the 22-year-old tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I would have traded me for Andrew Bynum," Vucevic said.
- Iman Shumpert talked with Steve Serby of the New York Post about the effect Mike Woodson and the Knicks' offseason acquisitions have had on the team.
- Amid continuing speculation that he could be traded for Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez is establishing himself as a star, with the league's fourth-highest PER. Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger catches up with the Nets' $60.8MM center and wonders if he has become the league's best at his position, All-Star snub notwithstanding.
Hornets Recall Darius Miller From D-League
We'll round up the day's D-League assignments and recalls in this post, with the latest moves on top.
- The Hornets announced they've recalled rookie Darius Miller from the D-League's Iowa Energy. In his nearly monthlong assignment, the 6'8" small forward didn't exactly light it up for Iowa, averaging 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27.2 per game over 11 contests. Still, the Kentucky product has seen a fair amount of playing time for the big club this year, getting in 23 games and posting 2.0 PPG in 13.6 MPG.
Was Drafting Royce White Worth The Risk?
Royce White and the Rockets reached an agreement last night that will bring the rookie back on the court after a nearly three-month absence. The 6'8" forward will report February 11th to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and ostensibly make his NBA debut shortly thereafter. Presumably, the 16th pick in this past year's draft is finally back on track after grappling with the team over how to handle his psychological ailments.
Still, there's not much reason to believe this is the last bump in the road for White, who has threatened retirement and misled the team about his fear of flying in the leadup to the draft, according to GM Daryl Morey. The GM admitted to Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard that drafting White was a calculated risk, and that the club believed he had the talent of a top-five pick. He also knew White might not work out, though I'm not sure he anticipated quite the saga that's played out this season.
The Rockets had three first-round picks last year, and one of them, No. 12 selection Jeremy Lamb, was sent away as part of the trade that netted James Harden. The wealth of picks may have justified the team's willingness to go out on a limb with White, but as the Rockets collect assets in search of another star to accompany Harden, a draft bust wouldn't help matters.
Regardless of White's troubles thus far, Houston may have one of the most talented rookies in the league on its team soon. Does that justify the risks involved? Let us know.
Was Drafting Royce White Worth The Risk?
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No 65% (586)
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Yes 35% (313)
Total votes: 899
Kings/Seattle Rumors: Sunday
With the future of the Kings in limbo, we'll round up today's rumors in this post, with any additional updates at the top.
- If the Kings leave Sacramento, the city is owed $77MM from loans it floated to the team 15 years ago, but a legal expert tells Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee that the new owners could get off the hook for less.
- The $525MM price tag set in the agreement between the Maloofs and the Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer Seattle investors represents a 75% jump in the value of the team over the figure that Forbes magazine estimated last year, notes the Bee's Tom Couzens. That's the largest jump in value for any team this year. We passed along the full list of Forbes valuations earlier this week.
- The Bee's Ailene Voisin hears that the Maloofs received a $425MM offer last year, and wonders why they decided now was the time to sell.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game confirms that Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle are teaming up for a bid (Sulia link). Still, Bucher says it would be hard to imagine the Seattle group would agree to a $30MM refundable payment without assurance from people more powerful than the Maloofs that the sale would go through.
Atlantic Rumors: Lowry, Calderon, Knicks, Celtics
Sunday's nationally televised tilt between the Heat and Celtics will mark the return of Ray Allen to Boston, and the erstwhile Celtics guard spoke to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports about the "collection of everything" that led him to sign with Miami. In addition, Allen has told those close to him that he felt he ranked behind Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo on coach Doc Rivers' list of favorites, as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News shares. Rivers is nonetheless calling for Boston fans to cheer Allen when he's introduced, but a hostile greeting seems more likely, as LeBron James surmises in Chris Tomasson's report for Fox Sports Florida.
There's more on the Celtics and their Atlantic Division rivals, as we round up here:
- Last night Ken Berger of CBSSports.com shared that he's hears the Raptors would prefer to trade Kyle Lowry over Jose Calderon, but according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, the front office is split on which point guard it likes best. Wolstat speculates that a trade that sends both away is more likely than a scenario in which Toronto deals Lowry and keeps Calderon (All Twitter links).
- While some members of the Knicks organization were worried several days ago that Rasheed Wallace might miss the season, coach Mike Woodson said that if the team had a playoff game today, Wallace would play, as Newsday's Al Iannazzone observes. That appears to make it less likely the Knicks would sign Kenyon Martin, as their interest in him is reportedly tied to Wallace's ability to return.
- While the Celtics' strengthening affinity for J.J. Redick may not be likely to result in a deal, CSNNE.com rounds up opinions on what a trade for the Magic sharpshooter and other moves could do for Boston. The problem isn't a lack of talent, according to CSNNE.com scribe A. Sherrod Blakely, adding that he believes Rivers' job is safe.
- Hall of Famer Robert Parish is campaigning for an NBA front-office or coaching job, but isn't expecting a hand from many of his former Celtics teammates, as Stan Grosfeld of the Boston Globe observes.
Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Bucks, Mike James, Suns
The Jazz were on the wrong end of one of the Lakers' better performances of the season last night, and now they have to turn around tonight and take on the Pacers, who are just one of two teams in the league giving up fewer than 90 points a game (the Grizzlies are the other). Utah, sitting seventh in the West, is only a game and a half in front of the ninth-place Rockets, and with only five players with guaranteed money on the books for next season, the Jazz will be an interesting team to watch as the trade deadline draws near.
As we await a 10-game night in the NBA, here's more from around the Association:
- The Grizzlies owe a pair of future first-round picks to other teams, and would look for at least one, and preferably two, first-rounders in any deal for Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis would also make such a deal with the idea of freeing up space to re-sign Tony Allen, an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- The Bucks have given assistant GM Jeff Weltman a three-year extension, matching the length of the extension GM John Hammond received this week, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Weltman has drawn interest from the Clippers and Suns about their GM jobs in recent years, Woelfel adds.
- With Mike James' second 10-day contract expiring Sunday night, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was asked whether the team would sign him for the rest of the season, and Cuban indicated that was the plan, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "So far, so good," Cuban said of James. "No reason to think otherwise at this point."
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears that former Suns coach Alvin Gentry had player development coordinator Lindsey Hunter removed from practices on multiple occasions, and feared that Hunter, his eventual successor, was a "spy" for the front office.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel downplays the idea of Jermaine O'Neal rejoining the Heat, pointing out that the center didn't leave Miami on good terms in 2010, and opining that the Suns are unlikely to buy out his minimum-salary contract.
Darius Johnson-Odom Signs In Russia
Former Lakers guard Darius Johnson-Odom has signed to play for the Russian club Spartak St. Petersburg, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports. The deal covers the rest of this season and includes an option for 2013/14, though it's unclear whether that's a player or team option.
The Lakers waived Johnson-Odom earlier this month after making him the 55th pick in the draft this past June. He appeared in only four NBA games and failed to score a point in six total minutes. He saw more extensive action with the Lakers' D-League affiliate, notching 20.6 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in 12 contests with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Tbe 6'3" product of Marquette replaces Patrick Beverley, who left Spartak to sign with the Rockets. Coincidentally, Beverley finalized his deal with Houston the same day the Lakers let go of Johnson-Odom.
Odds & Ends: Redick, Crawford, James, Crowder
Just as we crossed into the final month before the trade deadline, the first deal of the new year went down today, and the action will no doubt pick up going forward. Here are a few more notes from a busy evening.
- J.J. Redick, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, wants a raise on his $6.19MM salary, but the Magic want him to take a hometown discount, reports USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. If the team doesn't believe it can re-sign him when the trade deadline rolls around, Zillgitt won't be surprised to see the Magic trade Redick, since they don't want to lose him without any return.
- The Wizards are looking to make moves, and Jordan Crawford is drawing the most interest of any of the players they'd make available, HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reveals, noting rookie Bradley Beal isn't among the players they're dangling, Kyler adds.
- Damion James is heading back to the D-League's Bakersfield Jam, as the Nets have opted not to renew his 10-day contract, which expires tonight, tweets NetsDaily.com.
- Jae Crowder's contract with the Mavs is fully guaranteed through next season, but he doesn't want that to be the end of his tenure in Dallas, where he wants to play his entire career, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reveals.
- Elliot Williams, who tore his left Achilles tendon in September, isn't ruling out the possibility he could return at some point this season, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The league, believing he was done for the year, has already granted the Blazers a disabled player exception, but the team will get to keep it even if he makes it back.
- Ben Baroff of SheridanHoops.com believes there will be more deals similar to today's Cavs-Grizzlies trade in the years to come, as luxury tax penalties become more severe.
- Amid another round of Dwight Howard rumors, Nets brass has assured Brook Lopez he won't be traded, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Suns Notes: Gentry, O’Neal, Blanks
The Suns are at the bottom of the Western Conference, but like the Lakers and Kings, the other sub-.500 teams in the Pacific Division, they've had no trouble generating headlines of late. Here's the latest out of Phoenix:
- The end of Alvin Gentry's tenure with the Suns was characterized as a mutual parting of ways, but Gentry indicated that wasn't so in his comments Tuesday to Arizona Sports 620's Burns and Gambo. Adrian Martinez of ArizonaSports.com has the story. "Decisions are made that you don't agree with," Gentry said. "They have the right to do that."
- Jermaine O'Neal denied via Twitter that he and GM Lance Blanks took part in an altercation, and said they didn't exchange words over the team's coaching situation (hat tip to Matt Moore of CBSSports.com). Blanks acknowledged the two had an argument, but downplayed the incident, also saying it wasn't about the coaches, as Sam Amick of USA Today documents.
- I looked at the trade candidacy of Marcin Gortat earlier this evening, arguing that a combination of market demand and the Suns' need to move forward with rebuilding will lead to the departure of the Polish Hammer.