"He definitely made pretty good improvement overnight," trainer Keith Jones said. "We'll see how he responds when he gets on the court."
"I can't (guess)," McGrady said when asked if he would be able to play tonight. "If I had to say, it will probably be a game-time decision. Coming off a pick-and-roll, I went to plant and pass the ball to Yao (Ming) and it rolled over. I mean, it rolled all the way over."
"They got to understand their responsibility to the team," Johnson said of Bass and Diop. "They let the whole team down. You can't do that. I can't run a drill for you to protect the paint. That's willpower. That's toughness, mentally and physically."
"He worked awfully hard," Johnson said. "This was his best practice. We had some weight goals and conditioning goals, and he made both of those. In the 3-point shooting, he came up a little short. But he worked awfully hard."
"When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough. It's not because they are so tough. It's because of how soft we are. I feel like they traded me to another team, a new team I've never been on before."
"The doctors are telling us at least a week," coach Nate McMillan said Monday. "It could calm down sooner, or it could be longer. We just know if he continued playing on it, there was a risk."
Devin Harris missed practice Wednesday with an upset stomach.
http://mavs.beloblog.com/archives/2007/12/one_coming_back_one_leaving.html
he's questionable for tonight. Maybe he caught the flu....
wow your career has hit rock bottom when u get cut for luke jackson
this is not official but if i had to guess i'd say that Q. Ross will not play tonight. i was watching the game last night and he took a pretty nasty blow when he fell straight on his back. Q has had a history of back problems (mainly spasms) which has caused him to miss time each season so they will prolly play it safe and hold him out.Any word on quinton ross's back
Wallace was given Monday off to rest and rehabilitate his sore legs. He had electronic stimulation done on his right calf area. "Just re-juicing," he said, smiling. He will play tonight.
Wallace missed shoot-around with flu-like symptoms, thus Maxiell got the start and posted 15 points and five rebounds. Wallace still played 30 minutes and had eight points and five rebounds. Wallace will start tonight in Houston.
Lewis, who has been undergoing treatment for neck soreness, watched practice from a sideline Monday, but he was in obvious discomfort. He was scheduled to see a chiropractor in Milwaukee this afternoon.
"It's going to be a game-time decision,'' he said. "It's been bothering me for the past few days, and it just feels like it's getting worse. I want to see if there is something we can do to ease the pain.''
If Lewis can't play, the Magic are expected to give James Augustine his first start of the season. Augustine practiced with the first team at this morning's practice.
Guard Morris Peterson is recovering from a strained back muscle and is probable for the game. Hornets Coach Byron Scott said Tuesday that Peterson participated in the team's light practice and would be a game-time decision, with a 40- to 50-percent chance he will play.
Forward Peja Stojakovic did light running Tuesday and is doubtful for the game while he recovers from a strained groin.
A lineup without Stojakovic but with Peterson would include forward Rasual Butler starting at small forward. Without Stojakovic and Peterson, the Hornets would start rookie Julian Wright at small forward and Butler at shooting guard -- the same lineup they used to beat the Seattle Supersonics in New Orleans on Sunday.
Scott said Tuesday that depending on who can start tonight, there could be more playing time available for Marcus Vinicius, a second-year forward who has played just two minutes this season.
ugh.
Cnby is a ? due to pinkeye. See Denver Post. GL
Eye could sideline Camby vs. N.O.
<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post
<!--date-->Article Last Updated: 12/12/2007 12:34:29 PM MST
Nuggets center Marcus Camby is questionable for tonight's home game while he deals with an eye issue that coach George Karl said could be pink eye. Camby did not participate in the Nuggets shootaround this morning.
Camby is second in the NBA with 14.8 rebounds per game, and tonight his Nuggets host the Hornets and center Tyson Chandler, sixth in the NBA with 11.0 rebounds.
If Camby does not play, the Nuggets will be thin in the low post, because reserve power forward Nene is out (thumb). Starting power forward Kenyon Martin could start in the low-post alongside Eduardo Najera or Linas Kleiza, both reserve forwards.
Huge..:hang:Not a big fan of vinicius?
Not a big fan of vinicius?
"It's a boost for us, his ability to shoot the basketball, and he's got a nice feel for the game," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "He provides us with another weapon on the floor, and I think we've missed him for three games.
"We've got some guys dealing with the flu, so additional bodies coming into the mix are always a welcome sight."
Krystkowiak said no players have been ruled out due to the flu bug. "Not at this point," he said. "We'll see how guys are holding up come game time."
A guy that signs that big a contract is key in the public's eye..could drive it down a bit.yeah, I guess, but is he really that key? and he's questionable. not doubtful.
The Bucks were supposed to take their charter flight home right after the game but were unable to leave Sacramento because of inclement weather in Milwaukee. So they stayed over in Sacramento and flew out about 9 a.m. Tuesday, only to find out that they couldn't land in Milwaukee because of the weather. The team plane diverted to Green Bay and they bused back from there, arriving early in the evening.
And now the fun really starts. Tonight at the Bradley Center, the Bucks will take on the Orlando Magic, the team with the best road record in the National Basketball Association (11-2). And then on Friday, the Bucks will travel to Boston to play a Celtics team with the best record in the league (17-2).
Time to buckle up, fellas.
"It's really frustrating," Krystkowiak said. "Not just the trip but the way we've been playing the last eight games. We need to stop the bleeding. We need to kind of regroup. The competition is strong coming up. We have a home game against one of the best teams in the East and then we go Friday to Boston to play one of the best teams in the East. So we've got our hands full and we're about to see what we're made of. We're a wounded bunch right now. We need to figure something out and bounce back and get this thing back on track."
The Pacers released Sims after training camp, re-signed him several days later and cut him again Dec. 4. Hopefully this doesn't mean that Jeff Foster's and David Harrison's injuries are too serious, but the timing of the move is probably not a coincidence.
Raptors' Ford released from hospital
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Toronto Raptors guard T.J. Ford left an Atlanta-area hospital on Wednesday and returned to Toronto, less than 24 hours after suffering what appeared to be a serious neck injury.
With Toronto holding on to a comfortable 92-84 lead in the waning minutes of regulation, Ford drove in all alone for an easy layup. Hawks forward Al Horford, who was trailing Ford, jumped and wound up to block the ball, but followed through and grabbed the top of Ford's head instead, smacking the top of his face.
Ford fell violently to the floor under the basket, and his head bounced off the hardwood. The 24-year-old, who has a history of neck and spinal injuries, grimaced in pain and cried immediately after landing, but did not move to get up.
As Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell ran to scream at the officials, medical personnel tended to Ford, who lay on the floor for several minutes. Horford was assessed a flagrant 2 foul, which draws an immediate ejection, and left the court.
"I tried to hit the ball, but instead I hit his head. He just made a good move and kind of fooled me," said Horford, who said that he did not intentionally go after Ford's head.
"Oh definitely not; I'm not a dirty player ... I hope that he's alright, that he's able to come back and be back with his team," said Horford.
Ford, who had movement in his extremities, was strapped into a stretcher with his head and neck immobilized, wheeled off the court and taken to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, where he remained overnight for testing and observation.
He has been medically cleared to play in tonight's game at Air Canada Centre against the Dallas Mavericks.
A bruised spinal cord caused Ford to miss the last two months of his rookie season in Milwaukee, and the resulting surgery and rehabilitation kept him out of the entire 2004-05 season.
Ford scored 26 points and had eight assists in Toronto's 100-88 win over Atlanta. Horford, a rookie out of Florida, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
12/12 13:50:18 ET