Player Issues for Saturday - Please update as news comes in

from Kristic himself:

November 24, 2007 -- "I feel lost," Krstic said. "Confused. I don't know really what to do right now to get really back."

Krstic has done a poor impression of the player who shot over 50 percent in his first two-plus seasons. With his conditioning lagging, his reaction time increasing, his numbers plunging, Krstic said he realizes he has a long way to go following surgery for a torn left ACL.

"I really am not helping the team at all. They can do without me so maybe it's just better to shut down and work out and get ready in a couple weeks, maybe more," Krstic said. "I don't know how long it's going to take."
 
http://www.startribune.com/wolves/story/1570267.html

Center is just latest position for Wolves to run by committee
By Kent Youngblood, Star Tribune

Last update: November 23, 2007 – 9:59 PM

DENVER - Ever get the feeling that your workday is just one committee meeting after another? Bet Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman does.

Let's see. With Randy Foye out with a knee injury, the Wolves have run a point guard by committee. They also have a platoon approach at times for off guard and small forward.

Well, here's another: center.

First, the update on starter Theo Ratliff, who missed his second consecutive game because of a sore knee. Ratliff just got back to the Twin Cities from Birmingham, Ala., where he had the knee examined by specialist Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed what the Wolves doctors had determined: There is no need for surgery right now, as there is no obvious reason for the pain Ratliff is feeling.

"I think they're just going to try to rehab it here for the next week," Wittman said. "I don't think they see anything to operate on. So unless it becomes exploratory, I think they'll rehab it, see if they can get [the pain] to quit through that."

Ratliff will have the knee re-examined in a week. Until then? Another position-by-committee approach.

Against Cleveland's big center Zydrunas Ilgauskas Wednesday, that meant giving Michael Doleac his first start since the 2005-06 season.

Friday presented a different -- and more difficult -- challenge. Denver's big man Marcus Camby likes to play on the perimeter on offense, an area where Doleac would be likely to struggle defensively. So Wittman didn't even activate Doleac, opting to start Mark Madsen at center, his first start since Feb. 15, 2006.

An outside view

Denver coach George Karl reiterated what he said on opening day: That he would never have traded Kevin Garnett. And while he is impressed with the play of Al Jefferson and the direction the Wolves are taking, he said he hoped the veterans on the Wolves roster were providing leadership.

They'd better, he said. Why?

"I don't think you can ever go all young, unless you get [Shaquille O'Neal], [Tim] Duncan or KG in the draft. [But] if you're building it with just good, solid draft picks? You'd better put 'em with some veteran guys to teach 'em to grow up fast. [Because] losing is the worst coach in basketball.

"He teaches you awful habits. Pointing fingers and the blame game comes when you lose 75, 80 percent of your games."

Wittman's response when told that Karl said he would never trade Garnett?

"He didn't," Wittman said.

Backup plan

It had never happened before, Corey Brewer said, and it won't happen again. Brewer was late to shootaround Wednesday and ended up sitting on the bench until late in the third quarter.

"I overslept. Shootaround is at 11. I usually get there around 10. But I woke up at, like 11:30. I was freaking out. I didn't think I was going to play at all."

As a result, Brewer has a backup plan for the future: multiple alarms.

"I set all three of my phones," he said. "I set everything now."

Etc.

• Point guard Sebastian Telfair rejoined the team in Denver after missing Wednesday's game to attend his grandmother's funeral in New York.
 
Dunleavy is conserving Sam Cassell.

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_7545417?source=rss

Clippers' Cassell sits, then seethes in loss
By Bob Baum The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 11/24/2007 02:10:37 AM PST

PHOENIX - On the Clippers' bench, Sam Cassell sat the entire fourth quarter, watching the Phoenix Suns pull away.

Cassell could only watch as Marion added 21points, 17rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots.

"Amare got it going on the offensive end, and I got it going on the defensive end," Marion said.

The Suns' 11-2 start matches the franchise record set in 1980-81 and equaled in 2004-05.

"I don't think we're playing as great as we have in certain streaks in the past," said Suns point guard Steve Nash, who had 20 points and 10 assists, "but we're still building. It's early in the season, so the record's great considering."

Added Suns coach Mike D'Antoni: "We came out and swarmed them. Shawn was all over the place. He literally doubled and rebounded and got loose balls and did an unbelievable job of picking our energy up."

The Suns took the lead for good with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter. Stoudemire scored eight in the surge, starting it with a three-point play and ending it with an inside basket that gave Phoenix a 63-54 lead with 9:15 left in the quarter.

And the 38-year-old guard didn't like it.

the Suns turned to their energized front line of Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion to put away their eighth victory in a row.

, 113-94 on Friday night Cassell had 26 points through three quarters, then sat down for good.

"He played great," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said,
Advertisement
"but when they jumped out on us, we play tomorrow night in back-to-back games, I just felt like I didn't want to take any more of his legs."

Dunleavy said if his team cut the lead to single digits, he would have put Cassell back in. Actually, the Clippers cut it to eight with 2 minutes to go, and still Cassell sat.

"I don't dictate plans around here," Cassell told reporters. "The only thing I dictate I do on the court. I was sitting there like you guys, I can't do nothing. But it is what it is. We move on to the next game."

Chris Kaman added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Ruben Patterson had 18 points and 11 boards for the Clippers.

Stoudemire scored 13 of his season-high 29 points in the decisive third quarter, and Cassell scored 18 in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-2 3-pointers.

The Clippers, who are 2-5 since a 4-0start Dunleavy said he probably made a mistake by playing Kaman too many minutes in the first half. The big center acknowledged he was worn out down the stretch.

"At the end of the game, I was pretty tired," Kaman said. "I wasn't finishing some shots I normally finish, which is pretty disappointing for me. I didn't make my free throws. I was too tired."


The Clippers, playing without injured Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston, led 25-16 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. The Suns caught up in the second, and led 49-46, but Los Angeles outscored Phoenix 6-2 the rest of the quarter to lead 52-51 at the break.

Down by 18 points in the fourth, the Clippers cut it to 102-94 when Kaman scored inside with 2 minutes left. But Raja Bell responded with a 3-pointer, and the Suns scored the last 11 points of the game.

Cat Mobley is obviously going to continue playing...
 
Boston beat all Holy-Hell out of the Lakers...

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_7545619?source=rss

Lakers outclassed by Boston's green machine
By Elliott Teaford, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 11/24/2007 02:09:51 AM PST

BOSTON - If the new and improved Boston Celtics had a weakness, the Lakers couldn't find it Friday night. If the Lakers had a strength, it was difficult to spot.

The Celtics worked over the Lakers from start to finish, handing them a 107-94 defeat in the third and final game of their first extended road trip of the season.

Any thoughts of the teams rekindling their historic rivalry will have to wait for the Lakers to catch up.

"Since I've been in the league, they've pretty much stunk," Kobe Bryant said of the Celtics. "Now they're kicking our butts. So, you know, hopefully, we'll get to the point where there's some parity between us and them."

It was mostly a parody Friday.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen put on another dazzling display in leading the Celtics to a 10-1 record, including 7-0at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Lakers fell to 7-5 after losing their second consecutive game on their trip.

Garnett had 21 points and 11rebounds, Pierce had 20 points and a season-high nine assists and Allen scored 18 points.

This was by no means a three-man show, however, which helps to explain how theCeltics handled the Lakers with such ease in the teams' first game since Boston acquired Allen and Garnett in separate offseason trades with Seattle and Minnesota, respectively.

Unheralded center Kendrick Perkins scored a career-high 21points and also grabbed ninerebounds, outplaying Lakers center Andrew Bynum after putting him in early foul trouble. Bynum had four points and ninerebounds.

Bryant scored 28 points on 9-for-21 shooting to lead the Lakers, going it alone for extended stretches as his teammates misfired again and again.

The Lakers shot 42.2 percent (35for 83) by game's end after starting by missing 15 of their first 20shots. By halftime, they had missed 12 of 13 tries from beyond the 3-point arc. They did finish a credible 10 for 30 on 3s.

Reserves Vladimir Radmanovic, a forward who had 18points on 7-for-12 shooting, and Jordan Farmar, a guard who had 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, were the only Lakers to shoot better than 50 percent.

"Our defense was poor," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I railed against our offense because we weren't executing at all. Guys came down and they just didn't find the rhythm with their offense. (Boston) kept us off balance in the first half pretty well."

No Laker looked more out of sync than Lamar Odom.

Two nights after he trashed his own play in the Lakers' loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee, Odom had another poor game. He scored four points on 2-for-7 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in 32minutes against the Celtics.

Odom has had a difficult time adjusting to a new role, one that requires him to play without the ball in his hands more often than in the past.

The Lakers are pushing the ball up the court more frequently this season and playing less in their triangle offense.

"He needs to learn his way in this offense," Jackson said of Odom. "We'd like him to solve it immediately. But it was a hard one tonight. He had a number of opportunities. He just didn't go through with it."

The Lakers' troubles were too extensive to pin their loss on one player.

Plus, the Celtics had something to do with the Lakers' struggles, jumping out to a 9-2 lead and never trailing while delighting a sellout crowd of 18,624.

"Great team, great team," Bryant said when asked about the Celtics. "My reaction right now is that Danny (Ainge, Boston's general manager,) did a great job putting that team together. ... They do a great job of spreading the floor. They have a lot of shooters and every time they (pass) the ball, they seem like they (pass) to their snipers.

"They are a well-built team."

The Lakers, on the other hand, continue to be a work in progress.

"We will get better as the season goes on," Bryant promised.
 
Warriors' guard Troy Hudson missed his ninth consecutive game on Friday, as he deals with inflammation in his left hip. He is expected to sit out the next two contests, practice on Tuesday, and could even play on Wednesday at Sacramento.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_7548284?nclick_check=1

Nellie sick but makes presence felt
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched: 11/24/2007 02:59:28 AM PST

WASHINGTON -- Like Marlon Brando in "The Godfather," Warriors coach Don Nelson didn't have to speak loudly to make himself heard Friday night.

Fighting off the effects of a flu bug that left a mere fraction of his everyday voice, Nelson shared the reins for Golden State through the first three quarters before swooping in during the final period to get more hands-on in guiding the Warriors to a 123-115 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Assistant coach Keith Smart did the bulk of the coaching while Nelson stayed seated and conserved his energy. But when the Wizards tied the score for a final time, on a Caron Butler 3-pointer at the 3:25 mark of the fourth quarter, it was Nelson who was stalking the sideline, barking out orders to his players.

"Coach for the most part kind of laid-back for a little bit, but he saw that we were sluggish and we were going back and forth, and they were scoring and we were scoring," Warriors guard Baron Davis said. "He saw the flow of the game, the momentum shifting their way and he kind of stepped in and put his stamp down, the Nellie way."

The situation wasn't totally foreign to the Warriors. Nelson relinquished control of the team during its final preseason game, choosing to watch from the stands as Smart commanded a limited roster.

"He mentioned earlier today, 'You're going to have to do a lot today in the huddles and timeouts and things like that. I'm just going to sit here. I can't do a lot with my voice,'" Smart said.
Advertisement
"But he's been preparing me ever since he's been here. So when he tells me to be ready, I'm already ready no matter what."

Smart said that he and Nelson shared play-calling duties through much of the game -- Smart making the majority of decisions in the flow of the action, with Nelson telling Smart things he wanted to see during quieter moments -- until the fourth quarter came and Nelson was up off the bench.

"We could hear him, you just had to get close to him," Warriors guard Kelenna Azubuike said. "He lost his voice, he's not feeling that great, but sometimes the game is that intense where he just got up and had some stuff that he wanted to tell us, so he did."

Off the glass

Guard Troy Hudson (left hip inflammation) missed his ninth consecutive game and will most likely sit out the next two contests as well (today in Philadelphia and Monday in Oakland against Phoenix). However, he is planning on taking part in the Warriors' next practice, set for Tuesday, with hopes of playing Wednesday at Sacramento. "That's the plan -- if everything continues to progress," Hudson said. ... The Warriors wore their orange uniforms for the first time this season. Equipment manager Eric Housen made the decision because it was the day after Thanksgiving and the Warriors lost while clad in blue on Wednesday in Boston.

-- Geoff Lepper
 
Eddie Jones practiced in Friday's practice, but he's not expected to play until next week.

Ager is apparently DONE starting.

Avery Johnson seems to like Trenton Hassell's performance.

Mavericks playbook: Hassell's performance ends Ager experiment

Ager loses playing time to Hassell

By RAY BUCK
Star-Telegram staff writer


<!-- START /pubsys/production/story/story_assets.comp --> <script language="Javascript"> function PopupPic(sPicURL, sHeight, sWidth) { window.open( "http://media.star-telegram.com/popup.html?"+sPicURL, "", "resizable=1,HEIGHT=" +sHeight+ ",WIDTH=" +sWidth); } </script> <!-- photo or image available --> <!-- Start: /pubsys/production/story/assets/image_embedded.comp -->
<!-- Test to see if either credit_line or byline --> The Associated Press/Darron Cummings
<!-- End Test --> <!-- The Associated Press/Darron Cummings

--> Indiana's Danny Granger gets a handle on the ball, and Josh Howard's arm, while gathering a rebound during the Pacers' 111-107 victory Friday night.
<!-- End: /pubsys/production/story/assets/image_embedded.comp -->
<!-- Start: /pubsys/production/story/assets/image_thumbnail.comp --> <!-- End: /pubsys/production/story/assets/image_thumbnail.comp -->
<!-- no polls to display -->
<!-- END /pubsys/production/story/story_assets.comp --> INDIANAPOLIS -- Newcomer Trenton Hassell has given Avery Johnson ample reason to pull the plug early on the Maurice Ager's starting experiment.
Ager didn't get his five starts.
He got only three at small forward -- vs. San Antonio, Memphis and ever so briefly against Toronto.
But the change in Avery's plans has had more to do with Hassell... and less to do with Mo, if that makes sense.
"We tried Ager. We really wanted to give him five games," Johnson said Friday. "He had a little difficulty, but he's still a young [second-year] player and we still like where he is at this stage."
Hassell, making his second straight start and his third of the season, scored four of the Mavs' first six points. Ager mostly struggled in a seven-minute stint off the bench in the second quarter.
"[Hassell] has been pretty steady," Johnson said. "We got to stick with him for right now."
Hassell, who came to Dallas in a trade from Minnesota in September, has been cramming -- both picking up the system and improving his conditioning.
If you play for Avery Johnson, grow wings. Running the court is paramount.
Eddie not ready
This was supposed to be Eddie Jones' spot that Ager and Hassell keep trying to fill. The injured 14-year veteran (sore right leg) did, however, show a little progress Friday by running the court "hard" during the Mavs' shoot-around at Conseco Fieldhouse.
"But he's still not where I want him to be," Avery Johnson said.
Opposite directions
Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels were best of friends during their neophyte years with the Mavs. Since, they've gone in polar-opposite directions with their careers.
Hard to imagine Daniels received more minutes than Howard while playing for Don Nelson.
Daniels is now a hot-and-cold role player off the Pacers bench; Howard, a budding NBA star. Tortoise beats the hare again.
Briefly
Erick Dampier sat on the bench with a huge ice bag tucked under his warmup jacket. He played 10 first-half minutes but sat out the second half with an apparent "sore right shoulder."
Jerry Stackhouse was given the night off by Avery Johnson. Stack sat in street clothes. Reason: The team is in the midst of four games in five nights. This was No. 3... Stackhouse is 33.
Devin Harris continued his breakout season by sinking 8 of 8 free throws in a 14-point first half. Free-throw shooting has been the only smudge on the first-year starting point guard's quick start, but he went 13-for-14 from the line, with the 13 made free-throws tying a career high. Coming into the game, Harris was 37-of-47 (.787) from the line.
A Troy Murphy jumper near the arc early in the second quarter was mysteriously scored a 3-pointer, even though at least one clock official verified that he didn't see the referee raise his arms.
The Mavs were a bit late arriving at Canseco Fieldhouse when the driver of the team bus took a rather circuitous route in an attempt to avoid downtown Indy traffic. The bus ended up on a closed street.
Breakdown
Why the Pacers won: Indiana, playing without All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, had six players score in double figures, with Danny Granger hitting 25.
Why the Mavericks lost: After two consecutive games in which they rallied from double-figure deficits, they ran out of gas and luck against the Pacers.
Three keys
Poor shooting: The Mavericks were only 35-of-84 from the field, 41.7 percent. Even worse, they were 3-of-19 on 3-pointers with Jason Terry hitting 2 of 7 and six other players combining for 1 of 12.
Fatigue factor: After huge rallies in the past two games, the Mavericks had to be tired. Dirk Nowitzki played 42 minutes. In the past three games, he has averaged over 38 minutes.
Frustration: Mavericks coach Avery Johnson was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up two technical fouls for arguing with referee Bennett Salvatore over a foul call. Nowitzki also picked up a technical in the fourth quarter.
Mavericks at Bucks
8 tonight., Bradley Center
TV: FSN Southwest
Radio: ESPN/103.3; KFLC/1270 AM (Spanish)
Records: Mavericks 9-3; Bucks 6-4
Three keys
Harris is hot: Can Devin Harris keep his scoring spree going? He's averaged 20.4 points in his past four games.
Stay fresh: The Mavs might have a hard time keeping their energy level up. This game is the second of a back-to-back and the fourth game in five days for Dallas.
Seeing Redd: Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd is averaging 28 points in his past four games. The Mavs' perimeter defense will need to be sharp to take him out of the equation.
Scouting...Andrew Bogut
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft has been a disappointment as a pro. His lack of athleticism will hurt him when he faces high-motor big men DeSagana Diop and Brandon Bass. Bogut could struggle to reach his 8.1 rebounding average tonight.
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/321885.html
 
Note, Stackhouse sat out of Friday's game. He's not injured - he's just old, and the Mavs are finishing their 4th in 5 tonight.
 
http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/11781126.html

Donyell Marshall is out with a limp wrist for a few weeks.

Marshall finds sitting out hurts

So far, surgery not in plans for injured right wrist

By Brian Windhorst Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Saturday, Nov 24, 2007

INDEPENDENCE: It has been days since Donyell Marshall had to take a cortisone shot in his ailing right wrist, and he's still feeling the pain from the difficult procedure.

But the prospect of sitting on the sidelines for the next six to eight weeks feels equally discomforting.

The Cavs' hope that two weeks of rest would help the damage in Marshall's wrist didn't work. Step 2 was the shot, which came as a significant blow to the team's decimated corps of big men when the doctors made the diagnosis public this week.

No one directly is talking about a potential Step 3 and Marshall is deflecting the hints, but he already has had wrist surgery twice in his career.

''It's something that is going to need time. The rest didn't help it, so we had to go to the next step.'' Marshall said. ''We're trying to see how this goes. I don't think anyone has used the word surgery yet. We just want to stick with the rest and the cortisone. We'll see what happens.''

Marshall is going to remain with the team, including on the road. All he can do is cardio work, which can be done any
where, and he wants to contribute in any way that he can.

He said he has been trying to act like a player-coach on the bench.

''My focus is to just do what I need to do to get healthy,'' Marshall said.

''I'm going to hang with the team, I want to be there and cheer them on and be another coach. I've been able to talk to the players a little bit differently than the coach would. It helps me work on our leadership and my coaching game.''

Simmons still out

In other news about injured forwards, Cedric Simmons did not practice with the Cavs Friday and probably will miss today's game with the Toronto Raptors at home and Sunday's game at Indiana.

Simmons reinjured his left ankle last week. He already has missed the two games this week.

Pavlovic still struggling

Sasha Pavlovic has made six starts but has not shown he's back to the shape he was in at the end of last season. He's shooting 32 percent, and 11 percent on 3-pointers.

The Cavs would also like him to be more active as a rebounder. He's averaging 1.9 per game.

''He's getting a little bit better as time goes on.'' coach Mike Brown said. ''He's not shooting the ball as well as he has, he's not finishing as well as he has, he's not defending like he was at once point. But it is all coming.''

James' streak

Over the past four games, LeBron James has averaged 39.5 points on 55 percent shooting along, with 9.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Only three players in the NBA have scored 45 points in a game this season, and James is the only one to do it twice. He leads the NBA in scoring (30.9) by four points per game.

Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.

INDEPENDENCE: It has been days since Donyell Marshall had to take a cortisone shot in his ailing right wrist, and he's still feeling the pain from the difficult procedure.

But the prospect of sitting on the sidelines for the next six to eight weeks feels equally discomforting.

The Cavs' hope that two weeks of rest would help the damage in Marshall's wrist didn't work. Step 2 was the shot, which came as a significant blow to the team's decimated corps of big men when the doctors made the diagnosis public this week.

No one directly is talking about a potential Step 3 and Marshall is deflecting the hints, but he already has had wrist surgery twice in his career.

''It's something that is going to need time. The rest didn't help it, so we had to go to the next step.'' Marshall said. ''We're trying to see how this goes. I don't think anyone has used the word surgery yet. We just want to stick with the rest and the cortisone. We'll see what happens.''

Marshall is going to remain with the team, including on the road. All he can do is cardio work, which can be done any
where, and he wants to contribute in any way that he can.

He said he has been trying to act like a player-coach on the bench.

''My focus is to just do what I need to do to get healthy,'' Marshall said.

''I'm going to hang with the team, I want to be there and cheer them on and be another coach. I've been able to talk to the players a little bit differently than the coach would. It helps me work on our leadership and my coaching game.''

Simmons still out

In other news about injured forwards, Cedric Simmons did not practice with the Cavs Friday and probably will miss today's game with the Toronto Raptors at home and Sunday's game at Indiana.

Simmons reinjured his left ankle last week. He already has missed the two games this week.

Pavlovic still struggling

Sasha Pavlovic has made six starts but has not shown he's back to the shape he was in at the end of last season. He's shooting 32 percent, and 11 percent on 3-pointers.

The Cavs would also like him to be more active as a rebounder. He's averaging 1.9 per game.

page 2 here:
http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/11781126.html?page=2&c=y
 
Lebron has been his usual KING OF INCREDIBLE.

Over the past four games, LeBron James has averaged 39.5 points on 55 percent shooting along, with 9.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Only three players in the NBA have scored 45 points in a game this season, and James is the only one to do it twice. He leads the NBA in scoring (30.9) by four points per game.
 
Sene will get more minutes for Seattle

Mouhamed Sene, a second-year Sonics center, was concerned about being sent to Idaho for another stint in the NBA Developmental League. Nothing against the Stampede, it's just that Sene's dream is playing in the big leagues.

Well, until injuries clear up, Sene is going to see more minutes for the Sonics. He's averaging just 4.3 minutes in six games, but Kurt Thomas (right hamstring), Robert Swift (right knee/left foot) and Johan Petro (back strain) are all dealing with injuries that push Sene up in the interior rotation. Petro's return is uncertain while Swift is day-to-day.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2004032401_soniglance24.html
 
Back
Top