Even if they fail to make a trade before Thursday’s deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reinforcements on the way. Forward Leon Powe, signed during the offseason from Boston, could make his debut Thursday against Denver following summer knee surgery. Mo Williams may need a little more time, but isn’t far behind, and Delonte West is finding his rhythm after returning to the lineup in the…
The agent for Amare Stoudemire says he expects the All-Star power forward to be traded by Thursday’s deadline, with Cleveland and Miami the most likely destinations. Happy Walters told The Associated Press that it would make no sense for the Phoenix Suns not to trade Stoudemire only to see him walk away as a free agent at the end of the season.
The Golden State Warriors say star guard Monta Ellis will miss his third straight game with a sprained left knee. Ellis was examined on Tuesday in Alabama by Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed the original diagnosis of a mild left knee sprain. Ellis originally hurt the knee on Feb. 8 against Dallas. The team says he will not play Wednesday night against Sacramento and will be day to day after that.
Tom Wilson, who for more than three decades has been the face of one of the nation’s most successful sports and entertainment enterprises, resigned as president and CEO of the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment on Wednesday. Wilson said that after the death last year of Pistons owner Bill Davidson, the time was right to move on.
Charlotte Bobcats starting center Nazr (NAH’-zee) Mohammed has sat out the latest practice because of lingering back spasms, but is hopeful to play against Cleveland. Mohammed was limited in the second half of Tuesday’s loss to New Jersey. He said after Wednesday’s practice that it’s been a lingering problem, but his plan is to play against the Cavaliers on Friday.
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has been diagnosed with neck and throat cancer and likely will miss some NBA games and practices while undergoing a rigorous six-week treatment program of radiation and chemotherapy. His voice breaking at times, Karl revealed the diagnosis late Tuesday with his doctor, Jacques Saari, at his side and surrounded by his team and members of the Nuggets organization.
Every time Kobe Bryant misses a game — which isn’t often — the Los Angeles Lakers give another example of how much championship depth they have. Shannon Brown set career highs with 27 points and 10 rebounds while starting in Bryant’s place, and the Lakers kept rolling with a 104-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.
The Portland Trail Blazers went through a lot of changes Tuesday. The one they enjoyed most was getting back to their winning ways at home after beating the Los Angeles Clippers 109-87. Portland, which lost four of its past six home games before the All-Star break, had little trouble putting away the struggling Clippers, who have lost five consecutive games.
Caron Butler was hitting shots, Brendan Haywood was making a difference inside and the new-look Dallas Mavericks were rolling along. Then, the Oklahoma City Thunder roared back with an offensive flurry and their stingy defense to run away with a seventh straight victory. Kevin Durant had 25 points and 14 rebounds, rookie reserve James Harden added 17 points and Oklahoma City spoiled the debut of…
In need of help in the middle, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Marcus Camby to fill the void left by injuries to Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla. Portland sent guard Steve Blake and forward Travis Outlaw to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday for Camby, a 14-year veteran who is second in the league in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots.