:: Today's NBA Rumors (courtesy of Yahoo! Sports) ::
(Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:06:07 PDT)
The incident that got Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas(notes) into so much trouble involved a few unloaded guns from his collection The word is the folks in D.C. should just be happy that Arenas didn't bring in his whole set to show off to his teammates.
Arenas told Esquire that he had "about four to five hundred guns." He apparently bought the whole thing from a guy in his 70s and then added to it. He says he didn't need a permit to keep them in his house but then got freaked out when his kids arrived there and put all but four into storage. Guess he's wishing he hadn't kept those last four out right about now.
And something that will surely not make commissioner David Stern happy is Arenas tells Esquire about the meeting he had with Stern to discuss that now famous locker-room incident with Javaris Crittenton(notes). Arenas says he spoke about the incident for three minutes with Stern and then they discussed "what he wants to do with the league." Arenas supposedly told Stern, "Anything that happens in my life, I'm always looking to see, 'What can I make funny out of this?' " He also supposedly told Stern that he knew he needed to be made an example of and Stern told him that he wasn't trying to make an example of Arenas. "He said, ‘I know your personality. I've got to get you out of the limelight because you're not gonna let it go. When you come back, then we build,' " Arenas told Esquire.
Wonder how eager Stern will be to build with Arenas after this.
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(Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:27:03 PDT)
The Chicago Bulls got beat up by the Miami Heat the other night, 108-95, but that's not the only thing that's bugging Bulls rookie forward Taj Gibson(notes). He said Dwyane Wade hit him well after the whistle was blown on one particular play in the third quarter, according to ESPN.
"It was a dirty play," Gibson told ESPN. "Dwyane and a couple other guys undercut me. I was just pissed because the referee saw it and he just asked me, Are you OK? I was like, Am I OK? I was just [angry]. I just learned how to control my anger because I'm a rookie. I'm not going to explode on anybody at that time. I felt like exploding at them because that was a dangerous play. The play was over for at least a minute, minute and a half. He just ran up on me."
Welcome to the big-time, Taj.
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(Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:46:40 PDT)
Pistons' Stuckey returning Thursday?
Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey(notes) collapsed on the bench in the second half of a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month and got taken out of the place on a stretcher.
The word was that he might miss the rest of the season, but now the Detroit Free Press is saying that Stuckey could be back at practice on Thursday. Pistons coach John Kuester said as much in pregame comments before the Boston Celtics game Monday night.
There doesn't seem to be an explanation just yet of why Stuckey collapsed. So Stuckey, who is averaging 17.1 points and five assists per game, will apparently watch the team's next game Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers and then hit the floor Thursday and see what happens.
Follow Yahoo! Sports Rumors on Twitter at @markjmill.
(Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:01:31 PDT)
Knicks turning to rookie point guard?
Last summer, the New York Knicks were deep into negotiations to sign point guard Ramon Sessions(notes) but a deal couldn't be worked out with then restricted free agent of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The sticking point was the Knicks didn't want to commit too much cash past this year for fear of not having enough bucks to offer the big-name free agents that will be available: LeBron James(notes), Chris Bosh(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes), possibly Amar'e Stoudemire(notes), and so on.
Things haven't gone well for the Knicks without Sessions. Nate Robinson(notes) clearly didn't work out and Chris Duhon(notes) hasn't either. So the Knicks are apparently ready to put the ball into the hands of a rookie point guard for the rest of the season, according to the New York Post.
The Knicks drafted Toney Douglas(notes) out of Florida State after paying the Los Angeles Lakers $3 million for the draft pick last summer. Who knows? He could end up being the starter next season if none of those big names available want to come try and save the Knicks. He's got 16 games to prove he can do it.
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(Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:34:53 PST)
Larry Brown tells Sixers not to fire Jordan just yet
It seems clear the Philadelphia 76ers are going to fire head coach Eddie Jordan at some point in the near future, either shortly or at season's end. The rumor is Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown (who once coached the Sixers) told team owner Comcast-Spectacor chief Ed Snider not to can Jordan until the season ends, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brown supposedly advised Snider to hang onto Jordan for the remainder of the season and get his younger players such as Jodie Meeks(notes), Jason Smith(notes), Jrue Holiday(notes) and Thaddeus Young(notes) as much playing time as possible now to help them next year.
Some in the Sixers camp believe keeping Jordan will likely lead to a few more losses and possibly a higher seed in the draft lottery.
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(Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:16:11 PST)
Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) can opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent or he can stick around and make $17 million from the Phoenix Suns next year. He's saying that he'd like to stay in Arizona if the team can "meet his number," according to the Arizona Republic.
A maximum contract extension would have him making $17 million next year and then 10 percent more each season throughout the contract.
The team is apparently happy with his play and Steve Nash(notes) would like to see Stoudemire with the Suns for the long haul. He works well with center Robin Lopez(notes) and he's all about basketball. The team has a four-day break and he's on a "vegan fast" in order to "purify" his body and be ready for the last push toward the playoffs.
Such purity has added up to an average of 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season.
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(Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:13:21 PST)
D'Antoni not planning to change Knicks staff
After a 97-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, the New York Knicks have guaranteed their ninth straight losing season. Three of those have come under coach Mike D'Antoni but he's apparently not planning to change his coaching staff, according to the New York Daily News.
The word is that general manager Donnie Walsh is growing concerned about the team's lousy defense. So maybe this summer the team will try to bring in a free agent or two that has some decent defensive credentials. But there is also talk that it wouldn't be the worst idea for D'Antoni to try and find some new assistant coaches.
"We're not throwing anybody under the bus," D'Antoni told the paper. "That's not going to happen."
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(Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:39:54 PST)
Magic coveting Clippers' Steve Blake?
It's hard to imagine anybody coveting any player on the 25-39 Los Angeles Clippers right now, but the Orlando Magic is apparently thinking that it would like to add Clips point guard Steve Blake(notes) this summer, according to FanHouse.
Blake stepped into the starting lineup Tuesday night to replace the hurting Baron Davis(notes) and ended up with 11 points, two rebounds, five assists and one steal. Nine of those points came through three-pointers.
The Magic need a point guard to play behind Jameer Nelson(notes) and the 30-year-old Blake is apparently the guy they'd like to have filling that role. Current Magic point-guard backups Jason Williams(notes) and Anthony Johnson(notes) become free agents this summer and the team apparently doesn't want to re-sign them.
"I have a lot of respect for the Magic and their coach [Stan Van Gundy],'' Blake told FanHouse. "But I'm not going to worry about that until this summer. I take pride in being able to give a team what it needs in any role.''
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(Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:41:46 PST)
Pistons' Stuckey out for season?
Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey(notes) collapsed on the bench Friday in the second half of a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Plenty of tests have been done on the 23-year-old since then and he may have to miss the rest of the season, according to the Detroit News.
"I'm good, everything is good," Stuckey told the paper, but also pointed out that nobody seemed to have an explanation as to what happened on Friday. The Pistons take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and it's not clear if Stuckey will be in that game or any other the rest of the season. "I got to talk to the doctors and figure that out," Stuckey said.
More tests are scheduled for Stuckey in Motor City.
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(Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:31:57 PST)
76ers planning to fire coach Jordan
The Philadelphia 76ers are very likely to fire coach Eddie Jordan when the season finally comes to a close, if not before, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The word is that team owner Comcast-Spectacor's chairman, Ed Snider, wanted to send Jordan packing earlier this season but didn't do it because he had already fired the head coach of another Philadelphia team his organization owns earlier this season. That firing was done to John Stevens, the former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Snider also may fire 76ers GM Ed Stefanski when the season ends. Why not get it over with now, Ed? After all, the most-talented crop of free agents ever will be available this summer and you don't want to waste time groping around for new folks for the front office while everybody else is spending that same time making their plans on how to get some of this talent onto their squads.
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