Anderson Varejao suffers ankle injury

Cavs forward Anderson Varejao(notes)  injured his right ankle on Tuesday and was taken to the hospital, but he will miss just one week.

Varejao reportedly suffered the injury against Spain when former Magic draft pick Fran Vasquez landed on Varejao’s leg. Tests showed Varejao will only miss one week.

Varejao is a critical component of a loaded Brazilian squad at the FIBA World Championship. Varejao is joined by fellow NBA players Leandro Barbosa(notes) (Raptors), Tiago Splitter(notes) (Spurs) and Nene Hilario(notes) (Nuggets) on Brazil’s national team.

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Cavs’ Varejao OK after ankle sprain

CLEVELAND (AP)—The Cleveland Cavaliers have had enough surprises this summer. Anderson Varejao(notes)  gave them another—and a minor scare.

Varejao sprained his right ankle while playing for Brazil’s national team in Spain on Wednesday, but the Cavs’ big man is not expected to miss any time. Varejao rolled his ankle in a collision with Spanish forward Fran Vazquez during an exhibition in Logrno, Spain.

The 6-foot-11 forward was taken for tests, including an MRI, which was negative. A spokeswoman for Brazil’s team said Varejao is expected to play against France as the Brazilians tune up for the world championships, which begin Aug. 28 in Turkey.

Cavs general manager Chris Grant said the team has been in contact with Varejao. He explained to them what happened and confirmed X-rays and that the MRI was negative. Grant said the Cavs have not yet examined the medical tests and are still gathering information.

“Andy said he’s OK, that it was more of a scare,” Grant said.

One of the NBA’s top reserves and one of Cleveland’s most popular players, Varejao averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 76 games—seven starts—for the Cavaliers last season. New coach Byron Scott will be counting on him even more following the off-season departures of LeBron James(notes) and Shaquille O’Neal(notes).

This is the second time Varejao has been hurt playing for his national team. In 2005, he dislocated his shoulder during a world championship qualifying game against the United States.

Stephen Curry sprains ankle in practice

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry(notes)  suffered a left ankle sprain in Team USA practice on Wednesday, NBA.com reports.

Curry’s ankle sprain is described as mild and he’s listed as day-to-day. The injury puts Curry’s spot on the USA roster in doubt as the team practices in Madrid. He is believed to be competing with Clippers guard Eric Gordon(notes) and Thunder guard Russell Westbrook(notes) for a spot.

If Curry misses the cut—ankle injury or not—it would mean the loss of one of the team’s top perimeter shooters. Curry hit 43.7 percent from 3-point range during his rookie season with the Warriors.

Team USA’s next scrimmage is against Lithuania on Aug. 21.

(Yahoo)

dok drugi hoce u NBA ...

Rudy Fernandez: Wants to Play in Europe

Update: Fernandez’s agent says he will not return to the Trailblazers next season and wants to play in Europe, Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears reports.

Recommendation: After a disappointing second season with Portland, it appears Fernandez has no desire to remain in the NBA. Fernandez will likely play somewhere in Europe next season, but there is a possibility he could return to the NBA down the road. Fernandez’s fantasy value in anything but deep keeper leagues will be nil.

(Yahoo)

Grizzlies getting trade offers for Xavier Henry

The Memphis Grizzlies have received several trade offers for still-unsigned first round draft pick Xavier Henry(notes)  as the two sides continue to muddle through a contract stalemate, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Henry, the 12th overall pick in this summer's draft, is balking at the Grizzlies' incentive-laden offer. But Memphis ownership is insisting that Henry isn't going anywhere. Or at the very least, that Henry isn't going anywhere simply to end a contract dispute.

"I'm not looking to trade him just to trade him," Heisley said, according to the Commercial Appeal. "I'm not angry with him. I expect him to play. He's going to have an opportunity to play a lot, and we need him. So my reaction to this is I'm expecting we'll get something done and he'll play for us this season."

Unlike other professional sports leagues like MLB or NFL, the NBA has strict guidelines for rookie compensation. The league sets a rookie scale based on where a player is selected, and teams can pay the player anywhere between 80-and 120-percent of that total. According to the Commercial Appeal, the team has offered Henry 100 percent of the scale and incentives that could bring his wage up to the full 120 percent.

The performance incentives include summer league participation, a two-week workout program with the team's training staff and reaching one of these three conditions: playing in the Rookie/sophomore game during the NBA's All-Star weekend, earning an All-Rookie selection or averaging at least 15 minutes per game in at least 70 games.

Heisley believes the incentive-laden offer is within the spirit of the league's collective bargaining agreement.

"Isn't it reasonable to think that the 12th pick in the NBA draft can make the rookie team?" Heisley told the Commercial Appeal . "I think what we're asking for is reasonable."

But Henry's agent, Arn Tellem, is balking at the offer. Tellem advised Henry to sit out the summer league, saying he'd accept conditioning incentives, but that bonuses based on performance go too far. According to Tellem, only one player has accepted a performance-based incentive since the NBA instituted the rookie wage scale in 1995.

"Basic fairness and equality are fundamental aspects of every positive organization-player relationship, and those concepts are totally absent from the Grizzlies' current proposal to Xavier," Tellem told the AP. He also said no other player selected in the 2010 draft is being asked to accept performance incentives.

Memphis, which also hasn't signed 28th overall pick Greivis Vasquez(notes), signed both of last year's first-round picks to 120 percent of the rookie scale without demanding performance incentives. The team holds exclusive negotiating rights with Henry until 2013.

Henry, who averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in his only season in college at Kansas, has stated he'd be happy to play for Memphis, but it also willing to go anywhere the team might send him.

"Whatever team I go to, I'm going to try to bring my best," Henry told the AP. "If it is Memphis, I'm still going to try to bring my best even though this contract thing is going on, because I know the coaches have called me, they're saying it's just like the owner and the organization, so it's not them saying we don't want to pay you 120 percent. So I still know my coaches and my teammates want me there, so I'm going to give them my best effort."

(yahoo)

Murphy happy to become member of Nets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—When Troy Murphy(notes)  was a kid growing up in Sparta, N.J., he was a die-hard fan of the New Jersey Nets.

Now he gets to play for them.

Murphy was traded the Nets last week as part of a four-team deal, and after nine years spent with the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, it appears that the 6-foot-11 forward will start this season for New Jersey.

“They were my team,” Murphy said of growing up. “I used to love to watch Chris Morris launch those shots from out of bounds during warm-ups. I liked the team with Keith Van Horn(notes) and Jayson Williams. That team was on the rise and I really liked them. I always wanted to play.”

Murphy has averaged 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game over his career. His best season came in 2004-05 with the Warriors, when he averaged 15.4 points and 10.8 rebounds. Murphy also can make the 3-point shot, shooting almost 40 percent from long range for his career.

“It’s really a dream come true for me,” he said Thursday at the team’s practice facility. “It’s the team that I followed growing up. I never thought this was possible.”

Murphy is in the final year of his contract and will make $11.9 million this season.

“At the end of the season, I thought I’d be moved,” said Murphy, who averaged 14.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in 72 games for Indiana last season. “As the summer went on, I was expecting to go back to Indiana, but then this happened and I’m very excited about it.”

Murphy has maintained his offseason home in New York, so he’s thrilled to be back home.

General manager Billy King said the Nets were the ones who initiated the trade talks with Indiana to acquire Murphy. Indiana wanted a point guard in return, so he then got other teams involved to complete the deal.

“I’d like to say that we planned it that way, but I certainly can say I thought of it,” said King, who was brought in last month to replace Rod Thorn as GM. “We were looking for a guy who could shoot the 3 and could rebound. The bonus is that he’s from New Jersey. We were looking for a power forward and I thought the perfect fit was Troy. So I made the call.”

The rest of the deal saw the Nets send shooting guard Courtney Lee(notes) to Houston, the Pacers getting point guard Darren Collison(notes) and swingman James Posey(notes) from New Orleans, and swingman Trevor Ariza(notes) going from Houston to New Orleans.

The Nets took on Murphy’s salary and shipped Lee’s $1.4 million salary to Houston.

“It really was a unique situation,” King said. “I think everyone got what they wanted. If that happens, then it’s a good trade.”

Murphy said that he was looking forward to playing for new Nets coach Avery Johnson, who was Murphy’s teammate when the two played in Golden State.

“When I was playing with Avery, I knew he would end up being a coach,” said the 29-year-old Murphy. “He always had suggestions and sort of looked after me. I liked playing with him and I look forward to playing for him. I think I fit in well with this team. I’m happy to be here. The pieces are in place to have a significantly better season this year.”

Murphy will also be asked to be a mentor to their first-round draft pick Derrick Favors(notes).

“It doesn’t bother me,” Murphy said. “He’s young and going to be a great player.”

King said that he spoke to Murphy about his role with the team and that the expiring contract does not automatically mean Murphy will be a Net for only one season.

“We talked about the future,” King said. “We don’t look at this for just one year. At the end of this year, we’ll sit down and discuss another contract. We don’t look at him as a one-year guy.”

... a onda i dobiju kaznu

Blazers’ Fernandez fined $25K for comments

The NBA on Thursday fined Portland Trail Blazers  guard Rudy Fernandez(notes)  $25,000 for comments made by his agent about Fernandez's desire to be traded or released.

The league said in a statement that Fernandez was being fined "for public statements detrimental to the NBA." ESPN.com reported that the league is investigating Fernandez and his agent, Andy Miller, for possible violations of the league's rules about threatening a holdout.

Fernandez is in Spain ignoring phone calls from the Trail Blazers, ESPN.com reported, but Miller told multiple media outlets his client wants to go to a team that will give him more playing time.

Blazers coach Nate McMillan made efforts to reach out to his disgruntled player, but his phone calls went unanswered. Fernandez is in his native Spain ahead of the FIBA world championships and will be facing Team USA in an exhibition Sunday.

"I've tried to contact Rudy, and he hasn't returned calls [since the season ended]," McMillan told ESPN.com. "So we'll just have to see what happens. We're looking to improve our team at all times, but I don't know what's going to happen."

Miller has been spreading the word that Fernandez plans to hold out if he is not traded, and that Fernandez would rather play in Europe than play for Portland. Miller said if a trade isn't made, Fernandez wants to be released from his contract so he can play in Spain. Fernandez, who had back surgery in December, is frustrated with his role on the team after watching his minutes and production decline slightly in his second season in the NBA.

The Blazers have fielded offers for Fernandez but have yet to find one to their liking, and new general manager Rich Cho is in no rush to unload Fernandez. Portland was offered middle-first round pick for the 2010 draft, but then general manager Kevin Pritchard declined all the offers.

"All I can do now is stand on the rooftop and scream, 'He's not coming!' He's just not coming back. I've made that clear," Miller said, according to ESPN. "I would like to have an amicable divorce."

Miller added that Fernandez has grown disillusioned with playing in the NBA after this process.

It is against league policy to publicly demand a trade. Stephen Jackson(notes) and Nate Robinson(notes) were both hit with fines last year for breaking the policy. Both players were eventually traded.

(Yahoo)

Ex-NBA star Williams pleads guilty in DWI case

NEW YORK (AP)—A chastened Jayson Williams admitted Friday he was driving drunk when he slammed his SUV into a tree, capping years of legal and personal problems with a guilty plea that adds more time behind bars for the already imprisoned former NBA star.

His voice sometimes unsteady, Williams apologized to his family and said he was working to rebuild his life as he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in the Jan. 5 crash.

His one-year sentence—the maximum for the misdemeanor offense—will follow the five-year prison term he’s serving in New Jersey for accidentally shooting and killing a limo driver.

“It seems excessive, but it’s a small price to pay if it helps to deter drunk driving,” Williams, 42, said in a Manhattan court. “I’ll be the poster child for that if it’s going to save lives.”

“I’m doing the best I can in New Jersey so this will never happen again,” added Williams, dressed in a tan inmate uniform. He nodded to supporters, including his frail mother, before being led out of court.

The former New Jersey Net was a top player with a six-year, $86 million contract before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. A first-round NBA draft pick in 1990, he played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets. He averaged 10 or more rebounds a game in his final four NBA seasons and was named to an All-Star team.

Two years after retiring, he killed chauffeur Costas Christofi with a 12-gauge shotgun while showing it to friends, having failed to check the weapon’s safety mechanism. Williams then wiped down the weapon and placed it in Christofi’s hands, stripped off his own clothes, handed them to a friend and jumped into his pool, according to testimony. Williams’ lawyers said his actions were driven by panic.

The shooting marked the start of a cascade of troubles for Williams, who was promptly suspended from his post-basketball job as an NBA analyst for NBC.

While the case surrounding the shooting lingered after a 2004 mistrial on a top count, his wife filed for divorce last year, and police used a stun gun on him in a New York hotel after a female friend said he was acting suicidal.

He was charged with assault in May 2009 after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped.

In November, Williams’ father, E.J., with whom he owned a construction business, died in South Carolina.

The SUV wreck happened the week before Williams pleaded guilty in New Jersey to aggravated assault in Christofi’s death. He began serving his prison term in February and is making progress in counseling, alcohol-abuse, problem-solving and leadership programs, said his lawyer, Oscar Holt III.

“His life spiraled downward, but it’s now back on the rise,” Holt said. He said Williams was disappointed in the sentence but relieved to put the case behind him.

Also disappointed was Williams’ estranged wife, Tanya Young Williams, who wasn’t in court and said she learned of his decision to plead guilty only afterward—with no time to prepare their daughters, 6 and 7, for the news.

“It’s going to be tough for them to understand another year,” she said by telephone. “Every time he’s in the news for something, it does affect my family. … I pray that he gets back to whoever that person was before all the chaos took over his life.”

Williams had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he was taken to a hospital after his SUV hurtled off a highway exit ramp and across a street near Manhattan’s East Village around 3 a.m., prosecutors said.

“He came within seconds of striking a car that was pulled up to a traffic light,” Assistant District Attorney William Beesch said.

Police found him sitting in the passenger seat. He told them someone else was driving and had left, but prosecutors said surveillance video and witnesses established he had been alone in the car.

Many first-time DWI offenders don’t get jail time. Holt urged Criminal Court Judge Rita Mella to disregard prosecutors’ push for the maximum penalty for Williams, saying his client was committed to sobriety and will serve as an effective advocate against drinking and driving.

Mella said she was “considering all the factors that I must in this case” as she imposed the one-year jail term—and ordered Williams to pay the city more than $16,600 for replacing the tree.

If he’s granted parole in New Jersey and then gets time off for good behavior in New York, Williams could end up paring his total time behind bars to a little over two years.

Earl Boykins: Signs With Bucks

Update: Boykins signed a contract with the Bucks on Friday, the team’s official site reports.

Recommendation: The diminutive point guard will team up with Keyon Dooling(notes) as experienced veteran backups to Brandon Jennings(notes). He’s lightning-quick and can be dangerous offensively, but his 5-5 height makes him a defensive liability. With both Jennings and Dooling in the picture, Boykins will be hard-pressed to provide any fantasy value.

(Yahoo)

Delonte West: Suspended 10 Games

Update: The NBA suspended West for 10 games on Friday for pleading guilty to weapons charges in Maryland, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Recommendation: West is currently unemployed, and this punishment certainly won’t make him more attractive to potential suitors. Still, he’s drawn interest from several teams and will likely land a reserve role somewhere.

(Yahoo)

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