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[CR9]

Rose sidelined for Bulls with sprained toe

CHICAGO (AP) -- Derrick Rose was ruled out of the Chicago Bulls' game Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards because of a sprained left big toe.
Rose hurt the toe during the first quarter Tuesday night in a win at Minnesota but stayed in the game. Rose scored a season-high 31 points against the Timberwolves and is averaging 20.7 points and 8.6 assists during the Bulls' 9-2 start.
"It's a pain tolerance thing. It's a sprain. He's gotten a lot of treatment. He usually responds very well to treatment," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game.
"It's when the pain subsides when he can play."
Thibodeau said the Bulls hope Rose will be ready Friday night at Boston.
Chicago also was without injured guards Richard Hamilton (groin) and C.J. Watson (elbow) Wednesday night for its third game in three nights. Earlier Wednesday, the Bulls signed veteran guard Mike James for depth. John Lucas III was slated to start at point guard in Rose's place and starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer can also move over and play that position.

[CR9]

Spurs waive Diogu, sign Thomas from D-League

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs waived former lottery pick Ike Diogu and signed forward Malcolm Thomas from the NBA's D-League on Wednesday.
The Spurs switched out the two big men while coach Gregg Popovich continues to try to beef up his thin frontcourt. San Antonio began the season with only Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair as options at center or forward.
Thomas is a 6-foot-9 rookie who played with Spurs swingman Kawhi Leonard at San Diego State last season. Leonard was drafted 15th overall and may get his first start against Houston on Wednesday.
Diogu played sparingly in two games after being signed Jan. 3.

[CR9]

Horror of Haiti quake still on mind of Rockets' Dalembert


HOUSTON (AP) -- Samuel Dalembert stepped off the plane and barely recognized the land where he grew up.
Two frantic days after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake rumbled across his native Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, the veteran NBA center returned to the Caribbean nation and could hardly absorb the chaos and horror.
Victims missing limbs lying helplessly in the littered streets. Children covered in blood, screaming for their parents. Buildings pulverized and homes crushed into twisted piles of rubble.
"You felt like this was the end," Dalembert recalls. "It's like the end of Earth."
Dalembert lost a cousin and several close friends among the estimated 300,000 killed. Another 1.5 million residents were left homeless. Roads were impassable. Communication was impossible.
"You looked at the country," Dalembert remembers, "you felt like it was Armageddon. It was devastating."
Two years later, the NBA's only Haitian-born player prays for progress, while tempering his frustration that more hasn't been done to rebuild his crippled country.
Recently signed by the Houston Rockets, the 6-foot-11 Dalembert is on a mission to help, donating about $650,000 and establishing a foundation for relief efforts and putting down $1 million out of his own pocket to break ground on a sports academy for Haitian children.
"I know I'm not going to be able to save the whole place," he said. "But I know that I can make a difference in some young one's life, and give them hope."
The 30-year-old Dalembert made four trips back home this summer while the NBA's labor dispute lingered. He estimates that the country is "about 20 percent" back to the way it used to be.
President Michel Martelly acknowledged this week that the rebuilding process has been slow, and that he has made mistakes since he was elected last May.
Dalembert has become acquainted with Martelly, a pop star in Haiti when Dalembert was a boy, and he's optimistic that the new president has put the reconstruction on the right track.
"My buddy has become president of the country now, and he's tried to really make a change," Dalembert said with a proud grin. "He's really tried to make things move in. Sometimes, you've got parties that try to hold things down and try to get their own people in. It's politicking and I try to stay away from that."
Before the disaster, Dalembert took classes at Stanford on how to start a charitable foundation to aid his already impoverished country. It launched in 2007. But when he witnessed the scope of the catastrophe three years later, the foundation kicked into high gear, and he began mapping out plans for the first of several community centers that he wants to model after YMCAs in America.
A former first-round pick, Dalembert felt compelled once he reached the NBA to use his fame and wealth to give back to his fellow Haitians, a lesson his parents instilled in him.
He has been an active participant in the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Program, a campaign aimed at improving education, health and fitness for young people around the world, and has worked in the aftermath of the earthquake with Medishare, a Miami-based nonprofit agency trying to improve health care in Haiti.
"Looking back, and you say, 'Wow, God kind of gave you this opportunity, coming away from there and being in the league,"' he said. "I take pride in that. I feel like I'm very blessed, and I'll continue to do the best I can and help."
The country was hardly well off before the earthquake, and Dalembert has vivid memories of his own hard-scrabble upbringing.
Food was sparse and when someone cooked, the children shared their paltry portions without hesitation. Electricity was even scarcer, and controlled by the government, so when Dalembert cracked the books to study mathematics, history and Latin it was by candlelight most of the time.
"When they did give back electricity, one time a week, or maybe one time every two weeks," he said, "Mom's trying to iron as many clothes as she can for the days to come, because you don't know the next time they are going to give it back to you."
He moved to Canada with family members as a teenager, found his passion in basketball and earned a scholarship to play at Seton Hall. Dalembert became a shot-blocking specialist in college, and the Philadelphia 76ers took him in the first round of the 2001 draft.
He's in his 10th NBA season now, a respected presence in the Rockets locker room after less than a month with the team. His fierce national pride emerges when he talks about Haiti, even as he opens up about the most painful memories.
Dalembert smiles when he thinks about the country's future, the faith that he puts in Martelly and the resolve of Haiti's people.
"It's in our blood. It's in our blood to fight, and get things," he said. "We basically learn to operate under stressful situations, and we keep on moving, we keep walking on the same path and we're hoping for a better future. If it doesn't happen, hey, life continues."
But he also worries about the safety of family members who remain there, though much of his family has moved to Miami, and a younger brother is going to school in Philadelphia.
Dalembert tried to convince his father, a retired former government official, to leave. Emmanuel Dalembert refused.
"He said, 'Son, in all the life you're living, there's one time you can see your country can be rebuilt,"' Samuel Dalembert said. "Some people never live to see that. He said, 'I will never leave this country, and I will be there.' He's a patriotic guy."
Samuel understands.
"It's like when I go back home," he said. "You see your youth, you've got that sense of pride in you, and you be like, 'Wow, this is my country.'
"I always tell some of those kids, 'Listen, there are countries out there who were not independent until this day,"' he said, "and the only thing you can say is, 'This country is yours, and you've got to make the best of it."'

[CR9]

Mavs' Carlisle ejected after back-to-back techs


BOSTON (AP) -- Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was ejected Wednesday night against Boston after picking up back-to-back technical fouls in the third quarter.
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Carlisle was tossed when he ran down the sideline, over midcourt, to complain to the officials.
He left the game with 10:34 to play in the third quarter.
It's the second time an opposing coach has been ejected against the Celtics. Washington coach Flip Saunders was tossed just 1:46 into last week's game in Boston.

[CR9]

76ers' Hawes out with strained lower back


NEW YORK (AP) -- Starting center Spencer Hawes missed the Philadelphia 76ers' game in New York on Wednesday night because of a strained lower back.
Tony Battie started for Hawes, who was hurt Tuesday night in a victory over Sacramento. He played 11 scoreless minutes before sitting out the second half.
Hawes has been one of the keys to the 76ers' 7-2 start, averaging 11.1 points and a team-leading 9.1 rebounds.

[OnePiece]

Retired basketball star Yao goes into politics


Posted Jan 16 2012 2:49AM



SHANGHAI (AP) -- Retired NBA star Yao Ming has added another line to his post-basketball resume -- politician -- becoming a member of an advisory body to Shanghai's legislature.

Since the 31-year-old Yao announced last July that injuries had ended his career with the Houston Rockets, he has become a university student and set up a wine business to go with owning a professional basketball team in China.
Photos in official media on Monday showed Yao at the weekend closing ceremony for the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee.
"There are about 142 members in the group, and Yao is the youngest," Kong Rong, who works in the service office of committee, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
The advisory committee does not have any real power, but the newspaper said Yao is supposed to attend regular meetings, and can make suggestions for the advisory body and government departments.
Yao was quoted as saying "raising proposals is very serious business, and I do not want to be hasty."
It is common for sports figures to move into politics in China. Olympic gold medal hurdler Liu Xiang is a member of both the Shanghai and national political advisory bodies.
Yao, one of the most popular celebrities in China from his eight seasons in the NBA, is a student at Jiaotong University, one of the top universities in his hometown Shanghai.
In November, he released the first-ever bottles of his new Yao Ming-branded wine, a 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon currently available only in mainland China, where the market for imported wines has boomed over the past decade.

[OnePiece]

Clippers' Paul questionable Monday with strained hamstring

Posted Jan 15 2012 8:55PM


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul strained his left hamstring in the fourth quarter against the Lakers on Saturday night and an MRI done Sunday was negative.

The team says Paul is day-to-day and is questionable for Monday's game against New Jersey.
Paul is averaging 18.0 points, 8.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 37.3 minutes in nine games for the Clippers, who beat Miami and the Lakers in their last two games.

[OnePiece]

Jazz forward Howard out with strained calf

Posted Jan 15 2012 7:47PM


DENVER (AP) -- Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard will not play Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets because of a strained left calf muscle.

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said the injury flared up sometime Sunday and did not occur during Utah's win over New Jersey on Saturday night. Howard had four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes against the Nets.
Howard has come off the bench in all 11 games for the Jazz this season. He is averaging 10.7 points in his first year with Utah.

[OnePiece]

Wade still out for Heat as they prepare for Spurs

Posted Jan 15 2012 4:13PM


MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade is hurting. His team has lost three in a row. And the schedule is not going to provide any breaks any time soon.
The season's first official rough patch has arrived for the Miami Heat.
Some Heat players hit the practice court on Sunday, Wade not among them. He was in the building, getting treatment on the right ankle he sprained in Friday's loss to Denver - one of three lower body injuries he's dealing with of late, including a sore left foot and strained calf. There was no formal word on whether Wade would play Tuesday against San Antonio, but it's seems the Heat are preparing to be without the 2006 NBA finals MVP.
"He needs to get healthy," forward Chris Bosh said. "That's the most important thing. He's been pushing it. He's been giving us everything he has. And unfortunately in the last game, he turned his ankle. But sometimes things happen. He probably needed to sit down and rest in the first place. Sometimes an injury will do that to you. It's a blessing in disguise. We need to be healthy when it's time to make a run in the playoffs.
"He needs to just chill out right now, get better and we'll hold it down until he can come back," Bosh added.
Wade was not on the practice court for Sunday's media availability. Coach Erik Spoelstra said there is no timetable for Wade's return, neither ruling him out for Tuesday nor suggesting he may be gone for a while.
"He's up walking around. He's working out right now downstairs," Spoelstra said. "But we're not going to put a timetable on when he comes back. Thankfully he's not in a cast or boot. He is walking around. So we'll see. We'll see how he responds each day and we'll go from there."
Wade was hurt late in the Denver loss, which capped a five-game road swing for Miami. The Heat were an NBA-best 8-1 after starting the trip with wins in Atlanta and New Jersey, then stumbled in overtime losses at Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers, and closed the trip by allowing the Nuggets to shoot 55 percent from the floor - Miami's worst showing in that department, by far, this season.
"You just have to get through adversity," Bosh said. "We knew we were going to be faced with adverse situations. ... It's going to happen."
Wade, who turns 30 on Tuesday, was able to attend a birthday-weekend brunch with family and close friends on Saturday, just a few hours after the Heat returned from the all-night flight back from Denver. He was scheduled to attend another party in his honor Sunday evening, and plans to be back at the arena for more treatment on Monday morning.
If Wade cannot play, Mike Miller could make his season debut.
The veteran swingman is recovering from hernia surgery that came just a few days before the start of training camp. Miller remained on the court long after the official part of Sunday's practice ended, playing full-court 3-on-3 with Juwan Howard, Norris Cole, Terrel Harris, Mickell Gladness and James Jones - who, too, may be in line for more minutes if Wade misses time.
"We'll just see each day how (Wade) feels," Spoelstra said.
Wade or no Wade, it's still a huge week for Miami.
San Antonio entered Sunday tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers come into town, with Kobe Bryant having passed Miami's LeBron James in scoring after putting up four straight 40-point efforts in the last week. Then on Saturday, Miami hosts Philadelphia, a team the Heat easily ousted from last year's Eastern Conference playoffs - but is off to a 9-3 start this season.
"Philly is basically just smacking everybody with a point differential of 15 points per game," said James, who also raved about the jobs Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and his former coach Mike Brown with the Lakers are doing this season. "It's going to be a good week for us."
James is second in the NBA in scoring (29.5) and leads the league in combined points, assists and rebounds per game, doing all that on nearly 58 percent shooting. He's still a lightning rod for criticism, the latest topics being his lack of offense down the stretch of a loss to Golden State (no shot attempts in the fourth quarter) and his foul shooting (15 for 28 in losses to the Clippers and Denver).
Should Wade miss some time, James knows he'll be expected to do even more.
"I've got to step it up even more offensively and defensively," James said. "Revert back to some of the ways back in Cleveland, when I knew I for the most part had to be the No. 1 option offensively."

[OnePiece]

Bobcats bench veteran Diaw for rookie Walker

Posted Jan 14 2012 8:05PM


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Bobcats coach Paul Silas has benched veteran power forward Boris Diaw in favor of rookie Kemba Walker for Saturday night's game against Golden State.

Diaw has struggled of late, scoring just three points in the last two games.
The move will have a ripple effect on the starting lineup. Walker will make his first NBA start at the point guard, while D.J. Augustin moves to the No. 2 spot. Gerald Henderson moves from shooting guard to small forward, while Tyrus Thomas shifts to Diaw's spot at power forward.
With the Bobcats mired in a six-game losing streak, Silas felt it was time for a different look, saying, "We weren't playing with that much energy and we weren't getting that much out of Boris, to tell you the truth."