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Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard Makes All-Star Game After All

Carmelo Anthony is going to the NBA All-Star Game after all.

The Denver Nuggets forward, the league's leading scorer, and the Dallas Mavericks' Josh Howard were both named by NBA commissioner David Stern as injury replacements to the Western Conference team. They will replace Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz for the Feb. 18 game in Las Vegas.

Anthony had been left off the West roster, and there was speculation that he was being quietly punished for the punch he threw in a brawl against the New York Knicks that cost him a 15-game suspension. But Stern said he would not hold the incident against Anthony when choosing subs for Yao and Boozer.

West All-Star head coach Mike D'Antoni will determine which player on his roster will replace Yao in the starting lineup.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2760140

Stephen Jackson Speaks Out about Club Incident

Former Indiana Pacers guard Stephen Jackson testified Monday that he fired shots in the air during a fight outside a strip club last year to try to break up the brawl.

Jackson and ex-teammate Jamaal Tinsley took the witness stand during a bench trial in Marion Superior Court for a man accused of hitting Jackson with a car during the Oct. 6 fight outside Club Rio.

Jackson, who now plays for the Golden State Warriors, testified that when he was walking from the club to his car, a man approached him shouting, "Go ahead and dump, dump!"

"Where I'm from, 'dump' means pull out your gun and shoot," he said.

He fired a couple of shots in the air to break up the brawl that ensued, he said.

"It was like an all-out brawl," he said. "I started seeing more and more faces I didn't know."

The man accused of hitting Jackson with his car, Deon Willford, 23, waived his right to a jury trial and will instead have Judge Patricia Gifford render a verdict.

Authorities say Jackson got the gun from his car and fired it in the air before Willford ran into him with a car. Tinsley, teammate Marquis Daniels and former Pacer Jimmie Hunter were with Jackson at the club but not charged.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/b ... index.html

Gilbert Arenas Fails Miserably to Hit Prediction

Gilbert Arenas vowed to score 50 points against Portland.

He wasn't even close as the Washington Wizards fell to the Trail Blazers 94-73 on Sunday.

Arenas had made the promise in retaliation for Portland coach Nate McMillan's involvement with Arenas being left off the U.S. national team last summer. The guard, who is averaging 29.4 points, shot 3-for-15 from the field, including 0-for-8 on 3-pointers. He finished with nine points.

''Thats like a dude saying he's going to punch you in your face,'' said Jarrett Jack , who guarded Arenas for most of the game. ''With a guy like him, Kobe or LeBron, the easy way to guard him is don't let him get the ball back when he passes it. We did a good job of trying to deny him when he was one pass away, and my big guys did a great job of helping me whenever he got by me.''

The Trail Blazers are the only team that Arenas has not scored 30 points against during his six-year NBA career.

''We have a new philosphy now and that is focusing on defense,'' said Arenas, who spent most of the game guarding Jack, who shot 5-for-8 from the field with five assists. ''Right now we are still adjusting to that. At the end of the day, they scored a lot of easy baskets on us.''

''That's just plain stupid,'' coach Eddie Jordan said of Arenas' comments about playing defense. ''The whole idea of us having to have to play defense better, is that a problem or is that a question? That's ludicrous.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basket ... recap.html

Steve Nash To Sit Out All-Star Game

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash will not play in Sunday's All-Star Game because of his ailing shoulder.

Nash has missed the Suns' past three games and will also be held out of Wednesday's visit to Seattle, according to team sources.

Withdrawing from the annual Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday as well as Sunday's game thus gives Nash two full weeks away from game conditions before the Suns play again Feb. 20 in a road date against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Nash, though, will be in Las Vegas alongside fellow Western Conference injury victims Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer. League rules stipulate that All-Stars must be in attendance throughout All-Star Weekend even if they are injured and require ongoing rehab treatments.

Nash's replacement on the West roster will be selected by NBA commissioner David Stern. A replacement for Nash will also be required for the four-man skills event that would have pit him against Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Stern has already chosen Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Dallas' Josh Howard to replace Yao and Boozer on the West squad, but it's believed that two members from the Jazz -- center Memhet Okur and guard Deron Williams -- will receive strong consideration to take Nash's spot. Boozer's leg injury has left Utah without an active presence in the All-Star Game even though the Jazz awoke Monday morning with the league's third-best record at 33-17.

Other potential replacement candidates include the Los Angeles Clippers' Elton Brand and Portland's Zach Randolph.

Nash's unavailability increases the likelihood that the Suns' Mike D'Antoni, who's coaching the West, will select Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki to start Sunday in place of Yao. Yet it's believed that D'Antoni was leaning toward starting Nowitzki regardless, which would have enabled him to sub all three of the Suns' All-Stars -- Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire -- into the game at the same time.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2763202

'His words pollute the atmosphere'

Amaechi responds to Hardaway's anti-gay comments


NEW YORK (AP) -- The NBA banished Tim Hardaway from All-Star weekend in Las Vegas because of his anti-gay remarks.

Hardaway, who played in five All-Star games during the 1990s, was already in Las Vegas and scheduled to make a series of public appearances this week on behalf of the league. But after saying, "I hate gay people" during a radio interview, commissioner David Stern stepped in.

"It is inappropriate for him to be representing us given the disparity between his views and ours," Stern said in a statement Thursday.

Hardaway's comments -- for which he later apologized -- came a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to say he was gay.

"I don't need Tim's comments to realize there's a problem," Amaechi told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "People said that I should just shut up and go away -- now they have to rethink that."

On a Miami radio show Wednesday, Hardaway was asked how he would interact with a gay teammate.

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team," the former Miami Heat star said. "And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room."

When show host Dan Le Batard told Hardaway those comments were "flatly homophobic" and "bigotry," the player continued.

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people," he said. "I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Hardaway also said if he did find out that a teammate was gay, he would ask for the player to be removed from the team.

"Something has to give," Hardaway said. "If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate."

Later that night, Hardaway apologized during a telephone interview with WSVN-TV in Miami.

"Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."

Two major gay and lesbian groups denounced Hardaway's remarks.

"Hardaway's comments are vile, repulsive, and indicative of the climate of ignorance, hostility and prejudice that continues to pervade sports culture," said Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "And by apologizing not for his bigotry, but rather for giving voice to it, he's reminding us that this ugly display is only the tip of a very large iceberg."

Said Matt Foreman, president of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: "Hardaway is a hero to thousands of young people. And that's what makes his comments so troubling. Sadly, his words simply put the pervasive homophobia in the NBA on the table."

Amaechi, who detailed his life in his recent autobiography Man in the Middle, hoped his coming out would be a catalyst for intelligent discourse.

"His words pollute the atmosphere," Amaechi said. "It creates an atmosphere that allows young gays and lesbians to be harassed in school, creates an atmosphere where in 33 states you can lose your job, and where anti-gay and lesbian issues are used for political gain. It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people."

Amaechi taped a spot Thursday for PBS' gay and lesbian program In the Life before heading to a round of television interviews. He said the anti-gay sentiment remains despite the apology.

"It's vitriolic, and may be exactly what he feels," he said. "Whether he's honest or not doesn't inoculate us from his words. It's not progress to hear hateful words."

Amaechi said he hasn't heard from any ex-teammates, but called it "heartwarming" to hear supportive words from Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who coached Amaechi in Orlando, and other training staff.

The 6-foot-10 Amaechi played for Cleveland, Orlando and Utah in a five-year NBA career.

"It's difficult for straight people in a hyper-masculine role to stand up for gay people," he said. "When people start talking about gay players being bold and stepping up, let's talk about straight players being bold and stepping up."

MVP Bryant helps West stomp East 153-132

LAS VEGAS - Kobe Bryant headlined the biggest act in Las Vegas on Sunday night. Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and the West high rollers lit up the Strip with their own version of Showtime, romping past LeBron James and the East 153-132 in the NBA All-Star game.

"I think we had a little flair, a little Vegas in there," West forward Shawn Marion said. "Hopefully the fans enjoyed it a lot."

When the showgirls, acrobats, magicians and Elvis impersonators were finally done, it was Bryant who heard the loudest cheers, as fans chanted "MVP!" "MVP!" in the closing minutes.

"To have this type of reaction here in this All-Star game is very humbling," Bryant said. "I just feel very blessed and very fortunate to be able to come out tonight and put on a really good show."

Bryant scored 31 points, had six of the West's record 52 assists and was selected the MVP. Amare Stoudemire added 29 points for the West, which quickly built a big lead and held it this time, a year after blowing a 21-point cushion in a loss in Houston.

An event that some locals called the biggest thing fell a little short in the basketball department ” the West had a large lead for most of the final three quarters ” but that didn't seem to matter to the fans or the players.

"We got here at 2 o'clock," the East's Shaquille O'Neal said. "There's a lot of stretching and standing around. We were all kind of stiff, so the game was a little lopsided. But that's OK, they came here to see a show and they got a show."

And the players agree with Las Vegas officials that the game should come back here ” whether Las Vegas ever gets an NBA team or not.

"If they don't do it here every year, they should at least have it here every other year," East guard Richard Hamilton said.

Anthony, a late addition to the team, scored 20 points and Marion, who played at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV, added 18. Tracy McGrady had 11 assists to help the West snap a two-game losing streak.

James scored 28 points for the East, and Dwight Howard had 20 points and 12 rebounds. The East barely shot 40 percent through three quarters in a game that isn't known for its defensive intensity before a late flurry during garbage time.

"It all comes down to is who plays with the most energy and it was the West with more energy, especially in the first half," Dwyane Wade said.

Wade had only 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting, but he had reason to be tired after hosting events Thursday and Friday night. Those were two of the many functions that kept the players out until all hours of the night.

Still, the game was secondary to the show in this most unusual of All-Star games ” and it was quite a show.

With tickets unavailable to the public, brokers were asking more than $20,000 for a top seat. Jay-Z, Beyonce, Diddy, Prince, Eva Longoria and Adam Sandler were among those who scored spots in the front row, and Christina Aguilera and Toni Braxton performed at halftime.

The event started with a celebrity red carpet, where Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, flanked as usual by his showgirls and backed by entertainer Wayne Newton, vowed again to get the NBA here full-time with a new arena to play in.

Magicians Siegfried and Roy then welcomed the fans to Las Vegas, before introducing the showgirls who escorted Newton out to the stage for a performance of "Viva Las Vegas." After the East All-Stars were introduced, Newton took the stage again for another performance before the West players were announced.

After another Las Vegas entertainer, Danny Gans, sang the national anthem, it was finally time for some basketball ” after about a 45-minute pregame.

Perhaps that took its toll on the players. There were missed dunks and passes thrown out of bounds by both teams, but the East was by far the worst. They missed seven of their first nine shots, including a blown dunk attempt by Shaquille O'Neal.

James later almost injured himself when he tried to throw himself a pass off the backboard and tumbled over another player, and Jermaine O'Neal appeared to tip in a basket for the West.

A first-quarter timeout brought out some performers from a show at the Tropicana, but there was a serious moment at the end of the period when Bill Russell was among the former Boston Celtics who took the court with the daughter of Red Auerbach, who died last year.

The West led 39-31 at the end of one, and quickly pushed that lead into double digits in the second quarter ” Shaquille O'Neal missed another dunk during that stretch.

The lead ballooned to 23 when Bryant nailed a 3-pointer and followed with a dunk on the next possession, and the West was up 79-59 at halftime.

"The West came out tonight on fire," Howard said. "The West has got a lot of great shooters, the East has mostly big men."

Bryant had 17 points at halftime and Anthony added 12. James scored 16 for the East, but none of its other players was in double figures.

The East climbed out of a 21-point deficit to win last year's game in Houston, but didn't show nearly the fight this time. Stoudemire fueled a 10-0 run that made it 95-65 with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, and the West was up by 31 heading to the fourth.

Former NBA star Dennis Johnson dies at 52

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday after collapsing at the end of his developmental team's practice. He was 52.

Johnson, coach of the Austin Toros, was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at Austin Convention Center, said Warren Hassinger, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 23 minutes before he was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, Hassinger added. Mayra Freeman, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said there will be an autopsy.

The Toros postponed home games Friday and Saturday nights, the NBA Development League said.

"He was one of the most underrated players in the history of the game, in my opinion, and one of the greatest Celtic acquisitions of all time," said former Boston teammate Danny Ainge, now the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations.

"D.J. was a free spirit and a fun personality who loved to laugh and play the game. We had spoken at length just the other night about basketball and his excitement about coaching the Austin Toros. "

Johnson, a five-time All-Star and one of the top defensive guards, was part of the last Boston dynasty. He spent 14 seasons in the league and retired after the 1989-90 season. He played on title teams with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, when he was the NBA finals MVP.

"Whether he was leading his teams to NBA championships or teaching young men the meaning of professionalism, Dennis Johnson's contributions to the game went far beyond the basketball court," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "Dennis was a man of extraordinary character with a tremendous passion for the game."

Johnson was a favorite teammate of Bird's, and the two were part of one of the most memorable plays in Celtics history.

During the fifth game of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass under Boston's basket and fed Johnson, who drove in for the winning layup. Boston won the series in seven games but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

"Dennis was a great player, one of the best teammates I ever had, and a wonderful person," said Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers. "My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time."

Bill Laimbeer, the center on that Pistons team, remembered Johnson as a "great player on a great ballclub."

"He played with passion and grit," Laimbeer said. "It was fun to play games like that. You always enjoyed it. It made for not only great games, but great entertainment."

In the 1984 finals, Johnson guarded Magic Johnson effectively in the last four games. In 1985, he hit a last-second jumper against Los Angeles that won the fourth game. In 1986, he was part of a team that featured four Hall of Famers -- Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton.

"He was truly one of the good guys to play in the NBA, and he was a great teammate who was fun to be around," McHale said.

Johnson had a reputation for delivering in big games.

"I hate to lose," he once said. "I accept it when it comes, but I still hate it. That's the way I am."

He averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 assists for his career. When he retired, he was the 11th player in NBA history to total 15,000 points and 5,000 assists. Johnson made one all-NBA first team and one second team. Six times he made the all-defensive first team, including five consecutive seasons (1979-83).

Johnson was born Sept. 18, 1954, in Compton, Calif. He played at Pepperdine and was drafted by Seattle in 1976. Johnson was traded to Phoenix in 1980 and Boston in 1983.

He is survived by his wife, Donna, sons Dwayne and Daniel, and a daughter, Denise.

Can't believe DJ is gone. So many great memories from the Celtics-Lakers battles in the 80s. He will be missed. :'(

Wade considering season-ending surgery

MIAMI - Dwyane Wade is considering season-ending surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder, which would be the biggest loss yet for the Miami Heat during their rocky reign as NBA champions.

The All-Star guard was hurt in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's 112-102 loss at Houston. Wade flew home early Thursday in a private plane and was examined at a hospital by team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick, who conducted a battery of tests.

"Wade is presently weighing his treatment options provided to him by the Heat medical staff," the team said in a statement. "Wade still needs to discuss these options with his family and Heat president and head coach Pat Riley, and will then decide what course of action to take."

Riley said he would talk with Wade about the decision in the next couple of days.

"I don't have any anticipation," Riley said Thursday night before an NBA finals rematch against Dallas. "I wrote him a letter today ” FedExed it, because his mailbox was loaded on his phone."

Regardless of Wade's choice of treatment, his injury further weakens the Heat's bid to repeat. They may be hard-pressed merely to make the playoffs.

"We're going to need a couple of days to readjust to this," Riley said.

The injury stung especially hard because it came in the first game in which Wade, Riley and Shaquille O'Neal have been together since mid-November. Plagued by health issues much of the season, the Heat had won seven of eight games to reach .500, their best record since they were 3-3, and appeared ready to surge into the playoffs.

Instead, they went into the Dallas game missing their leading scorer and five games behind Washington in the Southeast Division with 29 to play. At 26-27, Miami had the eighth-best record in the East and was 2 1/2 games out of ninth place.

The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the postseason. Only once since 1970 has the defending NBA champion failed to make the playoffs ” Chicago in 1999.

"You don't know how this whole thing is going to play out," Riley said. "We'll have to play with a sense of urgency."

Wade's injury wasn't enough to push the Heat into making a deal before Thursday's NBA trading deadline.

"There were some late-night calls last night," Riley said. "But my begging didn't work. It usually doesn't happen in the 11th hour. ... We couldn't make the kind of move we thought would have impact."

O'Neal said he's not yet projecting playoff seedings, but in Wade's absence, he said it's time for him to become more active.

"I'm going to start playing really aggressive," he said. "Hopefully I'll get more looks and get more touches and be able to keep everyone involved."

O'Neal, who turns 35 next month, is still rounding into form after returning Jan. 24 from knee surgery. He had 20 points and 16 rebounds in 27 minutes Wednesday.

"If we can get Shaq to play the way he did tonight, we will be in pretty good shape," Riley said.

"We have to keep the big fellow going," forward James Posey said.

Even with O'Neal as another option on offense, Wade leaves a huge void. The MVP of last season's NBA finals is third in the league in scoring with an average of 28.8 points.

"He's the one we look to to take shots," center Alonzo Mourning said. "Guys are going to take up the slack. We've got guys in here who have been in those roles before, so when our number is called, we've got to produce, plain and simple. We've got to do everything a little bit better now."

Wade was on defense when his left arm collided with Houston's Shane Battier and awkwardly stretched back. Wade walked off the court hunched over in pain and sat on the bench in tears as his shoulder was examined. He then left in a wheelchair and went to a hospital by ambulance.

Wade bruised the same shoulder in a game Feb. 13 but played in the All-Star game Sunday.

For the Heat, Wade's departure was all too familiar. He already had missed seven games this season, O'Neal has been out 39 games, and starting point guard Jason Williams has missed 20.

In addition, Riley returned this week after been sidelined since Jan. 3 for operations to replace his left hip and repair cartilage in his right knee.

"Obviously injuries are a part of this game," Mourning said. "But it seems as though this year we've been behind the eight ball when it comes to injuries."

K.G. muses about 'opt-outs'
All-star hints he is frustrated with front officeBY RICK ALONZO
Pioneer Press

I think it is time for the pitiful T-Wolves to do KG a favor and trade him. What do you think?



One of Kevin Garnett's characteristics is that he makes off-the-cuff comments and flippant remarks. And when the Timberwolves all-star is unhappy or frustrated, which clearly was the case this week after back-to-back losses heading into Friday's game, you never know what he might say.

Garnett wrapped up a two-minute interview after Friday morning's shootaround by saying, "Thank God for opt-outs."

The term opt-outs was a reference to opt-out clauses in some NBA player contracts. Garnett has one, and he can exercise it following the 2007-08 season, leaving the final year of his deal worth $24 million on the table to become a free agent.

Garnett made the comment after a question about whether the passing of the trade deadline might lift a cloud that had been hanging over the team.

Garnett said he didn't know, and then he dropped his opt-outs comment on reporters as a parting shot as he turned and walked away.

A few minutes later, Garnett emerged from the locker room and was asked if he wanted to clarify his comment about opt-outs.

"I didn't say that," Garnett said over his shoulder as he exited down a corridor. "I said 'opts.' I said 'outs.' "

Garnett's word games aside, it was interesting nonetheless.

The interview began with Garnett hinting he was disappointed the Wolves' front office didn't make a trade to improve the team.

"We're trying to get better, right?" Garnett said. "It is what it is."

James on upswing: Coming off the Wolves' bench has worked out pretty well for point guard Mike James, who began the season as the starter but was made a reserve five games ago. James scored 20 points at Washington on Tuesday and followed that with 17 points Wednesday against Charlotte.

Tuesday's game marked his first 20-point performance since Dec. 27 at Toronto.

"I've liked what I've seen since we've made the change," coach Randy Wittman said. "He's gotten his aggression back offensively."

Wittman said he believes James, who is averaging 11.1 points a game, is a better fit as a reserve.

"It was a combination of things," Wittman said. "We had Randy (Foye) and Craig (Smith) as rookies being a major part of the second unit. That's asking a lot of guys in their first year. Our bench was up and down a little bit. I thought with Mike being the veteran that he is could help solidify those guys a little bit with his presence with them. I want Mike to be more aggressive from an offensive standpoint with that second unit."

James was active again Friday night, scoring nine points in 17 minutes during Minnesota's 116-104 loss to Phoenix.

Briefly: Forward Mark Madsen might be out one to two weeks because of a left ankle sprain he suffered Wednesday night against Charlotte. Madsen said he thinks two weeks would be on the high end of that range.

¢ Phoenix was without Boris Diaw (back spasms) and his 10.1 points and 5.2 assists a game. Suns teammate Raja Bell woke up Thursday and had trouble bending his right leg, but he played 41 minutes and scored 10 points. Bell suffered the injury during Wednesday night's victory over Boston.

¢ Contrary to a report, Eddie Griffin has not worked out with the Wolves since his five-game suspension on Jan. 12 for violating the NBA's anti-drug program.