 | You Talkin' About Practice? - 02/19/2008
BY Steve Alexander The hoops news started flowing again last night around 9 p.m., when news of Keith Van Horn's verbal agreement to sign with Dallas and accept an assignment to the Nets (where he'll actually have to show up) broke. The result is that Jason Kidd should finally be traded to the Mavericks today, ending a week of on-again, off-again anxiety for all involved. The final deal will result in Kidd, Malik Allen and Antoine Wright joining the Mavericks, while the Nets will get Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Van Horn, Maurice Ager and Trenton Hassell, as well as two first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash. Keep your eye on Wright here, as he could actually make some noise in Dallas without a guy like Vince Carter holding him back.
Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse are staying with the Mavs, and many believe that the "new version" of the trade worked out better for Dallas, as they get to keep two of their most import! ant role players. And I have to agree.
Trade Part! 2 - As for the Mike Bibby to the Hawks trade, I swear I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic after having a dream that Bibby didn't play for the Hawks tonight. That dream resulted in a new blurb on Bibby, as I'm really not sure whether he's playing tonight or not. The trade has been "rubber stamped" by the league, which is a quote from Sekou Smith of the AJC. And Bibby was allowed to practice after that happened on Monday, giving every indication that he'll play tonight. But a column in the Sacramento Bee on Monday said it was unlikely that the new Kings players would be able to get their paperwork and physicals completed before game time. I'm not sure if that impacts Bibby, but if those guys haven't completed their physicals, I'm guessing the deal is still not done and everyone involved might have to sit out tonight. Hopefully we get verification one way or the other, bu! t it's making me think twice about starting Bibby this week. He did look good running the point in practice, though.
And as for Shelden Williams becoming "the man" in Sacramento? Yeah, it's possible. But I have spoken to more than one NBA scout about the Landlord, and the word on the street is that he'll never be anything more than a role player and should not be starting for most NBA teams. That said, he posted some solid numbers at the end of last season, but let's put it this way. I'm not rushing out to pick him up.
As for the Hawks' Josh Childress, I'm guessing he plays based on an email I received stating that Chill says his knee injury is not a big deal and he is going to play through it. That said, I still don't have proof that Childress is even in L.A. for t! onight's game, so I'm going to bench him for safer options whe! re I own him.
Pain and Dwyane - Jerry Colangelo said over the weekend that Dwyane Wade is "more injured than he leads people to believe." While owners have to be psyched about Wade's performance thus far (which you can feel free to rub in my face), this is just another red flag that D-Wade is eventually going to shut it down at some point this season. Whether it happens tomorrow or in April is up for debate, but his team has won nine games this season.
Wizard Watch - I would be shocked if Caron Butler doesn't play tonight after missing much of the last two weeks with a hip injury. He looked good in practice last night and as long as he feels good at shootaround, he should go. Etan Thomas practiced for the first time since having heart surgery and it sounds like he'll return at some point this season. Of course, that is nothing but bad news for Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche, but should make for a nice story. Maybe Thomas and Haywood will stop exchanging punches in practice now. And Gilbert Arenas also returned to practice, saying he's still targeting a March 2 return, although he also says his return could be sooner or later than that based on how his knee responds.
Bulls on Parade
The latest news out of Chicago is that "everyone" will be back on the court and close to 100 percent on Wednesday. That includes Luol Deng (Achilles), Ben Gordon (wrist) and Ben Wallace (personal). What does that mean for my sleeper of the year, Thabo Sefolosha? I'm not sure. He'll surely take a hit in value, but should stay in the starting lineup, so I'm going to roll with him until I see a drastic change in his numbers.
House of Pain
We're right back to where we were about 10 days ago with Kevin Garnett's abdominal strain. He says he feels great and is ready to go, while Doc Rivers and his trainer will probably make a decision at tonight's shootaround. And for good measure, Denver coach Georg! e Karl also has chimed in, giving KG a 99% chance of playing tonight. I'm gonna go with a 75% chance of KG tonight at Denver. Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) and Glen Davis (knee) are both expected to play, while Ray Allen will play despite having the thumbnail bent back on his shooting hand. He says it won't affect his shot, for what it's worth. And Brian Scalabrine is out with his groin injury, but hopes to play Friday.
Feet Don't Fail Me Now - Tony Parker practiced on Monday, but will not play toni! ght. However, he is targeting a Thursday return from his ankl! e/heel i njury, but beware that Gregg Popovich may bring him back slowly. Manu Ginobili's monster lines may not continue, but he'll still (obviously) be solid.
Brand New Love - Elton Brand practiced with the Clippers yesterday, but is still a couple weeks away from full contact. He wants to play in March, but there are no guarantees. And Sam Cassell even said yesterday that he doesn't think Brand should come back at all this year since the Clips are out of playoff contention. We'll see.
Blue Light Special - Kenyon Martin has a case of strep throat that could keep him out against the ! Celtics tonight. Consider him a game-time decision.
Mo-Pete - Morris Peterson says his back is finally healthy again, so look for him to get back in the starting lineup. I get the sense Byron Scott is tired of his mediocrity, and could replace him with Jannero Pargo at shooting guard if Mo Pete continues to struggle.
Mighty Trade Winds - It's going to be an interesting 48 hours as Thursday's trade deadline approaches. I'm hearing rumblings of Ron Artest to the Nuggets, Mike Miller to the Heat or Cavs, Andre Miller to the Cavs, and there is even! still s ome chatter out there about Jermaine O'Neal being dealt to the Nets. But with Rod Thorn's reluctance to sign Shareef Abdur-Rahim and his gimpy knee a couple years ago, it would be surprising to see him roll the dice on JO.
My Ford, It's Broken - T.J. Ford now has an abdominal strain in addition to his wrist and back problems. Keep him on the shelf.
Loose Ends - I'm treating Kobe Bryant's finger injury like Mo Williams' thumb. Both players need surgery, but both plan on playing through the pain. As long as Raja Bell or Bruce Bowen don't attempt to rip Kobe's finger off, I'm hoping that he plays in 25 more games. Owners will be holding their breath every time he drives to the hole, but Kobe sounds very determined to play through the injury. And the Lakers won't survive without him.
Anderson Varejao practiced on Monday, but is still probably at least a week away from a return from an ankle injury.
I expect the Mavs' Josh Howard to play through his back injury tomorrow, but have nothing to back those thoughts up with. There's no news out there regarding his status for Wednesday, but you have to think the rest over the long weekend got him back in game shape. W! e'll see.
Doc
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