Howard returns to Lakers' starting lineup

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dwight Howard is back in the Los Angeles Lakers' starting lineup after missing three games with a right shoulder injury.

Howard started at center for the Lakers against Cleveland on Sunday night as Los Angeles attempted to end its six-game losing streak.

Howard apparently tore the labrum in his shoulder earlier this month during a game against the Clippers, and he aggravated the injury last Sunday while grabbing a career high-tying 26 rebounds against Denver. He sat out for the past week to rest the injury.

Howard is averaging 17.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in his first season with the struggling Lakers, who are on their worst skid in six years.

Pau Gasol missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles with a concussion.

Source: NBA.com

Stoudemire makes debut, Anthony back in lineup

NEW YORK (AP) -- Amare Stoudemire is making his season debut and Carmelo Anthony is back in the starting lineup for the New York Knicks against Portland.

Stoudemire will come off the bench as he plays his way back into shape following left knee surgery Oct. 31. Both Stoudemire and coach Mike Woodson said the forward's minutes would be limited in Tuesday night's game.

"It's been a long time coming. I've been so ready to play, I put in so much hard work this offseason and then to have to sit out for the first half of this season, but now to be back, I'm so ready to go," Stoudemire said. "I'm ready to provide whatever my team needs to improve, so that's what I'm here for."

Anthony missed two games with a hyperextended left knee, an injury that occurred in the Knicks' loss to the Lakers on Christmas. The Knicks are still without point guard Raymond Felton because of a broken right pinky, and Rasheed Wallace remains out with a sore left foot.

That makes Stoudemire's return even more important for the Knicks, though it was unclear how much he would play. Woodson would only say it would be less than 30 minutes. Stoudemire said he wasn't worried about warming up and then going back to the bench at the start, though Woodson said it was something to monitor.

"That's always a concern, but again, it's what we're faced with," Woodson said. "That's why big minutes at the early stage of him going through this process won't be to his advantage, so we've just got to slowly work him back in."

Woodson said he wasn't sure who he wanted Stoudemire to play with, or whether the reserve role would remain permanent.

"I'm not going to discuss that. I mean, first things first. We've got to get him back on the floor and get him acclimated to what we're doing, and then we'll go from there," Woodson said.

With Stoudemire sidelined, Anthony has slid into his power forward spot and flourished, averaging 28.5 points in leading the Knicks to a 21-9 start. The Knicks have had little success with the two stars playing together, and Woodson could try to avoid that problem by splitting them as much as possible.

However, he has said the Knicks need to have both on the floor to truly contend for an NBA title. He sent Stoudemire to work on his low-post skills this summer, hoping that could become a bigger part of his game.

Stoudemire hardly got to use what he learned, appearing in just one preseason game before having the surgery to clean up loose tissue in his knee. He practiced with the Knicks twice since they returned from their Western trip and decided now was the time to play, even while not yet feeling 100 percent.

"To get back out there now will be great for me to really get my feet wet and see how it goes," Stoudemire said.

Source: NBA.com

Nowitzki practices for first time since knee surgery

DALLAS (AP) -- Dirk Nowitzki has gone through his first full practice with the Dallas Mavericks since undergoing knee surgery that forced the 11-time All-Star to miss every game so far this season.

Following the practice Wednesday, Nowitzki gave no real timetable on when he might make his season debut, except to say "maybe any time after Christmas."

Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee Oct. 19. It was the first knee surgery for the 7-foot forward in his 15th NBA season.

Nowitzki said he'll see how his knee reacts after the first day of stopping, pushing off and moving. He said he plans to have a couple of similar practice and will absorb some contact as well before trying to play in a game.

For the original post visit: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/12/19/mavericks-nowitzki-first-practice.ap/index.html

Cavs center Varejao out with bruised knee

BOSTON (AP) -- Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao missed Wednesday night's game against the Boston Celtics because of a bruised right knee.

Varejao, the NBA's leading rebounder at 14.4 per game, was injured Tuesday night against Toronto when he landed awkwardly on his right leg and crumpled to the floor in pain after being fouled late in the first quarter. He limped to the locker room, but returned with 9:04 remaining in the second quarter and finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes.

After the game coach Byron Scott said he was still concerned about Varejao's availability against the Celtics.

Rookie Tyler Zeller got his first career start in Varejao's place.

For the original post visit: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/12/19/cavaliers-anderson-varejao-out.ap/index.html

Kobe Bryant Reacts To Mike Brown’s Firing

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant updated his Facebook page with the following in the wake of the Mike Brown firing news:

 

For the original post visit: http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/11/09/kobe-bryants-reacts-to-mike-browns-firing/

NBA to change All-Star ballot, eliminating center

The NBA is finally doing something about the Duncan Dilemma.

The league will announce Wednesday a change to its All-Star ballot that will, for the first time, allow fans to vote for three undefined "frontcourt" players instead of having to vote for two forwards and a center. With more and more teams playing smaller than in the past, the definition of "center" was becoming increasingly difficult -- not to mention finding enough quality big men for whom to vote.

For years, for example, the Spurs have listed Tim Duncan as a power forward, even though everyone on earth knew he was their starting center. And so when it came to All-Star balloting, Duncan would take up a forward spot in a very crowded field of Western Conference stars instead of his logical spot in the middle. This was good for Duncan, who surely would have made his 13 All-Star teams anyway, but it often cost another forward a shot.

The league decided to make the change after the NBA's Competition Committee agreed to the move at its meeting last month, VP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson said Tuesday evening.

"It makes sense," Jackson said. "It made sense to our Competition Committee. Having a center is the only specific position that was singled out on the ballot. It just seemed a little outdated and didn't represent the way our game has evolved. By the same token, it also affords the same opportunity, if you have two good centers in a given year, pick 'em both. They both can be selected. Which is impossible right now." That would be good news for players like Boston's Kevin Garnett and Miami's Chris Bosh, nominal forwards who are now playing center for their respective teams. Under the old rules, Garnett and Bosh would have been in the center category with the likes of Philadelphia's Andrew Bynum, Atlanta's Al Horford and Indiana's Roy Hibbert. Now, any of them can be selected as a "frontcourt" player.

"It was something that we originally thought made some sense, but we didn't want to make a decision in a vacuum, of course," Jackson said. "We ran it by the Competition Committee and they thought the idea made some sense ... it gives the fans some flexibility while keeping competitive balance."

The league will debut the 2013 All-Star ballot on Nov. 13. Players are selected for the ballot by a committee of national media who cover the NBA on a regular basis. The 2013 All-Star Game will be Feb. 17 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

For the original post visit http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/23/all-star-centers-ballot/index.html

Mavs' Nowitzki still experiencing knee swelling

DALLAS (AP) -- Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hopes to avoid surgery after experiencing more swelling in his troublesome right knee.

Nowitzki missed his second straight preseason game as Dallas beat Houston 123-104 Monday night. The 11-time All-Star said after the game he is going to reduce his workload over the next week and see if the swelling goes down in his knee, which has been drained twice over the past month.

The 2011 NBA Finals MVP said if there is no improvement over the next few days, he may have no choice other than to have surgery, which would probably sideline him into the regular season.

"I guess that it's obvious that I don't want (surgery) done," Nowitzki said. "If it's going to keep swelling up on me, that's not a way to go through an 82-game season and hopefully a long playoff run."

Nowitzki said the swelling wasn't as bad as it had been when he had problems before a preseason game In Spain last Tuesday. He practiced once the team returned to Texas and experienced more swelling afterwards.

It is the same knee and same issue Nowitzki dealt with early last season. The Mavericks held their perennial All-Star out for a four-game stretch in January to improve his game conditioning and give him time to strengthen his right knee.

Nowitzki said he is going to avoid practices and scrimmages, limiting his workouts to time in the pool and on the elliptical machine.

"It makes no sense to play in the preseason on a swollen knee," Nowitzki said. "So we'll see what's going to happen in the next couple of days."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2012/news/10/15/mavs-nowitzki-rests-against-rockets.ap/index.html