Lakers owner Jerry Buss has been suspended for two games and fined $25,000 by NBA commissioner David Stern in conjunction with Buss’ conviction on a misdemeanor drunk driving charge. Buss was not at Staples Center when the Lakers opened their season with a 95-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Read Original Post Here
Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom sustained a slight concussion in an automobile accident, team spokesman John Black said Wednesday. The two-car crash happened Tuesday morning when Odom was driving to the Lakers’ morning shootaround before their season-opening game against the Houston Rockets. Odom, sitting out the first few games of the season while recuperating from shoulder surgery, attended… Read Original Post Here
Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal sat out Indiana’s regular-season opener against Washington on Wednesday night because of a hyperextended left knee. O’Neal, a six-time All-Star, was hurt Oct. 8 when he collided with Shawne Williams during practice. “Jermaine practiced today, but he’s not ready to play,” Pacers coach Jim O’ Brien said. Read Original Post Here
The Houston Rockets on Wednesday extended guard Luther Head’s contract through the 2008-09 season. The 6-foot-3 Head has averaged 9.8 points and 2.6 assists since the Rockets drafted him 24th overall in the 2005 draft. Last season, Head shot 44 percent from 3-point range (177-for-401), the third-best single-season percentage in team history. Read Original Post Here
On the eve of his 16th NBA season, even Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal sees extra significance in opening night. Standings-wise, it’s just the first of 82 games, the start of the grueling six-month march toward the postseason. But to O’Neal, opening night merely represents the first chance to get into first place — which may explain why he’s only been part of two season-starting losses in his… Read Original Post Here
Even with the NBA season under way, commissioner David Stern hasn’t forgotten the New York Knicks’ embarrassing offseason. In an interview broadcast Tuesday, Stern questioned the conduct of Knicks management, which lost a sexual-harassment case in early October. Asked about the state of the Knicks, Stern told ESPN: “It demonstrates that they’re not a model of intelligent management. Read Original Post Here
Rick Adelman’s first game as the Houston Rockets’ coach was a winning one. Kobe Bryant made it a nervous one. Bryant scored 45 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, but Shane Battier made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left in the Rockets’ 95-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Read Original Post Here
Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams shouldn’t expect invitations to Baron Davis’ opulent birthday bash or Stephen Jackson’s homecoming party. The Utah Jazz stars have ruined every celebration they’ve attended in the Bay Area recently. Boozer had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Williams added 24 points and the Jazz jumped right back into last season’s playoff form with a 117-96 victory over the Golden State…
Read Original Post Here
If only this one night, exacting San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would give his players a break. With their newest championship banner hanging high above the sellout crowd and the players looking like kids in a candy store as they examined their shiny new championship rings, it was understandably a challenge for the team to buckle down for a regular old basketball game.
Read Original Post Here
Tim Duncan has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, an official familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday. The agreement will add to Duncan’s existing three-year deal and keep him in San Antonio at least through the 2011-12 season, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss…
Read Original Post Here
