Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely with a left knee injury.

Hornets coach Jeff Bower said on Monday that an MRI revealed more damage to the knee than the initial diagnosis of a bruise. The coach refused, however, to confirm reports that Paul had a meniscus tear and would miss at least a month.

Sources close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com on Sunday that Paul tore cartilage in his left knee and will be forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery.

“We’re in fact-finding stages right now, gathering as much information as possible for decisions to be made to take the next steps,” Bower said. “It is likely there will be a surgical solution for it. We don’t have a timetable [for Paul's return] right now, nor do we know a surgical procedure right now.”

Paul first hurt his left knee in a game at Golden State on Wednesday. He struck the same spot against a camera when he went out of bounds near the end of regulation against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

He missed the Hornets’ game at Memphis on Saturday.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles contemplated making lineup changes before Monday’s game against Charlotte, but announced about an hour before tipoff that he’d decided to “give it another game and see how we do.”

Trailing by 22 at halftime of another miserable performance, Skiles had seen enough. And his moves jolted his struggling team.

Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut never took off their warmups in the second half of the Bucks’ 94-84 loss to the Bobcats. The team’s second- and third-leading scorers were benched after combining to shoot 1-for-10 and play little defense in a one-sided matchup of teams that figure to contend for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots.

“What do I need to say? We were 4-13 in our last 17 games, now 4-14 in our last 18,” Skiles said. “Everybody has got to look at themselves right now.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Their 10-point fourth-quarter lead squandered, Marc Gasol had a feeling the Grizzlies would regroup.

O.J. Mayo scored 28 points, Zach Randolph had six of his 23 points in overtime and the Grizzlies beat the Washington Wizards 116-111 on Monday night.

Gasol finished with 20, and his two free throws with 9.5 seconds extended the Memphis lead to 115-111, assuring the Grizzlies of their fourth straight home win.

“We have faith in each other,” Gasol said. “We know everybody can make plays. We did kind of run a little out of gas. But we won. In the end, that’s all that matters.”

Randolph made two free throws with 0.3 seconds left in regulation, sending the game to overtime tied at 102.

“That one stung,” Wizards guard Randy Foye (11 points) said of the play leading to the foul. “We had no time on the clock and up by two. We stopped the initial play, and Zach Randolph went to the basket and got fouled. This one is going to be hard to swallow.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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IT IS a rite of passage with NBA teams. The veterans always have something for the rookies to do. Bring the coffee. Buy the doughnuts. Deliver the newspapers.

Or, in the case of Charlotte Bobcats rookies Gerald Henderson and Derrick Brown, wear various colorful, sometimes sparkly, backpacks.


“The sillier the better,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown was saying before last night’s game against the 76ers. “They got Gerald a North Carolina one.”

They even got Bobcats guard Ray Felton, a former Tar Heel, to sign it. That would be Gerald Henderson, of Duke.

“He told me he burned it,” Brown said, laughing.

“That’s what I told him,” said Henderson, the onetime Episcopal Academy star. “That’s what I should have done. It’s somewhere long lost in my apartment. Now, they gave me a pink one. That’s OK. That’s better than Carolina. Anything is better than that.”


Click here to read the full article – By PHIL JASNER of Philly.com

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Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has shot down the idea that Allen Iverson is mulling retirement as he takes an indefinite leave of absence for a personal matter.

Frustration stemming from his reserve role combined with the stress related to a recent family issue has caused Iverson to consider hanging up his jersey for good, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported Monday morning.

But Heisley said there was no indication of such consideration by the 34-year-old guard, and the owner told the newspaper that “if he was going to retire, he’d tell me first.”

Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta late last week with Heisley’s permission.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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The Charlotte Bobcats announced on Thursday they have exercised their option on center Alexis Ajinca for the 2010-11 season.

Ajinca, a seven-footer from France, appeared in 31 games in his rookie campaign in 2008-09, averaging 2.3 points and one rebound in limited playing time.

The 20th overall selection in the 2008 draft scored four points in just under 10 minutes in Charlotte’s season-opening loss to Boston on Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article – By Sports Network of http://www.sacbee.com/881/story/2293537.html

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New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott admits that integrating six new players into his system is going to take more work and patience than he initially planned.

It was obvious in Tuesday’s 121-86 preseason loss to the Orlando Magic that, after numerous breakdowns, the Hornets have plenty of work ahead.

A number of his new players are adjusting. They guarded pick-and-roll plays differently with previous teams than they do now. Some played in systems that had the point guard walking the ball up court instead of pushing the tempo, as Chris Paul does.


Click here to read the full article – By John Reid of The Times Picayune

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Rudy Gay listened as Grizzlies’ teammate O.J. Mayo talked of the team’s need to meld at practice and couldn’t stop himself from piping in, “Practice?”

Oh yes, the player who’s been with the Memphis Grizzlies the longest has seen video of Allen Iverson’s infamous 2002 rant during a feud with Larry Brown about missing practice and heard that word maybe 20 times in the clip. Still, Gay and the other Grizzlies are eager to learn from and play with the 10-time All-Star and former league MVP. They’re also hoping he helps them win more games.

“Actually getting a chance to sit down and talk to him really shows his growth,” Gay said of Iverson. “Of course, that was a while ago, and Allen Iverson is a talented player. To see his growth from then to now and how much he’s turned into a leader and how much he wants to win. … It’s definitely someplace he wants to influence and bring that winning to Memphis.”


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of Deseret News

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The Charlotte Bobcats are exercising the third-year option in guard D.J. Augustin’s contract for the 2010-11 season.

The team has until the end of the month to decide whether to do the same with center Alexis Ajinca.

Augustin, the ninth pick in the 2008 draft, averaged 11.8 points and 3.5 assists last season. He led NBA rookies by shooting 89 percent from the foul line.

Augustin will make $2.1 million next season. Charlotte also has an option for a fourth season.

Bobcats coach Larry Brown was pleased to learn of the team’s decision.


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of sportingnews.com

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Below are links to memorabilia available for D.J. Augestine.

Allen Iverson has something to prove. Though the 10-time All-Star and former league MVP has scored more than 23,000 points in his NBA career, he wasn’t a highly sought-after free agent. The 34-year-old guard heard all the talk that he’s lost a step, that last year’s dip in offensive production indicated he’s on the downside of his career, maybe even ready for retirement.

Iverson wants to prove those critics wrong, and he’ll get his chance in Memphis. He signed a one-year contract Thursday with the Grizzlies — a team that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2006 and has never won a postseason game. The Grizzlies are coming off a 24-58 season that tied for fifth-worst in the NBA.

“This year for me is so personal,” Iverson said at his introductory news conference.

“It’s basically going to be my rookie season again. It hurts, but I turn the TV on, I read the paper, I listen to some of the things people say about me having the season that I had last year and me losing a step, things like that. They’re trying to put me in a rocking chair already.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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