The Washington Wizards have traded Emeka Okafor and a 1st round pick for Marcin Gortat and other players: “After saying he expected to be traded by the Phoenix Suns, the “Polish Hammer” was indeed dealt Friday to the Washington Wizards in a multi-player deal that sent injured center Emeka Okafor to what should be the worst team in the Western Conference. Phoenix also gets a top-12 protected 2014 first-round pick and could have four first-round picks in a loaded draft. “We have solidified our frontcourt by adding a player who has established himself as a very consistent and productive inside presence over the last three seasons,” Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. “Marcin’s ability to rebound, defend and score will allow us to continue where we left off last season and pushes us further toward our goal of becoming a playoff team.” Gortat (6-11, 240) holds career averages of 8.6 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting .547 from the field in 357 career games (144 starts) in six seasons. A native of Lodz, Poland, Gortat enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2011-12, when he averaged 15.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while starting in all 66 games for the Suns. He joined Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum as the only players that season to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.”
Wesley Matthews is back in action for the Portland Trailblazers: “Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews returned to the court Friday, two days after suffering an irregular heartbeatfollowing Wednesday’s practice. Matthews, who sat out Thursday’s preseason finale, underwent an electrical cardioversion on Wednesday afternoon, and his heartbeat has returned to normal, the team said in a release. I don’t know, I can’t tell you. It was probably just a combination of a bunch of things; stress, fatigue — you know I don’t sleep. I talked to (Blazers GM) Neil (Olshey) and (head athletic trainer) Geoff (Clark) and we’re going to put something together that’s going to help me with that. I was just practicing, I felt fine, I felt great and we were just shooting free throws and I felt my heart racing like it was trying to jump out of my chest. I kept playing for a little bit and then I pulled myself out. Then it was just a whirlwind of events after that.””
Cavaliers’ backup Center, Tyler Zeller, is working his way back after missing the entire preseason: “And in the midst of all that, last year’s starting center worked out, played his way through some contact drills, and generally tried to regain his conditioning. Do you remember Tyler Zeller? The 7-foot, second-year center has become the Cavaliers’ forgotten man as he’s missed the entire preseason with a string of bad luck that included first a hip injury, and then the removal of his appendix. Zeller worked up a sweat Friday while battling one-on-one with roster-cut survivor Henry Sims and then ran on the treadmill. His return from his appendectomy Oct. 11 has been a slow and arduous process, and he is not yet cleared for full-contact practice, he said.”
The Houston Rockets have come a long way, but they are finally contenders: “In less than a year, the Rockets roster has been transformed in ways even Morey never imagined. What once was a medley of mismatched players is one of the best collections of talent around. The Rockets hired Morey —then a 33-year-old, numbers-obsessed MIT business school graduate — from the Boston Celtics in 2006 with the hopes of breaking new basketball ground. Now they’re looking like championship contenders for the first time since Yao Ming retired in 2011. And Morey, whose trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for James Harden in October 2012 sparked the turnaround and led to the signing of free agent center Dwight Howard in July, is as secure in his job as he’s ever been after receiving a four-year contract extension in March. Yet even Morey, who long had been labeled as the NBA version of baseball’s Billy Beane in this “Moneyball” era of pro sports, says there is a healthy amount of luck involved.”
