SH Blog: Knicks To Pursue Kevin Love; Pelicans Sign Childress, Amundson; LeBron Not Happy With Teammates; Pacers Expect Granger Back This Week

• Plans to build the Warriors’ new waterfront arena in San Francisco keep changing: “The changes, which have been in the works for months, include lopping 15 feet off the edge of the roofline, increasing the amount of public open space and lowering the public plazas to create a gradual slope of greenery that the NBA team likens to a smaller version of Dolores Park on the water. “We’ve slimmed down the arena to make room for enough public open space to fit three Union Squares,” team spokesman Nathan Ballard said of the updated design, which is to be released publicly Tuesday. Much of that open space comes in the form of plazas and grass-planted roofs covering a practice facility, 500-space parking garage and fire station. There is also a spiraling walkway around the arena’s exterior that would lead to a lookout deck and pass a massive window to allow the public to look in and spectators to look out at the Bay Bridge.”

• The Indiana Pacers expect Danny Granger to return to practice this week: “The injured 6-foot-9 swingman is expected to work out Tuesday and could return to practice as early as Wednesday, coach Frank Vogel said before Monday night’s game against Memphis. Granger, a former All-Star, has yet to play in a game this season because of a strained left calf, and Vogel was cautious about establishing a timetable for Granger’s return to game action. Clearly, the Pacers haven’t missed him much. The NBA’s last unbeaten team is off to the best start (7-0) in franchise history and played four games in five days last week — something Vogel said he had never been part of before. “I think it’s really a new beginning to the process of getting him game minutes and his game timing back in his legs,” Vogel said when asked to update Granger’s status. “I’m not sure when his return date will be.””

• Lou Williams is inching closer to his season debut for the Atlanta Hawks: “Hawks guard Lou Williams participated in some contact drills Tuesday, the first time he has done so during his rehabilitation from a torn ACL in his right knee. The team will evaluate Williams after the Tuesday practice. The next step will be to clear Williams for full five-on-five contact drills. The veteran has been playing three-one-three and four-on-four recently. “He’s getting closer,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. It could take a month once Williams returns to full contact practices to be ready to play in a game. His return will bolster the Hawks’ thin backcourt.”

• Larry Sanders may be in trouble with the law for a dog issue: “According to court records, a neighbor called police to say Sanders kept his two German shepherd puppies outside in the cold for hours without proper shelter, food and water. The person said she tried to speak with Sanders about his dogs but felt intimidated and was told by Sanders to leave his property. The neighbor said Sanders told her that he was going to call the police if she returned, court records say. On Jan. 3, police attempted to contact Sanders but were unsuccessful. An officer went to Sanders’ home in the 3200 block of N. Lake Drive, and saw the two puppies in the backyard with no shelter, food or water. The officer noted that the temperature outside was 17 degrees. Police notified the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to retrieve the dogs. An employee of the center determined the dogs “were in harm and needed to be removed,” according to the police report. On Jan. 4, police went back to Sanders’ home, met with Sanders and issued the two citations. A Bucks spokesman said the team would have no comment. Michael Hart, who represented Sanders in the nightclub incident, said Sanders was not in town when police were summoned about the dogs. Hart said that when Sanders got back to town and tried to pick up the dogs, he was given the citations.”

Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.