Add another name to the list of players hoping to sign with a playoff team for the stretch run. Rasual Butler reached a buyout agreement today with the Toronto Raptors, who waived him just prior to the deadline for retaining playoff eligibility. Butler was signed as a free agent December 10. The 10-year NBA veteran appeared in 34 games, averaging 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 13.3 minutes. He was a prolific 3-point shooter as recently as two years ago, when he made 145
Pencils down and papers forward, please. Here are my grades on how teams did at the trading deadline. We aren’t going to evaluate whether Dallas was helped or hindered by Thursday’s wheeling and dealing. The Mavericks – and 13 other teams – didn’t make a deal, so consider their grade to be incomplete. Or a withdrawal, if you prefer. No one got an F, although the Nets came awfully close. At the other end of the scale, the Rockets are officially the teacher’s
San Antonio Spurs guard T.J. Ford, who had an injury scare last week, is leaving basketball and may not return. The Spurs announced Monday that Ford, one of their backup point guards, is taking an indefinite leave of absence from basketball activities this season. He suffered a stinger in Wednesday’s home win over New York, when he was hit in the back by Knicks guard Baron Davis and accidentally kicked in the head by teammate Tiago Splitter. Ford remained on the floor
While the Toronto Raptors are struggling to get through the season, their star prospect has been thriving in Lithuania. So much so, that perhaps the Raptors should consider moving Andrea Bargnani prior to the trade deadline. Jonas Valanciunas, the 6’11” center that the Raptors selected with the 5th pick in the draft last June, has been excellent this season for Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius of Lithuania this season. This past week, Valanciunas showed off his outrageous personality during the Lithuanian All-Star game, dressing
Did the Lakers catch a break during their six-game road trip? Is Derrick Rose’s back a serious problem with their nine-game trip finally over? And what of the Clippers’ and Spurs’ long jaunts? CineSport’s Brian Clark & SheridanHoops.com Editor-in-Chief Chris Sheridan discuss those issues, the next installment of Linsanity and the wherabouts of one Latavious Williams. //
NEW YORK — Pau Gasol was frustrated with his Los Angeles Lakers teammates after they allowed Jeremy Lin of the Knicks to go off for 38 points, and he has a warning about their upcoming game against the Toronto Raptors. “It’s another tricky game,” Gasol said of tomorrow afternoon’s tilt in Toronto. “If you don’t come out ready to compete, ready to play and control the game with the team that we have and the players that we have, you know we
For the New England Patriots, that one long last Hail Mary attempt failed. For their sporting brethren in Boston who play basketball, another Hail Mary dropped through. Congratulations, Kevin Garnett. You now lead the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage for players with a minimum of three attempts, with a conversion percentage of 1.000. Garnett was 9-of-12 from the field, including his third 3-pointer of the season on three tries, as the Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 98-80 Sunday on a light day
Raptors forward-center Andrea Bargnani reinjured his strained left calf in the first overtime of Wednesday’s double-overtime victory at Utah. Tests conducted Thursday in Denver revealed no significant damage to the calf. Bargnani will be treated symptomatically and is expected to be sidelined for an indefinite period of time, the Raptors announced today. Bargnani originally injured his calf January 11 against Sacramento. He missed six games from January 13-22. In 13 games this season, Bargnani has averaged a team-leading 23.5 points with 6.4 rebounds, second on the team, in