Delfino Injures Knee

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Toronto Raptors guard Carlos Delfino injured his knee over the weekend and may miss part of the FIBA Americas Championship, according to a report in an Argentine newspaper.

Delfino injured his knee in the Tuto Marchand Cup and could sit out Argentina's game against Uruguay in Las Vegas on Thursday.

"It is the same knee I underwent surgery on two years ago and that's what makes me worry most, as I cannot stretch the leg too much," Delfino told La Nacion newspaper on Sunday.

"I know it's not serious, but I worry because I cannot get out of my mind memories about how much I have suffered with this knee."

Delfino underwent an MRI scan on the injury. National team doctor Diego Grippo said he felt optimistic after seeing the results.

"Delfino has a kneecap tendinitis provoked by a blow that limits the movements of the knee, but physiotherapy will help it disappear in a few days," Grippo said.

Delfino could be the third Raptor to pull out of international competition with an injury this summer.
Chris Bosh left t
he U.S. team earlier this week due to plantar fasciitis in his foot, while Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa still hasn't been cleared to play following leg injuries he sustained in the regular season.

Toronto acquired Delfino from the Detroit Pistons for two second-round draft picks on June 15.
The FIBA tournament, which begins Wednesday and runs until Sept. 2, will serve as the qualifier for the Beijing Olympics. The top two teams will earn automatic berths, while the next three top-ranked teams will be invited to the FIBA World Olympic Qualifier, which will be held next July.

source : globesports.com

USA Basketball Roster Math

LAS VEGAS, August 20, 2007 -- With the start of the FIBA Americas tournament just two days away, the only thing we really know for sure about Team USA's roster is that Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will start every game. Coach Mike Krzyzewski wants continuity with his two, three and four positions, because those three, in playing with each other, have to make the most adjustments to their game.

The point guard and center positions have less adjusting to do, so while Jason Kidd and Amare Stoudemire have spent most of camp playing alongside Kobe, LeBron and 'Melo, you could see Chauncey Billups or Deron Williams starting at the point, or Dwight Howard starting at the five, during the tournament.

Still, by observing camp and listening to Coach K talk to the media, you can get a pretty good idea of how the roster will shake out. The absence of Chris Bosh is a tough break, but it makes things a lot simpler when it comes down to selecting the 12-man squad that will begin play on Wednesday.

There are still two more days of training camp left (including another scrimmage against the Select Team on Monday), but now is as good a time as any to take a look at the 14 guys who are healthy and break down how they fit in.

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source : NBA.com

J.J. Redick Wants To Learn While His In Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - J.J. Redick brought no delusions of grandeur with him this week as he fills out a roster spot -- for now -- on the USA Men's Senior National Team roster.

The 23-year-old Redick, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard for the Orlando Magic, knows the reality of the situation as he spends a week with the USA players while they prepare for the FIBA Americas Championship. The tournament, a qualifier for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, begins Wednesday and continues through Sept. 2 at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center.

"He is not going to make the team," said USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached Redick at Duke

Redick understands his role here on a team that also includes Magic all-star center Dwight Howard.

"I am just strictly a practice player," Redick said Thursday. "I had that understanding when I came out here. The experience is invaluable for me. I have the opportunity to play against these guys for a week.

"Redick said he plans to take a red-eye flight back to Orlando on Monday night. Redick, coming off a strong Orlando summer league showing, averaged 14.8 minutes and 6.0 points per game as a rookie last season.

After a nagging back injury got him off to a slow start, the first-round draft pick played sparingly under former Magic coach Brian Hill. He got off the bench in 42 of 82 regular-season games -- much to his frustration at times.

But with Grant Hill to Phoenix and Rashard Lewis signed to complement Howard, Redick will be given the opportunity to show his shooting touch in Coach Stan Van Gundy's offense.

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source : orlandosentinel.com

Five Fresh Faces Preparing To Spur Wolves' Frech Start

The gang of five, the newest Timberwolves, from left, Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, and Sebastian Telfair held up their new jerseys at the close of a news conference where they were introduced Tuesday afternoon.

Familiar with each other but foreign to their new fans in their new town, the five newest players on a completely remade Timberwolves team were introduced Tuesday at Target Center.

Four of those five Boston Celtics acquired along with two draft picks last week for Kevin Garnett -- the NBA's biggest trade ever for one player -- are 24 years or younger, which means the Timberwolves will head to training camp in Turkey come October with nine such players and possibly eight new faces.

"When people say young, they mean we're supposed to lose," said Al Jefferson, the fourth-year power forward who was the centerpiece of the trade. "I don't agree with that at all."

A report out of Boston when the trade was finalized suggested Jefferson was devastated that day.

"It wasn't that I took it hard," he said. "I just had never been traded before. The trade was more of a shock, but now I think it's a great opportunity for all of us. ... It's a compliment for all of us to be traded for KG, one of the best players in the league. I don't feel any pressure."

Unable to retain a collection of players around Garnett who could contend for a championship, the Wolves have reversed course, opting for the promise of youth and the possibility they can build a sustaining winner from a group that includes Jefferson and former Boston teammates Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair as well as Randy Foye, Craig Smith, Rashad McCants and first-round draft pick Corey Brewer.

A decade ago, Garnett, Stephon Marbury and Tom Gugliotta were the franchise's future, a promise that lasted less than two years before Gugliotta left via free agency and Marbury forced a trade to New Jersey. Many others -- Terrell Brandon, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell, among them -- followed.

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source : startribune.com

Celtics Perkins Working Hard To Improve Defense

Between now and the start of training camp in six weeks, Kendrick Perkins hopes the Celtics' coaching staff pushes him to extremes. He wants to be run ragged, past the point of exhaustion in offensive and defensive drills. When he joins Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo in the starting five this season, the 6-foot-10-inch Perkins wants to be in the best shape of his career.

"Each day I can come in here and a coach can kill me and make me throw up after my workout, that's what I want," said Perkins, who has dropped 20 pounds and is 10 shy of his desired playing weight of 260. "If you do that all the way through the month of September, everything else is going to be easy."

After working out recently at the Celtics' practice facility in Waltham, Perkins, 22, sounded almost giddy about the upcoming season. He shares the same high expectations as fans, believing the Celtics can make a run to the NBA Finals. He understands that if the Celtics disappoint this season, his talent may be questioned more than others.

"I know if I don't take advantage of this opportunity, people are going to be saying, 'They need another center,' " said Perkins. "If Rondo doesn't take advantage of it, then we're a point guard away from a championship. Paul, K.G., and Ray have enough on their shoulders. They don't have to carry me, Rondo, and T.A. [Tony Allen]. The only thing they should be carrying along is rookies. This is my fifth year. I've got to grow up."

With the birth of his first child expected in early September, Perkins has taken a more mature approach to his life and career, thinking long and hard about his priorities.

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source : boston.com