Elton Brand Medical Update

Los Angeles Clippers' forward Elton Brand had his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon re-examined today by Dr. Craig Morgan at Christiana Care’s Wilmington Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. During the examination Brand had the cast removed from his left leg and was fitted for a removable walking boot which he is expected to wear for the next six weeks. He will be re-evaluated by Dr. Morgan at the end of that time period.

Brand will begin a rehabilitation program under the supervision of the Clippers training and medical staff which includes local therapy, cardiovascular work and a flexibility and strengthening program.

Brand originally sustained the injury during his daily workout on Friday, August 3rd at the Spectrum Club South Bay in El Segundo, California. Dr. Morgan performed the surgery to repair the injury on Tuesday, August 7th.

source : NBA.com

LAKERS SIGN ELTON BROWN

EL SEGUNDO - The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Elton Brown, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Brown, a 6-9 forward out of the University of Virginia, finished 20th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list with 1,356 points and 13th on the all-time rebounding list with 660 rebounds.
Brown spent the 2005-06 season in Greece playing for Makedonikos Kozani, where he led the league in rebounds while being the only player in the league to average a double-double, averaging 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Brown was a member of the NBDL’s Colorado 14ers during the 2006-07 season, where he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 50 games.

sourc e: NBA.com

HEAT Sign Charlie Bell To Offer Sheet

MIAMI, FLA., Sept. 17 – The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Charlie Bell to an offer sheet. Under NBA rules, the Milwaukee Bucks now have seven days to match the offer or the restricted free agent will be a member of the HEAT. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bell, a 6’3”, 200-pound guard, appeared in all 82 games (64 starts) for the Bucks last season and averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.18 steals and 34.7 minutes. A three-year NBA veteran, Bell began his NBA career after signing with the Phoenix Suns as an undrafted free agent on July 23, 2001. In addition to playing for the Suns and Bucks, he also saw action with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2001-02 season. For his career he has averaged 10.9 points, 2.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 28.2 minutes while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor and 75.7 percent from the foul line.

sourc e: NBA.com

Warriors Sign Head Coach Don Nelson To New Contract

The Golden State Warriors and Head Coach Don Nelson have reached a new contractual agreement, it was announced today by Warriors’ President Robert Rowell. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Nelson, 67, returned to Golden State for his second stint as the team’s head coach prior to the 2006-07 season, leading the Warriors to a 42-40 record, a second place finish in the Pacific Division and their first trip to the NBA Playoffs in 13 years. Additionally, Nelson guided Golden State to a First Round triumph over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, marking the first time that a #8 seed had defeated a #1 seed in a seven-game series.

“We think Don is a great coach,” said Rowell. “His style has always been well accepted by players and is a natural fit for our team. I know that everyone is anxious and looking forward to the exciting, successful brand of basketball that he will once again orchestrate for our team and our fans.”

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source : NBA.com

Knicks Looking At Allen Houston

The Knicks have lost so much to the Nets over the past six years they may not want to lose Allan Houston to them, too.

Both teams are in the chase for the shooting guard, who is trying to make a comeback after retiring two years ago because of an arthritic left knee. But the Knicks could up the ante.

The Nets have invited Houston to training camp on a "make good" contract for the veteran's minimum. But Houston has received the same offer from other teams.

However, league sources said the Knicks might offer Houston part of their midlevel exception, and could clear some roster space to make room for him. They have 17 players under contract, including three shooting guards.

Houston is a favorite of Knicks owner Jim Dolan, so it could be he wants his former franchise player back. It's also possible that with all the negative publicity the Knicks and Madison Square Garden are getting from the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment trial, they might want some good PR.

Losing Houston to the Nets would be another smack in this heavily lopsided rivalry.

Other teams are in the mix for the former All-Star, including the Heat and Cavaliers, but being close to home and near his family is a high priority for him. Thus, the Nets and Knicks are high on Houston's list.

Houston is said to be considering all offers. Although money wouldn't seem to be a factor since Houston earned $100 million from the Knicks, he could choose to show loyalty to his former team and organization.

If winning is a major objective, Houston probably would choose one of the other teams, including the Nets, over the Knicks. Houston has a good relationship with Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, and many players might choose to play with Kidd over Stephon Marbury anyway.

source: northjersey.com

Mutombo Returning To Rockets For One More Season

HOUSTON -- Dikembe Mutombo will play one more year for the Houston Rockets, and then retire after 17 seasons in the NBA, he told KRIV-TV in Houston.

"I am going to play and enjoy it and walk away from it," Mutombo told the station, according to its Web site.

Mutombo, 41 said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey came to Atlanta to meet with him last month to let him know how much the Rockets wanted him back. That meant a lot, Mutombo said, according to the report.

"It's a great organization," Mutombo said, according to KRIV. "I have a great relationship with the owner. I have a great relationship with the mayor and I love the city. I have been blessed."
A four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, he also raised money for the construction of a hospital in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo and was honored for his humanitarian efforts by President Bush during the 2007 State of the Union address.

source : sports.espn.go.com

Oden's Knees Passed Test

General manager Kevin Pritchard acknowledged this weekend that the Trail Blazers had questions about the health of Greg Oden before they selected him with the No. 1 pick in the June NBA draft, but that his right knee was not among them.

Oden had season-ending microfracture surgery on his right knee Thursday, stunning the organization.

"We had worries about a lot of things, but not his knees," Pritchard said.

Nearly all the Blazers' pre-draft worries were tempered when Oden's agents allowed the Blazers to perform a series of magnetic resonance imagings on various parts of Oden's body, including his wrists, hips and knees.

The MRI on his knees taken June 20 -- eight days before the draft -- came back "absolutely pristine," Pritchard said.

Still, several media outlets have published comments from unnamed front office personnel from the Eastern Conference that said they had red-flagged Oden's physical, which was taken at the league's pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., in early June. The inference in those quotes was that Pritchard and the Blazers should have seen Oden as an injury-prone player.

Pritchard, who said he knows the identity of the Eastern Conference front office source, categorized the comments as "a cheap shot." He said the Blazers compiled 167 reports on Oden, which he studied nightly until he couldn't stay awake.

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source : oregonlive.com