| Pau Gasol, F, Los Angeles Lakers | Sunday 2/3, 3:42 PM CT |
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| As expected, Pau Gasol didn't make his debut with the Lakers on Sunday. He took some shots prior to their hardcourt run with the Wiz but didn't suit up. Gasol's still nursing a sore back and wanted to settle in a bit before joining his new teammates for game action. Tuesday against the Nets sounds likely, though. |
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| Caron Butler was able to return to action on Sunday to face his old Lakers squad. He played nearly 39 minutes and scored 15 points, though he was just 5-of-15 from the field and clearly didn't look close to full speed. He's been battling a strained hip flexor and should be set for the next game, so long as the muscle reacts well to Sunday's workout. |
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| Damon Stoudamire is expected to ink his contract for the remainder of the season with the Spurs on Sunday, according to the San Antonio Express. He'll practice with his new squad later in the day and could make his game debut as soon as Tuesday versus the Pacers. Look for him to start at the point until Tony Parker gets back from his foot injury. |
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| Pau Gasol, F, Los Angeles Lakers | Sunday 2/3, 10:37 AM CT |
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| Although Pau Gasol passed his physical Saturday, he said he probably won't play on Sunday, according to the LA Times. He's still nursing a sore back and would like to get a little practice in before hitting the court in the triangle offense. "It's just getting to know everybody and getting adjusted," he said. It's been a whirlwind couple of days for Gasol, so the Lakers will probably give him a break to get his head straight and aim for his debut on Tuesday against the Nets. |
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| Jerry Stackhouse won't play Sunday and probably will skip Monday's contest, too, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I'm going to err on the side of caution and try to get it as close to 100 percent as I can," he said. Stackhouse is battling a strained hamstring but has little fantasy value even when healthy. |
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| Marcus Camby, C, Los Angeles Clippers | Sunday 2/3, 10:26 AM CT |
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| A left knee contusion kept Marcus Camby from playing on Saturday, according to the Denver Post. "It's been bothering me for a week and a half now. I've just been playing through it," Camby said. "I've been giving it up for the team the last couple of weeks. Everyone's been playing banged-up, though, so that's no excuse. But Monday (against Portland) is definitely a big game. So I'm just trying to get as healthy as possible." The injury might require him to take games off on occasion the rest of the way, but considering the oft-injured center has missed just three games this season, that's not so bad. |
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| Raymond Felton played through his sprained ankle Saturday, scoring 14 points and dishing out nine assists. Just as importantly, coach Sam Vincent intends to use Felton as the primary point guard going forward, according to the Charlotte Observer. "We’re looking to get the ball more into his hands," Vincent said. "Let him make decisions." That's great news for his fantasy value, as it means he'll handle the rock on most plays, which should lead to better scoring and assist totals, though it should also lead to a lower FG%. With Felton shifting from the two to one, Jeff McInnis, who had been the starting point guard, didn't even play. Newly signed Earl Boykins backed up Felton, instead. |
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| The strained foot that Gerald Wallace sustained during Friday's game is expected to sideline him for at least a week, according to the Charlotte Observer. "I think right now about a week; we want to be more cautious," in treating this situation, coach Sam Vincent said. "Gerald is a warrior. If he can play we know he will." He's a warrior, true. But he's also quite prone to injury and plays with reckless abandon, which isn't a great combination. Jared Dudley will replace Wallace in the starting lineup in the interim and could have some light fantasy value as a rebounder. |
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| Caron Butler didn't take part in Saturday's practice and was not sure if his strained left hip flexor would loosen up in time to play on Sunday, according to the Washington Post. "It feels a lot better than it did [Friday] so that's a good thing," Butler said. "I was able to go out there and do some shooting, move around a little bit and test it so now it's just a matter of seeing how it feels in the morning." The All-Star has plenty of motivation to lace up Sunday, as the Wiz face his former Lakers team, but you can expect him to think long term about his health and not risk turning this into a problem that will bother him the rest of the season. |
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| Pacers coach Jim O'Brien plans to watch Jamaal Tinsley closely, as the point guard works his way back from a sore knee, because he doesn't want Tinsley to miss a large chunk of this season like he has in previous campaigns, according to the Indianapolis Star. "When Jamaal came back off the inactive list, he had missed 10 out of 21 games," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "I'm concerned. Not last year, but the previous two years, he missed half the games. I'm concerned about his ability to sustain this season when again he comes back and tweaks his knee in the first half. He's been fighting knee difficulties all year." Tinsley came off the bench again Saturday, playing 21 minutes. He should resume starting soon, but his injury concerns are legitimate. |
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| During the first half of Saturday's game, Travis Diener tweaked the foot injury that's been bothering him for a couple of weeks, according to the Indianapolis Star. X-rays were negative, and he finished with 10 assists on the night. Diener's had some decent games while starting in place of Jamaal Tinsley, though he should go back to the bench once Tinsley's back up to full speed. |
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| Ricky Davis, G, Los Angeles Clippers | Sunday 2/3, 9:32 AM CT |
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| Ricky Davis said he doesn't want to be traded away from the Heat, according to the Miami Herald. "I definitely don't want to leave again," said Davis, in his second stint in Miami after a short stay in 2000-01. "I'm at the stage of my career where I'm trying to find a home, somewhere best for me. I want to be here." Nonetheless, with the Heat's season in the tank and the health of Shaq and Dywane Wade up in the air, they have little reason to keep Davis. Plus, he has an expiring contract, which is enticing to trade partners, so he may well be dealt before the deadline. |
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| Nenad Krstic took part in his first game Saturday since Nov. 21. He had been recovering from knee surgery and played just three minutes off the bench. Once up to speed, he'll compete with Josh Boone, Sean Williams, and the soon-to-be-acquired Stromile Swift in the Nets' frontcourt. |
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| Nate Robinson sustained a bruised thigh when he took a knee to his leg late in the third quarter Saturday, according to the New York Daily News. He was able to complete the game, though the Knicks might have been better off if he hadn't, as he missed all nine of his field-goal attempts on the night. It's possible the injury could affect his availability for Monday's game, so check back with us for an update as the contest nears. |
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| Eddy Curry, C, New York Knicks | Sunday 2/3, 9:11 AM CT |
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| Eddy Curry missed his second straight game Saturday due to the flu. No word yet on whether he'll be ready to take part in Monday's run with the Clippers. |
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| Marvin Williams played through a sore leg during Saturday's game, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I got kneed in the thigh against the Clippers," Williams said. "He got me pretty good, too. But I've got to play through this." Coach Mike Woodson said he might have to limit Williams' minutes to avoid aggravating the injury. However, Williams played 38 minutes Saturday and led all scorers in the game with 24 points, while adding seven boards and five dimes. Williams doesn't shoot triples, but he's an underrated fantasy option; the third-year player is shooting 48 percent from the field and takes a good number of free-throw attempts (6.5 per game), hitting them at an 81-percent clip. |
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| Luol Deng, G, Chicago Bulls | Sunday 2/3, 8:56 AM CT |
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| Luol Deng had hoped to return from his ailing Achilles tendon before the Bulls' six-game road trip wraps up Feb. 9, but it looks like that's not going to be the case, according to the Chicago Tribune. "I think they're going to wait until we get back after the trip and take some more pictures and see what's what and move on from there," interim coach Jim Boylan said. It appears more likely that he won't be seen in game action until after the All-Star break, but we'll have a better idea following that next MRI. |
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