Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Thursday, October 23
Updated: October 23
10:42 AM ET
JonesMiami Heat: The Heat are dropping like flies. Joining Caron Butler and Dwayne Wade on the injured list is guard Eddie Jones, who has tendinitis in his left foot. But it could have worse. "I was afraid," said Jones in the Miami Herald. "I was like, 'Man, I've worked my butt off, I feel good, the team is looking good, and we don't need this right now.' When I left the MRI place [Wednesday] morning, I came over here just praying, 'Please, God, not a stress fracture. Anything but a stress fracture.' '' Jones and Wade are expected back by opening day while Butler remains uncertain.
Los Angeles Lakers: For the first time this year, Shaq, Kobe, Karl and Gary will all be on the floor together for a real live preseason game. "I'll do what I can and not do what I can't," said Bryant who is recovering from offseason surgery and off-court distractions. But his coach didn't think it would be too long before he the old Kobe Bryant. "I don't think there will be anything drastically different about him," coach Phil Jackson said in the L.A. Times. "I think he's going to be able to conserve more energy now that's Payton's on the team and can handle a lot of the pushing the ball and a lot of the pressure of breaking down a team's defense in front of him. I think it'll save him for fourth-quarter things he can do. He was pretty special today in practice. I asked him how he felt on a dunk that he made and he said he's not elevating quite the same as he was before. But he still feels that he's there, he can get up, he can do what he needs to do to finish a play."
Boston Celtics: Kevin McHale doesn't play for Boston anymore, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to back up a former teammate after he trades away Antoine Walker. "Finances play into everything you do now, and this trade helps them that way," McHale said in the Boston Herald. "Danny was in a situation, cap-wise, where if he wasn't going to be able to use the mid-level exception (to sign a free agent), then they weren't going to be able to improve much. This trade lets him do that. It can be a tough situation when you're over the cap but your team isn't where you want it to be. You want to have flexibility . . . This at least gives them some."
MourningNew Jersey Nets: The New York Daily News is reporting that center Alonzo Mourning has nerve damage in is neck discovered after a trip to a chiropractor's office. "I've just got to continue to rest it and base it pretty much on how I feel," said Mourning. He is not expected to miss Wednesday's opener against the Raptors.
Orlando Magic: This isn't exactly the motivational speech Magic fans were hoping for from their leader. "My timing is still off. I don't feel right on the court," Tracy McGrady said in the Orlando Sentinel. "My footwork is a little rusty. My jumper is a little rusty. I just don't feel good yet." And that was before he started in on his teammates. "This is the youngest team I've ever been on. There still are gaps we need to fill, offensively, defensively," he said. "Who knows how long it's going to take before it really clicks."
Golden State Warriors: The Contra Costa Times is reporting that power forward Troy Murphy will be sidelined from practice and any games for at least two weeks. "This isn't the first time we've seen plantar fasciitis in the NBA," Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean said. "Each case is different. We thought he was making nice progress, doing his therapy and doing the right things. There's no fault. We're just going to have to live with time." Point guard Nick Van Exel and center Adonal Foyle are also expected to miss the opener.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Thursday, October 23
Updated: October 23
10:42 AM ET
JonesMiami Heat: The Heat are dropping like flies. Joining Caron Butler and Dwayne Wade on the injured list is guard Eddie Jones, who has tendinitis in his left foot. But it could have worse. "I was afraid," said Jones in the Miami Herald. "I was like, 'Man, I've worked my butt off, I feel good, the team is looking good, and we don't need this right now.' When I left the MRI place [Wednesday] morning, I came over here just praying, 'Please, God, not a stress fracture. Anything but a stress fracture.' '' Jones and Wade are expected back by opening day while Butler remains uncertain.
Los Angeles Lakers: For the first time this year, Shaq, Kobe, Karl and Gary will all be on the floor together for a real live preseason game. "I'll do what I can and not do what I can't," said Bryant who is recovering from offseason surgery and off-court distractions. But his coach didn't think it would be too long before he the old Kobe Bryant. "I don't think there will be anything drastically different about him," coach Phil Jackson said in the L.A. Times. "I think he's going to be able to conserve more energy now that's Payton's on the team and can handle a lot of the pushing the ball and a lot of the pressure of breaking down a team's defense in front of him. I think it'll save him for fourth-quarter things he can do. He was pretty special today in practice. I asked him how he felt on a dunk that he made and he said he's not elevating quite the same as he was before. But he still feels that he's there, he can get up, he can do what he needs to do to finish a play."
Boston Celtics: Kevin McHale doesn't play for Boston anymore, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to back up a former teammate after he trades away Antoine Walker. "Finances play into everything you do now, and this trade helps them that way," McHale said in the Boston Herald. "Danny was in a situation, cap-wise, where if he wasn't going to be able to use the mid-level exception (to sign a free agent), then they weren't going to be able to improve much. This trade lets him do that. It can be a tough situation when you're over the cap but your team isn't where you want it to be. You want to have flexibility . . . This at least gives them some."
MourningNew Jersey Nets: The New York Daily News is reporting that center Alonzo Mourning has nerve damage in is neck discovered after a trip to a chiropractor's office. "I've just got to continue to rest it and base it pretty much on how I feel," said Mourning. He is not expected to miss Wednesday's opener against the Raptors.
Orlando Magic: This isn't exactly the motivational speech Magic fans were hoping for from their leader. "My timing is still off. I don't feel right on the court," Tracy McGrady said in the Orlando Sentinel. "My footwork is a little rusty. My jumper is a little rusty. I just don't feel good yet." And that was before he started in on his teammates. "This is the youngest team I've ever been on. There still are gaps we need to fill, offensively, defensively," he said. "Who knows how long it's going to take before it really clicks."
Golden State Warriors: The Contra Costa Times is reporting that power forward Troy Murphy will be sidelined from practice and any games for at least two weeks. "This isn't the first time we've seen plantar fasciitis in the NBA," Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean said. "Each case is different. We thought he was making nice progress, doing his therapy and doing the right things. There's no fault. We're just going to have to live with time." Point guard Nick Van Exel and center Adonal Foyle are also expected to miss the opener.
