NBA News: Pro Sports Daily

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November 20

New York Times

"The Knicks' pursuit of Allen Iverson is dead. In an abrupt reversal, Knicks officials decided late Thursday not to offer Iverson a contract, putting an end to their brief flirtation, according to a person close to the deliberations. Although team officials were highly intrigued by Iverson, a four-time scoring champion, they finally decided that he posed too great a risk because of his long history of problems on and off the court. Team officials spent three days weighing the potential merits and pitfalls of signing Iverson, and alternately talked themselves into and then out of making the move. On Tuesday the team president, Donnie Walsh, called it unlikely. Two days later he seemed open ..."

Bogut out 2 to 4 weeks

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November 20

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Bucks center Andrew Bogut will miss the next two to four weeks with a left leg strain and contusion, the team announced Thursday afternoon. Bogut missed practice on Thursday and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam. He was injured late in the fourth quarter of the Bucks' 99-85 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night. The 7-foot center was examined by Bucks team doctor Michael Gordon, and the MRI exam revealed the injury. Bogut was off to a great start this season, averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. He had scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds when he left the game on Wednesday after banging his lower leg in a collision with another player."

Spurs' Ginobili to miss 7 to 10 days

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November 20

San Antonio Express-News

"After being examined by members of the Spurs medical staff Thursday, guard Manu Ginobili has been ruled out of action for seven to 10 days. An MRI exam confirmed that Ginobili suffered a mild left groin strain during Wednesday's game against the Mavericks in Dallas. He previously had been bothered by a left hamstring strain that caused Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to sit him during the fourth quarter of a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday. Both Ginobili and All-NBA point guard Tony Parker, still ailing with a sprained left ankle, were inactive for Thursday's game against the Jazz. Parker now is listed as day-to-day. The muscle strains that have plagued Ginobili are a disappointment after a ..."

Gordon could return next week

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November 20

Los Angeles Times

"Clippers General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy, with his team looking muddled defensively and in an opening-month spiral, on Thursday addressed the issue of his job security. The Clippers (4-9) have won one of their last six games, and returned home having dropped consecutive games to struggling New Orleans and Memphis. They play Denver tonight. "When's the last time you ever saw an interim coach come in and the team be successful and make a playoff run?" Dunleavy said. "It's not happening. Nobody knows these guys better than I know them. "Give a coach a chance to coach Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. After that, fine. Let the chips fall where they may. Other than that, you just fall to ..."

Ankle injury continues to slow Rose

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November 20

Yahoo! Sports

"The lane opened, and suddenly Derrick Rose(notes) was bolting toward the rim. Surely, the Chicago Bulls' young point guard would deliver a highlight to remember, a soaring dunk, maybe even a vicious one-handed flush like the one he memorably threw down on Leandro Barbosa(notes) last season. Not on this night. Rose instead opted to coast toward the basket for an easy layup, looking far more like John Stockton than Michael Jordan. The truth is Rose has yet to dunk at all this season. "The times I've attempted to I was barely getting up," he said. "So I will just say it was a high layup." A sprained right ankle Rose suffered early in the preseason has limited him. Three weeks into the ..."

News encouraging on Mavericks' Dampier, source says

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November 20

Dallas Morning News

"All major medical issues that would be considering life- or career-threatening have been eliminated in regard to center Erick Dampier's health, an NBA source said Thursday. The Mavericks have breathed a sigh of relief with the results but are still waiting on the returns from more tests, the source added. Dampier became ill in pregame warm-ups Sunday against Detroit and was transported to a hospital in Pontiac, Mich."

Gasol Returns, Comes up Huge

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November 20

Los Angeles Times

"The never-ending "hamstring watch" finally ended. Pau Gasol was back. After two setbacks and almost five weeks of limping around on the most scrutinized leg muscle of the season, Gasol returned to the Lakers, looking as if he had never left them. The box scores show he missed 11 games, but he was in late-season form in a 108-93 victory Thursday over the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes. The Lakers had the starting five they envisioned for months. They had experienced a weird few weeks without him. There was a home loss to Dallas. Near-losses in Oklahoma City and Houston. A drubbing in Denver. Another home loss to Houston."

Iverson close to deal with the Knicks

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November 20

NBA.com

"The New York Knicks' pursuit of free agent Allen Iverson has gone from longshot to even money in 48 hours, with several league sources indicating they believed Iverson would agree to a deal with the Knicks no later than the weekend -- and one source with knowledge of the negotiations indicating an agreement between the team and the nine-time All-Star was a near certainty. The 34-year-old Iverson officially cleared waivers Thursday evening after agreeing to a termination of his contract with the Memphis Grizzlies after just three regular-season games. Iverson had requested a leave of absence from the Grizzlies on Nov. 10 after telling the team he had to deal with an urgent family matter. ..."