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NBA Rumors
March 14
Salt Lake Tribune
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I knew this was going to happen. Literally 10 minutes after I posted the update on Kosta Koufos' first two games with the Utah Flash, the Jazz public relations staff passed along word that three players will miss tonight's game against Oklahoma City. Andrei Kirilenko is out with a calf strain, Memo Okur is sidelined with back spasms and Ronnie Price won't play because of a sprained wrist. Translation: Utah will have nine players available against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. That includes D-League signee Othyus Jeffers, who might just find himself guarding Durant in a game critically important to the Western Conference playoff race."
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Mavericks backup point guard J.J. Barea, who could become an unrestricted free agent this summer, told The Post he has the Knicks as his top choice if he doesn't stick with the Mavericks. The Mavericks, looking to open cap space, have a team option and the emergence of young French point guard Rodrique Beaubois could become a factor. With the Sergio Rodriguez experiment on hold, rookie Toney Douglas inherited the starting point-guard slot in last night's surprise 128-94 win over the Mavs, and Chris Duhon was installed as the backup. Though Douglas could man the position for the rest of the season, the Knicks will be desperately on the prowl for a new point guard next season and Barea will ..."
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Before Saturday's Nuggets-Grizzlies game, the speedy Ty Lawson zipped up-and-down the court, but come game time, he was again quarantined to the bench, a prisoner of pain. "He's just doing some light sprints right now, but as far as basketball, I don't think he'll be playing anytime soon," acting coach Adrian Dantley said of the point guard, who has a left shoulder contusion. Dantley said it's a day-to- day process waiting for Lawson's pain to subside. Lawson said he has trouble dribbling. "Anthony Carter has great chemistry with those guys in the second unit," Dantley said of Lawson's backup. "Every team wants three good point guards." As for power forward Kenyon Martin, who is out with a ..."
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Former UConn star Rudy Gay seemed lukewarm on remaining in the obscurity of Memphis when he becomes a restricted free agent in July when the Knicks and Nets become two of his options. "I wouldn't mind staying here, if I feel they were going to make a commitment to me,'' Gay said at the morning shootaround at FEDEX Forum. "It's a business. I'm only the one here from my first year so I know the business more than anyone on this team. It really doesn't matter which way it goes.'' Not exactly a ringing endorsement for wanting to remain on Beale Street, playing in the league's smallest market and playing before the second-worst attendance (averaging 13,000 despite a winning record). But it is ..."
NFL Rumors
March 14
Charlotte Observer
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Former Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme signed on with Cleveland on Saturday, but that doesn't mean the player he's unseating is headed to the Panthers. Despite reports listing Carolina as a potential destination for Browns' quarterback Brady Quinn, a league source told the Observer Saturday night that the Panthers had not shown interest in trying to acquire the former Notre Dame star. Cleveland is expected to try to trade Quinn now that Delhomme has agreed to a two-year deal to compete with Seneca Wallace, who was obtained in a trade last week with Seattle. Quinn has connections to the Panthers. Carolina quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer coached him during his rookie season and Panthers ..."
March 14
Charlotte Observer
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Though there has been speculation that Carolina might be interested in acquiring Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, the Panthers so far have shown no interest, according to a league source. The Browns are expected to try to trade Quinn now that former Carolina starter Jake Delhomme has signed, joining fellow newcomer Seneca Wallace, who was obtained from Seattle in a trade last week. The Browns' quarterback position in being overhauled under new team president Mike Holmgren. Already, Derek Anderson was released. Quinn, a 2007 first-round pick, has some natural connections with the Panthers. Quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer coached him his rookie year in Cleveland. Also, Carolina head ..."
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Outside linebacker, safety, receiver and nose tackle remain the Dolphins' most pressing offseason needs. But they also are exploring options at guard and tight end. Open to the idea of upgrading at right guard, the Dolphins have expressed an interest in unrestricted free agent Richie Incognito, 26, and are expected to bring him to team headquarters for a visit next week. Incognito has started all 47 of his NFL games but was cut by St. Louis in December after committing two personal-foul penalties (for head-butting Tennessee players) and verbally confronting coach Steve Spagnuolo. The Dolphins put in a claim for him Dec. 15, but he was awarded to Buffalo in the waiver process. Incognito, a ..."
March 14
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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This past week, the NFP's Michael Lombardi wrote about Chargers QB Charlie Whitehurst possibly landing in Arizona with Ken Whisenhunt and challenging Matt Leinart for playing time. Seattle is another squad that has already looked into the idea of landing Whitehurst, and now there are reports that both clubs could be close to signing the Chargers backup QB to an offer sheet. We can look at the Seattle interest in Whitehurst as a possible move for the future once the club transitions away from current starter Matt Hasselbeck. Or, just like Arizona, as more competition during training camp. The question still remains, why Whitehurst - a RFA will little game experience? Sources within the ..."
MLB Rumors
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Josh Beckett will not be making his scheduled start on Sunday against the Twins, his turn scratched because of illness.No details about the nature of his illness were available this morning. The Red Sox ace was slated to make his third start of the Grapefruit League season."
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Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts was scheduled to fly to Baltimore on Sunday night to be evaluated by back specialist Dr. Lee Riley of The John Hopkins Hospital on Monday. Roberts, who partook in infield practice prior to Sunday afternoon's game, insisted his visit to Riley is not a setback, but a more aggressive approach in treating a slightly herniated disc, an injury suffered during offseason workouts at the Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona. "I feel fine doing [infield] sort of stuff," Roberts said. "I still have a little bit of discomfort in certain areas and in certain ways, so those are the kinds of things that we're just going to check and make sure that we don't need ..."
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Scott Olsen still plans on being ready for the first week of the regular season, which for him mattered most Saturday after his second preseason start. "My arm's still attached," Olsen said. "Nothing broke today." In the Nationals ninth consecutive loss to begin spring training, Olsen started and allowed one run on four hits and no walks in three innings. More important than the results, Olsen felt he took another step forward in his recovery from last year's shoulder surgery. His fastball zipped at 88 miles per hour, an upgrade from his first start. "I'm getting there," Olsen said. "I'm real close. I don't know how close, but I think I'm real close. Maybe another start and another couple ..."
March 13
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Jermaine Dye hit 27 HR last season. That's tied for 37th most home runs among players in either league last year, one less than Joe Mauer and one more than Justin Upton. And he has no job. Joe Pawlikowski did a good job breaking down why Dye doesn't have a job on FanGraphs . To recap for the lazy, he had a terrible second half and his defense is utter excrement. Basically, Dye's a DH or nothing. Problem is, AL teams have generally sorted out their DH slots. It seems like everyone has some version of the big dude with bad knees and a boppin' bat. Dye's on his last legs, so he's probably best used on a one-year contract for a team that needs just a little more offense to contend. Sure, he'd ..."
NHL Rumors
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Tomas Kaberle is a wanted man. But will it remain that way through the summer? On Friday, general manager Brian Burke, during a radio interview in Toronto, said he "expected" the veteran defenceman return to the Maple Leafs next season. On Saturday, coach Ron Wilson echoed the sentiments of his GM. "Hopefully, he will be back," Wilson said. "He has a role carrying the puck and on the power play. We have (other guys) who concentrate on the defensive aspect of the game on our blue line." Kaberle has one more season remaining on his contract, which pays him a cap-friendly annual salary of $4.25 million US. He does have a no-trade clause, of course, one that becomes moot from the June draft ..."
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The Chicago Blackhawks will have to take a long, hard look at their goaltending at the end of the season. By sticking with the overpaid, underachieving Cristobal Huet at the deadline, GM Stan Bowman faces a big problem trying to fit all the pieces of his club under next season's salary cap. Not only do the Hawks have Huet under contract for two more years at an average of $5.625 million (all terms US), they will try to find a way to sign Antti Niemi, who has taken over as their No. 1 goaltender. Niemi — making $827,000 this season — can become a restricted free agent July 1 and go to arbitration, where he would likely be awarded $1.75-$2.25 million. The Hawks are already hard up against ..."
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Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said three teams inquired about the availability of center Mike Modano before the March 3 trade deadline, but Modano did not want to waive his no-trade clause and leave Dallas. "We were right there in the playoff race, just a point out of eighth," Modano said. "It would have been tough to leave. It just would have been hard. I didn't like the idea of leaving the city and going off to be a loaner for two months or so. There was no guarantee that if I left that the team that got me was going to win anyway." Nieuwendyk said he didn't negotiate with another team on any specifics, since Modano said he didn't want to leave. Nieuwendyk said he respected ..."
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After a meeting with a neuropsychological specialist yesterday at Massachusetts General Hospital showed little progress in his condition, Marc Savard will most likely miss the rest of the season, according to Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. Savard visited Dr. Kelly McInnis, who confirmed that the center has shown little improvement since Sunday, when he suffered a Grade 2 concussion at the hands of Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Savard's symptoms include sleep disruption, dizziness, sensitivity to light, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. "Not certain that he'll miss the rest of the year, but I'd say it's up there as far as probable,'' Chiarelli said. If Savard's season is over, the ..."