Addition of Moore could bolster Celtics' playoff run

As the race for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs heats up, the Boston Celtics are looking for an X-factor to bolster their frontcourt.

Because of the retirement of P.J. Brown and James Posey's offseason departure via free agency, the Celtics have been thin in the post all season. The frontline grew more emaciated when Kevin Garnett strained his knee on Feb. 19 against the Jazz. The Celtics' All-Star is estimated to be out for two to three weeks.

So Boston has turned to the recently released Mikki Moore. After clearing waivers on Tuesday, the Celtics signed the 7-footer, instantly giving them some added punch ... though more on the offensive end than the defensive one, according to one NBA scout.

"I think he's an improvement over Big Baby [Glen Davis] and Leon Powe in regards to offense," the scout said. "He'll give them a little more length and size, but he's not as strong as those two and not as good a rebounder.

"Defensively, he won't have a problem with Boston's schemes. He should be a good team defensive guy."

Moore -- who has only played 749 minutes in 46 games with Sacramento this season -- may be called upon for quality minutes in Garnett's absence. So far, the Celtics have weathered KG's injury well, scoring a combined 242 points in two wins over Phoenix and Denver.

Last year when Garnett missed nine games with an abdominal strain, the Celtics went 7-2 because they have two other All-Stars to carry the load.

"KG is the heart and soul, but Paul Pierce is the guy," said the scout. "He's the star. When teams game plan for the Celtics, they game plan for Pierce first, then everyone else. He can easily score 30 a night.

"And then, there's Ray Allen, who's had a phenomenal season."

The Celtics can score, but what about the defensive end, where Garnett not only allowed the guards to apply pressure on the ball but also erased a ton of mistakes at the rim

"They're so excellent on team defense ... they'll be OK," the scout said. "Will they give up more points and layups? Probably. But with the way their scheme is defensively, I think they're OK for that two- to three-week period."

Boston has seven games -- four at home, three on the road -- in those three weeks. The Celtics' toughest test starts with a three-game stretch that begins on March 6 with the Cavs, the team they're pursuing for home-court advantage in the East. On March 8, the Celtics host the Magic, the team they're trying to hold off. Then Boston gets two days off before it ends the stretch with a game in Miami on March 11.

Shake-N-Bake Nate

Since leaping Dwight "Superman" Howard in a single bound to win the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk title, the Knicks' Nate Robinson is still flying high.

Sandwiched around an appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman" last Thursday where he performed a hyper-athletic version of "Stupid Human Tricks" by leaping over stagehand/comic foil Biff Henderson and exchanging courtside fist bumps with his comedy hero, Will Ferrell, on Monday, Robinson has played spectacular basketball.

The 5-foot-9 guard has averaged 29.3 points per game in the Knicks' four games since the break, including a 41-point performance off the bench in the Knicks' 123-119 win over the Pacers on Monday. Robinson's 41 points tied Bob McAdoo for the most points from a reserve in Knicks history. The Knicks can thank Ferrell -- who's now on Broadway portraying George W. Bush in "You're Welcome, America" -- for Robinson's inspiration.

"I'm a big fan of Will," Robinson said. "I love all his movies. I wanted to show my appreciation for making me laugh all these years. I had so much energy. I wanted to play well for my teammates and fans, but especially him."

Stephon and On and On ...

The never-ending Stephon Marbury saga dragged on as Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters on Monday that he will miss practice to attend an arbitration hearing on Tuesday.

"It's not a great situation for anybody. I hate it for Steph, I hate it for the Knicks, I hate it for everybody. But it's just something we're doing and we'll deal with it and get it over with," D'Antoni said. "There's a lot worse things in the world going on, so we'll just deal with the problem and do the best we can."

The hearing centers around a grievance Marbury filed against the Knicks, who suspended and fined him $400,000 for reportedly refusing to play on Nov. 26 in Detroit. Reports also have Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Marbury meeting soon after the hearing to resume talks of a buyout.

The two sides last met on Dec. 1. Marbury made the meeting brief, quickly leaving the Knicks' practice facility after 20 minutes.

Marbury may want to stick around for as long as it takes this time. If he wants participate in the playoffs, Marbury needs to be on a roster by March 1.

What They're Saying

"I am that fast."

-- Nets point guard Devin Harris, explaining how he could his catch an inbounds pass, dribble 30 feet, fumble, regroup, shoot and hit a half-court shot all in 1.8 seconds. He did that Monday at the IZOD Center to lift the Nets to an improbable 98-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I just had to coach myself; I just had to sit down and be quiet and watch the show like everybody else."

-- Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown on LeBron James' 55-point performance in Milwaukee last Friday. James scored 16 points in three minutes to open the second half.

"It's the hardest 48 minutes you're going to play."

-- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade on the difficulties of guarding the Orlando Magic.

Behind the Numbers

.841 -- The combined home winning percentage (90-17) of the Cavaliers, Celtics, Magic and Hawks, the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.

15 -- Number of Pacers games this season decided by three points or fewer; they're 6-9 in those games.

15.0 -- The average difference in points scored by the Celtics in wins (104.8) compared to losses (89.8), second only to the Nets' 15.1-point difference.

Layups

The Pistons have lost six consecutive games for the first time since 2004. At 27-27, Detroit would need to finish 23-5 in its last 28 games to reach 50 wins for the seventh consecutive season ... The Wizards' Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood participated in non-contract drills on Monday. Neither Arenas (knee surgery) nor Haywood (broken wrist) have played this season ... The Wizards are 0-12 against their Southeast Division foes ... LeBron's 55-point performance in Milwaukee was the seventh 50-point performance in his career. He has broached the 50-point mark twice against Milwaukee and twice against the Knicks.

Resilient Rockets rolling despite trade, injury setbacks

The Rockets have lost Tracy McGrady for the rest of the season to a knee injury, Rafer Alston to a trade to Orlando and Carl Landry to a sprained ankle. But that's the only losing that's happening in Houston these days.

The Rockets are tied with the Lakers, Jazz and Cavaliers for the longest winning streak in the league, at four games. The streak started before the All-Star break against the Kings and has included wins over the Nets, Mavericks and Bobcats. The streak isn't nearly as historic as the 22-game ride that the Rockets had last season, the second-longest in league history to the Lakers' 33 straight in 1971-72. But it's still impressive in its own right.

After bottoming out in McGrady's last game with the team -- allowing a season high 124 points in a loss to the Bucks -- Houston rebounded to hold its next four opponents under 90 points. The last time the Rockets held four straight opponents under 90 was Nov. 12-17 of this season, but Houston dropped one of those games 77-75 to San Antonio.

Second-year forward Luis Scola has turned in four straight double-doubles during the streak (just the second time that he's notched 10-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in four straight games), averaging 14.0 points and 11.8 points.

"It's a good thing that we know -- this is who we have, this is who we are,'' Scola told reporters. "Now, everybody can take a role, whatever it is, and it's a good thing. I wish we could have everybody healthy. But this is who we have now, and we have to take it.''

As good as Scola has been of late, Yao Ming has been even better, averaging 21.3 points and 12.5 rebounds in the last four and praising his team's tenacity from start to finish.

"We are really focused, focused on 48 minutes, not like before," Yao said.

Scola and Yao aren't the only players to step up. Ron Artest is averaging 20 points on 51 percent shooting (when his season averages are only 16.2 on 39.6) during the streak, new starting point guard Aaron Brooks handled his first start post-Alston with 19 points and eight assists against Dallas and Von Wafer, signed for the league minimum, has nearly as many points during the streak (35) as he did during all of last season in 29 games played with Denver and Portland (46).

"These guys really believe there is no reason we can't win," Rockets head coach Rick Adelman told the Houston Chronicle.

Houston, at 35-21, sits a half game behind Portland for the No. 4 seed in the West. The Rockets will put their streak on the line and try to gain ground in the playoff race on Tuesday when they host the Trail Blazers.

Dudley 'Do Right

With Denver's Carmelo Anthony, Detroit's Allen Iverson and Cleveland's Ben Wallace all taking the shears to their signature braids this season, second-year Phoenix forward Jared Dudley is thinking about just how long he'll continue to sport his cornrows.

"Once Iverson cuts his hair, he's the president, so I don't think I'm too far behind," Dudley said. "I planned on doing it next year, but you never know, now it might come a little early. I was head of security, Iverson was the president, Melo was the CEO."

Golden State's Ronny Turiaf also has removed his braids in favor of a ponytail look and less popular players -- New York's Eddy Curry, Detroit's Kwame Brown and the L.A. Lakers' Shannon Brown, to name a few -- also have eschewed the look.

"It's time for the clean-cut image of the NBA," Dudley said.

New Jersey's Josh Boone, Cleveland's Delonte West and Miami's Udonis Haslem are some of the more notable names out of the dozen or so players left in the league with the hairdo.

Kings Get a Facelift

Sacramento rookie Donte Greene's Facebook status on Thursday said it all: "They traded da whole damn team!!!!!!!"

The Kings were the busiest team in the league at last Thursday's trade deadline, bringing in seven new players (Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons, Will Solomon, Rashad McCants, Ike Diogu, Calvin Booth), parting ways with four (Brad Miller, John Salmons, Shelden Williams, Bobby Brown) and briefly holding the rights to two more (Sam Cassell, Michael Ruffin) before shedding them (Cassell was waived and Ruffin was traded for Diogu).

Outside of veteran Bobby Jackson, who returned to the franchise as a role player this year after being a key contributor from 2000-05, Francisco Garcia and Kevin Martin are the only other players on the roster who have played more than 240 games in a Sacramento uniform.

What They're Saying

  "I congratulated him beforehand on what a great job he did because I haven't had problems with it."

-- New Orleans center Tyson Chandler explaining the "comical" circumstances of his trade to Oklahoma City being rescinded because the Thunder's doctor failed him in the physical, citing a nagging turf toe injury. The same doctor performed surgery on Chandler's toe two years ago.

"We're inventing new ways to get hurt. What's the percentage in the annals [of NBA history] of one of your players flying on an airplane and his eardrum caves in and has to have a procedure to put tubes in, under full sedation? It's kind of like, OK, what other kind of other injury could happen."

  -- L.A. Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy on his center Marcus Camby missing time with an ear infection after having his eardrum burst on an airplane during a flight during the All-Star break.

"Nobody's ever made it since we've been in Staples Center. The last time I saw somebody make it, we were at the Forum and the guy slid across the floor [in celebration] and broke his nose, so he probably had to use all the money to fix his nose."

  -- L.A. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant after University of Southern California senior Robert Ward banked in a half court shot to win $165,000 at the Lakers game on Tuesday.

Behind the Numbers

14 -- First-quarter assists for Portland's Steve Blake in Sunday's 116-87 win over the Clippers, tying John Lucas' mark set in 1978 for most assists in any quarter and eclipsing Magic Johnson's record for first-quarter assists of 12 set in 1984.

422 -- Total points scored by the Suns in their first three games with Alvin Gentry as interim head coach. Phoenix became the first team to score 140 points or more in three straight games since the Portland Trail Blazers did it from Nov. 13-17 in 1990.

1,300 -- Golden State head coach Don Nelson joined Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkins as the only other coach in the history of the NBA to reach 1,300 victories with a 133-120 win over Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Layups

The business of basketball can be cruel sometimes. If the Lakers win it all, Shannon Brown and Adam Morrison will receive rings for joining the team for the last 30 games of the regular season while Vladimir Radmanovic (166 career games as a Laker) and Chris Mihm (175 games) will not ... Just when it looked like San Antonio was stepping up as the clear No. 2 team in the West behind the Lakers, Manu Ginobili goes down for two to three weeks with a right ankle injury. The door is open for the Nuggets, who are game back of the Spurs ... The Jazz will wear a commemorative patch of the old team musical note logo with the initials "LHM" embroidered on it for the rest of the season to honor late owner Larry H. Miller, who died on Friday from complications from diabetes.

Nike Zoom Lebron VI (6) - Beaverton / World Tour PE

We know you guys cant get enough of your Nike Zoom Lebron VI colorways. Pictures of these Lebron VI shoes which were designed last summer during July 2008 recently surfaced online. The sneakers were made in honor of the Lebron James ‘World Tour’, which included a stop at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The colorway on the Beaverton Lebron VI includes black, red and orange throughout the sneakers, with the usual tri-color stitching on the mid-sole. The Nike Swoosh has a gradient design which fades from red to orange to yellow. Paying homage to the date Lebron visited the headquarters theres Beaverton, OR emboridered on the tongue in red, with July 17th, 2008 emboridered under it. The insoles also have a custom design which says Lebron World Tour. The Lebron 6 has been hitting retailers in a grip of colorways and player exclusive lately but we dont expect these to be hitting retailers any soon.

Plenty of more detailed pictures follow after the jump. Via: NikeLebron

 

 

 

Issue 19 of Bounce Magazine has been uploaded to the ‘net to be downloaded, printed, and disseminated by hoops fans from every corner of the world. Bounce co-founder and current editor-in-chief Bobbito Garcia is Puerto Rican, and dedicated the latest update of his publication to the island’s diverse hoops culture. Kool Bob Garcia is primarily responsible for providing a comprehensive history of PR basketball both in the Caribbean and in the United States. Sneaker updates are provided by Sneakerfiles staff writer and in-house cheesecake connoisseur Jeremy Ripley and in Garcia’s fantastically “Let ‘em Marinate column.

MVP candidates often sport Battier-like qualities

If it weren't for the NBA trade deadline and all the talk surrounding it, this article by Michael Lewis in last Sunday's New York Times magazine, about the underappreciated value of Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier, would have been the most talked about story of the week.

Lewis, the author of Moneyball, the most argued over (maybe most misunderstood) sports book ever, interviews Battier and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who works to apply the principles outlined in Moneyball -- a book about finding value in underappreciated players in baseball -- to basketball. The story, unlike any of the trades this week, is a blockbuster.

"Here we have a basketball mystery: a player is widely regarded inside the N.B.A. as, at best, a replaceable cog in a machine driven by superstars," Lewis writes. "And yet, every team he has ever played on has acquired some magical ability to win."

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Throughout the story, Lewis tries to show why Battier has that magic touch. By revealing the forward's tricks of the trade and how he used them against Kobe Bryant on Jan. 13 in the Lakers' 105-100 win over Houston, Lewis essentially provides a scouting report on Bryant's weaknesses, which, of course, are few. Still, Lewis shows us how Battier uses Bryant's limitations to force Bryant to take 32 shots (plus nine free throw attempts) to score 33 points.

(I would love to see Lewis do a comparable article about Battier guarding LeBron James. The Rockets host the Cavs on Thursday, Feb. 26. I can dream, can't I?)

Though we appreciate Battier's brains, his defense and his tenacity, you won't find Battier anywhere near the Race to the MVP -- or anyone's MVP list for that matter -- because his traditional stats (6.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game) are, frankly, dismal.

But is he valuable? Not in the traditional sense, but to the Rockets, Battier has value beyond traditional quantification. These intangible values don't only apply to Battier. They apply to all of our "legitimate" MVP candidates, too, and raise a question we've touched on all season: Do stats make the man "The Man" or is it something else, like a player's confidence, his aura, his presence, his enthusiasm and his attitude?

The debate goes on. You can e-mail us your thoughts at service@bigtimekicks.com.

Line of the Week

Orlando's Dwight Howard, Feb. 17: 45 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks vs. Charlotte.

Nearly 45-20? Throw in the eight rejections (which is my record at the eighth grade dance, "No, Rob...") and you have an epic performance.

Rise of the week: Pau Gasol (back into the Top 10)

Drop of the week: Kevin Garnett (out of the Top 10)

Suns' Stoudemire out eight weeks after eye surgery

PHOENIX (AP) -- Amar'e Stoudemire could be finished for the season just days after the Phoenix Suns decided not to trade him.

Stoudemire, a starter for the West in Sunday's All-Star Game, had eye surgery Friday and won't be able to resume physical activity for about eight weeks.

"We're going to be ultraconservative with this and if it means he misses the remainder of the season, so be it," Suns general manager Steve Kerr said. "He's got a long career and a long life ahead of him. And that's the most important thing."

The NBA playoffs begin eight weeks from Saturday, and it's no sure thing the Suns will even be in the postseason, especially with their All-Star power forward unavailable for the final 29 games of the regular season.

"He was really discouraged," Kerr said. "He was really starting to play well. He was feeling good about things. Our team obviously is feeling very good about things, just about the way the last couple of games have gone, and this is a major blow."

The eye had been bothering Stoudemire before Wednesday night's game against the Clippers in Los Angeles, where he scored 42 points in Phoenix's 142-129 victory. A blow to the head early in the game may have aggravated the injury.

The Suns didn't find out about the need for surgery until after Thursday's trade deadline.

"He seemed fine. He didn't have a lot of discomfort after the game," Kerr said. "It seemed like this was going to be a routine checkup like he's had about monthly throughout this season. We didn't expect, obviously, what we found out."

Had the Suns known of the injury, Kerr said he would have looked to acquire someone to help fill the void, "but that's easier said than done."

Dr. Pravin Dugel, who performed the surgery to repair a partially detached retina in Stoudemire's right eye, said the eight-week recovery period is an average and the time varies case by case.

Stoudemire injured the same eye in training camp this season. In that case, he had a partially torn iris with no damage to the retina.

Last week, the Suns entertained offers from other teams for Stoudemire but decided against the move after firing coach Terry Porter on Sunday and replacing him with Alvin Gentry. Gentry returned Phoenix to the high-speed game of Mike D'Antoni, a system that suits Stoudemire best.

Gentry said the team would keep running. He inserted speedy guard Leandro Barbosa into the starting lineup against Oklahoma City on Friday night, moving 6-foot-8 Grant Hill to the power forward spot.

"We want to run as much as we have," Gentry said before the game, "and if we can run more, we'll do that."

He said his starting lineup could vary depending on the opponent.

"We'll have combinations out there with a lot of small guys and we'll have combinations out there with a lot of medium guys," Gentry said. "We don't really have a lot of big guys so we'll be medium I guess out there."

Stoudemire is one of the game's best finishers on fastbreaks.

Rather than "a thunderous dunk," Gentry said, "it may have to be a layup. But we can still do some of the things that we did, a lot of things that we did."

Steve Nash said the players have to keep their spirits up.

"We've got a choice to make," Nash said. "Are we going to come together and make the most of the situation and give ourselves a chance, or are we going to cry about it and fragment and splinter and not give ourselves a chance?"

Stoudemire's backup used to be Boris Diaw, but he was traded to Charlotte along with Raja Bell in the deal that brought Jason Richardson to Phoenix.

"We traded Boris and we lose Amar'e," Nash said. "So we lost two really good power forwards and that's going to put a strain on any team. But we'll just try to make do and do the best we can.

"We've still got a lot of good players and if we come together and have a good spirit and are competitive, I think we'll win a lot of games."

Owner Robert Sarver also chose not to deal Shaquille O'Neal, like Stoudemire a high-priced player with a year left on his contract, in order to make a run at the postseason. The Suns entered Friday night's play a game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West.

Kerr said Stoudemire's long-term prognosis is excellent, and he should have 100 percent recovery of his vision.

Stoudemire, the only Suns player to start all 53 games, is the team's leading scorer for the third consecutive year, averaging 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Air Jordan I (1) Retro High - Do The Right Thing Pack

Last year, we previewed both the Air Jordan I (1) High - White / Green and the Air Jordan I (1) High - White / Varsity Red which are both part of a Do The Right Thing pack. It is now obvious that Jordan Brand will be bringing back the Metallic Air Jordan 1 Highs in 2009 and by what we see, the future looks quite promising. 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing film and Jordan Brand will be honoring the great director by releasing this pack of Metallic Air Jordan 1 Highs. The pack will consist of a white/sea green AJ1, a white/varsity red AJ1, and matching apparel. Both pairs feature quite simple colorways and the only unique detail about them is the inner lining. Both sneakers’ inner linings and the matching apparel are modeled after DTRT’s movie posters. The Do The Right Thing Air Jordan Pack is set to drop in July 2009 with each Air Jordan I (1) retailing for $105.

Magic acquire Alston; Nelson done

The Orlando Magic acquired one more point guard -- Houston's Rafer Alston -- to fill the void created by Jameer Nelson's season-ending shoulder injury.

Orlando, Houston and Memphis have reached agreement on a three-way trade.

After acquiring Tyronn Lue from Milwaukee earlier this month as its first Nelson fill-in, Orlando has managed to land Alston by agreeing to surrender a first-round pick to the Grizzlies.

The Rockets traded point guard Alston to Orlando and acquired Magic forward Brian Cook and Memphis guard Kyle Lowry.

Memphis also received the Magic's first-round draft pick, guard Mike Wilks, center Adonal Foyle and cash considerations as part of the deal that was among the very last at a busy NBA trade deadline.

"Rafer is a starting veteran point guard who shoots the ball well," Magic general manager Otis Smith said in a statement. "He gives us added depth and athleticism in the backcourt . We thank Brian, Adonal and Mike for all of their contributions and wish them all the best."

Smith also announced Nelson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery Thursday afternoon. The procedure was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. The rehabilitation will take 4-6 months. Nelson dislocated his right shoulder and suffered a torn labrum on Feb. 2 vs. Dallas.

The 6-foot-2 Alston practiced with the Rockets on Thursday but left before the session was opened to the media. He was averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assists this season and had 24 assists in Houston's last two games, both Rockets victories.

The Rockets have wanted Lowry since he came out of Villanova in 2006. Houston was eyeing Lowry then, but took Rudy Gay with the eighth overall pick. Later on draft night, the Rockets traded Gay to Memphis for Shane Battier, but couldn't get Lowry.

"We felt like he's a player who would fit well here, could really contribute" Morey said. "He's going to do exactly what coach [Rick] Adelman tells him to do. We feel like it's a young player who can help us now and who we can build around for the future."

The 6-foot Lowry averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 assists in 49 games for the Grizzlies this season.

Bulls' GM Paxson says he's staying

After a week of rumors that he'd be out after the trade deadline, John Paxson made it short and sweet: He's not going anywhere.

"I'm the GM of the Bulls. I'm not resigning," he said Thursday. "I'm here and I'm going to be here, and that puts an end to it."

"It's over with. I'm the GM of the Bulls and that's final."

Before the All-Star break, rumors flew that Paxson would resign -- either immediately or at the end of the season -- running the team he won three titles with as a player in the Michael Jordan era.

Fans have been especially critical the past few seasons of Paxson's perceived reluctance to trade for a star player and his inability to acquire a low-post threat. Some even booed him during a halftime ceremony honoring longtime broadcaster and former coach Johnny "Red" Kerr last week.

After making three deals in the past 36 hours, Paxson spoke to the media and reiterated that he's still the boss.

"I have no control over stories and rumors that are printed at all," he said. "I don't feel an obligation to respond every time something comes up about me or a trade or anything like that, so I left it alone."

The Bulls sent forward Andres Nocioni, center Drew Gooden and reserves Cedric Simmons and Michael Ruffin to Sacramento on Wednesday for center Brad Miller and swingman John Salmons.

And Chicago sent Larry Hughes to the New York Knicks on Thursday in exchange for Tim Thomas and reserves Jerome James and Anthony Roberson.

The Bulls also got a first-round pick in this June's draft from the Oklahoma City Thunder for shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha.

"I thought we had two very productive days," Paxson said. "We got quite a few things accomplished on our end that I think help us a lot as a basketball team right now, and moving forward will give us an opportunity to be better as well."

The Bulls are 1½ games behind Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot. Paxson said he thinks the team is better than it was two days ago.

"We didn't give away a starter and we added components to make the team better right now," he said.

The Bulls went from 49 wins to 49 losses last season, and they have struggled this year despite the arrival of No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose, a favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf even called the season "a disaster" and "embarrassing" during an interview with Comcast SportsNet three weeks ago and said he's been tempted to stand up and boo, but he also made it clear he didn't blame Paxson.

"If there's one person that is not responsible for what's going on right now, it's John Paxson," Reinsdorf said in that interview. "I have tremendous confidence in John Paxson."

Paxson played on the Bulls' first three championship teams in the 1990s and delivered a memorable shot during the 1993 finals against Phoenix, burying the series-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left.

He later served as an assistant coach and broadcaster before replacing Jerry Krause as the general manager in April 2003.

Paxson drafted Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick that year, took Ben Gordon with the third pick in 2004 and acquired the rights to Luol Deng from Phoenix. They formed the core that led the Bulls to the playoffs in 2005, '06 and '07 before things fell apart.

Kicks On Court: All-Star Memories

In recent years, the NBA All-Star Weekend has become the ultimate showcase for basketball sneakers, this year will be no different. We’ve already seen a number of exclusives, and can expect to see some surprises as well. Over the years a number of memorable kicks have made appearances at the All-Star festivities. One of the fan favorites, the Rookie Game has become just as packed with heat as the All-Star game itself. Of course, who can forget the Slam Dunk contests of the past, where shoes have at times become as much a part of the focus as the slam dunks themselves.

We decided to take a stroll through memory lane and pull out some of the best All-Star kicks of the past, Click Here to check out some of our favorites.

Ginobili diagnosed with stress reaction

Manu Ginobili started the season dealing with an injury to one ankle. Now the San Antonio Spurs super-sub is sidelined because of the other one.

Coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday before the Spurs played in Detroit that Ginobili is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks.

"It's a stress reaction, not a stress fracture, which is important," Popovich said. "If it had been a stress fracture, there's no way he could have been playing, and certainly not as well as he has been."

Ginobili had X-rays, an MRI and a CT scan, and Popovich said the results were encouraging.

"The new bone is already starting to lay down, which means the healing process is underway," he said. "We're thinking that it will be 2-3 more weeks from tonight."

Ginobili had surgery on his left ankle last summer after the Olympics, forcing him to miss the first 12 games of the season. The current problem caused him to miss Tuesday's loss at New York.

"We'll handle it the same way we did the last time," Popovich said. "Whoever we've got left is going to play. I can't tell you who will get which minutes -- I'm going to do it on the fly."

Ginobili is the third-leading scorer for the Spurs, averaging 16.1 points. The Spurs (35-17) have lost two in a row, but still lead the Southwest Division.

Lance Armstrong's Bike Recovered

Lance Armstrong of the USA and riding for the Astana Pro Cycling Team speaks to the media at a press conference held by race presenter AEG to kick off the 2009 Amgen Tour of California professional road cycling race at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on February 12, 2009 in Sacramento, California. The Tour of California will cover 750 miles from February 14-22. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Lance Armstrong's bike has been recovered and he is currently awaiting its return.

The Sacramento Police Department is reporting that an anonymous do-gooder brought them the one-of-a-kind Livestrong Trek, but they aren't releasing the person's name or giving out any information about the ongoing investigation into the incident.

The bike, worth more than $10,000, was stolen Saturday night along with two other cyclists' bikes. Armstrong promptly posted information on the theft to his Twitter account, writing "someone stole my time trial bike! Wtf?!?"

Armstrong is currently competing in the AMGEN Tour of California. He found out Wednesday afternoon that the bike had been recovered and posted a message on his Twitter account:

Oh!! And they recovered the bike! Don't have details yet but it's apparently on it's way here. Thanks to the Sacramento P D for the help! 4:35 PM Feb 18th from TwitterBerry So see kids? Sometimes it does help to report you bike's theft to the police.