NBA Player News

Monday, September 20

• 09/20/10 - 3:25PM ETCarmelo Anthony : Nets Rumored to be Front-Runners

  Several league sources told ESPN.com on Monday that they believe that New Jersey has emerged as the front-runner to acquire Anthony.

  An Anthony-to-New Jersey deal makes sense on a number of levels. One, it would allow the Nuggets to keep Anthony out of the Western Conference, avoiding potential playoff matchups with their former star. The Nets also could offer an intriguing package to Denver, one that could potentially include Derrick Favors (this year's No. 3 overall pick), the expiring contracts of Troy Murphy and Kris Humphries and at least one future first-round pick. Finally, Anthony is willing to sign a contract extension with the Nets. Everything is far from settled at this point, however, and teams like the Knicks, Bulls, Rockets, Clippers and Warriors all remain contenders for Anthony's services.

• 09/20/10 - 3:14PM ETWes Johnson : Still Bothered by Hamstring

  Johnson is still bothered by the hamstring injury that kept him out of summer league action, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda reports.

  The Timberwolves haven't provided many details about the injury, but it's a bit worrisome that an injury Johnson suffered in mid-July is still giving him trouble two months later. As soon as he's able to get healthy, he'll push Martell Webster for the starting small forward spot.

• 09/20/10 - 12:38PM ETRodrigue Beaubois : (Foot) Remains in Walking Boot

  Beaubois' broken foot is showing signs of progress, but the second-year guard remains in a walking boot, NBA.com reports.

  The Mavs don't have a timetable for Beaubois' return, but they'll likely be very cautious with him in training camp and the preseason in an effort to get him as healthy as possible for the start of the regular season. Beaubois broke his foot in early August while training with the French national team.

• 09/20/10 - 12:30PM ETAndrew Bynum : (Knee) Could Miss Start of Season

  Bynum (knee) may not be ready for the start of the regular season, NBA.com reports.

  Bynum underwent knee surgery in July and will be limited in training camp and the preseason. If he doesn't get much practice time before the season starts, the Lakers may choose to leave him on the bench for a while at the start of the year to let him slowly work his way back into game shape. Bynum is - as always - one of the biggest injury risks in fantasy basketball heading into 2010-11. If he does miss the start of the season, look for Pau Gasol to log more extensive minutes.

• 09/20/10 - 12:23PM ETAndrew Bogut : Elbow Pain Could Linger

  Bogut's elbow and finger injuries are mostly healed, but the pain in his elbow will likely linger throughout the season, NBA.com reports.

  "As one of the doctors put it, Andrew's going to be in pain ... almost every morning, and probably at least for the next year," general manager John Hammond said. "That elbow's going to be sore. There could be some arthritic tendencies. It could be sore when there's a chance of weather. It's going to be an aggravating injury." Bogut may not even have complete range of motion in the joint this season, so using an early-round pick on him certainly comes with a decent amount of risk, even if he is ready for the start of the season.

• 09/20/10 - 12:14PM ETBlake Griffin : (Knee) Close to 100 Percent

  Griffin (knee) has been playing pickup games with his teammates for a month and is close to 100 percent healthy, NBA.com reports.

  Griffin has been playing, running and lifting without any restrictions and should be able to participate in all facets of training camp. "My trainer sends me an e-mail every Friday," assistant general manager Neil Olshey said. "You know, this player's doing this, this guy's working on this. So I get the e-mail. It said 'Blake Griffin -- no issues to report.' Best e-mail I've gotten in years." The Clippers may be cautious and limit Griffin in certain aspects of training camp, but there shouldn't be any reason to downgrade him based on injury concerns heading into 2010-11.

• 09/20/10 - 11:28AM ETCarmelo Anthony : Nuggets Listening to Offers

  Numerous sources have told ESPN.com that the Nuggets have let other teams know for the first time that they will listen to trade offers for Anthony.

  Denver still isn't actively shopping its superstar, but the barriers standing in the way of a trade are beginning to crumble. "I'm not sure how soon, but I do think they're going to trade him [between now and February]," one rival general manager said. Another source added: "There's no doubt they are working on it. Eventually they're going to pull the trigger."

Sunday, September 19

• 09/19/10 - 10:24AM ETJose Calderon : (Hamstring) Ready for Training Camp

  Calderon (hamstring) should be ready for the start of training camp, the Toronto Star reports.

  He'll have his hand full trying to wrestle the starting job away from Jarrett Jack, especially if the hamstring issue lingers.

• 09/19/10 - 10:14AM ETJosh Howard : (Knee) Ahead of Schedule

  Howard (knee) anticipates a return in either October or November, he told HoopsHype.com.

  Howard's progress is reportedly ahead of schedule. He'll need to beat out Al Thornton once he returns, however.

• 09/19/10 - 10:06AM ETShaun Livingston : Clean Bill of Health

  Livingston "looks fine" according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

  That's very good news, considering the knee injury in 2007 that nearly ended his career. He is in competition with D.J. Augustin for the team's starting point guard spot.

Thursday, September 16

• 09/16/10 - 8:10AM ETYao Ming : Limited to 24 Minutes Per Game

  Rockets vice president and athletic trainer Keith Jones said Yao (foot) will not play more than 24 minutes per game this season, the Houston Chronicle reports.

  The Rockets made it clear that there will be no exceptions; Yao will not play more than 24 minutes regardless of the game's circumstances. He'll also skip much of practice the day after games and will likely be held out of the second game of back-to-backs, at least initially. Needless to say, it will be difficult for Yao to provide early- to middle-round value if he's playing less than 24 minutes per game.