For those of you who looked past Carmelo Anthony and wanted to see Milwaukee Bucks’ Jabari Parker in London next month, we have some bad news.
PARKER TEARS ACL; OUT FOR THE SEASON
In yesterday’s Daily Gossip column, we mentioned that Milwaukee Bucks’ Jabari Parker had injured his knee and his timetable for return was unclear.
Tests have unfortunately shown that Parker is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Via ESPN.com:
Parker, 19, will have surgery after suffering a complete tear — not a sprain, as was initially diagnosed — in the third quarter of the Bucks’ dramatic 96-94 win Monday night in Phoenix.
Parker’s knee buckled on a drive to the basket, after which he collided with the Suns’ P.J. Tucker
He had to be carried off the court by teammates and underwent an MRI on Tuesday in Milwaukee that revealed the tear.
Since being selected No. 2 overall in June by the Bucks, Parker had emerged as a top rookie of the year contender in Milwaukee’s surprising 13-12 start, averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes in 25 games.
PEJA STOJAKOVIC’S JERSEY RETIRED
The legendary Serbian Peja Stojakovic had his number 16 jersey retired by the Sacramento Kings last night.
Watch the video below:
KINGS IN DISCUSSIONS WITH MARK JACKSON?
Staying with the Kings and they are currently in talks to possibly hire former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson as their new play caller after firing Michael Malone earlier in the week.
Tyrone Corbin is interim coach at present but not expected to continue on past the end of the season.
Via USA Today:
Late Tuesday night at Sleep Train Arena, after the Kings fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92, another possible candidate emerged in the most convenient of ways: former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson. After calling the game courtside for ESPN, Jackson had a lengthy meeting with Mullin, Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro and franchise centerpiece DeMarcus Cousins inside the “Chairman’s Lounge” where they had requested that arena workers and others give them some privacy.
Jackson, Mullin, and Cousins entered the room at approximately 10:20 p.m. Pacific time, with Cousins sporting a black suit as he continues to recover from his bout with viral meningitis that has kept him out of action since Nov. 26. D’Alessandro joined them approximately 20 minutes into the meeting, and the group finally exited just before midnight, long after the room had been cleared so that they could have a moment to discuss, well, connect the dots yourself.
KEVIN DURANT WOULD LOVE TO PLAY WITH KOBE
While Kobe Bryant is probably the NBA’s most demanding team-mate, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant admits that he would love to play alongside him.
They were team-mates at the 2012 Olympics with the USA.
Via USA Today:
While Durant wasn’t specifically addressing his own uncertain future, he insisted that the player perspective relating to Bryant shouldn’t be a hindrance as the 8-17 Lakers continue their laborious turnaround.
“Excuse my language, but that’s (expletive),” said Durant, who congratulated Bryant via text message after he surpassed (Michael) Jordan on Sunday. “I want to play with a winner every single night, especially somebody who wants to win that bad, who works that hard, who demands a lot, who raises up your level. I’d want to play with a guy like that every day. … (His style) may make people uncomfortable, how he acts and just how he approaches the game, but I love that type of stuff. I think (the accusation) is BS.”
“Just his work ethic, just his demeanor man,” Durant said when asked what he admired about Bryant. “He doesn’t mind being an (expletive), and he comes to work man. He’s intense. He demands a lot out of his teammates, and I’ve seen that just playing alongside him in the Olympics (in 2012). He demands a lot out of everybody. He makes them better. Everybody out on the court. You’ve got to respect that. As a player, I study guys like that. We might not have the same personality, but I think we approach the game the same way and I’ve learned a lot from just watching him.”
