Minnesota star center Al Jefferson missed Tuesday night's 129-100 preseason loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center. But Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said the primary reason was Jefferson being under the weather rather than the sore left Achilles that kept him out of practice Monday.
"Yes, he would of if this was an important game,'' Rambis said when asked if Jefferson would have been able to play Tuesday had he not taken ill and been left at the team hotel in Denver.
Wally Szczerbiak would appear to be the top NBA free agent left standing. Then again, maybe not.
With the Denver Nuggets having lost out on free-agent shooting guard Flip Murray to the Charlotte Bobcats on Thursday, sources told FanHouse the Nuggets are now looking strongly at small forward Ime Udoka.
Meanwhile, Szczerbiak, who had been linked earlier in the summer to Denver, is still looking for a job.
"Yes, the economy has affected the market, there's no question about it,'' Szczerbiak said in an interview Thursday with FanHouse. "I just have to take my time.''
Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest was quite entertaining. Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson put on a great show with their Superman and Kyrpto-Nate act. However -- minus the comic book showmanship -- the dunks themselves might have been topped in another dunk contest earlier in the weekend.
In Friday's D-League Slam Dunk Contest, former first round pick James White put on a show that lived up to the folklore of his dunking ability. After the jump, take a look at some at the dunks White threw down during the D-League contest.
On paper, there's nothing all that impressive about James White -- he's a 24-year-old, 6-foot-7 swing man who got into just six games for the Spurs this season. But of course, the game isn't played on paper, it's played in my computer monitor, and through the power of video I've seen James White do extraordinary things. Such as this, and this, and, of course, this.
So, months after White rode the pine en route to an NBA Championship ring, I was sad to learn that the Spurs waived White on Monday. I can't say the team didn't give him a fair shake -- they gave him one last look at the Las Vegas Summer league and apparently didn't like what they saw.
To be honest, I'm not all that sure his skills can translate to the team game, but he's clearly one of the most athletic players out there, and for what it's worth he was considered a solid defender coming out of college. The fact that he can't hold down a roster spot for the World Champion Spurs does not preclude him from latching on elsewhere, hopefully with a younger team that plays at a more up-tempo pace so that we can enjoy seeing what he does best -- and that is, "create highlight reels" -- on a semi-regular basis.
Wow. Even if he didn't actually touch it, personally, that totally blows a certain Dwight Howard dunk contest out of the water.
You say Young Thunder also completed a dunk as well? True. But just seeing how long it took for White to land, seemingly from the heavens, I'm sorry Dwight, you're a sweetheart, but as far as a jumping contest is concerned, we have a new winner. Previously on FanHouse:
Back around the time of the Dunk Contest, the entire FanHouse was going nuts over Spurs rookie James "Flight" White. Well, dude's finally getting some run and--gasp--actually got a chance to do the thing he's best known for. Big ups to Pounding the Rock, for pointing us in the direction of this pivotal moment in league history. Also, be sure to read their "totally unbiased" version of White's first NBA action.
Some key news that resonated within the FanHouse walls: according the Orlando Sentinel'sBrian Schmitz, Ty Thomas might have blabbed his way out of the Dunk Contest:
The NBA is looking to remove Chicago Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas from the all-star slam-dunk competition and replace him, a prominent agent has told us.
Thomas was fined $10,000 by the league after telling reporters he didn't really care about going for anything but the money.
Thomas said he was "going out there, get my check and call it a day."
"The league is looking to replace him," the agent said.
This whole thing is kind of silly, but I am personally glad to have one big man out of the running. And more importantly, this opens up the door for the man the entire FanHouse has been clamoring for. Say it with me now.
White called up: The Spurs recalled James White from the Developmental League on Saturday. In 15 games with the Austin Toros, White averaged 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.67 steals in 34.4 minutes.
So there you have it. White is now officially a member of the National Basketball Association, and is in prime position to compete for the title of World's Greatest Dunker. I am beginning to think conspiracy here, on up to the highest levels. What if the powers that be are counting on White to make it an event? Or they aren't particularly thrilled with who they've got lined up?
Regardless of the reasons behind it, this is certainly something worth celebrating.
With the 2007 All-Star Game coming up in Vegas, we're going to start to hear talk of who's entering the Slam Dunk contest. Last year's dunk contest turned into a sham, with Nate Robinson needing ten thousand attempts to complete is final dunk. The real shame in the NBA Dunk contest losing its sizzle is that the NBA has tons of guys that are capable of putting on a great show in a dunk contest. A lot of the better dunkers such as Kobe, VC, and Jason Richardson are older and more susceptible to injury, so I can understand why they wouldn't want to enter the contest. But what about the young guys? I know LeBron thinks dunk contest are bourgeois, so we probably won't ever see him in the contest, but here's a list of guys that I would love to see in this year's contest:
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia Gerald Green, Boston Rudy Gay, Memphis Josh Smith, Atlanta J.R. Smith, Denver Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Maurice Evans, L.A. Lakers Monta Ellis, Golden State Gerald Wallace, Charlotte Dwight Howard, Orlando James White, San Antonio Amir Johnson, Detroit
Dwight Howard and J.R. Smith have already stated that they would like to be in the contest. Although I think both should be able to hold there own, I'm really hoping that there is a way to see a showdown between Celtics second year star Gerald Green and Spurs rookie and current D-Leaguer, James White. White probably won't be eligible to compete because he is currently in the D-League. But if you haven't seen Green in action, take a look at the videos below for confirmation on how sick this guy is. All I have to say is: windmills, through the legs, and two hand double clutch dunks...all from the free-throw line! (Credit to Shoals and the guys at freedarko for introducing me to this guy)
DENVER -- Big Al's health is no big concern.
Saturday's Slam Dunk Contest was quite entertaining. 
On paper, there's nothing all that impressive about 
Some key news that resonated within the FanHouse walls: according the Orlando Sentinel's 
Last week, Nate Jones dreamt of a world in which 
