Friday, February 25, 2011
Bleach Season 10 Episode 4: Irresistible, Puppet Show of Terror
Bleach Season 10 Episode 4 can be watched on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 12:00am EST on Cartoon Network TV channel. Title of the brand new episode is: Irresistible, Puppet Show of Terror. Synopsis of the episode is: Uryu and Renji continue to fight their clones; Szayelaporro reels out a new attack.
Bleach is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki “Tite” Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper — a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper — from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife.
Bleach has been serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 2001, and has been collected into 48 tankōbon volumes as of December 2010[update]. Since its publication, Bleach has spawned a media franchise that includes an ongoing animated television series that is produced by Studio Pierrot in Japan, two original video animations, four animated feature films, seven rock musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of Bleach-related merchandise.
Viz Media obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Bleach anime on March 15, 2006. Cartoon Network began airing Bleach in the United States as part of its Adult Swim block on September 9, 2006. Viz Media has licensed the manga for English-language publication in the United States and Canada, and has released 33 bound volumes as of December 2010 as well as published chapters of Bleach in its Shonen Jump magazine since November 2007. Viz Media released the first Bleach film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, on DVD in North America on October 14, 2008. The second film, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, was released on September 15, 2009.
Volumes of the manga have sold more than 50 million copies in Japan, and have reached the top of manga sales in the United States. The anime adaptation has been similarly received; it was rated as the fourth most popular anime television series in Japan in 2006 and held a position amongst the top ten anime in the United States from 2006 to 2008. The series received the Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen demographic in 2005, and is among the best-selling manga properties in both Japan and the United States.
OSU volunteer assistant strength coach dies
AP, COLUMBUS, Ohio: A volunteer assistant in Ohio State football's strength and conditioning program collapsed and died while playing in a pickup basketball game in the team's practice facility on Friday.
Jake Nickle, a former football player at Capital University, was stricken and fell on the Les Wexner Football Complex's basketball court. He was transported to the Ohio State Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to university spokesman Dan Wallenberg.
Originally from Marysville, Ohio, Nickle was a defensive end at Capital through the 2009 season. He began at Ohio State in January as a volunteer working with the Buckeyes' strength and conditioning coaches.
Jake Nickle, a former football player at Capital University, was stricken and fell on the Les Wexner Football Complex's basketball court. He was transported to the Ohio State Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to university spokesman Dan Wallenberg.
Originally from Marysville, Ohio, Nickle was a defensive end at Capital through the 2009 season. He began at Ohio State in January as a volunteer working with the Buckeyes' strength and conditioning coaches.
O'Connor moves on without Holy Family
AP, PHILADELPHIA: John O'Connor had his reputation forever stained by 40 seconds of videotape.
It cost him his job at Holy Family.
He only hopes he hasn't lost his career.
O'Connor wants to coach again, even after his first season at tiny Division II Holy Family was cut short after a videotape of a physical incident during a "combat rebounding" drill hit the Internet. His failed attempt at repairing his relationship with Matt Kravchuk caused him to resign Thursday night, a day before Holy Family's regular-season finale.
O'Connor knows what he'd tell university officials potentially concerned about the altercation if he's ever offered another coaching job.
"I never want to change my passion and my intensity toward the game and how I teach it," he said by phone Friday. "I certainly would take a look at how I might deliver it. I don't want to change the passion, but maybe how it's delivered is something I certainly would look at."
He described his life over the last month as both a "nightmare" and like being in a "plane wreck." O'Connor believed he'd still be on the sideline, calling plays, barking instructions, had it not been for the video leaked to local news.
"When they kind of hung and buried me without due process, it made it difficult for me and my team to really kind of go on as we had," O'Connor said.
O'Connor and Kravchuk became instant media sensations when footage of the incident went viral.
O'Connor apologized to Kravchuk when they appeared Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America." On the morning show, O'Connor apologized. Kravchuk did not accept it.
Once it became clear the relationship could not be salvaged, O'Connor called his team together for an off-campus meeting and resigned.
Holy Family issued a statement Friday that it had accepted O'Connor's resignation. Holy Family athletic director Sandra Michael did not return requests for comment.
Holy Family forward Sam Mushman said the team supported O'Connor and wanted him to return.
"He's going to fight for us to the end," Mushman said. "No matter what happens, he was on our side and be there for us."
Holy Family guard Nate Hodge took to Twitter on Thursday night and Friday to express his unhappiness over the decision. In a response to a Twitter question, Hodge wrote, "... o'connor was the best coach I ever had."
When a follower wrote, "tell your ex-teammate to man up," Hodge replied "tell me about it."
O'Connor was touched by the support.
"When I was condemned without due process, they helped me get through it," he said.
Kravchuk said he attended the school to play basketball and now he couldn't, claiming he suffered a wrist injury in the dust-up. He also said he couldn't play for O'Connor.
According to a police report filed on Feb. 11, Kravchuk said he was grabbed and elbowed in the face by O'Connor, a move that allegedly resulted in a bloody nose and a bruised lip. The office's Private Criminal Complaints Unit reviewed the matter, and determined the event does not constitute a prosecutable criminal offense.
Attempts to reach Kravchuk's attorney were not successful.
O'Connor's life has been in upheaval since the drill backfired on him. He was shown pushing Kravchuk to the ground during a 1-on-1 drill, then kicked him. O'Connor berates his player and tosses him out of the late January practice.
O'Connor, on GMA, repeatedly called the encounter an accident, saying he also "nudged" Kravchuk with his foot to keep the drill going.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young played under O'Connor at Georgia Tech and they exchanged texts on Friday. Young had run the rebounding drill with O'Connor and called the incident "blown out of proportion."
"He's just trying to make the guys tougher," Young said. "He didn't really mean to do anything like that. I saw him nudge the guy off the court. I know the drill, so I know it was to get the next group onto the court."
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said his former assistant should not be judged on "40 seconds" of a conflict with a player. O'Connor spent the previous seven seasons at Georgia Tech working under Hewitt. Hewitt calls O'Connor "one of the best human beings I've been around, ever."
"I think it's a shame, a real shame, that people who don't know what he's about, don't know what he stands for, are making these summation on his character and what kind of person he is," Hewitt said.
Hewitt said he's known O'Connor since 1992 and had never seen the coach engage in similar behavior. He hopes the blowup won't cost O'Connor his career.
O'Connor started at Georgia Tech as men's basketball director of operations for the 2004-05 season. In June 2005, he was elevated to an assistant coach.
"I'm not going to sit here and defend anything," Hewitt said. "I'm just saying this man is a really good honest man."
Mushman also felt bad for Kravchuk.
"I don't think either Coach or Matt thought this was going to get to where it got," he said. "I have no issues or problem with Matt. Matt's a good kid. Maybe he felt disrespected."
O'Connor, a Penn State graduate, also was an assistant coach at Drexel and Lafayette.
He defended turning over the tape as the right thing to do because he felt he had nothing to hide. He apologized to Kravchuk and the team and believed it was all behind them.
Instead, Kravchuk and O'Connor's careers imploded on YouTube where the highlight can be found under "Holy Family Coach Attacks Player."
"My players know I tape every practice," he said. "If they ever found out one was missing, it would be saying I did something wrong."
He's received an outpouring of support from his peers. But O'Connor understands why critics who have never played competitive basketball have denounced him for the outburst. He wants to prove he's not a crazed coach who doesn't care about his players.
"I'm a good coach," he said. "There's nothing you could throw at me as head coach now I haven't been through.
It cost him his job at Holy Family.
He only hopes he hasn't lost his career.
O'Connor wants to coach again, even after his first season at tiny Division II Holy Family was cut short after a videotape of a physical incident during a "combat rebounding" drill hit the Internet. His failed attempt at repairing his relationship with Matt Kravchuk caused him to resign Thursday night, a day before Holy Family's regular-season finale.
O'Connor knows what he'd tell university officials potentially concerned about the altercation if he's ever offered another coaching job.
"I never want to change my passion and my intensity toward the game and how I teach it," he said by phone Friday. "I certainly would take a look at how I might deliver it. I don't want to change the passion, but maybe how it's delivered is something I certainly would look at."
He described his life over the last month as both a "nightmare" and like being in a "plane wreck." O'Connor believed he'd still be on the sideline, calling plays, barking instructions, had it not been for the video leaked to local news.
"When they kind of hung and buried me without due process, it made it difficult for me and my team to really kind of go on as we had," O'Connor said.
O'Connor and Kravchuk became instant media sensations when footage of the incident went viral.
O'Connor apologized to Kravchuk when they appeared Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America." On the morning show, O'Connor apologized. Kravchuk did not accept it.
Once it became clear the relationship could not be salvaged, O'Connor called his team together for an off-campus meeting and resigned.
Holy Family issued a statement Friday that it had accepted O'Connor's resignation. Holy Family athletic director Sandra Michael did not return requests for comment.
Holy Family forward Sam Mushman said the team supported O'Connor and wanted him to return.
"He's going to fight for us to the end," Mushman said. "No matter what happens, he was on our side and be there for us."
Holy Family guard Nate Hodge took to Twitter on Thursday night and Friday to express his unhappiness over the decision. In a response to a Twitter question, Hodge wrote, "... o'connor was the best coach I ever had."
When a follower wrote, "tell your ex-teammate to man up," Hodge replied "tell me about it."
O'Connor was touched by the support.
"When I was condemned without due process, they helped me get through it," he said.
Kravchuk said he attended the school to play basketball and now he couldn't, claiming he suffered a wrist injury in the dust-up. He also said he couldn't play for O'Connor.
According to a police report filed on Feb. 11, Kravchuk said he was grabbed and elbowed in the face by O'Connor, a move that allegedly resulted in a bloody nose and a bruised lip. The office's Private Criminal Complaints Unit reviewed the matter, and determined the event does not constitute a prosecutable criminal offense.
Attempts to reach Kravchuk's attorney were not successful.
O'Connor's life has been in upheaval since the drill backfired on him. He was shown pushing Kravchuk to the ground during a 1-on-1 drill, then kicked him. O'Connor berates his player and tosses him out of the late January practice.
O'Connor, on GMA, repeatedly called the encounter an accident, saying he also "nudged" Kravchuk with his foot to keep the drill going.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young played under O'Connor at Georgia Tech and they exchanged texts on Friday. Young had run the rebounding drill with O'Connor and called the incident "blown out of proportion."
"He's just trying to make the guys tougher," Young said. "He didn't really mean to do anything like that. I saw him nudge the guy off the court. I know the drill, so I know it was to get the next group onto the court."
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said his former assistant should not be judged on "40 seconds" of a conflict with a player. O'Connor spent the previous seven seasons at Georgia Tech working under Hewitt. Hewitt calls O'Connor "one of the best human beings I've been around, ever."
"I think it's a shame, a real shame, that people who don't know what he's about, don't know what he stands for, are making these summation on his character and what kind of person he is," Hewitt said.
Hewitt said he's known O'Connor since 1992 and had never seen the coach engage in similar behavior. He hopes the blowup won't cost O'Connor his career.
O'Connor started at Georgia Tech as men's basketball director of operations for the 2004-05 season. In June 2005, he was elevated to an assistant coach.
"I'm not going to sit here and defend anything," Hewitt said. "I'm just saying this man is a really good honest man."
Mushman also felt bad for Kravchuk.
"I don't think either Coach or Matt thought this was going to get to where it got," he said. "I have no issues or problem with Matt. Matt's a good kid. Maybe he felt disrespected."
O'Connor, a Penn State graduate, also was an assistant coach at Drexel and Lafayette.
He defended turning over the tape as the right thing to do because he felt he had nothing to hide. He apologized to Kravchuk and the team and believed it was all behind them.
Instead, Kravchuk and O'Connor's careers imploded on YouTube where the highlight can be found under "Holy Family Coach Attacks Player."
"My players know I tape every practice," he said. "If they ever found out one was missing, it would be saying I did something wrong."
He's received an outpouring of support from his peers. But O'Connor understands why critics who have never played competitive basketball have denounced him for the outburst. He wants to prove he's not a crazed coach who doesn't care about his players.
"I'm a good coach," he said. "There's nothing you could throw at me as head coach now I haven't been through.
Bulls charge past Heat with third-quarter surge
Reuters, CHICAGO: The Chicago Bulls staged a big third-quarter rally to help seal a 93-89 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday in a tight battle between two of the leading teams in the Eastern Conference.
The victory enabled the Bulls (39-17) to snap the Heat's three-game winning streak and moved the home team to within two games of second place Miami in the conference standings.
Miami (42-16) struggled through a disastrous third quarter to squander a 53-44 halftime lead, as the Bulls outscored the Heat 27-14, led by Luol Deng and Derrick Rose with 12 and 10 points respectively.
The teams took turns dominating in the fourth quarter which was finally decided by Deng's three-pointer to break an 89-89 tie with just 16 seconds remaining when Rose identified a double team as he drove the lane and passed to his wide open team mate.
"I love Derrick's play at the end of the game, trusting a team mate," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters.
"Miami's a terrific team. They're great defensively. They collapsed on him (Rose), and he made without hesitation the right play, and Lu (Deng) knocked a huge shot down."
Rose led the Bulls with 26 points and Deng scored 18 points in the second half to finish with 20, while Dwyane Wade scored 34 to lead the Heat and LeBron James scored 29 points.
Chris Bosh was limited to seven points for Miami on one-for-18 shooting from the field.
"They didn't do anything," Bosh said. "I just missed shots. They played good defense when it was time. That's what they're known for, but at the end of the day, I was what we call butt-naked wide open."
(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario; Editing by John O'Brien)
The victory enabled the Bulls (39-17) to snap the Heat's three-game winning streak and moved the home team to within two games of second place Miami in the conference standings.
Miami (42-16) struggled through a disastrous third quarter to squander a 53-44 halftime lead, as the Bulls outscored the Heat 27-14, led by Luol Deng and Derrick Rose with 12 and 10 points respectively.
The teams took turns dominating in the fourth quarter which was finally decided by Deng's three-pointer to break an 89-89 tie with just 16 seconds remaining when Rose identified a double team as he drove the lane and passed to his wide open team mate.
"I love Derrick's play at the end of the game, trusting a team mate," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters.
"Miami's a terrific team. They're great defensively. They collapsed on him (Rose), and he made without hesitation the right play, and Lu (Deng) knocked a huge shot down."
Rose led the Bulls with 26 points and Deng scored 18 points in the second half to finish with 20, while Dwyane Wade scored 34 to lead the Heat and LeBron James scored 29 points.
Chris Bosh was limited to seven points for Miami on one-for-18 shooting from the field.
"They didn't do anything," Bosh said. "I just missed shots. They played good defense when it was time. That's what they're known for, but at the end of the day, I was what we call butt-naked wide open."
(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario; Editing by John O'Brien)
New-look Nuggets beat depleted Celtics 89-75
AP, DENVER: Integrating five new players offensively will take time for the Denver Nuggets. Defense? That came right away.
The Nuggets held the short-handed — and shortened — Boston Celtics scoreless over the final six-plus minutes Thursday night, closing the game with a 16-0 run for an 89-75 win, their second straight since sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks.
"Defense is all effort," said Kenyon Martin, who led Denver with 18 points and 10 boards despite playing with the flu and missing the second quarter to get two bags of IV fluids.
"It's how hard you play. Shots come and go," Martin said. "It's about just giving maximum effort day in and day out. That's what we did. That's what we'll continue to do."
Wilson Chandler, one of the newcomers, chipped in 16 points and eight players each played more than 20 minutes in coach George Karl's new spread-the-wealth system that featured Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton splitting time at the point until the final five minutes, when they were on the court together and helped the Nuggets pull away.
The game pitted two teams that reshaped their rosters ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Nuggets had a bunch of new players and the Celtics a bunch of empty seats along their bench following a flurry of trades that unloaded a bunch of big men.
The Celtics suited up just nine players and had to fight through the emotions of losing center Kendrick Perkins, who was dealt to Oklahoma City for forward Jeff Green in the biggest of Boston's trio of trades Thursday.
"Tough day to play basketball," Kevin Garnett said. "Very tough day to play basketball, to even concentrate. Just being bluntly honest. You feel like you lost a family member today. Tough day."
"It was very emotional, especially for me being that I had a chance to see Perkins grow up from Day One, fresh out of high school, coming in here and seeing the level he got to, a championship team," said Paul Pierce. "It's definitely emotional. I had a chance to talk to him this afternoon a little bit, he was definitely hurt. The guys around this locker room were definitely hurt to see Perk go."
The Nuggets, 2-0 since trading Melo, had their full complement of players, but their best defender, Martin, spent the second quarter in the locker room.
New Nuggets Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Felton got off to a slow start, combining to shoot 2 for 12 in the first half, which ended with Denver ahead 37-36.
Denver took a 61-60 lead into the fourth quarter, when the pace picked up a little.
Pierce, who led Boston with 17 points, hit a 3-pointer with 6:05 remaining that gave Boston a 75-73 lead, but the Celtics wouldn't score again.
Chandler's 3-pointer put Denver ahead for good and Martin's three-point play with 3:03 left gave Denver its biggest lead to that point at 79-75.
The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics also dealt reserve Nate Robinson to the Thunder and received Nenad Krstic, a future first-round draft pick, and cash in the Perkins deal.
Earlier in the day, the Celtics acquired draft picks by sending forward Luke Harangody and rookie center Semih Erden to Cleveland and injured swingman Marquis Daniels to Sacramento.
With such a short bench for coach Doc Rivers to work with, the Celtics called up center Chris Johnson from the D-League, signed him to a 10-day contract and put him right to work. He scored six points.
Once loaded with interior size, the Celtics will now have to hope Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal get healthy in time for the playoffs.
"We need to get Shaq healthy. Shaq will be healthy. But if Shaq plays great, then this deal was obviously really, really good for us," River said.
The inclusion of Krstic, the Thunder's starting center since they brought him back to the NBA from Russia in December 2008, should help offset Boston's loss of Perkins.
It wasn't just Perkins' departure that had the Celtics so sad.
"We lost Semhi, Luke, Quis," Garnett said, pausing. "Just a tough day. Tough day."
The Nuggets are hoping to stay in the playoff hunt in the West following the megadeal that brought in Gallinari, Felton, Chandler and Timofey Mazgov from New York and Kosta Koufus from Minnesota.
"The last two games have probably been as fun for me to coach and win because you're playing hard and playing unified," Karl said. "We've got too many talented kids. It may not be the same script every night but we'll figure out how to score points and we'll figure out how to win if we defend and play hard."
The Celtics are concerned about their chemistry without Perkins.
"I hate to lose a teammate like Perkins," Pierce said. "He meant so much. People don't understand chemistry is from the bus to the plane to the locker room, so it's definitely a blow. It depends on how the other guys make the adjustment.
Pierce also said this is an example of how the ruthlessness of the NBA cuts both ways.
"It's the nature of the business," he said. "People thought LeBron James was cold for leaving Cleveland the way it is. This is an example of how it happens on the management end. You can't get mad at the players because it can happen to them unexpectedly, just like a player can go where he wants. It's just the nature of the beast."
Notes: The Nuggets scored a season-low 37 first-half points, and the Celtics' 36 points was one more than their worst first-half production this season. ... Rivers said he expects his new players on the practice court Saturday.
The Nuggets held the short-handed — and shortened — Boston Celtics scoreless over the final six-plus minutes Thursday night, closing the game with a 16-0 run for an 89-75 win, their second straight since sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks.
"Defense is all effort," said Kenyon Martin, who led Denver with 18 points and 10 boards despite playing with the flu and missing the second quarter to get two bags of IV fluids.
"It's how hard you play. Shots come and go," Martin said. "It's about just giving maximum effort day in and day out. That's what we did. That's what we'll continue to do."
Wilson Chandler, one of the newcomers, chipped in 16 points and eight players each played more than 20 minutes in coach George Karl's new spread-the-wealth system that featured Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton splitting time at the point until the final five minutes, when they were on the court together and helped the Nuggets pull away.
The game pitted two teams that reshaped their rosters ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The Nuggets had a bunch of new players and the Celtics a bunch of empty seats along their bench following a flurry of trades that unloaded a bunch of big men.
The Celtics suited up just nine players and had to fight through the emotions of losing center Kendrick Perkins, who was dealt to Oklahoma City for forward Jeff Green in the biggest of Boston's trio of trades Thursday.
"Tough day to play basketball," Kevin Garnett said. "Very tough day to play basketball, to even concentrate. Just being bluntly honest. You feel like you lost a family member today. Tough day."
"It was very emotional, especially for me being that I had a chance to see Perkins grow up from Day One, fresh out of high school, coming in here and seeing the level he got to, a championship team," said Paul Pierce. "It's definitely emotional. I had a chance to talk to him this afternoon a little bit, he was definitely hurt. The guys around this locker room were definitely hurt to see Perk go."
The Nuggets, 2-0 since trading Melo, had their full complement of players, but their best defender, Martin, spent the second quarter in the locker room.
New Nuggets Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Felton got off to a slow start, combining to shoot 2 for 12 in the first half, which ended with Denver ahead 37-36.
Denver took a 61-60 lead into the fourth quarter, when the pace picked up a little.
Pierce, who led Boston with 17 points, hit a 3-pointer with 6:05 remaining that gave Boston a 75-73 lead, but the Celtics wouldn't score again.
Chandler's 3-pointer put Denver ahead for good and Martin's three-point play with 3:03 left gave Denver its biggest lead to that point at 79-75.
The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics also dealt reserve Nate Robinson to the Thunder and received Nenad Krstic, a future first-round draft pick, and cash in the Perkins deal.
Earlier in the day, the Celtics acquired draft picks by sending forward Luke Harangody and rookie center Semih Erden to Cleveland and injured swingman Marquis Daniels to Sacramento.
With such a short bench for coach Doc Rivers to work with, the Celtics called up center Chris Johnson from the D-League, signed him to a 10-day contract and put him right to work. He scored six points.
Once loaded with interior size, the Celtics will now have to hope Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal get healthy in time for the playoffs.
"We need to get Shaq healthy. Shaq will be healthy. But if Shaq plays great, then this deal was obviously really, really good for us," River said.
The inclusion of Krstic, the Thunder's starting center since they brought him back to the NBA from Russia in December 2008, should help offset Boston's loss of Perkins.
It wasn't just Perkins' departure that had the Celtics so sad.
"We lost Semhi, Luke, Quis," Garnett said, pausing. "Just a tough day. Tough day."
The Nuggets are hoping to stay in the playoff hunt in the West following the megadeal that brought in Gallinari, Felton, Chandler and Timofey Mazgov from New York and Kosta Koufus from Minnesota.
"The last two games have probably been as fun for me to coach and win because you're playing hard and playing unified," Karl said. "We've got too many talented kids. It may not be the same script every night but we'll figure out how to score points and we'll figure out how to win if we defend and play hard."
The Celtics are concerned about their chemistry without Perkins.
"I hate to lose a teammate like Perkins," Pierce said. "He meant so much. People don't understand chemistry is from the bus to the plane to the locker room, so it's definitely a blow. It depends on how the other guys make the adjustment.
Pierce also said this is an example of how the ruthlessness of the NBA cuts both ways.
"It's the nature of the business," he said. "People thought LeBron James was cold for leaving Cleveland the way it is. This is an example of how it happens on the management end. You can't get mad at the players because it can happen to them unexpectedly, just like a player can go where he wants. It's just the nature of the beast."
Notes: The Nuggets scored a season-low 37 first-half points, and the Celtics' 36 points was one more than their worst first-half production this season. ... Rivers said he expects his new players on the practice court Saturday.
Boston banking on health of Shaq with trades
AP, DENVER: The Boston Celtics unloaded lots of big men at the NBA trading deadline and the key to making sure the moves pay off rests with the biggest guy who's still left — Shaquille O'Neal.
"If Shaq plays great, then this deal was obviously really, really good for us," coach Doc Rivers said of O'Neal, who's dealing with a sore Achilles' tendon. "That's on Shaq. Getting Shaq in great shape, getting him ready, getting him healthy is really going to be important for us."
Already atop the Eastern Conference, the Celtics made three deals Thursday.
In addition to sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a future first-round pick, Boston also traded Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to Cleveland, and dealt Marquis Daniels to Sacramento, for draft picks.
"The bottom line is we'll see," Rivers said before a game Thursday night with Denver, another team that reshuffled its roster by sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks earlier in the week.
"We think we did pretty well," Rivers said. "Red (Auerbach) would always say, 'Whatever the single best player is in the trade, try to get it.'"
There were a lot of teams trying to do that before Thursday's deadline.
Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick went from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon, and Aaron Brooks' tumultuous season in Houston ended when the guard was dealt to Phoenix for Goran Dragic and a first-round pick.
The Rockets also traded Shane Battier and Ish Smith to Memphis for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Caroll and a future first-round pick, and the Charlotte Bobcats sent Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and conditional 2011 and 2013 draft picks.
"Our goal is to win a championship," Houston general manager Daryl Morey said. "These moves position us better in the future. The big move that helps us now and in the future did not materialize, but we feel like this positions us better to make that move down the road."
The Celtics believe they'll be better, too, if they can get O'Neal back on the court.
Perkins recently returned from a knee injury he sustained in Game 6 of the NBA finals and had been playing well inside. He was close to his teammates, who took the news of the trade hard.
"Tough day to play basketball. Very tough day to play basketball, to even concentrate," Kevin Garnett said after an 89-75 loss to the Nuggets. "Just being bluntly honest.
"We were taught that from the minute we got here — that (chemistry) was the formula that works. We've been able to be successful with that formula. The chemistry on the court is nothing like the chemistry off the court."
Paul Pierce said the team was "hurt" over the trade involving Perkins, but trusting that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and Rivers "know what they're doing."
"We can't use it as an excuse and cry over spilled milk, so hopefully the guys we have coming in understand what we're trying to do around here — still championship goals," Pierce said. "It's definitely a blow when you lose a guy like Perk, who's been in playoff battles, been tested, gives us size and defense, especially when you're going against guys like Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol if we make the finals and play the Lakers. Hopefully, we can make up for it in other ways."
The Celtics also could get Jermaine O'Neal (left knee) back healthy by the postseason and they still have bulky Big Baby Glen Davis. The versatile 6-foot-9 Green can play multiple positions and will be counted on to guard the likes of Anthony and LeBron James.
"Do you feel comfortable with anybody guarding LeBron or Carmelo?" Rivers said with a grin. "I think everyone has to help people guard LeBron and all those guys, so it doesn't matter."
Krstic will provide some height, though he's not physical big man like Perkins. The 7-foot Krstic averaged 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.
"Good piece for us as well," Rivers said. "He spreads the floor."
The same can be said of Green, giving Rivers the flexibility he's been searching for in his lineup since losing James Posey, who helped the Celtics to a championship in 2008.
Rivers now has the luxury to go to a smaller lineup by using Garnett at center and Green at power forward, with Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen also on the floor.
"We've been trying to get that lineup since Posey left," Rivers said. "And I think people forget how many times we did that in the playoffs, which was every fourth quarter for the most part. We haven't been able to duplicate that. In some ways that's hurt Rondo and in this way it should help."
So should the return of Shaq.
"Our record is (great) with him in it," Rivers said. "I see a lot of lineups, but you always see the lineups and then when you coach them, 'Eh, I don't like that lineup as much.' But you see a huge lineup: Shaq, Kevin, Paul, Jeff Green, Rondo. I mean, that's a big lineup.
"You just don't know how any of them work until you get them on the floor."
Rivers has often said things might have turned out differently against the Lakers in the NBA finals last season if he had his starting five, and Perkins wouldn't have been hurt.
"We won't" ever know, Rivers said. "That team never lost. So we can just end that. But we have to win with the group we have. And I think we will."
"If Shaq plays great, then this deal was obviously really, really good for us," coach Doc Rivers said of O'Neal, who's dealing with a sore Achilles' tendon. "That's on Shaq. Getting Shaq in great shape, getting him ready, getting him healthy is really going to be important for us."
Already atop the Eastern Conference, the Celtics made three deals Thursday.
In addition to sending Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a future first-round pick, Boston also traded Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to Cleveland, and dealt Marquis Daniels to Sacramento, for draft picks.
"The bottom line is we'll see," Rivers said before a game Thursday night with Denver, another team that reshuffled its roster by sending Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks earlier in the week.
"We think we did pretty well," Rivers said. "Red (Auerbach) would always say, 'Whatever the single best player is in the trade, try to get it.'"
There were a lot of teams trying to do that before Thursday's deadline.
Baron Davis and a 2011 first-round draft pick went from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon, and Aaron Brooks' tumultuous season in Houston ended when the guard was dealt to Phoenix for Goran Dragic and a first-round pick.
The Rockets also traded Shane Battier and Ish Smith to Memphis for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Caroll and a future first-round pick, and the Charlotte Bobcats sent Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and conditional 2011 and 2013 draft picks.
"Our goal is to win a championship," Houston general manager Daryl Morey said. "These moves position us better in the future. The big move that helps us now and in the future did not materialize, but we feel like this positions us better to make that move down the road."
The Celtics believe they'll be better, too, if they can get O'Neal back on the court.
Perkins recently returned from a knee injury he sustained in Game 6 of the NBA finals and had been playing well inside. He was close to his teammates, who took the news of the trade hard.
"Tough day to play basketball. Very tough day to play basketball, to even concentrate," Kevin Garnett said after an 89-75 loss to the Nuggets. "Just being bluntly honest.
"We were taught that from the minute we got here — that (chemistry) was the formula that works. We've been able to be successful with that formula. The chemistry on the court is nothing like the chemistry off the court."
Paul Pierce said the team was "hurt" over the trade involving Perkins, but trusting that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and Rivers "know what they're doing."
"We can't use it as an excuse and cry over spilled milk, so hopefully the guys we have coming in understand what we're trying to do around here — still championship goals," Pierce said. "It's definitely a blow when you lose a guy like Perk, who's been in playoff battles, been tested, gives us size and defense, especially when you're going against guys like Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol if we make the finals and play the Lakers. Hopefully, we can make up for it in other ways."
The Celtics also could get Jermaine O'Neal (left knee) back healthy by the postseason and they still have bulky Big Baby Glen Davis. The versatile 6-foot-9 Green can play multiple positions and will be counted on to guard the likes of Anthony and LeBron James.
"Do you feel comfortable with anybody guarding LeBron or Carmelo?" Rivers said with a grin. "I think everyone has to help people guard LeBron and all those guys, so it doesn't matter."
Krstic will provide some height, though he's not physical big man like Perkins. The 7-foot Krstic averaged 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds.
"Good piece for us as well," Rivers said. "He spreads the floor."
The same can be said of Green, giving Rivers the flexibility he's been searching for in his lineup since losing James Posey, who helped the Celtics to a championship in 2008.
Rivers now has the luxury to go to a smaller lineup by using Garnett at center and Green at power forward, with Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen also on the floor.
"We've been trying to get that lineup since Posey left," Rivers said. "And I think people forget how many times we did that in the playoffs, which was every fourth quarter for the most part. We haven't been able to duplicate that. In some ways that's hurt Rondo and in this way it should help."
So should the return of Shaq.
"Our record is (great) with him in it," Rivers said. "I see a lot of lineups, but you always see the lineups and then when you coach them, 'Eh, I don't like that lineup as much.' But you see a huge lineup: Shaq, Kevin, Paul, Jeff Green, Rondo. I mean, that's a big lineup.
"You just don't know how any of them work until you get them on the floor."
Rivers has often said things might have turned out differently against the Lakers in the NBA finals last season if he had his starting five, and Perkins wouldn't have been hurt.
"We won't" ever know, Rivers said. "That team never lost. So we can just end that. But we have to win with the group we have. And I think we will."
Feature: Chris Bosh checks ego at the door in search of a title
Reuters, TORONTO: Chris Bosh was once the face of the Toronto Raptors but his hunger for an NBA title led him to the Miami Heat and now the All-Star finds himself struggling to accept a diminished role on the talent-laden team.
Bosh is part of the Heat's "Big Three" along with two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and seven-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, but he trails both in points, assists and minutes played.
He said joining the Heat as a free agent in the offseason after seven years in Toronto was not easy, especially since he was not sold on the idea of playing anywhere that he would not be the clear-cut franchise player.
So while Bosh misses being the go-to player and admits that accepting a lesser role has been a challenge, his top priority is to win an NBA title.
"I can't let ego get in the way of what I said I wanted to do, what my goals were before I left (Toronto) and that was to win championships, or at least one," Bosh said recently before playing his first game in Toronto since joining Miami.
"I wasn't expecting just to change overnight or over one season. It's a different role and I have to get used to it, I'm still getting used to it.
"I'm feeling it out and making sure I get better for the sake of the team."
Bosh is averaging 18.6 points a game, his lowest since the 2004-05 season, and his 8.1 rebounds are the fewest since his rookie campaign a year earlier.
He is the Raptors' all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, free throws made, blocks, minutes and games started, so his decision to pack his bags still stings the city.
For his first game in Toronto since joining James and Wade, Bosh was booed by a packed house the moment he took the floor for warm-ups and even when he was shown on the video screen during the American national anthem.
One of the countless signs fans held up during the game read, "Two and a Half Men" with a picture of James, Wade and Bosh, a sobering reminder that the player who once carried the Raptors is now along for the ride in Miami.
MORE EXPOSURE
Toronto, which entered the NBA in 1995 with the Vancouver Grizzlies (now the Memphis Grizzlies), has lost a handful of high-profile players who felt a U.S.-based team offered more exposure and a shot at a championship.
But of the several big-name Toronto players who took the same path before Bosh, none have yet enjoyed much team success and perhaps could have built a contender had they remained with the NBA's only Canadian team.
Cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady were high-flying Raptor team mates who led the team to their first post-season appearance in 2000, but both eventually wanted out of Toronto.
McGrady, who forced a sign-and-trade to Orlando in 2000, became a seven-time All-Star and won two scoring titles but has still not played beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Things also turned sour with Carter, who demanded a trade in 2004 because he was reportedly not happy with the direction of the struggling Raptors team.
Carter, once the face of the Raptors franchise given his scoring touch and dunking prowess, is no longer an All-Star and has yet to play in an NBA Final.
Once Carter was traded, the Raptors decided to rebuild around Bosh, who was the team's lottery pick in a rich 2003 NBA Draft that included James, Wade and Carmelo Anthony.
Even Damon Stoudamire, the expansion Raptors' first draft pick in 1995, won NBA Rookie of the Year honors but demanded a trade partway through a third straight losing season.
Stoudamire, now an assistant coach with Memphis, went on to play in one Western Conference final with the Portland Trail Blazers before his career fizzled.
But none of these career paths seem to concern Bosh, who feels the Heat, which Wade led to a championship in 2006, will be an NBA title contender for years to come.
"That's the whole reason I made my choice," said Bosh, who has only 11 playoff games under his belt in two first-round losses with the Raptors.
"It was the best situation for me and my family of course. And you need a team situation to win a championship and that was my whole purpose for making my decision."
Bosh is part of the Heat's "Big Three" along with two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and seven-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, but he trails both in points, assists and minutes played.
He said joining the Heat as a free agent in the offseason after seven years in Toronto was not easy, especially since he was not sold on the idea of playing anywhere that he would not be the clear-cut franchise player.
So while Bosh misses being the go-to player and admits that accepting a lesser role has been a challenge, his top priority is to win an NBA title.
"I can't let ego get in the way of what I said I wanted to do, what my goals were before I left (Toronto) and that was to win championships, or at least one," Bosh said recently before playing his first game in Toronto since joining Miami.
"I wasn't expecting just to change overnight or over one season. It's a different role and I have to get used to it, I'm still getting used to it.
"I'm feeling it out and making sure I get better for the sake of the team."
Bosh is averaging 18.6 points a game, his lowest since the 2004-05 season, and his 8.1 rebounds are the fewest since his rookie campaign a year earlier.
He is the Raptors' all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, free throws made, blocks, minutes and games started, so his decision to pack his bags still stings the city.
For his first game in Toronto since joining James and Wade, Bosh was booed by a packed house the moment he took the floor for warm-ups and even when he was shown on the video screen during the American national anthem.
One of the countless signs fans held up during the game read, "Two and a Half Men" with a picture of James, Wade and Bosh, a sobering reminder that the player who once carried the Raptors is now along for the ride in Miami.
MORE EXPOSURE
Toronto, which entered the NBA in 1995 with the Vancouver Grizzlies (now the Memphis Grizzlies), has lost a handful of high-profile players who felt a U.S.-based team offered more exposure and a shot at a championship.
But of the several big-name Toronto players who took the same path before Bosh, none have yet enjoyed much team success and perhaps could have built a contender had they remained with the NBA's only Canadian team.
Cousins Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady were high-flying Raptor team mates who led the team to their first post-season appearance in 2000, but both eventually wanted out of Toronto.
McGrady, who forced a sign-and-trade to Orlando in 2000, became a seven-time All-Star and won two scoring titles but has still not played beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Things also turned sour with Carter, who demanded a trade in 2004 because he was reportedly not happy with the direction of the struggling Raptors team.
Carter, once the face of the Raptors franchise given his scoring touch and dunking prowess, is no longer an All-Star and has yet to play in an NBA Final.
Once Carter was traded, the Raptors decided to rebuild around Bosh, who was the team's lottery pick in a rich 2003 NBA Draft that included James, Wade and Carmelo Anthony.
Even Damon Stoudamire, the expansion Raptors' first draft pick in 1995, won NBA Rookie of the Year honors but demanded a trade partway through a third straight losing season.
Stoudamire, now an assistant coach with Memphis, went on to play in one Western Conference final with the Portland Trail Blazers before his career fizzled.
But none of these career paths seem to concern Bosh, who feels the Heat, which Wade led to a championship in 2006, will be an NBA title contender for years to come.
"That's the whole reason I made my choice," said Bosh, who has only 11 playoff games under his belt in two first-round losses with the Raptors.
"It was the best situation for me and my family of course. And you need a team situation to win a championship and that was my whole purpose for making my decision."
Bibby with Wizards in Miami, unable to practice
AP, MIAMI: Mike Bibby's availability for Washington's game in Miami on Friday is unclear, with the veteran guard saying some paperwork still needs to be completed following his trade from Atlanta.
Bibby was with the Wizards for their Friday morning shootaround practice, but only watched from the sideline. Bibby says "hopefully" the necessary papers will be completed in time for Friday night's game.
Bibby wasn't alone as a spectator. Coach Flip Saunders said two players who came with him in the trade, Jordan Crawford and Maurice Evans, also would be watching practice.
The Hawks agreed Wednesday to trade Bibby, Crawford, Evans and a draft pick to Washington for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.
Bibby was with the Wizards for their Friday morning shootaround practice, but only watched from the sideline. Bibby says "hopefully" the necessary papers will be completed in time for Friday night's game.
Bibby wasn't alone as a spectator. Coach Flip Saunders said two players who came with him in the trade, Jordan Crawford and Maurice Evans, also would be watching practice.
The Hawks agreed Wednesday to trade Bibby, Crawford, Evans and a draft pick to Washington for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.
Several Pistons miss pregame shootaround
AP, PHILADELPHIA: Several Detroit Pistons missed at least part of the team's shootaround before Friday night's game at Philadelphia, the latest incident on what has been a difficult season for the proud franchise.
Team spokesman Cletus Lewis said Richard Hamilton, Chris Wilcox, Rodney Stuckey and Austin Daye missed the bus, with Stuckey and Daye able to arrive late.
Tayshaun Prince, Tracy McGrady and Ben Wallace also missed the shootaround. Lewis said Prince had an upset stomach, McGrady had a headache and Wallace was tending to an unspecified family matter.
Detroit entered the night 21-38 and is almost certainly headed to its third straight losing season. There have been signs of disharmony almost from the beginning. Coach John Kuester benched Stuckey barely a week into the season, although that was only temporary.
Kuester then benched Hamilton on Jan. 12, and he didn't play again until a Feb. 5 game at Milwaukee. Hamilton has missed every game since then. The team has said Hamilton has a groin injury.
The team was unable to trade Hamilton before Thursday's deadline. He's guaranteed $20 million over the next two seasons.
Wallace missed eight games in January. He's battled ankle problems and also left the team to tend to a family matter.
Kuester has juggled the lineup quite a bit this season, trying to find combinations that might help propel the Pistons to a playoff spot, but so far it's been no use. McGrady has been a bright spot, staying healthy and settling in as a point guard, and rookie big man Greg Monroe is showing promise — but Detroit has clearly fallen a long way since Hamilton, Prince and Wallace led the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title.
Owner Karen Davidson has been trying to sell the team, and that turned into a drawn-out saga after she said she hoped it would be done by the start of the season. On Feb. 11, Davidson confirmed she and investor Tom Gores had a two-week "exclusivity" period for negotiations.
On Friday — exactly two weeks later — there was no update from the owner.
Team spokesman Cletus Lewis said Richard Hamilton, Chris Wilcox, Rodney Stuckey and Austin Daye missed the bus, with Stuckey and Daye able to arrive late.
Tayshaun Prince, Tracy McGrady and Ben Wallace also missed the shootaround. Lewis said Prince had an upset stomach, McGrady had a headache and Wallace was tending to an unspecified family matter.
Detroit entered the night 21-38 and is almost certainly headed to its third straight losing season. There have been signs of disharmony almost from the beginning. Coach John Kuester benched Stuckey barely a week into the season, although that was only temporary.
Kuester then benched Hamilton on Jan. 12, and he didn't play again until a Feb. 5 game at Milwaukee. Hamilton has missed every game since then. The team has said Hamilton has a groin injury.
The team was unable to trade Hamilton before Thursday's deadline. He's guaranteed $20 million over the next two seasons.
Wallace missed eight games in January. He's battled ankle problems and also left the team to tend to a family matter.
Kuester has juggled the lineup quite a bit this season, trying to find combinations that might help propel the Pistons to a playoff spot, but so far it's been no use. McGrady has been a bright spot, staying healthy and settling in as a point guard, and rookie big man Greg Monroe is showing promise — but Detroit has clearly fallen a long way since Hamilton, Prince and Wallace led the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title.
Owner Karen Davidson has been trying to sell the team, and that turned into a drawn-out saga after she said she hoped it would be done by the start of the season. On Feb. 11, Davidson confirmed she and investor Tom Gores had a two-week "exclusivity" period for negotiations.
On Friday — exactly two weeks later — there was no update from the owner.
Rangers' 3B Beltre out with right calf strain
AP, SURPRISE, Ariz: New Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre will miss at least the first week of spring training games, and likely more after that, because of a bothersome right calf strain.
The Rangers want to be cautious with their key offseason acquisition after an MRI showed an overstretching muscle but no tear. Beltre had never had any issues with his calf.
"I think we're handling this in a very responsible and conservative matter considering where we are in the spring and the nature of who the player is," assistant general manager Thad Levine said Friday.
Levine said Beltre wouldn't play in a game for at least 10-14 days, though the third baseman is expected to be ready for the regular season opener April 1 against Boston. The spring training opener is Sunday.
"Nobody wants to be hurt, especially coming into spring training. But you want to look at the positive side, it's better to happen now than the season," Beltre said. "Now is enough time to get healthy 100 percent and be ready to break camp healthy 100 percent."
Beltre got a guaranteed $80 million, five-year contract last month that also includes a vesting option for a sixth year and $16 million more. That free agent signing prompted the Rangers to make six-time All-Star Michael Young, who played third base the last two seasons, their primary designated hitter and utility infielder.
Young was away from camp for the second day on Friday tending to a personal family matter, but was expected back Saturday.
Manager Ron Washington said he isn't planning for Young to be the everyday third baseman during Beltre's absence.
"I'm still going to move (Young) around down here in the spring," Washington said. "We have to get him versatile because we expect Beltre to be ready opening day. So Michael is going to play third, he's going to play at second, he's going to play at first, going to DH."
Beltre said he initially felt discomfort in his calf after working out on a treadmill at home about a week before reporting to spring training.
"I didn't feel a tweak, didn't feel anything unusual," Beltre said. "It started feeling sore after I was running."
The Rangers held him out of running drills and an intrasquad game this week. Beltre had the MRI on Thursday after feeling more pain while taking groundballs.
"When it first happened, it was nothing serious. I was able to do everything else but running," Beltre said. "Taking groundballs, it started being back to the first time it happened. It was sore."
Levine said doctors determined Beltre has a grade 1 strain, the mildest kind.
Beltre insisted he could still hit and play catch. He said he would do what he felt comfortable doing and increase his activity as he feels better.
Levine said the Rangers want Beltre to take it easy over the weekend. Washington said there is plenty of time for Beltre to get ready for the start of the regular season.
"We've had the conversation with Adrian to make him understand that the finish line is," Washington said. "The finish line is April 1, not Feb. 25."
In the Rangers' second intrasquad game Friday, Chris Davis played third base for the lineup made up of the expected starters. Davis also was in that role Thursday.
Beltre, a two-time Gold Glove winner, hit .321 with 28 homers, 102 RBIs and 49 doubles in 154 games last year in his only season with Boston and was an All-Star for the first time in his 13-season career. He became a free agent after turning down a $10 million player option.
In 1,835 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-04), Seattle (2005-09) and Boston, Beltre is a .275 career hitter. Since playing 77 games as a 19-year-old rookie, Beltre has averaged 147 games per season.
Young last month requested a trade from the Rangers, who tried unsuccessfully to accommodate his request even though they preferred keeping him in his new role. Young reported to camp on time and said he was ready to prepare for the season, a comforting fact for Washington.
"Without a doubt, without a doubt," Washington said. "That's our depth right now, that's why we have all the versatility we have."
The Rangers want to be cautious with their key offseason acquisition after an MRI showed an overstretching muscle but no tear. Beltre had never had any issues with his calf.
"I think we're handling this in a very responsible and conservative matter considering where we are in the spring and the nature of who the player is," assistant general manager Thad Levine said Friday.
Levine said Beltre wouldn't play in a game for at least 10-14 days, though the third baseman is expected to be ready for the regular season opener April 1 against Boston. The spring training opener is Sunday.
"Nobody wants to be hurt, especially coming into spring training. But you want to look at the positive side, it's better to happen now than the season," Beltre said. "Now is enough time to get healthy 100 percent and be ready to break camp healthy 100 percent."
Beltre got a guaranteed $80 million, five-year contract last month that also includes a vesting option for a sixth year and $16 million more. That free agent signing prompted the Rangers to make six-time All-Star Michael Young, who played third base the last two seasons, their primary designated hitter and utility infielder.
Young was away from camp for the second day on Friday tending to a personal family matter, but was expected back Saturday.
Manager Ron Washington said he isn't planning for Young to be the everyday third baseman during Beltre's absence.
"I'm still going to move (Young) around down here in the spring," Washington said. "We have to get him versatile because we expect Beltre to be ready opening day. So Michael is going to play third, he's going to play at second, he's going to play at first, going to DH."
Beltre said he initially felt discomfort in his calf after working out on a treadmill at home about a week before reporting to spring training.
"I didn't feel a tweak, didn't feel anything unusual," Beltre said. "It started feeling sore after I was running."
The Rangers held him out of running drills and an intrasquad game this week. Beltre had the MRI on Thursday after feeling more pain while taking groundballs.
"When it first happened, it was nothing serious. I was able to do everything else but running," Beltre said. "Taking groundballs, it started being back to the first time it happened. It was sore."
Levine said doctors determined Beltre has a grade 1 strain, the mildest kind.
Beltre insisted he could still hit and play catch. He said he would do what he felt comfortable doing and increase his activity as he feels better.
Levine said the Rangers want Beltre to take it easy over the weekend. Washington said there is plenty of time for Beltre to get ready for the start of the regular season.
"We've had the conversation with Adrian to make him understand that the finish line is," Washington said. "The finish line is April 1, not Feb. 25."
In the Rangers' second intrasquad game Friday, Chris Davis played third base for the lineup made up of the expected starters. Davis also was in that role Thursday.
Beltre, a two-time Gold Glove winner, hit .321 with 28 homers, 102 RBIs and 49 doubles in 154 games last year in his only season with Boston and was an All-Star for the first time in his 13-season career. He became a free agent after turning down a $10 million player option.
In 1,835 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998-04), Seattle (2005-09) and Boston, Beltre is a .275 career hitter. Since playing 77 games as a 19-year-old rookie, Beltre has averaged 147 games per season.
Young last month requested a trade from the Rangers, who tried unsuccessfully to accommodate his request even though they preferred keeping him in his new role. Young reported to camp on time and said he was ready to prepare for the season, a comforting fact for Washington.
"Without a doubt, without a doubt," Washington said. "That's our depth right now, that's why we have all the versatility we have."
AP source: Selig to name Joe Torre MLB executive
AP, SCOTTSDALE, Ariz: Joe Torre has been hired as Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, a person with knowledge of the appointment said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because commissioner Bud Selig wasn't expected to formally introduce Torre until Saturday.
MLB said Selig would make a major announcement at the new Salt River Fields ballpark, the spring facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
The 70-year-old Torre won four World Series titles for the New York Yankees in a 29-year career as a manager, retiring after last season following three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played parts of 18 seasons in the majors.
Even when Torre stepped away from the dugout, he insisted he would always stay involved in the game to some extent — though many figured that might be in television, or that he would take another managerial job elsewhere unable to truly call it quits as a skipper.
He likely will help Selig in a variety of roles. MLB lost chief operating officer Bob DuPuy last fall after he spent 8 1/2 years as the commissioner's top aide.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because commissioner Bud Selig wasn't expected to formally introduce Torre until Saturday.
MLB said Selig would make a major announcement at the new Salt River Fields ballpark, the spring facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
The 70-year-old Torre won four World Series titles for the New York Yankees in a 29-year career as a manager, retiring after last season following three years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played parts of 18 seasons in the majors.
Even when Torre stepped away from the dugout, he insisted he would always stay involved in the game to some extent — though many figured that might be in television, or that he would take another managerial job elsewhere unable to truly call it quits as a skipper.
He likely will help Selig in a variety of roles. MLB lost chief operating officer Bob DuPuy last fall after he spent 8 1/2 years as the commissioner's top aide.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Share
