Portland Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge missed Thursday's practice with a left quad strain, but the power forward tweeted that he doesn't anticipate missing much time.
NBA news roundup: LaMarcus Aldridge suffers left quad strain, Roy Hibbert wants to play for Team USA
Aldridge doesn’t expect to miss much time after suffering a left quad strain, although Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is unsure just how long his star forward will be out.
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The injury was first reported as a hip flexor strain before Aldridge revealed it was actually a quad strain. Blazers head coach Terry Stotts didn't think the injury was that serious, but he said it was too early to know if Aldridge would miss Sunday's Fan Fest, according to Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest:
“I don’t know how long its going to be,” he said. “I don’t know even want to say if it’s a few days or weeks. It’s just too early to say.”
Aldridge is just one of several Blazers dealing with injuries early in camp. Mo Williams has missed several practices due to a sprained ankle while Will Barton has a concussion.
Hibbert wants in on Team USA
Indiana Pacers big man Roy Hibbert wants to play for USA Basketball. He'll have to jump through a few hoops to get the chance, however, according to Scott Agness of Pacers.com.
After Hibbert was passed over for Team USA for the Olympics, the center opted to play with Team Jamaica. Hibbert’s dad is from Jamaica, so Hibbert has dual citizenship.
In order for Hibbert to make the switch from Team Jamaica, Team USA must make an inquiry to FIBA. Team Jamaica must then let go of Hibbert so he can join Team USA. International lawyers are currently in the process of trying to make these things happen.
While Hibbert would love the opportunity to play for Team USA, not making the team wouldn’t be the end of the world:
“I wanted to play in the Olympics and then they invited some other guys from my draft class to be centers,” Hibbert explained. “I thought I could have been in that group. If I had gotten invited, I wouldn’t have played for Team Jamaica. You live and you learn. If I don’t play for Team USA ever again, I’ll enjoy my summers and bulk up like I did this summer.”
The next chance to play for Team USA is in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain next summer.
ASU standout to go pro after season
Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek revealed that standout sophomore Jahii Carson will be leaving school and heading to the NBA after this season, according to John Marshall of the Associated Press:
“I know it will be his last; We know Jahii will end up going to the NBA,” Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said during the Sun Devils’ media day Thursday. “I’ve known that for a long time.”
Carson filed paperwork to be evaluated by NBA executives prior to the 2013 NBA Draft, but he decided to return to Arizona State. The 5'10 point guard enjoyed a phenomenal campaign as a redshirt freshman, averaging 18.5 points and 5.1 assists.
Carson led Arizona State to 22 wins and was named Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year along with UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, who was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of this year's draft.
Cuban takes stand at insider trading trial
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban testified in federal district court Thursday that he didn't do anything wrong when he sold shares of stock in an Internet company called Mamma.com Inc. in 2004.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Cuban for insider trading, saying he broke a confidentiality agreement and traded his stocks in the company on private information that gave him an advantage over other investors.
Cuban admitted that before he sold his stock, he had become upset when Mamma.com CEO Guy Faure told him his shares would be diluted due to a planned stock issuance. However, Cuban said he never agreed to keep the information confidential and never broke any laws when selling the stock over the next couple of days.
Cuban testified that he had other reasons to sell his stock, although the SEC reportedly has some information that could dispute his claims. The trial will continue on Monday.
Robinson ‘pissed off’ at disrespect
Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly in the NBA for former first-round pick Thomas Robinson. The Portland Trail Blazers forward is already on his third team in two years, and he’s not happy with the perception of him as a player. In fact, he admits that he’s “pissed off” about it, according to Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest:
“I feel disrespected,” Robinson went on to say. “A lot of people don’t know the ins and outs of this business. That’s how it works, man. There’s no point in even talking about it. That’s the way things work. I’m just ready to play.”
Robinson was selected fifth by the Sacramento Kings in 2012, but he struggled mightily before getting dealt to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets then traded Robinson to the Blazers in order to clear cap space for their ultimately successful run at Dwight Howard.
Robinson averaged 10.4 points and 12.8 rebounds at Summer League and is part of a revamped Blazers bench that should be improved from last season.
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