NBA Notes: Tony Parker may miss Olympics
The NBA draft is just three days away, and Jared Sullinger's stock is falling because of injury concerns. CSNPhilly.com's Gordie Jones writes that the the Sixers will
face an interesting decision if Sullinger is available at No. 15. One scout called the Ohio State power forward "a walking double-double."
Here are more news items from around the NBA:
Parker almost lost eyePARIS -- NBA star Tony Parker may miss the London Olympics after almost losing his eye in a fight involving singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake's entourage.
Parker's cornea was scratched in the fight, and the San Antonio Spurs guard revealed he had to have an operation to remove a shard that had "penetrated 99 percent" of his left eye.
"I almost lost my eye," Parker said in an interview posted on his website Sunday.
He did not join the rest of France's team Wednesday and will see a specialist in New York when he is cleared to take long-haul flights after July 5.
Parker said he has been having hallucinations and been unable to leave his hotel room for eight days because of the risk of infection. He also has to apply five different products into his eye every two hours
(see full story).
Heat celebrateMIAMI -- The NBA championship trophy was center stage, bathed in white light and sitting on a pedestal. And each Miami Heat player offered it a different greeting.
Mike Miller bowed. Udonis Haslem kissed it three times. Chris Bosh hugged it, and LeBron James strolled past before waving at the crowd.
Dwyane Wade did something different. In a nod to his preferred postgame fashion style throughout the playoffs, he emerged with a pair of faux eyeglasses and slipped the frames onto the neck of the trophy. Heat president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra and team managing general partner Micky Arison all donned similar pairs of the black spectacles as well for the party.
The glasses were fake. The sentiments were all real.
And with that, two years after Wade, James and Bosh opened their time together with a celebration, they got the party they really wanted on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Miami for the Heat championship parade, and then 15,000 more got into the arena afterward for a long, loud reception for the NBA's new kings
(see full story).
Howard, Allen on the move?Two big names hit the rumor mill on Monday.
ESPN.com reports that the Houston Rockets
may join the Dwight Howard sweepstakes (via
ProBasketballTalk), while Ray Allen and the Heat have a
mutual interest (via
ProBasketballTalk).
The Rockets were already in the hunt for top-10 picks by dangling their No. 14 and 16 picks, plus point guard Kyle Lowry. But a rival general manager told ESPN.com that Houston's real goal is to acquire two top-10 picks and package them in a trade for Dwight Howard.
Allen, an unrestricted free agent, would surely have to take less money to sign with the Heat, who can offer a contract starting at $3 million per year, according to the report.