• "(George) Karl gave some fascinating answers to the media about the labyrinth that is A.I. Karl also suggested that if one of Denver’s top guards suffers a serious injury, that perhaps Iverson would be a guy the Nuggets try to sign." Denver Post

• Michael Hunt in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "The Bucks, who have this way of creating their own bad luck, haven't caught this kind of break since they won a coin flip with the Phoenix Suns 40 years ago for the right to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And when (Brandon) Jennings went out Saturday night and broke The Captain's team rookie scoring record by dropping 55 points on Don Nelson's Golden State Warriors, the national spotlight directed at the franchise hasn't been this intense since the days of Kareem, Nelson and (George) Karl."

• The Celtics have not reached out to Sacramento about inquiring about (Andres) Nocioni. The issue for Boston is the length of Nocioni's contract. He is signed through 2012 with a team option for 2013. Boston Globe

• "The Heat came into Tuesday's game as one of the league's surprise teams, with established talent and improving young players leading the way. The team left the game realizing it has company in that department. The Oklahoma City Thunder showed it, too, has a superstar who can dominate a game and a formidable supporting cast around him." Miami Herald

• Dave D'Alessandro in the Newark Star-Ledger: "They’re back to hating themselves again, which, given the circumstances, is probably appropriate. Maybe that’s the only way to get out of the ditch the Nets find themselves in: Establish an intense and unanimous loathing for losing, which they demonstrated with clear and provocative language after this 91-83 defeat against the Indiana Pacers at Izod Center."  

• "Ankle sprains are assessed by grades. A Grade I is the least severe, and a Grade III is the most severe, involving the tearing of ligaments within the ankle that require a lengthy rehabilitation period. Hornets coach Jeff Bower said Monday the team would not place a number grade on (Chris) Paul’s injury. Paul shed no additional light on what was revealed by an MRI exam Saturday. Nola.com

• Derek Fisher: "Ron (Artest) is the only (player) that still has a lot of questions about how to respond or what happens if we call this or do this, and that's to be understood. But what would make his life a lot easier is if the other four guys would do the thing right, because there's only one place for him to be, if the other four guys are in the right spots. We're slowing down his learning curve by not paying attention to the details, and that's not fair to him and it's not fair to the team." Los Angeles Times

• Jerry Zgoda in the Minneapolis Star Tribune has a sweet story about Al Jefferson going home to see his dying mom: "I got the chance to see her before she died," Jefferson said after Monday's practice. "She died 30 minutes after I got there. That was good for her and me. She told my auntie four days before she died that she was just waiting on me."

• Roddy Beaubois isn't just a speedster. He can jump, too.

• With Raja Bell and Kelenna Azubuike likely out for the season, the packing has begun in Golden State: "The truck has been backed up and parked, flashers on, and the onloading has begun. Stephen Jackson is gone, in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic and Raja Bell's medical bills. Monta Ellis might be next, and if the Warriors are as eager to shed him as he is to be shed of them, that would happen within a week, two at the most. And after that, the line forms by the Gatorade dispenser." San Francisco Chronicle

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