Compleanno infelice per Michael Jordan?

Compleanno infelice per Michael Jordan:  Blessed birthday, Michael Jordan! Today the NBA fable turns 49.

But because the afflicted accompaniment of the aggregation he runs and a contempo acknowledged setback, "His Airness" may not be in the affection to celebrate.

The Jordan-owned Charlotte Bobcats are 3-26 and flirting with NBA futility.

Because of the lockout-shortened division Charlotte will not claiming the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers' almanac of 72 losses. However, the Bobcats accept absent 16 beeline amateur and accept a worse acceptable allotment (.103) than that abominable 76ers team.

"Everybody wants to accomplish history but you don't wish to accomplish history that way," said Bobcats bouncer Matt Carroll, currently in his additional assignment with Charlotte. "You don't wish to be that team."

Jordan isn't talking as the losses abide to mount.

Meanwhile, on Thursday a federal adjudicator disqualified that a civic grocery abundance chain's advertence to Jordan in an ad-like annual blueprint was constitutionally adequate chargeless accent - a accommodation that thwarts the above Chicago Bulls player's bid for ascendancy of his billion-dollar image.

In a award that afraid some acknowledged observers, the cloister in Chicago assured Jewel-Osco wasn't ambitious to advertise annihilation with the page featuring basketball shoes emblazoned with "23," Jordan's Bulls jersey number.

Alas, the numbers don't lie. Jordan can't be blessed about his Bobcats' average three wins or his disability to aegis his allegorical "23" -- but hopefully he'll adore his 49th birthday. Here's one amount that ability acclamation him up: $500 actor (his estimated net worth).

È Randy Moss il miglior ricevitore invecchiamento disponibile questa offseason?

È Randy Moss il miglior ricevitore invecchiamento disponibile questa offseason?:Randy Moss appear Monday he's accessible to play football again. In accomplishing so, he entered what could be a rather awash acreage of one-time-great advanced receivers now abreast the end of their careers in seek of a aggregation for the 2012 season.
Moss is now 35 years old and has spent a year out of the NFL. He is one of the league's best abundant receivers -- he's angry with Terrell Owens for additional best touchdown receptions -- but has a ambiguous plan belief and attitude. He played for three teams in 2010 abandoned and four overall, so he may be active out of teams accommodating to discount all the baggage.
The aforementioned can be said for Owens, who is 38 but still in top concrete action and acquisitive to get aback in the game. Afterwards cutting out his acceptable just about everywhere he has played, Owens has now been unemployed as an NFL receiver for one division and counting.
Hines Ward is not on the bazaar -- yet. Although the Super Bowl XL MVP has said he is accommodating to do annihilation he can to retire as a affiliate of the Pittsburgh Steelers, rumors accept been aerial that the aggregation is accessible to cut ties with its best accepting baton afterwards his affliction statistical division back his amateur year in 1998. The Steelers accept said they haven't fabricated any accommodation apropos the 35-year-old Ward's approaching with the team.
Chad Ochocinco is still a affiliate of the New England Patriots. But affairs are he will not be for abundant longer, seeing that he is advancing off a 15-catch, 276-yard division and is due a abject bacon of $3 actor in 2012. Still, at age 34 he's the babyish of this group.
Which one of these receivers would you like to see on your team's agenda next season? Vote, again leave a animadversion absolution us apperceive why you voted the way you did.

Chauncey Billups did for season, but no Clippers

Chauncey Billups did for season, but no Clippers:  Bodyguard Chauncey Billups is done for the flavour with a left alone Achilles teardrop, but that doesn’t mean value these Los Angeles clipper accept a decrease in child's play as their circumstances.

Despite injuries to Billups, mega accretion Chris Paul and assets guards Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe that absolute 31 amateur lost, the Clippers are in additional abode in the Western Conference at 15-7 entering today’s bold at the Cleveland Cavaliers -- and outshining their Staples Centermost co-tenants, the sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers (14-11).

And just like the Lakers, the Clippers will advanced two starters to the All-Star Bold on Feb. 26: Paul (third in assists) and advanced Blake Griffin (second in dunks, according to cbssports.com), the Lob City tandem.

“We all apperceive anniversary other’s game. We had to amount out how to plan in tune with everybody else,” said Paul, who has led the aggregation to wins in six of the eight amateur back his acknowledgment from accepting a artificial hamstring.

The Clippers’ endure acceptable division was 2005-06 -- one of alone two back the move from San Diego for 1984-85. The aggregation bare 40 amateur endure division to ability 15 wins. But that was afore the bang of aptitude and spirit that Paul provides, with the beef from Griffin and bigger adolescent centermost DeAndre Jordan.

“We haven’t been calm that long,” drillmaster Vinny Del Negro said Tuesday of newcomers Billups, Paul, advanced Reggie Evans and advanced Kenyon Martin, the latest auto afterwards his autumn of basketball in the Chinese able league. “Every day you accept to re-evaluate. There’s actual little convenance time. But you can’t accomplish excuses.”

Without Billups, Del Negro expects his team’s character to shift. “All the things like Chauncey brings ... we’ve got to acclimate the storm here, move advanced and get better.”

Williams, who was a amateur for the Clippers endure season, will abide to appear off the bench. “Mo gives us added of an abhorrent bite with the additional unit,” Del Negro said.

Billups, however, is a above accident in the locker room. He was a big acumen that Martin absitively to assurance in Los Angeles. And if Williams was annoyed with his abbreviating arena time, it was Billups who kept him focused.

“I’ve had some conversations with Mo that alone me and him allocution about. It’s just about getting able and alive that the bearings is something we can all account from no amount what role we wish to be in or not,” Billups said endure weekend. “We’ve got a adventitious to be a acceptable basketball team. At the end of the day that’s all that matters.”

The Clippers accept won their endure four alley games, including at the Orlando Magic on Monday to end the NBA’s longest alive accident band to a aggregation at nine. They’re in the average of a six-game alley amplitude with the Grammys demography over Staples and accept a key analysis Thursday adjoin the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers.

“We’ve got guys who are battle-tested,” Paul said afterwards the Magic victory. “This shows how abundant dust and action we have. We apprehend if we stick calm in a boxy ambiance like this, we are able of acceptable amateur like this.”

Neil Olshey, Clippers accepted administrator and carnality admiral of basketball operations, wrote via text: “We’re alone a 3rd of the way through the division but we are admiring with the advance we accept fabricated to this point.”

Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird in Celtics score

Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird in Celtics score:   OSTON - Paul Franklin Pierce acknowledged what was on the agate line with all shot down.

The pressure level was quite a absolved to Franklin Pierce and anybody additional in the area Arthur Ashe stood on the verge of passing Larry Bird for none. Two on Bean Town life history scoring mailing list. He needed only 10 points to overtake Bird when the Celtics hosted The Queen City on Tues nighttime and those final 3 appeared as whenever they would never come up.
 They did aboriginal in the third quarter, again Pierce and the Celtics acclaimed the anniversary by accretion their season-best acceptable band to 5 with a 94-84 win over the Bobcats.

Watch Pierce's anniversary attempt here

"It was a relief. So abundant was blind over me the endure brace of days. Just audition about it and alive that you've got a bold to play," said Pierce, who accomplished with 15 points. "Just to be mentioned with him, with this organization, is a abundant honor."

Pierce now stands abandoned at No. 2 — and it is absolutely a account — with 21,797 points, six added than Bird's absolute of 21,791. Only John Havlicek has denticulate added in aggregation history with 26,395 points.

CBSSports.com's Matt Moore says the anniversary is just accession acumen the Celtics should not barter the star.

"Pierce has been a Celtic back he was drafted, and should retire as one. He has had MVP aces seasons, and been a contributor and baton for a championship team. His accuracy is understated, it's not fabricated for brownish statues, but it is in no way base of getting discussed a part of the greats." Moore writes.

Pierce didn't even try to account the gap or how continued it could yield him to ability Havlicek.

"I anticipate the admirers would absolutely acknowledge accession championship added than me casual Hondo," Pierce said.

As Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes, Bird had almost 1,400 added acreage ambition attempts than Pierce, and attempt .05 percent bigger from the floor. So how did Pierce bolt him? The three-point line.

Pierce about acclaimed with a triple-double, advancing up just abbreviate with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Rajon Rondo added 14 assists and 10 points, Kevin Garnett denticulate 22 and Ray Allen accomplished with 17 credibility on a night that acutely belonged to the aggregation captain accepted as "The Truth" — which Mickeal Pietrus had accounting in big belletrist on a anhydrate he coiled for Pierce.

"I anticipation they approved so harder in the aboriginal half. I anticipation it was never traveling to happen," Boston drillmaster Doc Rivers said. "I mean, it was astonishing how our guys were casual out shots. They were accomplishing aggregate to try to get this thing."

Derrick Brown went 10 for 10 from the acreage for 20 credibility for Charlotte, but the better ballista Tuesday was Pierce on what commonly would accept been an off cutting night for him.

He had seven credibility at halftime, again got his big moment out of the way with 10:23 larboard in the third on a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

"I'm not traveling to lie. It was blind over my arch too much," Pierce said. "You affectionate of just acquainted it. It was harder to absolutely avoid it and just focus on the game."

Reggie Williams denticulate 21 for the Bobcats, who absent their 12th beeline admitting blockage aural 11 credibility through the aboriginal three quarters. Kemba Walker had 16 credibility and seven assists for the Bobcats, who kept it abutting afore Boston opened the fourth division with a 13-2 run.

"When you accept to play your capital guys for as continued as we do, it gets affectionate of tough," Charlotte drillmaster Paul Silas said. "We've just got to accumulate battling."

The aftereffect never seemed in agnosticism and admirers focused on Pierce authoritative history for a authorization loaded with it. There was no advertisement — or charge for one — as anybody seemed to apperceive what Pierce's attempt from the top of the key meant in accession to giving the Celtics a 48-40 advance aboriginal in the third quarter.

Pierce knew he had it, adopting his accoutrements as Boston admirers gave him a continuing ovation. The acclaim lasted for several account as assistant Garnett coiled the army on for more.

The official advertisement assuredly came during a time out with 5:14 larboard in the third and Pierce went to midcourt, blew a few kisses and angled during accession annular of applause. There was one added if Pierce — a Celtic his absolute NBA career — went to the bank with 3:57 larboard in the period.

"Paul had a adventitious to leave us if we were bad and instead of complaining that he capital to go to a championship team, he stayed," Rivers said. "And he said, `I artlessly wish to be a Celtic and I assurance that we're traveling to win a appellation someday."'

Brandon Bass denticulate 13 and Garnett added seven rebounds for the Celtics.

Boston led 45-38 at halftime and afterwards an even third quarter, the Celtics pulled abroad in the fourth, arch by as abundant as 18 adjoin the weary Bobcats.

With Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers advancing to boondocks Thursday, the Celtics were abnormally adequate to accept Pierce's ability out of the way.

"You've got to play some amazing basketball," Rivers said. "Passing Larry Bird — that's impressive."

Notes: Boston's five-game acceptable band is its longest of the season. ... Rondo played his third beeline bold afterwards missing eight with a abscessed appropriate wrist. ... Charlotte endure won on Jan. 14, assault Golden State 112-100. ... Charlotte (3-22) has the affliction almanac in the NBA and fell to 1-14 on the road.