Rudy Gay helps Grizzlies beat Knicks
That was the Rudy Gay the Memphis Grizzlies have been waiting to see.
Gay scored a season-high 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat New York 94-83 on Thursday night to end the Knicks' winning streak at four games.
"That's what we need out of him," Memphis guard Mike Conley said. "That's the guy we look to to make big plays down the stretch and to carry the load of the scoring. We're a very good team when he's scoring and being that kind of a threat."
Gay made 11 of 16 shots to help the Grizzlies snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 4-6. The performance was a step forward in a season where Gay is still trying to find his way after missing the closing months of last season and the Grizzlies' playoff run because of a shoulder injury. He also is dealing with a hip pointer.
"There are a lot of things people don't understand," Gay said about the criticism of his play. "A lot of people haven't been through surgery and been out 10 months and expected to play back-to-back-to-back. It's OK. It's going to click for me."
The Knicks dealt with their own injury problems in the game. New York played most of the second half without scoring leader Carmelo Anthony after he sprained his right ankle early in the third period. He didn't return, and X-rays were negative.
Anthony said he will wait and see how he feels Friday, and didn't plan to force his return. If it wasn't feeling right by Saturday's game at Oklahoma City, he will see how it is Monday when the Knicks return home to face Orlando.
"I've been getting beat up for nine years, so, I'm not worried about getting beat up," said Anthony, who also was dealing with a wrist problem sustained in the first quarter. "I'm going to get through it. I'm living. I'm walking. I'm smiling. I'm hurt, but I'll be all right."
O.J. Mayo scored 18 points, also a season high, on 7-of-12 shooting and had eight rebounds for the Grizzlies. Tony Allen added 12 points, and Marc Gasol had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Anthony and Bill Walker each scored 14 points to lead the Knicks (6-5). Rookie guard Iman Shumpert had 12 points, but was 5 of 20 from the field. Amare Stoudemire, saddled with foul problems early, scored a season-low six points, converting only one of his seven shots. New York set a season low with its 83 points.
"It was definitely one of those nights where we couldn't get into a rhythm," Knicks center Tyson Chandler said, "but we have to do a better job of our starts and the way we come out."
Part of that came from a Memphis defense that had nine steals, half of the Knicks 18 turnovers, and left New York shooting 37 percent for the game.
"Our intensity, our focus, our discipline were really good on both ends of the court," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "We just kept getting steals."
Memphis had a comfortable lead in the fourth period, but New York reserves went 6 of 9 from 3-point range late to make it closer at the end.
Memphis already had a double-digit lead in the first half, then outscored the Knicks 26-14 in the third quarter, at one point stretching the lead to 25 points.
The Knicks struggled from the field from the start, missing eight of their first nine shots. Stoudemire picked up a couple of early fouls, and Memphis took the lead getting out on the break.
"I just thought emotionally we didn't come out with the right mental energy, and they jumped on us," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We went back on our heels and tried to resolve the problem one-on-one.
"It didn't work out, obviously."
Gay was 5 of 6 early, including a couple of dunks, for 12 first-quarter points.
Australian Open 2012: Rafael Nadal dismisses fitness concerns
World number two Rafael Nadal has dismissed concerns over his fitness, saying his shoulder is "in perfect condition" before the Australian Open.
The 2009 champion plans to take February off to recuperate but will compete at Melbourne Park.
Nadal, 25, added he was motivated by regaining his number one ranking from Novak Djokovic.
Nadal won a sixth French Open crown last year but lost to Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open.
The Spaniard admitted he lost some love for the game towards the end of last year before leading Spain to the Davis Cup title in December.
"I played with fantastic passion the last two matches of the year in the Davis Cup," said Nadal.
"I've been working hard. I think I'm working the right way. There's Djokovic [to compete with], but there's a lot of fantastic players around and I have to be ready to compete against everybody.
"Last year I lost six important finals against him, but I played finals and that's something really difficult to do. I know how difficult it is to be [in finals] almost all the time."
Nadal added that his semi-final loss to Gael Monfils at the Qatar Open last week was a better result than he had expected.
The Australian Open starts on 16 January and the draw will take place at 2300 GMT on Thursday.
TTCB earned US$240K for Pollard, Bravo
The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) received US$120,000 each from the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings for the services of Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo respectively at the 2011 Nokia Champions League in India.
The revelation was made on Wednesday by Minister of Sport Anil Roberts who again accused TTCB president Azim Bassarath of deceiving him concerning Pollard and Bravo representing this country.
Roberts produced a letter dated August 17, 2011 where Bassarath sought to explain the problem surrounding TT’s star all-rounders non-participation in the Champions League for this country.
Bassarath had stated “the fact that Messrs Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were not included in our provisional squad, due to uncertainty...and that they were included, as far as we understand, on the provisional squads of their respective IPL franchises, to whom they are contracted, they are only eligible to participate in the Nokia Champions League for their respective franchises, if selected.
“This also prevents the TTCB from receiving any transfer fees for both players.”
But in a press conference on Wednesday, Roberts revealed that he did some investigation and contacted the CEOs of both IPL clubs who stated that a US$150,000 fee before tax was given to the TTCB for taking the two players for the Champions League.
“I did not want to stop there. I then wrote the TTCB and once again asked them how much if any payment or transfer fee was received for Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo,” Roberts explained.
Replying to Minister Roberts, Suruj Ragoonath, TTCB Cricket Operations Manager, revealed that a transfer sum was paid by the IPL clubs to the local body.
Roberts said he has now been vindicated for his attack on the credibility of Bassarath and called on the TTCB boss to apologise to him.
“Remember it created quite a furore. Bassarath accused me of playing politics and supporting the ‘Friends of Cricket’ in a TTCB election, that I wanted to get him out of office and I was not supportive of the TTCB,” he continued.
The Minister argued that if the TTCB was experiencing financial problems in getting Pollard and Bravo to play for the “Red Force” then they should have come to him and the Ministry would have paid the amount to get them wearing national colours for the Champions League.
He believes that TT missed out on a valuable opportunity to win the Champions League and cited the “Red Force” two close defeats in the 2011 tournament as proof that Pollard and Bravo could have made the difference.
He warned National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) that it is a serious offence to submit false information to the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago and said there is a committee responsible for investigating such cases.
“This is a serious issue. Any NSO found to be giving Ministry officials, the Permanent Secretary or the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago false information will be dealt with very seriously,” he said.
Soldiers still sombre after Haiti
Two years after the Haiti quake, the images of suffering are still fresh in the minds of Jamaica Defence Force soldiers who were part of the relief team in Port-au-Prince.
Lieutenant Johnathan Wemyss-Gorman was part of the rescue team that was dispatched from Jamaica to Port-au-Prince.
Speaking in the documentary ‘Quake: Haiti in Jamaica’, Weymss-Gorman recalls like yesterday, hearing the terrifying screams of a 13-year-old girl when she was told by a foreign doctor that the extent of the injuries she sustained to a leg meant that it would have to be amputated.
However, Weymss-Gorman said he intervened and sought help from a Jamaican orthopaedic surgeon who was part of the rescue mission and he managed to save the child’s leg.
For Captain Dr Gail Ranglin one of her hardest tasks was to help in identifying the body of an official from a CARICOM country who had gone to Haiti for a conference.
The documentary ‘Quake: Haiti in Jamaica’ will be posted on The Gleaner’s Website today at noon.
The World Bank reports that Haiti has been making progress in several critical areas two years after the country was struck by a massive earthquake.
According to the Washington-based financial institution progress has been made in the areas of human development and relief for families who lost their homes and income.
It says programmes addressing education, housing, disaster prevention and job creation in the private sector are also top on Haiti’s reconstruction agenda.
Meanwhile, about one million displaced Haitians have left temporary camps in the capital to return to their homes.
The World Bank says almost half of about 10 million cubic meters of rubble from the earthquake have been taken off the capital’s streets in the past two years.
Jamaica Gleaner
Dudus sentencing postponed again
Federal judge Robert P. Patterson has granted a request for a postponement in the sentencing of confessed Jamaican drug baron Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
“Application for an adjournment of sentencing is granted, but the date will have to be earlier,” the order from the judge said.
“The Court does not want a sentence date on which defense counsel is engaged in another case. Counsel for the government and defense are to advise the Court by January 13, 2012 as to proposed dates for sentences,” read the order from Judge Patterson which was made on Wednesday.
Coke was due to be sentenced next Tuesday but his attorney filed an application in court this week seeking to have the sentencing date postponed for a second time.
The confessed Jamaican drug lord faces up to 23 years in federal prison. He was originally set for sentencing on December 8 but his attorney had requested a postponement.
Coke confessed to racketeering conspiracy in the US and conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering last year.
Coke was extradited in June 2010 following a near one-year stand-off between then Bruce Golding-led government and the US.
Then Attorney General Dorothy Lightbourne refused to sign the authority to proceed against Coke, saying his constitutional rights were being breached.
Golding’s JLP then engaged US law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in a bid to lobby the US government on the matter.
However, under public pressure, Lightbourne signed the authority to proceed against Coke. That was to lead to a stand-off between men loyal to Coke and members of the security forces. A bloody battle in Tivoli led to the deaths of more than 70 people.
Coke went into hiding and was captured, allegedly disguised with a woman’s wig, in the company of clergyman Al Miller. He waived his right to fight his extradition to the US and has been awaiting trial and sentencing since.
Daraine Luton
Jamaica Gleaner
Portia gets new iPhone 4S
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller is among the first in the Caribbean to receive the new iPhone 4S.
The phone, is said to deliver up to two times more power and up to seven times faster graphics than the regular iPhone.
The iPhone 4S, LIME’s newest mobile phone product, is set to be launched in Jamaica today and the rest of the Caribbean on January 13.
Lil Wayne to Publish Prison Memoir
Lil Wayne has signed a deal to publish a prison memoir called Gone Till November. The book will be drawn from notes the rapper made while serving an eight-month sentence at Rikers Island on a weapons possession charge.
The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing, is repped by Matthew Guma, who also served as Jay-Z's literary agent for the rapper's best-selling book Decoded. According to a press release, Lil Wayne's prison journals will detail "his thoughts and feelings, strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present and future."
Lil Wayne has written about his sports interests for ESPN the Magazine, and he recently announced the launch of a new skateboarding clothing line. The rapper's most recent album, Tha Carter IV, debuted last year at Number One on the Billboard album chart with just under one million copies sold in its first week of release.
Snoop Dogg Launching Cigar Brand
Who knows smoking better than Snoop Dogg? The rapper is capitalizing on his infamous love for lighting up with a new line of cigars, Executive Branch, which he will unveil at the Coachella Festival when he headlines with Dr. Dre.
The cigars will be made with tobacco sourced from the Dominican Republic and the first round of product, the "Executive Branch Cigarillos," will be sold in packs of two for $.99.
"Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to travel the world and try all different types of tobacco products," said Snoop Dogg in today's press release (we assume dictated while winking very broadly). "During my travels throughout South America and the Caribbean, I was fortunate to encounter this tobacco company, Executive Branch and was so impressed by their commitment to quality . . . Throughout 2012, we plan on releasing new styles and flavors, in which I will be working with their team to make sure all products are up to Snoop Dogg standards."
Snoop's new product is considerably more legal than what he usually carries; just this week, he was arrested for marijuana possession.
Adele, Coldplay Lead BRIT Award Nominations
Adele, Coldplay and Florence and the Machine are among the top nominated artists for the 2012 BRIT Awards, the British record industry's equivalent to the Grammys. The 32nd annual awards show will be held in London on February 21st.
Adele, who scored the top-selling album in her native U.K. in 2011, is up for Best British Album of the Year for 21, as well as Best British Female Solo Artist and Best British Single of the Year for "Someone Like You." Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto is also nominated in the best album category, and the band is in the running for Best British Group. Noel Gallagher, James Blake, Jessie J, Anna Calvi, Elbow, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian are also nominated in various categories, and Britpop heroes Blur will be honored with a lifetime achievement award.
Though the BRIT Awards are designed to honor talent from the U.K., a handful of North American acts – including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Foo Fighters and Maroon 5 – were nominated in the show's international categories.
The nominations for the 2012 BRIT Awards are as follows:
British Male Solo Artist
Ed Sheeran
James Blake
James Morrison
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Professor Green
British Female Solo Artist
Adele
Florence and the Machine
Jessie J
Kate Bush
Laura Marling
British Breakthrough Act
Anna Calvi
Ed Sheeran
Emeli Sandé
Jessie J
The Vaccines
British Group
Arctic Monkeys
Chase and Status
Coldplay
Elbow
Kasabian
British Single
Adele, "Someone Like You"
Ed Sheeran, "The A Team"
Example, "Changed The Way You Kissed Me"
Jessie J feat. B.o.B, "Price Tag"
JLS feat. Dev, "She Makes Me Wanna"
Military Wives/Gareth Malone, "Wherever You Are"
Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks, "Heart Skips A Beat"
One Direction, "What Makes You Beautiful"
Pixie Lott, "All About Tonight"
The Wanted, "Glad You Came"
British Album of the Year
Adele - 21
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Ed Sheeran - +
Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
International Male Solo Artist
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Bruno Mars
David Guetta
Ryan Adams
International Female Solo Artist
Beyoncé
Bjork
Feist
Lady Gaga
Rihanna
International Group
Fleet Foxes
Foo Fighters
Jay Z and Kanye West
Lady Antebellum
Maroon 5
International Breakthrough Act
Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Foster The People
Lana Del Rey
Nicki Minaj
Outstanding Contribution to Music
Blur
Critics' Choice
1st - Emeli Sandé
2nd - Maverick Sabre
3rd - Michael Kiwanuka
British Producer
Paul Epworth
Flood
Ethan Jones
Heather Locklear Hospitalized After 911 Call
Heather Locklear was taken to the hospital Thursday after a 911 call was placed from her home.
The nature of the emergency wasn't immediately revealed. But TMZ and RadarOnline report Locklear, 50, may have mixed alcohol and prescription medication.
"Emergency response personnel responded to a medical emergency call at Ms. Locklear's residence," Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Aranda tells PEOPLE. "Once they arrived, it was determined that Ms. Locklear needed to be transported to the hospital for further medical attention."
He adds that hospital personnel are "taking care of her situation."
TMZ reports that a sister for Locklear called 911 from the home northwest of Los Angeles and that the actress was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Later in the day, Locklear's daughter, Ava Sambora, 14, Tweeted, "Well this sucks."
The Melrose Place star was hospitalized in December 2010 for a bacterial infection. Last November, she and Jack Wagner called off their engagement.