NBA Capsules: Jazz get first win in San Antonio since 1999

SAN ANTONIO — A decade of misery for the Utah Jazz in San Antonio is over, but the Spurs’ early struggles show no sign of ending.

Deron Williams scored 21 points and Carlos Boozer scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Jazz to their first regular-season victory in San Antonio since 1999 — a 90-83 win on Thursday night.

That’s 10 years and 20 games since 30 points from Karl Malone on Feb. 28, 1999, carried the Jazz to their previous win in San Antonio. No player in Utah’s loose locker room Thursday night was even in the NBA back then.

"We’ve been to this building a lot of times, had some close games and had some blowouts," said Boozer, who also had 11 rebounds. "To get the win, the first one in this building, is big-time for our organization. We’re proud of ourselves."

Tim Duncan scored 21 points, and he has seldom seen San Antonio struggle at the start of a season like this. The Spurs revamped their roster this summer with sights set on a fifth NBA title run, but they are 4-6 and have their first losing record after 10 games since 1996.

The Spurs have dropped three straight.

"(We have to) worry more about improvement and understanding more than our record — and we know what our record is," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Paul Millsap added 20 points for the Jazz, who won back-to-back games for the first time this season. They did so with only nine players for the second consecutive night, after beating Toronto at home on Wednesday.

Taking over Malone’s role, Boozer played the foil to the Spurs this time. He was 4-of-6 from the field in the fourth. His second of two and-ones in the period with 1:08 left put Utah up 87-83 and provided a big two-possession cushion.

Ronnie Brewer added 13 points for the Jazz, who shot 60 percent in the fourth quarter. Williams had six of his 10 assists while playing the entire fourth quarter along with Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko, who finished with 13 points.

"We did all the right things down the stretch, which we’ve struggled with in this building," Williams said. "I still want to beat them when they’re not short-handed."

The Spurs certainly were.

Like the Jazz, they were also playing their second game in two nights after falling in overtime at Dallas. The Spurs hobbled home Thursday perhaps not weary, but certainly more banged up.

Manu Ginobili, who sprained his left groin against the Mavericks, is expected to miss at least a week. He sat out along with Tony Parker, who has missed four of five games because of a nagging ankle sprain.

Parker, San Antonio’s third-leading scorer, remains day-to-day. The All-Star point guard originally hurt the ankle Nov. 6, then re-aggravated the sprain Saturday in a loss to Oklahoma City.

George Hill, starting in place of Parker, had 18 points but on 7-of-17 shooting. Richard Jefferson added 16 points, and Roger Mason had 12.

After spending big dollars to bring in Jefferson and Antonio McDyess this summer while dumping half their roster, the Spurs’ sputtering start isn’t what the team had in mind. But it’s also not the first time San Antonio has started slow: the Spurs began 5-5 last season, and still won the Southwest Division.

"If the playoffs started tomorrow, I think we’d be in trouble," Duncan said. "But we’ve got a long way to go."

NOTES: Jazz G Ronnie Price will not need surgery on his injured left toe, the team announced before the game. Price has undergone two MRIs since spraining his big toe Nov. 9 in a win against the Knicks. ... Utah C Mehmet Okur didn’t make the trip, staying home because of flulike symptoms.

Spurs’ Ginobili expected to miss one week

SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili is expected to miss about a week for the San Antonio Spurs because of a strained left groin.

Ginobili and Tony Parker were both inactive for Thursday night’s game against Utah. Ginobili left the first quarter of Wednesday’s overtime loss at Dallas and didn’t return.

Parker re-aggravated a sprained left ankle in a loss Saturday against Oklahoma City and didn’t play against the Mavericks. Parker, who sat out Thursday and has missed four of San Antonio’s last five games, rolled his ankle in a loss on Nov. 6 at Portland.

Commentary: Both Iverson and the Knicks deserve better

It’s painfully clear to everyone but the management of the New York Knicks that there’s only one question to which Allen Iverson remains "The Answer."

That is: "What could be worse than spending 40 years in the NBA wilderness with Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury?"

So let’s be clear: Iverson and the Knicks deserve better than what they’re going to get by tying their fates together.

No matter what you think about Iverson, few guys are actually more worthy of a championship. There’s no way to appreciate the depth of his effort unless you’ve seen him play in person. For a dozen seasons, every night was David vs. Goliath for him, and it was nothing short of miraculous that for most of those, Iverson could make you believe a good little man was every bit the equal of a bigger one. But that was then.

Iverson’s behavior on and off the court has always been a riddle, hence his nickname, "The Answer." If you read between the lines of what every coach he’s played for said about him — no one cared more about the games, or less about practice — you’d understand why each of them waited so long before throwing up his hands and letting somebody else try to solve the problem.

Small wonder, then, that Iverson remains unwilling or unable to see what everyone else does: At age 34, his ego hasn’t crested the hill, but his talents almost certainly have.

The Knicks don’t have that excuse. Their fans have show admirable patience, especially since the team’s latest plan to rebuild involves throwing big money at next summer’s free-agent class — led by LeBron James. In today’s NBA market, that’s a risky bet at best.

But acquiring Iverson would be like doubling down. He won’t be building a bridge to the future so much as burning it. The Nuggets, Pistons and Grizzlies all tried that route. No one in New York wants to see a return of the three-ring circus that played out at Madison Square Garden when Thomas, Brown and Marbury tried their hands at calling the shots. But those could seem like harmonious days once Iverson shows up.

He’s not about to lessen his demands for playing time, shots and most of the oxygen in the locker room the moment he shows up, no matter what he says beforehand. When George Karl gave up trying to fit Iverson into an up-tempo Nuggets team in Denver, he showed up in Detroit promising "to sacrifice what I have to sacrifice to get it done. I got to look in the mirror at myself and think of things that I can do to help us win a championship."

But nothing changed and after a while, the Pistons were so grateful for any excuse to keep him off the bench — the official reason was a back injury — they effectively paid him to stay away. Then the experiment in Memphis — Iverson actually said God had chosen the place for him to play — lasted all of three games.

He asked out by requesting an indefinite leave of absence to handle some personal matters. No sooner was he gone than the Grizzlies decided to make it permanent.

The real shame in all this is that Iverson’s skills wore down before his pride did. Look at what he’s accomplished during his career — sixth-best scoring average in NBA history; fourth-most minutes played; 10 All-Star games; four scoring titles; and an MVP award — and the only thing missing is a ring.

Iverson might have one of those, too, if only he had been willing to contribute something instead of always demanding more than his share. There’s a reason all those contending clubs and every bottom-dweller but Memphis passed on him last summer. What makes New York an even worse choice is that there’s already too few minutes, shots and wins to go around.

The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game since 2001 and made only one appearance in the postseason since. But anybody who thinks irrelevant is as low as the franchise can sink either has a short memory or isn’t asking the right question.

That’s why when Charles Barkley was asked Thursday on ESPN what he thought about Iverson going to the Knicks, he didn’t hesitate to answer:

"I hate to see things end like this."

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org.

Hunter plans bargaining meeting with Stern soon

NEW YORK — NBA players’ association director Billy Hunter plans another negotiating session soon with commissioner David Stern, and here’s something that might come up.

The union says total player compensation will fall this season, which would be only the second drop in the salary cap era that began in the 1984-85 season.

The amount of the drop can’t be determined yet, since more deals will be signed during the season. Nor is it particularly surprising given the economic difficulties some teams have faced.

The league warned clubs during the summer of an impending drop in next season’s salary cap, and some were careful with their spending. Veterans such as Allen Iverson found limited to no interest, while restricted free agents such as New York’s David Lee and Nate Robinson, and Charlotte’s Raymond Felton couldn’t even get an offer from anyone beyond their own teams.

"We have some concern, but I think a lot of it has to do with the system," Hunter said Thursday. "I think it has to do with the economy, I think it has more to do with attitude. I just think that they decided they’re just going to be a lot more cautious and restricting in terms of spending dollars."

Partly because of the economy, the league and union have already begun talks on a new collective bargaining agreement, even though the current deal doesn’t expire until after the 2010-11 season. The sides met twice over the summer, and though the players are unavailable while their seasons are going on, Hunter said he and Stern will probably meet again within the next couple of weeks.

"We both know that we don’t want to repeat 1998," Hunter said. "We don’t want a lockout and I’m sure there’s going to be some bumps in the road as we get there, there may be a little acrimony along the way, but we know what we’ve got to do."

Hunter also said there is approximately $1.5 billion less in committed contracts now than in 2005-06, the first year of the deal. Maximum contract lengths were shortened from seven to six years in the deal, and with those offers hard to find this summer, Hunter thinks players should know it’s no longer business as usual.

"Whereas in the past some of the GMs or owners have contended that they can’t say no, that’s not reflected in their actions," he said.

Hunter was in Brooklyn, where the players’ association partnered with the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club to distribute 500 turkeys. The union will give out turkeys in every NBA city, totaling about 15,000 turkeys, during the holiday season.

The Nets hope to move to Brooklyn, and Hunter said the local fans are excited about having them. In the meantime, he hopes the team plays its games in Newark.

New Jersey draws poorly at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, but did well at the box office in two preseason games at the Prudential Center. The Nets are considering playing their games there until their arena in Brooklyn is ready, and Hunter believes they’d have a stronger fan base there.

"I think one of the problems associated with being in the Meadowlands is that there’s no real connection to any given community. It’s just out there and you’re New Jersey’s team or what have you and I don’t think that works," Hunter said. "I think you’ve got to have a fan base, a community that relates to you, that’s engaged with you and prepared to support you."

Hunter was joined by the Nets’ Keyon Dooling and Knicks forward Al Harrington. The giveaways are expected to last through the middle of next month, with the biggest one planned for Dec. 3 in Washington, where Wizards and Toronto Raptors players will take part.

"It’s an honor and a privilege, and I think everybody knows that economically in our country it’s very, very bad right now and so kind of to boost morale in the community is a pleasure for us," Dooling said.

-- Brian Mahoney

Knicks, Nets show how far N.Y.-area hoops has fallen

NEW YORK — Former Knicks guard Micheal Ray Richardson was once asked to describe his team’s prospects.

"The ship be sinking," he said, a quote that has famously followed him through the years.

"How far?"

"Sky’s the limit," Richardson said.

Nowhere to go but up now for his former teams — especially since the winless Nets hope they’ve already hit bottom.

The Hudson River rivals meet Saturday at New Jersey in the NBA’s most wretched matchup at this point in a season in 15 years.

The Nets are 0-12, about to head out for a four-game western trip that could put the NBA record of 17 straight losses to open a season very much in play if they don’t win this game.

The Knicks (2-9) aren’t much better, following the worst 10-game start in franchise history by snapping a six-game losing streak Wednesday. They beat the Nets three times in the preseason, so should feel confident about their chances of putting together a winning streak.

According to STATS LLC, there hasn’t been an NBA game matching teams who had each played at least 11 games and combined to win so few of them since Dec. 3, 1994, when Minnesota was 2-13 as it hosted the 0-14 Clippers.

Separated by only about 10 miles and just as close at the bottom of the standings, both teams are being laughed at. But the troubles of New York basketball aren’t a joke to everyone.

Because if the locals keep struggling, and kids find they have no players or teams to look up to, what if they lose interest in the sport?

"I always worry about that," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said.

Like many others, Walsh used the game to get out, then back into New York. A Bronx native who earned a scholarship to play at North Carolina, he spent most of his career as an executive in Indiana before returning to his hometown in 2008 to rebuild the Knicks.

And he wants to see winning basketball here.

"Yeah, because it’s a basketball city ... that’s why I approach the job the way I do," Walsh said. "I really want to see this succeed because New York should have a good basketball team. I’m sure all these coaches and athletic directors of the various entities that are here, they want the same thing."

Truth is, the New York area hasn’t seen much good basketball in a while. The Knicks seem headed for a ninth straight losing season, which would set a franchise record, and the Nets have returned to their longtime losing ways after reaching consecutive NBA finals earlier in the decade.

Throw in the struggles of St. John’s and Seton Hall, former Big East powers who were passed long ago by Connecticut and Pittsburgh, and there’s not much on the hardwood to pass the time between football season and spring training.

But Nets coach Lawrence Frank, who grew up not far from the George Washington Bridge in Teaneck, N.J., disagrees that basketball’s popularity could suffer when its local teams do.

"There are times where your curve is going upwards and times where because of whether it’s free agency, draft, injuries, salary cap, whatever, where you’ve got to retool, you’ve got to rebuild," he said. "But the metropolitan area has always bred great basketball enthusiasts and players, starting from the recreational level to the AAU level to the high school level to the collegiate level to the professional level.

"So right now, present day, maybe we’re not the top of the division or the Knicks aren’t the top of the division. But things change quickly and basketball, obviously the popularity of the sport, not just in the metropolitan area but around the world, is at an all-time high."

Not at the New York scholastic level, though. There were nearly 200 fewer boy’s varsity basketball teams and 2,500 fewer players in the 2008-09 season than two years earlier, according to the participant survey on the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Web site.

Joe Altieri, the organization’s director of marketing and media relations, attributes the drop more to budget decreases than popularity ones. He acknowledges it would be nice if kids had local role models at the collegiate and pro level, but said they can find them right in their own communities.

"Especially if the high school programs are successful, they have something to look forward to," he said.

Around New York, that’s their only choice lately.

In a big market with big money to spend, the Knicks and Nets both think they can be players in free agency next summer, but offer little to entice fans now. Plagued by attendance woes while costing costs and awaiting a potential move to Brooklyn, the Nets couldn’t even come close to filling its building Tuesday despite a ticket offer that gave away free seats.

The front row courtside at Madison Square Garden was once loaded with celebrities. The only time it’s been worth a second look this season was when some Yankees came from their World Series parade to watch LeBron James, or when disgruntled former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury was booted during the home opener because he was in the wrong seat.

"I think the NBA is missing out on the fact that the Knicks haven’t been great in a few years now," James said. "So we all know the history of the Knicks, we all know what has happened in this building and what the Knicks franchise has done for this league. So as a fan, I think it would be great someday or one day when this franchise can be particularly good."

Or when any area basketball team is.

-- Brian Mahoney

Bucks’ Jennings starts career with flourish

MILWAUKEE — Rookie Brandon Jennings had an out-of-the-blue question for the injured Michael Redd during a recent practice.

"‘Mike, what’s your career high?"’ said Redd, who scored 57 points against Utah back in 2006. "He was like, ‘Dang, how’d you do that?’ and I said, ‘Man, you just got to be on."’

Two days later, Jennings put up 55 points in a win against the Warriors, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 50 in a game. The prep star who went to Europe has come home to the US and he has certainly been on for the young Bucks.

Jennings is averaging 24.8 points and has double figures in eight of nine games through Wednesday, an extraordinary start for any player in the NBA. You would think Bucks general manager John Hammond would be all smiles, but he is worried about the 20-year-old budding star.

Hammond’s concern? It may be too much, too soon, too fast for the 10th pick in this year’s draft who is a bona fide rookie of the year candidate less than a month into the season.

In this blue-collar town, the NBA plays third fiddle behind the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers, who are having their own renaissance with a playoff berth last year.

The Bucks play to sparse crowds in an arena meant for an NHL team that never came and opened before Jennings was born. If the NBA plans to stay in Milwaukee, the Bradley Center must be replaced and fans must come back to support a franchise that’s finished dead last in the Central Division every year since the most recent realignment. Its 74-year-old owner, Sen. Herb Kohl, pumps millions into the team to help keep them afloat.

To Hammond, that’s a load for any player to bear, much less a rookie.

"The pressure that all of a sudden falls on a young kid’s shoulders in his first year in the league, talking about saving a franchise or needing a new arena, that’s not fair for him this early," Hammond said.

For his part, Jennings is used to the pressure of expectations. He left Los Angeles three years ago to go to prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and was one of the top high school recruits. But he struggled to qualify for college and instead signed a contract with Italy’s Lottomatica Virtus Roma.

Europe wasn’t much fun for the lefty used to making playground passes and running a flashy show. Twice-daily practices and long stretches on the bench helped him mature. Even so, he began falling on draft night and it looked like he had made a bad decision, costing him thousands of dollars each time another name was called that wasn’t his.

"Everything that happened to the draft, not going to those teams that I thought were going to pick me up, I think I’m in a great situation right now," said Jennings, who adds with a grin that his new city reminds him of Europe. "The city of Milwaukee is laid back, and that’s what I need right now."

The Bucks signed Jennings to a two-year contract worth almost $4.5 million in July. He made an awkward splash in his new home when an expletive-laced conversation ended up on YouTube, complete with derogatory comments about the Knicks, who passed on him in the draft, and the other two point guards on the team. Jennings quickly apologized.

Now he’s staying as quiet as he can.

Jennings typically gets to the arena about four hours before game time and works with assistant coach Kelvin Sampson on his jump shot nearly every day. Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a former point guard who holds the NBA’s single-game assists record, said Jennings has a lot to learn.

To Sampson, the way Jennings is being coached says a lot more about the respect Skiles has for his new point guard.

"Scott lets him play," Sampson said. "Whereas rookies go into situations where they get restricted because of the system. It shows you how good a coach Scott is, he’s recognized what Brandon’s good at and adjusted to him."

Jennings has also shown surprising maturity — or restraint — off the court. He says he’s worried about a potential lockout at the end of next season, so much so that he bought a used car instead of the much more expensive SUVs that dot most NBA arena parking lots. He even likes to brag about the money he saved.

"A lot of these guys get a Mercedes or a Range Rover," Sampson said. "A lot of guys do stuff because of status, they think they’re supposed to drive a Mercedes. He bought a Ford Edge."

Jennings also shunned moving downtown to take part in Milwaukee’s small, but active nightlife. Instead of buying a condo overlooking Lake Michigan, he’s living in a suburb less than a mile from the team’s practice facility.

Jennings’ motivation to get better and be one of the NBA’s elite point guards took him across the country, overseas and now to the Midwest. He’s happy with his winding road, but said it isn’t for everyone. He said Europe paid off.

"My main goal is coming out here, making the playoffs, getting my teammates involved and trying to bring the winning back to Milwaukee," Jennings said. "We have to win. I’m going to do my part and I’m going to try and make sure the team does their part."

And he’s got people watching out for him.

"The great thing is, I truly believe he’s not afraid, he’s not afraid for himself. He thinks he’s good enough and can do this and that’s most important," said Hammond, the GM. "We’ll worry about him. He just goes out and performs."

-- Colin Fly

AP source: Jayson Williams taking deal in shooting

TRENTON, N.J. — Retired NBA star Jayson Williams has agreed to a plea deal that would send him to prison for up to three years for accidentally shooting a driver at his New Jersey estate in 2002, a person with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Williams, who retired in 2000 after playing nine seasons in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, was to face a retrial in January on a reckless manslaughter count.

The person, who was not authorized to speak about the case, told the AP on condition of anonymity that Williams is to plead guilty Friday to aggravated assault. Because a gun was used in the crime, Williams must serve at least 18 months in prison, the person said.

Several messages left for defense attorney Joseph Hayden were not returned Thursday. The state attorney general’s office, which has taken over the case, declined to comment on any aspect of the case because of a gag order.

Christofi’s sister, Andrea Adams, said Thursday that she was told by prosecutors this week to be ready to go to court Friday because a plea deal was possible. They offered no specific information on the deal, she said.

Adams has mixed feelings about a prison term of three years or less.

"I would like to see him do jail time," she said. "I don’t know if that’s enough time."

The plea deal would resolve all charges in a case that dragged out for nearly eight years.

Witnesses testified that Williams was showing off a shotgun in his bedroom in February 2002 when he snapped the weapon shut and it fired one shot that struck driver Costas Christofi in the chest, killing him. They also testified that Williams initially placed the gun in the dead man’s hands and instructed those present to lie about what happened.

The defense has maintained the shooting was an accident and that Williams panicked afterward.

During his trial, the jury deadlocked on the reckless manslaughter count, acquitted Williams of aggravated manslaughter and convicted him of covering up the shooting. He was never sentenced for the cover-up counts, pending the outcome of the retrial, and has remained free on bail.

The Star-Ledger of Newark was the first to report that a deal had been reached.

Williams had been offered pleas that would have called for him to serve less prison time, the person told the AP.

One of earlier offers, the person said, came just before a hearing last month on whether a racial slur used by a detective and other conduct by the county prosecutor’s office should result in dismissal of the reckless manslaughter count and the cover-up convictions. State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman later rejected the defense’s claim that, had they known about the slur, they would have changed their trial strategy.

-- Beth DeFalco

Iverson clears waivers, becomes free agent

NEW YORK — Allen Iverson has cleared waivers and is free to sign with any NBA team.

The former MVP was waived Tuesday after playing only three games with the Memphis Grizzlies and no team claimed him in the following 48 hours, making him a free agent.

The New York Knicks are discussing whether they want to bring in the 34-year-old guard. Iverson was unhappy coming off the bench last season in Detroit and this season with the Grizzlies, so there isn’t expected to be much interest in him.

NYC groups sue to block deal for Nets arena

NEW YORK — Opponents of the Brooklyn arena planned for the New Jersey Nets have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a state agency’s approval of the project.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Manhattan state Supreme Court. It seeks to block a Sept. 17 move by the Empire State Development Corp. to approve a delayed construction plan for the Atlantic Yards project.

The suit was filed by several elected officials and Brooklyn neighborhood groups.

The lawsuit is the latest of several legal challenges to the 22-acre Atlantic Yards project. The project is to include the basketball arena, office towers and apartments.

Developer Forest City Ratner says it is not surprised that opponents "who pledged to sue early and often are still suing."