Unicaja's Gabriel out several months

Just 10 days before it starts the Euroleague season, Unicaja has suffered a blow to its big-man rotation as center German Gabriel tore an ankle ligament in Spanish League play on Sunday and will miss at least two months of action. Gabriel hurt his left ankle as Unicaja lost 69-75 at home to Tau Ceramica. Gabriel's injury is added to those of guards Berni Rodriguez and Alfonso Sanchez, who also went down in the preseason. On Monday, Gabriel will undergo surgery to repair the ligament. Gabriel averaged 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 16 minutes on average in 18 Euroleague games for Unicaja last season.

Warriors' Ellis gets 30-game suspension for accident

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Monta Ellis knew he was in trouble after he seriously injured his ankle in a mo-ped accident and then lied to the Golden State Warriors about it this summer.

The high-scoring guard probably never imagined that trouble would cost him about $3 million -- and neither did his coach or the man who drafted him.

Warriors president Robert Rowell suspended Ellis for 30 games without pay Saturday for violating his lucrative new contract, a decision that apparently went against the wishes of top basketball executive Chris Mullin and coach Don Nelson.

Ellis, who agreed to a six-year deal worth $66 million in July, severely sprained his ankle in a low-speed crash in late August. The 22-year-old then compounded his mistake by telling the Warriors he hurt himself playing pickup ball in his native Mississippi, only coming clean about the accident several days later.

Owner Chris Cohan's decision to suspend Ellis seems to expose a rift between the Warriors' top brass and the Mullin-Nelson team, which directed Golden State to its first playoff berth in 13 seasons in 2007, followed by 48 victories last season.

Pacers Extend Foster's Contract

Foster is entering his 10th season with the Pacers and has career averages of 5.0 points and seven rebounds.

"Jeff wants to be with the Pacers. He wants to finish his career here," Bird said. "It was a very easy negotiation. He was all for being here and we're just glad to have him back."

In the final season of his contract, he had no interest in becoming a free agent next summer and the Pacers had no intention of letting him get away.

"I've never been a free agent and it's not something I necessarily want to explore," said Foster. "I want to finish my career here."

Foster will be 34 when this contract expires but isn't sure this will be his last deal.

"Not necessarily," he said. "You never know. Hopefully, I have three more years and we'll revisit where we are at the end of it. I like the direction we're headed. I've been through the good and obviously the bad and I'd like to do whatever is humanly possible to help us get back to where we need to be."

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ITA/BRA – Huertas looks to lift Fortitudo from the doldrums

BOLOGNA (Lega A) - Numerous national team stars will be in action in Italy this weekend when the new Lega A campaign tips off, including Brazil international Marcelo Huertas when he plays for new club Fortitudo Bologna.

Huertas was so good last season at Bilbao in Spain that he was voted to the ACB’s Ideal Quintet, and the Basque team attempted to keep him but DKV, who had loaned the South American to Bilbao, matched their offer to the playmaker.

Huertas couldn’t agree terms with DKV Joventut, however, so instead he wound up in Italy with Fortitudo, a team that has dipped the past two seasons and is looking to return to former glories.

"I know that Fortitudo have endured two difficult years but together I hope we can return the club to the top, where it wants to compete,” Huertas said.

“As for me, I am ready to be the playmaker of this group, convinced of the strength of this team.

“I am convinced that we can be a great team because we have talent, but besides individual players, our aim is to be able to grow as a team with ambition and optimism.”

Huertas played for the DKV side that won the EuroCup in 2006 and then travelled to Japan with Brazil for the FIBA World Championship.

He did not start making headlines until last season, however, at Bilbao, where the team was among the best in Spain thanks largely to his efforts.

This summer, he had hoped to play at the Beijing Games but Brazil were without most of their leading players at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and lost to Germany in the knockout round.

Huertas might not have been at his best in Athens, where the qualifying event was staged, but Fortitudo will have huge expectations for him.

Zoran Savic has returned to Fortitudo as their general manager after doing a similar role for Barcelona the last couple of seasons and he will know exactly what Huertas adds to the team.

Savic will know that Huertas, 25, is much better than he was when he first arrived in Spain at DKV.

“I think I´ve grown a lot since I arrived to Europe four years ago,” Huertas said.

“I have been fortunate to play under great coaches and alongside great players, like Elmer Bennett (at DKV).

“Now I have the possibility to use what I have learned and take a step forward to help Fortitudo."

Fortitudo travel to face Snaidero Cucine Udine for their first game on Sunday.

Scavolini Spar Pesaro host Armani Jeans Milano, and Benetton Treviso are at home against Air Avellino.

Bancatercas Teramo host Carife Ferrara and Premiata Montegranaro visit Solsonica Rieti.

La Fortezza Bologna open their campaign at home to Angelico Biella, Lottomatica Roma entertain Eldo Caserta and two-time defending champions Montepaschi Siena visit NGC Cantù.

International Basketball news

USA/ESP – Shammond Williams: ‘You have to play an intelligent game to be successful’

VALENCIA (ACB) - Shammond Williams began another professional season in style on Sunday, pouring in 25 points to lead Pamesa Valencia to a come-from-behind victory over CAI Zaragoza.

The Spanish club is hoping the 33-year-old point guard will help the team challenge for honours in the ACB, just as he has helped most of his teams compete for trophies since his days as a standout collegian at the University of North Carolina.

Williams surprised a lot of people when he earned a scholarship in the 1990s and played for Tar Heels legend Dean Smith, the coach who was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame last year in Spain.

Jeff Taylor bumped into Williams in Valencia last week at the Supercopa Femenina and interviewed the Tar Heel great for FIBA.Com.

FIBA: Shammond, it’s been a long time since your Tar Heel days. You last played for the Heels at the NCAA Final Four in 1997. Tell us what you’re doing now and how life has changed.

Shammond Williams: I’m here in Valencia, Spain. That’s the biggest change in my life since then, living abroad as opposed to living in the States. I’ve been able to take my game from college to the NBA level, to Europe. I’ve been able to play at all levels and I’m happy with the success that I’ve had, as well as the cultures that I’ve encountered.

FIBA: So what is the game like in Europe compared to the United States?

Shammond Williams: The game in Europe is similar to the collegiate basketball game. The game isn’t predicated on individuals, but on the team. You have to play an intelligent game to be successful. What you do on the court as a team gives you a chance to be an elite team, the type of focus that you have. Playing in Europe, this is what you learn. I’m very appreciative of what I learned at the University of North Carolina under Coach Smith. It’s made it easier for me to adapt here, to utilize what I learned in college. That helps me individually, but also my teammates.

FIBA: Who are the great coaches that you have been able to play for other than Coach Smith?

Shammond Williams: I’ve had the opportunity to play for Phil Jackson. I’ve the opportunity to play for Nate McMillan. One of my coaches who is a great coach that doesn’t get all of the credit that he deserves is Paul Westphal, by far. I had the chance to play for Doc Rivers and he’s a great coach. I’d say probably number one for me is Coach Smith. My high school coach, Fletcher Arritt at Fork Union Military Academy and the coach at my public (Greenville, South Carolina, Southside) high school, Mark Huff – those are the guys who gave me the basics, the know-how, the little things to help me become a better basketball player. As a youngster, I was able to use the insight to better my skills. They helped me evolve as a basketball player.

FIBA: Shammond, I also went to school in Chapel Hill and remember there were some people who were surprised that you were offered a scholarship. Did you feel like you had a lot to prove?

Shammond Williams: Oh yes! Coming out of high school, I didn’t have any scholarship offers. For someone not to have any scholarship offers and to then go to Fork Union Military Academy and to be recruited as one of the better guards in the country, well, a lot of the people who knew me back in South Carolina weren’t able to follow the progress that I had made. All they knew was that, `Hey, he’s going to the University of North Carolina.’ For me, it was something that really motivated me, made me decide that I wasn’t just going to North Carolina to get an education, but I wanted to become a good basketball player. I had no aspirations of playing in the NBA. The only aspirations I had were to be the best basketball player that I could be.

FIBA: If people were surprised that you went to a prestigious basketball school like UNC, they would have been even more surprised at what you achieved there.

Shammond Williams: I worked hard, stayed in the gym numerous nights. I ended up holding most of the records at the University of North Carolina for 10 years, probably.

FIBA: What is the greatest memory that you have from playing for North Carolina?

Shammond Williams: The greatest personal memory was the ACC Tournament in 1997. Coach really pushed me to do a lot of things offensively. I had an opportunity to control the team. He wanted me to be aggressive and to be the best player that I could become. We were not the favourites that year, but we won the tournament, beating Maryland, Wake Forest and North Carolina State and after winning that, I was named ACC (Tournament) MVP. Getting that acknowledgement, receiving that award really made me appreciate everything that I had done and learned. It was something that I will never forget. A lot of great players played in the ACC but there is only one ACC MVP every year. Going down in history as an ACC MVP like Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Johnny Dawkins, Bob McAdoo, Al Wood and Phil Ford - it was just a blessing and an honour. Once I have children, I’ll be able to tell them that I was ACC MVP.

FIBA: Since you have lived in so many places, have you been able to learn different languages? Did you learn Georgian when you played for their national team?

Shammond Williams: Georgian is pretty much Russian. I played with the Georgian national team but I didn’t live there. But I did live in Russia, I did learn some Russian and of course, I’ve learned Spanish.

FIBA: Shammond, all the hard work back in the college days and then in the NBA means that you now have a chance to live on the beach in Valencia. So you are really roughing it (laughing), are you?

Shammond Williams: It’s rough because you aren’t living in the United States but in a different culture, and it’s rough because I’m practicing twice a day. The best thing about living in these different countries and experiencing different cultures is that my family has the opportunity to see these places where I have been. I lived in Russia (UNICS Kazan), now I’m here in Spain. Every morning when I wake up, I look at the Mediterranean and that’s something that a lot of people from my community (back home), from my socio-economic background may never get an opportunity to experience. So my family gets to see and experience a different culture that they would have only seen on television.

Euroleague news

New-Look Clippers Surge Past Lakers

L.A. Clippers 107, L.A. Lakers 80

FRESNO, Oct. 9 (AP) -- Rookie Mike Taylor was 9-of-12 from the field and scored 20 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 107-80 preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

It was the Lakers' worst preseason loss since a 31-point defeat to the Golden State Warriors in 2005 and it kept the Lakers (0-2) winless this preseason. Lakers star Kobe Bryant played 24 minutes and finished with 12 points and three assists. He left midway through the third quarter and did not return.

Baron Davis, who signed the Clippers in the offseason after spending the past three seasons with the Warriors, played 17 minutes and finished with 12 points and seven assists.

Ricky Davis had 17 points for the Clippers (1-1), who led by as many as 13 points in the first half and began distancing themselves again early in the fourth after the Lakers got as close as 79-74 on Jordan Farmar's 3-pointer. Farmar, who finished with 12 points, was one of five Lakers in double figures.

Reserve forward Vladimir Radmanovic led the Lakers with 14 points.

Ricky Davis, who signed as a free agent with the Clippers in the offseason after playing for the Miami Heat, scored 13 points in the first half and was 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

A predominantly Lakers crowd came out to see a rare NBA game in the central San Joaquin Valley. It was the first time the Lakers lost in Fresno, where the team also played in 2004 and 2006.

Taylor led the Clippers' charge in the second half, scoring 16 points. He played with the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League last season. Clippers reserve forward Steve Novak was 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.

The Clippers were assessed three technical fouls. Clippers reserve guard Jason Hart and the Lakers' Radmanovic were called for a double technical late in the first quarter. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy received a technical foul in the third quarter.

And rookie DeAndre Jordan was called for a technical after hanging on the rim and yelling after completing a monstrous one-handed dunk in the fourth quarter.

Clippers center Marcus Camby, acquired in a trade with the Denver Nuggets in the offseason, traveled with the team and was in uniform, but did not play. Camby has been recovering from flu-like symptoms during training camp.

Artest Scores 15 in Rockets’ Debut

Houston 96, Memphis 93

HOUSTON, Oct. 7 (AP) -- Ron Artest gave Houston fans an early glimpse of what he brings to the team.

Artest scored 12 of his 15 points in the first quarter of his Rockets debut, and Houston beat the Memphis Grizzlies 96-93 on Tuesday night in its preseason opener.

The Rockets picked up Artest in an offseason trade with Sacramento with the hope that the talented, temperamental forward transforms them into a title contender.

Artest concedes that he and the team still have a lot of work to do on their chemistry.

"There are a lot of tendencies we don't know about each other,'' said Artest, who went 4-for-12 from the field. "As we play more and more with each other, everybody's going to get used to each other's game.''

It'll help to have a full roster.

Tracy McGrady sat out to rest his sore left knee. The Rockets star had offseason surgery to remove loose tissue in the knee and said last week that it was healing slower than expected. And Shane Battier, the starting forward last season, is out for at least three more weeks with inflammation in his left foot.

"We'll only get better as a team,'' Artest said.

Yao Ming had 10 points and nine rebounds in less than two quarters of action. Houston coach Rick Adelman has said he'll be careful with Yao during the preseason to try and keep the six-time All-Star fresh and injury-free.

Yao was playing an NBA game for the first time since breaking his left foot last February. Yao said he felt like a rookie in the first quarter, trying to get used to the speed and intensity after such a long layoff. He looked better in the third quarter, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.

"It felt like new, like I'm new here,'' Yao said.

Carl Landry, Yao's backup, had 18 points and nine rebounds.

Houston led 71-70 after three quarters, and Artest and Yao were done for the night. Artest played 24 minutes and Yao played just over 22.

Rudy Gay scored 14 for the Grizzlies and had a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the fourth quarter. Hakim Warick led Memphis with 15, including a dunk that tied it at 92.

Coach Marc Iavaroni liked what he saw from point guards Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry, who combined for eight assists.

"Both our point guards were very aggressive and we want them to penetrate to the basket,'' Iavaroni said. "This is an indication that both of them have made progress from last year.''

Artest got the loudest ovation of the night when he was introduced with the starting lineup. He missed his first shot as a Rocket, a 3-point try from the top of the key. He sank a 3-pointer from the same spot a minute later.

Yao already saw Artest taking scoring pressure off of him.

"He took a lot of shots and drew a lot of fouls on the offensive end,'' Yao said.

Gay scored five points, including a driving dunk past Yao, to help Memphis build an early lead. Artest scored seven points, including another 3-pointer, during a 9-0 run that put the Rockets up 18-13.

Artest played for Adelman for one season in Sacramento and knows the offense as well as any of the Rockets. Adelman said he'd like his team to learn how to use Artest more effectively in fast-breaking situations.

"We've still got to get used to knowing what he does and what he likes to do,'' Adelman said. "We'd like to take advantage of him when we're pushing the ball and things are on the move and it's not so stagnant, where they can just see everybody come at him. But that will just take some time.''

Yao had a quiet start and came out with 1:44 left in the quarter. He had five rebounds, but only two points, in 10 minutes before he was replaced by Landry.

Artest also sat out the second quarter. Brent Barry, the Rockets' other big offseason acquisition, hit a 3-pointer with 10:12 left in the first half to tie the game at 27-all.

Adelman only used reserves in the second quarter and Houston took a 46-43 halftime lead. Warrick had nine points and O.J. Mayo had eight for Memphis in the first half.

Yao and Artest were back for the start of the third quarter.

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