DALLAS — Rest assured that Carmelo Anthony will start in the All-Star Game, but Anthony said he might ask his coach for a little extra rest.
After injuring his right elbow Thursday, the Nuggets forward said Friday he might ask coach George Karl to limit his minutes in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Denver’s Karl is coaching the Western Conference all-stars.
“I might tell him to, I’ll see what happens,” Anthony said. “My elbow, man, when I got hit yesterday, it went, like, numb.”
Denver guard Chauncey Billups is battling some pain in his right ankle, but Karl said that “talking to Chauncey, I know he wants to play and wants to try to win the game. Melo is probably not 100 percent, but I got to look at him, see what he wants and see how he’s doing on the court.”
Hometown hero.
Karl is starting Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki on Sunday because the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant is injured. Nowitzki seemed genuinely excited about getting to start the All-Star Game in his “new hometown.” Dirk said he’s never been in the new Cowboys Stadium, and “it’s going to be great to represent the Mavs and be part of history. And I get to play with my buddy Steve (Nash) in the starting lineup.”
Labor strife.
The executive director of the NBA players’ association said the league tore up its proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement after a “contentious” 90-minute session. But Billy Hunter said that doesn’t mean the league is closer to a lockout when the current deal expires July 1, 2011.
“Everybody has a different sense of things, and nobody wants to see this thing that David Stern has worked and built, the NBA, the successful entity that it is, the brand, we’re not out to damage it or destroy it,” Hunter said. “So we’re going to make every effort to get an agreement done.”
Hunter said the union will submit its own proposal but offered no timetable for when that would happen.
A Dream for Hall?
Two-time NBA MVP Karl Malone, six-time champion Scottie Pippen, and two of the great U.S. Olympic champions are finalists for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
The 1992 Dream Team, which Malone and Pippen played on along with superstars such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, is a finalist in the team category. Also up for induction are the 1960 gold medalists, a team led by Hall of Famers Jerry West and Oscar Robertson that won its games in Rome by 42.4 points per game.
Last word.
“Wouldn’t you be concerned if you ain’t got no more work.” — Anthony, when asked about a possible NBA lockout after 2011
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
