Jason Richardson, 23, is done for the season. (AP)Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson learned Wednesday he will miss the rest of the season due to a left knee injury that requires surgery, a source told Yahoo! Sports.

The 12th-year veteran was told by a doctor in New York City that he has a cartilage tear the size of a quarter on the right side of his left kneecap. Richardson is expected to be out six to nine months following surgery that is expected to take place next week.

Richardson had missed the previous seven games after being diagnosed with synovitis in his left knee. He finishes the season averaging 10.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while starting in all 33 games he played in during his first season with Philadelphia. He is under contract through the 2014-15 season.

[Related: Pau Gasol could miss 6-8 weeks with foot injury]

Nick Young is expected to start in Richardson's place.

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Tony Parker has the Spurs No. 1 for the second straight week. (USA TODAY)

So how are the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 10 straight, doing lately without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich?

For one, guard Tony Parker has been playing at an MVP level. No one is playing better defense than San Antonio. And a lengthy stretch against teams with losing records doesn‘t hurt either. Because of all that, the Spurs return atop Yahoo! Sports' NBA rankings for the second straight week.

Records are through Monday.

1. San Antonio Spurs (38-11, previous ranking: first): Should the Spurs rest Duncan (knee, ankle) through the All-Star break? Considering Duncan’s importance to what could be the last title run of this Spurs era, it might not be a bad move. But David Stern is watching.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-12, previous ranking: second): Kevin Durant has gone from having a good-guy reputation to drawing his ninth technical foul of the season in Monday’s win against Dallas. An edgier Durant is a good thing for Oklahoma City.

3.

Lindsey Hunter had staying power as an NBA player, sticking around the league largely as a reserve point guard for 17 seasons as a product of Jackson State. Now he's looking to prove he can stay in the league as more than just interim head coach of the Phoenix Suns, a promotion that didn't go over well with some in the Suns' organization.

"I've been hated on my whole life," Hunter told Yahoo! Sports. "Why should it be any different now?

"I don't care. But if people aren't hating on you that means you're not making an impact. Prominent people in our country were hated on because they made an impact." Lindsey Hunter is 3-4 as the interim coach of the Suns. (USA Today Sports)

Since the 2011-12 season, Hunter has gone from scout to director of player development to his current gig. He replaced Alvin Gentry, who was fired as head coach on Jan. 18 after a 13-28 start. Phoenix had three assistant coaches hoping to replace Gentry in longtime NBA assistant Elston Turner, ex-Suns star Dan Majerle and Igor Kokoskov. To Hunter's surprise, he was a

Delonte West won't play for the Dallas Mavericks' D-League team after learning that Mavs owner Mark Cuban had no interest in bringing him back to Dallas, a source told Yahoo! Sports.

Delonte West hasn't played in the current NBA regular season. (USA Today) West was under the impression that the Mavericks might re-sign him after a stint in the minor league, the source said. The Texas Legends claimed West off waivers on Jan. 25 and expected him to report. After that acquisition, however, Cuban said he wasn't bringing back West. Once West got wind of Cuban's words he changed his mind about playing for the Legends and has not reported, the source said. 

West was on the Legends' roster early Saturday afternoon, but did not have a jersey number assigned to him.

The Mavericks waived West on Oct. 30 after suspending him twice that month for conduct detrimental to the team.

[Related: Another Celtic suffers season-ending injury]

The oft-troubled guard averaged 9.6 points and 3.2 assists for Dallas during the lockout shortened 2011-12 season. The

Point guard Tony Parker (9) and the Spurs are back on top. (Getty Images)

The NBA spotlight isn't shining near the Alamo, and rarely does, but it should right now.

The San Antonio Spurs have leapfrogged the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers to take over the top spot in the Yahoo! Sports’ weekly NBA rankings. The Spurs currently own the NBA’s best record after winning eight straight games.

Records are through Monday.

1. San Antonio Spurs (36-11, previous ranking: third): All-Star Tim Duncan has been out three straight games with a knee injury. But considering how well All-Star guard Tony Parker and the Spurs are playing without him, they shouldn’t rush Duncan back.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (34-11, previous ranking: first): After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, the Thunder have plenty of time to think about it before a West showdown against visiting Memphis on Thursday night. The Thunder are 19-3 at home.

3. Los Angeles Clippers (33-13, previous ranking: second): Chris Paul has missed four straight games

Ray Allen returns to Boston on Sunday for the first time since he passed on an offer to stay with the Celtics to instead join their rivals, the Miami Heat. Allen won a championship during the five seasons he spent in Boston, but doesn't think he'll get emotional upon his return. He does, however, think he has a good idea of what type of reaction he'll get from Celtics fans.

Ray Allen has embraced his role off the bench with the Heat. (USA Today Sports)"Everywhere you go when you're on the road you're going to get booed anyway," Allen said. "I expect that because I'm on the other team now."

Allen's final season in Boston was mired with a near-trade to the Memphis Grizzlies, injuries and the deterioration of his relationship with point guard Rajon Rondo. He also lost his starting job to unproven Avery Bradley. Still, the Celtics offered Allen a two-year, $12 million contract last offseason. Allen instead chose a deal paying about half of that with the Heat, who have eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs the past two seasons.

Allen's move disappointed and

SAN FRANCISCO – Kevin Durant helped Kevin Martin feel at home after the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden for Martin before the season started. Reassuring and welcoming phone calls from Durant and Kendrick Perkins helped ease any worries Martin had. But what could keep Martin in a Thunder uniform long-term is Oklahoma City itself.

More money. A familiar leading role. Bigger city. All those pluses are likely available to Martin in free agency this summer. But if the Thunder offer a fair deal, Martin says he prefers to re-sign with the small-market winner than do his due diligence in free agency. Playing with Durant and Russell Westbrook is a bonus, too.The Thunder's Kevin Martin is in the last year of his contract. (USA Today Sports)

"This summer, hopefully everything works out here," Martin told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday. "I haven't said that too often. But I will put it out there; hopefully I have found a home in the NBA. I love playing with this group of guys. The organization is great to me. The community has been great to me. It's the happiest I

The New Orleans Hornets plan to announce the official change of their nickname to the Pelicans and unveil their new colors and logo during a news conference Thursday, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Hornets will have a new look next season. (USA TODAY Sports)The new nickname, colors and logo will be used during the 2013-14 season. The colors will be blue, gold and red. Yahoo! Sports first reported the expected change Dec. 4. The Hornets had been expected to change their identity since being purchased by Tom Benson on April 14.

Benson owns the rights to the nickname Pelicans. It has not been determined when Pelicans merchandise will be available.

The Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana, which is known as the Pelican State. The Pelican is also on license plates, the state flag, the state seal and the state painting. The bird symbolizes Louisiana's environmental recovery from oil spills. There was also a minor-league baseball team in New Orleans called the Pelicans from 1887-1959 and 1977 of which Benson was fond.

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