US PresswireCarl Crawford got a lot of attention last offseason when he jumped from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Boston Red Sox, but he proved to be a real disappointment in his first season in New England, batting .255 with 11 homers in 130 games.

It looks like it's going to take a little longer for him to redeem himself. The Boston Globe reports that manager Bobby Valentine is thinking Crawford will be out for the first few weeks of the regular season as he recovers from left-wrist surgery he had Jan. 17.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Carl's a few weeks into the season before he's really ready,'' Valentine said, the Globe reports. "I wouldn't be surprised nor disappointed if that's what nature dictates is his healing process. When he's ready and he's healed, he is going to be a welcome addition to our team, whenever that is."

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US PresswireMagglio Ordonez has hit 294 homers in the major leagues and maintained a batting average of  .309 since his first big-league game in 1997.

Now the 38-year-old is looking for work and he told Deportes Union Radio that he doesn't want to sign a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to spring training, CBSSports.com reports.

"A few teams have been interested, including Oakland, but there's been nothing concrete," Ordonez said, CBS reports. "The market has been tough for me, but I'm working towards continuing my career."

Ordonez appeared in 92 games for the Detroit Tigers last year, batting .255 with five homers and 32 RBIs. But in the American League Championship Series, he refractured the ankle that he had broken in 2010. That isn't helping the job prospects of the six-time All-Star.

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US PresswireThe Boston Celtics were beaten 98-88 Wednesday night by the Detroit Pistons, perhaps because Kevin Garnett spent the game in the trainer's room rather than on the court with a right hip flexor injury.

The Boston Herald reports that the team is hoping that Garnett can return for Thursday's game against the league-leading Chicago Bulls.

"The defense wasn't there tonight," coach Doc Rivers said, according to the Herald. "You talk about not having Kevin and he does so much for us defensively. [He] covers up so much. That's no excuse. We've played without a number of guys this year and other guys are capable of stepping up despite the circumstances. We're not an excuse team. This is a game we should have won."

Garnett's injury came in Sunday's game against the Bulls, ESPN notes. He is averaging 14 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

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US PresswireThe Western Conference-worst New Orleans Hornets could use some good news. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait a little longer for it.

Neither starting point guard Jarrett Jack nor starting center Emeka Okafor took the court Wednesday due to sore left knees when the team had a rare shining spot, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 92-89, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

And while Jack could be back Friday night, it isn't clear when Okafor will return, the paper notes, though he will at least be missing the next four games before the All-Star break. He didn't leave with the team on its road trip.

"It's one of those weird deals," coach Monty Williams said of Okafor's injury, the Times-Picayune reports. "I'm not going to get too detailed about that. It is what it is. We have a lot of guys who are hurt, but they're playing. From that standpoint, like I always say, you have a bunch of guys who are ready and strapping it on, you take those guys and do the best you can."

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US PresswireWhile Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes (pictured) got a lot of attention this offseason for his potentially mighty bat, visit with the Miami Marlins and eventual signing with the Oakland Athletics, there is another young fellow from Cuba who has been occupying some space in the minds of a few of baseball's general managers.

While Jorge Soler can't be offered a contract yet since he hasn't been cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan reports that teams have surreptitiously let it be known what they're willing to pay.

The word was that the Chicago Cubs want to sign the 19-year-old outfielder for four years and $27.5 million, Passan notes, but since he can't actually sign just yet, other teams are still calling on him. Two of those teams, according to two sources to Passan, are the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.

It is unpredictable when Soler will hit free agency, Passan notes; it could be next week or next month. But when he does, Passan

US PresswireCleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving has been out of action since Feb. 8 with a concussion, but the word from the Cleveland Plain Dealer is that he could be back in the lineup Wednesday night when the team takes on the Indiana Pacers.

The 19-year-old returned to practice Tuesday after passing all the NBA's mandatory tests. One last thing needs to be done, though, before Irving can take to the court in a game: "Team physicians must confer with the program chief, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, before final clearance is granted," according to the Plain Dealer.

"He went through everything today — full contact, full practice," coach Byron Scott said, the paper reports. "[He] looked pretty good, but we still have to wait on NBA protocol to find out exactly when he can play. The final stuff for us was just seeing him out on the floor."

Irving is averaging 18 points and 5.1 assists per game.

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US PresswireSolomon Jones only got to play 10 games with the Los Angeles Clippers this season before getting waived. The 6-10 forward/center averaged 0.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Now the word from the New Orleans Times-Picayune is that the New Orleans Hornets may be adding the 27-year-old Florida native to the roster for the next 10 days.

Jones joined the NBA in 2006 after being selected with the third pick of the draft's second round by the Atlanta Hawks. He spent three seasons there before moving on to the Indiana Pacers for the next two. His best season came in 2009-10 when he played in 52 games, averaging 13 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game for Indiana.

The 5-23 Hornets could use any help they can get. Perhaps they are hoping he can somehow turn into another Jeremy Lin kind of story.

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US PresswireJ.R. Smith may be returning from China Wednesday and the New York Knicks are generally considered the favorites to land the 6-6 shooting guard since the team "can offer a prorated share of the $2.5 million mini-midlevel exception for the rest of the season," ESPN reports.

However, there are other teams that will be after Smith as well. Chris Paul thinks his Los Angeles Clippers' "chances are very high," the site reports, partially because he and fellow Clippers Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups are all former teammates of Smith's. The season-ending injury suffered by Billups last week certainly opens up more playing time for Smith if he signs with the Clips, ESPN points out.

But New York and L.A. aren't the only places pining for Smith. ESPN reports that "the Indiana Pacers -- who possess more salary-cap space to spend than any other team in the league at present -- and the Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed a level of interest in Smith" as well.

The 26-year-old averaged 12.3