NBA roundup: New draft system being considered
The NBA is considering a new system for determining its yearly draft order to prevent teams from tanking games to increase their chances of landing the No. 1 pick.
A proposal to use a system called The Wheel is being looked at, according to the Grantland.com.
In an alternative to the current lottery system, The Wheel sets the draft order 30 years in advance using a specific numbering system designed to give all teams an equal chance of getting the best prospects.
The proposal calls for all teams to draft in all 30 slots over a 30-year period. For example, if a team has the No. 1 pick, it would draft 30th the following year, No. 19 in year three, No. 18 in year four and No. 7 in year five. It is designed to give every team a top-12 pick at least once every four years, and a top-five pick once every six years.
It could create potential problems, including making bad teams worse since their future draft picks are so varied. However, it also stops teams from purposely losing games in an attempt to draft the next one-in-a-generation player.
---Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol is back in the lineup for Monday night's game at the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN.
Gasol missed one game because of a lingering respiratory issue.
---Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who has been out for about a month with a sprained MCL in his left knee, could be back in two weeks, according to the ESPN radio affiliate in Memphis.
Gasol believes he can return in 10 days but doctors reportedly estimate 20.
---Guard Jeremy Lin will be back in the Houston Rockets' starting lineup for Monday's game against Dallas, but guard James Harden is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle.
Lin has missed the past four games because of back spasms. Harden has been playing through an ankle problem recently, but has decided to take Monday's game off to help recover. He is hoping to return for Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
---Charlotte Bobcats forward Jeffery Taylor will be sidelined the rest of the season after having surgery on Monday to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, the team announced. Taylor suffered the injury on Friday.
---Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes was fined $25,000 by the NBA for failing to leave the court in a timely manner upon his ejection on Sunday, the league announced.
Barnes was called a Flagrant Foul 2 on Minnesota's Kevin Love at the time, but it was later downgraded to a Flagrant Foul 1 upon league office review.
The fine was not for the foul, but for failing to leave the court quickly enough following his ejection.
