TNT NBA analyst Craig Sager sidelined with leukemia
After being mistakenly told he was cancer-free, the colorful announcer will miss the playoffs while undergoing treatment.
TNT ANALYST Craig Sager will miss the NBA playoffs as he undergoes treatment for leukemia.
A sideline reporter famous for his brightly colored suits, Sager's sense of humor was intact in a statement released by Turner Sports yesterday.
Sager describes the postseason as "my favorite time of year - city to city, round by round, 40 games in 40 nights."
He says that "a dramatic turn has matched me with acute myeloid leukemia. From the sidelines to being sidelined, 40 veins and 40 electrolytes."
Sager was notified Tuesday that he was cancer-free, but then was told that it was a mistake, his son, Craig Jr., said on Twitter.
"They apologized and hit us with the gut check," he tweeted.
Noteworthy
* New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson does not want to meet face to face with new team president Phil Jackson until he is informed whether he will be retained for next season, ESPN reported.
Woodson reportedly would prefer that Jackson contact his agent if he is going to be fired. The New York Daily News reported that Jackson and Woodson were scheduled to talk over the phone to plan a meeting or work out terms of Woodson's departure and that Woodson told management he does not see a reason to meet with Jackson if he is going to be fired.
TNT analyst Steve Kerr is expected to be the Knicks' next coach, according to the New York Post. Kerr has no previous coaching experience, but was the general manager of the Phoenix Suns and played for Jackson with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
* Center Andrew Bynum will not play in the Indiana Pacers' series against the Atlanta Hawks that begins today, because of knee soreness.
* Commissioner Adam Silver met with owners to discuss changing the minimum age limit for players entering the NBA. NCAA Mark Emmert was invited to the meeting, according to the Associated Press. Silver is also considering changes to the draft lottery format and playoffs structure, but said raising the draft-age limit is a high priority. The age limit requiring American players to be 19 years old and a year out of high school was implemented in 2005.
* The Utah Jazz won a tiebreaker with the Boston Celtics, giving them a chance for a better pick in the NBA draft. Both teams finished 25-57. The Jazz will now be slotted fourth in the lottery and Boston will be at No. 5.
Boston also will have the No. 17 pick after a tie was broken between Brooklyn and Washington, both 44-38. The Nets owe the pick to the Celtics from last summer's trade that landed them Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Chicago (48-34) won a tiebreaker with Toronto at No. 19.
The ties were broken through random drawings.