Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

FRIDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NFL: Draft, Rounds 2-3, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN, NFL Network)
NBA playoffs: Knicks at Celtics, 8 p.m. (CSNNE, ESPN; WEEI-FM)
NBA playoffs: Spurs at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA playoffs: Nuggets at Warriors, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
NHL: Flames at Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. (NHL Network)
MLB: Astros at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. (NESN; WEEI-AM)
MLB: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7 p.m. (MLB Network)
MLB: Cubs at Marlins, 7:10 p.m. (WGN)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was transferred from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to the Federal Medical Center Devens, the U.S. Marshals Service said Friday.

Tsarnaev’s new facility, at the former Fort Devens U.S. Army base, is for federal prisoners and detainees who require specialized long-term medical or medal health care. Tsarnaev is recovering from a gunshot wound to the throat and other injuries he suffered during last week’s shootout and manhunt in Watertown.

Tsarnaev reportedly has been quiet since being read his Miranda warning, which was given after he provided federal officials with information about the attack he indicated was orchestrated by his brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in last week’s shootout. Dzhokhar also revealed that the brothers planned to go to Times Square in New York City to detonate their remaining bombs before being thwarted.

Dzhokhar’s mother, Zubeidat, said Thursday she was told by U.S. officials “they will not let us see Dzhokhar.” Zubeidat, who is wanted on 2012 felony charges of shoplifting and property damage in Massachusetts, appears unlikely to visit the United States, although the boys’ father, Anzor, has indicated he wants to fly in.

♦ The Lakers are down 2-0 to the Spurs in their first-round playoff series and their backcourt is riddled with injuries. Steve Blake is out indefinitely with a strained right hamstring, Jodie Meeks has a sprained left ankle and is doubtful for Friday night’s Game 3, and Steve Nash‘s prospects do not look good after he received two epidural injections in his back and a cortisone shot in his right hip Thursday.

“I’m not too bad,” Nash said. “Obviously I wish I felt a lot better, but I got the procedure done [Thursday] morning, and fingers crossed it will help. I have been called a doctor of chemistry by some people in the media, but I couldn’t make a prediction.”

Things look so bleak for Los Angeles that even Lakers legend Magic Johnson has given up.

Laker Nation: With Steve Nash & Steve Blake down with injuries there’s no way the @lakers have a chance to win.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 25, 2013

♦ The latest feel-good moment from sports comes from Fairfax, Va. Drew Bonner, a high school senior with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has served as manager of the Fairfax High School baseball team the past four years. On Monday night, Bonner went up to the plate in his wheelchair for a ceremonial first at-bat against Madison and received a four-pitch walk.

“It was a lot of fun and brought back some good memories from when I used to play,” Bonner told The Washington Post. “I wasn’t nervous, but I was pretty excited. I can remember playing baseball all my life and it’s just one of the things that I really love to do.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA (answer below): On April 26, 1988, the Bruins beat the Canadiens, 4-1, in Montreal to win the Adams Division finals series in five games and post their first postseason series victory over the Habs since 1943. Which two Bruins — both of whom went on to work for the team in management — had two goals each in the win?

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NFL: Draft, Round 1, 8 p.m. (ESPN, NFL Network; WEEI-AM)
MLB: Astros at Red Sox, 6:35 p.m. (NESN; WEEI-FM)
MLB: Blue Jays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. (MLB Network)
NHL: Lightning at Bruins, 7:30 p.m. (NESN Plus)
NHL: Penguins at Devils, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NHL: Ducks at Canucks, 10 p.m. (NHL Network)
NBA playoffs: Heat at Bucks, 7 p.m. (TNT)
NBA playoffs: Nets at Bulls, 8:30 p.m. (NBATV)
NBA playoffs: Clippers at Grizzlies, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ The Lakers are down 2-0 in their playoff series against the Spurs after dropping Wednesday night’s Game 2, 102-91, and they’re limping back to Los Angeles for Friday’s Game 3.

Already without Kobe Bryant (torn Achilles tendon) for the rest of the season, the Lakers saw guards Steve Nash (hip/hamstring), Steve Blake (hamstring) and Jodie Meeks (ankle) come up lame Wednesday night.

“This has been far and away the worst season for injuries I have ever been a part of personally and collectively,” Nash said.

WIth the backcourt issues, the Lakers are looking for the frontcourt to provide a spark. Center Dwight Howard had 16 points and nine rebounds Wednesday, but he picked up a technical and was in foul trouble after getting two fouls on the offensive end early in the third quarter. He also got into an exchange with Spurs center Tim Duncan, jawing at him as the two walked down the court after getting tangled up in the second quarter.

“It is frustrating,” Howard said of the defensive pressure he’s been facing. “I just have to trust my teammates to make shots. On whatever they do defensively, I have to be aware of my arms and try not to get tangled up.”

♦ The inaugural College Football Championship Game will be held Jan. 12, 2015, at Cowboys Stadium, as the Cotton Bowl home was chosen over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., to be the host.

“The stadium itself was the biggest determiner,” BCS executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday of the facility that can seat more than 100,000 fans. “It’s still THE stadium with a capital ‘T.’ ”

Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in a statement: “We couldn’t be more excited about bringing college football’s biggest game to Cowboys Stadium. Rest assured, we all pledge to do everything we can to make sure this game exceeds everyone’s highest expectations.”

The Rose (Pasadena, Calif.) and Sugar (New Orleans) Bowls will host the semifinal games on Jan. 1, 2015. The Cotton, Orange (Miami), Chick-fil-A (Atlanta) and Fiesta (Glendale, Ariz.) Bowls are part of the six-site semifinal rotation. In years they are not hosting a semifinal game, the other bowls in the rotation will host a BCS-type bowl game on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

♦ With the NFL draft set to start Thursday night, Real Clear Sports has a list of the top 10 undrafted free agents in NFL history.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon is No. 1, followed by Hall of Fame defensive back Dick “Night Train” Lane, tight end Antonio Gates and quarterback Kurt Warner. Two Patriots made the list: kicker Adam Vinatieri (8) and wide receiver Wes Welker (9).

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On April 25, 1950, the Celtics became the first NBA team to draft a black player when they selected which Duquesne star in the second round?

Read the rest of this entry »

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard‘s first season with the Lakers has been filled with controversy, injuries and disappointments. He has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury and now is claiming that opponents have been targeting the injury.

Howard has been playing through a torn labrum, trying to help the Lakers fight their way back into the playoff picture. There have been a couple of games recently when Howard has said that players were grabbing at his right shoulder. After losing to the Heat on Sunday, Howard mentioned the targeting.

“They got me early,” Howard said. “They would yank it back.”

Howard also claimed that some of the Bobcats players were doing the same thing in Friday’s game.

“It’s like a jolt,” Howard said. “Then it hurts the rest of the night.”

In another on-court display of frustration, Howard was involved in a heated argument with fellow first-year Laker Steve Nash during Sunday’s game. During an offensive possession, Nash was in trouble along the baseline under the basket and Howard was holding his arms in the air, calling for the ball. Nash took a few extra seconds, was pressured by the Heat’s Udonis Haslem, and threw a difficult pass to Howard that the center was unable to handle.

The two bickered with each other at center court after LeBron James was fouled finishing off a layup at the other end.

The Lakers are 24-28 and are 3½ games behind the Rockets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Steve Nash

Lakers point guard Steve Nash is listed as doubtful for Friday night’s game against the Clippers after suffering a lower-leg bruise on Wednesday night.

Nash suffered the injury in the second quarter of the team’s 116-106 loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland.

Nash did not practice Thursday and was seen walking with a limp.

“Luckily, it’s not anything major or structural. It’s just a contusion in a bad area,” Nash said. “Maybe I’m too optimistic to say doubtful, but it’s definitely touch and go.”

Steve Blake, who subbed for Nash on Wednesday, would start in Nash’s place if the new Laker can’t play.

Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NFL: Chiefs at Chargers, 8:20 p.m. (NFL Network)
College football: Eastern Michigan at Ohio, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
College football: Virginia Tech at Miami, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College football: Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky, 9:15 p.m. (ESPNU)
NBA: Thunder at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)

AROUND THE WEB:

Dwight Howard (12) and the Lakers are 0-2 after Wednesday's loss in Portland. (AP)

♦ Before his Mavericks upset the Lakers on Tuesday, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was pointed when asked to assess the reloaded Los Angeles squad.

“I don’t know, I don’t care, I just hope they suck,” Cuban said with a laugh.

Through two games, Cuban is getting his wish.

A night after losing their opener to the Mavericks in Los Angeles, the Lakers dropped a 116-106 decision to the Trail Blazers in Portland. Adding injury to insult, point guard Steve Nash left the game with a bruised leg after a collision with Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

“We’ve got to learn how to play together,” said Dwight Howard, who had 33 points and 14 rebounds. “You’ve got to be good before you can be great.”

Added Howard: “We didn’t expect to just come together and be awesome. It’s always a process. We’ve got to stick with it so that at the end of the year we can have a trophy.”

Coach Mike Brown is being criticized for his restrictive offense that doesn’t give Nash enough time with the ball in his hands, but the team is preaching patience.

“We’re not sharp,” Nash said. “I think the guys are trying, we just didn’t live up to what we’re trying to do.”

♦ Reggie Bush and the Dolphins appeared to get in the last word vs. the Jets with Sunday’s 30-9 beatdown, but the feuding between the teams is not over.

On Wednesday, Bush responded to Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie calling him a “punk,” apparently referring to a play on which Bush stiff-armed Cromartie, leading to a retaliatory shove and a head-butt that cost Cromartie a 15-yard penalty.

“I’ve been called a lot of things, but not a punk,” Bush said with a laugh. “I don’t feel like I did anything illegal. I didn’t try to hurt him. I didn’t talk about hurting him or ending his career or anything like that. What I did was perfectly within the rules, and if he didn’t like it, it’s tough. That’s football. I’ve been on the side of some ugly stuff. The last thing I’m going to do is cry about it and call somebody a punk.”

Added Bush: “If they don’t like me, I guess, tough.”

♦ New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg overruled the NBA on Wednesday, announcing that Thursday’s season-opener between the Knicks and Nets at Brooklyn’s new Barclay’s Center will be postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The league had said a day earlier that the game would be played, but Bloomberg decided that the city needed more time to recover from the damage. Many of the subway lines in the area have been suspended.

“We are disappointed that we can’t play, but there are a lot more important things going on right now,” Nets point guard Deron Williams said. “A lot of people lost homes, a lot of people lost loved ones, so a basketball game doesn’t mean much right now.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Nov. 1, 2005, Jason Varitek became the first Red Sox player in 14 seasons to win a Gold Glove. Who was the team’s previous recipient, in 1991?

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What do you do when you see your favorite team’s new superstar point guard in the car next to you on the highway?

Apparently, you roll down your window, screaming and fist-pumping, and while traveling at full speed, you reach out and hand new Laker Steve Nash a can of Keystone Light.

Obviously.

Magic center Dwight Howard remains the hottest commodity this offseason. (AP)

Since it is July 11, free agent signings and trades can be made official. Some teams have publicly announced deals while others still are yet to be official. Here is a recap of the most recent NBA offseason moves.

• The Rockets joined trade talks for center Dwight Howard, ESPN reported.

Sources told ESPN the Rockets and Magic are exploring a scenario in which the Rockets would send draft picks to Orlando, the Magic would send Howard to the Lakers and the Lakers would move Andrew Bynum to the Rockets.

The Rockets and Magic also are said to be considering a direct trade.

Howard averaged 20.6 points last season, one that was cut short to 54 games due to injury. In 2010-11 Howard averaged 22.9 points and shot 59.3 percent from the field in 78 games.

The 26-year-old was drafted first overall by the Magic and has played all eight of his NBA seasons with Orlando.

• The Grizzlies came to an agreement with guard Jerryd Bayless on a deal that will be made official Wednesday afternoon, ESPN reported.

The 23-year-old averaged 11.4 points last season with the Raptors. He has also played for the Blazers and Hornets over his five-year career. Bayless was drafted 11th overall in 2008 by the Pacers.

Memphis signed Bayless as one solution to guard O.J. Mayo‘s departure. Mayo played for the Grizzlies for four years, averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 43.3 percent from the field.

• The Blazers have elected not to sign Roy Hibbert to an offer sheet under the belief the Pacers would match any offer, ESPN reported. Since Hibbert is a unrestricted free agent, the Pacers would have had three days to match any contracts offered by other teams. The Blazers had considered giving a four-year, $58 million deal to Hibbert.

The 25-year-old averaged 12.8 points per game last season with the Pacers. Read the rest of this entry »

Raja Bell

Will Raja Bell become the latest aging veteran to join the Heat?

After agreeing to a contract buyout with the Jazz, the 35-year-old reportedly wants to explore the possibility of signing with his hometown Heat. Bell played his high school and college basketball in Miami.

The Lakers also could emerge as a potential destination for the guard, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Two years ago, despite being heavily recruited by Kobe Bryant, Bell chose a three-year deal with the Jazz over less money with the Lakers.

With the addition of Steve Nash, the Lakers could use a defensive-minded guard like Bell to play off the bench.

Bell and Nash played together in Phoenix for 3½ seasons until 2008-09, when Bell was traded to the Bobcats. The Suns reached the playoffs each of their three full seasons together.

While Bell’s skills have declined as he’s aged, he is still widely considered one of the NBA’s toughest veteran guards, and he could bring significant value and presence in limited minutes for a contender.

In 34 games for the Jazz last season, Bell averaged 6.4 points, shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 39 percent from behind the arc and 84 percent from the line in 23.4 minutes per game.

Here’s the roundup from a action-packed Wednesday night and Thursday morning in NBA free agency:

♦ The most exciting news from the NBA Wednesday night was the Lakers’ sign-and-trade acquisition of perennial all-pro point guard Steve Nash.

Phoenix received four draft picks in exchange for the 38-year-old — first-round picks in 2013 and 2015 and second-round picks in 2013 and 2014. Per ESPN sources, Nash will receive a three-year deal worth $25 million. The cap space that allowed L.A. to sign the former Suns guard came from the trade exception the Lakers received when they dealt Lamar Odom to the Mavericks in December.

The Lakers reportedly will not re-sign point guard Ramon Sessions, who opted out of the final year of his deal worth $4.55 million.

♦ On the heels of the Nash trade, Phoenix reached an agreement with Rockets point guard Goran Dragic, as reported by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.

The verbal agreement is reportedly worth $34 million over four years, with a player option in the fourth year. Dragic, 26, was traded to the Rockets by the Suns last year along with Kyle Lowry.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Lakers have obtained 38-year-old point guard Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade worked out by the former member of the Phoenix Suns. In the deal, the Suns will obtain four draft picks — first-rounders in 2013 and 2015 and second-rounders in ’13 and ’14.

Nash will receive a three-year deal worth just more than $2 million.