NBA NOTEBOOK: Celtics give Rondo five-year extension
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo said Monday he has agreed to a five-year contract extension with the team. The deal, which Yahoo! Sports reported was worth $55 million, will keep him from becoming a restricted free agent after the season.
The contract has yet to be signed, but Rondo said that was just a ''formality.''
"That's the biggest thing for me -- take care of my family,'' Rondo said. ''I'm very excited.''
Rondo is averaging 11.8 assists in the unbeaten Celtics' first four games and has averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 assists in his three-plus seasons in the league.
RABIES SHOT FOR MANU: San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said on his Facebook page that he had to be vaccinated for rabies after swatting a bat with his bare hand and removing it from the court during a game Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.
Ginobili said he doesn't know if the bat had rabies, but he had to get vaccinated to make sure he was safe.
INJURY REPORT: Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton will miss his third consecutive game with a sprained right ankle when the team hosts the Orlando Magic tonight. Hamilton was injured in the Pistons' season-opening victory last week against the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored a team-high 25 points in that game, and the Pistons have struggled without him.
• A specialist confirmed New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris has a strained muscle in his right groin. Tests showed he doesn't have a tear, but it remains uncertain when he'll return. Harris, who missed a 79-68 loss Monday to the Charlotte Bobcats that dropped the Nets to 0-4, said during the weekend he expects to miss a week to 10 days.
• New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said guard Nate Robinson might miss two weeks with a sprained right ankle. X-rays showed nothing more serious, but Robinson is on crutches.
IVERSON DEBUT: Allen Iverson scored 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 17½ minutes in the visiting Grizzlies' 127-116 overtime loss to the Kings. He had missed their first three games while recovering from a partially torn right hamstring.
Kevin Martin scored 48 points to help the Kings win for the first time this season.
NO MORE WALTON: Hall of Famer Bill Walton won't return as an NBA analyst for ESPN, saying that ''it is time to dedicate the rest of my life to service.'' He missed most of last season while recovering from back surgery.
Sun-Times wires