Pistrorius Charged with Murder, Melo Possibly Out for All-Star Game, RG3 May Be Ready for Week 1
Dominating sports headlines on Thursday is the murder charge against South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius aka “Blade Runner.” The double amputee’s girlfriend, 30-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp, had been found shot dead in his home on Thursday morning.
Back in the U.S., it’s time for the NBA All-Star Break. Last-minute scratches are still taking place and the latest player who’s may not attend is New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony.
And on a final note, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is making great progress from his knee surgery and could be ready for Week 1.
Pistorius Charged with Murder
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius
Early news reports had Pistorius saying that he shot his girlfriend because he thought it was an intruder.The two were the only ones in his home at the time of the shooting.
On Friday, Pistorius will have a bail hearing and according to The New York Times, police have said they will oppose the bail.
Last September at the Paralympics, Pistorius won an individual gold in the 400-meter race and a second one in the 4×100 meter relay.
Pistorius was the highest-paid Paralympian with sponsorship deals from Nike, Oakley, Thierry Mugler and the running blade manufacturer Ossur. Combined, the deals had a $4.7 million value.
Nike didn’t comment on his sponsorship deal but disgraced athletes such as Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong eventually lost their deals with the company.
NBA All-Star Weekend
Knicks Carmelo Anthony
With the NBA All-Star weekend fast approaching, Anthony may not attend.
On Wednesday, the player suffered a deep bruise in his right arm in the 92-88 loss against the Toronto Raptors. Anthony got elbowed in his bicep by DeMar DeRozan and ended up with a contusion.
Anthony said of attending this weekend’s events, “As bad as I would want to play in the All-Star Game, participate, if I can’t go, I can’t go. Nothing I can do about that.”
Meanwhile, one player who will definitely be there is the Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett but it will be for the last time.
Garnett didn’t say why it would be his last All-Star game but it has definitely increased speculation that he’ll retire after the season.This weekend’s visit will represent his 15th visit over his 18 years in the league.
Garnett is having a good season with his 15-point per game average and 7.7 rebounds. Recently, there were rumors that he would be traded but this has quieted down. It hasn’t stopped Garnett from helping his team move forward after the loss of Rajon Rondo for the season.
As for the weekend’s events, one of the more entertaining ones is the All-Star Slam-Dunk contest. This will come on Saturday evening and James White of the New York Knicks is 5 to 4 to win it. On the celebrity front, Usain Bolt has the top odds at 4 to 1 to score first in the All-Star Celebrity Game.
RG3 May Be Ready for Week 1
Redskins QB Robert Griffin III
A little over a month ago, RG3 had reconstructive knee surgery and now team officials are thinking his recovery is going so well, he could be ready for Week 1, reported ESPN.
This comes after Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgery, immediately said after the procedure in January that he had  “everybody’s hope and belief” that the player would be ready for the 2013 season.
The player has recently come back to Washington and is undergoing rehab. Some think the athlete may be as freaky as Minnesota Vikings running back to come back quickly from knee surgery (see an eight-month time period).
But there’s still a lot of time left for recovery but so far so good.
For the Redskins, they are 30 to 1 odds to win the Super Bowl next year.
