BASKETBALL

LIVINGSTON OUT FOR SEASON WITH MAJOR KNEE INJURY

Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston will be out 8 to 12 months after tearing three of the four ligaments in his left knee while driving to the basket against Charlotte.

“It’s probably the most serious injury you can have to the knee,” the Clippers’ physician, Dr. Tony Daly, said yesterday. “He might miss all of next year.”

Livingston had an MRI exam yesterday which revealed tears in the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and lateral meniscus.

He also dislocated his patella, besides the previously diagnosed dislocation of his tibia-femoral. As a rookie in 2004, he dislocated his right knee.

NBA, UNION REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO NEW ORLEANS

The NBA and its players’ association reiterated their commitment to New Orleans yesterday, a day after union director Billy Hunter said he could sue over the league’s plans to host its next All-Star game there.

Hunter plans to fly to New Orleans next week for his first visit to the city since Hurricane Katrina, and will meet with city officials and look into accommodations for players and their guests. He also said he has a number of meetings planned with commissioner David Stern to discuss plans for next year’s festivities.

On Monday, Hunter told Newsday that, “If the union is not convinced that the city can accommodate the All-Star game, it’s an issue that will be subject to litigation between the union and the league.”

However, Hunter said he was just speaking hypothetically and would only act if he felt the safety of his players was in jeopardy. He said he anticipates no problems, adding that a number of Hornets players look forward to their return to the city.

WADE TO CHOOSE SURGERY OR REHAB BY END OF WEEK

Miami guard Dwyane Wade intends to decide by the end of the week whether he’ll rehabilitate his dislocated left shoulder and try to return to the Heat lineup or have season-ending surgery to repair the joint.

Appearing at the White House yesterday, when President Bush honored the Heat for winning last season’s NBA title, Wade didn’t divulge much about the exact severity of the injury he suffered in a collision with Houston’s Shane Battier last week.

TENNIS

NADAL, DAVYDENKO, HAAS ADVANCE IN DUBAI

Defending champion Rafael Nadal, playing his first match since the Australian Open quarterfinals, rallied past Marcos Baghdatis 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 yesterday in the first round of the Dubai Open.

Third-seeded Nikolay Davydenko, fifth-seeded Tommy Haas, and seventh-seeded Novak Djokovic also advanced.

Nadal was broken in the first game and dropped the first set. The Spaniard rebounded in the second set by breaking twice, going up 5–2 on a double-fault by the Cypriot. In the third, Nadal broke in the third game and won on his second match point.

“I was coming out of a long break, and it showed in the first set,” Nadal said. “Even though I was practicing hard in the last couple of weeks, it took me some time to get my rhythm on the court.”

Baghdatis is 0–4 against Nadal.