GDP performance vs. unemployment rate of select Asia-Pacific economies

January 20, 2017 | 2:34 pm

Dozens of Iran firefighters feared trapped in Plasco building collapse

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

TEHRAN — Dozens of firefighters were feared trapped under the rubble after Iran’s oldest high-rise, the 15-storey Plasco building in downtown Tehran, collapsed live on TV on Thursday following a fire.

State television said 200 firefighters had been called to the scene and “tens’ may have been inside when the building collapsed.

Many had already been hurt before it came down, and initial figures said between 30 and 40 firefighters had been injured and seven hospitalized.

Dramatic images showed flames pouring out of the top floors of the building, which dated from the early 1960s and included a shopping centre and clothing workshops.

“The building’s caretaker and some firefighters were inside when the building collapsed,” said Ahmad, a shop owner in the building.

“I’ve lost my entire stock. Thousands of families have been ruined,” he added.

The steel skeleton of the building could be seen bending down to the ground as around 100 fire engines and dozens of ambulances surrounded the area.

“A friend of mine has a shop there. I keep calling him but there’s no answer. I think he’s been trapped,” said Mohsen, an onlooker.

Police evacuated the area around the building, fearing secondary explosions caused by gas leaks, and worked to clear crowds that were blocking access for rescue services.

“There a number of people inside but we don’t know how many and the fire brigade organization is going to announce how many were there,’ Tehran police chief Hossein Sajedinia told AFP.

“Even one would be too many,” he added.

Fire brigade spokesman Jalal Malekias said the building was known to breach safety standards.

“We had repeatedly warned the building managers about the lack of safety of the building,” he said, adding that it lacked sufficient fire extinguishers.

“Even in the stairwells, a lot of clothing is stored and this is against safety standards. The managers didn’t pay attention to the warnings,” he told state television.

The Plasco building was the first high-rise and shopping centre in Tehran and was the city’s tallest building when it was finished in 1962, before being dwarfed by the construction boom of later years.

It was built by Habibollah Elghanian, a prominent Iranian-Jewish businessman who was arrested for ties to Israel and sentenced to death and executed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The fire is thought to have begun on the ninth floor and spread quickly to workshops above.

Firefighters were initially able to bring it under control but it quickly flared up and the building fell four hours after the fire had started, at around 11:30 a.m. (0800 GMT). — AFP

Obama hopes for quiet after White House but will defend ‘core values’

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

WASHINGTON — He is ready for some quiet time, plans to do some writing and intends to give his successor space to govern, at least on most issues.

President Barack Obama gave some insight into his vision for life after the White House during a final news conference on Wednesday in which he praised the role of a free press and shared personal reflections on how his daughters had dealt with the results of the 2016 election.

Mr. Obama and his family will leave for Palm Springs, California, on Friday after the inauguration of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States.

“I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much,” said Mr. Obama, 55, who wants to write a book during his first year out of office and spend time with his family.

Mr. Obama, a Democrat who made history in 2008 when he was elected America’s first black president, has said repeatedly he appreciated the example set by his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, who steadfastly refrained from weighing in publicly with his views after leaving the Oval Office.

But Mr. Obama made clear there were some issues on which he would not hesitate to speak out — issues “where I think our core values may be at stake,” like new obstacles to voting, “institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press” and any push to deport undocumented people who were brought to America as children.

In 2012, Mr. Obama said his administration would allow people brought to the United States illegally by their parents to remain in the country on temporary authorizations that allow them to attend college and work — one of the executive actions on immigration that Mr. Trump has pledged to undo.

“The notion that we would just arbitrarily or because of politics punish those kids, when they didn’t do anything wrong themselves, I think would be something that would merit me speaking out,” Mr. Obama said.

The Obamas will live in Washington, where Sasha, 15, is finishing high school. Malia, 18, has been accepted to Harvard University but is taking a “gap year” break before starting this autumn.

HOPE, RESILIENCE
The President and his wife, Michelle Obama, campaigned hard for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last year. The first lady, in particular, made an impassioned case for Ms. Clinton, her husband’s first secretary of state, after a leaked recording showed Mr. Trump talking openly about groping women.

Mr. Obama said his daughters did not “mope” or feel cynical after the loss.

“They were disappointed. They paid attention to what their mom said during the campaign and believed it because it’s consistent with what we’ve tried to teach them in our household,” Mr. Obama said.

“But what we’ve also tried to teach them is resilience, and we’ve tried to teach them hope, and that the only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world.”

Similarly, Mr. Obama has sought to reassure his staff and others about the election results, in keeping with his cool-headed, dispassionate style.

“And so this is not just a matter of ‘No Drama Obama,’ this is what I really believe,” Mr. Obama said. “But at my core, I think we’re going to be OK.” — Reuters

Taiwan to Beijing: Grow up over Trump ceremony row

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

TAIPEI — China should not be so “narrow-minded,” Taiwan said Thursday, after Beijing pressed Washington to block the island from attending Donald Trump’s inauguration.

A former premier will lead Taipei’s delegation as foreign dignitaries from around the world descend on the US capital for the president-elect’s swearing in.

But Beijing has asked the US to bar the self-ruling island it sees as a renegade province and part of “one China” to be reunified.

“We urge again the American side not to allow any Taiwanese official delegation to attend the US presidential inauguration ceremony and to have any kind of official contact with Taiwan,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, at a regular press briefing Thursday.

Former premier Yu Shyi-kun, who is leading Taiwan’s delegation hit back.

“Don’t be so small,” Mr. Yu, who belongs to the ruling Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party, was quoted as saying by Taiwan’s state Central News Agency.

“There hasn’t been any leader with such a narrow mind in all Chinese dynasties,” added Mr. Yu, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Since Mr. Trump was elected in November, there have been a series of diplomatic upsets, with China incensed by a protocol-smashing phone call between the billionaire and Taiwan’s leader Tsai Ing-wen.

It was further angered by Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the “one China” policy could be negotiable and demanded Washington ban Taipei from the inauguration.

A Taiwanese delegation has attended in previous years, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, but never includes the island’s president.

Washington remains Taiwan’s most powerful ally and arms supplier even though it switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Taiwan’s delegation also includes some legislators including pro-independence rocker-turned-politician Freddy Lim of the New Power Party, which is calling for Taiwan to be recognized internationally as a country.

Ties with China have turned increasingly frosty since Ms. Tsai took office last year, with Beijing cutting off official communication with her government.

Beijing has recently stepped up military drills — its only aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait last week, and military aircraft passed near Taiwan twice late last year in what was seen as a show of strength. — AFP

Avalanche hits Italian mountain hotel; ‘many’ buried in snow

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

ROME — Up to 30 people were feared to have died Thursday after an Italian mountain hotel was engulfed by a powerful avalanche in the earthquake-ravaged center of the country.

Firefighters arrive near Hotel Rigopiano, hit by an avalanche, in Farindola, central Italy, in this January 19, 2017 handout picture provided by Italy’s firefighters. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Italy’s Civil Protection agency confirmed the Hotel Rigopiano had been engulfed by a two-meter (six-feet) high wall of snow and that emergency services were struggling to get ambulances and diggers to the site.

The agency said there had been around 30 guests and staff at the small ski hotel on the eastern lower slopes of the Gran Sasso mountain when the first of four powerful tremors rattled the region on Wednesday morning.

Local media said specialist mountain police who had reached the hotel on skis or by helicopter had begun extracting bodies.

They were quoted as saying there were no signs of life inside the building, which was moved by some 10 meters by the force of the snow.

“There are many dead,” one of the commanding officers, Antonio Crocetta, was quoted as saying.

The rescuers at the hotel were reported to have a snow mobile capable of transporting up to eight people.

Ambulances were blocked by two meters of snow some nine kilometers (5.5 miles) away, according to the civil protection agency.

Antonio Di Marco, president of the province of Pescara, which includes the mountain village of Farindola, close to where the hotel is located, said two people had been found alive.

“We don’t know yet how many people are unaccounted for or dead,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“What is certain is that the building took a direct hit from the avalanche, to the point that it was moved by 10 meters.”

Farindola Mayor Ilario Lacchetta said on his Facebook page that “the dimensions of the avalanche were huge.

“It took the whole hotel with it.” he said.

HYPOTHERMIA
It was not clear if the two confirmed survivors had been at the hotel or had been out skiing when the avalanche occurred.

One of them was helicoptered to a hospital in Pescara suffering from hypothermia but was not in a life-threatening condition.

The region was hit by four seismic shocks measuring above five magnitude in the space of four hours on Wednesday, when at least one person was confirmed to have died.

The hotel is located around 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the epicenter of the quakes at Montereale, a small village south of Amatrice, the town devasted in an August earthquake in which nearly 300 people died.

Avalanche warnings were issued across the region which is dominated by Gran Sasso, a majestic 2,912 meters (9,554 feet) peak. The area has numerous small ski resorts popular with day-trippers from Rome and urban centers on Italy’s east coast.

One person was confirmed dead Wednesday after a body was found under the debris of a building in Castel Castagna, a small town to the north of Farindola.

The quake affected an area that straddles the regions of Lazio, Marche and Abruzzo which is home to many remote mountain hamlets.

Although many residents had been evacuated after last year’s quakes, there were fears for families who had decided to stay in their homes and are now cut off.

Some 130,000 homes were without electricity overnight as a result of quake-damage to pylons and other infrastructure. — AFP

Firefighters arrive near Hotel Rigopiano, hit by an avalanche, in Farindola, central Italy, in this Jan. 19 handout picture provided by Italy’s firefighters. — Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters

Optimist Embiid

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

When Sixers rookie Joel Embiid publicly said he looked forward to guiding the Sixers to the 2017 National Basketball Association Playoffs, not a few quarters thought him overly ambitious. After all, the red, white, and blue had just notched their 10th victory of the season; they were still eight games away from eighth place in the so-called Leastern Conference eight days into the new year, and he looked like he had an oversupply of optimism carried over from the Holiday season.

Fast forward two weeks, and Embiid has slowly — and, perhaps, surely — looked less an out of touch with reality and more in tune with justifiable optimism. Since trouncing the Nuggets in last year’s last outing, the Sixers have gone a heady six and two, with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft leading the way; notwithstanding the restrictions placed on his exposure, his usage rate and productivity, especially in the crunch, rank among the best in the league. Clearly, the poster child of former general manager Sam Hinkie’s much maligned “process” has progressed quite nicely from two surgeries on his right foot.

Significantly, the Sixers’ climb to respectability hasn’t simply been an offshoot of a favorable schedule. In fact, a valid argument can be made that they’ve become competitive regardless of the perceived quality of the opposition. In their last two starts, for instance, they managed to trounce the highly touted Bucks and Raptors. And of their two setbacks since the turn of the year, only their visit to the Verizon Center, coming on the second night of a back-to-back slate and sans Embiid (who notched a DNP-Rest), could be deemed a blowout.

At this point, it would be premature to declare the Sixers free from the bottom of the barrel. For all the strides they’ve made, they remain six games out of provisional postseason play. But, hey, they now have a better record than the Nets, Heat, and Suns. What’s more, speculation is rife that 2016 top pick Ben Simmons will be making his debut late this month, confirming head coach Brett Brown’s preseason timetable. In other words, hope is finally being backstopped by substance. And who knows? Embiid may yet be proven clairvoyant when all is said and done.

* * *

Parting Shot: Embiid was a positive 20 in the plus-minus column against the vaunted Raptors yesterday, pushing his total to positive 68 in 28 matches for the season. It’s no mean feat given the Sixers’ standing. Meanwhile, every other player on the roster is in the negative on aggregate.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.

Atlanta’s Ryan, Oakland’s Mack take top awards

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEW YORK — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who directed the NFL’s highest-scoring attack, and Oakland defensive end Khalil Mack took top awards in media voting announced Wednesday.

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 14: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
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Ryan, who led the Falcons with club records in passing yards and touchdowns, was chosen the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

When the Falcons host Green Bay in a playoff showdown Sunday, Ryan will try to lift Atlanta into the Super Bowl for only the second time, the Falcons having lost to Denver in the 1999 edition of the NFL championship spectacle.

Mack, who matched an NFL record with quarterback sacks in eight consecutive games, took Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Professional Football Writers of America.

Ryan, in his ninth NFL season, completed 373 of 534 passes (a club record 69.9% of his throws) for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

The Falcons produced a one-season club record 540 points in this campaign and went 11-5 to claim a first-round playoff bye.

Ryan, who set an NFL record by completing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers this season, threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-20 victory over Seattle last weekend.

Mack, in his third NFL campaign, had 77 tackles and 11 sacks this season for the Raiders. He also intercepted a pass, deflected four other throws, forced five fumbles and recovered three fumbles.

In a 35-32 home victory over Carolina, Mack became the first NFL player since 2009 with an interception, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in a single game.

The Raiders lost 27-14 at Houston in the opening round of the playoffs. — AFP

Matt Ryan — AFP

Neymar Jr.’s football tournament finally makes its way to Manila

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEYMAR Jr.’s Five is the Brazilian forward’s signature football tournament — and a truly global phenomenon. Across six continents and more than 50 countries, five-a-side teams battle it out in 10-minute matches with a twist. Every time one team scores, the opposition loses a player, which makes it fast, technical, tactical — and unique in the world of football. More than 65,000 players from 47 countries signed up to play in the first year of Neymar Jr.’s Five and 2017 promises to be even bigger.

This year’s tournament is open to teams of five to seven players aged 16 to 25, and for the first time two over-aged players are allowed in the squad. Competing teams will need to have their Philippine passports on stand-by when registering. The teams will set out with the hope of making it to the World Final in 2017, at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. in Praia Grande, Brazil.

Qualifying rounds will happen on two back-to-back Saturdays; February 18th and 25th, with the finals taking place on the 4th of March — all to be held at SPARTA Philippines in Mandaluyong City.

AMA finds fitting platform in PBA D-League

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

LOOKING to further promote its brand and showcase the kind of institution it is, AMA Education System (AMAES) has made a conscious effort to try out various activities and explore partnerships, including joining the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League (PBA D-League), which officials said has been an “effective” venture for them.

Now on its third year of membership in the PBA’s official minor league organization, AMA said it has been worth their while joining the D-League on various levels.

“AMA really wanted to play in big leagues like the National Collegiate Athletic Association and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) but it was really hard for us to enter those leagues as they are pretty much set up. So we looked for other opportunities where we can join and compete. And we saw that in the PBA D-League,” said Arnel F. Hibo, SVP and COO at AMA Education System, in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the AMA Online Education Titans’ PBA D-League pre-tournament press conference early this week.

“We were part of the Philippine Basketball League for a while but it is no longer around and we just came back and now we are in the D-League. Our motivation was not only to highlight education but venture into other things that our students can relate to and basketball is one of them,” the AMA official added.

And so far their expectations upon joining the league in 2014 have been met, by and large, Mr. Hibo said.

“Our D-League participation has become a rallying point for our community. At the start we just wanted to be there and just a few students came to watch. But in our second season more students started to come and watch and were very excited. This year, our third, we expect fan interest and support to increase some more,” Mr. Hibo said.

“The venture also helped in breaking the stereotype of AMA just being a computer school. Through our participation in the D-League and the coverage that goes with it, I believe more people have become aware of the different things we offer as an institution,” he added.

RECOMMEND TO OTHERS
Seeing how it has worked for them, Mr. Hibo said that they at AMA would recommend other companies or schools to join the D-League to promote their brand if they so choose.

“Yes, definitely, this is something we recommend to others. Three years ago I think there were only us and Centro Escolar University with Cafe France which are school-based teams playing in the league. Now there are five with Manuel L. Quezon University (with Victoria Sports), San Beda College (with Cignal HD) and Jose Rizal University. It shows that other schools have taken notice and these schools partnering with companies for such can work. Schools and companies can work together,” he said.

Mr. Hibo was quick to say, however, that proper planning is important to make things work in joining the D-League.

“It helps if school officials are sports-minded like in our case and they truly support the venture to join the D-League. But also on our part it is strategic. We chose to carry the AMA Online brand of our group because it caters to a wide range of people from high school to young professionals who are very active. So we chose it and the D-League because they are relatable to our target demographic,” he said.

Mr. Hibo went on to say that they have plans to go even higher to play in the PBA itself as well as build their own volleyball team that will play in commercial leagues in the future.

“We have already submitted a letter of intent to the PBA board to join as an expansion team. Everything is already with the board and I think we are one of a number of interested applicants to join the PBA. We are just waiting word from the PBA and we hope to be part of it in the next two to three years. We have been active in the D-League and I hope they see that in making their decision,” he said.

“Volleyball is also in the plans down the line as our student ratio is pretty much 50-50, male and female, and so we want our female students to have something of their own as well. Right now we are playing in the National Athletic Association of Schools and Universities but maybe we can join commercial leagues like the V-League and Philippine SuperLiga in the future,” Mr. Hibo added.

But for now, immediate for AMA is to be competitive in the PBA D-League, whose Aspirants’ Cup started yesterday with the Titans opening their campaign against newbie team Province of Batangas.

They are now being bannered by former UAAP star Jeron Teng of La Salle who hopes to lead his team of AMA students and veteran D-League campaigners to greater heights after failing to advance beyond the second round in its first two years in the league. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

The AMA Online Education Titans and school officials during their PBA D-League pre-tournament press conference early this week. — Alvin S. Go

Unbeatens Thurman, Garcia book unification bout

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEW YORK — Undefeated Americans Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, rival champions in a welterweight division where Manny Pacquiao and Kell Brook also claim supremacy, announced a unification fight Wednesday for their crowns.

Thurman, 27-0 with 22 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Association crown for the third time while Garcia, 33-0 with 19 knockouts, makes his first World Boxing Council title defense.

“I will unify the titles,” Thurman said. “I am the true welterweight champion.”

The 28-year-old US fighters will meet March 4 at the Barclays Center in New York with the winner a potential future unification foe for either 38-year-old Filipino icon Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization king in the weight class, or Britain’s 30-year-old Brook, the International Boxing Federation champion.

After two years as an interim champion, Thurman beat US southpaw Robert Guerrero in 2015 for the crown, then kept the throne by stopping US southpaw Luis Collazo and taking a unanimous decision last June over compatriot Shawn Porter.

“I am the champ and I always will be,” Thurman said. “Danny Garcia is a fighter who I’ve asked for and who I have respect for. But he’s going to learn, just as my past opponents have, that my power and speed will rise above any swiftness he has.”

Garcia, whose nickname is “Swift,” was a super lightweight champion for three years and beat Guerrero for the vacant WBC title by unanimous decision last January. At Barclays Center, Garcia is 5-0.

“Barclays Center and Brooklyn are my home away from home,’ Garcia said. “It’s going to be another Danny Garcia show. To me, Keith Thurman is nothing but a name. I’m going to show the world once again that I am a true champion.”

Pacquiao, 59-6 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, beat Jessie Vargas by unanimous decision two months ago in Las Vegas for the WBO crown. The Asian star is set to defend the title in April against Australian Jeff Horn (16-0 with one draw and 11 knockouts).

Brook, 36-1 with 25 knockouts, took his crown by majority decision over Porter in 2014 and defended three times before jumping up to middleweight and being stopped last September by unbeaten Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan. — AFP

Alab Pilipinas’ hot streak on the line versus HK Lions

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

ALAB Pilipinas is riding high on a three-game winning streak and looks to keep it firing when it goes up against the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions in a high-powered matchup between two of the top teams in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) that will be aired LIVE from Southorn Stadium, Wan Chai, Hong Kong this Sunday (Jan. 22), 8 p.m. on ABS-CBN’s S+A channel.

Alab Pilipinas (5-2) will be leaning on Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. who is currently leading in almost every statistical category and has been their main man in big wins against league-leading Singapore Slingers, defending ABL champions WestSports Malaysia Dragons, and the Kaohsiung Truth. Parks will need to deliver his season average of 22.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a game to help his team grab the solo second spot against the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions, which is bannered by the trio of Lee Ki, Tyler Lamb, and Chan Siu Wing.

Parks hopes to get a big lift from Alab’s big men reinforcements Sampson Carter and James Hughes, who both immediately made an impact since coming on board last Jan. 8, through their rebounding and rim protection.

Meanwhile, in another ABL pairing, the Saigon Heat (1-4) looks to buck their slow start by following up their first victory of the season with another against the defending ABL champions WestSports Malaysia Dragons (1-5), which is also looking to get back to their winning ways on Friday (Jan. 20), live on S+A at 8 p.m.

For more information and stories, go online visit ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com, and follow their official social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@ABSCBNSports).

Rose fuels slumping NY Knicks to win over Celtics

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

LOS ANGELES — Derrick Rose scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday as the New York Knicks pulled away for a 117-106 victory over the Celtics in Boston.

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 18: Derrick Rose #25 of the New York Knicks takes a shot against Amir Johnson #90 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden on January 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
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The win was a needed boost for the beleaguered Knicks, who came into the contest having dropped 11 of their last 13 and without injured Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah.

Star forward Carmelo Anthony, caught up in speculation over his relationship with Knicks President Phil Jackson and his future with the club, had a relatively quiet night with 13 points.

But Rose was one of six Knicks to score in double figures, matching his highest points total since joining the team in the off-season.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Willy Hernangomez added 17 points each for the Knicks, who ended a four-game skid against the Celtics.

Hernangomez also grabbed 11 rebounds and Rose pulled down 10 as the Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics, 57-33.

The Knicks closed out the second quarter with a 10-2 soring run to lead, 63-54, at halftime. They built the lead to as many as 12 early in the third, but the Celtics wouldn’t go away thanks in large part to the efforts of Isaiah Thomas, who finished with 39 points.

The Celtics narrowed the gap to one point in both the third and fourth quarters, but couldn’t edge ahead.

The win was a welcome respite for the Knicks, with Porzingis and Noah both scheduled to have MRI exams on Thursday. Porzingis missed his fourth straight game with a left Achilles tendon injury and Noah has a sprained left ankle, which swelled on the plane ride to Boston.

Then there’s the drama surrounding Anthony, who met with Jackson on Tuesday and reportedly reiterated his desire to remain with the team.

Anthony, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, admitted he was weary of the topic.

“You get tired of it,” he said of the questions. “I’m committed (to staying). I don’t have to prove that to anybody. I don’t think I have to keep saying that.” — AFP

Derrick Rose, #25 of the New York Knicks, takes a shot against Amir Johnson, #90 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden on Jan. 18 in Boston, Massachusetts. — AFP