Newsmakers

Considered Miami Heat star LeBron James, one of the game’s best dunkers, said Friday that he often considers committing to be part of the NBA dunk contest during the All-Star game, then finds himself waffling. James said at some points he tells himself, “Yeah, I’m going to do it,” but then he thinks about the wear and tear on his body and reconsiders. He’s still pondering whether he’ll enter the Feb. 19 event in Los Angeles.

Practiced Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony practiced with the team, returning to the team after taking eight days to mourn the death of his sister. The Nuggets’ star forward missed five games while helping his family deal with its loss.

Sidelined Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo missed his seventh straight game with a sprained left ankle, adding to Boston’s injury woes with Kevin Garnett also ailing. The Celtics’ star guard leads the league with 13.8 assists per game.

Hired Michigan State assistant Don Treadwell has been hired as the head football coach at Miami (Ohio) replacing Michael Haywood. Treadwell had been MSU’s offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the last four years.

Acquired The Anaheim Ducks have acquired center Maxim Lapierre from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Brett Festerling and a fifth-round draft pick in 2012. Lapierre has eight points while playing in all 38 games this season for the Canadiens, leading the club in penalty minutes.

Sent The Edmonton Oilers sent left wing Linus Omark to the AHL, less than three weeks after he was criticized for showboating in his NHL debut. Omark took a lot of heat for his spin-o-rama goal in a 4-3 shootout win over Tampa Bay on Dec. 10.

Joined American goalkeeper Brad Guzan has joined the second-tier English team Hull City on a one-month loan. Guzan is under contract to the Premier League club Aston Villa but has been unable to oust fellow American Brad Friedel from the starting lineup. Guzan could debut for Hull in a League Championship match against Leicester today.

Leaving Switzerland’s Alpine coach is leaving the team at the end of the season. The country’s ski federation said it could not agree on a contract to keep Martin Rufener as the men’s coach through the 2014 Sochi (Russia) Winter Olympics.