NBA

– The Celtics have signed G Rajon Rondo to a five-year/$55M extension.

– The Grizzlies and F Rudy Gay are close to finalizing a five-year/$50-60M deal.

– The Cavaliers are in talks with G Antonio Daniels about a contract.

– Bucks G Michael Redd (knee) is out two weeks. They will also not pick up F Joe Alexander’s $2.76M option.

NHL

– According to The Inquirer, Panthers owner Alan Cohen is trying to sell the majority share of the team. Since he bought it in 2001, the team has lost $100M.

– The Canucks have signed F Matt Pettinger.

TNA

– Some within WWE who don’t usually watch TNA iMPACT! tuned in this past Thursday for the Hulk Hogan announcement and felt the company put on a horrible product. Internally, the feeling is Hogan joining TNA isn’t a big deal with some going as far to say that the wrestling legend and Eric Bischoff will “kill the company dead.”

– There are new details regarding the backstage tension between TNA champion AJ Styles and head writer Vince Russo. Russo recently confronted Styles after Styles told TNA president Dixie Carter that there should be a wrestler on the creative team. Russo started yelling at Styles, who responded by saying Russo has booked him as a weak champion in recent weeks.

– Frankie Kazarian asked to be released from his TNA contract at the most recent TNA iMPACT! tapings because he’s been frustrated with the creative direction of his character, Suicide. TNA management was ready to grant the release until AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels stepped in and smoothed things out between both sides.

WWE

– In an interview with Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke at length about how important it is for WWE to overhaul its recruiting process and find the next generation of superstars.

On new talent: “It’s just a matter focusing on recruiting and finding world class athletes and encouraging them to have the aptitude and desire – and maybe more importantly, be fans of the product – to try this profession. It’s imperative. The scouting and the whole process has to be accelerated and maintained and improved upon every single day. As long as they have that mind-set, they’re going to continue to find good young guys that have potential. And then about one or two out of 10 will make it. It’s going to be an interesting future, but I don’t perceive it to be bleak whatsoever.”

On Jack Swagger: “Swagger’s got a blessing and a curse. He has the blessing of having so much God-given physical ability as a natural 6-5 or 6-6 kid that’s 260, so he has good size. He has an amazing athletic background. He’s been wrestling since he was in elementary school.  He wrestled in a Division I program [at Oklahoma] with good success. But he’s one of those guys that is so good that he can put it in a little above neutral and be better than most. What he has to find is the fire inside him that’s going to drive him internally to get to the next level and the next level after that.”

– WWE Studios is developing a feature film around the one and only Undertaker. The movie will be a Western set in the 1800s and will reveal the origins of the Undertaker character.

– The Connecticut Democratic party has filed a formal complaint against Linda McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment, alleging that WWE executives provided an illegal “in-kind campaign contribution” by having several embarrassing videos removed from YouTube.

“If Linda McMahon is going to talk glowingly about her role as CEO of the WWE, then she also must answer for the kind of female-degrading, sexually-exploitive, steroid-fueled programming it’s become known for,” said Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party.

After Linda McMahon’s political rivals drew attention to some of the more outrageous segments featured on WWE programming in recent years (including the infamous scene of Triple H simulating sex with a Katie Vick’s corpse), WWE officials immediately had the videos removed from YouTube and claimed they were protecting their content from piracy. Democrats allege Linda McMahon’s campaign violated federal law when WWE had the videos taken off YouTube.

“WWE has selectively enforced its rights only insofar as they benefit Ms. McMahon’s candidacy. The facts demonstrate that WWE made expenditures in connection with an election, in clear violation of FECA,” the complaint says. “WWE expended its corporate resources – including the time of Mr. Zimmerman and other corporate personnel, and its attorneys – all used in the service of Ms. McMahon’s campaign to force YouTube to remove only the videos that reflected poorly on Ms. McMahon, while ignoring the multitude of other WWE-owned material still hosted on YouTube.”

NFL

– The Chargers have released WR Chris Chambers. The 31-year-old managed just 122 yards in seven games.

– Saints DT Sedrick Ellis (knee) is out four-to-six weeks. New Orleans’ best all-around interior lineman, Ellis’ loss is a big blow to a run defense that ranked in the top six during the season’s first half.

– Texans WR Owen Daniels (ACL) is out for the season.