The Suns do not know the severity of Bledsoe's right knee injury at the moment. The belief is that he suffered some damage to the meniscus in his right knee in a Dec. 30 game against his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether that is the case will not be known until Bledsoe actually goes in for surgery, however.

Bledsoe has sat out of the Suns' last four games for a sprained knee, the team announced this week.

Originally drafted at No.18 in 2010 by the OKC Thunder and traded to the Clippers, Bledsoe has emerged as a Most Improved Player candidate since being shipped to the Suns. This season Bledsoe has averaged 18.0 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in a surprising 21-13 start in Phoenix.

Bledsoe is the latest in a line of athletic NBA guards to suffer a knee injuries. Previously, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and others have gone down with meniscus injuries.


WOLVES TURMOIL 


One day after things fell apart on the court and in the locker room, the Minnesota Timberwolves gathered to try to clear the air and move forward from a disastrous home loss to Phoenix.

The Timberwolves met at Target Center on Thursday for a film session and light shootaround, but canceled a full practice after giving away a nine-point lead late in a 104-103 loss to the Suns on Wednesday night. Kevin Love criticized Dante Cunningham and J.J. Barea for sulking on the bench after the game, and the Wolves dropped to 0-10 in games decided by four points or less.

The Wolves were not available to the media on Thursday, but did meet to discuss the game.

They hit the floor next on Friday against the Charlotte Bobcats.


RODMAN APOLOGY


Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments he made in North Korea about a detained American missionary, saying he had been drinking and was under pressure as he organized a game with former NBA players.

The former basketball star issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press, a day after he sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of the friendly game.

Rodman has been slammed for not using his influence with Kim to help free Kenneth Bae, the missionary in poor health who is being confined in North Korea for "anti-state" crimes. In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Rodman implied Bae was at fault.

"I want to apologize," Rodman said Thursday. "I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It's not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It's not an excuse, it's just the truth."

Rodman said he wanted to apologize first to Bae's family. "I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry."

In the interview, Rodman was asked whether he would raise the issue of Bae during his visit.

"Kenneth Bae did one thing," Rodman replied. "If you understand what Kenneth Bae did — do you understand what he did in this country?"

Asked to explain, Rodman declined to respond.

Bae, a Korean-American Christian missionary and tour operator based in China, has been detained for more than a year. North Korea sees missionary work as a threat to its authoritarian government.


HARDEN STREAK


James Harden is heating up for the Houston Rockets, his foot and ankle problems no longer looking like much of a problem.

He has averaged more than 37 points the last three games — welcome news for an inconsistent team dealing with injuries in its first season with Dwight Howard.

Harden is enjoying the roll, but says it's more important that the team wins and plays the right way. Houston has won two in a row and starts a four-game road trip Friday in Atlanta.

Harden's scoring outburst is something that hasn't been seen in Houston in almost two decades. He's the first Rocket to score at least 37 points in three straight games since Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon did in 1994-95.

Contributors: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press