Felton was arraigned early Tuesday on charges of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and criminal possession of a firearm. He returned to practice Wednesday morning.

Felton was released on $25,000 bond and his case was adjourned until June 2. The judge in the case issued a six-month order of protection that prevents him from having contact with his wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, who had an attorney turn in a loaded weapon to a Manhattan police precinct after stating that she did not want the gun in her house.

Felton spoke to the media Wednesday but declined to discuss his legal issues. "This is not a distraction to the team," Felton said as he began his remarks.

There were no internal discussions within the Knicks organization about whether Felton would be held out, Woodson said. Woodson did tell reporters that he spoke with Felton on Tuesday night.

"When things creep in like this, it's a surprise," Felton said, according to Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. "But we gotta get through it. Dont know the legal side and the seriousness of it."

Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who also played with Felton in Charlotte, said he does not expect Felton's arrest to become a distraction. "We're brothers," Chandler told reporters.


GRANGER BUYOUT


The 76ers completed a buyout of recently acquired forward Danny Granger on Wednesday, the team announced.

Sixers GM Sam Hinkie lauded the former Pacers star's ability and how he handled the buyout process.

"His accomplishments and accolades to this point of his NBA career more than speak for themselves, so I would like to express that I have a great deal of respect for Danny Granger as a person," Hinkie said in a prepared statement. "The manner with which he carried himself throughout this process was professional, courteous and respectful, and speaks volumes about his character."

Now that he is free to sign with another team, Granger, who was traded from Indiana to Philadelphia at last week's deadline, will have options. Several teams have interest in him, including the Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Rockets and Spurs, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. The competition could be limited to the Clippers and Spurs when Granger clears waivers on Friday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports.

All of these contending teams could use an extra scorer who is willing to add spark without causing disruption, which is what Granger will provide. The Pacers have found that in guard Evan Turner, who posted 13 points and six rebounds in his debut. 

Granger, a former franchise player, was given time to thrive in a bench scoring role for the Pacers, but did not produce as expected. He has dealt with injuries in recent years, and that no doubt has affected his productivity. Granger gave the Pacers 8.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 29 games, but he has career averages of 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds.

"Given Danny's future goals and his desire to pursue them, we worked to fulfill his requests and have come to a resolution that we feel is mutually beneficial to both Danny and our organization," Hinkie said. "We wish Danny the best in the next phase of his career."


JAMES MASK


LeBron James says his new protective mask is hot, uncomfortable and prone to fogging up. Plus, as teammate Dwyane Wade pointed out, it looks weird.

So James is in the market for design suggestions.

"I've been talking to Marvel Comics for the last couple of days, and DC Comics, to try to come up with one of the greatest masks of all time," James said with a chuckle Wednesday. "So we'll see what happens."

James spoke after trying out his new mask for the first time in practice. He plans to use it Thursday when the Heat play the Knicks.

The game will be the first for James since he broke his nose last Thursday in a victory at Oklahoma City. He and his mask took part in contact drills Wednesday, and coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged by James' progress.

"He'll give it a shot Thursday," Spoelstra told reporters. "He was able to go through today without any hiccups. But he also didn't take a hit today."

Given James' aggressive style of play, he's bound to receive an inadvertent blow to the face sooner or later; thus, the mask.

"It lessens the impact," said James, who wore a mask 10 years ago to protect a broken cheekbone. "You can still feel it, because the nose is still tender. But it definitely lessens the pain."

James had removed his clear mask by the time media were admitted to the gym for the end of practice, but teammates provided a description.

"He looked like every other player in a mask — it looks weird," Wade said. "He looks like the LeBron that wore a mask the first time, only about 30 pounds heavier, a little more muscular, a little less hair."

Said Shane Battier with a grin: "As long as No. 6 is in uniform, he looks all right to me."


PIPPEN COUNTERSUIT


Scottie Pippen has filed a countersuit against a Southern California man who claims the former Bulls star assaulted him at a sushi restaurant last year.

The Los Angeles Times reports the cross-complaint filed this month alleges 49-year-old Camran Shafighi cursed at Pippen using racial slurs, spat on him and his children and threatened to kill him.

Pippen's suit calls for unspecified damages.

Shafighi filed a $4 million lawsuit against Pippen, accusing him of a "brutal and unjustified physical attack" that allegedly occurred outside Malibu's Nobu restaurant after Shafighi had sought a picture with the Basketball Hall of Famer.

An attorney for Shafighi declined Tuesday to comment on the cross-complaint.

Los Angeles County prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to bring assault charges against the 47-year-old Pippen.

Contributors: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press