March 2010 – Page 10 – NBA Blog

Suns assign Earl Clark to D-League

The Phoenix Suns today assigned rookie forward Earl Clark to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr.

The 6-10, 225-pound Clark was selected by the Suns with the 14th overall pick (first round) of the 2009 NBA Draft and has appeared in 45 games this season for Phoenix. Clark will spend his first stint in the D-League.

The three-year standout at the University of Louisville, Clark owns averages of 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in 7.6 minutes this season for the Suns. Clark has scored in double figures three times in 2009-10, including a career-high 14 points off the bench Nov. 27 at Minnesota.

Currently sixth in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the Suns (41-26) return to action Tuesday night, hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-53) at US Airways Center at 7 p.m. Phoenix time. The game can be seen locally on FOX Sports Arizona and heard on Sports 620 KTAR.

Warriors lower prices for season ticket renewals

The Golden State Warriors are lowering the price of tickets for Season Ticket Holders in every seating category at Oracle Arena for the 2010-11 NBA season as part a Loyalty Pricing program, the team announced today. Current Season Ticket Holders, who began receiving their renewal invoices over the weekend, will be able to renew their seats for next season at 43-game price totals that have been decreased 8%-28% from the 2009-10 campaign.

“This is the right thing to do,” said Warriors’ President Robert Rowell. “We have had constant communication with our Season Ticket Holders throughout the season and we are committed to addressing their needs and concerns. We have the best fans in the NBA and we are determined to ensure that their experience as Warriors’ Season Ticket Holders is not only more affordable, but also worthy of the loyalty they have demonstrated to us over the years.”

Of the 16 price categories, 14 will realize a decrease of more than 12% as part of the new Loyalty Pricing structure, and eight (8) – or half of the categories – will see a decrease of at least 15%. The largest percentage decrease in the lower level is a 24.62% decrease in the corner sections and the largest percentage decrease in the building is a 28% decrease in the upper level.

All Season Ticket Holders who place a deposit on their seats for next season by April 12 will be able to take advantage of the Loyalty Pricing. Those who choose not to take advantage of Loyalty Pricing will still be able to renew their seats for 2010-11 at the same price that they paid this season as part of a Price Freeze program. Additionally, all Season Ticket Holders have the option to pay off their seats via an installment plan, in which they will have up to eight months (April to November) to pay their due balance.

Freak accident puts Pacer Mike Dunleavy on bench

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

The Indiana Pacers found another way to have a player go down with an injury.

Swingman Mike Dunleavy was a last-minute scratch from the lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks after he suffered a right eye contusion when he was hit by a ball during pregame warm-ups Sunday.
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“I went in for a layup and somebody shot the ball and it came off the rim right into my eye,” said Dunleavy, who looked like he had been in a fight after the game.

The Pacers say they’re not sure of the severity of the injury.

“He saw (Milwaukee’s) ophthalmologist and we’re hoping it’s nothing serious,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “He was seeing a black spot out of his eye, so he was told he couldn’t play.”

Jazz sign Othyus Jeffers to second 10-day contract

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has signed rookie guard/forward Othyus Jeffers (pronounced OH-thee-us) to a second 10-day contract. Jeffers (6-5, 210, Robert Morris University (IL)) signed his first 10-day contract with the Jazz on March 4 and has appeared in two Jazz games since, averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 2.0 minutes per game.

When the Jazz signed him from the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy, Jeffers became the 18th D-League Call-Up to the NBA this season, and second by the Jazz (Sundiata Gaines).

Jeffers also became the fifth D-League Call-Up in Jazz history, joining Gaines, Rusty LaRue (2000-01), Mikki Moore (2003-04) and Louis Amundson (2006-07).

At the time of his call-up, Jeffers was averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting .510 from the field through 22 games (16 starts) with Iowa this season. Jeffers had led the Energy to a D-League best 30-9 record in his second season with the team, reaching double figures in scoring 18 times and registering a double-double in four games.

He began the 2009-10 campaign with NGC Cantu of the Italian League, the same team current Jazz teammate Sundiata Gaines played for during the 2008-09 season. The 24-year-old averaged 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals in nine games with Cantu.

A native of Chicago, he was originally selected by the Energy in the third round (47th overall) of the 2008 D-League Draft. In his first year with Iowa (2008-09), Jeffers led the Energy to the playoffs and was named the 2009 D-League Rookie of the Year in addition to being a D-League All-Star selection. Jeffers was also chosen to play for the D-League Select Team in the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Jeffers concluded his collegiate career at Robert Morris University in Chicago (24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game) earning The Sporting News NAIA Player of the Year and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. He preceded his one season at RMU with two seasons at Illinois-Chicago (13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) and one season at Los Angeles Southwest College (22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game).

Kings have no clear small forward

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports:

When it comes to the small forward position, coach Paul Westphal continues to stare into a cloudy crystal ball.

Donté Greene is the latest to fill that role, as he has started the last four games. But as Westphal sees it, he remains one of the many who continue to compete for the job.

“I honestly don’t think that any of them have made the case (for the job) that would stand all tests,” Westphal said. “We’ve had some good play at times from Donté, Omri (Casspi), Ime (Udoka), (Andres) Nocioni and Cisco (García) in that spot. Dominic (McGuire) could probably play it pretty well if he had a chance, and he hasn’t really had a chance.”

Luis Scola scores 44 on Nets

The AP reports:

Luis Scola glanced at the scoreboard during the second half of Saturday’s game against New Jersey and the night he was having finally started to sink in.

Scola finished with a career-high 44 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Nets 116-108 to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.

Scola hit 20 of 25 shots, many of them open layups, and reached the highest point total by a Rockets player since Tracy McGrady scored 47 against Utah in November 2007.

“It was one of those nights where you’re feeling good, but then everything you try, works,” Scola said. “I’m probably as surprised as you are.”

The New York Post reports:

Scola seemed to sneak inside for layups all night, and finished off the Nets with a straight-on jumper that put Houston up 103-93 with just over four minutes left. Scola hit 6 of 8 shots and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Knicks dominate, end 13-game Mavs win streak

The AP reports:

Bill Walker scored a career-high 23 points, Wilson Chandler added 22 and the New York Knicks snapped Dallas’ 13-game winning streak and avenged a 50-point loss to the Mavericks earlier this season with a 128-94 victory on Saturday night…

Rookie Toney Douglas had 21 points, Al Harrington added 20 points, and David Lee contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, who’d lost 14 of their previous 17 and nine straight in Dallas.

InsideHoops.com Notes:

The Knicks as a team shot 56.2%; the Mavericks hit 42.5%. But even better for New York was their incredible three-point shooting: 16-of-30. The Knicks also won the assists category, 28-14.

For New York, Walker shot 9-of-12 and hit 5-of-8 threes. Wilson Chandler scored 22 but he needed 20 shots to do it. Douglas, starting at point guard, shot 8-of-10 for his 21 points, and he dished eight assists. Harrington hit 8-of-15. And David Lee was fantastic in the middle, contributing 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.

For Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki had a modest 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Kidd had 15 points on 12 shots and not much more. Shawn Marion had a mere 14 points on 15 shots. And Caron Butler was virtually invisible in his 30 minutes with seven points, three steals and little else.

NBA suspends Kirk Hinrich, fines Alvin Gentry

Kirk Hinrich of the Chicago Bulls has been suspended one game without pay for making contact with a game official and, in a separate incident, Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry has been fined $25,000 for improper conduct towards a game official and for not leaving the court in a timely manner following his ejection, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident involving Hinrich occurred with 4:43 remaining in the fourth period of the Bulls’ 108-95 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday, March 12, at the American Airlines Arena. Hinrich will serve his suspension on Tuesday, March 16 when the Bulls face the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

The incident involving Gentry occurred with 5:06 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Suns’ 102-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, March 12 at the US Airways Center.

Spurs sign Garrett Temple to 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Garrett Temple from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. Temple is the 23rd call-up of the 2009-10 D-League season.

The 6-6, 190-pound Temple has seen time this season with the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. Signed as an undrafted free agent by Houston on 9/22, he averaged 2.5 points and 0.3 assists in four preseason games with the Rockets before being waived on 10/21. Temple was allocated to Rio Grande Valley on 11/4 and averaged 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 30 games with the Vipers. He signed his first of two 10-day contracts with Houston on 2/8. In nine games with the Rockets he averaged 5.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.1 minutes. On 3/3 Temple signed a 10-day contract with Sacramento. He averaged 2.2 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.6 minutes with the Kings.

Temple averaged 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists over his four seasons at LSU. He left school as the Tigers all-time leader in games played (134), starts (131) and minutes played (4,432). Temple also ranked fourth in career assists (482), seventh in steals (191) and fourth in blocks (113) in school history.

Temple will wear uniform #2.

Bobcats sign Larry Hughes

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Larry Hughes. A first-round draft pick of Philadelphia in 1998, where he played for Bobcats Head Coach Larry Brown, Hughes was waived by Sacramento on Feb. 23 after a trade from New York on Feb. 18.

The 6-5 Hughes is in his 12th NBA season, with career averages of 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.2 minutes over 704 games with prior stops in Philadelphia, Golden State, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York.

In 45 career playoff games (38 starts), Hughes averaged 13.2 points with the Sixers, Wizards and Cavaliers. During Cleveland’s run to the NBA Finals in 2006-07, Hughes averaged 14.9 points against eventual champion San Antonio.

Hughes has averaged double-figure scoring in 10 of his 11 NBA seasons, including a career-best 22.0 points per game with the Wizards in 2004-05. In that same season, he led the league with 2.89 steals and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team.

In 31 games (four starts) played with the Knicks this season, Hughes averaged 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.5 minutes.

An early entry candidate in the 1998 NBA Draft, Hughes spent just one season at the University of St. Louis before becoming the eighth overall pick by the Sixers. He led the Billikens and Conference USA in scoring, set a school single-season scoring record with 670 points and was selected First Team All-Conference and Freshman of the Year.

Hughes will wear jersey #0. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.