March 2011 – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Rockets sign Mike Harris to 10-day contract

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Harris to a 10-day contract.

Harris (6-6, 235, Rice) returns to Houston after playing in China with the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks. The former Rice standout actually began this season in training camp with the Rockets before being waived on Oct. 18, 2010. Overall Harris owns NBA career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 30 prior games with Houston and the Washington Wizards. He has also played in the NBA D-League with the Colorado 14ers (2006-07) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-10). In 2009-10, Harris averaged a league-leading 27.1 points (.582, 363-624 FG), 10.5 rebounds (third in D-League), 1.9 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (31 starts) with Rio Grande Valley, guiding the Vipers to the 2009-10 D-League championship. He was also named NBA D-League MVP and earned First-Team All-NBA D-League honors last season.

Harris will wear jersey #33 with the Rockets. Houston’s roster currently stands at 15 players.

Nets recall Ben Uzoh from D-League

The New Jersey Nets have recalled rookie point guard Ben Uzoh from the Springfield Armor (D-League), Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Uzoh appeared in four games with the Armor, three starts, and averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.25 steals in 33.3 minutes. He shot .609 (28-46) from the field and had his best outing at Sioux Falls on 3/22 when he tallied 27 points, 12-14 FG’s, nine rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes.

In 32 games with the Nets this season, the Tulsa alum is averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 assists in 9.1 minutes. He tallied a career-high 18 points in 22 minutes at Houston on 2/26.

Lakers edge Suns in 3OT

The AP reports:

Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points, Ron Artest got five of his 18 points in the final 2 minutes of the third overtime, and Los Angeles outlasted Phoenix for a 139-137 victory Tuesday night in an enormously entertaining rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

“I wish we would have put them away when we should have,” said Lamar Odom, who had a season-high 29 points and 16 rebounds while playing over 55 minutes filling in for suspended center Andrew Bynum. “But we found a way to win, and that’s all that matters…

“We really needed this game,” said Phoenix’s Channing Frye, who had a career-high 32 points and 14 rebounds. “This one hurts.” …

Gasol added 24 points and 13 rebounds in just the Lakers’ fourth triple-overtime game since they moved to Los Angeles in 1960. The Lakers hadn’t hosted a triple-OT game since 1969.

The stakes were higher for the 10th-place Suns (35-34), who are scrapping to return the playoffs. Steve Nash had 19 points and 20 assists, while Marcin Gortat added 24 points and 16 rebounds in the Suns’ fifth loss in seven games.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson thinks city will lose Kings

The AP reports:

Sacramento’s Mayor is already preparing for life without the Kings.

In a strongly worded blog posted on his website Tuesday night, Mayor and former NBA player Kevin Johnson wrote the franchise’s possible relocation to Anaheim “feels like a slow death” and this “will likely be the Kings’ final weeks in Sacramento after 26 years.”

Johnson met with Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof last month and has believed since that the Kings will leave after this season.

After years of not receiving public dollars to build a new arena in Sacramento, the Maloofs began discussions with Anaheim officials about relocating the franchise to Orange County. An attorney representing the Kings also filed for at least four federal trademarks registrations: Anaheim Royals, Anaheim Royals of Southern California, Orange County Royals and Los Angeles Royals.

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Rudy Gay

rudy gay

He’s lanky.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation, as recommended by team physician Dr. Fred Azar of the Campbell Clinic. Gay also received this recommendation from Dr. Barry Phillips and Dr. Robert Miller of the Campbell Clinic and Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

The need for surgery has always been a possibility in the event that non-operative rehabilitation was unsuccessful. The date of the surgery is yet to be determined.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward has missed the last 14 games, including last night’s 103-85 victory over Utah, since suffering the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia. Memphis is 8-6 over that span.

Gay averaged 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his fifth NBA season while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9, 3rd in the NBA).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

Gay is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season.

James Harden has stepped up since Jeff Green trade

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports:

No one needed to say anything to James Harden.

When Jeff Green was dealt to Boston three weeks ago in the trade that brought Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder, Harden knew immediately that he needed to be more productive.

“We had to make up for those 15 points that we lost,” Harden said. “Everybody’s level of play had to step up.”

Harden, though, shot up to a level few thought he could reach — at least not this quickly.

In 15 games since the All-Star break, Harden has averaged 17.7 points. That total trails only Dallas’ Jason Terry for points off the bench over that span. Harden’s 50.6 percent shooting over that same span, meanwhile, ranks fifth among shooting guards with at least 10 games played.

By comparison, Harden averaged just 10.3 points on 41.3 percent shooting prior to the All-Star break. The turnaround has transformed the second-year guard into one of the league’s best Sixth Men.

Rockets assign Hasheem Thabeet to D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has assigned center Hasheem Thabeet to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Thabeet, who is the third Rockets player to be assigned to the Vipers this season, also averaged 13.8 points, 11.2 boards and 3.17 blocks in six games (four starts) with the NBA D-League Dakota Wizards in 2009-10.

“With one game in the next six nights, we wanted to take advantage of the break in the Rockets schedule to give Hasheem some extended playing time with the Vipers,” said Rockets Vice President of Player Personnel and RGV Vipers GM Gersson Rosas. “Hasheem has been working with our Rockets coaching staff over the past few weeks, but this opportunity to get valuable game experience with Rio Grande Valley will help with his long-term development.”

Thabeet (7-3, 263, Connecticut), who was acquired by Houston from Memphis on Feb. 24, has played in two games with the Rockets since the trade. He averaged 1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.33 blocks in 45 games with the Grizzlies this season and made his Rockets debut vs. New Jersey (2/26/11). Selected by Memphis with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Thabeet stands as the first Tanzanian-born player to be drafted by and play for an NBA team. In 2009-10, Thabeet ranked second among rookies in blocks per game (1.31) and actually led the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (4.84).

He finished his rookie campaign with averages of 3.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes over 68 games (13 starts) in 2009-10. At Connecticut, Thabeet was named the 2009 Co-Big East Player of the Year along with Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair. He was also a two-time winner of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009.

Aaron Brooks suspended for throwing ball at referee

Aaron Brooks of the Phoenix Suns has been suspended for an incident during Friday’s game, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Brooks has been suspended one game without pay for throwing a ball at an official and striking him in the leg. The incident occurred with 7:46 remaining in the fourth period of the Suns’ 108-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors at the US Airways Center in Phoenix.

Brooks will serve his suspension today in Los Angeles when the Suns play the Los Angeles Clippers in a 3:30 p.m. EDT/12:30 p.m. PDT game at the Staples Center.

Andrew Bynum suspended two games for foul on Mike Beasley

Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended for his actions during a game on Friday, March 18, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Bynum has been suspended for two games without pay for his Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two against Michael Beasley of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The incident occurred with 6:16 remaining in the fourth period of the Lakers’ 106-98 victory at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Bynum will serve his suspension when the Lakers host the Portland Trailblazer at 9:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. PDT at the Staples Center today and on Tuesday, March 22 when the Lakers host the Suns at 10:30 p.m. EDT/ 7:30 p.m. PDT.

DeAndre Jordan has pneumonia

Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan was admitted to Marina Del Rey Hospital Saturday night and was diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia. He was given intravenous antibiotics and held overnight for further tests.

Jordan’s status has improved significantly from last night and he is responding well to treatment. He will not play in the Clippers game today at STAPLES Center against the Phoenix Suns.