Month: December 2011

Bucks match Nuggets offer to forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

The Milwaukee Bucks have matched the Denver Nuggets offer sheet to restricted free agent Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230) and re-signed the fourth-year forward to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.  We’ll post details of the contract later today on this page.

Under NBA rules, the Bucks had three days to match Denver’s offer sheet to Mbah a Moute or he would have become a member of the Nuggets.

Mbah a Moute, 25, appeared in 79 games (52 starts) for the Bucks last season and averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. He was second on the team in rebounds (420 total) and recorded a career-high eight point/rebound double-doubles and 25 games with double figure scoring.

Entering his fourth NBA season, Mbah a Moute has appeared in 234 games (166 starts) and averaged 6.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He was the 37th overall pick by Milwaukee in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA, where he earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 10 and Honorable Mention All-Defensive Team honors as a junior.

Minor knee injury keeps Carmelo Anthony out of Knicks practice

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony, who hyperextend his knee during Monday’s scrimmage, is sitting out Tuesday’s practice session.

The Knicks had listed him as day-to-day, and it is unclear if he will undergo any MRI exams.

Anthony suffered the injury when he stepped on rookie Iman Shumpert’s foot as he was coming off a screen.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post (Blog)

Nets sign forward Shelden Williams

Shelden Williams

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Shelden Williams, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

“We are pleased to add Shelden to our roster,” said King.  “He is a proven veteran who will add depth to our frontcourt rotation.”

Williams (6’9”/250), a five-year NBA veteran who has played for six teams, holds career averages of 4.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 303 games.

Selected out of Duke by Atlanta with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Williams played one and a half seasons with the Hawks before being traded to the Sacramento Kings during the to the 2007-08 season.

After splitting the 2008-09 season between Sacramento and Minnesota, Williams signed as a free agent with Boston for the 2009-10 season, where he appeared in 54 regular season games and eight postseason contests, helping the Celtics reach the NBA Finals.

Last season, Williams played in 42 games with the Denver Nuggets before a mid-season trade that sent him to New York, where he appeared in 17 games.  Totaling 59 (38 starts) games in 2010-11, Williams had season averages of 4.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Ben Wallace gets probation for DUI, gun charges

Ben Wallace

Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace was sentenced Tuesday to a year of probation but avoided jail time on drunken driving and gun possession charges that stemmed from a September traffic stop in suburban Detroit.

Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Shalina Kumar also sentenced Wallace to 30 hours of community service.

Assistant Prosecutor Robert Novey didn’t ask for jail time and told Kumar that prosecutors wanted to treat Wallace “as if his name was Ben Smith.”

— Reported by Corey Williams of the Associated Press

Detroit Pistons waive guard Kareem Rush

Kareem Rush

The Detroit Pistons announced this evening that the club has requested waivers on guard Kareem Rush. He was signed mostly for training camp purposes and as far as we know, did not have a regular season contract with the team.

In the 2009-10 NBA season, Rush played seven games for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 1.3 ppg.

In 2008-09, he played 25 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 2.2 ppg.

Rush averaged 8.3 ppg for the Indiana Pacers in 2007-08, and 10.1 ppg for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2005-06.

Clippers match Warriors offer and re-sign DeAndre Jordan

DeAndre Jordan

The Los Angeles Clippers today re-signed restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers matched an offer sheet presented to Jordan by the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Dec. 11. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. It had been reported to be a four-year deal worth $43 million.

Under current NBA rules, the Clippers had three days to match the Warriors’ offer sheet to the Texas native, or Jordan would have become a member of the Warriors.

Originally drafted by the Clippers with the 35th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Jordan, 23, is entering his third NBA season after enjoying a breakout 2010-11 with Los Angeles. The 6-foot-11 center appeared in a career-high 80 games last season, making 66 starts and averaging 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 25.6 minutes.

Jordan finished third in the NBA with 158 dunks and shot a team-high 68.6 percent (234-of-341 FG) from the field, the highest field goal percentage of any player in the NBA with over 300 field goal attempts.

In his career, the Texas A&M product has appeared in 203 games and averaged 5.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Clippers claim Chauncey Billups off waivers

Chauncey Billups

The Los Angeles Clippers today claimed five-time NBA All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups off of waivers. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. Billups, 35, was waived by the New York Knicks on Dec. 10.

Billups averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 32.1 minutes in 72 games with Denver and New York last season. Billups was traded to the Knicks on Feb. 22.

The 14-year veteran point guard was an NBA All-Star in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2005-06 and the All-NBA Third Team in 2006-07 and 2008-09. Billups helped lead the Detroit Pistons to the 2003-04 NBA Championship and was selected the 2004 NBA Finals MVP for his stellar play in the series.

Originally drafted by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft after a standout career at the University of Colorado, Billups has appeared in 982 career NBA games for Boston, Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, Detroit and the Knicks, averaging 15.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-3, 210 pound Colorado native was also a member of the gold medal winning USA Team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship.

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Vince Carter

Vince Carter

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Vince Carter. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Carter (6-6, 220) is an eight-time NBA All-Star who currently ranks 35th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (eighth among active players) with 20,250 career points. The former Rookie of the Year (1998-99) and Slam Dunk Contest winner (2000) holds career averages of 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 925 games (907 starts) with Toronto, New Jersey, Orlando and Phoenix.

Originally the fifth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Carter was traded on draft day to the Toronto Raptors where he would help lead that franchise to its first Playoff appearance in 2000. In December of 2004, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets where he would team with current-Maverick Jason Kidd. Carter spent five seasons in New Jersey and is still ranked in the franchise’s Top 10 in 19 statistical categories.

The native of Daytona Beach, Fla., was traded to the Orlando Magic on draft day in 2009. Carter would play in his home state for a little more than a season, but in his short time there he helped take the Magic to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. In December of 2010, Carter was traded to the Phoenix Suns where he finished out last season and scored his 20,000th point becoming just the 37th NBA player to accomplish that feat.

Carter was a standout at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he led the Tarheels to two consecutive Final Four berths (1997, 1998). Carter declared himself eligible for the 1998 NBA Draft after his junior season in Chapel Hill.

Spurs guard Gary Neal undergoes appendectomy

The San Antonio Spurs announced that earlier today a successful appendectomy was performed on guard Gary Neal. The laparoscopic procedure was performed in San Antonio and Neal’s appendix was removed without complications.

Neal enjoyed a successful rookie campaign during the 2010-11 season. He averaged 9.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 21.1 minutes in 80 games. He led all rookies in three-point field goal percentage, posting a .419 mark, and earned a spot on the 2011 All-Rookie First Team.

For the first week of his recovery Neal will not be allowed to engage in any physical activity. Next week he will be examined by doctors at which point a timeline for his return will be determined.