April 2012 – Page 14 – NBA Blog

2012 WNBA Draft is Monday

The Los Angeles Sparks are expected to select Stanford’s Nnemkadi Ogwumike at No. 1 overall. She led the Cardinal to consecutive Final Fours, losing to eventual champion Baylor this season.

Ogwumike would join a crowded Los Angeles frontcourt that includes Parker, veterans DeLisha Milton-Jones and Ebony Hoffman, second-year center Jantel Lavender and fifth-year center Nicky Anosike.

”Assuming that that happens and I end up in L.A., I think I’m looking forward to playing with a lot of experienced posts,” said the 6-foot-2 Ogwumike, who averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds this season. ”I can still elevate my game at this point, but I think it will be good to see what I can learn from people.”

The Sparks, who have a new coach in former Atlanta assistant Carol Ross and added former All-Star Alana Beard, also have three of the first four picks in the second round.

After Ogwumike, this year’s draft will be wide open. Miami’s Shenise Johnson, Tennessee’s Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen, Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters and Natalie Novosel, and Miami’s Riquana Williams are among the top players available. Ohio State’s Samantha Prahalis and Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes could also be picked in the first round.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Cavaliers assign Luke Harangody to D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned forward Luke Harangody to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Harangody has played in 16 regular season games (all starts) with the Charge, averaging 19.4 points on .486 shooting, including .413 from three-point range, and 12.6 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game. In the Charge’s first-ever playoff game, Friday, April 13, Harangody totaled 16 points on 6-12 shooting (.500), nine rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes in Canton’s 108-93 victory over the Springfield Armor.

The 6-foot-8 forward has appeared in 16 games with Cleveland this season, posting averages of 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game, including last night in Washington where Harangody recorded a double-double and posted team highs of 16 points on 6-11 (.545) shooting, 10 rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes.

He will be available for Game 2 of Canton’s best-of-three first round playoff series with the Springfield Armor tonight in Springfield.

Bobcats sign forward Jamario Moon

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Jamario Moon. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Moon will wear No. 9.

A four-year NBA veteran, the 6-8 Moon has played in 278 career games for the Raptors, Heat, Clippers and Cavaliers, with career averages of 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds. He was signed by the Raptors as a rookie free agent prior to the 2007-08 season and went on to earn Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for January 2008 before being selected to the All-Rookie Second Team following the season. Moon also participated in the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend.

In 2010-11, Moon averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 59 total games split between the Cavaliers and the Clippers. He saw action in 40 games for Cleveland, averaging 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 19.1 minutes, before being traded to the Clippers along with Mo Williams in exchange for Baron Davis and a first-round draft pick. With the Clippers, he averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19 games played.

Moon becomes the 52nd player this season called up from the NBA D-League, where he played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders. In 12 games this season, Moon averaged 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.8 minutes.

After playing one season at Meridian Community College in Mississippi, Moon began his professional career in 2001-02 with the Mobile Revelers of the NBA D-League. He also played for teams in the USBL, ABA, WBA and CBA, as well as in Mexico during the six-year period before he joined the Raptors in 2007-08.

Clippers beat Warriors, keep chasing Lakers in standings

Chris Paul had 28 points and 13 assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors 112-104 on Saturday to close within a game of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead.

Blake Griffin added 20 points, DeAndre Jordan 18 and Mo Williams 14 in the Clippers’ third straight win and 11th in their last 13 games. They are also chasing the idle Lakers for the third seed in the Western Conference with six games remaining.

The Clippers’ 36 wins are their most since they won 40 games in 2006-07.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Tyson Chandler hopes to win Defensive Player of Year

Tyson Chandler never toots his own horn about anything, which may be one reason he never has made an All-Star team. But when the subject of the Defensive Player of the Year Award was raised yesterday, Chandler admitted he hopes he will be considered.

Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said he “absolutely’’ believes Chandler is a candidate, and Chandler revealed it’s been a secret goal.

“It would mean an awful lot to me,’’ Chandler said at yesterday’s morning shootaround. “That was one of my goals coming into the season. I felt I put myself right in the thick of things for consideration. I personally feel like I deserve it. It would be a great honor.’’

Ballots for the NBA awards were sent out to the media yesterday, and Chandler will draw consideration for one of the three All-NBA teams at center. The four All-Star centers this season were Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bynum and Marc Gasol.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Cavs recall Luke Harangody from D-League

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled forward Luke Harangody from the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Harangody was assigned to Canton on March 6th and played in 16 regular season games (all starts) with the Charge, averaging 19.4 points on .486 shooting, including .413 from three-point range, and 12.6 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game. In the Charge’s first-ever playoff game last night, Harangody totaled 16 points on 6-12 shooting (.500), nine rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes in Canton’s 108-93 victory over the Springfield Armor. He is available for the Cavaliers’ game tonight at Washington.

The 6-foot-8 forward has appeared in 15 games with Cleveland this season, posting averages of 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game.

David Lee may be done for season

[Golden State Warriors forward David] Lee has been logging heavy minutes with a gash above his eye, bruises up and down both arms and a painful hip and back. Seeing that Lee’s hip had caused his lateral movement to become nonexistent, team doctors requested an MRI exam after Thursday’s loss to Dallas. The exam Friday revealed a strained groin and a stress reaction, and the doctors told Lee that continuing to play would risk substantial injury.

Once Riley got that news Friday morning, he walked down the stairs at the team’s downtown Oakland practice facility and saw Jefferson on the trainer’s table. Jefferson’s knee had doubled in size, and he was sent in for an MRI exam.

— Reported by Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle

Mike Brown misses Laker game due to personal reasons

Lakers coach Mike Brown left Staples Center shortly before tipoff Friday night for undisclosed personal reasons.

Assistant coach John Kuester coached Los Angeles’ game against the Denver Nuggets.

Brown is in his first season with the Lakers (37-22), who are in first place in the Pacific Division. He attended his regular pregame media gathering about 90 minutes before game time.

— Reported by the Associated Press

New Sacramento NBA arena update: Deal appears to be dead

Sacramento’s arena deal appears dead.

NBA Commissioner David Stern told reporters today the sides were “not able to make a deal,” adding “there’s nothing further to be done.”

“It’s not going to happen, but I can say the city has stepped up,” he said. “We have nothing further to give, to cajole, to yell, or all the various ways I’ve tried to keep the parties on track to get what we thought was a win win in Sacramento.”

Stern said the Maloof family and Mayor Kevin Johnson will meet today, but that he is not optimistic that meeting will result in a resolution. He said the Maloofs, concerned that the deal would add to their debt load, had developed second thoughts about the deal framework hammered out in Orlando in February.

Stern said the NBA had wanted the deal to happen, and had gone so far as to commit $7 million league funds and $67 million that the Maloofs could borrow on the NBA’s credit line.

Stern repeatedly complimented the city for its work on putting an arena deal. Of the Maloofs, he simply noted that they had the right as owners to reject the plan.

— Reported by the Sacramento Bee

Jayson Williams released from jail

Retired NBA star Jayson Williams was freed from jail Friday after serving eight months for drunken driving in New York and 18 months before that in New Jersey on charges stemming from a limo driver’s shooting death.

“I am eager to see my daughters, my mother and siblings and make amends for what they’ve been through, the former New Jersey Nets star said through his manager. “Start my life over with God being first and in the center of everything I do.”

Williams drove his SUV into a tree in lower Manhattan in 2010, a week after he accepted a plea deal stemming from the 2002 shotgun death of a chauffeur in his New Jersey mansion. His manager and attorneys have said he has since attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, gone through counseling and taught Bible study.

Williams had a six-year, $86 million contract with the Nets before a leg injury forced him to retire in 2000. Two years after he left the sport, he killed driver Costas Christofi with a 12-gauge shotgun while showing it to friends, having failed to check the weapon’s safety mechanism before snapping the gun closed.

— Reported by the Associated Press