March 2013 – Page 26 – NBA Blog

Former Knicks guard Ray Williams ailing from undisclosed illness

“Once a Knick, Always a Knick” is more than just a marketing slogan stitched inside the uniforms of each player who wears orange and blue.

For Ray Williams, it is a matter of life and death.

The ailing former Knicks guard, who has fallen on hard times, was transported by the Knicks last week from Florida to New York to receive treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan for an undisclosed illness. Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan paid for the medical plane that allowed Williams, 58, to receive world-class care and to be near his mother.

A product of Mount Vernon, Williams played 10 seasons with six teams, including two tours of duty with both the Knicks and Nets. The Knicks drafted Williams, who played one season with current Knicks coach Mike Woodson, with the 10th pick of the 1977 draft.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Hawks sign Shelvin Mack to 10-day contract

The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Shelvin Mack to a 10-day contract, Hawks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.

In his second NBA season, Mack has played in 11 total games (two starts) with the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.6 points on .401 shooting, 1.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13.7 minutes per game. In his seven games (two starts) with the Wizards, he averaged 5.3 points on .400 shooting, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 20.4 minutes per contest. He appeared in four games and totaled eight minutes played with the 76ers.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard from Butler most recently played with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. In 23 games (22 starts), he averaged 20.1 points on .454 shooting, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 40.3 minutes per game. He was selected to participate in the 2013 NBA Development League All-Star Game.

As a rookie in 2011-12, Mack played in 64 of 66 games with the Wizards, averaging 3.6 points on .400 shooting, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 12.1 minutes per game.

Mack will wear uniform No. 8, and will be available for tonight’s 7:30 p.m. game at Philips Arena versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta Hawks waive Jeremy Tyler

The Atlanta Hawks have waived forward/center Jeremy Tyler, Hawks President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.

Acquired from the Golden State Warriors on February 21, Tyler appeared in one game for the Hawks (March 4 at Denver), grabbing three rebounds in five minutes of action.

Avery Bradley steps up, Celtics beat Sixers 109-101

So much for Boston’s grim outlook once Rajon Rondo was lost for the season.

Avery Bradley has followed the trusted blueprint of dogged defense and impact scoring to help push the Celtics up the standings.

Bradley scored a season-high 22 points, and Paul Pierce had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

Kevin Garnett scored 18 points to help the Celtics improve to 12-4 since Rondo was lost with a torn knee ligament. The Celtics entered in seventh place, but were no more than two games behind the next three teams ahead in the standings. Bradley was 10 of 15 and chipped in seven rebounds and five assists, the kind of numbers needed for the Celtics to slip into a coveted top-four spot for the playoffs.

”My teammates have confidence in me and I have confidence in myself,” Bradley said. ”When I have an open shot, I have to take it. That’s how we play on this team. It helps us when I do that.”

Led by Pierce, the Celtics controlled the game and used a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to seal the win. Last May, these two teams went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. On Wednesday, the Sixers lost for the ninth time in 10 games and are well out of the playoff race.

Jrue Holiday had 18 points and 10 assists for the Sixers, and Thaddeus Young had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Evan Turner scored 18 points.

— Reported by Dan Gelston of the Associated Press

Jose Juan Barea flagrant foul on Ray Allen downgraded

J.J. Barea’s confrontation with Ray Allen got him ejected from Minnesota’s game against Miami on Monday night. One day later, the NBA ruled that Barea never should have been ejected.

Barea was encouraged by the correction, but it came a little too late for Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman. The NBA downgraded a flagrant 2 on Barea to a flagrant 1 on Tuesday, meaning Barea will not face a fine or suspension for his foul on Allen.

“The NBA did a good job looking at it,” Barea said after practice Tuesday. “It wasn’t that bad. It’s all right.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Serge Ibaka fined $25,000 for hitting Blake Griffin where it hurts

Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder has been fined $25,000 for striking Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers in the groin area, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident, which was called a Flagrant Foul 1 on the floor and upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 2 upon league office review, occurred with 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s 108-104 win over the Clippers on Sunday, March 3 at Staples Center.

Pau Gasol hopes to get clearance for running drills soon

Assuming he doesn’t experience any setbacks, Pau Gasol plans to seek medical clearance to participate in running drills once the Lakers returns Thursday from a two-day trip that includes stops in Oklahoma City (tonight) and New Orleans (Wednesday).

When the Lakers (30-30) play the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16) tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Gasol will have missed 12 games in the past month since tearing the plantar fascia of his right foot. Gasol traveled with the Lakers and spent time at the end of the team’s morning shootaround today with strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco performing various exercises that test his gluteal and neuro muscles.

— Reported by Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Blog)

Deron Williams says his ankles feel better

Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams, who has battled injuries all season, says his ankles don’t hurt and claims he can dunk.

During the week he was sidelined because of inflammation in both ankles, Williams did a three-day juice cleanse, regaining energy and getting bad toxins out of his system. He also received his third set of cortisone shots in both ankles and felt better as a result.

“My ankles don’t hurt,” Williams said Tuesday. “We finally got the injections in the right spot, and they feel a little bit better. I can actually walk up and down stairs and run around with my kids. I can go to the playground with them. I don’t have to hurt every time I take a single step. So, yeah, I feel a lot better. I can dunk.”

As for actually dunking in a game, Williams remains cautious.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m still nervous.”

— Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Houston Rockets sign Aaron Brooks, waive Tyler Honeycutt

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Aaron Brooks. To open a roster spot, the Rockets recalled from Rio Grande Valley and then waived forward Tyler Honeycutt. Brooks returns to Houston where he spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career.

Brooks (6-0, 161, Oregon) has averaged 11.8 points and 3.5 assists in 318 career games (149 starts) with Houston, Phoenix and Sacramento. Waived by Sacramento on Mar. 1, 2013, Brooks averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 assists in 20.8 minutes per game over 46 contests (20 starts) with the Kings this season. He joined Sacramento after spending the 2011-12 campaign with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he was named a CBA All-Star and took Guangdong to the CBA 2012 Finals.

Selected by Houston in the first round (26th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks has averaged 12.8 points and 3.6 assists in 247 career games (124 starts) with the Rockets. He had his breakout season in 2009-10, earning NBA Most Improved Player after averaging career highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists in 82 starts. Brooks also stood first in the NBA in 3-pointers made (.398, 209-525 3FG) in 2009-10, setting the franchise single-season record for treys. He became just the sixth player in NBA history to make at least 200 3-pointers (209) and dish out 400 or more assists (434) in the same season. In 2008-09, Brooks was selected to participate with the Sophomore Team in the 2009 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. He also earned NBA Rookie of the Month honors for 2007 NBA Summer League. Brooks, who was dealt to the Suns during the 2010-11 season in exchange for Goran Dragic and draft considerations, also played in two games with the NBA D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers (23.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 5.0 apg in 2007-08).

Honeycutt (6-8, 188, UCLA), who was acquired by the Rockets from Sacramento on Feb. 20, averaged 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in two games with Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. He averaged 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.6 minutes per game over nine contests with the Kings this season. Honeycutt was selected by Sacramento after his sophomore year out of UCLA with the 35th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Knicks sign Kenyon Martin to second 10-day contract

Veteran forward Kenyon Martin has barely played for the Knicks during his initial 10-day deal, but the team wants him to stick around a bit longer.

New York Knicks Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations and General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed Martin to a second consecutive 10-day contract.

Martin, 6-9, 230-pounds, has appeared in one game, playing five minutes.

The 36-21 Knicks are currently third in the Eastern conference.