Inside Hoops – Page 1384 – NBA Blog

JaVale McGee and his mom are getting a reality TV show

OWN also has added two unscripted series to its slate.

Millionaire Mama’s Boy follows the relationship between former WNBA basketball star Pamela McGee and her 25-year-old son, Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee. The Sony TV series is executive produced by Pete Tartaglia and Amy Palmer Robertson.

Houston Beauty (working title) centers on Glenda Jemison, owner and director of Franklin Beauty School, the oldest continuously operated beauty school in Texas. Park Slope Productions produces; executive producers are Paul Reitano and Terrence Sacchi, with Lindsey Bannister serving as showrunner.

“We are delighted to celebrate Tyler [Perry] coming to OWN with these new specials as we ramp up to the debut of our first scripted series,” OWN president Sheri Salata said in a statement. “Tyler’s fans, like Oprah’s fans, are incredibly connected and passionate. We can’t wait for them to see these shows.”

— Reported by Philiana Ng of Hollywood Reporter

Pamela McGee made news in D.C. when JaVale played for the Wizards by defending her son’s actions on and off the court. While a freakish athlete, JaVale routinely made head-scratching plays on the Wizards, enough that he was eventually traded away.

The term “knucklehead” became synonymous with those Wizards teams, to the point where Pamela McGee spoke with Washington Post columnist Mike Wise to defend her son and tell the world JaVale “is not a knucklehead.”

— Reported by JP Finlay of CSN Washington

Miami home of Chris Bosh burglarized

Miami Heat player Chris Bosh and his wife returned home from his lavish 29th birthday party to find they had been robbed of $340,000 worth of watches, rings and purses, Miami Beach Police said Thursday.

Police said they got the call about the burglary at 12:30 a.m. Bosh and his wife had left their two children at home with two housekeepers as they celebrated his birthday at Briza on the Bay on Bayshore Drive in Miami. The Moroccan themed party included belly dancers and fire breathers. And a camel named Henri greeted guests. The festivities started at 9 p.m.

When the Boshes got home they realized their closet had been ransacked, police said. No one who was home heard anything, and apparently the thieves handpicked the items they were stealing, police said.

— Reported by NBC Miami

Celtics beat Pistons and clinch playoff spot

Ray Allen left as a free agent. Rajon Rondo is out for the season. Kevin Garnett is recuperating from an ankle injury.

With the core of the Celtics team that won the franchise’s 17th NBA title in 2008 otherwise occupied, Jeff Green led Boston back into the playoffs.

The Celtics swingman scored 34 points [on 13-of-19 shooting], including a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to snap a two-minute scoring drought, to help Boston beat the Detroit Pistons 98-93 on Wednesday night and clinch the team’s sixth consecutive playoff berth.

”We knew we were a playoff team before the season started, despite the injuries and everything,” said Paul Pierce, the only holdover from the team that won it all in 2008 and returned to the NBA finals two years later.” …

Pierce and Brandon Bass scored 17 apiece, and Bass added seven rebounds for the Celtics, who had lost two in a row and seven of their previous nine.

The victory, coupled with Philadelphia’s 88-83 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, left Boston 8 1/2 games ahead of the 76ers with eight games to play. It’s the sixth consecutive season Boston has reached the playoffs since the New Big Three was assembled in the summer of 2007…

Green scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and added six rebounds and four blocked shots in the game. He has become one of the players the Celtics look to for big plays as the clock runs down, sharing the role that Pierce had occupied for more than a decade…

Greg Monroe had 24 points and 17 rebounds and Rodney Stuckey scored 22 for the Pistons.

— Reported by Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press

Melo score 40 vs Hawks, Knicks win 10th game in a row

Carmelo Anthony put on another scoring show, though he didn’t have to do it alone.

Anthony scored 40 points and the Knicks got key contributions from J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton during a 19-5 fourth-quarter run that sparked New York to its 10th straight victory, 95-82 over Atlanta on Wednesday night.

”Melo is smart enough to know that if he’s doubled, he’ll sacrifice the ball,” said Knicks coach Mike Woodson. ”And we’ve got enough shooters around him that are making big shots. That opens it up for him even more. And when he gets going like he did tonight, they’re not going to leave him alone very often.”

Anthony, who scored 50 in his last game at Miami, scored 26 in the first half. He commanded more defensive attention in the second half, which left opportunities for Smith, who scored 19, and Felton, who scored 14. Felton’s quickness to the basket resulted in three straight scores during a 12-2 streak that turned a tie game into an 84-74 Knicks lead that was never threatened…

Anthony made 17 of 27 from the field and was 5-for-6 at the line. He also had five rebounds and three assists, with only one turnover…

Atlanta lost the opportunity to move into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and wasted a 25-point effort by Kyle Korver, who came up two points short of his season high.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bobcats sign Jannero Pargo for rest of season

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo for the remainder of the season.

The 6-1 Pargo has appeared in 10 games for the Bobcats, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 17.4 minutes. He has scored in double figures five times, while shooting .407 from the field (35-86), .380 from beyond the three-point line (19-50) and .833 from the free-throw line (5-6).

Prior to signing with the Bobcats, Pargo had played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Hawks center Zaza Pachulia out six months after surgery

Atlanta Hawks forward/center Zaza Pachulia had surgery today to repair his sore right Achilles at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, NC. The surgery was performed by surgeon Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina with Hawks Team Physician Dr. Michael Bernot of Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic attending.

Pachulia will now undergo a period of rest, treatment and rehabilitation. The expected recovery time is approximately six months and his status will be updated as appropriate throughout his recovery.

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Josh Akognon to 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard Josh Akognon to a 10-day contract.

Akognon (5-11, 185) spent the 2012 preseason with the Mavericks before signing with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters of the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2012-13 season. In 36 games with the Hunters, he averaged 29.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 34.9 minutes per game.

After going undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, Akognon played for BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn of the Estonian League in 2009-10. He played two seasons for the DongGuan New Century Leopards of the CBA from 2010-12, followed by a brief stint with the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League in 2011-12. Akognon spent the 2012 NBA Summer League with the Sacramento Kings.

A native of Petaluma, Calif., Akognon started his collegiate career at Washington State University before transferring to California State University, Fullerton. As a junior, he led the Titans to a Big West regular season title, Big West Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 30 years. As a senior, Akognon was named Big West Conference Player of the Year after averaging 23.9 points per game.

Akognon is expected to join the team in Denver and be available for the game against the Nuggets on April 4. He will wear No. 10 for the Mavericks.

Akognon will replace Justin Dentmon on the Mavericks’ 15-man roster. Dentmon was released from his 10-day contract after appearing in two games for Dallas and logging 4 total minutes.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal to miss rest of season

The Washington Wizards announced today that guard Bradley Beal will miss the remainder of the season with a stress injury in his right fibula. He is expected to resume basketball-related activities in approximately six weeks.

Beal, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting .386 from three-point range in 56 games (46 starts) this season and currently ranks third among all rookies in scoring and three-point percentage and second in minutes per game (31.2 mpg). He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December and January and set the Wizards rookie franchise record for three-pointers made in a season with 91.

Beal previously missed a total of 18 games on the season (11 due to a sprained left ankle, five due to a sprained right wrist and two due to a sore back).

Memphis Grizzlies sign Keyon Dooling

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed free agent guard Keyon Dooling, the team announced today.

Dooling (6-3, 196) joins Memphis with career averages of 7.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .415 shooting in 19.5 minutes in 721 games (86 starts) over 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

The 32-year-old recorded 4.0 points and 1.1 assists on .405 shooting in 14.4 minutes in 46 appearances (two starts) for Boston last season. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native re-signed with the Celtics on July 31, 2012 for the 2012-13 season but announced his retirement on Sept. 20, 2012.

Drafted by Orlando in the first round (10th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft, the Missouri product has made the NBA Playoffs in four different seasons, posting 5.3 points and 1.0 assists on .454 shooting in 14.1 minutes in 49 postseason games with Miami, Orlando and Boston.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 14 players.

Doug Collins attends intro of son Chris Collins as Northwestern coach

Even when Chris Collins was a ball boy at long-gone Chicago Stadium, wiping up the sweat of Michael Jordan, his father, who was the Bulls coach at the time, sensed that coaching was in his future. That belief became a reality on Tuesday.

“I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve always felt Chris had that about him,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said.

With the elder Collins watching in the front row with his arm draped around his granddaughter Kate, Chris Collins was introduced as the new men’s basketball coach at Northwestern, a program seeking its first NCAA tournament bid. He comes to Northwestern after 13 seasons on the staff at Duke, under Mike Krzyzewski.

Doug Collins gave his team the day off even though the Sixers are playing Wednesday night at Charlotte. “I had to be here and support him and let him know how proud I am of him,” he said.

— Reported by Daniel I. Dorfman of the Philadelphia Inquirer