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Pistons sign John Lucas III to second 10-day contract

Pistons sign John Lucas III to second 10-day contract

Detroit Pistons General Manager Jeff Bower announced today that the club has signed guard John Lucas III to a second 10-day contract.

The 5-foot-11, 166-pound guard has averaged 4.8 points, 4.0 assists and 12.8 minutes in six games with Detroit. He scored a season-high 10 points at Indiana (2/4) and has dished out a season-high six assists twice.

Originally signed on February 2, Lucas joined the Pistons following a stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 43.5 minutes in 26 games.

The Washington, DC native has spent parts of six seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. He holds career averages of 4.8 points, 1.4 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 12.2 minutes in 216 games (eight starts) and is a career 34.7-percent shooter from three-point range.

Lucas has also spent time in the NBA’s Developmental League and played internationally in Italy, Spain and China. He played collegiately at Oklahoma State University.

Dirk Nowitzki replaces Anthony Davis (injured) on 2015 West NBA All-Star team

Dirk Nowitzki replaces Anthony Davis (injured) on 2015 West NBA All-Star team

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Western Conference All-Star Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Nowitzki, who has posted averages of 18.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in his 17th NBA season, will be making his 13th All-Star appearance. The highest-scoring player born outside the United States in NBA history, Nowitzki surpassed Moses Malone for seventh place on the league’s all-time scoring list last month.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, who earned the right to coach the West squad because the Warriors clinched the best record in the conference through games played Feb. 1, will determine Davis’ replacement in the starting lineup.

Davis was also in the field for the Degree® Shooting Stars during State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night at Barclays Center. His replacement will be named at a later time.

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

Anthony Davis injured, will not play in 2015 NBA All-Star game

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who is recovering from a right shoulder sprain, released the following statement:

“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions. I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.

While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete this weekend, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA’s greatest figures.

More than anything, I am anxious to get healthy and back on the court with my teammates after the All-Star break.”

Pacers coach Vogel racking up techs

Here’s the Indianapolis Star reporting on the Pacers, whose head coach is making sure his voice gets heard, at least when the refs are around:

The Indiana Pacers are in a fight for one of the last playoff spots, and coach Frank Vogel is in a race that he’d rather not win.

Vogel recently moved ahead of his peers to become the No. 1 leader in technical fouls. On Monday, Vogel got ticked off then was T’d up – his ninth technical foul happening in a tightly contested fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs. All technical fouls award the opposing team a free throw, which San Antonio’s Danny Green made. The Pacers eventually lost 95-93.

By Wednesday afternoon, before his team faced the New Orleans Pelicans, Vogel hesitantly addressed his rising total of techs. The nine Ts have also come with a hefty price tag of $22,000 in fines this season.

Charles Oakley no fan of James Dolan

Charles Oakley no fan of James Dolan

Beloved former New York Knick Charles Oakley, who took no prisoners on the court and is off the court is always ready to get fired up and speak his mind, doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Knicks owner James Dolan. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

For all the blood, sweat and tears Charles Oakley sacrificed while wearing a Knicks uniform, the former enforcer has no lost love for owner James Dolan.

“I’m tired of talking about Dolan,” Oakley said at the Knickerbocker Hotel in Times Square Wednesday, when asked about the Garden chairman’s latest gaffe, where Dolan got into an email war with a longtime fan. “He’s that type of dude.”

But when asked about his relationship with Dolan, Oakley ripped into the Knicks owner, and is incredulous as to why Dolan has given one of the franchise’s most popular players the Seventh Avenue Freeze-Out.

“Everybody in New York liked me except this one guy. Why is this?” said Oakley. “Everywhere I talk to people – ‘Why aren’t you working with the Knicks?’ I said I try to. They said, ‘What, is it Dolan?’ I talked to maybe a million people. He’s a bad guy.”

Former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has died

Former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has died

Legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, who took the Runnin’ Rebels to four Final Fours and brought home the national championship in 1990, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Las Vegas. He was 84.

A campus memorial event is being planned. Details will be announced soon.

“The UNLV community mourns the passing of Coach Jerry Tarkanian, and our condolences are with Jerry’s wife, Lois, and the Tarkanian family,” said UNLV President Len Jessup.

“Coach Tarkanian’s contribution to UNLV and Southern Nevada stretches far beyond the game of basketball. Many in Southern Nevada and around the nation were introduced to UNLV through Coach Tarkanian and the Runnin’ Rebels. He made Runnin’ Rebel basketball a brand name during his 19 years on campus, inspiring our community and creating a legacy that endures to this day. He will be deeply missed though fondly remembered as a college basketball icon and as one of the greats in our university’s history.”

Current UNLV men’s basketball head coach Dave Rice was both a player and coach under Tarkanian. He said, “The qualities that make UNLV a great university – opportunity, self-determination and equality – are the same qualities that coach Tarkanian ingrained in his teams. The impact of coach’s contributions to our university, our community, his players and all of college basketball, is immeasurable.”

Rice added, “He instilled in me a confidence and commitment to doing what I believe is right for all people I am around. He saw something in me and gave me my first opportunity in coaching and I will be forever grateful. He will always be a part of UNLV, and our university is a better institution because of that. We are all saddened by this loss, our deepest condolences to the Tarkanian family.”

— Via UNLV Basketball

Bucks to retire Bob Dandridge jersey

It’s always interesting to see which players get their jerseys retired by the main team they played for. If someone absolutely dominates, like Michael Jordan on the Bulls, it’s a no-brainer. But what about “regular” stars who played very well, and were a part of something special, but didn’t necessarily change the game? Those are the interesting debates. Anyway, here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on the Bucks:

Bob Dandridge, a star forward on the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship team in 1971, will have his jersey No. 10 retired at a ceremony March 7 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, a source confirmed Wednesday.

Dandridge was a key member of the franchise’s early teams under coach Larry Costello and was selected in the fourth round of the 1969 draft, the same draft that brought the Bucks center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) with the No. 1 overall pick.

Known as “the Greyhound,” Dandridge averaged 18.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in nine seasons with Milwaukee. He played his first eight seasons with the Bucks and went on to more success in four seasons with the Washington Bullets before returning to Milwaukee for his final season in 1981-’82.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal remains out

Wizards guard Bradley Beal remains out

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will miss tonight’s game at Toronto. Beal missed the last two games with a sore right big toe and subsequent examinations revealed a mild stress reaction in his lower right fibula. He will be re-evaluated following the All-Star break.

Beal has averaged 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting .436 from three-point range in 42 games for the Wizards this season.

Mavs sign Bernard James to 10-day contract

Mavs sign Bernard James to 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed center Bernard James to a 10-day contract.

James (6-10, 235) was originally drafted by the Mavericks with the 33rd overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He averaged 2.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 7.9 minutes in 76 career games (11 starts) with Dallas.

The Savannah, Ga., native spent training camp with the Mavericks this preseason when he averaged 2.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 5 games. He most recently played in China for the Shanghai Sharks.

James will wear number 55.

Anthony Tolliver playing well for Pistons

Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the Pistons and Anthony Tolliver, who is making a difference:

When Anthony Tolliver first arrived with the Detroit Pistons, and they suddenly couldn’t lose a game with him playing little or none, he joked about his “mojo” and “The Tolliver Effect.”

A month after that initial seven-game winning streak, the Pistons still are on course for a playoff berth based on their upward arc since Tolliver was acquired in a Dec. 24 trade, but his contributions no longer are trivialized and his effect has been tangible.

Tolliver had 16 points and four rebounds off the bench in Tuesday’s 106-78 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

It was his eighth double-figure scoring game with the Pistons, including his seventh in the last 13 games, during which he has a 10.0-point average.