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Nets sign Keith Bogans, waive Larry Owens

The 7-15 New Jersey Nets have shown more life lately than they were earlier in the season, and on Tuesday they added some experienced help in the backcourt.

The team today signed free agent guard Keith Bogans, Nets General Manager Billy King announced. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released. To make room on the roster the Nets have waived forward Larry Owens.

“Keith will give us defensive toughness and experience,” said King. “He will add depth and versatility to our perimeter.”

Bogans, an eight-year NBA veteran, started in all 82 games for the Chicago Bulls in 2010-11, averaging 4.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.8 minutes per game. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 43rd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the University of Kentucky product began his career in Orlando, before moving on to Charlotte, Houston, Orlando again, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Chicago. Overall, the 6-5 guard has played in 586 career games with averages of 6.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has appeared in 34 career playoff games, with averages of 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds. Bogans started all 16 postseason contests for Chicago in 2011 and led the league in postseason three-point shooting, hitting on 42.4% of his shots from behind the arc.

Owens, who signed as a free agent on January 18, played in seven games with the Nets, averaging 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game.

Lakers may have interest in Ramon Sessions

Ramon Sessions has been traded once in his career and, to hear him tell it, he’s been linked to one rumor or another for the past three years.

So, the Cavaliers point guard was hardly shocked to learn of a Yahoo Sports report that states his club has discussed dealing him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Since the Cavaliers used the first overall pick to draft Kyrie Irving last June, there’s been speculation concerning Sessions’ future in Cleveland.

“It’s been like that for me for a few years now,” said Sessions, 25, who was dealt to the Cavs from Minnesota in the summer of 2010. “There’s always something with that. [I] haven’t been traded yet. Cleveland now, Cleveland later. I’m not really into all of that.

“I try to block it out. It’s tough at times, but you have to be mentally prepared to play basketball.”

— Reported by Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Deron Williams open to exercising his one-year Nets option

Of all the possibilities for Deron Williams this summer, the one that has rarely been brought up is the option that would pay him the most money.

It’s been assumed Williams wouldn’t pick up his one-year, $17.8 million option because he could get a four or five-year deal if he becomes a free agent. But the point guard didn’t rule it out when asked Monday.

“Yeah (picking up the option is something I’m considering). I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he told the Daily News. “At the end of the season, I’m going to figure out what’s going on, I’m going to sit down with my agent and look at every option possible.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Blog)

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Kenyon Martin may sign with NBA team soon

Kenyon Martin is expected to decide by this weekend which NBA team he’ll join, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks have expressed interest in signing the veteran forward.

Martin signed with Xinjiang Gyang Hui of the Chinese Basketball Association, but has since returned to the United States. He’s not eligible to sign with an NBA team until Xinjiang’s season ends, which could be as soon as Feb. 16.

“He’s a veteran guy who knows how to win at a high level and in a playoff environment,” one NBA general manager said. “He also plays multiple positions. If you get him to a situation where he can be an Antonio McDyess-type of guy, that’s a heck of a guy to add to your roster.”

— Reported by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports

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Is Dirk Nowitzki’s All-Star run in jeopardy?

The suspense of Nowitzki being voted a starter by the fans for the first time in his career never materialized. Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin quickly filled the void left by Carmelo Anthony’s defection to the Eastern Conference. Starters will be announced Thursday night and the all-Oklahoma City duo of Thunder superstar Kevin Durant and Griffin, an OKC native, have those spots sewn up.

The issue facing West coaches in selecting the seven reserves is what to do with Dirk? The reigning NBA Finals MVP and an All-Star mainstay would typically be a no-brainer selection based on history, even if his numbers aren’t quite up to typical standards.

However, Nowitzki has had a most unusual season that now includes a mid-season, week-long hiatus and behind-the-scenes personal training camp, plus the lowest marks since his rookie season in scoring average (16.7), rebounds (5.8) and shooting percentage, both overall (44.8) and behind the arc (20.0).

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

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Phil Jackson is writing a book

Phil Jackson’s next title will be on the cover of his new book.

Penguin Press says Tuesday that Jackson, the Hall of Famer who won 11 NBA championships as coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, is writing his memoir called “Eleven Rings.”

The book is tentatively scheduled to be out next year.

The 66-year-old Jackson is a 1,155-game winner whose career .704 winning percentage is the best in NBA history.

— Reported by the Associated Press

No Baron Davis expected this week for Knicks

Baron Davis missed shoot around on Tuesday due lingering soreness in his back, according to Mike D’Antoni.

“I don’t think it’s a set back but it just needed a little bit more time to calm down,” he said.

Davis, who also missed practice on Monday, probably won’t suit up for the Knicks until next week at the earliest.

The Knicks have four games this week. After Tuesday night’s home game against Detroit, they play three games in three nights, beginning with Thursday’s home against Chicago.

“I think next week’s looking more like it … The sooner the better, but I don’t know for sure,” D’Antoni said.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

No major Magic shakeup expected

Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith indicated Monday that he has no plans to make a major move to alter his team’s roster in the near future.

“If a string of losses causes you to change your plans, then I’m in the wrong job,” Smith said Monday night, before the Magic fell 74-69 to the Philadelphia 76ers to lose their fourth consecutive game.

“I think you look at your team as a whole and understand that we have to fight through whatever we have to fight through and you continue to evaluate everything top to bottom. That’s what you do. When it’s time to make a change, you make a change.”

Smith generally does not like to make trades in-season, but he did so last season after the Magic lost five of six games from Dec. 4-14, 2010.

— Reported by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel

Yao Ming looking to enter movie business

The retired Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming has been looking for business opportunities in the film industry, but has not entered it yet, Yao’s agent said Tuesday, responding to media’s reports claiming that Yao will set up a film finance fund.

Foreign media report that Jay Cohen, an American film producer, is setting up a film finance fund with Yao Ming, which has caught the attention of China’s media and public.

“Yao Ming and our team has not joined or set up any such organizations as the film finance fund,” Yao’s agent Zhang Mingji told Xinhua, adding that they are open to such kind of business, and are looking for good investment opportunities.

— Reported by Xinhua / CRI.cn

Blake Griffin best NBA dunk of season on Kendrick Perkins

Monday night in the third quarter of Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder, Clips forward Blake Griffin caught a perfect pass from point guard Chris Paul and threw down what InsideHoops.com considers the best dunk of the NBA season on the head of Kendrick Perkins.

Here are several video clips of the Griffin dunk on Perkins:

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