NBA News Blog – Page 1313 – NBA Blog

NBA suspends Marvin Williams and Shawne Williams for punches

The Atlanta Hawks’ Marvin Williams has been suspended two games without pay for throwing punches and fighting with the New York Knicks’ Shawne Williams, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations. Shawne Williams has been suspended one game without pay for throwing a punch during the altercation.

The incident occurred with 43.7 seconds remaining in the fourth period of the Hawks’ 111-102 win over the Knicks at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Marvin Williams will serve his suspension during the Hawks’ next two games: tonight at the Dallas Mavericks and Wednesday, February 2 vs. the Toronto Raptors.

Shawne Williams will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Knicks play host to the Detroit Pistons.

Blazers assign Armon Johnson to D-League

The Portland Trail Blazers have assigned rookie guard Armon Johnson to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

Johnson, 21, is averaging 3.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 8.1 minutes in 28 games this season with the Trail Blazers.

He becomes the 35th NBA player assigned to the D-League this season, and the second assigned by the Trail Blazers (Luke Babbitt, Dec. 8-18).

Portland selected Johnson in the second round (34th pick overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft out of the University of Nevada.

Hawks sign Damien Wilkins for rest of season

The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard/forward Damien Wilkins for the remainder of the season according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Wilkins has appeared in 20 games off the bench for Atlanta this season, averaging 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 apg and 0.6 spg (.447 FG%, .739 FT%) in 12.3 mpg. The seventh-year veteran was originally signed by the Hawks on December 3, 2010, and waived on January 5, 2011, before signing consecutive 10-day contracts on January 8 and 18.

Dwyane Wade`s tinted goggles rejected by NBA for game

The AP reports:

The NBA has rejected the tinted goggles that Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade(notes) planned to wear for the start of Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks to protect his eyes from the bright lights as he recovers from a migraine headache.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says the league disallowed the glasses when they inspected them after Miami’s shootaround Thursday morning. The NBA said the tinting was too dark, giving Wade an unfair advantage because the opponent could not see his eyes.

2011 NBA All-Star East starters announced

The starters for the Eastern conference 2011 NBA All-Star team are as follows:

At guard, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade.

At forward, Heat small forward LeBron James and New York Knicks power forward Amar’e Stoudemire.

And at center, Orlando Magic big-man Dwight Howard.

O.J. Mayo suspended 10 games by NBA

The NBA announced today that O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies has been suspended without pay for 10 games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. His violation of the program involved a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

Mayo’s suspension will begin with tomorrow night’s game between the Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo regarding the suspension: “I’m extremely disappointed that I’m going to miss the next 10 games, particularly as our team is making a push for the playoffs. I had no idea that the over-the-counter supplement that I took was a substance banned by the NBA. It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to my fans, teammates and the Grizzlies organization for regrettably not doing the necessary research about what supplements I can put in my body.”

Statement from Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley regarding the suspension: “O.J. had a lack of judgment but has shown complete accountability. We will continue to support O.J. during this time as we have from the moment he joined the team in 2008. He has unselfishly done everything we have asked of him, and we expect him to grow as a player and a person from this experience. He will continue to contribute to the organization during this suspension, as he will practice with the team leading up to his return on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia prior to the All-Star break.”

Mayo has mostly come off the bench for the Grizzlies this season, starting just 15 of their 46 games. He is averaging 12.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.

It’s been a down year on the court for O.J. As a rookie he averaged 18.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.2 apg. As a second-year player he put up 17.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.0 apg. He received 38.0 minutes per game in both those seasons.

The 22-24 Grizzlies are currently 9th in the Western conference.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Derrick Rose recovering from stomach ulcers

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose plans to cut back on the spices.

The Bulls’ star point guard is recovering from stomach ulcers he believes his diet caused and hopes to play when Chicago hosts the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Rose said his energy is “kind of low. But I should be all right.”

He said he started experiencing heartburn on Monday and still is having difficulty eating, drinking and swallowing. He initially thought he had stomach flu, but doctors at Rush University Medical Center found two ulcers on Wednesday.

Suns sign Zabian Dowdell to 10-day contract

The Suns have signed guard Zabian Dowdell (ZAY-bee-in dow-DELL) to a 10-day contract, the team has announced.

The 6-3, 191-pound Dowdell returns for his second regular season stint with the Suns after signing a 10-day contract on Jan. 9, 2011. Dowdell, who appeared in two games in his initial tenure with Phoenix, also spent training camp with the Suns in 2010 before being waived on Oct. 19.

Dowdell played 18 games of the 2010-11 season with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League, where he averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 29.3 minutes in 18 starts. Dowdell, who also spent 10 games with the 66ers in 2009-10, saw both his scoring and assist averages increase in 2010-11.

A four-year performer at Virginia Tech (2003-07), Dowdell was a member of the Suns’ 2009 and 2010 Las Vegas Summer League entries. As a Hokie, he was a 2006-07 All-ACC First Team honoree and a two-time All-ACC Defensive Team selection.

Bulls assign James Johnson to D-League

Chicago Bulls forward James Johnson was assigned to the Iowa Energy, the Bulls’ NBA Development League affiliate, it was announced today. The assignment marks the 34th time in the 2010-11 season an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate, and it is the first assignment for Johnson, a second-year pro out of Wake Forest.

Johnson (6-9, 245) has appeared in 12 games this season with the Bulls, averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 10.2 minutes. In 77 career games with Chicago, Johnson is averaging 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.4 minutes.

The Bulls selected Johnson in the first round (16th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. In two seasons at Wake Forest, Johnson averaged 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 61 games, and was named an All-ACC Third Team selection both seasons.

Johnson is expected to join the Energy for the team’s home game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday.

Nets have Troy Murphy just stay home

Ever dream of being paid millions of dollars to sit around the house, maybe watch some TV, and keep in good shape just in case you have to actually go do something fun that you’d happily do for free anyway? That’s Troy Murphy’s job right now.

Of course, I’m sure Murphy would rather be an active piece of an NBA rotation and be playing basketball. Still, the average fan out there probably doesn’t feel too bad for him.

Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports:

The on-going confusion regarding Murphy’s status resurfaced when Nets general manager Billy King spoke about the possibility of Murphy rejoining the team. In the morning, coach Avery Johnson was unaware of any impending move and said he would address the matter with King. Last night, he claimed it’s not happening.

“Billy said we’re just going to stay along the same path,” Johnson said of Murphy, who has been told to stay home in case the Nets try to trade him — or hang on to him in case Denver calls back about Carmelo Anthony. “He will not be joining our team.”

Murphy last played on Jan. 7 and basically has been a non-entity. Johnson acknowledged he has no spot for him.

“We tried that [playing him],” Johnson said before the Nets’ 93-88 victory over the Grizzlies last night.

“Right now there’s just no minutes there to play,” said Johnson, who starts Derrick Favors and brings in Kris Humphries off the bench.

Murphy’s NBA career average is 11.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He’s still useful to any team who needs a big guy who can shoot and rebound.