NBA News Blog – Page 1452 – NBA Blog

Ryan Hollins suspended for hitting DeShawn Stevenson and Dirk Nowitzki

Ryan Hollins of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been suspended without pay for two games for punching DeShawn Stevenson and striking Dirk Nowitzki, both of the Dallas Mavericks, on Monday, March 8. The suspension was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident between Hollins and Stevenson occurred with 9:15 remaining in the second period, and the incident between Hollins and Nowitzki occurred with 3:38 remaining in the fourth period of Dallas’ 125-112 victory over Minnesota at Target Center.

Hollins’ suspension will begin tonight when the Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets.

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

Hot Bucks beat Celtics to win 10 of last 11 games

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

It took some grit, guile and old-fashioned defense for the Milwaukee Bucks to continue their winning ways Tuesday night at the Bradley Center.

The Bucks survived a last-second, game-tying attempt by Celtics forward Paul Pierce to grab an 86-84 victory in a game that carried the tension of a playoff thriller. Milwaukee (34-29) won its fourth straight and its 10th game in the last 11 to continue its run as one of the National Basketball Association’s hottest teams.

Plenty of heroes showed up for the Bucks, led by center Andrew Bogut with 25 points, 17 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Carlos Delfino, who took intravenous fluids before the game to battle a case of the flu, played anyway and added 19 points and eight rebounds.

John Salmons scored 16 points and sank a critical three-pointer to give the Bucks the lead for good at 81-79 with 4:01 remaining.

And 6-foot-1, 169-pound rookie Brandon Jennings stood up to the Celtics’ 6-9, 295-pound forward Glen Davis after a hard foul on a breakaway layup attempt in the fourth quarter.

Tulsa Shock (WNBA) sign former Olympian Marion Jones

The WNBA’s Tulsa Shock announced at a news conference Wednesday that it had signed former Olympian Marion Jones as a free agent. Jones, who announced last fall she was training for a comeback in the WNBA, attended the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship and helped lead the team to a 1994 NCAA Championship.

The 34-year-old Jones, a 5’10 guard, went through an individual workout with the Tulsa Shock Saturday in Tulsa, and accepted an offer to join the team in the days following.

“I’m extremely excited to join the team and the WNBA,” Jones said. “After a lot of thought, I realized this is a great fit for me because of Coach Richardson’s uptempo style of play. I can’t wait to start training camp and learn more about the city and team I’ll be representing.”

Spurs sign Cedric Jackson to 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed guard Cedric Jackson from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. Jackson is the 22nd call-up of the 2009-10 D-League season.

Jackson, a 6-3 guard, had a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year. He appeared in five games with the Cavs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 12, scoring one point and handing out two assists in nine total minutes. In 30 games with the BayHawks, Jackson averaged 15.8 points, 7.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 32.7 minutes. He posted season-highs of 34 points and 13 assists on Jan. 19 at Austin.

As a senior at Cleveland State in 2009, Jackson was named 2009 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Horizon League Second Team for the second consecutive season. In two seasons with the Vikings, he had career averages of 12.3 points on .405 shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals in 32.2 minutes per game.

Jackson will wear No. 11 for the Silver and Black and will be available for tonight’s game vs. New York.

Tyreke Evans apologizes for criticizing Andres Nocioni

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports:

Tyreke Evans apologizes for criticism of teammate Andres Nocioni

Tyreke Evans, who made comments critical of teammate Andres Nocioni to The Bee after Sunday’s loss to Oklahoma City, apologized in a Tuesday afternoon radio interview with KHTK’s Grant Napear and Mike Lamb and reiterated his stance at the Rose Garden later.

The players had exchanged words during the fourth quarter, with the rookie frustrated at the veteran’s shot selection in the most crucial of times.

Afterward, Evans told The Bee, “We were in the game, and you come down and take bad shots?” That’s not team basketball. Coach (Paul Westphal) didn’t say nothing, so I thought I had to step up (and say something).”

“I apologize,” Evans said in the visitors’ locker room before facing the Blazers. “It was me being frustrated and wanting to win. But me as a rookie, I should have pulled him over on the side and said, ‘You know, that wasn’t a good shot,’ instead of putting him on blast in front of a crowd like that.”

GM Mike Dunleavy gone from Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers and General Manager Mike Dunleavy today have severed ties. Dunleavy previously also served as the team’s head coach from 2003-04 until February 4, 2010, when he resigned as head coach.

The organization has determined that the goal of building a winning team is best served by making this decision at this time. The team has simply not made sufficient progress during Dunleavy’s seven-year tenure. The Clippers want to win now. This transition, in conjunction with a full commitment to dedicate unlimited resources, is designed to accomplish that objective.

Neil Olshey, presently the Clippers’ Assistant General Manager, will assume the duties created by Dunleavy’s departure. He joined the organization as Director of Player Development for the 2003-04 season. He served as an Assistant Coach in 2004-05, and was elevated to the position of Director of Player Personnel from 2005-06 through 2007-08. He assumed the role of Assistant General Manager prior to the start of the 2008-09 season.

Olshey has played an important role in the completion of several significant team transactions, including the deals which brought Marcus Camby, Craig Smith, Rasual Butler, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, and Drew Gooden to the Clippers, among others. He also played a integral part in administering all preparation for the Clippers’ last four NBA Drafts, which produced Al Thornton, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and last year’s #1 overall pick, Blake Griffin.

Wizards sign Shaun Livingston to second 10-day contract

Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Shaun Livingston to a second 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

Livingston originally signed with Washington on February 26. In four games for the Wizards, Livingston has averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 assists in 9.3 minutes per game.

So far, there’s no firm reason to believe Livingston will ever make it back into the NBA permanently. It’s an uphill battle for him due to past injuries.

Grizzlies recall Hasheem Thabeet from D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies recalled center Hasheem Thabeet from the Dakota Wizards, the team’s NBA Development League’s affiliate, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Thabeet averaged a double-double with 13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds along with 3.17 blocks on 50.0 percent shooting in 31.3 minutes in six games (four starts) with Dakota after being assigned by the Grizzlies on Feb. 25.

The 7-3, 267-pound center, who led the Wizards to a 5-1 record, scored a D-League career-high 19 points on Feb. 28 at Fort Wayne and grabbed a personal-best 18 rebounds on March 5 at Tulsa.

The 23-year-old rookie is averaging 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.16 blocks (second among first-year players) in 50 games with the Grizzlies.

Jazz re-assign Kosta Koufos to D-League

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has re-assigned second-year center Kosta Koufos to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League). Koufos appeared in one game for the Flash during his first assignment this season, posting 16 points, seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block vs. the Maine Red Claws on January 25.

In 25 games for the Jazz this season, the 7-0, 265-pound Koufos has averages of 1.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 3.4 minutes. Koufos has been inactive 12 times this season and DNP-CD 22 times. He last appeared in a game on March 6 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, playing two scoreless minutes, and prior to that on February 27 against the Houston Rockets, totaling two points and a rebound in three minutes of action. The center has notched a season-high six points twice this season and also picked up a season-high eight rebounds vs. the Clippers on October 30.

Selected by the Jazz out of Ohio State in the first round (23rd overall selection) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos also appeared in 10 games (all starts) while on assignment with the Flash in 2008-09, averaging 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 assists.

Young, Holiday shine for 76ers

The AP reports:

Even the return of All-Star Chris Bosh couldn’t help the Toronto Raptors.

Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points, Jrue Holiday had 21 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Raptors 114-101 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak.

“Today was just a great day,” Young said. “My teammates were looking for me and they put me in different positions.”

Bosh returned from a seven-game absence to finish with 12 points and 12 rebounds, but the Raptors still lost for the fifth time in six games…

The 76ers went 9 for 12 from 3-point range, including three by Young.

“Thad made his 3’s and I felt that jump-started us,” 76ers coach Eddie Jordan said.

Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News reports:

Young, whose inconsistency has caused him to be taken out of the starting lineup, was back among the first five yesterday because center Sam Dalembert was late for a morning meeting and did not start. Young responded, pouring in a career-high 32 points, missing just five of his 18 shots. He also grabbed five rebounds and came up with four steals.

Holiday, securely planted as the team’s starting point guard, had a solid all-around game with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Though still only 19, Holiday has grown into a player who is being counted on by teammates to be a stabilizing force in the final meaningless games.