NBA News Blog – Page 1572 – NBA Blog

Rockets sign James White to second 10-day contract

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed guard/forward James White to a second 10-day contract. He was signed to his original 10-day contract by the Rockets on Mar. 3. White joined Houston from the Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA D-League, becoming the 12th GATORADE Call-Up of the season.

White (6-7, 200, Cincinnati), who has been on Houston’s inactive list since his Call-Up, was averaging 25.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (33 starts) for the Arsenal this season. At the time of his Call-Up, White was tied for first in the D-League in points per game and was ranked tied for 12th in the league in field goal percentage. White posted 30 or more points in 12 contests with the Arsenal in 2008-09, including a season-high 47-point performance against Houston’s D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers (1/20/09).

Discuss the team and this news on the InsideHoops Houston Rockets forum.

College: Syracuse beats UConn in six overtimes

This is primarily an NBA blog, but when something happens in basketball that everyone should know about, we usually mention it. And that’s the case here:

The AP reports: Syracuse and Connecticut played a game for the ages Thursday night and into early Friday. When it was over, everybody in Madison Square Garden was exhausted and, except for the losing team, exhilarated. Telling someone that No. 18 Syracuse beat No. 3 Connecticut 127-117 in six overtimes in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament is equivalent to saying there’s a star in the sky… The game finished one overtime short of the record set in Cincinnati’s 75-73 victory over Bradley on Dec. 21, 1981. Paul Harris had 29 points and 22 rebounds, while Eric Devendorf had 22 points and Rautins had 20, all but two on 3-pointers. The Orange made 40 of 51 free throws, but Connecticut made just 24 of 42… A.J. Price had 33 points and 10 assists for the Huskies (27-4), while Stanley Robinson had 28 points and was one of three Connecticut players with 14 rebounds. Hasheem Thabeet had 19 points, 14 rebounds and six of the Huskies’ 16 blocked shots.

No surgery for Marvin Williams

The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Sekou Smith) reports: Hawks forward Marvin Williams will not undergo surgery on his injured lower back and could play again this season. Williams said he will undergo weeks of intensive rehabilitation after being examined by specialists at Duke University Wednesday. He wants to return before the Hawks wrap up the regular season April 15.

Knicks sign Cheikh Samb to second 10-day contract

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that center Cheikh Samb has been signed to a second consecutive 10-day contract.

Signed to his first 10-day contract on Mar. 2, Samb, 7-1, 245-pounds, has yet to appear in a game for New York.

The Knicks roster is currently at 14 players.

Talk Knicks basketball in the InsideHoops New York Knicks message board.

Charlotte Bobcats sign Dontell Jefferson to 10-day contract

Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Dontell Jefferson to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Bobcats roster now stands at 15 players.

The 6-5 Jefferson has played in 32 games for the Utah Flash in the D-League this season, where he is averaging career highs of 18.6 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 36.7 minutes per game and is tied for ninth in the league in assists and tied for 14th in scoring. Jefferson was named D-League Co-Player of the Month in January after averaging 21.4 points and 6.2 assists in 11 games, including a career-high 38 points on Jan. 26 against Fort Wayne.

In three D-League seasons, Jefferson has career averages of 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 114 games with the Dakota Wizards and Utah Flash. He also spent part of the 2007-08 season with Barons/LMT Riga in Latvia were he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 15 games with the Latvian League and 7.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in seven games in the Baltic League.

Sacramento Kings lowering ticket prices

The Sacramento Bee (Melody Gutierrez) reports: As a response to the bad economy, the Kings will announce season-ticket price reductions today that will cut the cost of some plans by as much as 44 percent for the 2009-10 season. One-third of all tickets in Arco Arena will be $25.50 or less, and the franchise will continue to offer 1,000 tickets at $10 for next season. The move mirrors what most NBA teams have done in recent weeks to reach out to fans struggling to pay their mortgages and retain their jobs… The price cuts will save season-ticket holders an average of $594 and as much as $1,562 for one ticket plan compared to 2008-09 prices. The savings of up to 44 percent will be on a portion of tickets previously priced at $40.50, which will now cost $22.50. The rest of the tickets previously priced at $40.50 will be $36.50, depending on their location.

Chicago Bulls sign Linton Johnson to 10-day contract

The Chicago Bulls today signed forward Linton Johnson III to a 10-day contract. Johnson, a 6-8, 205-pound forward, will be in uniform tonight when the Bulls take on the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena at 6:00 p.m. (CT).

Johnson, a five-year pro, most recently played with the Charlotte Bobcats during the start of the 2008-09 campaign. He appeared in two games with the Bobcats before being waived on Nov. 19, 2008.

The Chicago native will re-join the Bulls for the second time in his career. During the 2003-04 season, he appeared in 41 games with Chicago and posted averages of 4.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 17.9 mpg. Johnson has also enjoyed stints with the San Antonio Spurs (member of the 2005 NBA Championship team), New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Bobcats. For his career, he has posted averages of 4.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 14.5 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .417 from the field and .699 from the line.

Johnson, 28, was undrafted out of Tulane University.

Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.

NBA suspends Lamar Odom one game

Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended one game without pay for leaving the immediate vicinity of the bench during an altercation, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with two seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers’ 111-94 victory over the Lakers at Rose Garden in Portland last night.

Odom will serve his suspension tomorrow night when the Lakers face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

NBA rules state that players who are benched at the time of an altercation must stay there.

A Lakers-Rockets matchup is always worth watching. Houston has done very well despite not having aging star shooting guard Tracy McGrady, and Los Angeles has looked terrific despite not having young-and-upcoming, starting center Andrew Bynum.

Without Odom, some responsibility to step up falls on the shoulders of Ariza, Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga.

Indiana Pacers have financial problems

The Indianapolis Star (Brendan O’Shaughnessy) reports: The Indiana Pacers are losing about $30 million this season and cannot continue to shoulder the millions of dollars it costs to operate Conseco Fieldhouse. That was the announcement Monday to the Capital Improvement Board from CIB Vice President Pat Early, who has been in discussions with team officials about the financial problems both organizations face. Operating Conseco Fieldhouse costs the Pacers roughly $15 million a year. If the team can’t make those payments, it would fall to the CIB, which already is struggling with a budget shortfall of $20 million this year.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Pacers fans don’t go see their team play. Indiana gets under 14,000 fans per home game. If I owned the team, I’d probably be looking to move or sell right about now. Though, with the current rough economy it’s hard to pull off any of that.

Eduardo Najera done for season

The New York Daily News (Julian Garcia) reports: The Nets found out Monday that they’ll have to go the rest of the season without Eduardo Najera. The veteran forward, who signed with the Nets in the offseason, has a sports hernia and will have surgery sometime over the next week or so. Frank said Najera would not be ready for at least six to 10 weeks, meaning the Nets would have to advance deep into the postseason for him to have a chance to play again. In 27 games, Najera averaged 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds. He hadn’t played since Jan.31.