The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Celtics center Kendrick Perkins said he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for a hard foul on Pistons forward Jason Maxiell last Friday. Perkins was ejected with a flagrant 2 penalty. “I thought I was going to get more,” Perkins said. “So the $10,000 was pretty cool. I watched [the replay] a few times. It was a hard foul, but I wasn’t trying to hurt him. “He got real low. I wasn’t trying to go for his head. I just ended up hitting him. Like I said, it was nothing personal. I wasn’t trying to hit him in the head. It was just a play in the NBA.”
Category: NBA News Blog
NBA news blog
Anthony Randolph fires agent B.J. Armstrong
The San Francisco Chronicle (Janny Hu) reportS: In the middle of a rocky rookie season, Anthony Randolph has fired agent B.J. Armstrong. “My people and I decided it was the best for me,” said Randolph, who spent time with his family in Dallas on the road trip. “B.J.’s a great agent, but we decided this was best.” Randolph filed the official paperwork last week and said he is in the process of selecting a new agent. Armstrong, an ex-NBA player, also represents No. 1 pick Derrick Rose.
NBA All-Star parties hit by economy
The Boston Globe (Marc Spears) reports: Because of the trying economy, All-Star weekend isn’t expected to include as many lavish parties as in the past. Among those canceled is ESPN’s bowling party, Zo & Magic’s 8-Ball Challenge, and the Nike party. TNT analyst Kenny Smith’s annual charity party Feb. 13 will still take place, but on a smaller scale. The NBA Players Association Gala, considered the weekend’s top party since all the players stop by, will rely more on DJ music than live acts, end an hour earlier than normal, and have fewer invitees. At the event, the Players Association will present Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash, and Adonal Foyle with community contribution awards.
League denies exception for Mobley
The Bergen Record (Steve Adamek) reports (via blog): The Knicks’ appeal to get a disabled player salary-cap exception for Cuttino Mobley, which would not only have given them a nearly $4.5 million cap slot immediately to use either in a deal or to sign another player, but get his salary (for this season and next) off their cap and enable them to take him off their roster, was denied by the NBA late Friday, team president Donnie Walsh said Saturday morning. The league, Walsh said, essentially determined that Mobley’s heart condition, which forced him to retire shortly after the Knicks acquired him from the Clippers on Nov. 21, but with which he had played before that this season, was a pre-existing condition.
Spurs recall Malik Hairston from D-League
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have recalled Malik Hairston from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League (D-League).
Hairston is currently the fifth leading scorer in the D-League with 21.1 points per game. In 23 games for the Toros this season he has also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Hairston was named D-League Performer of the Week on 12/22 after helping lead the Toros to three straight wins while averaging 24.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists
Hairston was signed by the Spurs on 12/22 and was inactive for three games before being returned to Austin on 12/26. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 48th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and was acquired by San Antonio in exchange for the draft rights to Goran Dragic. He spent training camp with San Antonio where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in six preseason games before being waived on 10/26.
Tarence Kinsey out 3-5 weeks
Cavaliers guard Tarence Kinsey left last night’s game at Orlando with 1:21 remaining in the fourth quarter with a right ankle sprain. He was re-evaluated at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health today. He is estimated to be out three to five weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate.
Tracy McGrady has minor ankle sprain
The Houston Chronicle (Jonathan Feigen) reports: The Rockets’ run of relatively good health could be over after one game. Tracy McGrady left Friday’s practice with a sprained left ankle. The injury is not considered serious, with McGrady listed as “a game-time decision” to play Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.
Grizzlies sign Darius Miles for rest of season
The Memphis Grizzlies have signed forward Darius Miles for the remainder of the season, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
The 6-9, 235-pound forward has averaged 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.80 blocks in 12.1 minutes in 10 games with the Grizzlies this season.
The seven-year NBA veteran originally signed with the Grizzlies as a free agent on Dec. 13 (and was later waived on Jan. 7) after missing all of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons following microfracture surgery on his right knee. The 27-year-old signed consecutive 10-day contracts with Memphis on Jan. 10 and on Jan. 20.
Miles signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics on Aug. 22, 2008 and appeared in six preseason games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes before his release on Oct. 20.
The third overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, Miles became the first player in league history drafted straight out of high school (East St. Louis High School) to earn All-Rookie honors when he posted 9.4 points and 1.54 blocks for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000-01.
The Bellville, Ill. native holds career averages of 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.14 blocks in 27.4 minutes in 422 career games (190 starts) with Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Al Jefferson not picked for All-Star reserves
The 2009 NBA All-Star reserves are official, and a young star big-man likely came close to getting picked, but big old Shaq won out instead. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Jerry Zgoda) reports: Western Conference coaches passed over Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson and chose now 15-time All-Star Shaquille O’Neal as the reserve center for next month’s All-Star Game. Jefferson’s averages of 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds — he’s one of only three NBA players averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game — and the Wolves’ 16-28 record didn’t convince the coaches. They instead chose O’Neal, who at age 36 often doesn’t play in back-to-back games. The Feb. 15 game is in Phoenix, where O’Neal now plays.
Economy slows future Kings arena
The Sacramento Bee (Mary Lynne Vellinga) reports: The NBA’s urgent effort to get a new arena for the Kings built at Cal Expo has gone into slow motion because of the sputtering real estate economy. “There’s no lending out there right now, so real estate development is absolutely flat,” said NBA point person John Moag. Moag said this week that the NBA and Cal Expo likely will push forward with planning for a mixed-use project at the fairgrounds that would include an arena and a revamped venue for the State Fair. The two parties expect to seek proposals from developers in March, he said.