NBA News Blog – Page 868 – NBA Blog

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Josh Akognon to 10-day contract

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard Josh Akognon to a 10-day contract.

Akognon (5-11, 185) spent the 2012 preseason with the Mavericks before signing with the Liaoning Jiebao Hunters of the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2012-13 season. In 36 games with the Hunters, he averaged 29.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 34.9 minutes per game.

After going undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, Akognon played for BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn of the Estonian League in 2009-10. He played two seasons for the DongGuan New Century Leopards of the CBA from 2010-12, followed by a brief stint with the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League in 2011-12. Akognon spent the 2012 NBA Summer League with the Sacramento Kings.

A native of Petaluma, Calif., Akognon started his collegiate career at Washington State University before transferring to California State University, Fullerton. As a junior, he led the Titans to a Big West regular season title, Big West Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in 30 years. As a senior, Akognon was named Big West Conference Player of the Year after averaging 23.9 points per game.

Akognon is expected to join the team in Denver and be available for the game against the Nuggets on April 4. He will wear No. 10 for the Mavericks.

Akognon will replace Justin Dentmon on the Mavericks’ 15-man roster. Dentmon was released from his 10-day contract after appearing in two games for Dallas and logging 4 total minutes.

Wizards guard Bradley Beal to miss rest of season

The Washington Wizards announced today that guard Bradley Beal will miss the remainder of the season with a stress injury in his right fibula. He is expected to resume basketball-related activities in approximately six weeks.

Beal, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting .386 from three-point range in 56 games (46 starts) this season and currently ranks third among all rookies in scoring and three-point percentage and second in minutes per game (31.2 mpg). He was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December and January and set the Wizards rookie franchise record for three-pointers made in a season with 91.

Beal previously missed a total of 18 games on the season (11 due to a sprained left ankle, five due to a sprained right wrist and two due to a sore back).

Memphis Grizzlies sign Keyon Dooling

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed free agent guard Keyon Dooling, the team announced today.

Dooling (6-3, 196) joins Memphis with career averages of 7.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists on .415 shooting in 19.5 minutes in 721 games (86 starts) over 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

The 32-year-old recorded 4.0 points and 1.1 assists on .405 shooting in 14.4 minutes in 46 appearances (two starts) for Boston last season. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. native re-signed with the Celtics on July 31, 2012 for the 2012-13 season but announced his retirement on Sept. 20, 2012.

Drafted by Orlando in the first round (10th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft, the Missouri product has made the NBA Playoffs in four different seasons, posting 5.3 points and 1.0 assists on .454 shooting in 14.1 minutes in 49 postseason games with Miami, Orlando and Boston.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 14 players.

Basketball world awaits school decision from Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins is used to facing full-court presses on the court, but, this week, he’s being blitzed off of it as well.

Wiggins, the 18-year-old Vaughan native who is, by all accounts the best non-NBA player in the world, has not yet picked a college destination.

Only Wiggins and one other player — out of 25 at the McDonald’s All-American game — remain undecided, which is why just about all of the other future stars on hand in Chicago this week are trying to get Wiggins to join forces with them next fall.

Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina are the four schools still in the running.

— Reported by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun

Ex-NBA player Javaris Crittenton indicted on murder charges

Former NBA player and Atlanta native Javaris Crittenton was indicted Tuesday on charges of murder and gang activity.

The Fulton County District Attorney’s office said Crittenton, 25, and his cousin, Douglas Gamble, were charged in a 12-count indictment in the death of an Atlanta woman and the attempted murder of another man.

Julian Jones – a mother of two – was shot and killed in southwest Atlanta while walking with a group of people in August 2011. Authorities say that incident and a second shooting were gang-related. Officials say the shootings may have been retaliation after Crittenton was the victim of a robbery in which $50,000 worth of jewelry was stolen.

Crittenton, a former Georgia Tech guard, was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 and has also played for the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. He was suspended for 38 games during the 2009-10 season for pulling a gun in the Wizards’ locker room.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Nets sign Kris Joseph to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Kris Joseph to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.

Joseph (6-7/215) becomes Brooklyn’s second NBA D-League Call-Up of the season, joining the Nets from the Springfield Armor. In 27 combined games for Springfield and Maine this season, Joseph averaged 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. Acquired from Maine on February 11, 2013, Joseph has started 15 games for the Armor, averaging 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.1 minutes per game.

The Syracuse University product was selected in the second round (51st overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. In six games for the Celtics this season, he averaged 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds in 3.8 minutes per game.

Andrew Goudelock named D-League Performer of Week through March 31

Andrew Goudelock of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played March 25-31. This is the second consecutive week Goudelock has received Performer of the Week honors. He shared the award last week with Fort Wayne’s Tony Mitchell.

Goudelock (6-3, 200, College of Charleston) led the Vipers to a 4-0 week, extending their winning streak to eight games, while averaging 29.5 points on 53 percent shooting from the field to go with 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He scored a season-high 42 points and connected on 8-of-13 attempts from behind the arc in a 118-105 win over the Tulsa 66ers on March 27. In 35 games for Rio Grande Valley this season, he is averaging 21.8 points, 5.9 assists 4.2 rebounds and 37.3 minutes.

Other top performers considered include Austin’s Lester Hudson, Bakersfield’s Damion James, Canton’s Antonie Agudio, Erie’s Cory Higgins, Fort Wayne’s Tony Mitchell, Idaho’s Justin Holiday, Iowa’s Paul Harris, Los Angeles’ Gary Flowers, Maine’s Jermaine Taylor, Reno’s Samardo Samuels, Santa Cruz’s Jeremy Tyler, Springfield’s Dominique Sutton, Sioux Falls’ Jarvis Varnado, Texas’ Fred House and Tulsa’s DeAndre Liggins, on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Manu Ginobili out 3-4 weeks with strained right hamstring

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Manu Ginobili is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a strained right hamstring. The injury occurred during the first quarter of the Spurs vs. L.A. Clippers game on March 29.

The team also announced that Tim Duncan (sore left knee) and Kawhi Leonard (sore left knee) are both out for tonight’s game at Memphis.

Louisville guard Kevin Ware has surgery to repair broken leg

University of Louisville guard Kevin Ware underwent successful surgery at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis on Sunday night to repair a broken bone in his right leg.

Ware had the bone re-set, the wound from the injury closed and a rod inserted in his right tibia during approximately two hours of surgery. He suffered the injury with 6:33 remaining in the first half of the Cardinals’ 85-63 Midwest Regional Championship victory over Duke.

Ware will remain in Indianapolis until at least Tuesday, when he is hopeful to return to Louisville and then join the Cardinals as they advance to the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta. A timetable has not been set for a return to basketball competition.

Ware was a key backcourt reserve for the Cardinals, particularly during the last third of the season. He scored a career-high 11 points against Oregon on Friday in the regional semifinals and handed out a career-best five assists against Colorado State in the third round of the tournament. He has averaged 4.5 points and over 16 minutes a game for the 33-5 Cardinals.

— From University of Louisville

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Manu Ginobili out indefinitely with hamstring injury

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich puts Manu Ginobili’s timetable to return from a strained right hamstring at weeks rather than days, a significant setback to the team’s pre-playoff preparation.

“It’s a huge blow for us,” he said, “because he’s the guy that allows our second team to do what they’ve been doing all year long.

“It’s a huge loss for that group, and in game situations it’s a tough one because he’s one of two guys, he and Tony (Parker), are the creators who make things happen for everybody else on the court. It’s an unfortunate loss at this point of the season.”

Popovich said it is unknown if Ginobili’s injury will stretch into the postseason, which begins on April 20. Excluding Sunday’s home game against Miami, the Spurs have nine games remaining in the regular season, with the last coming on April 17 against Minnesota.

— Reported by Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News (Blog)