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Louisville Cardinals guard Kevin Ware suffered a grotesque-looking injury in the first half of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament game against the Duke Blue Devils.
Ware jumped out to contest a three-pointer with 6:33 left in the first half and snapped his lower right leg when he landed. He was writhing in pain in front of the Louisville bench.
He was carted off on a stretcher, and a Louisville spokesman said he was taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
— Reported by the Sports Xchange
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Atlanta Hawks forward/center Zaza Pachulia has elected to have surgery to repair his sore right Achilles. Pachulia will have surgery Wednesday, April 3rd, in Charlotte at Mercy Hospital. Dr. Robert Anderson of OrthoCarolina will perform the surgery and Hawks Team Physician Dr. Michael Bernot of Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic will accompany Zaza.
“After thoroughly reviewing the possible options with Zaza, we all felt this was the best decision to insure Zaza’s complete recovery so that he can be at 100 percent going forward. Zaza is a professional with a strong work ethic. The Hawks will continue to be completely supportive as he tackles the return to play process,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Danny Ferry.
The expected recovery time following surgery is approximately six months.
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Nate Jawai was unstoppable for Barcelona Regal on Friday night, dominating inside, leading his team to victory with a career night and in the process earning Top 16 Week 13 bwin MVP honors. Jawai was the leading man in Barca’s 69-77 victory over Montepaschi in Siena, Italy. Making just his third start of the season in place of injured February MVP Ante Tomic, Jawai went for 22 points and 12 rebounds in compiling a performance index rating of 34, which led all players in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague this week. The Aussie center shot 9 for 10 from the field, made 4 of 5 free throws and also blocked 2 shots in brilliant effort. The second best index for the week came from the hands of Rudy Fernandez, who drained 6 of 8 three-pointers en route to 24 points and a 30 index in an 81-72 loss at CSKA Moscow. Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv swingman Devin Smith needed just 18 minutes on the floor to amass a 27 index in a 101-58 rout of Besiktas JK Istanbul. Smith tallied 16 points on 3-of-3 three-point shooting, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Rounding out the list of the week’s best are Marcus Williams of Unicaja Malaga and Jonas Maciulis of Panathinaikos Athens, each with 26.
— Reported by Euroleague.net
The Chicago Bulls announced today they have re-signed forward Malcolm Thomas to a second 10-day contract. Thomas, a 6-9, 225-pound forward, originally signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls on March 19, 2013.
Thomas has appeared in one game with Chicago this season, and also recorded three points and five rebounds in five games played with the Golden State Warriors earlier in the season. The 24-year old native of Columbia, Mo., is in his second season out of San Diego State.
The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed guard Maalik Wayns for the remainder of the season.
Wayns has appeared in three games for the Clippers averaging 3.7 points, 2.3 assists and 9.3 minutes per game.
Wayns, who was the 23rd D-League to NBA “Call-Up” of the 2012-13 season, averaged 12.4 points and 3.0 assists in nine games (three starts) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League this season.
The 6’2” undrafted Villanova product started the season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and appeared in 21 games for the Sixers. In those 21 games (one start), he averaged 2.7 points and 1.0 assist in 7.8 minutes of play.
Former Chicago Bulls 7-foot center Tom Boerwinkle, known for his crisp passes, determined rebounding and ability to facilitate the offense, has died at the age of 67.
Boerwinkle was the first-round pick of the Bulls (4th overall) out of the University of Tennessee in 1968. He played his entire NBA career for the Bulls, averaging 7.2 points, 9 rebounds and 3.2 assists from 1968-78 while setting hard picks to create scoring opportunities for the likes of Chet Walker, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier.
The University of Tennessee announced that Boerwinkle passed away following a lengthy illness.
“Tom was a once-in-a-lifetime guy,” former Tennessee teammate Bill Justus said in a statement released by the university. “When you meet a guy like him and have him as a teammate, he becomes a brother to you, and there’s no replacing someone like that.
— Reported by Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune
The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed guard Jerel McNeal of the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam to a 10-day contract, the NBA’s 30th overall D-League Call-Up of the 2012-13 season and 26th different player called up. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A 25-year-old two-time NBA D-League All-Star selection, McNeal (6-3, 200, Marquette) has averaged 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 44 games (36 starts) in 2012-13 for the Jam, who acquired him in a trade with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers prior to the season. McNeal also tallied 13 points and seven assists for the Prospects team during the 2013 D-League All-Star Game on February 14 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston. In addition, McNeal was a D-League All-Star selection in 2011 while a member of the Vipers.
Undrafted in 2009, this will mark McNeal’s second career NBA regular-season stint, having previously spent 10 days with the New Orleans Hornets from March 9-19, 2011, although he did not appear in a game. McNeal attended 2012 training camp with the Toronto Raptors but was waived prior to the 2012-13 season, and has also participated in NBA training camps with the Los Angeles Clippers (2009) and Houston Rockets (2010). He has also played with Dexia Mons-Hainaut in Belgium (2009-10) and Sutor Montegranaro of the Italian League (2011-12), in addition to D-League seasons with Rio Grande Valley (2010-11) and Bakersfield (2012-13).
The Chicago native played four seasons at Marquette University (2005-09), averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists during his tenure. McNeal finished his four-year career as Marquette’s all-time leader in scoring (1,985), steals (287) and games played (130). In his senior season (2008-09), McNeal was named an Associated Press Second Team All-American, First Team All-Big East, USBWA Distract 5 Player of the Year and Marquette University’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.03 steals.
McNeal becomes the 10th D-League Call-Up in Jazz history, joining Rusty LaRue (2000-01), Mikki Moore (2003-04), Louis Amundson (2006-07), Sundiata Gaines (2009-10), Othyus Jeffers (2009-10), Marcus Cousin (2010-11), Kyle Weaver (2010-11), Blake Ahearn (2011-12) and Travis Leslie (2012-13).
McNeal, whose first name is pronounced Jah-rell, will wear uniform #23 for the Jazz.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are fighting to make the playoffs in the West, but their chances just took a hit.
Lakers forward Metta World Peace, who injured his left knee in Monday night’s game against the Warriors in Oakland, will have surgery tomorrow for a torn lateral meniscus.
The surgery will be performed by team doctors Steve Lombardo and Dan Kharrazi of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Group in Los Angeles.
World Peace, who has averaged 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.70 steals in 70 games (64 starts) this season, is expected to be out a minimum of six weeks.
Even if the Lakers do make the playoffs, they’ll be a lower seed and will face a very tough first-round opponent, which is now an even harder task without the services of World Peace.
With the clock clicking down, the Sacramento City Council took its last shot at keeping the NBA Kings in California’s capital by approving a public-private deal Tuesday to build a new 18,500-seat arena and retail center downtown.
Approval of the arena was the last step in what has been a full court press by Mayor Kevin Johnson to keep the city’s only major league sports team from bolting to Seattle, where a new ownership group and arena deal awaits. He now must convince NBA owners to block the Maloof family from initiating the move, a deal made public in January.
Since then, the mayor, himself a former NBA All-Star, has scrambled to assemble a group to buy the team, convince Commissioner David Stern to consider a counter offer, and get approval for the financial deal that would build a $448 million arena on the site of a shopping mall – a development many say will revitalize a problem area in its bustling city core.
Next week, Johnson will present the arena plan and purchase offer to an NBA committee. The following week, the NBA Board of Governors will vote on whether the team can be sold, and whether it will stay or move.
— Reported by the Associated Press
There were no surprises at the City Council meetings that ended a few hours. Council members voted 7-2 to approve a term sheet detailing the public’s contribution to the proposed $448 million downtown sports and entertainment complex, with Kevin McCarty and Darrell Fong – both of whom expressed concern about the city’s risk and the lack of time to more closely vet the agreement – voting against the agreement.
Tuesday’s vote was the latest development in Mayor Kevin Johnson’s campaign to keep the Kings in Sacramento. The Maloofs already sold their majority interest in the team to the Seattle-based group headed by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, but the league’s other owners (as stated in the NBA by-laws) have to approve all sales and relocations. Within the past several weeks, Johnson, attempting to come up with a counter bid, has put together a potential Kings ownership group that includes billionaire Ron Burkle, 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive and Steve Jacobs, founder of San Diego-based-Qualcomm.
— Reported by the Sacramento Bee
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Boston’s Kevin Garnett is expected to miss at least a week with inflammation in his left ankle as the Celtics practice patience with their 36-year-old star.
Coach Doc Rivers, preparing his team for a playoff run, said on Monday he doesn’t think Garnett will be out for the long term.
‘‘I don’t know what long term is,’’ Rivers said before practice. ‘‘If you mean that he’s not going to play this year, no, I don’t worry about that. But can he miss four or five games? Yeah, that’s possible.’’
Garnett sat out Saturday night’s 110-106 loss at Memphis and will miss Tuesday night’s home game against the New York Knicks, Rivers said. The Celtics’ busy stretch continues Wednesday night at Cleveland, Friday night at home against the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday night at New York and Monday at Minnesota.
— Reported by Howard Ulman of the Associated Press