NBA News Blog – Page 882 – NBA Blog

Sixers sign Jeremy Pargo to 10-day contract; Shelvin Mack gone

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they have signed guard Jeremy Pargo to a 10-day contract. Additionally, the second 10-day contract guard Shelvin Mack signed on January 28 has expired. Pargo will wear #0.

Pargo (6-2, 219) was not selected in the 2009 NBA Draft and played overseas until signing as a free agent with Memphis prior to the start of last season. He appeared in 44 games with five starts for the Grizzlies in 2011-12 and was traded to Cleveland on July 25, 2012.

The Gonzaga product saw action in 25 games with 11 starts for Cleveland this season, averaging 7.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. He was waived by the Cavaliers on January 22 in conjunction with Cleveland’s trade with Memphis.

Pargo took advantage of an injury to Cleveland’s All-Star guard Kyrie Irving earlier this season and averaged 14.5 points and 4.4 assists over an 11-game span from November 21 through December 8. Pargo scored 20-plus points three times during that stretch, including a career-high 28 points against Philadelphia on November 21.

In 69 career games with 16 starts, Pargo is averaging 4.7 points, 1.7 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. His older brother, Jannero, is currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks.

Procedure to move Kings to Seattle takes another step

With one more procedural move, the Sacramento Kings took another step toward Seattle.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said Wednesday night that the Seattle group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, which recently reached an agreement to purchase the Kings, has formally filed for relocation with the league.

Stern spoke in Minneapolis before the Timberwolves hosted San Antonio. He called the Seattle group ”very strong,” and said the appropriate committees have been convened to look over the proposed sale of the Kings and the prospective move.

Stern said the relocation proposal calls for the team to play in KeyArena for ”two years, possibly three,” while a new arena in Seattle is being built.

”We have had submitted a signed agreement to have the team sold to a very strong group from Seattle,” Stern said. ”We have received an application to have the team moved from Sacramento to Seattle.”

The deadline for teams to file for relocation is March 1. It’s been expected that the Hansen/Ballmer group would file to move the team, but Stern’s comments were the first time that decision had been verified. The filing for relocation is just another step, but big in the efforts to bring professional basketball back to Seattle for the 2013-14 season.

— Reported by Tim Booth of the Associated Press

Pau Gasol injury update

Los Angeles Lakers forward/center Pau Gasol had an MRI test today in Boston on his right foot, which he injured in last night’s game in Brooklyn. Results of the MRI showed that Gasol has a tear of the plantar fascia.

The MRI test will be sent to team doctors in Los Angeles for analysis and Gasol will fly to Los Angeles tomorrow, where he will be examined by team doctor Steve Lombardo and foot specialist Dr. Kenneth Jung. A further update including a time estimate for Gasol’s return will be issued at the conclusion of the examination.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “The plantar fascia is located in the arch of the foot, and Gasol has been bothered throughout this season by painful swelling in the same area, called plantar fasciitis. He aggravated the foot earlier in Tuesday’s game and said he later felt a pop in it after jumping to block the shot of Nets center Brook Lopez with 4:23 to play. Gasol stayed down on the court for several seconds and remained in the game after a 20-second timeout but started limping while trying to run and headed for the locker room. He needed crutches after the game to leave the locker room. Gasol will meet with Lakers doctor Steven Lombardo and foot specialist Kenneth Jung on Thursday.”

Lakers will not trade Dwight Howard

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has told Dwight Howard he will not be traded before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, according to league sources.

Kupchak recently told Newsday the same thing, saying: “We will not trade Dwight Howard.” Sources say Kupchak has told Howard several times that he has no intention of trading him.

There have been rumblings for the past month that the Lakers are considering moving Howard out of fear that he might leave as a free agent after the season. Despite their concerns, the Lakers have not directly asked Howard whether he plans to stay or go in free agency, according to sources.

Sources have told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Ramona Shelburne that the Lakers are “very confident” Howard will remain with the team this summer.

Howard has steadfastly refused to reveal his plans for this summer, and sources say he truly does not know what he will do. The sources add that he definitely will not ask to be traded.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN.com

Spurs recall center Aron Baynes from D-League

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have recalled center Aron Baynes from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

Baynes appeared in two games for the Toros after being assigned to Austin on Feb. 1. He averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 27.5 minutes in his first D-League assignment.

Signed by the Spurs on January 23, Baynes has appeared in two games for the Silver and Black, averaging 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes.

Michael Beasley cited for multiple driving violations

Scottsdale police say Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley was cited last month on suspicion of speeding, driving on a suspended Arizona license and driving without a vehicle license plate or registration.

The Suns issued a statement Monday saying they discussed the matter with Beasley ”and at this time do not believe any further action by the club is warranted.”

A police report said Beasley was stopped Jan. 25 on suspicion of driving 71 mph in a 45 mph zone.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Nate Robinson, David Lee named NBA Players of Week

Chicago Bulls guard Nate Robinson and Golden State Warriors forward David Lee today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 28 through Sunday, Feb. 3.

Robinson led the Bulls to a 3-1 week, which included road wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 17.8 points, tied for second in the conference with 2.50 spg and placed third in the East with 6.8 apg. Robinson has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games for the Central Division-leading Bulls, who stand third overall in the East at 29-18 (.617).

Lee averaged 18.0 points, 14.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists as he helped the Warriors to a 4-0 week. He posted a point-rebound double-double in each contest, improving his NBA-leading double-double total to 31 on the year. The Warriors’ 30-17 (.638) record is good for second in the Pacific Division and fifth in the conference. Lee becomes the first Warriors player to win two Player of the Week awards in the same season since Baron Davis in 2005.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez, Denver’s Danilo Gallinari, Houston’s Omer Asik, Miami’s LeBron James and New York’s Tyson Chandler.

Jamal Crawford suffers broken nose

Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford fractured his nose late in Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors but will play Sunday with a face mask against the Boston Celtics.

Crawford said he fractured his nose with 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter after missing a free throw and bumping into Raptors guard Kyle Lowry. Crawford didn’t know it was actually a fracture until Saturday, when he was forced to sit out of Clippers practice and get fitted for a mask.

“I’ve never worn a mask before,” Crawford said after warming up with the mask. “It felt pretty good. I actually shot better than I thought I would. I try to not think about it.”

— Reported by Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles

Dwight Howard still out with sore shoulder

Dwight Howard will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ game at Detroit on Sunday because of his ailing shoulder.

Howard was scratched from Friday night’s game at Minnesota with a sore right shoulder and returned to Los Angeles to receive platelet-rich plasma treatments. It’s the same injury that kept him out of three games in January.

Howard was with the team Sunday but says he’s still sore, and he wants to make sure this isn’t a recurring problem for the rest of the season.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Miami Heat re-assign Dexter Pittman to D-League yet again

The Miami Heat today re-assigned Dexter Pittman to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the record 124th of the 2012-13 NBA and NBA D-League seasons, while Pittman is one of the record 52 players to have been assigned to the NBA D-League this season.

Pittman (6-11, 285, Texas) returns to Sioux Falls having been assigned twice before this season, when he appeared in 12 games and averaged 13.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 25.8 minutes.

Originally selected by the Heat in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, Pittman has appeared in four games for Miami this season, averaging 1.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.0 minutes. In 41 career games for the Heat, Pittman has averaged 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.9 minutes.

Pittman is expected to join the Skyforce today and be available on Wednesday, Feb. 6 when the team travels to face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in Indiana at 7 p.m. ET.