Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes appeared in 189 games for the Wizards from 2002-05… Wizards guard Antonio Daniels and Cavs forward Ira Newble were teammates in San Antonio in 2000-01… Daniels attended high school at nearby Saint Francis DeSales in Columbus, OH… Wizards center Brendan Haywood was originally drafted by Cleveland with the 20th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft… Wizards assistant Phil Hubbard averaged 10.6 points per game as a player with the Cavaliers from 1981-89… Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan was drafted by Cleveland 33rd overall in the second round of the 1977 NBA Draft.
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Rockets notes
Yao Ming finished with 30 points (12-19 FG), 17 boards and three blocked shots vs. Seattle (1/21/08). Overall, it marked Yao’s seventh 30-point outing of the season and his fourth 30-13 game (points-rebounds) of 2007-08: 30 points, 15 boards vs. Dallas (11/21/07); 31 points, 13 rebounds at Phoenix (11/28/07) and 30 points, 16 rebounds vs. New Orleans (1/13/08)… Houston reached the 41-game mark with a record of 22-19 after a 96-89 win vs. Seattle (1/21/08), moving the Rockets to 14-1 this season when holding an opponent to less than 90 points. The Rockets now enter the second half of the season as winners of seven of their last nine games. Houston also holds an active run of three consecutive wins away from Toyota Center (1/4/08-1/9/08), which stands as its best road winning streak of the season.
Nene did have cancer but should be OK
Results of a biopsy performed on a small testicular tumor found on Nuggets F Nenê indicate the tumor was malignant. Further test results show that the cancer was isolated and did not spread. Nenê underwent surgery to remove the tumor on Jan. 14.
The tumor was discovered in the very early stages and the recovery rate is extremely high. In addition, the odds of a recurrence are very small.
Nenê is doing well and is recovering in Denver.
There remains no timeline for his return to the court.
Hawks suspend Zaza Pachulia
The Atlanta Hawks have suspended center/forward Zaza Pachulia for tomorrow night’s game at Denver for conduct detrimental to the team, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Billy Knight.
Pachulia’s absence from the team will only pertain to Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets, and he will be available to play at Seattle on Friday, January 25.
Pistons bench not stepping up
The Detroit Free Press (Jamie Samuelsen) reports: The Pistons are in a mini-slump, losers of three of their last four. What’s different about them recently that wasn’t showing up when they won 11 in a row? The bench is the first thing that really jumps out at me. They only accounted for five points in the overtime loss to the Kings on Friday night. When you feature a starting five that only has two consistent scoring threats in Hamilton and Billups, you do need the bench to be consistent and it hasn’t been lately.
Trevor Ariza out 8 weeks with broken foot
Lakers forward Trevor Ariza suffered a fracture of the fourth metatarsal in his right foot yesterday at practice, it was announced by the team.
After an examination this morning by Dr. Ken Jung, a foot specialist with the Kerlan- Jobe Orthopaedic Group, it is estimated that Ariza will be out approximately eight weeks.
Ariza, acquired by the Lakers on November 20 in a trade with the Orlando Magic, is averaging 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.6 minutes.
Lakers sign DJ Mbenga
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent center Didier “DJ” Ilunga-Mbenga to a 10-day contract, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.
Mbenga, a 7-foot, 220 pound native of the Congo, signed with the Golden State Warriors November 17 after spending three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks prior to their request for waivers on him October 30. In 16 games with the Warriors prior to his release January 6, Mbenga averaged 1.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.63 blocked shots in 8.1 minutes.
After signing with Dallas as a rookie free agent in 2004, Mbenga, 27, played 79 games over three seasons with the Mavericks, totaling 106 points, 75 rebounds and 35 blocked shots in 374 minutes. In his rookie year of 2004-05, he averaged 4.10 blocks per 48 minutes played while improving to 5.00 blocks per 48 minutes in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he was limited to just 21 games after missing the first 16 games of the year with a left foot tendon strain and suffering a torn right ACL 2/7/07 vs. Memphis.
In 95 career games including two starts, Mbenga is averaging 1.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.47 blocked shots in 5.3 minutes.
The Lakers roster now stands at 15.
Trevor Ariza breaks bone in foot
The Los Angeles Times (Mike Bresnahan) reports: Forward Trevor Ariza was diagnosed with a fractured bone in his right foot after hurting it today at practice. Ariza will see foot specialist Kenneth Jung on Monday, at which point a timetable for his return will be determined. It was unclear exactly how Ariza injured the fourth metatarsal in his foot, but he apparently came down on someone’s foot.
Spurs re-sign Jeremy Richardson
The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have re-signed guard/forward Jeremy Richardson. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Richardson has appeared in three games for the Spurs where he averaged 1.7 points in 3:23 minutes. He was originally signed on 1/10.
The 6-7, 195-pound Richardson was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies on 12/20. He did not register a point in three games with Grizzlies and was waived on 1/7.
Prior to joining the Grizzlies, Richardson was with the Fort Wayne Mad Antz in the NBA Development League. He was averaging a league-high 28.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.63 steals in 41.5 minutes in eight games. The 23-year-old spent the 2007 preseason with the Miami Heat before being cut on 10/29.
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Grizzlies sign Bobby Jones to second 10-day contract
The Memphis Grizzlies signed forward Bobby Jones to a second 10-day contract, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.
Jones, who signed his first 10-day contract on January 10, has appeared in five games (two starts) with Memphis, averaging 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.00 steals in 19.2 minutes.
In only his fourth game with the club, Jones made his first start this season vs. Seattle on Jan. 18 and posted career highs in points (20), rebounds (13), assists (7), steals (3) and minutes played (40) in a 124-100 victory over the SuperSonics at FedExForum.
The 6-7, 215-pound sophomore forward began the season with the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 23 games (no starts) before he was waived on Jan. 7.
The Compton, California native appeared in 44 games in his rookie season with Philadelphia in 2006-07, and started five of the final six games, where the 24-year-old averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.20 steals on 53.8 percent shooting in 27.2 minutes per game.