Warriors sign center Mikki Moore

Mikki Moore

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent center Mikki Moore to a contract, the team announced today.

Moore, a 12-year NBA veteran, is being called-up from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, where he has appeared in 33 games this season and averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.06 blocks in 28.1 minutes per contest.  He is shooting 55.4% (134-242 FG) from the field and has posted six double-doubles.  This marks the 53rd GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA season.

The 7’0” center last played in the NBA with the Warriors during the 2009-10 campaign, when he appeared in 23 games (20 starts) and averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.7 minutes before undergoing season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs in his right heel on December 18, 2009.  For his career, Moore has appeared in 557 NBA games with nine teams (Detroit, Boston, Atlanta, New Jersey, Utah, L.A. Clippers, Seattle, Sacramento and Golden State) over 12 seasons, averaging 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Mikki (pronounced MY-key) will wear #31 and is scheduled to be in uniform for the team’s home game tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

Mark Cuban seeks change to rule on basket interference

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has lobbied the league to immediately begin making basket interference situations in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime reviewable after such a play worked against the Mavs in their 112-108 overtime loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It appeared that Lakers forward Matt Barnes touched a Pau Gasol 3-point attempt from the corner as it neared the cylinder with 3:49 to go in overtime. Barnes’ hands then came down on the rim and then he and Gasol instantaneously waived their arms in the air to suggest that Barnes did not make contact.

The basket was ruled good and the Lakers took a 103-101 lead.

“Any potential basket interference in the last two minutes of a game or overtime should be reviewed,” Cuban said he wrote in his email to the league. “I didn’t bring up that play up at all.

“You’ve got to make that reviewable. You have to ask them to change the rule.”

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

Former NBA player Dwayne Schintzius dead at age 43

Former NBA and University of Florida basketball player Dwayne Schintzius died Sunday afternoon from respiratory failure. He was 43.

The 7-foot-2 Schintzius, who starred at Brandon (Fla.) High School east of Tampa, had been battling complications from a bone marrow transplant he received as treatment for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, the Tampa Tribune reported.

Schintzius played at Florida from 1987-90 and helped lead the Gators to their first three NCAA tournament appearances in school history (the first two were later vacated by the NCAA). Schintzius is sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,624 points and still holds the school record for blocked shots (272). He was named an All-American by The Associated Press, UPI and the Sporting News in 1989 after averaging 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

— Reported by  Michael DiRocco of GatorNation/ESPN

Schintzius still became a first-round NBA pick, the 24th overall selection by the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. He also played for the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds overall. But injuries haunted his nine-season NBA career.  Off the court, Schintzius played the role of a Russian basketball player in the movie “Eddie,” a film that starred Whoopi Goldberg. Schintzius also played himself in an episode of the cable television series Arliss. He later worked in sports marketing while maintaining his free-spirited attitude. He recently published a fitness book.

— Reported by the Tampa Tribune 

Magic beat Cavs, clinch playoff spot

Jameer Nelson scored 21 points and the Orlando Magic clinched a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 100-84 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Orlando led from wire-to-wire despite playing without star center Dwight Howard, who has missed the last four games with a herniated disk in his back.

The news the Magic made the postseason took a back seat to the team’s injury list, which seems to grow by the day. Howard and forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fracture) are sidelined indefinitely. Coach Stan Van Gundy said before the game he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and the playoffs without the two players.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Heat beat Knicks, clinch Southeast Division title

LeBron James had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 28 points and nine boards, and the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 93-85 on Sunday to clinch the Southeast Division title.

Chris Bosh finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who pulled away in the fourth quarter of a possible playoff preview. Miami is second in the Eastern Conference and New York came into the game tied for seventh, although they fell back behind Philadelphia after the loss.

Carmelo Anthony scored 42 points for the Knicks, but had only two baskets in the fourth quarter, perhaps tired after playing 43 minutes. New York had its nine-game home winning streak snapped.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

2012 WNBA Draft is Monday

The Los Angeles Sparks are expected to select Stanford’s Nnemkadi Ogwumike at No. 1 overall. She led the Cardinal to consecutive Final Fours, losing to eventual champion Baylor this season.

Ogwumike would join a crowded Los Angeles frontcourt that includes Parker, veterans DeLisha Milton-Jones and Ebony Hoffman, second-year center Jantel Lavender and fifth-year center Nicky Anosike.

”Assuming that that happens and I end up in L.A., I think I’m looking forward to playing with a lot of experienced posts,” said the 6-foot-2 Ogwumike, who averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds this season. ”I can still elevate my game at this point, but I think it will be good to see what I can learn from people.”

The Sparks, who have a new coach in former Atlanta assistant Carol Ross and added former All-Star Alana Beard, also have three of the first four picks in the second round.

After Ogwumike, this year’s draft will be wide open. Miami’s Shenise Johnson, Tennessee’s Glory Johnson and Shekinna Stricklen, Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters and Natalie Novosel, and Miami’s Riquana Williams are among the top players available. Ohio State’s Samantha Prahalis and Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes could also be picked in the first round.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Cavaliers assign Luke Harangody to D-League

Luke Harangody

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned forward Luke Harangody to the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers exclusively owned and operated NBA Development League team, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today.

Harangody has played in 16 regular season games (all starts) with the Charge, averaging 19.4 points on .486 shooting, including  .413 from three-point range,  and 12.6 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game. In the Charge’s first-ever playoff game, Friday, April 13, Harangody totaled 16 points on 6-12 shooting (.500), nine rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes in Canton’s 108-93 victory over the Springfield Armor.

The 6-foot-8 forward has appeared in 16 games with Cleveland this season, posting averages of 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game, including last night in Washington where Harangody recorded a double-double and posted team highs of 16 points on 6-11 (.545) shooting, 10 rebounds and three steals in 37 minutes.

He will be available for Game 2 of Canton’s best-of-three first round playoff series with the Springfield Armor tonight in Springfield.

Bobcats sign forward Jamario Moon

Jamario Moon

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed forward Jamario Moon.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Moon will wear No. 9.

A four-year NBA veteran, the 6-8 Moon has played in 278 career games for the Raptors, Heat, Clippers and Cavaliers, with career averages of 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds.  He was signed by the Raptors as a rookie free agent prior to the 2007-08 season and went on to earn Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for January 2008 before being selected to the All-Rookie Second Team following the season.  Moon also participated in the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge and the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend.

In 2010-11, Moon averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 59 total games split between the Cavaliers and the Clippers.  He saw action in 40 games for Cleveland, averaging 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 19.1 minutes, before being traded to the Clippers along with Mo Williams in exchange for Baron Davis and a first-round draft pick.  With the Clippers, he averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 19 games played.

Moon becomes the 52nd player this season called up from the NBA D-League, where he played for the Los Angeles D-Fenders.  In 12 games this season, Moon averaged 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.8 minutes.

After playing one season at Meridian Community College in Mississippi, Moon began his professional career in 2001-02 with the Mobile Revelers of the NBA D-League.  He also played for teams in the USBL, ABA, WBA and CBA, as well as in Mexico during the six-year period before he joined the Raptors in 2007-08.

Clippers beat Warriors, keep chasing Lakers in standings

Chris Paul had 28 points and 13 assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors 112-104 on Saturday to close within a game of the Lakers for the Pacific Division lead.

Blake Griffin added 20 points, DeAndre Jordan 18 and Mo Williams 14 in the Clippers’ third straight win and 11th in their last 13 games. They are also chasing the idle Lakers for the third seed in the Western Conference with six games remaining.

The Clippers’ 36 wins are their most since they won 40 games in 2006-07.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Tyson Chandler hopes to win Defensive Player of Year

tyson chandler

Tyson Chandler never toots his own horn about anything, which may be one reason he never has made an All-Star team. But when the subject of the Defensive Player of the Year Award was raised yesterday, Chandler admitted he hopes he will be considered.

Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson said he “absolutely’’ believes Chandler is a candidate, and Chandler revealed it’s been a secret goal.

“It would mean an awful lot to me,’’ Chandler said at yesterday’s morning shootaround. “That was one of my goals coming into the season. I felt I put myself right in the thick of things for consideration. I personally feel like I deserve it. It would be a great honor.’’

Ballots for the NBA awards were sent out to the media yesterday, and Chandler will draw consideration for one of the three All-NBA teams at center. The four All-Star centers this season were Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bynum and Marc Gasol.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post