Rajon Rondo suspended two games for hitting ref with ball

Rajon Rondo
rajon rondo
Apparently pretty good at dodgeball

Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics has been suspended two games without pay for throwing a ball at an official and striking him in the chest,it was announced today by Stu Jackson,NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 3:00 remaining in the third quarter of the Celtics’96-81 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 19.

Rondo will serve his suspension tonight when the Celtics play the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center and Wednesday,Feb. 22 when Boston plays the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Read NBA fan reaction and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Rockets recall Marcus Morris from D-League

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that forward Marcus Morris has been recalled from Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. Morris had re-joined the Vipers on Feb. 3.

Morris (6-9, 235, Kansas), who was selected by Houston with the 14 th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, averaged 22.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.40 steals in the 10 full games he has played with Rio Grande Valley this season. He made his debut with the Vipers by posting 33 points (13-24 FG), 16 rebounds, five assists and two steals vs. Dakota (1/6/12).

Yet another knee surgery for Greg Oden

The Portland Trail Blazers center was scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery to “remove debris” from his left knee. The team announced that the former No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft was to have the surgery Monday in Vail, Colo.

The often-injured 7-footer had the same procedure on his right knee earlier this month.

Over the course of his NBA career, Oden has had microfracture surgeries on both knees, surgery to repair a fractured left kneecap and now the two procedures this month.

Oden, who has hot played in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009, has appeared in 82 career games for the Blazers, averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.It was expected that he might be able to play for the Blazers this season, but a checkup before the start of training camp in December reportedly revealed concerns about a non-weight-bearing ligament in the left knee, further setting back his rehabilitation. Since then, he has turned down repeated interview requests.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Hornets sign Donald Sloan to second 10-day contract

The New Orleans Hornets, struggling badly with a 7-23 record, made a very minor roster move today. The team announced they have signed guard Donald Sloan to a second 10-day contract.

Sloan, a Texas A&M University product, was originally signed by New Orleans on February 8th and has appeared in three games, averaging 4.0 points, 2.7 assists and 1.0 rebounds in just under 14 minutes per game. Sloan previously appeared in five regular season games with the Atlanta Hawks this season before being released on January 27. Originally signed by Atlanta on December 9, 2011, Sloan averaged 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 4.0 minutes of play with the Hawks.

The 6’3” guard also played five games (all starts) for the Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League this season, averaging 24.8 points, 8.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 40.9 minutes of play. Born in Shreveport, LA, Sloan has appeared in 54 games (38 starts) in the D-League, with career averages of 12.0 points and 4.7 assists.

Sloan, who grew up in the Dallas area, was a first-team Big 12 Conference selection his senior season at Texas A&M, averaging 17.8 points.

Manny Harris named D-League Performer of Week

Manny Harris of the Canton Charge was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Feb. 13-19, when the Charge went 2-0.  The announcement marks the second time Harris has been named NBA D-League Performer of the Week.  He also earned the honor on Jan. 30.  With the honor, he becomes the first player to twice be named NBA D-League Performer of the Week during the 2011-12 season.

Harris, a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Michigan averaged 41.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 58 percent from the floor last week. He recorded a season-high 46 points in a 136-113 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Feb. 16 before finishing the week with a 36-point outing on Feb. 18 as the Charged swept the two-game series with the Vipers 135-132.

For the season, Harris is averaging 21.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 17 games for Canton.

Other top performers considered included Canton’s Antoine Agudio, who averaged 26.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games; Maine’s Morris Almond, who averaged 124.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games; Idaho’s Marcus Banks, who averaged 17.0 points and 5.0 assists in four games; Rio Grande Valley’s Will Conroy, who averaged 16.0 points and 16.3 assists in three games; Texas’ Antonio Daniels who averaged 11.7 points and 12.3 rebounds in three games; Dakota’s Marcus Dove, who averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds  in two games; Iowa’s Mike Efevberha, who averaged 27.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in three games; Bakersfield’s Osiris Eldridge, who averaged 24.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two games; Sioux Falls’ Trey Gilder, who averaged 28.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games; Los Angeles’ Gerald Green, who averaged 22.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games; Springfield’s Dennis Horner, who averaged 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games; Fort Wayne’s Ron Howard, who averaged 20.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in three games; Erie’s D.J. Kennedy, who averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games; Tulsa’s Marcus Lewis, who averaged 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in three games; Austin’s Leo Lyons, who averaged 20.3 points and 10.5 rebounds in four games and Reno’s Bobby Simmons, who averaged 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in two games.

Spurs sign Eric Dawson to 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed Eric Dawson from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract.

Dawson, a 6-9 forward, has appeared in 18 games with the Toros this season, averaging 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.72 blocks and 1.33 steals in 29.3 minutes while shooting .563 (121-215) from the field and .741 (43-58) from the foul line. Dawson has posted 13 double doubles (second in the D-League) and has scored 20-or-more three times. He finished with a season-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds vs. Springfield on Dec. 29, 2011.

Dawson has spent five seasons with the Toros dating back to 2007-08. In 67 career games, he has averaged 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.18 blocks. He has also played internationally in Slovenia, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Dawson attended Sam Houston High School and attended Midwestern State University. Dawson was named a Division II Second Team All-American in 2007 and earned Lone Star Conference First Team honors in 2006 and 2007. He is the Mustangs all-time leader in blocked shots with 170.

ESPN apologizes for offensive headline on Jeremy Lin

ESPN has apologized for using a racial slur in a headline for a story on Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin.

ESPN ran the headline “Chink in the Armor” after Lin had nine turnovers in New York’s loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night on its mobile website that could be seen on phones and tablet computers.

Lin is the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Read NBA fan reaction and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Kevin Durant leaves longtime agent Aaron Goodwin

Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant
Scores. Wins. Likes wearing backpacks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant says he’s splitting from his longtime agent, Aaron Goodwin.

Durant said before Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors that he appreciates what Goodwin has done for him “but it was time for me to move on.”

When he entered the NBA draft in 2007 after his freshman season at Texas, Durant signed with Goodwin’s Seattle-based Goodwin Sports Management. Goodwin helped negotiate Durant’s five-year, $86 million contract that Durant signed in July 2010.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Knicks sign J.R. Smith, waive Renaldo Balkman

J.R. Smith
JR Smith
Hopefully won’t anger Jeremy Lin

The New York Knicks have officially added a talented shooting guard with deep range, great athletic ability, and questionable decision-making skills.

Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations and Interim General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has signed free agent guard J.R. Smith.

Smith, 6-6, 220-pounds, returns to the NBA after playing overseas for Zhejiang of the Chinese Basketball Association.

He holds NBA career averages of 12.5 points, on .428 shooting from the field and .371 from three-point range, and 23.9 minutes in 503 games (129 starts) over seven NBA seasons with New Orleans/Oklahoma City and Denver. He averaged 12.3 points on .435 shooting and .390 from downtown (124-318), 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists over 24.9 minutes in 79 games (six starts) with Denver last season.

The Freehold, NJ-native was originally selected out of high school by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round (18th overall) of 2004 NBA Draft.

To generate roster space, the Knicks waived Renaldo Balkman. The 6-8, 225-pounds averaged 3.0 points and 8.2 minutes over 14 games off the bench for New York this season.

Read NBA fan opinion and share your views in this basketball forum topic.