Nets make progress, have direction

Al Iannazzone of the YES Network blog reports:

It’s been a frustrating year, but it hasn’t been dysfunctional, and these things are certain: the Nets have direction, unlike last year, and many of their players want to stick around.

At this point last year, no one really knew if Rod Thorn would be back. It was well known Kiki Vandeweghe wouldn’t. So the Nets were going to need a coach and probably a general manager. They were undergoing an ownership change. They were praying they would win the draft lottery and get John Wall. They were formulating a plan of attack to use all the money they had to try to attract LeBron James and other members of the super free-agent class of 2010, believing Mikhail Prokhorov, Jay-Z and the eventual move to Brooklyn would be the ultimate appeals. There were so many ifs and so many unknowns coming off a 12-70 season.

Things didn’t go the way the Nets hoped. Thorn left. The Nets got the No. 3 pick and wound up spending about $70 million on Travis Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar and Johan Petro.

But the Nets have much more of a foundation now than last year, with Prokhorov in charge of the team and Johnson and King running the basketball departments. You see where this team is headed.

FBI investigating University of San Diego basketball point-shaving scandal

The AP reports:

The NCAA plans to conduct its own investigation into an alleged gambling ring at the University of San Diego but will wait until the FBI completes its work.

On Tuesday, NCAA vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach called the allegations sad, acknowledging the serious nature of the charges that were unsealed one day earlier in San Diego.

The accused include Brandon Johnson, the school’s career scoring leader who is now playing in the NBA’s Developmental League, former assistant coach Thaddeus Brown and ex-player Brandon Dowdy.

Federal authorities have charged them with running a sports betting business to affect the outcome of games.

“The FBI is leading the investigation and we will stand by and let them do their work because they have more tools in their tool boxes to get at what’s going on than we do,” Lach told The Associated Press. “After they conclude their investigation, we will begin ours.”

Lach said FBI officials contacted college sports’ largest governing body before the indictments were made public Monday. She declined to say when the NCAA learned of the case.

Point-shaving scandals have occurred before in college sports, but they are rare.

David West has surgery on left knee

David West has surgery on left knee

New Orleans Hornets forward David West underwent successful surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning for a torn ACL. West will miss the remainder of this season and the playoffs . West underwent the surgery in New York City by Dr. David Altchek.

Typical ACL injuries require 6 to 8 months of rehabilitation. West is expected to complete his rehabilitation within that time frame, but at this time, it is difficult to predict the precise time of his return to the basketball court. He is expected to have a full recovery.

“After his injury, David understood the importance of getting his knee ready for surgery,” said Hornets/Ochsner orthopedist Dr. Scott Montgomery.  “Our training staff did a terrific job of helping David get the swelling down and regain his motion.  We’re thankful that David had a successful surgery and know that his hard work will make his rehabilitation process go well.”

Trail Blazers sign Earl Barron for rest of season

Trail Blazers sign Earl Barron for rest of season

The Portland Trail Blazers have signed center Earl Barron for the remainder of the season, it was announced today by General Manager Rich Cho.

Barron, 29, was a member of the 2005-06 NBA Champion Miami Heat his rookie season in the league and has played parts of five seasons with Miami (2005-08), the New York Knicks (2009-10), Phoenix Suns (2010-11) and Milwaukee Bucks (2010-11), posting career averages of 5.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 15.1 minutes in 108 games (27 starts).

A University of Memphis product, Barron (7-0, 250) averaged 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 14.1 minutes in 19 games (six starts) with Phoenix and Milwaukee this season.

Barron also played parts of five seasons in the NBA Development League, making the D-League All-Star team in 2009-10 with the Iowa Energy.

The Trail Blazers roster now stands at 15 players. Barron will wear jersey No. 40.

Baylor forward Perry Jones will stay in school for sophomore season

Freshman sensation Perry Jones III announced Monday that he will return to Baylor University for his sophomore season.

Jones III, who earned Freshman All-American honors from both CollegeInsider.com and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), finished the 2010-11 regular season as the Big 12 freshman leader in scoring (13.9) and field goal percentage (54.9). PJ3 finished second on the Baylor team in both scoring and rebounding (7.2) and third in assists (1.2), starting a Baylor freshman-record 30 games. His 54.9 field goal percentage ranks third in school history among freshmen behind only teammate Quincy Acy (65.5 in 2008-09) and 12-year NBA veteran Brian Skinner (59.8 in 1994-95).

The Duncanville, Texas, product was the first Baylor freshman to earn NABC All-District honors since Lawrence Roberts in 2002. He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the league’s coaches, Yahoo! Sports and The Dallas Morning News, while earning honorable mention by the AP.

Baylor finished the 2010-11 season with an 18-13 overall record and a 7-9 mark in Big 12 Conference play.

–Baylor Sports Information

Clippers recall Willie Warren from D-League

The Los Angeles Clippers today announced that they have recalled rookie guard Willie Warren from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.

Warren, 21, was originally assigned to Bakersfield on Feb. 2 and was reassigned on March 3. Overall, Warren appeared in 15 games with the Jam, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game.

Warren has appeared in 19 games with the Clippers this season and is averaging 1.9 points and 1.4 assists in 7.0 minutes per game.

The former Oklahoma University standout was selected by the Clippers in the second round (54th overall pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Atlanta Hawks sign Magnum Rolle

Atlanta Hawks sign Magnum Rolle

The Atlanta Hawks today signed forward Magnum Rolle to a contract, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rolle spent training camp with the Indiana Pacers, and appeared in five preseason games before being waived on October 25, 2010. Rolle was the 51st overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was then acquired by the Pacers in exchange for the draft rights to Ryan Reid.

The Gatorade callup played in 15 games (seven starts) with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League this season, averaging 14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.3 apg and 1.2 bpg (.508 FG%, .585 FT%) in 25.9 mpg. He was the third overall pick of the D-League Draft by the Claws.

Rolle played his sophomore season at LSU, before transferring to Louisiana Tech. As a senior with the Bulldogs in 2009-10, he led the WAC in blocked shots (2.1 bpg), adding 13.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg in 34 games (33 starts). He finished his career with Louisiana Tech fourth all-time in blocks in just two seasons of action.

Magnum Rolle was born on February 23, 1986 in Freeport, Bahamas, and attended St. George’s High School in Freeport before spending a year at Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. He will wear uniform number 25.

Jimmer Fredette stops attending classes

Ken Tingley of the Post Star reports:

Jimmer Fredette has stopped going to classes at Brigham Young University.

That is not unusual for college basketball stars who plan to make their living in the NBA, but in this case it was the school that requested it.

“It was getting too disruptive,” said Al Fredette, Jimmer’s father, who explained that Jimmer’s fame in Provo, Utah, has led to constant requests for autographs and photographs. “He can’t go anywhere in Provo without being recognized.”

He now does all his schoolwork online.

Fredette has become a national celebrity over the past few months and has been named almost everyone’s national collegiate basketball player of the year.

He is in Los Angeles this weekend where the winner of the John Wooden Award was announced Friday night and he appeared Thursday night on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” with University of Connecticut star Kemba Walker.

Monta Ellis suffers concussion, will not play final two Warriors games

Monta Ellis suffers concussion, will not play final two Warriors games

Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis, who exited last night’s game vs. Sacramento with 58.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter after falling to the floor and hitting his head, did not travel with the team to Denver for Monday’s game against the Nuggets.

Ellis spent last night in a Bay Area Hospital for observations after suffering a Grade 2 concussion and was released earlier this morning.  A CT Scan was negative.

Ellis will not play in the final two games of the season tonight in Denver and Wednesday vs. Portland.

Discuss your opinion with other fans in this forum topic.

Rockets sign Marcus Cousin, recall Hasheem Thabeet, waive DeMarre Carroll

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed center Marcus Cousin to a non-guaranteed contract and assigned him to Houston’s single-affiliation NBA D-League partner Rio Grande Valley. The Rockets have also recalled Hasheem Thabeet from the Vipers and have waived DeMarre Carroll.

Cousin (6-11, 255, Houston) earns his second GATORADE Call-Up of the season by signing with the Rockets. His first GATORADE Call-Up came when he signed a 10-day contract with Utah on Mar. 9, averaging 1.0 points and 0.8 rebounds in four games with the Jazz. A 2011 D-League All-Star selection, Cousin averaged 14.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.16 blocks while shooting .533 from the field in 38 games (38 starts) for the Austin Toros. Cousin also appeared in five games with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2010 preseason, averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. He spent the 2009 NBA Summer League with the Rockets. After transferring from Seton Hall, Cousin played two seasons at the University of Houston, averaging 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a senior in 2008-09.

Thabeet (7-3, 263, Connecticut) was assigned to Rio Grande Valley on Mar. 21, averaging 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks with two double-doubles in seven games (six starts) including the playoffs with the Vipers. Acquired by Houston from Memphis on Feb. 24, Thabeet has played in two games with the Rockets since being acquired from the Grizzlies. He averaged 1.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.33 blocks in 45 games with Memphis this season and made his Rockets debut vs. New Jersey (2/26/11). Selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Thabeet stands as the first Tanzanian-born player to be drafted by and play for an NBA team.

Carroll (6-8, 212, Missouri), who was acquired by Houston from Memphis on Feb. 24, has played in four games with the Rockets. He also averaged 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in seven games with the Grizzlies this season.