Thunder recall Byron Mullens from D-League

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has recalled center Byron Mullens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

Over three stints in Tulsa, Mullens has appeared in 14 games (all starts) averaging 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 assist in 27.7 minutes per game.

He will join the Thunder for tonight’s 7:00 PM game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Oklahoma City Arena.

Under NBA rules, a player can only be sent to the D-League a maximum of three times during the season.  Mullens is no longer eligible to play for Tulsa.

Wade, James show up to watch Rafael Nadal tennis match

The AP reports:

Dwyane Wade

dwyane wade
Prefers basketball

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James tried a different sort of courtside view on Saturday night.

At tennis.

The Miami Heat stars showed up at the Sony Ericsson Open to be part of a coin toss before world No. 1 Rafael Nadal played against Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Wade’s two sons, Zaire—the actual flipper of the coin—and Zion, were there as well, on the court for handshakes from Nadal and a quick photo or two just before the match.

“There’s certain things in Miami that guys should experience,” Wade said. “So I had to drag LeBron out here, but I think this is something he’ll probably come back to next year and come back for years after that. This is a good experience. It’s something different and it’s a great day off, getting over here with the kids.”

Wade’s sons were handed oversized tennis balls as they entered the stadium, and immediately, they started dribbling them like basketballs.

“Anything that bounces, they’re good to go,” Wade said.

Hornets sign Patrick Ewing Jr. to 10-day contract

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have signed forward Patrick Ewing Jr. to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ewing Jr. has played in 49 games this season with the Reno Bighorns and Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, averaging 17.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Originally drafted 43rd overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2008 NBA Draft, the 6-8 235 lb. forward was then traded to the Houston Rockets and later the New York Knicks with whom he participated in the 2008 preseason. After being waived by the Knicks, Ewing Jr. was signed by the teams’ D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns, where he spent the 2008-09 campaign and averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds in 30 games.

Ewing, the son of Hall of Fame center and current Orlando Magic Assistant Coach Patrick Ewing, played collegiately at Indiana University (‘03-‘04 and ‘04-‘05) before sitting out the ’05-’06 season while transferring to his father’s alma mater Georgetown University for his final two years of eligibility. In his senior season, Ewing Jr. was named the Big East Sixth Man of the Year with averages of 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

The Hornets roster now stands at 15.

David West will have reconstructive surgery on torn ACL as soon as possible

Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

David West will have reconstructive surgery on torn ACL as soon as possible

West said Friday night he plans to have reconstructive surgery to repair the damage as soon as possible, although he’ll remain with the team through the end of this road trip that concludes Sunday night in Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I wasn’t expecting this, but things like this happen,” said West. “It’s part of the game. I just landed the wrong way. I don’t know. In all honesty, I knew something was wrong because of the amount of pain I was in. I didn’t know the severity, obviously, until this morning. I wasn’t expecting ‘ACL’, but I knew there’d be some sort of damage to the knee.

“It’s just a tough time. The last couple of steps to the season … it’s not the time … you just can’t plan on thing like this to happen.”

West said there has been limited swelling in the knee, which will lessen the waiting time necessary for doctors to perform the surgery.

He has not yet decided, he said, which orthopedist will do the procedure, either Hornets team physicians or someone such as noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

Jared Sullinger claims he will return to OSU for sophomore season

Dana O’Neil of ESPN reports:

Here, then, Ohio State fans is your silver lining: Jared Sullinger says he is coming back.

Sitting in the Ohio State locker room following the top-seeded Buckeyes’ 62-60 loss to Kentucky, the freshman said he would not be entering his name for the NBA draft and would return for his sophomore season.

“I’m going to be an Ohio State Buckeye next year,” he said. “This isn’t why I came here, to come in here and see my seniors in here crying. I came here to win a national championship.”

Plenty of people make pledges in the rubble of an emotional loss only to change their mind later, when the sting and suddenness of the season fades and the promise of the NBA looms.

OJ Mayo happy with Grizzlies but would have been cool with trade to Bulls

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune reports:

OJ Mayo would have been cool with a trade to Bulls

O.J. Mayo was the focus of so many trade rumors last month, he figured he would get a new address.

And one in Chicago would have been fine with him.

“It would have been cool,” Mayo said before his Grizzlies took on the Bulls at the United Center. “I stay here in the offseason and work out with Tim Grover. But I’m happy (with the Grizzlies).”

The Bulls and Grizzlies could not agree to terms before the Feb. 24 trade deadline so the Bulls kept their roster intact, and Mayo continued in his role with Memphis.

“Scoring off the bench,” he called it.The 6-foot-4 guard entered Friday’s game having drained four of his last five 3-pointers.

“A big-time scorer,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Jazz not rocking lately

Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Less than average. Bottom of the heap. Going nowhere.

This is where the directionless Jazz are at 73 games through the 2010-11 season, having fallen below .500 for the first time since Nov. 5 after a heartbreaking overtime home loss to New Orleans on Thursday.

Utah has dropped four consecutive contests, six of eight, and has only beaten one team with a wining record since Jerry Sloan resigned Feb. 10. All while the Jazz (35-36) have refused to concede a frustrating, disappointing year during which initial high expectations have slowly given way to a halfhearted rebuilding process that is officially on pause until Utah is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

The Jazz haven’t been this low at this point during a season since the 2005-06 campaign, when the team finished 41-41. That was Deron Williams’ first year in the NBA, and it was the last time Utah failed to make the playoffs.

Now, even when the Jazz play well — as they recently did against New Orleans and Houston — the team has been unable to close out games and secure wins, lacking a killer instinct and often being at least one premier athlete removed from being the best squad on a given night.

Rudy Gay has surgery on left shoulder

Rudy Gay has shoulder surgery

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay underwent season-ending surgery today to repair a left shoulder subluxation, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.  The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla.

Gay, who originally suffered the injury on Feb. 15 vs. Philadelphia, will begin his post-operative rehabilitation and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season.

Memphis has recorded a 9-6 record (.600) in Gay’s absence, with 10 of those games coming against current playoff teams.

The 6-8, 240-pound forward averaged 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in his fifth NBA season while posting career highs in assists (2.8), steals (1.69), blocks (1.07), field goal percentage (.471), three-point field goal percentage (.396), free throw percentage (.805) and minutes (39.9).

The 24-year-old holds career averages of 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists on .457 shooting in 36.0 minutes in 372 games, all with the Grizzlies.

David West has a torn ACL in left knee

David West has a torn ACL in left knee

An MRI revealed today that Hornets forward David West has a torn ACL in his left knee. He is out for the season and the timetable for his return will be announced at a later date.

The injury occured with 22.5 seconds left in the 4th quarter of last night’s OT win in Utah. He did not return to the game.

“Obviously we are very saddened by this news,” Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said. “David is the ultimate warrior and competitor, but an even better person and we know that he will bounce back in time.”

West has appeared in 70 games this season, averaging a team-high 18.9 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Read fan reaction and discuss your own opinion in this forum topic.

Nets G Sundiata Gaines suffers fractured hip

Nets point guard Sundiata Gaines has suffered a fractured right hip, Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Gaines was injured in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game at Cleveland.  Gaines will be on crutches for six to eight weeks, after which time he will begin rehabilitation.

The 24-year old from University of Georgia has appeared in 10 games with the Nets this season, averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 assists in 14.6 minutes.