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Heat sign Kenny Hasbrouck to second 10-day contract

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed guard Kenny Hasbrouck to a second 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hasbrouck, a 6’3”, 195-pound guard, was previously signed by the Heat to a 10-day contract on March 16 and has not appeared in a game for the team this season. Before signing with Miami, he appeared in 10 games (nine starts) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League averaging 16.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.60 steals in 32.3 minutes of action, leading the team to a 7-3 record, while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 80.6 percent from the free throw line.

Gilbert Arenas sentencing: No jail time

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas will not be going to jail.

The NBA star was in court Friday for his sentencing from gun-related charges, and is probably fairly happy with the outcome.

According to reporter Mike Jones (formerly of the Washington Times), Arenas was sentenced to 30 days in a Halfway House, two years of supervised probation, 400 hours of community service, plus he must contribute $5,000 to a Victims of Violent Crimes fund.

Qyntel Woods comeback possible

ESPN reports:

Is Qyntel Woods, at 29, playing his way back to the NBA?

The answer: Yes and no.

Talk to NBA personnel folks about Woods and you get a mixed response. Some are quick to say that Woods’ baggage — after pleading guilty to an animal-abuse charge involving dogs in October 2004 that ended his career with the Blazers — outweighs any potential payoff from giving him another shot.

Said one Western Conference general manager: “Samsonite.”

Yet Woods has also won a few admirers around the league for his willingness to go to Poland and keep refining his game after his own unsuccessful stint with Olympiacos and a stop in Italy with Fortitudo Bologna.

“He’s been playing great for Prokom,” one veteran personnel man said. “He’s been solid overseas. I think someone will take a chance on him.”

Said another GM out West: “He’s an NBA talent for sure. And he’s grown by leaps and bounds as a person.”

Bucks sign Darnell Jackson

The Milwaukee Bucks have been awarded the contract of forward Darnell Jackson (6-9, 253) on a waiver claim, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Since Jackson was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 23, after the March 1 waiver deadline for playoff eligibility, he will not participate in the 2010 postseason.

Jackson, 24, was originally selected out of Kansas by the Miami Heat in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, before being traded to Cleveland for a 2009 second round draft pick.

Jackson appeared in 27 games for Cleveland this season, and a combined 78 games over the past two seasons with averages of 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.0 minutes. He started in two games for the Erie BayHawks (NBDL) this season and averaged 33.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.

A member of four straight Big 12 regular season title teams at Kansas, Jackson helped the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA Championship. As a senior he averaged 11.2 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game while being awarded All-Big 12 Third Team honors.

The Bucks roster is now at 15 players.

Thunder release Mustafa Shakur

The Oklahoma City Thunder released guard Mustafa Shakur, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

Shakur, who was signed to a 10-day contract on March 16, did not appear in a game with Oklahoma City.

Danny Granger returns to form

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

It took nearly the entire season, but Pacers forward Danny Granger is averaging 31 points and shooting 54 percent from the field in the past four games. He has had 13 games of at least 30 points, including three straight, this season.

Granger missed more than a month with a torn right plantar fascia and has had a difficult time adjusting to his new teammates.

“I think he’s found a comfort level,” O’Brien said. “He’s taking what’s there. He’s not forcing the issue, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is up. . . . This is the Danny Granger we became accustomed to seeing last year.”

Return to San Francisco possible for Warriors

C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

The rumor that the Golden State Warriors might move to San Francisco is recycled every few years.

But this time, it has a chance to happen.

Potential buyers of the team have asked the San Francisco Giants about building a state-of-the-art arena in Mission Bay, south of AT&T Park, sources say.

The team is on the verge of finishing an agreement that would give the Giants exclusive negotiating rights with the Port Commission to develop the parking lot behind AT&T Park. So if you want to talk about an arena in what the team is calling the Mission Rock District, you need to speak to the Giants.

Danilo Gallinari getting noticed

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

Danilo Gallinari made a believer out of Tracy McGrady and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony after the 6-foot-10 forward scored 17 of his team-high 28 points in the third quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Nuggets. Gallinari asked to guard Anthony, and in the decisive third quarter, the two players traded shots and words in a classic duel that had the Garden buzzing.

“That was like, ‘(forget) everybody else, it’s me and you,’ ” McGrady said. “I haven’t seen (Hedo) Turkoglu and Dirk (Nowitzki) do that. They play within the team concept. That was ‘get me the ball and everybody move out of the way.’ I was enjoying it.”

Gallinari has always been one of the Knicks’ more physically and mentally tough players. He’ll play through pain, he’s not afraid to take big shots and he won’t back down from a challenge. In December, after the Clippers’ Baron Davis hit Gallinari with an elbow, Gallinari returned the favor after grabbing a rebound. Davis looked stunned.

Lawrence Frank will return to coaching… someday

Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger reports

He’s preparing again.

Not for a game, or for a practice, or for anything immediate or specific.

Lawrence Frank will return to coaching... someday

But make no mistake, Lawrence Frank is preparing for something, and his specific purpose won’t be apparent until some general manager rings his phone in a month or two.

“I hope to get another opportunity to coach another NBA team, and only time will tell how soon that may come,” the former Nets coach said Wednesday. “So I’m working on some things, visiting people, doing some writing, formulating thoughts and ideas, putting together material about the components of coaching – mostly studying the DNA of successful organizations.”

And he’s doing all these things the way Frank does everything: at a whirlwind pace…

“A college team takes on the personality of its coach,” Frank said. “But when you study the NBA, you know a team takes on the personality of its best player. With any team on a high level, the top player embodies its winning culture. So if you’re going to upgrade, it can change quickly – as long as you’re fortunate to get the right franchise player.”

Spurs sign Curtis Jerrells

The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Curtis Jerrells from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Jerrells, 6-1, 200 pounds, has appeared in 43 games this season with the Austin Toros. He averaged 20.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 40.0 minutes.

Jerrells has been selected as the NBA Development League Performer of the Week twice this season, most recently for games played during the week of March 15 when he averaged 32.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Jerrells also appeared in five preseason games for San Antonio, averaging 3.6 points and 1.8 assists in 14.8 minutes. He was waived on 10/22.

Jerrells played collegiately for four years at Baylor University. As a senior he averaged a team-high 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists while starting in all in 39 games for the Bears. He was selected to the All-Big 12 Third Team and was named to the 2009 NIT All-Tournament Team after leading the Bears to the NIT championship game. As a junior Jerrells was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, after averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He scored a career-high 36 points, including a school and Big 12 record 20-of-24 free throws, in a five-OT 116-110 win at Texas A&M on 1/23/08.

For his career, Jerrells averaged 15.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.34 steals. Jerrells is the only player in school history to finish his career with more than 1,000 points, 400 assists and 100 steals.