Rockets sign James White to 10-day contract

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed guard/forward James White of the NBA D-League’s Anaheim Arsenal to a 10-day contract. White becomes the 12th Call-Up of the season.

White (6-7, 200, Cincinnati) was averaging 25.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (33 starts) for the Arsenal this season. At the time of his Call-Up, White was tied for first in the D-League in points per game and was ranked tied for 12th in the league in field goal percentage. White posted 30 or more points in 12 contests with the Arsenal this season, including a season-high 47-point performance against Houston’s D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers (1/20/09).

Originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (31st overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft, White had his draft rights sent to Indiana. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in eight preseason games with the Pacers before being released prior to the regular season. White signed with the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 3, 2006, and was assigned to the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League on Dec. 15. In 15 games (11 starts) with the Toros, White averaged 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists. White was recalled twice by the Spurs and averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists in six career games (two starts) with San Antonio. His experience also includes a stint with Turkish champions Fenerbahçe, where he averaged 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

At the University of Cincinnati, White earned Honorable Mention All-Big East honors as a senior. He finished his collegiate career ranked 44th on Cincinnati’s all-time scoring list with 1,088 points. White played his final three seasons at Cincinnati after spending his freshman year at Florida, sitting out the 2002-03 campaign at Cincinnati under NCAA transfer rules.

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

Greg Oden injuries continue

The Oregonian (Joe Freeman) reports (via blog): The news just keeps getting worse for Trail Blazers rookie Greg Oden and his mysterious ailing left knee. The Blazers, after evaluating their starting center earlier in the day, announced Monday evening that Oden will miss another seven to 10 days because of his lingering left knee issues. Oden, who chipped his knee cap when he banged knees with Golden State’s Corey Maggette Feb. 12 in Oakland, has missed the Blazers’ last seven games. According to the Blazers’ latest timeline, Oden will miss between four and six more games, which includes pivotal matchups against playoff contenders Denver, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers. If he sits out the maximum 10 days, Oden will return just before the team’s five-game East Coast trip later this month.

Bill Laimbeer says Pistons are screwed

The Denver Post (Benjamin Hochman ) reports: “So, the Pistons are struggling, but do you think they’ll work out their problems come playoff time?” “No,” said Bill Laimbeer, as blunt as one of those elbows he threw in the 1980s as part of the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys. “Their team is structured incorrectly. (Allen Iverson) is not the best defending guard, and guards got to be defenders these days. He’s small. He’s got a big heart, he still can score, but come playoff time, it’s tough. It’s the Eastern Conference, grind it out, and it’s physical. It’s going to be a hard road.” … Iverson, 33, is averaging a career-low 18.0 points per game, but more than points, it’s the style of his game that hasn’t seemed to click here. At times, the Pistons have looked better without him.

J Dilla beats mix

J Dilla was an extremely respected hip-hop producer who started off in the group Slum Village and went on to produce for tons of great artists. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago.

A lot of J Dilla’s most famous beats were laid back and smooth, yet lively and popping with soul.

Listen to this J Dilla mix a fan of his made:

Spurs rout Clippers 106-78

The AP reports: Home-court advantage for a potential showdown with the league-leading Lakers doesn’t appear a realistic possibility with the Spurs trailing them by 7 1-2 games despite Monday night’s 106-78 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers… Tony Parker had 26 points and 10 assists for San Antonio, which pulled away in the third quarter with four 3-pointers from Michael Finley. The Spurs, who came in with a league’s best assist-to-turnover ratio, had 28 assists and just eight turnovers against the Clippers… Tim Duncan, playing his second game after missing the previous three with a sore right knee, had 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists before sitting out the fourth quarter. The 11-time All-Star needs 18 points to overtake Scottie Pippen for 44th place on the career scoring list.

Undermanned Thunder stun Mavs 96-87

The AP reports: Russell Westbrook had his first triple-double of his rookie season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and midseason pickup Nenad Krstic added a season-high 26 points as the undermanned Thunder beat Dallas 96-87 Monday night despite playing without their two leading scorers… Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas’ charge back from a 23-point deficit, and his 3-pointer from the right wing got the Mavericks back within 88-84 with 4:13 to play. Those were the last of his 28 points, and Dallas didn’t score again for 4 minutes… Kyle Weaver, who answered Nowitzki’s final 3-pointer and then added a runner to help Oklahoma City stop the comeback, finished with a career-high 18 points and Thabo Sefolosha added 15 points. Jason Terry scored 20 points for Dallas in his second game back after surgery on an injured finger.

LeBron scores 42, Cavs beat Heat 107-100

The AP reports: LeBron James scored 42 points, Williams got 15 of his 30 points in the final 7:14 to lead a stirring rally, and the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the final minutes to beat the Heat 107-100 on Monday night… Wade’s dunk put Miami up 91-80 with 7:52 left. The Heat shot 2-for-17 with four turnovers the rest of the way, getting outscored 27-9—a far cry from Saturday night, when the Heat got 24 from Wade in the final quarter to pull off a stunning win over the New York Knicks… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds—his fourth double-double on a four-game road trip—for Cleveland, which moved a full game ahead of idle Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Jermaine O’Neal scored 16 points, Mario Chalmers added 15 and Moon had 11 for Miami, which shot 2-for-17 with four turnovers in the final 6:52 to waste what was a 91-80 lead.

InsideHoops.com note: Dwyane Wade had 41 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists (but 8 turnovers) and 7 steals.

West scores 30, Hornets beat 76ers 98-91

The AP reports: David West scored 30 points with 10 rebounds to lead the Hornets to their season-high fifth straight win, 98-91 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night… Chris Paul bounced back from a two-point first half to finish with 16 points and 12 assists. His 3-pointer with 70 seconds left made it 95-89 and the Sixers could not recover… Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 30 points and Andre Miller had 28 for Philadelphia… Rasual Butler, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds, hit the Hornets’ eighth 3 of the game and they were back ahead by double digits.

Hawks overcome flight delays, beat Wizards 98-89

The AP reports: Marvin Williams scored 28 points, Horford added 16, and Joe Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks completed a 4-0 season sweep of the Wizards. Atlanta was in need of a slump-busting win, having lost five of seven after Sunday night’s 88-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game decided on a free throw by LeBron James with 1.6 seconds left… Antawn Jamison scored 23 points for the Wizards, whose talent level took another plunge when Caron Butler was scratched with tightness in his left hamstring. Washington fell to 0-13 against the Southeast Division, just three games away from becoming the first NBA team to go winless within its division.

Nuggets suspend Carmelo Anthony

The Denver Nuggets have suspended F Carmelo Anthony for one game following an in-game transgression Sunday against Indiana.

“There is a code of conduct that we take very seriously, especially from a leader and co-captain,” said Nuggets Vice President of Player Personnel Rex Chapman.  “Carmelo knows this and regrets what happened.  He is a very competitive person and made a poor decision in the heat of the moment.  We look forward to having him back on Thursday and will have no further comment at this time.”

Anthony will not play Tuesday night, when the Nuggets visit the Detroit Pistons.  He will return to the lineup for Thursday’s game vs. Portland.

The Denver Post reports: Multiple sources said coach George Karl tried to take Anthony out of the game in the third quarter, but Anthony refused to come out, disrespecting the coach.