Spurs sign Bobby Jones to 10-day contract

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Bobby Jones (#42) of the NBA Development League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce to a 10-day contract. Per club policy terms of the deal were not released.

Jones, a 6-7 forward, has played in 42 NBA games this season, averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game. Jones started the season with Denver (23 games: 10/31-1/7) before being seeing action with Memphis (nine games: 1/10-1/30), Houston (four games: 2/26-3/6) and Miami (six games: 3/12-3/22). His best outing of the season came as a member of the Grizzlies when he finished with career-highs in points (20), rebounds (13) and assists (seven) in a 124-100 victory over Seattle on 1/18. Last season Jones appeared in 44 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game.

Jones has played in five games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in between NBA stints, averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Jones was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 37th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. His rights were then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a second round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and cash considerations. Jones played four seasons at the University of Washington appearing in 125 career games (106 starts) and averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. He earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 honors as a senior and finished as the 20th all-time leading scorer in Washington history with 1,226 points while also ranking fourth all-time with 134 career steals. S

Rockets sign Loren Woods to second 10-day contract

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed center Loren Woods to a second 10-day contract. Woods has averaged 3.0 points in two games with the Rockets this season.

Woods (7-2, 260, Arizona) averaged 2.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 208 prior NBA games (47 starts) with Minnesota, Miami and Toronto. Internationally, Woods won the 2006-07 Lithuanian National Championship with BC Zalgiris Kaunas and had been playing this season with Efes Pilsen Istanbul in Euroleague. Woods was named the 2007-08 Euroleague Week 11 MVP, pacing Efes Pilsen with 16 points and 18 rebounds in a 91-84 overtime win against Le Mans. His 18 boards (10 offensive) stood as the second highest total in Euroleague history.

Selected by the Timberwolves in the second round (46th overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft, Woods spent two seasons with Minnesota before signing as a free agent with the Heat in 2003-04. He was chosen by the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA Expansion Draft on June 22, 2004, and later signed with the Raptors on Aug. 18, 2004. With Toronto in 2004-05, Woods averaged career bests of 3.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.87 blocks in 45 games. Woods also averaged 4.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 30 games as a starter that season with the Raptors. In 2005-06, the former standout at Arizona ranked ninth in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes (16.3 rpg) and 16th in blocks per 48 minutes (3.41 bpg) with Toronto.

Woods signed on with the Sacramento Kings on Aug.15, 2006, but was waived prior to the regular season. He later joined the Austin Toros of the NBA D-League in 2006-07, averaging 11.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.00 blocks in 15 games with the Toros. He also participated in the 2007 Gillette D-League All-Star Game.

Mar. 31: Mavs 93, Clippers 86

The AP reports: Jason Kidd scored 27 points, Josh Howard got 12 of his 25 in the fourth quarter, and the Dallas Mavericks held off the banged-up but stubborn Los Angeles Clippers 93-86 Monday night to complete a sweep of the four-game season series… Jason Terry had 20 points for Dallas, playing its fourth game since reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki went down with knee and ankle injuries… Forward Jerry Stackhouse, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Mavs a 95-94 win over the Clippers the last time they played them at Staples Center on Jan. 12, missed his second game with strained right groin. Rookie Al Thornton scored 26 points for the Clippers, who trailed throughout. They shot 36.8 percent and committed 23 turnovers against a Dallas defense that came in forcing a league-low 12.3 turnovers per game. Leading scorer Corey Maggette scored 23 points and was just 3-for-15 from the field.

Mar. 31: Suns 132, Nuggets 117

The AP reports: Amare Stoudemire scored 41 points and Steve Nash had 36, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 22-point second-quarter deficit to overcome the Denver Nuggets 132-117 Monday night for their 50th victory of the season. In reaching at least 50 wins for the fourth straight season, the Suns tied the idle Los Angeles Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division and strengthened their position in the tight Western Conference playoff race. The comeback matched the third-best in Suns’ history… Stoudemire also had 14 rebounds, while Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Raja Bell had 15 points and 10 rebounds. J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 23 points, Allen Iverson scored 21, Kenyon Martin 19, Carmelo Anthony finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Marcus Camby scored 16.

Mar. 31: Jazz 129, Wizards 87

The AP reports: C.J. Miles scored a career-high 29 points and the Utah Jazz set a team record with 15 3-pointers in a 129-87 rout of the short-handed Washington Wizards on Monday night. Deron Williams had 12 points and 16 assists, despite resting most of the fourth quarter, and Mehmet Okur returned from a stomach virus with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Carlos Boozer added 19 points and Kyle Korver scored 15, making all six of his shots. Utah outrebounded Washington 40-23, had 40 assists on 50 field goals and shot almost 60 percent (50-for-84)… They were also resting Caron Butler’s strained left hamstring instead of playing him back-to-back nights. Antawn Jamison led Washington with 22 points.

Melo and Martin feeding off each other

I’m watching the Suns and Nuggets, and several plays in a row now Carmelo Anthony has gotten the ball around the right elbow, with Kenyon Martin around the free throw line. And when Melo got double-teamed, Martin immediately cut to the rim, caught a feed from Melo, and scored.

But now, for a play or two in a row, the Suns aren’t doubling Melo, and backed off of Martin, letting him shoot from just outside the free throw line instead of slashing at the rim, and it’s worked for Phoenix.

Mar. 31: Hawks 116, Grizzlies 99

The AP reports: Josh Smith had 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Atlanta Hawks built an early lead before and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-99 on Monday night. Atlanta led by 38 in the third quarter and seemed to be coasting to the victory. However, Memphis opened the fourth with 13 consecutive points, part of a 23-4 run that made the game more interesting, and forced Atlanta to put its starters back in the game… Al Horford and Joe Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Atlanta, and Mike Bibby had 17, Josh Childress 14 and Marvin Williams 12. Johnson also had eight assists and Bibby seven. Smith shot 11-of-13 from the field, part of Atlanta’s 56 percent effort on the night. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 29 points, while Juan Carlos Navarro and Kyle Lowry finished with 17 each.

Mar. 31: Pacers 105, Heat 85

The AP reports: Jermaine O’Neal scored nine points after sitting out for more than two months with a knee injury, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 105-85 on Monday night. O’Neal shot 3-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in 18 minutes. He had missed 33 straight games with a bone bruise, and the Pacers went 12-21 during that stretch. Danny Granger led Indiana with 23 points and Mike Dunleavy added 18 as the Pacers won their second straight and their sixth of eight to remain contenders for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Indiana entered the game three games behind Atlanta for eighth place in the East. Daequan Cook led Miami with 16 points and Kasib Powell and Chris Quinn both scored 15.

Mar. 31: Raptors 104, Bobcats 100

The AP reports: Chris Bosh scored 32 points and the Toronto Raptors remained alone in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 104-100 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night. Bosh hit 13 of 16 free throws and added eight rebounds and five assists for the Raptors, who won for the third time in four games to pull a game ahead of idle Philadelphia in the playoff race… Anthony Parker added 20 points and T.J. Ford added 15, including the clinching free throw with 1.9 seconds left for the Raptors, who bounced back from a home loss to New Orleans on Sunday. Jason Richardson scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, Gerald Wallace scored 20 points and Emeka Okafor had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Bobcats, whose faint playoff hopes took a hit.

Heat sign Blake Ahearn and Stephane Lasme to second 10-day contracts

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Blake Ahearn and forward Stephane Lasme to second 10-day contracts. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Ahearn, a 6’2”, 190-pound guard, has appeared in six games for the HEAT averaging 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.0 minutes of action. He scored a career-high 15 points at Detroit on 3/27 and his 94.7 percent (18-of-19) from the free throw line currently leads the team.

Lasme, a 6’8”, 215-pound forward, has appeared in six games for the HEAT averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.00 blocks and 1.00 steals in 21.5 minutes of action. He blocked a career-high three shots on two occasions and has recorded 12 blocks in his six games with the HEAT.