Video shows Kings’ Evans driving 120 mph
July 31, 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—The basketball court isn’t the only place whereSacramento Kings player Tyreke Evans(notes) apparently likes to move fast.
A video released by the California Highway Patrol shows Evans speeding pastvehicles on Interstate 80 in his purple Mercedes. CHP officers say he wasdriving 120 to 130 miles per hour.
The video of the 20-year-old NBA Rookie of the Year was shot from a plane onMemorial Day weekend.
After being stopped by police, Evans was arrested at gunpoint.
Authorities say the video offers evidence that Evans may have been racinganother vehicle.
Attorneys say he pleaded no contest to reckless driving, was sentenced to 80hours of community service, ordered to take part in teen driving programs andlost his license for 30 days.
Information from: Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com
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Cavaliers sign former Nugget Graham
July 30, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed former Denver Nuggetsswingman Joey Graham(notes). Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed Friday.
The 6-foot-7 Graham played 63 games last season for Denver, averaging 4.2points on career-high .520 shooting. He also averaged 2.0 rebounds and 12.1minutes.
“Joining Cleveland marks an exciting, brand new start for me,” Grahamsaid. “This is a great opportunity and I’m excited to come in and help the teamas much as possible.”
Graham played four seasons for the Toronto Raptors before joining theNuggets last season. In 2008-09, had career-high averages of 7.7 points and 3.7rebounds.
He has career averages of 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds.
“We’re excited to add Joey to our roster. He adds a tough, veteran presenceon the perimeter that will complement the pieces we have in place,” Cavaliersgeneral manager Chris Grant said. “With his strong work ethic and discipline,we feel he is a great match with the culture we have built and continue tobuild.”
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NBA set to unveil marquee games
July 30, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—The NBA will release its opening week and Christmas Dayschedules during an hourlong TV special Tuesday.
NBATV officials said Friday their network will host a program at 7 p.m. EDT,at which time it will unveil the slate of games for “Tip-off ’10,” plus theChristmas and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays.
The full NBA schedule will be released on Aug. 10. This is the first timethe league has released portions of it early.
The reason is likely because of the anticipation for the debut and marqueegames involving Miami’s new trio of LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes).
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NBA to unveil marquee games Tuesday
July 30, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—The NBA will release its opening week and Christmas Dayschedules during an hourlong TV special Tuesday.
NBATV officials said Friday their network will host a program at 7 p.m. EDT,at which time it will unveil the slate of games for “Tip-off ’10,” plus theChristmas and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays.
The full NBA schedule will be released on Aug. 10. This is the first timethe league has released portions of it early.
The reason is likely because of the anticipation for the debut and marqueegames involving Miami’s new trio of LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes).
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Josh Howard inks 1-yr. deal with Wizards
July 30, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP)—Josh Howard(notes) has signed his one-year contract to return to theWashington Wizards.
The deal signed Friday could pay Howard as much as $4 million if he meetscertain incentives. The two sides reached agreement on the contract Wednesdaynight.
Howard was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, but heplayed in only four games before tearing a ligament in his left knee on Feb. 22.
Howard had surgery in mid-March, with an expected recovery time of six toeight months. Agent Derek Lafayette says Howard is “ahead of schedule” butdeclined to say whether the forward will be healthy in time for training camp.
Howard has averaged 15.3 points over seven NBA seasons.
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Howard signs 1-year deal with Wizards
July 30, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP)—Josh Howard(notes) has signed his one-year contract to return to theWashington Wizards.
The deal signed Friday could pay Howard as much as $4 million if he meetscertain incentives. The two sides reached agreement on the contract Wednesdaynight.
Howard was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, but heplayed in only four games before tearing a ligament in his left knee on Feb. 22.
Howard had surgery in mid-March, with an expected recovery time of six toeight months. Agent Derek Lafayette says Howard is “ahead of schedule” butdeclined to say whether the forward will be healthy in time for training camp.
Howard has averaged 15.3 points over seven NBA seasons.
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Wizards sign 1st-round pick Seraphin
July 30, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP)—The Washington Wizards have signed No. 17 overall pick KevinSeraphin(notes), who was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Chicago Bulls.
Seraphin, a 6-foot-9 forward from French Guyana, spent the past four yearsplaying for Cholet Basket. The French club signed him to a three-year contractin August, and he had to negotiate a buyout in order to join the Wizards.
Seraphin was acquired from the Bulls in the trade that also brought veteranguard Kirk Hinrich(notes) to Washington.
Under the NBA’s pay scale for rookies, Seraphin gets a four-year contractthat guarantees him about $2.7 million the first two years, with the Wizardsholding options for the third and fourth years.
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Attorney: 3 armed men sought Wright
July 30, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Lorenzen Wright’s(notes) ex-wife was threatened at her home bythree men who were carrying guns and looking for the former NBA player about sixweeks before he was shot to death, the woman’s attorney said Friday.
Sherra Wright warned her ex-husband, the father of her children, about thevisit by men dressed in sport coats with weapons tucked in their waistbands,lawyer Gail Mathes said. But she was frightened by their threats and didn’t tellauthorities about it until Monday, when she alerted police in the Memphis suburbof Collierville, near her home.
“She was told that if she said anything she would be killed, or herchildren,” Mathes said. “Mrs. Wright was terrified.”
The body of the 34-year-old athlete was found in woods in Memphis onWednesday, six days after his family reported him missing. He was last seenaround midnight July 18, when he stayed over at his ex-wife’s house.
Sherra Wright told officers he left in the middle of the night with anunidentified person. Police records indicate Wright was probably carrying alarge amount of cash when he disappeared.
An investigation is now under way by police in nearby Germantown, anotherMemphis suburb, about how a 911 call from Wright’s phone early on July 19 washandled.
Autopsy results haven’t been released, so it’s not clear when Wright died orhow many times he was shot. Police said the medical examiner had to use dentalrecords to establish a positive identity, indicating the body might have been inthe woods for some time before it was found by a police search team.
Memphis police are leading the homicide investigation and won’t discuss amotive or if they have suspects. Memphis police Lt. Alan Ruhl said Friday thatthe department isn’t discussing details of the case because the investigation isongoing.
Rodney Bright, Germantown’s deputy police chief, said department officialsdid not know about the 911 call until Tuesday, eight days after it was receivedby a dispatcher in the early morning hours of July 19.
Bright said Friday he can’t discuss what was said on the call, which hasbeen turned over to Memphis police. They also won’t talk about the call.
The Commercial Appeal newspaper, which first reported the call, said thedispatcher heard a garbled male voice utter an expletive and then heard at least10 gunshots. The call went dead and no one answered when the dispatcher calledback, the newspaper reported.
Police said area law enforcement agencies didn’t meet until Wednesday todiscuss the case. Investigators were able to locate the source of the call and afew hours after that meeting, officers found Wright’s body nearby.
Police in Collierville had taken the July 22 missing person report. BeforeWright was found dead, they had repeatedly said they didn’t suspect foul play.
Wright’s friends have questioned why police didn’t act with more urgency.Mathes said Germantown police were negligent in failing to report the call toother law enforcement in the area, and the delay has hurt the homicideinvestigation.
“I do believe there was a disregard with a transparent obliviousness to thesignificance of a call where you hear 10 shots,” Mathes said.
The 6-foot-11 Wright played 13 seasons in the NBA for the Los AngelesClippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recentlythe Cleveland Cavaliers. Wright left the University of Memphis early for theNBA, and the Clippers made him a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.
He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games.
Wright leaves behind six children, his mother Deborah Marion, and fatherHerb Wright, who coached his son from a wheelchair after he was shot in thespine. Lorenzen Wright’s 11-month-old daughter, Sierra, died in March 2003 ofsudden infant death syndrome.
Messages of sadness and condolence have poured in from around the NBA sinceWright’s body was found. Hundreds of people have visited the scene near whereWright’s body was found to pay respects to the beloved Memphis native.
Mathes said she is hoping to set up a fund for Wright’s children, with hopesof getting contributions from NBA players.
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Lawyer: Wright’s ex-wife was threatened
July 30, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—An attorney says three armed men looking for LorenzenWright(notes) showed up at the home of the former NBA player’s ex-wife about six weeksbefore he was found shot to death.
Lawyer Gail Mathes says her client, Sherra Wright, was afraid for herselfand her children so kept quiet about the encounter until Monday. She thenalerted police in the Memphis suburb of Collierville.
Mathes says the men, dressed in sport coats with weapons in view, threatenedSherra Wright and her family if she told anyone about the visit. Mathes’ accountwas first reported by The Commercial Appeal.
Lorenzen Wright’s body was found Wednesday in woods in southeast Memphis. Hehad been missing since July 18, when he left his ex-wife’s house around midnightwith an unidentified person.
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Police probe handling of Wright 911 call
July 30, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Police in the Memphis suburb of Germantown are reviewinghow a 911 call from Lorenzen Wright’s(notes) cell phone was handled as authoritiesinvestigate the shooting death of the former NBA player.
Rodney Bright, Germantown’s deputy police chief, says department officialsdid not know about the call until Tuesday, eight days after it was received by adispatcher in the early morning hours of July 19.
Bright says he can’t discuss details of the call, which has been turned overto Memphis police.
Wright was fatally shot and left in woods in southeast Memphis. His body wasdiscovered Wednesday, six days after he was reported missing by family. Wrightwas last seen around midnight July 18, a few hours before the emergency call wasmade.
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