NBA News

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Former NBA player Ron Mercer surrendered to police on Wednesday to face a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a scuffle in a strip club in April, police said.

Mercer, 31, is a Nashville native who was waived by the New Jersey Nets in 2005 after missing more than 60 games due to injury.

Police said Mercer's friend, 34-year-old Robert Edward Johnson, was also charged with felony aggravated assault for stabbing a bouncer at the club in the same incident.

The pair got into a verbal argument with a dancer at Anthony's Show Place on April 21 and were asked to leave by the security guard, Keith Battle.

A fight broke out among the three men and Johnson admitted to police that he stabbed the bouncer in the right side and shoulder with a knife. Battle was not seriously hurt.

Another bouncer, William Beels Jr., was punched in the face by Mercer, police said.

Mercer was released on $1,500 bond and Johnson was released on $5,000 bond. Both were scheduled to appear in court Aug. 13, records show.

Neither man could be reached for comment on Wednesday night. No listed number for Mercer or Johnson could be found in the Nashville area, where both men live. It was not immediately known if they had retained attorneys.

Mercer was an All-American and all-Southeastern Conference player at Kentucky, where he was a freshman on the 1996 NCAA championship team.

After being the sixth overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics, he was traded around the league before being hampered by injuries and cut by the Nets.

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The chairman of a House subcommittee is requesting a meeting with NBA commissioner David Stern concerning the betting scandal involving former referee Tim Donaghy.

Rep. Bobby Rush, who heads the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, said he is also considering calling a hearing on the matter "should the facts warrant public scrutiny."

"If the allegations prove true, this could be one of the most damaging scandals in the history of American sports," the Illinois Democrat wrote in a letter sent to Stern on Wednesday and released to the press on Thursday.

Donaghy is the target of an FBI investigation for allegedly betting on games, including some he officiated, over the last two seasons. He resigned July 9.

Rush wrote that he appreciated the need for the league to conduct its own investigation and that he would like to meet with Stern at "the earliest appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, fairly or not, the NBA, more than any other professional sport, has been consistently dogged with allegations that league referees needlessly affect the outcomes of games by making bad calls," Rush wrote.

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The Phoenix Suns hired former NBA guard Jay Humphries as an assistant coach on Monday.

Humphries, who played three of his 11 NBA seasons with Phoenix after being drafted by the Suns, spent the past five years coaching in South Korea. Before that, he coached in China.

He was Phoenix's first-round pick, the 11th choice overall, out of Colorado in 1984. Humphries also played for Milwaukee, Utah and Boston, averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 assists in 788 games.

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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Coby Karl, son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl.

A 6-foot-5 guard, Coby Karl averaged 12.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in five games for the Lakers 2007 Summer-Pro League team.

He averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior at Boise State last season and was named first team All-WAC.

Not selected in this year's NBA draft, he returned to the court last month, just 2 1/2 months after having cancerous lymph nodes removed. It was his second bout with cancer in a little more than a year. He had his thyroid removed in 2006 and chemotherapy after his junior season at Boise State.

Karl recently said he believed the cancer was behind him.

He is Boise State's all-time leader in games played (127) and 3-pointers made (266) and ranks third on the list with 1,698 points.

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The Grizzlies signed first-round draft pick Mike Conley on Monday.

"Mike has all the attributes needed to develop into a top flight NBA point guard," general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement. "We are excited about the progress he has shown in the brief period of time he has been with the Grizzlies."

Conley, the fourth overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 assists and a team-high 39.8 minutes in five games with the Grizzlies at the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The former Ohio State guard, who played one year for the Buckeyes, was chosen for the Big Ten All-Tournament Team as a freshman.

The Indianapolis native started all 39 games for the Buckeyes, finishing third on the team with 11.3 points per game, and first with 6.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

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Chauncey Billups saw what happened to the Detroit Pistons and their fans when Ben Wallace left last summer for Chicago.

He wasn't going to put them through it again.

"This is the first city and the first organization to show me love," Billups said Monday. "They've helped me go from a pretty good player to an elite player, and I wasn't going to break their hearts."

Billups spoke before teeing off in his annual charity golf tournament at a joint press conference with Joe Dumars, Detroit's president of basketball operations. It was their first meeting with the media since Billups agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract earlier this month.

"You don't get many great players who are also great guys, and when you do, you don't let them go," Dumars said. "We had to go through the process, but we knew it was imperative that we keep him."

Billups was the third overall pick in 1997, but played for five teams in his first four seasons before coming to Detroit as a free agent in 2002.

He immediately took over the point guard job, led the Pistons to an NBA title in his second season and had them in Game 7 of the finals in 2005.

Even after losses to Miami and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals the last two years, Billups has become widely seen as one of the league's best point guards and clutch players.

"This is our captain, our point guard and our leader," Dumars said. "Making this happen was a no-brainer."

Billups had said all season that he hoped to stay in Detroit, and he acknowledged Monday that he might have hurt his own bargaining power in the process.

"A lot of teams probably didn't even bother, because they knew my heart was in Detroit," he said. "This is where my family wants to be, because this is where we've made our home."

While Billups did say there were "plenty" of teams that were making offers, he never took them seriously.

"I told my agent that Detroit got the first chance to sign me, and they also got the second, third and fourth chances," he said.

Billups struggled in Detroit's loss to Cleveland, which made him even more determined to stay with the Pistons.

"The way the season ended -- that hurt, man," he said. "I know this is an elite team that can still win championships. I still believe we were the best team last year, no matter what happened against Cleveland, and I'm going to stay here and prove that."

The loss to the Cavaliers also pushed Billups in his stint with the U.S. team as it prepares for next month's Olympic qualifying tournament.

"That was cool," he said. "After we lost, it let me get back on the court right away, and it was even better to have Tayshaun (Prince) playing with me."

Billups thinks the current American roster has the balance that the team that won bronze in Athens never had.

"We've got veterans who have been through the wars," he said. "They already had a good team, but when you add me and Kobe and Jason (Kidd), that's a lot of leadership."

Billups said that his national-team duty had kept him from paying close attention to the Tim Donaghy scandal, but he knew enough to be shocked.

"You never expect to hear something like that, and I always thought Timmy was a pretty good referee," he said. "It's going to be hurtful, because our referees already take a lot of abuse. I just hope this was an isolated incident."

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Two hulking NBA stars were bound with duct tape and robbed of cash and jewelry by masked gunmen in separate holdups that have Chicago-area detectives wondering whether someone is targeting professional athletes.

New York Knicks forward Eddy Curry -- 6-foot-11, 285 pounds -- was tied up along with his wife and an employee at his mansion in suburban Burr Ridge on Saturday.

Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker, who is 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, was similarly robbed along with a relative at his $4 million townhouse in Chicago's exclusive River North section on July 10.

No one was injured in either case.

"Our guys are talking to Chicago to determine if it's just a copycat or a coincidence or if there is a relationship there," Burr Ridge police Cpl. Tim Vaclav said.

Police said the gunmen -- three in the Curry holdup, two in Walker's case -- probably knew exactly who their victims were. Curry used to play for the Chicago Bulls. Walker was born in Chicago and starred at Mount Carmel High School on the city's South side.

No details on what was taken from Curry were released. In the robbery at Walker's home, the gunmen took his Mercedes-Benz sports car, which was later recovered, and other items, including a $55,000 wristwatch.

A few days later, police recovered some of Walker's jewelry during a traffic stop on the city's South Side. A woman was arrested, but police said they do not believe she in the house when Walker was robbed, and they would not give any further information.

Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said detectives from Chicago and Burr Ridge are comparing notes but have found no connection between the robberies so far.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league's security department has contacted authorities in Chicago about the two robberies. He added: "When something like this happens, I'm sure our security department tries to get the most up-to-date information to teams so they can tell players and staff, properly educate them."

Dan Wasserman, a spokesman for the NBA Players Association, said the union will contact every NBA player who lives in the Chicago area to let them know about the home invasions and answer any questions they have about security.

In 2000, NBA star Stephon Marbury reported that someone reached into his Bentley when he was stopped at a red light in New York City and grabbed a diamond necklace the player said was worth $150,000. Last February, Philadelphia 76ers forward Joe Smith reported that four pieces of custom-made jewelry worth $110,000 were missing from his Philadelphia hotel room.

In Los Angeles, a burglary crew over the past year has made off with millions in cash, jewelry and other items in burglaries in wealthy neighborhoods. The Los Angeles Times reported that $500,000 in cash and jewelry was stolen from the home of Los Angeles Clippers star Cuttino Mobley.

Curry's agent Lamont Carter said Curry had no immediate plans to return to his "dream house."

"He feels violated," Carter said. "He's relieved and happy that his family's OK. He's just relieved to be living."

Walker's robbery was so traumatic that the three-time All-Star said he was not sure if he could ever return home.

"I don't feel safe," he told reporters shortly afterward. "I feel violated a little bit. And now it's all over the news, so everybody knows where I live. I think it would be best for me to move on."

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The agent for Troy Hudson said Tuesday that the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to buy out Hudson's contract, making him a free agent.

Bill Neff said he has reached a verbal agreement with Wolves owner Glen Taylor to sever ties. The Wolves will pay Hudson just under $6 million this year and just over $6.3 million next season, which is about 80 percent of what Hudson was owed.

"It works out fine," Neff said. "Now we have to go find a team to take a chance on."

One team that could be in Hudson's sights is Boston. The Celtics completed a blockbuster deal with the Timberwolves on Tuesday that brought All-Star Kevin Garnett to Boston in exchange for Al Jefferson and six other players.

Garnett and Hudson are good friends who played together in Minnesota for the last five seasons. The point guard averaged 14.2 points and 5.7 assists in his first season here, parlaying that into a six-year, $37 million contract.

In fact, Garnett lobbied hard for the Timberwolves to re-sign Hudson to that deal, but Hudson has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play ever since. He's started just 39 games in the last four seasons and averaged 5.9 points and 2.1 assists in 34 games last year.

When the Wolves began shopping Garnett earlier this summer, Neff said Hudson had had enough.

"That's kind of when Troy decided to pull the plug," Neff said.

He first requested a trade from the team, and when that didn't work out, Neff began negotiating a buyout.

Now, Hudson could be headed to Boston with his good buddy. As the roster stands right now, the Celtics will start next season with second-year pro Rajon Rondo running the point, creating a need for a more experienced player either to start at the position or come off the bench for big minutes.

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Kevin Garnett gives Boston a new Big Three that brings the Celtics much closer to what their old Big Three delivered -- an NBA title.

The Celtics, who have 16 championships but have gone without one for more than two decades, obtained the former MVP and 10-time All-Star on Tuesday in a 7-for-1 deal -- the NBA's biggest trade for one player.

Boston sent the Minnesota Timberwolves forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations. Besides Ratliff, 34, the other four are 22 or younger.

With Paul Pierce and Ray Allen already on the roster, the Celtics have been transformed from a promising collection of youngsters who had the NBA's second-worst record last season into an instant contender in the mediocre Eastern Conference.

"This is probably my best opportunity at winning a ring," Garnett said. "It was a no-brainer."

The Celtics won their last championship, the third with the original Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, in 1986. Two members of that club orchestrated Tuesday's blockbuster trade -- Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge and Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale.

But Ainge cautioned that it's much too early to equate the two trios.

"These guys will never be the Big Three until they win" a championship, he said.

Garnett signed a multi-year extension -- Ainge wouldn't say how long. He had one year plus an option year remaining on his contract.

The Timberwolves get the Celtics' first-round pick in 2009, unless it is among the top three, and a return of Minnesota's conditional first-round draft pick obtained in January 2006 when they sent Ricky Davis to the Timberwolves for Wally Szczerbiak.

The previous biggest NBA trade for one player came in 1999, when Houston obtained Scottie Pippen from Portland for six players.

"I'm confident I made the right decision here, even though that it was a difficult one," said Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who made it clear that Garnett did not request a trade.

The Garnett trade eclipses the latest one involving an NBA star, Allen Iverson. Philadelphia traded the guard and Ivan McFarlin to Denver last Dec. 19 for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first-round draft choices.

"This is a tremendous day," said a smiling Pierce, who had been frustrated for years as the sole star on a rebuilding team. "I feel like a rookie again."

The key to the deal for Minnesota is Jefferson, whom the Celtics were reluctant to part with. He had a breakout season in 2006-07, his third with Boston, when he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds after struggling with injuries. He joins a youth movement in Minnesota, which drafted forward Corey Brewer from Florida.

"The past few seasons our on-court performance has been disappointing to our fans, myself, Glen Taylor and the entire organization," McHale said. "Through this trade, we have obtained very talented, young players with a lot of potential, future flexibility with the salary cap and two future first-round NBA draft picks.

"Personally, I want to thank Kevin for all of his hard work through the years and what he has meant to the Timberwolves franchise."

The teams had discussed a trade for the 6-foot-11 Garnett, the NBA's leading rebounder each of the past four seasons, before the June draft. But he preferred other teams than Boston, and the Celtics didn't want to give up Jefferson.

The acquisition of Allen, 32, in a draft-day trade with Seattle to go with Pierce, 29, was a major factor in changing Garnett's mind. It gave Garnett, 31, a better chance at a title after Minnesota missed the last three playoffs in the tough Western Conference.

He also realized that he didn't fit in with Minnesota's strategy of rebuilding with youth and was amazed at all the activity to finalize the trade.

"It's like being in a Lamborghini doing 200 (mph) with your head stuck out the window," Garnett said. "It's been like a whirlwind the last 72 hours."

The Celtics' other starters are second-year point guard Rajon Rondo and center Kendrick Perkins. Only nine players are under contract, although they are expected to sign second-round draft picks Glen Davis, a forward from LSU, and Gabe Pruitt, a guard from Southern California.

The Timberwolves came within two wins of the NBA finals in 2004. Garnett averaged 24.2 points and a league-high 13.9 rebounds that season, joining Bird as the only players to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for five consecutive years.

But Minnesota has fired two coaches and not made the playoffs since. Garnett never said he was unhappy and never asked to be traded, but expressed frustration with some of McHale's personnel decisions and challenged him to upgrade the roster.

"I'd say this certainly is a big day in our franchise's history," Taylor said. "Kevin Garnett has really meant a lot to our franchise, not only as a member of our team, but as a friend.

"On the other hand, it was time we had to make a decision on the direction of this team, look toward the future and try to figure out the best way we can develop a team that has a better record and better success than we've had."

Garnett was the fifth player drafted in 1995, coming out of Farragut Academy in Illinois and skipping college. He has averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for each of the last nine seasons. He is among five players in NBA history with at least 19,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists. The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. He also is an outstanding defensive player and an excellent passer.

The Timberwolves had lost 60 games in each of the four seasons before Garnett arrived. But in his second season, he helped lead them to the first of eight straight playoff appearances.

Before his third season, Garnett got a six-year, $126 million extension in 1997, a deal that ultimately changed collective bargaining in the league and prevented the Timberwolves from surrounding him with topflight talent in the ensuing years.

With Garnett, seven-time All-Star Allen and five-time All-Star Pierce, the Celtics upgraded their profile in a sports market dominated by the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox. Owners John Henry of the Red Sox and Robert Kraft of the Patriots and Boston Bruins executive vice president Charlie Jacobs all called to congratulate Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck.

In his four full seasons as executive director of basketball operations, Ainge has stockpiled youngsters. He could be patient and let them develop or speed the process through trades for stars.

"We are delighted to have a core of three All-Star talents to anchor our team," Grousbeck said.

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The Dallas Mavericks agreed to a two-year, $4 million deal with guard-forward Eddie Jones, his agent said Friday.

The unrestricted free agent will receive about $1.87 million in the first year from the Mavericks' biannual exception, agent Leon Rose said. The 35-year-old Jones, a three-time All-Star, is expected to be in Dallas on Monday to take a physical and sign the agreement.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound swingman has averaged 15.4 points per game in 13 NBA seasons.

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand ruptured his left Achilles' tendon on Friday during his daily workout.

The 28-year-old will undergo surgery but plans for the operation have not been finalized yet, the Clippers said.

"It's unfortunate that this had to happen," general manager Elgin Baylor said in a statement. "But knowing Elton and how dedicated he is to his profession and how hard he works, I believe he'll be back 100 percent as good as ever."

Last month, Brand -- a veteran of eight NBA seasons -- withdrew from the U.S. national team because of injury. He averaged 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds last season, when the Clippers failed to make the playoffs.

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Yao Ming married his long-term girlfriend Monday at a swanky hotel in his hometown of Shanghai.

Yao, the Houston Rockets' star center, tied the knot with Ye Li, a 6-foot-2 player on the Chinese women's basketball team in a ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel, sina.com reported.

The ceremony and banquet were attended by about 70 friends and relatives. Around 100 reporters staked out the riverside hotel's lobby, but Yao sent a message that he would give no interviews.

But along with celebratory candy, reporters received a compact disk of studio wedding photos, the Web site said.

The Titan sports newspaper reported Yao and his bride will go to Beijing on Tuesday to take part in festivities celebrating the one-year countdown to the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

While in Beijing, the couple will host a dinner for members of China's men's and women's basketball teams, the Oriental Morning Post reported.

The 7-foot-6 Yao and his bride received their official marriage certificate on Friday. Photographs showed the couple in tuxedo and off-the-shoulder gown having their wedding portraits taken at a scenic resort in eastern China last week.

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Rockets guard Rafer Alston was arrested early Sunday morning in downtown Houston on charges of assault and public intoxication, police said.

Both charges against Alston are misdemeanors, said Victor Senties, a Houston police spokesman.

"We are aware of the situation and are attempting to get more details about the incident," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement. "While we do not have all the facts yet, it is nevertheless very disappointing to have one of our players involved with any police activity. We will continue working with the authorities in order to get to the bottom of the situation."

Senties had no information whether Alston had been jailed or if he had an attorney.

The 6-foot-2 player out of Fresno State joined the NBA during the 1999-2000 season with Milwaukee. Alston signed with the Rockets in 2004 and averaged 13.3 points last season.

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Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson and eight other young NBA players will help the U.S. men's basketball team prepare for the FIBA Americas Championship, an Olympic qualifying tournament.

USA Basketball on Monday announced its Select Team, which will scrimmage against the national team from Aug. 15-20.

Iguodala, a swingman for Philadelphia, and Jefferson, a forward recently traded from Boston to Minnesota, are two of the most experienced players on the squad. Each is entering his fourth NBA season.

They are joined by Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Houston guard Aaron Brooks, Golden State guard Monta Ellis, Portland forward Channing Frye, Seattle forward Jeff Green, Dallas guard Devin Harris, Toronto forward Jason Kapono and New York Knicks forward David Lee.

New Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo will run the team. The players begin practicing Aug. 14 in Las Vegas.

The national team training camp runs from Aug. 15-21 and will determine the 12-member squad that will compete at the FIBA Americas Championship, which is Aug. 22-Sept. 3 in Las Vegas.

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Forward Matt Barnes re-signed with the Golden State Warriors on Monday, agreeing to a one-year deal after enjoying his best NBA season with the club last year.

Barnes, a four-year veteran who has played for five teams, had career-best averages of 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season in coach Don Nelson's uptempo offense.

He also made headlines with his energetic play, a mohawk haircut and a tattoo reading "Believe" -- especially while the Warriors upset top-seeded Dallas and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

"I am really excited to be back with the Warriors," Barnes said. "As I've said all along, this was my first choice and the place that I wanted to continue my career. I really enjoy playing for this team, and feel very comfortable with the entire organization."

Barnes shopped his services to several teams as a free agent, but couldn't find a lucrative deal despite changing agents twice. His contract with Golden State is expected to be worth slightly more than $3 million -- the remainder of the Warriors' mid-level salary cap exemption.

"He was a key contributor to our success last season, and we anticipate that he will play a vital role with our club again during the upcoming season," said Chris Mullin, the Warriors' executive vice president of basketball operations. "The intangibles that he provides our team -- energy, hustle and effort -- are a tribute to his work ethic and have certainly aided his development as a player. Plus, he is a very good fit for our team."