NBA Capsules: John Wall still adjusting to being No. 1 NBA pick
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — John Wall still has a hard time believing all that has happened in the last 36 days.
He is still adjusting to life after the Washington Wizards selected him with the first pick in last month's NBA draft.
The former Kentucky guard visited with campers Friday at coach John Calipari's Pro Camp, which over a three-day span will feature other recently drafted Wildcats, including DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson.
The 19-year-old Wall said the transition from college to the NBA has affected almost everything he does. Even what the 6-foot-4 guard wears.
Friday, he wasn't donning blue Kentucky Nike gear; he showed up in Reebok shorts, socks and shoes — he has a multimillion endorsement deal with the apparel company.
Wall got a glimpse of NBA competition at the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals and was named the Most Outstanding Player. But Wall admitted he won't really know what to expect until October when training camp starts.
He says Wizards assistant coach and longtime NBA guard Sam Cassell has been a big help with his transition into the league, much like Rod Strickland did as an assistant coach at Kentucky last season.
"The NBA is just a different level," Wall said. "It's the same basketball but it's at a different speed."
Wizards fans have also helped Wall with the transition, starting with a fanatical welcoming the day in Washington. A few Capitals hockey players and Donovan McNabb even showed up to the festivities, greeting Wall with their own renditions of Wall's signature dance move.
"All those guys doing my dance, and even just showing up to welcome me, that meant a lot," Wall said. Going from being a celebrity in Lexington to one in the nation's capital has also been an adjustment.
"It's nowhere near the same because Kentucky's always going to be on top with their fans, there's nothing I've seen that can beat it," he said. "But D.C. has great fans. Kentucky's like another family to me so every opportunity I have to come back and be around the basketball program means a lot."
Once basketball season starts both for the Wizards and the Wildcats, Wall said he hopes to come to a game in Rupp Arena as soon as he can and punctuate a traditional K-E-N-T-U-C-K-Y cheer, posing as the final Y.
"That's the biggest thing I want to do," he said.
"It's still a dream come true, you know," Wall said. "Sometimes I sit in my hotel room when I'm traveling, and I'm just shocked and amazed at all that's happened."
Knicks' Stoudemire in Israel to trace Hebrew roots
JERUSALEM (AP) — Amare Stoudemire already knows some Hebrew phrases and sports a Star of David tattoo. Now he's come to Israel to explore what might be his Jewish heritage.
The five-time NBA All-Star who recently signed with the New York Knicks is on a weeklong visit to learn about Israel, its language and religions. He believes he has "Hebrew roots" through his mother, Carrie.
"She studied the scriptures and history and she believes she is a Hebrew," he told The Associated Press on Friday in Jerusalem. "I grew up in a very spiritual home. It's not about religion, it's about spirituality for me."
Stoudemire said he was "soaking up the culture," with his girlfriend and a few other friends from home.
He has long suspected his Jewish lineage — Judaism is passed down through the mother's side. Stoudemire's agent, Happy Walters, said his client is a "student of history" and is "exploring religions in general." He added that Soudemire may turn to a genealogist when he returns to New York to dig deeper.
The 6-foot-10 forward signed a five-year, $100 million contract with the Knicks three weeks ago. He will now be playing in the city with the largest Jewish population in the United States.
The NBA features two Jewish players: Israeli Omri Casspi of the Sacramento Kings and Jordan Farmar of the New Jersey Nets. When Farmar joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006, he became the NBA's first Jewish player since Danny Schayes — son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes — retired in 1999.
Stoudemire said he's spoken to Casspi a few times about Judaism, "but we didn't go into details about it."
Stoudemire has begun studying Hebrew and his Twitter page features such words as "Shalom," ''Le'chayim" and "ze ha'halom sheli," Hebrew for "this is my dream."
"It's great," he said. "Hebrew is the original language."
On Twitter, he also called himself "the new Reggie White," saying "I'm going 2 Israel 2 study Hebrew. It's time 2 get a better understanding on who we R."
White, the late NFL star and ordained minister, traveled to Israel late in his life and studied Hebrew to learn scripture in its original form.
Stoudemire spent his first eight NBA seasons with the Phoenix Suns, where he won the 2003 Rookie of Year award and became one of the league's dominant players. Now, his possible Jewish ties have stirred interest in Israel, with bloggers dreaming he could one day join the Israeli national team.
Stoudemire, however, laughed that off.
"I'm looking forward to playing in the 2012 Olympics," he said. "For the USA."
-- Aron Heller
Cavaliers sign swingman Joey Graham
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed former Denver Nuggets swingman Joey Graham. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed Friday.
The 6-foot-7 Graham played 63 games last season for Denver, averaging 4.2 points on career-high .520 shooting. He also averaged 2.0 rebounds and 12.1 minutes.
"Joining Cleveland marks an exciting, brand new start for me," Graham said. "This is a great opportunity and I'm excited to come in and help the team as much as possible."
Graham played four seasons for the Toronto Raptors before joining the Nuggets last season. In 2008-09, had career-high averages of 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.
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 presence on the perimeter that will complement the pieces we have in place," Cavaliers general 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 to build."
Howard signs 1-yr contract to return to Wizards
WASHINGTON (AP) — Josh Howard has signed his one-year contract to return to the Washington Wizards.
The deal signed Friday could pay Howard as much as $4 million if he meets certain incentives. The two sides reached agreement on the contract Wednesday night.
Howard was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, but he played 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 to eight months. Agent Derek Lafayette says Howard is "ahead of schedule" but declined to say whether the forward will be healthy in time for training camp.
Howard has averaged 15.3 points over seven NBA seasons.
Wizards sign No. 17 pick Kevin Seraphin
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards have signed No. 17 overall pick Kevin Seraphin, 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 years playing for Cholet Basket. The French club signed him to a three-year contract in 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 veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to Washington.
Under the NBA's pay scale for rookies, Seraphin gets a four-year contract that guarantees him about $2.7 million the first two years, with the Wizards holding options for the third and fourth years.
Detroit Pistons re-sign point guard Will Bynum
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have livened up a quiet summer by re-signing point guard Will Bynum to a three-year, $9.75 million contract.
The 27-year-old played 63 games last season, starting 20 times, and averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 assists in 26.5 minutes. On March 12, he had 20 assists against the Wizards, the first Piston to reach that mark since Isiah Thomas in 1985.
The signing was announced Friday.
Bynum began his NBA career as an undrafted free agent with the Pistons in 2008-09, playing 57 times and starting once. On April 5, he set a franchise record by scoring 26 fourth-quarter points in a 32-point performance against Charlotte.
Oklahoma City Thunder waives reserve G Kyle Weaver
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived reserve guard Kyle Weaver, who missed much of last season with a shoulder injury.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced the move Friday. Weaver, a 6-foot-6 second-year player out of Washington State, dislocated his left shoulder during a practice and underwent surgery last November. He averaged 3.0 points per game in 12 appearances last season.
As a rookie, Weaver played in 56 games and started 19 times for Oklahoma City, averaging 5.3 points and 1.8 assists per game.
NBA to unveil marquee games on schedule Tuesday
NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA will release its opening week and Christmas Day schedules 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 the Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays.
The full NBA schedule will be released on Aug. 10. This is the first time the league has released portions of it early. The reason is likely because of anticipation for the debut and marquee games involving Miami's new trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Elsewhere
Attorney: Wright's ex-wife got threatening visit
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife was threatened at her home by three men who were carrying guns and looking for the former NBA player about six weeks before he was shot to death, the woman's attorney said Friday.
Sherra Wright warned her ex-husband, the father of her children, about the visit 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 tell authorities about it until Monday, when she alerted police in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, near her home.
"She was told that if she said anything she would be killed, or her children," Mathes said. "Mrs. Wright was terrified."
The body of the 34-year-old athlete was found in woods in Memphis on Wednesday, six days after his family reported him missing. He was last seen around 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 an unidentified person. Police records indicate Wright was probably carrying a large amount of cash when he disappeared.
An investigation is now under way by police in nearby Germantown, another Memphis suburb, about how a 911 call from Wright's phone early on July 19 was handled.
Autopsy results haven't been released, so it's not clear when Wright died or how many times he was shot. Police said the medical examiner had to use dental records to establish a positive identity, indicating the body might have been in the woods for some time before it was found by a police search team.
Memphis police are leading the homicide investigation and won't discuss a motive or if they have suspects. Memphis police Lt. Alan Ruhl said Friday that the department isn't discussing details of the case because the investigation is ongoing.
Rodney Bright, Germantown's deputy police chief, said department officials did not know about the 911 call until Tuesday, eight days after it was received by a dispatcher in the early morning hours of July 19.
Bright said Friday he can't discuss what was said on the call, which has been turned over to Memphis police. They also won't talk about the call.
The Commercial Appeal newspaper, which first reported the call, said the dispatcher heard a garbled male voice utter an expletive and then heard at least 10 gunshots. The call went dead and no one answered when the dispatcher called back, the newspaper reported.
Police said area law enforcement agencies didn't meet until Wednesday to discuss the case. Investigators were able to locate the source of the call and a few hours after that meeting, officers found Wright's body nearby.
Police in Collierville had taken the July 22 missing person report. Before Wright 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 to other law enforcement in the area, and the delay has hurt the homicide investigation.
"I do believe there was a disregard with a transparent obliviousness to the significance of a call where you hear 10 shots," Mathes said.
The 6-foot-11 Wright played 13 seasons in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, 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 father Herb Wright, who coached his son from a wheelchair after he was shot in the spine. Lorenzen Wright's 11-month-old daughter, Sierra, died in March 2003 of sudden infant death syndrome.
Messages of sadness and condolence have poured in from around the NBA since Wright's body was found. Hundreds of people have visited the scene near where Wright'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 hopes of getting contributions from NBA players.
-- Adrian Sainz
Public memorial for Wright is Wednesday in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Public memorial services will be Wednesday at FedExForum in Memphis for ex-NBA player Lorenzen Wright.
The services were announced Friday by the Memphis Grizzlies. Wright, of Memphis, played for the Grizzlies from 2001-2006 during his 13-year NBA career.
The Grizzlies said they would announce plans later to honor Wright during the upcoming season.
Wright's body was found Wednesday in woods outside Memphis. He was shot to death in what police are calling a homicide. No arrests have been made.
