News from February 1. New Jersey activated Sleepy Floyd and placed Sean Higgins on IR. Denver waived Darnell Mee. Kenny Anderson (NJ) will be out with an injury until after the All-Star break. Jerry Sloan (Uta) was named as Coach of the Month. John Stockton (Uta) passed Magic Johnson to become the NBA's all-time career assists leader. Stockton now has 9,927 assists. Johnson had 9,921. News from February 2. Patrick Ewing (NY) was named as Player of the Month and Brian Grant (Sac) was named as Rookie of the Month. Houston placed Carl Herrera on IR and signed Chucky Brown (F) to a 10-day contract. Minnesota placed Chris Smith on IR and activated Stacey King. News from February 3. The NBA fined Tom Chambers (Uta) $6,000 for throwing an elbow in the Utah-Denver game. Brian Williams (Den) was also fined $2,500 and suspended for 1 game for leaving the bench during the incident. Williams served his suspension during the Den-LAL game. Washington suspended Kevin Duckworth for 3 games for not staying in good physical condition. Washington activated Chris Webber. Trade: Boston traded Blue Edwards to Utah for Jay Humphries and Philadelphia's 2nd round draft pick in 1995 (which Utah had the rights to). News from February 4. Vin Baker (Mil) and Jamie Watson (Uta) have been named to replace Grant Hill (Det) and Robert Pack (Den) in the Salm Dunk compition. Hill and Pack withdrew due to not wanting to aggravate injuries. Houston placed Robert Horry on IR. Derrick Coleman (NJ) will be out until after the All-Star break with a chip fracture on top of his pelvic bone. Houston finally received an invitation from the White House for winning the NBA championship last season. Detroit retired Bill Laimbeer's #40. News from February 6. Danny Manning (Pho) is out for the season after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in practice. Phoenix placed Manning on IR and activated Antonio Lang. The following people have been voted into the Hall of Fame: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks), Cheryl Miller (Southern Cal), Anne Donovan (Old Dominion), Aleksandr Gomelsky (Soviet Union coach), Earl Strom (NBA ref), Vern Mikkelson (Minneapolis Lakers), and John Kundla (coach Minneapolis Lakers). Hakeem Olajuwon (Hou) was named as Player of the Week. The LA Clippers activated Elmore Spencer and placed Eric Riley, who suffered a bruise collarbone, bruise ribs, a bruise left foot, and a split lip in a car accident, on IR. Washington placed Rex Chapman on IR and signed Brian Oliver to a 10-day contract. Philadelphia retired Maurice Cheeks' #10. Por 120, Hou 82 - at Por Vernon Maxwell (Hou) was ejected after going into the stands and punching a fan. Robert Horry (Hou) and assistant Larry Smith (Hou) were also ejected for following Maxwell into the stands. Fines and suspensions to be announced later. News from February 7. Cedric Ceballos (LAL) will be out 6 to 8 weeks after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb Friday in the game vs Denver. He will undergo surgery on Thursday. Dikembe Mutombo (Den) has been named by the league to replace Ceballos in the All-Star game. Utah signed James Donaldson for the rest of the season. News from February 8. The league has suspened Vernon Maxwell (Hou) for a minimum of 10 games and fined him $20,000 for going into the stands and punching a fan during Monday's Hou-Por game. Maxwell will have to meet with league officials later to determine if he should be allowed to return after the 10 games or if his suspension should be extended. The fine ties the highest fine in league history and the suspension is the 2nd longest in league history [Kermit Washington was suspended for 28 games for punching Rudy Tomjanovich in 1977]. The suspension will cost Maxwell over $200,000 in lost salary. Sacramento activated Henry Turner and placed Doug Lee on IR. Boston activated Derek Strong and placed Jay Humphries on IR. Corie Alexander (Virginia) has become the first college underclassman to declare his eligiblity for the 1995 NBA draft. News from February 9. Vernon Maxwell (Hou) has released a statement through his attorney that he will appeal his suspension. Maxwell: "One of the fans began heckling me. That's usually not a problem, but he began using racial and obscene comments. I told him what I thought of him, but I didn't do anything about it until after the half. When he began involving my daughter, Amber, in his obscene, abusive, and racial remarks, I decided I had enough and I rushed into the stands." Maxwell's daughter was stillborn in 1993. Boston extended the contracts of assistant coaches Don Casey and Dennis Johnson. Dallas signed George McCloud to a 2nd 10-day contract. News from February 10. The NBA Champions for 1995 will participate in the McDonald's Championship (formerly McDonald's Open) in London Arena October 19-21. The champions of the English Basketball League, National Basketball League of Australia, winner of the European Championship (from the European Final Four), and two European national champions will also participate. News from February 11. All-Star Saturday Events results. AT&T Legends Shoot-out (3-pointers) Jo Jo White, Randy Smith, George Gervin, and Lou Hudson were the contestants. White and Smith were the finalists, and White won. Babyruth Shoot-Around (make shots from 8 different spots on the court in the shortest time) Chuck Person (SA), Wesley Person (Pho), John Starks (NY), and Jeff Hornacek (Uta) were the contestants. The two Person brothers were the finalists and Wesley (40.8 seconds) beat Chuck (1:13.7) for the win. AT&T Long Distance Shoot-out (5 racks around the 3-point arc, 5 balls on each rack, balls 1-4 worth 1 points, 5th ball worth 2 points, and a time limit of 1 minutes) 1st Round (top 4 advance) Scott Burrell (Cha) 19 points Steve Kerr (Chi) 13 points Reggie Miller (Ind) 17 points Nick Anerson (Orl) 12 points Chuck Person (SA) 15 points Dana Barros (Phi) 9 points Glen Rice (Mia) 14 points Dan Majerle (Pho) 9 points 2nd Round (top 2 advance) Rice 19 points Burrell 17 points Miller 19 points Person 16 points Finals Glen Rice 17 (WINNER) Miller 16 [note: TV listed 14 last night, but all reports I've read this morning lists 16] Slam Dunk Championship (judges rank on a 1-50 scale) 1st Round (90 seconds to make 3 dunks, top 3 advance to finals) Harold Miner (Mia) 49.2 Isaiah Rider (Min) 44.6 Jamie Watson (Uta) 40.4 Antonio Harvey (LAL) 35.2 [only made 2 dunks] Tim Perry (Phi) 31.0 [only made 2 dunks] Tony Dumas (Dal) 15.0 [didn't make any dunks] Finals (60 seconds to make 2 dunks [only 2 dunks rated]) Harold Miner 46.0 [WINNER, made 3 dunks - all impressive with power] Rider 34.0 [missed first 3 attempts, rushed by clock to make 2] Watson 26.0 [only made 1 dunk] [After the poor showing this year, look for changes in next year's competion.] Prize Money for both the Shoot-out and Slam Dunk: 1st $20,000 2nd $10,000 3rd $5,500 4th $2,500 5th-8th $1,000 Schick Rookie Game [Game consisted of 2 15 minutes halves. Overtime was the first team to score 3 points.] 1 2 OT Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% REB AST Fouls Green 46 33 4 - 83 .481 .429 .470 .786 35 22 13 White 39 40 0 - 79 .571 .286 .508 .789 38 26 13 FG 3PT FT White M-A M-A M-A PTS Glenn Robinson (Mil) 8-17 2-3 3-3 21 Lamond Murray (LAC) 6-11 1-3 2-2 15 and 7 reb Eric Montross (Bos) 3-5 0-0 0-0 6 Wesley Person (Pho) 5-9 1-3 2-2 13 Khalid Reeves (Mia) 4-7 0-3 3-4 11 and 11 ast Donyell Marshall (Min) 4-7 0-0 3-4 11 Clifford Rozier (GS) 2-3 0-0 0-0 4 Trevor Ruffin (Pho) 0-4 0-2 2-4 2 Totals 32-63 4-14 15-19 83 Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, Assistant Connie Hawkins FG 3PT FT Green M-A M-A M-A PTS Brian Grant (Sac) 3-6 0-0 3-4 9 Juwan Howard (Was) 6-11 0-0 2-2 14 and 9 reb, 5 ast Sharone Wright (Phi) 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 Eddie Jones (LAL) 9-20 4-8 3-3 25 and 6 stl, 4 ast, MVP Jason Kidd (Dal) 2-4 0-2 0-0 4 Jalen Rose (Den) 4-8 2-4 2-2 12 Micheal Smith (Sac) 4-6 0-0 1-3 9 Anthony Tucker (Was) 0-5 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 31-66 6-14 11-14 79 Coach Al Attles, Assistant Nate "Tiny" Archiball News from February 12. February 23 is the trading deadline. All-Star Game 1 2 3 4 Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% West 31 41 32 35 - 139 .607 .296 .532 .684 East 28 28 25 31 - 112 .514 .364 .478 .571 Halftime: 72-56 West 3rd Q: 104-81 West Refs: Steve Javie, Dick Bavetta, Jack Nies Attendance: 18,755 MVP: Mitch Richmond West REB Player Min FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST PF STL TO BLK Charles Barkley (Pho) 23 7-12 1-4 0-0 15 5-9 2 1 2 2 0 Shawn Kemp (Sea) 23 4-6 0-0 5-6 13 0-2 2 5 1 4 0 Hakeem Olajuwon (Hou) 25 6-13 1-1 0-2 13 4-11 1 2 2 3 2 Dan Majerle (Pho) 20 4-12 2-7 0-0 10 1-5 3 1 0 0 0 Latrell Sprewell (GS) 22 4-9 0-2 1-1 9 2-4 4 0 3 1 0 Gary Payton (Sea) 23 3-10 0-3 0-0 6 3-5 15 1 3 3 0 Mitch Richmond (Sac) 22 10-13 3-3 0-0 23 3-4 2 0 0 0 0 David Robinson (SA) 14 3-5 0-0 4-6 10 0-3 2 2 2 1 1 Detlef Schrempf (Sea) 18 4-11 1-4 0-0 9 0-4 5 2 0 0 0 Dikembe Mutombo (Den) 20 6-8 0-0 0-0 12 3-8 1 3 0 0 4 Karl Malone (Uta) 16 6-6 0-0 3-4 15 0-3 1 0 0 1 0 John Stockton (Uta) 14 2-6 0-3 0-0 4 1-1 6 0 2 0 0 Totals 240 59-111 8-27 13-19 139 22-59 44 17 15 15 7 East REB Player Min FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST PF STL TO BLK Scottie Pippen (Chi) 30 5-15 2-6 0-0 12 0-7 3 1 2 4 1 Grant Hill (Det) 20 5-8 0-0 0-4 10 0-0 3 2 2 1 0 Shaquille O'Neal (Orl) 26 9-16 0-1 4-7 22 4-7 1 2 3 2 2 Anfernee Hardaway (Orl) 31 4-9 0-2 4-6 12 4-5 11 1 0 3 0 Reggie Miller (Ind) 23 3-9 3-6 0-0 9 0-0 2 0 1 1 1 Joe Dumars (Det) 21 5-8 1-2 0-0 11 0-0 6 1 1 1 0 Patrick Ewing (NY) 22 4-7 0-0 2-2 10 0-3 1 3 1 5 0 Dana Barros (Phi) 11 2-5 1-3 0-0 5 0-1 3 0 0 0 0 Larry Johnson (Cha) 20 2-3 1-1 2-2 7 1-4 2 0 0 1 0 Alonzo Mourning (Cha) 19 4-9 0-1 2-3 10 0-8 1 5 0 1 1 Vin Baker (Mil) 11 0-2 0-0 2-4 2 2-2 0 1 0 1 1 Tyrone Hill (Cle) 6 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 2-4 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 240 44-92 8-22 16-28 112 13-41 33 17 10 20 6 News from February 13. Don Nelson resigned as GM and coach of the Golden State Warriors. Nelson and the team owner had reportedly agreed on a $1 million settlement. Assistant coach Bob Lanier was named as the interim coach and VP and assistant GM Al Attles was named as an assistant coach. Assistant coach (and Nelson's son) Donn Nelson will remain with the team and assist in the team's basketball operations. Director of scouting Ed Gregory was named as director of player personnel. Craig Ehlo (Atl) will be out 4 to 6 weeks with torn cartilage in his knee. The LA Lakers placed Cedric Ceballos on IR with a torn ligament in his right thumb which will keep him out 6 to 8 weeks. The Lakers also signed Kurt Rambis to a 2nd 10-day contract. News from February 14. TRADE: Portland traded Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray to Houston for Otis Thorpe, a conditional 1st round draft pick, and the rights to Marcelo Nicola (Houston's 2nd round draft pick in 1993). Miami fired head coach Kevin Loughery and named assistant coach Alvin Gentry as the new head coach. The firing came just a day after the NBA League of Governors approved the purchase of the Heat by the Arison family. Miami also named Dave Wohl as the executive vice president of basketball operations. The team has offered Loughery the position of vice president of player personnel, but Loughery has not decided whether or not to accept the job. New York activated Herb Williams from IR and waived Greg Kite. Golden State activated Ricky Pierce and placed Ryan Lorthridge on IR with viral influenza. Houston placed Robert Horry on IR. Portland activated Aaron McKie from IR. Minnesota released Howard Eisley and signed Darrick Martin (G) to a 10-day contract. News from February 15. Philadelphia placed B.J. Tyler on IR with a strained abdominal muscle and signed Kevin Pritchard to a 10-day contract. Golden State waived Manute Bol. The LA Lakers activated Sam Bowie from IR. News from February 16. Miami named Tony Fiorentino as an assistant coach. NBA suspended Danny Ainge (Pho) for 1 game and fined him $7,500 for hitting Chris Dudley (Por) in the face during the Por-Pho game Wednesday night. Ainge will miss Friday's game vs Golden State. News from February 17. New Jersey activated Sean Higgins and placed Sleepy Floyd on IR. Portland activated Terry Porter and placed James Edwards on IR with a pulled stomach muscle. Doug Smith (Dal) sprained his right knee in practice and will be out 7 to 10 days. Philadelphia signed Jerome Harmon (G) to a 10-day contract and placed Clarence Weatherspoon on IR. Washington activated Kevin Duckworth from the suspended list. News from February 18. TRADE: Golden State traded Tom Gugliotta to Minnesota for Donyell Marshall. Indiana activated Antonio Davis and placed LaSalle Thompson on IR. John Stockton (Uta) became the first player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career assists. Minnesota placed Stacey King on IR and activated Chris Smith. The conditional draft pick that was included in the Thorpe-Drexler trade is thus: if Houston reaches the Western Conference Finals, Porland receives Houston's 1st round draft pick in 1995. News from February 20. Denver named GM Bernie Bickerstaff as the new head coach and president of the Nuggets. Interim head coach Gene Littles will resume his role of assistant coach. Assistant coach Mike Evans was named as the new director of player personnel. President Tim Leiweke was named as the presided of Rocky Mountaint Entertainment, a new company which will oversee the Nuggets' business operations, promotional activities, and the new arena. The LA Clippers placed Gary Grant on IR with a strained back and signed Michael Smith (F) to a 10-day contract. Eddie Jones (LAL) will be out upto 6 weeks with a sprained right shoulder. The injury occurred during the Por-LAL game on Sunday. News from February 21. The LA Clippers activated Eric Riley and placed Elmore Spencer on IR. Charles Barkley (Pho) was named as Player of the Week. Washington activated Rex Chapman and placed Kenny Walker on IR with tendinitis in both knees. Dallas placed Doug Smith on IR. Golden State activated Ryan Lorthridge and placed Rony Seikaly on IR with tendinitis in his right knee. Boston will retire Reggie Lewis' #35 during a halftime cermony on March 22 during the Boston-Chicago game. News from February 22. Houston activated Carl Herrera and placed Tim Breaux on IR with a lower back strain. The LA Lakers placed Eddie Jones on IR and signed Lloyd Daniels to a 10-day contract. Reggie Slater (Den) underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right knee and will be out for the season. The injury occured Sunday during the Den-Was game. Denver signed Mark Randall. Dallas signed George McCloud for the remained of the season. The trading deadline is tonight (Thursday). News from February 24. TRADE: Dallas traded Morlon Wiley and their '95 2nd round draft pick to Houston for Scott Brooks. Tyrone Hill (Cle) underwent surgery on his right hand and will be out 1 to 2 weeks. Cleveland signed Fred Roberts (F) to a 10-day contract. David Wesley (Bos) underwent surgery on his left knee to repair torn cartilage and will be out 4 weeks. Houston activated Robert Horry and placed Zan Tabak on IR. The trading deadline has come and gone. No more trades can occur between now and the end of the season. News from February 24. The LA Lakers signed Kurt Rambis for the rest of the season. Houston waived recently acquired Morlon Wiley and signed Chucky Brown for the rest of the season. Seattle activated Steve Scheffler and placed Dontonio Wingfield on IR. News from February 25. The NBA suspended Shaquille O'Neal (Orl) for 1 game and fined him $5,000 for punching Eric Montross in Friday's Boston-Orlando game. O'Neal will miss Sunday's game vs Chicago. Minnesota signed Darrick Martin to a 2nd 10-day contract. Jim Jackson (Dal) will be out about a month due to his sprained ankle. News from February 26. New York activated Charles Oakley and placed Anthony Bonner on IR with a sprained right ankle. Philadelphia activated B.J. Tyler and Clarence Weatherspoon and placed Jeff Malone on IR. San Antonio signed Howard Eisley to a 10-day contract. News from February 27. Rod Strickland (Por) was named as Player of the Week. Vernon Maxwell (Hou) has completed his 10 game suspension and has been reinstated by the league. Maxwell met with league officials on Friday. Boston signed James Blackwell to a 10-day contract. Minnesota waived Charles Shackleford. Minnesota had activated Stacey King and placed Shackleford on IR last week. Shackleford was reportedly not happy with being placed on IR. Brian Williams (Den) will be out about 10 days with an injury in his left leg. Sam Bowie (LAL) will be out at least 1 week with a fractured rib. George Lynch (LAL) will be out 4 to 6 weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. News from February 28. The NBA fined Seattle coach George Karl $10,000 for remarks regarding the refs after the Sea-Cha game on Monday. Miami named former Heat coach Kevin Loughery as Vice President and Director of Player Personnel. Dallas activated Roy Tarpley from IR. The LA Lakers placed George Lynch on IR with a stress fracture and signed Randolph Keys (F) to a 10-day contract. Washington activated Don MacLean and placed Rex Chapman on IR with a fractured right thumb. Minnesota announced that GM Jack McClosky will resign at the end of the season. Washington suspended Kevin Duckworth indefinitely for not maintaining playing shape. Robert Pack (Den) will be out 3 weeks due to loose bodies in his left knee joint. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee. Brian Williams (Den) will be out 10 days with a small stress fracture below his left knee cap. Danny Manning (Pho) underwent successful knee surgery on his ACL Tuesday.