Former University of Memphis star Dajuan Wagner, who saw his NBA career cut short due to injuries and illness, has signed a one-year deal to play with the Polish team, Prokom Trefl Sopot. The team competes in the Euroleague. They won the Polish League title from 2004-07.

Wagner is a former first round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers (and sixth overall pick), and was attempting to make Golden State’s roster last year before having his contract bought out when he failed to keep up with the daily rigors of playing. Wagner, 24, had his colon removed in 2005. He has also suffered from severe colitis and a knee injury. it’s been two years since he played in his last regular season NBA game.

The Denver Nuggets has expressed some interest in Wagner this summer, but an ankle injury prevented him from playing on their summer league team. While in Poland, Wagner hopes to show he’s regained his stamina and that he’s overcome his illness. If he can do that, at 24, he’ll almost assuredly get another look by some NBA team next season. He averaged 9.4 points in three seasons with the Cavs, but only played in 102 of a possible 246 games.
Read the rest of this entry »

Seems trading away Stephen Jackson wasn’t enough to keep the Pacers out of the police reports. Memphis native Shawne Williams was released from jail late this morning after being arrested on marijuana possession and driving-related charges.

Williams, the Indiana Pacers first round draft pick out of the University of Memphis last season, was charged with possession of marijuana, driving without a license, driving with an expired license plate, and failure to signal a lane change after he was pulled over shortly after midnight in Indianapolis. Williams is scheduled to appear for an initial hearing at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

According to the police report, the arresting officer noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the open driver’s side window of Williams’ 2007 Cadillac Escalade. A marijuana “blunt” cigarette was found, which one of the passengers, Roosevelt Rollins, 21, of Memphis, said was his. He was arrested for marijuana possession.

Another passenger, Roderick Helton, 32, of Memphis, was arrested for carrying a Smith and Wesson 9-mm handgun, which had been reported stolen from Collierville. He was arrested for having the gun without a license and theft.
Read the rest of this entry »

As expected, the NBA handed down its list of suspensions from its Saturday night fights at Madison Square Garden. In case you’ve been in hibernation and still haven’t heard about it, or seen it, the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets got into a so-called fight.

It started when New York’s Mardy Collins hog-tied J.R. Smith as he was about to go in for a dunk late in the Nuggets’ blowout win at the Garden. It escalated from there, Carmelo Anthony threw a sucker punch, the little midget Nate Robinson tried to prove how tough he is by wrestling Smith and trying to fight whoever else he could find, Smith punched Robinson back.
Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a Shawne Williams sighting. After not playing all season, rookie Shawne Williams, the Indiana Pacers first round draft pick from Memphis, FINALLY got in his first NBA game Monday night. In the Pacers 106-91 loss to Chicago, Williams scored 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor.

Helping his cause to get on the court was the fact the Pacers were without starters Al Harrington and Marquis Daniels, both of whom had a stomach ailment, and Stephen Jackson, who was suspended for one game after an altercation with coach Rick Carlisle.

Williams was inactive for the Pacers first 21 games.

It was nice of NBA commissioner David Stern to recognize he made a mistake by switching from leather basketballs to a composite one prior to this season without any input from current players. The players have complained vehemently since training camp.

But Stern’s announcement Monday to switch back to the leather balls on Jan. 1 wasn’t the right move either. While some players are still complaining, most have gotten used to the new balls. Therefore, why switch in the middle of the season, and have everyone have to get readjusted to leather balls? It would have been much better to admit the mistake and say we’ll go back to the leather balls next year. The NBA Development League will continue using the composite balls to evaluate it performance. While that league may end up continuing to use the ball, don’t expect to see it return to the NBA.

The two had never squared off against each other before. It took a matchup clear across the world for former University of Memphis point guards Antonio Burks and Darius Washington to get it on.
Burks, the former Grizzly backup guard, was leading his Crvena Zvezda team from Serbia against Washington’s PAOK team from Greece. Washington, who left the U of M after two seasons for the NBA but was undrafted, scored 19 points to help PAOK deal Crvena Zvezda its first loss of the season, 85-81.
Burks, who was released by the Miami Heat during training camp, had 16 points and six assists for Crvena Zvezda.

Dajuan Wagner’s NBA career suffered yet another bump in the road this weekend when the former University of Memphis star agreed to a buyout with the Golden State Warriors. Wagner, who sat out last season after having his colon removed in 2005, was an early training camp favorite of coach Don Nelson. He started six of Golden State’s seven preseason games, twice leading them in scoring. But Wagner, 23, was eventually passed in the rotation by players like Monta Ellis and former Grizzly Anthony Roberson. He only played in two regular season games, scoring four points in a blowout win against Detroit.
The former No. 6 overall pick of Cleveland will be paid handsomely for his release, though. He agreed to a buyout of his two-year contract. His salary of $798,112 this season was fully guaranteed.