Leroy Richardson got caught up in a bit of basketball politics when he was in the U.S. Navy. He had just transferred from the USS Yellowstone to a shore facility in Virginia, was looking to play for one of the intramural teams there and eventually got told that all the available spots had been taken by members of another command.So he decided to start refereeing.Almost 30 years later, he's still in the NBA.Veterans Day — which was observed Sunday in the U.S. though federal agencies were closed Monday — carries obvious additional significance for people like Richardson and fellow NBA refs Rodney Mott and Matt Boland. All three served their country in the military; Richardson was a Navy man for 12 years, Mott for three years and Boland was in the Connecticut National Guard from 1987 through 1995.Richardson knows how lucky he is. If he was picked for that intramural team, he probably wouldn't have started officiating. If he hadn't started, he wouldn't be in the NBA."Everything was sort of... [More]

Leroy Richardson got caught up in a bit of basketball politics when he was in the U.S. Navy. He had just transferred off the USS Yellowstone to a shore facility in Virginia, was looking to play for one of the intramural teams there and eventually got told that all the available spots had been taken by members of another command.So he decided to start refereeing.Almost 30 years later, he's still in the NBA.Veterans Day — which was observed Sunday in the U.S. though federal agencies will be closed Monday — carries obvious additional significance for people like Richardson and fellow NBA refs Rodney Mott and Matt Boland. All three served their country in the military; Richardson was a Navy man for 12 years, Mott for three years and Boland was in the Connecticut National Guard from 1987 through 1995.Richardson knows how lucky he is. If he was picked for that intramural team, he probably wouldn't have started officiating. If he hadn't started, he wouldn't be in the NBA."Everything was sort of... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey denied a report Sunday that said Carmelo Anthony's time with the team will soon come to an end.Anthony, who was out for the second straight game Sunday night with an illness, is in his first season with the Rockets after one year in Oklahoma City.The New York Times had a sourced report Sunday saying Anthony has been notified that he will soon be waived. When asked about that report before Sunday night's game, Morey said: "that's inaccurate."The Rockets, who reached the Western Conference finals last season, are off to a disappointing 4-7 start, with many outsiders blaming Anthony for the struggles.Morey went on to say that he wanted to speak to reporters in large part to defend Anthony."It's unfair that there's all this speculation on just one person," Morey said. "I understand it he's obviously a Hall of Famer. But it's unfair."Anthony, who is in his 16th season, has averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 10 games with two starts... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is denying a report that says Carmelo Anthony's time with the team with end soon.Anthony, who was out for the second straight game on Sunday night with an illness, is in his first season with the Rockets after one year in Oklahoma City.The New York Times had a sourced report on Sunday saying that Anthony has been notified that he will soon be waived. When asked about that report before Sunday night's game, Morey said: "that's inaccurate."The Rockets, who reached the Western Conference finals last season, are off to a disappointing 4-7 start, with many outsiders blaming Anthony for the struggles.Morey went on to say that he wanted to speak to reporters in large part to defend Anthony.Morey says: "it's unfair that there's all this speculation on just one person. I understand it, he's obviously a Hall of Famer. But it's unfair."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — The Carmelo Anthony experiment in Oklahoma City didn't go well last season.The Rockets believe things will be different for the 10-time All-Star in Houston and that Anthony can be the piece stars James Harden and Chris Paul need to win the rugged West — and maybe win it all."We can win. I think he sees that, feels that," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Now it's just up to everybody (and) they're going to do whatever it takes to win."Anthony balked at the suggestion he would come off the bench for the Thunder had he stayed. He still doesn't want to talk about the possibility of a reserve role in Houston, but he seems to have made peace with playing with the second team if it means he might finally get a ring in his 16th season."At the end of the day whatever I have to do to help this team win a championship, then that's what's going to be done," Anthony said.Anthony was traded to the Hawks after one tough season with the Thunder, where he averaged a career-low 16.2 points in 78... [More]

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Through the first week of camp with the Houston Rockets, all indications are that Carmelo Anthony will be OK coming off the bench if that's the role coach Mike D'Antoni gives him.That doesn't mean the 10-time All-Star wants to discuss it."I don't like talking about it," Anthony said Saturday before the team's last practice at McNeese State before returning to Houston. "People always been speculating. They always speculate so I will continue not to talk about it."While Anthony, who is in his first year with the Rockets after one tumultuous season in Oklahoma City, refused to discuss whether he'll start or be a reserve, he had plenty to say about a variety of other subjects, candidly answering every other question thrown his way. He reflected on his year with the Thunder, a place where he never seemed to fit in and averaged a career-low 16.2 points in 78 starts.He said he got "caught up" in outside opinions of what people believed he should do and recounted all the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta didn't waste any time telling Carmelo Anthony why he wanted him on his team."I'll tell you exactly what I told him," Fertitta said Monday. "'We couldn't win a championship without you last year. And if we win a championship with you this year you're going to be the guy that got us over there. So, it's all up to you.'"Anthony, who joined the Rockets this offseason after one disappointing season in Oklahoma City, chuckled when asked about that phone call. He was vacationing in South Africa with his family when the phone rang, and Fertitta delivered the message."He put a lot of pressure on me," Anthony said. "I'm not even going to lie."Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Rockets in August after he was traded from the Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks in July before the Hawks released him.Fertitta and the rest of the Rockets believe that the 10-time All-Star could be the piece that will help them win their first NBA title since... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis is back with his teammates, though the New York Knicks don't know when he'll be back on the court.Joakim Noah won't be back, though the terms of his departure still are being negotiated.So while there are questions, the Knicks also feel they have certainty with the way they are building their team.They insist their future first-round draft picks will be used to select players for their own team, not to be dangled in trades that could land them an established player."We're committed to following a plan and not just shifting and pivoting because we see something that we think is attractive and might fast track something," Knicks president Steve Mills said Thursday. "I've seen that happen and go wrong too many times and that's not what we're going to do."It's happened in New York, where the Knicks traded young players and future assets in 2011 to acquire Carmelo Anthony, rather than sign him the following summer as a free agent with the cap space they had.... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Carmelo Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday.Anthony was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks last month before the Hawks released him.Houston general manager Daryl Morey announced the signing and the Rockets posted a picture on social media of Anthony signing his contract.The 34-year-old joins a team led by MVP James Harden and star point guard Chris Paul. The Rockets hope the addition of Anthony will help them contend for their first title since 1995. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals last season.Anthony will get a fresh start in Houston after spending last season with the Thunder, with whom he averaged a career-low 16.2 points in 78 games. The third overall pick in the 2003 draft has averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists in a 15-year career that also included stints with the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks.The 6-foot-8 Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and has won three gold medals in the Olympics. He is USA Basketball's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.Anthony has averaged more than 20 points every year of his career except last season and led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13, when he averaged 28.7 points a game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Carmelo Anthony signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday.Anthony was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Atlanta Hawks last month before the Hawks released him.Houston general manager Daryl Morey announced the signing and the Rockets posted a picture on social media of Anthony signing his contract.The 34-year-old joins a team led by MVP James Harden and star point guard Chris Paul. The Rockets hope the addition of Anthony will help them contend for their first title since 1995. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals last season.Anthony will get a fresh start in Houston after spending last season with the Thunder, with whom he averaged a career-low 16.2 points in 78 games. The third overall pick in the 2003 draft has averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 assists in a 15-year career that also included stints with the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks.The 6-foot-8 Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and has won three gold medals in the Olympics. He is USA Basketball's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.Anthony has averaged more than 20 points every year of his career except last season and led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13, when he averaged 28.7 points a game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have waived Carmelo Anthony, making official the move that was expected when the 10-time All-Star was traded from Oklahoma City this month.The 34-year-old Anthony may now sign with another team as a free agent. He averaged 16.2 points with Oklahoma City this season.The Hawks acquired Anthony, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick from Oklahoma City and Justin Anderson from the Philadelphia 76ers in the three-team trade July 19.In that deal, the Hawks traded forward-center Mike Muscala to Philadelphia and point guard Dennis Schroder to Oklahoma City. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was traded from Philadelphia to Oklahoma City.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

ATLANTA (AP) — Veteran Vince Carter is the latest addition to the new-look Atlanta Hawks.The 41-year-old Carter has agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Hawks, said a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.Carter was given the veteran's minimum deal to provide veteran leadership on a rebuilding Atlanta squad entering its first season with coach Lloyd Pierce.Carter, the NBA's oldest player, averaged 5.4 points and only 17.7 minutes per game while starting only five games last season with Sacramento.He will be entering his 21st season with his eighth team. He is an eight-time All-Star and has averaged 17.7 points for his career.Carter was named Rookie of the Year with Toronto in 1999. Following eight seasons with the Raptors, he was traded to New Jersey in 2004 and also has played for Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis and the Kings.Carter joins an Atlanta roster... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Oklahoma City.A person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press the Thunder are sending Anthony and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala. Anthony will be waived by the Hawks, clearing the way for him to sign as a free agent elsewhere. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.ESPN, which first reported the trade, said the Thunder will send Muscala to the Philadelphia 76ers for Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Philadelphia's Justin Anderson will be sent to Atlanta.Schroder, a speedy 6-foot-1 guard, averaged a career-high 19.4 points last season for the Hawks in 67 games, all starts.Anthony's lone season in Oklahoma City was largely a bust. He averaged 16.2 points and struggled at times in his new role alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The 10-time All-Star posted career lows... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is done in Oklahoma City.A person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press the Thunder are sending the veteran NBA forward and a 2022 protected first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Mike Muscala. Anthony will be waived, clearing the way for him to sign as a free agent elsewhere. The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.ESPN, which first reported the trade, said the Thunder will send Muscala to the Philadelphia 76ers for Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Philadelphia's Justin Anderson will be sent to Atlanta.Schroder averaged a career-high 19.4 points per game last season for the Hawks in 67 games, all starts. The speedy 6-foot-1 guard averaged 17.9 points the year before that.Anthony's lone season in Oklahoma City was largely a bust. He averaged 16.2 points per game last season and struggled at times in his new role alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The 10-time All-Star posted career lows in scoring average and field goal percentage, and the Thunder were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by Utah.___AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

Paul George can count.That's what we forgot.Everyone knows that the lure of home is strong for George, a Los Angeles kid who took countless jumpers as a youngster while pretending to be Kobe Bryant and wearing purple and gold. And players tend to go home: Paul Pierce played in LA toward the end of his career, Dwyane Wade briefly played in Chicago, Chauncey Billups had stints in Denver.So while diving into the magnitude of the numbers in George's soon-to-be-official deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder — four years at an average of $34 million a season, a contract that sure seems like it will help push the OKC payroll and luxury tax bills for next season alone to perhaps well over $200 million — there was one number that seems to have mattered most.It is 28.His age.He's still a young man, even by NBA standards. Consider this: George might not even be at his NBA peak yet. Barring an extension, which is possible, he could exercise his option to become a free agent again in the summer of 2021... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Between the LeBron James guessing games and the Kawhi Leonard trade talk, it seems NBA shopping season is well underway.It's actually just about to start.Terms like salary caps and contract options have been in the news for weeks, so fans might have an understanding of what they all mean. For those who don't, here's an attempt to explain how this all works.Q: When does free agency start?A: It begins at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 1. So that's early Sunday morning for teams in the East, but Magic Johnson and the Lakers can actually start their recruiting on Saturday night.Q: When can deals start happening?A: Players and teams can agree to contracts immediately, but except for some limited exceptions, such as rookies inking their initial contracts, nothing can be signed until after the free agency moratorium period ends, which is noon EDT on July 6.Q: How is the salary cap determined?A: It's basically a formula based on basketball revenues. Last season's was $99.1 million, and... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony plans to opt in and take the $28 million he is due next season.The New York Times first reported the 34-year-old Anthony's decision to bypass the chance to become a free agent. A person with knowledge of details confirmed Anthony's choice to The Associated Press on Friday night. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.The Thunder traded for Anthony and Paul George to join Russell Westbrook before last season, moves that gave them high hopes of challenging Golden State in the West. It didn't work out as planned.The 34-year-old Anthony had been the headliner his entire career — he's 19th in NBA history with 25,417 points — but he was more of a catch-and-shoot scorer last season instead of the isolation specialist he had always been. He averaged 16.2 points per game, but struggled at times in his new role. His playing time dwindled in the playoffs and he... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony plans to opt in and take the $28 million he is due next season.The New York Times first reported the 34-year-old Anthony's decision to bypass the chance to become a free agent. A person with knowledge of details confirmed Anthony's choice to The Associated Press on Friday night. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.The Thunder traded for Anthony and Paul George to join Russell Westbrook before last season, moves that gave them high hopes of challenging Golden State in the West. It didn't work out as planned.The 34-year-old Anthony had been the headliner his entire career — he's 19th in NBA history with 25,417 points — but he was more of a catch-and-shoot scorer last season instead of the isolation specialist he had always been. He averaged 16.2 points per game, but struggled at times in his new role. His playing time dwindled in the playoffs and he... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Wednesday that coach Billy Donovan's job is safe, despite a disappointing season.Oklahoma City had high expectations this season after trading for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to join reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. Even with the added star power, the Thunder won just one more regular-season game than last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs again.Presti noted that Donovan has been forced to deal with constant change. The Thunder went to the Western Conference Finals in Donovan's first season with a fully stacked roster. A few months later, superstar Kevin Durant left for Golden State in free agency, and the Thunder scrambled to make the playoffs in 2016-17. This season, shooting guard Andre Roberson suffered a season-ending ruptured left patellar tendon in January."If you think about the last three years for our organization, and the last three years for him, it's been a little bit of a whipsaw in respect to just... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder general manager Sam Presti said coach Billy Donovan's job is safe, despite a disappointing season.Oklahoma City had high expectations this season after trading for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to join reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. Even with the added star power, the Thunder won just one more regular-season game than last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Utah. Presti says he was disappointed. George also could leave in free agency.Presti noted that Donovan has been forced to deal with constant change. The Thunder went to the Western Conference Finals in Donovan's first season with a fully stacked roster. A few months later, Kevin Durant left for Golden State in free agency, and the Thunder scrambled to make the playoffs. This season, shooting guard Andre Roberson suffered a season-ending injury in January.Donovan has a 150-96 career regular-season record (.610) with the Thunder.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball