Marcus Camby agreed Tuesday to do 16 hours of community service to avoid prosecution on a marijuana possession charge.

The former UMass All-American was an NBA rookie last season with the Toronto Raptors.

Camby was arrested last month after being stopped by police near his home outside Hartford, Conn. A search of his rented car turned up a marijuana cigarette and the burned stubs of two marijuana cigarettes in the ashtray.

During a brief appearance in Superior Court in Manchester, Conn., Camby stepped forward and admitted to Judge Edward Leavitt that he had made a mistake, but said he had never previously been arrested on a drug charge.

He was not required to enter a plea.

The judge told the 6-foot-11 Camby that the charges against him will be dropped if he completes the community service by Aug. 19.

Patrick Ewing did not sign on the dotted line. But contract negotiations between the New York Knicks and Ewing, their franchise center, are proceeding well enough that a deal may be in place before the weekend, a league official said.

Ewing, who is seeking a multiyear deal worth around $60 million, wants long-term security in the form of a four- or five-year pact. The Knicks do not want to pay Ewing for more than four seasons.

The Charlotte Hornets wasted no time dipping into the NBA free-agent market, signing point guard David Wesley to shore up their brittle backcourt.

The swift move to sign the 6-foot Wesley, who averaged a career-high 16.8 points and 7.3 assists last season for the Boston Celtics, was being seen by some as a farewell to popular point guard Muggsy Bogues.