Dickau has job, thanks to Johnson
Dan Dickau has a job in the NBA and he has Avery Johnson to thank for it.
Johnson announced his retirement Thursday, officially ending his 16-year playing career and becoming a full-time assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Johnson’s retirement opens a spot on the 15-man roster for Dickau, the former Gonzaga University guard. Cuban said Dickau, who averaged 12 points for Dallas in the first seven preseason games, would have been cut if Johnson had stayed as a player.
Johnson, 39, played for Dallas in 2002-03, then re-signed with the Mavericks on Sept. 30 as a player-coach with no expectation of playing significant minutes.
He decided during the last few days to become a full-time coach.
Johnson played for six different teams and was a key member of San Antonio’s 1998-99 NBA title club.
Mourning sees first game action since transplant
Alonzo Mourning played for the New Jersey Nets for the first time since a kidney transplant in December.
Mourning, 34, peeled off his sweat pants midway through the first quarter and walked into the preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers with 6 minutes, 15 seconds to play. About half the fans in the sparsely filled Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., gave him a standing ovation. He scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Mourning received a kidney transplant from a cousin on Dec. 19. He did not engage in contact practices until last week.
Stern says owners want relief from bad contracts
Defining one of the goals of owners in ongoing collective bargaining talks, NBA commissioner David Stern said teams would like some type of relief from long-term contract obligations to unproductive players.
The NBA’s seven-year labor agreement expires after the upcoming season, and the league and players’ union have been holding preliminary talks on a new deal — the first since the sides went through a costly lockout that wiped out a large portion of the 1998-99 season.
Stern told reporters in a conference call that the owners would propose cutting the maximum length of contracts from seven years to four.
Around the league
The Seattle SuperSonics waived guards Mateen Cleaves and David Young, trimming the roster to 14 players. … Jason Kidd was cleared for individual non-contact drills to get his surgically repaired left knee ready for New Jersey’s season. … The Los Angeles Clippers will play their home games at Staples Center for at least 10 more seasons after agreeing to terms of a new lease. … The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up Drew Gooden’s contract option for 2005-06, hoping the forward will take the spot vacated by departed free agent Carlos Boozer. … The Indiana Pacers exercised their option for reserve guard Fred Jones, extending his contract through the 2005-06 season. … Houston Rockets center Yao Ming was held out of the team’s final preseason game with the Denver Nuggets because of a hyper-extended elbow he suffered in a game Wednesday night.