“We are disappointed that it did not work out for Beno and Metta here in New York,” said Knicks general manager Steve Mills. “We thank them for their contributions this season and wish them well.”
World Peace and Udrih expressed displeasure with their standing in New York prior to being bought out of their contracts. In separate instances, each player asked out of New York, as World Peace wanted to negotiate a buyout and Udrih sought a trade.
Udrih joined the Knicks this season, after stays with the Magic, Bucks, Kings and Spurs. He played in 31 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 assists.
As is expected, World Peace was more of an open book during his stay with the Knicks. World Peace went public with the news that he was negotiating a buyout on his personal Twitter account before it became official, and his brother Daniel Artest criticized the team through a series of tweets.
World Peace's stay with the Knicks was short. The Lakers used their amnesty clause to waive World Peace this past offseason, and he landed with his hometown Knicks. In the end, World Peace only played in 29 games, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes.
World Peace tweeted this 'Thank You' highlight reel after his buyout became official.
NENE INJURY
Wizards forward Nene has a sprained MCL in his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
Nene was injured in the third quarter of Sunday night's win at Cleveland. The Wizards said Monday that an MRI revealed the extent of the injury.
The loss of Nene is a severe blow to Washington's hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since 2008. He has been the barometer of success when healthy since the Wizards acquired him in 2012. They are 60-61 when he plays, 8-34 when he doesn't.
A six-week absence would keep him sidelined until the final week or so of the regular season.
Nene is averaging 14.2 points and 5.8 rebounds.
The Wizards are 28-28, in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
'BIG BABY' SIGNS
Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who cleared waivers after negotiating a buyout with the Orlando Magic, has officially signed a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, the team announced.
Davis will wear No. 12 in his first game for the Clippers, but is expected switch over to No. 0, which is the number he wore at LSU.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Davis said. “It really hasn’t dawned on me. Everything’s happened so fast. Today was my first day of just really eating breakfast with the guys. It’s my first experience of bringing back old memories, especially with Doc (Rivers) and Armond Hill and (Tyronn Lue) and Kevin Eastman. They’re a great group of guys and I won a championship with them, so we have a bond.”
Davis was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2007, spending four years there before joining the Orlando Magic. He won a title with the 2008 Celtics as a rookie, and this move to the Clippers will place him on another team with title aspirations. He leaves a Magic team in the middle of a rebuild.
“I’ve always made the Playoffs in my career and not playing for something was crazy,” Davis said. “Being on this team is some fresh energy, knowing that you can help a team win a championship is important. It feels good.”
CUBAN A FAN OF SILVER
The NBA suddenly has a surprising fan of its handling of the officiating: Mark Cuban.
The Dallas Mavericks owner, who had a long-running and costly feud with former commissioner David Stern for years, praised Adam Silver for his new policies since taking over on Feb. 1.
Cuban says Monday that the league is sending teams more examples of plays that were called incorrectly and other data to help them understand how the games will be officiated. He says "those are things that never would have happened" under Stern.
Cuban was fined more than $1.5 million by Stern, often for his public criticisms of referees. He says that since Silver took over, "There's been more changes in 15 days or whatever it is than I saw in 14 years."
CELTICS' INJURIES
Rajon Rondo was back in the Boston Celtics lineup on Monday, but Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley were out against the Utah Jazz.
Rondo has yet to have a dominant game since returning Jan. 17 after tearing a right knee ligament nearly a year earlier. The starting point guard rested against Sacramento on Saturday.
Sullinger sustained a concussion against the Los Angeles Lakers and then missed Saturday's game. He sat again as a precaution, and Kris Humphries started at center.
Bradley hurt his right ankle on Jan. 21 at Miami and reinjured it earlier this month. He hopes to play during Boston's five-game homestand that begins Wednesday. Gerald Wallace has been starting in his place.
Contributors: DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press
