WIZARDS’ MEEKS GETS 25-GAME BAN FOR DOPING
>> NEW YORK: Washington Wizards guard Jodie Meeks was suspended 25 games without pay by the NBA on Friday after testing positive for growth hormones.
The league announced Meeks had tested positive for banned substances ipamorelin and growth hormone releasing peptide-2.
The suspension will begin with opening game of the Wizards’ NBA play-off series against Eastern Conference top seeds, the Toronto Raptors. The ban will keep Meeks out of this year’s play-offs and carry into next season.
Washington went 43-39 this season, grabbing t he l ast play-off spot in the Eastern conference.
In the 77 games this season for the Wizards, Meeks averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. His NBA career average is 9.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game over the nine seasons he’s played with Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit, Orlando and the Wizards respectively.
HORNETS DUMP CLIFFORD Steve Clifford was fired as coach of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets on Friday, three days after the end of their third losing season in four campaigns.
The Hornets also missed the playoffs for the third time in four years, finishing at 36-46 for the second consecutive season.
“I want to thank coach Clifford for his contributions to the Hornets,” Hornets general manager and president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said.
“I know he has worked incredibly hard on behalf of the organisation and we wish him the best moving forward.”
“The search for a new coach will begin immediately.”
Clifford took over the club in May of 2013 and in his first season guided Charlotte to a 43-39 record and into the play-offs, although a Miami sweep ended their post-season run.
Clifford also oversaw a run to the 2016 play-offs, where the Hornets pushed Miami to seven games but still lost in the opening round.
Overall, Clifford’s record with the Hornets ends at 196-214. This was his first NBA coaching job after serving as a member of staff on New York, Houston, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers.