MIAMI — The Miami Heat cleared a roster spot Tuesday by parting ways with Carlos Arroyo, and although the team made no formal pronouncements because of NBA rules, several players — LeBron James and Dwyane Wade among them — said they will have guard Mike Bibby aboard soon.
Bibby is expected to be in South Florida today, will likely participate in Thursday morning’s shootaround practice and should be in uniform when the Heat plays the Orlando Magic that night.
Before reaching a buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards on Monday, Bibby averaged 9.4 points and 3.6 assists as a starter with the Atlanta Hawks this season, his 13th in the league.
• Free-agent forward Troy Murphy, who averaged 3.6 points and 4.2 rebounds with the New Jersey Nets, joined the Boston Celtics.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder signed newly acquired center Kendrick Perkins to a $36 million extension through the 2014-15 season.
• The New York Knicks waived forward Corey Brewer and claimed forward Derrick Brown off waivers from the Charlotte Bobcats.
• Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will miss at least a week with a muscle strain in his rib cage area.
• Dallas center Tyson Chandler left late in the first half of the Mavericks’ victory over Philadelphia with a sprained right ankle.
• The decision on a home for the Sacramento Kings will be delayed at least a month after the NBA granted the team an extension to file an application for relocation next season, setting up a fight between California cities for the franchise.
Sharks, Niemi agree to deal
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks rewarded goaltender Antti Niemi for helping lead the team’s recent rise in the standings by giving him a $15.2 million, four-year contract extension. Niemi, 27, has gone 14-2-1 with a 1.91 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in 18 games entering San Jose’s contest against the Avalanche.
Footnotes.
BYU suspended sophomore forward Brandon Davies for the rest of the men’s basketball season for violating the school’s honor code. Davies started 26 of the Cougars’ 29 games this season, averaging 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 24.9 minutes.
• North Carolina 6-foot-7 freshman reserve guard Reggie Bullock, who’s averaging six points a game, will be sidelined for the rest of the season after tearing lateral meniscus in his left knee during Sunday’s victory over Maryland.
• Wally Kaname Yonamine, the first American to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II and a former running back with the San Francisco 49ers, died Monday night in Honolulu after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 85.
• Matti Heikkinen won the first gold medal for Finland at the nordic skiing world championships, holding off Norwegians Eldar Roenning and Martin Johnsrud Sundby in the 15-kilometer classical-style race in Oslo, Norway.
• Vermont freeskier Ryan Hawks died two days after doing a back flip off a cliff and missing his landing during the North American Freeskiing Championships in Kirkwood, Calif. He was 25. The Associated Press
