NBA Says Howard’s Deal With the Heat Exceeds Salary Cap

The NBA on Wednesday rejected the $98-million, seven-year deal Juwan Howard signed with the Miami Heat, contending the contract exceeds the team’s salary cap.

The league said the Heat “incorrectly calculated their available salary cap room” by excluding performance bonuses for Tim Hardaway and P.J. Brown.

Jeffrey Mishkin, the NBA’s chief legal officer, said the Heat also reached an agreement with Alonzo Mourning before signing Howard, further reducing the amount available. Mourning’s contract is for $112 million over seven years.

Now that the league has rejected Howard’s contract, the matter is to be settled by arbitrators selected by the league and the players’ union.

The Heat said in a statement they had kept in constant contact with the league’s legal staff regarding the new cap rules and consistently sought its advice.

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The Orlando Magic signed guard Gerald Wilkins, who was been hampered by injuries the last two seasons, to a one-year contract worth $250,000.

Jurisprudence

Joe Smith, the Golden State Warriors’ top draft pick last season, was arraigned on a charge that he hit and cut an male dancer with a bottle in Chesapeake, Va.

Smith did not enter a plea and did not comment. General District Court Judge Robert Carter scheduled a Sept. 16 preliminary hearing. Smith could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted on the felony charge of malicious wounding.

Ronnie Fields, a former Chicago prep standout touted as an NBA prospect, has been charged with misdemeanor criminal sexual abuse along with two of his acquaintances. Fields signed to play at DePaul University last winter, but was denied admission because of poor grades and test scores.

Auto Racing

Dale Earnhardt, who broke his left collarbone and sternum in a crash Sunday at Talladega, Ala., plans to race in the Indianapolis Brickyard 400 on Saturday despite the injuries.

Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, is in third place in the points race, trailing leader Jeff Gordon by 23 points and second-place Terry Labonte by 14. Earnhardt said he will practice today and hopes to qualify for Saturday’s race.

“I won’t know [about qualifying] until I get in the car and see how I feel,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t want to take a chance and do something to injure myself or endanger somebody else’s life. There’s a lot of guys out there with me that I’ve got to think about. So I’m going to take it easy.”

Hockey

The Ducks agreed to terms with left wing Mike Leclerc, their third-round pick in the 1995 draft. Leclerc had 58 goals and 53 assists for Brandon of the Western Hockey League this past season.

Miscellany

An NCAA committee barred Maine from postseason hockey competition for a second year in a row and placed the university on probation for four years. The penalties were imposed for rules violations that went on for a decade and involved more than half the school’s programs.

Al Rollins, the NHL’s top goalie in 1951 and the league’s MVP in 1954, died at 69 in Calgary. . . . Denver running back Terrell Davis agreed to a five-year contract with the Broncos. Financial terms were not disclosed. . . . Laddie Gale, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame who helped lead Oregon to its first NCAA championship in 1939, died at 79. . . . Arizona State pitching coach Bob Welch, who spent 17 years in the majors, resigned to seek a coaching job at the professional level.