Cavaliers Acquire Cleaves From Kings for Jones

Needing another point guard after trading Andre Miller earlier this summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Mateen Cleaves on Tuesday from the Sacramento Kings for forward Jumaine Jones.

After dealing Miller to the Clippers in July for forward Darius Miles, the Cavaliers were left with Bimbo Coles as the only true point guard on their roster.

“I think it’s a perfect spot for me because Cleveland has an energetic, young, up-and-coming team with Miles, Ricky Davis and DaJuan Wagner and I’m hungry to show people what I can do,” Cleaves said. “I haven’t felt this good since college.”

Cleaves averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 assists in 78 games as a rookie with Detroit but was traded to Sacramento before last season for guard Jon Barry and a future first-round draft pick.

Cleaves got little playing time with the Kings, sitting behind Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson. He averaged 2.2 points in 32 games.

*

The Washington Wizards signed guard Bryon Russell to a two-year deal, ending his nine-year stay with the Utah Jazz.

Russell, 31, will start at small forward, allowing Michael Jordan to come off the bench as a shooting guard. Russell averaged 9.6 points last season.

*

Jordan was fitted with a shoe insert this week to deal with discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee as he contemplates whether to return for another NBA season.

Wizard Coach Doug Collins said Jordan hoped the insert would get his foot in better alignment and take away some of the pain on the outside of the joint in his right knee.

College Basketball

The NCAA is investigating allegations that the Auburn men’s program improperly recruited a player who signed with another school last spring, Athletic Director David Housel said.

*

The USC men’s team has switched the time and location of its Nov. 15 exhibition against the L.A. All-Stars 1 to 5 p.m. at the Sports Arena.

The men’s regular-season game at UCLA has been moved up a day from Jan. 9 to Jan. 8 at Pauley Pavilion.

Tennis

Top-seeded Marat Safin defeated French qualifier Gregory Carraz, 6-2, 6-4, and second-seeded Tommy Haas defeated Switzerland’s Marc Rosset, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, in the first round of the ATP President’s Cup at Tashkent, Uzbekistan....Top-seeded Andrei Pavel beat Alberto Martin, 6-1, 6-3, in the first round of the Romania Open at Bucharest.

Hockey

Gary Suter, a four-time NHL All-Star defenseman and two-time U.S. Olympic player, retired after spending the last four seasons of a 17-season career with San Jose.

Last season, Suter led Shark defensemen in scoring for the second straight season, recording six goals and 27 assists.

Suter finished his NHL career with 203 goals and 641 assists. He is one of only four American-born players and 15 defensemen to score 200 goals.

*

Tampa Bay’s Brian Holzinger is expected to be sidelined three to four months after breaking his left leg in an informal workout.

Auto Racing

Ricky Rudd was fined $5,000 and a Robert Yates Racing employee, Larry Lackey, was fined $10,000 and each was put on probation by NASCAR for the rest of the season for fighting in the garage after Saturday’s race at Richmond International Speedway.

*

CART driver Max Papis will replace the injured Gil de Ferran for Marlboro Team Penske in the IRL’s season finale. That will cost De Ferran a chance to win the title Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Passings

Dick Garcia, the All-City football player of the year in 1953 as a tailback at Wilmington Banning High, died Sunday in his home at Lake Forest. Garcia, who was 65, had been battling pancreatic cancer for several years.