Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL

Crittenton invited to camp

The Charlotte Bobcats will bring Javaris Crittenton to training camp with a non-guaranteed contract, giving the ex-Washington Wizards guard a chance to return to the NBA following his infamous gun altercation with Gilbert Arenas. Agent Mark Bartelstein said Wednesday Crittenton has accepted a training-camp invite and is healthy following left ankle surgery. Crittenton didn’t play last season because of the injury and then a 38-game suspension after he and Arenas acknowledged bringing guns into the locker room following a dispute stemming from a card game. Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge Jan. 25.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Jawad Williams to a one-year contract. Williams’ contract is worth roughly $1 million, but is not fully guaranteed. He was a restricted free agent and the Cavs extended him a qualifying offer on June 30. Williams spoke with several other teams but decided to stay with his hometown Cavs. The 6-9 forward had a breakout season for the Cavs in 2009-10. He averaged 4.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 13.7 minutes in 54 games, including six starts.

Guard Cade Davis will be held out of contact drills during practice but should not miss any games for Oklahoma after he suffered a facial fracture. Sooners Coach Jeff Capel said Wednesday that Davis would not need surgery and has been cleared for conditioning and shooting drills. He was injured during a team workout last Friday. Capel says it will take four to six weeks for Davis to make a full recovery, and he may wear a protective mask after he is cleared to play. Davis is a team captain and averaged 9.9 points last season, the most of any player returning to the Sooners.

Funeral arrangements have been made for a former University of Oklahoma women’s basketball standout who was fatally shot last week. University officials said services for Rosalind Ross are set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Great Christian Faith Fellowship in Milwaukee, Ross’ hometown.Police say the 30-year-old was shot Sept. 15 while she was in a vehicle in a fast-food restaurant parking lot in Milwaukee. Ross played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before joining Oklahoma, where she was a member of the team that played in the 2002 national championship game.

HOCKEY

Capitals sign Neuvirth

The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Michal Neuvirth to a two-year contract extension worth $2.3 million. The Capitals said Wednesday the contract takes effect in 2011-12. Neuvirth is competing with Semyon Varlamov for the starting job at Capitals training camp. Neuvirth was 9-4-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in 17 games with the Capitals last season.

TENNIS

Del Potro marks return

Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina says he will return to tennis next week in the Thailand Open, ending eight months on the sideline after wrist surgery. The 2009 U.S. Open champion expects to travel to Bangkok this week. Del Potro had surgery in May but has not played since a loss Jan. 24 in the Australian Open. He underwent surgery after other methods of treatment failed to improve hisright wrist.

HORSE RACING

Hollywood cutting purses

Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., will restore four stakes races to the schedule when its autumn meeting opens Nov. 4. The track said Wednesday that the 31-day meet will include 18 stakes races - 12 graded - with purses of $3.2 million. Three of the Grade 1 races - the Matriarch, Citation Handicap and Hollywood Derby - have each had their purses reduced by $50,000 to $250,000 to accommodate the return of the four races that were cut last year. The highlight of those four is the $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup, a 1 1 /2-mile Grade 1 race on Nov. 13.

MOTOR SPORTS

Bowyer’s car fails inspection

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clint Bowyer’s NASCAR championship chances were crippled Wednesday when his car failed a follow-up inspection and he was penalized 150 points after winning last weekend’s first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

NASCAR also fined crew chief Shane Wilson $150,000, and suspended him for the next six Sprint Cup races. Car chief Chad Haney was also suspended sixraces, and team owner Richard Childress was docked 150 owner points. The team plans to appeal the penalty.

Bowyer was permitted to keep Sunday’s victory at New Hampshire - NASCAR does not typically strip victories, and an official said the Richard Childress Racing team probably was punished enough.

“We don’t consider taking away the win,” NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said. “If you ask some, they would consider a 150-point penalty with only nine races to go in the Chase a pretty hefty penalty.”

With Sunday’s victory in the opening race of the Chase, Bowyer vaulted from 12th to second in the standings. The penalty drops him back to last place, 185 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

NASCAR said the No. 33 Chevrolet from Sunday’s race had been altered and did not meet its strict specifications. Neither Pemberton nor Sprint Cup director John Darby would specifically address the infraction, citing RCR’s right to appeal the penalty.

Darby, however, said the issue revolved around how the team had set up the body of the car.

Childress said in a statement that the penalty was handed down because the car was out of tolerance “less than 1/16 of an inch.”

“We feel certain that the cause of the car being out of tolerance by sixty thousandths of an inch, less than 1/16 of an inch, happened as a result of the wreckerhitting the rear bumper when it pushed the car into winner’s circle,” Childress said.

“The rear bumper was also hit on the cool down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That’s the only logical way that the left-rear of the car was found to be high at the tech center. We will appeal NASCAR’s ruling and take it all the way to the NASCAR commissioner for a final ruling, if need be.”