NBA-National Basketball Association roundup

Nov 9 (The Sports Xchange) - Greg Ballard, the No 4 overall pick in the 1977 draft, died Wednesday after an extended bout with prostate cancer. He was 61 years old. Ballard was a small forward out of Oregon, who was drafted by Washington and played eight seasons with the Bullets, with whom he won a title in 1978. He played two seasons with Golden State and after taking the 1987-88 season off, came back to play two games with the Seattle SuperSonics. During his career, he compiled 12.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists a game before serving as an assistant for nine years with the Atlanta Hawks. -- The Brooklyn Nets requested waivers on injured guard Greivis Vasquez and signed undrafted rookie guard Yogi Ferrell from their NBA Development League. An ankle injury kept Vasquez, 29, from contributing much after the Nets signed him to a one-year deal on July 13. He appeared in three games this season with the Nets, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in 12.9 minutes per contest. Ferrell, 23, originally signed with Brooklyn on Aug. 5 and appeared in three preseason games with the Nets, averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 assists in 9.6 minutes per contest. -- Washington Wizards guard John Wall was fined $25,000 by the NBA for inappropriate interaction with an official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection. Wall bumped official Marc Davis with 33.3 seconds remaining in Monday's 114-106 loss to the Houston Rockets. The 26-year-old Wall, a former top overall pick, was whistled for his second technical foul, resulting in an automatic ejection. (Editing by Larry Fine) ))