October 2011 – Page 14 – NBA Blog

Isaiah `JR` Rider arrested for violating his probation

Former NBA 1st round draft pick Isaiah “J.R.” Rider was arrested in Arizona this week for violating his probation … TMZ has learned.

Rider — who played in the NBA from 1993 to 2001 — is currently behind bars in Maricopa County on a no-bail hold. It’s unclear why police believe Rider violated his probation.

Rider’s probation stems from a 2010 incident — where he fled from police after they tried to pull him over for driving erratically. He pled guilty to unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle.

— Reported by TMZ.

Arvydas Sabonis released from hospital

One week after suffering a heart attack, Sabonis was released from a Lithuania hospital, according to several international news reports.

The towering 7-foot-3 Sabonis apparently left in good spirits after his health scare.

“The doctors told me, ‘You can’t smoke, you can’t drink, you can’t play basketball.’ So of the things I like, only sex is left,” Sabonis told reporters Tuesday outside the hospital where he was treated in Kaunas, his hometown.

— Reported by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian

Darius Miles faces felony gun charge

Former NBA player Darius Miles is facing a felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon for trying to carry a loaded gun onto an airplane.

Miles was arrested Aug. 3 at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after a handgun was found inside his carry-on bag.

The felony charge was filed Sept. 30 and court records show Miles, 29, posted 10% of his $15,000 bond on Monday. A court date was set for Nov. 17 in St. Louis.

— Reported by the Sports Network

Andrew Bogut will play for Sydney Kings if insurance is worked out

Andrew Bogut has committed to joining the Sydney Kings on the provision he is able to secure an insurance policy for his whopping $39 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bogut had been linked to short-term deals with several NBL clubs while the NBA lockout over a pay dispute continues, but today the Australian Boomers star confirmed that Sydney was his club of choice.

He will not be available for the season opener between the Kings and old rivals Melbourne tomorrow night because the insurance situation is yet to be resolved.

— Reported by the The West Australian

Deron Williams not playing well overseas yet

As N.B.A. players and owners struggled to prevent a labor dispute from disrupting the regular season, one star player did something novel: he played in a basketball game that mattered.

Deron Williams, the Nets’ point guard, was here Tuesday night with his teammates on Besiktas Milangaz, a professional team from Istanbul playing a game in the Eurocup, a second-tier intercontinental competition.

Perhaps Williams wished he had been back at the negotiating table. In a 74-63 loss to host Dexia Mons-Hainaut, he finished with 7 points, 7 assists and 6 turnovers. He shot 3 of 13 from the floor. The loss eliminated Besiktas from the tournament.

“Didn’t give my team much of a chance,” he said…

Asked if he was still adjusting to the European game, Williams said: “I mean, I’ve played in a lot of European basketball. I’ve played in the Olympics. But this is definitely different. The way the reffing has been going has been different for me, but I’ve got to adjust.”

— Reported by Jake Appleman, contributing to the New York Times

7 powerful NBA agents no longer seeking decertification of players union

The seven agents who sent NBA players a “warning letter” on Monday held a conference call Wednesday afternoon to discuss their next move in the league’s lockout, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Those agents — Arn Tellum, Bill Duffy, Dan Fegan, Jeff Schwartz, Leon Rose, Henry Thomas and Mark Bartelstein — had been strong behind-the-scenes advocates of decertification for the Players Association but, according to the source, now believe that the time to do so has passed.

The letter, which was first reported by ESPN’s Ric Bucher, has been widely viewed by players and others around the league as anti-union.

None of the agents involved returned calls seeking comment, but a source said the tone of Wednesday’s call was far less militant and anti-union than previous discussions. According to sources, the agents are focused on how they can best help union chief Billy Hunter get a fair deal for the players.

Meanwhile, there are no talks planned for Thursday, and several of the principals are expected to observe the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur Friday and Saturday. That means Sunday could be the only day left to save the Nov. 1 start of the regular season, after commissioner David Stern said Tuesday he will cancel the first two weeks of the regular season in there is no agreement on a new deal by Monday.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Team in Italy now willing to sign Kobe Bryant for just one game

Claudio Sabatini, owner of Virtus Bologna, confirmed at Radiofuturoshow Station that he had another conference call with Kobe’s agent and that it is real the hypotesis ‘one game’ for Bryant. ‘Last night we had another conference call with Bryant’s agent. Now we just have to wait the contract. We accepted his financial request and we submitted him two different proposals, for one game or for 40 days. Now the decision is up to him. We thought about the one game option to speed up the negotiations. He could land on Sunday, play the game against Benetton Treviso next Wednesday and maybe stay longer with us.

— Reported by Sportando

South Florida All-Star classic game with LeBron, Wade, Bosh to be on local TV

The “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh present the South Florida All-Star Classic” sponsored by 1-800-411-PAIN on Saturday, Oct. 8, at U.S. Century Bank Arena on FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique campus will be carried by CBS4 (WFOR-TV) and MyTV33 (WBFS-TV).

The game will be simulcast on CBS4 and MyTV33 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. Once CBS4 switches to network primetime programming at 8:00 p.m., MyTV33 will continue to carry the game in its entirety. The game will also be streamed worldwide on the web via CBSMiami.com from start to finish.

“I am pleased to have CBS 4 as a broadcast partner for the South Florida All-Star Classic,” FIU Head Basketball Coach Isiah Thomas said. “This is a great event and this partnership will give our fans, who were unable to buy a ticket to the sold out event, an opportunity to watch some of the world’s best basketball players in action.”

Originally slated for 7:00 p.m., the contest has been pushed back to a 7:30 p.m. tip, with doors for the event opening at 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will go towards Mary’s Court Foundation; a foundation established in honor of Coach Thomas’ mother, the late Mary Thomas. A portion of these contributions will support FIU’s First Generation Scholarship Fund. This Fund provides critical financial aid to students who will be the first generation in their families to earn a college degree.

Marijuana possession charges against Marcus Camby dropped

The marijuana possession charges against Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby have been dropped by the Brazoria County (Texas) district attorney’s office and his criminal record has been cleared.

Camby and Kendal Johnson were arrested last month after police discovered a small amount of marijuana in Camby’s car during a traffic stop in Pearland, Texas. But after weighing evidence — and accepting a guilty plea from Johnson — Camby has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

“For the record, Marcus Camby did not get charged with a crime and Marcus Camby did not possess any marijuana,” Randall Novak, Camby’s Houston-based attorney, said.

— Reported by Joe Freeman of The Oregonian

Bill Russell files lawsuit against NCAA and EA

William “Bill” Russell, the former National Basketball Association star center for the Boston Celtics, accused the National Collegiate Athletic Association in an antitrust complaint of selling videos using his likeness without paying him or seeking his consent.

The lawsuit is the latest to claim the NCAA violates federal antitrust laws by keeping former student basketball and football athletes from receiving compensation for the commercial use of their images and likeness. The association has denied wrongdoing in those cases.

Electronic Arts Inc., the second-largest U.S. video game maker, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Russell accuses it of using his image in a “Tournament of Legends” feature on an NCAA basketball video game.

Russell, who led the University of San Francisco to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, said in the complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Oakland, California, that the association sells $150 videos of the team’s championship games. At least 54 video clips featuring him are available through the website of the NCAA’s for-profit business partner and photos of him through an NCAA on-line photo store, according to the complaint.

— Reported by Karen Gullo of Bloomberg