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LeBron, Wade, Bosh to host South Florida All-Star Classic game

SI.com and the AP report:

Miami Heat stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are planning to host about 20 NBA players for a charity game in early October.

An official announcement is expected Wednesday, but Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Tuesday that the All-Star exhibition is set for Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ET on the campus of Florida International University, where Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is a coach.

It will be the first time James, Wade and Bosh take the court together since last season’s NBA Finals, but it will be just the latest in a series of exhibitions with NBA players this offseason while the league is in a lockout. James has appeared in several of those contests, including one on Sunday in Philadelphia, and New Orleans point guard Chris Paul is set to host one in his hometown of Winston Salem, NC on Oct. 1.

Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine reports:

A number of NBA players are slated to join the Miami trio on the court, including fellow Heat teammate Mario Chalmers, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, the New Orleans Hornets’ Chris Paul, the Washington Wizards’ John Wall, the Atlanta Hawks’ Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson, the Houston Rockets’ Jonny Flynn, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe, the Dallas Mavericks’ Caron Butler, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, the Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Lou Williams, the Golden State Warriors’ Dorell Wright, and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Wesley Matthews and free agent Eddy Curry.

Cleveland Cavaliers first-round picks Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson also are possible participants in the game.

Irving and Thompson are waiting to see if a spot opens up, a source told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. Other rookies, the source said, were interested but there’s no room in the game for other first-year players. There’s no interest in 15-player rosters because players want to be able to play in the game and not sit on the bench.

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NBA postpones training camps, cancels October 9-15 preseason games

The NBA announced today that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. Training camps were scheduled to open on October 3.

In addition, the league canceled all preseason games scheduled from October 9 through October 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

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LeBron James plays touch football game in NYC park

Sam Gardner of Fox Sports Florida reports:

When Brian Eduardo took the field for his weekly flag football game Monday night at Chelsea Park in New York City, he expected it to be just like every other Monday night, and it was.

That is, until LeBron James showed up.

Eduardo was one of about 40 people playing in a New York City Social Sports Club league that had just wrapped up their games for the night when the 6-foot-8 Miami Heat forward happened to walk by and asked if he could play.

“Our games were done,” Eduardo said. “We were putting our flags away and he stepped up to everybody and said, ‘Hey, are you guys done?’ and we looked up and we were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s LeBron James. No, no, no, we’re not done, we’re not done.’ ”

Minutes later, two of the four teams in attendance — the Untouchables and WRTL — were on the field for a two-hand touch game with LeBron.

James played on Untouchables side of the ball and Eduardo played for the WRTL team as the other two squads watched from the sidelines. LeBron played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back, and — as you might expect — he did just fine.

Udonis Haslem expects NBA season to be saved

The AP reports:

Udonis Haslem hopes to be ready — and able — to play soon.

The Miami Heat forward says he believes the NBA’s players and owners will come to terms on a new labor deal in time to save the season. Haslem says players have been told “both sides want to get a deal done.”

Labor talks are scheduled to resume Tuesday.

Lionsgate sued over music used in LeBron James documentary

HollywoodReporter reports:

Lionsgate has been hit with a quirky copyright infringement lawsuit over a piece of music used in documentary More Than A Game, which chronicles basketball superstar LeBron James’ rise during his high school days in Ohio.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Georgia federal court comes from Mason Hall, a songwriter who says he authored a copyrighted composition entitled, “We Ready.”

Hall is suing Lionsgate as well as what may or may not be a LeBron James label at Interscope Records (“Interscope Lebron LLC”) for using his composition in the film without license.

Before this lawsuit even touches upon the question of fair use, the plaintiff’s first task may be convincing a judge that the song in question is really his.

Miami Heat players will probably work out together soon

With the awful NBA lockout continuing to destroy humanity, players are likely to start gathering together with friends or teammates to train and keep each other on top of their games. It makes sense for players, sitting around bored, to round teammates up and make up for what they may miss if NBA preseason gets partially or fully wiped out.

Here’s the Associated Press reporting on Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat:

Chris Bosh enjoyed just about every second of his jampacked offseason.

Nonetheless, he’s ready to go back to work.

Bosh said Saturday that he expects the Miami Heat to reconvene sometime soon, even though the NBA lockout has entered its third month with no apparent ending in sight. This would ordinarily be the time of year where most players start ramping up workouts anyway, and Bosh said he will be ready whether training camps begin on time or not.

“We’re going to make some plans. We’re going to plan to do something,” Bosh said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. “I think just getting around each other, I think it’s important as far as team-building is concerned and just getting something going. We’re pretty much still in the process of doing that.”

I would think that by late September, captains/leaders of most NBA teams should step up and make this happen.

LeBron James jumps into swimming pool in Barcelona

LeBron James is in Spain on a promotional trip and was in Barcelona, jumping from high in the air into a swimming pool.

It took him a while to make the leap, but LeBron finally took the plunge.

I laughed hearing some kid yell “booooooo!” at the 1:09 mark.

Really, he’s high up in the air. I’d be extremely hesitant to do it as well. You also have to make sure the pool is as deep as you need it to be so your legs don’t crash into the bottom. I completely understand him hesitating before doing the jump.

Scottie Pippen wins $2.37M judgment over airplane deal

Former NBA basketball star Scottie Pippen has won a $2.37 million judgment against a Miami businessman, Craig Frost, and a Miami company, CF Air.

Pippen, who has a home in Fort Lauderdale, and his wife, Larsa Pippen, filed suit against Frost in 2007 regarding Pippen’s disastrous ownership of his own airplane through a company called Air Pip.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Air Pip had fallen apart in 2004, and Pippen lost a related $5 million judgment in Missouri to U.S. BankbizWatch . Pippen lost a further appeal of that judgment in 2007.

Pippen tried to argue that he was a victim of a conspiracy by those he trusted to put together the airplane deal.

— Paul Brinkmann of the South Florida Business-Journal

Eddy Curry is losing weight, allegedly

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports:

Center Eddy Curry is increasing his chances of generating serious interest from the Heat. Respected Chicago-based trainer Tim Grover said last week that since Curry’s workout with Miami in late June, he has lost another 28 pounds and is now at 300. Curry weighed 350 when he auditioned for Miami in March. Curry intrigues Pat Riley, who might offer him a minimum deal postlockout if he loses another 12 pounds or so. His skills “are there, no question,” Grover said.

Houston lands 2013 NBA All-Star Game

Mark Berman of My Fox Houston reports:

NBA sources told FOX 26 Sports the Houston Rockets and the City of Houston landed the NBA All-Star Game in 2013. The game will be played at Toyota Center on Feb. 17, 2013. NBA All-Star week will be Feb. 15-17. The Rockets and Toyota Center also hosted the game in 2006.

Click2Houston reports:

The entire NBA All-Star Weekend will be in the Bayou City from February 15-17, 2013. Hilton Americas Marketing Director Janice O’Neill-Cox spoke with Local 2 Sports Wednesday afternoon, saying, “We played a key role in working with the league to make sure availability was in place. It’s a big boost for our city to land the game, and we’re excited about it.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: I don’t get why Houston is getting the game again. They just had it in 2006. Meanwhile, other teams haven’t hosted it in a long time. Also, Madison Square Garden renovations will be mostly complete in time. And the new Brooklyn Nets arena will exist by mid 2012. Unusual call to send the big weekend back to Houston so soon.