Tim Donaghy says his book publisher never paid him

Tim Donaghy rose to the top of his profession, earning $250,000 a year as an NBA referee and becoming “a courtside witness to the greatness of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.”

In secret, he also rose in the world of illegal gambling by passing “inside information to wiseguys who were making millions of dollars on my picks and lining the pockets of Mafia heavyweights.”

But in a St. Petersburg courtroom on Tuesday, a world away from the first game of the NBA finals, Donaghy was essentially fighting for scraps.

After chronicling his downfall in a book — which includes the quotations above — Donaghy is now suing his Largo publisher, claiming she failed to turn over any of the estimated $200,000 in sales revenue from the book, Personal Foul.

— Reported by Curtis Krueger of the Tampa Bay Times

MarShon Brooks has no idea if Deron Williams will stay with Nets

deron williams

The Nets may not have a full team yet, but MarShon Brooks is working hard on improving his game this offseason.

While both Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace are expected to test the free-agent market this summer, Brooks is prepping for his second season with the Nets whether or not Williams and Wallace make the move to Brooklyn.

“We don’t really have a team right now,” Brooks told The Post. “I’m just working as hard as I possibly can to be ready for whatever role they give me. I’ve been doing a lot of lifting, trying to get stronger. I think that will help me with my defense, my long range shot.”

Brooks admitted he doesn’t have any inkling what the two All-Star free agents will do when the free-agent signing period begins July 1.

“I haven’t talked to Gerald in a while, but [Deron Williams] he’s still around lifting and things like that at the practice facility,” Brooks said at a Sprint NBA Nation event at South Street Seaport. “[Deron] is a tough guy to read. I really can’t control [whether or not they come back], that’s between them, their family and their agent.”

— Reported by Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post

Sale of Memphis Grizzlies may be in trouble

The Memphis Grizzlies’ sale to Robert J. Pera, announced this past week, is already in serious trouble, according to league sources. Pera owns Ubiquiti Networks, a Silicon Valley communications technology company. When its stock bottomed out in the last two weeks, his net worth plummeted from $1 billion to $200 million, according to league insiders who say that unless he has some wealthy partners lined up to help him finance the sale, it will likely fall through. In that case, the Grizzlies will continue to be owned by Michael Heisley. Pera agreed to buy the team for $350 million, a figure that raised many eyebrows around the league.

— Reported by Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News

UPDATE: SALE STILL ON TRACK

The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Pera, a communications technology magnate, has already created great skepticism because of his finances. Citing league insiders, the newspaper claimed Pera’s net worth is $200 million and not enough to complete the transaction unless he has “some wealthy partners” in line to help.

Not only is Pera alone in his bid to buy the Griz to date but he remains committed to join the NBA despite his company’s loss in momentum, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.

Once estimated at being worth $1.5 billion by Forbes magazine, Pera is now said to be worth more than $800 million in large part because of shares in his company, Ubiquiti Networks.

— Reported by Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal 

Unfair but amusing Durant and Westbrook gif

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is definitely a scoring point guard. His best attribute is the ability to produce points, ahead of his ability to produce for others. That’s how Russell is. He’s an awesome player, even if he occasionally takes a few shots that maybe could have instead gone to Kevin Durant or another teammate. He’s not a “true” point guard. But he still makes his team much better — most of the time.

With that said, check out this very amusing gif of Durant and Westbrook:

See more funny NBA GIFs.

Heat know what to expect from Thunder in Game 3

lebron james

At this point a year ago, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were using words like urgency and desperation.

And that’s exactly what the Miami Heat expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to bring into Game 3 of this year’s NBA Finals.

So far, this championship series has followed the same script as a year ago, with the home team winning the opening matchup, then falling in Game 2 to lose the home-court edge. Miami took the sting of that into Dallas last year and used it as fuel to win Game 3 — and the Heat will look to ensure that trend doesn’t repeat itself when the title matchup resumes on their home floor Sunday night.

“You’ve got the two best teams in the league right now going against each other,” Wade said Saturday, when practices resumed after a day off for both clubs. “So it’s going to be a very tough game, but we have to find a way to win it. And it’s about taking, like I said, one possession at a time, one second, one minute at a time to make sure we reach our goal — and that’s to win the game.”

A Game 3 victory assures nothing, a lesson the Heat learned the hard way last year. That win in Dallas was Miami’s final victory of the season.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Suns looking to boost offense in 2012 Draft

The Suns might need the franchise’s next point guard soon. They also are putting a priority on finding a wing scorer who can create his own shot.

Those are needs, but the Suns’ most glaring need after missing consecutive postseasons for the first time in 24 years is talent. Saturday’s draft workout at US Airways Center made it clear that a talent influx also could come in the form of another big man, despite drafting power forward Markieff Morris last year, returning Channing Frye and Marcin Gortat and planning to retain restricted free agent Robin Lopez.

The Suns close workouts and do not announce or comment on visiting prospects, but league sources revealed that on Saturday they hosted an impressive group of big men who are all first-round candidates. The workout featured North Carolina’s John Henson and Tyler Zeller, Illinois’ Meyers Leonard, Baylor’s Perry Jones and Mississippi State’s Arnett Moultrie, as well as Vanderbilt small forward Jeffery Taylor.

On Tuesday, the Suns worked out two big men who also are first-round candidates. In that workout, St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson outshined Syracuse’s Fab Melo, but neither is considered in the realm of Saturday’s bunch, although Nicholson’s stock is rising.

— Reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic

Thunder must stop slow starts in Finals

The Thunder had to overcome first-half deficits of 13 and 17 points in the series which is knotted at one game each.

“We just have to play harder to start the games,” said Durant during Saturday’s practice. “We are doing it a little too late. We watched film — the first 10 minutes of the game and we kind of relaxed. I don’t know why.

“It was tough to watch … you look at it and say ‘wow, did I really just do that?’

“It falls back on me as a leader. I have to start the games with a lot of intensity. No matter if I am making shots or missing shots or if I make a bad defensive rotation. I just have got to start off with a lot of energy.”

The Thunder rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit to win game one 105-94. They dug themselves an even deeper hole in the first quarter of game two by falling behind by 17 points. But this time they couldn’t climb out of it, losing 100-96.

— Reported by Greg Heakes of the Associated Press

Phil Jackson not looking to coach Knicks

phil jackson

Phil Jackson views the Knicks as a flawed team and says he would have turned down the franchise had it offered him the head coaching job, according to a transcript of a coming segment of “Real Sports” on HBO.

“There’s just too much work that has to be done with that team,” Jackson said in the interview with Andrea Kremer, which is set to be televised on Tuesday. He added, “It’s a little bit of a clumsy team.”

But there was never a decision to make because the Knicks “never called,” Jackson told Kremer. The remarks could be viewed as an odd sort of vindication for Knicks officials, who were widely criticized for failing to reach out to Jackson.

— Reported by Howard Beck of the New York Times (Blog)

Explaining what he meant by clumsy, Jackson said, “Well, they don’t fit together well. Stoudemire doesn’t fit well with Carmelo. Stoudemire’s a really good player. But he’s got to play in a certain system and a way. Carmelo has to be a better passer, and the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands. They need to have someone come in that can kind of blend that group together.”

When interviewer Andrea Kremer said it sounded as if Jackson was the perfect person to blend the talent because of his résumé, Jackson said, “Yeah, well, it never happened.”

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Anthony Davis picks agent, signs with Wasserman Media Group

Anthony Davis

Wasserman Media Group’s Vice Chairman, Arn Tellem, today announced that projected #1 NBA draft pick, NCAA National Champion, consensus player of the year, and University of Kentucky super-star center/forward Anthony Davis, has signed with the agency for comprehensive representation.

“We are thrilled that Anthony has chosen Wasserman and very much look forward to helping him launch what will undoubtedly be a hugely successful NBA career,” said Thad Foucher, EVP, Team Sports and Anthony’s agent along with Tellem.

This signing continues Wasserman’s streak of representing the top pick in multiple sports in 2012, including the NFL’s Andrew Luck, MLB’s Carlos Correa, and MLS’s Andrew Wenger.

“I know that this decision is a critical one to help me get on the right track for the next stage of my basketball career and I did not come to it easily,” said Anthony Davis. “After speaking with many agents and advisors, it became clear to me that Wasserman was the best place for me. I am excited, and also relieved to have made this choice and look forward to starting my career knowing I am in great hands.”

Jason Maxiell still deciding on future with Detroit Pistons

Jason Maxiell

As the Pistons continue to evaluate first-round talent for the June 28 draft, forward Jason Maxiell still hasn’t decided whether to pick up his option for next season.

Maxiell, 29, is due to make $5 million next season and is coming off one of his best seasons in years — as he stayed in shape and received consistent minutes next to Greg Monroe. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds after the All-Star break, at which point he became a permanent fixture in the starting lineup.

His agent, Andy Miller, said he’s still evaluating what kind of market there will be for Maxiell if he were to hit free-agency. The deadline for Maxiell to decide is June 30, the eve of free agency.

Right now, Maxiell is in his hometown of Dallas with his wife and infant son.

— Reported by Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News