Mark Cuban again facing insider trading suit

Eric Torbenson of the Dallas Morning News reports:

Dallas Mavericks  owner Mark Cuban  had a turnover in federal court Tuesday as an appeals panel sent his insider trading case back for trial.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s dismissal of a Securities and Exchange Commission suit against the billionaire. The decision doesn’t mean the SEC wins outright, but simply that the issues need to get further hearing and the suit is back on.

The government contends Cuban broke insider trading rules by selling his stake in search engine company Mamma.com after learning of the company’s plan to sell a piece of itself to investors, which would dilute Cuban’s holdings. The stock sale allowed Cuban to avoid an estimated $750,000 in losses…

And a countersuit filed by Cuban that alleges the SEC brought the case against him in bad faith continues regardless of Tuesday’s ruling. Cuban wants the government to pay his legal fees for pursuing a case out of bias rather than legal merit, his own suit says.

Javaris Crittenton to try out for Bobcats

Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports (via blog):

Javaris Crittenton to try out for Bobcats

Javaris Crittenton is hoping to return to the NBA after accepting an invitation to try out for the Charlotte Bobcats in training camp, his agent Mark Bartelstein said on Tuesday.

The other half in the infamous altercation with Gilbert Arenas involving guns in a Verizon Center locker room, Crittenton is coming back after missing all of last season, with the final 38 games lost as the result of a season-ending suspension from NBA commissioner David Stern. But that embarrassing incident — which led to Crittenton receiving one year of unsupervised probation and a $1,250 fine after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in January — overshadowed the fact that the 6-foot-5 point guard was going to miss the entire year anyway because of a severe left ankle injury.


04274054 date 08 02 2009 Copyright imago Xinhua Javaris Crittenton Washington Wizards centre against Troy Murphy Indiana Pacers left PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Vdig horizontal premiumd duel NBA 2008 2009 Washington Wizards Indiana Pacers 119 117 Washington DC D C Dynamics Basketball men Team USA Group photo Action shot Human Beings Photo via Newscom

Mavericks must find help for Dirk Nowitzki

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports:

The Mavericks’ future hall of famers are as dependable as any facet of the organization. And they have been durable. But addressing their roles and reducing their playing time is important because the two or three minutes per game saved would make a huge difference in the long run.

Mavericks must find help for Dirk Nowitzki

So where does the help come from? The first option likely will be Shawn Marion.

“I think something that’s been proven is that Rick is creative with the lineups, whether it’s three guards or going small,” said president Donnie Nelson. “That may lend itself to Shawn playing some (power forward) minutes. That’s certainly a strong possibility.”

Meanwhile, the emergence of Roddy Beaubois and the play of J.J. Barea and perhaps Dominique Jones will all be counted on to spell Kidd. And young big men Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi could get opportunities to help Nowitzki.

Nenad Krstic has finger surgery

Oklahoma City Thunder center Nenad Krstic underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a fracture to the second finger on his right hand. The surgery was performed in Oklahoma City by Thunder team physicians.

Krstic suffered the injury in the final game of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Krstic averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game while helping lead Serbia to a fourth place finish at the World Championships.

The 7-0 center is expected to be ready for the Thunder’s opening night contest against the Chicago Bulls.

Bucks got deeper this summer

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The Bucks should have a much deeper team than the one they finished with last season, when coach Scott Skiles had to use Primoz Brezec for important minutes at the center spot in Game 7 of the playoffs against Atlanta (with Bogut injured and backup Kurt Thomas in foul trouble).

“No disrespect to our guys on the bench, but we didn’t really have guys we could rely on coming off the bench,” Bogut said. “Kurt when he was backing me up was a great backup, and we had a couple guys.

“But this year there are questions for us. Does Maggette come off the bench for us or does he start?

“Coach is going to have his work cut out for him figuring out rotations. We genuinely have 10 or 11 guys who can play and on an NBA team you can’t play that many guys. You’ve got to narrow it down to eight or nine guys and the rest pick up feeder minutes. Coach has a tough deal on his plate.”

Baron Davis vies for Emmy for gang documentary

The AP reports:

Baron Davis vies for Emmy for gang documentary

Dear Emmy voters, Baron Davis regrets to inform you that he won’t be able to attend the awards ceremony for his documentary film on L.A. gang life.

By then, he’ll be busy with his other passion.

The Los Angeles Clippers point guard will already be at training camp when the Emmy awards for news and documentaries are handed out in New York City next Monday.

From afar, though, he’ll be rooting for the film “Crips and Bloods: Made in America,” which is up for best documentary. Davis served as executive producer, putting up the money and providing entree into a world that he escaped from – largely because of basketball – but hasn’t forgotten.


Dec 2, 2009; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Baron Davis (1) dribbles up court during the game against the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center. The Rockets defeated the Clippers 102-85. Photo via Newscom

Tough for Knicks to trade for Carmelo Anthony

Jonathan Abrams and Howard Beck of the New York Times report:

Tough for Knicks to trade for Carmelo Anthony

The Denver Nuggets are lending an open ear to N.B.A. suitors clamoring for Carmelo Anthony, a potentially distressing development for the Knicks in their efforts to land the three-time All-Star.

In preliminary conversations, the Nuggets have told the Knicks that they do not possess the assets they are seeking if they decide to trade Anthony, according to a Knicks official. The official did not want to be identified because he was describing private conversations between the teams.

For the moment, the Knicks are left hoping that Anthony remains in Denver through this season, which would allow his contract to expire. If that happens, the Knicks could then pursue him in free agency with cap room that will be created by the departure of Eddy Curry.


Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony (15) knocks Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams down drawing an offensive foul during the third quarter of the first round playoffs game two at the Pepsi Center on April 19, 2010 in Denver. Utah beat Denver 114-111 to even the series at 1-1. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

Eddy Curry will be last Knick to report for workouts

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Eddy Curry will be last Knick to report for workouts

Eddy Curry has claimed another dubious distinction — last one in.

The Knicks’ 7-foot center still has not shown up at the team’s Westchester compound to participate in pre-training-camp voluntary workouts/scrimmages, according to multiple sources.

With new Russian center Timofey Mozgov arriving in New York last night, Curry will become the last Knick to report, according to sources. The official reporting date is Friday, with two-a-day practices starting Saturday.

Knicks brass hasn’t seen or heard from Curry in more than three months. Curry, in the final year of his contract, also blew off the July summer league in Las Vegas, where he was expected to work out. Curry has spent most of the summer in Chicago, where a warrant was out for his arrest for failure to pay a judgment. He’s also been seen at the Jersey Shore.


New York Knicks center Eddy Curry shoots a free throw against the Charlotte Bobcats in an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 15, 2009. UPI/Nell Redmond Photo via Newscom

Corey Maggette still healing

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Corey Maggette still healing

Bucks coach Scott Skiles said at the team’s annual golf outing Monday that Bogut will be ready for the start of training camp in one week.

But Maggette, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle during the off-season, will be brought along slowly at the start of camp.

“He’s not quite ready yet,” Skiles said of Maggette, whom the Bucks acquired in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. “He’s made great progress, but our camp is tough.

“We don’t want that to be his first action. We’ll ease him into it a little bit. We have the non-contact practices and we’ll have some days throughout October where we won’t go as hard based on our schedule. The first week of camp can be a shock to anybody’s system.


Feb 16, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Corey Maggette (50) dribbles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Warriors 104-94. Photo via Newscom