NBA Page 577 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Everyone Still Baffled By This Ricky Rubio Business
So Rubio's contract was either bought out by Regal Barcelona or it wasn't, depending on whether you believe Spanish media or the guy in Minnesota who took, like, 18 point guards in the last draft. [USAT, Marca via Babelfish]...

The Confessions Of An NBA Scorekeeper
"I went into the NBA as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I could get," Alex says. "I loved the game. I didn't want to taint it." Of course, that was before Alex did all those "bad, bad, bad" things....

Michael Beasley's Dad Says He Has Some Serious Issues
Now comes word that Michael Beasley's rehab stay has been planned for a year, and is unrelated to his latest Twitter-related meltdown. What does this teach us, other than that this kid has long-term issues? His father has some ideas....

Upon Further Review, Tim Donaghy Back In Jail
The disgraced NBA referee was living in a half-way house while awaiting release on his conspiracy conviction, but has been ordered back to prison because of a unspecified parole violation. The whole thing sounds fixed to me. [AP]...

Dirk Nowitzki's Possibly Pregnant Lady Friend Gets Very Real Jail Time
Cristal Taylor was sentenced to four years in prison for violating her probation, which means Dirk Nowitzki's love child (if it indeed exists) could be born in jail. That kid's going to have a story to tell. [Post-Disptach/Blogitude]...

Delaware Loses Gambling Lawsuit, Also Fails To Cover
A Federal Appeals court sided with major sports leagues and struck down Delaware's plan to offer sports betting this fall. The integrity of sports is saved! Isn't that wonderful?...

Everything Is Not Super Cool For Michael Beasley
It seems the tattoo and dime bag photo of Michael Beasley was just the tip of his breakdown-filled weekend that started with some depressing Twitter messages and ended with him in rehab....

Isiah's Sleeper Pick Finally Lives up the to Hype. Sort Of.
Isiah Thomas once described Renaldo Balkman—the Knicks' former first round bust—as a "Rodman/Artest type," and so far he hasn't lived up to the billing. But his recent DUI may finally justify the comparison....

Meet Crusher, Nightmare Ant's Crustacean Relation
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap....

Michael Beasley Photographed With A Questionable Baggie
Heat forward Michael Beasley took to Twitter on Friday to show off his "Super Cool Beas" tattoo. It wasn't long before people took notice of the suspicious bag next to the remote. This all feels oddly familiar. [Sports by Brooks]...

Shaq Gets First Career Steal
Everyone catch "Shaq Vs." the other night? No? The gist is, a professional athlete's pretty good at sports, especially when the incompetent teammates are openly throwing the game. But here's a shocker: Shaq stole the idea! Maybe....

Kareem Lobbies For A Head Coaching Job, In 140 Characters Or Less
Oft-overlooked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is using Twitter to campaign for a head-coaching job in a league that let Tim Floyd lose 231 games: "[M]aybe a groundswell of support from my fans could open a door for me!" [Twitter, via TrueHoop]...

Brendan Haywood Apologizes For Gay-Panicky Dig At Marbury
"I don't support or condemn homosexuality," Haywood explains agnostically, before diving into the comments and discoursing with the rabble on such matters as race, sexuality, the First Amendment and showering with men. [Yardbarker]...

Nate Robinson Arrested, Trial By Twitter
The Knicks star was busted Tuesday afternoon for a minor technicality. No biggie. But it might have died there if not for that slayer of giants, leveler of playing fields, tattler to the stars: Twitter....

Brendan Haywood Thinks Stephon Marbury May Have A Touch Of Scary Gayness
Or, as he put it, "swinging from both sides of the fence", which is what the Wiz center concluded after he watched some of Marbury's ridiculous live-streaming marathons from a couple weeks ago....

The Zen Master Gets His Kicks
Introducing Adidas' Phil Jackson Artillery shoe. Wear these, kids, and maybe you too will one day sit your serene ass on the bench while the greatest players in league history win you championship after championship! [OC Register, via Slam]...

An Assist For Nick Van Exel: How An NBA Scorekeeper Cooked The Books
In January 1997, the Lakers' Nick Van Exel handed out 23 assists in a 95-82 victory over Vancouver, a feat less attributable to his sharpshooting teammates than to the numbers-fudging Lakers fan working the Grizzlies' scorer's table....

Nets Try To Trick Fans Into Wearing Nets Gear
Want season tickets to see the Nets? No, of course you don't. Will some Nets jerseys sweeten the deal? Still no, huh. OK, how about jerseys of the best players on other teams. Yes, it's that desperate at the Meadowlands....

Don't Even Think About Posting Stolen Baron Davis Photos
Baron Davis' laptop was stolen and he would really like it back. But just to be safe, his lawyer is preemptively threatening to sue the ass off anyone who publishes the personal photos and videos that might be on it....

New Jersey Discovers That Giants, Jets, Nets Don't Fully Love Them
A New Jersey senator wants to strip all taxpayer funding from professional sports teams that aren't proud to admit that they play in New Jersey. That means all of them. As usual, the blame lies with the Nets....