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'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#61 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:51 am

http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index. ... basketball

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says forward Josh Howard realizes his comments about the national anthem were wrong and the player has apologized. In his online blog, Cuban also responded to e-mails he has received commenting on the player's remarks by saying Howard "will work with us" and "beyond that, it's a private issue." Cuban posted a number of the inflammatory replies on his blog Thursday night, with the apparent e-mail addresses of the senders.

But by Friday night, Cuban's remarks slugged "Thanks for the advice on Josh" had been removed from the blog and replaced with a posting saying "I made my point." Howard's comments, in a video posted on the Web site YouTube, show him on a football field at a charity flag football game. As the national anthem plays in the background, Howard approaches a camera and says: "'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on right now. I don't even celebrate that (expletive). I'm black." Some e-mails that Cuban posted made blatant racist remarks about Howard. Others suggested Howard should move to another country, be fined or fired.

Cuban's updated response said his original posting was "the right thing to do," but he says it left him with an upset stomach all day Friday. "I thought it was important to point out the hatred and ignorance of so many who quickly judge people they have never met, based purely on soundbites and headlines," Cuban wrote late Friday. "I wanted to point out the irony of them experiencing the onslaught of attention from suddenly and unexpectedly being placed in the media spotlight from a throwaway comment." Cuban said he knew those e-mailers would be receiving "the same level of hate, ignorance and judgment as Josh had and that's what bothered me all day." Cuban ended by saying: "Hopefully something good came from it being posted." Cuban did not immediately respond Friday night to an e-mail from The Associated Press.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#62 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:54 am

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/28602739.html

NBA Developmental League guard Blake Ahearn, who played on the Wolves' Las Vegas summer-league team, is expected to be added to the training-camp roster.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#63 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:59 am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 04350.html

One day after having minor arthroscopic surgery to clean out debris in his surgically repaired left knee, Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas posted a 2,210-word blog entry yesterday in which he said he will likely return from the procedure between mid-December and early January -- several weeks later than the early December return he originally set Wednesday morning. "I know time frames are dicey, but they said anywhere from mid December to January 1, I'll be back by then at 100 percent," Arenas posted in the entry. "I should be, if everything goes well. So that's the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza present I'm hoping for."

In the blog post, Arenas described his decision-making process in electing to have the procedure and said he had followed a more regimented schedule this summer in hopes of returning to full strength from the injury. "I actually did everything I was supposed to after the season," Arenas said. "I sat out a whole month without doing anything. No nothing. No rehab, no jogging, no nothing. I took the time because whatever the pain was that felt like a pinch or a bruised bone, we felt that over time, with me not doing anything the pinch would go away. . . . It wasn't pain to where I couldn't play, but it was pain to the point where I couldn't get through rehab the way I wanted to and before I stepped on the floor I didn't want anything holding me back."

In the entry, Arenas seemed positive about his ability to return and said he would continue rehabilitation after three days on crutches. "It's going to show what kind of will power I do have," Arenas wrote. "I'm somebody who's gone through three knee surgeries within 17 months. As fast as my stardom came, my knee tried to take it away from me. It's going to just take that much to get back, but for somebody who loves basketball as much as I do, that's not going to be a problem."

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#64 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:05 am

http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... 6784.story

Gallinari, the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft, might not be ready for the start of training camp Sept. 30. He hurt his back July 15 in the first game of the NBA Summer League. "We'll see," he said at last night's Liberty playoff game when asked if he will be ready to go. "I was optimistic about that, but I don't know now."

Gallinari, who said he arrived in New York last week, hasn't played since leaving the Italian national team in late August and isn't sure when he'll begin practicing with the Knicks. "I've been taking treatment and resting," he said.

Gallinari dismissed the notion that the Knicks were upset he didn't come back sooner for treatment. "No," the 20-year-old said. "Everybody was OK."

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#65 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:06 am

http://newsok.com/sonics-mascot-squatch ... 1221784217

Marc Taylor, the person inside the Squatch costume at Sonics NBA games in Seattle, is relocating to Oklahoma City to serve as the Thunder’s mascot.

The team’s mascot hasn’t been revealed. But Taylor will be the person inside the costume it was announced Thursday in a press release. Thunder officials also announced Jason Quintero, who served as manager of game presentation for Hornets games during their two seasons in the Ford Center, will return to Oklahoma City in a similar role.

Taylor, 33, has extensive mascot experience. He was Squatch (NBA) and Doppler (WNBA) for Seattle’s two professional basketball teams the past nine years. Taylor was most visible as Squatch, a hairy mascot who wore a Sonics jersey and shorts. His routine featured everything from using trampolines to dunking to riding huge bicycles.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#66 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:10 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=12626

The NBA champion Boston Celtics visited the White House on Friday to meet with President George Bush. In June, the Celtics defeated the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win their 17th NBA title and first in 22 years.

During an often humorous five-minute speech, Bush referenced the 44-game improvement made by the Celtics, who posted the greatest turnaround in NBA history. The Celtics went 66-16 last season after posting a 24-58 record - the second-worst in the league - in 2006-07. "It's funny how sports work, isn't it," Bush said. "At the beginning of the season, few would have predicted how it ended. The two-decade championship drought was likely to continue. At least that's what the experts said. There's a lot of experts in life these days. You probably hadn't noticed."

During the Celtics' run to the title, coach Doc Rivers used the word "Ubuntu" - which is African for unity - to describe the team's closeness. "I appreciate very much the use of the word 'Ubuntu,'" Bush said. "I'm been looking forward to saying that with a Texas accent." The Celtics begin defense of their title at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 28. "I wish you well for the very next season," Bush said. "Should you win it, you can find me in Texas."

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#67 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:16 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=12627

Southern California sophomore guard Marcus Simmons underwent surgery to remove an additional bone growth from his left leg due to complications from an ankle injury, the school announced on Friday.

The procedure was performed by Dr. David Thordarson at USC Hospital. Simmons will be out eight to 12 weeks. Simmons sprained his ankle on the first day of practice last fall and was limited to 15 games as a true freshman. The surgery was needed to removed the bone growth that had developed between the tibia and fibula as a result of the trauma from the sprain.

Simmons scored eight points and grabbed 23 rebounds last season.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#68 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:24 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10021

Mr. Smith Might Be Missed:With Philadelphia 76ers' big man Jason Smith successfully completing his reconstructive surgery yesterday, it's unlikely that he gets a chance to play this season. Smith tore his ACL in early August while working out with Tim Grgurich in Las Vegas. That's too bad for the 76ers, because Smith looked like he was going to be a great piece off the bench for Philly.

During the Summer League, Smith averaged a whopping 15.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for Philadelphia. Exerting his size over the competition, Smith looked like he had bulked up just enough to keep his mobility but also be more comfortable in the block. He showed a great outside touch for a big man and had a tireless motor when he was out there.

Although he's just a second-year player and would have served as no more than a placeholder for Samuel Dalembert or Elton Brand to get rest, Smith's activity and production was impressive. Part of what made the Brand signing so nice for Philly was that they didn't have to give any pieces up (well, except for Rodney Carney to free up some more cap space) to get him, allowing the team to keep a hold of their young players and depth. Smith was an integral part of that and without him, the team is going to have to rely on veterans Theo Ratliff and Donyell Marshall to have the same kind of energetic impact Smith would have had.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#69 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:31 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10023

Lying is Bad: Ever since you were little mom has been telling you lying is bad. Doesn't matter what kind of lie it is, it's a mask of the truth and everyone wants truth. Everyone wants people to fess up when something goes bad (ask NFL referee Ed Hochuli).

So why did Miami HEAT rookie forward Michael Beasley get fined $50,000 for the exact same incident at the NBA Rookie Transition Program (girls and the smell of marijuana in the room) that earned $20,000 checks to be written from HEAT guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur?

He lied. Beasley said he just stopped by right at the time the duo got busted, but apparently he was there all along, hence the fine. But why is Beasley's fine 2.5 times greater? Apparently that's the cost of lying, at least to the NBA. So, now you know the financial impact of telling a lie as opposed to the truth is 250%. Always nice to relate something to bottom line dollars.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#70 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:40 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10026

Curry Calls Out Sheed:After saying he would look to make a major trade this past summer, Detroit Pistons' GM Joe Dumars is now saying he has taken his big name players off of the trading block. This means the same Pistons group that hasn't been able to get it done since 2004 will have to try and find a way not to come up short once again this postseason.

Piston fans are putting a lot of stock in new head coach Michael Curry as being the guy who can get something more out of the Pistons' regulars. He certainly got off to a loud start this week calling out forward Rasheed Wallace. "I want him (Wallace) to be able to maintain his conditioning throughout the season," Curry told the Detroit Free Press. "You can get in basketball shape, but you can play the whole season but not be in great conditioning as well." Translation: Rasheed hasn't exactly been in tip-top physical condition the last couple of seasons. and anyone who has seen him in the locker room understands as much.

Calling out Sheed by name was a gutsy move by Curry. However, it's also a move that could backfire and put his relationship with Wallace on shaky ground. One thing Curry understands, though, is something has to change for the Pistons to win a title next season, and since the roster did not, the approach of the team -- and more specifically the approach of some of the team's key players -- has to change. Even though Dumars has said on the public record he intends to keep this current Pistons' group together this season, don't be surprised if he puts Wallace on the block prior to the trade deadline if Wallace and the team are not performing at a high level. With Wallace in the last year of his contract, there may be no better time to move him than this February.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#71 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:44 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

The NBA has suspended Darius Miles for 10 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#72 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:45 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

The Spurs added three players to their training camp roster, signing free agents Desmon Farmer, Devin Green and Darryl Watkins. Farmer, 26, is a 6-foot-5 guard who has spent much of his career in the NBA’s Development League. He played eight games with Seattle in 2006-07.

A 6-foot-7 swingman, Green, 25, played with the Spurs’ summer-league squad in June, averaging 10.3 points in seven games. He split last season between the Development and Italian Leagues. Watkins, 23, is a 6-foot-11 center who played in nine games with Sacramento last season before landing in the D-League.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#73 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:48 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

The 76ers, like every other NBA team, usually need a few extra bodies for training camp. That explains the invitations to former Temple star Antywane Robinson, fringe big man Jared Reiner and onetime Strawberry Mansion scoring star Maureece Rice. Agent Brad Ames confirmed Robinson and Reiner will be with the Sixers when training camp convenes Sept. 29 at Penn State.

source confirmed the addition of Rice, the 6-1 guard who scored 2,681 points to break the city high school record of 2,206 established by Wilt Chamberlain. The 6-8 Robinson was the Big 5's Most Improved Player as a senior in 2005-06. He spent '06-07 with Sioux Falls in the NBA Development League; he was with the Sky Force for three games last season before joining a team in France. He averaged a career-best 12.7 points as a senior and 8.0 over four seasons.

The 6-11 Reiner, 26, played at Iowa, leading the Big Ten in rebounding as a junior. His career limited in part by injuries, he appeared in 19 games with the Chicago Bulls in '04-05. Since then, he has been cut by the Clippers, Suns and Spurs. He logged some D-League time, signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 8 of last season and also spent some time with a team in Spain.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#74 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:50 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

Former St. Edward High School star Jawad Williams has been invited to take part in the Cavaliers' training camp, which will open with media day on Sept. 29.

Williams, a 6-9, 218-pound forward who played on the Cavs' summer league team, has played in the NBA Development League and overseas since graduating from North Carolina in 2005. He had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2006-07 season.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#75 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:52 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

Former Washington Wizards guard Donell Taylor will be in the Charlotte Bobcats' training camp, general manager Rod Higgins told the Observer Thursday. At 6-foot-5, Taylor can play point or shooting guard. He's been scrimmaging with the Bobcats and appears to be a strong defender – twice stripping point guard Raymond Felton of the ball in pickup games Thursday.

Taylor played 98 games for the Wizards during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. His shooting hurt him (39.5 percent from the field) and he was waived last preseason.

Taylor and fellow signee Shannon Brown – who played 15 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and six with the Chicago Bulls last season – figure to compete for the Bobcats' last roster spot along the perimeter.

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Post#76 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 4:55 am

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_11916

Jefferson, Randy Foye, Mike Miller and the team's personnel staff, including coach Randy Wittman, traveled to Chicago last week to work out free agent Shaun Livingston, the former Los Angeles Clippers guard, who is attempting a comeback after missing all last season because of a major knee injury.

Livingston tore three of his four knee ligaments in February 2007. A 6-7 point guard drafted directly from high school, Livingston never has played more than 61 games in his three NBA seasons because of injuries. The Wolves appear interested in signing him to become a third option behind Foye and Sebastian Telfair. He also can play some shooting guard and small forward, but might not be healthy enough to play until mid-season.

NBA Developmental League guard Blake Ahearn, who played on the Wolves' Las Vegas summer-league team, is expected to be added to the training-camp roster.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#77 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:11 am

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... for-mayor/

Saying that it is time for someone “with a clean, fresh outlook” to lead the city, Detroit businessman Dave Bing confirmed to the Free Press on Thursday that he definitely is running for mayor.

“I’ve made my decision,” Bing said in an exclusive interview two months after the Free Press first revealed he was considering a run.[…] “I’m not a quote-unquote politician,” he said. “A lot of politicians seem to try to set themselves up for a career, so they try to run multiple terms, and I think that’s a mistake.

“You can only get elected for one term at a time. If you do a good job, then voters will want to vote you back,” he said. “I will keep that option open.”

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#78 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:20 am

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/archives/ ... been-made/

So far we’ve heard about the possibility that Antonio McDyess will return to the bench, but from the sounds of things, that may already be a foregone conclusion. From Keith Langlois at True Blue Pistons: Among the other subjects he touched on, he confirmed what we’ve been suggesting for the past month – that Antonio McDyess will go back to the bench to give more scoring punch to the second unit and better utilize McDyess’ talents. “With Dice starting last year, he averaged the same number of shots in eight more minutes a game as the did the two years before that,” he said. “We think he can be more efficient when he’s not out there with the starting unit. We have so many guys who are capable scorers and who want to score the basketball. What we have on our second unit – and I know you don’t always play first and second unit at the same time – we have Rodney Stuckey, who, like Dice, could very well be a starter, and when you have both of those guys anchoring your second unit, you allow your role players to play their roles and not play outside of themselves.“You’re not asking Amir Johnson to become a primary scorer or Jason Maxiell or Kwame Brown. Same with Arron Afflalo. Those four guys are key and their success is about having the right combinations and having a really good post scorer and a really good perimeter scorer out there with them. That will help with their development.”

So who has a leg up on the starting job entering camp? I figured it’d be Maxiell, but that’s apparently not the case. From Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: He hopes to use a five-man frontcourt rotation. Amir Johnson, it appears, is going to get every opportunity to win the starting spot alongside Wallace. McDyess will be the first big man off the bench, with Brown and Jason Maxiell getting regular minutes — Brown getting more minutes against bigger teams and Maxiell against smaller, more athletic teams.

It makes sense to me, although I admit I’m a little surprised. Maxiell has always been ahead of Amir in the pecking order, but it’s worth remembering that the order was established by the old regime. I’d always taken for granted that Maxiell would see more time than Amir this year, but that’s apparently not written in stone. I’m a huge Maxiell fan, but Amir has been one of the most productive players in the entire league regardless what metric you use. Can he keep it up with more PT? Historically speaking, the numbers suggest he can. Anecdotally speaking, Johnson always seemed to play better when paired with Wallace, who’s always been vocal in terms of telling young players where they need to be on the court. I know a lot of fans are bummed that Joe Dumars didn’t make a big trade, but can you imagine an opening night starting lineup featuring Amir Johnson? If that’s not a reminder that the Flip Saunders Era has passed, I don’t know what is.

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Re: 'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12 

Post#79 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:32 am

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 90429/1127

Detroit Piston coaches are excited about what they've see so far from 6-foot-11 center Kwame Brown. "I've been studying big men in this league since 1970 and I am going to tell you this, Kwame Brown, at his size, moves faster and with more control than any other guy that size that I can remember," assistant coach Dave Cowens said.

Head coach Michael Curry agreed. Brown's athleticism and size provide a legitimate post presence defensively. Offensively, he's still a work in progress. But overall, the Pistons are excited to see how Brown, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, progresses in his new, more nurturing and less pressurized environment. "He's been really good," Curry said. "If the kid was not the first pick in the draft, I wonder what everybody would say about him? I have a list of guys who make $6 million, $7 million a year who haven't done nearly as much as he's done in this league and we got this kid for $4 million." "Kwame has had his ups and downs, but when he's had his ups, he's done things a lot of guys in this league have never been able to do," Curry said.

At the start of camp, it appears that Amir Johnson is going to get the first look at winning the fifth starting spot and play alongside Rasheed Wallace in the front court. But, if Johnson can't secure the spot, Brown could slide up. He is the team's lone big-bodied, true post player and he would free Wallace to be a full-fledged power forward, as opposed to playing a hybrid-type frontcourt role.

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Post#80 » by nasty daddy » Sat Sep 20, 2008 5:42 am

http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/ ... logid=1568

Spending a couple of days with assistant coaches Dave Cowens and Darrell Walker, plus talking at length to head coach Michael Curry, it is clear the Pistons are loving what they've seen thus far from Kwame Brown. "I've been studying big men in this league since 1970 and I am going to tell you this, Kwame Brown, at his size, moves faster and with more control than any other guy that size that I can remember," Cowens said. Curry said the same thing. Brown's athleticism and size provide a legitimate post presence defensively. Offensively, he's still a work in progress. But overall, the Pistons are excited to see how Brown progresses in his new, more nurturing and less pressurized environment. "He's been really good," Curry said. "If the kid was not the first pick in the draft, I wonder what everybody would say about him? I have a list of guys who make $6 million, $7 million a year who haven't done nearly as much as he's done in this league and we got this kid for $4 million." One of those players surely on Curry's list is Dallas center DeSagana Diop, who the Mavericks signed to the full mid-level exception. "Kwame has had his ups and downs, but when he's had his ups, he's done things a lot of guys in this league have never been able to do," Curry said.

At the start of camp, it appears that Amir Johnson is going to get the first look at winning the fifth starting spot and play alonside Rasheed Wallace in the front court. But, if Amir can't secure the spot, Brown could likely slide up. He is the team's lone big-bodied, true post player and he would free Wallace to be a full-fledged power forward, as opposed to playing a hybrid-type frontcourt role. I was really struck, watching Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey interact with thousands of fans over those two days on the bus trip, by how different these two guys are. Just watch them walking into the room and you see the difference. Afflalo is buttoned-down, shirt tucked in, clean and serious. Stuckey is loose, shirt tail out, walking with a big smile and a swagger. When they addressed crowds, Afflalo's talks were poignant, serious and directly to the point. Stuckey cracked jokes, worked the room, made bold statements. Both, in their own way, charmed the crowds. Both are confident young players and both have a passion to compete and win. But Afflalo's competitiveness is completely off the charts -- and I mean that in a good way. In Travese City, they had a free throw shooting contest with a kid from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The kid beat both players, which was sort of pre-arranged, I think. Stuckey completely played his Washington Generals role. He had one last shot to win the contest, but he moved several feet back and rimmed it out. Afflalo couldn't get himself to throw the match. He was actually upset -- good-naturedly so -- that he missed his last shot because one of the organizers of the thing had jumped at him and disrupted his final shot. They had another free throw shooting contest at Midland Dow High School on Thursday. A player from the school's varsity team was selected to shoot against Stuckey and another from the girls team went against Afflalo. Stuckey again backed up on his last shot and missed, making the kid the hero of the day. Afflalo couldn't do it. He crushed the girl on his final shot. He did it in a playful way and both kids were thrilled with the experience, but Afflalo wasn't losing two days in a row. Love it.

One last thing -- don't look for Lindsey Hunter to be around any time soon. He, as you know, is involved in an FBI investigation regarding an apparently bogus real estate deal. That investigation is expected to go well into the season. If Hunter makes it back at all, it most likely won't be until after the All-Star break.

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