Alright, well I'm sure most of you have heard about Steve Phillips and his impending dismissal from ESPN... For those of you that haven't...

Steve Phillips Suspended After Affair With ESPN Employee

Reports out of ESPN headquarters this morning say that (46-year old) "Baseball Tonight" analyst Steve Phillips has been suspended from the network, after an affair with a 22-year-old production assistant turned into a special edition DVD release of Fatal Attraction.

According to the New York Post's rather lengthy deconstruction of events, Phillips had a brief fling with a fellow ESPN employee named Brooke Hundley this summer. He ended it rather quickly, which did not go over very well. She allegedly began harassing Phillips, his wife and even his teenage son-who she friended on Facebook by pretending to be a classmate, and then grilled him for personal information about the family.

The final straw came when Phillips' wife arrived at her home to see a strange woman coming down her driveway and getting into a car (which she promptly smashed into a pole while trying to make a quick getaway.) The woman had left a very creepy letter in the front door, addressed to Phillips wife. The full original letter is available on the Post website [PDF], but here are some of the bullet points laid out by Hundley:

• She and Steve first slept together in a St. Louis hotel room, but he assured her that she wouldn't get pregnant because of his vasectomy.
• How and she Steve love to text back and forth with detailed plans on how they would like to sex each other
• An uncomfortable amount of detail about the activities of her children
• How the Catholic Church will totally understand if the Phillips got a divorce, so that she and Steve can be together
• She's 22 ... but not stupid!
• A graphic description of Steve's birthmarks (on his crotch and inner thigh), just to know she's legit.

In a written statement, Phillips confessed that he had three sexual encounters with Hundley and then broke it off in July. Almost immediately after that, the woman began making phone calls to his wife, leaving voicemails, sending inappropriate texts, and making even more inappropriate Facebook overtures to his son. He says he believes her to "obsessive and delusional" and police have become involved. Nevertheless, Phillips is suspended for at least one week and his wife has filed for divorce.

This is not the first time Phillips has run into this sort of trouble, nor is it the first incident involving the Baseball Tonight team. When he was GM of the Mets in the 1990s, Phillips had to take a leave of absence after an affair with a team employee. See also: Reynolds, Harold. There's a chance we won't see him on any ESPN network before this baseball season ends and then after that, who knows what will become of his tenure at the firm.

Expect a lot more on this before the day is over, obviously

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Let me preface this by saying ahead of time I know this isn't going to be popular opinion around here, and I have a pretty good feeling I know what kind of reaction I'm going to get... But I feel like I need to get it off my chest.

I think Mark Cuban is an incredible owner. I genuinely believe he'd do whatever it took to bring Dallas a championship... He's not afraid to spend the money necessary to make this team a contender... Has he had his share of blunders? Yeah, he has, but this team's inability to get over the hump wasn't for his lack of effort, and I don't thinkit ever will be...

[jumps on soapbox]

Is anybody else getting tired of his act? This comes out today, in the hours leading up to Game 4...

Mark Cuban admits that he made a not-very-nice comment to Kenyon Martin's mom after Game 3.

From the Denver Post:

Cuban said Sunday by e-mail that when he walked off the court, a fan was screaming about the Nuggets being "thugs," so Cuban said to Martin's mother: "That includes your son."

According to Martin's agent, Brian Dyke, Cuban spotted Moore amid numerous Nuggets fans and said, unprovoked, "Your son is a punk." Regardless of what insult was stated, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, "The situation on the floor postgame is being reviewed."

Cuban knew it was Martin's mom because, according to him, she talked trash to him in the aftermath of another Nuggets win.

After this morning's post-Mother's Day shootaround, Martin told reporters, "I'm gonna take care of it."

Yet another NBA investigation into something immature and/or incredibly stupid/ignorant this clown has done after a game...

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I can't imagine this is going to surprise anybody, but it's worth mentioning since it's a division/state rival and someone we're fighting for playoff positioning...

Link

McGrady Could Be Out For Season

HOUSTON -- Rockets guard Tracy McGrady could miss the remainder of the season, according to sources close to Local 2 sports. An MRI revealed missing cartilage in his left knee, which may require microfracture surgery to repair.

The possibility remains, however, that McGrady will try to finish the season. Dr. James Andrews, generally regarded as the premier orthopaedic surgeon in the country for this type of injury, will review the MRI before a final decision is made. Andrews advised those close to McGrady, that a microfracture surgery should only be used in a career saving situation.

McGrady and the Rockets will discuss options in a meeting at Toyota Center prior to tonight's game against Sacramento. At this point, the Rockets have no comment on the situation.

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Well, Phoenix just got him... Literally for nothing.

Link

Jason Richardson traded to Phoenix for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw...

I'm not sure how this makes any sense for Charlotte... Bell and Diaw suck, and neither of their contracts are expiring...

Would you have offered up Stackhouse, Devean George, and Brandon Bass to get into these discussions? Two expiring contracts and at least one young player with some upside would have been better than Bell/Diaw, wouldn't it?

Looks like Steve Kerr is conceding that he screwed up nine months ago trying to turn Phoenix into something it wasn't, and making a move to let the Suns get back to what they do best... JRich and Amare on the break is gonna be sick... Losing Bell has little affect because Matt Barnes is basically the same exact player...

Right now, Richardson is basically Shawn Marion with a better jump shot, so he fits real well into what they were doing before they traded Matrix away... Only negative with Richardson is he's about a year or two from going the way of Mike Finley, but I don't think his contract is too long, so it's not a major issue...

Oh, and for those that think this is a playoff team, this puts Phoenix back firmly in front of Dallas, IMO...

Not yet confirmed by any of the national sports big dogs, but Houston Chronicle ran this story...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5914062.html

In what had been a quiet offseason, the Rockets are about to make a lot of noise.

In a stunning move designed to push the Rockets from solid playoff team toward legitimate NBA contenders, the Rockets reached agreement Tuesday with the Sacramento Kings to acquire gifted but controversial forward Ron Artest, according to an NBA executive with knowledge of the deal.

The Rockets will give up guard Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick next season and another player that the individual with knowledge of the trade could not name. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey could not be immediately reached for comment.

Because of contract considerations, the trade will not be announced until Aug. 14, though that would indicate the deal could include Rockets' first round draft pick Donte' Green. Green is not permitted to be traded until then, one month from when he signed with the Rockets.

There could also be other players involved to make the money match but none that the Rockets would plan to keep. The Rockets will also send the Kings cash in excess of $1 million.

Artest, 28, is considered one of the NBA's most unpredictable characters and was the central figure in a 2004-05 brawl with fans in Auburn Hills, Mich. He is also considered among the league's toughest lock-down defenders and sometimes, an unstoppable offensive force.

The 39 points he scored against the Rockets in 2006-07 season are his career high.

A 6-7, 248 pound forward, he had publicly lamented his decision last month not to opt out of the last season of his contract to become a free agent, renewing the Kings' efforts to move him.

Artest played 40 games for Rockets coach Rick Adelman after he was traded by the Indiana Pacers to the Kings in the 2005-06 season, averaging 16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and a career-high 4.2 assists. He was also a first-team NBA All-Defensive team selection. He offered to donate his salary if the Kings were willing to retain Adelman after that season.

In nine NBA seasons out of St. John's, where he was a third-team All-American, Artest has averaged 16 points and 5.1 rebounds. He was the 2003-04 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 20.5 points per game last season.

Artest, however, has been unable to stay clear from trouble. He was arrested in March 2007 and charged with domestic abuse and eventually sentenced to 20 days in jail and community service. That sentence was reduced to 10 days in a work release program. He had also been charged with animal neglect, though charges were not filed and Artest has since worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on several campaigns.

In addition to his 73-game suspension after going into the stands in the Nov. 19, 2004 brawl (the longest suspension in NBA history other than for drug policy violations or gambling), he has been suspended for destroying a television camera in New York, for an altercation with then Heat coach Pat Riley in Miami and for numerous flagrant fouls.

Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1999, he was traded in 2002 to the Pacers, having some of his best seasons, including his one All Star season in 2003-04. Prior to the fight in 2004, he was suspended for two games for asking for a month off to promote an R&B album by a group on his production label.

After his return to the Pacers the season after the fight, he asked for a trade and was placed on the inactive roster.

Though Artest has been best used as a small forward, Rockets forward Shane Battier is also considered among the league's best players at defending small forwards and shooting guards. But because Artest can defend players from small guards to power forwards, the Rockets could finish games with Artest and Battier on the court together, either with Tracy McGrady sliding over to point guard or with Artest matching up with power forwards.

So Bobby Jackson's expiring contract, a pick, and presumably Donte Greene is enough value for you to trade Artest, but Stackhouse, Bass and possibly a draft pick weren't enough?

I guess I'm missing something here... Having watched Brandon Bass mature over the last year, and having seen Donte Greene play all through high school and his time at Syracuse, there's no way I'd rather have him than Bass. Greene is basically a Quentin Richardson starter kit, except Q used to actually attack the rim and had some explosiveness to his game before all his injury issues. Not a Donte Greene fan at all, and I'm completely shocked at this return considering how confident Kings fans were that Petrie wouldn't screw this up...

Alright, for the last couple of weeks, I thought this might be a bit of an overreaction, but now, I'm comfortable in this conclusion.

The window has closed, this core group of players has run its course, and it just isn't going to happen with this bunch.

Avery is completely inept on the sidelines, and it seems to some extent that he's began to wear on some of the players. The Mavs continue to lose close games to their peers out West, and losing this many close games over and over and over falls 100% on Avery's shoulders. Losing close games is more about coaching than it is anything else.

This team isn't making the playoffs unless Dirk is back before the Warriors or Lakers matchups later in the week, and even then it's no guarantee. But I really don't think he's going to be back before the full 2 weeks. If he were just hurt, I'd be all over his ass for not being back on the court, but he'd be an absolute idiot to jump back on the floor before he's ready after the way that knee/ankle looked last week.

Honestly, being in the Lottery might be the best thing for this team right now. It's going to be their only real way of adding a legitimate asset to the roster this offseason, unless they're willing to part with Josh Howard, Dirk, or Kidd's expiring contract to bring in fresh faces. I honestly would rather be in the Lottery than squeak into the playoffs and sit through another first round exit that gets us nowhere...

I'm most interested to see how Cuban is going to handle this whole thing... A few years back, he'd flip his lid and make blockbuster trades every offseason if this team wasn't in the Conference Finals every year. He's calmed down and learned to have some patience with the roster, but at this point it seems like the old Cuban may be what this team needs.

As other teams in the West are younger, and continue to grow and get better (Lakers, Jazz, Hornets, Blazers coming up, Rockets if they could ever stay healthy), Dallas has gotten older, less athletic, and are obviously on the decline. For a team that already has serious issues with confidence and mental toughness, it'd be almost impossible to envision them overcoming another disappointment of epic proportions. I think it really might be time to blow this thing up, rather than continue to hold on to what little hope this team has left.

In sports, you're either competing for a championship or you're rebuilding. Anything in between is completely useless. And that's where the Mavs are right now. They aren't a serious threat to anyone in the playoffs, and they don't have any young pieces to rebuild around.

[/end rant]

LOL That may be a little bit scattered and all over the place, but I hope you get where I'm going...

Discuss.

Per Yahoo Sports...

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And what does it say of the Grizzlies? Well, it says that they're bleeding financial losses, desperate to strip payroll and make themselves more attractive for a potential buyer. They're shopping guard Mike Miller throughout the league too, sources say, and it's just a matter of time until they've stripped themselves to the core. Essentially, they're the Vancouver Grizzlies again.
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If this guy is available, THERE'S the guy Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson need to be chasing after. Jason Kidd would be great, but he costs too much in the way of assets. Miller could likely be had for that fudged KVH contract and a 2009 draft pick. He fills the big SG hole for the Mavericks, and solves the need for another pure deep threat to spread things out offensively... Mike Miller makes this team the best team in the Western Conference. Go get him, now.

Per ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/s...

The Lions have decided to trade or release Rogers, according to reports. Coach Rod Marinelli and team spokesman Bill Keenist have both said they expect all players under contract to return.

Rogers, who has served one four-game suspension for taking a banned dietary supplement and could face an eight-game suspension if he tests positive again, has three years left on his contract.

Rogers, who has been to two Pro Bowls, had a good start to the season and was named NFC defensive player of the week after returning a 66-yard interception for a touchdown and recording 2½ sacks in the Lions' 44-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 9. But in the six-game losing streak that followed, he disappeared.

"He was a good player for us for nine games," Marinelli said at the time. "But it's the endurance all the way through the season, that's what I'm looking for."

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Per an article in the Tennessean...

Coach Jeff Fisher on Friday said the Titans still haven't decided on the future of suspended cornerback Pacman Jones. Jones apparently isn't going to be upset if he's not back in Tennessee. Appearing in a video shot by rollingout.com, Jones responds to a question about where he will be in 2-3 years. "Hopefully 2 Pro Bowls. Hopefully I can get out of Tennessee. I want to go to Dallas," Jones said. "So we'll see how it goes and I am just going to keep my head up.'' It's unclear when the video was shot, though it's believed it was filmed several months ago and was just posted on the site.

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