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Saturday, September 19

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Lucas is but one person in a larger rehabilitation enterprise -- so the program rolls on whether he's there or not. Nevertheless Beasley's time as an inpatient is also almost over. Sources say that Beasley will be free to go at the end of this weekend. ESPN.com

Embattled Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley could return to the team as soon as this weekend after a month-long stay at a Houston-area drug rehabilitation program. Beasley, the second pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, was required to enter rehab after a violation of the league's substance-abuse program. Miami Herald

Beasley's Twitter account was taken down after he sent out a series of messages Aug. 21 complaining of his predicament, including one tweet in which he suggested life wasn't worth living. Sources said Beasley posted the messages after he was told he had to enter the inpatient program. A Heat spokesman and Beasley's personal manager, Bruce Shingler, declined to comment Friday night. The Heat has confirmed that, barring a setback, Beasley is expected to be with the team by the Sept. 28 start of training camp. Miami Herald

Beasley has been permitted to work out with the Heat's coaching staff the past several weeks. Heat teammates, including captains Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade, have communicated with Beasley during his stay in Houston and expect him to regroup and improve on his promising rookie season. ``He has a chance to learn from his mistakes and make something positive of it,'' Wade said recently. Miami Herald

His Reebok tour started from Milan, where the new Grizzlie had his first taste of Europe, a place some thought he was destined to play. Not just to sightsee, but to play ball. “Not yet, but I gave it a thought,” said Iverson, when asked about how closely he considered Europe. “It would have been a whole new experience, and I know I’m very popular all over Europe. My wife actually liked the idea, and I was intrigued by the possibility to face a new challenge, to visit new countries and play in front of different fans.” Slam

“In Memphis, I really believe we can win. If I look at all the young talent we have, I think we can be a good team. I really mean it. If not, He would not be telling me to keep playing, keep lacing up my shoes.” Slam

If you think Allen Iverson was ready for the rocking chair (as he said during his press conAllen Iversonference in Memphis), well, think again. “Revenge? I won’t say that, it’s not so much about revenge. It’s more about coming back to a comfortable basketball environment, and being able to play at the level I’m accustomed to play at. I can finally go out again and playing basketball the way Allen Iverson plays. That’s it. I’m not gonna satisfy everybody, so I will concentrate only on my teammates, my coaching staff and my new fans.” Slam

Detroit is already in his rear-view mirror, and memories are not great. “I wanna thank the organization, who gave me the opportunity to play there, but since day one things didn’t work out the way I wanted to. Looking back now, I should have not signed for the Pistons. I thought they were gonna use me in a certain way, allowing me to play my style, but I could not.” Slam

“It’s funny because I was an All-Star last year, and I scored 17.5 a night. 17.5? Most people would die to get these numbers, while to me, that was a bad year. The truth is that there’s a lot of people out there who still enjoy taking shots at me, and this past summer was a good opportunity to take one!” he says. Slam

Giddy with anticipation, albeit skeptical, Ball Don't Lie contacted Andersen via e-mail to expand on his invitation and tell us why he thought the Flash could be a good fit for Marbury's non-existant career. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, here's Andersen's, um, reasoning: The D-League has always been about chances. In this case, it's a third or fourth chance for Stephon to make it back, but I am convinced he will make the most of it. Much like his shoes, this would be an opportunity to show that he plays the game for the love and not the money. He has shown with his most recent "all access video streaming" that he wants to be a man of the people. There is no better way to do that than with the Utah Flash in the D- League. Coming here to play will show everyone the true Starbury. Yahoo! Sports

This gives him a chance to show all the NBA teams that he is a humble guy and not afraid to do whatever for the game. It shows a total love and commitment for the game. Playing for the Flash will give Marbury a chance to connect with those people who will buy his $15 shoes. The people that attend our games will really appreciate that about him. He becomes a true "man of the people" a blue-collar guy we love. Think of the comeback story ... Marbury ruins any chances of getting an NBA deal with crazy antics over the summer, but then battles his way back through the D-League to get back on a NBA roster. It's a rags to riches to rags back to riches story. The book and movie deals will far surpass any forgone salary he would have received. Yahoo! Sports

The 76ers have invited four free-agent prospects to attend their training camp, which begins Sept. 29 at St. Joseph's University. Shooting guard Dionte Christmas, guard Sean Singletary, and forward Brandon Bowman are all confirmed for the camp, while Sixers director of player personnel Courtney Witte said center Jared Reiner "should be there," and said there is a 99 percent chance he will be. Philadelphia Daily News

Now he is with compatriots and a franchise that wants him. He's never felt better about his career. "I talked with (Raptors president and general manager Bryan) Colangelo and he told me that this is a good spot for me because I can have a lot of opportunity to play," Belinelli said after a workout at the Air Canada Centre yesterday. "Now is my time to see what I can do and I want to be ready for that." Toronto Star

Colangelo has been enamoured of his ability for years and leapt at the chance to move Devean George to the Warriors for Belinelli this summer. "During this time (leading up to the trade) I was with the (Italian) national team, so I was talking with my agent and with Andrea (Bargnani) so I was happy for that," he said. "I come to a nice city like Toronto, a good team like that, a young team, European team, so it's a really great opportunity for me." Toronto Star

You talked a lot about your desire to play in New York during the draft process in May and June. Why was that? Stephen Curry: It was just a system thing. Like Golden State, they like to run up and down, giving freedom to make plays. Mike D’Antoni has been known to develop point guards. He’s coached Steve Nash. That was a big part of it. But all that stuff goes out the door on June 25, when you’re at the mercy of the draft. I got a great team to play for now, with the same kind of system, which is up and down with a lot of freedom to shoot. HoopsHype.com

Lamell McMorris, the referees' lead negotiator, reacted angrily to the NBA's decision to cite the starting and senior salaries of referees in its news release Friday announcing that it will begin recruiting replacement referees. "Did they put David Stern's salary in there?" McMorris told CBSSports.com. "Did they put Joe Borgia's raise, Ron Johnson's raise, and Bernie Fryer's raise?" CBSSports.com

McMorris stated that Johnson, the NBA's senior vice president of referee operations, received a $50,000 raise this summer -- in the midst of the longest recession in decades -- plus a bonus for his work last season. Fryer, the vice president and director of officials, and Borgia, vice president of referee operations, each received a $25,000 raise and bonus, according to McMorris. The NBA declined to comment on McMorris' assertions and would not discuss the salaries of its employees. But clearly we have ourselves a good old fashioned case of class warfare and mudslinging on our hands. CBSSports.com

McMorris stated that the starting salary is $91,000 and that the only way a referee could make $550,000 would be to have upwards of 30 years experience and officiate the playoffs all the way through the NBA Finals. He placed the top salary for most senior refs in the $350,000 to $400,000 range and said the top figure cited by the league is no longer valid because it includes playoff money that the refs agreed to reduce in their latest proposal. Despite the ugliness, McMorris said he is open to continuing negotiations while the 57 active officials are locked out. "Our phone lines are open," McMorris said. "We're the ones who got kicked out of the meeting last week. We're not the ones who ended the call (Thursday). It's not on us." CBSSports.com

Chris Sheridan: L.McMorris says NBA has contacted ex-ref Michael Henderson to be a replacement ref. Henderson was at center of '04 inside-out jerseys protest. Twitter.com

League sources identified three key issues of dispute: the future of retirement bonuses, a proposal to mix D-League and WNBA officials on a limited basis into early season assignments for training purposes, and the conversion of pension benefits. Los Angeles Times

The league contends it had an agreement with the union on retirement bonuses that the union reneged on last week. Lamell McMorris, the referees' lead negotiator, declined to comment on that point in a telephone interview, saying he did not want to negotiate through the media. Said Buchanan: "The proposals we have made to the NBRA are extraordinarily fair and reasonable, given the current economic circumstances. Since late 2008, the league and our teams have made far deeper cuts in non-referee head count and expenses than we are asking for here. The old collective bargaining agreement expired Sept. 1. The league noted that the previous CBA featured enhanced retirement bonuses of up to $575,000, on top of pension benefits that could exceed $2 million." Los Angeles Times

The league said there are key differences from those days. Two officials were used in those games -- the league now uses three -- and the officiating pool is much deeper and the educational program has been in place longer. Another implication: a prolonged lockout could affect arenas. "We've appealed to all of the major labor unions," McMorris said Friday. Los Angeles Times

Do you feel you’ve held your own against those NBA players this summer? Stephen Curry: Yes, no doubt. Guys like Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade… I’ve been working out with those guys, playing one-on-one all the time and they all see that I can play. It’s great competition and we have a lot of fun doing it. I definitely held my own and I’ve got a lot of confidence going into my first season that I can play with these guys. HoopsHype.com

Golden State seems to be a team going through a lot of turmoil. Are you worried? Stephen Curry: Not really. NBA’s business is to win and there’s going to be a lot of drama in the offseason for teams that didn’t do so well the previous year. But when training camp starts, that’s all going out of the window. We’re going to have one goal and that’s to play hard and win. That’s the attitude I have, hopefully the attitude my teammates have… I’m sure they’ll come focused and ready to play, so all this stuff that happened over the summer will disappear. HoopsHype.com

Do you see yourself as a Rookie of the Year candidate? Stephen Curry: Definitely. If my opportunity comes, I’m going to take it and run with it. I feel like I’m one one the best guys that were drafted this year. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to play and show that. HoopsHype.com

Do you think there’s any added pressure on you because you’re the son of a very good basketball player like Dell Curry? Stephen Curry: A little bit. It could affect me if I let it. There’s going to be a lot of comparisons between my career and his. It’s kind of weird, but there are a lot of guys in the league that played against my dad or with him. I just got to play through it and I’m hopeful I can make it in the NBA. I’m not really worried about living up to my dad’s career. Just want kind of make it on my own. HoopsHype.com

"My motivation is different than last year,'' Nene said. "Last year, I was trying to overcome cancer, and I surprised myself (with his play). This year is different. ... But my goal is not to be an All-Star. My goal is to help the team go farther than last season (the Western Conference finals). But, if I deserve (to be an All-Star), I will be there.'' FanHouse.com

Rudy Gay: I'm getting ready to hoop at Joe Abunassar's facility in Vegas with joe johnson, t lue, kg, c bllups, j tinsley and a bunch of other guys. Twitter.com

Andre Iguodala: Workouts were on point today! Coach thought I was outta shape, I was like C'mon son! Twitter.com

When we were setting up the SLAM 132 cover shoot, one of Melo’s ideas was to have him in a director’s chair. Melo thought that this would be representative of the changes he’s made in his life the last few years, of how he is now directing his life as opposed to just going along for the ride. While I appreciated the sentiment, and that Melo was actively putting thought into our cover shoot, I explained that shooting a cover is a very difficult thing to do. Between the word “SLAM” across the top and the cover lines down the sides of every cover, there’s not a lot of room to work with. And with the little rectangle of space that’s available to work with, it’s increasingly difficult to do something different. Anyway, we reached a compromise: We’d get a director’s chair and we’d shoot Melo in it, but I made it clear there was probably no way we’d be able to use it for the cover. After the shoot, back in NYC, we started looking at photog Paul Aresu’s images and…well, guess what ended up on the cover. Slam

And you’re also in the music business… MELO: I try to stay in the background more with that. Athletes get stereotyped all the time, because we only can do one thing — we can only play basketball. So we get stereotyped. I can’t work for SLAM? I can’t be a photographer? I hate when people say that. You know what? We do sh*t too! You didn’t know me before I started playing basketball. You don’t know what I wanted to grow up to be when I was a kid in school. Slam

It’s funny you mention Bernard King, because he was always so overlooked… MELO: Always! Always overlooked. SLAM: And you get overlooked a lot, too. MELO: Well, I’m back. I’m back. I think the only reason I was being overlooked was because I went to the Playoffs and got eliminated in the first round five straight seasons. And then you see D-Wade win a Championship, then you see LeBron take his team to the Finals, and it’s like, OK, where is Melo? Last year when we got to the Conference Finals, I think people realized, Melo is finally where he’s supposed to be. Slam

Bobby Jhutty, 17, a defender/midfielder from Surrey, B.C., was impressed. “It was great,” said Jhutty. “The guy is old but still has a touch. He has been playing soccer for a long time. He’s still got it. He’s fit.” Goaltender Richard Causton, 17, of Coquitlam, B.C., was surprised by the velocity of Nash’s shot. “I wasn’t expecting him to have the level of play he did,” said Causton. “I always heard he was a decent soccer player but I didn’t think he was up to that standard. “Being in net, having him shoot on me, I was very surprised how hard his shots were, how good he placed them.” Toronto Globe & Mail

“I just talked to them about what it takes to be a pro,” said Nash. “How important it is to set goals for yourself and declare what it is you want to become and make yourself accountable to that. “Find a way to find the passion for that every day. Be creative. Find a way to make it fun when it’s not. The days you don’t feel like doing it, those are the days that separate you from being a great player and just being a good player.” Toronto Globe & Mail

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"Did Dunleavy suffer a setback?" That was one of the first questions I was asked after the Pacers signed Luther Head. The answer: No. Dunleavy is still doing well in his rehabilitation from knee surgery earlier this year. So there's no need to start panicking about Mikey D. Indianapolis Star

Jeff Foster will likely be sporting a new look when you see him in the preseason. He'll be wearing a mask after taking a shot in the nose from Josh McRoberts during a workout. I can't wait to hear what Troy Murphy and Travis Diener, the team's comedians, have to say about Foster's new look when training camp starts next week. Indianapolis Star

The idea of hiring John Lucas had been percolating in Mike Dunleavy's mind for quite a while, and finally it came time to put it out there. "It was one of those ideas," said Dunleavy, the Clippers' general manager and coach. "Hey, unless I ask him, I won't know." Dunleavy said Thursday morning that Lucas, a respected former NBA player and coach, was at the team's offices in Playa Vista and would be joining the Clippers' coaching staff. Los Angeles Times

Lucas has a long-standing relationship with Dunleavy, and many of the current Clippers have worked out with Lucas at his Houston base. "We talk all the time and we've always stayed in touch," Dunleavy said. "It was just one of those situations where I started thinking about guys who were available. Guys that were really good who have a lot of energy. "So I called him. He said, 'I wouldn't do this for a lot of guys. Yeah, I will. For you, I'll come.' " Los Angeles Times

In a move that leans heavily on the economic principle of supply and demand, the Trail Blazers this season will join a growing trend in professional sports by adopting "variable pricing" for single-game ticket sales. The plan weighs heavily the quality of opponent, the day of the week, approaching milestones, injuries and winning or losing streaks. For example, a fan could sit in the same seat in back-to-back home games this season in February, but pay more for a Saturday night contest against the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers than for a Tuesday contest against the unproven Oklahoma City Thunder. Oregonian

Other professional sports teams have adopted similar ticket-pricing strategies - among them, baseball's San Francisco Giants, and hockey's Dallas Stars - and several NBA teams will start the process this season. For example, the Giants charge more when star pitcher Tim Lincecum plays. The Blazers are unique, Mensah says, because they will evaluate the pricing on a week-by-week basis, allowing them to adjust if an opponent is playing better than expected or a star is injured. "It puts us in a position to make the value equation to fans, but it's an even better thing for fans because in the past you would set the price and regardless of what market conditions are -- favorable or unfavorable - the price is the price," Mensah said. Oregonian

Cavaliers guard Delonte West faces weapons charges after being pulled over while carrying a small arsenal near his Maryland home late Thursday night. Prince George's County police said West was carrying two handguns and a shotgun when he was pulled over on Interstate 495 in Upper Marlboro, Md., around 10 p.m. Police Cpl. Clinton Copeland said West was speeding and cut off a police cruiser while riding on his three-wheeled 2009 Can-Am Spyder motorcycle. Cleveland Plain Dealer

After being stopped, West informed police he was carrying a gun in his waistband, which was a 9mm Beretta. Police also found a .357-caliber Ruger on his leg and a shotgun in side a guitar case that was slung over his back. All three guns were loaded. West was traveling alone. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Copeland said police are investigating where West was going and why he was carrying the weapons. "We don't have answers as to where he was going at this point," Copeland said. "I'm sure Mr. West will have to answer that at some point." He has been charged with two counts of gun possession and several traffic citations, although those charges could be amended, Copeland said. According to Maryland criminal law, having an unlicensed handgun can carry a fine of $2,500 and/or up to three years in prison. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Former President Bill Clinton, a black yarmulke resting on his white hair, recalled Simon as "one of the most remarkable people I've met." And Simon's daughter Deborah couldn't resist noting her father's over-the-top golfing attire: stripes, polka dots, fuchsia. "What my dad taught me," she said, "was how not to dress." Indianapolis Star

"One of the last times I saw Mel, he told me, 'When I leave, I don't want sadness. I want people to laugh, to celebrate,' " Rabbi Sandy Sasso told about 2,000 people who packed the sanctuary of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck on Friday. Indianapolis Star

Lou Bender, an all-American basketball player at Columbia whose stellar play during the Depression helped popularize the game and make Madison Square Garden a magnet for college basketball, died Sept. 10 at his home in Longboat Key, Fla. He was 99. The cause was cancer, his son Steven said. Mr. Bender, a 6-foot-1 forward who played at DeWitt Clinton High School in the late 1920s, received the nickname Lulu when he sank a two-handed set shot from long range and a fan shrieked, “Now that was a lulu of a basket.’’ Boston Globe

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