HoopsHype.com Rumors

Dennis Rodman plans to take a spin in the Popemobile during his trip to Rome ... but he tells TMZ, that's only the BEGINNING of his plans to change the world by meeting the new Pontiff. Rodman was at Miami International Airport yesterday -- where he boarded his flight for Rome -- and we were able to fire off a bunch of questions before he took off. TMZ.com

Dennis Rodman, Rome 

Emiliano Carchia: Dennis Rodman is really in Rome, just outside Vatican City pic.twitter.com/Z6ydba3SJd Twitter @SportandoBasket

Dennis Rodman, Rome 

Ethan J. Skolnick: Asked where in world he still wants to visit, LeBron said, "Rome. I want to see the Colosseum. I love Gladiators and things like that." Twitter @EthanJSkolnick

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Rome 

When the teams met last month in an exhibition at Fenway Park (Roma beat Liverpool, 2-1) it was revealed Garnett had been excluded from financial involvement with Roma. The NBA blocked the move because AS Roma’s principal investor is Celtics part-owner James Pallotta. “If you enter into a business agreement with the owner of a team that doesn’t involve playing service, there are potential problems,” a league source said. “Maybe not in this case. But there is a chance of, say, making a contract a lot larger.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Italy, Kevin Garnett, Rome 

James is allowed to invest in Liverpool because Fenway Sports Group has no connection with the NBA. “With LeBron, there is no tie-in whatsoever, so it’s a different deal,” the source said. “It’s like having a business relationship with Nike. We make it simple — you can’t have a business deal with your team, or any other team, because there is the possibility of an underhanded deal there. It’s pretty clear-cut.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Sneakers, Italy, Kevin Garnett, Rome 

Bargnani also has high hopes of having regular-season NBA Europe games permanently in the future – which would include a five-team mini- league. Something that NBA Commissioner, David Stern has said will be ‘inevitable.’ The Raptors’ star, who is averaging 21.8 ppg, before tonight’s historic encounter, would love his birthplace of Rome to have a franchise. “It would be great for Rome to have a franchise, but as for playing man, I’m with Toronto,” Bargnani clarified. “To organize something like that though, with all the traveling and stuff, it will be very complicated. But the NBA wants to stage this as a permanent feature, and it would be great, but I hope Rome would get a spot.” SLAM

Toronto Raptors, David Stern, Andrea Bargnani, Europe, Owners, Rome