Ben Maller's NBA rumors
by FOXSports.com
Warriors eye Pacers Marquis Daniels?
I've seen the Warriors linked to the Indiana Pacers in a deal involving Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, among others. Not out of the realm of possibility. But don't count out Warriors interest in Marquis Daniels, just the kind of lovable swingman Don Nelson has an affinity for. This isn't the first time the Warriors have sniffed around there. Nelson's more than comfortable with Daniels, whom he coached for two seasons in Dallas. -- SF Examiner
Stephon Marbury's cousin slams him as spoiled in book
Stephon Marbury has carried the stigma of being a selfish player for the majority of his 12-year NBA career. Now, his older cousin is saying Marbury is even more self-centered off the court and is dishing details on the Knicks point guard in his autobiography, "The Beautiful Struggle," the Daily News has learned. The book, due out in late September from Xlibris Publishing, has former NBA pro and current overseas player Jamel Thomas alleging that Marbury ruined a potential deal for him with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In it, Thomas includes a conversation that he allegedly had with Kevin Garnett, in which Garnett tells him how Marbury's presence on the team spoiled his cousin's chances of signing with Minnesota. "Stephon's selfish - It's just the way he is," Thomas told The News. "He never put himself out there at all to help me. He left me out to dry. Too many false promises. I still love him, but he's selfish." -- NY Daily News
Suns hope Nash can save energy with Dragic aboard
Nash is also all for the idea of conserving the two-time NBA MVP's energy this season by cutting his minutes and having him sit out selected back-to-back games - even if he's somewhat skeptical about the postulate in practice. "It's a great idea. Everyone would love to go into the playoffs rested, and it makes a lot of sense," said Nash. "But competition being what it is, especially in the West, we'll have to see if it's plausible." Nash admitted he was worn out at the end of last season, more than he had been in past seasons. But rather than blaming age, he said it was a matter of circumstance. "I handled the ball a lot, probably abnormally compared to other guards," he said. "It was a grind, and I was a little tired and yeah, there is a lot of mileage. But there was no time to rest. Either we were behind or adding Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) or fighting to get into the playoffs or fighting for seeding ... it's tough. "If we can avoid those situations, that's great. But you can't plan for everything." Nash said he likes what he's seen of his new understudy, rookie Goran Dragic, in drills and offseason pickup games. The plan is for Dragic to play 18-plus minutes and give Nash more rest time. -- East Valley Tribune
Wade: Bulls trade rumors will come back next summer
Because of his deep ties to Chicago, Dwyane Wade frequently is the subject of rumored trades to the Bulls. He takes the conjecture in stride. ''I haven't been asked anything about the Bulls since I left to go to the Olympics, but it will come back next summer,'' he said. ''I'm a Chicago guy. It's an easy story to write about. And in two years when my contract is up, I'm sure it's going to be even more talked about. But I have so much to focus on in my job with Miami that I can't think about the Bulls now.'' -- Chicago Sun-Times
Mason: Okie City fans don't boo
Desmond Mason, a veteran NBA forward who played at Oklahoma State, signed autographs for two hours Thursday night at Academy's northwest Oklahoma City location. "With the backing we had here with the Hornets, and all the excitement around the city, that plays into merchandise," Mason said. "It doesn't surprise me. When you have fans from two universities rooting for one team it really intensifies." Good said all Academy stores, including Tulsa outlets, are well stocked with Thunder items. Other variations of Thunder T-shirts will arrive in the next couple of days. "The team has its own unique identity that sets itself apart from OU and OSU," Good said. "They're pulling from every fan group." A nine-year NBA veteran, Mason, 30, has played for the Sonics, Bucks and Hornets. He said the buzz surrounding the Hornets two years ago isn't common in every NBA city. "Players around the league noticed the sellouts here and how crazy the fans were," Mason said. "The guys coming in from Seattle are really going to enjoy it here. The one thing that stood out is I don't remember getting booed one time. Every other city I played in at some point and time we got booed. Oklahoma City has great fans." -- Oklahoman
Katie Couric forgets about Timberwolves
The Timberwolves took a national recognition hit this week when CBS-TV's Katie Couric, comparing St. Paul and Minneapolis on a Republican National Convention broadcast, said Minneapolis has the Twins and the Vikings and raved about the Wild in St. Paul. No mention of the Timberwolves in Minneapolis. The calculated publicity value of the mention in front a Nielsen audience of 5.48 million was $1.275 million, or the equivalent of $75,000 for a 30-second ad. -- Pioneer Press
Abdur-Rahim coming back for Kings?
Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim and assistant coach Kenny Natt are in Africa with the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program. From what I'm told, Abdur-Rahim's training continues and it's looking like his attempt at a comeback will continue into training camp. On a somewhat related note, the Kings big man coaching job has gone unfilled and I could still see Abdur-Rahim filling that role eventually. It has been discussed informally within the halls of Kingsland, but all involved will continue to follow Abdur-Rahim's lead as his future unfolds. -- Sac Bee
Griz rookie Arthur denies Marijuana use
Wearing a white T-shirt, black basketball shorts and a long face, Darrell Arthur appeared humbled and remorseful in FedExForum following his recent expulsion from the NBA's Rookie Transition program. The Grizzlies' rookie forward spoke for the first time Thursday in a voice filled with contrition. Arthur profusely apologized for an embarrassing, early-morning incident at a New York-area resort that resulted in the league asking him and former Kansas teammate Mario Chalmers to leave the otherwise mandatory seminar. The 6-9 forward acknowledged making a mistake but denied using marijuana. And in addition to a $20,000 league-imposed fine and whatever punishment the Griz may present, Arthur said he plans to rectify the situation in part by counseling youths throughout the city. "I want kids not to make the mistake I made," Arthur said. "I want to try to teach them the right thing to do. If you follow the rules you won't be in the same position I'm in. I feel terrible. I should have never opened the door. If I wouldn't have done that, everything would have been cool. I knew the rules and I made a mistake." Arthur and Chalmers were banished when NBA security and local police reportedly found women and evidence of marijuana use in their hotel room after 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Having visitors of any kind at the rookie transition program is not permitted. Marijuana use is illegal and prohibited under the league's anti-drug policy. No one was arrested. -- Memphis Commercial Appeal
Iverson and Rasheed cut house prices
Two NBA All-Stars who listed their houses last year have cut their prices -- Allen Iverson by 37% in the Philadelphia area, Rasheed Wallace by 6% in Portland, Ore. Mr. Iverson and his wife, Tawanna, put their house on the market after the Philadelphia 76ers traded him in 2006 to the Denver Nuggets. Built in 1991, the six-bedroom, 14,000-square-foot house is in Villanova, about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The four-floor French-style house has arched Palladian windows, a movie theater and a guest suite, according to the listing. The four-acre property includes a poolhouse and a stream. The 33-year-old guard paid $5 million for the house in 2003, records show, and listed it for $6.3 million; he's now asking $4 million. Chanel Overton of Long & Foster Cos., who has the listing, declined to comment, as did a representative for Mr. Iverson. As for Mr. Wallace, the Detroit Pistons forward has lowered the price of his Portland home to $4.9 million from $5.2 million. He played for eight years with the Portland Trail Blazers before taking a six-year deal with the Pistons worth roughly $60 million. -- Wall Street Journal
Thunder wear sets new record in opening sales period
Thunder merchandise is a hot item. So hot, the Thunder set sales records the first 24 hours after the Oklahoma City NBA team announced the nickname. XP Events, the Thunder's merchandising partner, works with six pro franchises. According to XP Events president Alan Fey, non-game day sales records were established for the company at both the team store in downtown Oklahoma City and online. Lines were so long Thursday morning at the Thundershop, the team store opened at 8 a.m., two hours early. Based in Denver, XP Events is a three-year-old company that has contracts with the Charlotte Bobcats and Phoenix Suns in the NBA, the Florida Panthers in the NHL, the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL and baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. "I've been in this business a long time and it's been a pretty amazing experience," said Fey, who flew to Oklahoma City for the team store's grand opening. "For a store this size, to have this much volume on site, and online, there's been a lot of excitement and energy." -- Oklahoman
Pacers to have 72 TV games
FSN Indiana announced the 2008-09 Indiana Pacers' television schedule Thursday that includes 72 regular-season games and two preseason games, including the team's return to its original ABA home. -- Indy Star
Suns Nash supports team going "green"
Suns guard Steve Nash threw his support behind the latest "green" effort by the Suns, who are spending $1.5 million to put atop the parking garage solar panels that will produce enough energy to power the center's pavilion area for 26 home games beginning next year. -- East Valley Tribune
Jazz Boozer and Williams on Oprah
We'll have to wait until Monday to find out if they jumped up and down on the couch or shed tears in front of a sympathetic audience, but Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer will be able to add an interesting tidbit to their resumes. On Wednesday, the Utah Jazz's Olympians were guests on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The show will air this Monday. Actually, the couch scenario probably didn't happen. Oprah had Utah's new-age dynamic duo and 170-plus of their closest Olympic medal-winning compatriots join her at Chicago's Millenium Park for a "Welcome Home Team USA" party. -- Deseret News
Ben Maller can be heard weeknights on "The Third Shift on Fox" via the vast Fox Sports Radio Network. The show is broadcast live Monday-Friday from 2am till 6am (est). Check your local radio listenings for the FSR affiliate in your town, listen to XM Satellite Radio Channel No. 142 or via live streaming audio online at FoxSports.com/Radio. Say hi to Ben at myspace.com/benmaller. Interact with Ben's fans and talk sports on Ben Maller's forum Questions, comments and news tips can be sent to Ben via e mail at BigBen@Foxsports.com or Ben@BenMaller.com.
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