Mark Cuban doesn't like the Olympics because other people make money off of players he has under contract while risking injury that could cause him to eventually lose money. Ahh, the worries of the wealthy ...

Quoted: Mark Cuban has been articulate and consistent in his criticism of an Olympic model he considers hypocritical.
...
His objections aren't muted now that two of his stars could compete in the Games this summer.

It's obvious to any NBA fan that officiating varies greatly and that officials give up at the end of games. But it's stupid to point out specific non-calls as conspiracies because it happens in a hefty percentage of games every season. How can one non-call be a conspiracy (like their Brent Barry example) and all of the rest are just shoddy ref-ing? It's ALL just shoddy ref-ing.

Quoted: It's a lot harder to laugh at the NBA conspiracy theorists today, isn't it?

Noooooo! Well, no Bynum for the playoffs. Bummer.

Quoted: More than four months after Andrew Bynum injured his left knee, it's been decided the Los Angeles Lakers center will undergo arthroscopic surgery.

Congrats Kobe!!

Quoted: Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced today.

Seattle's last chance ...

Quoted: Former SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz filed suit Tuesday to undo his sale of the team to an Oklahoma City-based group led by Clay Bennett, saying Bennett lied to him by insisting he planned to keep the NBA franchise in Seattle. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks to deprive Bennett's group of "the fruits of its deception" by rescinding the sale, and described Bennett's actions as... - National Basketball Association news

Shocking news ... or not. This does seem to let David Stern off the hook a bit though. I read elsewhere that Governor Gregoire was going to ask the NBA not to approve the relo next week due to these revelations and to instead find a way to have some REAL "good-faith" efforts to keep the team in Seattle.

Quoted: E-mail messages between SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett and team co-owners appear to show Bennett misled NBA commissioner David Stern on the group's intentions to move the team to Oklahoma City before all avenues for a new arena in Seattle were closed. The messages have become part of the team's dispute with the city of Seattle over the two years remaining on its KeyArena lease. - National Basketball Association news

If road teams won't want to play in OKC, how hard will be be to get players who will actually want to be on a team based in OKC?

Quoted: Shaquille O'Neal and other Phoenix Suns personnel say they can't see Oklahoma City as a better NBA city than Seattle.

I agree.

Quoted: In the liveliest NBA trade season in quite some time, nearly every contending team made a significant move by yesterday's deadline. And those that didn't were trying up to the last minute. Grading on the curve, here are some early assessments:
A-plus: Lakers. (They acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Marc Gasol, and draft picks.)

How can one say anything different after watching a rejuvenated Gasol, who has fit right in with Kobe Bryant and the surging Lakers? Los Angeles also opted not to move Lamar Odom before the deadline, giving this group a chance to mesh. GM Mitch Kupchak should drive to Vegas tonight and bet the ranch. He's on a roll.