Don Nelson’s attorney, John O’Connor, who said Cuban is suing Nelson, claiming the Warriors beat the Mavs in the first round because the Warriors’ coach — and former coach of the Mavs — had “confidential information and he [Cuban] wants to enjoin Don from coaching against the Mavericks.”
“There is no basis in our view,” O’Connor said. “I suppose he [Nelson] knows [Dirk] Nowitzki likes to go right instead of left, but normally that’s not a trade secret.”
Every year, Cuban becomes a little less of the “hey, I’d be a crazy fan like that if I owned a team too!” guy and more of the “jesus christ, he’s really quite nuts, isn’t he?” guy. It’s fun to watch.
I don’t know exactly why the Washington Nationals mascot, Screech, rubs me the wrong way. He just does, OK? I hate him desperately. It’s strange, because I like the Nationals themselves, even though they’re tied for the second-worst record in baseball (thank you, Cincinnati Reds!). And Dmitri Young is hitting .336. Like eagles themselves, at least the Nationals are trying to come back from the brink of extinction. Screech, however, needs to go. The Nationals are in Pittsburgh for three beginning today, then return home for a four-game set against the Cubs beginning July 2. Oh, Screech … have you read the paper today? My only hope is that Cheney doesn’t get to him first.
• Well That Didn’t Go As Planned. Randy Johnson is back, but to tell you the truth he kind of sucks. Johnson, who went on the DL on June 11 with muscle tightness in his buttocks and a sore back, had his return to the Diamondbacks spoiled by Russell Martin’s two-run homer as the Dodgers beat Arizona 9-5. The 43-year-old lefthander allowed four runs, three earned, and six hits over three innings.
• Do It For Daulerio’s Mustache! So is this where the Phillies make that big push to finally catch the Mets? Jimmy Rollins says yes! He had four hits, including the game-winning single in the 10th as Philadelphia beat the aforementioned Reds 8-7. Your Chase Utley update: A pair of two-run homers, as the Phillies moved to within three games of the first-place Mets in the East. The Mets come to Philadelphia for a four-game series starting with a Friday doubleheader.
• Wait, The White Sox Are Good Now? Javier Vazquez is, at any rate, as he allowed one run over seven innings — with Paul Konerko hitting a pair of solo homers — to lead Chicago over Tampa Bay 5-1. And that’s a sweep, folks.
• Jason And The Argonauts Jason Michaels’ three-run homer in the seventh led the Cleveland Indians past the Athletics 4-3 Thursday. That’s an 11-game hitting streak for our protagonist.
Obviously, the Internets are gonna be buzzing all day today with draft analysis and all that dirty business, and everyone’s gonna be telling you who the winners and losers were after a night where nothing other than the reading of names happened.
That said, some thoughts. Because our opinions are worth nothing, which makes them as valuable as everyone else’s today.
That said, the NBA Draft is less than an hour away, and if you’re not just watching it for the suits, you should still find plenty to tickle your proverbial fancy. And we are extremely honored to have Bethlehem Shoals of Free Darko here to take you through all the pageantry. He’ll be checking in just before the draft begins, and after the jump, to be your spiritual guide through the land of short people reading the names of tall people off index cards. Have fun, folks, and we wish you well.
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Was that replay of Oden and ma duke in slo-mo? It should have been.
Notice that Stern, crafty troll that he is, said “Greg” like “Kgraig.” For the international audiences, and for a “k” sound that made us wonder for a second.
Okay, back to business. These high fives in Portland CENTCOM are worse than the ones Yao’s family exchanged when he got chosen.
My bad. Noah by a country mile.
QUESTION FOR ALL: does a single lottery pick in this year’s draft have the All-American Rejects in his iPod? Spencer Hawes would be too easy.
Wait, Michael Jordan has the authority to make deals in Charlotte? Did everyone know that but me?
Noah repped his city by dressing like an eighty year-old woman?
Conley hates going out on the town with Oden.
One summer, I read so much scouting bullshit leading into the draft that I started to wonder if I could be drafted. Or at least think about if I was sinewy, or had decent lateral movement. That they keep these frames going during the commercials has me thinking that way about the folks applying for loans.
In a suit, Greg Oden looks like a black Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Did I just bother to point out that SAS said something moronic? That’s moronic.
Has anyone else noticed that, over the last few days, Yi has become the secret hero of this whole thing? And that whole Chinese investors in the Hawks conspiracy. . . does Ira Newble know about this? Wasn’t he on the Hawks once? Would he give that money back if Atlanta sells its soul to the Far East?
Okay, the draft seems to be on finally. SAS is a moron if he thinks this isn’t up to the standards of ‘03.
“Would put the Celtics into a different realm of perception among their fans.” That doesn’t even need a joke after it.
As with all things in his life, Ray Allen’s availability has been super-stealth this month. Him to Boston wouldn’t be so bad for everyone involved.
Note to Dicky V: YOU DO NOT HAVE A SEX DRIVE. Or at least most of us would rather think you don’t. Stop me before I make another Muppets comparison.
Can I just say, right here right now, that I hate Spencer Hawes. I feel like he was in last year’s draft, and will be in next year’s, too. He is like one of those things on Charmed, but taller.
Seriously, what is Dicky V going to say tonight? He can’t just tell us that college players are superior to high schoolers and international thuds.
Jim Gray is so Bert it’s not even funny. His head has the dimensions of those jerseys hanging in the background.
Oh, and if you haven’t heard, there’s a hot rumor that ESPN’s leaked the top four already. Oden, Durant, Horford, Conley. So you’ve got at least an hour before suspense beckons.
Shoals checking in. I am sitting in a hotel room, finishing a cheese steak and trying to figure out which Worldwide Leader the draft is on. They’ve got coverage on at least four of them.
“It will be a light atmosphere,” said Dunbar assistant coach Albert Powell, who has helped Cook through the draft process. “There will be finger food, soft drinks and a big-screen TV.”
If you’re in Dayton, frankly, you have no excuse not to go to this. If anybody goes and takes pictures, we’ll totally run it tomorrow. Particularly if he’s crying.
You might remember back, a few months ago, when we told you about the brothers Silna, the former owners of the ABA St. Louis Spirits who, to this day, get one-seventh of the revenue of all NBA television contracts even though they haven’t owned a team in 30 years. Well, with the new NBA/ABC/ESPN contract signed yesterday, they’re raking in even more free cash.
The Silna brothers, Ozzie and Dan, learned that they’ll be paid some $ 136 million over the next eight years. The checks will be coming from the Denver Nuggets, the San Antonio Spurs, the New Jersey Nets and the Indiana Pacers.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell wasn’t able to get the Silna brothers to talk — they’re busy eating $100 bill sandwiches — but he’s still got a compendium of outstanding stories. These guys are geniuses, and David Stern surely can’t wait for them to die.
You might remember, back in the day, our dissertation on blind baseball. Well, they’re playing a new version in Italy now, and it seems to make a little more sense. Instead of beeping, they simply hold onto the ball when they swing. This might cause a blind man to lose a finger — which, now that we think about it, would likely make it more difficult to read — but hey, when you’re dealing with the beauty that is the world of baseball, sacrifices must be made.
You know, it’s possible that Mark Cuban isn’t quite over his Mavericks’ loss to the Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. How can we tell? Because he’s actually suing Don Nelson for having “confidential information” and using it in the Warriors’ victory. He’s really doing this.
The American Bald Eagle 
Obviously, the Internets are gonna be buzzing all day today with draft analysis and all that dirty business, and everyone’s gonna be telling you who the winners and losers were after a night where nothing other than the reading of names happened.
Some sad news, folks: The world-famous Stephen A. Smith Heckling Society Of Gentlemen, responsible for the brilliant 
According to the most recent — and, we presume, the final — 
You might remember back, a few months ago, when we told you about 
