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 General Basketball WiretapFisher: NBA Players Unfairly Blamed For Vegas Mayhem
"I've heard a lot of opinions [in the media], but those ought to be reserved for when something actually happens. To associate the violence with the players, that's not a fair assessment," the veteran Utah Jazz guard was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times. Las Vegas police made a reported 362 arrests, and several shooting incidents were reported, although none were fatal. The only professional athlete linked to any of the violence was Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, whom police say sparked a melee that led to a triple shooting when he showered nightclub dancers with several thousand dollars as a visual effect. A scuffle broke out when the Houston promoter who hired the dancers told them to pick the money up. "This Pacman story came out, which has been the biggest story of the weekend, and he doesn't have anything to do with the NBA," Fisher said, according to the Times. "We're not happy that he's in that situation, but it's frustrating that it's being tossed into our pool when, as far as I've heard to this point, our guys handled themselves responsibly, got in, had a good time, put on the best show they could put on and went back to their respective teams." Fisher said he witnessed no disorderly conduct by his peers during All-Star weekend. "I never experienced or saw anything that was even remotely out of character," Fisher said, according to the Times. "I didn't see any violence, no fights, not even any shoving." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Union Uneasy About All-Star '08 in Big Easy
On Monday, Hunter told Newsday that he'll take the NBA to court to try and move the game if New Orleans, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, can't prove it's ready to handle the event. "If the union is not convinced that the city can accommodate the All-Star Game, it's an issue that will be subject to litigation between the union and the league," Hunter said. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Bobby Knight Blasts NBA Minimum Age Rule
In the Big 12, it might be called the Kevin Durant Rule after the Longhorn freshman who has electrified the entire country and leads the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Instituted last year by the NBA, it means that super-talented players must wait at least a year rather than jumping into the pros right out of high school. "Because now you can have a kid come to school for a year and play basketball and he doesn't even have to go to class," Knight said Monday during the Big 12 coaches call. "He certainly doesn't have to go to class the second semester. I'm not exactly positive about the first semester. But he would not have to attend a single class the second semester to play through the whole second semester of basketball. "That, I think, has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports." Knight said he would never have recruited Durant, although he doesn't blame Texas coach Rick Barnes for doing so. "I don't fault those that have, because it's within the rules," Knight said. "But the rules are just ridiculous, the way the thing is set up." "It's just a tremendous disservice, the way that it's structured, to the integrity of college sports." General Basketball, NCAA Basketball, NBA Draft Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Feb 2007 Archive
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Derek Fisher, who was named president of the NBA Players Association over All-Star weekend, says his fellow players are being unfairly linked to reports of crime and violence from All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.
Reports of crime and violence in Las Vegas during All-Star weekend have NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter concerned about New Orleans' ability to host the NBA's midseason party next season. 
The new rule that says players must be at least one year removed from high school before entering the NBA is "the worst thing that's happened to college basketball since I've been coaching," says Texas Tech coach Bob Knight.