NBA Capsules: Lakers raise championship banner, get rings
LOS ANGELES — Derek Fisher led the Staples Center crowd in a 3-2-1 countdown to the unveiling of the banner commemorating the Los Angeles Lakers’ 15th championship.
Then the Lakers got back to work on counting to 16.
Nine former Lakers joined the crowd in welcoming the franchise’s latest bunch of champions into their fraternity Tuesday night before the season opener against the Clippers. Wearing purple warmup jackets with 15 gold stars on the back, the Lakers’ remarkably intact roster received its rings from NBA commissioner David Stern and Lakers executive vice president Jeanie Buss.
"Tonight is such a special night for our team," Fisher said to the crowd. "We know every night we come out here ... the support from you has just been unbelievable all these years."
Kobe Bryant got the final ring — and congratulations from Lakers greats including Jerry West and Magic Johnson — before the new gold banner was revealed high atop the arena.
Stern encouraged cheers for "a Laker team that showed us an extraordinary amount of dedication ... and to the Laker fans around the world."
Calling him "the greatest owner in sports," Johnson urged a standing ovation for 75-year-old Jerry Buss, who watched from a luxury box high up in Staples Center.
West represented the Lakers’ 1972 champions. He was joined by Norm Nixon (1980), Jamaal Wilkes (1982), James Worthy (1985), Michael Cooper (1987), Johnson (1988), A.C. Green (2000), Rick Fox (2001) and Robert Horry (2002). The Lakers also won five titles in Minneapolis.
NBA career scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar even was on hand to accept his ring as a special assistant coach to the current Lakers.
Twelve members of last season’s team are back with the Lakers this season, from noncontributors such as Adam Morrison and DJ Mbenga to every significant member of last season’s squad except Trevor Ariza, who swapped places with Ron Artest in Houston.
The Lakers rolled to their 10th title on the West Coast through a difficult playoff run, including a seven-game series against the Rockets and a six-game triumph over Denver in the Western Conference finals.
Los Angeles finally eliminated the Orlando Magic in five games, leading to a championship parade and celebration at the Coliseum. Bryant was the finals MVP after winning his first title without Shaquille O’Neal.
After the banner unveiling and cheers to the strains of Randy Newman’s "I Love L.A.," the Lakers all placed their rings on a table next to the Larry O’Brien Trophy and faced the Clippers, taking a 59-49 lead at halftime.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson got a special ovation from the crowd when he received his 10th championship ring as a coach, in addition to the ring he still occasionally wears from his playing days with the New York Knicks.
That Knicks ring is missing a diamond after he lost it at a Bennigan’s restaurant while he was an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, whom he later coached to six championships. Yet the Knicks ring is perhaps the only one in his collection that’s suitable for day-to-day wear, given the baubles’ gradual increases in size and ostentatiousness over the years.
"I don’t think any of them are wearable since they went to this format," Jackson said, calling them "too gaudy, too large. You can’t shake hands with anybody."
Jackson typically breaks out the ring from his most recent title during the following playoff run, which means he’s been breaking out the Lakers’ 2002 title ring for the past few postseasons.
"I really disliked that ring," he said with a laugh. "It looked like a clown’s face, actually."
Lakers F Gasol misses opener
LOS ANGELES — Forward Pau Gasol is sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener to rest his strained right hamstring.
Gasol missed the defending champions’ final six preseason games with the injury. Lamar Odom took his spot in the starting lineup against the Clippers on Tuesday night, and DJ Mbenga took his place on the active roster.
The Spaniard still was on hand at Staples Center to receive his championship ring in a pregame ceremony.
Coach Phil Jackson is hopeful Gasol will return Friday night against Dallas.
Gasol averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season while starting 81 games.
L.A. Lakers’ Pau Gasol to guest star on ‘CSI’
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol is getting a chance to show off his acting moves on "CSI: Miami."
CBS says Gasol will appear in the Nov. 16 episode of the crime drama, playing a person of interest in the investigation of a terrible car accident.
"CSI: Miami" stars David Caruso and Emily Procter.
Gasol sat out the Lakers’ final six preseason games because of a strained right hamstring, and was considered unlikely to play in Tuesday night’s season opener.
The Spanish-born athlete has other screen credits, including an appearance on the CBS drama "Numb3rs" with teammate Jordan Farmar.
Bobcats G Bell putting off wrist surgery
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Raja Bell wants to tough it out without being a liability. The Charlotte Bobcats likely need their starting shooting guard if they want a realistic shot at the playoffs.
Tuesday was a day of optimism for both sides, with Bell hopeful he’ll be able to play this season with a torn ligament in his left wrist and put off surgery that would sideline him up to four months.
"I’m going to (sit out) for another week to see if it continues to progress as it has, then I’ll probably wind up playing," Bell said after participating practice with his non-shooting hand heavily taped. "If it doesn’t, then we’ll go back to the drawing board."
Bell was injured when his wrist bent awkwardly as he tried grab a loose ball in an exhibition game on Oct. 18. He sat out the final two preseason games after tests revealed the torn ligament. Bell got a second opinion from a Chicago hand specialist who told him if he can withstand the pain, he can play.
"I’m pretty encouraged," Bell said. "It’s feeling a lot better than it did. I still have some hurdles to clear with it, but I feel good."
Bell will sit out Wednesday’s season opener in Boston, leaving the Bobcats short-handed because Ronald "Flip" Murray hasn’t been cleared to return from a stress reaction in his left shin. Coach Larry Brown said Stephen Graham will start against the Celtics ahead of rookie Gerald Henderson.
"I’m not afraid to play Gerald Henderson, but I don’t want his first NBA game chasing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen around right off the bat," Brown said.
Guarding the top scorers has been Bell’s job since Charlotte acquired him from Phoenix in December. But Bell acknowledged defending and passing will be more difficult with the injury.
"Defensively, it’s tough. It’s hard to kind of put your hand on people, it jams it," Bell said. "Taking a charge would probably be a scary thought for me right now. And it gets so heavily taped that passing and dribbling, anything to my left, is a problem. That really hinders your game. ... I have to be able to play with a little less tape to be effective."
Bell said his shooting isn’t affected because he doesn’t have to snap his left wrist on the release. Bell averaged 13 points and four rebounds and shot 42 percent from 3-point range in 45 games with Charlotte last season. The Bobcats, though, saw their playoff hopes derailed when Bell was sidelined with a calf injury near the end of the season.
If his wrist doesn’t improve enough in a week or so, Bell said he could undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery to make sure the corrective surgery is needed. The arthroscopic surgery would keep him out four to six weeks. Surgery to repair the ligament would sideline him three to four months.
Playing this season would not only help the Bobcats’ playoff hopes, but Bell’s financial prospects. He turned 33 last month and is in the final year of his contract after the Bobcats rebuffed his request for an extension in the offseason.
But Bell also doesn’t want to be so limited by his left hand that he’s ineffective.
"To help this team I’ll have to be able to use it, so I’ll take that week and see if it continues to heal," Bell said. "As soon as I feel I can be on the court and not be a liability — meaning people can’t just sit on my left hand — I’ll be back."
NOTES: C Tyson Chandler, still looking to get into playing shape after returning from offseason ankle surgery, was encouraged after practice Tuesday. Still, Brown said Chandler isn’t ready to play 35-40 minutes, meaning Nazr Mohammed will get more playing time. ... Brown said he didn’t know when Murray would return. ... The Bobcats have until Saturday to decide on picking up the third-year option on C Alexis Ajinca’s contract.
-- Mike Cranston
Casspi set to make history as first Israeli in NBA
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As a child growing up in Israel, Omri Casspi would do whatever he could to get any glimpse of the NBA.
"I remember waking up early in the morning to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s," said Casspi, not knowing if he would ever get a chance to play there.
That day has almost arrived and now young Israeli kids will want to be like Omri. Casspi is set to make his NBA debut on Wednesday when the Sacramento Kings take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
When Casspi steps onto the court, he will be the first Israeli ever to play in the NBA, a designation that comes with as much fanfare as it does pressure to succeed. Players from more than 60 other countries have made it to the NBA before Israel has its first.
"I’m behind that now," he said. "I’m comfortable now. I played for the biggest club in Israel. Of course, it’s a responsibility, but at the end of the day, it’s still basketball."
That’s what Casspi does well and it’s why he was the first Israeli ever taken in the first round of the draft when the Kings chose him 23rd overall in June.
That set off an emotional celebration in Israel, where many fans watched a live feed from Casspi’s living room at 2:30 a.m. local time when he was finally taken. Casspi broke into tears with the realization that a lifelong dream had come true as a friend poured Champagne over his head.
His debut will be broadcast live in Israel, starting at 2 a.m. local time.
"I call him the Michael Jordan of Israel, being the first guy from there drafted in the first round," Kings teammate Jason Thompson said. "He has a high motor, consistent jump shot, and is real wiry with bounce. When he gets a lot of reps and feels more comfortable playing games, he’ll be a really good player."
There is excitement for Casspi in Jewish communities in the United States as well. Fans in Sacramento wearing jerseys with Casspi’s name spelled in Hebrew came out for a rally after the draft and the Knicks have already designated the Kings’ visit to New York in February as Jewish Heritage Night.
Casspi, 21, is a 6-foot-9 athletic shooting forward who led Israel’s most famous team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, to a league championship this past season. He averaged 12.6 points per game and was named to the all-league team. He also starts for the Israel national basketball team.
Casspi struggled in the Las Vegas summer league, adjusting to a new league, new culture and more talented players than he was used to playing against.
Casspi’s adjustment on the court went well in the preseason. He was the ninth leading scorer among all rookies, averaging 11.7 points per game, shooting 55 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
"There’s a lot of differences with the players, the physicality and the quickness," he said. "It took me some time to adjust. But I feel comfortable now. I feel like coach gave me confidence and my teammates also."
Coach Paul Westphal understands how difficult the adjustment is, even though he believes the quality of play in the Israeli league is superior to U.S. colleges.
But while American players have grown up watching scores of NBA games each year, learning favorite moves and tendencies of various players, everything is new for Casspi.
"He’s naturally been a little more tentative," Westphal said. "He’s had more to adjust to than anybody on our team. As he lets his aggressiveness take over, as he gets more relaxed and has a better understanding of what things are like, he’ll get better and better. He’s already done that. He’s improved every day."
Then there’s the off-court adjustment, where Casspi has to adjust to a new country as well as a new professional challenge.
Casspi’s adjustment is helped by the fact that he brought his 25-year-old brother, Eitan, to Sacramento with him, giving him a sounding board whenever he needs it.
"It’s great," he said. "I finish practice late at night and get home and see family and can talk with him. It helps me a lot. I don’t miss my family as much. It gives me someone to talk to when I need to."
His biggest concern this summer was finding quality hummus to eat in the United States. While that search is ongoing, Thompson and his other teammates are trying to introduce him to their own favorite foods.
"I’m trying to get him to eat cheesesteaks with me being from the Philly area," Thompson said. "My home cooking is a little different than the home cooking he is used to. Next summer, I want to go to Israel and check it out."
-- Josh Dubow
Celtics’ Davis has surgery on right thumb
BOSTON — Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis had surgery on Tuesday to repair his broken right thumb after fighting with a childhood friend while riding in an SUV less than two days before the season opener.
A police report identified Davis as the victim and said his friend, Shawn Bridgewater, appeared to be intoxicated.
Davis is expected to miss at least six weeks, though the Celtics said he also could be suspended for his behavior.
While his teammates were in Cleveland on Tuesday preparing for the Celtics’ opening game against the Cavaliers, Davis was undergoing an operation at a Boston hospital. In a statement released by the team, Davis apologized to his teammates, coaches and the organization.
"I am extremely disappointed that this incident occurred and that it will prevent me from starting the season with the rest of my teammates," he said. "My teammates and the entire Celtics organization are extremely important to me and I will do my best to expedite the healing process and be back on the court as soon as possible."
That might not be good enough for the Celtics.
Owner Wyc Grousbeck told The Associated Press that Davis could be suspended for violating the contract he signed this summer, which would pay him about $6 million over the next two years.
"We are talking with his representatives and will likely move to suspend him for a period of time once we have all the facts in front of us," Grousbeck said. "We expect him to return to the team ready to contribute once his hand is healed. This situation, while regrettable, can be a catalyst for a team coming together."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers is upset with Davis and the circumstances that led to the injury.
"I’m supportive of ‘Baby’ but I’m disappointed," Rivers said before Tuesday night’s game. "It puts everybody in a bad way and, obviously, the timing of it wasn’t great, but I don’t know if there is a good time for it. It happened. When we got the results back, we were hoping for the best that it would be a bad lesson, but not a lesson that was going to hurt our team as well. It turned out to be both."
On the possibility of Davis being suspended, Rivers said, "I’ve been in on the conversations very little. Basically, I don’t want to be a part of that right now because I have a job to do. We’ve got time to discuss what we want to do there. Something is going to happen, obviously."
Rivers spoke to Davis on Monday but offered no details on their talk.
"That’s a private conversation," Rivers said. "It wasn’t a jovial one, I can tell you that. But it was an honest one."
While disappointed in Davis, Rivers is standing by him.
"I’ll make this point, ‘Baby’ is not a bad person," Rivers said. "He made a bad mistake. He made a bad judgment. Unfortunately, it only takes one second or five seconds to make a mistake and then you have to live with it at times. Right now, he has to live with that mistake. He’s not a bad kid. He’s grown. He’s maturing. Obviously, he has a ways to go, but we want to help him do that. I really feel that’s part of my job as coach to help him become a better person and to not put himself in ways like this."
Rivers isn’t certain when Davis will return.
According to the police report, officers found Davis at 4 a.m. Monday walking shirtless near a black SUV that had stopped in the middle of the road, less than one-quarter mile from his Waltham house. Davis told police he had gotten into a fight with Bridgewater, whom he identified as his "best friend since childhood," while driving back from a restaurant in Boston.
Davis’ girlfriend and her friend were also in the car; the report said all four concurred that Bridgewater, who like Davis is from Baton Rouge, La., threw the first punch and the 6-foot-9, 289-pound forward retaliated, leaving Bridgewater with a fat lip and blood around the mouth and nose. Both Davis and Bridgewater refused medical attention, before Davis and his girlfriend walked home.
A backup for most of his career, Davis moved into the starting lineup after Kevin Garnett was injured last season and went from 21 minutes a game to 36 while bumping his scoring average from 7 points to 15.8. Davis became a restricted free agent this summer but re-signed with the Celtics after to a two-year deal worth about $6 million.
-- Jimmy Golen
Beasley eager for season to start
MIAMI — Michael Beasley will be on the court for the Miami Heat for the opening tip-off Wednesday night, apparently poised to become a starting forward.
Not long ago, that seemed far from being a sure thing.
The longest offseason of Beasley’s young life is finally over, a six-month roller-coaster replete with two infamous Twitter flameouts and a stay at a Houston rehabilitation facility. All behind him, Beasley said, noting that he’s been sober since Aug. 6 and vowing that his game will benefit from all the rough patches.
"I think I’ve worked harder now than I did last year," Beasley said. "Last year, I found myself coasting through sometimes, just going through the motions. This year, I’m a little more hungry."
His oft-discussed troubles include disturbing messages and a conversation-sparking photo in a tattoo establishment posted on his now-closed Twitter feeds, more than a month in rehab, and by his own acknowledgment, membership in the NBA substance-abuse program.
"All behind me," Beasley said.
But his rookie season was still promising: He averaged 13.9 points in 81 games, shot 47 percent and saw marked increases in just about every stat category after the All-Star break. The offseason of discontent over, the Heat expect to see Beasley’s level of play keep improving this year, starting with Wednesday’s opener against the New York Knicks.
"He’s making progress. I like what he’s done this preseason. I do," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I keep on pointing to his focus, but I think we were able to cover a lot more ground. I see a quicker application from practice to the games. ... And defensively, he’s done some things that I like. He needs to keep on going."
Spoelstra declined to reveal his opening-night lineup, but players at practice Tuesday said Quentin Richardson will start against the Knicks at small forward, with Beasley starting at power forward — a move that, if it happens, would have Heat veteran Udonis Haslem coming off the bench, at least for one game.
That’s a shocker, considering Haslem has been a reserve in only two contest in the previous five seasons: A meaningless end-of-regular-season game at Atlanta in April 2006, and a game where he was returning from an injury against Philadelphia in February 2008.
For his part, Beasley said the starting-or-not issue wasn’t relevant to him.
"It doesn’t matter. As long as my team’s winning, I can come off the bench, I can be the sixth or seventh man," Beasley said. "As long as I’m contributing to my team positively, it doesn’t matter."
What does matter, in his mind, is playing late in games.
Crunch time often meant sitting time for Beasley last season. He played in 81 games, but only appeared in the final 3 minutes of regulation 44 times, logging 91 minutes — more than 50 fewer than Dwyane Wade, Haslem, Mario Chalmers and Daequan Cook were called upon to get in the deciding minutes.
One of his goals this year is to be a go-to option for Spoelstra when the outcome hangs in the balance.
"I would say, for the most part, the last 2½, 3 months, I was pretty liberal with his time," Spoelstra said. "He would play through it. Other than foul trouble, he was playing through mistakes. He was also making less mistakes. The last couple months of the season, he was extremely efficient offensively."
He spoke earlier this offseason of wanting to prove to his team, both on the court and off, that he’s worthy of their trust. The Heat took him with the No. 2 draft pick in 2008, have included him prominently in marketing campaigns, and both Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley rave about his potential as a scorer.
Teammates are sold that his troubles are in the past.
Starting Wednesday, Beasley gets his chance to show the rest of the NBA the same.
"I’ll do whatever I have to do," Beasley said.
-- Tim Reynolds
Cavs’ West kept out of opener
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers began their run toward an NBA championship without troubled guard Delonte West.
West, who has battled a mood disorder and other personal problems during a turbulent off-season, was inactive as the Cavs opened their season Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown said general manager Danny Ferry and a support team working with West decided the guard was not ready to play.
"They have some things that they feel they have to get in order for him to be active," Brown said. "When they say he’s ready then he’ll be out on the floor."
West was in Cleveland’s locker room before the game. He has not spoken to reporters since media day late last month. West quietly dressed and went for a workout inside Quicken Loans Arena about an hour before the game.
West has battled bipolar disorder in the past. He was arrested on weapons charges near his Maryland home in September and has a court date scheduled in November. He reported to training camp on time, but did not show for the first four practices and then left the Cavaliers for a week to deal with personal issues.
On Monday, West’s wife filed a domestic violence report against him. In the report, she says that Delonte West had accused her of cheating on him and that they had argument in which he grabbed her and took her wedding ring and purse. Police said the case remains under investigation and that no charges have been filed.
West also faces a likely NBA suspension once his legal matters have been resolved.
The Cavs have been treating West’s assorted issues on a day-to-day basis. They are being sensitive to his needs and want him to get better.
However, the team doesn’t need any distractions as it tries to win a first league title and Brown acknowledged there could come a time when they have to make a difficult decision on West.
"I’m sure there may be at some point or another if it gets that far," Brown said. "I don’t know. I’m not necessarily looking that far ahead. Right now, I’m concentrating on the guys that we have in uniform and let’s lace it up and let’s see what happens.
"I have confidence in the guys we have been dressing. We have time to get better. Delonte has time to get better. We got plenty of season left still."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers spent 2½ seasons with West in Boston.
"I just pray for him, honestly," he said. "I just hope things work out for him."
Rivers said West wasn’t a distraction during his time with the Celtics.
"We didn’t have all this," he said. "We had some issues, but we didn’t have all this. It’s tough. Those are the kids you just hope somehow, someone can touch him. You can’t give up on him. You shouldn’t give up on anyone breathing, that’s my belief. Obviously, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it’s a lot of stuff. You just hope somehow, somebody gets to him.
"It’s dangerous. You want things to work out for him."
West has been Cleveland’s best postseason player other than LeBron James the past two years.
-- Tom Withers
Clips’ Griffin out 6 weeks with broken kneecap
LOS ANGELES — Blake Griffin’s broken kneecap has reminded the Los Angeles Clippers’ No. 1 draft pick it’s not always a good idea to play through pain.
Griffin will be off the court for six weeks to rest his knee after injuring it in a preseason game last Friday. He will miss the Clippers’ season opener against the Lakers on Tuesday night, and isn’t likely to resume basketball activities until mid-November.
The former Oklahoma star says he thought he could keeping playing with pain in his knee, but an MRI on Monday confirmed a stress fracture in his kneecap. Coach Mike Dunleavy says the team immediately decided to shelve Griffin until next month at the earliest.
He averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in the preseason.
-- Greg Beacham
Jefferson to play, Flynn, Ellington questionable
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves big man Al Jefferson will play in the opener on Wednesday night against New Jersey despite battling an Achilles injury in recent weeks.
Jefferson said Tuesday that he has practiced pain free for the past two days and will definitely be in the lineup against the Nets.
That’s good news for the Timberwolves, who will play the first six to eight weeks of the season without forward Kevin Love after he had surgery on a broken hand last week.
Rookies Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington both missed their second practice in a row Tuesday because of illness. Coach Kurt Rambis says he isn’t sure if they will be ready to play on Wednesday.
Elsewhere
Investment scandal rocks Israeli basketball
JERUSALEM — When the popular former manager of Israel’s most famous basketball team killed himself last week, it seemed like a sad tale of a heartbroken man who couldn’t adjust to life after sports. Now it appears there’s more to the story.
Authorities suspect Moni Fanan was running a multimillion dollar investment scheme for some of Israel’s top sports figures, and that he was deep in debt. The scandal has overshadowed the opening of Israel’s basketball season this week and tarnished Maccabi Tel Aviv, the most successful team in the country’s history.
Huge losses, estimated at more than $20 million, are now believed to have driven Fanan to hang himself in his Tel Aviv apartment last week.
Top players are believed to have lost millions of dollars in shady investments, tax authorities have raided Maccabi’s offices, and there are even suspicions that referees in charge of Maccabi games had invested with Fanan.
Maccabi spokesman Nitzan Ferraro denied any wrongdoing inside the club and said team officials were cooperating with the authorities. "We have nothing to hide," he said.
Maccabi has dominated Israeli basketball for decades, winning 38 of the past 40 league titles. Its budget dwarfs that of all its competitors, and it has grown into a European powerhouse. Last week, Maccabi toured the U.S. for a series of exhibition games against NBA teams.
For years, Fanan was the face of Maccabi to the Israeli public, holding a position that ranged from bench coach to logistics manager to chief troubleshooter for his players.
During his 16-year tenure, the team won 15 league titles and three European championships. His son, Regev, was a backup for five years.
Fanan was particularly popular with the team’s dozens of foreign players, some of whom went on to play in the NBA. But last year, he was forced to step down and give up his small stake in Maccabi, after a falling out with other team executives.
Since Fanan’s death, Israeli newspapers have reported that he ran a private banking network in which he invested large sums of money for his players, opposing coaches and league referees in return for promises of double-digit returns.
The Israeli media have given the story nonstop coverage, saying Fanan’s murky financial dealings were well known among team officials. Most of the reports have cited players speaking anonymously, since many were invested with Fanan and could be charged with tax evasion for their earnings.
One former player, Doron Jamchi, broke the wall of silence over the weekend when he told Israel’s Channel 2 TV that "everyone on the team knew."
Israeli tax authorities this week raided Maccabi’s main office, confiscating boxes of documents. The team’s former coach, Tzvika Sherf, and two ex-stars, Nadav Henefeld and Oded Katash, have been questioned. Tax Authority spokeswoman Idit Lev-Zerehia confirmed the agency is looking into possible tax evasion and money laundering.
The case has even found its way into parliament. Opposition lawmaker Yoel Hasson said he is working on creating a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations that referees had invested with Fanan — which he said would undermine the integrity of sports in Israel.
"There is concern that financial interests have surpassed sporting interests," he said. "The reports cast a doubt over the purity of the officiating, the purity of the game, the purity of sport."
The league, concerned about the suspicions, has asked its referees to sign an affidavit saying they had not invested with Fanan and were not connected to the scandal.
Israeli newspapers have linked Fanan to Nick Levene, a Jewish derivatives trader in Britain who declared bankruptcy earlier this month and whose assets have been frozen by the High Court, according to British insolvency records.
Britain’s Serious Fraud Office confirmed it has opened a criminal investigation against Levene, the former vice chairman of the Leyton Orient Football Club, who allegedly owes investors up to 200 million pounds, or about $328 million.
Fanan allegedly invested hefty sums with Levene. When Levene went bust, Fanan found himself in a similar situation, leaving some investors penniless, according to Israeli media reports. In an interview with the "Israel Hayom" newspaper from a secret location in England, Levene denied investing money for Fanan but confirmed that he did so for two other Israeli basketball team owners.
-- Aron Heller
