NBA Capsules: Records shed light on Cuban-Nelson dispute

DALLAS — The feud between Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former coach Don Nelson stretches back nearly seven years and has some $7 million at stake. But just how ugly and dysfunctional their relationship has been is only now being revealed.

Previously secret testimony and e-mail, now in the public record as part of legal proceedings initiated in the last 10 months, paint the picture of a spat that has turned two of the NBA’s best-known figures into bitter adversaries.

There’s deposition testimony from Cuban in which he acknowledges that he withheld consulting fees from Nelson in 2006 because he believed the former coach had "badmouthed" the team during the NBA finals and should be made to "beg" for the money. There’s also testimony from Nelson in which he describes being so disgusted with Cuban that he signed a contract to stay on as coach in 2003 only after friends "got me drunk."

"I think everybody would like to see this settled amicably, but you know how it is in a lawsuit," said former Mavericks assistant Del Harris, who frequently acted as an intermediary between Cuban and Nelson when he worked for the team.

The proceedings stem from a contract dispute over whether Nelson, now the coach of the Golden State Warriors, should be paid millions in salary he deferred while coaching the Mavericks from 1997 to 2005.

Nelson contends that he legitimately earned the money. But Cuban believes Nelson should get nothing because he breached a contract that made him a Mavericks consultant when he took the Golden State job in August 2006. Although an arbitrator ruled in Nelson’s favor, Cuban has refused to pay the money, now totaling more than $7 million.

Neither Cuban nor Nelson would comment when contacted by The Associated Press for this story.

The matter is one of several legal actions currently involving Cuban, the dot.com billionaire who has become famous for his outspoken ways, courtside antics and outbursts against NBA officials.

A federal judge last week dismissed an insider trading suit brought against Cuban by the Securities and Exchange Commission, though the agency can still amend its complaint. Another lawsuit filed last week by a company controlled by former Mavericks owner Ross Perot Jr. accuses Cuban of wrongfully diverting millions in profits derived from the Mavericks’ home arena, the American Airlines Center, to cover cash shortfalls incurred by the team.

Cuban’s refusal to abide by the arbitrator’s decision led Nelson to file suit in state court last September. The court upheld the decision, but Cuban is now appealing.

Nelson has also filed a defamation suit against Cuban in California over comments the owner made on a Bay Area radio show in 2007. He claims that Cuban, who was on the show to promote his appearance on "Dancing with the Stars," defamed him when he said the coach’s demand for money was an attempt "to rip me off."

In support of his claim, Nelson has included in his court filings an off-the-record e-mail exchange between Cuban and a reporter in which Cuban refers to Nelson as "sleazy" and having "no concept of reality or ethics."

The judge in the case last month granted a motion by Cuban and tossed the suit, in part because Nelson is a public figure.

Perhaps the most revealing document in the public record is the transcript of the arbitration hearing, which took place in June 2008.

During the hearing, Cuban and Nelson gave their versions of how their relationship unraveled, beginning with their disagreement over whether star forward Dirk Nowitzki should play against the San Antonio Spurs in the sixth game of the 2003 Western Conference finals.

Nelson withheld Nowitzki, who had suffered a knee injury earlier in the series, despite Cuban’s entreaties to play him. The Mavericks lost the game and the series.

Cuban testified that he had assurances from team doctors that Nowitzki couldn’t hurt the knee any worse and believed Nelson was trying to take pressure off himself by keeping the player on the bench. Nelson testified that he had a similar injury when he was a player and worried that playing Nowitzki could have a long-term effect.

"I didn’t want to jeopardize this great young player’s career for a basketball game, no matter how important it seemed at the time," Nelson testified.

Cuban said in his testimony that there had been medical advances for such injuries since Nelson played, which was from 1962-76.

From that point on, Nelson testified, he was phased out of personnel decisions. At the 2004 draft, he thought he was in charge of the Mavericks’ selections until he spoke with his son, Donnie, the team’s president of basketball operations, during a men’s room conversation that night.

Cuban, in his testimony, denied keeping Nelson out of the loop, saying personnel matters were group decisions.

The hearing testimony also brought out how Cuban and Nelson remained at odds even after Nelson turned over the coaching job to Avery Johnson late in the 2004-2005 season.

Cuban testified that he learned from Johnson that Nelson had been "badmouthing" him while standing in a tunnel leading to the court during home games. Cuban testified that he then invented a "cockamamie" story during the 2006 NBA finals that NBA safety regulations prevented anyone from standing in arena tunnels during those games.

Nelson denied saying anything negative about Johnson and said Cuban wanted him moved out of the tunnel "because I was getting my face on television instead of Mark."

Nelson also described how he hoped to serve as a mentor behind the scenes in the mold of Red Auerbach, his former coach with the Boston Celtics, yet wasn’t given the chance by Cuban.

"I actually thought when we split we would become friends again," he said. "That’s how naive I was."

James reveals struggles with prep fame in new book

CLEVELAND — LeBron James struggled with sudden fame after appearing on Sports Illustrated’s cover as a 17-year-old and admits he smoked marijuana during his junior year in high school.

Those are two of the revelations in a book chronicling James’ rise from Akron, Ohio, hoops prodigy to NBA superstar.

In "Shooting Stars," written by James and co-author Buzz Bissinger, James said the SI cover and the media attention he and his high school teammates received was difficult to handle.

"We had become big-headed jerks, me in particular," James said, "and we are to blame for that, but so are adults who treated us that way and then sat back and smugly watched the self-destruction."

In the book, scheduled for release in September, the NBA’s reigning MVP recounts the media circus that enveloped his final two years at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School following his SI cover appearance. James said he and close friends Dru Joyce, Sian Cotton, Romeo Travis and Willie McGee — nicknamed the Fab Five — became "rock stars" and took advantage of their celebrity.

"I was arrogant, dubbing myself "The Chosen One," James said. "In hindsight, I should have kept quiet, but I also was what I was, a teenager where every reporter in the world seemed to be rushing toward me at once."

James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron.

James feels he was unfairly targeted by the media, which he described as "excited spectators at a car crash" after it was learned that his mother, Gloria, obtained a loan to buy him a $50,000 Hummer for his birthday. He said the scrutiny was humiliating for his mother, who was living with him in a rental-assistance apartment.

"Was the vehicle excessive, with its bank of three televisions? Maybe. Probably. Of course it was," James said. "So were the BMWs parked in the St. V lot, belonging to fellow students. But nobody ever questioned those."

James also recounts being suspended by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for accepting two throwback jerseys as gifts from a Cleveland area clothing store. He describes the OHSAA as "ravenous" and is highly critical of former commissioner Clair Muscaro.

James said Muscaro, whose suspension of him was later reduced in court, wanted to put James and his school "in our place. ... "this was a witch hunt, one-man posse’s attempt to humiliate me, subject me to ridicule, rip open rumors that I was corrupt and ruin a dream."

James said the experiences drew he and his friends closer and proved to be valuable life lessons, many of which he attributes to "karma."

James and Bissinger focus almost entirely on James’ final two years of high school and do not delve into his early career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Bissinger is best known for "Friday Night Lights," a bestseller on Texas’ obsession with high school football.

-- Tom Withers

Eyenga picks Spanish club over Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Christian Eyenga, a raw shooting guard drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers, will stay with his Spanish club rather than play with LeBron James next season.

The 20-year-old Eyenga thanked Cleveland for drafting him with the 30th overall pick, but said Thursday he doesn’t feel ready for the NBA. The 6-foot-5 Eyenga chose to sign a three-year contract extension with DKV Joventut. Terms of the deal were not available.

"I think the best option for me this season was to play here, and we’ll see what happens in the future," said the Congo native, who spent last season with Prat Joventut, the Spanish franchise’s junior team.

Eyenga plans to play at least one more season in Europe. Cleveland was impressed by his performance during the recent summer league in Las Vegas, where he averaged 8.8 points and 47 percent shooting in five games. He scored 17 points in a loss to Washington on July 14.

The Cavs agreed to let him develop further before he attempts to make their roster.

Eyenga is not the only Joventut player with NBA ties. Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn was in Spain this week, attempting to negotiate a contract buyout for point guard Ricky Rubio, the No. 5 draft pick overall.

The Cavs have been assured by Eyenga’s agent that they would not be subject to a future buyout.

-- Tom Withers

Bucks agree to bring Ilyasova back from Spain

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to contract terms with Ersan Ilyasova, potentially bringing the forward back to Milwaukee after two seasons overseas.

The Bucks took Ilyasova in the second round of the 2005 draft, and he appeared in 66 games for Milwaukee in the 2006-07 season before playing the past two seasons with Spain’s Regal FC Barcelona. According to the Bucks, the deal with Ilyasova is subject to a clearance letter from Barcelona. Terms were undisclosed.

The 6-foot-10 Ilyasova averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 2006-07.

Olympics

Few spots open, but U.S. players say camp worth it

LAS VEGAS — More than 20 players agreed to come to USA Basketball’s minicamp this week, and most of them will be home next summer when it’s time to play games.

The big names could come back then and reclaim their roster spots. Even so, the young players who committed to play this week say it will have been worth it.

"It’s just an opportunity that nobody’s going to not take," said Portland center Greg Oden, finally getting to work out with the Americans after being injured the last three summers.

The minicamp opened Thursday and the Americans will practice again Friday before ending the week with an intrasquad exhibition game Saturday night.

The goal is to play well enough to get invited back next year to compete for a spot on the roster for the world championships.

"Whether there’s one spot open, all the way to four, five, six, whatever it is, we’re all fighting for it," Minnesota forward Kevin Love said. "We all love the competition."

The core players on the U.S. team that won the Olympic gold medal last summer in Beijing have told USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo they are interested in playing next year in Turkey and in the 2012 Olympics in London.

That could leave as few as four spots available for the 20 players that were on the floor Thursday, but Colangelo had no trouble finding guys who were interested in coming to practice at a Las Vegas high school.

"They know there’s not going to be 12 spots open, but they want to be in that pipeline, because the guys will not play forever," Colangelo said earlier this week. "It’s hard to project how many spots we will have open. You just don’t know. You need to have your replacements ready to go."

Colangelo and U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski met with the players Wednesday night, telling them to play hard and show them who wanted to be a part of the program. That may not do many of the players good next summer, but will give them a head start toward competing in future events.

"You don’t know if six guys are coming, you don’t know if three guys are coming back or nine or 12 guys are coming back," said Toronto coach Jay Triano, who is running the U.S. workouts this week. "There are going to be spots open and this isn’t about 2010 and 2012. These kids are young enough that 2014 and 2016 are possibilities for them. So get in the pipeline now, show that you’re interested."

Kevin Durant, who nearly made the U.S. team that played in the 2007 Olympic qualifier and often appeared to be the best player on the floor Thursday, seems assured of any roster spot that opens up.

Philadelphia guard Andre Iguodala hopes he gets his chance. He played on the select team of young players that scrimmaged against the U.S. teams the last two summers, and Krzyzewski mentioned him as someone who has shown the commitment to the program.

"You don’t want that to be the whole reason, ‘OK, I’ve been here three of four years,"’ Iguodala said. "If there’s a guy better than me, I don’t want that to be a reason why I make it. I’m trying to prove every year I want to be one of the guys on the team because of my skills and I’m committed and they can use me."

It’s also a chance for Oden to finally impress the USA Basketball leaders who invited him to play in 2006 and ‘07, only to see him pull out with a variety of injuries. He looked sharp during workouts Thursday, blocking several shots and grabbing rebounds of others that did get to the basket.

No matter what comes of this week, players said taking part was attractive just for the competition they’d get. Memphis guard O.J. Mayo said if they weren’t here, many of them would be somewhere else working out.

"They got the best young talent in the NBA," Durant said. "We’re the future and I’m excited to be here with these great guys."

WNBA

WNBA leads in sports diversity study

NEW YORK — The WNBA still leads the way in sports diversity.

The league received an A-plus Thursday for the second consecutive year in an annual report card on race and gender. The WNBA is the only professional league to have received that grade.

"It’s always great to be able to model the kind of behavior you want to see," WNBA president Donna Orender said. "We talk about being an organizing that wants to lead and create change, and to be rated as high as we are on values we prize is great."

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, run by Richard Lapchick at the University of Central Florida, rates pro leagues and college sports programs on the number of participating women and minorities.

The study reported a 10 percent increase in the number of black general managers in the WNBA and a slight increase in black head coaches. Women also gained ground, with 10 percent increases in the number of head coaches and team presidents, and a slight increase in the number of GMs.

Lapchick said the WNBA has long led the way in his diversity and gender studies. The league began play in 1997, about the same time the NBA began its diversity initiative.

"The WNBA remained as the best employer overall for women and people of color in sport," Lapchick said. "They have set the standard for sport with their combined A-plus grade. Taken with the NBA’s overall A grade, basketball has again swept the table for best practices for hiring from a diverse pool of candidates."

The study was based on data from teams and the league office. A draft of the report was sent to the WNBA. The league responded with updates and corrections that were included in the final edition.

The league lost one of its original teams when the Houston Comets, who won the first four championships, folded in the offseason. The economy has also forced teams to reduce roster sizes and coaching staffs, but Orender pointed to recent increases in ratings, attendance, merchandise sales and Web traffic as a sign the league remains healthy.

Orender remains the only female president of a professional sports league.

"It makes sense that the WNBA, as an offshoot of the NBA, is scoring high marks," said Dave Czesniuk, the director of Northeastern University’s Sport in Society program. "It’s a credit to David Stern’s leadership and making diversity an inherent part of their strategic planning."

Said Orender: "It’s definitely in the family genes."

The WNBA still does not have any nonwhite majority owners, although four women have majority ownership: Carla Christofferson and Katherine Goodman own the Los Angeles Sparks, and Colleen J. Maloof and Adrienne Maloof-Nassif own the Sacramento Monarchs.

Sheila Johnson remains the only black woman to hold any ownership in a WNBA team, with about 6 percent of Lincoln Holdings, the ownership group of the Washington Mystics.

Of the WNBA’s 13 teams, six began the season with female head coaches: Lin Dunn of the Indiana Fever, Pat Coyle of the New York Liberty, Marynell Meadors of the Atlanta Dream, Jennifer Gillom of the Minnesota Lynx, Julie Plank of the Mystics and Jenny Boucek of the Monarchs. Boucek was fired this season and replaced by general manager John Whisenant.

Five head coaches were black: Gillom, Michael Cooper of the Sparks, the Chicago Sky’s Steven Key, Corey Gaines of the Phoenix Mercury and Rick Mahorn of the Detroit Shock. Cooper will take over the Southern California women’s basketball program after the season.

"The fact that WNBA exists and is growing in popularity and continues to garner support shows they’re doing OK," Czesniuk said. "They’re a pretty solid example for what other leagues and conferences should strive for."

-- Dave Skretta

Young scores 24 points to lead Sliver Stars

SAN ANTONIO — Sophia Young scored 22 of her 24 points in the first half, reviving the struggling San Antonio Silver Stars in a 84-65 victory over the Indiana Fever on Thursday.

The Silver Stars, who had lost three of their last four, also stepped up defensively, holding leading All-Star vote-getter Tamika Catchings scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting.

"We did all the right things defensively and made our offensive play easy," Young said. "This was the game we wanted to win before going into the All-Star break. We came out with a very strong mentality."

Young, a Western Conference reserve for this weekend’s All-Star game, played only seven minutes after halftime. Catchings played only three as the Silver Stars pushed the lead to as much as 30 points in the first half.

The Fever cut the margin to 13 with reserves from both teams playing in the second half.

"Our first five really looked lethargic," Fever coach Lin Dunn said. "Our shots were flat. We’re looking forward to a break so that we can get some rest and regroup and just get focused on the second half of the season."

Indiana (12-4) had won 12 of 13 coming in, but was outshot by the Silver Stars, who were 59.4 percent from the floor in the first half compared to 24 percent for the Fever.

The biggest difference was at the 3-point line, where San Antonio went 6-of-11 before halftime while Indiana was 1-for-10.

Young finished 9-of-14 from the floor in 25 minutes. She was joined in double figures by Vickie Johnson, who had 16 points, and Becky Hammon with 15.

None of Indiana’s starters reached double figures. Jessica Davenport came off the bench to score 13 points and rookie Briann January had 11.

"It was great to see us come out with intensity against a good team," Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes said. "That was the easiest basketball game so far for us. We didn’t struggle today."

It was the third straight sub-par shooting game for Catchings, who was 2-for-12 in a loss at Connecticut when the Fever had their 11-game winning streak snapped.

She declined to speak afterward.

"She expended an enormous amount of energy in the Washington game and in the Connecticut game, and I thought she looked both mentally and physically fatigued," Dunn said. "She rarely goes 0-for-9 and has no points."

With starting center Ruth Riley missing her second straight game with left Achilles’ tendinitis, the Silver Stars shuffled their lineup but still managed to open a 17-point lead in the first quarter. In place of Riley and point guard Helen Darling, San Antonio started Belinda Snell and Erin Perperoglou and shot out to 17-4 lead.

Young, Johnson and Hammon did almost all the damaging, combining to go 10-for-12 in the quarter. After Catchings missed her first five shots, she went back to the bench for the remaining 1:50 and the Silver Stars opened a 27-10 lead heading into the second quarter.

Indiana tried to match the offense with 3-pointers, but missed its first six tries from beyond the arc. League-leader Ebony Hoffman missed two of them.

Young hit her first two 3-pointers, and had 20 points when she made a layup with 3:51 left before halftime to give the Silver Stars a 41-18 lead.

Catchings, playing only 13 minutes, was 0-for-7 at the break.

"Let me give the Silver Stars an awful lot of credit," Dunn said. "They’ve got some situations with injuries and I thought they went small and created a lot of problems with their quickness and their speed."

Dunleavy: Griffin’s shoulder should be fine

LOS ANGELES — Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said he doesn’t expect Blake Griffin’s shoulder injury to have a lingering effect on the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

The club revealed on Wednesday that Griffin has a strained right shoulder that will require three to four weeks of rest. He was hurt in a July 16 summer game against Memphis in Las Vegas and will miss this week’s minicamp for USA Basketball.

Clippers physician Dr. Steven Shimoyama diagnosed the injury Tuesday and it was confirmed again by Dr. Lewis Yocum in a second examination.

"The good news was they never mentioned surgery or any kind of a deal," Dunleavy said Thursday. "That was the first great news.

"I’m disappointed to hear anything which puts him on the shelf because of his great work ethic. He had improved so much in the short period of time he was with us prior to going into summer league. But I don’t think it’ll be a major setback for him at all."

Griffin still played in the final two games for the Clippers in Las Vegas and was picked as the league’s most valuable player after averaging 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Dunleavy, also the club’s general manager, also talked about his acquisition of guard Sebastian Telfair and forwards Craig Smith and Mark Madsen from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday for Quentin Richardson.

"We just had the opportunity to add a lot of depth to our team," Dunleavy said.

Telfair is likely to back up Baron Davis at the point, while Smith, an L.A. native, will compete for time in the front court and help push Griffin after averaging 10.1 points last season with Minnesota.

2 WNBA players to use Twitter during All-Star game

NEW YORK — Two WNBA players will update their Twitter accounts during Saturday’s All-Star game.

The league said Thursday that Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics and Swin Cash of the Seattle Storm will post messages pregame and postgame, during timeouts and at halftime.

The game will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.