General Basketball Wiretap

Curry Invaders Eyed In Walker Robbing

The gun-wielding persons who robbed NBA star Antoine Walker in his Chicago home this month could be the same crooks who ransacked Eddy Curry's suburban home, authorities said Sunday.

Chicago police investigators continued to work with cops in nearby Burr Ridge to establish if the same trio of thugs was involved in both crimes.

"There are similarities: You have two pro ballplayers, you have jewelry and you have cash. We're not going to rule it out," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Neighbors described seeing unfamiliar cars circling the secluded suburb in the weeks leading up to the Saturday home invasion, in which Curry, 24, his wife and an employee were bound and robbed at gunpoint by three thugs.

Via New York Daily News


Source: Five European Clubs Show Interest In Christie

Free agent Doug Christie has been receiving much interest over the past few weeks from both teams in the NBA and Europe.

According to a source who spoke with RealGM, five European clubs have shown interest in Christie, reportedly offering the former All-NBA defensive guard multimillion dollar contracts for his services. Christie is now seriously entertaining the idea of taking his game overseas.

Christie is a 15-year veteran of the NBA and played seven games last season with the Clippers.

Via Christopher Reina/RealGM


Officials United Against Scrutiny

Jake O'Donnell was among the best in his profession for nearly three decades, a basketball referee with a square frame, Don Shula chin and a growling countenance that players interpreted as "not to be messed with." He officiated more than 2,100 NBA games, and each was characterized by an extraordinary knack for anticipating the play, marking him as a man who could smell contact and conflict like a distant rain.

But foresight doesn't follow you into retirement, apparently, because he never envisioned what the job would become for his successors.

"It's always been a thankless job -- no doubt about it," said O'Donnell, 68, who remains the only man ever to officiate both baseball and basketball All-Star games. "But I always thought I was different. I loved visiting different cities, loved being in the arena, and the atmosphere of the crowd. That's why I became the official in the first place. I never dreaded it like some guys, not one minute.

"But now, the strain of the job on these guys just seems overwhelming. The demands are ridiculous. I've only been gone 12 years, and from what I can see, the job is 10 times harder. I'm not sure ... if I would like it anymore."

Via Star-Ledger


Jul 2007 Archive