The Associated Press reports: -- Latrell Sprewell was fined $250,000 Monday by the New York Knicks, who also told him to stay away from the team until he can make "a positive contribution."
Sprewell was punished for failing to tell the team that he injured his shooting hand two weeks before training camp started. He had surgery last week and is out at least six weeks. He will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season.
Knicks president Scott Layden met with Sprewell for 20 minutes at the team's practice facility Monday. Sprewell told team officials he broke his hand when he tripped and fell on his new yacht.
According to a report last week in the New York Post, Sprewell might have broken his hand by throwing an errant punch at the boyfriend of a woman who vomited on his yacht.
The newspaper, citing two eyewitnesses who asked not to be identified, said Sprewell was injured when he slammed his right hand into a wall during a skirmish at a late-night party aboard the yacht in Milwaukee.
Layden emphasized that Sprewell was not officially suspended, but no time frame was given for the four-time All-Star's return to the team.
The New York Times reports that after Sprewell left the facility, he spoke on the telephone with his agent, Bob Gist, and with Billy Hunter, the executive director of the National Basketball Players. Both Gist and Hunter said Sprewell will appeal the fine, a process that Hunter said would begin within 24 hours.
``It's a ridiculous fine, and he feels it was baseless,'' Hunter said of Sprewell's reaction. ``I don't care how many times he was disciplined in the past. The question is if there is a violation this time. Based upon our preliminary investigation and discussion with Latrell, I'm of the opinion that the fine is not merited.''