Dajaun Wagner's Stepdad Gets Life For Drug Trafficking

The stepfather of former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dajuan Wagner was sentenced Monday to life in prison for trafficking in crack cocaine. The life term was mandatory for Leonard "Pooh" Paulk, 37. Like other federal prisoners, he is not eligible for parole.

U.S. District judge Freda Wolfson also fined Paulk $15,000, which will be paid with his prison earnings, federal prosecutors said.

Paulk was convicted Nov. 30, 2004, of two charges: conspiracy to possess drugs with the intent to distribute, and a drug-dealing count charging that in March 2002 he distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute 115 grams of crack.

Via USA Today

General Basketball

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback

Grievance Is Filed Over $10,000 Fines For Long Shorts

Have the NBA's fashion police gone too far?

The players' union thinks so, and it wants an arbitrator to decide whether it was fair to fine 13 players $10,000 apiece for wearing their shorts too long.

The union filed a grievance Wednesday over the league's renewed infatuation with fabric lengths, asking the new arbitrator -- Calvin Sharpe of Case Western Reserve University -- to hear his first case.

"We think they're being too puritanical about the whole issue," union director Billy Hunter told ESPN.com. "The fines and their whole attitude appear insidious and draconian."

The league has been on the lookout for violations of the rule that states a player's shorts cannot extend below 0.1 inch above the knee. To date, $10,000 fines have been handed out to New York's Nate Robinson and Stephon Marbury; Philadelphia's John Salmons, Kyle Korver, Allen Iverson and Kevin Ollie; Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley; Jeff McInnis of New Jersey; and Voshon Lenard, DerMarr Johnson and Andre Miller of Denver.

On top of the player fines, the teams were fined $50,000 for each violation.

Via ESPN

General Basketball

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback

Paul And Frye Named Rookies Of The Month

Channing Frye of the New York Knicks and Chris Paul of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in November.

Frye, the eighth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, ranks second in scoring (14.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.511 percent) and blocks (.85 bpg) and third in rebounding (6.1 rpg) among rookies. Frye recorded 20-plus points in three consecutive games from Nov. 16-20, becoming the first Knick rookie to do so since Gerald Wilkins during the 1985-86 season and the first New York player to do so off the bench since Latrell Sprewell during the 1998-99 season.

Paul, the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, leads all rookies in scoring, assists, steals and minutes, averaging 16.4 points, 6.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 36.7 minutes during November. Paul, the Hornets’ leader in scoring, assists, steals and minutes, ranks fifth in the NBA in steals and twelfth in assists overall.Here is a recap of the month for both Frye and Paul:

Other notables that were considered for Rookie of the Month were Atlanta’s Salim Stoudamire, Houston’s Luther Head, Indiana’s Sarunas Jasikevicius, Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut and Utah’s Deron Williams.

Via NBA.com

General Basketball

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback