Sports Views

We're less than 5734 minutes away from the NBA draft and we're counting the seconds! While most fans of the draft will eagerly quaff their Natty Ice in anticipation of their hometown team's pick, we'll be watching for a different reason. Invariably, every draft has at least one guy who expects to go in the lottery slipping way down the list, in some cases into the second round or out of the draft all together.

I have struggled for a long time with this question: Is Mark Cuban a genius businessman, in the vein of so many self-made billionaires, or is he the luckiest damned geek who ever lived? Is he just the computer nerd his hairstyle and twisted logic suggest? Is he crazy? Is he crazy like a fox?

By this afternoon, most everyone knows the punishments that have been handed out by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Fifteen games for NBA star, Carmelo Anthony. Ten each for J.R. Smith and Nate Robinson. A handful for also rans including Nene, Jared Jeffries, Jerome James, and the hitman himself, Mardy Collins. The organizations each took a half-mil shot to the pocketbooks as well.

Miami Heat star Alonzo H. Mourning Jr. and his wife Tracy Wilson have purchased a new mansion in Gables Estates. The home, built in 2004, has eight bedrooms and 8 � bathrooms and sold for $12,750,000. At the time of the sale, the listing price was $15,900,000.

Now I've gotta say, I'm from Minneapolis and a die-hard Timberwolves fan, and Garnett is my favorite NBA player, I mean he is the progenitor for all those kids who have gone straight from High School to the pros. He has also been extremely faithful to his organization, something that is all too rare in this day and age.

More than 120 players have officially petitioned for early-entry into the NBA draft ... that's not counting NCAA seniors ... But there are only 60 picks in the draft, total, which goes to show just how much bad information kids are getting from advisers and agents ... Most of these kids have no business thinking about the draft just yet ... a good example is Martellus Bennett, the Alief Taylor star and Texas A&M football and basketball signee ... I know 'Tellus. He has NBA written all over him, if that's what he wants. He also has NFL written all...

SEATTLE (AP) -- Star University of Washington junior guard Nate Robinson is expected to announce at a news conference that he intends to make himself available for the 2005 NBA draft.