NBA 2023 - 2024 Season

[ti-amie]

I'm finally getting a chance to see Victor Wembanyama play.

[ti-amie]

Right now Atlanta is just taking names. They're up by 30 points vs San Antonio. Wembanyama can only play a fixed number of minutes per game.

[ponchi101]

They are tanking a second year, because they know they need two high draft picks. Wemby cannot do it all, as you say.

[ti-amie]

James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein deny accusations of sexual assault

Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior Writer
Jan 16, 2024, 05:36 PM ET

A Tennessee woman filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing James Dolan, chairman of Madison Square Garden and governor of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, of pressuring her into unwanted sex nearly a decade ago while also facilitating an encounter with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who she also claimed sexually assaulted her.

In the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California and obtained by ESPN, Kellye Croft says she was 27 and working as a licensed massage therapist when she met Dolan in fall 2013 while on a tour with a rock band, the Eagles. (Dolan's band, JD & The Straight Shot, opened for the Eagles during the tour.)

During one encounter, the lawsuit alleges, Dolan became "extremely assertive, and pressured Ms. Croft into unwanted sexual intercourse with him." In subsequent encounters, the lawsuit alleges, Croft was summoned to Dolan's room, where he made "unwelcome advances toward Ms. Croft, and she felt obligated to submit to sex with him."

Croft alleged that in January 2014, Dolan helped arrange for her to travel to Los Angeles to join the tour. There, Croft alleged, she met Weinstein at The Beverly Hills Hotel where Dolan was paying for her to stay. Weinstein, she alleged, introduced himself as one of Dolan's "best friends," then asked whether she was the massage therapist that Dolan had mentioned and previously praised.

She accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at the hotel, after which she informed Dolan, who allegedly responded by telling her that Weinstein was "a troubled person" with "serious issues." The incident predated Weinstein being convicted for years of sexual abuse following investigative reports in 2017 by both The New York Times and The New Yorker.

That alleged incident also predated remarks by Dolan that he was unaware Weinstein, who had been a close friend, was allegedly a serial abuser of women. In 2018, Dolan, who served as a member of the board of directors of The Weinstein Company in 2015 and 2016, released a song with his band titled, "I Should've Known," which he later connected, in part, to Weinstein.

ESPN typically does not name victims of sexual assaults, but Croft issued a public statement Tuesday, saying in part, "James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein. My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused."

Croft, now 38, is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

E. Danya Perry, an attorney for Dolan, dismissed the allegations.

"There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship," Perry wrote in a statement provided to ESPN. "The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein. These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not won, and cannot win, a judgment against him. Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims.

"Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court."

Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Weinstein, said in a statement provided to ESPN that Weinstein "vehemently denies the meritless allegations in the recently filed lawsuit. We look forward to litigating this case in a court of law where the truth will be revealed."

Weinstein, who was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual assault, had an additional 16 years added on last year for rape and sexual assault in a separate case.

During a news conference Tuesday to announce that the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be held at the LA Clippers' soon-to-open Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, NBA commissioner Adam Silver responded to an ESPN reporter's question about the lawsuit.

"I saw the article and don't know anything else about it other than I read the article," Silver said, "so we'll stand by and wait to find out more information."

In a statement to ESPN, Douglas H. Wigdor, a lawyer for Croft, responded to Silver's remarks.

"That is a puzzling response for the Commissioner to make," Wigdor told ESPN. "No reputable chairperson in corporate America would 'stand by' and 'wait' after reading that a federal complaint was filed against one of their executives alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. The NBA and the NHL for that matter should be no different. We are fully prepared to participate in any fair and unbiased investigation by both commissioners as these allegations are relevant to the integrity and public confidence of the respective leagues."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/393 ... al-assault

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

It will be another meaningless game.
You want to make it really competitive? A little idea: a make it USA vs THE WORLD. By now, the foreign players in the NBA are enough to make it a real game. And you know they will come out firing for real.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn@sportsbots.xyz
BREAKING: 76ers star Joel Embiid — the reigning MVP — will undergo a procedure this week to repair a left meniscus injury, a team official tells ESPN. A recovery timeline is expected after procedure, but expectation is that he will miss an extended period of time.

[ponchi101]

At this stage in the season, hard to see him being able to come back before a possible finals. Tough break for the sixers.

[ti-amie]

Curry looks to be playing on one leg too.



Word on the street is that the Lakers may be open to trading LeBron. I'll believe that when I see it. He built that team to his specs.

[ponchi101]

But LA is not working and, even though he built that team, there is no way he will remain in a team that has no chance of winning. Even if he is responsible.
You know him. It is all about him, not the team. Whichever team it may be.

[Suliso]

Last year 6 players averaged over 30 points per game. Seems like this year it will be only three (Embiid would have been 4th).

[Fastbackss]

This caused me to look it up - 58 games played to count for stat categories (like ppg or rebounds).

He only played 34 - and has been out a month. It would have been close already, no?

[Suliso]

Close to what? Top place for scoring? Probably...

I believe a player has to play 65 games per season min to be eligible for awards based on stat categories.

[Suliso]

Luka Doncic is the first European to finish a season #1 in scoring. A possible candidate for MVP as well, but more likely that title will go to Nicola Jokic due to better team performance.