Jason Kidd fulfilled a promise to Elaine Wynn.

“We met at a banquet, we got to talking, and she really understands the game. I told her I’d make a deal with her, that if we won the gold medal, I’d give it to her. She thought I was kidding. But I told her I had one already…”

It turns out that she is not a member of the crew of the Wynn Casino but the wife of one of the owners.

We don´t know if Misty May would be mad about this…

A few NBA teams have reached out Hamed Ehadadi to discuss a possible transfer to the States. But, current federal law prohibits the teams from negotiating with Ehadadi because he´s Iranian.

Is this a good way to make friends?

The guys in the picture are members of the Lithuanian national team dressed up like bull fighters. That was before the famous picture.

Let´s wait to read the reactions.

Jose Calderón posted in his blog his opinion about the controversy:

I would like to share a story with you about something that happened with the Spanish National Team that someone interpreted incorrectly. It happened in the photo session where the Spanish National Team was introduced; one of our sponsors asked us to pose with a “wink” to our participation in Beijing, we made an oriental expression with our eyes. We thought it was something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as somewhat loving. Never the less some of the European media did not see it this way.

From here I would like to declare that we have a huge respect for the East and their people, some of my best friends in Toronto are from China and one of our Spanish National Team sponsors is the Chinese brand Li Ning. Anyone who would like to interpret this differently is absolutely confused.

I know I’m not alone in questioning the stupidity of it all, I know more of you out there feel the same. What were they thinking? In an advertisement for a Spanish courier service, Seur, the Spanish Mens Basketball Team posed holding their eyes in a slant. The team and its captain Pau Gasol claim that they were coaxed to do it for the ad campaign and Gasol has since apologized. But is it a little too late? Should he never have posed for such a photo? The answer is yes. You are representing your country, all of you not just Pau. And worst of all this isn’t the first time a Spanish National Team has gone on the racist offensive. In 2004 the Coach of the Men’s Futbol (yeah i said it) team ,Luis Arragones, called Tiery Henry of France a “black (expletive)” when trying to rally Jose Antonio Reyes in training camp. At the time Henry and Reyes were teammates for English Premier League club Arsenal. He too could not understand what the fuss was all about.

Hell I guess if its ok in Spain to be a racist they should have no problem with people insulting them or making slights about their physical features. How backwards a society at this day and age to condone en mass such social misunderstanding. Im not suggesting that every Spaniard is as inept as that, as a matter of fact most people I know who have traveled so Spain has said it to be a very inviting and open place. Not at all what their national sports teams actions would suggest. Maybe its just competitive juices getting the best of them, or in the instance of the Mens Basketball Team, not fully understanding what exactly they’ve implied. Most on the team including the head coach Aíto García Reneses, still don’t understand the malice’ there. And I think it’s a sad sad day when the only one apologizing is the guy who has to go back to work after the games have been played with his newly installed and insulted teammate back in LA.

Yao Ming and his countrymen were no match for the United States dream team today. They played with a lot of heart. But the Chinese got served, the US won 101-70. Both George Bushes were in the house.

Adding even more of a sense of holy crap to a weekend in which Bernie Mac passed away, John Edwards admitted extramarital infidelity and Kobe Bryant said he might play in Italy — this happened, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Yes, that is the question. How do that many guys get hit by lightning at one time?

According to Boston.com Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s biggest star, said he might play in Italy next year. That concludes what, for NBA Commissioner David Stern, was his probably his worst week in recent memory. He shouldn’t fret, it’s nothing personal. It’s all about no salary cap, the Euro versus the dollar and the bottom line.

Why would LeBron James consider playing in Europe? It’s not just the money, although the chance to earn $50 million is, well, attractive.

Consider this hypothesis: Players do not get paid enough. Take it easy, try not to get upset. Breathe. The truth can make you crazy at first.

Compared to you, they may seem overpaid. But when measured against annual NBA profits, the average player is woefully underpaid.

This is especially true when you consider the high risk of injury and the short length (about four years) of most NBA careers. If Europe emerges as a competing market for their talents, players might then bargain from a stronger position. Time will tell.