CAVS GIVE KING JAMES HELP IN 3-WAY DEAL

Cleveland, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City have agreed in principle to a six-player trade that could add a much-needed second scorer to LeBron James' Cavaliers.

Mo Williams, the high-scoring point guard from Milwaukee, will go to Cleveland in the deal.

The 6-foot-1 Williams averaged 17.2 points and a team-high 6.3 assists for the Bucks last season.

"Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term. He is entering his prime NBA years and will be part of the foundation of our future success," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. "His ability to push the tempo, get inside the lane, shoot from the perimeter and distribute the ball will be very valuable for us."

Ferry said the team let James know of the deal even though he's on the other side of the world.

"We've communicated with most of the team," Ferry said. "All these guys are very excited. They respect Mo as a player, and they're looking forward to playing with him."

Cleveland will send shooting guard Damon Jones to Milwaukee and forward Joe Smith to Oklahoma City.

Milwaukee also will get point guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin from Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, also gets Desmond Mason, the athletic small forward, from the Bucks.

Since joining the Cavaliers in 2003-04, James has not had a teammate who averaged as much as 17 points per game. But Williams has done so the past two seasons, averaging a career-high 17.3 points in his breakout season of 2006-07.

The Cavs have long sought a scorer to take pressure off James, who led the NBA last season with a 30.0 scoring average.

James' lack of help was particularly noticeable in Cleveland's Game 7 loss to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals when he scored 45 of the Cavs' 92 points.

Larry Hughes was supposed to be James' sidekick, but couldn't fulfill the role and was sent to Chicago last year at the trade deadline in a 10-player deal.

Cleveland also has been searching for years for a point guard, and considered trades in the past for Mike Bibby and Jason Kidd, but never made a deal.

"I think this is a move to be able to get a talented, young, 25-year-old point guard that can be part of the future," Ferry said.

Williams' agent, Mark Bartelstein, said a scoring-minded point guard will make it easier on James and sharpshooter Daniel Gibson.

"I think there was so much pressure on LeBron to create so much of the offense in Cleveland," Bartelstein said. "I think somebody like Mo is going to really make the game easier for LeBron and create opportunities for other people."

Mason played in college at Oklahoma State and spent time with the Hornets franchise in Oklahoma City when it was relocated after Hurricane Katrina.

"We're excited," said Mason's agent, Roger Montgomery. "He's been to Oklahoma City, he's familiar with the people there, he's familiar with the Ford Center, he's played there, the fans loved him when he was there. His nickname is the Cowboy. It's really apropos to come back."

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti sees the basketball benefits.

"We understand that it's a unique opportunity here specifically but we've got to do the best thing for our basketball team, and we feel like the best thing for our basketball team is to add some toughness and some intangibles defensively for us at that position," Presti said. "It just seemed like the right fit for us."

Ridnour, who averaged 6.4 points and four assists last season as the backup to Earl Watson in Seattle, had faced decreased playing time in Oklahoma City after the franchise drafted point guard Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick.

Bucks general manager John Hammond said he can envision Ridnour thriving in Milwaukee.

"His most productive days in the NBA were just a few short years ago when he had Ray Allen on one wing and Rashard Lewis on the other wing," Hammond said. "Here, you say you have Michael Redd on one wing and Richard Jefferson on another wing, you're putting Luke Ridnour in the best possible position to be successful again as he has been in the past."

Griffin averaged 1.9 points in minimal playing time after coming over from Chicago in a midseason trade.

The acquisition of Williams may spell the end of Delonte West's brief tenure in Cleveland. The Cavaliers have been embroiled in contract talks with West, a free agent who became their starting point guard after being traded from Seattle last February.

While Williams, 25, will definitely be Cleveland's starting point guard, a person close to the situation said the Cavaliers still will look to re-sign West, a 6-foot-4 combo guard who could start beside Williams in the backcourt. Milwaukee and Oklahoma City view the trade largely as a salary dump.

The Bucks, who traded former lottery pick Yi Jianlian to New Jersey for Jefferson earlier this summer, get rid of the five years, $43 million left on Williams' contract while taking on Jones and Griffin, both of whom are in the last year of their deals. Ridnour has just two years, $13 million remaining on his contract.

It's also the next step in an offseason facelift in Milwaukee by new general manager John Hammond. The Bucks fired coach Larry Krystkowiak after going 26-56 last season and replaced him with Scott Skiles. They also selected West Virginia forward Joe Alexander with the eighth pick in the draft.

Additionally, the Bucks signed guard Tyronn Lue and forward Malik Allen in the offseason in an effort to bolster what has been one of the league's worst defenses.

"Our challenge from Day One has been to shape our roster in a way that our fans will see a team that is competitive, that plays hard every night and has a chance to win," Hammond said. "We feel this trade continues to move us toward that goal for this season and beyond."

As for Oklahoma City's acquisitions, Smith and Mason also are in the final year of their deals.

http://www.payneinsider.com/

PROBLEMS ALREADY BREWING IN NEW YORK?

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP)—Brett Favre said his rocket right arm felt “fatigued”— but not sore—during a break from his fifth day of practice with the New York Jets.

“My arm’s kind of dragging a little bit today,” the quarterback said Wednesday after the Jets’ morning session. “It’s not really sore, but just fatigued. To be honest with you, I’m surprised that, I don’t want to say I feel good, that I’ve been able to make it through every practice so far.”

Favre was acquired from the Green Bay Packers last week, and has been practicing with the Jets since Saturday. He’s set to start Saturday’s preseason game against the Washington Redskins.

“I didn’t throw the ball that well this morning, underthrew some throws,” Favre said. “No pain, but I’m 38 years old. It’s going to be fatigued a little bit.”

Jets coach Eric Mangini hadn’t yet spoke to Favre when he met with reporters before the afternoon workout.

“We only have two practices left before the game and we do monitor that stuff,” Mangini said. “You guys talked to him more than I did, so I don’t really know where he is with that.”

Since his practice debut, Favre has been on the field for two practices Sunday, one Monday and had a day of classroom work Tuesday.

“My arm, for the most part, has felt great,” he said. “Legs, a little bit fatigued. You’ve got to figure I’m a little bit behind some of these guys. I’m a little bit surprised that, up to this point, I’ve been doing OK.”

Favre, who took his second penalty lap—which was again cheered—since joining the Jets, ended the morning session on a good note. The three-time league MVP hit Brad Smith on a fourth-down play for 53 yards—about 45 in the air—down the right sideline for a touchdown.

“Believe me, this system’s not easy,” Favre said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’ve got it down. I’ve got about just enough plays down to run those plays Saturday. How it turns out, I have no idea. I hope it turns out well.”

So do the Jets, of course, who sent a conditional draft pick to Green Bay for Favre and then cut franchise favorite Chad Pennington.

“We’ve had a few false starts and I’ve had to run a couple of laps, no big deal,” he said. “No one wants to see that. You want it to run like it should, and I think, for the most part, we’ve done that. Now, they haven’t thrown everything at me, but I could go into a game and I think I could manage a game OK.”

http://www.payneinsider.com/

USA CRUSHES WORLD RECORD & FRANCE IN ONE QUICK STRIDE

BEIJING -- Halfway through what might have been the greatest comeback swim in Olympic history, Jason Lezak peered through his goggles at the lane to his right and briefly abandoned hope.

"The thought really entered my mind for a split second," Lezak said. "There's no way."

Could you blame him? That thought already had been screaming through the minds of everyone in the National Aquatics Center plus several million Americans watching at home. It almost certainly was on the mind of one Michael Phelps, the leadoff swimmer in this 400-meter freestyle relay who had so much riding on Lezak's straining shoulders.

NO WAY!

The anchor swimmer had gone into the pool well behind Frenchman Alain Bernard and, after busting it for 50 meters, had not appreciably closed the gap. The only comfort was that Bernard, who began this race as the world-record holder in the 100 freestyle, had not put the race out of reach -- something he all but guaranteed last week by declaring the French would "smash" the Americans in this event.

Now Bernard was a mere 50 meters from backing up the boast. Lezak was running out of water.

When he flipped and thrust off the wall, he was still half a body length behind. That's a country mile in a sprint race. The United States was going down and taking Phelps' quest for eight gold medals in a single Games with it.

NO WAY!

But just as quickly as that glimmer of despair flitted through Lezak's mind, it was shoved aside by fresh determination.

No way met no quit.

"I changed," he said. "I thought, 'That's ridiculous. I'm at the Olympic Games, I'm here for the United States of America. I don't care how bad it hurts, I'm going after it.'

"I just got a super charge."

What transpired during the final 50 meters was the stuff of Disney movies. It was the kind of thing that should land Lezak a co-starring role with Phelps on cereal boxes and network morning shows. And if Phelps does complete the great eight and pocket a $1 million Speedo bonus, he should cut a check for one-eighth of that total to the guy who kept the quest alive, Jason Lezak.

"His last 50 meters were absolutely unbelievable," Phelps said.

The 32-year-old Lezak, a three-time Olympian who has been an American anchorman nearly as long as Ted Koppel, steadily closed in on Bernard. Lezak hugged the lane line, drafting off Bernard like a NASCAR driver. It was a welcome change of tactics for a guy who is accustomed to being drafted upon by trailing swimmers.

With every powerful pull and explosive kick, Lezak gained inches. With 25 meters to go, the crowd volume picked up, as the impossible was upgraded to highly unlikely. With 10 meters to go, the crowd was roaring, as Lezak pushed it into the improbable range. At five meters, it suddenly was possible.

"I was pounding on the block, saying the f-word," admitted second-leg swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale. "I was saying, 'Come on!'

"It was an amazing thing to watch. I was saying to myself, 'If anybody in the world can pull this off, it's Jason.'"

In the final stroke, Lezak pulled it off. He thrust his right arm for the wall, desperation and determination meeting perfect timing. The lunge beat Bernard by an eye blink. Lezak somehow touched first, as the fans and his relay teammates both exploded.

The winning time: a world-record 3:08.24. Winning margin: eight-hundredths of a second. It was the closest 400-meter relay in Olympic history and the second-closest Olympic relay of any distance. (In 1984, the U.S. nipped Germany by four-hundredths of a second in the 800 free relay.)

And Lezak swam the fastest 100-meter relay split in world history, a shocking 46.06 seconds. His split was faster than Bernard's by .67 seconds. Smashing.

When you're the world-record holder but you cannot hold a lead in your specialty, that's not good. When that happens after you've talked smack, that's worse. At least it took a superhuman swim to beat Bernard.

Afterward I asked the French technical team director, Claude Fauquet, about Bernard's prediction.

"Well," Fauquet said, "I think he got it wrong."

I think so.

"We didn't react to it," Phelps said. "It just got us fired up."

Not nearly as fired up as they were after the race.

Phelps was screaming like a madman, his face contorting and muscles straining, as his quest careened from incredible domination Sunday in the 400 individual medley to incredible drama Monday. On paper, this was to be his toughest event. If another one turns up tougher, he'll lose.

"As you could see, I was pretty excited," Phelps said. "I was very emotional."

So was Weber-Gale, who won his first Olympic medal. The third relay member, Cullen Jones, won his first gold, as well -- and nearly fell in the pool while jumping up and down. And even Lezak was howling through the fatigue.

"We were all so excited," he said. "We were just yelling at each other."

This was all part of a grander plan for Phelps, but this relay held its own import to each of the participants. Especially for Lezak.

For years, he's been considered America's premier freestyle relay swimmer, but he also has swum on the only two Olympic 400 free relays the U.S. has ever lost. He was on the 2000 team that was nipped by Australia by .21 seconds and was the anchor in 2004 as the Americans finished third behind South Africa and the Netherlands.

For Mr. Relay, that was intolerable. So at a team meeting, Lezak pounded home the importance of returning America to the top of the podium in this event.

"I could see in his face the pain of losing like that," Weber-Gale said.

Lezak wanted his relay team to swim as a unit, not as four independent contractors brought together by nothing more than speed. He wanted to remind his teammates that being first on the heat sheet doesn't guarantee being first to the wall.

"People always step up and do things out of the ordinary at the Olympics," he said.

Now, after turning no way into no quit, Jason Lezak is the one who stepped out of the ordinary and into newfound Olympic glory.

http://www.payneinsider.com/

THE TIME IS NOW FOR USA BASKETBALL TO PROVE ITSELF...

BEIJING -- The night began with hundreds of Chinese fans lined up in the rain outside Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, four hours before tip-off. It began with volunteers distributing plastic ponchos to the damp throng, presumably to keep the red flags painted on their cheeks from running.

The night ended with Mike Krzyzewski being asked by a foreign journalist what he did "to get your players to kill their own superego."

Between the drips and Freudian slips, the United States and China played a basketball game of historic import and global impact. The country with the best players walloped the country with the most players, 101-70. The country that owns the game's past and present showed the country that could possess much of its future how to hoop at the highest level -- literally and figuratively, dunk you very much.

And up to a billion people might have witnessed it, either live or on TV, the president of the United States among them. In terms of signaling something big, it might have been the game's most portentous moment since Bird played Magic in the 1979 NCAA championship, or Michael Jordan scored 63 on the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs.

"This was the mother of all the games?" another foreign journalist asked American player Chris Bosh.

It might have been the symbolic mother, given China's staggering basketball potential. On the court, it was more a game of "Who's your daddy?" And bringing up baby.

The Americans won. So did the Chinese. Even in 31-point defeat, this was the best basketball night the host country has ever seen.

This was East meets (Jerry) West. He's the human logo for the NBA, and the league is bullish on Chinese basketball -- not just drafting its best ballers but pumping massive funds and manpower into developing the game in a nation that has a reported 300 million players.

The biggest and best of those players is Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 NBA All-Star for the Houston Rockets. He missed much of the NBA season with a stress fracture in his foot but wasn't going to miss this milestone moment.

"It is a treasure in my life," said Yao, who carried his country's flag in the Opening Ceremony on Friday night.

Yao opened the game by making a 3-point shot, a stunning thing for a guy who has made exactly one in his NBA career. He played passionately before coming out with four minutes, 45 seconds to play to a huge ovation.

Yao pumped his fist to the crowd and was animated on the bench, standing and encouraging his teammates even in the final minutes of a lopsided defeat. He has the personality of a supporting actor on the court in the U.S., but he's a leader here and knows it.

He also has a staggering number of followers.

The wildly enthusiastic home folks showed up early and soggy, settling in to cheer for every high-altitude move in pregame warm-ups. They chanted incessantly -- "Chi-na!" Clap-clap, "Chi-na!" -- even with the game out of reach. They came to roar for their favorite export, Yao, but also to laud the heroes they've imported via satellite from the States.

At last, all those NBA stars China is crazy over were right here, running and dunking in living color. You'll never hear a road team get that many cheers -- in introductions, and every time the Americans rammed home another breakaway slam. LeBron James is huge here. Kobe Bryant is bigger.

Up in the stands, two teenaged kids were trying to talk their way into media seating and get nearer to the floor. The fact that one was wearing a Kobe jersey and the other a LeBron unit might have given away the fact that they weren't media members. The fact that they were Chinese might have given away the fact that the NBA's hold on the nation is strong and getting stronger.

Even if the kids had talked their way into press seating, there was nowhere to go.

The IOC designates media tickets for what it perceives as its most popular sporting events, capping the number of journalists. For unfathomable reasons, this was an unticketed event, which meant that every reporter's seat was full -- and then some. The entire upper concourse was ringed three-deep with overflow reporters and photographers -- and many of them jammed the postgame press conference, a comedy of lingual errors and an exercise in perpetuating negative stereotypes of American players.

There was the kill-the-superego question, apparently not pertaining to psychoanalysis but meant as a swipe at the perceived me-first attitude of the American players. (Other than Kobe, can't say it fits this bunch.)

Krzyzewski's cute response to that one: "I didn't have to destroy or kill anything."

There was a question to the Chinese about whether the Americans were guilty of excessive celebration at the expense of an outclassed opponent with all the dunking: "Do you think the U.S. team was showing off a bit too much? About because trying to show the numbers of circus?"

(That's the straight quote. Apparently the only proper way to score an uncontested layup is to demurely kiss it off the glass. Memo20 to that dude: This ain't "Hoosiers." If you can flush it, do it. If you can reverse it, all the better.)

Even though it was directed at the Chinese, Krzyzewski later made sure to register his response: "There was no showing off. I don't know what your definition is of showing off. Maybe it's a language thing. That's hard basketball. … Don't confuse hard with show off."

And don't confuse this with any other first-round Olympic basketball game. This portentous night could mean much more years down the road.

http://www.payneinsider.com/

CLEMONS ATTORNEY LOOKING FOR "HOME FIELD" ADVANTAGE

HOUSTON -- Roger Clemens' lawyers asked a federal judge to reject attempts by Brian McNamee to dismiss the former pitcher's defamation suit or have it moved from Texas to New York.

In papers filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in Houston, they responded to a July 2 motion filed by attorneys for McNamee, Clemens' former personal trainer.

Clemens filed the defamation suit against McNamee in January, after the trainer claimed the seven-time Cy Young Award winner used steroids and human growth hormone.

"Desperate to avoid the merits of Clemens's claims, McNamee moves to dismiss on insubstantial and frivolous grounds that are contrary to controlling authority which requires McNamee to answer to a Texas court and jury for his intentional conduct that injured a Texas resident in Texas," Clemens' lawyers wrote.

They said hearing the suit in New York instead of Houston would be wrong "because most of the key witnesses in this case are in the Southern District of Texas, the cost of attendance in New York City for willing witnesses is substantially higher than it would be in Houston (and) the courts in the Southern District of Texas are less congested."

"Whether McNamee falsely charged Clemens with using steroids in New York, Texas, or on the moon is of little consequence. It simply does not change that McNamee's conduct was calculated to and did harm Clemens where he lived and worked."

The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison.

http://www.payneinsider.com/

PARCELLS DRAFTED HIM IN 2000, NOW PENNINGTON IS ON HIS WAY BACK TO TUNA TOWN

Chad Pennington, cut by the New York Jets after they signed Brett Favre, signed with the Miami Dolphins on Friday.

The 32-year-old Pennington, expected to be the starting quarterback for Miami, agreed to the deal Friday worth $11.5 million over two years, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been officially announced.

“We are neither confirming nor denying the report,” Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene said Friday night.

Bill Parcells, now the Dolphins’ vice president of football operations, drafted Pennington with the 18th overall pick in 2000 when he was the Jets’ general manager.

The Dolphins, coming off a 1-15 season, will open the season against the Jets in Miami, giving Pennington an immediate chance to face his former team.

Before the signing, Pennington said he was disappointed but had no hard feelings after being released by the Jets.

“I have enjoyed it,” Pennington said Friday in his first public comments since his release. “I’ve learned a lot, become a better professional and a better man because of my experience and my time in New York. I don’t regret or feel ashamed about anything that happened to me in my time in New York.”

Pennington became the popular face of the Jets for several seasons and arrived in camp competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting job. The Jets jettisoned Pennington to clear salary cap space once they got Favre from Green Bay.

“The most difficult part is just the realization that the organization no longer wants you,” Pennington said. “You spend eight years there and, in the blink of an eye, you’re no longer wanted there.”

The 32-year-old Pennington ranks first in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 1,500 attempts with a 65.6 completion percentage. He was often recognized as being a leader in the huddle and an intelligent field general, but was dogged throughout his time in New York for his lack of arm strength.

Injuries were also a problem for Pennington, who broke his wrist in 2003 and had two rotator cuff operations in eight months in 2005. His career was in doubt, but he bounced back and was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year after beating out Clemens, Brooks Bollinger and Patrick Ramsey for the starting job in 2006. He had his best all-around season, throwing for a career-high 3,352 yards while again leading the Jets to the playoffs and starting every game for the first time.

He struggled last season, going 1-7 as the starter and was benched after Week 8 in favor of Clemens. Pennington had done a bit better than Clemens early in training camp, and was considered the favorite to open the season as the starter at Miami.

Then, came the news that Favre was coming to town. Pennington found out from coach Eric Mangini around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, shortly before the team announced the deal.

http://www.payneinsider.com/

WILL THE HAWKS MATCH THE GRIZZLIES OFFER SHEET FOR J-SMOOTHE?

Restricted free agent Josh Smith has received a five-year, $58 million offer from the Grizzlies, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Friday.

The Hawks have seven days to match the offer. The Hawks have maintained that they will match any offers made to Smith, though no one saw the Grizzlies' offer coming, the Journal-Constitution said.

Smith, 22, averaged 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks last season while helping the Hawks make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Atlanta drafted Smith out of high school with the 17th pick in the 2004 draft.

http://www.payneinsider.com/