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No Sprewell tampering penalty

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 7, 2000

NEW YORK -- The league won't fine or suspend the Knicks' Latrell Sprewell for breaking its tampering rules, NBA spokesman Seth Sylvan said Monday.

Sprewell drew the attention of NBA officials for comments he made about his desire to have friend and former Golden State Warriors teammate Chris Webber, now with the Sacramento Kings, join the Knicks.

Sprewell, his agent and two union officials met with NBA general counsel Joel Litvin and NBA senior vice president of security Horace Balmer to discuss his comments. Sprewell told league officials he wasn't aware of the rules, Sylvan said.

Tampering rules prohibit teams from enticing players who are under contract to another team, but the rules usually are applied to coaches and front office personnel, not players.

The league explained to Sprewell what the rules are for players, NBA spokeswoman Teri Washington said. The league could have suspended him and fined him $35,000.

Sprewell publicly said he had recently spoken with Webber, a two-time All-Star, who indicated a desire to play for the Knicks. Webber will be a free agent after this season.

BUCKS: Forward Darvin Ham, the team's defensive leader, will miss 3-4 months after left foot surgery to reposition displaced bones. Ham was injured while going after a rebound against Detroit on Saturday. He came down on another player's foot.

CELTICS: Guard Kenny Anderson will be sidelined 2-4 weeks with a broken jaw. He was injured when he collided with an opponent Saturday against Cleveland.

HORNETS: Jamal Mashburn, acquired in a nine-player trade with the Miami Heat in the off-season, signed a contract extension.

Neither side revealed the terms, but Mashburn said the deal is worth the maximum Charlotte could offer. The most it could give him was a six-year deal worth $54.3-million.

Mashburn, who would have been a free agent at the end of the season, said money was never an issue. "I didn't want to break the bank. That's not the type of person I am," he said. "I mean, it's not necessary for me to have all the money. It's important for me to be happy and be comfortable."

In Charlotte's first four games, he averaged a team-high 19.5 points as the Hornets started 3-1.

Also, Derrick Coleman, sidelined for more than a month as he adjusted to new medication for an irregular heartbeat, was cleared to rejoin the team.

SUNS: Tom Gugliotta, who had major reconstructive knee surgery eight months ago, went through his first practice. Gugliotta said he felt good. He hopes to begin playing in games in about two weeks.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Utah Jazz teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone were co-winners. Stockton averaged a league-leading 12.3 assists to go with 15.3 points. Malone averaged 31.7 points and 9.0 rebounds.

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