C M Y K Nxxx,2008-03-15,D,001,Bs-BK,E3

Nxxx,2008-03-15,D,002,Bs-BW,E3 Ø Ø N D1

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008 D2 Ø Ø N THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008

PRO BD1ASKETBALL SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008 Gingerly, BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALInjurS y Ends Curry’s Frustrating Season By HOWARD BECK post. As a number of rival coach- est scoring and rebounding aver- Eddy Curry’s bitterly disap- es and scouts predicted, Ran- ages since 2002-3 (his second The Athlete dolph and Curry failed to mesh, N.B.A. season) and his fewest pointing season will end in an op- Hibbert Is Better, and So Are the Hando they Knickas’ ofsfense suffered. games played in his seven-year erating room. Curry’s season effectively end- career. Curry will have arthroscopic ed the night of March 7, when he Knicks officials — implicitly ac- Turns Activist knee surgery next week to re- injured his knee in a loss to De- knowledging their mistake — move a small piece of torn carti- shopped both Curry and Ran- In a public service announcement recently lage from his right knee, the Dominates dolph before the February trad- shown on cable television and available at Knicks announced Friday. ing deadline. They are expected several sites online, asks for The typical recovery time is to do so again this off-season. help on a mission that is somewhat more One DayMeager A offensivefter four to six weeks, which means Although the Knicks (19-46) daunting than winning another N.B.A. title. that Curry could return in time production, frequent can cite a half-dozen reasons for “If we can unite people who for the playoffs, if the KnickScoreless can s Outing their disastrous season, Curry’s HARVEY are willing to take a stand, push through a rules change al- benchings and now a regression and his inability to ARATON miracles can happen,” he says lowing every N.B.A. team to play. torn meniscus. play alongside Randolph were of stopping genocide in Dar- Curry averaged 13.2 points and among the most glaring. fur, on behalf of a Los Angeles- 4.7 rebounds in 59 games this sea-By JOE LAPOINTE SPORTS Thomas, who had been Curry’s OF THE TIMES based organization called Aid son, a dramatic decline Afterfrom hisRoy Hibbert of Georgetown greatest promoter, also lost faith Still Required. MIA FARROW career-best averagesscor ofed the19.5 lasttr ofoit. his Doctor 25 pointss later in adiagnosed 72- a in him, reducing his playing time Isn’t that what Ira Newble was saying to Ira Newble, an N.B.A. journeyman and son of a civil rights activist, at a refugee camp in Chad. points and 7 rebounds55 in victory 2006-7 .oversmal Westl meniscus Virginia tearon F. ri-Curry ini- and frequently benching him in his N.B.A. brethren last spring, but most of Curry’s production daandy nightconfi- in atial Bigly Eastexpr estournamentsed hope that he fourth quarters. The low all to the government of China? dence soared last seasonsemif inal,when hecould stomped keep plaaroundying andthe postpone came in December, when Curry Newble, a career journeyman and the son Coach cornermade ofhim the fsurloorgery at M untiladison after Squar thee season. played just 14 minutes in a loss to of a civil rights activist, made himself an ath- Gingerly, the Athlete Turns Activist the focal point of the ofGarfense.den. But the pain and swelling never the — his home- lete activist during last season’s playoffs His role diminishedHis when chest subsided,GEORGE andTOWN Curry bo72wed to the town team — and Thomas pro- with the . His letter to Pat Tillman was heard through initiative. Thomas acquired Zachw Randolphas puffed inevitWESTable. VIRGINIA Curry did not55 speak to claimed that he “probably won’t China’s president, Hu Jintao, joined a chorus From First Sports Page his enlistment to serve and his Hunter Payne, a singer-song- last June, forcing Curryout, and Ran-his reporters at Friday’s practice. ever” become a dominant two- dolph to share touches in the low Curry will finish with his low- way player. calling for intervention in the western region “But it was a sensitive issue and I subsequent death in Afghanistan. writer, said that his group target- arms extended, his mouth open. “I’m of Sudan, the African nation from which Chi- always understood the position At the other end of the political ed practical, grass-roots strat- a monster!” Hibbert shouted. “Be na is the leading importer of oil and by ex- LeBron was in.” spectrum, Etan Thomas of the egies to Darfur — for in- afraid!” Pass the word to Pittsburgh, tension the financier of weapons used in the Newble, 33, was careful not to N.B.A.’s has stance, the reforestation of an which defeated MarNquet.B.te,A. R68OU-61,ND inUP slaughter and displacement of non-Arabs. be critical of James, but the pub- been an eloquent critic of the area ravaged by drought, and the the second semifinal and will face the Newble’s teammates signed the letter, the licity touched off another round Bush administration. Orlando’s building and distribution of solar Hoyas in Saturday’s championship most notable exception being LeBron of lamentation over the modern created a grass- stoves so camp refugees will not Rockets Mgame.ove Up, Winning 21st in a Row James, superstar extraordinaire in the Mi- athlete’s contractual servitude to roots organization on college have to search for firewood while Joe Alexander of West Virginia, the risking atrocities at the hands of chael Jordan risk-averse mold. corporations and how it typically campuses called Democracy By The Associated Prstesars of the tournamentJAZZ 110, CEL comingTICS 92 into Deron Wil- of the final minute, for the Magic. the Janjaweed and other armed King James’s reticence was tied to his lu- impedes the development of a Matters to rouse politically disen- Tracy McGrady thisscor edgame, 30 wasliams held had to 3212 pointspoints andand 8 assists, militias. HAWKS 117, CLIPPERS 93 Joe crative affiliation with Nike, which is heavily conscience. gaged youth. points and the hostw asH oustonasked afterwand arCarlosd what itBoozer was lik addede 17 “I’m not saying I disagree with Johnson scored 21 of his 28 points invested in China. He is also an ambassador Can there ever be another Mu- • Rockets beat the Charlotto tego, Bob- sometimespoints and man-to-man,12 rebounds as Utah the groups that have been going in the third quarter and Mike in an N.B.A. globalization plan that is fo- hammad Ali, the all-time heavy- cats, 89-80, on Friday night to win ended Boston’s 10-game winning For his part, Newble followed after China,” Payne said in a tele- against Hibbert, a 7-foot-2 senior cen- Bibby handed out 14 assists for cused on the Beijing Olympics. weight champion of outspoken, their 21st game in a row, the sec- streak. Boston played three- up on his letter-writing advocacy phone interview. “But I believe ter who had a game-high 13 re- host Atlanta. Los Angeles has politicized athletes? The question ond-longest streak in league his- quarters of the game without Ray “I was taught growing up that you take a by taking what he called a “life- that a broad-based approach bounds. lost 10 of 12. surely is worthy of discussion, al- tory. Allen, who injured his left ankle. stand for things you believe in,” Newble, re- changing trip” last summer with works better for us. And in this “When he plays extremely phys- Al- though icons like Ali tend to be The victory gave the Rockets a NUGGETS 137, RAPTORS 105 leased recently by Seattle after a trade from the actress and Darfur advocate case, it allows the athletes to be in- ical and gets HORNEaway TSwi t108,h ev eLrAKERythinSg ,98 Chris share of first place in the Western len Iverson scored 28 points de- Cleveland, said in a telephone interview. romanticized in the context of the Mia Farrow to refugee camps in volved with less commercial risk.” yeah, it’s tough,”Paul hadsaid 27 Alexander points and, a17 assists Conference and broke a tie with spite having a broken finger, and 1960s. To be fair, isn’t today’s ath- Chad near the border of Sudan. Fine, too, by Newble’s think- 6-8 forward. “Ifor don host’t ev Nenew kno Orleansw what in what Continued on Page D2 the 1970-71 Bucks, who won 20 in host Denver won its fifth in a row lete more a reflection of a main- Tracy McGrady followed two ing. they were doingcould. T hatpro vgeame to bewent a co bystly game a row. Only the 1971-72 Lakers, at home. It was the second-most stream culture that prefers reali- months later. so fast. It feltfor lik bothe they teams. had P aultwoand or Los An- “Hunter set up a more relaxed who won 33 in a row, had a longer points the Nuggets have scored ty television to real-life horror, be But no matter how much they geles’s Pau Gasol and David approach so the players could streak. three guys on me all the time.” this season. it in Darfur or Iraq? are prodded, the most leveraged feel comfortable,” he said. “I’m West each injured an ankle. Kobe Jason Richardson scorAlexandered 28 was well covered be- Dirk My guess is that the ratio of of sports stars will continue to be all for it. People will probably lis- Bryant had 36 points for the Lak- MAVERICKS 116, PACERS 97 points for the Bobcats,c ausewho hahev hade scored 34 points, a ca- Nowitzki scored 21 points and the caring professional athletes the most careful because, as ten more when it’s Kobe Bryant.” ers, who lost for only the third lost five in a row to Houston.reer best, in Thursday’s 78-72 victory new backup point guard Tyronn hasn’t diminished, but merely Newble said, “They have their In the meantime, Newble is time in 17 games. Rafer Alston addedover 1 7Connecticut. for On the same day, Lue had 13 points in 15 minutes transformed. Like other well-off contracts, their deals.” That preparing to play more basket- Houston, which is 9-0Hibbert since Y hadao pla76ERyedS one110, of BtheULLS w o106rst Andre for host Dallas. Americans, they have the capaci- brings us back to the Kobe Bry- ball as a multipositional playoff Ming’s season-ending gfootames injury of .his Icguodalaareer, going scor edscor 25eles pointss and ty to speak more with their ant public service announce- AROUND THE LEAGUE The Seattle defensive stopper, looking for a and fouling out,Rodney as G eorCarneygeto wnhad beat 12 of his 18 checkbooks, and some — David ment, the first of a series gradual- new N.B.A. home, not worried SuperSonics and Oklahoma City PISTONS 84, SPURS 80Vil lanoRicharva,d 82-63.points in the fourth quarter as Robinson and Andre Agassi come ly being released and placed for about a backlash for having spo- Hamilton scored 25 and made a have reached a preliminary But this wasvisiting West PhiladelphiaVirginia’s thir radllied from to mind — have given much more broadcast by Aid Still Required, ken out in a manner that some key 3-point play with 20.6 sec- agreement on an arena lease, an 18-point deficit. than their money. and also featuring McGrady, might have interpreted as un- onds left for host Detroit.game San in An- three days, and the more en- pending the league’s approval of Listen hard enough; there are , and Baron helpful to the league’s global tonio played without Bruceergetic Bo Hw-oyasMA tookGIC adv 103,ant HEAageT of 94 theirJameer Nel- the team’s relocation. . . . The To- first-round bye. MIA FARROW still transcendent voices in Davis, among others. blueprint for success. en, who was suspended by the son scored 21 points and Dwight ronto Raptors filed a claim sports. Most prominently, and The group is the brainchild of “I love the game,” Newble league for kicking the BothHornets’ teamsH arowea ralmostd added cert 18 ainpoints to and 16 against the Spanish Basketball Ira Newble with Darfurian refugees in tragically, the pro football player Hunter and Andrea Payne, who said. “But I never thought I was Chris Paul in a game.earnBo wa espotn’s inrebounds the N.C.A for.A .visiting tourna- Orlando. Federation on Friday for not pay- Chad. He has asked China to intervene advised Newble before he under- in it just to dribble the ball up and consecutive-game strment.eak ended The HoHyedoas (27 Turk-4)oglu can scorguaredan- 20 points, ing insurance related to an injury with Sudan to stop the killing in Darfur. E-mail: [email protected] took his personal letter-writing down the court.” at 500, the longest in thetee league. it by winningincluding their second 5 in an consec- 18-second span to Jorge Garbajosa. utive conference tournament cham- pionship to go with their second con- secutive regular-season title. They are seeded first in this tour- nament and ranked ninth in the na- Yankees Gird tion. And they seem to be gathering For a Rematch Continued on Page D5 Against the Rays

By TYLER KEPNER SARASOTA, Fla. — The Yankees play two games Saturday, one in Lakeland against the Detroit Tigers and one at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. In scheduling Shelley Duncan for the Rays game, the Yankees are essentially daring Tampa Bay to escalate a feud. RAY STUBBLEBINE/REUTERS Duncan is still eligible to play because the Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert, right, shooting over Joe Alexander, who scored 12 points a day after having 34. three-game suspension he received Friday does not take effect until the regular season. Melky Cabrera was also suspended for three Old Foe, games, and the Rays’ Jonny Gomes for two, Countdown to Brackets because of their roles in a brawl incited by New Place Duncan’s hard slide Wednesday in St. Pe- Compete in an online tournament Josh Shipp, right, and and compare your N.C.A.A. tour- tersburg. SUZY ALLMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES “I feel it’s pretty unfair,” said Duncan, who U.C.L.A. edged rival nament picks with those of Times re- did not know if he would appeal. Bob Wat- U.S.C., 57-54, in the porters and editors beginning Sunday. Pitt Is Trying Again son, ’s disciplinarian, called Dun- first meeting between Meanwhile, get news and analysis in Sam Young, left, and Pittsburgh can’s actions “violent and reckless” in a the teams in the Pa- The Quad blog as the men’s and wom- defeated Marquette, 68-61, to news release announcing the suspensions. cific-10 tournament. en’s tournaments take shape. reach the Big East tournament “I’ll continue to play the game with the Page D4. same intensity I play it,” Duncan said. “In nytimes.com/sports final for the seventh time in eight my mind, I’m looking toward tomorrow as years. The Panthers will play another day of spring training.” KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS Georgetown. Page D5. General Manager Brian Cashman said he was surprised by the suspension of Cabrera, who the Rays believe punched Evan Longo- ria in the head during the melee. The sus- pended players, Manager Joe Girardi and the coaches Kevin Long and Bobby Mea- Cuban Players Fled Their Team for an Uncertain Future cham were also fined. “Obviously, it’s going to hurt if you’re By KATIE THOMAS Around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Prieto missing two guys for three games,” Girardi and four teammates went out a side said. “But you’ve got to deal with it.” At first, Loanni Cartaya Prieto called his grandfather to say hello. door of the Doubletree Hotel, got into his grandfather’s truck and slipped Prieto, a defender for the Cuban Continued on Page D3 away toward an American future. under-23 national soccer team, was in The young men were no longer mem- Tampa, Fla., competing in the re- bers of the Cuban national soccer gional Olympic qualifying tourna- team; they were refugees. ment. His grandfather lives in West Palm Beach. By Wednesday night, two more players had left the team hotel. As of But after Prieto hung up, he had Friday, an assistant coach was also another thought. unaccounted for. Although the de- “This could be our opportunity to fection of Cuban athletes from in- make our dreams of becoming a pro- ternational competitions is not un- fessional soccer player come true,” common, the sudden departure of he said Friday by telephone from seven players and an assistant coach West Palm Beach. at a qualifying tournament for the On Tuesday afternoon, just before Olympics represented a stunning re- playing the United States in a match buke to the Cuban government. that ended in a 1-1 tie, Prieto called On Thursday, the Communist his grandfather again. This time the Youth Union newspaper Juventud conversation was urgent. Pick me up Rebelde called the defectors “dishon- tonight, at my hotel, he said; I want ARMANDO TROVATI/ASSOCIATED PRESS orable.” The Communist Party daily to defect. Granma titled its story “Low Blow Après-Ski, a U.S. Celebration for Cuban Soccer.” Lindsey Vonn, left, clinched the women’s MOBILE: SPORTS NEWS The departures left the Cubans with only 11 players. They lost, 2-0, to MICHIKO KURISO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES overall World Cup title Friday, Ted Lige- For the latest sports news on your ty, right, took the giant slalom and Bode Honduras on Thursday and now have From left, Yordany Alvárez, Loanni Cartaya Prieto, Erlys García Baró, mobile phone, text “sports” only a slim chance of advancing. Miller won the men’s overall for a U.S. to 698698. Yeniel Bermúdez and José Manuel Miranda, five of the seven Cubans sweep of skiing titles. Page D7. Continued on Page D7 who defected from their under-23 soccer team, were together Friday.