Trade Spices Up Frosh-Heavy Draft

Chicago has waited long enough, and this 19-year-old is ready

(NEWSER) - Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson said after last night's NBA draft that he thinks the team should give Derrick Rose some time to settle in, but he seems to be the only person who thinks so, writes Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times. The No. 1 draft pick says he wants to focus on "being a point guard and coming in and starting." More»

Mayo scandal shocks few, and penalties remain slight

(NEWSER) - The NBA can't stop agents from scurrying around high school and college basketball these days, offering illegal gifts to sign young players. Although the players are getting younger—more go pro right out of high school—punishments for players and agents alike remain slight, the New York Times reports. More»

'Wounded warriors' watch; reporters boxed out

(NEWSER) - President Obama played basketball today with a constellation of NBA stars and a ringer from the national champion UConn women's team. Service members injured in action and participants in the White House mentoring program watched, but the press pool waited outside, the Washington Post reports. Retired stars Magic Johnson and Bill Russell played but Kobe Bryant only watched, reports The Hill . More»

(NEWSER) - Women get excited over dresses at the Oscars. J.E. Skeets of Yahoo Sports gets excited about suits at the NBA draft. Here are his picks for the best- and worst-dressed players at last night's big event:

• Best Dressed: Brandon Jennings—"What's not to like?"
• Worst Dressed: Hasheem Thabeet wasn’t a disaster, but "shiny light grey on a seven-foot-three-inch frame is not a great look."

Cocaine killed the athlete 22 years ago, but the impact lingers

(NEWSER) - Twenty-two years ago, Celtics legend Larry Bird called the sudden death of new Boston draftee Len Bias "one of the the cruelest things I've ever heard." The legacy of the Maryland basketball great, whose NBA career ended with cocaine use just two days after it began, retains its nuance and potency even now, writes Michael Weinreb for ESPN. More»