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Video: AI Cover ShootToday

Here’s the video from our SLAM 125 (on sale now!) cover shoot with your man AI. Thanks, Allen…

Charles Barkley To Take Leave of AbsenceToday

by Ryne Nelson

Charles Barkley will take a minimum of several weeks away from the broadcast booth to deal with legal issues related to his Dec. 31 arrest.

At the time of his New Year’s Eve arrest, Barkley admitted to the police that he had had a “couple” of drinks. Barkley had a blood-alcohol level of .149, nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

USA Today quotes David Levy, president of TNT Sports:

“I have spoken with Charles Barkley regarding the incident…and I understand he has hired a lawyer to represent him regarding this matter. When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was obvious he understands the significance of the situation. This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him. Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization and we are concerned for his well-being.”

It goes without saying that Inside the NBA will not be the same without Chuck. Hopefully he straightens his life up and gets back there soon.

A return date has not been set.

Links: Don’t Tread On The NBAToday

by Lang Whitaker

If there’s one thing we can be sure of regarding the Portland Trailblazers, it’s that their front office doesn’t want to play by the rules.

Yesterday, the Blazers’ front office sent out an email to every other front office in the NBA. By now the email is all over the internets:

Team Presidents and General Managers,

The Portland Trail Blazers are aware that certain teams may be contemplating signing Darius Miles to a contract for the purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers Salary Cap and tax positions. Such conduct from a team would violate its fiduciary duty as an NBA joint venturer. In addition, persons or entities involved in such conduct may be individually liable to the Portland Trail Blazers for tortuously interfering with the Portland Trail Blazers’ contract rights and perspective economic opportunities.

Please be aware that if a team engages in such conduct, the Portland Trail Blazers will take all necessary steps to safeguard its rights, including, without limitation, litigation.

(Wait, isn’t it “prospective” economic opportunities, not “perspective”? Either way.)

Uptowns Baby!Today

by Matt Caputo

For our Collector’s spot (Look, Don’t Touch) in SLAM 125, I reached out to DJ/Hoop head Rich Medina to give us a look at his slow cooked collection of delicious footwear. Being that it went so well, I decided to re-post an interview we did over a year ago to go along with the photo we ran of him in the magazine. Check out his MySpace for the latest news.

Originally published Sept. 7, 2007 as “True Player for Real.”

Rich Medina is as respected on the turntables as he is on the basketball court. While many people might be familiar with his name from music he crafted for The Roots, Jill Scott and Eve, heads might not know that Medina was once a step away from the NBA.

Although the New Jersey native spends most of his time crafting hit music and working the decks, he still makes time to feed his basketball Jones. SLAM caught up with Medina on a break from his ever-spinning schedule to wax philosophical about a few of his favorite things.

SLAM: So, did you grow up playing ball?
Rich Medina: Yeah, I did. I went to school in Lakewood, N.J. so I played in the Jersey Shore League, AAU ball, with a team called the Road Runners. I went to Lakewood High; we were a bunch of gazelles. We

ROY Race: Trimester ReportToday

by Earl K. Sneed

Since the premiere edition of ROY Race, we’ve learned a lot.

Certain players are exactly who we thought they were, and it appears others came into the League with too much hype. Rookies like Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin and Eric Gordon came in overlooked, but are gaining serious attention.

No player hatin’ this time around—we’ll just focus on what these rooks have done to stake claim over the rookie hardware. The moving and jocking for position has started, but the numbers and production on the court almost always speaks for itself.

Also, for the full rookie experience, stay tuned to Rookie Spotlight, as SLAM goes one-on-one with the top first-year pros learning the NBA life.

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Pros: While DRose has looked invisible at times—by his own doing, not by the hands of the defense—he continues to hover over 17 points and 6 assists per game. Still, you’d like to see more from No. 1. It may be asking too much, but having a couple of weeks of him averaging 20 and 10 isn’t beyond his capabilities. Putting it together as a rookie would cement him atop this list for good.

Cons: The Bulls had an off-year a season ago, so if the addition of Rose doesn’t get the Bulls back to the Playoffs�