The Phoenix Suns have signed free-agent forward Matt Barnes to a one-year contract, the club announced yesterday.
?We’re excited to add a player of Matt’s caliber to our roster,? said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr.  ?He has a chance to have a big impact on our team.  His athleticism and versatility at both ends of the court will be important for us along with his playoff experience.?
The 6-7, 226-pound forward joins the Suns after a two-season stint with the Golden State Warriors in which he averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 149 games in 2006-07 and 2007-08.  Barnes enjoyed a career year with the Warriors in 2006-07, averaging a personal-best 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists during the regular season.  The 28-year-old Barnes played a key role in Golden State’s historic upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, tallying 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 11 games.
The UCLA product is a career 43.8-percent shooter from the field, including 32.4 percent from three-point range.  Barnes shot 33.8 percent from long range the last two seasons with the Warriors, where he made 159 of his 169 career three-pointers.
Barnes joins his sixth NBA team after spending time with the L.A. Clippers (2003-04), Sacramento Kings (2004-05), Philadelphia 76ers (2004-05, 2005-06), New York Knicks (2005-06) and Warriors.  He owns career averages of 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 286 NBA games.
Originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round (46th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft but traded that day to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Barnes is one of many NBA success stories that began their professional careers in the NBA Development League.  The five-year veteran spent the 2002-03 season with the Fayetteville Patriots of the D-League, where he averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 50 games.
The Santa Clara, California-native attended Del Campo High School in Sacramento.
The Suns’ roster currently stands at 11 players.

Jenny Craig Inc. Co-Founder and former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Sidney Craig, who with his wife Jenny built the largest and most successful centre-based weight loss company in the world, died on Monday, July 21st.  He was 76.  Sid Craig is survived by his wife, their five children and 13 grandchildren.
?Sid was a true pioneer in the weight loss industry having been involved for over 40 years. Together, he and Jenny built the strong foundation of our Company’s values, culture, and mission of improving people’s lives by helping them lose weight and keep it off.   I personally feel so very fortunate to have known such a talented and generous mentor and friend.  He will be dearly missed,? said CEO Patti Larchet.
Born March 22, 1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Craig came from a family of three children.  His career began in the mid-1950s as a part-time instructor and entrepreneur at Arthur Murray Dance Studios, where Sid purchased five studio franchises over time.  Upon the company’s takeover, he was elected to the new Board of Directors.
In the 1970s, he would own a stake in a small chain of salons before forming a new corporation of ladies figure control salons, Body Contour, Inc. and positioned it for rapid expansion including the New Orleans market where he met Jenny Guidroz Bourcq, who would soon become his National Director of Operations and, in 1979, his wife.
In her 2004 autobiography, ?The Jenny Craig Story: How One Woman Changes Millions of Lives,? Jenny said ?Sid ? has the charisma of a Jack Kennedy, the intelligence of an Alan Greenspan, the creative mind of a Steven Spielberg, and the humor of a Jackie Mason, along with the good looks of a Clark Gable.?
?I’ve learned that everyone has a soul mate somewhere, and if we’re lucky enough to find them to share our life with, then we are more fortunate than most.  I thank God every day for allowing me to find mine.  Sid has enriched my life in more ways than I can count.?
In 1982, the Craigs sold their interest in the 200+center Body Contour, Inc, moved to Melbourne, Australia, and developed Jenny Craig Inc, a chain of weight loss centres whose comprehensive approach emphasized health, moderation and long-term weight maintenance.
A marketing expert, Sid boosted the young weight management company into overnight success when he placed live advertisements on ?New Faces?, Australia’s top talent show, earning Jenny Craig Inc. the 14th-highest company name recognition in the country.
Sid’s leadership built Jenny Craig, Inc. from a small Australian company into a multi-national business with 655 Centres operating in four countries.  In 2006, Nestlé purchased Jenny Craig Inc. for $600 million.
An avid sportsman, Sid and Jenny Craig purchased a 237-acre thoroughbred horse racing stables, breeding operation and training center in Rancho Santa Fe, California in 1995.  They also own a minority partnership in the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association.   An active car enthusiast, Sid collected classic cars previously owned by high profile celebrities and political figures including Franklin D Roosevelt’s touring limousine, Dean Martin, and Al Capone among many others.  Sid especially enjoyed the history behind his cars; which was the prime motivation behind each purchase.
In April 2007, Sid and Jenny were awarded the Horatio Alger Award in Washington D.C.  It was the first time in the organization’s 60-year history that the award was presented to a couple.  Sid considered that to be one of the highlights of his career.
Philanthropically, Sid and Jenny Craig have contributed their support to organizations such as San Diego Hospice, Easter Seals, United Way/CHAD, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In 1992, Sid Craig pledged millions to CSUF for the School of Business and Administrative Sciences, which was renamed The Sid Craig School of Business.  In 1996, Sid and Jenny Craig committed another very large donation to the University of San Diego, which was used to build the Jenny Craig Pavilion, a multi-use sports pavilion that was dedicated in October 2000.
The Craigs were quick to come to the aid of Hurricane Katrina victims as one of the largest donors.  They were among the first to respond to the needs of fire victims in San Diego, where they reside. Their support and concern for the disadvantaged was their way of giving back in appreciation for their many blessings.

SI (Ian Thompson) reports: Darius Miles is trying to become the first player to return from an injury that was deemed to be “career-ending” by the NBA. If he were to sign a new contract and play in 10 or more games this season, his $9 million salary would go back on Portland’s books ? though his return would not affect the Trail Blazers as badly as has been advertised. Miles underwent microfracture surgery to repair his right knee in November 2006. He hasn’t played since, and he was released by the Blazers in April after the “career-ending” judgment was made by an independent medical examiner appointed by the NBA and the players’ union. In recent weeks, Miles has had workouts ? ranging from two hours to less than 30 minutes ? with the Nets, Celtics, Suns and Mavericks, all of whom controlled the terms while asking Miles to compete against other players.

The  National  Basketball  Association today announced  that  the  Salary  Cap  for  the  2008-09 season will be $58.680 million.   The  new  Cap  goes  into  effect  immediately  as  the league’s ?moratorium  period?  has ended and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.
The  tax level for the 2008-09 season has been set at $71.150 million.  Any team whose team salary exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it exceeds $71.150 million.
The  mid-level  exception  is $5.585 million for the 2008-09 season and the minimum  team  salary,  which  is  set at 75% of the Salary Cap, is $44.010 million.
For  the 2007-08 season, the Salary Cap was set at $55.630 million, the tax level was $67.865 million and the mid-level exception was $5.356 million.

The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: “First-round draft pick Robin Lopez gives the Suns 10 players. If second-round pick Goran Dragic can’t break his contract in Spain this year, the Suns would need to add at least three players. That likely would be done with one-year, minimum-salary deals to two veterans and a free-agent rookie who could come out of a summer team coached by new assistant coaches Dan Majerle and Igor Kokoskov. At minimum, the Suns’ payroll figures to exceed the projected luxury-tax threshold by $3 million to $5 million. Teams must pay a tax based on how much they have surpassed that threshold in February. The Suns have a mid-level exception but are unlikely to use it. Fewer teams are using the exception, which allows teams over the salary cap to spend up to $5.8 million on a free agent. The Suns do not have a biennial exception because they signed forward Grant Hill with it last year.”

The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Goran Dragic’s dream was bound to come true after a strong showing at a camp in Italy two weeks ago. It was the Suns’ dream to land him that would have shattered without a trade that let them take him with the 45th overall pick. After No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose, the Suns said there was not a better point guard in the draft. They wrestled with the idea of taking him 15th if first-round choice Robin Lopez had not been available. The Suns think they have a point guard for years after Steve Nash leaves… Dragic cannot be bought out of his contract with Spanish club Tau Ceramica until July 2009. The buyout is $1,550,000, with the Suns able to pay $500,000.

The Los Angeles Times (Jonathan Abrams) reports: Kobe Bryant’s response to former teammate Shaquille O’Neal’s lambasting him in an obscenity-laced rap freestyle at a New York nightclub? No response. “I didn’t take it any kind of way whatsoever,” Bryant said Saturday, before declining to take any more questions on the topic. Bryant, however, was more than willing to discuss several other subjects as the U.S. men’s basketball team held a one-day mini-camp in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. He has had a bit more time to reflect on the NBA Finals, labeling Boston as “champions until somebody proves otherwise.”

Shaquille O’Neal’s freestyle rap in NYC the other day which mocked Kobe Bryant and included various profanities, resulted in one police badge being taken away the other day, and now it’s happened again.
The AP reports: Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown said Wednesday that he has asked the Phoenix Suns center to return a badge he was given for his work with the southwest Virginia county’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force… The decision comes one day after a sheriff in Arizona asked O’Neal to return a special deputy’s badge because of language he used in the rap.

The Phoenix Suns today announced that forward Grant Hill has exercised his player option for the 2008-09 season.
Originally signed by the Suns as a free agent on July 11, 2007, the 14-year NBA veteran proved remarkably durable in his first season in Phoenix.  Hill appeared in 70 games for the Suns, his most in a single season since 1999-00, including starts in 34 consecutive contests to open the season.
The 6-8 forward averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 2007-08 while shooting at least 50 percent from the field (.503) for the third time in the last four seasons and establishing a career-high in free-throw efficiency (.867).  Both his rebound and assist averages were his highest in five seasons.  Hill tallied four double-doubles last season, including the first back-to-back double-doubles of his career since 2002 on Feb. 20-22.
Last season, the Duke product became the first player in league history to win the NBA Sportsmanship Award in multiple seasons (2004-05) and the first Sun to garner the honor.  Hill also won the 2007-08 Dan Majerle Hustle Award.
Hill owns career averages of 19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 14 seasons with Detroit (1994-2000), Orlando (2000-07) and Phoenix (2007-08).
The Phoenix Suns own the 15th and 48th overall selections in the 2008 NBA Draft, which begins tonight at 4:30 p.m. Phoenix time on ESPN.

The East Valley Tribune reports: Shaquille O’Neal will lose his special deputy’s badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center’s use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month. “I want his two badges back,” Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they’re fired. I don’t condone this type of racial conduct.”
InsideHoops.com says: Looks like Shaq, without any help from Kobe, can bring dishonor to police department badges.