“We have been made aware of a situation involving Lance Stephenson early Sunday morning in Brooklyn,” Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement released from the team. “We are currently in the process of gathering information and will have further comments as we learn more facts.”

Stephenson’s agent, Al Ebanks, did not return a phone message Sunday.

Stephenson’s incident is a hard blow to the Pacers because they’ve spent years trying to repair their negative off-the-court image with the fan base.

They raised eyebrows by drafting Stephenson in June. A schoolboy legend in New York City, he played one year at Cincinnati and fell to the Pacers with the 40th pick overall, in the second round of the draft.

After an impressive showing in the Orlando summer league, the Pacers decided to sign him to a guaranteed contract, even though they weren’t obliged to with a second-round pick. He received a two-year contract with an option on the third and fourth years.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Stephenson has had a run-in with the law.

Stephenson was charged with sexual abuse for allegedly groping a girl at a bus stop near his high school in New York his senior year. The charge was dismissed and he ended up pleading to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct.

The Pacers supposedly did their homework on Stephenson before drafting him in June. They hired a private investigator to do a thorough background check on Stephenson and his family.

In a jarring interview with ESPN Radio in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Timberwolves general manager David Kahn explained that once-touted forward Michael Beasley, who Kahn traded for earlier this month, struggled in Miami because he “smoked too much marijuana” while playing for the Heat, but has since quit.

The Heat dumped Beasley for nothing but two future second-round draft picks in order to clear the books in advance of the acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh and the re-signing of Dwyane Wade. Beasley, the No. 2 pick of the 2008 draft, has struggled to transition to NBA play, never meshing with the superlative Wade in Miami.

Beasley had trouble before even playing a minute in the league, as he was involved in an odd marijuana-related incident at the requisite Rookie Transition Program in September 2008, one which left Beasley with a $50,000 fine and a one-way ticket into the league’s substance abuse program. Further issues led Beasley to a 30-day stint in rehab before his second NBA season.

In an interview with FanHouse’s Tim Povtak in December 2009, Beasley acknowledged prior problems with alcohol, and beamed that he hadn’t drank alcohol since August 2009. Never did Beasley admit to marijuana usage publicly, and never did the league — which maintains a strict policy of confidentiality about such matters — announce that Beasley had ever flunked a drug test. A second failed test for marijuana while one is already in the league’s substance abuse program comes with a mandated five-game suspension; Beasley has never been suspended by the NBA, which would suggest he has not failed two tests in his two-year career. Players can be tested up to four times per season.

Article XXXIII, Section 3(f) of the league’s collective bargaining agreementstates that team employees are prohibited from disclosing “information regarding the use, possession, or distribution of a Prohibited Substance by a player,” though it’s unclear whether Beasley’s private admission to Kahn falls under these rules.

This was last an issue when word leaked out just after the Blazers had filed for a medical retirement for injured forward Darius Miles, that Miles had failed a drug test in Portland, and that punishment would be administered in the form of a 10-game suspension as soon as he signed with another team. Portland stood to lose $9 million in 2009-10 cap space if Miles played 10 NBA games in 2008-09. As such, some alleged the Blazers leaked word of the pending suspension as a disincentive for teams looking to sign Miles.

The league eventually disclosed that Miles would be subject to a suspension upon signing; nevertheless, he played in 34 games for the Grizzlies in 2009, canceling his medical retirement and putting his $9 million 2009-10 salary back on Portland’s books.

He’s just not heading to the team he thought a day earlier.

After a potential trade with Toronto fell apart, the Bobcats sent Chandler and fellow center Alexis Ajinca to the Dallas Mavericks for center Erick Dampier, forward Eduardo Najera, shooting guard Matt Carroll and cash considerations.

While the Bobcats get financial flexibility with Dampier’s non-guaranteed $13 million contract, the injury-plagued Chandler is off to this third team in a year after being acquired from New Orleans last summer.

Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said the Bobcats will either waive Dampier or make another trade with him. That would allow the Bobcats to clear about $7 million in salary-cap space because they dump Chandler’s $12.7 million contract and Ajinca’s $1.5 million deal and take in Carroll ($4.3 million) and Najera ($2.8 million).

Before the trade, the Bobcats were only about $3 million shy of the reaching the luxury tax threshold, a payroll figure owner Michael Jordan said they wouldn’t exceed.

Carroll, a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham High, is a jump-shooter Charlotte traded to Dallas just 19 months ago, one of eight deals involving 26 players the Bobcats have made since Larry Brown took over as coach at the start of the 2008-09 season. Najera will add depth to Charlotte’s frontcourt.

It’s a far different outcome for Charlotte than what was being discussed a day earlier. The Bobcats had been closing in on a deal that would’ve sent Chandler and Boris Diaw to Toronto for Jose Calderon and Reggie Evans. Calderon would have provided Charlotte with a needed replacement for point guard Raymond Felton, who signed with New York on Monday.

While Higgins insisted the deal wasn’t agreed upon, the Raptors seemed to think it was. Chandler wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press on Monday night that his agent had told him the deal was done, while Evans thanked Raptors fans on his Twitter page.

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….

Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Who know where Lebron will go? Nobody! But the ESPN hype machine cannot stop producing “sources” and other things that indicate he is going here or there. My best source is Jared Dudley and Chad Ochocinco who say the Knicks.

No word on whether he’d hire Kenny Smith to be his director of basketball and Ernie Johnson Jr.,to be his traffic cop and run interference after one of Barkley’s brutal assessments.

“I don’t think it’s a good job right now,” Barkley told Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley. “But I would listen to the Suns because I love Phoenix. I would listen to Robert(Sarver) out of respect for working in Phoenix. But I’ll be honest: I would not re-sign Amar’e Stoudemire.”

Barkley, who has no unspoken thoughts, was just warming up.

“I wouldn’t do it for three reasons. One, his knees; two, his eyes; and three, he wants a maximum deal. Now, he’s a terrific player. Don’t get me wrong. But at this stage of his career he’s never been the best player on his team. That’s not a max player.”

Barkley’s assessments would go all the way up to the owner’s office.

“Let’s not kid ourselves: Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you know anything about basketball,” said Barkley, who played four seasons for the Suns. “I don’t think (Sarver) made his money in basketball. He made his money in banking. We don’t get stimulus packages in the NBA.”

• Detroit Pistons- Taking Greg Monroe at number 7 was a great pick. Monroe is arguably the most skilled big man since Tim Duncan so the sky is the limit for him. ALready know for his passing, Monroe needs to improve his aggressiveness and show the passion for the game that is necessary for a NBA star. I think he will be a steal at 7 in a couple of years. There second pick, 36, was also a big value pick. Terrico White out of Ole Miss can jump out of the gym and may be able to use that to become a good player. Time will tell but he has the chance to be a top 15 player in the draft.
• Houston Rockets- They got Patrick Patterson at 14! He may be a little undersized but he plays hard down low and has a good outside game as well. I see him as a Jamison type player. Great pick to play along side Yao, if he ever gets un-injured.
• LA Lakers- As much as I hate the whiny b***h Kobe, the Lakers got two high potential players in the second round that may be able to help the team immediately. Devin Ebanks at 43 is a steal and Derrick Caracter at 58 may turn out to be the steal of the draft as it seems that he has turned a corner and matured to an adult. I hate Kobe.
• Sacramento Kings- With all the s**t hitting the fan in Arnold-town, the Kings really needed to give these fans something to cheer about and they did it in a BIG way. Drafting Demarcus Cousins at 5 and Hassan Whiteside at 33 immediately improved their bigs and now have a great pick and roll combo for the next 10 years. My favorite draft of anyone and hopefully they will pick up next year and start winning.

The Loser- Canada

Not only are they going to lose the only thing that keeps their team and their country relevant for basketball, Chris Bosh, they try to draft a lefty PF to replace him. Good thought they need a power forward but then they got ED DAVIS. That is a f**k you from the state of NC to Canada.

1 Player Not to Drat: Ed Davis

He sucks, has no skills, and I heard him once ask somebody “Where the bitches at that suck the d***” D-Bag

Izzo, who spurned up to $30 million from Cleveland to stay at Michigan State, was owner Dan Gilbert’s No. 1 choice to replace Mike Brown as the Cavs’ coach, a position that might stay vacant until James, the superstar and free-agent-on-deck signs in Cleveland — or elsewhere.

Izzo’s decision Tuesday to remain with the Spartans has further muddled a complex situation for the Cavs, who are preparing for next week’s NBA draft and the July 1 opening of free agency without a coach or a front-running candidate and they have no idea of James’ plans.

Last week, general manager Chris Grant said the club’s mantra is patience during a search that is showing no signs of ending anytime soon.

“We’ll wait as long as we have to wait,” he said.

It was assumed if Izzo turned them down that the Cavs would initiate a possible fallback plan: Byron Scott. But other than a one-hour phone interview by Grant, the Cavs have not gone any deeper with Scott, the former New Orleans and New Jersey coach working as a TV analyst during the finals.

Gilbert and Grant are not commenting during the search, so it is not known if they intend to bring Scott in for a meeting.

Scott’s agent, Brian McInerney, deferred all comments to the team about its interest.

Scott would likely talk to Gilbert, but it’s doubtful he’ll commit to anyone before seeing how things progress between Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers after the season. Jackson, who will be 65 in September, may retire or he may not want to come back if owner Jerry Buss forces him to take a pay cut.

Scott won three championships as Magic Johnson’s backcourt partner on L.A.’s “Showtime” teams and has dreamed of coaching on Hollywood’s stage. Scott has a strong relationship with Kobe Bryant, whose endorsement could mean everything to Buss.

Gilbert has shown a willingness to go beyond his comfort zone to land his man, and an offer like the one he discussed with Izzo, a coach with no NBA experience, would certainly pique Scott’s interest.

It’s also possible the Cavs could make another run at Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and former New York and Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy. But Krzyzewski recently said he’ll never leave the college game, and Van Gundy has made it known that he enjoys the TV broadcast booth and isn’t ready to rush back into coaching at the sake of family stability.

“I miss a lot of parts of coaching, not all parts, but a lot of them,” Van Gundy said during the Celtics-Lakers finals. “But that doesn’t mean it’s right timing when there are kids involved. So when people say that (he should be coaching), I think they forget that if you were single the decision might be one way, but if you have children involved it might be a different way.”

There are candidates to choose from. The bigger issue for the Cavs, though, remains James.

They can’t promise a potential coach that the two-time MVP will be on their roster after July 1, so it’s possible Gilbert will wait for a decision from James before hiring his next coach. It’s not ideal, but it may be Cleveland’s best and only option at this point.

Cleveland has had informal discussions with Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson and former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, both of whom could get interviews. But the Cavs only spoke with them as a safety net in case the whirlwind courtship with Izzo dissolved.

It did, and Izzo admitted the uncertainty about James’ future was a major factor.

Izzo didn’t speak directly with James, but got some needed information from people close to the All-Star.

“I felt comfortable with the things I needed to know,” Izzo said. “If LeBron would’ve stayed, that doesn’t mean that I would have been there. It was not the only factor. Was it a big factor? Sure it was.”

And for any other prospective Cavs coach, it still is.