Tony Allen

Anthony Allen (born January 11, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), commonly referred to as Tony Allen, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics in the NBA.

A swingman, he can play as a guard or forward.

LeBron Stresses Importance of Exercise, Environment to Kids

LeBron James has a new teammate who’s just as popular. The guy has a few holes in his game. Oh, and he lives in a pineapple under the sea. SpongeBob SquarePants won’t help James win any NBA titles, but the Cavaliers’ superstar has paired up with Nickelodeon, the home of SpongeBob and his ocean-dwelling cartoon chums, to raise awareness about the environment.

Beyond the global-awareness message – part of Nickelodeon’s Big Green Help campaign – James is hoping to educate kids on the importance of exercise. “We’re trying to get kids out of the house,” Cleveland’s All-Star forward said while dressing in his trailer after filming the PSA, which will air in mid-July. “Get outside, ride bikes, play hoops. And in this, we’re trying to save water and do other things that can help the environment. … It doesn’t take much to recycle a can or turn the faucet off.”

At 23, James is still a kid at heart. A big SpongeBob fan, the two-time Olympian is also a father of two young sons, and he understands the impact he can have on shaping other kids’ lives.

THORN SAYS JEFFERSON NOT ‘HAPPY’

Jefferson, traded to Milwaukee for promising 7-footer Yi Jianlian and veteran Bobby Simmons, responded via text message to Nets team president Rod Thorn.

“He didn’t seem very happy,” said Thorn, who emphasized yesterday he had not yet spoken to Jefferson. “I spoke to his agent, I called him, texted him. I like Richard. He was here for a long time and I’m sure he still expected to be here. Unless you are the one pushing for it, it’s always difficult when you are traded. You are going to a new place, have new teammates. It’s hard at first.”

Thorn has other work looming as the free agency period starts tomorrow. Teams have a two-week courtship period before they can start signing players.

Nets introduce 3 new draft picks

When New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn introduced the team’s three new draft picks Monday, he praised the trio as much for their reputations off the court as their ability on it. “You always look for ability, but you also have to have character,” Thorn said as he introduced first-round selections Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson and second-round pick Chris Douglas-Roberts. “That’s what we like about all three.”

In the past two years, the Nets gambled with first-round picks, taking Marcus Williams in 2006 and Sean Williams last year – players who had shady pasts and run-ins with the law during their college days at Connecticut and Boston College respectively.

That’s not the case with the team’s three selections this year.

Riley sees options in free agency

Though the class is mediocre, Pat Riley said he will enter free agency Tuesday expecting to add quality pieces partly because only a few teams (Memphis, Philadelphia) have much cap room, and “there are going to be a lot of players that eventually filter to the exception or part of it.”

The Heat would be comfortable splitting the $5.8 million exception to fill two needs among point guard, center and a wing player to upgrade over Ricky Davis. At least one should be addressed via trade. But with Miami and others eyeing cap space in a year or two, Riley said, “A lot of short [term] money will have to be accepted by these guys . . . We’ve got to protect our backside in 2010.”

Riley bypassed others last summer while waiting on Mo Williams. But unless Elton Brand opts out, there are few potential pie-in-the-sky unrestricted free-agent targets. Gilbert Arenas wants to re-sign with Washington (if Antawn Jamison does), and Corey Maggette and Ron Artest (if they opt out) make sense only if Shawn Marion is traded.

Lakers and Clippers get a look at their options

As free-agent talks can begin, Corey Maggette and Elton Brand face decisions for the Clippers, and Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf are in play for the Lakers.

By Mike Bresnahan and Jonathan Abrams, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
June 30, 2008

The second phase of the off-season begins tonight for the Lakers and Clippers, with the latter facing many more decisions than the former. Leading scorer Corey Maggette is expected to officially become an unrestricted free agent when he opts out of the final year of his contract, a year in which he is owed $7 million. When reached Sunday, forward Elton Brand, who also can become an unrestricted free agent, said he and agent David Falk would release their decision today. If he does not opt out, Brand is due $16.4 million in the final season of his contract.