The Padres will be without Fernando Tatis Jr. for the rest of the season.
Tatis Jr. tested positive for Clostebol, and will be suspended for 80 games. The news of the suspension was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
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“I’ve been informed by Major League Baseball that a test sample I submitted returned a positive result for Clostebol, a banned substance,” Tatis Jr. said in a statement, through the MLBPA.
“It turns out that I inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol. I should have used the resources available to me in order to ensure that no banned substances were in what I took. I failed to do so.
“I want to apologize to Peter, AJ, the entire Padres organization, my teammates, Major League Baseball, and fans everywhere for my mistake. I have no excuse for my mistake, and I would never do anything to cheat or disrespect the game I love.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. is suspended for 80 games. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
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The 23-year-old phenom had missed the entire season due to a fractured wrist but had been expected to return soon.
This is a blow to the Padres, who went all in trading a haul of highly-ranked prospects to the Nationals for superstar outfielder Juan Soto and formidable first baseman Josh Bell.
“I have taken countless drug tests throughout my professional career, including on March 29, 2022, all of which have returned negative results until this test,” Tatis Jr.’s statement continued.
“I am completely devastated. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than on the field competing with my teammates. After initially appealing the suspension, I have realized that my mistake was the cause of this result, and for that reason I have decided to start serving my suspension immediately. I look forward to rejoining my teammates on the field in 2023.”
The Padres are 63-51. While they trail the Dodgers for 16 games in the NL West, they would qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card team if the playoffs started today.
Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $AUD477 million contract with the Padres last February.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
A tiny mishap that has caused a lot of paperwork has landed a homebuyer with a small city’s worth of homes purchased for the price of one.
Thanks to four mistaken keystrokes, the new owner of a single-family home received an additional 84 house lots, plus two common spaces for a total of 86 properties, while getting the deed for her new house in a small town in Nevada, United States , which alone is valued at $US594,481 ($843,000), according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
The reason for the bonus homes, located in a development northeast of Reno, was simply administrative human error, the New York Post reports.
“It appears Westminster Title out of Las Vegas may have copied and pasted a legal description from another Toll Brothers transfer when preparing [the homebuyer’s] deed for remembrance,” Washoe County chief deputy assessor Cori Burke told the Journal.
The error was at least obvious enough that it was noted almost immediately — but the damage had already been done.
“Because it was pretty clear a mistake was made, our assessment services division reached out to Westminster Title right away so they could begin working on correcting the chain of title for the 86 properties transferred in error,” Burke went on.
Such copy-paste errors in fact happen “fairly often,” although rarely do they involve so many properties.
“This particular case is just a little more interesting because of the number of lots involved,” said Burke.
Although amusing, fixing the erroneous land grab will be quite a headache, and require the homebuyer to transfer the title back to Toll Brothers, who will then in turn transfer it to new property owners through typical channels.
“I think someone could try to make things difficult. However, the title company also has the offer and acceptance for the purchase on file so intent is pretty clear,” Burke told the publication.
“I would think it would be a loser in court and doubt it happens often, if at all.”
This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission
Things got ugly for Ben Simmons in Philadelphia and if Kevin Durant is not careful, he could be heading down a similar path in Brooklyn — if he is not already.
But could that be all part of the Nets superstar’s master plan?
Well, Durant certainly got the NBA world talking earlier in the week then he issued an ultimatum that left Nets owner Joseph Tsai in a tricky situation.
Durant, who requested a trade in June, reportedly told Tsai he needs to choose between the 12-time All-Star and the pairing of head coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks.
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A subsequent report from The New York Post laid out Durant’s specific grievances with the team, including a lack of consultation over the Nets’ firing of assistant coach and director of player development Adam Harrington.
But not everyone in the NBA world seems to think that Durant actually wants Nash or Marks fired from the organization.
That is certainly the opinion of Fox Sports’ Nick Wright, who said on ‘The Herd’ with Colin Cowherd that Durant’s ultimatum is all about achieving one “single goal”.
“I don’t think Kevin Durant actually wants those guys fired,” Wright said.
“I think he just wants to be traded. I think if he wanted Sean Marks and Steve Nash fired, he would have gone to Joe Tsai a month ago when he did the trade demand and quietly and privately said: ‘Listen, if you don’t fire these guys, I’m going to demand a trade’.
“I read this differently than most. I read this as Kevin Durant asking for something he knew he would not get in order to make it untenable for them to bring him back because he was starting to get concerned they were actually going to bring him back.
“This was him upping the ante to a level that is pretty unprecedented. It’s why I think Durant understood Joe Tsai is not going to do it and they also, I don’t believe, can ask Steve Nash to now coach Kevin Durant. I think it was a really smart move if his single goal is to be traded and I think that is his single goal.
Could Kevin Durant be heading down a similar path to Ben Simmons? (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
You see, it is not like Durant has much leverage in this situation, as NBA front office insider John Hollinger explained in a recent article for The Athletic.
Hollinger pointed towards two numbers in particular to prove that point — 34 and four — Durant’s age and how many years he has left on his contract.
“Throwing both his coach and GM under the bus — in many cases for moves that came with a wink and nod from Durant’s camp — certainly makes it less likely the Nets will find it tenable to reunite everyone in the fall,” Hollinger wrote.
“Of course, this gambit offers no guarantees. The trade offers in front of the Nets today aren’t any different from the ones they rejected yesterday, and it’s not clear how or if Durant’s latest demand will compel action.”
What it could do though is lead to a similar situation to the one Simmons found himself in Philadelphia last year, although there are a few key differences as Hollinger also pointed out.
“Seemingly the sharpest arrow left in Durant’s quiver is pure hardball: a holdout, one that would cost him a chunk of his $44 million 2022-23 salary for every day he sat out,” he wrote.
“It would, ironically, be a near carbon-copy of the situation a year ago in Philadelphia with Durant’s occasional teammate Ben Simmons.
“Here’s the thing: The Nets are working on a different timeline than the Sixers were.”
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Hollinger is right. Philadelphia had to move relatively fast to capitalize on Joel Embiid’s prime and as such was more inclined to reach a swift resolution in the Simmons drama.
The same cannot be said for the Nets though, as Hollinger argued.
“If anything, they would seem to have the opposite motivation,” he wrote.
“Yes, Brooklyn’s first choice would be to run it back with Durant, Simmons and Kyrie Irving (or a suitable replacement). But in the absence of Durant, wouldn’t the Nets’ second choice be to tank the season and try again in 2024? And wouldn’t a Durant holdout do anything more than accelerate the Nets toward that endgame?
“Brooklyn’s best-case scenario may be waiting until midseason, when this summer’s free agents are eligible to be dealt with. It seems less likely they’d let a year of Durant’s contract wither on the vine at his age and wait until next offseason… but it ca n’t totally be ruled out either given the tanking incentive.
Durant has told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai that he must choose between keeping Durant or head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, The Athletic reported on August 8, 2022. (Photo by ELSA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)Source: AFP
What was consistent among a host of voices in the NBA media landscape was a sense of uncertainty, not knowing what exactly was coming next, again similar to the Simmons saga.
“The whole situation is a mess, but the kind of mess Brooklyn might happily sweep under a rug and ignore, if only it could,” The Ringers Rob Mahoney wrote.
“It’s impossible to replace Kevin Durant. Hell, it’s hard enough just to set a fair return for Durant in a trade, much less one suitors can realistically meet. Every ask sounds ridiculous because Durant is a genuinely ridiculous player.
“That might be the only reason he’s still a Net some six weeks after requesting a trade—and maybe the real reason KD is stirring the pot with this ultimatum in the first place. Does he really want Marks and Nash gone? Or is he just looking to send a shock through the Nets’ system?”
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The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer, meanwhile, pointed towards Durant’s strong endorsement of Marks after the Brooklyn’s four-game sweep at the hands of Boston as proof of just how confusing it all is.
“If Durant wanted Nash out but didn’t feel like putting him on blast to the media 10 minutes after the season ended, he could have discussed Nash’s future with an ‘I don’t know’ or ‘Now’s not the time for that’ . But he didn’t,” Schiffer wrote.
Schiffer agreed one “plausible explanation” is that this is Durant trying to force Brooklyn’s hand, to make the situation so untenable that the Nets back down.
Durant wants out of Brooklyn. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Heat have been heavily linked to Durant since he first requested the trade but are unlikely to have the assets to make it work, at least in a traditional two-team deal.
The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang though Durant’s ultimatum was an important point in the drama, even if it still left “plenty of questions unanswered”.
“But in the wake of The Athletic’s report that Durant doesn’t want to work with Nash or Marks, the question is: Will this force the Nets to trade Durant prior to the start of training camp in late September to avoid any awkward tension and drama between the two parties? he wrote.
“That sort of deadline could take away some of the Nets’ leverage as the window to trade Durant before training camp shrinks as each day passes.
“The Nets could also decide to take Durant into training camp if a good enough offer doesn’t present itself, which would force Durant to decide whether to skip practices as he waits to be dealt or play through it.”
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NBA insider Brian Windhorst though was not so sure it would pay off, should Durant’s ultimatum have been a ploy to try speed up a trade out of Brooklyn.
“Doing it now is a manoeuvre, a manoeuvre that I don’t think worked because as I talk to teams out there, they don’t think this increased his trade demand. They think this hurt his trade value,” Windhorst said on ‘NBA Today’.
Windhorst brought up Tsai’s tweet earlier in the week as proof of it, in which the Nets owner claimed: “Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
“I want to point to the second half of the Joe Tsai tweet,” Windhorst said.
“I think it’s obviously important to look at the first sentence which is that he’s not going to fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash. But the second sentence is really the sentence that the league paid attention to it. And it seems benign when he says ‘We make decisions for the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.’
“But I’m going to decode that for you. What he’s basically saying is despite what Kevin Durant is trying to do here, we’re not going to change what our expectations are for a trade and if you are not traded, we expect you to be reporting to camp to continue the four years you have left on your contract.”
At this stage though, we are no closer to either party getting what they want, with Schiffer putting it best in his summation of the drama.
“During’s ultimatum,” he wrote, “opened a chest’s worth of questions while the clock to training camp continues to tick more loudly”.
A young mother and her three children who were allegedly living with Ezra Miller at the actor’s Vermont farm are reportedly missing.
Vermont State Police are looking for the 25-year-old woman and her kids — aged five, four and one — believing that the Flash star may be concealing their whereabouts, rolling stone reported Wednesday.
According to court documents obtained by the publication, officers say they attempted at least twice over the weekend to serve the mom an emergency care order requested by the State Attorney’s office, which demanded the youngsters’ removal from both the property and her care, the new york post reports.
But Miller allegedly told cops the family hadn’t lived there in months, which the State Attorney’s office said seemed like an attempt to “evade service” of the order.
rolling stone reports that it was during one of the authorities’ visits to the 96-acre Stamford estate to locate the family that Miller was charged with felony burglary for allegedly breaking into a house and stealing several bottles of alcohol back in May.
A local source told the magazine that several officers were at the Perks of Being a Wallflower star’s home Tuesday night for nearly an hour, though the reason was not made clear. When contacted by rolling stonea police spokesperson referred the outlet to the Vermont Department for Children and Families, who declined to comment due to confidentiality concerns.
The outlet also notes that the mother was posting daily on social media from the property until mid-July when her account went dark and appeared to be deleted.
Reps for Miller did not immediately respond to Page Six‘s request for comment.
The order was reportedly drafted for fear of the children’s safety, as Miller’s property is allegedly littered with firearms, ammunition and marijuana.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, including the children’ father, made the accusations to rolling stone in an exposé published in June.
Two of the sources alleged that there were unattended guns strewn around the Fantastic Beasts star’s home, with video footage appearing to show weapons propped up next to stuffed animals.
One source added that the one-year-old once allegedly picked up a loose bullet and put it in her mouth.
Additionally, both sources alleged that there was frequent and heavy marijuana use in front of the children.
According to rolling stonethe woman moved herself and her children into Miller’s home in mid-April after having met in Hawaii the month prior.
She insisted to the publication in June that Miller provided “a safe environment for (her) three very young children.”
Having a “bad feeling in (his) stomach,” the dad contacted DCF services and local police in mid-May to conduct wellness checks on his kids.
A social worker allegedly visited Miller’s farm on May 16 and informed the father that his children “looked good” but felt they had “more work to do”, according to text messages reviewed by rolling stone.
This is the latest in a string of legal issues for the actor, who was arrested twice in Hawaii earlier this year — once for disorderly conduct, to which they pleaded no contest, and another time for allegedly throwing a chair at a woman. Miller — who goes by them/them pronouns — has also been accused of “grooming” a teenager and had a restraining order taken out against them by a woman and her 12-year-old child.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission
Brooklyn Beckham claims all is well amid the ongoing feud between his mother, Victoria Beckham, and his new wife, Nicola Peltz.
“I’ve learned they’re always going to try to write stuff like that,” the 23-year-old Brit told Variety in their latest “Power of Young Hollywood” issue. “They’re always going to try and put people down. But everyone gets along, which is good.”
Peltz — who married the cook this past April — also attempted to deny any drama with her designer mother-in-law, but mused that she thinks the buzz started when she didn’t wear a Victoria Beckham-brand gown on her wedding day, opting for Valentino.
“I was going to and I really wanted to, and then a few months down the line, she realized that her atelier couldn’t do it, so then I had to pick another dress,” Peltz, 27, revealed during the interview.
“She didn’t say you can’t wear it; Ella i did n’t say ella I did n’t want to wear it. That’s where it started, and then they ran with that.”
However, sources told Page Six that the young beauty and the Spice Girls singer-turned fashionista, “can’t stand each other and don’t talk,” adding that, “The build-up to the wedding was horrendous” because Peltz didn’t want Beckham, “ to be any part of the planning, and she wouldn’t clue Victoria in on anything. Communication was minimal.”
Palm Beach-based insiders also suggested that “cultural differences between the two families” is also to blame for the reported tension as Peltz’s father is billionaire investor Nelson Peltz.
“It’s pretty obvious there’s an issue between the two families. Everybody needs to find their place. They’re just not quite connecting yet.”
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission
The CEO of an online marketing firm was lambasted on social media after he posted a “cringe-worthy” selfie on LinkedIn that showed him crying as he announced cuts to staff.
Braden Wallake, CEO of marketing services firm HyperSocial based in Ohio, US, took to the professional networking site to announce the firings in a lengthy post to employees, the new york post reports.
It is unclear how many employees were let go by the company.
“This will be the most vulnerable thing I’ll ever share,” he wrote. “I’ve gone back and forth whether to post this or not. We just had to lay off a few of our employees.”
Mr Wallake then wrote that the dismissals were “my fault” because of a decision that he made in February. I have admitted that I am “stuck with that decision for far too long”.
“Now, I know my team will say that ‘we made that decision together,’ but I lead [sic] us into it,” he wrote. “And because of those failings, I had to do today, the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.
“We’ve always been a people first business. And we always will be,” he said.
“Days like today, I wish I was a business owner that was only money driven and didn’t care about who he hurt along the way,” Mr Wallake wrote. “But I’m not. I’m sure there are hundreds and thousands of others like me.”
According to HyperSocial’s LinkedIn page, the company, which was founded in 2019, has up to 50 employees.
“The ones you don’t see talked about,” he continued. “Because they didn’t lay off 50 or 500 or 5000 employees. They laid off one or two or three. One or two or three that would still be here if better decisions had been made.”
Mr Wallake continued: “I know it isn’t professional to tell my employees that I love them. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope they know how much I do.
“Every single one. Every single story. Every single thing that makes them smile and every single thing that makes them cry,” he wrote. “Their families. Their friends. Their hobbies. I’ve always hired people based on who they are as people.
“People with great hearts and great souls. And I can’t think of a lower moment than this,” Mr Wallake wrote.
The post by Mr Wallake generated more than 30,500 reactions, with more than 5,800 comments, and nearly 500 shares as of Thursday morning. Most of the reactions were negative.
“Why don’t you cut your salary or don’t take one until the company is back where you need it to be?” one commenter wrote on LinkedIn. “I mean, if you really care about your employees and the hardship you just dropped on them.”
Another LinkedIn user posted a screenshot of an Instagram post by Mr Wallake from June in which he announced that he adopted a sea otter.
“Maybe it’s not a great idea to adopt a sea lion at the beginning of a recession?”
Mr Wallake pushed back, saying that the adoption was a result of a “donation made on my behalf as a birthday present to me” and that he doesn’t “actually have a sea otter running around our van”.
Another LinkedIn user wrote: “Are you being serious here? Perhaps you think all publicity is good publicity.
“For goodness sake show some humility or some dignity.”
Another critic wrote: “I am sorry, your post causes bad feelings at me. This is more about YOUR feelings and not about the feelings of the people you had to lay off. That looks a bit like self-pity.”
But others on LinkedIn defended Mr Wallake – and clapped back at those who ridiculed him.
“What about this post in which he admits his faults, failures and expresses his anguish at the hurt he’s caused made you feel the need to pile on?” one defend wrote.
Mr Wallake posted another message on LinkedIn on Wednesday in response to the backlash. He defended his decision to post the thread and pushed back on suggestions that he publicly named the fired employees.
“Hey everyone, yes, I am the crying CEO,” he wrote.
“No, my intent was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way.”
Mr Wallake continued: “It was not my place to out the employees’ names publicly.
“What I want to do now, is trying to make better of this situation and start a thread for people looking for work,” he wrote.
This post first appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission
The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were initially listed as preferred landing spots for Kevin Durant but now two new contenders have emerged.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are also desirable destinations for the 12-time All-Star.
Of course, Durant has been heavily linked to Boston in recent weeks, with a potential trade package centered around Jaylen Brown.
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But those reports were focused on a move that would work for the Nets. This one looks at just what Durant may be after and it looks like he is keen on the Celtics too.
Boston reportedly offered Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and a first-round pick but even that does not seem to be enough for Brooklyn, who want reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
The Sixers, meanwhile, could offer an attractive package including Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and/or Matisse Thybulle and would see Durant reunite with James Harden.
Durant would be likely to accept a trade to Boston of Philadelphia, though his Brooklyn future is likely in the hands of Joe Tsai.
The 12-time All-Star made an ultimatum to the Nets owner, asking for GM Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash to be fired or be shipped out of town himself.
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Durant told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai that he must choose between keeping Durant or head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. (Photo by ELSA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)Source: AFP
Durant’s issues with the Nets and specifically Tsai go much deeper than his demand they fire Nash, a source close to the Nets and familiar with KD’s thinking told The New York Post.
“The ultimatum he made is not what really caused the deterioration. It’s not the ultimatum itself,” the source said.
Durant, among other things, was not consulted on the Nets’ firing of assistant coach and director of player development Adam Harrington when the season ended, the source believes.
“There are simple things that destroy a relationship. You fired someone he was close to and didn’t have a conversation about it,” the source said.
Last week, the popular Harrington attended a Liberty WNBA basketball game and was seen hugging current Nets players, according to a Reddit post.
“I would think there are so many things, it’s not one thing,” the source said. “I think KD wants to leave and it doesn’t matter what reasons he says.”
During a meeting this weekend with Tsai said, as he did last month, he wanted to be traded unless Nash was fired, The Post confirmed. There are also reports he wants general manager Sean Marks fired as well.
Marks was the main force behind hiring Nash, sources said.
Where will Kevin Durant end up? (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Durant believes “he traded away too many pieces,” the source said.
Tsai, after the reports Monday about the meeting with Durant, tweeted, “Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
All involved recognize Marks and Nash do not have autonomy and ultimately if the Nets blow up it is because of Tsai, the source said.
Tsai now has to decide whether to lower his high asking price and get a Durant trade done before training camp opens at the end of September as the 33-year-old star has requested.
“I don’t think anybody on the team is safe from being traded. Everyone is up for grabs,” the source said.
Durant signed a four-year, $198 million contract extension in 2021, so he has limited power in forcing a trade unless he refuses to play. A source told The Post this week that’s an unlikely scenario.
“I don’t think he’s not going to play,” they said.
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.
Armie Hammer’s alleged victims have come forward in the first trailer for a new documentary series.
Following a series of scandals, the film star is reportedly “totally broke” and selling timeshare properties from an office cubicle in the Cayman Islands.
The first trailer of House of Hammer, released on Wednesday by the US network Discovery, includes footage of two of Hammer’s exes, Courtney Vucekovich and Julia Morrison, coming forward to detail their claimed harrowing experiences and include screenshots of messages and voice notes the Social network star allegedly sent them, reported the new york post.
“I have a fantasy about having someone prove their love and devotion and tying them up in a public place at night and making their body free use,” one alleged message from Hammer says.
Another voice memo, purportedly sent by Hammer, employs more violent imagery.
“My bet was going to involve showing up at your place and completely tying you up and incapacitating you and being able to do whatever I wanted to every single hole in your body until I was done with you,” the memo says.
The three-part series also features Hammer’s aunt Casey Hammer, who is the granddaughter of Armand Hammer, the businessman who made the family fortune in the oil business.
“I’m about to reveal the dark, twisted secrets of the Hammer family,” Casey says in the trailer.
the Call Me By Your Name star, 35, has called all of the allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse “bulls – t,” while his lawyer, Andrew Brettler, has denied any wrongdoing.
“From day one, Mr Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with” every sexual partner “have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory,” Brettler told the new york post‘s Page Six in a statement.
Armie, who has been living in the Cayman Islands near estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers and their two children, spent six months in a Florida rehab center, which was paid for by Robert Downey Jr.
House of Hammer premieres in September in the US. It’s not clear when it will be available in Australia.
This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.
Ben Simmons isn’t naive to the rumors running rampant about his status with the Brooklyn Nets and his relationship with fiancee Maya Jama.
The Nets guard returned to Twitter on Wednesday, following a two-month hiatus, and tweeted, “slow news day”, with a crying-laughing emoji, the new york post reports.
Simmons also re-posted a tweet by Jama, in which the British TV presenter and model wrote “Stop believing ‘sources’ in papers plz”.
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Jama’s tweet came Sunday, a day after reports emerged that she had allegedly called off the couple’s engagement and that the pair were “heartbroken” over the break-up.
Simmons’ tweet could have also been a response to a report from NBA insider Ric Bucher, who claimed the Aussie NBA star left a group chat without replying to Nets teammates who asked him to play in their must-win Game 4 of their playoff series against Boston last season. Brooklyn was swept by the Celtics in the first round.
“They’re having a team chat before Game 4, thinking he’s going to play against the Boston Celtics,” Bucher said on The Herd last week. “From what I’m told, Ben just left the chat.
“They asked him, ‘Are you going to play?’ Ben left the chat. Like he did n’t even answer the question, he just left the chat. And KD (Kevin Durant) is like, ‘This is what I signed up for? This is who I’m playing with?’”
on wednesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania denied Bucher’s report during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“This never happened… it’s an amazing story but it didn’t happen,” said Charania.
Simmons also re-tweeted a clip of that exchange, suggesting once again he was bemused by suggestions of his text message etiquette.
A three-time All-Star, Simmons is currently training in New York and continuing recovery from back surgery he underwent in May.
“He’s looking good,” Charania said. “There are high expectations (in Brooklyn) for Simmons. He’s supposed to be ready for training camp … and he’s doing more and more on the court.”
Simmons sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA season due to mental health issues and a lingering back injury, including the first half of the season with the Sixers, and then the remainder of the season after Philadelphia traded him to the Nets for James Harden in February.
Simmons’ latest tweet also came a day after The New York Post confirmed that Durant — who requested a trade out of Brooklyn in June — wants General Manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash gone.
On Monday, The Post confirmed Durant issued an ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai at a face-to-face meeting in London, telling Tsai to choose between him or Marks and Nash.
This story first appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
Investigators are probing whether there was a struggle before an Albanian actor and his wife plunged to their deaths from their apartment in New York over the weekend, a police source said.
Florind Belliu, 35, an actor and aspiring filmmaker originally from Albania, and his wife Ornela Shehi, 28, were found in the rear courtyard of 2199 Cruger Avenue in the Bronx at around 9.15am on Saturday, cops and police sources said.
“There were signs in the apartment that indicated it wasn’t all Kumbaya, like they didn’t just decide to leave their kids behind and jump,” the source told the new york post.
The source wouldn’t provide any more details on the alleged “signs”.
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A suicide note was not left behind, according to the source.
Authorities are waiting for autopsy results to determine whether Mr Shehi suffered any injuries not indicative of a fall, the source said.
By late Tuesday morning, the city’s Medical Examiner’s (ME) Office had not made a determination on either Mr Shehi or Ms Belliu’s death.
“Both are pending while the ME awaits additional investigative information,” a spokeswoman said, adding that the signs could include “further testing of remains or investigatory material from the scene”.
Mr Shehi was caught on video plunging from the building’s sixth floor first and hitting the alleyway, with Ms Belliu landing seconds later, sources told the post a day after the couple’s deaths.
The couple moved into the building with their two young children about four months ago, and authorities never received reports of domestic violence related to the couple, according to police sources.
Neighbors told the post on Saturday that the pair were a “quiet couple” who “kept to themselves,” and were often seen taking walks – but also that Mr Belliu had been seen visibly angry Friday.
“I’ve seen them always buying things for the house, like every day together, with two kids together, we didn’t recognize there was something wrong,” said Shadie Perkaj, the wife of the building’s super.
She said Saturday was Mr Belliu’s birthday.
Mr Belliu’s pal Elona Caslli mourned her lost friend on Facebook.
“A multiple tragedy for which there is no word of consolation. God give strength to your children and parents,” Ms Caslli wrote in Albanian.
Ms Belliu was a graduate of the University of Arts in Tirana, Albania, and performed on TV and in the theater before moving to the US, EuroNews Albania reported.
As of two years ago, he was working on two books and a movie script he hoped to pitch to Netflix, the report said.
Police sources said he may have been recently working as a livery driver to help make ends meet.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
