Now THAT'S What I Call "Flossin'!"

An unidentified Arab Sheikh has flown his Lamborghini 6,500 miles to England for an oil change.

Childress Leaving NBA for Euro League

Free agent Josh Childress, formerly of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, is apparently leaving the NBA to embark on a professional basketball career in the Euro League. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Childress has accepted a 3 year, $32.5 million offer from Olympiakos (Greece).

Veteran NBA writer Sam Smith discusses the recent phenomenon in which players are beginning to leave the NBA in order to play professionally in Europe (courtesy of Hoops Hype):

"(W)ith the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar and some hints of a recession even feeling its way around the NBA in the form of more teams cutting back big spending or declining to use their salary cap exceptions to avoid paying the luxury tax, NBA players are beginning to take a serious look at playing in Europe as a legitimate alternative."

More here.

SMU Basketball Team Travels Africa to Better Understand Teammates

Southern Methodist University's men's basketball team has spent part of it's summer touring Africa, for the purpose of helping it's players better connect with their African teammates.

HBO to Explore UNC vs. Duke Rivalry

Just in case basketball fans start to complain that ESPN doesn't do enough to hype the North Carolina vs. Duke rivalry, HBO plans to fill the void of UNC vs. Duke rivalry hype with their own exploration of the much vaunted rivalry.

HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg explains his network's interest in the Tobacco Road rivalry (courtesy of Sports Illustrated):

"Jim Lampley (a UNC graduate) has been telling me about the rivalry for 20 years or so. I was also aware of the subculture of both universities, and even though UNC was the state school, they think of themselves as the dignified force in the rivalry. They think Duke is a bunch of animals even though Duke is supposed to be the Ivy League of the South. That never meshed right with me and it was interesting. Plus, you had all these legends coming out of these two schools, the [Michael] Jordan's, the [Christian] Laettner's and the [Mike] Krzyzewski's and [Dean] Smith's. Unbelievable iconic names have floated through both places and it makes for a great documentary."

Items Not on the Drive and Dish Off Season Training Table

Just in case you've been having trouble getting enough saturated fat, sugar and cholesterol into your diet, Krispy Kreme is offering a sugary, trans-fat dynamo just for you: The Krispy Kreme bacon cheeseburger. Loading up on plenty of those little guys over the off season is sure to have you in top shape by the time basketball season starts back up.

Good times.

NBA Addreses Officiating Problems

According to the Arizona Daily News, the NBA is taking measures (at least cosmetically) to address problems with its officiating (or, at the very least, is trying to do some preemptive damage control):

"The NBA hired Army Maj. Gen. Ronald L. Johnson on Tuesday as senior vice president of referee operations, a newly created position to help strengthen the league's officiating programs following the Tim Donaghy scandal."