Naslund, Dubinsky give Rangers season-opening victory in Prague

---

NY Rangers 2, Tampa Bay 1 Recap Box Score Play-By-Play Shot Chart Photos Conversation 1 2 3 T N YR(1-0-0) 0 1 1 2 TAM(0- 1-0) 0 0 1 1 Final 12:0 0PM ET, October 4, 2008 O2 Arena Naslund, Dubinsky give Rangers season-opening victory in Prague Lightning Fall To Rangers In Melrose's Debut As Coach Photo Wire New York Rangers' Michal Roszival, left, from Czech Republic is checked by Tampa Bay Lightning's Evgeny Artyukhin,... (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) · View Photo · Photo Gallery Game Information Attendance :17,085 Scoring Summary 1ST PERIOD NYR TAM No scoring this period 0 0 2ND PERIOD NYR TAM 18:08 Markus Naslund Assists: Scott Gomez 1 0 3RD PERIOD NYR TAM 3:57 Martin St. Louis Assists: Vincent Lecavalier 1 1 14:16 Brandon Dubinsky (Power Play) Assists: Daniel Girardi, Paul Mara 2 1 Associated Press PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Markus Naslund came through in his debut with the New York Rangers, even though he wasn't the star Czech fans had hoped to see. Fast Facts • The Rangers outshot the Lightning 41-21 to spoil the coaching debut of Barry Melrose for Tampa Bay. • Brandon Dubinsky's power-play goal with 5:44 left in the third period broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Rangers the win. • The Rangers won their season opener for the fourth straight year. The teams meet again Sunday in Prague, Czech Republic. -- ESPN research Signed in the offseason to replace Jaromir Jagr, Naslund scored a goal and Brandon Dubinsky added another in New York's 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, when the NHL opened its regular season in Europe for the second straight year. "I didn't replace Jaromir. I don't think anyone can," Naslund said. "I'm just trying to find my game and playing to my potential." Burnside: NHL opener The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning withstood the first test this season by playing their opening game in Europe, writes Scott Burnside. Story | Blog The soldout crowd at the O2 Arena was quiet during the opening stages of the game, and many fans wore New York Rangers jerseys in a reminder that when they bought their tickets, Czech star Jagr was still in New York. The Rangers still had Czechs Petr Prucha and Michal Rozsival, while Tampa Bay featured Vaclav Prospal and Radim Vrbata, and the crowd cheered more as the game progressed. "It was a great atmosphere, the fans were really into it," Naslund said. "It was fun." The longtime Vancouver Canucks captain agreed with the Rangers to a two-year deal worth $8 million in July after Jagr left New York as a free agent and signed with Omsk Avangard of the KHL in Russia. Naslund scored with 1:52 remaining in the second period on a wrist shot after being fed by Scott Gomez. "It was nice to have a win here," Naslund said. "We controlled the game and we deserved to win." Martin St. Louis tied the game 3:57 into the final period after skating past Rangers defenseman Dmitri Kalinin and firing a backhand shot past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Dubinsky had the winner on a power play with 5:44 left in the game. "We created a lot of scoring chances and certainly could score a couple more goals with the way we were playing," Dubinsky said. Lundqvist made 20 saves and Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith had 39. "We outshot them badly," Naslund said. "We just gotta be careful with their offensive guys and not let them break. That's why it's great to have Henrik. It was a very tough game for him, facing not many shots but quite a few breakaways." The teams play the second game of their series on Sunday in Prague. The NHL opened last season in Europe with the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings playing two games in London. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators also opened their regular season Saturday, but in Stockholm, Sweden. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime. It was the fifth time the NHL began its season outside North America, with the other three times coming in Japan in 1997, 1998 and 2000. Rangers coach Tom Renney saw things to be improved despite the win. "Early in the game, certainly in the first period and at the end of the third period as well, they seemed to be able to get a little bit more than we should've given them, and honestly I think we gave it to them," Renney said. "In the second period we settled down and managed the puck much better. I like the fact that we kept generating shots and offense." Tampa Bay coach Barry Melrose said his players spent too much time in the penalty box to win. "Seven penalties against a very good power play," he said. "Our young defense played well, but if you give the Rangers seven power plays you're going to get a goal." Melrose was positive about his team and said it just needed to score. "It's a very tough loss because we played so hard," he said. "We did a lot of good things defensively. Our offensive players had the chances." Both team

Power Rankings: Best and worst over past six seasons

---

1 San Antonio Spurs 59 23 .720 1 10 3.17 High: Wk 18, 2007-08 (most recent of 36) | Low: Wk 7, 2002-03 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive Surely this outcome doesn't surprise you. The Spurs wound up halting the Lakers' three-peat run and winning the championship in the first season that the committee (of one) presided over these rankings and won two more titles after that. Then they've got a string of nine consecutive 50-win seasons going and generally rank as the franchise, from top to bottom, every other team wishes it could emulate. Who else could occupy this perch? 2 Dallas Mavericks 58 24 .707 1 15 4.23 High: Wk 12, 2006-07 (most recent of 30) | Low: Wk 22, 2007-08 | Rankings archive Snicker all you want about the Mavs' playoff exploits since the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals. None of that considerable misery can change the fact that these rankings are a regular-season enterprise, which has made it impossible not to notice that Dallas has posted an average record of 58-24 over the past six seasons … and thus impossible not to rank these tortured souls accordingly. 3 Detroit Pistons 56 26 .683 1 13 5.15 High: Wk 16, 2007-08 (most recent of 25) | Low: Wk 2, 2006-07 | Rankings archive Hard to imagine that anyone would claim that Detroit hasn't fully deserved its regular spot in our top five. Frustrated as Pistons fans might be to come away from six consecutive trips to the East finals with only one championship, there's been only one source of positive consistency emanating from the Leastern Conference since Michael Jordan's retirement … and this team is it. 4 Phoenix Suns 51 31 .622 1 27 8.59 High: Wk 4, 2007-08 (most recent of 15) | Low: Wk 16, 2003-04 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive Yet another illustration of Steve Nash's impact in his second stint as a Sun has been playing out right here in our domain. Even though Nash has been back on Planet Orange for just four of the past six seasons -- and even though the two seasons before his return were mostly forgettable -- Phoenix has nonetheless crashed the top five comfortably.

Report: Artest replies to Yao, seeks 'commitment' from Rockets

---

Report: Lakers approach Kings about Artest

---

The Lakers' toughness was repeatedly called into question during their NBA Finals loss to the Celtics. According to one report, they may think Ron Artest is the answer to that problem. The Sacramento Bee reports that the Los Angeles Lakers recently called the Kings regarding the availability of the All-Star forward, citing an NBA source. According to the paper, Lamar Odom was believed to be offered in return. As of Tuesday evening, the Kings had not yet responded to the offer. Of course, Kings president Geoff Petrie declined to confirm whether the offer even existed. "Right now, (Artest is) just a terrific player to have on your roster," Petrie said. "I don't really have any speculation one way or another (about his future). We'll see what other things — not specific to Ron — but if there's some other way we can improve the team or change the team, we'll take a look at it." The Kings would need to include another player to make the salaries match up in a Odom-for-Artest deal. It is expected that Sacramento would insist on Kenny Thomas — and the $18 million remaining on his existing contract — being included in any potential deal.The Kings' expected payroll is currently very close to the NBA's luxury tax limit ($71.15 million) and the team has stated that they do not plan to sign any further free agents.

Ranking the best available free agents

---

At midnight Wednesday, NBA free agents finally could change teams. As you might have noticed, there already has been plenty of action. Baron Davis stunned us by agreeing to a five-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers. Then, Elton Brand one-upped his buddy by bolting the Clippers for a five-year deal with the Sixers. Then, Corey Maggette bolted the Clippers for the Warriors, agreeing to a five-year deal worth about $50 million. Also, Chris Duhon is leaving the Bulls for the Knicks, DeSagana Diop is saying goodbye to New Jersey and returning to Dallas, Mickael Pietrus is jumping from the Warriors to the Magic, and James Jones is leaving Portland for Miami. So much for the sleepy, uneventful free-agency period we predicted. Only a handful of free agents have agreed to re-sign with their teams. Gilbert Arenas agreed to a huge six-year, $111 million deal with the Wizards. Jose Calderon quickly agreed to re-up with the Raptors. And Beno Udrih agreed to a five-year, $33 million deal to remain with the Kings. It's the restricted free agents who have struggled to get deals done. Though the Hawks' Josh Smith has earned some interest, it's been uncomfortably quiet for a number of restricted free agents, such as Emeka Okafor and Luol Deng. Teams are hesitant to offer big deals to restricted free agents because once the player signs an offer sheet, his former team has seven days to match -- which thus ties up cap space for a week. However, with all of the top unrestricted free agents off the market, the focus should shift to the restricted free agents. Now that Brand is leaving the Clippers, Los Angeles becomes one team flush with cash to spend on free agents. Even with Baron Davis' deal in the books, the Clippers should have $13.8 million to spend given the new $58.68 million salary cap number. The Warriors also have significant room, even after signing Maggette. Assuming the Warriors keep restricted free agents Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis, the team should have roughly $9 million to $10 million of cap room to spend, depending on Maggette's starting salary. The Grizzlies got under the cap by trading away Pau Gasol for expiring contracts at the trade deadline. But Memphis GM Chris Wallace has been sending signals that the team might not spend its estimated $14.5 million in cap room this summer. The Grizzlies are hinting that they will wait until the summer of 2009, when they'll have more cap room. Meanwhile, the Sixers will use virtually all of their cap space on signing Brand. Here's a look at who's left on the market: Group I: Restricted free agents Only six first-round draft picks from the 2004 draft were signed to extensions last fall. That means some serious young talent is available this summer. These players' restricted status makes it likely they'll stay with their current teams, but at least they'll be in play: Smith1 .Josh Smith, Hawks: Smith has been the hottest restricted free agent, drawing interest from the Sixers, Clippers and Warriors. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is his questionable attitude. Right now, only two teams, the Clippers and Grizzlies, are far enough under the cap to give Smith an offer sheet big enough to potentially scare the Hawks. Given Atlanta's messy ownership situation, would the Hawks match a huge offer from L.A. or Memphis? That's the big question right now. 2. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. Now that Elton Brand's on board, expect the Sixers to do everything possible to lock him up. Okafor3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market and one of the few guys in the league who's a lock to average a double-double. It sounds as if the Bobcats are open to a sign-and-trade if the right deal were to come along. 4. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, including the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that, he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see whether the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. Biedrins 5.Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range but got an offer that reportedly was substantially

Kings forward Artest not opting out of final year

---

Brand to opt out, hopes to work out deal with Clippers

---

The Best Available Free Agents

---

Iguodala 1. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. He had a great regular season, but a woeful postseason has put his stock back in check. He's coveted by the Grizzlies, but the chances of them prying him away from Philly look very slim. 2. Josh Smith, Hawks: On talent and potential, Smith should be on top of this list. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is a questionable attitude. Nonetheless it appears the Hawks have to re-sign him. Given the Hawks' ownership woes, Smith is one of the few restricted free agents a team with cap space may try to pluck away -- the same way the Hawks did with Joe Johnson a few years ago. I could see the Sixers making a run at him. Okafor 3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market. Still, there's no guarantee he'll get more money from another team. I'm sure the Grizzlies will be interested, but they know the Bobcats will match. I don't see him going anywhere, but a sign-and-trade isn't out of the question here if the negotiations go on too long. 4. Jose Calderon, Raptors: Calderon played at an All-Star level this past season. When T.J. Ford went down with injuries, he became the leader of the Raptors and proved to be the best true point guard on the free-agent market. The Raptors say they'll match any offer for Calderon and I believe them -- especially now that they've agreed to a trade with the Pacers that will ship T.J. Ford to Indiana. As it stands now, he's their only point guard. Still, don't be shocked if the Sixers make a big offer to him. They need a long-term replacement for Andre Miller and I hear Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is a big fan. Deng 5. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, but so do the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see if the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. 6. Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range and got an offer that was reportedly substantially lower. Biedrins falls a little bit into the Anderson Varejao category -- energetic big man whose stats don't tell the whole story in terms of on-court contributions. Given that he continues to improve and he's only 21 years old, it's hard to believe the Warriors wouldn't match an offer. Ellis 7. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He's young and he can score. But his restricted status is going to hurt him. No team has the money to offer him more than the midlevel, and he probably feels as though he's worth considerably more than that. He's a player who may be better off taking the one-year tender from the Warriors so that he can be an unrestricted free agent in 2009. 8. Josh Childress, Hawks: Childress doesn't get nearly the respect or hype of many of his teammates in Atlanta, but he's been a devastatingly effective sixth man and who might still be expendable given all of Atlanta's wing talent. He probably can't get more than a midlevel deal on this market, but he'd be a bargain at that price. Gordon 9. Ben Gordon, Bulls: Of all the players who turned down lucrative contract extensions last summer, Gordon made the most mind-boggling decision. He turned down a five-year, $50 million deal that seemed above market value on a down season. For him to recoup that money this summer seems almost impossible … and now that the Bulls have added Larry Hughes to the mix, it's no longer clear where Gordon fits into the picture. There isn't a huge market for undersized 2-guards with streaky jump shots. Gordon is most likely to be the top restricted free agent not to have his offer matched, but he's going to struggle to get a huge offer from anyone. Gordon may be better off taking the Bulls' one-year tender offer. 10. Nenad Krstic, Nets: Before his knee injury last season, Krstic looked like he'd be locked up by the Nets. Now the uncertainty over his health could hurt his value. Philadelphia is one team to watch for. Sixers GM Ed Stefanski was a fan while he was back in New Jersey. A sign-and-trade is another possibility for the Nets.

Prosecutors: Donaghy exaggerated cooperation in bet probe

---

NEW YORK -- Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has exaggerated his cooperation in a gambling investigation in hopes of lessening his prison term and avoiding paying hefty restitution, prosecutors said in court papers filed Friday. He also has minimized his own role in the scheme, according to the filing in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors rebuffed defense arguments that Donaghy should get a break on his sentence for voluntarily coming forward and giving prosecutors inside dirt about alleged game-fixing and other misconduct by other referees and league officials. In the court papers, prosecutors said that by the time Donaghy decided to cooperate last year, "the government had a clear understanding of the criminal conspiracy, and who was involved." Though he deserves credit for giving investigators information on his two co-defendants, his claims of other internal NBA corruption "did not lead to evidence of prosecutable federal offenses," the papers added. Defense attorney John Lauro declined comment Friday. The 41-year-old Donaghy pleaded guilty last year to felony charges of taking cash payoffs from gamblers in the 2006-07 season. He faces up to 33 months in prison at sentencing, set for July 14. His attorney has argued that it's unfair that Donaghy's co-defendants, a professional gambler and a middleman who also pleaded guilty, are facing less time - up to 16 months and up to 18 months, respectively. Their sentencing is scheduled for July 11. But the government papers filed Friday argued the disparity makes sense because Donaghy was the plot's central figure. "It was only Donaghy, by virtue of his position as an NBA referee, who had access to nonpublic and other inside information on which he based his gambling picks, and it was only Donaghy who had a duty to provide honest services to his employer, the NBA," prosecutors wrote. "Without Donaghy, the scheme simply could not have been carried out." Prosecutors also supported NBA attorneys' arguments that Donaghy's betting over three seasons, starting in 2003, was "relevant conduct" that should be considered in deciding what he owes the NBA for his crimes. The league wants the former referee to pay back more than $500,000 in salary from those seasons as part of a $1.4 million restitution request. The amount also includes legal bills from a league investigation, free tickets Donaghy received and even the cost of his basketball shoes. A judge has ordered the league to produce more evidence supporting the restitution request, suggesting it was too high. Donaghy's lawyer has argued the former referee's punishment should apply only to the 2006-2007 season. He accused the NBA of seeking to financially "destroy" his client for clouding the recently completed NBA finals with fresh accusations that the league routinely encouraged refs to call bogus fouls to manipulate results for the sake of ticket sales and television ratings. The allegations include one instance in which, Donaghy said, referees made bad calls to force a 2002 playoff series to a revenue-boosting seven games. Though Donaghy's court papers didn't name the teams involved, only the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series went to seven games during those playoffs. The Lakers went on to win the championship. NBA commissioner David Stern has called the allegations baseless, saying Donaghy was only "singing" to get a lighter sentence.

TLock21's Mock NBA Draft

---

Nba responds to the asterisk claim

---

Donaghy docs allege refs altered games, broke league rules

---

Sources: Porter to become Suns' next head coach

---

Mock draft done by Fox Sports. Any changes?

---

L.A. Clippers 98 vs. Sacramento 110* (National Basketball Association)

---

National Basketball Association

L.A. Clippers 98
Sacramento 110

My NBA Bodog Picks

---

Let me know if I need to make changes before April 4th. Thanks. Howks (H) over 76ers, Pacers (A) over Bucks, Jazz (H) over Spurs, Mavs (A) over Lakers, Magic (A) over Cavs, Celtics (A) over Bobcats, Wizards (A) over Bulls, Nuggets (H) over Kings, Mavs (A) over Suns, Pacers (H) over Bucks, Spurs (A) over Blazers, Timberwolves (H) over Grizzlies, Hornets (H) over Warriors, Lakers (A) over Kings, and Rockets (A) over Clippers.

30 Best International NBA Players of Today. Do you Agree?

---

Will Chris Webber make the Hall of Fame?

---

Chris Webber announced his retirement from the NBA after 15 seasons. He put up numbers, but is he worthy of the Hall of Fame?

My Bodog Picks for March 30

---

Jazz (Away) over Timberwolves, Hawks (Home) over Knicks, Heat (Away) over Celtics, Raptors (Home) over Hornets, Warriors (Home) over Mavs, and Kings (Away) over SuperSonics. Changes??

Boston Completes the Texas Triangle

---