Play Ball

Basketball great and NBA analyst on TNT Charles Barkley was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of DUI.

Barkley was arrested in Old Town Scottsdale in Arizona after a police officer spotted Barkley run a stop sign.

He failed a standard field sobriety test after the police officer who pulled him over smelled alcohol on his breath.

Barkley refused a breath test but did have a blood test taken and the results were not available immediately.

He was processed, cited, and then released. His car was impounded and he had to leave in a cab. It is customary that the Scottsdale police release a suspect after an arrest on suspicion of DUI.

The Sixers have lost star forward Elton Brand for at least one month after he separated his shoulder in Wednesday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brand went up to block a shot in the third quarter and collided with the Bucks’ Luc Mbah a Moute. Brand landing on his right shoulder on the hardwood.

He has a dislocated right shoulder and a tear of the labrum along with a fracture of the humeral head bone.

Brand had just returned to the lineup last Wednesday after missing two games with a hamstring strain.

Brand did not return to the game or even the bench after his third quarter injury.

With their 93-88 win over the Bucks the Sixers have now won their first two games under new head coach Tony DiLeo and are 11-14 on the season.

Yet another NBA coach has been fired and this time it is Reggie Theus, the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings are 6-18 to start the 2008-09 season and Theus is the sixth league coach to be let go before Christmas.

One of his assistant’s, Chuck Person, was also fired by the team. Theus will be replaced by his assistant, Kenny Natt, who will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Natt is the fourth head coach of the Kings in less than three years.

Natt played three seasons in the NBA with the Pacers, Jazz and Kings. He was a coach under Theus since the 2007-08 season.

Natt was also an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the three seasons prior to his job with the Kings.

He has also coached for 9 seasons under Jerry Sloan with the Utah Jazz.

The Philadelphia 76ers have fired head coach Maurice Cheeks on Saturday afternoon before their night game with the Washington Wizards.

The Sixers started the season 9-14 and have lost eight of their past 10 games.

Cheeks’ contract was not up until next season. He led the Sixers to the playoffs in 2007-08 after a disappointing start to the season.

Cheeks’ record as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and Sixers is 284-286.

Team Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

GM Ed Stefanski announced the decision to remove Cheeks during a 5pm press conference at the Wachovia Center media room.

DiLeo is now in his 19th season with the Sixers and his fifth as the team’s Sr. Vice President and General Manager.

DiLeo served as the Sixers’ Director of Player Personnel from 1999-2003 and served as an assistant coach under Larry Brown, Jim Lynam, Fred Carter, John Lucas and Doug Moe.

DiLeo is a local product. He went to Cinnaminson High School in New Jersey and played collegiately at Tennessee Tech and LaSalle.