Breaking News: Kobe’s Wife Estimates that He Slept with Over 100 Women During Their Marriage

According to the National Enquirer, the real reason Vanessa is dissolving the marriage is that she suspected 33 year old Kobe was cheating on her and a private detective confirm her suspicions. “[Vanessa] estimated that he was averaging at least 10 affairs a year with different women over the course of their marriage and puts his number of conquests at 105,” a friend told the tabloid. “The lies and deceit hurt, of course, but racking up those kinds of numbers is mind-blowing and left her devastated. And when she discovered he was cheating during the recent NBA lockout, that was the final straw. her private detective caught him redhanded with incriminating photos.”

Not even former teammate Shaquille O’Neal had those kind of numbers. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, had Kobe beat. Vanessa is apparently telling friends she believes Kobe had a jumpoff in “every NBA city.”

One of his alleged jumpoffs, whom he was seeing since 2008, sat court side at games and openly flirted with Kobe. Vanessa was livid and reportedly told Kobe to dump the chic. Kobe allegedly was also having an affair with an 18-year-old Lakers cheerleader and they reportedly sexted intimated photos of one another.

That evidence is in Vanessa’s divorce lawyer’s possession, too. SMDH! When Vanessa confronted him about these two women, Kobe reportedly confessed and promised her he would change his ways and sought forgiveness by showering Vanessa with jewelry, cars and other expensive gifts.

But after Vanessa’s private investigator hit her with the incriminating photos, she decided it was time to bail and that’s when she filed for divorce. Kobe reportedly begged and pleaded for her to give him another shot, but Vanessa was tired of being humiliated, according to the friend. Now she’s going to walk away with half of his $300 million fortune because they had no prenup and California is a community property state. The divorce is pretty much finalized and Vanessa is gonna get her money.

Source.

The LA Clippers acquire All-Star Chris Paul

New teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin

The Los Angeles Clippers acquired All-Star point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets Wednesday night. The league office approved the deal that sent Chris Paul and two future second round picks. In exchange the Hornets receive G Eric Gordon, F Al-Farouq Aminu, C Chris Kaman and a first round pick in the deal.

This deal comes after two failed trades that would have sent Paul to LA, one with the Lakers and the other with the Clippers. The Lakers deal was vetoed by David Stern, which stirred up a lot of controversy. Even prompting Paul to seek legal action against the league if he was not traded. Now the Clippers have been successful in their second attempt to acquire Paul, after walking away from talks earlier this week.  Chris Paul is going to exercise his player option which will keep him in LA until the 2012-13 season.

Now this deal will not make the Clippers into a title contender right away. This team will automatically become one of the most entertaining team in the league. Blake Griffin said best when he was told out side the Clippers facilities: “It’s going to be Lob City”. If the organization can surround Blake Griffin and Chris Paul with some great role players, to fill out their bench. They would have to do it fast because the Clippers could have Paul and Griffin walk in 2013.

It will be interesting to see if one of the leagues most dysfunctional franchises can get it together and keep this two amazing talents.

by jb_sportscipher

NBA Lockout: Michael Jordan’s Legacy Tarnished After Flip-Flopping on Players

Everything you know is a lie.
Michael Jordan die-hard fans, owner sympathizers and those who couldn’t care less about the lockout will continue to see MJ as the greatest player in basketball history with no strings attached. 

NBA players themselves and the fans that strongly back them, though, will never look at Jordan the same again.  The players who idolized Jordan growing up now look back at their childhood hero as a lie.

Washington Wizards shooting guard Nick Young declared his boycott of Air Jordan on Twitter tweeting: “im not wearin jordans no more cant believe what i just seen and heard from MJ #ElvisDoneLeftTheBuilding.”

Stephon Marbury isn’t even in the NBA anymore, but according to CBS, he ripped the six-time league champ apart on Twitter as well saying:

“Micheal Fake Jordan is a sell out. #Period. He forgot which hole he came out of. I said it “Stephon X Marbury”… MJ went from MJ the black cat to a guy who forgot he was a player. Sell your team if you can’t make a profit.. Your just a regular dude now! … When he rapped the Bulls for 36 million for one year no ones said nothing about that…He’s just a man. I know he’s some people’s GOd but real is real. Dude forgot he played and demanded millions… he wasn’t my idol I just loved his game. He never did nothing that I knew about to change the life off of the court other then hit cats over the head for a 100 150 dollar sneakers and still doing it. Jim Brown said it best. Micky mouse type cat. Wave and break you pocket for as long as he can…he didn’t create nothing. The game was played way before him…”

The Herald Sun reported that Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest also gave his two cents on the issue:

“He’s an owner now, so I guess [as] an owner, he’s on the other side.  The players, we didn’t say Jordan’s name. We were just supporting each other.  And then Jordan came out and said, ‘the players need to do this and do that.’  But we’re the same guys who looked up to Michael Jordan when we were kids, the same guys that wanted to fly like Mike and be like Mike.”

Artest, I mean, World Peace, insisted that the players still respect Jordan, but he added that: “Guys just felt like he didn’t support us when we most needed him.”

Everyone, minus major MJ homers, knew Jordan as one of the cockiest athletes alive during his time in the NBA, but that ultimate confidence is what made him great and you couldn’t hate him for it.
That same attitude has been on display during negotiations between the players and owners.  Instead of being a ball hog, though, Jordan has been hogging the mic leading the charge of the owners that aren’t in favor of proposed BRI split.
Jordan’s killer instinct made him legendary on the hardwood, but it will make him infamous on the negotiating table.
The love of money…

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com

When basketball returns, let’s make these changes – NBA.com

USA Today When basketball returns, let's make these changes NBA.com Our sports world isn't better off with the NBA and the union fighting over money for nine or 10 months. It's a better world if the Lakers and Heat are fighting over the Lawrence O'Brien trophy in 10 months. Yes, there's nothing to be gained if the NBA … The NBA Cancels 43 Preseason Games New York Times NBA cancels 43 preseason games Boston Globe NBA Saturday: Agents Poaching During Lockout? HoopsWorld Los Angeles Times – Orlando Sentinel all 1,140 news articles

Lakers to hire middle school assistant coach?

Kobe Bryant’s new head coaches most recent gig was coaching 13-year-olds. Mike Brown, expected to replace Phil Jackson as coach of the Lakers, had been “working” as an assistant coach for the Westlake Lee Burneson Middle School team that his son Cameron, plays on in Ohio, according to YAHOO SPORTS. The former Cavs coach isn’t very “Hollywood,” but that could work well in the land of make believe. Brown will get a 3-year deal worth $12 million, according to the LA Times.

Retired NBA Star Jalen Rose Arrested On DUI Charge

By Randall Stevens, Published 03/30/2011

Retired NBA star and broadcaster, Jalen Rose, was arrested for driving under the influence in Michigan earlier this month.

According to TMZ, the 38-year-old baller was driving along an icy roadway on March 11 when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed.

Cops responded to the scene, and when they got there, Rose agreed to undergo voluntary roadside sobriety tests.

Although he was later transported to a nearby facility for chemical testing, the results have yet to be released.
However, Rose was eventually arrested for driving under the influence.

Rose was in Detroit for the opening of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a charter school designed to provide under-privileged youth with college prep experience.

He has not commented on the incident, but his attorney, Keith Davidson, told TMZ: "We look forward to working with the authorities in Michigan and addressing these matters in court, not in the press. We have no comment at this time."

LeBron James car NOT allowed in Cavs players lot

King James was denied entry into the Cleveland Cavaliers player parking lot yesterday. The CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER reports the Heat star showed up to shoot around with his posse, and planned to park in the lot he used when his talents were on loan to the people of Northern Ohio.

Apparently, James believes that The Q is still the Court of St. James. He showed up for Miami’s shootaround Tuesday morning in a two-car procession. He had a driver for his car. Assorted fawners and scrapers, perhaps even an Equestrian or two from his Four Horsemen sports management group, were motoring along subserviently in the second car. The Cavs told him to try the players’ parking lot again with one car and no chauffeur.

Shocking News: NBA Refs Are Crooked

"Bill Spooner, a 22-year veteran NBA official, is suing Minnesota Timberwolves beat reporter Jon Krawczynski for tweeting during a game that Spooner promised coach Kurt Rambis that he'd get the Wolves two points in the form of a make-up call, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports. According to Spooner's suit, Rambis took umbrage with a foul called against his team in the second quarter of a Jan. 24 game against the Houston Rockets. Spooner then told an upset Rambis that he'd review the call at halftime.

Rambis asked how his team was supposed to get the two points back. While Spooner's suit claims he didn't respond to the Minnesota coach's question, Krawczynski tweeted otherwise.

"Ref Bill Spooner told Rambis he'd 'get it back' after a bad call," Krawczynski tweeted. "Then he made an even worse call on Rockets. That's NBA officiating folks (ESPN)."

There is no way for me to know if this report is true or not. The thing here is that it wouldn't surprise anyone if this was true. I mean can you seriously tell me that you haven't seen "makeup calls" in the NBA? After the gambling scandal a couple years back, this is the last thing the NBA needed. I think this just highlights once again that the NBA's biggest problem is the way the games are called. There are no standard rules for fouls. I mean every time down the court a foul could be called, so basically it's just whenever the refs feel like, which leads to stories like this.

I am not even going to get into the whole "star players getting calls" stuff, but even the biggest NBA fan knows that these are the worst refs in all of sports.

Miami Heat Players Reduced To Tears After Fourth Straight Loss

By Randall Stevens, Published 03/07/2011

The Miami Heat losing steak grew to four-in-a-row on Sunday night (March 6), when the team took an "L" in a narrow defeat of 87-86 at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. Dwyane Wade took a last second shot that rimmed out and cost the team a one-point loss. ... And the team is took it hard, said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and the team's players. Spoelstra said, during a post-game news conference, that several Miami players were reduced to tears in the locker room, following the game. "This is painful for every single one of us to go through this, there are couple of guys crying in the locker room right now, it is not a matter of want," Spoelstra explained of his team's desire to win. Sunday's loss was a little rough on the team, apparently. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau even threw salt in the wound during Sunday's nationally televised game when he said that Chicago has "guys who can close." Forward Chris Bosh also told ESPN's Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) that while he wasn't among the players who were crying, he was nearly in tears after yet another close loss. "Just to come up short again and again, it hurts," Bosh said. "We all want to win. We all want to win very badly." A frustrated Wade was a little defense during his post-game interview, sarcastically commenting how his team is exactly where everyone wants it to be. "Inside our locker room, we stick together, we're like brothers," Wade said. "We win together, we lose together. Outside, the Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games. The world is better now since the Heat is losing." Superstar Lebron James had a chance to win the game on a drive with 6 seconds left, but missed a contested shot, and Wade's desperation toss from the right baseline rimmed out at the buzzer. Wade's shot was the 13th consecutive shots that the Heat have missed with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime, reports ESPN. Four of those were from James, who said he's taking much of the blame for the losses. "I told my team, I'm not going to continue to fail late in games," James said. "I put a lot of blame on myself tonight. I told the guys that I just keep failing them late in games and I won't continue to do that." The Sunday defeat marked their third close loss to Chicago this season, and a four-game stretch in which the Heat loss in close games against the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and a blowout by the San Antonio Spurs.

Source: Lakers in Talks To Trade for Carmelo Anthony

Published On 08 Feb 2011 By Robert Littal.

36Share

I reported  this a few months ago (Carmelo Anthony To The Los Angeles Lakers) and people dismissed it, but it always made sense to me.

Anthony and his wife LaLa want to be in large market with best chance to win a Championship. His preference is the Knicks, but the Lakers should be a viable option and now what was just a rumor before is picking up a little stream.

The Denver Nuggets have had preliminary discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers on a Carmelo Anthony trade, league sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard on Tuesday.

The Lakers’ package would be built around center Andrew Bynum. Denver has no interest in Ron Artest and isn’t particularly interested in Lamar Odom either, sources said. A straight-up deal of Bynum for Anthony works financially, but there could be other players involved since Denver would look to shed more salary if possible.

If I am the Lakers, I would fly Bynum on a private jet to Denver right now. Not that Bynum isn’t a good player but there is a shelf life on his knees.

The fact that Anthony could lessen the scoring burden on Kobe Bryant, would open up the floor for Pau Gasol.

Would you rather have Wade, Bosh and Bron or Kobe, Melo & Gasol?

Plus you would still have Odom, Artest and Fisher. Lakers need to aggressive and make this move and if you wondering how Kobe Bryant would feel sharing the spotlight with another Superstar.

I wouldn’t worry too much about that because Melo and Kobe are very close.

2011 NBA All-Star Starters Announced -- Kobe Bryant Topped All Players In Votes

By Randall Stevens, Published

The 2011 All-Star teams were announced on Thursday evening (January 27), and it's many of the usual suspects and superstars around the league. In the West, the starting five are: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Yao Ming. Melo, who has been the talk of the NBA as of late, is headed to his fourth All-Star Game, and third as a starter. With all the drama he's doing through, and the boos he's been receiving at home, in Denver, he's just happy to be chosen. "It feels good especially at the time with everything going on," Anthony told NBA.com of his support. "I've been able to stay focused and it feels good that the fans recognize that. I appreciate it." Kobe has been voted as a starter 13 times now -- only Jerry West, Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal, with 14 straight nods each, have more -- and this season is the leading vote-getter. Paul will go into his fourth game, and second start, and rightfully so. He's currently third in the league in assists and first in steals. Durant is a certified star in the league now, and he's only 22. He made his first All-Star Game last season, and this year, led all West forwards in voting. Durant is also leading all NBA players in scoring, averaging 28.1 points a game. As for Yao, well, it's his eighth starting All-Star selection, but he won't play for the second time, due to problems with his feet. Right now, his return is iffy, at best. NBA.com says Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, and Denver's Nene couple fill out the spot -- the choice is at commissioner Stern's discretion. In the East, the starting five are: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwight Howard. Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, is the second leading vote-getter overall, behind Kobe, and first in the East, earning 2,099,204 votes. It's his fifth year as an All-Star. "It's a great honor and I thank the fans for voting for me," Howard said. "It means a lot to be to be a guy that the fans voted for. It's the best when the fans are voting for you. That's the highest praise. The All-Star Game is still a lot of fun, and I always like being around the other guys." James will represent the Heat for the first time, and will be participating in his seventh All-Star Game. He's currently third in the league in scoring (25.9) and 12th in assists (7.2). D-Wade, also repping the Heat, is an All-Star for the seventh time. He's averaging 25.1 per night. Both Rose (Chicago) and Stoudemire (New York) are starting for the first time. Stoudemire has been there six previous times though, but this will be his first as a New York Knick. "Representing New York at the NBA All-Star Game is a huge honor for me," Stoudemire said. "If it wasn't for the support of the most loyal fans in the world, I wouldn't be in this position today." Rose earned his second All-Star selection and first career start. He's single-handedly carried the Bulls through injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, and has Chicago running away with the Central Division. The NBA's 60th All-Star Game is being broadcast live Feb. 20 from Staples Center in Los

Knicks looking to trade for players to give Nuggets?

The Knicks could have three players on the All-Star team if a trade for Carmelo Anthony is completed before then. Donnie Walsh and his staff have been working to put together a lucrative package to offer the Nuggets and have talked with various other teams to assist in the deal. ESPN .com reported Thursday night that the Knicks have checked in with the Grizzlies about possibly including former lottery pick O.J. Mayo in a package to offer to Denver. An NBA source familiar with the Grizzlies ‘ plans said that despite what they have said publicly, Mayo is “way, way, way available” for a trade. They are down on Mayo, who recently got into a fight with teammate Tony Allen on the team plane. The Knicks have yet to make any formal offers for Anthony, nor have they engaged in serious negotiations with the Nuggets. The plan is to put together a formidable package – the Knicks also can offer Denver immediate cash relief with Kelenna Azubuike ‘s expiring contract, which will be insurance-paid after Game 41 – to compete with the Nets’ offer, which remains on the table. — Newsday

LeBron not happy with struggling Heat

Whether you believe ESPN the Magazine’s Chris Broussard’s report that several Heat players, particularly LeBron James, have grown frustrated with coach Erik Spoelstra doesn’t really matter. James has already said as much repeatedly in recent days.  He complained about playing too many minutes, which required a meeting with Spoelstra. He said he doesn’t like playing point guard, which Spoelstra has asked him to do for much of the young season. And he maintained that, unlike in seasons past, he isn’t having fun.  On Monday there was another meeting between James and Spoelstra. This confab supposedly focused on the offense, where James and the Heat have been struggling, and not on the ESPN report of discord — though it’s fair to assume the topic came up.  Of course James isn’t totally happy. He’s given up money, a massive piece of his reputation, the freedom to walk freely around his hometown. He’s also sacrificed shot attempts and his beloved statistics to be with the Heat. Yes, it’s early in the process, but the results so far have been underwhelming. — ESPN

Phil Jackson foresees a coaching change in Miam

If the ugly losses keep washing ashore on South Beach, Phil Jackson thinks a coaching change will take place for the Miami Heat. Picked to win the NBA championship by Las Vegas oddsmakers almost immediately after they brought LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade into the same locker room, Miami has struggled mightily, sitting at a forlorn 8-6 after a stunning 93-77 loss at home Monday against Indiana. “I don’t think it’ll happen like we’re talking about it tomorrow or anything like that,” Jackson said of the Heat bringing Pat Riley down from the front office to replace Erik Spoelstra. “But I think eventually if things don’t turn around, the weight’s going to fall there where, ‘We were promised this successes and we were hoping for it’ and I think there’ll be a real drive for the players to have some kind of change. It’s easier to change coaches than it would be to change teams after they made all those player adjustments. ” — LA Times

Portland Trailblazers Star Oden Out For Season

It’s one of the most puzzling injuries ever seen by medical officials affiliated with the Portland Trailblazers.  The team’s number one draft pick in 2007, Oden has shown flashes of the skill and brilliance that earned him the top pick spot over current NBA All-Star Kevin Durant.  However, while no one can deny Oden’s basketball IQ and defensive prowess, there’s one small problem:  Greg Oden cannot stay healthy.  He missed his entire rookie season after requiring microfracture surgery on his right knee, and now Greg Oden will miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season after getting microfracture surgery on his left knee.

According to Portland trainer Jay Jensen, the injuries to Oden accumulated practically overnight.  “Two weeks ago today, Greg was seen by Dr. Roberts and he had a normal exam.  He had no fluid in his knee at all.  He had a normal exam.  We were solely concentrated on continuing to get him stronger and increasing his confidence, his ability to play on the court.”  However, that didn’t last.  After practicing with the team in Los Angeles, Oden complained of knee problems the next day and Jensen had him reexamined, with horrifying results.  “I looked at his knee and it was significantly increased.  It was at that time that I mentioned it to Dr. Roberts and he agreed that it was time to get an MRI on Greg’s knee.” According to Jensen, Oden’s knee MRI looked, “Like a nine iron taking a divot out of the grass, it’s a hole in that part of the cartilage.”

For the record, Greg Oden has never played a complete NBA season.  His 82 career games have been spread across two seasons, with Oden banking 61 games last year and 21 this year.  You hate to see a nice kid like him struggle with injuries, but he just might not have the strong tendons and skeleton needed to play professional sports.

 by Ron Hogan

Cavs might not retire LeBron James No. 23

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert conveyed that he’s not sure if LeBron James will ever have his number retired in Cleveland, or if two-time MVP will ever return to play for the Cavaliers. Gilbert said it’s too soon to know what James’ legacy will be as an NBA star, and whether his No. 23 deserves to hang from the rafters alongside names such as Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Austin Carr. Gilbert said retiring his number wouldn’t be discussed until James retires from the NBA. “A 25-year-old player?” Gilbert said. “I don’t know if any franchise or anybody can make that kind of judgment on somebody that young until their career’s over.” As for ever playing for Cleveland again, as James speculated he might like to in an off-season interview, Gilbert declined to comment, citing NBA tampering rules. — Cleveland Plain Dealer

Heat Lose Opener, So I Guess LeBron Sucks Now?

LeBron James and the new-look Miami Heat opened the NBA season last night in Boston.

 Apparently, LeBron was the only one of the “Three’t” to show up for the game, as he put up 31 points in his team’s 88-80 loss to the Celtics. Holy crap, “Three’t” might be the worst moniker ever.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers is convinced the Heat will progress into a title contender.

“They’re going to be great,” he said.

Not yet, though. Wade and Bosh weren’t even all that good on opening night.

Wade was limited to 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting and Bosh added eight points and eight rebounds. The trio combined for 15 of the Heat’s 17 turnovers— eight by James, six by Wade and one by Bosh. And Miami was outscored 16-9 in the first quarter. –Y! Sports.

Obviously the Heat still need time to find ways of maximizing their personnel advantages. After all, both Wade and James were playing in the FIBA Worlds this summer and have barely had any sort of offseason break. But I thought the Celtics were supposed to be too old to compete for the East this year.

 You know, just like last year and the year before that. They’ve got more toilet water on their balls than a dead goldfish. Okay, I might have to draw you a picture for that one.

At least Kobe won last night. Good job, Kobe.

Report: Allen Iverson to Play in Turkey for Besiktas 2 Years for 4 Million Written by: Robert Littal

No one in the NBA was interested in Allen Iverson, so I think this is an excellent move for him.
It is good money in Turkey, he can shoot 100x a game, he will be treated like King (no Lebron) and I think they can have like five or six wives in Turkey so he should be good in that area as well.
Here are the details:

Allen Iverson has agreed in principle to sign an incentive-laden, two-year, $4 million contract with Besiktas of the Turkish professional league, sources told Yahoo! Sports Sunday night.
Iverson plans to sign the contract this week, the sources said, and is expected to report to Besiktas the week of Nov. 1.
Iverson’s contract will give him an opt-out clause after this season. There’s no escape clause during the season for Iverson to leave Turkey and return to the NBA.

Good for A.I., maybe he can meet up with Stephon Marbury in China and get on Ustream (no vaseline).
For someone like Iverson who likes to be the center of attention at all times, he will love being the man in Turkey.
No word on if he got the Villa he was requesting.

Lebrone James tells angry Cavaliers fans to 'get over it'

If LeBron James was a Cleveland Cavaliers’ fan living in Akron, Ohio, he wouldn’t have liked himself either; he told the Associated Press today.

James said he understands why Cavs’ fans continue to become angry at him, but he says that they need to move on and get over it. Since the Decision, James’ popularity has dropped significantly.

“If I was a fan and I was on the outside looking in, I could be upset a little bit if one of my favorite players left,” James said. “Or if I felt like he betrayed us or whatever the case may be. But you have to get over it.”
James then tweeted this after, “Let’s clear this up! I never said to the Cavs fans to ‘get over it.’ I’ve never and will never say anything bad about them. 7 years of joy!”

James understands all the negativity he has received lately in these last few months. But LeBron is not ready to apologize.

“Sports are very emotional and fans are very emotional,” James said. “At times they really believe you may be related to them you and you sleep in their house. When you do something wrong and you leave their house they can become very emotional. I’ve understood that over the years. But at the same time, you have to understand you have to do what is best yourself.”

Sources: Nets still in mix for Carmelo Anthony

The Nets haven’t stopped pursuing Carmelo Anthony. Despite some reports, Derrick Favors still is being offered and the Nets still are in good position to acquire Anthony. According to some reports, the Knicks have gained momentum in a race the Nets have been leading all along. Some league sources believe the Nets still are ahead. “They still have a pretty good feeling that something could get done,” an NBA source said. Since the original four-team trade blew up in September, other teams have tried to get involved. But talks never advanced. Now the Nets are trying to deal with Denver without including a third or fourth team, and are said to be making progress. The sources said the Nets’ latest offer for Anthony is Favors, Troy Murphy, Kris Humphries and two No. 1 picks. The sources also said they expect the talks to pick up. — Bergen Record