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• For complete analysis of who’s in and out of the 2008 NBA draft, click here.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The first full day of the Orlando pre-draft camp gave us a few surprises in the games and more NBA rumors.
I spent the last 10 hours watching games and talking to NBA scouts and executives. Here is what they’re saying about Wednesday’s performances:
The best matchup of the night pitted UNC’s Ty Lawson versus Tennessee-Martin’s Lester Hudson. Lawson came in with the blue-chip pedigree but with a draft stock that’s taken a beating this year. Hudson came in with a small school background and a checkered past, but he had wowed scouts and executives in the early drills.
Hudson’s stock looked to be on the rise while Lawson’s seemed to be free-falling.
Both players came off the bench at the 10-minute mark and guarded each other. The verdict was an overwhelming knockout for Lawson, who dominated Hudson on both ends of the ball.Lawson’s tenacious defense forced Hudson into five early turnovers and a couple of bad shots. Meanwhile, Lawson kept pushing the ball and making things happen on the offensive end.
Hudson ended the game with four points on 2-for-6 shooting, with five assists and five turnovers.Lawson’s numbers weren’t spectacular — he had 10 points, four assists and shot 4-for-10 from the field — but several GMs walked away impressed with Lawson.
“He came out with great energy and played like he had something to prove,” one GM said. “He kicked Hudson’s [butt]. I think he helped himself.”
Even with Hudson’s poor performance, NBA executives still feel Hudson is going to be in the league. The Spurs met with him earlier in the day and several other teams are scheduled to interview him.
“Up until that first game, he showed great poise, athleticism and the ability to score from wherever,” one GM said. “I really think he has a shot at being a quality NBA player. He reminds me a little of Lindsey Hunter when he came into the league.”

sports.espn.go.com

BEN LOMOND — The 68-year-old Ben Lomond fire station, built for engines the size of a Model T, is what fire officials call “vintage” but not something they think could survive the next big earthquake or meet the mountain community’s future emergencies.
“Now I’ll take you out to show you the scrape marks where the top of the trucks hit the top of the door,” Ben Lomond Fire Chief John Charcho said. “Some of our alumni have real emotional ties to this place. However, if you think like a manager, you think about the needs for the future.”
Fire officials say the future for the volunteer department — 38 men and women serving seven-square miles in Zayante, Boulder Creek, Felton, Ben Lomond and Bonny Doon — depends largely on Measure S, a 30-year, $10 million bond voters will weigh in on June 3.
The measure, which requires a two-thirds majority, would cost property owners about $200 a year for a home valued at $500,000, or $37 for every $100,000 of assessed value.
There are 3,144 registered voters in the fire district.
If the measure is approved, fire officials will tear down the 6,600-square-foot firehouse on Highway 9 and replace it with a modern station more than double in size. The new station would be equipped with more bedrooms for firefighters to reside, additional restrooms, administrative offices and space for community meetings. New doors would be 14 feet tall, instead of the current 9 feet that barely
allow today’s engines to get in and out.
Construction likely would begin in two years, Charcho said.
The need for a new station is largely sparked by the building’s lack of structural support necessary to withstand a strong earthquake. Fire officials say a new building was a cheaper option than retrofitting the existing station.
“When they built this one, they didn’t know about reinforcing for earthquakes,” said Ben Lomond resident William Burton, a retired civil engineer. “The public is not protected with this building.”

mercurynews.com

Welcome to Golfweek.com’s Fantasy Aces, your weekly source for winning fantasy golf leagues. Such information is less likely to help you repair cartilage in your left knee, but that’s hopefully not the reason you’re here.
The Fantasy Aces appear every Wednesday on Golfweek.com.
Course: Harbour Town Golf Links (6,973 yards, par 71),
Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Last year: Boo Weekley won his first PGA Tour title, chipping in on the final two holes to hold off Ernie Els by a stroke.
• See below for Golfweek’s Masters rankings.
Eric Soderstrom’s best bet: Stewart Cink.
Finally, this is Cink’s week. After getting torched by Tiger Woods a couple times earlier this season, Cink played a respectable final round at the Masters alongside Woods and his bum knee, shooting the same Sunday number (72) as the World No. 1 and sneaking into a tie for third place.
He was also the only player other than Woods to shoot no worse than even par in each of the four rounds at the Augusta National, which should be the most attractive statistic to fantasy owners this week. Harbour Town Golf Links is narrow (which doesn’t necessarily set up wonderfully off the tee for Cink), but the greens are small and scrambling is paramount. Cink is 33rd on Tour in scrambling, and said he made a putting adjustment midway through last week that helped him to his top3 finish.
That Cink won here in 2000 and 2004, when he defeated Ted Purdy on the fifth extra hole after overcoming a nine-stroke deficit with a 64, also helps.
Ace up Soderstrom’s sleeve: Ben Crane.
Since we’re at Harbour Town, I’m sticking with the guys who have a knack for getting up and down. Crane, who is playing on a Major Medical Extension due to his back injury that limited him to seven starts in 2007, is ninth in scrambling and has only finished outside the top 20 once this year in five events. Despite making only 12 starts over the last 52 weeks, he’s also worked his way to No. 9 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, which means he’s kept his consistency post-injury.

golfweek.com

USA: American arrested as nuclear spy for Israel
The United States have arrested an 85-year-old American suspected of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s.
Authorities said Ben-Ami Kadish was arrested in New Jersey on four counts of conspiracy and espionage after an investigation that began in 2005.
Kadish has acknowledged his spying in FBI interviews and said he acted to help Israel.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Washington would be informing Israel about the incident and noted that it was not the kind of behaviour they would expect from friends and allies.

muslimnews.co.uk