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Hunter placed on leave
nHead of NBA players union criticized for questionable practices. ASSOCIATED PRESS,
NBA players put union chief Billy Hunter on an indefinite leave Friday, two weeks after a report they commissioned questioned Hunter's leadership and criticized him for bad decisions and questionable business practices.
The union is forming an interim executive committee and an advisory committee, the group's president, Derek Fisher, said in a statement released Friday. An outside attorney is also being hired as players begin moving forward, likely without the man who has guided them since 1996.
Fisher pushed for the outside review of Hunter and the union. That examination by a New York law firm found no illegal use of funds but cited Hunter for a number of poor choices and recommended players discuss whether he should remain in charge during their All-Star weekend meetings.
Released Jan. 17 after an eight-month review, the report found that Hunter was aware his $3 million per year contract was never properly approved. It also criticized his hiring of family members and friends, and said there were other conflicts of interests he should have avoided.
Celtics 97, Magic 84: Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett each had a double-double Boston sent Orlando to its eighth straight loss.
The Celtics learned early in the day that promising rookie Jared Sullinger will miss the rest of the season following back surgery.
Raptors 98, Clippers 73: Rudy Gay wowed a sellout crowd by scoring 20 points in his Toronto debut, leading the Raptors to the rout of short-handed Los Angeles.
Pacers 102, Heat 89: David West scored 30 points, Paul George added 17 and Indiana became the second team to beat the defending champs twice this season.
Nets 93, Bulls 89: Brook Lopez scored 20 points through three quarters, then Brooklyn turned to its bench to beat short-handed Chicago.
Pistons 117, Cavaliers 99: Brandon Knight had 20 points and 10 assists and Detroit never trailed.
Knicks 96, Bucks 86: Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points, Amare Stoudemire had 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench, as New York extended its winning streak to four games.
Grizzlies 85, Wizards 76: Mike Conley scored 18 points and Tayshaun Prince added 14 in his Memphis debut, including a pair of key fourth-quarter jumpers for Memphis.
Nuggets 113, Hornets 98: Ty Lawson had 21 points and 13 assists, Andre Iguodala scored 24 and Denver beat New Orleans for its sixth straight victory.
Mavericks 109, Suns 99: O.J. Mayo scored 20 points to lead six Dallas players in double figures and the Mavericks, despite the absence of Dirk Nowitzki, added to their mastery of Phoenix.
Jazz 86, Trail Blazers 77: Al Jefferson had 21 points, including two one-handed shots in the lane to clinch the victory for Utah.
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