Knicks hit Sprewell with huge fine

NEW YORK, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The New York Knicks Monday slapped a whopping $250,000 fine on veteran guard Latrell Sprewell

for failing to inform the team that he broke his right pinky on Sept. 20, two weeks before the start of training camp.

Sprewell had surgery last Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined at least six weeks.

Knicks President Scott Layden, Coach Don Chaney and Madison Square Garden President Steve Mills met with Sprewell Monday at the team's Westchester County (N.Y.) practice facility before hitting him with the fine. He left the facility without speaking to reporters.

Layden emphasized that Sprewell was not officially suspended, but the injury will likely force him to miss the first two weeks of the regular season.

Management was not overly concerned with how Sprewell broke the hand, but rather why he waited 10 days to inform them of what had happened.

"He has a responsibility to let us know," Mills said. "He has an obligation to do that."

Sprewell violated a clause in the collective bargaining agreement by not reporting his injury promptly, but will likely appeal the fine.

The clause states, "the player agrees to provide to the team's coach, trainer, or physician prompt notice of any injury, illness or medical condition suffered by him that is likely to affect adversely the player's ability to render the services required under his contract, including the time, place and nature of such injury, illness or condition."

There have been numerous reports that Sprewell suffered the injury during a skirmish on his yacht, but his agent, Bob Gist, claimed Sprewell busted his hand while he guided the yacht into safety after it was hit by a big wave.

The Knicks were known in the past for excusing Sprewell for many transgressions. He skipped all of training camp in 1999 without explaining, and routinely arrived late for games during his four seasons in New York.

Chaney, who replaced Jeff Van Gundy as Knicks coach last season, was clearly upset by Sprewell's latest episode.

"I'm worn out now on the Latrell Sprewell situation," Chaney said after Sprewell failed to return his phone calls the last few days.

When he overslept and missed a shootaround in Miami last April, Sprewell was suspended one game, which cost him $125,000. James Dolan, an executive for Cablevision, which owns the team, later rescinded all but $2,500 of that fine.

The sometimes volatile Sprewell is best known for choking his former coach, P.J. Carlesimo, while with the Golden State Warriors and was suspended for the majority of the 1997-98 season. He was traded to the Knicks during the 1998-99 campaign.

Sprewell averaged 19.4 points last season, but the Knicks missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.