Ken Berger

In the course of getting caught up on my NBA reading after a few days off, it has come to my attention that quite a few words have been written about Ricky Rubio recently. Wake me up when that saga is over. Instead, I'll jump back into the fray with some news on two players who actually have a good chance of playing in the NBA next season.

The league just announced that the Nuggets' J.R. Smith and Suns' Jason Richardson have been suspended for various driving offenses. Smith will miss the first seven regular season game's he's eligible for and healthy enough to play after pleading guilty to reckless driving. J-Rich got a two-game ban for pleading guilty to driving under the influence. If you're wondering why the difference in punishment, it's pretty straightforward. The 2007 accident in which Smith was involved resulted in the death of his friend, and he's also had prior and subsequent violations.

Smith was sentenced to 30 days in jail this summer after pleading guilty in connection with the New Jersey accident. There's a pretty amazing account here of how the mother of the victim -- Smith's close friend, Andre Bell -- has forgiven him. Bell's organs were donated, and the man who received his heart has regained his health and is enjoying life with his wife and three children. Of course, the story isn't completely over; civil litigation is pending.

Just a minor news flash on an otherwise slow NBA Friday in August, which to this point has been noticeably lacking in bogus Spanish newspaper reports about Rubio's buyout.