In a lengthy blog post published this afternoon, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apologized for a homophobic remark -- first reported by the Phoenix on Wednesday -- that he made over the weekend at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. (I also tweeted about the remark when Cuban made it.

[NEW UPDATE 3/9: Mark Cuban apologizes for homophobic joke]

I've got a proper roundup of last weekend's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in this week's issue, but here's a piece that didn't quite fit.

In a live-taping of his B.S. Report Podcast at the Sloan Conference on Saturday afternoon, Bill Simmons interviewed Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban onstage.

I've refrained from blogging about Lebron James for too long. Initially opting to leave the commentary to the peeps that do this sort of thing for a living, shit just got too bizarre last night for me to hold back from airing my grievances any longer. So here's a rundown of the winners and losers in this Lebron James saga that has finally boiled over after stewing for three years:

Surprising almost no one, the Herald reports that the Celtics and Paul Pierce have reached a preliminary agreement on a deal that will likely keep Pierce in Boston for the remainder of his career. CBS Sportsline says the deal is for four years and $61 million ($15.25 per year, or about $6 million less than his current contract would have guaranteed him).

Paul Pierce looked around, saw a free-agency market crowded with the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki and others (including his once-and-possibly-future teammate Ray Allen), and decided he wanted to join in today, opting out of the final year of his deal with the Celtics and becoming a free agent.

There is no more ubiquitous cliche in professional sports than the post-game shout-out to God. Our winners always seem to walk with Jesus. Which is why the most astonishing moment of the Celtics devastating OT victory over the Bulls in Game 5 may have come after Rajon Rondo knocked Brad Miller's toof out. Both teams had left the floor, and in the Celtics locker room, Glen "Big Baby" Davis had a bouquet of microphones up in his grill.