CBA team lets Richardson go

The Albany (N.Y.) Patroons didn't renew Micheal Ray Richardson's coaching contract yesterday following his suspension for alleged anti-gay and anti-Semitic remarks.

The former NBA player was suspended for the team's last two Continental Basketball Association playoff games on March 28, a day after he told the Times Union of Albany that he had "big-time Jew lawyers" working for him. The coach also yelled at hecklers during the first playoff game, using a profanity and gay slur.

"We had spoken prior to all this hoopla. He had been negotiating with other teams," Patroons general manager James Coyne said yesterday. "We pretty much agreed earlier on he wouldn't be coming back to the CBA."

However, Richardson's lawyer, John Aretakis, said the suspension has put his client's entire career in jeopardy, including other coaching opportunities.

"Now he's labeled the rest of his life as anti-Semitic, and he's not," Aretakis said. "He's got two kids who are being raised Jewish. He's got an ex-wife he has a good relationship with who is Jewish."

Richardson apologized for his remarks, and said he isn't bigoted.

Aretakis drafted a lawsuit he said he'll file tomorrow in state Supreme Court in Manhattan against the Hearst Corp. and Times Union sports columnist Brian Ettkin, claiming defamation and slander. He said Richardson's comment to the hecklers, while a poor choice of words, is commonly used by many men who, like Richardson, are not homophobic. Times Union managing editor Mary Fran Gleason declined to comment.

Richardson played eight seasons in the NBA. His career ended in 1986, when he was banned for life after he violated the league's drug policy three times.

* Memphis waived forward Scott Padgett after agreeing to buy out his contract.

* Portland rookie LaMarcus Aldridge is out indefinitely after experiencing dizziness and a rapid heartbeat. On Saturday, he was taken to a hospital for tests after playing in a loss to the Clippers.

* Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said if Cleveland's LeBron James doesn't participate in the Tournament of Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas in late August he may jeopardize his status for the Beijing Olympics.

Last month, James said the chances of him playing in the qualifying tournament were "50-50" because his girlfriend is expecting a baby in June.

* Activists trying to block construction of a new arena in Brooklyn for the NBA's New Jersey Nets plan to file a lawsuit claiming the project underwent an inadequate environmental review.

The suit, expected to be filed today, will claim the state agency overseeing the project, the Empire State Development Corporation, failed to assess potential security and terrorism risks associated with the arena.

* At Auburn Hills, Mich., Kirk Hinrich scored 29 points and Chicago - playing without Ben Wallace - beat Detroit, 106-88. Wallace missed the game after going to the hospital with sinus inflammation.

* At East Rutherford, N.J., backup forward Bostjan Nachbar scored 26 points to lead the Nets over Atlanta, 101-86.

* At Orlando, Chris Bosh scored 28 points, including five free throws down the stretch, to lift Toronto to a 111-108 win over the Magic.

* At Milwaukee, Earl Boykins scored 32 points to lead the Bucks to a 98-89 win over Boston.

* At Washington, Gilbert Arenas sprained his left knee in the first quarter and the Wizards went on to lose to Charlotte, 108-100. Arenas was injured in a collision with the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace, who finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Arenas will have an MRI today.

* At Oklahoma City, Bobby Jackson scored seven of his 18 points in overtime to help New Orleans defeat Seattle, 101-92.

* At Houston, Jason Richardson scored 27 points, including seven three-pointers, to lead Golden State over the Rockets, 110-99.

* At Portland, Brandon Roy's 29 points led the Trail Blazers to a 94-89 win over Utah.

* At Denver, Carmello Anthony had 31 points and coach George Karl returned to the bench as the Nuggets beat Sacramento, 120-115. Karl missed Tuesday's win over the Lakers to be with his son, Coby, who underwent surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes on Monday.

* At Los Angeles, Corey Maggette scored 22 points to lead the Clippers to a 90-82 victory over the Lakers. *