As a new media owner of the first order, Mark Cuban can blend old media manipulation tricks with new ones better than anyone. Remember his ill-fated bid for the Chicago Cubs? That’s old-school media manipulation. Letting slip that he has a Think System that proves Jason Kidd is the second-best player in the NBA? That’s a blended approach; math is apparently new.

Earning fines via Twitter?  New media manipulation with a dash of old school “did he mention the hot topic of Twitter? OMG NEWS STORY”. And so on. Therefore, Mark Cuban will have to excuse the humble new media when a hot rumor/trade temperature check appears in a blog owned by Cuban’s limited partnership, and BRIGHT SIDE OF THE SUN is a little skeptical.

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Does the name Hope Dworaczyk ring a bell? (Or give you a headache from trying to spell or pronounce her last name?) She’s the aspiring model Jason Kidd turned to after his nasty divorce from wife Joumana. But after supposedly knocking her up, Jason gave up Hope and started messing around with Danish model May Anderson - until Kidd heard she was lounging around with Lindsay Lohan.

Now Jason is apparently back with Ms. Dworaczyk. And by looking at her latest spread in Playboy, I would never want to give up Hope again, either. She’s featured in this month’s issue decked out in a skimpy Mavericks-eque outfit. How skimpy is it? There’s no clothing at all - just body paint.

More photos brushed up after the jump.

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Much like Bill Murray’s character in “Lost in Translation,” many celebrities think that the embarrassing commercials they do in foreign countries won’t see the light of day, only to see it pop up on the Internet. The same theory seems to apply to foreign athletes, who have a tendency to give extremely candid interviews to the media in their home country without thinking that it will see the light of day in the U.S.

Add Dirk Nowitzki to the list. He gave a very open and revealing interview to the German basketball magazine 5IVE MAGAZINE, where he criticizes former teammates, his former coach, and speculates on playing for another team - maybe even in Europe.  And the whole thing might have gone unnoticed here in the States if the intrepid Henry Abbott of TRUEHOOP hadn’t have found it.

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Devin Harris and Jason Kidd will never be able to do anything without being compared to the other. That’s on the court, as well as off it. Remember when Kidd traded in killjoy ex-wife Joumana Kidd for bikini model Hope Dworaczyk? Harris has one-upped him, dating a girl who would be overdressed in a bikini.

The Nets PG’s arm candy is reality star, bartender and Playboy Cyber Playmate Meghan Allen. If you want to know what type of girl we’re dealing with, she’s the type who got 34C implants because “I wanted my clothing to fit better.” Let’s see how that clothing fits, or looks on the floor, after the jump.

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Remember the piece I posted about Jason Kidd promising to give his gold medal away to Elaine Wynn, the wife of Vegas mogul Steve?

Here’s a refresher, originally from the ARIZONA REPUBLIC:

“Last summer, we stayed at the Wynn (resort) for a lifetime, close to three weeks,” Kidd said. “We met at a banquet, we got to talking, and she really understands the game. I told her I’d make a deal with her, that if we won the gold medal, I’d give it to her. She thought I was kidding. But I told her I had one already, and the way they treated us at the Wynn, it was the least I could do.”

So now that he’s got the goods, is Jason all set to hand it over to Elaine? Read more…

• Jenna Jameson happily announces that she’ll soon deliver a new li’l Tito (or Titoette) Ortiz into the world.

(DVD obsolescence would be good for her adolescent)

• Did Tony La Russa stop Bruce Springstreen from stepping on the St. Louis stage on time?

• The FBI is looking into Lindsey Hunter’s involvement in some shady suburban housing shenanigans.

• NBC notes nothing about a gold medal-winning Aussie diver’s alternative lifestyle.

• The LPGA demands that all their players learn to speak English good.

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We all knew the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team enjoyed its stay in China. Their enthusiastic post-medal celebration gave that much away. But who knew Jason Kidd enjoyed his time this much?

The aging U.S. point guard — now fully entering the twilight of his career — has waved goodbye to American shoe companies. Instead, he’ll endorse Chinese shoe company Peak, which is presumably paying him an incredibly large sum to land a name of his stature.
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Dan Bickley has some very weird news today out of Beijing. The ARIZONA REPUBLIC columnist (via AZ SPORTS HUB) reports that Jason Kidd told him he will give his (sure) Gold Medal away to the wife of a Vegas casino owner.

(Joumana Be Kiddin’ Me!)

More specifically, Elaine Wynn. She’s the wife of billionaire Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn.

Now, if this were Charles Barkley, I think we’d all know the reason why. With Kidd, it’s going to hard to pin down.

So does Kidd own the Wynns money? Is Mrs. Wynn the sufferer of a terminal disease? Is Kidd paying off a debt incurred by some NBA Wives Charity event? No, no and no (apparently). Read more…

• Mike & The Mad Dog’s radio show is sent to live on a farm upstate.

• Alonzo Mourning helps a Miami Heat fan celebrate her 102nd birthday.

• Some things never change, like John McEnroe’s time-honored tradition of throwing tennis tantrums.

• Michael Wilbon sings for the faithful of the Friendly Confines, but is it a slap in the face to the fourth estate?

• China: Land of many diverse peoples, all played on the Olympic Opening Ceremonial stage by the same ethnic group.

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The Spanish Olympic basketball team committed a pretty big gaffe recently when they decided to have their picture taken while making their eyes look “slanty” (read: stereotypically Chinese).

People freaked out, society screamed “INJUSTICE, SIRS!”, the Spanish acted contritely apologetic, and then the world said “Awwwwww, silly racist Spaniards. Of course we forgive you.” But Adrian Wojnarowski of YAHOO! SPORTS has an interesting slant on the story, whereby Jason Kidd tells the world he will not stand for the racial injustices that are permeating our fair sports.

Actually, Jason just doesn’t think that what went down was fair.

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