EMPLOYEE BUYOUTS LEAVES USA TODAY WITH NO NBA WRITERS: MAYNARDIJE.org reports massive recent employee buyouts at USA TODAY that include five members of the sports department has “wiped out its NBA coverage team.”

Among those gone: NBA writers Roscoe Nance, David DuPree and Greg Boeck. According to DuPree, the departures leave USA Today NBA Editor Oscar Dixon “with no writers.“DuPree: “That’s the bed they made. I’m sure they’ll come up with something that works for them. But it has to be a blow. If you lose an entire desk in the middle of the season, it’s got to hurt.”

We thought the cutbacks were supposed to help the paper’s financials, not increase circulation!