
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.

LIV Golf executives are meeting in New York amid speculation about the future of the Saudi-funded tour, with rumors of a potential shutdown circulating. Despite this, LIV's next event in Mexico City is set to proceed as scheduled.
LIV Golf executives have been called to a meeting in New York amid growing speculation over the future of the Saudi Arabia-funded rebel tour.
Rumours that LIV could soon be shut down had begun to circulate on social media on Tuesday evening with officials from the tour declining to respond. LIVâs next event in Mexico City will begin as planned on Thursday, although as first reported by the Daily Telegraph, the tourâs senior leadership were all absent having been diverted to New York.
Many of LIVâs senior personnel, including the chief executive, Scott OâNeil, were at Augusta for the Masters last week and have stayed in the US.
LIV has been under pressure for some time due to its inability to agree a merger with the PGA Tour three years after signing a so-called âframework agreementâ, with that stand-off compounded by the Saudi Public Investment Fundâs desire to cut costs.
PIF released details of a new five-year economic strategy earlier this week with the emphasis on sustainable investment that will deliver financial and infrastructure returns domestically, a model at odds with the free-spending, disruptive internationalism epitomised by LIV Golf.
PIF has spent over $5bn on LIV since its 2021 launch, but prize money and bonus payments have been reduced significantly this year. While some of the biggest names in golf including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio GarcĂa and Bryson DeChambeau left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV, both Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed returned to the PGA Tour this year, while DeChambeau has refused to sign a new deal.
A source who has worked with the Saudi Ministry of Sports on several projects told the Guardian that as well as domestic projects such as the 2034 World Cup, PIF is focusing its sports budget on football and e-sports, with golf no longer a priority.
In another indication of their direction of travel, PIF is ending its relationship with the Womenâs Tennis Association, and its three-year deal to host the WTA finals in Riyadh will not be extended after it expires in November.
The LIV rumours began on Tuesday evening with a post on X from golf account Monday Q Info, run by respected journalist Ryan French, in which he claimed that multiple sources had informed him that âa bombshell announcement on LIVâs future is imminentâ.
French went further when speaking on X Spaces later on Tuesday night, claiming he had heard that LIV Golf is âshutting downâ.
LIV players and officials appear to be in the dark, with GarcĂa telling the media in Mexico that they have not received an update. âFrankly, we havenât heard anything other than what Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] already told us at the beginning of the year,â GarcĂa said. âThat is, heâs behind us, that they have a project of many years. There are always many rumours. I canât comment on anything more than what we know.â
No pre-tournament press conferences took place on Tuesday with LIV Golf suffering technical difficulties due to an alleged power failure at the venue. However, it appeared to be business as usual for the players on Wednesday with the pro-am tournament teeing off as scheduled at 8.30am local time.
LIV Golf is currently holding a meeting in New York while rumors of a potential shutdown circulate, but its next event in Mexico City will still take place as planned.
LIV Golf is under pressure due to its failure to merge with the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund's new strategy focusing on sustainable investments, which contrasts with LIV's previous spending model.
Key executives, including LIV Golf's chief executive Scott O'Neil, are involved in the New York meeting, which comes after their absence from the upcoming event in Mexico City.

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