GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — The NBA fined the New York Knicks $200,000 and team scout Rodney Heard $20,000 on Thursday for conducting illegal draft workouts.
The league ruled that Heard, the Knicks' director of East scouting, violated rules restricting contact between teams and players eligible for the draft in May 2007 and May 2010.
Under the rules at that time, players were not eligible to be worked out for teams before the NBA's predraft camp in May.
The NBA had been investigating the Knicks since a Yahoo! Sports report in October that Heard coordinated and conducted the secret workouts in suburban Atlanta. The report said former Kansas All-American Brandon Rush tore the ACL in his right knee during one of the sessions.
The Knicks said in a statement they will abide by the decision and have no further comment.
The league could also have handed down suspensions or made the Knicks forfeit draft picks, but apparently felt the violations weren't severe enough.
