As I sat in the Portland Trail Blazers' press room and watched Chauncey Billups answer anodyne questions about if Matisse Thybulle was going to suit up for the Blazers’ home opener, no one had any idea that in 12 hours time he was going to be arrested by the FBI for allegedly serving as a front man for Mafia-controlled high stakes poker games designed to cheat players out of their money.

But hey, that’s the nature of professional sports: It doesn’t matter if you win, you lose, or your coach gets indicted in a massive La Cosa Nostra sting, there’s still a game coming up, an opponent to face, people coming to watch, and you have to be there to make it happen.

The scene in the arena before fans arrive at an NBA game is interesting. It’s a little like watching people prepare to do a play, bu

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