Stern angered by Chalmers, Arthur antics

BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT (TICKER) —NBA commissioner David Stern is not taking the alleged behavior of rookies Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur lightly, according to published reports on Thursday.

Stern was so angered by the players’ alleged involvement with marijuana and women at the league’s rookie transition program that he made a call to remove them from their rooms at the Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook, New York, according to an article posted on ESPN.com.

Two key members of Kansas’ 2008 National Championship team, Chalmers and Arthur were dismissed from the four-day seminar in which coaches, referees and former players speak about adapting to the league after women and evidence of marijuana use was found in their hotel room.

According to the report, Chalmers and Arthur were caught in Arthur’s room at the resort when a smoke alarm went off Wednesday at about 2 a.m.

After the players refused to allow hotel management into their room, security used its own key to gain access and found Chalmers, Arthur and at least two women - a violation of the program’s no-visitors rule. The report also states that there was a strong stench of marijuana in the room and one person was in the bathroom with the door locked, repeatedly flushing the toilet.

The police were then called to the room, which they searched, but did not find any marijuana or drug paraphernalia.

Chalmers and Arthur were allowed to stay the night, but Stern immediately had the players removed when hearing of the incident shortly before giving a tipoff address to the remaining 67 members of the seminar on Wednesday.

Stern was so angered, the report states, he mentioned Chalmers and Arthur by name during his speech and said the two would be thrown out of the program and forced to attend the 2009 session.

Sources said Chalmers and Arthur had been fined $20,000 apiece and could start the regular season on the NBA’s suspended list, but the report states that has not been confirmed.

“We’re still looking into it,” Brian McIntyre told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “Once we have all the details, appropriate sanctions will be taken.”

Chalmers provided one of the signature moments of this year’s NCAA Tournament, drilling a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds that sent the title game against Memphis into overtime. He was drafted 34th overall by Minnesota, then traded to Miami.

Arthur, who was expected to be a lottery pick, fell to 27th after speculation that he had a health problem. He was selected by New Orleans, traded to Portland, then Houston, before finally landing in Memphis.