Basketball: Amaechi debut on hold

John Amaechi's much heralded debut for Sheffield Sharks in the Budweiser League was suddenly put on hold last night. The club's owners decided the former Cleveland Cavalier's arrangement with his new club had to be investigated for possibly contravening salary cap regulations.

The owners meet tomorrow and will decide whether the 6ft 10in, 27-year- old player can make his debut for Sheffield against Worthing Bears in the evening.

Amaechi's signing was announced yesterday morning with Chris Wright, the Sharks owner, saying: "His decision to play the rest of the season in the Budweiser League vindicates that commitment of all involved in British basketball."

Wright's fellow owners appear not to agree, maybe concerned at the impact Amaechi may have on their own team's chances of winning honours this season.

Sheffield's announcement that Amaechi was donating his fee to the Manchester basketball project run by his former junior coach, Joe Forber, also appears to have left the owners unimpressed.