Former Kansas basketball stars Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur missed the point of the NBA’s four-day seminar for rookies.

This “transition program” is designed to help the players adapt to the pressures of pro basketball and resist all the temptations. Coaches, referees and former players talk about a variety of topics, including how to behave professionally.

So when NBA operatives caught Chalmers and Arthur in their hotel room with female visitors and marijuana . . . well, let’s just say there was disappointment all around. Didn’t anybody teach these knuckleheads how to pay attention in class?

“The players were sent home for violating program rules,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank told ESPN.com. “They will be appropriately sanctioned and will have to repeat the program next year.”

Chalmers is headed to camp with the Miami Heat. Arthur is headed to the Memphis Grizzlies after briefly belonging to New Orleans, Portland and Houston earlier this summer.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self rallied behind his former players.

“We really don’t know all the facts yet, and I certainly would never comment publicly on any personal matter concerning any player I have ever coached,” he said. “Beyond that, I can say that both Mario and Darrell were great to coach. They played a huge role in our success the past few years, in large part due to their unselfishness and the sacrifices they made for our program.”

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while looking forward to seeing more of rookie Jason Motte in the Cardinals bullpen:

• Is it just us, or does Adam Dunn just wear out Cards pitchers?
• Who could have possibly guessed that the Cubs would fall apart during the final month of the season?
• Can the Astros make a Rockies-like run this month and shock the National League Central?

CHAD JOHNSON SHOULD TAKE NOTES

Of Arland Bruce II celebrating a touchdown for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

QUIPS ‘ R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Steve Rosenbloom, Chicago Tribune, after the Cubs lost pitcher Carlos Zambrano: “Rich Harden gets pushed back again until, I don’t know, 2011. (Rich Harden, meet Mark Prior.) Sean Marshall gets everybody’s spot start. (Where have you gone, John Koronka?) So, kids, your playoff rotation is Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. Compare and contrast with Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Randy Johnson.”

Mark Kriegel, FoxSports.com: “Banal. Criminal. Inept. The Cincinnati Bengals could be the next great Coen Brothers movie.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: Yeah, “Dwyane Wade needed that gold medal, right? He’s young, handsome, famous and stupid rich. Giving D-Wade more bling is like giving Usain Bolt a head start.”

Dan Daly, Washington Times: “Warren Sapp signs on with ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ Charles Barkley agrees to a televised colonoscopy. What’s next, Tony Siragusa spending a week submerged in a water-filled sphere?”

Norman Chad, syndicated columnist: “The 2008 NFL season, like most NFL seasons, will be littered with bad coaching, bad quarterbacking, bad announcing and, of course, bad replay challenges. And, in a time of uncertainty, the only certainty is that the New England Patriots will not go 19-0, even if they are 18-0 and 12-point favorites in Super Bowl 43.”

MEGAPHONE

“Basically they outplayed us. They outpitched us, outhit us. They just beat us. No excuses . . . You’re going to have adversity along the way and we’re having it right now. We’ll see how we respond.”

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, after the Astros swept his team at Wrigley Field.