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Odds & Ends: Knicks, Bucks, Heat, Nicholson

May 21st, 2012 at 12:54pm CST by Daniel Seco

Here's the latest news and headlines from around the NBA…

There are five ways the Knicks' Big 3 can improve in their second season together, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Bradley Center will be now known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center in a step toward getting the Bucks a new arena in the near future.
The Heat's success is predicated on strong play by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but also relies on a different role player stepping up each night, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Thunder and the Celtics are the two most likely teams to draft St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson.
Teams from smaller markets are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to winning an NBA championship, writes Richard Florida of The Atlantic.
HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham gives his take on the top five comebacks in NBA playoff history.
Commissioner David Stern filled the NBA's Competition Committee with his own people so that changes can be made to existing rules, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
Kurt Helin of NBC's ProBasketballTalk blog says Mo Williams expects to pick up his player option of $8.5MM for the 2012/2013 season.
Mike D'Antoni isn't up to much these days after resigning as the Knicks head coach in March, writes SI.com's Jack McCallum.

Kings, Sacramento Fail To Reach Arena Agreement

April 27th, 2012 at 10:50pm CST by Luke Adams

10:50pm: NBA commissioner David Stern released a statement responding to news that the city of Sacramento and the Kings have failed to reach an arena agreement, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust (via Twitter).

"We are disappointed for the city, its businesses and the supportive fans of the Kings, as well as team ownership , that this transaction, which we thought was fair has been abandoned. The Kings had the right to do that, as well as the right to continue at Power Balance Arena."

2:41pm: Johnson says Sacramento will move on to "Plan B" and try to build a downtown sports arena without the Kings. Co-owner George Maloof, meanwhile, says the Kings don't intend to seek relocation. Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee has the details.

2:08pm: After two days of meetings to see if the two sides could salvage the proposal for a new arena, the city of Sacramento and the Kings have failed to reach an agreement. The arena deal is dead, tweets Rob McAllister of KFBK in Sacramento. The Maloofs confirmed in a statement that today's talks were unsuccessful and no further discussions are scheduled (Twitter link).

"It became clear today that our differences are irreconcilable," said Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who added that the best interests of the city and team were not aligned. According to Johnson, the two sides wanted to leave "no stone unturned," but the deal that was tentatively agreed upon in February will not be happening (all four Twitter links).

While it's too early to jump to conclusions about the Kings moving to Anaheim or anywhere else, the team's long-term future in Sacramento is hazy at the moment. We'll have to wait to see what the next move is for the Kings' owners and the city of Sacramento.

Odds & Ends: Boykins, Sixers, Frank, Heat

April 15th, 2012 at 12:28pm CST by Daniel Seco

Let's catch up on the latest news and happenings from around the league as Sunday's afternoon action gets underway…

Mark Berman of FOX 26 Sports reports the Rockets have signed Earl Boykins for the remainder of the season.
The Sixers have reached the do-or-die moment of the season where they are fighting for their playoff lives, writes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press says Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank is excited for his young players to have the opportunity to further their leadership skills during the NBA Summer League.
Changes may be coming for the Heat depending on how the team does during the playoffs, suggests Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to an official press release from the Cavs, the team has assigned Luke Harangody to the Canton Charge of the D-League after appearing in Saturday night's victory over the Wizards.
There was no way NBA commissioner David Stern was going to let the city of New Orleans lose another professional basketball team, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
Frank DiGiacomo of the New York Daily News says Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov fully supports forward Kris Humphries as the Russian billionaire ripped rapper Kanye West for stating in a song that he could get Nets minority owner Jay-Z to cut Humphries from the team.

Stern On Brooklyn, Ads on Jerseys, Kings, Maloofs

April 13th, 2012 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

In a press conference today at the NBA's Board of Governors meetings, commissioner David Stern introduced new Hornets owner Tom Benson and addressed a number of other topics. Here are a few highlights, with all links going to Twitter:

Stern called Benson the "perfect owner" for the Hornets.
The board formally approved the Nets' move to Brooklyn and the name change to the Brooklyn Nets.
Advertising on jerseys was discussed, but is unlikely to go anywhere before next season.
Stern viewed the Kings' arena agreement as non-binding and said it was fair for the Maloofs to back out. He wishes they'd made that decision a little sooner, since it could have saved "a lot of angst and trouble," but he's very protective of their rights as owners to make the decision they did.
Stern is "hopeful" but "not optimistic" about the talks between Sacramento and the Kings, saying that there was nothing more the league could do. J.A. Adande of ESPN.com notes that the commissioner seemed to be using the past tense a lot in discussing the arena situation.
While he was respectful of the Kings' owners, Stern used the term "ill grace" frequently when discussing the Maloofs' economist, who argued the arena plan would put Sacramento in dire financial straits. The commissioner added that he believes the Maloofs when they say they want to keep their team in Sacramento, but refused to speculate on whether the Kings would remain in the city past next season.
Stern's future as commissioner was not discussed with the Board of Governors.

Odds & Ends: Stern, Barbosa, Wallace

April 4th, 2012 at 10:27pm CST by Daniel Seco

In an exciting night of basketball that saw the Raptors notch their third straight victory and the Heat come away with a hard-fought win over the Thunder at home, we tip our proverbial hats to the Spurs, winners of nine in a row. The Hornets were the big surprise of the evening as the squad featured six scorers in double figures in a stunning two-point upset of the Nuggets as they welcomed Eric Gordon back in the lineup. Let's take a look around the league to see what else is happening as the Lakers and Clippers battle for bragging rights (and playoff positioning) at the Staples Center.

NBA commissioner David Stern spoke with the media on Wednesday and gave praise to the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz for being three model small-market franchises, writes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake City Tribune. When asked about the Sacramento arena situation, Stern replied that he was more "hopeful than confident" that an agreement would be reached regarding the financial responsibilities surrounding pre-development funding. Smith also reports that Stern would like to see deputy commissioner Adam Silver succeed him upon his retirement.
The Pacers have gone 8-3 with Leandro Barbosa on the court since acquiring him from the Raptors at the trade deadline. Barbosa has been especially effective in his last three games, all of which have featured double-digit scoring while making at least half of his shots from the field. While the Brazilian has lost fantasy value due to decreased minutes as compared to his time with the Raptors, he's played a significant role in providing depth for the surging Pacers off the bench.
Mike Tokito of The Oregonian caught up with Gerald Wallace during his return to Portland and discussed the recent trade that saw the former Alabama forward land with the Nets. Wallace didn't see the trade coming but wasn't as affected by the move since he had been dealt last season by the Bobcats, the club he had been a member of for the majority of his career.

Odds & Ends: Rose, Perkins, Smith

April 1st, 2012 at 9:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

One interesting note about NCAA championship as it relates to the upcoming draft: The last time the winner had a player that would subsequently go on to become that year's number one pick was in 1988, when Danny Manning of the Kansas Jayhawks was selected first overall by the Clippers. With a win tomorrow, Kentucky's Anthony Davis (currently projected to go first among several draft boards) could have a chance at ending the 23-year streak.

Should Kentucky lose, Davis could join Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Elton Brand, and Chris Webber as number one picks who had been on the runner-up team that season. With less than 24 hours until tip-off, here are a few interesting notes to think about from the basketball news wire:

As per Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times, Derrick Rose's injury could be worse than initially thought.
Kendrick Perkins' has had a profound impact on Russell Westbrook this season and can be credited for the young guard's further emergence as a special player, writes Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
In an exclusive interview with Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype.com, Kenny Smith indicated that he feels he'll "inevitably be coaching someday."
Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer provides a more in-depth look at Donald Sloan, the Cavaliers reserve guard who has begun to find minutes under Byron Scott.
According to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel, Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. believes that teammates' trust in each other will be key in Milwaukee's pursuit of New York for the eight and final playoff spot.
Mavericks guard Jason Terry is alarmed by Dallas' habit of falling behind in the third quarter, only to rally in the fourth but come up short, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram.
The Toronto Sun's Richard Zussman gives a primer for tomorrow's NCAA Title game and what to expect.

David Stern On New CBA, Seattle, Replay, NCAA

March 28th, 2012 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

NBA commissioner David Stern met with reporters in Phoenix before last night's game between the Suns and Spurs, addressing a number of topics. Reports from the Associated Press and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relayed some of Stern's more interesting comments, so let's check out the highlights:

Stern says we're already starting to witness the positive effects of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement: "As we watch in baseball and we see ten-year contracts and nine-year contracts, ten years for huge amounts… Those players would only get four-year contracts in our sport. We've aligned pay with performance in an important way."
The commissioner pointed to the Lakers, Mavericks, and Pacers as a few teams who have already made roster moves with an eye on future tax restrictions.
The league is trying to keep its franchises in their current locations, so it would be unwise for the city of Seattle build an arena thinking it would earn them an NBA team, says Stern: "It's a chicken and egg. We don't have any plans to expand and we're working arduously with Sacramento and New Orleans both to keep the teams that are there."
The NBA will look into adding goaltending calls to the list of plays that can be reviewed by video replay. Stern wants to ensure the calls are accurate without compromising the flow of the game.
Stern was critical of the NCAA's new withdrawal deadline, which has been moved up by about a month and precedes the NBA's deadline, as we outlined here: "If the NCAA would spend a little less time talking about whether players should stay in school for one or two years and enforce their rules equally…. I think the most important thing is to get kids in college the most informed advice they can get without losing their eligibility."

Odds & Ends: Howard, Cousins, Hornets

February 25th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Anytime there is a gathering of NBA general managers and reporters, rumors are sure to fly. This year Orlando offers an interesting backdrop for such discussion–the Magic's best player, Dwight Howard, is at the center of the biggest trade talks. Some news and notes from All-Star weekend:

Calling himself Superman, Dwight Howard should be familiar with dual identities. But switching between team ambassador and the player requesting a trade is not easy task writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Howard has already lost some of his credibility as a leader in the locker room, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz. Trying to fill that void, Glen Davis?
Schmitz also writes David Stern has no sympathy for the Orlando Magic.
Over at Hardwood Paroxysm, our own Sean Highkin talks about Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and big men in small markets.
Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops and David Stern verbally joust over the ramifications of the Chris Paul trade.
According to ESPN Los Angeles's Ramona Shelburne, former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy is a member of the group interested in buying the New Orleans Hornets.

David Stern On Kings, Hornets, Expansion, Lin

February 25th, 2012 at 7:38pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Despite the lockout, the NBA is thriving this season and all is well in the league according to David Stern in his annual All-Star press conference, which aired on NBA TV. A few notes from the press conference:

Regarding any possible contribution the Maloofs, owners of the Sacramento Kings, would make towards a new NBA arena in Sacramento, David Stern simply replied, "life is a negotiation." Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee reports the city is looking for the Maloofs to pay $70-90MM on the proposed arena. A deadline to reach an agreement is set for March 1st.
While the NBA has not pledged any help towards keeping the Kings in Sacramento, Stern said the NBA is in discussion with one group to purchase the New Orleans Hornets and has a second group lined in case those discussions fall through.
While relocation remains a possibility for cities to acquire NBA teams, Stern said the NBA has no plans to expand in America. He did not, however, shoot down the possibility of expanding into Europe. Though not anytime in the immediate future.
The best way to get an NBA team? Having a new NBA arena of course.
Stern on Jeremy Lin: "I think it's great for the league and great for Jeremy, and my guess is that in the just concluded D-League All-Star Game, there were more scouts there than ever in the history of that game. And we're proud of the D League, and we're actually proud of the NBA system, as well."
David Stern will not be in the NBA forever — he wants Adam Silver to take his place.

David Stern

David Stern Talks Hornets, Chris Paul, Kings

February 22nd, 2012 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

NBA commissioner David Stern sat down with TNT's David Aldridge for an interview that touched upon the state of some of the league's franchises, free agency, Stern's future, and much more. It's worth watching the whole conversation at NBA.com, but here are a few of the highlights:

The list of prospective buyers for the Hornets has been narrowed to two, with "one in the lead." Stern hopes to finalize a deal within the next couple weeks.
An agreement with the state of Louisiana on the team and arena is close, and Stern says he expects to get a "very fair" contribution from the state on the lease, which won't have an out clause.
Stern defended his preseason decision on Chris Paul by explaining that he was acting as the Hornets owner rather than as the NBA commissioner when he decided not to sign off on the trade that would've sent Paul to the Lakers. He says he'll continue to operate in the same way until a new owner is in place.
The Kings have agreed to put money toward the financing plan for Sacramento's new arena, though Stern didn't specify how much. He added that any contribution by AEG, the probable arena operator, would be seen as a team contribution as well.