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[Monta Ellis #11]

Heat gave Ray Allen reason to again feel wanted

By Adrian Wojnarowski

The issues chasing Ray Allen out of the Boston Celtics and into the arms of their most despised opponent stacked higher and higher, and suddenly everything crystallized in the hours basketball’s most persuasive recruiter, Pat Riley, captivated him. The emperor of the Miami Heat sold Allen on never hearing his name in trade talks and a run of championships awaiting him. After all these years, Allen needed to feel wanted again, needed the recruiting, and Riles had such a willing soul sitting with him in the breeze blowing over Biscayne Bay.

"He felt he was getting respect that he hadn’t gotten from [Celtics president] Danny [Ainge] and [coach] Doc [Rivers] anymore," a source close to Allen said Friday night. "…The presentation was incredible."

Respect comes in different ways, but make no mistake: The Celtics had offered two years and $12 million – respect for someone's who's 37 and coming off ankle surgery – and it didn’t matter to Allen. He hated the way Ainge dangled him in trade talks, hated that the Celtics told him he was on his way to Memphis in a deal at the March deadline only to have Rivers later tell him the trade was dead. Allen hated that Rivers didn’t give him his starting job back after he returned from a late-season ankle injury, and hated that it always felt like he was the Celtics star made to sacrifice above the rest.

Ainge and Rivers talked to Allen over and over on these issues in recent weeks, tried to smooth over the lingering bitterness, but there was something that Allen couldn’t move past, something he no longer wanted to deal with – the deterioration of his relationship with complicated point guard Rajon Rondo.

And with all of this cobbled together, with the sudden lure of sun-drenched golf courses and Riley’s pitch and a three-year, $9.7 million contract that could easily bring him two or three championships, Allen made a monumental move. He’s leaving for Miami, and the Celtics-Heat rivalry – the Ray Allen Celtics' legacy – are changed forever.

Kevin Garnett recruited Allen harder in the final weeks than Paul Pierce did, sources said, but both made it clear: Our run isn’t over, Ray. Come on back where you belong, and let’s get back to work. The Celtics were bringing back Jeff Green, had signed Jason Terry, drafted Jared Sullinger, and the franchise was selling Allen a scenario where the curtain hadn’t dropped on its championship aspirations.

This wasn’t Steve Nash leaving a losing lottery operation in Phoenix that didn’t want him back anyway. This was Ray Allen leaving the Celtics in the middle of a full reload, the bolstering of a roster to make run at the Heat again. This was Ray Allen offered more money, not less.

And yet for those in New England daring to call it treason, well, Ray Allen will call it something else: My turn.

For all the past indignities – real or imagined – Rondo was the issue that hadn’t gone away, that would still be there come training camp. They don’t like each other, and it had become a bigger and bigger drag on Allen, sources said. Each had culpability for why things had gone awry, and yet each was better on the court because he had played with the other.

Rondo has had a polarizing impact within the Celtics' locker room, and his relationships with teammates and coaches have fluctuated over the years. Allen and Rondo never had arguments this year, never got into it. In fact, one source said: "Ray mostly ignored him." After the season, Rivers tried his best to mend the relationship between Rondo and Allen – make it manageable on some level. And yet, as one source with direct knowledge of the coach’s efforts said, the relationship was "too far gone."

Whatever the issues, everyone agreed: Rondo and Allen never brought them onto the floor. They played together, played well, but Allen had grown increasingly disillusioned about dealing with the disconnect. The friction started in the 2009-10 season, after Rondo signed his five-year, $55 million extension, sources said. It wouldn’t be long until Allen started to hear his name in trade talks, and he began to make the correlation that Rondo’s salary played a part in the Celtics looking to trim payroll – starting with Allen.

"Ray is prideful," one source said, "and he was always wondering: 'Why do I have to be that guy?' "

Those were some of the conflicts that Allen had with Rondo, but the stubbornness of the point guard worked to exacerbate everything. Rondo and Allen were non-confrontational, but much of the behind-the-back sniping to teammates and those around the team took a toll. So much of it was sandbox stuff, the kind of grating, ultimately petty issues that occur in every locker room, every workplace. Rondo didn’t chase Allen out of Boston, but their relationship did become a drain in the locker room. Their cold war was something Allen discussed with associates, something that become a concern of management and the coaching staff. "When it comes to basketball, Rondo is the smartest player on the team – one of the smartest players in the league," one locker-room source said. "And Ray considers himself a smart guy. But at some point, it became hard for Ray to be corrected by a guy so much younger than him."

No one ever blamed Rondo, and no one blamed Allen for it. This happens in sports, happens everywhere. As one staff member said: "In a lot of ways, they’re polar opposites. Ray is a military child, has the ultimate respect for authority. He does everything hard every day. Rondo’s different. He’s a free spirit. He’s unbelievably bright. But when Ray is taking everything seriously, Rajon can be lackadaisical. Doc has done a tremendous job coaching him, and he's gotten better every year – but there’s still a big difference between them."

Some believe it was pure jealousy on Allen's part, too, that he had blame for the disconnect. Within the Big Three, they teased Allen for his political nature. Whereas Rondo, Pierce and Garnett would speak in brutal, honest terms, Allen was forever measured, even. He was a military child, a relentless worker, a player who found great comfort in the daily routine of his shooting and conditioning. Yet eventually Rondo’s greatness expanded the Big Three to the Big Four, and Allen’s next contracts with the Celtics were paid on a different scale than Rondo, Garnett and Pierce.

In so many ways, the Celtics were perfect professionally and personally for Allen. He would be remembered as a legend in Boston, a part of a renaissance time for the franchise. He broke the NBA 3-point record in the Celtics uniform, won a championship, reached Game 7 of another NBA Finals, and maybe could’ve even had his No. 20 retired in the rafters someday.

Allen kept a house in Connecticut, an hour from Boston, and his child’s medical condition had his needs met within the city limits. Someday there would be a Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony for Allen in Springfield, Mass., and his would be such a New England storybook.

And with all that there, to still walk away for the Heat for $3 million less a season – after the Heat beat Boston on the way to an NBA championship – well, it was stunning to people. Within the Celtics, they knew this was possible, but were still jarred when informed of Allen’s choice. It hit everyone. In the worst possible way, Ray Allen wanted out of here. As much as he was validating his desire to play in Miami, there was a repudiation of the Celtics, and that hadn’t happened in this era. Allen has suggested to people that the capital he built in three years at Connecticut and five with the Celtics would transcend the cries of betrayal and boos. Allen has never been the enemy, the bad guy, and it will hurt him in New England. The Celtics weren’t breaking up the team and letting him leave.

He took less money and hopped to the defending champions. He’ll take his hits, but as one organizational source insisted: "There's no mentally tougher player in this group than Ray; an absolute laser focus. That's why he's able to hit all those shots late in games. Physically, there are tougher guys. Not mentally tougher, though."

When Allen left Miami on Friday, the Heat were unsure they had convinced him. He’s hard to read. They knew he’d fly home to New England, think it over, and it would still be so difficult for him to extract himself from the Celtics. Whatever the allure to Allen, his DNA was still made of loyalty and routine, and that still had to give Boston an edge.

Yet, it turns out Allen's trip to South Beach made him feel so wanted, so inspired, and, truth be told, so eager to stick it to the Celtics. He could've broken Boston's hearts and left for anywhere, but clearly there’s a part of Allen that wants to exact some kind of revenge on the Celtics. There was nowhere else to do that but Miami.
He will take far more grief, far less money, and that methodical, disciplined mind of Allen processes everything and still – still – he signed up with the Miami Heat. Allen had grown up on military bases around the world and has lived a most disciplined life, forever weighing the plusses and minuses – and always, always the consequences.

Allen had a chance at the cozy, New England storybook ending, punctuated with that placid, poignant Hall-of-Fame ceremony in Springfield, where a favored son of Massachusetts would let the love and cheers wash over him. Maybe Garnett would've gone out with him, and they could've gone into the Hall, into the Celtics' rafters, together.

And then, Pat Riley walked into the room, and all hell broke loose in Boston. Allen thought long and hard, and his decision was unmistakable: He was busting out of Boston on his terms, and it cut the Celtics most deeply. Complete and utter repudiation. My turn now, Ray Allen was telling the Celtics. My turn now.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--he...el-wanted.html

[Monta Ellis #11]

Phil Jackson turns down Blazers head coaching offer



The Portland Trail Blazers attempted to snag former Utah Jazz coach, Jerry Sloan, out of retirement this week by formally offering him their head coach position in Salt Lake City.

Sloan later turned down the offer, but that wasn't the Trail Blazers first big swing at a Hall-of-Fame coach.

For the last few months, the Trail Blazers have been in back-and-forth discussions with Phil Jackson in an attempt to persuade him to take their head coaching vacancy, a close source said.

Last week, Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, informed the Trail Blazers that Jackson was flattered, but has decided he would not coach this upcoming season.

Olshey confirmed that the organization did chase Jackson, but wouldn't comment further on the matter. However he did have this to say, “He (Phil Jackson) decided it wasn't time.”

Jackson, 66, was rumored to have been close to accepting the Orlando Magic's general manager position but did not take that position, as well.

The Zen Master coached 11 NBA Championship teams (Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers), was the All-Star Game coach four times, and won the NBA Coach of the Year Award once in 1996.


http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingbl...40&feedID=5212

[Monta Ellis #11]

Jason Kidd busted for DWI in Hamptons accident

This isn't the kind of driving the Knicks had in mind.

An allegedly impaired Jason Kidd slammed his car into a light pole, leading to his arrest in the Hamptons this morning, police said.

Kidd, recently signed by the Knicks as an apparent replacement for popular point guard Jeremy Lin, was treated for minor injuries from the Cobb Road smash up, police said. He was then hauled to Southampton Justice Court where the NBA great was charged with DWI, police said.

The veteran hoopster was the only person inside his 2010 Cadillac Escalade when he crashed at 1:56 a.m., according to law enforcement.
Kidd, 39, was treated at Southampton Hospital, processed at the Southampton police station and then released from court on his own recognizance, officials said.

Hours before the incident, Kidd was spotted partying at an East Hampton charity function. He was photographed with model wife Porschia Coleman and cross-town Nets rival Joe Johnson at Ne-Yo's Compound Foundation event "Fostering A Legacy."

After the charity event, Kidd and his wife headed to nearby club SL East, where the NBA star was seen acting drunk, sources said.

Kidd, who recently purchased a $6 million home in Water Mill that's just minutes way from the crash scene, signed a $9.5 million deal with the Knicks this past Thursday.

This is not Kidd's first brush with the law. He was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge in January, 2001 when he was married to his former wife, Joumana.

As part of his plea agreement, Kidd was ordered to attend six months of anger management classes and later he claimed to have sworn off alcohol.

The couple went through a bitter divorce in 2007 when Kidd cited "extreme cruelty" during their relationship. Joumana Kidd filed a counterclaim for divorce, alleging that the NBA star had broken “her rib and damaged her hearing by smashing her head into the console of a car."

Knicks officials declined to comment.


http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knick...I9g1dEvM6I1GBL

[apacrow]

Heat to play Clippers in China

By Michael Wallace | ESPN.com

MIAMI -- LeBron James and the Miami Heat will prepare for their NBA title defense with two October preseason games in China against the Los Angeles Clippers, league officials confirmed Sunday.

The Heat and Clippers are scheduled to meet Oct. 11 in Beijing and Oct. 14 in Shanghai as part of the NBA China Games. Bloomberg Businessweek first reported the matchup on its website Sunday.

It will mark the first time the NBA's defending champion will participate in the six-year history of the China Games. Heat president Pat Riley hinted late last month at the likelihood that Miami would be sent overseas as part of the NBA's slew of internationally played exhibition games.

The Heat, who defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win their second championship, already have a high corporate profile in Asian markets. The franchise entered a sponsorship agreement with Chinese beer manufacturer Tsingtao Brewery Company last year.

James and Dwyane Wade also are two of the league's biggest stars, who are marketed across the world through major endorsement deals with Nike, Gatorade, McDonald's, Sprite and other companies. James and Wade have made several marketing trips through Asia since they led Team USA to the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Even Heat role player Shane Battier has a shoe endorsement contract with China-based company Li Ning.

The China trip will mark the second time since 2008 that the Heat travel overseas for the preseason. Miami played two exhibition games against the Nets in Paris and London on the 2008 Europe Live Tour.

link

[Урош94]

Cavs want assurances from Andrew Bynum in potential Dwight Howard trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers are eager partners in the three-way blockbuster trade talks to send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, but won’t proceed until the Lakers grant the them permission to talk to All-Star Andrew Bynum and his agent about the center’s willingness to sign a contract extension, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

"Cleveland will only do the deal if Bynum extends," a league official directly involved in the talks told Yahoo! Sports.

Los Angeles wants the structure of a three-team deal agreed in principle before letting Cleveland take that next step to communicate with Bynum and his representatives – and that won’t happen until Orlando makes a decision that it wants to also lock-in the framework of a trade, sources told Y!

So far, Orlando has shown a level of indecisiveness in the talks, sources involved in the negotiations said.

Bynum and Howard will be free agents next summer. Once the Brooklyn Nets lost the ability to pursue Howard, the Lakers had complete confidence that Howard would re-sign with them after next season should they trade for him. RealGM.com reported that Howard has indicated a willingness to do so, but few imagined a scenario where Howard be moved to the Lakers and walk away to take less money elsewhere as a free agent. From the Lakers' championship contention to L.A.'s massive market which could swell Howard's new sneaker deal and help him earn more endorsements, the Lakers always believed that they were an easy sell to Howard.

For the Cavaliers, it’s a different story with Bynum. He's 24 years, and salary-cap space in Dallas and Houston could be intriguing to him. That’s why Cleveland needs the promise of a contract extension to consummate this deal. The Cavaliers believe they can sell Bynum on a partnership with one of the most dynamic young players in the sport – point guard Kyrie Irving – as well as their young core of talent and owner Dan Gilbert’s willingness to commit the resources needed to compete for championships.

Orlando wants to do a total rebuild, and has shown an inclination to make a deal that unloads itself of long-term veteran contracts and brings back young players and draft picks. The Houston Rockets also remain committed to competing with Los Angeles to make a deal for Howard.

Извор

[Урош94]

NBA set to cash in with sponsorship patches on jerseys

LAS VEGAS -- NBA jerseys almost certainly will feature small sponsorship patches on the shoulder area in two years, a move that league officials estimate could generate $100 million in revenues per season.

So it really won't be the name on the back, as the saying goes, but the name on the front that will matter.

The NBA Board of Governors discussed the matter Thursday in its annual summer meeting, and deputy commissioner Adam Silver said there was virtually unanimous support for adopting some form of jersey ads. The matter was referred to the owners' planning committee, chaired by Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, and guidelines are expected to be approved in September -- paving the way for the money-making ads on jerseys in time for the 2013-14 season.

"I think it's fair to say that our teams were excited about the opportunity and think there is potentially a big opportunity in the marketplace to put a two by two patch on the shoulder of our jerseys," Silver said.

Silver later corrected himself, saying the patches would be 2.5 inches-by-2.5 inches. They would feature the names of companies -- think McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kia, Apple -- and would put the NBA in lock step with international sports leagues whose player uniforms routinely are adorned with ads. WNBA teams already have sponsorship logos on their jerseys, but the NBA would be the first of the four major American pro sports leagues to take the plunge.

"My sense is that every team is in favor of doing this in some form," Silver said.

And every team in every sport will do it, too. Tru$t me.

The sponsorship patches would be placed on the left shoulder of the jersey, where the NBA logo currently is located. They would appear on retail jerseys, as well, Silver said -- a concept that could cause backlash among some fans who don't want corporate logos on the jerseys they buy in the sporting goods store or online. But Silver said league officials consulted with jersey manufacturer Adidas, and early indications are that sponsorship patches would not harm retail jersey sales.

"We've been studying this fairly intensively over the past year," Silver said. "It would be something new in the states, so we want to make sure we approach this as a very methodical and deliberate process."

The league's estimate that the patches could generate $100 million a year is in line with a recent study by Horizon Media published by Forbes Magazine that stated ads on game-day jerseys in American sports could generate upwards of $370 million total among the major sports leagues. The study estimated that the Lakers could bring in more than $4 million a year from such ads, while the Knicks and Celtics would generate nearly $3 million each.

The additional revenue would go into the overall pool of basketball-related income (BRI), 50 percent of which NBA players receive as their salaries.

Speaking of which, commissioner David Stern said Silver gave a "very optimistic" report to the owners about the early workings of the new collective bargaining agreement. The league is projected to turn a profit next season and the season after that after losing an average of $300 million a year under the previous CBA.

According to CBSSports.com estimates, overall revenue declined about $400 million last season, from $3.8 billion in the final year of the old CBA to about $3.4 billion in the lockout-shortened 66-game season. However, that 10 percent decline was viewed as a success, considering the league lost 20 percent of the season to the work stoppage.

"We had a very happy group of owners in that room," Stern said. "Adam gave a report that our ratings are up 28 percent over the last decade, while [overall] television ratings are down around 30 percent over the last decade."

The league is projecting its best year ever next season in both ticket and sponsorship revenues, Stern said.

The owners also approved several enhancements to the instant replay rules that were recommended by the competition committee in June. Starting next season, officials will be able to use replay to review each flagrant foul to determine whether it is a category one, two or a common foul. Previously, replay was only permitted to review the more serious penalty-two flagrants.

In the last two minutes of regulation and all of overtime, replay may now be used to determine whether a defender was positioned in the restricted area under the basket for the purposes of block-charge calls. Also, in the last two minutes of regulation and all of overtime, replay may be used to determine the accuracy of goaltending calls. Replay will not be permitted for non-calls, only for goaltending offenses whistled by the officials.

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[Урош94]

Agent: Howard won't sign extension

The agent for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard refuted reports that his client has decided he will sign an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers -- if traded to them.

"Dwight's position has remained unchanged since the end of this past season," said Dan Fegan of LaGardere Unlimited. "He fully intends to explore free agency at the end of next season, regardless of what team trades for him, including Brooklyn."

A source said the Nets never insisted Howard commit to an extension as a prerequisite for acquiring him, which Nets president Billy King confirmed in a text message.

Howard told the Magic, according to GM Rob Hennigan, he would like to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets above any other team. The Nets made concerted efforts to strike a deal for Howard earlier this month, but were forced to stop when the Charlotte Bobcats threatened to sign their restricted free agent center, Brook Lopez, to an offer sheet.

Lopez was expected to be a key part of any deal with the Magic and signing an offer sheet could have preempted including him in any deal, depending on the terms of the offer sheet. The Nets then signed Lopez to a four-year, $61 million deal.

Since then, the Lakers have become the primary suitor for Howard, recruiting both the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers as potential third-team participants to deliver the salary relief, draft picks and young talent that Orlando is seeking in return for their All-Star center.

The longest Howard could sign an extension, according to ESPN Insider's Larry Coon, would be three years, in either an extend-and-trade or after joining his new team.

If he waits until his current deal expires, Howard would be eligible to sign a new five-year deal for as much as $108 million.

Извор

[Monta Ellis #11]

Derrick Rose: Don't worry about me

Derrick Rose has stayed quiet since his season -- and the Chicago Bulls' title aspirations -- was cut short by a knee injury in the playoffs, but the 2010-11 MVP surfaced in a YouTube video posted Friday, telling fans not to worry about him.

"Hopefully you'll see me back out there," Rose said in the video. "My biggest concern is don't worry about me. I know I'm going to be all right. I know that I'm healthy, I'm positive, I believe in God, so I should be back there on the court soon, and I hope that you support not only me but the Bulls."

Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28. He had surgery on May 12, and has kept a low profile since.

Doctors expect Rose to need eight to 12 months to recover from the surgery. Rose's brother and manager Reggie Rose told ESPNChicago last week that Rose is walking without a brace, and his rehab is ahead of schedule.

Dr. Brian Cole, who performed the surgery on Rose, also said last month that Rose was ahead of schedule.

Kentucky coach John Calipari liked what he heard from Rose when he spoke to him earlier this summer. Calipari, Rose's former coach at Memphis and still a confidant of the Bulls star, told ESPN 1000's "The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show" last week that Rose is determined to be better than he was before the injury.

"He looked at the whole thing in a bigger picture and basically said, 'You know this may have been a message to me to slow down and to really look at what's going on around me and to step back,' " Calipari said. " 'He said, 'I think God was telling me things are coming at you too fast.' And he said, 'Coach I'm gonna come back (and) wait until you see my body when I come back.' And he said, 'I'm going to be better than I was before I got hurt.' And if you know him, you understand when he gets on a mission that way, he's going."

The Bulls team Rose returns to will have plenty of new faces staring back at him. The Bulls cut ties with guard C.J. Watson and swingman Ronnie Brewer, traded sharpshooter Kyle Korver and appear to be on the verge of losing guard John Lucas III, who is reportedly closing in on a deal with the Toronto Raptors. They also have a decision to make on center Omer Asik, who agreed to an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets. The Bulls will have three days to match the offer once it's signed by Asik.

The Bulls agreed to a deal with guard Kirk Hinrich, a move the team has yet to announce, giving them a veteran to hold down the point for Rose while he's out. They also drafted Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague in the first round and signed former Atlanta Hawks forward Vladimir Radmanovic.

Rose thanked fans for their support in the video.

"I know I haven't been out there, but I appreciate you all watching this video," Rose said.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story...oing-all-right

[Monta Ellis #11]

NBA Board of Governors meeting: Officiating rule changes are coming

LAS VEGAS — The NBA’s Board of Governors met on Thursday. Here are some highlights from the Adam Silver/David Stern press session after the meeting:

• The board approved a slew of rule changes that will go into effect next season. Among the most important: Officials will be able to review goaltending calls in the last two minutes of regulation and all of overtime. This issue hit its crescendo during an early-season Portland-Oklahoma City game, one in which the Thunder won thanks to a bogus goaltending call against LaMarcus Aldridge on a last-second Kevin Durant shot in overtime. This is a no-brainer, and the NBA should seriously consider extending the option for review to the rest of the game. The rule applies only to called goaltends — not no-calls on shot blocks in which the ball might be on the way down — and that makes sense. A called goaltending violation stops the game, while the game continues after a non-call. Reviewing every non-call would thus interrupt the flow of the game and is impossible in practical terms.

Reviewing all goaltends could slow the game, but it doesn’t have to. The league could review them during commercial breaks, simply erasing the two points, just as officials can now review foot-on-the-arc jumpers during dead time. In theory, reviews should be immediate since teams want to to play and strategize with full knowledge of the accurate score. But the damage in this regard would be minimal, and an incorrectly called goaltend — and the resulting two points — alters the time/score situation from the moment it happens until the very end of the game.

Also: There just aren’t that many goaltending or basket interference calls — just 350 or 400 per season on average, according to figures the league sent me last year. So it’s not as if you’d be slowing every game to a crawl multiple times with these reviews.

This rule change represents a step in the right direction. Let’s just hope it’s not the final step.

• Officials will be able to conduct in-game review on all flagrant foul calls. When an official calls a flagrant, they will be able to then go to video and review whether the foul should be a “flagrant 1″ or a more serious “flagrant 2″ — or even just a regular old foul. Under the old rules, officials only had the video review option for fouls originally called as a “flagrant 2,” since they result in the immediate ejection of the player committing the foul. They could not review a “flagrant 1″ for upgrade or downgrade. The issue came to a head in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between Indiana and Miami, when officials whistled both Tyler Hansbrough and Udonis Haslem for “flagrant 1s” on violent fouls. The league upgraded both fouls to “flagrant 2s” after the game, and it subsequently suspended Haslem for Game 6.

This is a good step, since it increases the chance that referees make the correct decision on something as important as a player’s potential ejection. It also gives the referees another tool to control any escalation of violence by upgrading a “flagrant 1″ to a “flagrant 2″ if merited, nipping the possibility of retaliation in the bud by booting the first offender. But flagrant foul rulings will remain controversial, and on somewhat shaky ground, as long as the league sticks to a vague definition of what actually constitutes a flagrant — one that centers on whether contact is deemed “excessive” and/or “unnecessary.”

• Ads on jerseys are coming, probably in 2013-14, and they are specifically coming to a two inch-by-two inch area on the left shoulder of your favorite team’s uniform. It will take another year or so to plan for this, but it’s coming. The league needs to suss out how much money teams can make on ad sales, as well as how to split it up (start with giving the players 50 percent) and how to make sure adidas, the league’s jersey manufacturer, can produce replica jerseys with the correct ads on a real-time basis. Jerseys intended for sale to consumers will include the same ads featured on player game-worn jerseys, according to Silver. The league estimates the 30 teams can make $100 million annually combined on these ad sales, though the Knicks, for example, will earn a lot more than the Bobcats. And Silver cautioned that the $100 million figure is a very early estimate.

No moral objections here. This is a business. Jerseys aren’t sacred.

• Nothing for now on changing the basket interference rules to allow players to whack at the ball while it’s on the rim, as they can in international play and the D-League. The league’s competition will take up that topic again in September, and it’s possible the owners could vote to approve it by the start of next season’s exhibition schedule, according to Stern. It’s a popular suggestion, one I wrote about at length at the end of this post.

• No update on flopping, either. As I wrote last month, the league’s flopping problem is probably a bit overblown, and it’s unlikely that the league will give officials the option to penalize alleged flopping violations immediately in games. The league may institute a postgame review option in time for next season, with guilty floppers subject to an escalating series of fines and even suspension. That would provide no real-time justice for a team who loses a possession via a successful flop (i.e., one resulting in a foul call) or a “play-on” flop that nonetheless disrupts the flow of the game. But would it be prove to be an effective deterrent in the long haul?

• Officials will be able to review whether a defensive player on a block/charge call was inside or outside the restricted area in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime. This is very, very tricky, and we’ll have to address it in more detail later. It’s tricky because the defender’s location inside or outside that circle is just one of a few key variables that decide whether contact is a block or a charge. Will referees be able to review all of those variables? The league has generally opted against introducing too many judgment calls into the replay process. Take this scenario: A referee whistles a defensive player for a blocking foul and points to the restricted area semicircle, indicating the defender was inside the circle, and that his position was the reason for the call.

Imagine that upon video review, it turns out the defender was actually outside the circle. But also imagine that video review reveals the defender was moving in a way that would be a violation regardless of his positioning in or out of the circle — an illegal bit of movement the referees missed on first glance. Do you stick with the original blocking call because of that illegal movement, or overturn the original call and rule the play a charge, based on the defender’s location out of the circle? A league source says the reversal would be mandated, and if that’s the case, the NBA has entered dicey territory here. Then again, this is dicey territory regardless.

• The league is on track to approve the sale of the Grizzlies to Robert Pera, Stern said. He added that more prospective owners have approached him this year than ever before about possibly buying a team, presumably because the new collective bargaining agreement makes it much easier or teams to turn a profit. The old CBA guaranteed 57 percent of all basketball-related income would go to current players; the new CBA cuts that to total 50 percent — the equivalent of about $300 million every year going to the owners instead of the players. That obviously makes a huge difference.

Stern also said that the harsher new luxury tax rates, set to go into effect in 2013-14, are already making teams think harder about spending — and especially about handing out long-term contracts. The league this season is also using a new form of revenue sharing, one that will make at least 25 teams profitable within the next three years, Stern said. And according to Stern, a majority of the five unprofitable clubs will be so by choice, meaning they will authorize some temporary overspending in pursuit of a title (or some other goal). One presumes that a couple of small-market clubs — Memphis, Sacramento and New Orleans — may struggle to turn a profit for involuntary reasons.

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2012...r_a5&eref=sihp

[Monta Ellis #11]

Agent: Teams should talk to Bynum

The agent for Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum says it would be "foolish" for any team to trade for his client without first speaking to Bynum to gauge his interest in signing an extension or long-term contract with them.

The Lakers so far have not granted the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic or any team permission to speak directly with Bynum or his representatives. Bynum has been the subject of trade talks involving the Magic's Dwight Howard.
"I can't imagine any team foolish enough to do the deal without asking permission to speak to Andrew," Bynum's agent David Lee told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Thursday. "That's beyond belief, but strange things happen."

However Lee denied that Bynum had a list of preferred destinations, saying he and Bynum chuckled when they read reports while on vacation in Alaska last week indicating he had already made such decisions.

"I looked at it and he looked it and we both wondered where it came from," Lee said.

Bynum has been the subject of trade rumors for most of his career and is somewhat used to them by now. Although it gets tiresome, Lee said that any notion this latest round of speculation would sour him on the Lakers is incorrect.

"He's never had a problem with the organization despite all the things he has gone through," Lee said. "I don't think I've ever heard him offer a negative comment about the (Lakers) organization."

Lee would not say whether Bynum was growing anxious to start extension talks with the Lakers. According to ESPN Insider's Larry Coon, Bynum could sign a three-year extension (he has one year and $16.1 million remaining on his current contract) now. Or, he could play out the season, become a free agent and re-sign with the team for five years next summer.

Sources have told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that Bynum likely would not sign an extension anywhere else but with the Lakers this summer because it benefits him financially to wait until after the season so he can get a longer, more lucrative deal.
The inability to decipher Bynum's intentions has complicated trade talks. League sources told ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst that while the Cavaliers are interested in Bynum, they have no choice but to regard him as a one-year rental because that remains a possibility unless he gives them assurances he will either sign an extension with them now or re-sign with them next summer.

Ironically, Bynum's situation is beginning to mirror Howard's. Thursday night, Howard's agent refuted reports that his client has decided he will sign an extension with the Lakers -- if traded to them.

"Dwight's position has remained unchanged since the end of this past season," Dan Fegan told ESPN the Magazine's Ric Bucher. "He fully intends to explore free agency at the end of next season, regardless of what team trades for him, including Brooklyn."

RealGM.com reported late Wednesday night that Howard has decided he would re-sign with the Lakers if he were traded there. However a league source told ESPNLosAngeles.com that the Lakers have never been concerned about Howard's willingness to re-sign with them, believing that once he experienced a championship culture, it would be difficult for him to walk away.

Sources indicated that talks had been slow on Thursday as Orlando weighed its options. There is no specific deadline the Magic need to reach a decision by, however the longer the talks drag out, the greater the possibility the Lakers or one of the other teams moves on with their business. While Bynum is certainly used to hearing his name in trade rumors, sources indicated that the Lakers do not want it to become uncomfortable for him.

Bynum's agent added that outside of not being given permission to speak to any of the teams interested in Bynum, he had no sense of how close any trades were to completion or how long it might take to resolve the situation. He would, however, like things to come to a resolution soon.

"I just think it's healthier for everybody involved to get it done sooner rather than later," he said. "It's healthier for Dwight, too. Then maybe people will start talking about basketball again."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...-making-trades

[Monta Ellis #11]

Warriors, Wolves interested in Kirilenko… or maybe he chooses Moscow

It’s getting closer and closer to decision time for Andrei Kirilenko.

He has said he’s interested in coming back to the NBA, but if he doesn’t like the offers he gets he could return to CSKA Moscow (where he played last season). You know they will take him. The Nets were the early frontrunners (Russian billionaire owner and all) but a couple other teams have moved to the front of the line.

One is Minnesota, where he would come in off the bench behind Kevin Love. The other is the Golden State Warriors, according to the Contra Costa Times.

"The Warriors, according to league sources, have him on their wishlist. At 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, Kirilenko doesn’t figure to have the bulk the Warriors would want at power forward, but he’d fit well as a PF in a small lineup. Even with that, Kirilenko is a defensive specialist and the Warriors simply just need guys like that on the roster. Kirilenko can also play small forward, which he did for years with Utah."

In the Bay Area he would back up David Lee and maybe get some time at the three in a big lineup. Smart money says they end up with someone more like Carl Landry in this role.

So, what does AK-47 want? Backup role with a nice NBA team? Staring role but having to enjoy a Moscow winter? Is it all about the Benjamins?

It’s time for Kirilenko to make the call.


http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...oscow/related/

[Урош94]

Magic may wait on Howard deal

he Orlando Magic have told rival executives that they might not trade Dwight Howard after all, according to league sources.

An executive who has had discussions with the Magic regarding Howard said Orlando only will trade the star center in a deal that is great for the franchise. The executive said this has been Orlando's stance for the past "week or so."

Another executive who has talked with Orlando said he thinks the Magic may start the season with Howard and wait until the February trade deadline to move him.

Each executive left the door open for posturing, noting that the Magic may be bluffing in hopes of coaxing better offers out of opposing teams. But the overriding sense is that Howard may not be moved for weeks, if not months.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets both covet Howard, but each team has come away from trade discussions thinking the Magic -- at least for now -- are not interested in trading the six-time All-Star, according to sources.

Howard has been steadfast in his desire to be traded since the end of last season, telling new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan last month in their first face-to-face meeting that he wanted to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

But with Howard under contract for next season, the only firm deadline Orlando faces is next season's trade deadline.

While the angst between the Magic and Howard is real and sizable, the franchise also realizes that Howard is fickle, impressionable and prone to change his mind.

When Howard first requested a trade to the Nets this past December, it seemed unfathomable that he would waive his opt-out clause. But that's exactly what he did in March.

So with a new front office and soon a new head coach -- widely expected to be Jacque Vaughn -- the Magic may believe Howard could change his mind again before next season's trade deadline.

If the Magic start the season with Howard, his preferred destination of Brooklyn once again becomes a possible landing spot. The Nets recently signed center Brook Lopez, who would presumably be the centerpiece of a Brooklyn-Orlando trade for Howard. Lopez is not eligible to be traded until January 15, a full month before the trade deadline.

So if Howard doesn't sign a contract extension with Orlando before the deadline -- and if the Lakers or Rockets haven't been able to acquire him by then -- the Nets would perhaps emerge as the front-runner once again.

Then again, Orlando may also be banking on the fact that neither the Nets nor the Lakers, whom Howard has told confidantes he would sign with long-term, will have the salary-cap room to sign him outright to a max deal next summer when he becomes a free agent.

Извор

[Урош94]

Three-team trade could lead to T'wolves signing Andrei Kirilenko

The Minnesota Timberwolves are clearing salary-cap space to target free-agent forward Andrei Kirilenko by helping facilitate a three-team trade that would send Phoenix’s Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the New Orleans Hornets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The trade gathered momentum Tuesday night and centered on Lopez agreeing to a three-year, $15 million-plus contract and moving to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade agreement, league sources told Y! Sports.

The rest of the deal included the Timberwolves sending small forward Wesley Johnson and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Suns, sources said. Brad Miller, who is retiring and has a contract that can be waived before month’s end, and Warrick are also expected to be on the move. Miller’s contract would go to the Suns, and Warrick would possibly move to the Hornets, sources said. New Orleans would also send two future second-round draft picks to Minnesota.

The teams were still finalizing details, but sources said that Lopez, a restricted free agent, was returning soon from a vacation to take a physical for the Hornets. New Orleans had been working diligently for weeks on acquiring a center to play alongside No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, and give Davis some inside support.

Kirilenko has a buyout in his CSKA of Moscow contract that allows him to return to the NBA. He ruled out the Brooklyn Nets and Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Tuesday because the Nets simply couldn’t pay him beyond the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million, sources said. Kirilenko has been searching for a deal that would pay him in the vicinity of $8 million annually, and Minnesota could have the cap space to do so.

Minnesota is signing another Russian, point guard Alexey Shved, to a free-agent contract. The T’wolves signed Portland restricted free agent Nicolas Batum to a $45 million offer sheet, but the Trail Blazers matched the money to retain him.

Извор

[Monta Ellis #11]

Nets’ Opener in Brooklyn Is Postponed

The Knicks-Nets game scheduled for Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn was postponed on Wednesday because of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation of the mass transit system.

The announcement came a day after the N.B.A. said the game would be played. General Manager Glen Grunwald of the Knicks and his Nets counterpart, Billy King, confirmed the postponement.

At a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the N.B.A. postponed the game at his recommendation. The Nets’ home and season opener will now be Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks-Nets game was to be the first regular-season contest at the newly opened arena, which was built above a subway and Long Island Rail Road transportation hub. But fans were going to find it nearly impossible to reach the arena because all subway and rail service was knocked out because of flooding. Some of it is in the process of being restored.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/sp...asketball&_r=0

[Monta Ellis #11]

Bulls know challenge facing them
And they're confident they can meet it to make playoffs without injured star Rose

Here's how serious losing an NBA star is: Charles Oakley uses plain language to describe the impact.

"That's some bad stuff," Oakley said in a phone conversation.

Oakley, who rarely met a metaphor he didn't magnify or mangle, lived through the Bulls' 1985-86 season when Michael Jordan broke a bone in his left foot and missed 64 games.

And as the Bulls begin the 47th season in franchise history with Wednesday's home opener against the Kings, the former enforcer and rebounding extraordinaire has some advice for a team that will play without Derrick Rose for a significant portion — if not all — of the season.

"Don't think about trying to do what he did," Oakley said. "You can't replace him. You have to do the things that win games — defend, rebound, play tough. Times like that show you what's inside each individual and the coaching staff."

To the Bulls' credit thus far, that has been the dominant theme of training camp. Coach Tom Thibodeau, he of the "we have more than enough to win with" sound bite, has refused to let Rose's rehabilitation after knee surgery be a distraction — or even much of a topic.

If the Bulls are waiting for Superman, one wouldn't know it by their work ethic and mindset.

"We prepare hard," All-Star forward Luol Deng said. "And we know how to win games. The past two years, we've proven that. We have the same core back. No one individual is going to fill Derrick's shoes. But collectively, we understand the situation. We know we need each other to get better."

The Bulls dealt with the loss of Jordan another time. Granted, Jordan's stunning retirement on the eve of the 1993-94 season isn't a direct analogy for this season's situation. That Bulls team had won three championships, not bowed out in the first round of the playoffs.

But this refusal to play the woe-is-us card is the same approach a certain Hall of Fame coach used when Jordan stepped away.

"Phil (Jackson) of course would accept a death notice with a very calm voice," said Johnny Bach, an assistant on those teams. "He's a great coach in times of duress. He had superb control over that scene. That was his strength. He didn't cry about what happened or why it happened. I think he recognized Scottie (Pippen) stepping into another role."

Indeed, Pippen emerged as a star rather than sidekick for that 1993-94 season, leading the Bulls to 55 victories and a controversial second-round exit to the Knicks.

"We still had a championship core," said current Bulls broadcaster Stacey King, who was traded to the Timberwolves for Luc Longley at the 1994 trade deadline. "And Phil was a championship coach. He wouldn't let us feel sorry for ourselves.

"Scottie was ready to take over. He welcomed the challenge of being the man. In the back of his mind, he probably always wanted to be the man. But MJ was there so he would never be the man. With MJ stepping away, it helped Scottie's game and showed people how valuable he was. He wasn't a guy who just rode alongside MJ. He was capable of leading a team."

This Bulls team doesn't have a Hall of Fame talent like Pippen. But it does have players in Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer who have been primary scorers for an NBA champion in Detroit and conference finalist in Utah. Their most productive days might be behind them. But if the rest of the Bulls can stay healthy, there appears to be enough pride and talent to weather Rose's absence.

"Honestly, what are we supposed to say?" Deng said. "We're competitors. No one is going to stand up here and say we have no chance. We practice hard and work hard. Nothing is handed to you in this league. We have good players. We have enough to compete and win games. And we believe in each other."

Oakley said the 1985-86 Bulls team rarely discussed Jordan's injury or when he might return.

"We all knew what happened," Oakley said. "I was young on that team and we had a lot of pros. We had a veteran coach (Stan Albeck). Our whole goal was to just try to make the playoffs and then if he got back, you never knew what could happen."

Jordan indeed returned, authoring his stunning 63-point performance at Boston Garden in a first-round series swept by the Celtics.

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott played for the Lakers when Magic Johnson made his stunning, HIV-related retirement announcement in 1991.

"When you're dealing with that situation, it makes basketball seem not that important," Scott said.

Nevertheless, he learned lessons he still uses today as a coach.

"You say next guy up," Scott said. "I always tell our guys it's not going to be one guy. It has to be done by committee."

Nobody knows when or if Rose will return this season. But this is certain: The Bulls won't let the situation become a distraction.

"The style of play is going to be the same," Thibodeau said. "We're not changing our attitude or approach: Defend. Rebound. Low turnover. Play inside out. Share the ball. Play to your strengths. Cover up your weaknesses. Know your job. Do your job. Stay disciplined. Whether he's here or not, that stays the same."

Thibodeau paused to point out the Bulls overcame major injuries to Boozer and Noah in his first season and injuries to Rose, Deng, Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson last season to lead the NBA in victories.

"Even our first year here, the experts didn't have us picked very high," he said. "I don't know how this season is going to unfold other than if we approach it the right way, we can improve and who knows where it goes."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,7153586.story