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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will coach the Western Conference All-Stars for the third time in his career.
Popovich earned the spot after San Antonio beat Charlotte 102-78 on Wednesday, ensuring the Spurs (37-11, .771) will have the best record in the West through games played Sunday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's Scott Brooks was not eligible to coach in this year's midseason classic by virtue of having coached the West team in last year's game.
Popovich, in his 17th season as San Antonio's head coach, has led the Spurs to four NBA championships. He coached the West All-Stars in 2005 and 2011.
The All-Star Game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 17.
2013 NBA All-Star Game -- Gregg Popovich of San Antonio Spurs to coach West All-Stars - ESPN
Popovich earned the spot after San Antonio beat Charlotte 102-78 on Wednesday, ensuring the Spurs (37-11, .771) will have the best record in the West through games played Sunday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's Scott Brooks was not eligible to coach in this year's midseason classic by virtue of having coached the West team in last year's game.
Popovich, in his 17th season as San Antonio's head coach, has led the Spurs to four NBA championships. He coached the West All-Stars in 2005 and 2011.
The All-Star Game will be played at the Toyota Center in Houston on Feb. 17.
2013 NBA All-Star Game -- Gregg Popovich of San Antonio Spurs to coach West All-Stars - ESPN
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A North Texas jury has found the 22-year-old son of former NBA player Nick Van Exel guilty of murder in the shooting death of a longtime friend.
A Dallas County jury deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before returning its guilty verdict Thursday against Nickey Maxwell Van Exel. The penalty phase begins Friday.
Prosecutors had sought a capital murder conviction. They say Van Exel fatally shot Bradley Bassey Eyo in December 2010 and dumped his body at Lake Ray Hubbard on the eastern outskirts of Dallas.
Van Exel's attorney had said the two were playing with a shotgun at Van Exel's Garland home, and that Van Exel didn't know the gun was loaded.
His father played 13 seasons in the NBA and is now a player development instructor for the Atlanta Hawks.
A Dallas County jury deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before returning its guilty verdict Thursday against Nickey Maxwell Van Exel. The penalty phase begins Friday.
Prosecutors had sought a capital murder conviction. They say Van Exel fatally shot Bradley Bassey Eyo in December 2010 and dumped his body at Lake Ray Hubbard on the eastern outskirts of Dallas.
Van Exel's attorney had said the two were playing with a shotgun at Van Exel's Garland home, and that Van Exel didn't know the gun was loaded.
His father played 13 seasons in the NBA and is now a player development instructor for the Atlanta Hawks.
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Billy Hunter’s long, sometimes-controversial tenure as the head of the N.B.A. players union could be nearing an ignominious end. The union’s executive committee, led by its president, Derek Fisher, placed Hunter on indefinite, paid leave Friday, the likely precursor to his dismissal.
Hunter, 70, who has served as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association since 1996, is under fire for questionable business practices and nepotism, which were documented exhaustively in a recent audit. He is also the subject of a continuing investigation by the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan and the federal Labor Department.
“Unfortunately, it appears that union management has lost sight of the N.B.P.A.’s only task, to serve the best interests of their membership,” Fisher said in a statement. “This is the reason I called for a review almost a year ago. The findings of that review confirm this unfortunate truth, and we must now move forward as players.”
Fisher added, “Immediate change is necessary.”
Ron Klempner, the union’s longtime deputy counsel, has been appointed interim executive director in Hunter’s place.
Hunter’s lawyer immediately denounced the suspension and indicated that Hunter would fight it.
“I am deeply troubled by the lack of fundamental fairness shown my client, by a group whose authority to take such action is highly questionable,” said the lawyer, Thomas Ashley. “The act of placing my client on administrative leave is not supported in either the constitution or bylaws of the N.B.P.A.”
Under the terms of the suspension, Hunter has effectively been stripped of all duties. He is barred from visiting the union’s office in Harlem and from using any union resources, including e-mail and credit cards.
Ashley protested that Hunter had not yet had the opportunity to respond to the audit. He also asserted that Hunter’s contract — which is worth up to $18 million — was valid, although the audit concluded it had not been properly approved and was unenforceable.
Hunter’s future is likely to be decided Feb. 16, when the union holds its annual meeting at All-Star weekend in Houston. Players will hear from the law firm that conducted the audit, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. The 30 player representatives, one from each team, are then expected to vote on whether to retain Hunter.
Meanwhile, there were indications the federal investigation was entering its final stages and could reach its conclusion before the players convened in Houston.
The movement to oust Hunter is already gaining steam. Several players have publicly called for a change in leadership, and one of the N.B.A.’s most influential agents, Arn Tellem, has urged his clients to fire Hunter.
That decision will ultimately fall to the player representatives, who will vote based on the wishes of their respective teams. At least 10 teams, including the Nets, are already committed to firing Hunter, according to people in contact with the player representatives.
“Everyone I’ve talked to, it’s pretty clear that they’re looking for a change,” Kris Humphries, the Nets’ player representative, said Friday. He added, “Just based off the highly tenured players on this team, and their positions, I don’t think he’ll have our support.”
Nets point guard Deron Williams was the first prominent star to call for Hunter’s ouster. The Nets’ roster also includes three Tellem clients: Humphries, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Lopez, the Nets’ alternate player representative, will stand in for Humphries at All-Star weekend.
The Chicago Bulls are still debating their position on Hunter. But Joakim Noah, who will represent the team at the Feb. 16 meeting, said: “I don’t think the players are too happy, to be honest with you. I think there’s a lot of explaining to be done.”
Reached Friday, Tellem called Hunter’s suspension “a necessary first step to enable the players to remedy this unfortunate situation.”
“The players need a leader of integrity and strong moral character who will put the needs of the membership first and champion their cause,” Tellem said.
Fisher, a 17-year veteran, has been pushing for a review of Hunter’s business practices since last spring — an effort that initially drove a wedge between him and the other eight players on the executive committee, who asked Fisher to resign. Fisher refused, and now four of those committee members have joined him in suspending Hunter. Those four are Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, Roger Mason of the New Orleans Hornets and James Jones of the Miami Heat.
Amid all of the infighting last year, the executive committee lapsed into near nonexistence because seven members either had their terms expire or were out of the league. Fisher, who played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks this season, and Bonner were the only ones left in good standing, according to the audit.
Fisher and Bonner, drawing on union rules, created an interim executive committee and appointed Paul, Jones and Mason. The decision to place Hunter on leave was unanimous.
“We ask for the cooperation, trust and patience of the players, their representatives and some of our hard-working N.B.P.A. staff as we navigate through this situation,” Fisher said.
The players are also retaining outside counsel to assist them as they prepare for the All-Star weekend meeting. In the meantime, Fisher — who is not on an N.B.A. roster — plans to work from the union’s offices in Harlem.
The move to suspend Hunter came just days after he began making moves to comply with the audit’s recommendations, including the adoption of new anti-nepotism rules. Hunter announced Wednesday that he had fired his daughter and his daughter-in-law and had cut ties with the financial services firm that employed his son.
[url]www-nytimes-com/2013/02/02/sports/basketball/leader-of-nba-union-is-put-on-leave-html?_r=0[/url
Hunter, 70, who has served as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association since 1996, is under fire for questionable business practices and nepotism, which were documented exhaustively in a recent audit. He is also the subject of a continuing investigation by the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan and the federal Labor Department.
“Unfortunately, it appears that union management has lost sight of the N.B.P.A.’s only task, to serve the best interests of their membership,” Fisher said in a statement. “This is the reason I called for a review almost a year ago. The findings of that review confirm this unfortunate truth, and we must now move forward as players.”
Fisher added, “Immediate change is necessary.”
Ron Klempner, the union’s longtime deputy counsel, has been appointed interim executive director in Hunter’s place.
Hunter’s lawyer immediately denounced the suspension and indicated that Hunter would fight it.
“I am deeply troubled by the lack of fundamental fairness shown my client, by a group whose authority to take such action is highly questionable,” said the lawyer, Thomas Ashley. “The act of placing my client on administrative leave is not supported in either the constitution or bylaws of the N.B.P.A.”
Under the terms of the suspension, Hunter has effectively been stripped of all duties. He is barred from visiting the union’s office in Harlem and from using any union resources, including e-mail and credit cards.
Ashley protested that Hunter had not yet had the opportunity to respond to the audit. He also asserted that Hunter’s contract — which is worth up to $18 million — was valid, although the audit concluded it had not been properly approved and was unenforceable.
Hunter’s future is likely to be decided Feb. 16, when the union holds its annual meeting at All-Star weekend in Houston. Players will hear from the law firm that conducted the audit, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. The 30 player representatives, one from each team, are then expected to vote on whether to retain Hunter.
Meanwhile, there were indications the federal investigation was entering its final stages and could reach its conclusion before the players convened in Houston.
The movement to oust Hunter is already gaining steam. Several players have publicly called for a change in leadership, and one of the N.B.A.’s most influential agents, Arn Tellem, has urged his clients to fire Hunter.
That decision will ultimately fall to the player representatives, who will vote based on the wishes of their respective teams. At least 10 teams, including the Nets, are already committed to firing Hunter, according to people in contact with the player representatives.
“Everyone I’ve talked to, it’s pretty clear that they’re looking for a change,” Kris Humphries, the Nets’ player representative, said Friday. He added, “Just based off the highly tenured players on this team, and their positions, I don’t think he’ll have our support.”
Nets point guard Deron Williams was the first prominent star to call for Hunter’s ouster. The Nets’ roster also includes three Tellem clients: Humphries, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. Lopez, the Nets’ alternate player representative, will stand in for Humphries at All-Star weekend.
The Chicago Bulls are still debating their position on Hunter. But Joakim Noah, who will represent the team at the Feb. 16 meeting, said: “I don’t think the players are too happy, to be honest with you. I think there’s a lot of explaining to be done.”
Reached Friday, Tellem called Hunter’s suspension “a necessary first step to enable the players to remedy this unfortunate situation.”
“The players need a leader of integrity and strong moral character who will put the needs of the membership first and champion their cause,” Tellem said.
Fisher, a 17-year veteran, has been pushing for a review of Hunter’s business practices since last spring — an effort that initially drove a wedge between him and the other eight players on the executive committee, who asked Fisher to resign. Fisher refused, and now four of those committee members have joined him in suspending Hunter. Those four are Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, Roger Mason of the New Orleans Hornets and James Jones of the Miami Heat.
Amid all of the infighting last year, the executive committee lapsed into near nonexistence because seven members either had their terms expire or were out of the league. Fisher, who played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks this season, and Bonner were the only ones left in good standing, according to the audit.
Fisher and Bonner, drawing on union rules, created an interim executive committee and appointed Paul, Jones and Mason. The decision to place Hunter on leave was unanimous.
“We ask for the cooperation, trust and patience of the players, their representatives and some of our hard-working N.B.P.A. staff as we navigate through this situation,” Fisher said.
The players are also retaining outside counsel to assist them as they prepare for the All-Star weekend meeting. In the meantime, Fisher — who is not on an N.B.A. roster — plans to work from the union’s offices in Harlem.
The move to suspend Hunter came just days after he began making moves to comply with the audit’s recommendations, including the adoption of new anti-nepotism rules. Hunter announced Wednesday that he had fired his daughter and his daughter-in-law and had cut ties with the financial services firm that employed his son.
[url]www-nytimes-com/2013/02/02/sports/basketball/leader-of-nba-union-is-put-on-leave-html?_r=0[/url
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The top plays from the NBA's All-Star game invariably repeated themselves in the boy's front yard every year.
As a preteen he would throw the ball off the backboard and dunk it, pretending to be Tracy McGrady.
So what if the goal was only 7 feet and sometimes the kid's more athletic friends would execute the moves better than he did? He wasn't going to let anyone tell him he couldn't live his immeasurable dream.
More than a decade later, Jrue Holiday will head to Houston perfectly content to be himself.
The former UCLA point guard is the youngest All-Star in Philadelphia 76ers history, one of the game's top players already at 22.
He's probably never going to rank among the league's elite in the swagger department.
Holiday was so worried about being left off the All-Star team that he attended a Philadelphia Flyers game with his father, Shawn, and his fiancee, former UCLA soccer standout Lauren Cheney, the night the Eastern Conference reserves were announced.
The evening was a success all the way around. The Flyers defeated the New York Rangers and the normally stoic Holidays broke into wide smiles when Mike Preston, the 76ers' director of public relations, informed Jrue that he had made the team.
"We don't get excited about much," Shawn Holiday said, "but we got pretty excited about that."
Holiday figures to get plenty of playing time because he will be one of only three guards on the East roster, joining Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's Kyrie Irving. League officials replaced injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo with Brooklyn center Brook Lopez.
Holiday's fourth NBA season has easily been his best. He is averaging career highs in points (19.4), assists (8.9) and field-goal percentage (.463), ranking among the league's top point guards in each category.
And to think he would be only a rookie had he stayed at UCLA for four years.
"All these experiences I've had," he said, "I wouldn't change it for the world."
He credited a variety of factors for his newfound stardom, including an improved diet and weightlifting program, enhanced playmaking abilities and a directive from the coaching staff starting last season in the playoffs to take at least 15 shots per game.
"That was kind of their way of telling me I needed to score," Holiday said. "That kind of gave me confidence to try and make something happen, put the ball in the basket."
His biggest triumph came in September, when he proposed to Cheney, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's soccer team whom he met during his one season at UCLA. Holiday placed the engagement ring in a box underneath a shirt in his laundry basket and asked his girlfriend to bring the shirt to him.
When she returned with just the shirt to find him on one knee, Cheney didn't think anything of it. Holiday played it off as if he had bent over to tie his shoe.
"I didn't quite understand what was going on," she said.
Holiday then asked her to bring everything out of the basket. She found the box but didn't open it, figuring it might be just a pair of earrings, until returning to find him on one knee again.
"My heart was racing," said Holiday, whose wedding is scheduled for July in Southern California. "It was a good day."
As a preteen he would throw the ball off the backboard and dunk it, pretending to be Tracy McGrady.
So what if the goal was only 7 feet and sometimes the kid's more athletic friends would execute the moves better than he did? He wasn't going to let anyone tell him he couldn't live his immeasurable dream.
More than a decade later, Jrue Holiday will head to Houston perfectly content to be himself.
The former UCLA point guard is the youngest All-Star in Philadelphia 76ers history, one of the game's top players already at 22.
He's probably never going to rank among the league's elite in the swagger department.
Holiday was so worried about being left off the All-Star team that he attended a Philadelphia Flyers game with his father, Shawn, and his fiancee, former UCLA soccer standout Lauren Cheney, the night the Eastern Conference reserves were announced.
The evening was a success all the way around. The Flyers defeated the New York Rangers and the normally stoic Holidays broke into wide smiles when Mike Preston, the 76ers' director of public relations, informed Jrue that he had made the team.
"We don't get excited about much," Shawn Holiday said, "but we got pretty excited about that."
Holiday figures to get plenty of playing time because he will be one of only three guards on the East roster, joining Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's Kyrie Irving. League officials replaced injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo with Brooklyn center Brook Lopez.
Holiday's fourth NBA season has easily been his best. He is averaging career highs in points (19.4), assists (8.9) and field-goal percentage (.463), ranking among the league's top point guards in each category.
And to think he would be only a rookie had he stayed at UCLA for four years.
"All these experiences I've had," he said, "I wouldn't change it for the world."
He credited a variety of factors for his newfound stardom, including an improved diet and weightlifting program, enhanced playmaking abilities and a directive from the coaching staff starting last season in the playoffs to take at least 15 shots per game.
"That was kind of their way of telling me I needed to score," Holiday said. "That kind of gave me confidence to try and make something happen, put the ball in the basket."
His biggest triumph came in September, when he proposed to Cheney, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's soccer team whom he met during his one season at UCLA. Holiday placed the engagement ring in a box underneath a shirt in his laundry basket and asked his girlfriend to bring the shirt to him.
When she returned with just the shirt to find him on one knee, Cheney didn't think anything of it. Holiday played it off as if he had bent over to tie his shoe.
"I didn't quite understand what was going on," she said.
Holiday then asked her to bring everything out of the basket. She found the box but didn't open it, figuring it might be just a pair of earrings, until returning to find him on one knee again.
"My heart was racing," said Holiday, whose wedding is scheduled for July in Southern California. "It was a good day."
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The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946 in New York City. Back then, it was still referred to as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In 1949, the BAA merged with their rival, the National Basketball League, and formed the National Basketball Association. On November 1, 1946.
NBA guide, guiding you through the national basketball association
Welcome!!
NBA guide, guiding you through the national basketball association
Welcome!!
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While time is running out for a number of NBA teams desperate to make playoff runs this season, so too is the sand in the hourglass for a number of the Association's former stars.
The allure of playing in the world's premier basketball league is a powerful force, and many who had previously closed the book on their NBA careers are trying to write one last chapter in their respective legacies. Whether any of these players finds a place to land remains to be seen, but it won't be due to a lack of trying. In fact, the smart money says that at least one of them makes a roster before the start of the 2013-14 season.
Read More: Former NBA Stars with Outside Chance at Returning to the NBA | Bleacher Report
The allure of playing in the world's premier basketball league is a powerful force, and many who had previously closed the book on their NBA careers are trying to write one last chapter in their respective legacies. Whether any of these players finds a place to land remains to be seen, but it won't be due to a lack of trying. In fact, the smart money says that at least one of them makes a roster before the start of the 2013-14 season.
Read More: Former NBA Stars with Outside Chance at Returning to the NBA | Bleacher Report
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Now that Donald Fehr has all but finished galvanizing the NHL players union and negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the next 10 years between the players and the league, he's already a target for another dysfunctional union -- the NBA.
With Billy Hunter's future very much up in the air, a number of high-profile agents are interested in Fehr's services should they need a new union chief, according to CBSSports-com NBA reporter Ken Berger.
From Berger:
As NBA players prepare to make a decision on union chief Billy Hunter's future at All-Star weekend in Houston in less than two weeks, several influential agents already are privately discussing a possible successor: longtime sports union leader Don Fehr.
Fehr, currently the executive director of the NHL Players Association, is the early preferred pick among multiple agents with enough clout to sway a significant portion of union membership, CBSSports-com has learned.
Fehr, who also has served as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, declined to comment when reached through the NHLPA Monday because Hunter remains in place as executive director. A person familiar with Fehr's thinking told CBSSports-com that the hockey union chief is happy in his job and "has no plans to leave his position." His contract, however, gives either side the option to terminate it with 60 days notice, sources said.
As Berger notes, Fehr's contract can be terminated with as little as two month's notice, so it could happen relatively quickly. That's if Fehr wanted to do it, of course. Berger reports that while Fehr is happy with his current position, he would be open to listening to the NBA. Fehr hasn't been atop the NHL union for too long; just a couple of years. But he was badly needed by the players, somebody who could come in and really bring some cohesion to a union that was in a rough shape before he arrived. He did exactly that and was a stalwart through the negotiation process for the players. It's a sign of how good he was that so many owners disliked him.
If, and that's still a big if, Fehr were to go to the NBA to run their union next, then it would seem likely that Donald's brother Steve could step in and fill the void atop the NHL union. He has been working side by side with Donald, and at many stages of the negotiations this summer he was the one doing the negotiating for the players when things deteriorated. He's already in the organization and knows how to keep things going, so it would be a logical next step.
In fact, some believe that Steve was being groomed for the job all along, to take over whenever Donald wanted to split.
Like Donald or hate him -- and most everybody is going to land on the same side of those extremes -- there is nobody more accomplished to run a pro sports union than Fehr. Yes, he has overseen plenty of labor strife, but he gets deals done for his constituents.
If Fehr does leave, it will be to bring some stability again to the players. The NBA just had its own CBA issues the summer before the NHL, so a new CBA wouldn't be on the horizon. But you could still bet that a lot of NBA owners wouldn't be happy to see Fehr take the NBA union leadership spot because many of them are the owners of the NHL teams, too.
While his intentions aren't clear, the wishes of the agents are.
"He's the guy," one of the influential agents said.
"He is somebody who would be formidable," another agent said. "He would go tooth-and-nail on everything."
It's kind of funny to see this now after all we saw in the NHL this past summer, but at the end of the day he got the deal done (literally, too).
NBA players union could try to get Donald Fehr to lead - CBSSports-com
With Billy Hunter's future very much up in the air, a number of high-profile agents are interested in Fehr's services should they need a new union chief, according to CBSSports-com NBA reporter Ken Berger.
From Berger:
As NBA players prepare to make a decision on union chief Billy Hunter's future at All-Star weekend in Houston in less than two weeks, several influential agents already are privately discussing a possible successor: longtime sports union leader Don Fehr.
Fehr, currently the executive director of the NHL Players Association, is the early preferred pick among multiple agents with enough clout to sway a significant portion of union membership, CBSSports-com has learned.
Fehr, who also has served as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, declined to comment when reached through the NHLPA Monday because Hunter remains in place as executive director. A person familiar with Fehr's thinking told CBSSports-com that the hockey union chief is happy in his job and "has no plans to leave his position." His contract, however, gives either side the option to terminate it with 60 days notice, sources said.
As Berger notes, Fehr's contract can be terminated with as little as two month's notice, so it could happen relatively quickly. That's if Fehr wanted to do it, of course. Berger reports that while Fehr is happy with his current position, he would be open to listening to the NBA. Fehr hasn't been atop the NHL union for too long; just a couple of years. But he was badly needed by the players, somebody who could come in and really bring some cohesion to a union that was in a rough shape before he arrived. He did exactly that and was a stalwart through the negotiation process for the players. It's a sign of how good he was that so many owners disliked him.
If, and that's still a big if, Fehr were to go to the NBA to run their union next, then it would seem likely that Donald's brother Steve could step in and fill the void atop the NHL union. He has been working side by side with Donald, and at many stages of the negotiations this summer he was the one doing the negotiating for the players when things deteriorated. He's already in the organization and knows how to keep things going, so it would be a logical next step.
In fact, some believe that Steve was being groomed for the job all along, to take over whenever Donald wanted to split.
Like Donald or hate him -- and most everybody is going to land on the same side of those extremes -- there is nobody more accomplished to run a pro sports union than Fehr. Yes, he has overseen plenty of labor strife, but he gets deals done for his constituents.
If Fehr does leave, it will be to bring some stability again to the players. The NBA just had its own CBA issues the summer before the NHL, so a new CBA wouldn't be on the horizon. But you could still bet that a lot of NBA owners wouldn't be happy to see Fehr take the NBA union leadership spot because many of them are the owners of the NHL teams, too.
While his intentions aren't clear, the wishes of the agents are.
"He's the guy," one of the influential agents said.
"He is somebody who would be formidable," another agent said. "He would go tooth-and-nail on everything."
It's kind of funny to see this now after all we saw in the NHL this past summer, but at the end of the day he got the deal done (literally, too).
NBA players union could try to get Donald Fehr to lead - CBSSports-com
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The fans knew the Houston Rockets were on the verge of history Tuesday night, needing one more three-pointer to set an NBA record.
Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson wasn't going to let that happen.
The Rockets settled for tying an NBA record and set a franchise mark with 23 three-pointers in a 140-109 win against the Warriors. Houston matched the single-game record for threes set by the Orlando Magic vs. the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 13, 2009.
The Toyota Center crowd realized the outright record was within reach in the final three minutes, chanting "One more three!" But the Warriors took away Houston's chances of getting it by fouling at the end.
"We're not going to lay down," Jackson said. "If you're going to try to get the record, we're going to stop it." The Warriors should've employed that plan sooner.
Jeremy Lin sank five three-pointers, a career high, and Chandler Parsons and James Harden hit four apiece as the Rockets reached a season-high point total. They also tied an NBA record with 14 three-pointers in the first half and dished out a season-high 35 assists on 46 field goals overall.
"Thankfully, we were just able to get a bunch of open looks and knock them down," Lin said. "That's just the way it is sometimes." Lin scored 28 points, Harden added 18 and Parsons had 16 for Houston. The Rockets put on the shooting display without their best three-point shooter — Carlos Delfino, who sat out with a right elbow injury.
"We just got hot tonight," Harden said.
Jarrett Jack scored 20 points and David Lee had 18 for the Warriors. Stephen Curry, averaging 21 points per game, scored only seven points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Houston set a Toyota Center scoring record and reached 140 points for the first time since April 1995.
"Throughout the whole game, you figured they'd cool off," Curry said. "But we have to force them to take tougher shots. You just can't give them open looks." The Rockets were 18 of 27 from three-point range through three quarters. They finally hit a dry spell early in the fourth, missing their first three three-point attempts. It didn't last long — Marcus Morris connected on a three from the wing and Parsons flashed him a smile as the two trotted back down the court.
With the outcome decided, Rockets coach Kevin McHale pulled his starters with 5:49 left, leaving the pursuit of the NBA record to the reserves. By then, everyone on Houston bench knew the record was within reach.
"Obviously, the amount of threes we hit is pretty ridiculous," Parsons said. "We were open, and nobody is going to turn down open shots."
The fans were ready to explode anticipating the record-setting three. Reserve point guard Patrick Beverley drove for a one-handed dunk with 1:04 remaining, prompting a mix of cheers and groans.
Beverley took a hard foul from Draymond Green on a three-point try with 34 seconds left. Beverley and Green snapped at one another, prompting a heated argument between several players. Green and Morris were ejected.
"Some nights, it's not your night and it wasn't ours and we didn't play particularly well," Jackson said. "That doesn't mean, lay down and surrender. That's not in our DNA."
But the Warriors had to be a bit demoralized, because the Rockets seemed to make every outside shot they took. They went 7 for 10 from three-point range in the first quarter and 14 for 18 in the first half. Milwaukee had 14 threes in a half against Phoenix in March 2006 and New York matched that total twice last season — against Portland on March 14 and against Boston on April 17.
Curry, though, had the most spectacular shot before the break, just beating the buzzer with a half-court shot to cut Houston's lead to 77-62.
But Golden State's perimeter defense was no better in the third quarter, and three-pointers by Parsons and Lin stretched the gap past 20. Harrison Barnes ran out to guard Lin on his next three-point attempt, and Lin blew by him for a layup and an 87-64 Houston lead.
"They were hitting the open looks, they were hitting the contested shots," Lee said. "And then when they hit outside jumpers, their shot fake works because you have to close out tighter. They shot the ball great, really from top to bottom."
Notes: The Warriors have lost 15 of their last 17 games against the Rockets, and nine in a row in Houston. … Golden State dropped to 8-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the first quarter. … The Rockets set season highs for first-quarter and first-half points. … Houston had never had more than 17 three-pointers in a game.
Jeremy Lin helps Rockets tie NBA record to top Warriors
Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson wasn't going to let that happen.
The Rockets settled for tying an NBA record and set a franchise mark with 23 three-pointers in a 140-109 win against the Warriors. Houston matched the single-game record for threes set by the Orlando Magic vs. the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 13, 2009.
The Toyota Center crowd realized the outright record was within reach in the final three minutes, chanting "One more three!" But the Warriors took away Houston's chances of getting it by fouling at the end.
"We're not going to lay down," Jackson said. "If you're going to try to get the record, we're going to stop it." The Warriors should've employed that plan sooner.
Jeremy Lin sank five three-pointers, a career high, and Chandler Parsons and James Harden hit four apiece as the Rockets reached a season-high point total. They also tied an NBA record with 14 three-pointers in the first half and dished out a season-high 35 assists on 46 field goals overall.
"Thankfully, we were just able to get a bunch of open looks and knock them down," Lin said. "That's just the way it is sometimes." Lin scored 28 points, Harden added 18 and Parsons had 16 for Houston. The Rockets put on the shooting display without their best three-point shooter — Carlos Delfino, who sat out with a right elbow injury.
"We just got hot tonight," Harden said.
Jarrett Jack scored 20 points and David Lee had 18 for the Warriors. Stephen Curry, averaging 21 points per game, scored only seven points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Houston set a Toyota Center scoring record and reached 140 points for the first time since April 1995.
"Throughout the whole game, you figured they'd cool off," Curry said. "But we have to force them to take tougher shots. You just can't give them open looks." The Rockets were 18 of 27 from three-point range through three quarters. They finally hit a dry spell early in the fourth, missing their first three three-point attempts. It didn't last long — Marcus Morris connected on a three from the wing and Parsons flashed him a smile as the two trotted back down the court.
With the outcome decided, Rockets coach Kevin McHale pulled his starters with 5:49 left, leaving the pursuit of the NBA record to the reserves. By then, everyone on Houston bench knew the record was within reach.
"Obviously, the amount of threes we hit is pretty ridiculous," Parsons said. "We were open, and nobody is going to turn down open shots."
The fans were ready to explode anticipating the record-setting three. Reserve point guard Patrick Beverley drove for a one-handed dunk with 1:04 remaining, prompting a mix of cheers and groans.
Beverley took a hard foul from Draymond Green on a three-point try with 34 seconds left. Beverley and Green snapped at one another, prompting a heated argument between several players. Green and Morris were ejected.
"Some nights, it's not your night and it wasn't ours and we didn't play particularly well," Jackson said. "That doesn't mean, lay down and surrender. That's not in our DNA."
But the Warriors had to be a bit demoralized, because the Rockets seemed to make every outside shot they took. They went 7 for 10 from three-point range in the first quarter and 14 for 18 in the first half. Milwaukee had 14 threes in a half against Phoenix in March 2006 and New York matched that total twice last season — against Portland on March 14 and against Boston on April 17.
Curry, though, had the most spectacular shot before the break, just beating the buzzer with a half-court shot to cut Houston's lead to 77-62.
But Golden State's perimeter defense was no better in the third quarter, and three-pointers by Parsons and Lin stretched the gap past 20. Harrison Barnes ran out to guard Lin on his next three-point attempt, and Lin blew by him for a layup and an 87-64 Houston lead.
"They were hitting the open looks, they were hitting the contested shots," Lee said. "And then when they hit outside jumpers, their shot fake works because you have to close out tighter. They shot the ball great, really from top to bottom."
Notes: The Warriors have lost 15 of their last 17 games against the Rockets, and nine in a row in Houston. … Golden State dropped to 8-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the first quarter. … The Rockets set season highs for first-quarter and first-half points. … Houston had never had more than 17 three-pointers in a game.
Jeremy Lin helps Rockets tie NBA record to top Warriors
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For several years, the professional sports world has been torn asunder by accusations and affirmations of the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball has been the epicenter of discussion in the United States, with new revelations occurring seemingly every week, but Lance Armstrong and last week's Ray Lewis kerfuffle have brought their own major stories, as well.
For the most part, the NBA has not been involved in the biggest scandals involving PEDs. There have been some comparatively minor stories, including the suspension of Rashard Lewis for 10 games following a positive test in 2009, but nothing that would suggest a widespread problem (or, perhaps more accurately, concern that there's a widespread problem).
Nevertheless, the NBA wants to address any issues that may exist. According to commissioner David Stern, the league hopes to start testing for human growth hormone next season. From a radio interview with WCCO in Minneapolis (as transcribed by Ben Golliver at The Point Forward):
“We watch what’s going on in baseball, we watch the negotiations that are going in with football, and it is my expectation that by next season [we] will be doing blood testing for HGH,” Stern told WCCO radio in Minnesota. “Our players have been terrific. They lead this in some ways, saying, ‘ We do not want to have anything less than the best.’ That’s been the way it’s been since 1983.”
The NBA has been exploring the issue for some time. In Dec. 2011, after the conclusion of the lockout, NBA-com reported that HGH testing would be phased in once a reliable testing procedure could be determined. [...]
“If I say I don’t have a concern, everyone says I’m a Pollyanna,” Stern said. “I don’t have any reason to know one way or another. My guess is and my hope is that it’s not widely used in the NBA.”
This news comes in the wake of similar announcements by Major League Baseball and the NFL that they would institute blood tests for HGH in time for their next seasons. It's been commonly believed for years that HGH has been a popular PED for many players in those sports, but the lack of blood testing could not prove such an issue. Again, the NBA has not had to deal with that same sort of speculation.
Effectively, that means that Stern wants to bring in HGH testing as a sort of preventative measure, or maybe even an attempt to find out if there's a previously unidentified problem. It's similar to the approach the NBA took towards concussions two years ago when it developed a specific policy to ensure that players didn't return to the court before it was medically advisable. At the time, the NFL faced questions about safety that have persisted until now (and figure to for quite some time). The NBA didn't appear to have a major concussion problem, but the league wanted to ensure that its players would be kept safe. While some coaches and players haven't been big fans of the policy, it's been a success.
The HGH issue is different, however, because it's unclear exactly what testing is meant to protect. The concussion policy was very clearly meant to protect the health of players — if anything, it keeps players on the sidelines when fans really want to see them play. But the reasons for HGH testing are less clear. Obviously, the drug carries serious health risks, and that's one of the reasons it's banned in the first place. But testing for it, particularly at a time when the only two American leagues more popular than the NBA also plan to do so, can come across as an effort to strengthen the league's image.
That doesn't mean that testing is a bad idea — it's almost certainly a good thing. But the various reasons for these changes will affect the degree to which the players' union fights (or just negotiates to lessen) any testing procedures. If the union feels the league is trying to take advantage of players, or bring about a policy without consulting the players, then testing might not come about quite so smoothly as it appears it should be.
This announcement is just the beginning of the process. As with any decision involving the NBA's rules and regulations, there will be more to come.
Y! SPORTS
For the most part, the NBA has not been involved in the biggest scandals involving PEDs. There have been some comparatively minor stories, including the suspension of Rashard Lewis for 10 games following a positive test in 2009, but nothing that would suggest a widespread problem (or, perhaps more accurately, concern that there's a widespread problem).
Nevertheless, the NBA wants to address any issues that may exist. According to commissioner David Stern, the league hopes to start testing for human growth hormone next season. From a radio interview with WCCO in Minneapolis (as transcribed by Ben Golliver at The Point Forward):
“We watch what’s going on in baseball, we watch the negotiations that are going in with football, and it is my expectation that by next season [we] will be doing blood testing for HGH,” Stern told WCCO radio in Minnesota. “Our players have been terrific. They lead this in some ways, saying, ‘ We do not want to have anything less than the best.’ That’s been the way it’s been since 1983.”
The NBA has been exploring the issue for some time. In Dec. 2011, after the conclusion of the lockout, NBA-com reported that HGH testing would be phased in once a reliable testing procedure could be determined. [...]
“If I say I don’t have a concern, everyone says I’m a Pollyanna,” Stern said. “I don’t have any reason to know one way or another. My guess is and my hope is that it’s not widely used in the NBA.”
This news comes in the wake of similar announcements by Major League Baseball and the NFL that they would institute blood tests for HGH in time for their next seasons. It's been commonly believed for years that HGH has been a popular PED for many players in those sports, but the lack of blood testing could not prove such an issue. Again, the NBA has not had to deal with that same sort of speculation.
Effectively, that means that Stern wants to bring in HGH testing as a sort of preventative measure, or maybe even an attempt to find out if there's a previously unidentified problem. It's similar to the approach the NBA took towards concussions two years ago when it developed a specific policy to ensure that players didn't return to the court before it was medically advisable. At the time, the NFL faced questions about safety that have persisted until now (and figure to for quite some time). The NBA didn't appear to have a major concussion problem, but the league wanted to ensure that its players would be kept safe. While some coaches and players haven't been big fans of the policy, it's been a success.
The HGH issue is different, however, because it's unclear exactly what testing is meant to protect. The concussion policy was very clearly meant to protect the health of players — if anything, it keeps players on the sidelines when fans really want to see them play. But the reasons for HGH testing are less clear. Obviously, the drug carries serious health risks, and that's one of the reasons it's banned in the first place. But testing for it, particularly at a time when the only two American leagues more popular than the NBA also plan to do so, can come across as an effort to strengthen the league's image.
That doesn't mean that testing is a bad idea — it's almost certainly a good thing. But the various reasons for these changes will affect the degree to which the players' union fights (or just negotiates to lessen) any testing procedures. If the union feels the league is trying to take advantage of players, or bring about a policy without consulting the players, then testing might not come about quite so smoothly as it appears it should be.
This announcement is just the beginning of the process. As with any decision involving the NBA's rules and regulations, there will be more to come.
Y! SPORTS
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The rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers keeps rolling even if they no longer dominate the NBA.
And that brought some extra satisfaction to Boston’s Paul Pierce after he led a 116-95 rout of Los Angeles with 24 points on Thursday night.
“It always feels good when you can give them a little old-fashioned beatdown in your house, no matter what direction these teams are going,” he said. “It’ll always be a rivalry. Everybody’s always going to watch.”
It was even more special, and perhaps surprising, that the win gave the Celtics a 6-0 record since losing point guard Rajon Rondo for the season with a torn knee ligament.
“We’re in a rhythm. We’re moving the ball,” said Kevin Garnett, who had 15 points and became the 16th player in NBA history to reach the 25,000-point mark. “Some day when I’m rocking in a rocking chair having a cigar and thinking what I’ve done I’m sure it’ll make some sense to me, (but) the first priority was the Lakers.”
The teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, the last in 2010 when the Lakers won in seven games. Only four players on those teams were active Thursday — Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace for Los Angeles and Pierce and Garnett for Boston. Pau Gasol and Rondo also played in that series but missed Thursday’s game.
In 2008, the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games for the championship.
“You can feel the energy every time the Lakers come into the building,” Pierce said. “There’s always a little extra mustard you’re going to try to put out there when this type of setting is set up for you.”
The Lakers played with Dwight Howard after he missed three games with a sore right shoulder but without Gasol, who is out indefinitely with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot.
Bryant scored 27 to lead the Lakers, who had won their previous three games but suffered their worst loss of the season. Howard had nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes before fouling out with 5:07 left.
“There were a couple times where I felt (the shoulder pain),” he said, “but I just tried not to think about it. “
World Peace also was back after a one-game suspension for grabbing Detroit’s Brandon Knight around the neck and striking him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand in the Lakers’ 98-97 win Sunday.
The Lakers cut a 58-44 halftime deficit to 72-61 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Then the Celtics went on a 23-8 run and led 95-69 going into the fourth. Pierce started the surge with a three-point play and ended it with a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left, giving him 12 points in the period.
“The first half was just as bad as the second,” said Lakers point guard Steve Nash, who had just nine points and five assists. “Disappointing performance, start to finish.”
The win was the Celtics’ biggest of the season and broke a tie with Milwaukee for seventh place in the East. They moved within 1 1/2 games of sixth.
“The roof just kind of caved in on us,” Bryant said. “It always just seems like whenever their backs are against the wall you know that’s when you really see the best from them.”
Read more: Kevin Garnett becomes 16th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points as Boston Celtics rout Los Angeles Lakers - NY Daily News
And that brought some extra satisfaction to Boston’s Paul Pierce after he led a 116-95 rout of Los Angeles with 24 points on Thursday night.
“It always feels good when you can give them a little old-fashioned beatdown in your house, no matter what direction these teams are going,” he said. “It’ll always be a rivalry. Everybody’s always going to watch.”
It was even more special, and perhaps surprising, that the win gave the Celtics a 6-0 record since losing point guard Rajon Rondo for the season with a torn knee ligament.
“We’re in a rhythm. We’re moving the ball,” said Kevin Garnett, who had 15 points and became the 16th player in NBA history to reach the 25,000-point mark. “Some day when I’m rocking in a rocking chair having a cigar and thinking what I’ve done I’m sure it’ll make some sense to me, (but) the first priority was the Lakers.”
The teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, the last in 2010 when the Lakers won in seven games. Only four players on those teams were active Thursday — Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace for Los Angeles and Pierce and Garnett for Boston. Pau Gasol and Rondo also played in that series but missed Thursday’s game.
In 2008, the Celtics beat the Lakers in six games for the championship.
“You can feel the energy every time the Lakers come into the building,” Pierce said. “There’s always a little extra mustard you’re going to try to put out there when this type of setting is set up for you.”
The Lakers played with Dwight Howard after he missed three games with a sore right shoulder but without Gasol, who is out indefinitely with a torn plantar fascia in his right foot.
Bryant scored 27 to lead the Lakers, who had won their previous three games but suffered their worst loss of the season. Howard had nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes before fouling out with 5:07 left.
“There were a couple times where I felt (the shoulder pain),” he said, “but I just tried not to think about it. “
World Peace also was back after a one-game suspension for grabbing Detroit’s Brandon Knight around the neck and striking him in the jaw with the knuckles of his mostly open hand in the Lakers’ 98-97 win Sunday.
The Lakers cut a 58-44 halftime deficit to 72-61 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Then the Celtics went on a 23-8 run and led 95-69 going into the fourth. Pierce started the surge with a three-point play and ended it with a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left, giving him 12 points in the period.
“The first half was just as bad as the second,” said Lakers point guard Steve Nash, who had just nine points and five assists. “Disappointing performance, start to finish.”
The win was the Celtics’ biggest of the season and broke a tie with Milwaukee for seventh place in the East. They moved within 1 1/2 games of sixth.
“The roof just kind of caved in on us,” Bryant said. “It always just seems like whenever their backs are against the wall you know that’s when you really see the best from them.”
Read more: Kevin Garnett becomes 16th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points as Boston Celtics rout Los Angeles Lakers - NY Daily News
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Don't buy the hype of this LeBron James four-game hot shooting streak. It's short-sighted and completely lacks the proper perspective.
It's a 47-game hot shooting streak.
Friday night had the potential of being one of those high-intensity regular season games that gets fans thinking about the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers had their full roster available for the first time all season, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin made their return from injury and the Miami Heat showed right from the start they intended to play with intensity on this night.
But James smothered the drama, scoring 30 points on just 11 shots (he made nine) in three quarters before sitting down and watching the finishing touches of a 111-89 blowout win in Miami.
While digesting that shooting statistic, consider that James put up 123 points over the last four games on just 59 shots. If you're trying to figure out how that's possible, just know that it means he's barely missed and also hit a bunch of 3-pointers and a bunch of free throws. It's been the hottest shooting week of James' career, but this didn't exactly come out of nowhere. He's in the middle of the most remarkable and efficient shooting season of his 10 years in the league. Friday night, he topped 56 percent shooting on the season, a radical number for a scorer like James.
To put it in some perspective, the best shooting season in Kobe Bryant's career was 47 percent. Kevin Durant, rightly regarded by many as the most talented pure scorer in the game at the moment, is currently at a career high of 52 percent this season. Michael Jordan's best season was 54 percent.
"He's off the planet," said Dwyane Wade, who is having the best shooting season of his career at 51 percent and is still eating James' dust. "He's not even the best player on the planet. He's somewhere else right now -- the galaxy."
The Clippers, like many teams before them this season, just weren't able to keep James from creating space to get good looks or preventing him from getting to his preferred spots. They have indeed been struggling; this was their eighth loss in the past 11 games as both Paul and Griffin looked rusty.
But they are also the fifth-best defensive team in the league and they couldn't contain James.
"If the defense backs up, I shoot. If they get up on me, I drive. If my teammates are open, I find my teammates," James said. "The game flows for me that way. I'm in a comfort place right now where I can just go out and play free."
What's been remarkable with James' recent surge is it doesn't have an obvious root. This is the seventh consecutive season James has increased his shooting percentage, another one of those factoids that sounds reasonable but gets more impressive the more you consider it.
It wasn't like he spent all last summer in the workshop, either. After the playoffs ended in late June, James took a few days off and went right to work with Team USA for preparation for the Olympics before playing through mid-August. Then he had sponsorship commitments in Asia. Then he took some well-earned time off before training camp began.
He got his work in, but it wasn't a summer of putting up 2,000 shots a day or a revamped shooting stroke stemming from extra work with a specialist. This is just James perhaps entering the true prime of his career with his development over the past decade hitting a peak. But as the shooting keeps getting better, it's a wonder of where the ceiling actually is.
"I'm confident in my ability," James said. "It's great to see when you put in a lot of work and you can put it into a game situation. You're not forcing anything, you're not thinking about it, you're just playing your game. That's what I'm doing right now." James is having his best 3-point shooting season, shooting over 40 percent. But where's he's made the biggest strides is shooting close to the basket. According to Hoopdata.com, James is shooting 58 percent on shots between 3 and 9 feet, a sizable jump from the 47 percent clip he shot in that same range last season.
That sort of improvement doesn't come from 3-point shooting contests after practice with Ray Allen, though those have maybe helped, too. James' work on improving his post game, a multi-year process, seems to be paying off. So is his experience level as he's continued to learn how to create for himself.
"He's getting good looks at the rim, our spacing is helping, he's also not letting teams off the hook," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "If he has an angle he's taking it with that space. He's taking shots he's got a high percentage of making. That's the sign of a high basketball IQ player."
This current run -- James is shooting 73 percent over the last four games when he's tied the Heat's franchise record by scoring 30 points in four consecutive games -- has got to come to an end at some point.
But with the All-Star break coming up, it's become clear that what is going on is no fluke. James, already the winner of three Most Valuable Player awards, is simply assembling another brilliant season.
"One day he's going to just shoot 50 percent," Wade said. "We will take it."
It's a 47-game hot shooting streak.
Friday night had the potential of being one of those high-intensity regular season games that gets fans thinking about the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers had their full roster available for the first time all season, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin made their return from injury and the Miami Heat showed right from the start they intended to play with intensity on this night.
But James smothered the drama, scoring 30 points on just 11 shots (he made nine) in three quarters before sitting down and watching the finishing touches of a 111-89 blowout win in Miami.
While digesting that shooting statistic, consider that James put up 123 points over the last four games on just 59 shots. If you're trying to figure out how that's possible, just know that it means he's barely missed and also hit a bunch of 3-pointers and a bunch of free throws. It's been the hottest shooting week of James' career, but this didn't exactly come out of nowhere. He's in the middle of the most remarkable and efficient shooting season of his 10 years in the league. Friday night, he topped 56 percent shooting on the season, a radical number for a scorer like James.
To put it in some perspective, the best shooting season in Kobe Bryant's career was 47 percent. Kevin Durant, rightly regarded by many as the most talented pure scorer in the game at the moment, is currently at a career high of 52 percent this season. Michael Jordan's best season was 54 percent.
"He's off the planet," said Dwyane Wade, who is having the best shooting season of his career at 51 percent and is still eating James' dust. "He's not even the best player on the planet. He's somewhere else right now -- the galaxy."
The Clippers, like many teams before them this season, just weren't able to keep James from creating space to get good looks or preventing him from getting to his preferred spots. They have indeed been struggling; this was their eighth loss in the past 11 games as both Paul and Griffin looked rusty.
But they are also the fifth-best defensive team in the league and they couldn't contain James.
"If the defense backs up, I shoot. If they get up on me, I drive. If my teammates are open, I find my teammates," James said. "The game flows for me that way. I'm in a comfort place right now where I can just go out and play free."
What's been remarkable with James' recent surge is it doesn't have an obvious root. This is the seventh consecutive season James has increased his shooting percentage, another one of those factoids that sounds reasonable but gets more impressive the more you consider it.
It wasn't like he spent all last summer in the workshop, either. After the playoffs ended in late June, James took a few days off and went right to work with Team USA for preparation for the Olympics before playing through mid-August. Then he had sponsorship commitments in Asia. Then he took some well-earned time off before training camp began.
He got his work in, but it wasn't a summer of putting up 2,000 shots a day or a revamped shooting stroke stemming from extra work with a specialist. This is just James perhaps entering the true prime of his career with his development over the past decade hitting a peak. But as the shooting keeps getting better, it's a wonder of where the ceiling actually is.
"I'm confident in my ability," James said. "It's great to see when you put in a lot of work and you can put it into a game situation. You're not forcing anything, you're not thinking about it, you're just playing your game. That's what I'm doing right now." James is having his best 3-point shooting season, shooting over 40 percent. But where's he's made the biggest strides is shooting close to the basket. According to Hoopdata.com, James is shooting 58 percent on shots between 3 and 9 feet, a sizable jump from the 47 percent clip he shot in that same range last season.
That sort of improvement doesn't come from 3-point shooting contests after practice with Ray Allen, though those have maybe helped, too. James' work on improving his post game, a multi-year process, seems to be paying off. So is his experience level as he's continued to learn how to create for himself.
"He's getting good looks at the rim, our spacing is helping, he's also not letting teams off the hook," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "If he has an angle he's taking it with that space. He's taking shots he's got a high percentage of making. That's the sign of a high basketball IQ player."
This current run -- James is shooting 73 percent over the last four games when he's tied the Heat's franchise record by scoring 30 points in four consecutive games -- has got to come to an end at some point.
But with the All-Star break coming up, it's become clear that what is going on is no fluke. James, already the winner of three Most Valuable Player awards, is simply assembling another brilliant season.
"One day he's going to just shoot 50 percent," Wade said. "We will take it."
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Last May, Nuggets guard Andre Miller said this in an interview with The Denver Post on the subject of whether any team could win big in the NBA without a superstar.
"The question is, can you win without a superstar? This is a superstar's league, and you can't win without a superstar."
Miller recently repeated those words in another report. It's what he's always believed, and why not? The NBA hasn't shown him, or anyone else, anything different.
But coach George Karl believes it can be done, and he's out to prove it this season with the Nuggets, who don't have a superstar or even an all-star.
Miller's comments got back to Karl, who was asked what he thought about them. Karl shook
his head.
"Andre and I got to have a talk in Toronto," said Karl, a mini-chuckle present at the end of the sentence. "The only thing it comes down to is 10 or 15 superstars. I think (Andre) Iguodala and Ty (Lawson) and Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) and Andre Miller and Kenneth Faried are in the next 40 players on that list.
"As I said, the best team is who wins the NBA championship 90 percent of the time, it's not who has the most talented team."
But throughout January and into February, the Nuggets, if not yet counted as serious contenders in the Western Conference, have at the very least moved into the category of dangerous — the team you don't want to face come playoff time.
That was underscored by Boston coach Doc Rivers.
"They run. They play together," Rivers said of the Nuggets. "I love watching them. I tell George that all the time.
"They're agenda-less when you watch them play. Nobody cares. They have six guys (scoring) in double figures. That's what you see when you watch them play.
"They're a very difficult team to load on. We load on a couple guys a game. (With the Nuggets) you're sitting there picking which guy we do that to. It's just hard with them."
A big Garnett fan
Faried doesn't know whether Celtics star Kevin Garnett likes him or not. But going into Sunday's game, Faried leaned toward the "not liking" part.
"The last time we played against each other, he was giving me this evil look — the 'K.G. look' I'm calling it — because of the game I was having that day," Faried said.
But that has not, and will not, change the admiration Faried has for Garnett. Faried modeled his game after Garnett's while growing up.
"That's one of my idols," Faried said. "I looked up to him. When he was on the Timberwolves, it was just amazing to watch him dominate. His hustle, his heart playing, it's crazy."
"The question is, can you win without a superstar? This is a superstar's league, and you can't win without a superstar."
Miller recently repeated those words in another report. It's what he's always believed, and why not? The NBA hasn't shown him, or anyone else, anything different.
But coach George Karl believes it can be done, and he's out to prove it this season with the Nuggets, who don't have a superstar or even an all-star.
Miller's comments got back to Karl, who was asked what he thought about them. Karl shook
his head.
"Andre and I got to have a talk in Toronto," said Karl, a mini-chuckle present at the end of the sentence. "The only thing it comes down to is 10 or 15 superstars. I think (Andre) Iguodala and Ty (Lawson) and Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) and Andre Miller and Kenneth Faried are in the next 40 players on that list.
"As I said, the best team is who wins the NBA championship 90 percent of the time, it's not who has the most talented team."
But throughout January and into February, the Nuggets, if not yet counted as serious contenders in the Western Conference, have at the very least moved into the category of dangerous — the team you don't want to face come playoff time.
That was underscored by Boston coach Doc Rivers.
"They run. They play together," Rivers said of the Nuggets. "I love watching them. I tell George that all the time.
"They're agenda-less when you watch them play. Nobody cares. They have six guys (scoring) in double figures. That's what you see when you watch them play.
"They're a very difficult team to load on. We load on a couple guys a game. (With the Nuggets) you're sitting there picking which guy we do that to. It's just hard with them."
A big Garnett fan
Faried doesn't know whether Celtics star Kevin Garnett likes him or not. But going into Sunday's game, Faried leaned toward the "not liking" part.
"The last time we played against each other, he was giving me this evil look — the 'K.G. look' I'm calling it — because of the game I was having that day," Faried said.
But that has not, and will not, change the admiration Faried has for Garnett. Faried modeled his game after Garnett's while growing up.
"That's one of my idols," Faried said. "I looked up to him. When he was on the Timberwolves, it was just amazing to watch him dominate. His hustle, his heart playing, it's crazy."
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The NBA has become the ultimate in fan interaction, as the action is literally happening inches away from the luckiest and highest-paying fans. This usually leads to some very interesting incidents involving everyday people, not just the guys getting paid millions of dollars.
Whether it be guys hitting half-court shots, which is something that's been happening at an alarming rate recently, or just weird altercations or interactions with NBA players, it seems that nary a week goes by without another fan getting his rounds on the Internet.
The Internet has done wonders for fans, as things that usually wouldn't make SportsCenter for more than a few seconds get discussed to no end in the bloggeries around the world.
If you think that's a good or a bad thing is beside the point, it's just something that happens these days, something that I've got to be thankful for.
It's fun to see fans interact with players and get their 15 minutes of fame, and now that we can get a clip of any instance from a game at any time, those 15 minutes seem to come every hour on the hour.
Pictures: 15 Seconds of Fame: The Best NBA Fan Moments of the Season | Bleacher Report
Whether it be guys hitting half-court shots, which is something that's been happening at an alarming rate recently, or just weird altercations or interactions with NBA players, it seems that nary a week goes by without another fan getting his rounds on the Internet.
The Internet has done wonders for fans, as things that usually wouldn't make SportsCenter for more than a few seconds get discussed to no end in the bloggeries around the world.
If you think that's a good or a bad thing is beside the point, it's just something that happens these days, something that I've got to be thankful for.
It's fun to see fans interact with players and get their 15 minutes of fame, and now that we can get a clip of any instance from a game at any time, those 15 minutes seem to come every hour on the hour.
Pictures: 15 Seconds of Fame: The Best NBA Fan Moments of the Season | Bleacher Report
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2006/12/07
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Faried was raised in New Jersey by two mothers, who married in 2007. Several players in top sports have advocated gay rights in recent months.
Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) competes for a loose rebound with Denver Nuggets point guard Andre Miller (24) and forward Kenneth Faried, center, Sunday in Boston. In a release, Faried said, “I want all members of the LGBT community -- whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans -- to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities.”
Denver Nuggets star forward Kenneth Faried joined forces with an outspoken gay rights group Tuesday, becoming the first NBA player to take on such a public role in advocating equality for gays in sports.
Faried joined Athlete Ally, an organization that promotes equal rights and treatment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendercommunity in the sports world. In doing so, he said he hoped his involvement would help raise awareness of gay rights in professional basketball and other sports.
"I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT community -- whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans -- to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities,” Faried said in a release from the group.
The 23-year-old forward, known to fans as “The Manimal” for his ferocious style of play, was raised in New Jersey by two mothers, who married in 2007.
The NBA welcomed the move.
“We are proud to work with Athlete Ally and thank Kenneth for his leadership on this issue,” said Kathy Behrens, an NBA executive vice president who focuses on social responsibility and player programs.
“His support on this issue is a welcome step in the NBA’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about and end homophobia in sports,” she added.
While Faried is the first NBA player to take on such a role with the group, he joins a handful of NFL athletes, including Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens and Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, who have teamed up with Athlete Ally in recent months.
No active player in any of the four major American male professional sports leagues has ever come out as gay. But several athletes have adopted more public roles in recent months in promoting awareness and acceptance.
Ayanbadejo recently wrote an editorial for USA Today calling for an end to inequality in sports after Chris Culliver, a defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers made anti-gay comments.
Read more: Denver Nuggets star forward becomes first NBA player to join a gay rights sports group, Athlete Ally - NY Daily News
Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) competes for a loose rebound with Denver Nuggets point guard Andre Miller (24) and forward Kenneth Faried, center, Sunday in Boston. In a release, Faried said, “I want all members of the LGBT community -- whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans -- to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities.”
Denver Nuggets star forward Kenneth Faried joined forces with an outspoken gay rights group Tuesday, becoming the first NBA player to take on such a public role in advocating equality for gays in sports.
Faried joined Athlete Ally, an organization that promotes equal rights and treatment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendercommunity in the sports world. In doing so, he said he hoped his involvement would help raise awareness of gay rights in professional basketball and other sports.
"I have two moms and I love them both very much. I respect, honor and support them in every way. The bond I have with them has made me realize that I want all members of the LGBT community -- whether they are parents, players, coaches or fans -- to feel welcome in the NBA and in all of our communities,” Faried said in a release from the group.
The 23-year-old forward, known to fans as “The Manimal” for his ferocious style of play, was raised in New Jersey by two mothers, who married in 2007.
The NBA welcomed the move.
“We are proud to work with Athlete Ally and thank Kenneth for his leadership on this issue,” said Kathy Behrens, an NBA executive vice president who focuses on social responsibility and player programs.
“His support on this issue is a welcome step in the NBA’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness about and end homophobia in sports,” she added.
While Faried is the first NBA player to take on such a role with the group, he joins a handful of NFL athletes, including Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens and Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings, who have teamed up with Athlete Ally in recent months.
No active player in any of the four major American male professional sports leagues has ever come out as gay. But several athletes have adopted more public roles in recent months in promoting awareness and acceptance.
Ayanbadejo recently wrote an editorial for USA Today calling for an end to inequality in sports after Chris Culliver, a defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers made anti-gay comments.
Read more: Denver Nuggets star forward becomes first NBA player to join a gay rights sports group, Athlete Ally - NY Daily News
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2006/12/07
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The NBA suspended veteran Orlando forward Hedo Turkoglu for 20 games without pay on Wednesday for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
A first-time offender of the NBA/NBA Players Association anti-drug program, Turkoglu tested positive for methenolone, which helps build muscle mass. Turkoglu, who will lose $2 million during his suspension, which went into effect on Wednesday with the Magic’s game against Atlanta, said that he took the banned substance by mistake.
“While I was back home in Turkey this past summer, I was given a medication by my trainer to help recover more quickly from a shoulder injury,” Turkoglu said. “I didn’t know that this was a banned substance and didn’t check before taking it. I take full responsibility for anything that goes into my body. This was a complete error in judgment on my part and I apologize to the Orlando Magic organization, the league, my teammates, and the Magic fans. I know I have let down a lot of people and I am truly sorry for my mistake.”
Turkoglu, 33, has played sparingly this season after breaking his left hand in the season opener, averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 games.
“Hedo unknowingly took a banned substance,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said. “There are more than 125 banned substances on the NBA list, and we spend a lot of time educating our players on the contents of that list and will certainly continue to do so moving forward. We believe this was an honest mistake.”
Over the years, the NBA has had very few players test positive for steroids, with Turkoglu becoming the eighth player since 2000 to be suspended.
Read more: NBA suspends Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu 20 games for testing positive for steroids - NY Daily News
A first-time offender of the NBA/NBA Players Association anti-drug program, Turkoglu tested positive for methenolone, which helps build muscle mass. Turkoglu, who will lose $2 million during his suspension, which went into effect on Wednesday with the Magic’s game against Atlanta, said that he took the banned substance by mistake.
“While I was back home in Turkey this past summer, I was given a medication by my trainer to help recover more quickly from a shoulder injury,” Turkoglu said. “I didn’t know that this was a banned substance and didn’t check before taking it. I take full responsibility for anything that goes into my body. This was a complete error in judgment on my part and I apologize to the Orlando Magic organization, the league, my teammates, and the Magic fans. I know I have let down a lot of people and I am truly sorry for my mistake.”
Turkoglu, 33, has played sparingly this season after breaking his left hand in the season opener, averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 games.
“Hedo unknowingly took a banned substance,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said. “There are more than 125 banned substances on the NBA list, and we spend a lot of time educating our players on the contents of that list and will certainly continue to do so moving forward. We believe this was an honest mistake.”
Over the years, the NBA has had very few players test positive for steroids, with Turkoglu becoming the eighth player since 2000 to be suspended.
Read more: NBA suspends Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu 20 games for testing positive for steroids - NY Daily News
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2006/12/07
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Basketball’s statistical revolution — a movement begun in board rooms and on blogs and independent Web sites — has, at long last, reached its logical destination: the N.B.A.’s home page. The league on Friday is unveiling a redesigned, fully sortable engine that will contain just about every statistic in N.B.A. history. And the database, at NBA-com/stats, is free to the public.
The database contains every box score of every game played since the league’s inception in 1946. It graphically displays every player’s shooting tendencies. It allows fans to analyze and compare lineup combinations. And for the first time, the N.B.A.’s site includes advanced metrics — like true shooting percentage, usage rate and defensive efficiency — that have been available on other sites for years.
A version of the statistics tool was created six years ago, for exclusive use by N.B.A. teams. Last February, the league opened it up to reporters and bloggers who cover the league, as a sort of beta test. Now fans will have access.
The engine, powered by SAP’s HANA platform, can process 4.5 quadrillion combinations of data, said Ken DeGennaro, the league’s vice president for information technology. The options go way beyond points per game and rebounding averages.
Statistics can be analyzed by season, by game, by month, by home and road games, by wins and losses, or by nearly any period of time set by the user. They can be sorted on a per-minute or even per-possession basis, providing more accurate comparisons between teams and players. And for the first time, the N.B.A. is providing the advanced statistics that drive the debate among serious fans. Those include effective field-goal percentage, which gives added weight to 3-pointers; true shooting percentage, which integrates 3-pointers, 2-pointers and free throws; and usage rate, which indicates how much a player dominates his team’s offense. (For the advanced-stats neophyte, an online glossary explains every term.)
These metrics have been available elsewhere for years, on sites like Basketball-Reference-com, HoopData-com and 82games-com. League officials said they were motivated not necessarily to catch up to the independent sites, but rather by the desire to give fans better tools to analyze the game.
“What drove us is to make sure that the record was straight,” said Steve Hellmuth, the league’s executive vice president for operations and technology. “In other words, these are the official statistics, directly from the N.B.A., and they’re accurate.”
Whereas the independent sites sometimes rely on estimates for metrics like possessions per game, the N.B.A. has the benefit of having the raw data. In addition, the NBA-com database will be updated within 15 minutes of the final buzzer of every game.
By next season, video will most likely be added, allowing fans to see the play behind each statistic.
Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, who will succeed David Stern as commissioner next February, was a major driving force behind the project.
“Adam wanted to surface all of this information so fans could digest it the way they wanted to,” Hellmuth said, “so they could have their own view of the history of the N.B.A. and their own look into their favorite team. We didn’t want to keep it behind a curtain; we wanted to expose it.”
The statistics can be broken down by quarter, so a Miami Heat fan can see that LeBron James is far more likely to pass in the first quarter (116 assists this season entering Thursday) than in the fourth (71).
Shot charts illuminate a player’s best and worst shooting zones, so it becomes clear that Carmelo Anthony is much better off taking a midrange jumper from the right side of the basket (where he is shooting 52.6 percent this season) than from the same spot on the left (38.8 percent).
The leader board, which showed Kevin Durant averaging 29 points per game entering Thursday (edging Anthony’s 28.6), is enhanced by new categories, like points in the paint and true shooting percentage. Durant and Anthony may be close in scoring, but Durant is much more efficient, with a true shooting percentage of 65.7 to Anthony’s 56.4.
Team and individual statistics can also be adjusted for pace, so that fans can more accurately compare, for instance, the Houston Rockets (who average 98.7 possessions per game) with the Nets (who average 90.5).
Fans can also view every lineup combination used this season, so they can see whether Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol function better when they are on the court together or apart. Fans can then debate the results by sending a link to friends, via Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.
Or they can eschew all the in-depth calculations and simply marvel at the box score from March 2, 1962, the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. Some statistics, after all, do not require fancy analysis.
www-nytimes-com/2013/02/15/sports/basketball/nbas-site-to-feature-updated-statistics-database-html?_r=0
The database contains every box score of every game played since the league’s inception in 1946. It graphically displays every player’s shooting tendencies. It allows fans to analyze and compare lineup combinations. And for the first time, the N.B.A.’s site includes advanced metrics — like true shooting percentage, usage rate and defensive efficiency — that have been available on other sites for years.
A version of the statistics tool was created six years ago, for exclusive use by N.B.A. teams. Last February, the league opened it up to reporters and bloggers who cover the league, as a sort of beta test. Now fans will have access.
The engine, powered by SAP’s HANA platform, can process 4.5 quadrillion combinations of data, said Ken DeGennaro, the league’s vice president for information technology. The options go way beyond points per game and rebounding averages.
Statistics can be analyzed by season, by game, by month, by home and road games, by wins and losses, or by nearly any period of time set by the user. They can be sorted on a per-minute or even per-possession basis, providing more accurate comparisons between teams and players. And for the first time, the N.B.A. is providing the advanced statistics that drive the debate among serious fans. Those include effective field-goal percentage, which gives added weight to 3-pointers; true shooting percentage, which integrates 3-pointers, 2-pointers and free throws; and usage rate, which indicates how much a player dominates his team’s offense. (For the advanced-stats neophyte, an online glossary explains every term.)
These metrics have been available elsewhere for years, on sites like Basketball-Reference-com, HoopData-com and 82games-com. League officials said they were motivated not necessarily to catch up to the independent sites, but rather by the desire to give fans better tools to analyze the game.
“What drove us is to make sure that the record was straight,” said Steve Hellmuth, the league’s executive vice president for operations and technology. “In other words, these are the official statistics, directly from the N.B.A., and they’re accurate.”
Whereas the independent sites sometimes rely on estimates for metrics like possessions per game, the N.B.A. has the benefit of having the raw data. In addition, the NBA-com database will be updated within 15 minutes of the final buzzer of every game.
By next season, video will most likely be added, allowing fans to see the play behind each statistic.
Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, who will succeed David Stern as commissioner next February, was a major driving force behind the project.
“Adam wanted to surface all of this information so fans could digest it the way they wanted to,” Hellmuth said, “so they could have their own view of the history of the N.B.A. and their own look into their favorite team. We didn’t want to keep it behind a curtain; we wanted to expose it.”
The statistics can be broken down by quarter, so a Miami Heat fan can see that LeBron James is far more likely to pass in the first quarter (116 assists this season entering Thursday) than in the fourth (71).
Shot charts illuminate a player’s best and worst shooting zones, so it becomes clear that Carmelo Anthony is much better off taking a midrange jumper from the right side of the basket (where he is shooting 52.6 percent this season) than from the same spot on the left (38.8 percent).
The leader board, which showed Kevin Durant averaging 29 points per game entering Thursday (edging Anthony’s 28.6), is enhanced by new categories, like points in the paint and true shooting percentage. Durant and Anthony may be close in scoring, but Durant is much more efficient, with a true shooting percentage of 65.7 to Anthony’s 56.4.
Team and individual statistics can also be adjusted for pace, so that fans can more accurately compare, for instance, the Houston Rockets (who average 98.7 possessions per game) with the Nets (who average 90.5).
Fans can also view every lineup combination used this season, so they can see whether Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol function better when they are on the court together or apart. Fans can then debate the results by sending a link to friends, via Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.
Or they can eschew all the in-depth calculations and simply marvel at the box score from March 2, 1962, the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. Some statistics, after all, do not require fancy analysis.
www-nytimes-com/2013/02/15/sports/basketball/nbas-site-to-feature-updated-statistics-database-html?_r=0
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2006/12/07
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Billy Hunter’s 16-year stewardship of the players union is likely to end Saturday afternoon in a hotel conference room where more than 30 players are expected to gather, deliberate and ultimately fire their longtime executive director. Hunter, 70, will not be present to defend himself when his fate is decided.
He was accused of nepotism and a wide range of questionable business practices in a 469-page independent audit released last month. Hunter is also under investigation by the United States attorney’s office, the Labor Department and New York’s attorney general.
Hunter, who was suspended and placed on paid leave on Feb. 1, has accused union leaders of denying him due process. His lawyers have indicated that they will fight to enforce his contract, which calls for Hunter to be paid about $10.5 million over the next three and a half years.
Union officials effectively denied Hunter’s request to attend the meeting, infuriating his lawyers, who called the process, including his potential dismissal, “unfair and invalid.”
Union representatives said Friday that no decision had been made about whether to invite Hunter, a claim Hunter’s lawyers decried as false.
“On every call, I have raised this issue of attending with their lawyers, and they have said consistently: you can continue assuming you are not coming,” Michael Carlinsky, one of Hunter’s lawyers, said in a statement.
The outcome of Saturday’s meeting is not considered to be in doubt. A number of people monitoring the situation, including players, agents and other stakeholders, believe that the player representatives will vote overwhelmingly to oust Hunter, who has served as the union chief since July 1996.
As many as 50 players are expected to attend Saturday’s meeting, during which they will also elect a new executive committee. The vote on Hunter will involve the 30 player representatives (one from each team) and possibly the current members of the interim executive committee. An outside accounting firm will run the election to ensure compliance with union bylaws and legal statutes.
The players will also hear a presentation from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, the law firm that conducted the audit.
Unable to state his case in person, Hunter and his lawyers on Friday released a lengthy rebuttal to the audit, denying that Hunter broke any laws or violated any union policies.
The points raised in the rebuttal are similar to those that Hunter and his lawyer made in an interview last week. They note that the law firm’s report, which they say cost $5 million to produce, found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or embezzlement.
In a statement, Carlinsky wrote dismissively of the firm’s audit, saying it “can best be characterized as one law firm’s judgment by hindsight, with which we respectfully disagree.”
Hunter’s legal team is also contesting the audit’s assertion that Hunter’s contract is unenforceable. Investigators from the union’s law firm concluded that Hunter’s most recent contract was never properly approved by the player representatives, rendering it invalid. They concluded that the players could therefore fire Hunter without cause and without having to pay him.
Hunter has said that none of his previous contract renewals were subject to a full vote. The most recent extension, executed in 2010, was signed by the union president, Derek Fisher. According to Hunter’s lawyers, the deal is valid under Delaware law, where the union is incorporated.
“Under Delaware law, at the moment that Mr. Hunter’s contract extension was executed by the parties, a valid and enforceable contract existed,” Hunter’s lawyers said in their rebuttal.
The lawyers protested that Hunter was never allowed to cross-examine the 37 witnesses, many of them anonymous, interviewed by the law firm or to “assess their credibility.”
In the rebuttal, Hunter’s lawyers claimed that the audit “is rife with inaccuracies with respect to hiring, vacation payout, investment strategy and other business practices.”
The lawyers also hinted at the likely legal battle ahead, saying, “We stand ready to press his claims in the appropriate forum.”
www-nytimes-com/2013/02/16/sports/basketball/nba-union-chief-not-invited-to-meeting-where-fate-will-be-decided-html?_r=0
He was accused of nepotism and a wide range of questionable business practices in a 469-page independent audit released last month. Hunter is also under investigation by the United States attorney’s office, the Labor Department and New York’s attorney general.
Hunter, who was suspended and placed on paid leave on Feb. 1, has accused union leaders of denying him due process. His lawyers have indicated that they will fight to enforce his contract, which calls for Hunter to be paid about $10.5 million over the next three and a half years.
Union officials effectively denied Hunter’s request to attend the meeting, infuriating his lawyers, who called the process, including his potential dismissal, “unfair and invalid.”
Union representatives said Friday that no decision had been made about whether to invite Hunter, a claim Hunter’s lawyers decried as false.
“On every call, I have raised this issue of attending with their lawyers, and they have said consistently: you can continue assuming you are not coming,” Michael Carlinsky, one of Hunter’s lawyers, said in a statement.
The outcome of Saturday’s meeting is not considered to be in doubt. A number of people monitoring the situation, including players, agents and other stakeholders, believe that the player representatives will vote overwhelmingly to oust Hunter, who has served as the union chief since July 1996.
As many as 50 players are expected to attend Saturday’s meeting, during which they will also elect a new executive committee. The vote on Hunter will involve the 30 player representatives (one from each team) and possibly the current members of the interim executive committee. An outside accounting firm will run the election to ensure compliance with union bylaws and legal statutes.
The players will also hear a presentation from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, the law firm that conducted the audit.
Unable to state his case in person, Hunter and his lawyers on Friday released a lengthy rebuttal to the audit, denying that Hunter broke any laws or violated any union policies.
The points raised in the rebuttal are similar to those that Hunter and his lawyer made in an interview last week. They note that the law firm’s report, which they say cost $5 million to produce, found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or embezzlement.
In a statement, Carlinsky wrote dismissively of the firm’s audit, saying it “can best be characterized as one law firm’s judgment by hindsight, with which we respectfully disagree.”
Hunter’s legal team is also contesting the audit’s assertion that Hunter’s contract is unenforceable. Investigators from the union’s law firm concluded that Hunter’s most recent contract was never properly approved by the player representatives, rendering it invalid. They concluded that the players could therefore fire Hunter without cause and without having to pay him.
Hunter has said that none of his previous contract renewals were subject to a full vote. The most recent extension, executed in 2010, was signed by the union president, Derek Fisher. According to Hunter’s lawyers, the deal is valid under Delaware law, where the union is incorporated.
“Under Delaware law, at the moment that Mr. Hunter’s contract extension was executed by the parties, a valid and enforceable contract existed,” Hunter’s lawyers said in their rebuttal.
The lawyers protested that Hunter was never allowed to cross-examine the 37 witnesses, many of them anonymous, interviewed by the law firm or to “assess their credibility.”
In the rebuttal, Hunter’s lawyers claimed that the audit “is rife with inaccuracies with respect to hiring, vacation payout, investment strategy and other business practices.”
The lawyers also hinted at the likely legal battle ahead, saying, “We stand ready to press his claims in the appropriate forum.”
www-nytimes-com/2013/02/16/sports/basketball/nba-union-chief-not-invited-to-meeting-where-fate-will-be-decided-html?_r=0
Join:
2006/12/07
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Michael Jordan turned 50 Sunday. You may have heard about it.
That is, you may have heard of it if you've read any sports-related website or publication the past three days.
Michael Jordan hasn't played in an NBA All-Star Game in a decade. He hasn't formally participated in All-Star weekend in a decade. He hasn't played basketball professionally in a decade. But he won the 2013 NBA All-Star weekend by a large margin.
Jordan's name was everywhere, and his brand status skyrocketed. His quotes on all sorts of matters — primarily Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — were ubiquitus fodder for conversation. His image was everywhere. Seemingly every website on the Internet, including this one, paid tribute to him. His newest shoe, the Air Jordan XX8, launched. AARP even gave him a shoutout. The Charlotte Bobcats didn't have an All-Star this year, but their owner made up for it.
Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, so it makes sense that he led the winners. Here's who else won and lost this All-Star weekend:
Winner: Chris Paul
The Los Angeles Clippers point guard is one of the coolest, most popular guys in the NBA. But never before has he shone like this. Paul had 20 points and 15 assists to win All-Star Game MVP one day after captaining the victorious Western Conference Saturday contest team. And he stayed at the center of the conversation throughout the weekend, talking up his Clippers teammates and shooting down trade rumors.
Loser: LeBron James
This is the kind of weekend James might like to forget. He entered the All-Star break as the hottest player in the NBA, on a streak of seven 30-point games, all in Heat wins. Then Jordan started talking about how James is predictable and he'd rather have 34-year-old Bryant. Then James continued his string of refusing to participate in the dunk contest even though pretty much everyone wants him to. Then Bryant blocked his shots twice in the All-Star Game as the West beat his Eastern Conference squad. James finished with 19 points, but he did it on 7-for-18 shooting and committed four turnovers, and the East was minus 13 during his 30 minutes.
Winner: Kenneth Faried
The Denver Nuggets power forward has a reputation for rebounding, but he did it all Friday night in the rookie-sophomore game. Faried won the game's MVP award after a 40-point effort. He then put up a pretty sweet off-the-backboard, through-the-legs second dunk in Saturday's contest, though his first wasn't impressive enough to advance him to the final round. But the best part of his night had to be the postgame praise he received Friday night from Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, two of the greatest power forwards ever who called him a star in the making.
Losers: James White and Gerald Green
These guys are dunk specialists and were two of the favorites, along with runner-up Jeremy Evans, in Saturday's slam dunk contest. Green won the thing in 2007, while White hadn't competed in an NBA contest but has a long history of impressive showings in contests. They both had excellent first dunks this year, Green scoring a 50 while White tacked on a 45-that-should've-been-higher. But they failed on their second slams, White trying a pair of tricky manuevers from just inside the free throw line and Green going for an unprecedented double-dunk. The worst part is Green managed his double-dunk, putting the ball through a net-less hoop twice in one jump, in his try after time expired. White doesn't play much for the New York Knicks, while Green is a rotation backup for the Indiana Pacers. But Saturday was their time to shine.
Winner: Kyrie Irving
While James wasn't helping himself, Irving was showing Cleveland Cavaliers fans the potential of their new superstar. The point guard dominated the rookie-sophomore game to the tune of 32 points, then won the three-point shootout, then had 15 points and four assists as the most effective East point guard in the All-Star Game.
Loser: Robert Horry
Horry won seven NBA championships, more than even Jordan, in his NBA playing career. So this probably won't phase the big man. But Horry, a Houston Rockets legend, put up a pretty pathetic showing in the shooting stars challenge Saturday night. He might be the worst halfcourt shooter in the contest's history, and that shot kept Team Westbrook from winning the event in the final round. Again, though: It's pretty great to be Robert Horry.
Winner: TNT
Whether it was Craig Sager's suits, Shaquille O'Neal's antics or Charles Barkley's awesome commentary, TNT showed why it does the NBA as well as any broadcaster does any sport. Oh, and Craig Sager's suits. Seriously.
Michael Jordan won NBA All-Star weekend; who lost it?
That is, you may have heard of it if you've read any sports-related website or publication the past three days.
Michael Jordan hasn't played in an NBA All-Star Game in a decade. He hasn't formally participated in All-Star weekend in a decade. He hasn't played basketball professionally in a decade. But he won the 2013 NBA All-Star weekend by a large margin.
Jordan's name was everywhere, and his brand status skyrocketed. His quotes on all sorts of matters — primarily Kobe Bryant and LeBron James — were ubiquitus fodder for conversation. His image was everywhere. Seemingly every website on the Internet, including this one, paid tribute to him. His newest shoe, the Air Jordan XX8, launched. AARP even gave him a shoutout. The Charlotte Bobcats didn't have an All-Star this year, but their owner made up for it.
Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, so it makes sense that he led the winners. Here's who else won and lost this All-Star weekend:
Winner: Chris Paul
The Los Angeles Clippers point guard is one of the coolest, most popular guys in the NBA. But never before has he shone like this. Paul had 20 points and 15 assists to win All-Star Game MVP one day after captaining the victorious Western Conference Saturday contest team. And he stayed at the center of the conversation throughout the weekend, talking up his Clippers teammates and shooting down trade rumors.
Loser: LeBron James
This is the kind of weekend James might like to forget. He entered the All-Star break as the hottest player in the NBA, on a streak of seven 30-point games, all in Heat wins. Then Jordan started talking about how James is predictable and he'd rather have 34-year-old Bryant. Then James continued his string of refusing to participate in the dunk contest even though pretty much everyone wants him to. Then Bryant blocked his shots twice in the All-Star Game as the West beat his Eastern Conference squad. James finished with 19 points, but he did it on 7-for-18 shooting and committed four turnovers, and the East was minus 13 during his 30 minutes.
Winner: Kenneth Faried
The Denver Nuggets power forward has a reputation for rebounding, but he did it all Friday night in the rookie-sophomore game. Faried won the game's MVP award after a 40-point effort. He then put up a pretty sweet off-the-backboard, through-the-legs second dunk in Saturday's contest, though his first wasn't impressive enough to advance him to the final round. But the best part of his night had to be the postgame praise he received Friday night from Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, two of the greatest power forwards ever who called him a star in the making.
Losers: James White and Gerald Green
These guys are dunk specialists and were two of the favorites, along with runner-up Jeremy Evans, in Saturday's slam dunk contest. Green won the thing in 2007, while White hadn't competed in an NBA contest but has a long history of impressive showings in contests. They both had excellent first dunks this year, Green scoring a 50 while White tacked on a 45-that-should've-been-higher. But they failed on their second slams, White trying a pair of tricky manuevers from just inside the free throw line and Green going for an unprecedented double-dunk. The worst part is Green managed his double-dunk, putting the ball through a net-less hoop twice in one jump, in his try after time expired. White doesn't play much for the New York Knicks, while Green is a rotation backup for the Indiana Pacers. But Saturday was their time to shine.
Winner: Kyrie Irving
While James wasn't helping himself, Irving was showing Cleveland Cavaliers fans the potential of their new superstar. The point guard dominated the rookie-sophomore game to the tune of 32 points, then won the three-point shootout, then had 15 points and four assists as the most effective East point guard in the All-Star Game.
Loser: Robert Horry
Horry won seven NBA championships, more than even Jordan, in his NBA playing career. So this probably won't phase the big man. But Horry, a Houston Rockets legend, put up a pretty pathetic showing in the shooting stars challenge Saturday night. He might be the worst halfcourt shooter in the contest's history, and that shot kept Team Westbrook from winning the event in the final round. Again, though: It's pretty great to be Robert Horry.
Winner: TNT
Whether it was Craig Sager's suits, Shaquille O'Neal's antics or Charles Barkley's awesome commentary, TNT showed why it does the NBA as well as any broadcaster does any sport. Oh, and Craig Sager's suits. Seriously.
Michael Jordan won NBA All-Star weekend; who lost it?
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NBA trade rumors continue to swirl in the days leading up to the league's Feb. 21 trade deadline.
The remaining days and hours left before that time have been more calm-before-the-storm than thunderous activity, but there's still a wealth of names being bandied about. The question remains, though, with regard to the likelihood that any of these players files a change-of-address form before that 3 p.m. ET deadline hits.
There are intriguing names on the market, and teams with clear needs at their positions. Whether or not these hopeful trade partners will offer the right combination of talent, financial relief and future draft picks remains to be seen.
But that doesn't mean there isn't enough info available to make an educated guess about which, if any, of these deals will come to fruition.
Pictures: Playing Fact or Fiction with Monday Night's NBA Trade Rumors | Bleacher Report
The remaining days and hours left before that time have been more calm-before-the-storm than thunderous activity, but there's still a wealth of names being bandied about. The question remains, though, with regard to the likelihood that any of these players files a change-of-address form before that 3 p.m. ET deadline hits.
There are intriguing names on the market, and teams with clear needs at their positions. Whether or not these hopeful trade partners will offer the right combination of talent, financial relief and future draft picks remains to be seen.
But that doesn't mean there isn't enough info available to make an educated guess about which, if any, of these deals will come to fruition.
Pictures: Playing Fact or Fiction with Monday Night's NBA Trade Rumors | Bleacher Report
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
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Earl Clark had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, whose 18-point lead with 5½ minutes to play dwindled to 102-101 with two minutes left before Clark and Steve Nash hit big shots to clinch Los Angeles' ninth consecutive victory against New Orleans.
Eric Gordon scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half for the Hornets, who were all but finished before making a 16-2 run in an electric 2½-minute stretch. New Orleans got within one point on Greivis Vasquez's running jumper, but Clark hit an inside layup and Nash buried a 3-pointer with 1:21 to play.
Steve Nash had 12 points and five assists, while Antawn Jamison scored 16 points. Four-time All-Star Pau Gasol had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists as a reserve in the Lakers' final home game before a seven-game trip, their longest of the season, while the Grammy Awards take over Staples Center.
Ryan Anderson scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who had won eight of 12, including an impressive victory in Memphis two nights earlier at the start of their five-game trip. Anderson, Vasquez and Robin Lopez led the impressive late rally that just fell short, with Lopez finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Rookie Anthony Davis had 18 points for the Hornets, who haven't beaten the Lakers at Staples Center since January 2009.
Steve Blake had two points and four assists in his first appearance for the Lakers since Nov. 11.
Until the frantic finish that nearly scrambled three solid quarters by the Lakers, Bryant reached new heights in his revamped role as Los Angeles' playmaker, racking up 10 assists in three straight games for just the fifth time in his career and the first time in four years. The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history has 39 assists in the Lakers' last three games, the biggest three-game total of his 17-season career.
Bryant also had eight rebounds, falling just short of a triple-double for the third straight game.
Two days after beating Oklahoma City in impressive fashion, the Lakers got right back to their improved form in the first half, holding the Hornets scoreless for 7:41 spanning the first two quarters with a 17-0 run. New Orleans helped out by missing multiple open shots, but Los Angeles used superior ball movement and an alert offensive game from Howard, who even made five of his six free throws in the first half -- not bad for a 49.5-percent shooter at the line.
Los Angeles made another 15-2 run short before the first half ended. Gordon kept the Hornets close with five 3-pointers but his teammates were a combined 10 for 36 from the field.
Blake had missed the Lakers' past 37 games with an abdominal injury that required surgery and resulting groin problems, but coach Mike D'Antoni immediately put the veteran point guard back in his rotation as Nash's backup. D'Antoni had coveted Blake's services in his previous NBA stops in Phoenix and New York, periodically trying to acquire the guard to run his point guard-intensive offense.
NBA Recap - New Orleans Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers - Jan 29, 2013 - CBSSports-com