Basketball World

DALLAS -- With the clock ticking down, NBA owners and their representatives are still hoping for a last-second miracle, but are preparing for a worst-case outcome that could produce the league's first labor lockout in 13 years.

The two sides have agreed to meet one last time Thursday in New York before the Thursday midnight deadline when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
While there was no "lockout vote" per se taken at Tuesday's Board of Governors meeting at the Hilton Anatole, NBA commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver would not rule out the possibility of a shutdown.
"The owners authorized the labor-relations committee to do whatever steps were necessary to effectuate a new collective bargaining agreement," said Silver. "And so that committee has the full authority of all 30 teams to act in whatever way they deem appropriate."
Silver said that during the meeting that lasted nearly four hours, the board heard a presentation from the labor relations committee, led by San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt and a presentation from the revenue sharing committee, led by Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck.
The National Basketball Players Association has been urging the owners to implement revenue sharing as a way to offset what the league says is $300 million in losses among the 30 NBA teams.
"I think it's fair to say the revenue sharing will be considerably more robust after a new collective bargaining agreement is entered into," Stern said. "It's hard. We've discussed principles, ideas and the like. But it's hard to complete one without the other."
According to the owners, a new agreement must come first.
"We did talk about different forms of revenue sharing among the teams," said Silver. But in terms of the players, as we've said before, we've presented our financials ... and showed them our aggregate loss and made clear to them that given the aggregate loss among all teams, roughly $300 million for the season, we cannot possibly correct that problem through revenue sharing.
"It would only be sharing the small profit that the eight teams have among those 22 teams that already lose money. The net would still be a loss of $300 million no matter what we do. So while we've told the players we're happy to share with them our revenue-sharing discussions as they progress among the owners, it will not change the aggregate financial situation we find this league in."
Neither of the men would rule out an extension of the negotiating deadline if they deem some sign of progress is evident at Thursday's meeting in New York.
"Nothing in this world is absolute," Stern said. "We're not talking about likelihoods. We're looking forward to Thursday's meeting. That was the union's choice. We were prepared to go over the weekend."
Negotiations have stalled with the teams far apart on a "soft" salary cap, which was $58 million per team for the 2010-11 season. Under that deal, 57 percent of basketball-related income is designated for players salaries and the owners would like to reduce that to near 50 percent.
The players did not present a new proposal at the last meeting between the sides on Friday and the owners don't know if one will be forthcoming on Thursday.
"We don't know," said Stern. We have a meeting scheduled with them. And we don't know whether they will be making another proposal."
As the deadline draws near, both sides are staring into uncertainty that could affect the product on the court and the popularity of the league.
"Well, I sure would like to see us make a deal," Stern said. "Not making a deal should give everybody apprehension because the way to continue our growth is to come up with a deal that keeps our union as the highest-paid union in the world and gives all of our teams the opportunity to make a profit and makes us a more competitive league. That sounds like the tripod for a win-win-win.
"We'll have to see whether that's a possibility when we meet again with the players on Thursday. There's always time to make a deal."

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Lorenzo Charles, the muscular forward whose last-second dunk gave underdog North Carolina State a stunning win in the 1983 national college championship game, was killed Monday when a bus he was driving crashed along a highway, a company official said.

Elite Coach general manager Brad Jackson said Charles, 47, worked for the company and was driving one of its buses on Interstate 40. No passengers were aboard.
He grabbed Dereck Whittenburg's 30-foot shot and dunked it at the buzzer to give the Wolfpack a 54-52 win over heavy favorite Houston and its second national title, sending coach Jim Valvano spilling onto the court, scrambling for someone to hug in what has become one of the lasting images of the NCAA tournament.
Whittenburg was despondent when discussing his teammate and friend with The Associated Press.
"It's just an awful day," Whittenburg said. "An awful, awful day."
Charles secured his spot in N.C. State lore in the final moments of that game in Albuquerque, N.M., to cap off an improbable run to the championship. N.C. State entered the NCAA tournament with a 17-10 record, having beaten Virginia to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and an automatic berth into the national field. No one expected much.
"It's still kind of amazing to me that ... people are still talking about it," Charles said in an excerpt from his comments about the championship game on his N.C. State Web page. "I remember when (it) first happened, I figured I would have my 15 minutes of fame and that would be it. Here we are and it is still a conversational piece. I don't really think that was the only great Final Four finish that has been played since then, but for some reason people just single out that game and talk about it. Maybe because it was such a David and Goliath thing."
Police released little about the one-vehicle crash that took Charles' life. Video shows the windshield broken out with tree limbs sticking through the window frame. The rear wheels of the bus were on an embankment, leaving the right front tire elevated from the road.
Charles finished his college career two years after the championship win with 1,535 total points - 15th on the school's scoring list - and his .575 shooting percentage in 1985 remains a school record for seniors.
In the 1983 run, Charles hit two free throws with 23 seconds left in the West Regional finals against the Cavaliers to give the Wolfpack a 63-62 win and the spot in the Final Four.
Their semifinal win over Georgia sent them to the matchup with the Cougars, known as Phi Slamma Jamma in those years and led by stars Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Michael Young, director of basketball operations at Houston, was a member of the team that let a national championship slip away. He told KRIV-TV in Houston that he's never quite gotten over Charles' heroics.
"For him to dunk the ball at that moment to win the game, it was one of the most heartbreaking moments I have ever felt in my whole career," Young said. "Twenty-eight years later, it's still with me. Every day somebody asks me about it. I thought I was going to get away with it today and then you called me. I'm very sorry to hear what happened."
Valvano also became famous for his emotional burst onto the court afterward, running around almost in disbelief. Valvano died in 1993 after his public fight with cancer.
NC State retired Charles' No. 43 jersey in 2008, the 25th anniversary of the championship.
Thurl Bailey, one of Charles' teammates on the championship team, said it's tough to accept that the player who made the game-winning dunk is gone.
"But I heard someone say, I was talking to them on the phone about this, that Jimmy V finally found somebody to hug," Bailey told WRAL-TV.
Current coach Mark Gottfried said his staff had just gotten acquainted with Charles and was saddened to hear the news.
"He holds a special place in Wolfpack history and in the hearts of generations of fans," Gottfried said in a statement. "We just reconnected with him last week and our staff was stunned to hear this terrible news."
ACC Commissioner John Swofford said Charles' play had an uplifting impact.
"As a former player, he made us believe in the amazing and all of us in the ACC send out our thoughts and prayers to his entire family," Swofford said in a statement.
Charles played one season in the NBA, averaging 3.4 points in 36 games with the Atlanta Hawks in 1985-86, and played internationally and in the Continental Basketball Association until 1999.
Spud Webb, who played with Charles at both NC State and then with the Hawks, remembered his friend Monday.
"We were friends, teammates and roommates over 28 years, and today I lost a very good friend in Lorenzo," Webb said in a statement. "He always had a big smile and a big laugh that I will always remember. He was a gentle giant."
A message left on a phone listed to Lorenzo Charles wasn't immediately returned Monday night.

On draft day there is typically a lot of news going around. Whether it be rumors or reports, speculation on draft picks or trades, the NBA draft days have been pretty hectic news-wise.

Then there is Ron Artest… or WAS Ron Artest. He is legally changing his name to “World Peace.” This is not a joke as TMZ reports:

Yes, Ron is going the way of Cassius Clay, Lew Alcindor and Chad Johnson. Ron’s filed a petition in L.A. County Superior Court to change his name to — World Peace. FYI, metta means loving, kindness, happiness and all that jazz. We’re told Ron wants to put the new last name — Peace — on the back of his L.A. Lakers’ jersey.

Mitch Kupchak was asked during a media session Thursday what he thinks about Ron changing his name to “Metta World Peace”:

As you can see it put a smile to my face” Kupchak said grinning ear to ear. “It’s been done before, so other than that, I really don’t have a comment.”

Kupchak was then asked if the name change surprised him “No, It does not surprise me, early on I wanted to change my name when I was in elementary school, and junior high there weren’t too many Kupchak’s around, but I’m happy with it now.

Finally when asked what should be on the back of Ron’s jersey next year Kupchak simply said, “I’m an advocate of World Peace!” which was met by a roar of laughter from the media room.

TORONTO (AP) -- Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa has exercised his contract option to return to Toronto next season.

The team announced the move Saturday.
The 6-foot-3 Brazilian averaged 13.3 points, 2.1 assists and 24.1 minutes in 58 games last season, his first in Toronto.
Barbosa made $7.1 million last season and was second on the team in 3-point shooting.
The 28-year-old is in his eighth year in the NBA. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award after playing the 2006-07 season for the Phoenix Suns.

DALLAS (AP) -- The face of the Dallas Mavericks laughed, sang and even seemed to tear up.
For Dirk Nowitzki, the only thing that could come close to being an NBA champion for the first time was celebrating it with the fans in his adopted hometown of Dallas.
An expected crowd of 250,000 crammed downtown Thursday morning for a parade in the team's honor, with another 20,000 or so filling the arena for a rally filled with emotional moments.
After waiting 31 years for the franchise to be atop the NBA, fans honored it in a way that many said was worth the wait.

Nowitzki was the unquestioned star of the show, drawing the loudest cheers from start to finish - usually chants of "M! V! P!" There were German flags in the crowd, a sign calling him "Der Kaiser" and cut-out letters that spelled "Thank you Dirk."
After the parade and before the rally, Nowitzki and his teammates went to the balcony of the arena and spoke briefly to the crowd. Nowitzki capped it by leading a rousing rendition of their new favorite song, "We Are The Champions."
More singing came during the rally, when team owner Mark Cuban serenaded Nowitzki with "Happy Birthday"; he turns 33 on Sunday. Nowitzki got into it, too, pretending to conduct.
But this day had two other emotional crescendos for Nowitzki.
The first came when coach Rick Carlisle said, "You're looking at the best basketball team on the planet. It's also very clear we have in our presence the greatest basketball player on the planet." The overhead jumbo board showed a close-up shot of Nowitzki wiping his eyes.
When it was Nowitzki's turn to speak, his teammates and Cuban were among those standing and chanting "MVP." Nowitzki bit his bottom lip and looked down. He was too overcome with emotion to answer the first question from co-emcee Chuck Cooperstein.
"It's been an amazing ride, an amazing journey," Nowitzki said. "It's been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. This is the top of the iceberg. It feels absolutely amazing."
He relived his journey from a 19-year-old draftee with a bowl cut and a bad earring - "just a bad look," he said with a smile - to the greatest player in team history, a former league MVP and the newly minted finals MVP.

"I didn't really know what to expect," he said of his early days in Dallas. "It's been an amazing ride and you guys have been with me every step of the way. This is for our fans!"
Another highly charged moment came when it was Cuban's turn to speak.
He couldn't.
The rambunctious billionaire determined to do things his way seemed awed by the moment, surely thinking about his own journey from a fan who used to buy scalped tickets to buying the club in January 2000.
When Cooperstein joked about this being "a long way from Reunion Arena," Cuban just shook his head, lips pinched.
In came Carlisle to the rescue.
He grabbed the microphone and discussed something he said to the players a few days before, about the difference between success and fulfillment.
"Mark has had obvious success," Carlisle said. "The thing you have to understand is, to him, it doesn't matter the cost, it's to be able to bring this moment to you. So, thanks."
They hugged as fans stood and cheered. There were chants of "Thank you Mark," and Cuban wiped his eyes several times. Once he felt composed, the guy who loves being the center of attention motioned for quiet.
He had a story to tell.
"The day I bought the team, but it had not yet been announced, I went out with some friends to have an adult beverage," Cuban said. "I go into this bar and I see this tall, German, goofy-looking guy - with his bowl cut, earring - and I know I'm going to be his boss the very next day. He has no idea.
"So I walk up to him and say, 'Yo. Let me buy you a beer.' He just looks at me, shakes his head and walks away.
"The next day, we're at (the practice facility). I'm supposed to get introduced to the team. I walk in the door and I walk up and I just look at him and he just shakes his head. That's pretty much been our relationship for 13 years."

The video board cut to Nowitzki several times during the anecdote and he couldn't stop smiling and laughing.
There were all sorts of funny moments during the rally.
Brian Cardinal, a backup nicknamed "The Custodian," came on the stage with a broom and dustpan. With a stogie in his mouth, he tidied up a bit, then waved his arms to loud applause. He cupped a hand to his ears, asking for them to be louder, then went back into the tunnel.
Jason Kidd was the first player to speak and he talked about it being "a dream came true when I was drafted by the Mavericks in 1994."
"I just didn't know it was going to take 17 years to win a championship," he said. "We've got one championship, now we need to go and get another championship."
Tyson Chandler upped expectations.
"I hear they do things big in Dallas," he said. "So if we do it big, it can't be just one." He held up a hand and started flipping up fingers and counting, "One, two, three, four, five."
Jason Terry wore dark glasses and a Mardi Gras-style blue necklace. He did his traditional flying airplane motion to wild cheers, then flexed his right biceps to show off the tattoo of the trophy he added in October and vowed to scrub if they didn't win it all.
Terry and Nowitzki are the only holdovers from the Mavericks' only other finals team - in 2006, when they blew a 2-0 lead against Miami. So this title is especially sweet for them.
"Not only the way we did it, who we did it against," Terry said before the rally. "We'll never forget it. We'll never forget '05-06 and we sure as heck won't forget 2011."
Fans filled the downtown streets starting early Thursday, despite temperatures approaching 90 degrees by noon. The plaza around the arena was filled to its 3,000-person capacity about two hours before the parade even began.
Franchise founder Donald Carter and his wife, Linda, for whom he started the club as gift, were in the lead vehicle, a white convertible.
"Fantastic," Carter said.
At the end of the parade, those who rode along said they were overwhelmed by the turnout - people as far as they could see.
"I'm numb," said Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations.

Scott Howard Cooper from NBA.Com reported that Dwight Howard has said he will definitely become a free agent rather than sign an extension.

Howard was asked what he has spoke to upper management about:

“I just told them, ‘We’ve got to have guys who are going to play hard 48 minutes and who are going to battle the other team, who are going to fight night in and night out for a championship,’ ” he said.

So what will happen if the Magic don’t win the championship in 2012, and the roster stays the same?

“At the end of the day, as far as what I want to accomplish as a basketball player, to be one of the greats, you have to win championships,” he said. “That’s how I see it. I want to do that in Orlando, and hopefully we can get it done…. Everybody’s asking me from the beginning of the season until today where am I playing in a year? Am I getting traded? I have no clue. As of right now, I want to be in Orlando.” Howard said.

Regardless if Howard wants to stay in Orlando it will ultimately be up to management.

If the Magic’s front office cannot improve the roster to Howard’s liking, they may look to trade the All-Star center before they possibly see him leave in the Summer of 2012 for nothing.

Robb Harskamp and Milton Un collaborated on this awesome visual history of every championship ring laid out by team. We love how quickly this visualization tells the story of which teams have won championships, how many they have won, and when they won them. Truly a great reminder of what’s at stake in the Finals!

With the exception of the 1967 Sixers, all the rings were relatively similar for the first three decades. Starting in the 80′s the rings got more bling, becoming increasingly more elaborate from year to year. Thus, it is easy to see at a glance which teams won their championships recently (Spurs/Bulls), which teams haven’t won a championship in several decades (Knicks), and which teams have a mix (Lakers, Celtics). Also, we found it interesting that 43 of the 64 championships have come from just four teams (Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs).

We asked Robb and Milton about their inspiration for this amazing illustration:

The NBA Championship ring is that piece of hardware every fan knows about. We can name which franchises have won the most rings, measure our favorite players by rings they’ve won, and even call out the players that have never gotten one in their careers. Dirk “NoRingski”. But, one thing that we don’t always know is what the rings look like. Even the Basketball Hall of Fame doesn’t have a championship ring to showcase! Why? Because each ring is a precious and personal piece to that specific player; unlike the Championship trophies. And no player is willing to give that up.

Click on the picture for highest resoulution

TV networks have a lot of time to fill, which explains why more and more athlete-celebrities are getting star vehicles. Most of them don’t interest me, though I realize there is certainly a large demographic that can’t get enough of them.
Another athlete is joining the list, and while no one should be surprised to see him getting a reality show, it’s actually one with a more substantial premise than one might think.
From TMZ:

Los Angeles Lakers star Ron Artest has locked up a deal for a brand new reality TV show — but he won’t be dating a Kardashian sister … he’s helping ex-cons change their lives through basketball.

The show is called “Last Second Shot” (here is the trailer), and it will feature Artest mentoring 10 parolees as they try to get their lives back together post-prison, working with mental-health professionals and using basketball to teach them life lessons.
So far the show has yet to be picked up by a network, but given the redemptive-effort nature of the show, plus Artest’s background and following as an NBA player, you have to think someone will give the show a chance. Though if he could somehow work dating a Kardashian into the mix, I am sure it wouldn’t hurt.

The Golden State Warriors have named Mark Jackson, a 17-year NBA veteran as a player and current ABC broadcaster, as the team’s new head coach, it was announced today. Jackson becomes the 24th head coach in franchise history and the 19th since the team moved to the West Coast in 1962. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.

Jackson, 46, played for seven organizations – New York (twice), the L.A. Clippers, Indiana (twice), Denver, Toronto, Utah and Houston – during his highly-successful 17-year NBA career and helped guide his teams to the playoffs in 14 of those 17 seasons. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list (10,334) – trailing only John Stockton and Jason Kidd – and was named a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 1989. Jackson was originally selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft (18th overall) and promptly captured NBA Rookie of the Year honors at the conclusion of the 1987-88 campaign. He established a still-standing NBA record for assists by a rookie in a single season (868) and played for five Hall of Fame coaches during his collegiate and professional careers (Lou Carnesecca, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley and Larry Brown).

“After an extensive search and a great deal of consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Mark Jackson is the best coach for this team,” said Warriors’ General Manager Larry Riley. “He will bring a youthful and fresh approach to our team and the fact that he enjoyed a stellar playing career, where he served most of that time as the leader of some very successful teams, will prove invaluable in the long run. We were looking for a coach with leadership ability and a strong personality and believe Mark possesses those qualities. He’s very well respected in NBA circles, is a consummate professional and his knowledge and background will be an incredible asset for our team and organization.”

“We are tremendously excited about the addition of Mark Jackson as our new head coach,” said Warriors’ Owner Joe Lacob. “He epitomized leadership as a player in this league for 17 seasons and we think that characteristic – and many other positive traits – will translate very well into his coaching duties with our young team. He was a leader and a winner both on and off the floor in this league and we’re convinced that he is the right person to guide this team into the future and help us achieve the success that we are striving for as an organization.”

“I am really elated about this opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender,” said Jackson. “I cannot tell you how impressed I was with the organization during our meetings, beginning at the top with Joe Lacob and, of course, with Larry Riley, Bob Myers and Jerry West. I have sensed that Joe is committed to winning and building a team and a culture the right way. I think we all witnessed that with some of the recent front office additions as well and some of the other positive things that have been done in recent months. This is an incredible opportunity and I am honored and thank God that I have been chosen to be the next coach of the Warriors. The Bay Area has always had some of the best fans in the NBA and I look forward to being a part of that incredible atmosphere at Oracle Arena, along with my wife, my kids and my church family, who are thrilled as well.”

Jackson, who will assume his new duties at the conclusion of the NBA Finals, appeared in 131 playoff games during his career, including 23 with the Indiana Pacers in 2000, when he was a member of the Eastern Conference Champions (played L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals). Additionally, he led the NBA in assists during the 1996-97 campaign (11.4 apg).

Jackson will be introduced to the Bay Area media later this week.

Shaquille O’Neal who helped bring three world championships to the Los Angeles Lakers announced on twitter on Wednesday that he is retiring:

We did it!, 19 years baby, and I want to thank you very much, and that’s why I’m telling you [twitter followers] first! I’m about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon!”

In his career he averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. O’Neal shot 58% from the field, in his 19 seasons.

O’Neal finishes his career with 28,596, points, and is ranked 5th in all-time scoring. The 15 time all-star is a former league MVP, 3 time NBA Finals MVP, and won four world championships. (3 with Lakers, 1 with Heat)

O’Neal battled through injuries over the last couple of seasons. He was only able to play 36 games for the Celtics during the regular season, and played a total of 12 minutes in the playoffs for Boston limited by his Achilles injury.



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